Abstract: In this paper, the problem of stability criteria of neural networks (NNs) with two-additive time-varying delay compenents is investigated. The relationship between the time-varying delay and its lower and upper bounds is taken into account when estimating the upper bound of the derivative of Lyapunov functional. As a result, some improved delay stability criteria for NNs with two-additive time-varying delay components are proposed. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Abstract: In the course of the present work, plain (nonencapsulated)
and microencapsulated polyphenols were produced
using olive mill wastewater (OMW) as raw material, in order to be
used for enrichment of yogurt and dairy products. The OMW was
first clarified by using membrane technology and subsequently the
contained poly-phenols were isolated by adsorption-desorption
technique using selective macro-porous resins and finally recovered
in dry form after been processed by RO membrane technique
followed by freeze drying. Moreover, the polyphenols were
encapsulated in modified starch by freeze drying in order to mask the
color and bitterness effect and improve their functionality. The two
products were used successfully as additives in yogurt preparations
and the produced products were acceptable by the consumers and
presented with certain advantage to the plain yogurt. For the herein
proposed production scheme a patent application was already
submitted.
Abstract: A magnetohydrodynamic mixed convective flow in a
cavity was studied in this paper. The lower surface of cavity was
heated from below whereas other walls of the cavity were thermally
isolated. The governing two-dimensional flow equations have been
solved by using finite volume code. The effects of magnetic field
were studied on flow and temperature field and heat transfer
performance at a wide range of parameters, Such as Hartmann
(0≤Ha≤100) and Reynolds (1≤Re≤100) numbers. The results showed
that as Hartman number increases the Nusselt number, representing
heat transfer from the cavity decreases.
Abstract: In this paper a comprehensive model of a fossil fueled
power plant (FFPP) is developed in order to evaluate the
performance of a newly designed turbine follower controller.
Considering the drawbacks of previous works, an overall model is
developed to minimize the error between each subsystem model
output and the experimental data obtained at the actual power plant.
The developed model is organized in two main subsystems namely;
Boiler and Turbine. Considering each FFPP subsystem
characteristics, different modeling approaches are developed. For
economizer, evaporator, superheater and reheater, first order models
are determined based on principles of mass and energy conservation.
Simulations verify the accuracy of the developed models. Due to the
nonlinear characteristics of attemperator, a new model, based on a
genetic-fuzzy systems utilizing Pittsburgh approach is developed
showing a promising performance vis-à-vis those derived with other
methods like ANFIS. The optimization constraints are handled
utilizing penalty functions. The effect of increasing the number of
rules and membership functions on the performance of the proposed
model is also studied and evaluated. The turbine model is developed
based on the equation of adiabatic expansion. Parameters of all
evaluated models are tuned by means of evolutionary algorithms.
Based on the developed model a fuzzy PI controller is developed. It
is then successfully implemented in the turbine follower control
strategy of the plant. In this control strategy instead of keeping
control parameters constant, they are adjusted on-line with regard to
the error and the error rate. It is shown that the response of the
system improves significantly. It is also shown that fuel consumption
decreases considerably.
Abstract: The separation efficiency of a hydrocyclone has
extensively been considered on the rigid particle assumption. A
collection of experimental studies have demonstrated their
discrepancies from the modeling and simulation results. These
discrepancies caused by the actual particle elasticity have generally
led to a larger amount of energy consumption in the separation
process. In this paper, the influence of particle elasticity on the
separation efficiency of a hydrocyclone system was investigated
through the Finite Element (FE) simulations using crude oil droplets
as the elastic particles. A Reitema-s design hydrocyclone with a
diameter of 8 mm was employed to investigate the separation
mechanism of the crude oil droplets from water. The cut-size
diameter eter of the crude oil was 10 - Ðçm in order to fit with the
operating range of the adopted hydrocylone model. Typical
parameters influencing the performance of hydrocyclone were varied
with the feed pressure in the range of 0.3 - 0.6 MPa and feed
concentration between 0.05 – 0.1 w%. In the simulation, the Finite
Element scheme was applied to investigate the particle-flow
interaction occurred in the crude oil system during the process. The
interaction of a single oil droplet at the size of 10 - Ðçm to the flow
field was observed. The feed concentration fell in the dilute flow
regime so the particle-particle interaction was ignored in the study.
