Abstract: Today, there is a large number of political transcripts
available on the Web to be mined and used for statistical analysis,
and product recommendations. As the online political resources are
used for various purposes, automatically determining the political
orientation on these transcripts becomes crucial. The methodologies
used by machine learning algorithms to do an automatic classification
are based on different features that are classified under categories
such as Linguistic, Personality etc. Considering the ideological
differences between Liberals and Conservatives, in this paper, the
effect of Personality traits on political orientation classification is
studied. The experiments in this study were based on the correlation
between LIWC features and the BIG Five Personality traits. Several
experiments were conducted using Convote U.S. Congressional-
Speech dataset with seven benchmark classification algorithms. The
different methodologies were applied on several LIWC feature sets
that constituted by 8 to 64 varying number of features that are
correlated to five personality traits. As results of experiments,
Neuroticism trait was obtained to be the most differentiating
personality trait for classification of political orientation. At the same
time, it was observed that the personality trait based classification
methodology gives better and comparable results with the related
work.
Abstract: Perception, evaluation and representation of the
environment have been the subject of many disciplines including
psychology, geography and architecture. In environmental and social
psychology literature there are several evidences which suggest that
cognitive representations about a place consisted of not only
geographic items but also social and cultural. Mental representations
of residence area or a country are influenced and determined by
social-demographics, the physical and social context. Thus, all
mental representations of a given place are also social
representations. Cognitive maps are the main and common
instruments that are used to identify spatial images and the difference
between physical and subjective environments. The aim of the
current study is investigating the mental and social representations of
Turkey in university students’ minds. Data was collected from 249
university students from different departments (i.e. psychology,
geography, history, tourism departments) of Ege University.
Participants were requested to reflect Turkey in their mind onto the
paper drawing sketch maps. According to the results, cognitive maps
showed geographic aspects of Turkey as well as the context of
symbolic, cultural and political reality of Turkey. That is to say, these
maps had many symbolic and verbal items related to critics on social
and cultural problems, ongoing ethnic and political conflicts, and
actual political agenda of Turkey. Additionally, one of main
differentiations in these representations appeared in terms of the East
and West side of the Turkey, and the representations of the East and
West was varied correspondingly participants’ cultural background,
their ethnic values, and where they have born. The results of the
study were discussed in environmental and social psychological
perspective considering cultural and social values of Turkey and
current political circumstances of the country.
Abstract: The new era of digital communication has brought up
many challenges that network operators need to overcome. The high
demand of mobile data rates require improved networks, which is a
challenge for the operators in terms of maintaining the quality of
experience (QoE) for their consumers. In live video transmission,
there is a sheer need for live surveillance of the videos in order to
maintain the quality of the network. For this purpose objective
algorithms are employed to monitor the quality of the videos that are
transmitted over a network. In order to test these objective algorithms,
subjective quality assessment of the streamed videos is required, as the
human eye is the best source of perceptual assessment. In this paper we
have conducted subjective evaluation of videos with varying spatial
and temporal impairments. These videos were impaired with frame
freezing distortions so that the impact of frame freezing on the quality
of experience could be studied. We present subjective Mean Opinion
Score (MOS) for these videos that can be used for fine tuning the
objective algorithms for video quality assessment.
Abstract: Fibre cement plates, often used in construction,
generally are made using quartz as an inert material, cement as a
binder and cellulose as a fibre. This paper, first of all, investigates the
mechanical properties and durability of fibre cement plates when
quartz is both partly and fully replaced with diatomite. Diatomite
does not only have lower density compared to quartz but also has
high pozzolanic activity. The main objective of this paper is the
investigation of the effects of supplementary cementing materials
(SCMs) on the short and long term mechanical properties and
durability characteristics of fibre cement plates prepared using
diatomite. Supplementary cementing materials such as ground
granulated blast furnace slug (GGBS) and fly ash (FA) are used in
this study. Volume proportions of 10, 20, 30 and 40% of GGBS and
FA are used as partial replacement materials to cement. Short and
long term mechanical properties such as compressive and flexural
strengths as well as sorptivity characteristics and mass were
investigated. Consistency and setting time at each replacement levels
of SCMs were also recorded. The effects of using supplementary
cementing materials on the carbonation and sulphate resistance of
fibre cement plates were then experimented. The results, first of all,
show that the use of diatomite as a full or partial replacement to
quartz resulted in a systematic decrease in total mass of the fibre
cement plates. The reduction of mass was largely due to the lower
density and finer particle size of diatomite compared to quartz. The
use of diatomite did not only reduce the mass of these plates but also
increased the compressive strength significantly as a result of its high
pozzolanic activity. The replacement levels of both GGBS and FA
resulted in a systematic decrease in short term compressive strength
with increasing replacement levels. This was essentially expected as
the total rate of hydration is much lower in GGBS and FA than that
of cement. Long term results however, indicated that the compressive
strength of fibre cement plates prepared using both GGBS and FA
increases with time and hence the compressive strength of plates
prepared using SCMs is either equivalent or more than the
compressive strength of plates prepared using cement alone.
