Intelligent UPS Inverter Control Design Using Microcontroller

This paper presents many control algorithms using microcontroller for an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) inverter, in order to provide pure sinusoidal wave 50 Hz, controlled by the PIC-microcontroller. The strategy is to utilize the PIC microcontroller and its special features in controlling the UPS inverter. The first approach accomplished with a classical control Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) algorithm. The second approach accomplished with the Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC). The third approach accomplished with nonlinear PID-fuzzy logic controller. The ability of the proposed scheme is validated via a successful implementation on a microcontroller-based UPS inverter. The proposed scheme has shown its robustness on low output voltage distortion, excellent voltage regulation, and it is insensitive to load variation, even under nonlinear loads. Experimental studies are performed to further validate the effectiveness of this scheme. This system may be used with grid-solar energy systems. Keywords: PID Controller, Fuzzy Logic Control, Nonlinear PID-Fuzzy Logic, Takagi Sugeno, Microcontroller Application

Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Building - Foundation Soil Systems

This paper deals with the problem of nonlinear seismic analysis of building - foundation soil systems. The building considered is modeled as a shear - type building supported on the surface of homogeneous isotropic elastic half-space. The governing nonlinear equations of motion for the structure - soil system are solved in the time domain using the step-by-step linear acceleration method of analysis with Wilson-e modification. Different nonlinear models to simulate the behaviour of reinforced concrete under cyclic loading are used. A parametric study has been performed on a single story shear-type building with different natural frequencies supported on the surface of different soils to show the effect of different parameters on the behaviour of such structures under seismic excitation. These parameters include the type of soil, the soil conditions, the structure flexibility, and the type of analysis (elastic or inelastic). The results show that the soil rigidity, the soil layer depth, and the structure period have great influence on the response of such structures

Unveiling the Determinants of Green Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study in the Tunisian Context

This study explores the determinants of green entrepreneurship among Tunisian Eco-entrepreneurs. These determinants are approached from the angle of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (1991) through the factors of entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms and perceived control of behavior. The research explores the reasons, which lead entrepreneurs to choose the ecological concept. A qualitative study was conducted via semi-structured interviews with a group of 22 eco-entrepreneurs. The study was based on voluntary respondents chosen by non-probability sampling. Thematic content analysis method was used to analyze the collected data and identify the main determinants. The results of this study revealed that green values are key determinant and explanatory of the favorable attitude towards green entrepreneurship. Contrary to the studies of traditional entrepreneurship in which the pressure of the social environment does not play a determining role and does not affect the decision to undertake in the green, whereas a strong feeling of perceived self-efficacy determines and encourages this direction. This study allows on a practical level through an understanding of attitude, subjective norms and perceived control of behavior, to understand what drives or hinders the orientation towards green entrepreneurship. Thus, the actors involved in entrepreneurship in Tunisia can better design programs and action plans to strengthen and increase commitment in this promising sector

The meanings of the symbol in wall ceramics and its representations in the products of students of the Department of Art Education

The goal of this research is to reveal the aesthetic characteristics of wall ceramic art in students’ works. To achieve the goal of the research, the researcher prepared a research tool consisting of paragraphs to measure what she found to measure, after it was approved by a group of arbitrators within the art education specialty, and it was applied to bachelor’s students in the Department of Education. Technical for the academic year (2022-2023). In light of the tool, the researcher reached a number of results and conclusions, the most prominent of which are: 1. Some types of shapes in wall ceramic work have a pictorial approach in their formal and color relationships, and this is embodied in the students’ works and this appears in sample (1-2) 2. The artistic and aesthetic characteristics emphasized the student’s interest in space, texture, color, movement, and the direction of lines to confirm the dominance of artistic elements as in the samples (1-2-3). 3. Contemporary wall ceramics gave a circulation context through its intertwining in Iraqi architecture and giving a diverse rhythm to the wall

