Abstract: In this paper, we use an M/G/C/C state dependent
queuing model within a complex network topology to determine the
different performance measures for pedestrian traffic flow. The
occupants in this network topology need to go through some source
corridors, from which they can choose their suitable exiting
corridors. The performance measures were calculated using arrival
rates that maximize the throughputs of source corridors. In order to
increase the throughput of the network, the result indicates that the
flow direction of pedestrian through the corridors has to be restricted
and the arrival rates to the source corridor need to be controlled.
Abstract: We develop new nonlinear methods of
immunofluorescence analysis for a sensitive technology of
respiratory burst reaction of DNA fluorescence due to oxidative
activity in the peripheral blood neutrophils. Histograms in flow
cytometry experiments represent a fluorescence flashes frequency as
functions of fluorescence intensity. We used the Shannon-Weaver
index for definition of neutrophils- biodiversity and Hurst index for
definition of fractal-s correlations in immunofluorescence for
different donors, as the basic quantitative criteria for medical
diagnostics of health status. We analyze frequencies of flashes,
information, Shannon entropies and their fractals in
immunofluorescence networks due to reduction of histogram range.
We found the number of simplest universal correlations for
biodiversity, information and Hurst index in diagnostics and
classification of pathologies for wide spectra of diseases. In addition
is determined the clear criterion of a common immunity and human
health status in a form of yes/no answers type. These answers based
on peculiarities of information in immunofluorescence networks and
biodiversity of neutrophils. Experimental data analysis has shown the
existence of homeostasis for information entropy in oxidative activity
of DNA in neutrophil nuclei for all donors.
Abstract: This study proposes a novel recommender system to
provide the advertisements of context-aware services. Our proposed
model is designed to apply a modified collaborative filtering (CF)
algorithm with regard to the several dimensions for the personalization
of mobile devices – location, time and the user-s needs type. In
particular, we employ a classification rule to understand user-s needs
type using a decision tree algorithm. In addition, we collect primary
data from the mobile phone users and apply them to the proposed
model to validate its effectiveness. Experimental results show that the
proposed system makes more accurate and satisfactory advertisements
than comparative systems.
Abstract: Olomouc is a unique and complex landmark with
widespread forestation and land use. This research work was
conducted to assess important and complex land use change
trajectories in Olomouc region. Multi-temporal satellite data from
1991, 2001 and 2013 were used to extract land use/cover types by
object oriented classification method. To achieve the objectives, three
different aspects were used: (1) Calculate the quantity of each
transition; (2) Allocate location based landscape pattern (3) Compare
land use/cover evaluation procedure. Land cover change trajectories
shows that 16.69% agriculture, 54.33% forest and 21.98% other areas
(settlement, pasture and water-body) were stable in all three decade.
Approximately 30% of the study area maintained as a same land cove
type from 1991 to 2013. Here broad scale of political and socioeconomic
factors was also affect the rate and direction of landscape
changes. Distance from the settlements was the most important
predictor of land cover change trajectories. This showed that most of
landscape trajectories were caused by socio-economic activities and
mainly led to virtuous change on the ecological environment.
Abstract: Service quality has become a centerpiece for airline companies in vying with one another and keeps their image in the minds of passengers. Many airlines have pushed service quality through service personalization which includes both ground and on board especially from the viewpoint of retaining satisfied passengers and attracting new ones. Besides those, in-flight meals/food service is another important aspect of the airline operation. The in flight meals/food services now are seen as part of marketing strategies in attracting business or leisure travelers. This study reports the outcomes of the investigation on in-flight meals/food attributes toward passengers- level of satisfaction and re-flying intention. Taste, freshness, appearance of in-flight meals/food served and menu choices are important to the airlines passengers especially for the long haul flight. Food not only contributes to the prediction of the airline passengers- levels of satisfaction but besides other factors slightly influence passengers- re- flying intention. Airline companies therefore should not ignore this element but take the opportunity to create more attractive and acceptable in-flight meals/food along with other matter as marketing tools in attracting passengers to re-flying with them.
Abstract: High employee turnover rate in Malaysia-s retail industry has become a major issue that needs to be addressed. This study determines the levels of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention of employees in a retail company in Malaysia. The relationships between job satisfaction and organizational commitment on turnover intention are also investigated. A questionnaire was developed using Job Descriptive Index, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, and Lee and Mowday-s turnover intention items and data were collected from 62 respondents. The findings suggested that the respondents were moderately satisfied with job satisfaction facets such as promotion, work itself, co-workers, and supervisors but were unsatisfied with salary. They also had moderate commitment level with considerably high intention to leave the organization. All satisfaction facets (except for co-workers) and organizational commitment were significantly and negatively related to turnover intention. Based on the findings, retention strategies of retail employees were proposed.
