Abstract: Considering toxicity of heavy metals and their
accumulation in domestic wastes, immobilization of lead and
cadmium is envisaged inside glass-ceramics. We particularly
focused this work on calcium-rich phases embedded in a
glassy matrix.
Glass-ceramics were synthesized from glasses doped with
12 wt% and 16 wt% of PbO or CdO. They were observed and
analyzed by Electron MicroProbe Analysis (EMPA) and
Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy (ASEM). Structural
characterization of the samples was performed by powder XRay
Diffraction.
Diopside crystals of CaMgSi2O6 composition are shown to
incorporate significant amounts of cadmium (up to 9 wt% of
CdO). Two new crystalline phases are observed with very
high Cd or Pb contents: about 40 wt% CdO for the cadmiumrich
phase and near 60 wt% PbO for the lead-rich phase. We
present complete chemical and structural characterization of
these phases. They represent a promising way for the
immobilization of toxic elements like Cd or Pb since glass
ceramics are known to propose a “double barrier" protection
(metal-rich crystals embedded in a glass matrix) against metal
release in the environment.
Abstract: Gas turbine air inlet cooling is a useful method for
increasing output for regions where significant power demand and
highest electricity prices occur during the warm months. Inlet air
cooling increases the power output by taking advantage of the gas
turbine-s feature of higher mass flow rate when the compressor inlet
temperature decreases. Different methods are available for reducing
gas turbine inlet temperature. There are two basic systems currently
available for inlet cooling. The first and most cost-effective system is
evaporative cooling. Evaporative coolers make use of the evaporation
of water to reduce the gas turbine-s inlet air temperature. The second
system employs various ways to chill the inlet air. In this method, the
cooling medium flows through a heat exchanger located in the inlet
duct to remove heat from the inlet air. However, the evaporative
cooling is limited by wet-bulb temperature while the chilling can cool
the inlet air to temperatures that are lower than the wet bulb
temperature. In the present work, a thermodynamic model of a gas
turbine is built to calculate heat rate, power output and thermal
efficiency at different inlet air temperature conditions. Computational
results are compared with ISO conditions herein called "base-case".
Therefore, the two cooling methods are implemented and solved for
different inlet conditions (inlet temperature and relative humidity).
Evaporative cooler and absorption chiller systems results show that
when the ambient temperature is extremely high with low relative
humidity (requiring a large temperature reduction) the chiller is the
more suitable cooling solution. The net increment in the power output
as a function of the temperature decrease for each cooling method is
also obtained.
Abstract: Network reconfiguration in distribution system is realized by changing the status of sectionalizing switches to reduce the power loss in the system. This paper presents a new method which applies an artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) for determining the sectionalizing switch to be operated in order to solve the distribution system loss minimization problem. The ABC algorithm is a new population based metaheuristic approach inspired by intelligent foraging behavior of honeybee swarm. The advantage of ABC algorithm is that it does not require external parameters such as cross over rate and mutation rate as in case of genetic algorithm and differential evolution and it is hard to determine these parameters in prior. The other advantage is that the global search ability in the algorithm is implemented by introducing neighborhood source production mechanism which is a similar to mutation process. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, computer simulations are carried out on 14, 33, and 119-bus systems and compared with different approaches available in the literature. The proposed method has outperformed the other methods in terms of the quality of solution and computational efficiency.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of an electronic
instrument that looks like a flute, which is able to sense the basic musical notes being executed by a specific user. The principal function of the instrument is to teach how to play a flute. This device
will generate a significant academic impact, in a field of virtual reality interactive that combine art and technology. With this example is expected to contribute in research and implementation of teaching devices around the world.
Abstract: This paper describes the Multilingual Virtual Simulated Patient framework. It has been created to train the social skills and testing the knowledge of primary health care medical students. The framework generates conversational agents which perform in serveral languages as virtual simulated patients that help to improve the communication and diagnosis skills of the students complementing their training process.
