Re-inventing and Re-shaping the Symphony Orchestra for Sustainability

The performing arts industry has always been an ever-evolving industry due to the creative nature of this industry. Although the symphony orchestra has not seen much physical dramatic changes since perhaps the late 1800’s, current events worldwide such as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic uncertainty as well as technological advancements has seen the operations of many symphony orchestras hitting the pause button, many unsure if the orchestra might resume their operations. Symphony orchestras worldwide are forced to come out with various ideas to re-invent and re-shape itself. This paper aims to examine the possibilities of how a symphony orchestra, an institution that is heavily dependent on audiences filling up their concerts is re-inventing itself in order to sustain their very existence. Ongoing efforts such as digitalising ‘live’ concerts through digital platforms and other arising issues such as choice of technological equipment, cost and revenue as well as the perception of orchestral musicians and audiences of such re-invention and re-shaping of the symphony orchestra will be discussed. The findings from this paper may be used to further develop the ideas of re-invention and re-shaping symphony orchestras based on the demands and needs of each individual orchestra.

Speech extraction with RGB-intensity gradient on rolling-shutter video

Recent studies have been proposed to extract speech from the captured video of objects vibrating by sound waves. Among them, from the viewpoint of equipment cost, the method of extracting speech from the video captured by rolling-shutter cameras, which are widely used in consumer digital single-lens reflex cameras, has been attracting attention. The conventional method with the rolling-shutter video uses a grayscale video for processing based on phase images. However, a grayscale video has a smaller dynamic range than an RGB video, and thus the speech extraction accuracy of the conventional method degrades. Therefore, this paper proposes a speech extraction method based on RGB-intensity gradients on an RGB video to improve speech extraction accuracy. The proposed method extracts the speech by calculating the similarity of R, G, and B intensity gradients, and using these three intensity gradients expands the dynamic range. The experimental results on the quality and intelligibility of the extracted speech show our proposed method outperforms the conventional method.

Low-Cost and Long-Range Node-Assisted WiFi Backscatter Communication for 5G-Enabled IoT Networks

The fifth-generation-enabled Internet of Things (5G-enabled IoT) has been considered as a key enabler for the automation of almost all industries. In 5G-enabled IoT, resource-limited passive devices are expected to join the IoT using the WiFi backscatter communication (WiFi-BSC) technology. However, WiFi-BSC deployment is currently limited due to high equipment cost and short transmission range. To address these two drawbacks, in this paper, we propose a low-cost and long-range node-assisted WiFi backscatter communication scheme. In our scheme, a WiFi node can receive backscatter signals using two cheap regular half-duplex antennas (instead of using expensive full-duplex technique or collaborating with multiple other nodes), thereby reducing the equipment cost. Besides, WiFi nodes can help relay backscatter signals to remote 5G infrastructure, greatly extending the backscatter’s transmission range. We then develop a theoretical model to analyze the throughput of WiFi-BSC. Extensive simulations verify the effectiveness of our scheme and the accuracy of our model.

A scalable mass customisation design process for 3D-printed respirator mask to combat COVID-19

Purpose A three-dimensional (3D) printed custom-fit respirator mask has been proposed as a promising solution to alleviate mask-related injuries and supply shortages during COVID-19. However, creating a custom-fit computer-aided design (CAD) model for each mask is currently a manual process and thereby not scalable for a pandemic crisis. This paper aims to develop a novel design process to reduce overall design cost and time, thus enabling the mass customisation of 3D printed respirator masks. Design/methodology/approach Four data acquisition methods were used to collect 3D facial data from five volunteers. Geometric accuracy, equipment cost and acquisition time of each method were evaluated to identify the most suitable acquisition method for a pandemic crisis. Subsequently, a novel three-step design process was developed and scripted to generate respirator mask CAD models for each volunteer. Computational time was evaluated and geometric accuracy of the masks was evaluated via one-sided Hausdorff distance. Findings Respirator masks were successfully generated from all meshes, taking <2 min/mask for meshes of 50,000∼100,000 vertices and <4 min for meshes of ∼500,000 vertices. The average geometric accuracy of the mask ranged from 0.3 mm to 1.35 mm, depending on the acquisition method. The average geometric accuracy of mesh obtained from different acquisition methods ranged from 0.56 mm to 1.35 mm. A smartphone with a depth sensor was found to be the most appropriate acquisition method. Originality/value A novel and scalable mass customisation design process was presented, which can automatically generate CAD models of custom-fit respirator masks in a few minutes from a raw 3D facial mesh. Four acquisition methods, including the use of a statistical shape model, a smartphone with a depth sensor, a light stage and a structured light scanner were compared; one method was recommended for use in a pandemic crisis considering equipment cost, acquisition time and geometric accuracy.

