Abstract: LabVIEW and SIMULINK are two most widely used
graphical programming environments for designing digital signal
processing and control systems. Unlike conventional text-based
programming languages such as C, Cµ and MATLAB, graphical
programming involves block-based code developments, allowing a
more efficient mechanism to build and analyze control systems. In
this paper a LabVIEW environment has been employed as a
graphical user interface for monitoring the operation of a controlled
distillation column, by visualizing both the closed loop performance
and the user selected control conditions, while the column dynamics
has been modeled under the SIMULINK environment. This tool has
been applied to the PID based decoupled control of a binary
distillation column. By means of such integrated environments the
control designer is able to monitor and control the plant behavior and
optimize the response when both, the quality improvement of
distillation products and the operation efficiency tasks, are
considered.
Abstract: In this paper, the residual stress of thermal spray
coatings in gas turbine component by curvature method has been
studied. The samples and shaft were coated by hard WC-12Co
cermets using high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) after preparation in
same conditions. The curvature of coated samples was measured by
using of coordinate measurement machine (CMM). The metallurgical
and Tribological studies has been made on the coated shaft using
optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Abstract: Geographical Information Systems are an integral part
of planning in modern technical systems. Nowadays referred to as
Spatial Decision Support Systems, as they allow synergy database
management systems and models within a single user interface
machine and they are important tools in spatial design for
evaluating policies and programs at all levels of administration.
This work refers to the creation of a Geographical Information
System in the context of a broader research in the area of influence
of an under construction station of the new metro in the Greek
city of Thessaloniki, which included statistical and multivariate
data analysis and diagrammatic representation, mapping and
interpretation of the results.
Abstract: The mathematical modeling of different biological
processes is usually used to predict or assess behavior of systems in
which these processes take place. This study deals with mathematical
and computer modeling of bi-substrate enzymatic reactions with
ping-pong mechanism, which play an important role in different
biochemical pathways. Besides that, three models of competitive
inhibition were designed using different software packages. The main
objective of this study is to represent the results from in silico
investigation of bi-substrate enzymatic reactions with ordered pingpong
mechanism in the presence of competitive inhibitors, as well as
to describe in details the inhibition effects. The simulation of the
models with certain kinetic parameters allowed investigating the
behavior of reactions as well as determined some interesting aspects
concerning influence of different cases of competitive inhibition.
Simultaneous presence of two inhibitors, competitive to the S1 and S2
substrates have been studied. Moreover, we have found the pattern of
simultaneous influence of both inhibitors.
Abstract: The aim of this investigation is to study the
performance of the new generation of the PVD coated grade and to
map the influence of cutting conditions on the tool life in milling of
ADI (Austempered Ductile Iron). The results show that chipping is
the main wear mechanism which determines the tool life in dry
condition and notch wear in wet condition for this application. This
due to the different stress mechanisms and preexisting cracks in the
coating. The wear development shows clearly that the new PVD
coating (C20) has the best ability to delay the chipping growth. It
was also found that a high content of Al in the new coating (C20)
was especially favorable compared to a TiAlN multilayer with lower
Al content (C30) or CVD coating. This is due to fine grains and low
compressive stress level in the coating which increase the coating
ability to withstand the mechanical and thermal impact. It was also
found that the use of coolant decreases the tool life with 70-80%
compare to dry milling.
Abstract: Recent scientific investigations indicate that
multimodal biometrics overcome the technical limitations of
unimodal biometrics, making them ideally suited for everyday life
applications that require a reliable authentication system. However,
for a successful adoption of multimodal biometrics, such systems
would require large heterogeneous datasets with complex multimodal
fusion and privacy schemes spanning various distributed
environments. From experimental investigations of current
multimodal systems, this paper reports the various issues related to
speed, error-recovery and privacy that impede the diffusion of such
systems in real-life. This calls for a robust mechanism that caters to
the desired real-time performance, robust fusion schemes,
interoperability and adaptable privacy policies.
The main objective of this paper is to present a framework that
addresses the abovementioned issues by leveraging on the
heterogeneous resource sharing capacities of Grid services and the
efficient machine learning capabilities of artificial neural networks
(ANN). Hence, this paper proposes a Grid-based neural network
framework for adopting multimodal biometrics with the view of
overcoming the barriers of performance, privacy and risk issues that
are associated with shared heterogeneous multimodal data centres.
