Major Areas Of Development Research Articles

Drainage Pipeline Defect Detection System Based on Semantic Segmentation

Since drainage pipes are widely used in daily life and are necessary for cities to function normally, intelligent fault detection in these pipes has emerged as both an urgent necessity and a major area of development. Compared to traditional target detection methods, the semantic segmentation-based pipeline defect detection method has some special qualities. It can effectively detect a variety of pipeline defect types and segment the defects using precise geometrical attributes to support subsequent defect assessment. This study replaces the backbone network and fuses bar pooling and cascade feature fusion modules in the encoding and decoding phases, respectively, to obtain richer semantic information. This approach strikes a balance between segmentation accuracy and model complexity, aiming to address the problems of the large computational volume of semantic segmentation and the loss of detailed semantic information of pipeline defects. In the pipe defect dataset, the proposed approach is compared with the baseline algorithm and the experimental findings indicate that it has a greater segmentation accuracy than the conventional algorithm. Additionally, the lightweight design of the algorithm lowers the model’s complexity.

Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) Comparative Analysis on Building Renovation Cost Estimation: The Case of Greece

Renovation of buildings has become a major area of development for the construction industry. In the building construction sector, generating a precise and trustworthy cost estimate before building begins is the greatest challenge. Emphasizing the value of using ANN models to forecast the total cost of a building renovation project is the ultimate objective. As a result, building firms may be able to avoid financial losses as long as there is as little discrepancy between projected and actual costs for remodeling works in progress. To address the gap in the research, Greek contractors specializing in building renovations provided a sizable dataset of real project cost data. To build cost prediction ANNs, the collected data had to be organized, assessed, and appropriately encoded. The network was developed, trained, and tested using IBM SPSS Statistics software 28.0.0.0. The dependent variable is the final cost. The independent variables are initial cost, estimated completion time, actual completion time, delay time, initial and final demolition-drainage costs, cost of expenses, initial and final plumbing costs, initial and final heating costs, initial and final electrical costs, initial and final masonry costs, initial and final construction costs of plasterboard construction, initial and final cost of bathrooms, initial and final cost of flooring, initial and final cost of frames, initial and final cost of doors, initial and final cost of paint, and initial and final cost of kitchen construction. The first procedure that was employed was the radial basis function (RBF). The efficiency of the RBFNN model was evaluated and analyzed during training and testing, with up to 6% sum of squares error and nearly 0% relative error in the training sample, which accounted for roughly 70% of the total sample. The second procedure implemented was the method called the multi-layer perceptron (MLP). The efficiency of the MLPNN model was assessed and examined during training and testing; the training sample, which made up around 70% of the overall sample, had a relative error of 0–7% and a sum of squares error ranging from 1% to 5%, confirming specifically the efficacy of RBFNN in calculating the overall cost of renovations.

Exploring the realization pathway of carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the provinces around the Yangtze river of China

As major strategic development areas in China, the provinces around the Yangtze River are facing the pressure of large aggregate CO2 emissions and high per capita CO2 emissions. The study on the pathway of reducing CO2 emissions and increasing carbon sequestration will help China better clarify the ways realize the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality as soon as possible. In this paper, the extended STIRPAT model and OLS regression were used to establish a prediction model to estimate the CO2 emissions during 2010–2060 under different scenarios. Meanwhile, the InVEST model was used to estimate the carbon sequestration, and the comparison with the CO2 emissions was analyzed. The results show that Qinghai and Yunnan have achieved the goal of carbon neutrality in 2010. Under the low-carbon and energy-saving scenario and the baseline scenario, all provinces within the study area are anticipated to attain their emissions peak by 2030 or earlier, and the CO2 emissions peak value of the whole study area is 3111 Mt and 3199 Mt, respectively. While under the high emissions scenario, only Chongqing and Qinghai will reach the emissions peak in 2030, and the whole study area will reach the emissions peak in 2040, with peak value of 3470 Mt. Under the three scenarios, the whole study area cannot achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Only Sichuan and Hubei can achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 and 2060 under the low-carbon and energy-saving scenario. All provinces and municipalities in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River are facing huge pressure of emissions reduction. The research reveals that the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality should be achieved by developing clean energy, transforming industrial structure, increasing carbon sequestration and improving carbon emissions trading system.

