Standard Specifications Research Articles

Assessing Fluoride Impact in Phosphogypsum: Strength and Leaching Behavior of Cemented Paste Backfill

Phosphogypsum (PG)-based cemented paste backfill (PCPB) is a widely used method for the large-scale disposal of phosphoric acid waste. However, fluoride contaminants in PG pose a significant risk of groundwater pollution. Effective pretreatment methods have been developed to mitigate this issue, but there is limited research on the specific pretreatment standards needed to control fluoride leaching. This study investigates the impact of initial fluoride content (IFC) in PG samples on the strength and leaching behavior of PCPB to establish appropriate pretreatment standards. Pure CaSO4·2H2O and NaF were used to simulate PG samples with varying IFC levels. The findings indicate that lower IFC leads to stronger PCPBs after 28 days of curing. To ensure compliance with Chinese national standards, the initial fluoride concentration must be below 0.0093 wt% to prevent excessive leaching. Microlevel analyses reveal that fluoride influences the hydration reactions of C2S and C3S in cement, affecting the formation of C-S-H and Ca(OH)2. Fluoride is primarily immobilized in PCPB as CaF2, which can either form gypsum crystals within the complex structure or be adsorbed onto hydration products. This research provides crucial insights into the pretreatment standards required for controlling fluoride leaching, offering a foundation for the industrial application of PG.

The Impact of Applying International Accounting Standards on the Tax Base: An Applied Study of a Sample Of Banks Listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange

Objectives: The study aimed to examine how international accounting standards affect the taxable base of Iraqi banks listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange. Methods: A stratified purposeful sample of 33 participants was selected, including top management from financial departments of the National Bank of Iraq, Commercial Bank of Iraq, and Bank of Baghdad, as well as accountants and auditors. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS software. Results: The findings indicated that accounting information provides essential financial and accounting data necessary for calculating income, expenditure, and profits for tax purposes. This data enables government agencies to estimate the tax base more accurately. Furthermore, financial transparency and reporting include disclosing changes in tax rates compared to the previous accounting period. Specific international accounting standards, including Standards 9, 12, 15, 16, 21, and 36, were found to significantly influence the taxable base of the banks. Conclusion: The study concluded that banks should develop deferred tax asset and liability management strategies to reduce deferred tax impacts on financial statements and improve performance. Additionally, banks should periodically review and adjust their accounting and tax practices to comply with local legislation and international accounting standards, particularly in the areas of financial instruments, income tax, revenue recognition, fixed assets, and exchange rate changes.

Urban slum housing quality, and its public health implications in Nigeria: a case of urban slum residents in Enugu metropolis, South East, Nigeria

IntroductionHousing remains a strategic social determinant of health. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most urban dwellers live in slums with attendant health implications. This study assessed the housing conditions of the slums of Enugu metropolis and the public health implications.MethodsThis is a community-based cross-sectional study of 459 slum residents of the Enugu metropolis. Ethical clearance was obtained from the UNTH, Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Data was collected using a pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Data were summarised using mean and standard deviation, frequency and proportion as appropriate and presented in tables and figures. The chi-square test was used for association at p-value ≤ 0.05 significance.ResultsThe mean age (SD) of the respondents was 32.93(12.34) years. A higher proportion (N = 180, 39.2%) were 18-27years, females (N = 282, 61.4%), married (N = 297, 64.7%), attained secondary education (N = 273, 59.5%), Igbo (N = 453, 98.7%), and self-employed (N = 327, 71.2%). They demonstrated good knowledge of standard housing specifications (N = 231, 50.3%) and the effects of housing conditions on health (N = 297, 64.7%). Also, most lived in a one-room apartment (N = 201, 43.8%) and cooked in a separate kitchen (N = 150, 32.7%) with a gas cooker as the major source of heat supply for cooking (N = 249, 54.2%). Sixty-three (13.7%) of the respondents didn’t have access to suitable toilet facilities. A higher proportion, (N = 171, 37.3%) used pipe-borne water, and electricity as the major source of light (N = 447, 97.4%). The most prevailing health condition was malaria/fever (N = 258, 97.4%). Despite having pests and rodents-infested dwellings, only (N = 156, 34.0%) had insecticides in the house. Equally, (N = 132, 28.8%) of them lived with broken floors.ConclusionsDespite good knowledge of the public health implications of poor housing, most dwellings remained substandard and unhealthful with associated prevalent health conditions.RecommendationThere is a need for a health campaign against the poor living conditions in the slums.

