Abstract: The relationship dependence between RSS and distance
in an enclosed environment is an important consideration because it is
a factor that can influence the reliability of any localization algorithm
founded on RSS. Several algorithms effectively reduce the variance of
RSS to improve localization or accuracy performance. Our proposed
algorithm essentially avoids this pitfall and consequently, its high
adaptability in the face of erratic radio signal. Using 3 anchors in
close proximity of each other, we are able to establish that RSS can be
used as reliable indicator for localization with an acceptable degree of
accuracy. Inherent in this concept, is the ability for each prospective
anchor to validate (guarantee) the position or the proximity of the
other 2 anchors involved in the localization and vice versa. This
procedure ensures that the uncertainties of radio signals due to
multipath effects in enclosed environments are minimized. A major
driver of this idea is the implicit topological relationship among
sensors due to raw radio signal strength. The algorithm is an area
based algorithm; however, it does not trade accuracy for precision
(i.e the size of the returned area).
Abstract: The UK is leading in online retail and mobile
adoption. However, there is a dearth of information relating to mobile
apparel retail, and developing an understanding about consumer
browsing and purchase behaviour in m-retail channel would provide
apparel marketers, mobile website and app developers with the
necessary understanding of consumers’ needs. Despite the rapid
growth of mobile retail businesses, no published study has examined
shopping behaviour on fashion mobile apps and websites. A mixed method approach helped to understand why fashion
consumers prefer websites on smartphones, when diverse mobile
apps are also available. The following research methods were
employed: survey, eye-tracking experiments, observation, and
interview with retrospective think aloud. The mobile gaze tracking
device by SensoMotoric Instruments was used to understand
frustrations in navigation and other issues facing consumers in
mobile channel. This method helped to validate and compliment
other traditional user-testing approaches in order to optimize user
experience and enhance the development of mobile retail channel.
The study involved eight participants - females aged 18 to 35 years
old, who are existing mobile shoppers. The participants used the
Topshop mobile app and website on a smart phone to complete a task
according to a specified scenario leading to a purchase. The
comparative study was based on: duration and time spent at different
stages of the shopping journey, number of steps involved and product
pages visited, search approaches used, layout and visual clues, as
well as consumer perceptions and expectations. The results from the data analysis show significant differences in
consumer behaviour when using a mobile app or website on a smart
phone. Moreover, two types of problems were identified, namely
technical issues and human errors. Having a mobile app does not
guarantee success in satisfying mobile fashion consumers. The
differences in the layout and visual clues seem to influence the
overall shopping experience on a smart phone. The layout of search
results on the website was different from the mobile app. Therefore,
participants, in most cases, behaved differently on different
platforms. The number of product pages visited on the mobile app
was triple the number visited on the website due to a limited visibility
of products in the search results. Although, the data on traffic trends
held by retailers to date, including retail sector breakdowns for visits
and views, data on device splits and duration, might seem a valuable
source of information, it cannot explain why consumers visit many
product pages, stay longer on the website or mobile app, or abandon
the basket. A comprehensive list of pros and cons was developed by
highlighting issues for website and mobile app, and recommendations
provided. The findings suggest that fashion retailers need to be aware of
actual consumers’ behaviour on the mobile channel and their expectations in order to offer a seamless shopping experience. Added
to which is the challenge of retaining existing and acquiring new
customers. There seem to be differences in the way fashion
consumers search and shop on mobile, which need to be explored in
further studies.
Abstract: In this paper, we will try to demonstrate the
importance of the project approach in the urban to deal with
uncertainty, the importance of the involvement of all stakeholders in
the urban project process and that the absence of an actor can lead to
project failure but also the importance of the urban project
management. These points are handled through the following questions: Does
the urban adhere to the theory of complexity? Does the project
approach bring hope and solution to make urban planning
"sustainable"? How converging visions of actors for the same
project? Is the management of urban project the solution to support
the urban project approach?
