Powering remote area base stations by renewable energy

Abstract. The number of cellular subscriptions have seen a tremendous growth in the last decade and to provide connectivity for everyone has led to growth in number of base stations (BSs). BSs installed at places where reliable grid power is not available has increased and will continue to increase in the coming years to connect everybody on the globe. Energy and cost efficiency is becoming a criterion of ever increasing importance in the information and communication technology sector. Energy and cost efficiency is especially important for remote areas where providing mobile communication services is inhibited by the economic drawback of low revenue potential. In this thesis, we discuss the role of BS power consumption in the cellular networks in order to investigate approaches to lower the overall power consumption of the cellular network. The thesis covers structure of a BS and the power consumption of its components. Previous works and research approaches proposed to reduce the power consumption of BSs and to what extent they can lower the power requirement are discussed. Reducing the BS power consumption will reduce the operating cost for the networks and ease the deployment of BSs in remote areas. Also discussed are the two key technical features of 5th generation cellular access networks (beam forming through massive multiple input multiple output antenna systems and ultra-lean system design) that are promising in terms of reducing the BS power consumption. Furthermore, we discuss viable sources of renewable energy that can be used to power BSs in the remote areas. An overview of the renewable energy resources that can be used for this purpose (solar and wind energy) and their availability in different regions is discussed. The setups for harnessing solar and wind energy to generate power are presented in this thesis. For different cases requirements of wind and solar energy systems to power the BSs are calculated. Results show that while solar energy alone is a feasible option in regions at low latitude, small solar energy systems of 4–7 kW rated output power can easily power BS during the entire year. But in regions of high latitude using solar energy alone cannot meet the BS power requirement as there are long durations of very low or negligible solar irradiation levels. Furthermore, the energy produced by small wind energy setups at different wind speeds is investigated for the purpose of powering BSs. We discuss the range of windspeed levels for which the energy produced is sufficient to power a BS. Areas with average windspeeds of 5–8 m/s are very suitable for using wind energy as a source of power for BSs. Hybrid energy systems to power BSs and also a few energy storage options to store excess power are also discussed in this thesis

Prospects of microalgal biodiesel production in Pakistan – a review

Biodiesel is an alternative, renewable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly fuel for transportation, with properties like petroleum-derived diesel, and can be used directly in a compression ignition engine without any modifications. The world's fossil fuel and crude oil reserves are going to dry up in the next few decades, but, contrariwise, an attractive, high quality, readily available and economically extractable oil from microalgae is a substitute feedstock to produce alternative biodiesel fuel for the transportation sector in the future. Microalgae have a higher biomass productivity (tons/hectare/year) and lipid yield (kg/kg of algal biomass) as compared to vegetable oil crops. To overcome the problem of energy deficiency in developing countries, like Pakistan, and boost their economic growth, alternative fuels are proving very important for environment-friendly and sustainable development, especially in the last few decades. Different research studies on microalgae cultivation, characterization of microalgae oil (lipids), and evaluations of its socio-economic feasibility to produce renewable biodiesel have been conducted in the past in Pakistan for its future prospects. This review paper includes the overall summary and compilation of the microalgae research conducted in Pakistan on biodiesel production and includes the algal biodiesel production cost analysis. The studies showed promising results for harnessing microalgae and using its lipids to produce biodiesel with favourable properties that were comparable to the conventional diesel in Pakistan. The information related to the microalgae research will help stakeholders and governmental organisations working in the renewable energy sector to consider its cultivation on a large scale, using waste water as a feedstock to produce biodiesel to meet the target set by the Government of Pakistan of using 10% blended biodiesel by the year 2025 in Pakistan

Reforming education in Pakistan – tracing global links

This paper is about tracing global links in national education reforms in Pakistan. The paper tries to describe globalization and its general effects on national policies. It particularly highlights the effects of globalization on education reforms, which are: competitiveness-driven, finance-driven and equity-driven. In light of these global education reform patterns the paper explores the major educational reforms being pursued in Pakistan since 1990s. The paper argues that globalization has seriously challenged the national reform policies, which are now becoming more and more globally driven. Rather than out rightly rejecting all global policies, engaging critically with them is the stance of the authors

Kajian Adaptasi Udang Galah (Macrobrachium Rosenbergii) Dan Ikan Mas (Cyprinus Carpio) Dengan Sistem Mina Padi Jajar Legowo Di Lahan Sawah Irigasi