Abstract: This study proposes a materials procurement contracts
model to which the zero-cost collar option is applied for heading price
fluctuation risks in construction.The material contract model based on
the collar option that consists of the call option striking zone of the
construction company(the buyer) following the materials price
increase andthe put option striking zone of the material vendor(the
supplier) following a materials price decrease. This study first
determined the call option strike price Xc of the construction company
by a simple approach: it uses the predicted profit at the project starting
point and then determines the strike price of put option Xp that has an
identical option value, which completes the zero-cost material
contract.The analysis results indicate that the cost saving of the
construction company increased as Xc decreased. This was because the
critical level of the steel materials price increasewas set at a low level.
However, as Xc decreased, Xpof a put option that had an identical
option value gradually increased. Cost saving increased as Xc
decreased. However, as Xp gradually increased, the risk of loss from a
construction company increased as the steel materials price decreased.
Meanwhile, cost saving did not occur for the construction company,
because of volatility. This result originated in the zero-cost features of
the two-way contract of the collar option. In the case of the regular
one-way option, the transaction cost had to be subtracted from the cost
saving. The transaction cost originated from an option value that
fluctuated with the volatility. That is, the cost saving of the one-way
option was affected by the volatility. Meanwhile, even though the
collar option with zero transaction cost cut the connection between
volatility and cost saving, there was a risk of exercising the put option.
Abstract: Most of the commercial gluten free products are
nutritionally inferior when compared to gluten containing
counterparts as manufacturers most often use the refined flours and
starches. So it is possible that people on gluten free diet have low
intake of fibre content. The foxtail millet flour and copra meal are
gluten free and have high fibre and protein contents. The formulation
of fibre rich gluten free cookies was optimized by response surface
methodology considering independent process variables as proportion
of Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) flour in mixed flour, fat content and
guar gum. The sugar, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonates and
water were added in fixed proportion as 60, 1.0, 0.4 and 20% of
mixed flour weight, respectively. Optimum formulation obtained for
maximum spread ratio, fibre content, surface L-value, overall
acceptability and minimum breaking strength were 80% foxtail millet
flour in mixed flour, 42.8 % fat content and 0.05% guar gum.
Abstract: An optimal solution for a large number of constraint
satisfaction problems can be found using the technique of
substitution and elimination of variables analogous to the technique
that is used to solve systems of equations. A decision function
f(A)=max(A2) is used to determine which variables to eliminate. The
algorithm can be expressed in six lines and is remarkable in both its
simplicity and its ability to find an optimal solution. However it is
inefficient in that it needs to square the updated A matrix after each
variable elimination. To overcome this inefficiency the algorithm is
analyzed and it is shown that the A matrix only needs to be squared
once at the first step of the algorithm and then incrementally updated
for subsequent steps, resulting in significant improvement and an
algorithm complexity of O(n3).
Abstract: UWB is a very attractive technology for many
applications. It provides many advantages such as fine resolution and high power efficiency. Our interest in the current study is the use of
UWB radar technique in microwave medical imaging systems, especially for early breast cancer detection. The Federal Communications Commission FCC allowed frequency bandwidth of
3.1 to 10.6 GHz for this purpose. In this paper we suggest an UWB Bowtie slot antenna with enhanced bandwidth. Effects of varying the geometry of the antenna
on its performance and bandwidth are studied. The proposed antenna
is simulated in CST Microwave Studio. Details of antenna design and
simulation results such as return loss and radiation patterns are discussed in this paper. The final antenna structure exhibits good
UWB characteristics and has surpassed the bandwidth requirements.
Abstract: Yield and Crop Water Productivity are crucial issues
in sustainable agriculture, especially in high-demand resource crops such as sweet corn. This study was conducted to investigate
agronomic responses such as plant growth, yield and soil parameters (EC and Nitrate accumulation) to several deficit irrigation treatments
(100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% of ETm) applied during vegetative growth
stage, rainfed treatment was also tested.
The finding of this research indicates that under deficit irrigation
during vegetative growth stage applying 75% of ETm lead to increasing of 19.4% in terms of fresh ear yield, 9.4% in terms of dry grain yield, 10.5% in terms of number of ears per plant, 11.5% for
the 1000 grains weight and 19% in terms of crop water productivity compared with fully irrigated treatment. While those parameters in
addition to root, shoot and plant height has been affected by deficit
irrigation during vegetative growth stage when increasing water stress degree more than 50% of ETm.