Technoeconomic Analysis of the Recovery of Phenols from Olive Mill Wastewater through Membrane Filtration and Resin Adsorption/Desorption

Olive mill wastewater is an important agro-industrial waste with no established treatment method. The authors have developed a phenol separation method that could potentially cover the treatment cost of the waste. The purpose of this study was to identify any economic hotspots in the process, the operational cost and examine the margin of profit for such a process. The equipment cost was scaled for different treatment capacities and then used to estimate the fixed capital investment and the yearly operational cost. The highest purchased equipment cost was identified for the membrane filtration system, while the cost for resin replacement was identified as the highest operational cost. The lifespan of the resin used in the adsorption step was identified as an economic hot spot for the process, with the phenols separation cost ranging from 0.84 to 13.6 €/g of phenols for a resin lifespan of 5–100 adsorption/desorption cycles. The lifespan of the resin proved to be the single most important aspect that determines the phenols separation cost. The price range that was calculated for the product of the process is very promising because of the typical value of antioxidants and the low concentration of phenols that are needed for food supplements and cosmetics.

Silicon Nanowires Synthesis by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching: A Review

Silicon is the undisputed leader for microelectronics among all the industrial materials and Si nanostructures flourish as natural candidates for tomorrow’s technologies due to the rising of novel physical properties at the nanoscale. In particular, silicon nanowires (Si NWs) are emerging as a promising resource in different fields such as electronics, photovoltaic, photonics, and sensing. Despite the plethora of techniques available for the synthesis of Si NWs, metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) is today a cutting-edge technology for cost-effective Si nanomaterial fabrication already adopted in several research labs. During these years, MACE demonstrates interesting results for Si NW fabrication outstanding other methods. A critical study of all the main MACE routes for Si NWs is here presented, providing the comparison among all the advantages and drawbacks for different MACE approaches. All these fabrication techniques are investigated in terms of equipment, cost, complexity of the process, repeatability, also analyzing the possibility of a commercial transfer of these technologies for microelectronics, and which one may be preferred as industrial approach.

Technical Overview of the Net Metering in Lebanon

In order to realize the best practices to allow the individuals participate in renewable energy production, a collection of legislation was ratified, and a set of decisions was introduced to encourage the prosumer concept. This notion, which is called Net Metering (NEM), is a billing mechanism that credits PV solar system owners for the energy injected to the grid. Lebanon adopts the NEM policy to reduce the demand and boost the grid through increasing the generation capacity. The decline of solar equipment cost encourages people to subscribe to the NEM service by utilizing the PV solar systems. The implementation of the NEM service provides the customers with leverage over their electricity bills. However, connecting the home micro grid into the vast grid is not easy. It imposes many technical challenges which are discussed in this article.

A Novel Low Power 8-Bit Binary Weighted Charge Steering DAC with Integrated Power Supply using CMOS

the design and implementation of binary weighted charge steering DAC architectures is discussed in this paper. Charge steering DAC were designed and successfully implemented in CMOS 90nm and 180nm technology. For bigger planning contrasts there is an exchange off between powerful number of bits, and equipment cost and basic way. Taking everything into account, an 8 piece two fold weighted accuse directing DAC of coordinated force supply was effectively planned in 90 and 180nm CMOS innovation utilizing Cadence apparatuses. As indicated by the reproduction results, the proposed DAC is exceptionally straight with the most pessimistic scenario DNL of 0.99LSB and INL of 0.008LSB, and furthermore has low force utilization esteem 96.36mW