Enhancing dielectric-silicon interfaces through surface electric fields during firing

Minimising charge losses at silicon interfaces is a major development area for highly efficient solar cells. Here we report on the interface improvements achieved by establishing a surface electric field during low-temperature firing of dielectric thin films. By inducing a corona electric field on the surface of a thin film stack, we observe significant modifications to the silicon-dielectric interface upon annealing, which correlate with the characteristics of interface defects. The passivation properties of the interfaces strongly depend on the polarity and strength of the electric field during firing, as well as the dielectric materials in the layer stack. We show that the surface electric fields not only influence surface carrier population but also affect the resulting chemical interface properties post-annealing. It is postulated that hydrogen migration plays a role in these observed effects. Leveraging the corona-induced electric field enables fine-tuning of both the chemical and field-effect passivation in thin film surface dielectrics, resulting in recombination current densities as low as 2.8 fA cm−2 in research-grade float zone silicon, and 14 fA cm−2 in industrial-grade textured silicon. The simplicity and versatility of the thin film electric polarisation enable a new strategy for controlling and exploiting the chemical enhancement of interfaces in solar cell devices, from current TOPCon and PERC devices to future multijunction silicon-based cells.

Agriculture Policy and Major Areas for Research and Development in Bangladesh

Agriculture Policy and Major Areas for Research and Development in Bangladesh

Life-cycle deliquification techniques and their application for deep shale gas reservoirs

Deep shale gas resources in the Sichuan Basin have great potential, and this is a major area for future shale gas exploration and development. Deep shale gas wells face problems with liquid loading throughout the production cycle. Regarding deliquification techniques, it is necessary to consider the requirements of gas wells over the full life cycle, as well as the main form of artificial lift used at different stages, to achieve economically efficient development. This paper divides the life cycle of a deep shale gas well into two stages: early production and middle/late production. Pressure-control production is conducted in the early stage of production, whereas investigations on critical liquid-carrying models, the flow distribution in the wellbore, and the main form of artificial lift are conducted in the middle and late stages of production. A recommended scheme of deliquification techniques over the full life cycle has been developed to guide the development and enhancement of artificial lift methods in deep shale gas reservoirs. As of March 2022, in the PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company managed-pressure production has been implemented in 14 wells in the early stage of deep shale gas production. In eight wells, plunger gas lift has been implemented in the middle and late stages of production. In seven wells, foam lift has been implemented. The abovementioned techniques are effective in increasing and stabilizing production and achieving deliquification in deep shale gas reservoirs.

Hydrochemical Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Groundwater in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China

The coastal area is a major area of socio-economic development and the most active zone for human activities. With the rapid development of the economy and the strengthening of urban construction, the groundwater environmental problems in coastal areas are increasingly prominent. It is significant to investigate the groundwater chemical characteristics, hydrochemical types, and the factors that influence groundwater chemistry for water resources protection and groundwater resources development. In this paper, 48 groundwater samples and 5 surface water samples from the study area were analyzed with statistical analysis, Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, mineral saturation index method, and the ionic scale factor, and explored the factors that influence groundwater chemistry. The modified Nemerow index method was also applied to evaluate the groundwater. The results show that the groundwater in the study area is neutral to weakly alkaline (average pH = 7.0~8.0). The groundwater chemical types are mainly Cl·SO4-Na and SO4·Cl-Ca·Mg. Hydrochemistry is mainly influenced by rock weathering and evaporative concentration. TDS was strongly correlated with TDS, Na+, Mg2+, K+, Ca2+, Cl−, SO42−, and the saturation index showed a gradual increase along the groundwater drainage flow path, it indicates that the main groundwater ions originate from the dissolution of halite, sulfate, and carbonate. Combining GIS technology and the kriging spatial interpolation method, we obtained the current situation map of groundwater quality in Laoshan District. The groundwater quality is mainly III water, and the overall water quality is good; IV and V water is mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of rivers, distributed in a belt pattern along the coastline. It is mainly influenced by both the human factor and seawater intrusion. It is significant for the utilization of groundwater resources and the management of seawater intrusion in the Laoshan District. In addition, the proposed research ideas and methods provide a reference for the study of groundwater genesis in other coastal areas in the world.