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in Türkiye: Evaluating Existing Aviation Laws and International Practices

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has emerged as a solution to transport challenges such as traffic congestion, environmental impacts, and lack of adequate public transport systems in urban areas. As the interest in UAM objects such as electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) is increasing, it is important to understand whether the current regulations are sufficient to address the sui generis difficulties of this brand new technology. This article examines the adequacy of Türkiye's current legal framework to ensure the safe, effective, and sustainable integration of UAM. This article analyses Türkiye's existing aviation legislation, in particular the Turkish Civil Aviation Law and the instructions issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and examines their applicability to UAM. The article discusses various regulatory gaps such as the lack of standards specifically designed for UAM, inadequate safety, environmental and operational regulations, and unclear guidelines on airspace integration. The article also discusses various UAM regulations prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the approaches of pioneer countries in this area, such as the US, Germany, and Japan. Through a comparative analysis, it demonstrates the key lessons learnt from these international practices and presents suggestions for improving Türkiye's regulatory environment. The study emphasises the need for targeted reforms, introduction of specific standards, and a new regulative framework to foster the successful integration of UAM. The findings aim to contribute to the establishment of a solid legal framework to ensure that Türkiye is prepared for the future of UAM.

Copper Winding Voice Coil Speaker Microcontroller Based

The voice coil is a vital speaker component, producing sound through electromagnetic vibrations. Generally, commercially available voice coils do not meet standard quality specifications, especially in terms of copper quality and adhesive strength. This problem often leads to issues such as coil burning or breakage during operation. On the other hand, ordering custom voice coils through manual winding processes requires considerable time. This study aims to address these limitations by designing an automated coil winding device that employs Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques to control the speed of a DC motor, enabling the production of voice coils with specifications and durability tailored to specific needs. An Arduino Nano microcontroller controls the system and consists of a BTS 7960 motor driver, a Direct Current (DC) motor, an optocoupler sensor, a rotary encoder, a 4x4 keypad, and an LCD display with an I2C interface. Coil durability testing was conducted using an ohmmeter and an amplifier with a transformer ranging from 20A 45V to 30A 45V. The testing results indicate that coils produced with the automated winder can be adjusted to approach the 8-ohm specification, with a tolerance of 0.1 to 0.3 ohms, suitable for speaker requirements. The comparison results show that commercial voice coils exhibit resistances below 8 ohms, with the lowest resistance measured at 4.9 ohms for larger coils. During power testing, coils with a diameter of 35.5 mm and copper wire diameters of 0.20 mm and 0.23 mm broke when tested with a 20A 45V amplifier. In contrast, commercial coils remained stable up to an input power of 372 W and output power of 273 W, although a burning odor was detected. These findings indicate that the copper quality in commercial coils is superior in resisting amplifier power up to 30A 45V compared to coils produced with the automated device.

Analysis of MAXIM Application Service Quality on User Satisfaction using the E-Service Quality Method