Abstract: The present study examined how translation teachers
develop final tests as measures for checking on the quality of
students’ academic translation in Iranian context. To achieve this
goal, thirty experienced male and female translation teachers from the
four types of the universities offering the program were invited to an
in-depth 30-minute one-session semi-structured interview. The
responses provided showed how much discrepancy exists among the
Iranian translation teachers (as developers of final translation tests),
who are least informed with the current translation evaluation
methods. It was also revealed that the criteria they use for developing
such tests and scoring student translations are not theory-driven but
are highly subjective, mainly based on their personal experience and
intuition. Hence, the quality and accountability of such tests are under
serious question. The results also confirmed that the dominant
method commonly and currently practiced is the purely essay-type
format. To remedy the situation, some suggestions are in order. As
part of the solution, to improve the reliability and validity of such
tests, the present summative, product-oriented evaluation should be
accompanied with some formative, process-oriented methods of
evaluation. Training the teachers and helping them get acquainted
with modern principles of translation evaluation as well as the
existing models, and rating scales does improve the quality of
academic translation evaluation.
Abstract: Growing human population has placed increased
demands on water supplies and spurred a heightened interest in
desalination infrastructure. Key elements of the economics of
desalination projects are thermal and electrical inputs. With growing
concerns over use of fossil fuels to (indirectly) supply these inputs,
coupling of desalination with nuclear power production represents a
significant opportunity. Individually, nuclear and desalination
technologies have a long history and are relatively mature. For
desalination, Reverse Osmosis (RO) has the lowest energy inputs.
However, the economically driven output quality of the water
produced using RO, which uses only electrical inputs, is lower than the
output water quality from thermal desalination plants. Therefore,
modern desalination projects consider that RO should be coupled with
thermal desalination technologies (MSF, MED, or MED-TVC) with
attendant steam inputs to permit blending to produce various qualities
of water. A large nuclear facility is well positioned to dispatch large
quantities of both electrical and thermal power. This paper considers
the supply of thermal energy to a large desalination facility to examine
heat balance impact on the nuclear steam cycle. The APR1400 nuclear
plant is selected as prototypical from both a capacity and turbine cycle
heat balance perspective to examine steam supply and the impact on
electrical output. Extraction points and quantities of steam are
considered parametrically along with various types of thermal
desalination technologies to form the basis for further evaluations of
economically optimal approaches to the interface of nuclear power
production with desalination projects. In our study, the
thermodynamic evaluation will be executed by DE-TOP, an IAEA
sponsored program. DE-TOP has capabilities to analyze power
generation systems coupled to desalination plants through various
steam extraction positions, taking into consideration the isolation loop
between the nuclear and the thermal desalination facilities (i.e., for
radiological isolation).
Abstract: Three purified diets were formulated using fish meal,
soya bean, wheat flour, palm oil, minerals and maltose. The
carbohydrate in the diets was increased from 5 to 15% by changing
the cellulose content to study the effect of dietary carbohydrate level
on the growth parameters of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The
protein and the lipid contents were kept constant in all the diets. The
results showed that, weight gain, protein efficiency ratio, net protein
utilisation and hepatosomatic index of fish fed the diet containing
15% cellulose were the lowest among all groups. Addition, the fish
fed the diet containing 5% cellulose had the best specific growth rate,
and food conversion ratio. While, there was no effect of the dietary
cellulose levels on condition factor and survival rate. These results
indicate that Nile tilapia fingerlings are able to utilize dietary
cellulose does not exceed 10% in their feed for optimum growth.
Abstract: This paper focuses on how judiciaries in post-conflict societies can gain legitimacy through reformation. Legitimacy plays a pivotal role in shaping people’s behavior to submit to the law and verifies the rightfulness of an organ for taking binding decisions. Among various dynamics, judicial independence, access to justice and behavioral changes of the judicial officials broadly contribute to legitimation of judiciary in general, and the courts in particular. Increasing independence of judiciary through reform limits, inter alia, government interference in judicial issues and protects basic rights of the citizens. Judicial independence does not only matter in institutional terms, individual independence also influences the impartiality and integrity of judges, which can be increased through education and better administration of justice. Finally, access to justice as an intertwined concept both at the legal and moral spectrum of judicial reform avails justice to the citizens and increases the level of public trust and confidence. Efficient legal decisions on fostering such elements through holistic reform create a rule of law atmosphere. Citizens neither accept an illegitimate judiciary nor do they trust its decisions. Lack of such tolerance and confidence deters the rule of law and thus, undermines the democratic development of a society.
