Abstract: Application of Expert System in the area of agriculture would take the form of Integrated Crop Management decision aids and would encompass water management, fertilizer management, crop protection systems and identification of implements. In order to remain competitive, the modern farmer often relies on agricultural specialists and advisors to provide information for decision-making. An expert system normally composed of a knowledge base (information, heuristics, etc.), inference engine (analyzes knowledge base), and end user interface (accepting inputs, generating outputs). Software named 'CROP-9-DSS' incorporating all modern features like, graphics, photos, video clippings etc. has been developed. This package will aid as a decision support system for identification of pest and diseases with control measures, fertilizer recommendation system, water management system and identification of farm implements for leading crops of Kerala (India) namely Coconut, Rice, Cashew, Pepper, Banana, four vegetables like Amaranthus, Bhindi, Brinjal and Cucurbits. 'CROP-9-DSS' will act as an expert system to agricultural officers, scientists in the field of agriculture and extension workers for decision-making and help them in suggesting suitable recommendations.
Abstract: In this study, we sought to investigate the mercury
removal efficiency of manganese oxides from natural gas. The
fundamental studies on mercury removal with manganese oxides
sorbents were carried out in a laboratory scale fixed bed reactor at 30
°C with a mixture of methane (20%) and nitrogen gas laden with 4.8
ppb of elemental mercury. Manganese oxides with varying surface
area and crystalline phase were prepared by conventional precipitation
method in this study. The effects of surface area, crystallinity and
other metal oxides on mercury removal efficiency were investigated.
Effect of Ag impregnation on mercury removal efficiency was also
investigated. Ag supported on metal oxide such titania and zirconia as
reference materials were also used in this study for comparison. The
characteristics of mercury removal reaction with manganese oxide
was investigated using a temperature programmed desorption (TPD)
technique.
Manganese oxides showed very high Hg removal activity (about
73-93% Hg removal) for first time use. Surface area of the manganese
oxide samples decreased after heat-treatment and resulted in complete
loss of Hg removal ability for repeated use after Hg desorption in the
case of amorphous MnO2, and 75% loss of the initial Hg removal
activity for the crystalline MnO2. Mercury desorption efficiency of
crystalline MnO2 was very low (37%) for first time use and high (98%)
after second time use. Residual potassium content in MnO2 may have
some effect on the thermal stability of the adsorbed Hg species.
Desorption of Hg from manganese oxides occurs at much higher
temperatures (with a peak at 400 °C) than Ag/TiO2 or Ag/ZrO2.
Mercury may be captured on manganese oxides in the form of mercury
manganese oxide.
Abstract: Electro Discharge Sawing is a hybrid process
combining the features of SEDM and ECM. Its major characteristic is
extremely fast erosion rate compare to either of the above processes.
This paper brings out its relative feature of SEDM and EDS about
their erosion rates, surface roughness, and morphology of machined
surfaces.
Abstract: This work presents a methodology for the design and
manufacture of propellers oriented to the experimental verification of
theoretical results based on the combined model. The design process
begins by using algorithms in Matlab which output data contain the
coordinates of the points that define the blade airfoils, in this case the
NACA 6512 airfoil was used. The modeling for the propeller blade
was made in NX7, through the imported files in Matlab and with the
help of surfaces. Later, the hub and the clamps were also modeled.
Finally, NX 7 also made possible to create post-processed files to the
required machine. It is possible to find the block of numbers with G
& M codes about the type of driver on the machine. The file
extension is .ptp. These files made possible to manufacture the blade,
and the hub of the propeller.
Abstract: A strategy is implemented to find the improved configuration design of an existing aircraft structure by executing topology and shape optimizations. Structural analysis of the Initial Design Space is performed in ANSYS under the loads pertinent to operating and ground conditions. By using the FEA results and data, an initial optimized layout configuration is attained by exploiting nonparametric topology optimization in TOSCA software. Topological optimized surfaces are then smoothened and imported in ANSYS to develop the geometrical features. Nodes at the critical locations of resulting voids are selected for sketching rough profiles. Rough profiles are further refined and CAD feasible geometric features are generated. The modified model is then analyzed under the same loadings and constraints as defined for topology optimization. Shape at the peak stress concentration areas are further optimized by exploiting the shape optimization in TOSCA.shape module. The harmonized stressed model with the modified surfaces is then imported in CATIA to develop the final design.