The results exhibited the higher power requirement for the separation
of the elastic particulate system when compared with the rigid
particulate system.
Abstract: The presence of chemical bonding between functionalized carbon nanotubes and matrix in carbon nanotube reinforced composites is modeled by elastic beam elements representing covalent bonding characteristics. Neglecting other reinforcing mechanisms in the composite such as relatively weak interatomic Van der Waals forces, this model shows close results to the Rule of Mixtures model-s prediction for effective Young-s modulus of a Representative Volume Element of composite for small volume fractions (~1%) and high aspect ratios (L/D>200) of CNTs.
Abstract: Technology transfer is a common method for
companies to acquire new technology and presents both challenges
and substantial benefits. In some cases especially in developing
countries, the mere possession of technology does not guarantee a
competitive advantage if the appropriate infrastructure is not in place.
In this paper, we identify the localization factors needed to provide a
better understanding of the conditions necessary for localization in
order to benefit from future technology developments. Our
theoretical and empirical analyses allow us to identify several factors
in the technology transfer process that affect localization and provide
leverage in enhancing capabilities and absorptive capacity.The
impact factors are categorized within different groups of government,
firms, institutes and market, and are verified through the empirical
survey of a technology transfer experience. Moreover, statistical
analysis has allowed a deeper understanding of the importance of
each factor and has enabled each group to prioritize their
organizational policies to effectively localize their technology.
Abstract: Cooperative diversity (CD) has been adopted in many communication systems because it helps in improving performance of the wireless communication systems with the help of the relays that emulate the multiple antenna terminals. This work aims to provide the derivation of the performance analysis expressions of the multiuser diversity (MUD) in the two-hop cooperative multi-relay wireless networks (TCMRNs). Considering the work analysis, we provide analytically the derivation of a closed form expression of the two most commonly used performance metrics namely, the outage probability and the symbol error probability (SEP) for the fixed decode-and-forward (FDF) protocol with MUD.
Abstract: Ice cover County has a significant impact on rivers as it affects with the ice melting capacity which results in flooding, restrict navigation, modify the ecosystem and microclimate. River ices are made up of different ice types with varying ice thickness, so surveillance of river ice plays an important role. River ice types are captured using infrared imaging camera which captures the images even during the night times. In this paper the river ice infrared texture images are analysed using first-order statistical methods and secondorder statistical methods. The second order statistical methods considered are spatial gray level dependence method, gray level run length method and gray level difference method. The performance of the feature extraction methods are evaluated by using Probabilistic Neural Network classifier and it is found that the first-order statistical method and second-order statistical method yields low accuracy. So the features extracted from the first-order statistical method and second-order statistical method are combined and it is observed that the result of these combined features (First order statistical method + gray level run length method) provides higher accuracy when compared with the features from the first-order statistical method and second-order statistical method alone.
Abstract: This paper describes Nano-particle based Planar Laser
Scattering (NPLS) flow visualization of angled supersonic jets into a
supersonic cross flow based on the HYpersonic Low TEmperature
(HYLTE) nozzle which was widely used in DF chemical laser. In
order to investigate the non-reacting flowfield in the HYLTE nozzle, a
testing section with windows was designed and manufactured. The
impact of secondary fluids orifice separation on mixing was examined.
For narrow separation of orifices, the secondary fuel penetration
increased obviously compared to diluent injection, which means
smaller separation of diluent and fuel orifices would enhance the
mixing of fuel and oxidant. Secondary injections with angles of 30, 40
and 50 degrees were studied. It was found that the injectant
penetration increased as the injection angle increased, while the
interfacial surface area to entrain the freestream fluid is largest when
the injection angle is 40 degree.
Abstract: Nowadays pharmaceutical care departments located in
hospitals are amongst the important pillars of the healthcare system.
The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of hospital drugstores
affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.
