Analysis Of Various Activities Research Articles

Secured Vehicle Life Cycle Tracking Using Blockchain and Smart Contract

Life Cycle Tracking (LCT) involves continuous monitoring and analysis of various activities associated with a vehicle. The crucial factor in the LCT is to ensure the validity of gathered data as numerous supply chain phases are involved and the data is assessed by multiple stakeholders. Frauds and swindling activities can be prevented if the history of the vehicles is made available to the interested parties. Blockchain provides a way of enforcing trustworthiness to the supply chain participants and the data associated with the various actions performed. Machine learning techniques when combined decentralized nature of blockchains can be used to develop a robust Vehicle LCT model. In the proposed work, Harmonic Optimized Gradient Descent and Łukasiewicz Fuzzy (HOGD-LF) Vehicle Life Cycle Tracking in Cloud Environment is proposed and it involves three stages. First, the Progressive Harmonic Optimized User Registration and Authentication model is designed for computationally efficient registration and authentication. Next, for the authentic user, the Gradient Descent Blockchain-based SVM Data Encryption model is designed with minimum CPU utilization. Finally, Łukasiewicz Fuzzy Smart Contract Verification is performed with encrypted data to ensure accurate and precise fraudulent activity deduction. The experimental analysis shows that the proposed method achieves significant performance in terms of life cycle’s prediction time, overhead, and accuracy for a different number of users.

Adoption of an activity based costing model in an Indian steel plant

In the age of relentless global competition, constantly improving technology and better information systems, managers are often compelled to devise new strategies to maintain sustained competitive advantage while adopting new business management approaches. So, in this paper, an activity based costing (ABC) model is proposed for a raw material handling section of an Indian steel plant. The results obtained from ABC model application in the said department facilitates quantification of the unit cost of each process, analysis of various activities in order to identify inefficiency, setting-up of better budget allocation, initiation of cost minimization procedure and establishment of an efficient resource requirement plan. Moreover, the cost information derived from ABC model is compared with that extracted from the traditional costing system to demonstrate that ABC model can significantly minimize the product cost distortion resulting from unsystematic allocation of overhead costs. This paper also discusses the practical implication of the implemented ABC model with respect to its critical role in effective resource control, improved strategic and operational decision making, and aid in continuous improvement through internal cost minimization in the department.

A Fundamental Contribution to the Analysis of Shadow Economy

Schneider has been one of most important authors as regard the analysis of shadow economy. In this article we examine his last two theoretical and econometric contributes. They are sufficient to understand the development of his thinking about the causes and measurement of shadow economy. It is very important his structural equation which is elaborated with the help of microeconomic choices of the operators in the shadow economy. This equation permits to give a clear definition of shadow economy and to elaborate a taxonomic analysis of various activities in shadow economy. To macroeconomic level, Schneider uses the indirect method Multiple-Indicators-Multiple-Causes (MIMIC model), integrated with the measurement of demand for cash regarding the shadow economy. Also the econometric calculus of this phenomenon is very interesting, because two series of statistics are presented. The former regarding the years 1999-2010 and the latter the period 2003-2014. At the end we point and interesting suggestion about the uniformity of the countries considered. It regards the actual situation of some countries as Italy, where the national statistics are not significant because in them there are great differences between their regions. In that case is useful the direct method with interview and questionnaires, that Schneider considered not realizable. With this method and in this condition is possible that the State intervention not is homogenous throughout the country and may present a correct regional articulation, achieving greater effectiveness to contrast shadow economy.

The Flow State Scale for Occupational Tasks: Development, Reliability, and Validity

Objective/Background The degree of a patient's absorption in tasks as a measure of rehabilitation effectiveness has yet to be studied. The objective of this study is to develop a scale that can measure a patient's flow state in a clinical situation such as occupational therapy (OT). Methods The final 14 items were determined from the comprehensive assessment of item analysis results by a preliminary experiment. A total of 240 participants engaged in computer games that induced three psychological states: flow, anxiety, and boredom. After performing each task, participants completed our flow scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The validity was confirmed from three viewpoints, namely, the correlation coefficient with the STAI, the discrimination power of each psychological state, and the accuracy of factor structure. An occupational analysis of various activities was also conducted to confirm that the computer game task was representative of measurable activities. Results Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .918. The total score of the scale was significantly negatively correlated with the total score of STAI (r = -.537, p < .01). A significant difference among each psychological state was observed (p < .01). Covariance structure analysis indicated that the model fit index showed an acceptable fit. The computer game task used in this experiment was closely related to games, crafts, learning, cooking, and playing an instrument. Conclusion Our flow scale appears to have satisfactory reliability and validity to verify quantitatively whether the occupational tasks used in OT can effectively provide a flow experience for patients.