Abstract: Earthquakes are natural phenomena that occur with influence of a lot of parameters such as seismic activity, changing in the ground waters' motion, changing in the water-s temperature, etc. On the other hand, the radon gas concentrations in soil vary as nonlinear generally with earthquakes. Continuous measurement of the soil radon gas is very important for determination of characteristic of the seismic activity. The radon gas changes as continuous with strain occurring within the Earth-s surface during an earthquake and effects from the physical and the chemical processes such as soil structure, soil permeability, soil temperature, the barometric pressure, etc. Therefore, at the modeling researches are notsufficient to knowthe concentration ofradon gas. In this research, we determined relationships between radon emissions based on the environmental parameters and earthquakes occurring along the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), Turkiye and predicted magnitudes of some earthquakes with the artificial neural network (ANN) model.
Abstract: This study deals with a multi-criteria optimization
problem which has been transformed into a single objective
optimization problem using Response Surface Methodology (RSM),
Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Grey Relational Analyses
(GRA) approach. Grey-RSM and Grey-ANN are hybrid techniques
which can be used for solving multi-criteria optimization problem.
There have been two main purposes of this research as follows.
1. To determine optimum and robust fiber dyeing process
conditions by using RSM and ANN based on GRA,
2. To obtain the best suitable model by comparing models
developed by different methodologies.
The design variables for fiber dyeing process in textile are
temperature, time, softener, anti-static, material quantity, pH,
retarder, and dispergator. The quality characteristics to be evaluated
are nominal color consistency of fiber, maximum strength of fiber,
minimum color of dyeing solution. GRA-RSM with exact level
value, GRA-RSM with interval level value and GRA-ANN models
were compared based on GRA output value and MSE (Mean Square
Error) performance measurement of outputs with each other. As a
result, GRA-ANN with interval value model seems to be suitable
reducing the variation of dyeing process for GRA output value of the
model.
Abstract: As German companies roll out their standardized
production systems to offshore manufacturing plants, they face the
challenge of implementing them in different cultural environments.
Studies show that the local adaptation is one of the key factors for a
successful implementation. Thus the question arises of where the line
between standardization and adaptation can be drawn. To answer
this question the influence of culture on production systems is
analysed in this paper. The culturally contingent components of
production systems are identified. Also the contingency factors are
classified according to their impact on the necessary adaptation
changes and implementation effort. Culturally specific decision
making, coordination, communication and motivation patterns
require one-time changes in organizational and process design. The
attitude towards rules requires more intense coaching and controlling.
Lastly a framework is developed to depict standardization and
adaption needs when transplanting production systems into different
cultural environments.
Abstract: Charging and discharging phenomenon on the surface
of materials can be found in plasma display panel, spacecraft
charging, high voltage insulator, etc. This report gives a simple
explanation on this phenomenon. A scanning electron microscope
was used not only as a tool to produce energetic electron beam to
charge an insulator without metallic coating and to produce a surface
discharging (surface breakdown/flashover) but also to observe the
visible charging and discharging on the sample surface. A model of
electric field distribution on the surface was developed in order to
explain charging and discharging phenomena. Since charging and
discharging process involves incubation time, therefore this process
can be used to evaluate the insulation property of materials under
electron bombardment.
Abstract: The springs located in urban areas are the outpouring
of surface water, which can serve as water supply, effluent receptors
and important local macro-drainage elements. With unplanned
occupation, non-compliance with environmental legislation and the
importance of these water bodies, it is vital to analyze the springs
within urban areas, considering the Brazilian forest code. This paper
submits an analysis and discussion methodology proposal of
environmental compliance functions of urban springs, by means of
G.I.S. - Geographic Information System analysis - and in situ
analysis. The case study included two springs which exhibit a history
of occupation along its length, with different degrees of impact. The
proposed method is effective and easy to apply, representing a
powerful tool for analyzing the environmental conditions of springs
in urban areas.
Abstract: In this paper, a simple microfluidic device for monitoring algal cell behavior is proposed. An array of algal microwells is fabricated by PDMS soft-lithography using X-ray LIGA mold, placed on a glass substrate. Two layers of replicated PDMS and substrate are attached by oxygen plasma bonding, creating a microchannel for the microfluidic system. Algal cell are loaded into the microfluidic device, which provides positive charge on the bottom surface of wells. Algal cells, which are negative charged, can be attracted to the bottom of the wells via electrostatic interaction. By varying the concentration of algal cells in the loading suspension, it is possible to obtain wells with a single cell. Liquid medium for cells monitoring are flown continuously over the wells, providing nutrient and waste exchange between the well and the main flow. This device could lead to the uncovering of the quantitative biology of the algae, which is a key to effective and extensive algal utilizations in the field of biotechnology, food industry and bioenergy research and developments.
