Abstract: Today the social marketing was constituted as a tool
of significant value in what he refers to the promotion of changes of
behaviors, attitudes end practices. With the objective of analyzing the
benefits that the social marketing can bring for the organizations that
use it the research was of the exploratory and descriptive. In the
present study the comparative method was used, through a qualitative
approach, to analyze the activities developed by three institutions:
the Recovery Center Rosa de Saron, the House of Recovery for
addicts and Teen Challenge Institute Children's Cancer of the
Wasteland (ICIA), kindred of pointing out the benefits of the social
marketing in organizations that don-t seek the profit.
Abstract: In this researcha particle swarm optimization (PSO)
algorithm is proposedfor no-wait flowshopsequence dependent
setuptime scheduling problem with weighted earliness-tardiness
penalties as the criterion (|,
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"
).The
smallestposition value (SPV) rule is applied to convert the continuous
value of position vector of particles in PSO to job permutations.A
timing algorithm is generated to find the optimal schedule and
calculate the objective function value of a given sequence in PSO
algorithm. Twodifferent neighborhood structures are applied to
improve the solution quality of PSO algorithm.The first one is based
on variable neighborhood search (VNS) and the second one is a
simple one with invariable structure. In order to compare the
performance of two neighborhood structures, random test problems
are generated and solved by both neighborhood
approaches.Computational results show that the VNS algorithmhas
better performance than the other one especially for the large sized
problems.
Abstract: In production of medicinal plants, seed germination is
very important problem. The treated seeds (control, hydro priming
and ZnSO4) of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) were evaluated at
germination and seedling growth for tolerance to salt (NaCl and
Na2SO4) conditions at the same water potentials of 0.0, -0.3, -0.6, -
0.9 and -1.2MPa. Electrical conductivity (EC) values of the NaCl
solutions were 0.0, 6.5, 12.7, 18.4 and 23.5 dSm-1, respectively. The
objective of the study was to determine factors responsible for
germination and early seedling growth due to salt toxicity or osmotic
effect and to optimize the best priming treatment for these stress
conditions. Results revealed that germination delayed in both
solutions, having variable germination with different priming
treatments. Germination, shoot and weight, root and shoot length
were higher but mean germination time and abnormal germination
percentage were lower in NaCl than Na2SO4 at the same water
potential. The root / shoot weight and R/S length increased with
increase in osmotic potential in both NaCl and Na2SO4 solutions.
NaCl had less inhibitor effect on seedling growth than the
germination. It was concluded that inhibition of germination at the
same water potential of NaCl and Na2SO4 resulted from salt toxicity
rather than osmotic effect. Hydro priming increased germination and
seedling growth under salt stress. This protocol has practical
importance and could be recommended to farmers to achieve higher
germination and uniform emergence under field conditions.
Abstract: The objective of global optimization is to find the
globally best solution of a model. Nonlinear models are ubiquitous
in many applications and their solution often requires a global
search approach; i.e. for a function f from a set A ⊂ Rn to
the real numbers, an element x0 ∈ A is sought-after, such that
∀ x ∈ A : f(x0) ≤ f(x). Depending on the field of application,
the question whether a found solution x0 is not only a local minimum
but a global one is very important.
This article presents a probabilistic approach to determine the
probability of a solution being a global minimum. The approach is
independent of the used global search method and only requires a
limited, convex parameter domain A as well as a Lipschitz continuous
function f whose Lipschitz constant is not needed to be known.
Abstract: This paper considers the integration of assembly
operations and product structure to Cellular Manufacturing System
(CMS) design so that to correct the drawbacks of previous researches
in the literature. For this purpose, a new mathematical model is
developed which dedicates machining and assembly operations to
manufacturing cells while the objective function is to minimize the
intercellular movements resulting due to both of them. A
linearization method is applied to achieve optimum solution through
solving aforementioned nonlinear model by common programming
language such as Lingo. Then, using different examples and
comparing the results, the importance of integrating assembly
considerations is demonstrated.
