Economical Solution Research Articles

Stable polyethylene glycol/biochar composite as a cost-effective photothermal absorber for 24 hours of steam and electricity cogeneration.

Seawater desalination powered by solar energy is the most environmentally and economical solution in responding to the global water and energy crisis. However, solar desalination has been negatively impacted by intermittent sun radiation that alternates between day and night. In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was recycled via the pyrolysis process to biochar as a cost-effective solar absorber. Besides, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material was encapsulated in the abundant pore structure of biochar to store the thermal energy for 24 hours of continuous steam generation. The BDB/1.5 PEG evaporator exhibited an evaporation rate of 2.11 kg m-2 h-1 (98.1% efficiency) under 1 sun irradiation. Additionally, the BDB/1.5 PEG evaporator incorporated by the TEC1-12706 module for continuous steam and electricity generation with a power density of 320.41 mW m-2. Moreover, 10 continuous hours of evaporation were applied to the composite demonstrating outstanding stability. The composite exhibited high water purification efficiency through solar desalination due to the abundant functional groups on the biochar surface. Finally, the resulting low-cost and highly efficient PCM-based absorber can be used on a wide scale to produce fresh water and energy.

IoT-enabled smart water tank monitoring system with android application control

This paper proposes a more efficient water monitoring and control system for water utilities to address the current water wastage problem, utilizing IoT and Android applications. The integrated system aims to enhance real-time data collection, analysis, and remote management, empowering water utilities to optimize resource usage and mitigate environmental impact. Conventional water tanks cannot monitor or control the water level in the tank, leading to a significant amount of wastage. Implementing smart water tank systems with automated monitoring and control features can not only prevent wastage but also enhance overall water management efficiency. Ultrasonic sensors are used to measure the water level, while other parameters such as pH, TDS, and turbidity of the water should be calculated. Additionally, these sensors play a crucial role in ensuring accurate and real-time monitoring of water quality in various applications, such as industrial processes, aquaculture, and environmental monitoring. The integration of ultrasonic technology for water level measurement enhances the overall efficiency and reliability of water management systems. The calculated values from the sensors can be processed by the microcontrollers and uploaded to the internet through the Wi-Fi module (ESP 8266). Some other technologies have certain drawbacks in one way or another. The removal of these shortcomings and the provision of an efficient and economical solution have been the main focus of this paper. Through extensive research and innovation, our team has strived to overcome these limitations, paving the way for a more robust and seamless technological landscape.

Environmentally Sustainable, Ecologically Conservable and Economical Viable Design and Construction Solution of Ship Side Launching Wharf

India is on development path and construction of various infrastructures work is happening at increasing pace and magnitude. The cement and reinforcement are most essential materials required for a infrastructure projects. Both cement and steel production produce large amount of carbon di oxide and also require large amount of energy for production. This is one main aspect of environmental destruction. Ship building activities are ever increasing in India and so construction of new shipyards and modernization of existing shipyards. Launching of ship is one of the most important operations in the entire ship construction process. Getting permissions for such construction involves various authorities and agencies such as concerned Industrial Development Corporation, River Navigation Department, Caption of Ports, Coastal Regulation Zone Authority, Pollution Control Board to name a few. This paper presents some important aspects of environmentally sustainable, ecologically conservable and economical solution Design and Construction Solution of Ship Side Launching Wharfby substituting conventional RCC piles by rammed stone columns to a large extent and use of gabion walls for closing the face of jetty in place of steel or RCC sheet pile making use of locally available quarry stones.

Learning Lessons from COVID -19 Pandemic Crisis: An Opportunity for Strategic Leadership to Transform Economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa through Innovation.

COVID -19 has bought untold suffering to various communities around the globe without any solution in the near future. It is these moments of crisis that great champions and economies emerge from. Strategic leadership should focus on how to turn moments of economic depression to come up with economic solution. It is through innovation from simple to complex, from individuals to organizations, and global culture of innovation that Strategic leadership will develop solution to change the world. This paper focuses on simple innovative solution to address some of the complex challenges economies are going in the Sub- Saharan Africa specifically in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). This paper challenges that the absence of a solution to the COVID- 19 is a sign that the world has done little in terms of dealing with complex challenges, innovation and change. The paper suggests that no problem should be dealt with in a similar way but through creative thinking and innovation leadership should look at every challenge differently from the other. The paper gives a historical details on the discovery of the COVID -19 in China and spreading to almost every country of the world. It then focuses on a handful countries in the region and how leadership responded the pandemic and how it has affected the continent’s economy . It then suggests how the challenges can be dealt with.