The framework combines the concept of Grid services for reliable
brokering and privacy policy management of shared biometric
resources along with a momentum back propagation ANN (MBPANN)
model of machine learning for efficient multimodal fusion and
authentication schemes. Real-life applications would be able to adopt
the proposed framework to cater to the varying business requirements
and user privacies for a successful diffusion of multimodal
biometrics in various day-to-day transactions.
Abstract: We investigated statistical performance of Bayesian inference using maximum entropy and MAP estimation for several models which approximated wave-fronts in remote sensing using SAR interferometry. Using Monte Carlo simulation for a set of wave-fronts generated by assumed true prior, we found that the method of maximum entropy realized the optimal performance around the Bayes-optimal conditions by using model of the true prior and the likelihood representing optical measurement due to the interferometer. Also, we found that the MAP estimation regarded as a deterministic limit of maximum entropy almost achieved the same performance as the Bayes-optimal solution for the set of wave-fronts. Then, we clarified that the MAP estimation perfectly carried out phase unwrapping without using prior information, and also that the MAP estimation realized accurate phase unwrapping using conjugate gradient (CG) method, if we assumed the model of the true prior appropriately.
Abstract: The electrical substation components are often subject to degradation due to over-voltage or over-current, caused by a short circuit or a lightning. A particular interest is given to the circuit breaker, regarding the importance of its function and its dangerous failure. This component degrades gradually due to the use, and it is also subject to the shock process resulted from the stress of isolating the fault when a short circuit occurs in the system. In this paper, based on failure mechanisms developments, the wear out of the circuit breaker contacts is modeled. The aim of this work is to evaluate its reliability and consequently its residual lifetime. The shock process is based on two random variables such as: the arrival of shocks and their magnitudes. The arrival of shocks was modeled using homogeneous Poisson process (HPP). By simulation, the dates of short-circuit arrivals were generated accompanied with their magnitudes. The same principle of simulation is applied to the amount of cumulative wear out contacts. The objective reached is to find the formulation of the wear function depending on the number of solicitations of the circuit breaker.
Abstract: In contrast to existing methods which do not take into account multiconnectivity in a broad sense of this term, we develop mathematical models and highly effective combination (BIEM and FDM) numerical methods of calculation of stationary and cvazistationary temperature field of a profile part of a blade with convective cooling (from the point of view of realization on PC). The theoretical substantiation of these methods is proved by appropriate theorems. For it, converging quadrature processes have been developed and the estimations of errors in the terms of A.Ziqmound continuity modules have been received. For visualization of profiles are used: the method of the least squares with automatic conjecture, device spline, smooth replenishment and neural nets. Boundary conditions of heat exchange are determined from the solution of the corresponding integral equations and empirical relationships. The reliability of designed methods is proved by calculation and experimental investigations heat and hydraulic characteristics of the gas turbine 1st stage nozzle blade
Abstract: Grobner basis calculation forms a key part of computational
commutative algebra and many other areas. One important
ramification of the theory of Grobner basis provides a means to solve
a system of non-linear equations. This is why it has become very
important in the areas where the solution of non-linear equations is
needed, for instance in algebraic cryptanalysis and coding theory. This
paper explores on a parallel-distributed implementation for Grobner
basis calculation over GF(2). For doing so Buchberger algorithm is
used. OpenMP and MPI-C language constructs have been used to
implement the scheme. Some relevant results have been furnished
to compare the performances between the standalone and hybrid
(parallel-distributed) implementation.
Abstract: Numerical investigation of flow around a square cylinder are presented using the multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann methods at different Reynolds numbers. A detail analysis are given in terms of time-trace analysis of drag and lift coefficients, power spectra analysis of lift coefficient, vorticity contours visualizations, streamlines and phase diagrams. A number of physical quantities mean drag coefficient, drag coefficient, Strouhal number and root-mean-square values of drag and lift coefficients are calculated and compared with the well resolved experimental data and numerical results available in open literature. The Reynolds numbers affected the physical quantities.