Abstract: Gas hydrates form when a number of factors co-exist:
free water, hydrocarbon gas, cold temperatures and high pressures are typical of the near mud-line conditions in a deepwater drilling
operation. Subsequently, when drilling with water based muds, particularly on exploration wells, the risk of hydrate formation
associated with a gas influx is high. The consequences of gas hydrate
formation while drilling are severe, and as such, every effort should be made to ensure the risk of hydrate formation is either eliminated
or significantly reduced. Thermodynamic inhibitors are used to reduce the free water content of a drilling mud, and thus suppress the
hydrate formation temperature. Very little experimental work has
been performed by oil and gas research companies on the evaluation
of gas hydrate formation in a water-based drilling mud. The main
objective of this paper is to investigate the experimental gas hydrate
formation for a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide & nitrogen in a
water-based drilling mud with or without presence of different
concentrations of thermodynamic inhibitors including pure salt and a
combination of salt with methanol or ethylene glycol at different
concentrations in a static loop apparatus. The experiments were
performed using a static loop apparatus consisting of a 2.4307 cm
inside diameter and 800 cm long pipe. All experiments were conducted at 2200 psia. The temperature in the loop was decreased at
a rate of 3.33 °F/h from initial temperature of 80 °F.
Abstract: Study is on the vibration of thin cylindrical shells made of a functionally gradient material (FGM) composed of stainless steel and nickel is presented. The effects of the FGM configuration are studied by studying the frequencies of FG cylindrical shells. In this case FG cylindrical shell has Nickel on its inner surface and stainless steel on its outer surface. The study is carried out based on third order shear deformation shell theory. The objective is to study the natural frequencies, the influence of constituent volume fractions and the effects of configurations of the constituent materials on the frequencies. The properties are graded in the thickness direction according to the volume fraction power-law distribution. Results are presented on the frequency characteristics, the influence of the constituent various volume fractions on the frequencies.
Abstract: An epidemiological cross sectional study was
undertaken in Yaoundé in 2002 and updated in 2005. Focused on
health within the city, the objectives were to measure diarrheal
prevalence and to identify the risk factors associated with them.
Results of microbiological examinations have revealed an urban
average prevalence rate of 14.5%. Access to basic services in the
living environment appears to be an important risk factor for
diarrheas. Statistical and spatial analyses conducted have revealed
that prevalence of diarrheal diseases vary among the two main types
of settlement (informal and planned). More importantly, this study
shows that, diarrhea prevalence rates (notably bacterial and parasitic
diarrheas) vary according to the sub- category of settlements. The
study draws a number of theoretical and policy implications for
researchers and policy decision makers.
Abstract: Cluster analysis is the name given to a diverse collection of techniques that can be used to classify objects (e.g. individuals, quadrats, species etc). While Kohonen's Self-Organizing Feature Map (SOFM) or Self-Organizing Map (SOM) networks have been successfully applied as a classification tool to various problem domains, including speech recognition, image data compression, image or character recognition, robot control and medical diagnosis, its potential as a robust substitute for clustering analysis remains relatively unresearched. SOM networks combine competitive learning with dimensionality reduction by smoothing the clusters with respect to an a priori grid and provide a powerful tool for data visualization. In this paper, SOM is used for creating a toroidal mapping of two-dimensional lattice to perform cluster analysis on results of a chemical analysis of wines produced in the same region in Italy but derived from three different cultivators, referred to as the “wine recognition data" located in the University of California-Irvine database. The results are encouraging and it is believed that SOM would make an appealing and powerful decision-support system tool for clustering tasks and for data visualization.
Abstract: Multicast Network Technology has pervaded our
lives-a few examples of the Networking Techniques and also for the
improvement of various routing devices we use. As we know the
Multicast Data is a technology offers many applications to the user
such as high speed voice, high speed data services, which is presently
dominated by the Normal networking and the cable system and
digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies. Advantages of Multi cast
Broadcast such as over other routing techniques. Usually QoS
(Quality of Service) Guarantees are required in most of Multicast
applications. The bandwidth-delay constrained optimization and we
use a multi objective model and routing approach based on genetic
algorithm that optimizes multiple QoS parameters simultaneously.
The proposed approach is non-dominated routes and the performance
with high efficiency of GA. Its betterment and high optimization has
been verified. We have also introduced and correlate the result of
multicast GA with the Broadband wireless to minimize the delay in
the path.
