Abstract: The objectives of this research were to study the management of local towns and to develop a better model of town management according to the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. This study utilized qualitative research, field research, as well as documentary research at the same time. A total of 10 local towns or Tambons of Supanburi province, Thailand were selected for an in-depth interview. The findings revealed that the model of local town management according to Philosophy of Sufficient Economy was in a level of “good” and the model of management has the five basic guidelines: 1) ability to manage budget information and keep it up-to-date, 2) ability to decision making according to democracy rules, 3) ability to use check and balance system, 4) ability to control, follow, and evaluation, and 5) ability to allow the general public to participate. In addition, the findings also revealed that the human resource management according to Philosophy of Sufficient Economy includes obeying laws, using proper knowledge, and having integrity in five areas: plan, recruit, select, train, and maintain human resources.
Abstract: The two primary objectives of this research were (1)
to examine the current knowledge and actual circumstance of
agricultural workers about mangosteen product processing; and (2) to
analyze and evaluate ways to develop capacity of mangosteen
product processing. The population of this study was 15,125 people
who work in the agricultural sector, in this context, mangosteen
production, in the eastern part of Thailand that included Chantaburi
Province, Rayong Province, Trad Province and Pracheenburi
Province. The sample size based on Yamane’s calculation with 95%
reliability was therefore 392 samples. Mixed method was employed
included questionnaire and focus group discussion with
Connoisseurship Model used in order to collect quantitative and
qualitative data. Key informants were used in the focus group
including agricultural business owners, academic people in agro food
processing, local academics, local community development staff,
OTOP subcommittee, and representatives of agro processing
industry professional organizations. The study found that the
majority of the respondents agreed with a high level (in five- rating
scale) towards most of variables of knowledge management in agro
food processing. The result of the current knowledge and actual
circumstance of agricultural human resource in an arena of
mangosteen product processing revealed that mostly, the respondents
agreed at a high level to establish 7 variables. The guideline to
developing the body of knowledge in order to enhance the capacity
of the agricultural workers in mangosteen product processing was
delivered in the focus group discussion. The discussion finally
contributed to an idea to produce manuals for mangosteen product
processing methods, with 4 products chosen: (1) mangosteen soap;
(2) mangosteen juice; (3) mangosteen toffee; and (4) mangosteen
preserves or jam.
Abstract: Slab sliding system (SSS) with Coulomb friction
interface between slab and supporting frame is a passive structural
vibration control technology. The system can significantly reduce the
slab acceleration and accompanied lateral force of the frame. At the
same time it is expected to cause the slab displacement magnification
by sliding movement. To obtain the general comprehensive seismic
response of a single story structure, inelastic response spectra were
computed for a large ensemble of ground motions and a practical range
of structural periods and friction coefficient values. It was shown that
long period structures have no trade-off relation between force
reduction and displacement magnification with respect to elastic
response, unlike short period structures. For structures with the
majority of mass in the slab, the displacement magnification value can
be predicted according to simple inelastic displacement relation for
inelastically responding SDOF structures because the system behaves
elastically to a SDOF structure.
Abstract: In the age of globalization, higher education
institutions attempt to equip students with global competence. In
response, most universities have been developing and running various
international programs. However, teacher education has been a
neglected area in this trend. Therefore, in this study, we suggest a
program that offers a dual bachelor’s degree from both universities
located on different countries, focusing on teacher education
institutions with different policies and regulations of teacher education
programs that may become obstacles to designing a dual degree
program. We discuss a possible way to get a dual degree including a
teaching certificate at a specialized college, college of secondary
education. To be specific, this research presents a way to attain two
diplomas from Jeju National University (JNU) in Korea and Boise
State University (BSU) in the U.S. It attempts to build an effective
plan for students to declare simultaneous degrees at both universities.
From the study, we find that it takes about 5 years to fulfill
requirements for the dual degree at the undergraduate level.
Abstract: Recently, ‘play of learning’ becomes important and is
emphasized as a useful learning tool. Therefore, interest in
edutainment contents is growing. Storytelling is considered first as a
method that improves the transmission of information and learner's
interest when planning edutainment contents. In this study, we
designed edutainment contents in the form of an adventure game that
applies the storytelling method. This content provides questions and
items constituted dynamically and reorganized learning contents
through analysis of test results. It allows learners to solve various
questions through effective iterative learning. As a result, the learners
can reach mastery learning.
