Abstract: Seemingly simple probabilities in the m-player game bingo have never been calculated. These probabilities include expected game length and the expected number of winners on a given turn. The difficulty in probabilistic analysis lies in the subtle interdependence among the m-many bingo game cards in play. In this paper, the game i got it!, a bingo variant, is considered. This variation provides enough weakening of the inter-player dependence to allow probabilistic analysis not possible for traditional bingo. The probability of winning in exactly k turns is calculated for a one-player game. Given a game of m-many players, the expected game length and tie probability are calculated. With these calculations, the game-s interesting payout scheme is considered.
Abstract: This study focuses on examining why the range of
experience with respect to HIV infection is so diverse, especially in
regard to the latency period. An agent-based approach in modelling
the infection is used to extract high-level behaviour which cannot be
obtained analytically from the set of interaction rules at the cellular
level. A prototype model encompasses local variation in baseline
properties, contributing to the individual disease experience, and is
included in a network which mimics the chain of lymph nodes. The
model also accounts for stochastic events such as viral mutations.
The size and complexity of the model require major computational
effort and parallelisation methods are used.
Abstract: The scientific perspective, the practice area of physical education and sports activities improve power capacity in all its forms of expression, being a generator of the research topics. Today theories that strength training athletes and slow down development progress will affect the strength and flexibility are discredited. On the other hand there are sectors and / or samples whose results are sports of the way higher manifestation of power as a result of the composition of the force and velocity, being based in this respect on the systematic and continuous development of both bio-motric capacities said. Training of force for children was and is controversial. Teama de accidentări sau a stopării premature a procesului de creştere a făcut ca în trecut copiii să fie ţinuţi departe de lucrul cu diferite greutăţi.Fear of injury or premature stop the growth process in the past made the children to be kept away from working with different weights. Recent studies have shown that the risk of accidents is relatively small and the strength training can help prevent them. For example, most accidents occur at the level of athletics ligaments and tendons. From this point of view, it can be said that a progressive intervention of force training, optimal design, will help enhancing their process, such as athlete much better prepared to meet training requests and competitions. Preparation of force provides a solid basis for further phases in the highest performance.
Abstract: In this paper a systematic method via H∞ control
design is proposed to select a sensor set that satisfies a number
of input criteria for a MAGLEV suspension system. The proposed
method recovers a number of optimised controllers for each possible
sensor set that satisfies the performance and constraint criteria using
evolutionary algorithms.
Abstract: Artemia is one of the most conspicuous invertebrates
associated with aquaculture. It can be considered as a model
organism, offering numerous advantages for comprehensive and
multidisciplinary studies using morphologic or molecular methods.
Since DNA extraction is an important step of any molecular
experiment, a new and a rapid method of DNA extraction from adult
Artemia was described in this study. Besides, the efficiency of this
technique was compared with two widely used alternative techniques,
namely Chelex® 100 resin and SDS-chloroform methods. Data
analysis revealed that the new method is the easiest and the most cost
effective method among the other methods which allows a quick and
efficient extraction of DNA from the adult animal.
Abstract: Mobile banking services present a unique growth
opportunity for mobile operators in emerging markets, and have
already made good progress in bringing financial services to the
previously unbanked populations of many developing countries. The
potential is amazing, but what about the risks? In the complex
process of establishing a mobile banking business model, many kinds
of risks and factors need to be monitored and well-managed. Risk
identification is the first stage of risk management. Correct risk
identification ensures risk management effectiveness. Keeping the
risks low makes it possible to use the full potential of mobile banking
and carry out the planned business strategy. The focus should be on
adoption of consumers which is the main risk factor of mobile
banking services.
Abstract: The reduction in vehicle exhaust emissions achieved
in the last two decades is offset by the growth in traffic, as well as by
changes in the composition of emitted pollutants. The present
investigation illustrates the emissions of in-use gasoline and diesel
passenger cars using the official European driving cycle and the
ARTEMIS real-world driving cycle. It was observed that some of the
vehicles do not comply with the corresponding regulations.
Significant differences in emissions were observed between driving
cycles. Not all pollutants showed a tendency to decrease from Euro 3
to Euro 5.
Abstract: This paper presents a useful sub-pixel image
registration method using line segments and a sub-pixel edge detector.
In this approach, straight line segments are first extracted from gray
images at the pixel level before applying the sub-pixel edge detector.
Next, all sub-pixel line edges are mapped onto the orientation-distance
parameter space to solve for line correspondence between images.
