21 research outputs found
Novel Linear and Nonlinear Equations for the Higher Heating Values of Municipal Solid Wastes and the Implications of Carbon to Energy Ratios
Energy recovery from municipal solid wastes (MSW) offers economic benefits together with improved management of wastes. In the literature, attempts have been made to understand and quantify the potential energy benefits of MSW but the implications of the proportion of the elemental constituents on the heating value of the wastes are rarely discussed. In this investigation, novel linear and nonlinear equations were developed from artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the higher heating values (HHV) of MSW. The new equations perform equally well in comparison with the existing models in the literature for different HHV data from various MSW sources. They also showed consistency in satisfactory performances for predicting HHV values from new data as well as altered elemental compositions. Furthermore, it was found that the change in the proportion of elemental compositions have interesting relation to the magnitude of the HHV for different wastes. Results show that a change in percent hydrogen (%H) changes the HHV in some wastes that possess the thresholds of both HHV magnitude and the carbon to energy ratio (C/HHV). For the waste with low HHV but relatively high C/HHV value, increasing the %H does not significantly alter their HHV value. For those with high HHV value and moderate C/HHV value, HHV increases as the %H increases. Wastes with high HHV value but low C/HHV undergo reverse in the trend of HHV as the %H increases. Typical example of this is found in plastic wastes with high percentage carbon (%C) but low C/HHV. In this waste, as the %H increases the corresponding HHV decreases. Keywords: Municipal solid wastes, linear, nonlinear, artificial neural network, carbon to energy ratio, higher heating values.
Using statistical and artificial neural networks to predict the permeability of loosely packed granular materials
© 2016 Taylor & FrancisWell-known analytical equations for predicting permeability are generally reported to overestimate this important property of porous media. In this work, more robust models developed from statistical (multivariable regression) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods utilised additional particle characteristics [‘fines ratio’ (x50/x10) and particle shape] that are not found in traditional analytical equations. Using data from experiments and literature, model performance analyses with average absolute error (AAE) showed error of ~40% for the analytical models (Kozeny–Carman and Happel–Brenner). This error reduces to 9% with ANN model. This work establishes superiority of the new models, using experiments and mathematical techniques
Nonlinear finite element analysis of axially crushed cotton fibre composite corrugated tubes
It is proven experimentally that introducing corrugation along a shell generator together with a proper advanced composite material will enhance the crashworthiness performance of energy device units. This is because corrugation along the shell generator will force the initial crushing to occur at a predetermined region along the tube generator. On the other hand, a proper composite material offers vast potential for optimally tailoring a design to meet crashworthiness performance requirements. In this paper, the energy absorption characteristics of cotton fibre/propylene corrugated tubes are numerically studied. Finite element simulation using ABAQUS/Explicit was carried out to examine the effects of parametric modifications on the tube’s energy absorption capability. Results showed that the tube’s energy absorption capability was affected significantly by varying the number of corrugation and aspect ratios. It is found that as the number of corrugations increases, the amount of absorbed energy significantly increases
Using statistical and artificial neural networks to predict the permeability of loosely packed granular materials
Well-known analytical equations for predicting permeability are generally reported to overestimate this important property of porous media. In this work, more robust models developed from statistical (multivariable regression) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods utilised additional particle characteristics [‘fines ratio’ (x50/x10) and particle shape] that are not found in traditional analytical equations. Using data from experiments and literature, model performance analyses with average absolute error (AAE) showed error of ~40% for the analytical models (Kozeny–Carman and Happel–Brenner). This error reduces to 9% with ANN model. This work establishes superiority of the new models, using experiments and mathematical techniques
An investigation on the evolution of granule formation by in-process sampling of a high shear granulator
Understanding the growth mechanisms in granulation process is an important topic, providing valuable insights and supports control strategies. Typically, observations in high shear granulators are made after stopping the process. In this work, an in-process sampling technique is described and applied to a high shear wet granulation process. Different samples can be collected over the cause of the high shear granulation process. This allowed observation of the evolution of granules during addition of water at a constant flowrate. For a typical pharmaceutical formulation, we observed that granules nucleate in the first 2 minutes after water addition starts and then grows in size and strength to an average size of 200–1200 μm at 12.5 minutes, corresponding to a sharp increase in torque. Longer water addition times lead to oversized granules and eventually a paste and highly fluctuating torque. Sampling was continued after stopping water addition which showed with time larger formed granules smoothen, whilst the smaller weaker ones disintegrate. The work shows the in-process sampling can facilitate the identification of the required binder quantity in high shear granulation
Pf7: an open dataset of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples
We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network. It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented. For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations. We identify a large number of newly emerging crt mutations in parts of Southeast Asia, and show examples of heterogeneities in patterns of drug resistance within Africa and within the Indian subcontinent. We describe the profile of variations in the C-terminal of the csp gene and relate this to the sequence used in the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines. Pf7 provides high-quality data on genotype calls for 6 million SNPs and short indels, analysis of large deletions that cause failure of rapid diagnostic tests, and systematic characterisation of six major drug resistance loci, all of which can be freely downloaded from the MalariaGEN website
Pf7: an open dataset of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples
We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network. It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented. For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations. We identify a large number of newly emerging crt mutations in parts of Southeast Asia, and show examples of heterogeneities in patterns of drug resistance within Africa and within the Indian subcontinent. We describe the profile of variations in the C-terminal of the csp gene and relate this to the sequence used in the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines. Pf7 provides high-quality data on genotype calls for 6 million SNPs and short indels, analysis of large deletions that cause failure of rapid diagnostic tests, and systematic characterisation of six major drug resistance loci, all of which can be freely downloaded from the MalariaGEN website
Recommended from our members
Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Novel Indices For Broken Rotor Bars Fault Diagnosis In Induction Motors Using Wavelet Transform
This paper introduces novel indices for broken rotor bars diagnosis in three-phase induction motors based on wavelet coefficients of stator current in a specific frequency band. These indices enable to diagnose occurrence and determine number of broken bars in different loads precisely. Besides thanks to the suitability of wavelet transform in transient conditions, it is possible to detect the fault during the start-up of the motor. This is important in the case of start-up of large induction motors with long starting time and also motors with frequent start-up. Furthermore, broken rotor bars in induction motor are detected using spectra analysis of the stator current. It is also shown that rise of number of broken bars and load levels increases amplitude of the particular side-band components of the stator currents in the faulty case. An induction motor with 1, 2, 3 and 4 broken bars at the rated load and the motor with 4 broken bars at no-load, 33%, 66%, 100% and 133% rated load are investigated. Time stepping finite element method is used for modeling broken rotor bars faults in induction motors. In this modeling, effects of the stator winding distribution, stator and rotor slots, geometrical and physical characteristics of different parts of the motor and non-linearity of the core materials are taken into account. The simulation results are are verified by the experimental results. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd
Управление сферой общего образования на муниципальном уровне (на примере города Тюмени)
Исследование управления сферой общего образования на муниципальном уровне (на примере города Тюмени)