Abstract: Polymeric micro-cantilevers (Cs) are rapidly
becoming popular for MEMS applications such as chemo- and biosensing
as well as purely electromechanical applications such as
microrelays. Polymer materials present suitable physical and
chemical properties combined with low-cost mass production. Hence,
micro-cantilevers made of polymers indicate much more
biocompatibility and adaptability of rapid prototyping along with
mechanical properties. This research studies the effects of three
process and one size factors on the filling behaviour in micro cavity,
and the role of each in the replication of micro parts using different
polymer materials i.e. polypropylene (PP) SABIC 56M10 and
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) Magnum 8434 . In particular,
the following factors are considered: barrel temperature, mould
temperature, injection speed and the thickness of micro features. The
study revealed that the barrel temperature and the injection speed are
the key factors affecting the flow length of micro features replicated
in PP and ABS. For both materials, an increase of feature sizes
improves the melt flow. However, the melt fill of micro features does
not increase linearly with the increase of their thickness.
Abstract: The properties of hollow sandcrete blocks produced in
Minna, Nigeria are presented. Sandcrete block is made of cement,
water and sand binded together in certain mix proportions. For the
purpose of this work, fifty (50) commercial sandcrete block industries
were visited in Minna, Nigeria to obtain block samples and
aggregates used for the manufacture, and to take inventory of the mix
composition and the production process. Sieve analysis tests were
conduction on the soil sample from various block industries to
ascertain their quality to be used for block making. The mix ratios
were also investigated. Five (5) nine inches (9’’ or 225mm) blocks
were obtained from each block industry and tested for dimensional
compliance and compressive strength. The results of the soil test
shows that the grading fall within the limit for natural aggregate and
can easily are used to obtain workable mix. Physical examinations of
the block sizes show slight deviation from the standard requirement
in NIS 87:2000. Compressive strength of hollow sandcrete blocks in
range of 0.12 N/mm2 to 0.54 N/mm2 was obtained which is below the
recommendable value of 3.45 N/mm2 for load bearing hollow
sandcrete blocks. This indicates that these blocks are below the
standard for load-bearing sandcrete blocks and cannot be used as load
bearing walling units. The mix composition also indicated low
cement content resulting in low compressive strength. Most of the
commercial block industries visited does not take curing very serious.
Water were only sprinkled ones or twice before the blocks were
stacked and made readily available for sale. It is recommended that a
mix ratio of 1:4 to 1:6 should be used for the production of sandcrete
blocks and proper curing practice should be adhered. Blocks should
also be cured for 14 days before making them available for
consumers.
Abstract: The primary objective of this work was to study the
effect of resin chemistry, pH and molarity of binding and elution
buffer on aggregate removal using Cation Exchange Chromatography
and find the optimum conditions which can give efficient aggregate
removal with minimum loss of yield. Four different resins were used
for carrying out the experiments: Fractogel EMD SO3
-(S), Fractogel EMD COO-(M), Capto SP ImpRes and S Ceramic HyperD. Runs
were carried out on the AKTA Avant system. Design of Experiments
(DOE) was used for analysis using the JMP software. The
dependence of the yield obtained using different resins on the
operating conditions was studied. Success has been achieved in
obtaining yield greater than 90% using Capto SP ImpRes and
Fractogel EMD COO-(M) resins. It has also been found that a change
in the operating conditions generally has different effects on the
yields obtained using different resins.
Abstract: The increasing volume of solid waste generated,
collected and disposed daily complicate adequate management of
solid waste by relevant agency like Niger State Environmental
Protection Agency (NISEPA). In addition, the impacts of solid waste
on the natural environment and human livelihood require
identification of cost-effective ways for sustainable municipal waste
management in Nigeria. These signal the need for identifying
environment-friendly initiative and local solution to address the
problem of municipal solid waste. A research field was secured at
Pago, Minna, Niger State which is located in the guinea savanna belt
of Nigeria, within longitude 60 361 4311 - 4511 and latitude 90 291
37.6111 - .6211 N. Poultry droppings, decomposed household waste
manure and NPK treatments were used. The experimental field was
divided into three replications and four (4) treatments on each
replication making a total of twelve (12) plots. The treatments were
allotted using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and
Data collected was analyzed using SPSS software and RCBD. The
result depicts variation in plant height and number of leaves at 50%
flowering; Poultry dropping records the highest height while the
number of leaves for waste manure competes fairly well with NPK
treatment. Similarly, the varying treatments significantly increase
vegetable yield, as the control (non-treatment) records the least yield
for the three vegetable samples. Adoption of this organic manure for
cultivation does not only enhance environment quality and attainment
of food security but will contribute to local economic development,
poverty alleviation as well as social inclusion.
