Abstract: Most integrated inertial navigation systems (INS) and
global positioning systems (GPS) have been implemented using the
Kalman filtering technique with its drawbacks related to the need for
predefined INS error model and observability of at least four
satellites. Most recently, a method using a hybrid-adaptive network
based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) has been proposed which is
trained during the availability of GPS signal to map the error
between the GPS and the INS. Then it will be used to predict the
error of the INS position components during GPS signal blockage.
This paper introduces a genetic optimization algorithm that is used to
update the ANFIS parameters with respect to the INS/GPS error
function used as the objective function to be minimized. The results
demonstrate the advantages of the genetically optimized ANFIS for
INS/GPS integration in comparison with conventional ANFIS
specially in the cases of satellites- outages. Coping with this problem
plays an important role in assessment of the fusion approach in land
navigation.
Abstract: The comparative analysis of different taxonomic
groups of microorganisms isolated from dark chernozem soils under
different agricultures (alfalfa, melilot, sainfoin, soybean, rapeseed) at
Almaty region of Kazakhstan was conducted. It was shown that the
greatest number of micromycetes was typical to the soil planted with
alfalfa and canola. Species diversity of micromycetes markedly
decreases as it approaches the surface of the root, so that the species
composition in the rhizosphere is much more uniform than in the
virgin soil. Promising strains of microscopic fungi and yeast with
plant growth-promoting activity to agricultures were selected. Among
the selected fungi there are representatives of Penicillium bilaiae,
Trichoderma koningii, Fusarium equiseti, Aspergillus ustus. The
highest rates of growth and development of seedlings of plants
observed under the influence of yeasts Aureobasidium pullulans,
Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Metschnikovia pulcherrima. Using
molecular - genetic techniques confirmation of the identification
results of selected micromycetes was conducted.
Abstract: Medical compression bandages are widely used in the
treatment of chronic venous disorder. In order to design effective
compression bandages, researchers have attempted to describe the
interface pressure applied by multi-layer bandages using mathematical
models. This paper reports on the work carried out to
compare and validate the mathematical models used to describe the
interface pressure applied by multi-layer bandages. Both analytical
and experimental results showed that using simple multiplication
of a number of bandage layers with the pressure applied by one
layer of bandage or ignoring the increase in the limb radius due to
former layers of bandage will result in overestimating the pressure.
Experimental results showed that the mathematical models, which
take into consideration the increase in the limb radius due to former
bandage layers, are more accurate than the one which does not.
Abstract: The field of polymeric biomaterials is very important
from the socio-economical viewpoint. Synthetic carbohydrate
polymers are being increasingly investigated as biodegradable,
biocompatible and biorenewable materials. The aim of this study was
to synthesize and characterize some derivatives based on D-mannose.
D-mannose was chemically modified to obtain 1-O-allyl-2,3:5,6-di-
O-isopropylidene-D-mannofuranose and 1-O-(2-,3--epoxy-propyl)-
2,3:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannofuranose.
The chemical structure of the resulting compounds was
characterized by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, and by HPLC-MS.
Abstract: This paper presents a comparison between two Pulse
Width Modulation (PWM) algorithms applied to a three-level Neutral
Point Clamped (NPC) Voltage Source Inverter (VSI). The first
algorithm applied is the triangular-sinusoidal strategy; the second is
the Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) strategy. In the
first part, we present a topology of three-level NCP VSI. After that,
we develop the two PWM strategies to control this converter. At the
end the experimental results are presented.
Abstract: In this study, three strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus
(690, BCRC 13023 and BCRC 13025) were subjected to acid
adaptation at pH 5.5 for 90 min. The survival of acid-adapted and
non-adapted V. parahaemolyticus strains under simulated gastric
condition and their protein expression profiles were investigated.
Results showed that acid adaptation increased the survival of the test
V. parahaemolyticus strains after exposure to simulated gastric juice
(pH 3). Additionally, acid adaptation also affected the protein
expression in these V. parahaemolyticus strains. Nine proteins,
identified as atpA, atpB, DnaK, GroEL, OmpU, enolase,
fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, phosphoglycerate kinase and
triosephosphate isomerase, were induced by acid adaptation in two or
three of the test strains. These acid-adaptive proteins may play
important regulatory roles in the acid tolerance response (ATR) of V.
parahaemolyticus.
Abstract: This paper aims to describe how student satisfaction is
measured for work-based learners as these are non-traditional
learners, conducting academic learning in the workplace, typically
their curricula have a high degree of negotiation, and whose
motivations are directly related to their employers- needs, as well as
their own career ambitions. We argue that while increasing WBL
participation, and use of SSD are both accepted as being of strategic
importance to the HE agenda, the use of WBL SSD is rarely
examined, and lessons can be learned from the comparison of SSD
from a range of WBL programmes, and increased visibility of this
type of data will provide insight into ways to improve and develop
this type of delivery. The key themes that emerged from the analysis
of the interview data were: learners profiles and needs, employers
drivers, academic staff drivers, organizational approach, tools for
collecting data and visibility of findings. The paper concludes with
observations on best practice in the collection, analysis and use of
WBL SSD, thus offering recommendations for both academic
managers and practitioners.