The use of three-dimensional technologies in the development of oral solid dosage forms

Aim. To analyze the scientific literature data on the use of three-dimensional technologies in pharmacy, in particular in the technology of oral solid dosage forms, the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing, and current research on the development of drugs using 3D printing. Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, bibliosemantic and analytical methods were used. Results and discussion. Personalized medicine is currently a major area of development in the healthcare sector. Its goal is to adapt treatment to a specific person, taking into account the peculiarities of the physiology, drug reactions, and the genetic profile. There are technologies that contribute to the paradigm shift from the traditional “one-size-fits-all”approach to personalized medicine, the main one being three-dimensional (3D) printing. 3D printing involves the creation of a three-dimensional object using various computer programs. 3D printing can be used to create a wide range of dosage forms that differ in shape, release profile, and drug combination. The main 3D printing technology platforms under study in the pharmaceutical sector include inkjet printing, binder inkjet printing, fused filament manufacturing, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, and injection microsyringing. Conclusions. The article discusses various 3D printing technologies and the prospects for their application in research on the development of new medicines, in particular oral solid dosage forms, and highlights their advantages and disadvantages.

Review: Application Trends of Contrast Media in PET/MRI

Research on medical imaging contrast agents to improve diagnostic performance and optimize treatment strategies has been ongoing for a long time. Recently, hybrid imaging technology in which two different devices such as PET/CT, SPECT/CT, and PET/MRI are fused is emerging as a new trend in medical imaging. The high spatial resolution of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and the high-sensitivity molecular-level information of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) by these convergence devices are leading to the development of new hybrid imaging technologies along with hybrid contrast agents. To create a hybrid contrast agent for simultaneous PET-MRI devices, the radiotracer for PET should be combined with the MRI contrast agent. The most common approach to achieve this is to coat radioisotopes to the surface of small superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles. These contrast agents are used for pH change monitoring, non-invasive angiography, and early imaging diagnosis of atherosclerosis. In addition, tumor detection and cardiovascular imaging are becoming important research areas for the development of simultaneous PET/MRI imaging systems and hybrid contrast agents. Therefore, tumor detection and cardiovascular imaging are major areas for development of simultaneous PET/MRI imaging systems and hybrid contrast agents. The goal of developing hybrid contrast agents for this purpose is to combine high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, and morphological and functional information. The future prospect is considered to be the development of a multimodal hybrid contrast agent that detects diseases early, provides information before and after surgery for treatment, and provides treatment prognosis.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Literature Review

In recent years, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have grown and increased in applications because of computational simplicity and adaptive control capacity with strong support from both civilian and military sectors. The applications of UAVs in various military, commercial and civilian areas have led to sustainable results. The application areas include but are not limited to oil & gas, cargo transport, geographic mapping, aerial photography, health care, and disaster management. The success of the UAV application missions is completely dependent on the accuracy in control provided by the flight controllers. Thus, there is a need for accurate, robust, and adaptive flight controllers. UAV dynamics modeling and identification and control of these vehicles are still major active areas of research and development. They pose severe challenges due to the vehicle's complex design, inherently nonlinear, and time-varying dynamics. The main goal of this paper is to identify the past research trends and recent improvements in UAVs. Furthermore, this paper discusses a comprehensive literature review according to the optimized objectives, solution techniques, and applications of UAVs such as Cargo Transport, Disaster Management, etc. According to the literature review, aerial photography is one of the applications of smart UAVs. The reliability of image matching across multiple camera perspectives, angles, and positions encourages computer vision approaches for UAV navigation, opening the way for future researchers to develop vision applications. This article presents a comprehensive literature review discussing the importance of UAV applications related to cost-effectiveness and versatility. Furthermore, a detailed survey of system modeling identification and control techniques is presented.