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk outcome associations. Methods: We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017. Findings: In 2017,34.1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 33.3-35.0) deaths and 121 billion (144-1.28) DALYs were attributable to GBD risk factors. Globally, 61.0% (59.6-62.4) of deaths and 48.3% (46.3-50.2) of DALYs were attributed to the GBD 2017 risk factors. When ranked by risk-attributable DALYs, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) was the leading risk factor, accounting for 10.4 million (9.39-11.5) deaths and 218 million (198-237) DALYs, followed by smoking (7.10 million [6.83-7.37] deaths and 182 million [173-193] DALYs), high fasting plasma glucose (6.53 million [5.23-8.23] deaths and 171 million [144-201] DALYs), high body-mass index (BMI; 4.72 million [2.99-6.70] deaths and 148 million [98.6-202] DALYs), and short gestation for birthweight (1.43 million [1.36-1.51] deaths and 139 million [131-147] DALYs). In total, risk-attributable DALYs declined by 4.9% (3.3-6.5) between 2007 and 2017. In the absence of demographic changes (ie, population growth and ageing), changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs would have led to a 23.5% decline in DALYs during that period. Conversely, in the absence of changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs, demographic changes would have led to an 18.6% increase in DALYs during that period. The ratios of observed risk exposure levels to exposure levels expected based on SDI (O/E ratios) increased globally for unsafe drinking water and household air pollution between 1990 and 2017. This result suggests that development is occurring more rapidly than are changes in the underlying risk structure in a population. Conversely, nearly universal declines in O/E ratios for smoking and alcohol use indicate that, for a given SDI, exposure to these risks is declining. In 2017, the leading Level 4 risk factor for age-standardised DALY rates was high SBP in four super-regions: central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia; north Africa and Middle East; south Asia; and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania. The leading risk factor in the high-income super-region was smoking, in Latin America and Caribbean was high BMI, and in sub-Saharan Africa was unsafe sex. O/E ratios for unsafe sex in sub-Saharan Africa were notably high, and those for alcohol use in north Africa and the Middle East were notably low. Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

Unlocking potential: the impact of emotional intelligence on quality of life and academic success of students with disabilities

BackgroundDespite the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) for academic performance of university students with disabilities, limited research was undertaken to address this issue.ObjectivesThis research investigates the impact of EI on quality of life (QoL) and academic performance among university students with disabilities. Drawn on Salovey and Mayer’s EI framework, this research examines the impact of four main EI dimensions: self-emotion appraisal, others’ emotion appraisal, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion, on academic success through the lens of QoL.MethodsA quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, including a sample of 328 university students with several types of disabilities. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the obtained data and test the justified hypothesized relationships.ResultsThe results demonstrate that the higher levels of EI are significantly related to improved QoL, which consequently has a positive impact on students’ academic performance. The results confirmed that QoL demonstrated partial mediating effects in the relationship between EI and academic achievements, signaling that EI can contribute to academic success both directly and indirectly by fostering students’ overall QoL.ImplicationsThe study contributed to the current literature by emphasizing the interconnections of emotional competences, quality of life, and academic performance, and provided practical implications for interventions aimed at supporting this vulnerable population

Transforming Education with AI: An Exploratory Study of Faculty Insights on ChatGPT\u27s Opportunities and Risks

Objective: This study explores ChatGPT adoption in higher education, highlighting both its benefits and perceived risks. Method: This research adopts an exploratory and qualitative approach to deeply analyse instructors’ perceptions regarding ChatGPT adoption in higher education. This approach is implemented via semi-structured interviews with 25 faculty members from different nationalities. Result: The findings reveal that ChatGPT improves academic performance, research activities, and training, but also raises concerns about technology dependency, ethical implications, and diminished human interaction. Conclusion: Faculty members emphasize the need for thoughtful and balanced integration of this technology to maximize its benefits while minimizing its potential risks

A Proposed Model

Rocha-Penedo, R., Cruz-Jesus, F., & Oliveira, T. (2021). Opposite Outcomes of Social Media Use: A Proposed Model. In S. K. Sharma, Y. K. Dwivedi, B. Metri, & N. P. Rana (Eds.), Re-imagining Diffusion and Adoption of Information Technology and Systems: A Continuing Conversation - IFIP WG 8.6 International Conference on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2020, Proceedings (pp. 524-537). (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; Vol. 618). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64861-9_46Social media are probably one of the most influential and disruptive technology of the present times. It is ubiquitous and has the capability to influence virtually every aspect of one’s life while, at the same time, also influence the way firms and public organizations operate and communicate with individuals. Although there is a plethora of studies in the IS literature focused on SM adoption and outcomes, studies hypothesizing positive and negative outcomes together are scarce. We propose a comprehensive research model to shed light on SM positive and negative outcomes, and how these affect one’s happiness. We also explore how personality traits can influence these relationships.authorsversionpublishe