Abstract: In this paper, we present a simple circuit for
Manchester decoding and without using any complicated or
programmable devices. This circuit can decode 90kbps of transmitted
encoded data; however, greater than this transmission rate can be
decoded if high speed devices were used. We also present a new
method for extracting the embedded clock from Manchester data in
order to use it for serial-to-parallel conversion. All of our
experimental measurements have been done using simulation.
Abstract: Non-saturated soils that while saturation greatly
decrease their volume, have sudden settlement due to increasing
humidity, fracture and structural crack are called loess soils. Whereas
importance of civil projects including: dams, canals and
constructions bearing this type of soil and thereof problems, it is
required for carrying out more research and study in relation to loess
soils. This research studies shear strength parameters by using
grading test, Atterberg limit, compression, direct shear and
consolidation and then effect of using cement and lime additives on
stability of loess soils is studied. In related tests, lime and cement are
separately added to mixed ratios under different percentages of soil
and for different times the stabilized samples are processed and effect
of aforesaid additives on shear strength parameters of soil is studied.
Results show that upon passing time the effect of additives and
collapsible potential is greatly decreased and upon increasing
percentage of cement and lime the maximum dry density is
decreased; however, optimum humidity is increased. In addition,
liquid limit and plastic index is decreased; however, plastic index
limit is increased. It is to be noted that results of direct shear test
reveal increasing shear strength of soil due to increasing cohesion
parameter and soil friction angle.
Abstract: The challenge for software development house in
Bangladesh is to find a path of using minimum process rather than CMMI or ISO type gigantic practice and process area. The small and medium size organization in Bangladesh wants to ensure minimum
basic Software Process Improvement (SPI) in day to day operational
activities. Perhaps, the basic practices will ensure to realize their company's improvement goals. This paper focuses on the key issues in basic software practices for small and medium size software
organizations, who are unable to effort the CMMI, ISO, ITIL etc. compliance certifications. This research also suggests a basic software process practices model for Bangladesh and it will show the mapping of our suggestions with international best practice. In this IT
competitive world for software process improvement, Small and medium size software companies that require collaboration and
strengthening to transform their current perspective into inseparable global IT scenario. This research performed some investigations and analysis on some projects- life cycle, current good practice, effective approach, reality and pain area of practitioners, etc. We did some
reasoning, root cause analysis, comparative analysis of various
approach, method, practice and justifications of CMMI and real life. We did avoid reinventing the wheel, where our focus is for minimal
practice, which will ensure a dignified satisfaction between
organizations and software customer.
Abstract: Power cables are vulnerable to failure due to aging or
defects that occur with the passage of time under continuous
operation and loading stresses. PD detection and characterization
provide information on the location, nature, form and extent of the
degradation. As a result, PD monitoring has become an important
part of condition based maintenance (CBM) program among power
utilities. Online partial discharge (PD) localization of defect sources
in power cable system is possible using the time of flight method.
The information regarding the time difference between the main and
reflected pulses and cable length can help in locating the partial
discharge source along the cable length. However, if the length of
the cable is not known and the defect source is located at the extreme
ends of the cable or in the middle of the cable, then double ended
measurement is required to indicate the location of PD source. Use of
multiple sensors can also help in discriminating the cable PD or local/
external PD. This paper presents the experience and results from
online partial discharge measurements conducted in the laboratory
and the challenges in partial discharge source localization.
Abstract: Chicken fat was employed as a feedstock for
producing of biodiesel by trasesterification reaction with methanol
and alkali catalyst (KOH). In this study chicken fat biodiesel with
1.4% free fatty acid, methanol and various amount of potassium
hydroxide for 2 hour were studied. The progression of reaction and
conversion of triglycerides to methyl ester were checked by IR
spectrum method.