Finally, the registration parameters with sub-pixel accuracy are
analytically solved via two linear least-square problems. The present
approach can be applied to various fields where fast registration with
sub-pixel accuracy is required. To illustrate, the present approach is
applied to the inspection of printed circuits on a flat panel. Numerical
example shows that the present approach is effective and accurate
when target images contain a sufficient number of line segments,
which is true in many industrial problems.
Abstract: A fully on-chip low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulator with 100pF output load capacitor is presented. A novel frequency compensation scheme using current buffer is adopted to realize single dominant pole within the unit gain frequency of the regulation loop, the phase margin (PM) is at least 50 degree under the full range of the load current, and the power supply rejection (PSR) character is improved compared with conventional Miller compensation. Besides, the differentiator provides a high speed path during the load current transient. Implemented in 0.18μm CMOS technology, the LDO voltage regulator provides 100mA load current with a stable 1.8V output voltage consuming 80μA quiescent current.
Abstract: Recently, Cassava has been the driving force of many
developing countries- economic progress. To attain this level,
prerequisites were put in place enabling cassava sector to become an
industrial and a highly competitive crop. Cameroon can achieve the
same results. Moreover, it can upgrade the living conditions of both
rural and urban dwellers and stimulate the development of the whole
economy. Achieving this outcome calls for agricultural policy
reforms. The adoption and implementation of adequate policies go
along with efficient strategies. To choose effective strategies, an indepth
investigation of the sector-s problems is highly recommended.
This paper uses gap analysis method to evaluate cassava sector in
Cameroon. It studies the present situation (where it is now),
interrogates the future (where it should be) and finally proposes
solutions to fill the gap.
Abstract: Water has always been a very precious resource.
However, many of us do not fully understand or appreciate water-s
value until there will be a shortage. We intended to analyze the water
consumption into the Spanish households to understand their
behavior according to the habitants of the house. In this research was
carried out a survey of users, asking for water consumption of their
households. The aim of this paper is get a reference value of
consumers in Spanish households to help to check their bill and
realize if their consumption is excessive, including some tips to
decrease it.
Abstract: Modeling of Panel Zone (PZ) seismic behavior,
because of its role in overall ductility and lateral stiffness of steel
moment frames, has been considered a challenge for years. There are
some studies regarding the effects of different doubler plates
thicknesses and geometric properties of PZ on its seismic behavior.
However, there is not much investigation on the effects of number of
provided continuity plates in case of presence of one triangular
haunch, two triangular haunches and rectangular haunch (T shape
haunches) for exterior columns. In this research first detailed finite
element models of 12tested connection of SAC joint venture were
created and analyzed then obtained cyclic behavior backbone curves
of these models besides other FE models for similar tests were used
for neural network training. Then seismic behavior of these data is
categorized according to continuity plate-s arrangements and
differences in type of haunches. PZ with one-sided haunches have
little plastic rotation. As the number of continuity plates increases
due to presence of two triangular haunches (four continuity plate),
there will be no plastic rotation, in other words PZ behaves in its
elastic range. In the case of rectangular haunch, PZ show more plastic
rotation in comparison with one-sided triangular haunch and
especially double-sided triangular haunches. Moreover, the models
that will be presented in case of triangular one-sided and double-
sided haunches and rectangular haunches as a result of this study
seem to have a proper estimation of PZ seismic behavior.
Abstract: It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between
innocent murmurs and pathological murmurs during auscultation. In
these difficult cases, an intelligent stethoscope with decision support
abilities would be of great value. In this study, using a dog model,
phonocardiographic recordings were obtained from 27 boxer dogs
with various degrees of aortic stenosis (AS) severity. As a reference
for severity assessment, continuous wave Doppler was used. The data
were analyzed with recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) with
the aim to find features able to distinguish innocent murmurs from
murmurs caused by AS. Four out of eight investigated RQA features
showed significant differences between innocent murmurs and
pathological murmurs. Using a plain linear discriminant analysis
classifier, the best pair of features (recurrence rate and entropy)
resulted in a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 88%. In
conclusion, RQA provide valid features which can be used for
differentiation between innocent murmurs and murmurs caused by
AS.
Abstract: Effectiveness and efficiency of food distribution is necessary to maintain food security in a region. Food supply varies among regions depending on their production capacity; therefore, it is necessary to regulate food distribution. Sea transportation could play a great role in the food distribution system. To play this role and to support transportation needs in the Eastern Indonesia, sea transportation shall be supported by fleet which is adequate and reliable, both in terms of load and worthiness. This research uses Linear Programming (LP) method to analyze food distribution pattern in order to determine the optimal distribution system. In this research, transshipment points have been selected for regions in one province. Comparison between result of modeling and existing shipping route reveals that from 369 existing routes, 54 routes are used for transporting rice, corn, green bean, peanut, soybean, sweet potato, and cassava.