Abstract: Chatter vibration has been a troublesome problem for a
machine tool toward the high precision and high speed machining.
Essentially, the machining performance is determined by the dynamic
characteristics of the machine tool structure and dynamics of cutting
process. Therefore the dynamic vibration behavior of spindle tool
system greatly determines the performance of machine tool. The
purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of the machine
frame structure on the dynamic frequency of spindle tool unit through
finite element modeling approach. To this end, a realistic finite
element model of the vertical milling system was created by
incorporated the spindle-bearing model into the spindle head stock of
the machine frame. Using this model, the dynamic characteristics of
the milling machines with different structural designs of spindle head
stock and identical spindle tool unit were demonstrated. The results of
the finite element modeling reveal that the spindle tool unit behaves
more compliant when the excited frequency approaches the natural
mode of the spindle tool; while the spindle tool show a higher dynamic
stiffness at lower frequency that may be initiated by the structural
mode of milling head. Under this condition, it is concluded that the
structural configuration of spindle head stock associated with the
vertical column of milling machine plays an important role in
determining the machining dynamics of the spindle unit.
Abstract: The bromination of five selected pharmaceuticals
(metoprolol, naproxen, amoxicillin, hydrochlorotiazide and
phenacetin) in ultrapure water and in three water matrices (a
groundwater, a surface water from a public reservoir and a secondary
effluent from a WWTP) was investigated. The apparent rate
constants for the bromination reaction were determined as a function
of the pH, and the sequence obtained for the reaction rate was
amoxicillin > naproxen >> hydrochlorotiazide ≈ phenacetin ≈
metoprolol. The proposal of a kinetic mechanism, which specifies the
dissociation of bromine and each pharmaceutical according to their
pKa values and the pH allowed the determination of the intrinsic rate
constants for every elementary reaction. The influence of the main
operating conditions (pH, initial bromine dose, and the water matrix)
on the degradation of pharmaceuticals was established. In addition,
the presence of bromide in chlorination experiments was
investigated. The presence of bromide in wastewaters and drinking
waters in the range of 10 to several hundred μg L-1 accelerated
slightly the oxidation of the selected pharmaceuticals during chorine
disinfection.
Abstract: Present paper presents a parametric performancebased
design model for optimizing hospital design. The design model
operates with geometric input parameters defining the functional
requirements of the hospital and input parameters in terms of
performance objectives defining the design requirements and
preferences of the hospital with respect to performances. The design
model takes point of departure in the hospital functionalities as a set
of defined parameters and rules describing the design requirements
and preferences.
Abstract: Background noise is particularly damaging to speech
intelligibility for people with hearing loss especially for sensorineural
loss patients. Several investigations on speech intelligibility have
demonstrated sensorineural loss patients need 5-15 dB higher SNR
than the normal hearing subjects. This paper describes Discrete
Cosine Transform Power Normalized Least Mean Square algorithm
to improve the SNR and to reduce the convergence rate of the LMS
for Sensory neural loss patients. Since it requires only real arithmetic,
it establishes the faster convergence rate as compare to time domain
LMS and also this transformation improves the eigenvalue
distribution of the input autocorrelation matrix of the LMS filter.
The DCT has good ortho-normal, separable, and energy compaction
property. Although the DCT does not separate frequencies, it is a
powerful signal decorrelator. It is a real valued function and thus
can be effectively used in real-time operation. The advantages of
DCT-LMS as compared to standard LMS algorithm are shown via
SNR and eigenvalue ratio computations. . Exploiting the symmetry
of the basis functions, the DCT transform matrix [AN] can be
factored into a series of ±1 butterflies and rotation angles. This
factorization results in one of the fastest DCT implementation. There
are different ways to obtain factorizations. This work uses the fast
factored DCT algorithm developed by Chen and company. The
computer simulations results show superior convergence
characteristics of the proposed algorithm by improving the SNR at
least 10 dB for input SNR less than and equal to 0 dB, faster
convergence speed and better time and frequency characteristics.