In this cross-sectional study a validated questionnaire was used.
The questionnaire was filled in by the one of the researchers in all
seventeen hospital drugstores located in the teaching and nonteaching
hospitals affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical
Sciences. The results shows that in observed hospitals,24% of
pharmacy environments, 25% of pharmacy store and storage
conditions, 49% of storage procedure, 25% of ordering drugs and
supplies, 73% of receiving supplies (proper procedure are fallowed
for receiving supplies), 35% of receiving supplies (prompt action
taken if deterioration of drugs received is suspected), 23.35% of
drugs delivery to patients and finally 0% of stock cards are used for
proper inventory control have full compliance with standards.
Abstract: Photo-BJMOSFET (Bipolar Junction Metal-Oxide-
Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) fabricated on SOI film was proposed. ITO film is adopted in the device as gate electrode to reduce
light absorption. Depletion region but not inversion region is formed
in film by applying gate voltage (but low reverse voltage) to achieve
high photo-to-dark-current ratio. Comparisons of photoelectriccharacteristics
executed among VGK=0V, 0.3V, 0.6V, 0.9V and 1.0V
(reverse voltage VAK is equal to 1.0V for total area of 10×10μm2). The
results indicate that the greatest improvement in photo-to-dark-current
ratio is achieved up to 2.38 at VGK=0.6V. In addition,
photo-BJMOSFET is compatible with CMOS integration due to big
input resistance
Abstract: Anti-money laundering is commonly recognized as a
set of procedures, laws or regulations designed to reduce the practice
of generating income through illegal actions. In Malaysia, the
government and law enforcement agencies have stepped up their
capacities and efforts to curb money laundering since 2001. One of
these measures was the enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering
Act (AMLA) in 2001. The implementation costs on anti-money
laundering requirements (AMLR) can be burdensome to those who
are involved in enforcing them. The objective of this paper is to
explore the perceived effectiveness of AMLR from the enforcement
agencies- perspective. This is a preliminary study whose findings
will help to give direction for further AML research in Malaysia. In
addition, the results of this study provide empirical evidences on the
perceived effectiveness of AMLR prior to further investigations on
barriers and improvements of the implementation of the anti-money
laundering regime in Malaysia.
Abstract: The major source of allergy in home is the house dust
mite (Dematophagoides farina, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus)
causing allergic symptom include atopic dermatitis, asthma, perennial
rhinitis and even infant death syndrome.
Control of this mite species is dependent on the use of chemical
methods such as fumigation treatments with methylene bromide,
spraying with organophosphates such as pirimiphos-methyl, or
treatments with repellents such as DEET and benzyl benzoate.
Although effective, their repeated use for decades has sometimes
resulted in development of resistance and fostered environmental and
human health concerns. Both decomposing animal parts and the
protein that surrounds mite fecal pellets cause mite allergy. So it is
more effective to repel than to kill them because allergen is not living
house dust mite but dead body or fecal particles of house dust mite.
It is important to find out natural repellent material against house
dust mite to control them and reduce the allergic reactions. Plants may
be an alternative source for dust mite control because they contain a
range of bioactive chemicals.
The research objectives of this paper were to verify the acaricidal
and repellent effects of cinnamon essential oil and to find out it-s most
effective concentrations. We could find that cinnamon bark essential
oil was very effective material to control the house dust mite.
Furthermore, it could reduce chemical resistance and danger for
human health.
