Engineering Proceedings

This study aimed to investigate why video gaming tends to become a serious leisure activity more easily than English learning, using a bioinformatics approach. Methods included interviews with 13 students aged 10–13 and an experimental research design with EEG (electroencephalograph) data from five students during rest, gaming, and English learning prior to and after a 4-week treatment. Interviews revealed that cram schools, school assignments, and future career aspirations influenced English learning habits. EEGs showed greater situational involvement in video games, but no significant improvement in English learning after the treatment. Encouraging English learning was challenging, perhaps due to participants’ busy schedules. Full article

The deflection, stress, and heat transfer of a plate made of functionally graded material (FGM) were investigated using the data of mechanical loads and temperatures using ANSYS Workbench. The 2D planar problem-solving method in ANSYS Workbench was used to simulate the FGM plate with the neutral surface for the mechanical problem. The problem of stable heat transfer for the plate was assumed for the solid block for the FGM plate. The results were compared with those of previous studies to validate the reliability of the newly fabricated FGM. The thin plate theory for materials with mechanical properties was considered with the power law distribution as each layer had identical thickness and temperature. Each layer showed material properties that changed with the thickness of the plate. Full article

This research aims to investigate the role of meal timing on calorie intake. A database of a company’s cafeteria was used to track employees’ food-purchasing behaviors. The findings show that starting meals early leads to an overall reduction in total daily calorie intake. However, the effect of meal timing differed between meals, with breakfast timing having the most significant impact followed by lunch and dinner timings. In terms of calorie intake per meal, breakfast timing was a decisive factor, followed by dinner, and lunch timing showed a weaker correlation to lunch intake. This result implied that early breakfast and dinner were important in managing calorie intake, while lunch timing had a lower impact. This research is a guide on how to lose weight or boost overall health through an appropriate dietary habit. Full article

Precise metal parts are manufactured using cold forged screw forming, but this method has drawbacks such as material damage and the possibility of imprecise parts. To ensure the accuracy and quality of parts, it is crucial to analyze and predict the forging force in this process. There are various methods to predict the forging force including laboratory testing, numerical simulation techniques, and simulation techniques. To provide forging information that cannot be measured by forging-forming machines, we simulated the nut-forming process based on actual manufacturing conditions using SolidWorks (v2020) with DEFORM-3D (v6.1). The results showed that the performance of the prediction of forging force specifications by the currently available nut-forming machines was improved by 8−20%. As the product becomes larger, the difference in forging force also increases proportionally. This research result, combined with appropriate experimental analysis, can be used as parameter controls for manufacturers in the future implementation of smart manufacturing. Full article

Product appearance is essential in shaping consumers’ preferences. Thus, we predicted consumer preference by establishing a feasible threshold for appearance innovation with a novel method. We used deep learning (DL)-based image classification and the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) as the implementation tool. Advanced DL algorithms were adopted to classify images of disparate products according to their aesthetics. The results of the classification presented that the method could explain the level of innovation in appearance that consumers favored. The result can be used as a guideline for industrial designers in the creation of new products. Moreover, the method can be used to assess existing products that need enhancement to meet consumer preferences. The proposed method assists industrial designers in understanding consumer preferences and product innovation. Future research is required to ensure the successful design of new products. Full article

The following article is intended as an introduction to ecotoxicology/wastewater toxicology, as this has currently become a widespread and highly discussed topic with scarce information available to date. With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when disinfectants began to be used in larger quantities, problems also began at wastewater treatment plants. This situation was the reason for beginning to monitor the ecotoxicity/toxicity of the wastewater flowing into the studied wastewater treatment plant; the wastewater treatment plant entered a state of emergency and was unable to treat the inflowing wastewater. In this critical period, the following parameters were monitored at the inflow of the wastewater treatment plant—BOD5, CHSKCr, NL, N-NH4, N-inorg, N-total, P-total, RAS and pH. The effluent from the wastewater treatment plant was also monitored for BOD5, CHSKCr, NL, N-NH₄, N-NO₃, N-NO₂, N-inorg, N-total, P-total and RAS. Ecotoxicity (fish, barnacles, algae) and toxicity (Vibrio fischeri) were monitored at the inflow and outflow. Full article

