Simulation of driver fatigue monitoring via blink rate detection,using 65 nm CMOS technology

This paper proposes a system to detect and measure blink rate to determine fatigue levels. The method involved analysing specific frames to determine that a blink occurred, and then monitoring the time between successive blinks. The program was simulated in python using a Raspberry Pi Zero and a standard USB camera. For the blink rate detection block, a gate level schematic was implemented in Cadence software using 65 nm CMOS technology. The design was based around an asynchronous 6-bit based edge counter which was designed using D-flip-flops. The simulation calculated the average blink rate and compared this to the most recent blink rate. The outcome would determine if an alarm signal should be sent to the alarm. The system consumed 130 μA from a 1.2 V power supply.     

High Stable Al-MCM-41: Structural Characterization and Evaluation for Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

Aluminosilicate (Al-MCM-41) was synthesized via a modified wet-method in a Si/Al atomic ratio of 13.64:1.00 and calcination at 500 °C. The structural     

An iterative learning approach for network contraction: Path finding problem in stochastic time‐varying networks

Path finding problem has a broad application in different fields of engineering. Travel time uncertainty is a critical factor affecting this problem and the route choice of transportation users. The major downside of the existing algorithms for the reliable path finding problem is their inefficiency in computational time. This study aims to develop a network contraction approach to reduce the network size of each specific origin and destination (OD) pair in stochastic time‐dependent networks. The network contraction is based on the comparison of optimistic and pessimistic solutions resulting from minimum and maximum travel time realizations of a Monte‐Carlo simulation (MCS)‐based approach. In this respect, the researchers propose a learning approach to utilize the information of the realizations in the initial iterations of the MCS approach. Implementation of this approach is in place for several OD pairs of two real‐world large‐scale applications. First, it is calibrated for the Chicago downtown network; the performance and accuracy of the proposed approach are investigated by comparing the results against that of the approach without any network contraction. In addition, the Salt Lake City network illustrates the transferability of the approach to other networks. The results demonstrate significant computational improvements, with an acceptable accuracy level relative to the approach without network contraction.     

An iterative code to investigate heat pump performance improvement by exhaust gases heat recovery

The race between the development of technologies and energy demand has drawn the guidelines of energy strategies for the next two decades. Indeed, the governmental organizations as well as the private sectors are spending huge effort to come up with new adequate strategies that allow to decrease energy consumption. Having said that, heat pump becomes an essential system in our daily life not only in residential building but also in hospital, industrial and touristic building. Nonetheless, (HP)s have very high energy consumption rate. Thus, and to be in line with the new trends in energy strategies, it is convenient to find new methods to enhance the performance of heat pump in order to reduce energy consumption. In this frame, the present paper suggests an approach to enhance the performance the heat pumps using the heat recovery from generators. For this purpose, an in-house code is developed allowing to simulate two new proposed systems (condenser upstream exhaust gases heat recovery system (CU-EGHRS) and condenser downstream exhaust gases heat recovery system (CD-EGHRS). It has been shown that the increase in the performance of the heat pump depends on the capacity of the generator. Also, the CD-EGHRS is shown to be the best. For instance, in the case of a 15 kVA generator, the enhancement could reach 42% for the CD-EGHRS. This enhancement increases to 5640% in the case of a 180 kVA generator.     

A Q-learning approach for machine-type communication random access in LTE-Advanced

Telecommunication Systems - Due to the wide proliferation of the 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced systems as the air interface for 4th generation (4G) wireless systems and beyond,...     

Dynamic model of online information quality perceptions and impacts: a literature review

This paper reviews the literature related to the concept of information quality (IQ) in the context of the online environment to understand how it has been conceptualised in the Information Systems (IS) literature, to identify gaps in the literature, and to make recommendations for future research. This study also extends the Information Processing Model (IPM) and proposes a novel dynamic model of online IQ perceptions and impacts. To understand the online IQ construct, an in-depth review of the literature is conducted. Overall, we reviewed 508 journal articles published between 1995 and 2016. This study found that there is a substantial gap in the IS literature in regards to a full understanding of the online IQ construct and its relation with the IPM. More research is needed to understand the way individuals process and respond to online information. Further, although the importance of context in theory development has been emphasised in the literature, very few empirical articles have explored the impact of contextual factors on the IPM as well as perceived online IQ. The findings provide online vendors with important guidelines that should be considered to motivate individuals to acquire more information from their websites that could lead to more satisfied and loyal users.     

Fatigue Behavior of a Pavement Foundation with Recycled Aggregate and Waste HDPE Strips

A laboratory investigation was conducted to evaluate the fatigue behavior of an alternative pavement foundation material containing cement stabilized reclaimed crushed aggregate. Class C fly ash, and waste-plastic strip [high density polyethylene (HDPE)] reinforcement. The primary motivation for this research was to evaluate a composite that contained more than 90% recycled materials for use as an alternative foundation layer underneath conventional flexible or rigid pavement. The specific objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the flexural fatigue behavior of the new composite, and (2) to evaluate the accumulation of fatigue damage in the material. The results indicate that the fatigue resistance of this material is similar to other traditional stabilized pavement materials. It was found that the dynamic elastic modulus remained approximately constant (degraded slowly) for most specimens up to the end of fatigue life. Fatigue damage computed using a dissipated energy approach showed that the damage accumulation in this material approximately follows Miner's rule for cumulative damage, which is often used in pavement engineering.     

Using Weibull Analysis for Evaluation of Cost and Schedule Performance

Large amounts of money are lost each year in the construction industry because of poor schedule and cost control. Few contractors specify and follow systematic schedule monitoring practices. Traditionally, the earned value method (EVM) is used to control and monitor schedule performance using the schedule and cost performance indices which compare the budgeted cost of work performed to what was originally scheduled or what is actually expended. This paper presents a statistical approach, namely Weibull analysis, to evaluate stochastically the schedule performance of construction or design projects. The approach can be used in conjunction with the EVM to enhance the evaluation and control of schedule performance. Weibull analysis is a common method for failure analysis and reliability engineering used in a wide range of applications. In this paper, the applicability of Weibull analysis for evaluating and comparing the reliability of the schedule performance of multiple projects is presented. The various steps in the analysis are discussed along with an example in which two projects are analyzed and compared. The authors conclude that Weibull analysis has several advantages and provides a relatively robust and effective method for construction managers to better control and monitor their projects.