Tellurium-induced functional group activation

Abstract Tellurium-chemistry comprises of vibrant and innovative prospects in major area of research and development. The function of Tellurium in organic synthesis remained underexplored till date. Moreover, the reactivity of Tellurium as Lewis acid or electrophilic reagents to activate functional group conceptually remains as an ever-demanding area to be investigated extensively. In this context, the present compilation portrays a detailed study on the reactivity of organotellurium compounds as catalyst, reagent, and sensors to explore the reactions occurring specifically through functional group activation.

Ninety-day complication, revision, and readmission rates for current-generation robot-assisted thoracolumbar spinal fusion surgery: results of a multicenter case series.

Robotics is a major area for research and development in spine surgery. The high accuracy of robot-assisted placement of thoracolumbar pedicle screws is documented in the literature. The authors present the largest case series to date evaluating 90-day complication, revision, and readmission rates for robot-assisted spine surgery using the current generation of robotic guidance systems. An analysis of a retrospective, multicenter database of open and minimally invasive thoracolumbar instrumented fusion surgeries using the Mazor X or Mazor X Stealth Edition robotic guidance systems was performed. Patients 18 years of age or older and undergoing primary or revision surgery for degenerative spinal conditions were included. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate rates of malpositioned screws requiring revision, as well as overall complication, revision, and readmission rates within 90 days. In total, 799 surgical cases (Mazor X: 48.81%; Mazor X Stealth Edition: 51.19%) were evaluated, involving robot-assisted placement of 4838 pedicle screws. The overall intraoperative complication rate was 3.13%. No intraoperative implant-related complications were encountered. Postoperatively, 129 patients suffered a total of 146 complications by 90 days, representing an incidence of 16.1%. The rate of an unrecognized malpositioned screw resulting in a new postoperative radiculopathy requiring revision surgery was 0.63% (5 cases). Medical and pain-related complications unrelated to hardware placement accounted for the bulk of postoperative complications within 90 days. The overall surgical revision rate at 90 days was 6.63% with 7 implant-related revisions, representing an implant-related revision rate of 0.88%. The 90-day readmission rate was 7.13% with 2 implant-related readmissions, representing an implant-related readmission rate of 0.25% of cases. The results of this multicenter case series and literature review suggest current-generation robotic guidance systems are associated with low rates of intraoperative and postoperative implant-related complications, revisions, and readmissions at 90 days. Future outcomes-based studies are necessary to evaluate complication, revision, and readmission rates compared to conventional surgery.

RESEARCH OF ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY MODELS AND METHODS OF ELECTRICITY QUALITY MEASUREMENTS

During the reconstruction of existing and construction of new energy facilities, mostly modern imported equipment is used, which is not certified in Ukraine due to inconsistencies in domestic standards. This creates difficulties in coordinating projects with government agencies regarding building codes and regulations, energy efficiency requirements, safety requirements, and so on. There are also no standards in Ukraine regarding the functioning of the energy market. Therefore, it is necessary to update the array of ND industry, for the implementation of which it is necessary to develop appropriate scientific and methodological principles for improving the system of these documents. The introduction of international standards as national standards of Ukraine will remove many controversial issues in the modernization of energy facilities, promote domestic energy equipment in the Western market, create conditions for parallel operation of Ukraine's energy system with European energy associations, improve the quality of energy. But updating the regulatory framework of the industry requires significant time and money, so it is necessary to properly organize this process in order to improve the technical and economic efficiency (EE) of energy in the shortest possible time with minimal costs. One of the methods of solving this problem is complex standardization (CS), the methodological foundations of which were laid in Soviet times, but are outdated due to changing economic conditions and basic criteria for assessing the efficiency of energy facilities, especially their impact on humans and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new approach to the COP in the field of electricity in modern conditions, in particular, to develop a model of the COP, methods, classification of tasks and determine the priority of standardization in the field of electricity. Standardization in the electricity sector should cover all major areas of industry development and contribute to the creation of conditions for safe operation of electricity facilities, ensuring rational energy consumption, improving the technical level and environmental safety of energy facilities, ensuring reliable and efficient operation of Ukraine's integrated energy system. Therefore, the development of the COP model should be based on the structural model of the power industry, which corresponds to the real conditions of the industry. To ensure the cost-effectiveness of the COP, it is necessary to develop a new methodology for evaluating EE development and implementation of standards for energy equipment in market conditions, as well as methodological approaches to economic optimization of the sequence of implementation of standards. Thus, the development of scientific and methodological principles for improving the system of regulatory documents of the electric power industry of Ukraine is an urgent and important task, the solution of which will contribute to the effective updating of the regulatory framework of the industry.