Service quality is the comprehensive support provided by system developers to users to ensure safety, comfort, empathy and responsiveness in meeting user expectations. There are still complaints about the Maxim application in the Google Playstore review from January 16 to February 12, 2024, inaccurate pick-up or destination, inconsistent prices, slow service response so that users have difficulty getting solutions to problems. Supported by the INDEF (Institute for Development of Economics and Finance) survey on DataIndonesia.id that the popularity of Maxim's services is lower than Gojek and Grab. Thus, it is essential to employ the E-Servqual approach to perform research to determine whether the services have satisfied users. Because its dimensions are pertinent and completely satisfy the requirements of assessing the quality of electronic services, E-Service Quality is the most thorough and integrative online service quality model. Efficiency, fulfillment, system availability, privacy, responsiveness, compensation, and interaction are the seven factors used, while user satisfaction is the dependent variable. This kind of study collects data using nonprobability sampling approaches in conjunction with quantitative methods. wherein demographic components are chosen according to specific standards that are pertinent to the study's goals. Considering the findings of the analysis, the 7 proposed hypotheses consisted of 3 accepted hypotheses and 4 rejected hypotheses because the significance value alpha (α = 0.05) and 4 hypotheses rejected because the significance value alpha (α = 0.05. Overall, the quality of Maxim's service towards user satisfaction is not good in terms of the variables of efficiency, system availability, responsiveness, and contact. It is hoped that there will be improvements in the Maxim application such as application usage, application functions on the displayed page, application response, and contact services for communication

Gas Box Exhaust Design Modification for Accidental Hazardous Gas Releases in Semiconductor Industry

Hazardous substances such as hydrogen and chlorine are used in semiconductor manufacturing. When these gasses are discharged, they are mixed with outside air and are connected to a treatment facility through a duct inside a gas box. This study investigated an optimal exhaust design to prevent fire explosions and toxic exposure by optimizing the exhaust volume when hazardous substances leak from the gas box of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In this study, carbon monoxide was used for modeling. A 75 mm duct was used, and the tracer gas was released into the gas box at 15.4 LPM. The concentrations were measured at nine points inside and outside the gas box. According to the test results, in an experiment designed with 0% air intake, the internal leakage concentration was measured to be more than 25% of the LEL (lower explosive limit) for 10 min when leakage occurred due to stagnant flow, and the outside toxicity concentration was also measured to be more than 50% of the TWA (time-weighted average) value. When the air intake ratio was designed to be 100%, there was a point on the outside that exceeded 50% of the TWA, confirming that excessive air intake could also cause gas to leak outside. Finally, when the intake ratio was designed to be 50% in both directions, it was confirmed that the airflow was maintained smoothly, and the hazardous gasses were safely diluted and discharged through the duct. This study was conducted to improve the safety of workers in the field in the event of leakage of flammable and toxic gasses by testing the location and area of the air intake hole in the gas box exhaust port. Through this effort, the aim is to present specific standards for gas box design and to assist in establishing a legal framework or standardized guidelines.

Assessing Experiential Learning Program Design and Delivery Using Institutional Mission and Professional Standards

BackgroundHigh-impact practices (HIPs), such as mentored research, Capstone projects, study abroad, and field experiences, have been shown to improve college student engagement through experience-based learning. Research indicates that these practices can have high impact when they are intentionally designed and delivered to align with institutional mission and professional standards. The administrative structure of a HIP initiative may not consider how to assess program effectiveness. Few close examples exist in the literature to guide program staff to understand whether the HIPs supported by their programs are being designed and delivered for high impact. Our study details the efforts of one unit at a large private university to evaluate the implementation of an experiential learning initiative intended to support faculty to design and deliver high-impact practices to students. PurposeThis qualitative case study responds to the call for assessment to ensure that HIPs qualify as high impact. It illustrates a standards-based approach to evaluating a program of co-curricular, experientially based high-impact practices by determining how educational design and delivery aligns with the institution’s mission and professional standards for best practice. Methodology/approachTo qualitatively evaluate how well our HIP program aligned with institutional mission and HIP standards, we collected narrative data drawn from six faculty projects, faculty interviews, and reflections from 70 participating students. We used the institutional mission and established HIP professional standards as confirmatory themes to code the narrative and observe levels of coverage. Administrative directives were mapped against the confirmatory themes to identify areas of high and low emphasis and emergent themes that fell outside specific mission and standards language were considered for meaning. Findings/conclusionsOur qualitative assessment of a HIP program revealed program strengths and areas in need of improvement. By evaluating the concentration of institutional mission and professional standard themes across the project narratives and within the way the program was structured and administered, we found strong alignment existed in the areas of intellectual growth and interaction with faculty and peers. When we found that other mission themes and standards were present at lower levels, we mapped the administrative directives to the themes and discovered that the high concentration themes occurred more frequently in the directives. This insight led us to observe that addressing all mission and professional standard themes more clearly in the design phase could serve to align administrative directives more closely. In addition to the presence of confirmative themes across the data, we found emergent themes that had meaning to study participants but fell outside of the mission and industry standards. The evaluative process taught us important lessons around how administration-to-faculty program directives can impact the design and delivery of pedagogical practice. RecommendationsEducational leaders should consistently use institutional mission and professional standard language in directives to faculty and staff; training faculty in designing HIPs to meet professional standards can benefit underserved students; and recognizing meaningful themes that emerge through program evaluation can illuminate important unanticipated outcomes.

