713 research outputs found
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Improving the well-being of older people by reducing their energy consumption through energy-aware systems
Abstract-Fuel poverty is becoming a problem amongst the older community in the UK. We propose an assistive technology for reduced energy consumption in aid of active aging. We introduce how the well-being of older people within the community can be improved by reducing anxiety associated with fuel poverty. A recommender and behavioural change system will be introduced, which enables older people to improve their energy footprint through energy-aware systems. Using systems to help reduce fuel poverty will invariably improve their general well-being. Results show how this technology can be accepted and act as an enabler in improving the overall well-being of older people
Recommended from our members
Energy-aware systems for improving the well-being of older people by reducing their energy consumption
Fuel poverty is becoming a problem amongst the older community in the UK. To help reduce the anxiety that fuel poverty places on older members of the community, this paper will first address why such systems are necessary before introducing a system and various interfaces for engaging and promoting better energy usage. Key areas of the proposed prototype will be discussed which focuses on a recommender and behavioural change system which enables older people to improve their energy footprint through energy-aware systems. Using systems to help reduce fuel poverty will invariably improve their general well-being. Results show how this technology can be accepted and act as an enabler in improving the overall well-being of older people as well as other system considerations. In addition, a number of subsequent phases of the project will be detailed which will discuss a longer test duration, an analysis of the data harvested and future directions
Coupling a model of human thermoregulation with computational fluid dynamics for predicting human-environment interaction
This paper describes the methods developed to couple a commercial CFD program with a multi-segmented model of human thermal comfort and physiology. A CFD model is able to predict detailed temperatures and velocities of airflow around a human body, whilst a thermal comfort model is able to predict the response of a human to the environment surrounding it. By coupling the two models and exchanging information about the heat transfer at the body surface the coupled system can potentially predict the response of a human body to detailed local environmental conditions. This paper presents a method of exchanging data, using shared files, to provide a means of dynamically exchanging simulation data with the IESD-Fiala model during the CFD solution process. Additional
code is used to set boundary conditions for the CFD simulation at the body surface as determined by the IESD-Fiala model and to return information about local environmental conditions adjacent to the body surface as determined by the CFD simulation. The coupled system is used to model a human subject in a naturally ventilated environment. The resulting ventilation flow pattern agrees well with other numerical and
experimental work
Union railways: Ad spot pricing dilemma? (B)
Faced with considerable losses and increased pressure to generate alternative sources of funding, Union Railways (UR) twice attempted to auction ad spots at their flagship trains and stations. On both the occasions, the market responded with substantially lower bids than management’s expectation. Surprised by the lackluster response, the management decided to conduct a detailed analysis of the ad spot market and engaged a team of advisers. They were tasked to help UR decide the base price for different types of ad spots (e.g. billboards, window skins, bogie door skins) and to recommend whether the ad spots be sold to either one or multiple intermediaries. Equipped with data (e.g. prevalent market rates and industry best practices) from multiple sources, the advisors faced the daunting task of designing a simple pricing mechanism that can work for multiple types of ad spots
Collapsing dynamics of relativistic fluid in modified gravity admitting a conformal Killing vector
The collapsing dynamics of relativistic fluid are explored in gravity
in a detailed systematic manner for the non-static spherically symmetric
spacetime satisfying the equation of the conformal Killing vector. With
quasi-homologous condition and diminishing complexity factor condition, exact
solutions for dissipative as well as for non-dissipative systems are found and
the astrophysical applications of these exact solutions are discussed.
Furthermore, it is demonstrated that , which is the extensive
restriction of gravity, prior solutions of the collapsing fluid in
general relativity, can be retrieved.Comment: 26 pages, version accepted for publication in the European Physical
Journal
Chandra Observations of the Gamma-ray Binary LSI+61303: Extended X-ray Structure?
