Abstract: The job shop scheduling problem (JSSP) is a
notoriously difficult problem in combinatorial optimization. This
paper presents a hybrid artificial immune system for the JSSP with the
objective of minimizing makespan. The proposed approach combines
the artificial immune system, which has a powerful global exploration
capability, with the local search method, which can exploit the optimal
antibody. The antibody coding scheme is based on the operation based
representation. The decoding procedure limits the search space to the
set of full active schedules. In each generation, a local search heuristic
based on the neighborhood structure proposed by Nowicki and
Smutnicki is applied to improve the solutions. The approach is tested
on 43 benchmark problems taken from the literature and compared
with other approaches. The computation results validate the
effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Abstract: Reduced switching loss favours Pulse Skipping
Modulation mode of switching dc-to-dc converters at light loads.
Under certain conditions the converter operates in discontinuous
conduction mode (DCM). Inductor current starts from zero in each
switching cycle as the switching frequency is constant and not
adequately high. A DC-to-DC buck converter is modelled and
simulated in this paper under DCM. Effect of ESR of the filter
capacitor in input current frequency components is studied. The
converter is studied for its operation under input voltage and load
variation. The operating frequency is selected to be close to and
above audio range.
Abstract: This paper presents a narrative management system
for organizations to capture organization's tacit knowledge
through stories. The intention of capturing tacit knowledge is to
address the problem that comes with the mobility of workforce in
organisation. Storytelling in knowledge management context is
seen as a powerful management tool to communicate tacit
knowledge in organization. This narrative management system is
developed firstly to enable uploading of many types of knowledge
sharing stories, from general to work related-specific stories and
secondly, each video has comment functionality where knowledge
users can post comments to other knowledge users. The narrative
management system allows the stories to browse, search and view
by the users. In the system, stories are stored in a video repository.
Stories that were produced from this framework will improve
learning, knowledge transfer facilitation and tacit knowledge
quality in an organization.
Abstract: A fast settling multipath CMOS OTA for high speed
switched capacitor applications is presented here. With the basic
topology similar to folded-cascode, bandwidth and DC gain of the
OTA are enhanced by adding extra paths for signal from input to
output. Designed circuit is simulated with HSPICE using level 49
parameters (BSIM 3v3) in 0.35mm standard CMOS technology. DC
gain achieved is 56.7dB and Unity Gain Bandwidth (UGB) obtained
is 1.15GHz. These results confirm that adding extra paths for signal
can improve DC gain and UGB of folded-cascode significantly.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel approach to the question of lithofacies classification based on an assessment of the uncertainty in the classification results. The proposed approach has multiple neural networks (NN), and interval neutrosophic sets (INS) are used to classify the input well log data into outputs of multiple classes of lithofacies. A pair of n-class neural networks are used to predict n-degree of truth memberships and n-degree of false memberships. Indeterminacy memberships or uncertainties in the predictions are estimated using a multidimensional interpolation method. These three memberships form the INS used to support the confidence in results of multiclass classification. Based on the experimental data, our approach improves the classification performance as compared to an existing technique applied only to the truth membership. In addition, our approach has the capability to provide a measure of uncertainty in the problem of multiclass classification.
Abstract: Sedimentation in reservoirs lowers the quality of
consumed water, reduce the volume of reservoir, lowers the
controllable amount of flood, increases the risk of water overflow
during possible floods and the risk of reversal and reduction of dam's
useful life. So in all stages of dam establishment such as cognitive
studies, phase-1 studies of design, control, construction and
maintenance, the problem of sedimentation in reservoir should be
considered. What engineers need to do is examine and develop the
methods to keep effective capacity of a reservoir, however engineers
should also consider the influences of the methods on the flood
disaster, functions of water use facilities and environmental
issues.This article first examines the sedimentation in reservoirs and
shows how to control it and then discusses the studies about the
sedimens in Siazakh Dam.
Abstract: This study was a part of the three-year longitudinal
research on setting up an math learning model for the disadvantaged
students in Taiwan. A target 2nd grade class with 10 regular students
and 6 disadvantaged students at a disadvantaged area in Taipei
participated in this study. Two units of a market basal math textbook
concerning fractions, three-dimensional figures, weight and capacity
were adapted to enhance their math learning motivations, confidences
and effects. The findings were (1) curriculum adaptation was effective
on enhancing students- learning motivations, confidences and effects;
(2) story-type problems and illustrations decreased difficulties on
understanding math language for students from new immigrant
families and students with special needs; (3) “concrete –
semiconcrete – abstract" teaching strategies and hands-on activities
were essential to raise students learning interests and effects; and (4)
curriculum adaptation knowledge and skills needed to be included in
the pre- and in-service teacher training programs.
Abstract: This paper describes a low-power second-order filter
for a continuous-time chopper stabilized capacitive sensor interface,
integrated with a fully differential post-CMOS surface-micromachined
MEMS pressure sensor. The circuit uses a single-ended
folded-cascode operational amplifier and two GM-C filters connected
in cascade. The circuit is realized in a 0.18 μm CMOS process and
offers differential to single-ended conversion. The novelty of the
scheme is the cascade of two GM-C filters to achieve a second-order
filter while minimizing power dissipation. The simulated filter cutoff
frequency is 1.14 kHz at common-mode voltage 1.65 V,
operating from a 3.3 V supply while dissipating 172μW of power.