Abstract: This study investigates the possibility providing gully
erosion map by the supervised classification of satellite images
(ETM+) in two mountainous and plain land types. These land types
were the part of Varamin plain, Tehran province, and Roodbar subbasin,
Guilan province, as plain and mountain land types,
respectively. The position of 652 and 124 ground control points were
recorded by GPS respectively in mountain and plain land types. Soil
gully erosion, land uses or plant covers were investigated in these
points. Regarding ground control points and auxiliary points, training
points of gully erosion and other surface features were introduced to
software (Ilwis 3.3 Academic). The supervised classified map of
gully erosion was prepared by maximum likelihood method and then,
overall accuracy of this map was computed. Results showed that the
possibility supervised classification of gully erosion isn-t possible,
although it need more studies for results generalization to other
mountainous regions. Also, with increasing land uses and other
surface features in plain physiography, it decreases the classification
of accuracy.
Abstract: The advances in wireless communication have opened unlimited horizons but there are some challenges as well. The Nature derived air medium between MS (Mobile Station) and BS (Base Station) is beyond human control and produces channel impairment. The impact of the natural conditions at the air medium is the biggest issue in wireless communication. Natural conditions make reliability more cumbersome; here reliability refers to the efficient recovery of the lost or erroneous data. The SR-ARQ (Selective Repeat-Automatic Repeat Request) protocol is a de facto standard for any wireless technology at the air interface with its standard reliability features. Our focus in this research is on the reliability of the control or feedback signal of the SR-ARQ protocol. The proposed mechanism, RSR-ARQ (Reliable SR-ARQ) is an enhancement of the SR-ARQ protocol that has ensured the reliability of the control signals through channel impairment sensitive mechanism. We have modeled the system under two-state discrete time Markov Channel. The simulation results demonstrate the better recovery of the lost or erroneous data that will increase the overall system performance.
Abstract: This study created new graphical icons and operating
functions in a CAD/CAM software system by analyzing icons in some
of the popular systems, such as AutoCAD, AlphaCAM, Mastercam
and the 1st edition of LiteCAM. These software systems all focused on
geometric design and editing, thus how to transmit messages
intuitively from icon itself to users is an important function of
graphical icons. The primary purpose of this study is to design
innovative icons and commands for new software.
This study employed the TRIZ method, an innovative design
method, to generate new concepts systematically. Through literature
review, it then investigated and analyzed the relationship between
TRIZ and idea development. Contradiction Matrix and 40 Principles
were used to develop an assisting tool suitable for icon design in
software development. We first gathered icon samples from the
selected CAD/CAM systems. Then grouped these icons by
meaningful functions, and compared useful and harmful properties.
Finally, we developed new icons for new software systems in order to
avoid intellectual property problem.
Abstract: Hydrogen that used as fuel in fuel cell vehicles can be
produced from renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydro
technologies. PV-electrolyzer is one of the promising methods to
produce hydrogen with zero pollution emission. Hydrogen
production from a PV-electrolyzer system depends on the efficiency
of the electrolyzer and photovoltaic array, and sun irradiance at that
site. In this study, the amount of hydrogen is obtained using
mathematical equations for difference driving distance and sun peak
hours. The results show that the minimum of 99 PV modules are used
to generate 1.75 kgH2 per day for two vehicles.
Abstract: In this article, we introduce a new approach for
analyzing UML designs to detect the inconsistencies between
multiple state diagrams and sequence diagrams. The Super State
Analysis (SSA) identifies the inconsistencies in super states, single
step transitions, and sequences. Because SSA considers multiple
UML state diagrams, it discovers inconsistencies that cannot be
discovered when considering only a single UML state diagram. We
have introduced a transition set that captures relationship information
that is not specifiable in UML diagrams. The SSA model uses the
transition set to link transitions of multiple state diagrams together.
The analysis generates three different sets automatically. These sets
are compared to the provided sets to detect the inconsistencies. SSA
identifies five types of inconsistencies: impossible super states,
unreachable super states, illegal transitions, missing transitions, and
illegal sequences.
Abstract: Machine Translation (MT 3) of English text to its Urdu equivalent is a difficult challenge. Lot of attempts has been made, but a few limited solutions are provided till now. We present a direct approach, using an expert system to translate English text into its equivalent Urdu, using The Unicode Standard, Version 4.0 (ISBN 0-321-18578-1) Range: 0600–06FF. The expert system works with a knowledge base that contains grammatical patterns of English and Urdu, as well as a tense and gender-aware dictionary of Urdu words (with their English equivalents).