We present a 50 ks observation of the gamma-ray binary LSI+61303 carried out
with the ACIS-I array aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the highest
resolution X-ray observation of the source conducted so far. Possible evidence
of an extended structure at a distance between 5 and 12 arcsec towards the
North of LSI+61303 have been found at a significance level of 3.2 sigma. The
asymmetry of the extended emission excludes an interpretation in the context of
a dust-scattered halo, suggesting an intrinsic nature. On the other hand, while
the obtained source flux, of F_{0.3-10 keV}=7.1^{+1.8}_{-1.4} x 10^{-12}
ergs/cm^2/s, and hydrogen column density, N_{H}=0.70+/-0.06 x 10^{22} cm^{-2},
are compatible with previous results, the photon index Gamma=1.25+/-0.09 is the
hardest ever found. In light of these new results, we briefly discuss the
physics behind the X-ray emission, the location of the emitter, and the
possible origin of the extended emission ~0.1 pc away from LSI+61303.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Jet-Induced Nucleosynthesis in Misaligned Microquasars
The jet axes and the orbital planes of microquasar systems are usually
assumed to be approximately perpendicular, eventhough this is not currently an
observational requirement. On the contrary, in one of the few systems where the
relative orientations are well-constrained, V4641Sgr, the jet axis is known to
lie not more than ~36 degrees from the binary plane. Such a jet, lying close to
the binary plane, and traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light
may periodically impact the secondary star initiating nuclear reactions on its
surface. The integrated yield of such nuclear reactions over the age of the
binary system (less the radiative mass loss) will detectably alter the
elemental abundances of the companion star. This scenario may explain the
anomalously high Li enhancements (roughly ~20-200 times the sun's photospheric
value; or, equivalently, 0.1-1 times the average solar system value) seen in
the companions of some black-hole X-ray binary systems. (Such enhancements are
puzzling since Li nuclei are exceedingly fragile - being easily destroyed in
the interiors of stars - and Li would be expected to be depleted rather than
enhanced there.) Gamma-ray line signatures of the proposed process could
include the 2.22 MeV neutron capture line as well as the 0.478 MeV 7Li*
de-excitation line, both of which may be discernable with the INTEGRAL
satellite if produced in an optically thin region during a large outburst. For
very energetic jets, a relatively narrow neutral pion gamma-decay signature at
67.5 MeV could also be measurable with the GLAST satellite. We argue that about
10-20% of all microquasar systems ought to be sufficiently misaligned as to be
undergoing the proposed jet-secondary impacts.Comment: ApJ, accepted. Includes referee's suggestions and some minor
clarifications over previous versio
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Adding the reliability on tree based topology construction algorithms for wireless sensor networks
Topology control is a technique used in wireless sensor networks to maximize energy efficiency and network lifetime. In previous literature, many tree based techniques have been proposed to save energy and increase the network lifetime. In tree based algorithms, the most promising solution is the formation of a network backbone, which serves on behalf of rest of the nodes in the network and therefore leading towards Connected Dominating Set (CDS) formulation. However, one imminent problem with all tree based solution is a compromise on network reliability. Therefore, to address reliability issues in tree based solutions, in this paper, we propose Poly3 which maintains cliques of size three in order to achieve network reliability on top of the CDS algorithm. This makes the network more robust to link removal. Our empirical and mathematical analysis reveals that Poly3 provides better reliability than algorithms of the same kind
Compact relativistic geometries in gravity
One of the possible potential candidates for describing the universe's rapid
expansion is modified gravity. In the framework of the modified theory of
gravity , the present work features the materialization of anisotropic
matter, such as compact stars. Specifically, to learn more about the physical
behavior of compact stars, the radial, and tangential pressures as well as the
energy density of six stars namely , , ,
, , and are calculated. Herein, the
modified theory of gravity is disintegrated into two parts i.e. the
hyperbolic model and the three different model. The study
focuses on graphical analysis of compact stars wherein the stability aspects,
energy conditions, and anisotropic measurements are mainly addressed. Our
calculation revealed that, for the positive value of parameter n of the model
, all the six stars behave normally.Comment: Some changes have been made. " To appear in International Journal of
Geometric Methods in Modern Physics
A simplified modal-based method to quantify delamination in carbon fibre-reinforced plastic beam
This study contributes to our knowledge about the detection and recognition of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites by using a modal analysis technique. Delamination was artificially induced during the manufacturing process of CFRP beams so that the dimension and location of the artificial delamination were known. The first three longitudinal bending modes were considered for detecting, locating, and evaluating the delamination. Contrary to what is commonly practised, the sensor placed on the CFRP structure had a large mass in order to contribute actively to restricting the delamination and hence modifying the structure’s natural frequencies, thus making it much easier to monitor its health condition. The technique was implemented on a beam with a delamination gap of 9% of the beam’s length, positioned within the span of the beam. The results demonstrate that the proposed technique can be effective not only to locate the delamination but also to measure its extent accurately.Scopu
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