Development of functional literacy in secondary education: thematic discourse analysis

Functional literacy development is an important part of secondary education in Kazakhstan which is reflected in the state educational programmes for education and science development in 2012, 2016, 2020. This area has been studied by researchers, policy makers and teachers in Kazakhstan. However, the concepts of functional literacy and the development of related basic/key competencies are constantly changing and expanding. Therefore, there is a need for a literature review which introduces the various perspectives on functional literacy development in secondary education with major themes and developments. This article presents the main results of the thematic discourse analysis which is focused on the latest functional literacy related publications. The analysis employed the following methods: bibliographical synthesis of literacy and topic modelling LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation). This article presents the results of the topic modelling analysis which contributes to the discussion in the area of functional literacy development at national and international levels. It also introduces major areas of development including methods and approaches in functional literacy education and assessment. This paper might contribute to the work of policy makers, researchers, secondary school teachers and those who are interested in functional literacy development and education in Kazakhstan and abroad. Key words: functional literacy, secondary school, thematic discourse analysis.    

Balanced Energy-Aware and Fault-Tolerant Data Center Scheduling.

Fault tolerance, performance, and throughput have been major areas of research and development since the evolution of large-scale networks. Internet-based applications are rapidly growing, including large-scale computations, search engines, high-definition video streaming, e-commerce, and video on demand. In recent years, energy efficiency and fault tolerance have gained significant importance in data center networks and various studies directed the attention towards green computing. Data centers consume a huge amount of energy and various architectures and techniques have been proposed to improve the energy efficiency of data centers. However, there is a tradeoff between energy efficiency and fault tolerance. The objective of this study is to highlight a better tradeoff between the two extremes: (a) high energy efficiency and (b) ensuring high availability through fault tolerance and redundancy. The main objective of the proposed Energy-Aware Fault-Tolerant (EAFT) approach is to keep one level of redundancy for fault tolerance while scheduling resources for energy efficiency. The resultant energy-efficient data center network provides availability as well as fault tolerance at reduced operating cost. The main contributions of this article are: (a) we propose an Energy-Aware Fault-Tolerant (EAFT) data center network scheduler; (b) we compare EAFT with energy efficient resource scheduling techniques to provide analysis of parameters such as, workload distribution, average task per servers, and energy consumption; and (c) we highlight effects of energy efficiency techniques on the network performance of the data center.