Abstract: Below-knee amputees commonly experience
asymmetrical gait patterns. It is generally believed that ischemia is
related to the formation of pressure sores due to uneven distribution
of forces. Micro-vascular responses can reveal local malnutrition.
Changes in local skin blood supply under various external loading
conditions have been studied for a number of years. Radionuclide
clearance, photo-plethysmography, trans-cutaneous oxygen tension
along with other studies showed that the blood supply would be
influenced by the epidermal forces, and the rate and the amount of
blood supply would decrease with increased epidermal loads being
shear forces or normal forces. Several cases of socket designs were
investigated using Finite Element Model (FEM) and Design of
Experiment (DOE) to increase flexibility and minimize the pressure
at the limb/socket interface using ultra high molecular weight
polyethylene (UHMWPE) and polyamide 6 (PA6) or Duraform. The
pressure reliefs at designated areas where reducing thickness is
involved are seen to be critical in determination of amputees’ comfort
and are very important to clinical applications. Implementing a hole
between the Patellar Tendon (PT) and Distal Tibia (DT) would
decrease stiffness and increase prosthesis range of motion where
flexibility is needed. In addition, displacement and prosthetic energy
storage increased without compromising mechanical efficiency and
prosthetic design integrity.
Abstract: In order to obtain efficient pollutants removal in
small-scale wastewater treatment plants, uniform water flow has to be
achieved. The experimental setup, designed for treating high-load
wastewater (leachate), consists of two aerobic biological reactors and
a lamellar settler. Both biological tanks were aerated by using three
different types of aeration systems - perforated pipes, membrane air
diffusers and tube ceramic diffusers. The possibility of homogenizing
the water mass with each of the air diffusion systems was evaluated
comparatively. The oxygen concentration was determined by optical
sensors with data logging. The experimental data was analyzed
comparatively for all three different air dispersion systems aiming to
identify the oxygen concentration variation during different
operational conditions. The Oxygenation Capacity was calculated for
each of the three systems and used as performance and selection
parameter. The global mass transfer coefficients were also evaluated
as important tools in designing the aeration system. Even though
using the tubular porous diffusers leads to higher oxygen
concentration compared to the perforated pipe system (which
provides medium-sized bubbles in the aqueous solution), it doesn’t
achieve the threshold limit of 80% oxygen saturation in less than 30
minutes. The study has shown that the optimal solution for the
studied configuration was the radial air diffusers which ensure an
oxygen saturation of 80% in 20 minutes. An increment of the values
was identified when the air flow was increased.
Abstract: In this research, a questionnaire survey was conducted
to measure nap, drowsiness and fatigue of drivers who work for long
shifts, to discuss about the work environment and health conditions for
taxi and bus drivers who work at night-time. The questionnaire sheet
used for this research was organized into the following categories:
tension/tiredness, drowsiness while driving, and the nap situation
during night-time work. The number of taxi drivers was 127 and the
number of bus drivers was 40. Concerning the results of a comparison
of nap hours of taxi and bus drivers, the taxi drivers’ nap hours are
overwhelmingly shorter, and also the frequency of drivers who
experience drowsiness is higher. The burden on bus drivers does not
change because of the system of a two-driver rotation shift. In
particular, the working environment of the taxi driver may lead to
greater fatigue accumulation than the bus driver’s environment.
Abstract: Localization of nodes is one of the key issues of
Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) that gained a wide attention in
recent years. The existing localization techniques can be generally
categorized into two types: range-based and range-free. Compared
with rang-based schemes, the range-free schemes are more costeffective,
because no additional ranging devices are needed. As a
result, we focus our research on the range-free schemes. In this paper
we study three types of range-free location algorithms to compare the
localization error and energy consumption of each one. Centroid
algorithm requires a normal node has at least three neighbor anchors,
while DV-hop algorithm doesn’t have this requirement. The third
studied algorithm is the amorphous algorithm similar to DV-Hop
algorithm, and the idea is to calculate the hop distance between two
nodes instead of the linear distance between them. The simulation
results show that the localization accuracy of the amorphous
algorithm is higher than that of other algorithms and the energy
consumption does not increase too much.