Abstract: Because of importance of energy, optimization of
power generation systems is necessary. Gas turbine cycles are
suitable manner for fast power generation, but their efficiency is
partly low. In order to achieving higher efficiencies, some
propositions are preferred such as recovery of heat from exhaust
gases in a regenerator, utilization of intercooler in a multistage
compressor, steam injection to combustion chamber and etc.
However thermodynamic optimization of gas turbine cycle, even
with above components, is necessary. In this article multi-objective
genetic algorithms are employed for Pareto approach optimization of
Regenerative-Intercooling-Gas Turbine (RIGT) cycle. In the multiobjective
optimization a number of conflicting objective functions
are to be optimized simultaneously. The important objective
functions that have been considered for optimization are entropy
generation of RIGT cycle (Ns) derives using Exergy Analysis and
Gouy-Stodola theorem, thermal efficiency and the net output power
of RIGT Cycle. These objectives are usually conflicting with each
other. The design variables consist of thermodynamic parameters
such as compressor pressure ratio (Rp), excess air in combustion
(EA), turbine inlet temperature (TIT) and inlet air temperature (T0).
At the first stage single objective optimization has been investigated
and the method of Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm
(NSGA-II) has been used for multi-objective optimization.
Optimization procedures are performed for two and three objective
functions and the results are compared for RIGT Cycle. In order to
investigate the optimal thermodynamic behavior of two objectives,
different set, each including two objectives of output parameters, are
considered individually. For each set Pareto front are depicted. The
sets of selected decision variables based on this Pareto front, will
cause the best possible combination of corresponding objective
functions. There is no superiority for the points on the Pareto front
figure, but they are superior to any other point. In the case of three
objective optimization the results are given in tables.
Abstract: A two-dimensional moving mesh algorithm is developed to simulate the general motion of two rotating bodies with relative translational motion. The grid includes a background grid and two sets of grids around the moving bodies. With this grid arrangement rotational and translational motions of two bodies are handled separately, with no complications. Inter-grid boundaries are determined based on their distances from two bodies. In this method, the overset concept is applied to hybrid grid, and flow variables are interpolated using a simple stencil. To evaluate this moving mesh algorithm unsteady Euler flow is solved for different cases using dual-time method of Jameson. Numerical results show excellent agreement with experimental data and other numerical results. To demonstrate the capability of present algorithm for accurate solution of flow fields around moving bodies, some benchmark problems have been defined in this paper.
Abstract: Stair climbing is one of critical issues for field robots to
widen applicable areas. This paper presents optimal design on
kinematic parameters of a new robotic platform for stair climbing. The
robotic platform climbs various stairs by body flip locomotion with
caterpillar type main platform. Kinematic parameters such as platform
length, platform height, and caterpillar rotation speed are optimized to
maximize stair climbing stability. Three types of stairs are used to
simulate typical user conditions. The optimal design process is
conducted based on Taguchi methodology, and resulting parameters
with optimized objective function are presented. In near future, a
prototype is assembled for real environment testing.
Abstract: Environmental awareness and the recent
environmental policies have forced many electric utilities to
restructure their operational practices to account for their emission
impacts. One way to accomplish this is by reformulating the
traditional economic dispatch problem such that emission effects are
included in the mathematical model. This paper presents a Particle
Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to solve the Economic-
Emission Dispatch problem (EED) which gained recent attention due
to the deregulation of the power industry and strict environmental
regulations. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective one with
two competing functions, namely economic cost and emission
functions, subject to different constraints. The inequality constraints
considered are the generating unit capacity limits while the equality
constraint is generation-demand balance. A novel equality constraint
handling mechanism is proposed in this paper. PSO algorithm is
tested on a 30-bus standard test system. Results obtained show that
PSO algorithm has a great potential in handling multi-objective
optimization problems and is capable of capturing Pareto optimal
solution set under different loading conditions.
