Abstract: The major part of light weight timber constructions
consists of insulation. Mineral wool is the most commonly used
insulation due to its cost efficiency and easy handling. The fiber
orientation and porosity of this insulation material enables flowthrough.
The air flow resistance is low. If leakage occurs in the
insulated bay section, the convective flow may cause energy losses
and infiltration of the exterior wall with moisture and particles. In
particular the infiltrated moisture may lead to thermal bridges and
growth of health endangering mould and mildew. In order to prevent
this problem, different numerical calculation models have been
developed. All models developed so far have a potential for
completion. The implementation of the flow-through properties of
mineral wool insulation may help to improve the existing models.
Assuming that the real pressure difference between interior and
exterior surface is larger than the prescribed pressure difference in the
standard test procedure for mineral wool ISO 9053 / EN 29053,
measurements were performed using the measurement setup for
research on convective moisture transfer “MSRCMT".
These measurements show, that structural inhomogeneities of
mineral wool effect the permeability only at higher pressure
differences, as applied in MSRCMT. Additional microscopic
investigations show, that the location of a leak within the
construction has a crucial influence on the air flow-through and the
infiltration rate. The results clearly indicate that the empirical values
for the acoustic resistance of mineral wool should not be used for the
calculation of convective transfer mechanisms.
Abstract: In today's day and age, one of the important topics in
information security is authentication. There are several alternatives
to text-based authentication of which includes Graphical Password
(GP) or Graphical User Authentication (GUA). These methods stems
from the fact that humans recognized and remembers images better
than alphanumerical text characters. This paper will focus on the
security aspect of GP algorithms and what most researchers have
been working on trying to define these security features and
attributes. The goal of this study is to develop a fuzzy decision model
that allows automatic selection of available GP algorithms by taking
into considerations the subjective judgments of the decision makers
who are more than 50 postgraduate students of computer science. The
approach that is being proposed is based on the Fuzzy Analytic
Hierarchy Process (FAHP) which determines the criteria weight as a
linear formula.
Abstract: This paper is to develop a fuzzy net present value (FNPV) method by taking vague cash flow and imprecise required rate of return into account for evaluating the value of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) sport facilities. In order to clearly manifest a more realistic capital budgeting model based on the classical net present value (NPV) method, some uncertain financial elements in NPV formula will be fuzzified as triangular fuzzy numbers. Through the conscientious manipulation of fuzzy set theory, we will find that the proposed FNPV model is a more explicit extension of classical (crisp) model and could be more practicable for the financial managers to capture the essence of capital budgeting of sport facilities than non-fuzzy model.
Abstract: In this paper, an improved edge detection algorithm
based on fuzzy combination of mathematical morphology and
wavelet transform is proposed. The combined method is proposed to
overcome the limitation of wavelet based edge detection and
mathematical morphology based edge detection in noisy images.
Experimental results show superiority of the proposed method, as
compared to the traditional Prewitt, wavelet based and morphology
based edge detection methods. The proposed method is an effective
edge detection method for noisy image and keeps clear and
continuous edges.
Abstract: Despite of many scholars and practitioners recognize
the knowledge management implementation in an organizations but
insufficient attention has been paid by researchers to select suitable
knowledge portal system (KPS) selection. This study develops a
Multi Criteria Decision making model based on the fuzzy VIKOR
approach to help organizations in selecting KPS. The suitable portal
is the critical influential factors on the success of knowledge
management (KM) implementation in an organization.
Abstract: In the recent past Learning Classifier Systems have
been successfully used for data mining. Learning Classifier System
(LCS) is basically a machine learning technique which combines
evolutionary computing, reinforcement learning, supervised or
unsupervised learning and heuristics to produce adaptive systems. A
LCS learns by interacting with an environment from which it
receives feedback in the form of numerical reward. Learning is
achieved by trying to maximize the amount of reward received. All
LCSs models more or less, comprise four main components; a finite
population of condition–action rules, called classifiers; the
performance component, which governs the interaction with the
environment; the credit assignment component, which distributes the
reward received from the environment to the classifiers accountable
for the rewards obtained; the discovery component, which is
responsible for discovering better rules and improving existing ones
through a genetic algorithm. The concatenate of the production rules
in the LCS form the genotype, and therefore the GA should operate
on a population of classifier systems. This approach is known as the
'Pittsburgh' Classifier Systems. Other LCS that perform their GA at
the rule level within a population are known as 'Mitchigan' Classifier
Systems. The most predominant representation of the discovered
knowledge is the standard production rules (PRs) in the form of IF P
THEN D. The PRs, however, are unable to handle exceptions and do
not exhibit variable precision. The Censored Production Rules
(CPRs), an extension of PRs, were proposed by Michalski and
Winston that exhibit variable precision and supports an efficient
mechanism for handling exceptions. A CPR is an augmented
production rule of the form: IF P THEN D UNLESS C, where
Censor C is an exception to the rule. Such rules are employed in
situations, in which conditional statement IF P THEN D holds
frequently and the assertion C holds rarely. By using a rule of this
type we are free to ignore the exception conditions, when the
resources needed to establish its presence are tight or there is simply
no information available as to whether it holds or not. Thus, the IF P
THEN D part of CPR expresses important information, while the
UNLESS C part acts only as a switch and changes the polarity of D
to ~D. In this paper Pittsburgh style LCSs approach is used for
automated discovery of CPRs. An appropriate encoding scheme is
suggested to represent a chromosome consisting of fixed size set of
CPRs. Suitable genetic operators are designed for the set of CPRs
and individual CPRs and also appropriate fitness function is proposed
that incorporates basic constraints on CPR. Experimental results are
presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed learning
classifier system.