This paper is focused on the permeability of cement composite samples with various admixtures. Permeability was examined by the rapid chloride permeability test due to the simple and relatively quick performance among the many methods. Permeability is one of the durability parameters considering the pore system of the composite structure. Ion diffusion provides information about inner pore structure by passing a charge through the sample. In real-life conditions, not only chlorides but also other ions can penetrate into the structure and cause corrosion. Various cement supplements were used as admixtures. The reference sample consisted of cement, fine sand, and water, while the rest of the samples consisted of 20% blast furnace slag, bypass dust, eggshells or recycled glass instead of the cement. The results showed lower permeability in samples containing blast furnace slag and eggshells and a higher charge passage in samples with recycled glass and bypass dust than for the reference sample. Full article

The applications of image classification are useful, especially in the prediction of object categories at a high accuracy rate. The technique helps industrial designers classify the existing products by product appearance and assess the extent to which newly designed products belong to their brand or product family. By doing this, designers classify products by typicality. Yet, the application of image classification of products and brand styles based on typicality is still limited. Thus, we presented a case study in which the extent to which a chair was recognized as a typical Apple product was predicted. In the technique, Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) was used. The results show that the industrial designer can use product typicality for the image classification of products to manage the style of a brand and its products. Full article

A (k, n) visual cryptography (VCS) is used to build a system for secret sharing. The system divides a secret image (S) into n shares and recovers S by stacking shares bigger than or equal to k, while shares below k provide no information about S. The fundamental idea of VCS is that, rather than relying on mathematical or cryptographic skills, human vision can be used to decrypt the secret image. Typically, a Boolean OR operation can be used to indicate the stacking action in a VCS. The reconstructed secret image gradually darkens as more shares are stacked. However, this intractable issue can be overcome by designing an XOR-based VCS that uses the Boolean XOR operator rather than the OR operation. This indicates that by using the XOR-based VCS, higher image quality can be attained. Because the XOR operation requires the use of additional equipment, scholars consider that when no equipment is available, the traditional OR operation can still be used to reveal the secret images. That is, the secret image can be decrypted without a computing device by stacking enough shares, and if a lightweight computing device is available, a better-quality image can be produced via an XOR operation. In 2015, an RG-based (k, n) VCS to restore the secret image by using an OR or XOR operation was proposed. In this study, we improve the scheme and design a new (k, n) VCS, called (k, n) 2D_VCS to encrypt a secret image into n shares. The secret image can be recovered when k or more shares are gathered and stacked (OR operation) together or when an XOR procedure is utilized. Both the theoretical proof and experimental results show that the quality of the restored image obtained by our method is better than that of the previous methods. Full article

The era of low-interest rates is coming. In addition to their basic salary, people hope to increase their income by doing part-time work, understanding how to use assets already on hand, and investing in assets to earn extra rewards. Goldman Sachs reports that over the past 140 years, the 10-year stock market return has averaged 9.2%. The investment firm also noted that the S&P 500 outperformed its 10-year historical average with an annual average return of 13.6% between 2010 and 2020. Nowadays, with increased computing power and advancements in artificial intelligence algorithms, the effective use of computing power for investment has become an important topic. In the investment process, venture capitalists form portfolios, a practice that improves investment efficiency and reduces risks in a relatively safe situation. Current investments are not limited to one country, allowing for investments in other countries. Given this situation, we must pay attention to Uncovered Equity Parity (UEP) conditions. Thus, we aim to find optimal dynamic trading strategies with Deep Reinforcement Learning, considering the aforementioned properties. Full article

The noise-equivalent power is used to predict performance of infrared (IR) sensors. In a general IR or remote sensing system, the axes of the incoming chief ray of each pixel in the optical system and the center of that detector pixel are slightly misaligned, due to optical tolerances, jitter, and other environmental conditions, leading to error in the sensor performance prediction and estimates. A new figure-of-merit, the optical centroid efficiency (OCE), considers the energy on the rectangular detector pixel, averaged over all positions on the pixel. We calculate the OCE as a function of energy on detector (EOD) for a popular IR imaging system, a three-mirror reflector. Full article

Excessive consumption of cleaning and disinfecting agents, which constitute a distinct group of emergent pollutants known as PPCPs (“Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products”), results in their accumulation in aquatic environments. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to effectively remove the emergent pollutants that are present, including personal care product residues. This article focuses on the determination of surfactant substances in model samples prepared from selected personal care products and their biodegradability under laboratory-created aquatic ecosystem conditions. The conducted biodegradation processes, based on the monitored indicator (surfactants) in the model samples, confirm that the utilization of aquatic vegetation and gravel substrates can efficiently eliminate the present contaminants. Insights gained from researching the biodegradability of PPCP group products are applicable, including experiences with plant compositions used in aquatic environments, particularly in the construction of root-zone wastewater treatment systems. Full article