Abstract: Risk management is an essential fraction of project management, which plays a significant role in project success. Many failures associated with Web projects are the consequences of poor awareness of the risks involved and lack of process models that can serve as a guideline for the development of Web based applications. To circumvent this problem, contemporary process models have been devised for the development of conventional software. This paper introduces the WPRiMA (Web Project Risk Management Assessment) as the tool, which is used to implement RIAP, the risk identification architecture pattern model, which focuses upon the data from the proprietor-s and vendor-s perspectives. The paper also illustrates how WPRiMA tool works and how it can be used to calculate the risk level for a given Web project, to generate recommendations in order to facilitate risk avoidance in a project, and to improve the prospects of early risk management.
Abstract: Elastic boundary eigensolution problems are converted
into boundary integral equations by potential theory. The kernels of
the boundary integral equations have both the logarithmic and Hilbert
singularity simultaneously. We present the mechanical quadrature
methods for solving eigensolutions of the boundary integral equations
by dealing with two kinds of singularities at the same time. The methods
possess high accuracy O(h3) and low computing complexity. The
convergence and stability are proved based on Anselone-s collective
compact theory. Bases on the asymptotic error expansion with odd
powers, we can greatly improve the accuracy of the approximation,
and also derive a posteriori error estimate which can be used for
constructing self-adaptive algorithms. The efficiency of the algorithms
are illustrated by numerical examples.
Abstract: Network warfare is an emerging concept that focuses on the network and computer based forms through which information is attacked and defended. Various computer and network security concepts thus play a role in network warfare. Due the intricacy of the various interacting components, a model to better understand the complexity in a network warfare environment would be beneficial. Non-quantitative modeling is a useful method to better characterize the field due to the rich ideas that can be generated based on the use of secular associations, chronological origins, linked concepts, categorizations and context specifications. This paper proposes the use of non-quantitative methods through a morphological analysis to better explore and define the influential conditions in a network warfare environment.
Abstract: Solutions are proposed for the central problem of estimating the reaction rate coefficients in homogeneous kinetics. The first is based upon the fact that the right hand side of a kinetic differential equation is linear in the rate constants, whereas the second one uses the technique of neural networks. This second one is discussed deeply and its advantages, disadvantages and conditions of applicability are analyzed in the mirror of the first one. Numerical analysis carried out on practical models using simulated data, and our programs written in Mathematica.
Abstract: This paper proposes a genetic algorithm based on a
new replacement strategy to solve the quadratic assignment problems,
which are NP-hard. The new replacement strategy aims to improve the
performance of the genetic algorithm through well balancing the
convergence of the searching process and the diversity of the
population. In order to test the performance of the algorithm, the
instances in QAPLIB, a quadratic assignment problem library, are
tried and the results are compared with those reported in the literature.
The performance of the genetic algorithm is promising. The
significance is that this genetic algorithm is generic. It does not rely on
problem-specific genetic operators, and may be easily applied to
various types of combinatorial problems.
Abstract: This paper presents the experimental results of salt fog ageing test of silicone rubber housing material for outdoor polymer insulator based on IEC 61109. Four types of HTV silicone rubber sheet with different amount of ATH were tested continuously 1000
Abstract: This paper explains how mobile learning assures sustainable e-education for multicultural group of students. This paper reports the impact of mobile learning on distance education in multicultural environment. The emergence of learning technologies through CD, internet, and mobile is increasingly adopted by distance institutes for quick delivery and cost-effective purposes. Their sustainability is conditioned by the structure of learners as well as the teaching community. The experimental study was conducted among the distant learners of Vinayaka Missions University located at Salem in India. Students were drawn from multicultural environment based on different languages, religions, class and communities. During the mobile learning sessions, the students, who are divided on language, religion, class and community, were dominated by play impulse rather than study anxiety or cultural inhibitions. This study confirmed that mobile learning improved the performance of the students despite their division based on region, language or culture. In other words, technology was able to transcend the relative deprivation in the multicultural groups. It also confirms sustainable e-education through mobile learning and cost-effective system of instruction. Mobile learning appropriates the self-motivation and play impulse of the young learners in providing sustainable e-education to multicultural social groups of students.
