Abstract: Perceptions of quality from both designers and users
perspective have now stretched beyond the traditional usability,
incorporating abstract and subjective concepts. This has led to a shift
in human computer interaction research communities- focus; a shift
that focuses on achieving user experience (UX) by not only fulfilling
conventional usability needs but also those that go beyond them. The
term UX, although widely spread and given significant importance,
lacks consensus in its unified definition. In this paper, we survey
various UX definitions and modeling frameworks and examine them
as the foundation for proposing a UX evolution lifecycle framework
for understanding UX in detail. In the proposed framework we identify
the building blocks of UX and discuss how UX evolves in various
phases. The framework can be used as a tool to understand experience
requirements and evaluate them, resulting in better UX design and
hence improved user satisfaction.
Abstract: Achievement motivation is believed to promote
giftedness attracting people to invest in many programs to adopt
gifted students providing them with challenging activities.
Intellectual giftedness is founded on the fluid intelligence and
extends to more specific abilities through the growth and inputs from
the achievement motivation. Acknowledging the roles played by the
motivation in the development of giftedness leads to an effective
nurturing of gifted individuals. However, no study has investigated
the direct and indirect effects of the achievement motivation and
fluid intelligence on intellectual giftedness. Thus, this study
investigated the contribution of motivation factors to giftedness
development by conducting tests of fluid intelligence using Cattell
Culture Fair Test (CCFT) and analytical abilities using culture
reduced test items covering problem solving, pattern recognition,
audio-logic, audio-matrices, and artificial language, and self report
questionnaire for the motivational factors. A number of 180 highscoring
students were selected using CCFT from a leading university
in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling was employed using Amos
V.16 to determine the direct and indirect effects of achievement
motivation factors (self confidence, success, perseverance,
competition, autonomy, responsibility, ambition, and locus of
control) on the intellectual giftedness. The findings showed that the
hypothesized model fitted the data, supporting the model postulates
and showed significant and strong direct and indirect effects of the
motivation and fluid intelligence on the intellectual giftedness.
Abstract: Detection and recognition of the Human Body Composition and extraction their measures (width and length of human body) in images are a major issue in detecting objects and the important field in Image, Signal and Vision Computing in recent years. Finding people and extraction their features in Images are particularly important problem of object recognition, because people can have high variability in the appearance. This variability may be due to the configuration of a person (e.g., standing vs. sitting vs. jogging), the pose (e.g. frontal vs. lateral view), clothing, and variations in illumination. In this study, first, Human Body is being recognized in image then the measures of Human Body extract from the image.
Abstract: Navigation is the processes of monitoring and
controlling the movement of an object from one place to another.
Currently, Global Positioning System (GPS) is the main navigation
system used all over the world for navigation applications. GPS
receiver receives signals from at least three satellites to locate and
display itself. Displayed positioning information is updated
continuously. Update rate is the number of times per second that a
display is illuminated. The speed of update is governed by receiver
update rate. A higher update rate decreases display lag time and
improves distance measurements and tracking especially when
moving on a curvy route. The majority of GPS receivers used
nowadays are updated every second continuously. This period is
considered reasonable for some applications while it is long relatively
for high speed applications. In this paper, the suitability and
feasibility of GPS receiver with different update rates will be
evaluated for various applications according to the level of speed and
update rate needed for particular applications.
Abstract: Attitude Determination (AD) of a spacecraft using the
phase measurements of the Global Navigation Satellite System
(GNSS) is an active area of research. Various attitude determination
algorithms have been developed in yester years for spacecrafts using
different sensors but the last two decades have witnessed a
phenomenal increase in research related with GPS receivers as a
stand-alone sensor for determining the attitude of satellite using the
phase measurements of the signals from GNSS. The GNSS-based
Attitude determination algorithms have been experimented in many
real missions. The problem of AD algorithms using GNSS phase
measurements has two important parts; the ambiguity resolution and
the determining of attitude. Ambiguity resolution is the widely
addressed topic in literature for implementing the AD algorithm
using GNSS phase measurements for achieving the accuracy of
millimeter level. This paper broadly overviews the different
techniques for resolving the integer ambiguities encountered in AD
using GNSS phase measurements.