Constructing sustainable palm oil: how actors define sustainability

Biofuels as a renewable source of energy have gained considerable importance in recent years. The use of biofuels is expected to rise since national governments of developed nations like the US and European countries see it as one of the ways to fulfill climate targets and increase the security in their energy supply. Production of biofuels is also expected to rise as developing nations see in biofuels the opportunity for connecting to international markets through supplying a new demand in the energy market. Several studies report on the environmental, social and economic gains and detriments that can arise from increased biofuel production and consumption. However, research that provides insight into the way in which such issues are defined by actors within the product chain is scarce. In this article we analyse how the strategies and value definitions of actors involved in the production and consumption of biofuels lead to specific definitions of sustainability. The empirical material concerns the chain of palm oil production in Colombia and electricity generation in the Netherlands. It is analysed using the method of action-in-context, which allows us to uncover the level and source of diversity of sustainability definitions in the product chain. While the current growth in production of palm oil is definitely buyer driven, the analysis of various activities in the chain shows that several aspects of sustainability are defined in more complex actor fields throughout the product chain.

The effect of age on the function of the masticatory system – an electromyographical analysis

Old age is the last stage of human life and, unfortunately, the ageing rhythm of the oral cavity and masticatory system seems to be rather accelerated. Hence, there is a reduction in the amount of food ingested, establishing the imbalance of nutritional phenomena. To assure a better quality of life for the elderly, it is necessary to understand their masticatory system. An electromyographical analysis of the masticatory system in 10 individuals aged between 60-75 years (group 1) and 10 between 23-30 years old (group 2) was carried out. The analysis was performed using a MyoSystem-Br1 electromyographer with differential active electrodes. The test was registered during positioning and functional conditions, such as chewing, and the muscles assessed were the temporalis and masseter. Data were normalised by maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), and the results were analysed statistically using independent t-test during the comparison between groups. Statistical significance (p < or = 0.05) was found in the analysis of various activities, in which the elderly showed greater electromyographical activity values relative to their MVC during the different mandibular positions, such as left laterality. While the elderly subjects revealed values of 30% relative to their MVC, the young revealed 10%. However, during masticatory activities, the elderly revealed values of up to 79%, and the young of 108%, relative to their MVC, such as when they are chewing peanuts. It could be concluded that the elderly show hyperactivity of masticatory musculature during posture maintenance and a slight hypoactivity of this musculature during chewing when analysed side by side with young individuals.

Computer-assisted analysis of fetal movements in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).

A quantitative analysis of various fetal activities (mouth, eye and gross body movements) was made in 10 IUGR human fetuses. The aim of the study was to see whether IUGR fetuses move differently to normal fetuses. Each real-time ultrasound recording lasted 1 h and the analysis of various activities was carried out during replay of video recordings by means of a specially designed computer program. The following aspects have been investigated: (1) incidence, duration and interval for each of the fetal activities described; (2) the relationship between incidence, duration and interval for each single activity; (3) the correlations between the different activities. The results were compared with a group of 10 fetuses from normal pregnancies. On quantitative evaluation no clear effects due to uncomplicated IUGR could be detected except for median duration of eye movements, which turned out to be longer in the IUGR group. The evaluation of correlations between the characteristics (incidence, duration and interval) of each activity showed a positive correlation between incidence and duration of mouthing movements in the IUGR group, not found in the normal group. The study of the correlation between different fetal activities has shown an inverse correlation between mouthing and other activities in the normal fetuses, not found in the IUGR group. We conclude that in mildly affected fetuses with no evidence of hypoxia, there are no quantitative differences compared to normal fetuses in terms of the motility studied. The only differences found were in relation to the performance of such activities and they could reflect a dysfunction of the central nervous system resulting from a metabolic disturbance.