Abstract: In recent years, environment regulation forcing
manufactures to consider recovery activity of end-of- life products
and/or return products for refurbishing, recycling,
remanufacturing/repair and disposal in supply chain management. In
this paper, a mathematical model is formulated for single product
production-inventory system considering remanufacturing/reuse of
return products and rate of return products follows a demand like
function, dependent on purchasing price and acceptance quality level.
It is useful in decision making to determine whether to go for
remanufacturing or disposal of returned products along with newly
produced products to satisfy a stationary demand. In addition, a
modified genetic algorithm approach is proposed, inspired by particle
swarm optimization method. Numerical analysis of the case study is
carried out to validate the model.
Abstract: In order to calculate the flexural strength of
normal-strength concrete (NSC) beams, the nonlinear actual concrete
stress distribution within the compression zone is normally replaced
by an equivalent rectangular stress block, with two coefficients of α
and β to regulate the intensity and depth of the equivalent stress
respectively. For NSC beams design, α and β are usually assumed
constant as 0.85 and 0.80 in reinforced concrete (RC) codes. From an
earlier investigation of the authors, α is not a constant but significantly
affected by flexural strain gradient, and increases with the increasing
of strain gradient till a maximum value. It indicates that larger
concrete stress can be developed in flexure than that stipulated by
design codes. As an extension and application of the authors- previous
study, the modified equivalent concrete stress block is used here to
produce a series of design charts showing the maximum design limits
of flexural strength and ductility of singly- and doubly- NSC beams,
through which both strength and ductility design limits are improved
by taking into account strain gradient effect.
Abstract: This paper identifies five key design characteristics of
production scheduling software systems in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing. The authors consider that, in addition to an effective scheduling engine, a scheduling system should be able to
process a preventative maintenance calendar, to give the user the
flexibility to handle data using a variety of electronic sources, to run
simulations to support decision-making, and to have simple and
customisable graphical user interfaces. These design considerations
were the result of a review of academic literature, the evaluation of
commercial applications and a compilation of requirements of a PCB manufacturer. It was found that, from those systems that were evaluated, those that effectively addressed all five characteristics
outlined in this paper were the most robust of all and could be used in
PCB manufacturing.
Abstract: The effect of cassava root ensiled with cassava top or
legumes on voluntary feed intake and milk production were
determined in 12 dairy cows using a 4×3 change-over design.
Experimental period were 30 days long and consisted of 14 days of
adaptation. Silage was prepared from cassava root mixed with
cassava top or legumes at ratio 60:40. Cows were allotted at random
to receive ad libitum one of four rations: T1) control, T2) cassava
root +cassava top-silages, T3) cassava root +hamata - silages and T4)
cassava root +Thapra stylo-silages.
The dry matter intake (BW0.75) was higher (P< 0.05) in cow fed
with silages diets compared with T1. However, the intake of T2 was
higher among treatments. Milk production was lowest in cow fed
with T1. Among silages based diets, milk production was not
significantly different but 4%FCM was higher in cow fed T2. Milk
compositions were not affected by feeding diets.
It is concluded that feeding cassava root ensiled with its leaves as
a supplement increased dry matter intake and significantly improved
4%FCM. The combination of cassava root and legume silages did not
improve the feed intake but did increase the milk production.
Abstract: With the proliferation of mobile computing technology, mobile learning (m-learning) will play a vital role in the rapidly growing electronic learning market. However, the acceptance of m-learning by individuals is critical to the successful implementation of m-learning systems. Thus, there is a need to research the factors that affect users- intention to use m-learning. Based on an updated information system (IS) success model, data collected from 350 respondents in Taiwan were tested against the research model using the structural equation modeling approach. The data collected by questionnaire were analyzed to check the validity of constructs. Then hypotheses describing the relationships between the identified constructs and users- satisfaction were formulated and tested.
Abstract: Data on 657 lactation from 163 Maltese goat,
collected over a 5-year period were analyzed by a mixed model to
estimate the variance components for heritability. The considered
lactation traits were: milk yield (MY) and lactation length (LL). Year,
parity and type of birth (single or twin) were significant sources of
variation for lactation length; on the other hand milk yield was
significantly influenced only by the year. The average MY was
352.34 kg and the average LL was 230 days. Estimates of heritability
were 0.21 and 0.15 for MY and LL respectively. These values
suggest there is low correlation between genotype and phenotype so
it may be difficult to evaluate animals directly on phenotype. So, the
genetic improvement of this breed may be quite slow without the
support of progeny test aimed to select Maltese breeders.