Reaping the rewards with minimal toil: Evaluating the polemics of artificial intelligence in academia and the future of academic writing

The use of Artificial Intelligence in academic writing swings on the edge of revolution and obliteration, where the promise of unparalleled efficiency clashes with the specter of intellectual dilution, which challenges the essence of academic rigor and originality. This paper interrogates the ways in which the two extremes of innovation and traditional writing methods in academia can be integrated. As such, the paper argues that it is essential to incorporate new technologies and modern AI tools with critical and historical aspects of academic culture rather than replacing them. In essence, AI should only augment what researchers are able to do, not replace them. As a result, it is important to set specific guidelines and standards in order to deal with issues, of authorship, data collection, controlled storage, and validation of artificial intelligence products. Lastly, the paper recommends the necessity of training and education about AI tools for academics and scientists in institutions of higher learning. The academic community should seek to implement policies and strategies that allow for the use of AI technologies in the execution of scholarly activities without compromising the quality of academic writing.

A Study on the Development of University Liberal Arts Curriculum Convergence Standards

The purpose of this study was to develop standards for the convergence of liberal arts curriculum as a way to effectively operate liberal arts education in universities. To this end, through literature analysis and two rounds of Delphi surveys, convergence standards were developed according to the categories of university liberal arts curriculum organization.</br>As a result of the study, four categories—goals, contents, methods, and evaluation—were established as key components of the university liberal arts curriculum. The convergence types of the liberal arts curriculum were divided into two types: intra-curricular and inter-curricular convergence, with specific standards set for each type. A total of 14 judgment questions were developed, consisting of 3 to 4 judgment questions based on the standards for each type. These judgment questions were designed as comprehensive inquiries that could represent each standard.</br>Through these research processes and results, this study is significant in that it established specific standards for the more systematic operation of convergence education in university liberal arts curricula. In particular, it is meaningful as it provides guidelines that can be applied to the design and operation of liberal arts education by developing specific standards for both intra- and inter-disciplinary convergence. It is believed that this can contribute to cultivating convergent thinking in liberal arts education and offer practical assistance in designing curricula that integrate various academic perspectives. Furthermore, it is expected that such an approach will enhance the consistency of curriculum operation by specifically proposing ways to promote convergent thinking throughout processes such as goal setting, content organization, teaching methods, and evaluation.

Adopting Government Cyber Security Initiatives - A study of SMEs in Saudi Arabia

The study, which targeted SMEs, aims to determine the risks to cybersecurity in these institutions and implement countermeasures to reduce these risks, such as regulatory, material and technical measures. The study relied on the method of applied research, through a comprehensive questionnaire consisting of several departments targeting more than 60 institutions. For the purpose of data analysis, we used the Information Security Governance (ISG) assessment tool to measure the extent of conformity of implementation and actual documentation the requirements of the standard specification for SMEs in Saudi Arabia. The study reached several results, the most important of which is that cybersecurity in SMEs is exposed to many risks and threats, and that there is a weakness in legislation and laws that protect cybersecurity and the lack of written policies of most institutions participating in the questionnaire confirms the extent of this weakness. We have seen that the role of the national cybersecurity authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is good but needs to make more practical efforts to enhance cybersecurity inside and outside institutions. At the end of the study, we presented a framework that contains the most prominent international standards for building safe cyber institutions, which include standards for risk management, risk reduction and response, work environment security, access control, communication security, physical security, external relations, and employee awareness training.