Abstract: This paper discusses the approach of real-time
controlling of the energy management system using the data
acquisition tool of LabVIEW. The main idea of this inspiration was
to interface the Station (PC) with the system and publish the data on
internet using LabVIEW. In this venture, controlling and switching of
3 phase AC loads are effectively and efficiently done. The phases are
also sensed through devices. In case of any failure the attached
generator starts functioning automatically. The computer sends
command to the system and system respond to the request. The
modern feature is to access and control the system world-wide using
world wide web (internet). This controlling can be done at any time
from anywhere to effectively use the energy especially in developing
countries where energy management is a big problem. In this system
totally integrated devices are used to operate via remote location.
Abstract: The noteworthy point in the advancement of Brain Machine Interface (BMI) research is the ability to accurately extract features of the brain signals and to classify them into targeted control action with the easiest procedures since the expected beneficiaries are of disabled. In this paper, a new feature extraction method using the combination of adaptive band pass filters and adaptive autoregressive (AAR) modelling is proposed and applied to the classification of right and left motor imagery signals extracted from the brain. The introduction of the adaptive bandpass filter improves the characterization process of the autocorrelation functions of the AAR models, as it enhances and strengthens the EEG signal, which is noisy and stochastic in nature. The experimental results on the Graz BCI data set have shown that by implementing the proposed feature extraction method, a LDA and SVM classifier outperforms other AAR approaches of the BCI 2003 competition in terms of the mutual information, the competition criterion, or misclassification rate.
Abstract: Security management has changed from the
management of security equipments and useful interface to manager.
It analyzes the whole security conditions of network and preserves the
network services from attacks. Secure router technology has security
functions, such as intrusion detection, IPsec(IP Security) and access
control, are applied to legacy router for secure networking. It controls
an unauthorized router access and detects an illegal network intrusion.
This paper relates to a security engine management of router based on
a security policy, which is the definition of security function against a
network intrusion. This paper explains the security policy and designs
the structure of security engine management framework.
Abstract: The dynamic speckle or biospeckle is an interference
phenomenon generated at the reflection of a coherent light by an
active surface or even by a particulate or living body surface. The
above mentioned phenomenon gave scientific support to a method
named biospeckle which has been employed to study seed viability,
biological activity, tissue senescence, tissue water content, fruit
bruising, etc. Since the above mentioned method is not invasive and
yields numerical values, it can be considered for possible automation
associated to several processes, including selection and sorting.
Based on these preliminary considerations, this research work
proposed to study the interaction of a laser beam with vegetative
samples by measuring the incident light intensity and the transmitted
light beam intensity at several vegetative slabs of varying thickness.
Tests were carried on fifteen slices of apple tissue divided into three
thickness groups, i.e., 4 mm, 5 mm, 18 mm and 22 mm. A diode laser
beam of 10mW and 632 nm wavelength and a Samsung digital
camera were employed to carry the tests. Outgoing images were
analyzed by comparing the gray gradient of a fixed image column of
each image to obtain a laser penetration scale into the tissue,
according to the slice thickness.
Abstract: To make use of the limited amounts of water in arid
region, the Iranians developed man-made underground water
channels called qanats (kanats) .In fact, qanats may be considered as
the first long-distance water transfer system. Qanats are an ancient
water transfer system found in arid regions wherein groundwater
from mountainous areas, aquifers and sometimes from rivers, was
brought to points of re-emergence such as an oasis, through one or
more underground tunnels. The tunnels, many of which were
kilometers in length, had designed for slopes to provide gravitational
flow. The tunnels allowed water to drain out to the surface by gravity
to supply water to lower and flatter agricultural land.
Qanats have been an ancient, sustainable system facilitating the
harvesting of water for centuries in Iran, and more than 35 additional
countries of the world such as India, Arabia, Egypt, North Africa,
Spain and even to New world.
There are about 22000 qanats in Iran with 274000 kilometers of
underground conduits all built by manual labor. The amount of
water of the usable qanats of Iran produce is altogether 750 to
1000 cubic meter per second. The longest chain of qanat is
situated in Gonabad region in Khorasan province. It is 70
kilometers long. Qanats are renewable water supply systems that
have sustained agricultural settlement on the Iranian plateau for
millennia. The great advantages of Qanats are no evaporation
during transit, little seepage , no raising of the water- table and no
pollution in the area surrounding the conduits. Qanat systems
have a profound influence on the lives of the water users in Iran, and
conform to Iran-s climate. Qanat allows those living in a desert
environment adjacent to a mountain watershed to create a large oasis
in an otherwise stark environment.