Indonesia’s Economic Recovery in a Post-Pandemic: Under the New Normal on Society 5.0

This article examines the policies carried out by the Indonesian government after COVID-19. During pandemic, government policies are not trusted by the public. This happens because the statements from the decision maker are unconcerned. But finally, the Indonesian government proved to the public and the world that Indonesia is one of the countries in the ASEAN Region that can solve economic problems during COVID-19 with mandatory vaccine policies, social distancing, work from home, mandatory masks,and tax reductions. The theory used in this article is a regulation theory which explains that every economic activity cannot be separated from the influence of society, politics, culture, and the state that has policies making regulations. The method used is a qualitative method by conducting a literature study from previous research regarding economic recovery solutions after COVID-19 and data are also taken from e-books, journals, news websites, and official websites. The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of Indonesia in maintaining its economy after COVID-19. The government issued a policy to support SDGs an online shop regulation, and reduced taxes. This strategy succeeded in making Indonesia one of the countries in ASEAN that survived the economic collapse.

BUSINESS DIGITALIZATION TRAINING: Optimization of Digital Business Opportunities and Advantages

Uncertainty in economic conditions can be caused by many factors, one of which is the Covid-19 pandemic. Many companies have gone out of business, because they were unable to overcome the negative impact. This becomes a lesson for business actors, especially in Indonesia, about the uncertainty of economic conditions. Based on this, this training activity is an effort from the academic side of Pakuan University to provide vocational school graduates with knowledge about running a business. Thus, they get referrals as provision/preparation for running a business in the future. The object of the service activity was carried out in the city of Bogor, which was attended by 150 participants from vocational school graduates in the city of Bogor. The method of this activity is presentation and discussion, namely explaining economic conditions, the impact of economic uncertainty and solutions to overcome problems. As a result of this activity, the participants received information on how to deal with economic uncertainty through the concept of business digitization. This activity explained the opportunities and benefits of using digital media as a solution to maintaining a business existence in the midst of economic uncertainty due to the pandemic and globalization.

Development of an Optimization Model for the Utilization of Village Fund in Puri Mojokerto District

The purpose of this research was to develop a model for optimizing the use of Village Fund in Kebonagung Village, Puri Village, and Mlaten Village, Puri Mojokerto District. The type of this research uses a qualitative descriptive approach, this research instrument involves informants who can provide information about the situation and background conditions of the research, namely village officials, village consultative bodies (BPD), community leaders and universities. Sources of data are primary and secondary data, data collection through observation, interviews and documentation. The data analysis technique is to identify the role of stakeholders in the utilization of Village Fund, formulate a model for utilizing Village Fund and developing a model for utilizing Village Fund. The results show that the optimization model for the use of Village Fund is expected to be able to provide solutions in exploring village resource potential and development through empowering Village Fund, so that it can spur the economic activities of residents. Program selection in utilizing Village Fund must refer to the selection of program priorities that can accelerate community economic empowerment and solutions in leveraging community economic growth. The three villages have enormous resource potential, therefore it is necessary to map the selection of program priorities through an integrated research directed at analyzing the strengths and opportunities possessed by each village, so that the use of Village Fund is truly in line with the goals of empowerment and increasing the economy and welfare. community members as well as programs for sustainable use of Village Fund. The recommendations in this research are: The need for the use of Village Fund which is prepared based on a standardized role model in accordance with the characteristics of each village, the need for synchronization of stakeholder roles in order to integrate the optimal use of Village Fund. The importance of compiling a program for utilizing Village Fund with reference to the management of village funds in accordance with regulations and principles of good governance and the involvement of stakeholders in preparing the APBDes.

An Efficient Artificial Intelligence Energy Management System for Urban Building Integrating Photovoltaic and Storage

The emerging leading role of green energy in our society pushes the investigation of new economic and technological solutions. Green energies and smart communities increase efficiency with the use of digital solutions for the benefits of inhabitants and companies. The paper focuses on the development of a methodology for the energy management, combining photovoltaics and storage systems, considering as the main case study a multi-story building characterized by a high density of households, used to generate data which allow feasibility foresights. The physical model of the algorithm is composed by two main elements: the photovoltaics modules and the battery energy storage system. In addition, to gain information about the real-time consumption a machine learning module is included in our approach to generate predictions about the near future demand. The benefits provided by the method are evaluated with an economic analysis, which computes the return of the investment using the real consumptions of a Boarding School, located in Turin (Italy). The case study analyzed in this article showed an increase in purchased energy at the minimum price from 25% to 91% and a 55% reduction in the electricity bill compared to most solutions on the market, with no additional costs and a stabilizing effect on the grid. Finally, the economic analysis shows that the proposed method is a profitable investment, with a breakeven point of thirteen years, due to the very simple implementation and the zero additional cost requested.