Editorial

Editorial

ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX MODEL OF MONITORING OF ELECTRIC POWER QUALITY PARAMETERS

The main task of Ukraine's energy strategy until 2030 is to bring the country's electricity complex in line with international requirements for efficiency and reliability of energy supply, which requires improvement of the regulatory framework of Ukraine's electricity. The introduction of international standards as national standards of Ukraine will remove many controversial issues in the modernization of energy facilities, promote domestic energy equipment in the Western market, create conditions for parallel operation of Ukraine's energy system with European energy associations, improve the quality of energy. But updating the regulatory framework of the industry requires significant time and money, so it is necessary to properly organize this process in order to improve the technical and economic efficiency (EE) of energy in the shortest possible time with minimal costs. One of the methods of solving this problem is complex standardization (CS), the methodological foundations of which were laid in Soviet times, but are outdated due to changing economic conditions and basic criteria for assessing the efficiency of energy facilities, especially their impact on humans and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new approach to the COP in the field of electricity in modern conditions, in particular, to develop a model of the COP, methods, classification of tasks and determine the priority of standardization in the field of electricity. Standardization in the electricity sector should cover all major areas of industry development and contribute to the creation of conditions for safe operation of electricity facilities, ensuring rational energy consumption, improving the technical level and environmental safety of energy facilities, ensuring reliable and efficient operation of Ukraine's integrated energy system. Therefore, the development of the COP model should be based on the structural model of the power industry, which corresponds to the real conditions of the industry. To ensure the cost-effectiveness of the COP, it is necessary to develop a new methodology for evaluating EE development and implementation of standards for energy equipment in market conditions, as well as methodological approaches to economic optimization of the sequence of implementation of standards. Thus, the development of scientific and methodological principles for improving the system of regulatory documents of the electric power industry of Ukraine is an urgent and important task, the solution of which will contribute to the effective updating of the regulatory framework of the industry.

The Case for a True Task-Based Curriculum for Medical Spanish Courses

Issue For decades, professional healthcare schools have invested considerable time and resources into the development and implementation of medical Spanish courses. However, most (if not all) of these courses and programs were developed without significant input from experts in the fields of applied linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA). This resulted in programs and courses which differ in every conceivable way, most notably in course objectives, course content, and assessment measures. Despite multiple calls by applied linguists over the years, there has never been a systematic evaluation of medical Spanish programs through the lens of applied linguistics. The literature to date also demonstrates a near-complete absence of collaboration between medical school faculty, applied linguists, and language teachers, furthering the divide between what is now well-documented in the applied linguistics and SLA literature and the reported classroom practices in the medical Spanish context. Evidence This article begins by contextualizing the development of medical Spanish courses under a backdrop of a critical need for multilingual medical professionals to better address documented healthcare disparities for Low English Proficiency (LEP) Spanish speakers, a steadily growing population in the United States. Then, the article introduces Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as an opportunity for unprecedented collaboration between healthcare practitioners, medical Spanish course instructors, and applied linguists to improve medical Spanish curricular offerings. It goes on to identify specific opportunities for collaboration between medical Spanish professionals (instructors, course designers, program administrators) and applied linguists by highlighting three major areas for further development in the medical Spanish context. This collaboration would result in a pedagogical framework strongly rooted in applied linguistics research findings with direct, measurable impacts on both L2 Spanish learners in medical Spanish courses and the patients they will serve. Implications Based on identified opportunities for curricular and programmatic improvement in published medical Spanish course reports, this article provides a rationale for TBLT as well as an overview of the process of TBLT course development. This detailed overview of TBLT course development with specific reference to the medical Spanish context presents an argument for the adoption of TBLT as an evidence-based and pedagogically viable alternative to current course offerings in medical Spanish programs. This article aims to identify a clear path forward to enable medical school program administrators and course and curriculum designers to take concrete steps to align courses with current best practices in second language pedagogy in order to optimize Spanish learning outcomes for their programs’ specific students.

Exploring medical students’ perceptions of the challenges and benefits of volunteering in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

ObjectivesIn March 2020, the WHO declared SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic. Hospitals across the world faced staff, bed and supply shortages, with some European hospitals calling on medical students to fill the...

Nhimbe as a model for re-invigorating sustainable socio-economic development in Zimbabwe and Africa

This research looks at the nhimbe activities in major areas of development, especially in the area of agriculture, politics, economics and religion. The article endeavours to show that the nhimbe as a traditional model can be used as a hinge for sustainable and integral development. It is also a source of livelihood that assures that everyone in the community is accommodated and taken care of. The Shona nhimbe concept is treated as a viable approach that is in line with a response to the September 2015 world leaders’ resolutions that focused on sustainable development. It is argued in this research that the nhimbe philosophy can be used as a response to Goal 1 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for sustainable development that says ‘No Poverty’. The study also identifies the state and communities as integral partners (Goal 17 on partnerships for the goals). The research further highlights the areas where communities and the state can cooperate to improve the lives of communities, thereby creating a responsible citizenry.