Abstract: Human identification at a distance has recently gained
growing interest from computer vision researchers. Gait recognition
aims essentially to address this problem by identifying people based
on the way they walk [1]. Gait recognition has 3 steps. The first step
is preprocessing, the second step is feature extraction and the third
one is classification. This paper focuses on the classification step that
is essential to increase the CCR (Correct Classification Rate).
Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) is used in this work. Neural Networks
imitate the human brain to perform intelligent tasks [3].They can
represent complicated relationships between input and output and
acquire knowledge about these relationships directly from the data
[2]. In this paper we apply MLP NN for 11 views in our database and
compare the CCR values for these views. Experiments are performed
with the NLPR databases, and the effectiveness of the proposed
method for gait recognition is demonstrated.
Abstract: 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) is a synthetic estrogen
used as a key ingredient in an oral contraceptives pill. EE2 is an
endocrine disrupting compound, high in estrogenic potency.
Although EE2 exhibits low degree of biodegradability with common
microorganisms in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), this
compound can be biotransformed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) via a co-metabolism mechanism in WWTPs. This study
aimed to investigate the effect of real wastewater on
biotransformation of EE2 by AOB. A preliminary experiment on the
effect of nitrite and pH levels on abiotic transformation of EE2
suggested that the abiotic transformation occurred at only pH
Abstract: Dredged sediment (DS) was utilized as source of
silt-clay and organic matter in artificially prepared eelgrass substrates with mountain sand (MS) as the sand media. Addition of DS showed
improved growth of eelgrass in the mixed substrates. Increase in added
DS up to 15% silt-clay showed increased shoot growth but additional
DS in 20% silt-clay mixture didn-t result to further increase in eelgrass
growth. Improved root establishment were also found for plants in pots
with added DS as shown by the increased resistance to uprooting, increased number of rhizome nodes and longer roots. Results demonstrated that addition of DS may be beneficial to eelgrass up to a
certain extent only and too much of it might be harmful to eelgrass plants.
Abstract: This paper describes the Multilingual Virtual Simulated Patient framework. It has been created to train the social skills and testing the knowledge of primary health care medical students. The framework generates conversational agents which perform in serveral languages as virtual simulated patients that help to improve the communication and diagnosis skills of the students complementing their training process.
Abstract: This paper discusses the designing of knowledge
integration of clinical information extracted from distributed medical
ontologies in order to ameliorate a machine learning-based multilabel
coding assignment system. The proposed approach is
implemented using a decision tree technique of the machine learning
on the university hospital data for patients with Coronary Heart
Disease (CHD). The preliminary results obtained show a satisfactory
finding that the use of medical ontologies improves the overall
system performance.
Abstract: Recent theorizations on the cognitive process of moral
judgment have focused on the role of intuitions and emotions, marking
a departure from previous emphasis on conscious, step-by-step
reasoning. My study investigated how being in a disgusted mood state
affects moral judgment.
Participants were induced to enter a disgusted mood state through
listening to disgusting sounds and reading disgusting descriptions.
Results shows that they, when compared to control who have not been
induced to feel disgust, are more likely to endorse actions that are
emotionally aversive but maximizes utilitarian return
The result is analyzed using the 'emotion-as-information' approach
to decision making. The result is consistent with the view that
emotions play an important role in determining moral judgment.
Abstract: High quality requirements analysis is one of the most
crucial activities to ensure the success of a software project, so that
requirements verification for software system becomes more and more
important in Requirements Engineering (RE) and it is one of the most
helpful strategies for improving the quality of software system.
Related works show that requirement elicitation and analysis can be
facilitated by ontological approaches and semantic web technologies.
In this paper, we proposed a hybrid method which aims to verify
requirements with structural and formal semantics to detect
interactions. The proposed method is twofold: one is for modeling
requirements with the semantic web language OWL, to construct a
semantic context; the other is a set of interaction detection rules which
are derived from scenario-based analysis and represented with
semantic web rule language (SWRL). SWRL based rules are working
with rule engines like Jess to reason in semantic context for
requirements thus to detect interactions. The benefits of the proposed
method lie in three aspects: the method (i) provides systematic steps
for modeling requirements with an ontological approach, (ii) offers
synergy of requirements elicitation and domain engineering for
knowledge sharing, and (3)the proposed rules can systematically assist
in requirements interaction detection.