Abstract: The effect of SnO2 surface modification by Ag nanoclusters, synthesized by SILD method, on the operating characteristics of thin film gas sensors was studied and models for the promotional role of Ag additives were discussed. It was found that mentioned above approach can be used for improvement both the sensitivity and the rate of response of the SnO2-based gas sensors to CO and H2. At the same time, the presence of the Ag clusters on the surface of SnO2 depressed the sensor response to ozone.
Abstract: The motorway segment between Tangier and Oued
R’mel has experienced, since the beginning of building works,
significant instability and landslides linked to a number of geological,
hydrogeological and geothermic factors affecting the different
formations.
The landslides observed are not fully understood, despite many
studies conducted on this segment. This study aims at producing new
methods to better explain the phenomena behind the landslides,
taking into account the geotechnical and geothermic contexts. This
analysis builds up on previous studies and geotechnical data collected
in the field.
The final body of data collected shall be processed through the
Plaxis software for a better and customizable view of the landslide
problems in the area, which will help tofind solutions and stabilize
land in the area.
Abstract: Future astronomical projects on large space x-ray
imaging telescopes require novel substrates and technologies for the
construction of their reflecting mirrors. The mirrors must be
lightweight and precisely shaped to achieve large collecting area with
high angular resolution. The new materials and technologies must be
cost-effective. Currently, the most promising materials are glass or
silicon foils. We focused on precise shaping these foils by thermal
forming process. We studied free and forced slumping in the
temperature region of hot plastic deformation and compared the
shapes obtained by the different slumping processes. We measured
the shapes and the surface quality of the foils. In the experiments, we
varied both heat-treatment temperature and time following our
experiment design. The obtained data and relations we can use for
modeling and optimizing the thermal forming procedure.
Abstract: This paper aims to present the reviews of the
application of neural network in shunt active power filter (SAPF).
From the review, three out of four components of SAPF structure,
which are harmonic detection component, compensating current
control, and DC bus voltage control, have been adopted some of
neural network architecture as part of its component or even
substitution. The objectives of most papers in using neural network in
SAPF are to increase the efficiency, stability, accuracy, robustness,
tracking ability of the systems of each component. Moreover,
minimizing unneeded signal due to the distortion is the ultimate goal
in applying neural network to the SAPF. The most famous
architecture of neural network in SAPF applications are ADALINE
and Backpropagation (BP).
Abstract: A new technique to quantify the differential mode
delay (DMD) in multimode fiber (MMF) is been presented. The
technique measures DMD based on angular launch and
measurements of the difference in modal delay using variable
apertures at the fiber face. The result of the angular spatial filtering
revealed less excitation of higher order modes when the laser beam is
filtered at higher angles. This result would indicate that DMD
profiles would experience a data pattern dependency.
Abstract: Compliance requires an effective communication
within an enterprise as well as towards a company-s external
environment. This requirement commences with the
implementation of compliance within large scale compliance
projects and still persists in the compliance reporting within
standard operations. On the one hand the understanding of
compliance necessities within the organization is promoted.
On the other hand reduction of asymmetric information with
compliance stakeholders is achieved. To reach this goal, a
central reporting must provide a consolidated view of different
compliance efforts- statuses. A concept which could be
adapted for this purpose is the balanced scorecard by Kaplan /
Norton. This concept has not been analyzed in detail
concerning its adequacy for a holistic compliance reporting
starting in compliance projects until later usage in regularly
compliance operations.
At first, this paper evaluates if a holistic compliance
reporting can be designed by using the balanced scorecard
concept. The current status of compliance reporting clearly
shows that scorecards are generally accepted as a compliance
reporting tool and are already used for corporate governance
reporting. Additional specialized compliance IT - solutions
exist in the market. After the scorecard-s adequacy is
thoroughly examined and proofed, an example strategy map as
the basis to derive a compliance balanced scorecard is defined.
This definition answers the question on proceeding in
designing a compliance reporting tool.