Abstract: Several trillion cigarettes produced worldwide annually lead to many thousands of kilograms of toxic waste. Cigarette butts (CBs) accumulate in the environment due to the poor biodegradability of the cellulose acetate filters. This paper presents some of the results from a continuing study on recycling CBs into fired clay bricks. Physico-mechanical properties of fired clay bricks manufactured with different percentages of CBs are reported and discussed. The results show that the density of fired bricks was reduced by up to 30 %, depending on the percentage of CBs incorporated into the raw materials. Similarly, the compressive strength of bricks tested decreased according to the percentage of CBs included in the mix. The thermal conductivity performance of bricks was improved by 51 and 58 % for 5 and 10 % CBs content respectively. Leaching tests were carried out to investigate the levels of possible leachates of heavy metals from the manufactured clay-CB bricks. The results revealed trace amounts of heavy metals.
Abstract: Human activity is a major concern in a wide variety of
applications, such as video surveillance, human computer interface
and face image database management. Detecting and recognizing
faces is a crucial step in these applications. Furthermore, major
advancements and initiatives in security applications in the past years
have propelled face recognition technology into the spotlight. The
performance of existing face recognition systems declines significantly
if the resolution of the face image falls below a certain level.
This is especially critical in surveillance imagery where often, due to
many reasons, only low-resolution video of faces is available. If these
low-resolution images are passed to a face recognition system, the
performance is usually unacceptable. Hence, resolution plays a key
role in face recognition systems. In this paper we introduce a new
low resolution face recognition system based on mixture of expert
neural networks. In order to produce the low resolution input images
we down-sampled the 48 × 48 ORL images to 12 × 12 ones using
the nearest neighbor interpolation method and after that applying
the bicubic interpolation method yields enhanced images which is
given to the Principal Component Analysis feature extractor system.
Comparison with some of the most related methods indicates that
the proposed novel model yields excellent recognition rate in low
resolution face recognition that is the recognition rate of 100% for
the training set and 96.5% for the test set.
Abstract: Higher-order Statistics (HOS), also known as
cumulants, cross moments and their frequency domain counterparts,
known as poly spectra have emerged as a powerful signal processing
tool for the synthesis and analysis of signals and systems. Algorithms
used for the computation of cross moments are computationally
intensive and require high computational speed for real-time
applications. For efficiency and high speed, it is often advantageous
to realize computation intensive algorithms in hardware. A promising
solution that combines high flexibility together with the speed of a
traditional hardware is Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). In
this paper, we present FPGA-based parallel architecture for the
computation of third-order cross moments. The proposed design is
coded in Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware
Description Language (VHDL) and functionally verified by
implementing it on Xilinx Spartan-3 XC3S2000FG900-4 FPGA.
Implementation results are presented and it shows that the proposed
design can operate at a maximum frequency of 86.618 MHz.
Abstract: In this paper a modification on Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm for MLP neural network learning is proposed. The proposed algorithm has good convergence. This method reduces the amount of oscillation in learning procedure. An example is given to show usefulness of this method. Finally a simulation verifies the results of proposed method.
Abstract: One important problem in today organizations is the
existence of non-integrated information systems, inconsistency and
lack of suitable correlations between legacy and modern systems.
One main solution is to transfer the local databases into a global one.
In this regards we need to extract the data structures from the legacy
systems and integrate them with the new technology systems. In
legacy systems, huge amounts of a data are stored in legacy
databases. They require particular attention since they need more
efforts to be normalized, reformatted and moved to the modern
database environments. Designing the new integrated (global)
database architecture and applying the reverse engineering requires
data normalization. This paper proposes the use of database reverse
engineering in order to integrate legacy and modern databases in
organizations. The suggested approach consists of methods and
techniques for generating data transformation rules needed for the
data structure normalization.
Abstract: The review performed on the condition of energy
consumption & rate in Iran, shows that unfortunately the subject of
optimization and conservation of energy in active industries of
country lacks a practical & effective method and in most factories,
the energy consumption and rate is more than in similar industries of
industrial countries. The increasing demand of electrical energy and
the overheads which it imposes on the organization, forces
companies to search for suitable approaches to optimize energy
consumption and demand management. Application of value
engineering techniques is among these approaches. Value
engineering is considered a powerful tool for improving profitability.