Green transforming black liquors as a new HCHO scavenger in production eco urea formaldehyde-agro composites

Innovative formaldehyde (HCHO)-scavenger based on black liquor is being developed to achieve eco-friendly low toxic urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesive. This scavenger will enhance the UF adhesive in production of agro-composites, complying with the environmental requirements. The HCHO-scavenger is synthesized from black liquor-based aerogels of various types of black liquors. The performance of the prepared scavengers is assessed via adsorption of HCHO; as well as its beneficial effect on properties of UF adhesive and UF-Palm fiber-composite. In order to produce a composite with mechanical properties and free-HCHO compliance with the standard specifications, the UF-scavenger system is optimized from its behavior. The data evidence the effective behavior of all investigated scavenger to improve bond strength of UF adhesive system (from 8.4 MPa to ∼ 18 MPa); and properties of UF-palm-composites, where the enhancement in modulus of rupture (MOR) and internal bond strength (IB), water repellent, reach to 50 %, 83 % and 7.7 %, respectively. In addition to success in producing eco-composites through reducing the free-HCHO of wood sample from 30.77 to 3.0–12.7 mg/100g with reduction percentages (58.7–90.3 %) exceeded those reported in the literature when carbon and silicon scavengers were used.

The Infringement of Deepfake Technology on Personal Privacy and Legal Protection: A Discussion Based on Article 1032 of the Civil Code

The rapid development of deepfake technology has infringed upon personal privacy in the form of the disclosure and misuse of personal information, infringement upon the peace of people's life, and damage to personal image and reputation. The disclosure and misuse of personal information should be analysed from the perspectives of personal use and commercial use of information data; infringement upon the peace of people's life should be examined from the perspectives of fraud and harassment, and malicious pursuit using deepfake technology; and damage to personal image and reputation should be discussed from the two levels of initial damage to personal image and reputation and aggravated damage to personal reputation after dissemination through the media. Article 1032 of the Civil Code clearly defines the scope of privacy protection as the peace of people's private life, private space, private activities and private information, as well as the infringement of privacy rights through means such as spying, intrusion, disclosure and publication, which reflects the legislative inertia to strengthen the protection of privacy and personal information. Article 1032 of the Civil Code, the Personal Information Protection Law, the Provisions on the Administration of Deep Synthesis of Internet-based Information Services, and other laws and regulations together form the current personal privacy protection system. However, existing laws do not provide specific explanations for key terms such as 'leakage', 'intrusion' and 'damage', which leads to uncertainty in the application of the law and makes it difficult to effectively protect personal privacy in actual operations. At the same time, there is a lack of clear definitions of the scenarios and specific standards of behaviour that the technology may involve, which has exacerbated public concerns about personal privacy security. Strengthening legal protection against deepfake technology requires refining legal concepts and drawing on knowledge from comparative law: 'leakage' can be considered the illegal acquisition and dissemination of unauthorised data and information, 'intrusion' can be defined as behaviour that disrupts the normal order of others and causes mental distress, and 'damage' can be understood as behaviour that causes negative evaluation or loss to the image, reputation or property of others. The legislative department should take the lead and cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in formulating specific standards for evaluating behaviour. The deterrent effect of the law should be strengthened by refining relevant legal provisions in the Civil Code and the Personal Information Protection Law and increasing the penalties for violations of the law. This will better balance technological development and personal privacy protection and improve China's personal privacy protection system.