Abstract: Work stress causes the organizational work-life
imbalance of employees. Because of this imbalance, workers perform
with lower effort to finish assignments and thus an organization will
experience reduced productivity. In order to investigate the problem
of an organizational work-life imbalance, this qualitative case study
focuses on an organizational work-life imbalance among Thai
software developers in a German-owned company in Chiang Mai,
Thailand. In terms of knowledge management, fishbone diagram is
useful analysis tool to investigate the root causes of an organizational
work-life imbalance systematically in focus-group discussions.
Furthermore, fishbone diagram shows the relationship between
causes and effects clearly. It was found that an organizational worklife
imbalance among Thai software developers is influenced by
management team, work environment, and information tools used in
the company over time.
Abstract: This paper present an effective method to accurately reconstruct and measure the 3D curve edges of small industrial parts based on stereo vision. To effectively fit the curve of the measured parts using a series of line segments in the images, a strategy from coarse to fine is employed based on multi-scale curve fitting. After reconstructing the 3D curve of a hole through a curved surface, its axis is adjusted so that it is parallel to the Z axis with least squares error and the dimensions of the hole can be calculated on the XY plane easily. Experimental results show that the presented method can accurately measure the dimensions of round holes through a curved surface.
Abstract: Buildings and associated construction methods have a significant impact on the environment. As construction activity increases in Kuwait, there is a need to create design and construction strategies which will minimize the environmental impact of new buildings. Green construction is a design philosophy intended to improve the sustainability of construction by the minimization of resource depletion and CO2 emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings. This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey that was conducted in Kuwait, with the objective of investigating the awareness of developers and other stakeholders regarding their understanding and use of green construction strategies. The results of the survey demonstrate that whilst there seems to be a reasonable level of awareness amongst the stakeholders, this awareness is not currently well reflected in the design and construction practices actually being applied. It is therefore concluded is there is a pressing need for intervention from Government in order that the use of sustainable green design and construction strategies becomes the norm in Kuwait.
Abstract: This paper demonstrates an effort of a serviceoriented
engineering department in improving the sharing and
transfer of knowledge. Although the department consist of only six
employees, but it provides services in various chemical application in
an oil and gas business. The services provided span across Asia
Pacific region mainly Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Brunei,
Thailand and Singapore. Currently there are no effective tools or
integrated systems that support the sharing or transfer and
maintenance of knowledge so the department has considered
preserving this valuable knowledge by developing a Knowledge
Management System (KMS). This paper presents the development of
a KMS to support the sharing of knowledge in a service-oriented
engineering department of an oil and gas company. The embedded
features in the KMS like blog and forum will encourage iterative
process of knowledge sharing among the employees in the
department. The information and knowledge being shared, discussed
and communicated will be then achieved for future re-use. The re-use
of the knowledge allows the department to reduce redundant efforts
in providing consistent, up-to-date and cost effective of the best
solution to the its clients.
Abstract: It is important problems to increase the detection rates
and reduce false positive rates in Intrusion Detection System (IDS).
Although preventative techniques such as access control and
authentication attempt to prevent intruders, these can fail, and as a
second line of defence, intrusion detection has been introduced. Rare
events are events that occur very infrequently, detection of rare
events is a common problem in many domains. In this paper we
propose an intrusion detection method that combines Rough set and
Fuzzy Clustering. Rough set has to decrease the amount of data and
get rid of redundancy. Fuzzy c-means clustering allow objects to
belong to several clusters simultaneously, with different degrees of
membership. Our approach allows us to recognize not only known
attacks but also to detect suspicious activity that may be the result of
a new, unknown attack. The experimental results on Knowledge
Discovery and Data Mining-(KDDCup 1999) Dataset show that the
method is efficient and practical for intrusion detection systems.
Abstract: The city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, provides a number of examples of how a growing city can integrate urban planning and water planning to achieve sustainable urban development, environmental protection, liveability and integrated water management outcomes, and move towards becoming a “Water Sensitive City". Three examples are provided - the development at Botanic Ridge, where a 318 hectare residential development is being planned and where integrated water management options are being implemented using a “triple bottom line" sustainability investment approach; the Toolern development, which will capture and reuse stormwater and recycled water to greatly reduce the suburb-s demand for potable water, and the development at Kalkallo where a 1,200 hectare industrial precinct development is planned which will merge design of the development's water supply, sewerage services and stormwater system. The Paper argues that an integrated urban planning and water planning approach is fundamental to creating liveable, vibrant communities which meet social and financial needs while being in harmony with the local environment. Further work is required on developing investment frameworks and risk analysis frameworks to ensure that all possible solutions can be assessed equally.
Abstract: The utility of expert system generators has been
widely recognized in many applications. Several generators based on
concept of the paradigm object, have been recently proposed. The
generator of oriented object expert system (GSEOO) offers
languages that are often complex and difficult to use. We propose in
this paper an extension of the expert system generator, JESS, which
permits a friendly use of this expert system. The new tool, called
VISUAL JESS, bring two main improvements to JESS. The first
improvement concerns the easiness of its utilization while giving
back transparency to the syntax and semantic aspects of the JESS
programming language. The second improvement permits an easy
access and modification of the JESS knowledge basis. The
implementation of VISUAL JESS is made so that it is extensible and
portable.