Abstract: The use of titanium fluoride and iron fluoride
(TiF3/FeF3) catalysts in combination with polutetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) in plain zinc- dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) oil is important
for the study of engine tribocomponents and is increasingly a strategy
to improve the formation of tribofilm and provide low friction and
excellent wear protection in reduced phosphorus plain ZDDP oil. The
influence of surface roughness and the concentration of
TiF3/FeF3/PTFE were investigated using bearing steel samples
dipped in lubricant solution at 100°C for two different heating time
durations. This paper addresses the effects of water drop contact
angle using different surface; finishes after treating them with
different lubricant combination. The calculated water drop contact
angles were analyzed using Design of Experiment software (DOE)
and it was determined that a 0.05 μm Ra surface roughness would
provide an excellent TiF3/FeF3/PTFE coating for antiwear resistance
as reflected in the Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and
the tribological testing under extreme pressure conditions. Both
friction and wear performance depend greatly on the PTFE/and
catalysts in plain ZDDP oil with 0.05 % phosphorous and on the
surface finish of bearing steel. The friction and wear reducing effects,
which was observed in the tribological tests, indicated a better micro
lubrication effect of the 0.05 μm Ra surface roughness treated at
100°C for 24 hours when compared to the 0.1 μm Ra surface
roughness with the same treatment.
Abstract: ANDASA is a knowledge management platform for
the capitalization of knowledge and cultural assets for the artistic and
cultural sectors. It was built based on the priorities expressed by the
participating artists. Through mapping artistic activities and
specificities, it enables to highlight various aspects of the artistic
research and production. Such instrument will contribute to create
networks and partnerships, as it enables to evidentiate who does
what, in what field, using which methodology. The platform is
accessible to network participants and to the general public.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between
corporate governance rating and stock prices of 26 Turkish firms
listed in Turkish stock exchange (Borsa Istanbul) by using panel data
analysis over five-year period. The paper also investigates the stock
performance of firms with governance rating with regards to the
market portfolio (i.e. BIST 100 Index) both prior and after
governance scoring began. The empirical results show that there is no
relation between corporate governance rating and stock prices when
using panel data for annual variation in both rating score and stock
prices. Further analysis indicates surprising results that while the
selected firms outperform the market significantly prior to rating, the
same performance does not continue afterwards.
Abstract: The goal of this paper is to present the diagnostic
contribution that the screening instrument, Mini-Mental State
Examination-2: Expanded Version (MMSE-2:EV), brings in
detecting the cognitive impairment or in monitoring the progress of
degenerative disorders. The diagnostic signification is underlined by
the interpretation of the MMSE-2:EV scores, resulted from the test
application to patients with mild and major neurocognitive disorders.
The cases were selected from current practice, in order to cover vast
and significant neurocognitive pathology: mild cognitive impairment,
Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, Parkinson’s
disease, conversion of the mild cognitive impairment into
Alzheimer’s disease. The MMSE-2:EV version was used: it was
applied one month after the initial assessment, three months after the
first reevaluation and then every six months, alternating the blue and
red forms. Correlated with age and educational level, the raw scores
were converted in T scores and then, with the mean and the standard
deviation, the z scores were calculated. The differences of raw scores
between the evaluations were analyzed from the point of view of
statistic signification, in order to establish the progression in time of
the disease. The results indicated that the psycho-diagnostic approach
for the evaluation of the cognitive impairment with MMSE-2:EV is
safe and the application interval is optimal. In clinical settings with a
large flux of patients, the application of the MMSE-2:EV is a safe
and fast psychodiagnostic solution. The clinicians can draw objective
decisions and for the patients: it does not take too much time and
energy, it does not bother them and it doesn’t force them to travel
frequently.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to find the efficacy
of high school student self-assessment of written production. It aimed
to explore the following two research questions: 1) How is topic
development of their written production improved after student
self-assessment and teacher feedback? 2) Does the consistency
between student self-assessment and teacher assessment develop after
student self-assessment and teacher feedback? The data came from the
written production of 82 Japanese high school students aged from 16
to 18 years old, an American English teacher and one Japanese English
teacher. Students were asked to write English compositions, about 150
words, for thirty minutes without using dictionaries. It was conducted
twice at intervals of two months. Students were supposed to assess
their own compositions by themselves. Teachers also assessed
students’ compositions using the same assessment sheet. The results
showed that both teachers and students assessed the second
compositions higher than the first compositions. However, there was
not the development of the consistency in coherence.