Abstract: In this work, we present a novel active learning approach
for learning a visual object detection system. Our system
is composed of an active learning mechanism as wrapper around
a sub-algorithm which implement an online boosting-based learning
object detector. In the core is a combination of a bootstrap procedure
and a semi automatic learning process based on the online boosting
procedure. The idea is to exploit the availability of classifier during
learning to automatically label training samples and increasingly
improves the classifier. This addresses the issue of reducing labeling
effort meanwhile obtain better performance. In addition, we propose
a verification process for further improvement of the classifier.
The idea is to allow re-update on seen data during learning for
stabilizing the detector. The main contribution of this empirical study
is a demonstration that active learning based on an online boosting
approach trained in this manner can achieve results comparable or
even outperform a framework trained in conventional manner using
much more labeling effort. Empirical experiments on challenging data
set for specific object deteciton problems show the effectiveness of
our approach.
Abstract: The main purpose of the research is to address the role of psychological harassment behaviors (mobbing) to which employees are exposed and personality characteristics over work alienation. Research population was composed of the employees of Provincial Special Administration. A survey with four sections was created to measure variables and reach out the basic goals of the research. Correlation and step-wise regression analyses were performed to investigate the separate and overall effects of sub-dimensions of psychological harassment behaviors and personality characteristic on work alienation of employees. Correlation analysis revealed significant but weak relationships between work alienation and psychological harassment and personality characteristics. Step-wise regression analysis revealed also significant relationships between work alienation variable and assault to personality, direct negative behaviors (sub dimensions of mobbing) and openness (sub-dimension of personality characteristics). Each variable was introduced into the model step by step to investigate the effects of significant variables in explaining the variations in work alienation. While the explanation ratio of the first model was 13%, the last model including three variables had an explanation ratio of 24%.
Abstract: Government spending is categorized into consumption spending and capital spending. Three categories of private consumption are used: food consumption, nonfood consumption, and services consumption. The estimated model indicates substitution effects of government consumption spending on budget shares of private nonfood consumption and of government capital spending on budget share of private food consumption. However, the results do not indicate whether the negative effects of changes in the budget shares of the nonfood and the food consumption equates to reduce total private consumption. The concept of aggregate demand comprising consumption, investment, government spending (consumption spending and capital spending), export, and import are used to estimate their relationship by using the Vector Error Correction Mechanism. The study found no effect of government capital spending on either the private consumption or the growth of GDP while the government consumption spending has negative effect on the growth of GDP.
Abstract: The antimicrobial, antiplasmid and cytotoxic activities of marine algae Halimeda opuntia and Sarconema filiforme were investigated. Antimicrobial bioassay against some human pathogenic bacteria and yeast were conducted using disc diffusion method. Halimeda extract exhibited antibacterial activity against six species of microrganisms, with significant inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. While Sarconema extract was better potent as antifungal against Candida albicans. Comparative antibacterial studies showed that Halimeda extract showed equivalent or better activity as compared with commercial antibiotic when tested against Staphylococcus aureus. Further tests conducted using dilution method showed both extracts as having bacteriostatic mode of action against the tested microorganisms. Methanol extract of two species showed significant cytotoxicity (LC50
Abstract: The globe Sustainability has become the subject of international attention, the key reason is that global climate change. Climate and disasters around the abnormal frequency multiplier, the global temperature of the catastrophe and disaster continue to occur throughout the world, as well as countries around the world. Currently there are many important international conferences and policy, it is a "global environmental sustainability " and "living human health " as the goal of development, including the APEC 2007 meeting to "climate Clean Energy" as the theme Sydney Declaration, 2008 World Economic Forum's "Carbon - promote Cool Earth energy efficiency improvement project", the EU proposed "Green Idea" program, the Japanese annual policy, "low-carbon society, sustainable eco-city environment (Eco City) "And from 2009 to 2010 to promote the "Eco-Point" to promote green energy and carbon reduction products .And the 2010 World Climate Change Conference (COP16 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen), the world has been the subject of Negative conservative "Environmental Protection ", "save energy consumption, " into a positive response to the "Sustainable " and" LOHAS", while Taiwan has actively put forward eco-cities, green building, green building materials and other related environmental response Measures, especially green building construction environment that is the basis of factors, the most widely used application level, and direct contact with human health and the key to sustainable planet. "Sustainable development "is a necessary condition for continuation of the Earth, "healthy and comfortable" is a necessary condition for the continuation of life, and improve the "quality" is a necessary condition for economic development, balance between the three is "to enhance the efficiency of ", According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) for the "environmental efficiency "(Eco-Efficiency) proposed: " the achievement of environmental efficiency, the price to be competitive in the provision of goods or services to meet people's needs, improve living Quality at the same time, the goods or services throughout the life cycle. Its impact on the environment and natural resource utilization and gradually reduced to the extent the Earth can load. "whichever is the economy "Economic" and " Ecologic". The research into the methodology to obtain the Taiwan Green Building Material Labeling product as the scope of the study, by investigating and weight analysis to explore green building environmental load (Ln) factor and the Green Building Quality (Qn) factor to Establish green building environmental efficiency assessment model (GBM Eco-Efficiency). And building materials for healthy green label products for priority assessment object, the object is set in the material evidence for the direct response to the environmental load from the floor class-based, explicit feedback correction to the Green Building environmental efficiency assessment model, "efficiency " as a starting point to achieve balance between human "health "and Earth "sustainable development of win-win strategy. The study is expected to reach 1.To establish green building materials and the quality of environmental impact assessment system, 2. To establish value of GBM Eco-Efficiency model, 3. To establish the GBM Eco-Efficiency model for application of green building material feedback mechanisms.