Abstract: Authentication plays a vital role in many secure
systems. Most of these systems require user to log in with his or her
secret password or pass phrase before entering it. This is to ensure all
the valuables information is kept confidential guaranteeing also its
integrity and availability. However, to achieve this goal, users are
required to memorize high entropy passwords or pass phrases.
Unfortunately, this sometimes causes difficulty for user to remember
meaningless strings of data. This paper presents a new scheme which
assigns a weight to each personal question given to the user in
revealing the encrypted secrets or password. Concentration of this
scheme is to offer fault tolerance to users by allowing them to forget
the specific password to a subset of questions and still recover the
secret and achieve successful authentication. Comparison on level of
security for weight-based and weightless secret recovery scheme is
also discussed. The paper concludes with the few areas that requires
more investigation in this research.
Abstract: In this paper, a Gaussian multiple input multiple output multiple eavesdropper (MIMOME) channel is considered where a transmitter communicates to a receiver in the presence of an eavesdropper. We present a technique for determining the secrecy capacity of the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel under Gaussian noise. We transform the degraded MIMOME channel into multiple single input multiple output (SIMO) Gaussian wire-tap channels and then use scalar approach to convert it into two equivalent multiple input single output (MISO) channels. The secrecy capacity model is then developed for the condition where the channel state information (CSI) for main channel only is known to the transmitter. The results show that the secret communication is possible when the eavesdropper channel noise is greater than a cutoff noise level. The outage probability is also analyzed of secrecy capacity is also analyzed. The effect of fading and outage probability is also analyzed.
Abstract: Early Intervention Program (EIP) is required to
improve the overall development of children with Trisomy 21 (Down
syndrome). In order to help trainer and parent in the implementation
of EIP, a support system has been developed. The support system is
able to screen data automatically, store and analyze data, generate
individual EIP (curriculum) with optimal training duration and to
generate training automatically. The system consists of hardware and
software where the software has been implemented using Java
language and Linux Fedora. The software has been tested to ensure the
functionality and reliability. The prototype has been also tested in
Down syndrome centers. Test result shows that the system is reliable
to be used for generation of an individual curriculum which includes
the training program to improve the motor, cognitive, and combination
abilities of Down syndrome children under 6 years.
Abstract: Where renewable energy sources, solar, hydro, wind are available the remote communities and businesses can be provided with the most reliable and affordable source of electrical energy. This paper presents a model of safari rest contains all the necessary services for the interested tourists who visit the safari Sinai desert. The PV energy system provides the rural energy needs of remote communities. A photovoltaic renewable energy system is designed to feed the global Ac and Dc electrical required load of this safari rest . The benefits of photovoltaic renewable energy at rural applications are its versatility and convenience. This model of safari rest must be taken in consideration by Egyptian Government as it will provide the tourism plane by new interested tourism field which put a big spot on Red sea area: El Ghordaka.
Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a class of
structural and functional related enzymes involved in altering the
natural elements of the extracellular matrix. Most of the MMP
structures are cristalographycally determined and published in
WorldWide ProteinDataBank, isolated, in full structure or bound to
natural or synthetic inhibitors. This study proposes an algorithm to
replace missing crystallographic structures in PDB database. We
have compared the results of a chosen docking algorithm with a
known crystallographic structure in order to validate enzyme sites
reconstruction there where crystallographic data are missing.
Abstract: The degradation of selected pharmaceuticals in some
water matrices was studied by using several chemical treatments. The
pharmaceuticals selected were the beta-blocker metoprolol, the
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory naproxen, the antibiotic amoxicillin,
and the analgesic phenacetin; and their degradations were conducted
by using UV radiation alone, ozone, Fenton-s reagent, Fenton-like
system, photo-Fenton system, and combinations of UV radiation and
ozone with H2O2, TiO2, Fe(II), and Fe(III). The water matrices, in
addition to ultra-pure water, were a reservoir water, a groundwater,
and two secondary effluents from two municipal WWTP. The results
reveal that the presence of any second oxidant enhanced the
oxidation rates, with the systems UV/TiO2 and O3/TiO2 providing the
highest degradation rates. It is also observed in most of the
investigated oxidation systems that the degradation rate followed the
sequence: amoxicillin > naproxen > metoprolol > phenacetin. Lower
rates were obtained with the pharmaceuticals dissolved in natural
waters and secondary effluents due to the organic matter present
which consume some amounts of the oxidant agents.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop a dynamic cardiac phantom for quality control in myocardial scintigraphy. The dynamic heart phantom constructed only contained the left ventricle, made of elastic material (latex), comprising two cavities: one internal and one external. The data showed a non-significant variation in the values of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) obtained by varying the heart rate. It was also possible to evaluate the ejection fraction (LVEF) through different arrays of image acquisition and to perform an intercomparison of LVEF by two different scintillation cameras. The results of the quality control tests were satisfactory, showing that they can be used as parameters in future assessments. The new dynamic heart phantom was demonstrated to be effective for use in LVEF measurements. Therefore, the new heart simulator is useful for the quality control of scintigraphic cameras.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the capacity
of natural Turkish zeolite for NH4-N removal from landfill leachate.