In order to increase farmers' incomes optimizing use of lowland was carried by applying rice-fishintegrated practice using row planting system of rice with freshwater shrimp and common carp. This assessmentwas aimed at determining optimal number of planting rows in lowland rice-fish integrated practice which wascarried out using a participatory approach on farmers' low land. The lowland consisted of 12 units with total areaof 1.70 hectares. Densities of freshwater shrimp and common carp were each of 2 and 0.5 ind/m2 . Farm practiceswere carried for 14 weeks with treatments of planting rows of 2:2, 4:2, and 5:2, and the control was commonfarmers' practice. Results showed that the highest weights of freshwater shrimp and common carp were each of19.53 grams and 195.69 grams, respectively, in treatment of planting row of 2:2 (A). Highest survival rates werefound in treatment 4:2 (B), namely 38.33 and 51.70 percent for freshwater shrimp and common carp, respectively.The costs and return analysis revealed that treatment B got highest profit of Rp 2,229,000 with R/C ratio of 1.3.On the other hand, treatment C (planting-row of 5:2) and treatment D (common farmers' practice) obtainednegative profits. Productivity of lowland planted with rice only was 5.2 tons/hectare, but it increased to 13.25tons/ha if integrated with freshwater shrimp and common carp.Key words: adaptive research, rice-fish integrated farm, irrigated lowlandOptimalisasi pemanfaatan lahan sawah dilaksanakan dengan menerapkan sistem mina padi jajar legowodengan menggunakan komoditas udang galah dan ikan mas, agar pendapatan petani meningkat. Kajian inibertujuan untuk memperoleh jumlah baris tanam dengan sistem minapadi jajar legowo yang optimal di dalambudidaya udang galah dan ikan mas pada lahan sawah irigasi. Kajian adaptasi udang galah dan ikan mas dilakukansecara partisipatif di lahan petani, pada 12 unit petakan sawah dengan total luas lahan 1,70 hektar. Padatpenebaran untuk udang galah dan ikan mas, yaitu masing-masing adalah 2 ekor/m2 dan 0,5 ekor/m2 . Pemeliharaandilakukan selama 14 minggu, dengan perlakuan yang dicobakan adalah baris tanam jajar legowo 2:2, 4:2, dan 5:2,sedangkan sebagai kontrol adalah cara petani (tanam biasa). Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa berat rataratatertinggi diperoleh pada perlakuan jajar legowo 2:2 (A), yaitu udang galah 19,53 gram dan ikan mas 195,69gram. Sedangkan sintasan tertinggi diperoleh pada perlakuan jajar legowo 4:2 (B), yaitu udang galah 38,33 persendan ikan mas 51,7 persen. Hasil analisis USAhatani diperoleh keuntungan tertinggi pada perlakuan (B) sebesar Rp.2.229.000,- dengan RC ratio 1,3 sedangkan pada perlakuan C (jajar legowo 5:2) dan perlakuan D (tanam biasa)mengalami kerugian. Tingkat produktivitas lahan jika padi saja diperoleh sebesar 5,2 ton/ha (B), namun jikaditambah udang galah dan ikan mas, produktivitas lahan meningkat menjadi 13,25 ton/ha

Cost Performance in Construction Industry of Pakistan

Construction industry is notorious and infamous as far as cost base lines and project budgets are concerned. More than 90 percent of projects delay gets over budgeted or completely abandoned due to either paucity of funds or mismanagement at different levels. Despite a major contributor in the Gross Domestic Product of a country, its full potential has never been exploited. Perhaps this retrogressive atmosphere has been cultivated by callous, careless and unprofessional attitudes of all stakeholders of construction industry. The primary stakeholders which affect the projects positively or negatively in cost dimension are; the government, the contractors, the consultants and the clients or owners. The authors conducted interviews as well as surveys with construction professionals, contractors, architects, design engineers, suppliers and sub contractors in order identify the most occurring causes of cost overruns in construction projects. In addition to this contemporary literature was studied and reviewed with a purpose to assess the current and ongoing issues in the construction industry. A questionnaire was distributed among respondents on cost performance of various completed and under construction projects, with a view to highlight the concrete reasons which push the projects out of approved budgets. The major conclusions from this research paper which have been drawn are; corruption and bribery, political interests, poor site management, delay in site mobilization, rigid attitude by consultants, extra work without approvals, frequent changes during execution, gold platting, safety and health and limited access to job sites. In order to avoid, eliminate or mitigate effects of these causes viable recommendations have been recommended. Keywords: Cost Performance, Construction Industry, Pakista

Role of Microalgae as a Source for Biofuel Production in the Future: A Short Review

The continued burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the last century led to higher emissions of greenhouse gases and thus leads to global warming. Microalgae are one of the most important sources of green hydrocarbons because this type of algae has a high percentage of lipids and has rapid growth, consumes the carbon dioxide in large quantities. Besides, the cultivation of these types of algae does not require arable land. This review aims to explain the suitability of microalgae as a biofuel source depending on the fat content, morphology, and other parameters and their effect on the conversion processes of microalgae oil into biofuels by different zeolite catalytic reactions. It also discusses in detail the major chemical processes that convert microalgae oil to chemical products. This review sheds light on one of the most important groups of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris microalgae). This review includes a historical overview and a comprehensive description of the structure needed to develop this type of algae. The most important methods of production, their advantages and disadvantages are also deliberated in this work. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

WSNs Based- L4L Rule for Fuzzy Inventory Control Decision Making (WSN-FL4L)