These tools are used for reduction of expenses, increasing profits,
quality improvement, increasing market share, performing works in
shorter durations, more efficient utilization of sources & etc.
In this article, we shall review the subject of value engineering and
its capabilities for creating effective transformations in industrial
organizations, in order to reduce energy costs & the results have
been investigated and described during a case study in Mazandaran
wood and paper industries, the biggest consumer of energy in north
of Iran, for the purpose of presenting the effects of performed tasks
in optimization of energy consumption by utilizing value engineering
techniques in one case study.
Abstract: White rust, caused by Albugo candida, is the most
destructive foliar diseases of persian cress, Lepidium sativum in Iran.
Application of fungicide is the most common method for the disease
control. However, regarding the problems created by synthetic
pesticides application, environmentally safe methods are needed to
replace chemical pesticides. In this study, the antifungal activity of
plant natural extracts was investigated for their ability to inhibit
zoospore release from sporangia of A. candida. The crude extract of
46 plants was obtained using methanol. The inhibitory effect of the
extracts was examined by mixing the plant extracts with a
zoosporangial suspension of A. candida (1×106 spore/ml) at three
concentrations, 250, 100 and 50 ppm. The experiments were
conducted in a completely randomized design, with three replicates.
The results of the experiment showed that three out of 46 plants
species, including, Rhus coriaria, Anagallis arvensis and Mespilus
germanica were completely inhibit zoospore release from
zoosporangia of Albugo candida at concentration of 50 ppm.
Abstract: Current mode circuits like current conveyors are
getting significant attention in current analog ICs design due to their
higher band-width, greater linearity, larger dynamic range, simpler
circuitry, lower power consumption and less chip area. The second
generation current controlled conveyor (CCCII) has the advantage of
electronic adjustability over the CCII i.e. in CCCII; adjustment of the
X-terminal intrinsic resistance via a bias current is possible. The
presented approach is based on the CMOS implementation of second
generation positive (CCCII+), negative (CCCII-) and dual Output
Current Controlled Conveyor (DOCCCII) and its application as
Universal filter. All the circuits have been designed and simulated
using 65nm CMOS technology model parameters on Cadence
Virtuoso / Spectre using 1V supply voltage. Various simulations have
been carried out to verify the linearity between output and input
ports, range of operation frequency, etc. The outcomes show good
agreement between expected and experimental results.
Abstract: For gamma radiation detection, assemblies having
scintillation crystals and a photomultiplier tube, also there is a
preamplifier connected to the detector because the signals from
photomultiplier tube are of small amplitude. After pre-amplification
the signals are sent to the amplifier and then to the multichannel
analyser. The multichannel analyser sorts all incoming electrical
signals according to their amplitudes and sorts the detected photons
in channels covering small energy intervals. The energy range of
each channel depends on the gain settings of the multichannel
analyser and the high voltage across the photomultiplier tube. The
exit spectrum data of the two main isotopes studied ,putting data in
biomass program ,process it by Matlab program to get the solid
holdup image (solid spherical nuclear fuel)
Abstract: The purpose of the present study is the investigation
of the relationship between knowledge management and enabling
managers based on achieving proper function. This research is
descriptive and investigative. The sample includes all male and
female high school managers of first and second regions of Urmia
including 98 school and accordingly 98 managers. The instrument
applied was a questionnaire. To sum up, there is a statistically
significant relationship between knowledge management and
empowering managers. In the end, several suggestions are provided.