Abstract: Prior research evidenced that unimodal biometric
systems have several tradeoffs like noisy data, intra-class variations,
restricted degrees of freedom, non-universality, spoof attacks, and
unacceptable error rates. In order for the biometric system to be more
secure and to provide high performance accuracy, more than one
form of biometrics are required. Hence, the need arise for multimodal
biometrics using combinations of different biometric modalities. This
paper introduces a multimodal biometric system (MMBS) based on
fusion of whole dorsal hand geometry and fingerprints that acquires
right and left (Rt/Lt) near-infra-red (NIR) dorsal hand geometry (HG)
shape and (Rt/Lt) index and ring fingerprints (FP). Database of 100
volunteers were acquired using the designed prototype. The acquired
images were found to have good quality for all features and patterns
extraction to all modalities. HG features based on the hand shape
anatomical landmarks were extracted. Robust and fast algorithms for
FP minutia points feature extraction and matching were used. Feature
vectors that belong to similar biometric traits were fused using
feature fusion methodologies. Scores obtained from different
biometric trait matchers were fused using the Min-Max
transformation-based score fusion technique. Final normalized scores
were merged using the sum of scores method to obtain a single
decision about the personal identity based on multiple independent
sources. High individuality of the fused traits and user acceptability
of the designed system along with its experimental high performance
biometric measures showed that this MMBS can be considered for
med-high security levels biometric identification purposes.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to propose a statistical
modeling method which enables simultaneous term structure
estimation of the risk-free interest rate, hazard and loss given default,
incorporating the characteristics of the bond issuing company such as
credit rating and financial information. A reduced form model is used
for this purpose. Statistical techniques such as spline estimation and
Bayesian information criterion are employed for parameter estimation
and model selection. An empirical analysis is conducted using the
information on the Japanese bond market data. Results of the
empirical analysis confirm the usefulness of the proposed method.
Abstract: Contact centres have been exemplars of scientific management in the discipline of operations management for more than a decade now. With the movement of industries from a resource based economy to knowledge based economy businesses have started to realize the customer eccentricity being the key to sustainability amidst high velocity of the market. However, as technologies have converged and advanced, so have the contact centres. Contact Centres have redirected the supply chains and the concept of retailing is highly diminished due to over exaggeration of cost reduction strategies. In conditions of high environmental velocity together with services featuring considerable information intensity contact centres will require up to date and enlightened agents to satisfy the demands placed upon them by those requesting their services. In this paper we examine salient factors such as Power Distance, Knowledge structures and the dynamics of job specialisation and enlargement to suggest critical success factors in the domain of contact centres.
Abstract: Single crystals of Magnesium alloys such as pure Mg,
Mg-1Zn-0.5Y, Mg-0.1Y, and Mg-0.1Ce alloys were successfully
fabricated in this study by employing the modified Bridgman method.
To determine the exact orientation of crystals, pole figure
measurement using X-ray diffraction were carried out on each single
crystal. Hardness and compression tests were conducted followed by
subsequent recrysatllization annealing. Recrystallization kinetics of
Mg alloy single crystals has been investigated. Fabricated single
crystals were cut into rectangular shaped specimen and solution
treated at 400oC for 24 hrs, and then deformed in compression mode
by 30% reduction. Annealing treatment for recrystallization has been
conducted on these cold-rolled plates at temperatures of 300oC for
various times from 1 to 20 mins. The microstructure observation and
hardness measurement conducted on the recrystallized specimens
revealed that static recrystallization of ternary alloy single crystal was
very slow, while recrystallization behavior of binary alloy single
crystals appeared to be very fast.
Abstract: In this paper the application of rule mining in order to
review the effective factors on supplier selection is reviewed in the
following three sections 1) criteria selecting and information
gathering 2) performing association rule mining 3) validation and
constituting rule base. Afterwards a few of applications of rule base
is explained. Then, a numerical example is presented and analyzed
by Clementine software. Some of extracted rules as well as the
results are presented at the end.
Abstract: As data to be stored in storage subsystems
tremendously increases, data protection techniques have become more
important than ever, to provide data availability and reliability. In this
paper, we present the file system-based data protection (WOWSnap)
that has been implemented using WORM (Write-Once-Read-Many)
scheme. In the WOWSnap, once WORM files have been created, only
the privileged read requests to them are allowed to protect data against
any intentional/accidental intrusions. Furthermore, all WORM files
are related to their protection cycle that is a time period during which
WORM files should securely be protected. Once their protection cycle
is expired, the WORM files are automatically moved to the
general-purpose data section without any user interference. This
prevents the WORM data section from being consumed by
unnecessary files. We evaluated the performance of WOWSnap on
Linux cluster.