Abstract: This paper determines most common model of in-pipe
robots to derive its degree of freedom in order to compare with the
necessary degree of freedom required for a system to move inside
pipelines freely in order to derive analytical reason for losing control
of in-pipe robots at branched pipe. DOF of most common mechanism
in in-pipe robots can be calculated by considering the robot as a
parallel manipulator. A new design based on previously researched
in-pipe robot PAROYS has been suggested, and its possibility to
overcome branched section has been simulated.
Abstract: The incorporation of computational fluid dynamics in the design of modern hydraulic turbines appears to be necessary in order to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness beyond the traditional design practices. A numerical optimization methodology is developed and applied in the present work to a Turgo water turbine. The fluid is simulated by a Lagrangian mesh-free approach that can provide detailed information on the energy transfer and enhance the understanding of the complex, unsteady flow field, at very small computing cost. The runner blades are initially shaped according to hydrodynamics theory, and parameterized using Bezier polynomials and interpolation techniques. The use of a limited number of free design variables allows for various modifications of the standard blade shape, while stochastic optimization using evolutionary algorithms is implemented to find the best blade that maximizes the attainable hydraulic efficiency of the runner. The obtained optimal runner design achieves considerably higher efficiency than the standard one, and its numerically predicted performance is comparable to a real Turgo turbine, verifying the reliability and the prospects of the new methodology.
Abstract: This paper takes the actual scene of Aletheia
University campus – the Class 2 national monument, the first
educational institute in northern Taiwan as an example, to present a
3D virtual navigation system which supports user positioning and
pre-download mechanism. The proposed system was designed based
on the principle of Voronoi Diagra) to divide the virtual scenes and
its multimedia information, which combining outdoor GPS
positioning and the indoor RFID location detecting function. When
users carry mobile equipments such as notebook computer, UMPC,
EeePC...etc., walking around the actual scenes of indoor and outdoor
areas of campus, this system can automatically detect the moving
path of users and pre-download the needed data so that users will
have a smooth and seamless navigation without waiting.
Abstract: 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a recalcitrant micropollutant which is found in small amounts in municipal wastewater. But these small amounts still adversely affect for the reproductive function of aquatic organisms. Evidence in the past suggested that full-scale WWTPs equipped with nitrification process enhanced the removal of EE2 in the municipal wastewater. EE2 has been proven to be able to be transformed by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) via co-metabolism. This research aims to clarify the EE2 degradation pattern by different consortium of ammonia oxidizing microorganism (AOM) including AOA (ammonia oxidizing archaea) and investigate contribution between the existing ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and new synthesized AOM. The result showed that AOA or AOB of N. oligotropha cluster in enriched nitrifying activated sludge (NAS) from 2mM and 5mM, commonly found in municipal WWTPs, could degrade EE2 in wastewater via co-metabolism. Moreover, the investigation of the contribution between the existing ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and new synthesized AOM demonstrated that the new synthesized AMO enzyme may perform ammonia oxidation rather than the existing AMO enzyme or the existing AMO enzyme may has a small amount to oxidize ammonia.