Abstract: Patients under health treatments that involve long
stays at a hospital or health center (e.g. cancer, organ transplants and
severe burns), tend to get bored or depressed because of the lack of
social interaction with family and friends. Such a situation also
affects the evolution and effectiveness of their treatments. In many
cases, the solution to this problem involves extra challenges, since
many patients need to rest quietly (or remain in bed) to their being
contagious. Considering the weak health condition in which usually
are these kinds, keeping them motivated and quiet represents an
important challenge for nurses and caregivers. This article presents a
mobile ubiquitous game called MagicRace, which allows hospitalized
kinds to interact socially with one another without putting to risk
their sensitive health conditions. The game does not require a
communication infrastructure at the hospital, but instead, it uses a
mobile ad hoc network composed of the handheld devices used by
the kids to play. The usability and performance of this application
was tested in two different sessions. The preliminary results show
that users experienced positive feelings from this experience.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel e-learning model that is
based on a dynamic formative evaluation. On evaluating the existing
format of e-learning, conditions regarding repetitive learning to
achieve mastery, causes issues for learners to lose tension and become
neglectful of learning. The dynamic formative evaluation proposed is
able to supplement limitation of the existing approaches. Since a
repetitive learning method does not provide a perfect feedback, this
paper puts an emphasis on the dynamic formative evaluation that is
able to maximize learning achievement. Through the dynamic
formative evaluation, the instructor is able to refer to the evaluation
result when making an estimation about the learner. To show the flow
chart of learning, based on the dynamic formative evaluation, the
model proves its effectiveness and validity.
Abstract: The main aim of the current work is to examine if 14N
is candidate to be clusterized nuclei or not. In order to check this
attendance, we have measured the angular distributions for 14N ion
beam elastically scattered on 12C target nuclei at different low
energies; 17.5, 21, and 24.5MeV which are close to the Coulomb
barrier energy for 14N+12C nuclear system. Study of various transfer
reactions could provide us with useful information about the
attendance of nuclei to be in a composite form (core + valence). The
experimental data were analyzed using two approaches;
Phenomenological (Optical Potential) and semi-microscopic (Double
Folding Potential). The agreement between the experimental data and
the theoretical predictions is fairly good in the whole angular range.
Abstract: Several meteorological parameters were used for the
prediction of monthly average daily global solar radiation on
horizontal using recurrent neural networks (RNNs). Climatological
data and measures, mainly air temperature, humidity, sunshine
duration, and wind speed between 1995 and 2007 were used to design
and validate a feed forward and recurrent neural network based
prediction systems. In this paper we present our reference system
based on a feed-forward multilayer perceptron (MLP) as well as the
proposed approach based on an RNN model. The obtained results
were promising and comparable to those obtained by other existing
empirical and neural models. The experimental results showed the
advantage of RNNs over simple MLPs when we deal with time series
solar radiation predictions based on daily climatological data.
Abstract: In this work, a method of time delay estimation for
dual-channel acoustic signals (speech, music, etc.) recorded under
reverberant conditions is investigated. Standard methods based on
cross-correlation of the signals show poor results in cases involving
strong reverberation, large distances between microphones and
asynchronous recordings. Under similar conditions, a method based
on cross-correlation of temporal envelopes of the signals delivers a
delay estimation of acceptable quality. This method and its properties
are described and investigated in detail, including its limits of
applicability. The method’s optimal parameter estimation and a
comparison with other known methods of time delay estimation are
also provided.
Abstract: Urban road dust comprises of a range of potentially
toxic metal elements and plays a critical role in degrading urban
receiving water quality. Hence, assessing the metal composition and
concentration in urban road dust is a high priority. This study
investigated the variability of metal composition and concentrations
in road dust in 4 different urban land uses in Gold Coast, Australia.
Samples from 16 road sites were collected and tested for selected 12
metal species. The data set was analyzed using both univariate and
multivariate techniques. Outcomes of the data analysis revealed that
the metal concentrations inroad dust differs considerably within and
between different land uses. Iron, aluminum, magnesium and zinc are
the most abundant in urban land uses. It was also noted that metal
species such as titanium, nickel, copper and zinc have the highest
concentrations in industrial land use. The study outcomes revealed
that soil and traffic related sources as key sources of metals deposited
on road surfaces.
Abstract: Waste of certain process can be the input source of
other sectors in order to reduce environmental pollution. Today there
are more and more solid wastes are generated, but only very small
amount of those are recycled. So, the threatening of environmental
pressure to public health is very serious. The methods considered for
the treatment of solid waste are biogas tanks or processing to make
animal feed and fertilizer, however, they did not perform well. An
alternative approach is growing mushrooms on waste residues. This
is regarded as an environmental friendly solution with potential
economical benefit. The substrate producers do their best to produce
quality substrate at low cost. Apart from other methods, this can be
achieved by employing biologically degradable wastes used as the
resource material component of the substrate. Mushroom growing is
a significant tool for the restoration, replenishment and remediation
of Earth’s overburdened ecosphere. One of the rational methods of
waste utilization involves locally available wastes. The present study
aims to find out the yield of mushroom grown on locally available
waste for free and to conserve our environment by recycling wastes.
Abstract: This paper presents a new control scheme to control a brushless doubly fed induction generator (BDFIG) using back-to-back PWM converters for wind power generation. The proposed control scheme is a New Self-Tuning Fuzzy Proportional-Derivative Controller (NSTFPDC). The goal of BDFIG control is to achieve a similar dynamic performance to the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), exploiting the well-known induction machine vector control philosophy. The performance of NSTFPDC controller has been investigated and compared with the two controllers, called Proportional–Integral (PI) and PD-like Fuzzy Logic controller (PD-like FLC) based BDFIG. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and the robustness of the NSTFPDC controller.