Abstract: A novel methodology has been used to design an
evaporator coil of a refrigerant. The methodology used is through a
complete Computer Aided Design /Computer Aided Engineering
approach, by means of a Computational Fluid Dynamic/Finite
Element Analysis model which is executed many times for the
thermal-fluid exploration of several designs' configuration by an
commercial optimizer. Hence the design is carried out automatically
by parallel computations, with an optimization package taking the
decisions rather than the design engineer. The engineer instead takes
decision regarding the physical settings and initializing of the
computational models to employ, the number and the extension of the
geometrical parameters of the coil fins and the optimization tools to
be employed. The final design of the coil geometry found to be better
than the initial design.
Abstract: The objectives of this research are to search the
management pattern of Nakhon Pathom lodging entrepreneurs for
sufficient economy ways, to know the threat that affects this sector
and design fit arrangement model to sustain their business with
Nakhon Pathom style. What will happen if they do not use this
approach? Will they have a financial crisis? The data and
information are collected by informal discussions with 12 managers
and 400 questionnaires. A mixed method of both qualitative research
and quantitative research are used. Bent Flyvbjerg’s phronesis is
utilized for this analysis. Our research will prove that sufficient
economy can help small business firms to solve their problems. We
think that the results of our research will be a financial model to
solve many problems of the entrepreneurs and this way will can be a
model for other provinces of Thailand.
Abstract: Disparity in India has been persisting since independence causing many socioeconomic problems and its removal has become the most prime objective of the planned development in India. Hence the paper attempts to study the disparity at State and Regional level and gives inclusive planning guidelines to achieve balanced regional development. At State level, the relative socioeconomic backwardness of Vidarbha Region based on Interregional analysis using selected indicators like Foreign Direct Investment, Human Development Index, Per Capita District Domestic Product has been assessed and broad guidelines have been proposed. In the later part at Regional level, the relative backwardness of districts based on Intraregional analysis using socioeconomic indicators has been assessed within Nagpur sub region and factors responsible for backwardness & disparity have been indicated. The policy guidelines for Identified sub region have been proposed based on the most significant factor and their extent of relationship explaining backwardness Nagpur sub region.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to develop safety practices which is suitable for Thai industrial operators from Incident and Injury Free, IIF to create safety behavior and reduce the un-safe records in the petroleum industry. A number of 310 technicians i.e., 295 males and 15 females, in service maintenance section participated in this program. The safety attitude level and safety behavior level for pre-attended and post-attended the developed safety practices of the technicians were evaluated using questionnaire procedure and on-site observation. After applied the developed practice program, both of the safety attitudes and safety behavior were increased to be at very good level and good level, respectively. Evaluating the follow-up unsafe records, it was found that the injury was reduced from 0.11 to 0 case/month, the medical treatment case was reduced from 0.22 to 0 case/month and the first aid case was reduced from 1 to 0.33 case/month. The developed safety working practice was successfully implemented to Thai industrial operators.
Abstract: The paper proposes a new concept in developing
collaborative design system. The concept framework involves
applying simulation of supply chain management to collaborative
design called – 'SCM–Based Design Tool'. The system is developed
particularly to support design activities and to integrate all facilities
together. The system is aimed to increase design productivity and
creativity. Therefore, designers and customers can collaborate by the
system since conceptual design. JAG: Jewelry Art Generator based
on artificial intelligence techniques is integrated into the system.
Moreover, the proposed system can support users as decision tool
and data propagation. The system covers since raw material supply
until product delivery. Data management and sharing information are
visually supported to designers and customers via user interface. The
system is developed on Web–assisted product development
environment. The prototype system is presented for Thai jewelry
industry as a system prototype demonstration, but applicable for
other industry.
Abstract: This paper focuses on a novel method for semantic
searching and retrieval of information about learning materials.
Metametadata encapsulate metadata instances by using the properties
and attributes provided by ontologies rather than describing learning
objects. A novel metametadata taxonomy has been developed which
provides the basis for a semantic search engine to extract, match and
map queries to retrieve relevant results. The use of ontological views
is a foundation for viewing the pedagogical content of metadata
extracted from learning objects by using the pedagogical attributes
from the metametadata taxonomy. Using the ontological approach
and metametadata (based on the metametadata taxonomy) we present
a novel semantic searching mechanism.These three strands – the
taxonomy, the ontological views, and the search algorithm – are
incorporated into a novel architecture (OMESCOD) which has been
implemented.