The filter achieves an operating range of 1V for an output load of
1MOhm and 10pF.
Abstract: A local municipality has decided to build a sewage pit
to receive residential sewage waste arriving by tank trucks. Daily
accumulated waste are to be pumped to a nearby waste water
treatment facility to be re-consumed for agricultural and construction
projects. A discrete-event simulation model using Arena Software
was constructed to assist in defining the capacity of the system in
cubic meters, number of tank trucks to use the system, number of
unload docks required, number of standby areas needed and
manpower required for data collection at entrance checkpoint and
truck tank load toxicity testing. The results of the model are
statistically validated. Simulation turned out to be an excellent tool
in the facility planning effort for the pit project, as it insured smooth
flow lines of tank trucks load discharge and best utilization of
facilities on site.
Abstract: This paper presents a perturbation based search method
to solve the unconstrained binary quadratic programming problem.
The proposed algorithm was tested with some of the standard test
problems and the results are reported for 10 instances of 50, 100, 250,
& 500 variable problems. A comparison of the performance of the
proposed algorithm with other heuristics and optimization software is
made. Based on the results, it was found that the proposed algorithm
is computationally inexpensive and the solutions obtained match the
best known solutions for smaller sized problems. For larger instances,
the algorithm is capable of finding a solution within 0.11% of the
best known solution. Apart from being used as a stand-alone method,
this algorithm could also be incorporated with other heuristics to find
better solutions.
Abstract: The 4G front-end transceiver needs a high
performance which can be obtained mainly with an optimal
architecture and a multi-band Local Oscillator. In this study, we
proposed and presented a new architecture of multi-band frequency
synthesizer based on an Inverse Sine Phase Detector Phase Locked
Loop (ISPD PLL) without any filters and any controlled gain block
and associated with adapted multi band LC tuned VCO using a
several numeric controlled capacitive branches but not binary
weighted. The proposed architecture, based on 0.35μm CMOS
process technology, supporting Multi-band GSM/DCS/DECT/
UMTS/WiMax application and gives a good performances: a phase
noise @1MHz -127dBc and a Factor Of Merit (FOM) @ 1MHz -
186dB and a wide band frequency range (from 0.83GHz to 3.5GHz),
that make the proposed architecture amenable for monolithic
integration and 4G multi-band application.
Abstract: Viscous heating becomes significant in the high speed
resin coating process of glass fibers for optical fiber manufacturing.
This study focuses on the coating resin flows inside the capillary
coating die of optical fiber coating applicator and they are numerically
simulated to examine the effects of viscous heating and subsequent
temperature increase in coating resin. Resin flows are driven by fast
moving glass fiber and the pressurization at the coating die inlet, while
the temperature dependent viscosity of liquid coating resin plays an
important role in the resin flow. It is found that the severe viscous
heating near the coating die wall profoundly alters the radial velocity
profiles and that the increase of final coating thickness by die
pressurization is amplified if viscous heating is present.
Abstract: In this article, we synthesize a novel chitosan -based
superabsorbent hydrogel via graft copolymerization of mixtures
acrylic acid (AA) and N-vinyl pyrollidon onto chitosan backbones.
The polymerization reaction was carried out in an aqueous medium
and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and
N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker.The hydrogel
structures were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. The swelling
behavior of these absorbent polymers was also investigated in
various salt solutions. Results indicated that the swelling capacity
decreased with an increase in the ionic strength of the swelling
medium. Furthermore, the swelling of superabsorbing hydrogels was
examined in solutions with pH values ranging between 1.0 and 13.0.
It showed a reversible pH-responsive behavior at pHs 2.0 and 8.0.
This on-off switching behavior makes the synthesized hydrogels as
an excellent candidate for controlled delivery of bioactive agents.
Abstract: Stable bacterial polymorphism on a single limiting resource may appear if between the evolved strains metabolic interactions take place that allow the exchange of essential nutrients [8]. Towards an attempt to predict the possible outcome of longrunning evolution experiments, a network based on the metabolic capabilities of homogeneous populations of every single gene knockout strain (nodes) of the bacterium E. coli is reconstructed. Potential metabolic interactions (edges) are allowed only between strains of different metabolic capabilities. Bacterial communities are determined by finding cliques in this network. Growth of the emerged hypothetical bacterial communities is simulated by extending the metabolic flux balance analysis model of Varma et al [2] to embody heterogeneous cell population growth in a mutual environment. Results from aerobic growth on 10 different carbon sources are presented. The upper bounds of the diversity that can emerge from single-cloned populations of E. coli such as the number of strains that appears to metabolically differ from most strains (highly connected nodes), the maximum clique size as well as the number of all the possible communities are determined. Certain single gene deletions are identified to consistently participate in our hypothetical bacterial communities under most environmental conditions implying a pattern of growth-condition- invariant strains with similar metabolic effects. Moreover, evaluation of all the hypothetical bacterial communities under growth on pyruvate reveals heterogeneous populations that can exhibit superior growth performance when compared to the performance of the homogeneous wild-type population.