This paper explains qanats structure designs, their history,
objectives causing their creation, construction materials, locations
and their importance in different times, as well as their present
sustainable role in Iran.
Abstract: Displacement measurement was conducted on compact normal and shear specimens made of acrylic homogeneous material subjected to mixed-mode loading by digital image correlation. The intelligent hybrid method proposed by Nishioka et al. was applied to the stress-strain analysis near the crack tip. The accuracy of stress-intensity factor at the free surface was discussed from the viewpoint of both the experiment and 3-D finite element analysis. The surface images before and after deformation were taken by a CMOS camera, and we developed the system which enabled the real time stress analysis based on digital image correlation and inverse problem analysis. The great portion of processing time of this system was spent on displacement analysis. Then, we tried improvement in speed of this portion. In the case of cracked body, it is also possible to evaluate fracture mechanics parameters such as the J integral, the strain energy release rate, and the stress-intensity factor of mixed-mode. The 9-points elliptic paraboloid approximation could not analyze the displacement of submicron order with high accuracy. The analysis accuracy of displacement was improved considerably by introducing the Newton-Raphson method in consideration of deformation of a subset. The stress-intensity factor was evaluated with high accuracy of less than 1% of the error.
Abstract: The Implementation of the Union law faces major
challenges today. If for a long period of time, the Community and the
Union have persevered in their legislative vocation, now one can
notice that this large legislative quantity has complicated the task of
knowledge and of application the European standards. Under these
circumstances, it became necessary, in order to give effectiveness to
the European legislation, the development of some operational
application criteria and the generation of some new implementation
tools. The correct application of the European Union legislation by
the national public administrations was considered by the European
Commission as being crucial for further integration and proper
functioning of the internal market. Among the initiatives launched in
the past years to promote the exchange of good administrative
practices in the correct application of European Union legislation,
SOLVIT net has proved to be one of the most effective.
Abstract: Global approximation using metamodel for complex
mathematical function or computer model over a large variable
domain is often needed in sensibility analysis, computer simulation,
optimal control, and global design optimization of complex, multiphysics
systems. To overcome the limitations of the existing
response surface (RS), surrogate or metamodel modeling methods for
complex models over large variable domain, a new adaptive and
regressive RS modeling method using quadratic functions and local
area model improvement schemes is introduced. The method applies
an iterative and Latin hypercube sampling based RS update process,
divides the entire domain of design variables into multiple cells,
identifies rougher cells with large modeling error, and further divides
these cells along the roughest dimension direction. A small number
of additional sampling points from the original, expensive model are
added over the small and isolated rough cells to improve the RS
model locally until the model accuracy criteria are satisfied. The
method then combines local RS cells to regenerate the global RS
model with satisfactory accuracy. An effective RS cells sorting
algorithm is also introduced to improve the efficiency of model
evaluation. Benchmark tests are presented and use of the new
metamodeling method to replace complex hybrid electrical vehicle
powertrain performance model in vehicle design optimization and
optimal control are discussed.
Abstract: Nowadays there is a growing environmental concern
and the business communities have slowly started recognising
environmental protection and sustainable utilization of natural
resources into their marketing strategies. This paper discusses the
various Ecolabeling and Certification Systems developed world
over to regulate and introduce Fair Trade in Ornamental Fish
Industry. Ecolabeling and green certification are considered as part
of these strategies implemented partly out of compulsion from the
National and International Regulatory Bodies and Environmental
Movements. All the major markets of ornamental fishes like
European Union, USA and Japan have started putting restrictions on
the trade to impose ecolabeling as a non tariff barrier like the one
imposed on seafood and aqua cultured products. A review was done
on the available Ecolabeling and Green Certification Schemes
available at local, national and international levels for fisheries
including aquaculture and ornamental fish trade and to examine the
success and constraints faced by these schemes during its
implementation. The primary downside of certification is the
multiplicity of ecolabels and cost incurred by applicants for
certification, costs which may in turn be passed on to consumers.
The studies reveal serious inadequacies in a number of ecolabels
and cast doubt on their overall contribution to effective fisheries
management and sustainability. The paper also discusses the
inititive taken in India to develop guidelines for Green Certification
of Fresh water ornamental fishes.