Large-Scale Plate Load Tests to Determine the Collapse Potential at Santorini 150 kV GIS Substation Site

Two large-scale plate load tests were carried out at the foundation level of the Santorini 150 kV GIS Substation, where the subsoil was identified as collapsible. The purpose of these load tests was to establish in-situ, the magnitude of the expected settlements due to the collapse of the subsoil structure after inundation, while applying a bearing pressure equal to the maximum expected according to the structural design. After completion of the tests, which are described in detail, the resulting settlements were found to be acceptable, so no soil improvement measures were required and it was concluded that with the design and execution of these innovative load tests, it was possible to measure under actual field conditions the magnitude of settlement due to collapse of the soil structure. This led to a more economical foundation solution, compared to the one that would have been adopted were only laboratory tests taken into account in the calculation of settlements.

Improved Speaker Recognition for Degraded Human Voice using Modified-MFCC and LPC with CNN

Economical speaker recognition solution from degraded human voice signal is still a challenge. This article is covering results of an experiment which targets to improve feature extraction method for effective speaker identification from degraded human audio signal with the help of data science. Every speaker’s audio has identical characteristics. Human ears can easily identify these different audio characteristics and classify speaker from speaker’s audio. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) supports to get same intelligence in machine also. MFCC is extensively used for human voice feature extraction. In our experiment we have effectively used MFCC and Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) for better speaker recognition accuracy. MFCC first outlines frames and then finds cepstral coefficient for each frame. MFCC use human audio signal and convert it in numerical value of audio features, which is used to recognize speaker efficiently by Artificial Intelligence (AI) based speaker recognition system. This article covers how effectively audio features can be extracted from degraded human voice signal. In our experiment we have observed improved Equal Error Rate (EER) and True Match Rate (TMR) due to high sampling rate and low frequency range for mel-scale triangular filter. This article also covers pre-emphasis effects on speaker recognition when high background noise comes with audio signal.

Surface Characteristics Measurement Using Computer Vision: A Review

Computer vision provides image-based solutions to inspect and investigate the quality of the surface to be measured. For any components to execute their intended functions and operations, surface quality is considered equally significant to dimensional quality. Surface Roughness (Ra) is a widely recognized measure to evaluate and investigate the surface quality of machined parts. Various conventional methods and approaches to measure the surface roughness are not feasible and appropriate in industries claiming 100% inspection and examination because of the time and efforts involved in performing the measurement. However, Machine vision has emerged as the innovative approach to executing the surface roughness measurement. It can provide economic, automated, quick, and reliable solutions. This paper discusses the characterization of the surface texture of surfaces of traditional or non-traditional manufactured parts through a computer/machine vision approach and assessment of the surface characteristics, i.e., surface roughness, waviness, flatness, surface texture, etc., machine vision parameters. This paper will also discuss multiple machine vision techniques for different manufacturing processes to perform the surface characterization measurement.

Synergistic Solvation of Anion: An Effective Strategy toward Economical High‐Performance Dual‐Ion Battery

AbstractThe solvation structure of anion plays a crucial role in determining the performance of dual‐ion batteries using graphite‐positive electrodes. In past research on dual‐ion batteries, the design criteria of electrolyte solutions were largely based on the traditional relationship between solvents and additives. Here, a distinctive synergistic solvation strategy is proposed for the design of electrolyte solutions. Despite some solvents performing poorly or even failing to operate when they are used alone for electrolyte solutions, an unexpected improved performance appears when they are combined based on their characteristic moieties. Based on the synergistic solvation strategy, an economical electrolyte solution system (LiPF6‐methyl acetate/diethyl carbonate) is successfully designed. The intercalation behavior of the solvated anion from this solution into the graphite electrode is investigated by conventional electrochemical tests, in situ electrochemical characterizations and theoretical calculations. A proof‐of‐concept dual‐ion battery based on this electrolyte solution delivers a discharge capacity of 100.08 mAh g−1 and ≈4.67 V medium discharge voltage at 10C (1 A g−1), along with 85.35% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 5C. Moreover, this battery exhibits 93.8% of its room‐temperature capacity at −20 °C and can even work at −70 °C. Synergistic solvation offers a novel approach to design electrolyte solutions for dual‐ion batteries.