Abstract: Traditionally, Yemini Sidr honey has been reported to
cure liver problems, stomach ulcers, and respiratory disorders. In this
experiment, we evaluated Yemeni Sidr honey for its ability to protect
inflammations caused by acetic acid and formalin -induced writhing,
carrageenan and histamine-induced paw oedema in experimental rat
model. Hyperpyrexia, membrane stabilizing activity, and
phytochemical screening of the honey was also examined. Yemini
Sidr Honey at (100, 200 and 500 mg/kg) exhibited a concentration
dependant inhibition of acetic acid induced and formalin induced
writhing, paw oedema induced by carrageenan & histamine, and
hyperpyrexia induced by brewer's yeast, it also inhibited membrane
stabilizing activity. Phytochemical screenings of the honey reveal the
presence of flavonoids, steroid, alkaloids, saponins and tannins. This
study suggested that Yemeni Sidr honey possess very strong antiinflammatory,
analgesic and antipyretic effects and these effects
would be a result of the phytochemicals present.
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex
metabolic disorder that characterized by the presence of high glucose
in blood that cause from insulin resistance and insufficiency due to
deterioration β-cell Langerhans functions. T2DM is commonly
caused by the combination of inherited genetic variations as well as
our own lifestyle. Metallothionein (MT) is a known cysteine-rich
protein responsible in helping zinc homeostasis which is important in
insulin signaling and secretion as well as protection our body from
reactive oxygen species (ROS). MT scavenged ROS and free
radicals in our body happen to be one of the reasons of T2DM and its
complications. The objective of this study was to investigate the
association of MT1A and MT2A polymorphisms between T2DM and
control subjects among Malay populations. This study involved 150
T2DM and 120 Healthy individuals of Malay ethnic with mixed
genders. The genomic DNA was extracted from buccal cells and
amplified for MT1A and MT2A loci; the 347bp and 238bp banding
patterns were respectively produced by mean of the Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR products were digested with Mlucl
and Tsp451 restriction enzymes respectively and producing
fragments lengths of (158/189/347bp) and (103/135/238bp)
respectively. The ANOVA test was conducted and it shown that there
was a significant difference between diabetic and control subjects for
age, BMI, WHR, SBP, FPG, HBA1C, LDL, TG, TC and family
history with (P0.05). The genotype
frequency for AA, AG and GG of MT1A polymorphisms was 72.7%,
22.7% and 4.7% in cases and 15%, 55% and 30% in control
respectively. As for MT2A, genotype frequency of GG, GC and CC
was 42.7%, 27.3% and 30% in case and 5%, 40% and 55% for
control respectively. Both polymorphisms show significant difference
between two investigated groups with (P=0.000). The Post hoc test
was conducted and shows a significant difference between the
genotypes within each polymorphism (P=0. 000). The MT1A and
MT2A polymorphisms were believed to be the reliable molecular
markers to distinguish the T2DM subjects from healthy individuals in
Malay populations.
Abstract: The study of the variability of the postural strategies
in low back pain patients, as a criterion in evaluation of the
adaptability of this system to the environmental demands is the
purpose of this study. A cross-sectional case-control study was
performed on 21 recurrent non-specific low back pain patients and 21
healthy volunteers. The electromyography activity of Deltoid,
External Oblique (EO), Transverse Abdominis/Internal Oblique
(TrA/IO) and Erector Spine (ES) muscles of each person was
recorded in 75 rapid arm flexion with maximum acceleration.
Standard deviation of trunk muscles onset relative to deltoid muscle
onset were statistically analyzed by MANOVA . The results show
that chronic low back pain patients exhibit less variability in their
anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) in comparison with the
control group. There is a decrease in variability of postural control
system of recurrent non-specific low back pain patients that can
result in the persistence of pain and chronicity by decreasing the
adaptability to environmental demands.