Global buckling and residual capacities of circular recycled aggregate concrete-filled stainless steel tube (RACFSST) columns after exposure to fire

The post-fire flexural buckling behaviour and capacities of circular recycled aggregate concrete-filled stainless steel tube (RACFSST) columns are studied in this paper, underpinned by testing and numerical modelling. A testing programme was firstly conducted on twelve column specimens designed with three recycled coarse aggregate replacement ratios (0%, 35% and 70%), including nine column specimens after exposure to the ISO 834 standard fire for 15 min, 30 min and 45 min and three reference column specimens at ambient temperature. The test failure modes, load–mid-height lateral deflection curves and failure loads were reported in detail. The influences of heating durations and recycled coarse aggregate replacement ratios on failure loads and mid-height lateral deflections at failure loads of circular RACFSST column specimens were discussed and their lateral deflection distributions were analysed. The testing programme was followed by a numerical modelling programme, where thermal and mechanical finite element models were developed to repeat the experimental results and afterwards used to carry out parametric studies to generate a numerical data pool over a wide range of cross-section dimensions and member lengths. Based on the test and numerical data, the relevant design rules for circular natural aggregate concrete-filled carbon steel tube columns at ambient temperature, as specified in the European code, Australian/New Zealand standard and American specification, were evaluated, using post-fire material properties, for their applicability to circular RACFSST columns after exposure to fire. It was revealed from the evaluation results that the three design codes led to overall acceptable levels of accuracy and consistency in predicting post-fire flexural buckling capacities of circular RACFSST columns, but with some unsafe predictions.

Comparative analysis of the physicochemical properties and trace metal content of palm oil, from selected markets in Jos south and Jos north LGA, Plateau state, Nigeria

The quality of palm oil samples collected from three different markets in Jos South and Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State were analyzed and evaluated using standard analytical laboratory procedures. The relative ranges of the physicochemical values obtained were as follows; Moisture Content (MC): 0.56 - 1.89, Iodine value (IV); 51.88 - 55.57 g I2/100g, Peroxide Value (PV): 0.98 - 4.16 mEq02/kg, Saponification Values (SV): 198.46 - 201.54 mgKOH/g, Acid Value (AV): 9.93 - 57.65, and Refractive Index (RI), 1.4576 - 1.4580. The moisture content, iodin value, pH values and acid values were found to exceed the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) permissible limits of moisture content (0.29 mgKOH/g), iodine value (45 - 53 mg I2/100g), pH (5 - 7 mg/L), and acid value (0.7 max mg/L) for edible oils respectively while the refractive index, saponification values, peroxide values falls within the SON allowable limits of refractive index (1.4612-1.4707 mg/L), saponification value (195-205 mgKOH/g) and peroxide value (10 mEq02/kg) respectively . The amounts of trace metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Pb and Cd) determined in the palm oil using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer ranged from Cu(0.34 - 0.52 mg/l), Zn(1.58 - 2.33 mg/l), Fe(19.18 - 26.74 mg/l), Pb(2.87 - 4.06 mg/l) and Cd(1.58 - 2.24 mg/l). However, the levels of Zn, Fe, Pb and Cd exceeded the WHO/FAO recommended values of (1.50, 1.00, 0.05 and 0.02 mg/L) respectively while only Cu concentration was below the WHO/FAO limits of 2.00 mg/L for trace metals in edible palm oil. Consequently, the results of this study shows that the palm oil consumed from these selected markets does not meet the standard quality specification for edible palm oils and hence can post significant health threat to consumers. Therefore, food regulatory agencies should strengthen their surveillance to promote food and health safety of the populace.

A Training Person Need Analysis for Music Teachers Readiness to Teaching Music Vocational for Visually Impaired Student: A Review

Music vocational is a programme that provides students with work, networking and learning activities outside of school through music performance or other musical activities that encourage students to gain some experience in a music industry job setting. However, music vocational education is still developing and is currently trying to reach students with special needs through special schools. The standardised skills that are commonly used and developed in society need to be understood and practised by children with special needs, especially the visually impaired students. However, its programme some case not being executed by the relevant teachers background. This study aims to examine the need for relevant music teachers for the implementation of music vocational training programmes in special education settings. Literature study on this study to explain the standard specifications of music vocational education and training teachers and how to implement vocational or specialised music learning for visually impaired students. The qualitative data show that vocational music education requires teachers with at least two years' experience and knowledge of music and the music industry, as well as several strategies for teaching visually impaired students in vocational music programmes that are directed towards self-determination in preparation for possible future careers.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted biodiesel production from python fat oil using response surface methodology