The aim of this work was to assess the effectiveness of the treatment process in the mine water treatment plant in Mariánské Radčice that pumps mine water from the MR1 pit and to evaluate whether this biotechnological unit is satisfactory in its treatment process with regard to the set limits for the discharge of treated mine water into watercourses, or whether this water can be discharged into Lake Most in the future, which is intended for recreation, and also with regard to the ecosystem that exists there. Full article

The article deals with the removal of 20 selected drugs from drinking water by sorption on granulated activated carbon. Two different sorption materials were used, and the efficiency of removing these micropollutants was compared. Experiments were performed in laboratory conditions with two different values of pH of water (7.8 and 6.5, respectively), at laboratory temperatures and with an identical amount of added sorbent (Filtrasorb 400, WG12). Standard additions were made to drinking water, and the final concentration of 0.44–0.55 µg/L of pharmaceuticals was utilized in the experiments. Samples were taken after 30, 60, 120 and 240 min of contact of sorbent with water. The LC-MS method was used to analyze the selected pharmaceuticals, which was performed at the ALS laboratory in Prague, Czech Republic. The adsorption efficiency of the removal of the given pharmaceuticals from water, as well as the adsorption capacity of the granulated activated carbon for the given pharmaceuticals, depends on amount of time that the water and material were in contact. The adsorption efficiency for two different types of granulated activated carbon ranges from 13 to 90%. Water pH also influences the sorption abilities of granulated activated carbon. Full article

This article describes the design of the reconstruction of the mechanical and technological equipment of the settling tanks at the wastewater treatment plant in the municipality of Boskovice. The reconstruction was focused on the flocculation cylinder, the travelling bridge, the bridge drive, and the collection of the settling tank floating sludge. Full article

Freezing soil samples at subzero temperatures is a commonly employed preservation method in soil science to halt microbial activity and enzymatic processes, preserving the sample’s composition and structure. The concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the soil microbial biomass carbon content were determined from soil samples stored at +4 °C, −21 °C and −80 °C for 24 h, 7 days, and 20 days. The results showed that the ATP in the soil was not significantly affected by temperature or storage time. Larger differences were observed in the carbon content of microbial biomass, where the amount of this parameter increased by 14.2% after 20 days of the experiment. Full article

During the production of pulp from natural raw materials, such as wood, large amounts of waste are generated. When they are reused, e.g., in agriculture, ecological requirements towards the environment must be met, and the associated risks must be known. In the framework of this study, the phytotoxicity of liquid waste generated during the industrial processing of pulp using the sulfite process was investigated. The results of semichronic toxicity tests on Lepidium sativum L. and Sinapis alba L. showed a direct effect on the growth and development of plants and proved that the undiluted samples were phytotoxic. However, the phytotoxicity of the investigated waste samples was influenced by their dilution ratio. Thus, finding the optimal solution ratio is crucial for the reuse of liquid waste. A nonphytotoxic effect on the roots of the tested plants was proven with a solution in a ratio of 1:100. In addition, the control samples diluted with a medium manifested phytotoxicity due to the activity of internal microorganisms. Full article

This article deals with separator systems for light liquids that can be used in the management of rainwater from hard and polluted surfaces. Attention is focused on the material of the separators, the smallest nominal width and the types of separators. The procedure used for determining the type and size of a light liquid separator and its operation and maintenance is presented in this article as well. An example of a light liquid separator design for an industrial area is introduced in the experimental part. Full article

This paper discusses the innovative application of a new methodology for acquiring load curves in energy systems such as Azogues Electric Company (EEA). The proposed approach imports the database from Excel and, through an iterative clustering algorithm based on density with noise, generates daily load curves with a breakdown of weekdays and weekends, identifying one curve by type of consumer. Moreover, the groups obtained are validated by means of a Silhouette verification index (IS) identifying bad groupings, which are discarded to obtain results. Per unit value responses are presented through tables with hourly values on weekdays and weekends. The graphical comparison with the previous methodology of real measurements in Excel is also added. Full article