Abstract: THEOS is the first earth observation spacecraft of Thailand which was launched on the 1st October 2008 and is currently operated by GISTDA. The transfer phase has been performed by Astrium Flight Dynamics team leading to a hand over to GISTDA teams starting mid-October 2008. The THEOS spacecraft-s orbit is LEO and has the same repetitivity (14+5/26) as the SPOT spacecraft, i.e. the same altitude of 822 km but it has a different mean local solar time (LST). Ground track maintenance manoeuvres are performed to maintain the ground track within a predefined control band around the reference ground track and the band is ±40 km for THEOS spacecraft. This paper presents the first ground track maintenance manoeuvre of THEOS spacecraft and the detailed results. In addition, it also includes one and a half year of operation as seen by GISTDA operators. It finally describes the foreseenable activities for the next orbit control manoeuvre (OCM) preparation.
Abstract: The current study aims at investigating the
relationship between the learners- integrative and instrumental
motivation and English proficiency among Iranian EFL learners. The
participants in this study consisted of 128 undergraduate university
students including 64 males and 64 females, majoring in English as a
foreign language, from Shiraz Azad University. Two research
instruments were used to gather the needed data for this study: 1)
Language Proficiency Test. 2) A scale on motivation which
determines the type of the EFL learners- motivation. Correlatin
coefficient and t-test were used to analyze the collected data and the
main result was found as follows: There is a significant relationship
between the integrative motivation and instrumental motivation with
English proficiency among EFL learners of Shiraz Azad University.
Abstract: Reinforced concrete stair slabs with mid landings i.e.
Dog-legged shaped are conventionally designed as per specifications
of standard codes of practices which guide about the effective span
according to the varying support conditions. Presently, the behavior
of such slabs has been investigated using Finite Element method. A
single flight stair slab with landings on both sides and supported at
ends on wall, and a multi flight stair slab with landings and six
different support arrangements have been analyzed. The results
obtained for stresses, strains and deflections are used to describe the
behavior of such stair slabs, including locations of critical moments
and deflections. Values of critical moments obtained by F.E. analysis
have also have been compared with that obtained from conventional
analysis. Analytical results show that the moments are also critical
near the kinks i.e. junction of mid-landing and inclined waist slab.
This change in the behavior of dog-legged stair slab may be due to
continuity of the material in transverse direction in two landings
adjoining the waist slab, hence additional stiffness achieved. This
change in the behavior is generally not taken care of in conventional
method of design.
Abstract: Although achieving zero-defect software release is
practically impossible, software industries should take maximum
care to detect defects/bugs well ahead in time allowing only bare
minimums to creep into released version. This is a clear indicator of
time playing an important role in the bug detection. In addition to
this, software quality is the major factor in software engineering
process. Moreover, early detection can be achieved only through
static code analysis as opposed to conventional testing.
BugCatcher.Net is a static analysis tool, which detects bugs in .NET®
languages through MSIL (Microsoft Intermediate Language)
inspection. The tool utilizes a Parser based on Finite State Automata
to carry out bug detection. After being detected, bugs need to be
corrected immediately. BugCatcher.Net facilitates correction, by
proposing a corrective solution for reported warnings/bugs to end
users with minimum side effects. Moreover, the tool is also capable
of analyzing the bug trend of a program under inspection.
Abstract: Biochemical investigations were carried out to assess
the effect of different exposure regimes of Kazakhstan crude oil
(KCO) on hepatic antioxidant defense system in albino rats.
Contaminants were delivered under two different dosing regimes,
with all treatments receiving the same total contaminant load by the
end of the exposure period. Rats in regime A injected with KCO
once at a dose of 6 ml/kg bw while in regime B injected multiply at a
dose of 1.5 ml/kg bw on day 1, 3, 5 and 8. Antioxidant biomarkers
were measured in hepatic tissue after 1, 3, 5 and 8 days. Significant
induction was observed in serum aminotransferases (ALT, AST)
(p
Abstract: In this paper, the processing of sonar signals has been
carried out using Minimal Resource Allocation Network (MRAN)
and a Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) in differentiation of
commonly encountered features in indoor environments. The
stability-plasticity behaviors of both networks have been
investigated. The experimental result shows that MRAN possesses
lower network complexity but experiences higher plasticity than
PNN. An enhanced version called parallel MRAN (pMRAN) is
proposed to solve this problem and is proven to be stable in
prediction and also outperformed the original MRAN.