Abstract: In most wheat growing moderate regions and
especially in the north of Iran climate, is affected grain filling by
several physical and abiotic stresses. In this region, grain filling often
occurs when temperatures are increasing and moisture supply is
decreasing. The experiment was designed in RCBD with split plot
arrangements with four replications. Four irrigation treatments
included (I0) no irrigation (check); (I1) one irrigation (50 mm) at
heading stage; (I2) two irrigation (100 mm) at heading and anthesis
stage; and (I3) three irrigation (150 mm) at heading, anthesis and
early grain filling growth stage, two wheat cultivars (Milan and
Shanghai) were cultured in the experiment. Totally raining was 453
mm during the growth season. The result indicated that biological
yield, grain yield and harvest index were significantly affected by
irrigation levels. I3 treatment produced more tillers number in m2,
fertile tillers number in m2, harvest index and biological yield. Milan
produced more tillers number in m2, fertile tillers in m2, while
Shanghai produced heavier tillers and grain 1000 weight. Plant height
was significant in wheat varieties while were not statistically
significant in irrigation levels. Milan produced more grain yield,
harvest index and biological yield. Grain yield shown that I1, I2, and
I3 produced increasing of 5228 (21%), 5460 (27%) and 5670 (29%)
kg ha-1, respectively. There was an interaction of irrigation and
cultivar on grain yields. In the absence of the irrigation reduced grain
1000 weight from 45 to 40 g. No irrigation reduced soil moisture
extraction during the grain filling stage. Current assimilation as a
source of carbon for grain filling depends on the light intercepting
viable green surfaces of the plant after anthesis that due to natural
senescence and the effect of various stresses. At the same time the
demand by the growing grain is increasing. It is concluded from
research work that wheat crop irrigated Milan cultivar could increase
the grain yield in comparison with Shanghai cultivar. Although, the
grain yield of Shanghai under irrigation was slightly lower than
Milan. This grain yield also was related to weather condition, sowing
date, plant density and location conditions and management of
fertilizers, because there was not significant difference in biological
and straw yield. The best result was produced by I1 treatment. I2 and
I3 treatments were not significantly difference with I1 treatment.
Grain yield of I1 indicated that wheat is under soil moisture
deficiency. Therefore, I1 irrigation was better than I0.
Abstract: In the area of Human Resource Management, the trend is towards online exchange of information about human resources. For example, online applications for employment become standard and job offerings are posted in many job portals. However, there are too many job portals to monitor all of them if someone is interested in a new job. We developed a prototype for integrating information of different job portals into one meta-search engine. First, existing job portals were investigated and XML schema documents were derived automated from these portals. Second, translation rules for transforming each schema to a central HR-XML-conform schema were determined. The HR-XML-schema is used to build a form for searching jobs. The data supplied by a user in this form is now translated into queries for the different job portals. Each result obtained by a job portal is sent to the meta-search engine that ranks the result of all received job offers according to user's preferences.
Abstract: In this paper, five options of Iran’s gas flare recovery
have been compared via MCDM method. For developing the model,
the weighing factor of each indicator an AHP method is used via the
Expert-choice software. Several cases were considered in this
analysis. They are defined where the priorities were defined always
keeping one criterion in first position, while the priorities of the other
criteria were defined by ordinal information defining the mutual
relations of the criteria and the respective indicators. The results,
show that amongst these cases, priority is obtained for CHP usage
where availability indicator is highly weighted while the pipeline
usage is obtained where environmental indicator highly weighted and
the injection priority is obtained where economic indicator is highly
weighted and also when the weighing factor of all the criteria are the
same the Injection priority is obtained.
Abstract: Within the new world order, the term “crisis" is nowadays familiar to companies. Organizations are experiencing conditions which are surprising, uncertain, often adverse and usually unstable. The companies, who grasp the importance of transformation within the information age, have felt the need to develop modern methods to achieve the ability to thrive despite severe shocks. Through strategically managing human resource and developing appropriate elements of human resource system, companies can be assured for resolving the crisis. In this paper the role of HR system on resolving crisis has been evaluated. To help accomplish this, an insight on previous strategic HRM literature and an introduction to the elements and relationship within HR systems has been presented. It also reviews different attitude around resilience in literature. It continues by reviewing three elements central to developing an organization-s capacity for crisis resolving and it will demonstrate how designing proper elements of HR system can lead the organizations to possess the ability for passing through crisis. Finally it will evaluate an Iranian Insurance organization in case of one of the three central elements (specific cognitive ability) and observe how successful they were on developing an effective HR system to be ready for facing crisis.
Abstract: A model predictive controller based on recursive learning is proposed. In this SISO adaptive controller, a model is automatically updated using simple recursive equations. The identified models are then stored in the memory to be re-used in the future. The decision for model update is taken based on a new control performance index. The new controller allows the use of simple linear model predictive controllers in the control of nonlinear time varying processes.