Simulation modelling of multi-agent regional socio-economic systems: methods and examples

The paper presents a new approach to modelling multi-agent regional socio-economic systems. Within the framework of the proposed approach, the possibilities of constructing hybrid multi-level simulation models using methods system dynamics and agent-based modelling, designed to assess the state of individual regions, characterizing the economic growth rate (e. g., the GRP dynamics) and finding solutions to improve them. As a result, it is possible to study the characteristics of the regional socio-economic system, taking into account the complex relationships and interactions between economic agents and the external environment. At the same time, the use of the simulation modelling tools such as the AnyLogic makes it possible to implement a decision-making system for regional socio-economic planning as the software framework.

Data Lake Architecture for Storing and Transforming Web Server Access Log Files

Web server access log files are text files containing important data about server activities, client requests addressed to a server, server responses, etc. Large-scale analysis of these data can contribute to various improvements in different areas of interest. The main problem lies in storing these files in their raw form, over long time, to allow analysis processes to be run at any time enabling information to be extracted as foundation for high quality decisions. Our research focuses on offering an economical, secure, and high-performance solution for the storage of large amount of raw log files. Proposed system implements a Data Lake (DL) architecture in cloud using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) for extract–load–transform (ELT) pipelines. This architecture allows large volumes of data to be stored in their raw form. Afterwards they can be subjected to transformation and advanced analysis processes without the need of a structured writing scheme. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a solution that is affordable and more accessible to perform web server access log data ingestion, storage and transformation over the newest technology, Data Lake. As derivative contribution, we proposed the use of Azure Blob Trigger Function to implement the algorithm of transforming log files into parquet files leading to 90% reduction in storage space compared to their original size. That means much lower storage costs than if they had been stored as log files. A hierarchical data storage model has also been proposed for shared access to data over different layers in the DL architecture, on top of which Data Lifecycle Management (DLM) rules have been proposed for storage cost efficiency. We proposed ingesting log files into a Data Lake deployed in cloud due to ease of deployment and low storage costs. The aim is to maintain this data in the long term, to be used in future advanced analytics processes by cross-referencing with other organizational or external data. That could bring important benefits. While the proposed solution is explicitly based on ADLS Gen2, it represents an important benchmark in approaching a cloud DL solution offered by any other vendor.

Analysis of Service Efficiency of Parcel Locker in Last-mile Delivery: A Case Study in Norway

The rapid growth of e-commerce is challenging last-mile parcel delivery services. Traditionally, parcel delivery is done using vans which deliver individual parcels to customers’ home (“home deliveries”) or by trucks to collection points, often situated in grocery stores. An alternative last-mile delivery solution is to deliver parcels to lockers where customers can pick them up. “Home deliveries” are known to be an expensive part of the supply chain, and cost and service efficiency vary with (uncertainty about) customers being present at home. Stores have their opening times, while parcel lockers can provide 24/7 access and also have higher potential to achieve a more economic and environmental sustainable solution, compared to home deliveries. This paper evaluates the cost and emissions implications of alternative solutions for last-mile delivery. A case study proposes and analyzes alternative expansion plans for a parcel locker distribution network in Norway. Results indicate that using parcel lockers is beneficial and the usage of more parcel locker delivery can improve service efficiency in last-mile delivery as it creates both the economic and environmental savings compared to home deliveries. An extended parcel locker network seems to be able to provide the optimal future delivery model that can operate more cost-efficiently and more sustainably than the delivery model under the current situation.

Structural Damage Identification System Suitable for Old Arch Bridge in Rural Regions: Random Forest Approach

A huge number of old arch bridges located in rural regions are at the peak of maintenance. The health monitoring technology of the long-span bridge is hardly applicable to the small-span bridge, owing to the absence of technical resources and sufficient funds in rural regions. There is an urgent need for an economical, fast, and accurate damage identification solution. The authors proposed a damage identification system of an old arch bridge implemented with a machine learning algorithm, which took the vehicle-induced response as the excitation. A damage index was defined based on wavelet packet theory, and a machine learning sample database collecting the denoised response was constructed. Through comparing three machine learning algorithms: Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Random Forest (R.F.), the R.F. damage identification model were found to have a better recognition ability. Finally, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the number of subtrees and split features of the R.F. model. The PSO optimized R.F. model was capable of the identification of different damage levels of old arch bridges with sensitive damage index. The proposed framework is practical and promising for the old bridge’s structural damage identification in rural regions.