تعد وظيفة السيطرة على الخزين واحدة من اهم الانشطة التي تقوم بها الشركات الصناعية . تلعب انظمة السيطرة على الخزين دور كبير في ضمان الرقابة التامة على عناصر المخزون. من جهة ثانية،  نال استخدام تقنية شبكات الاستشعار اللاسلكية اهتماماً كبيراً من حيث تطبيقها في حقل السيطرة على الخزين كونها تقنية كفوءة و رخيصة الثمن و سهلة التنصيب . اقترح البحث الحالي نظام سيطرة مخزنية ذكي بالاعتماد على تقنية الاستشعار اللاسلكي و المنطق المضبب، بالاعتماد على قاعدة حجم الدفعة المكافيء للاحتياج  ضمن نظام تخطيط الاحتياجات المادية ليمكن استخدامه لحل اغلب المشاكل الصناعية. تم تطبيق النظام المقترح على حالة افتراضية لمنتوج يمثل قطعة من الاثاث الخشبي خماسي الدواليب الجرارة.  تكمن فائدة النظام المقترح في قدرته على المساعدة في اتخاذ قرارات المخزون في ظل حالات مختلفة فقد تم اختبار حالات متعددة لاعادة تعزيز المخزون بالاعتماد على قاعدة (اذا – عند ذلك) من المنطق الضبابي. تم نشر وبرمجة حساسات لقياس المسافة لغرض حساب عدد قطع مفردات المخزون بالاعتماد على قياس سمك القطعة.. تم اعتماد تقنية ASP.net و لغة C# بالاعتماد على قاعدة بيانات في الخادم الرئيس. Inventory control is one of the most important tasks for industrial companies. Inventory control systems play an important role in inventory monitoring. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technology has been taken into great attention in the field of inventory control because it is considered as an efficient, low-cost technology to control inventories. This paper proposes an intelligent inventory control system depending on WSNs and fuzzy logic to control the dependent demand items effectively under MRP system and L4L lot sizing rule. to be used to solve the industrial problems. A numerical example of a 5 drawers - chest of drawers product has been experimented. The advantage of the proposed WSN-FL4L system could be represented in its ability to make decisions in different inventory states. Different cases of replenishment were investigated depending on the (IF-THEN rules) statement of fuzzy logic. Ultrasonic - distance sensor has been programmed to compute the number of items’ pieces, depending on the thickness of each piece. ASP.net web application and C# programming language based on SQL database server are applied

N,N′-(Propane-1,3-di­yl)bis­(p-toluene­sulfonamide)

The complete mol­ecule of the title compound, C17H22N2O4S2, is generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry, with one C atom lying on the rotation axis. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 44.04 (7)° and the conformation of the central N—C—C—C group is gauche. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating corrugated (010) sheets, and weak C—H⋯O inter­actions consolidate the packing

Beliefs about Islamic advertising: an exploratory study in Malaysia

Purpose – This paper aims to explore people’s beliefs towards Islamic advertising. Design/methodology/approach – Being exploratory in nature, this paper applies qualitative method of research by adapting thought elicitation technique of data collection. This method rests in the projective techniques of data collection and is also known as “word association technique”. It allows free thinking of respondents that helps in generating rich data which is most required in qualitative studies. Findings – Various beliefs regarding Islamic advertising were extracted and categorized into different dimensions. These dimensions pertained to Islamic advertising’s possibility, nature, characteristics, real-time decisions and potential outcomes. Research limitations/implications – Being an exploratory study, the data are collected from a small sample, hence raising generalization issues. Though, the same opens avenue for future research in that these dimensions should be subject to validation via large sample size. Practical implications – This research will help in developing a scale to measure attitudes towards Islamic advertising, which the researchers can use to find justification for using Islamic advertising. Such application has great implications for businesses, as Islamic advertising concept stands contrary to the contemporary practices. Social implications – With a growing concern for business ethics, this research is an attempt to bring Islamic ethics into advertising practice. This will not only eradicate the ill-effects of contemporary advertising but also provide sound evidence for revising advertising policies. Originality/value – It adds to the developing field of Islamic marketing, by being the first attempt of its kind in paving the way for Islamic advertising

Surgical resection of Haglund deformity by lateral approach: our institutional experience on 29 heels

Background: Haglund deformity is a common cause of posterior heel pain and consists of a constellation of soft tissue and osseous abnormalities. The treatment starts with conservative approach and ends with surgical treatment in case conservative treatment fails and the symptoms are bothersome. Different surgical procedures and approaches have been used for this deformity. But in the literature, the results have been inconsistent. In this study we evaluated the clinical and functional outcome of osteotomy of the calcaneal tuberosity with debridement of the retrocalcaneal bursa and the Achilles tendon using a lateral approach at our institute.Methods: A total of 29 feet in 25 patients that underwent surgical procedure from August 2013 to March 2017 at our institute were included in this study. The clinical and functional outcome was evaluated using AOFAS ankle-hind foot scale.Results: The mean AOFAS ankle-hind foot score had improved by 32 points from the pre-operative mean score, with a mean score of 86 at the final follow up of one year. Five out of 29 operated feet had superficial surgical site infection in the postoperative period that responded to antibiotic therapy and regular antiseptic dressings. One patient had local betadine allergy.Conclusions: We conclude lateral approach to debridement and calcaneal tuberosity resection is an effective method with good clinical and functional outcome in patients with refractory Haglund deformity.