Diversification of oil feedstocks for biodiesel production is very necessary to reduce dependence on traditional vegetable oils and animal fats. Therefore, a conventional and ultrasound-assisted single-step transesterification process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) for biodiesel production from a novel feedstock python fat oil (PFO). Second-order polynomial models of the conventional (CM) and ultrasound-assisted (USM) methods were used to predict the biodiesel yield, and the coefficient of determination (R2) was found to be at 0.9946, and 0.9873, respectively. The optimal biodiesel yield of USM calculated from the model is 99.12 % with the following reaction conditions: PFO/methanol ratio of 33.77 wt%, PFO/KOH ratio of 1.05 wt%, and reaction time of 128.53 min. Biodiesel yield results under optimal conditions have demonstrated that the regression models are consistent with experimental data. Besides, the biodiesel yield of USM (98.90 %) was significantly higher than that of CM (92.73 %). In particular, the properties of PFO biodiesel produced under optimal conditions were found to agree with EN 14,214 standard specifications. In summary, single-step biodiesel production from the PFO new feedstock with USM can be commendably used to engender and adopt a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy approach.

NOx reduction scenarios under real-world driving conditions for light-duty diesel vehicles

This study analyze analyzes the impact of stringent emissions regulations on future NOx reductions. Using scenario analysis, NOx emissions of diesel light-duty vehicles from 2019 to 2040 are estimated using emission factors from real driving emissions data. The baseline scenario assumes current regulations will be maintained, while other scenarios assess the impact of implementing specific Euro standards as final regulations. If Euro 5 regulations are implemented by 2040, cumulative emissions will increase by 229.1 % compared to the baseline scenario. Implementing Euro 6 a/b/c regulations will increase by 156.2 %, while Euro 6 d-temp and Euro 6 d regulations will increase by 8.4 % and 0.7 %, respectively. These findings highlight the significant contribution of real driving emission test introduced with Euro 6 d-temp to NOx reduction. Furthermore, they indicate that Euro 6 d regulation has already achieved emission levels similar to those of the upcoming Euro 7 regulation.

Eye-tracking investigation of emotional feedback to southern Hebei courtyard gates

ABSTRACT The attention of residents has always been drawn to the courtyard gates of rural residential buildings, this is the basis for evaluating the first impression of the countryside by first-time visitors. Using eye-tracking technology, this study measures the pupil diameter, fixation duration, and fixation point of subjects as objective physiological data, Then combined with the results of the subjective satisfaction questionnaire for a comprehensive analysis. The findings showed that, When the subjects evaluated their satisfaction with the courtyard gates, the proportion and color of the modeling elements led to the subjects’ emotional changes, and the subjects focused mainly on the central axis and the connection of various structures with raised areas. In order to elicit positive emotions in the subjects, village gate designs should therefore adhere to the standard specification’s requirements as well as the following: the width of the gate should be 0.8 times the height, the height should be 5 times the width of the gateposts, and the color should match the material’s color. To meet the emotional needs of the visitors, the final design strategy of the proportion and color of rural courtyard gates in southern Hebei Province is proposed.

An Oracle Inequality for Multivariate Dynamic Quantile Forecasting

I derive an oracle inequality for a family of possibly misspecified multivariate conditional autoregressive quantile models. The family includes standard specifications for (nonlinear) quantile prediction proposed in the literature. This inequality is used to establish that the predictor that minimizes the in-sample average check loss achieves the best out-of-sample performance within its class at a near optimal rate, even when the model is fully misspecified. An empirical application to backtesting global Growth-at-Risk shows that a combination of the generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroscedastic model and the vector autoregression for Value-at-Risk performs best out-of-sample in terms of the check loss.