Review of leakage detection in water distribution networks

The conservation of water is, justifiably, a huge concern to water companies, regulatory bodies, environmentalist and more but, unfortunately, water loss through leakage can remain undetected for long periods of time without effective leakage detection. Leakage detection in water distribution networks has taken many forms through investigating varying properties of leakage. Understanding the characteristic leakage types and properties introduces the different emerging technologies. Even though some methodologies have gained popularity in the past decade, the need to establish a complete, economical leakage detection solution that effectively identifies background leakage as well as burst events persists. The benefits and limitations of the aforementioned technologies has often confused water utilities on adapting the most suitable method. Therefore, there is an arising need to classify and benchmark leakage detection practices. This paper reviews technologies in leakage detection contrasting hardware & software, intrusive & non-intrusive, steady state & transient, single & hybrid methods. A particular focus will be placed on scoping the projected direction of leakage detection and localisation. As anticipated, the various techniques refined over the last two decades introduce different capabilities, conditions, and constraints[1]. Assessing and comparing those methods will provide a deeper novel understanding of the research area thus paving the way for novel solutions.

BIM-paved roads around Visegrád : The implementation and scientific feedback/analysis of building information modelling in V4 countries

Construction economy faces new challenges in the 21st century. Sustainability has become an inevitable imperative. Digitalization has permeated every part of our lives. The digital transformation of the construction industry presents many benefits and opportunities, yet it also encounters various barriers that impede innovation and the implementation of new advancements. Due to the conscious management and change of attitude of the construction economy, the adoption and mandatory implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has already become a well-established tradition in Western Europe, the United States, and even Singapore. In Hungary, using BIM methods in public works is not mandatory, but its gradual implementation is on the agenda. Due to the shared economic and political traditions and solutions of the V4 countries, it is worth reviewing the current prevalence of BIM in practice and the available scientific results. This overview study examines public procurements and scientific literature on BIM in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. It presents the current state of BIM and the degree of its implementation in public works. In doing so, it highlights some important similarities, differences, as well as potential issues, providing valuable insights for consideration in the implementation process.

Application of smart watches for monitoring the health state of professional drivers

The article discusses the possibility of using smartwatches in transport companies. The popularity of the introduction of wearables among professional drivers will gradually eliminate the dangers associated with the use of smartphones while driving buses and trucks. Attention was also drawn to the possibilities of integrating the smartwatch with smartphones and using additional functions allowing to monitor the condition and health of a professional driver. Smartwatch will thus contribute to improving the quality of work performed among professional drivers by minimizing the risk of stress, falling asleep or dehydration, which in the past led to accidents and road collisions. The aim of the article is to present the potential of smartwatches in transport companies in Poland. The gradual introduction of smartwatches in companies and the popularization of smartwatches among professional drivers raises the question: Will the introduction of smartwatches in transport companies that enable monitoring of fitness and health improve the safety, efficiency and quality of work of professional drivers? The survey was conducted in 2012-2022 among non-financial companies, including companies from the TSL industry (small and medium-sized enterprises). The survey showed that Polish entrepreneurs are willing to equip their employees with mobile devices. For professional drivers, the smartwatch will become an economical and user-friendly solution that improves safety, efficiency and productivity of their field work.

Actorii patrimoniului și dezvoltarea durabilă a comunităților rurale din România. Cazul colecției RezArt – Muzeu – Ateliere din satul Iaz, județul Sălaj

Cultural heritage has changed its definition for the last decades, slowly becoming an important economic resource especially in areas where the sustainable development through tourism is the only economic development solution. These changes happened based on a strong connection with the worldwide awareness of the important role of social actors, creators and beneficiaries of the heritage. In this study, we focus on the particular case of private actors in heritage (communities, NGOs, individuals), found at the interface between rural communities and state institutions, between constraining laws and the freedom of those who create cultural values, but cannot manage. Among those, we refer to the private collectors of ethnographic objects. The tasks they assume for themselves are difficult. Leaders with distinguished moral qualities are needed, leaders that are true „cultural entrepreneurs”, to whom the work for cultural heritage demands a specialization. The paper discusses the problems and tensions that occur during the management of cultural heritage done by the private actors and also present the fortunate case of the RezArt - Museum - Workshops ethnographic collection, Iaz village, Sălaj county, owned by Ligia-Alexandra Pop.