The effects of modification and initial concentration on the removal
of NH4-N from leachate were also investigated. The kinetics of
adsorption of NH4-N has been discussed using three kinetic models,
i.e., the pseudo-second order model, the Elovich equation, the
intraparticle diffuion model. Kinetic parameters and correlation
coefficients were determined. Equilibrium isotherms for the
adsorption of NH4-N were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and
Tempkin isotherm models. Langmuir isotherm model was found to
best represent the data for NH4-N.
Abstract: One of the aims of the paper is to make a comparison
of experimental results with numerical simulation for a side cooler.
Specifically, it was the amount of air to be delivered by the side
cooler with fans running at 100%. This integral value was measured
and evaluated within the plane parallel to the front side of the side
cooler at a distance of 20mm from the front side. The flow field
extending from the side cooler to the space was also evaluated.
Another objective was to address the contribution of evaluated values
to the increase of data center energy consumption.
Abstract: One of the problems in fault diagnosis of transformer
based on dissolved gas, is lack of matching the result of fault
diagnosis of different standards with the real world. In this paper, the
result of the different standards is analyzed using fuzzy and the result
is compared with the empirical test. The comparison between the
suggested method and existing methods indicate the capability of the
suggested method in on-line fault diagnosis of the transformers. In
addition, in some cases the existing standards are not able to
diagnose the fault. In theses cases, the presented method has the
potential of diagnosing the fault. The information of three
transformers is used to the show the capability of the suggested
method in diagnosing the fault. The results validate the capability of
the presented method in fault diagnosis of the transformer.
Abstract: Linear Discrimination Analysis (LDA) is a linear
solution for classification of two classes. In this paper, we propose a
variant LDA method for multi-class problem which redefines the
between class and within class scatter matrices by incorporating a
weight function into each of them. The aim is to separate classes as
much as possible in a situation that one class is well separated from
other classes, incidentally, that class must have a little influence on
classification. It has been suggested to alleviate influence of classes
that are well separated by adding a weight into between class scatter
matrix and within class scatter matrix. To obtain a simple and
effective weight function, ordinary LDA between every two classes
has been used in order to find Fisher discrimination value and passed
it as an input into two weight functions and redefined between class
and within class scatter matrices. Experimental results showed that
our new LDA method improved classification rate, on glass, iris and
wine datasets, in comparison to different versions of LDA.
Abstract: This work was to study batch biosorption of Pb(II)
ions from aqueous solution by Luffa charcoal. The effect of operating
parameters such as adsorption contact time, initial pH solution and
different initial Pb(II) concentration on the sorption of Pb(II) were
investigated. The results showed that the adsorption of Pb(II) ions
was initially rapid and the equilibrium time was 10 h. Adsorption
kinetics of Pb(II) ions onto Luffa charcoal could be best described by
the pseudo-second order model. At pH 5.0 was favorable for the
adsorption and removal of Pb(II) ions. Freundlich adsorption
isotherm model was better fitted for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions than
Langmuir and Timkin isotherms, respectively. The highest monolayer
adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir isotherm model was
51.02 mg/g. This study demonstrated that Luffa charcoal could be
used for the removal of Pb(II) ions in water treatment.
Abstract: Metal cutting is a severe plastic deformation process
involving large strains, high strain rates, and high temperatures.
Conventional analysis of the chip formation process is based on bulk
material deformation disregarding the inhomogeneous nature of the
material microstructure. A series of orthogonal cutting tests of AISI
1045 and 1144 steel were conducted which yielded similar process
characteristics and chip formations. With similar shear angles and cut
chip thicknesses, shear strains for both chips were found to range
from 2.0 up to 2.8. The manganese-sulfide (MnS) precipitate in the
1144 steel has a very distinct and uniform shape which allows for
comparison before and after chip formation. From close observations
of MnS precipitates in the cut chips it is shown that the conventional
approach underestimates plastic strains in metal cutting.
Experimental findings revealed local shear strains around a value of
6. These findings and their implications are presented and discussed.