Abstract: In this paper, a numerical algorithm using a coupled Galerkin-Differential Quadrature (DQ) method is proposed for the solution of dam-reservoir interaction problem. The governing differential equation of motion of the dam structure is discretized by the Galerkin method and the DQM is used to discretize the fluid domain. The resulting systems of ordinary differential equations are then solved by the Newmark time integration scheme. The mixed scheme combines the simplicity of the Galerkin method and high accuracy and efficiency of the DQ method. Its accuracy and efficiency are demonstrated by comparing the calculated results with those of the existing literature. It is shown that highly accurate results can be obtained using a small number of Galerkin terms and DQM sampling points. The technique presented in this investigation is general and can be used to solve various fluid-structure interaction problems.
Abstract: This paper explains the results of an investigation on the analysis of flush end plate steel connections by means of finite element method. Flush end plates are a highly indeterminate type of connection, which have a number of parameters that affect their behavior. Because of this, experimental investigations are complicated and very costly. Today, the finite element method provides an ideal method for analyzing complicated structures. Finite element models of these types of connections under monotonic loading have previously been investigated. A numerical model, which can predict the cyclic behavior of these connections, is of critical importance, as dynamic experiments are more costly. This paper summarizes a study to develop a three-dimensional finite element model that can accurately capture the cyclic behavior of flush end plate connections. Comparisons between FEM results and experimental results obtained from full-scale tests have been carried out, which confirms the accuracy of the finite element model. Consequently, design equations for this connection have been investigated and it is shown that these predictions are not precise in all cases. The effect of end plate thickness and bolt diameter on the overall behavior of this connection is discussed. This research demonstrates that using the appropriate configuration, this connection has the potential to form a plastic hinge in the beam--desirable in seismic behavior.
Abstract: Dynamic systems, which in mathematical point of view are those governed by differential equations, are much more difficult to study and to predict their behavior in comparison with static systems which are governed by algebraic equations. Economical systems such as market are among complicated dynamic systems. This paper tries to adopt a very simple mathematical model for market and to study effect of supply and demand function on behavior of the market while the supply side experiences a lag due to production restrictions.
Abstract: Climate considerations are essential dimensions in the assessment of thermal comfort and indoor environments inside Egyptian housing. The primary aim of this paper is to analyze the indoor environment of new housing in the new city of Assiut in the Southern Upper Egypt zone, in order to evaluate its thermal environment and determine the acceptable indoor operative temperatures. The psychrometric charts for ASHRAE Standard 55 and ACS used in this study would facilitate an overall representation of the climate in one of the hottest months in the summer season. This study helps to understand and deal with this problem and work on a passive cooling ventilation strategy in these contexts in future studies. The results that demonstrated the indoor temperature is too high, ranges between 31°C to 40°C in different natural ventilation strategies. This causes the indoor environment to be far from the optimum comfort operative temperature of ACS except when using air conditioners. Finally, this study is considered a base for developing a new system using natural ventilation with passive cooling strategies.
Abstract: We present in this work the performances of a mobile omnidirectional robot through evaluating its management of the redundancy of actuation. Thus we come to the predictive control implemented.
The distribution of the wringer on the robot actions, through the inverse pseudo of Moore-Penrose, corresponds to a « geometric ›› distribution of efforts. We will show that the load on vehicle wheels would not be equi-distributed in terms of wheels configuration and of robot movement.
Thus, the threshold of sliding is not the same for the three wheels of the vehicle. We suggest exploiting the redundancy of actuation to reduce the risk of wheels sliding and to ameliorate, thereby, its accuracy of displacement. This kind of approach was the subject of study for the legged robots.
Abstract: Kumasi is Ghana’s second largest and fastest growing city with an annual population growth rate of 5.4 percent. A major result of this phenomenon is a growing sprawl at the fringes of the city. This paper assesses the nature, extent and impact of sprawl on Kumasi and examines urban planning efforts at addressing this phenomenon. Both secondary and empirical data were collected from decentralized government departments of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and residents of some sprawling communities. The study reveals that sprawl in the metropolis is rapidly consuming fringe rural communities. This situation has weakened effective management of the metropolis causing problems such as congestion and conversion of peri-urban land into residential use without ancillary infrastructure and social services. The paper recommends effective and timely planning and provision of services as well as an overall economic development and spatial integration through regional planning as a way of achieving a long term solution to sprawl.
Abstract: This paper presents experimental investigation carried out on an unmodified four stroke diesel engine running with preheated straight vegetable oil (SVO) of Karanja. The viscosity of straight karanja oil was reduced by preheating the oil up to 1600C under different load condition. The preheating was done with the help of a Shell and Tube heat exchanger equipment without using any external power source. The heat exchanger was designed in the lab and the heating source was by waste exhaust gas from engine. The experimental results data were analyzed by using 20% blends of svo of Karanja with 80% diesel by volume and 100% preheated svo of karanja for various parameters like specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency and emission of exhaust gas like CO, CO2, HC and NOx. The results indicated that by using straight karanja oil, the emission parameter increases as compared to diesel but regarding engine performance it was found to be very close to that of diesel. All total it can be a replacement of diesel with a small efficiency drop.