Abstract: Encoded information based on synchronization of coupled chaotic Nd:YAG lasers in master-slave configuration is numerically studied. Encoding, transmission, and decoding of information in optical chaotic communication with a single channel is presented. We analyze the robustness of the encrypted audio transmission in a channel noise. In order to illustrate this synchronization robustness, we present two cases of study: synchronization and transmission with a single channel without and with noise in the channel.
Abstract: This article is an extension and a practical application
approach of Wheeler-s NEBIC theory (Net Enabled Business
Innovation Cycle). NEBIC theory is a new approach in IS research
and can be used for dynamic environment related to new technology.
Firms can follow the market changes rapidly with support of the IT
resources. Flexible firms adapt their market strategies, and respond
more quickly to customers changing behaviors. When every leading
firm in an industry has access to the same IT resources, the way that
these IT resources are managed will determine the competitive
advantages or disadvantages of firm. From Dynamic Capabilities
Perspective and from newly introduced NEBIC theory by Wheeler,
we know that only IT resources cannot deliver customer value but
good configuration of those resources can guarantee customer value
by choosing the right emerging technology, grasping the right
economic opportunities through business innovation and growth. We
found evidences in literature that SOA (Service Oriented
Architecture) is a promising emerging technology which can deliver
the desired economic opportunity through modularity, flexibility and
loose-coupling. SOA can also help firms to connect in network which
can open a new window of opportunity to collaborate in innovation
and right kind of outsourcing. There are many articles and research
reports indicates that failure rate in outsourcing is very high but at the
same time research indicates that successful outsourcing projects
adds tangible and intangible benefits to the service consumer.
Business executives and policy makers in the west should not afraid
of outsourcing but they should choose the right strategy through the
use of emerging technology to significantly reduce the failure rate in
outsourcing.
Abstract: This paper proposes a new of cloud computing for individual computer users to share applications in distributed communities, called community-based personal cloud computing (CPCC). The paper also presents a prototype design and implementation of CPCC. The users of CPCC are able to share their computing applications with other users of the community. Any member of the community is able to execute remote applications shared by other members. The remote applications behave in the same way as their local counterparts, allowing the user to enter input, receive output as well as providing the access to the local data of the user. CPCC provides a peer-to-peer (P2P) environment where each peer provides applications which can be used by the other peers that are connected CPCC.
Abstract: In the queueing theory, it is assumed that customer
arrivals correspond to a Poisson process and service time has the
exponential distribution. Using these assumptions, the behaviour of
the queueing system can be described by means of Markov chains
and it is possible to derive the characteristics of the system. In the
paper, these theoretical approaches are presented on several types of
systems and it is also shown how to compute the characteristics in a
situation when these assumptions are not satisfied
Abstract: In this paper we introduce a novel method for
the characterization of synchronziation and coupling effects
in multivariate time series that can be used for the analysis
of EEG or ECoG signals recorded during epileptic seizures.
The method allows to visualize the spatio-temporal evolution
of synchronization and coupling effects that are characteristic
for epileptic seizures. Similar to other methods proposed for
this purpose our method is based on a regression analysis.
However, a more general definition of the regression together
with an effective channel selection procedure allows to use the
method even for time series that are highly correlated, which
is commonly the case in EEG/ECoG recordings with large
numbers of electrodes. The method was experimentally tested
on ECoG recordings of epileptic seizures from patients with
temporal lobe epilepsies. A comparision with the results from
a independent visual inspection by clinical experts showed
an excellent agreement with the patterns obtained with the
proposed method.
Abstract: There exists a strong correlation between efficient project management and competitive advantage for organizations. Therefore, organizations are striving to standardize and assess the rigor of their project management processes and capabilities i.e. project management maturity. Researchers and standardization organizations have developed several project management maturity models (PMMMs) to assess project management maturity of the organizations. This study presents a critical evaluation of some of the leading PMMMs against OPM3® in a multitude of ways to look at which PMMM is the most comprehensive model - which could assess most aspects of organizations and also help the organizations in gaining competitive advantage over competitors. After a detailed morphological analysis of the models, it is concluded that OPM3® is the most promising maturity model that can really provide a competitive advantage to the organizations due to its unique approach of assessment and improvement strategies.
Abstract: Construction delay is unavoidable in developing
countries including Malaysia. It is defined as time overrun or
extension of time for completion of a project. The purpose of the
study is to determine the causes of delay in Malaysian construction
industries based on previous worldwide research. The field survey
conducted includes the experienced developers, consultants and
contractors in Malaysia. 34 causes of the construction delay have
been determined and 24 have been selected using the Rasch model
analysis. The analysis result will be used as the baseline for the next
research to find the causes of delay in the Malaysian construction
industry taking place in Malaysian higher learning institutions.