Abstract: This paper presents an analysis on the capacity and performance of MIMO-OFDM systems. The work is focused on the capacity of MIMO-OFDM systems over rician fading channel, in the case of the channel being known at the receiver only, which is more practical case of the channel. Simple expression for capacity is derived for the case of correlated rician fading. The performance of some MIMO-OFDM implementations with rician fading model is presented using an Alamouti coding scheme and Simulation results are obtained for both capacity and performance analysis.
Abstract: this paper presents a novel scheme which is capable of reducing the error rate and improves the transmission performance in the asynchronous cooperative MIMO systems. A case study of image transmission is applied to prove the efficient of scheme. The linear dispersion structure is employed to accommodate the cooperative wireless communication network in the dynamic topology of structure, as well as to achieve higher throughput than conventional space–time codes based on orthogonal designs. The LDPC encoder without girth-4 and the STBC encoder with guard intervals are respectively introduced. The experiment results show that the combined coder of LDPC-STBC with guard intervals can be the good error correcting coders and BER performance in the asynchronous cooperative communication. In the case study of image transmission, the results show that in the transmission process, the image quality which is obtained by applied combined scheme is much better than it which is not applied the scheme in the asynchronous cooperative MIMO systems.
Abstract: The significant effects of the interactions between the
system boundaries and the near wall molecules in miniaturized
gaseous devices lead to the formation of the Knudsen layer in which
the Navier-Stokes-Fourier (NSF) equations fail to predict the correct
associated phenomena. In this paper, the well-known lattice
Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed to simulate the fluid flow and
heat transfer processes in rarefied gaseous micro media. Persuaded
by the problematic deficiency of the LBM in capturing the Knudsen
layer phenomena, present study tends to concentrate on the effective
molecular mean free path concept the main essence of which is to
compensate the incapability of this mesoscopic method in dealing
with the momentum and energy transport within the above mentioned
kinetic boundary layer. The results show qualitative and quantitative
accuracy comparable to the solutions of the linearized Boltzmann
equation or the DSMC data for the Knudsen numbers of O (1) .
Abstract: Designing and implementing intelligent systems has become a crucial factor for the innovation and development of better products of space technologies. A neural network is a parallel system, capable of resolving paradigms that linear computing cannot. Field programmable gate array (FPGA) is a digital device that owns reprogrammable properties and robust flexibility. For the neural network based instrument prototype in real time application, conventional specific VLSI neural chip design suffers the limitation in time and cost. With low precision artificial neural network design, FPGAs have higher speed and smaller size for real time application than the VLSI and DSP chips. So, many researchers have made great efforts on the realization of neural network (NN) using FPGA technique. In this paper, an introduction of ANN and FPGA technique are briefly shown. Also, Hardware Description Language (VHDL) code has been proposed to implement ANNs as well as to present simulation results with floating point arithmetic. Synthesis results for ANN controller are developed using Precision RTL. Proposed VHDL implementation creates a flexible, fast method and high degree of parallelism for implementing ANN. The implementation of multi-layer NN using lookup table LUT reduces the resource utilization for implementation and time for execution.
Abstract: This paper details a new concept of using compressed air as a potential zero pollution power source for motorbikes. In place of an internal combustion engine, the motorbike is equipped with an air turbine transforms the energy of the compressed air into shaft work. The mathematical modeling and performance evaluation of a small capacity compressed air driven vaned type novel air turbine is presented in this paper. The effect of isobaric admission and adiabatic expansion of high pressure air for different rotor diameters, casing diameters and ratio of rotor to casing diameters of the turbine have been considered and analyzed. It is concluded that the work output is found optimum for some typical values of rotor / casing diameter ratios. In this study, the maximum power works out to 3.825 kW (5.20 HP) for casing diameter of 200 mm and rotor to casing diameter ratio of 0.65 to 0.60 which is sufficient to run motorbike.
Abstract: A hybrid learning automata-genetic algorithm (HLGA) is proposed to solve QoS routing optimization problem of next generation networks. The algorithm complements the advantages of the learning Automato Algorithm(LA) and Genetic Algorithm(GA). It firstly uses the good global search capability of LA to generate initial population needed by GA, then it uses GA to improve the Quality of Service(QoS) and acquiring the optimization tree through new algorithms for crossover and mutation operators which are an NP-Complete problem. In the proposed algorithm, the connectivity matrix of edges is used for genotype representation. Some novel heuristics are also proposed for mutation, crossover, and creation of random individuals. We evaluate the performance and efficiency of the proposed HLGA-based algorithm in comparison with other existing heuristic and GA-based algorithms by the result of simulation. Simulation results demonstrate that this paper proposed algorithm not only has the fast calculating speed and high accuracy but also can improve the efficiency in Next Generation Networks QoS routing. The proposed algorithm has overcome all of the previous algorithms in the literature.