Durability characteristics of fibre cement plates prepared using SCMs
were enhanced significantly. Measurements of sopritivty
characteristics were also indicated that the plates prepared using
SCMs has much lower water absorption capacities compared to
plates prepared cement alone. Much higher resistance to carbonation
and sulphate attach were observed with plates prepared using SCMs.
The results presented in this paper show that the use of SCMs does
not only support the production of more sustainable construction
materials but also enhances the mechanical properties and durability
characteristics of fibre cement plates.
Abstract: This paper presents a new automatic vehicle detection
method from very high resolution aerial images to measure traffic
density. The proposed method starts by extracting road regions from
image using road vector data. Then, the road image is divided into
equal sections considering resolution of the images. Gradient vectors
of the road image are computed from edge map of the corresponding
image. Gradient vectors on the each boundary of the sections are
divided where the gradient vectors significantly change their
directions. Finally, number of vehicles in each section is carried out
by calculating the standard deviation of the gradient vectors in each
group and accepting the group as vehicle that has standard deviation
above predefined threshold value. The proposed method was tested in
four very high resolution aerial images acquired from Istanbul,
Turkey which illustrate roads and vehicles with diverse
characteristics. The results show the reliability of the proposed
method in detecting vehicles by producing 86% overall F1 accuracy
value.
Abstract: The aim of this research is to clarify the difference by
industry segment or product characteristics as regards organisation
management for an open innovation to raise R&D performance. In
particular, the trait of the pharmaceutical industry is defined in
comparison with IT component industry segment. In considering open
innovation, both inter-organisational relation and the management in
an organisation are important issues. As methodology, a questionnaire
was conducted. In conclusion, suitable organisation management
according to the difference in industry segment or product
characteristics became clear.
Abstract: Continuous upflow filters can combine the nutrient
(nitrogen and phosphate) and suspended solid removal in one unit
process. The contaminant removal could be achieved chemically or
biologically; in both processes the filter removal efficiency depends
on the interaction between the packed filter media and the influent. In
this paper a residence time distribution (RTD) study was carried out
to understand and compare the transfer behaviour of contaminants
through a selected filter media packed in a laboratory-scale
continuous up flow filter; the selected filter media are limestone and
white dolomite. The experimental work was conducted by injecting a
tracer (red drain dye tracer –RDD) into the filtration system and then
measuring the tracer concentration at the outflow as a function of
time; the tracer injection was applied at hydraulic loading rates
(HLRs) (3.8 to 15.2 m h-1). The results were analysed according to
the cumulative distribution function F(t) to estimate the residence
time of the tracer molecules inside the filter media. The mean
residence time (MRT) and variance σ2 are two moments of RTD that
were calculated to compare the RTD characteristics of limestone with
white dolomite. The results showed that the exit-age distribution of
the tracer looks better at HLRs (3.8 to 7.6 m h-1) and (3.8 m h-1) for
limestone and white dolomite respectively. At these HLRs the
cumulative distribution function F(t) revealed that the residence time
of the tracer inside the limestone was longer than in the white
dolomite; whereas all the tracer took 8 minutes to leave the white
dolomite at 3.8 m h-1. On the other hand, the same amount of the
tracer took 10 minutes to leave the limestone at the same HLR. In
conclusion, the determination of the optimal level of hydraulic
loading rate, which achieved the better influent distribution over the
filtration system, helps to identify the applicability of the material as
filter media. Further work will be applied to examine the efficiency
of the limestone and white dolomite for phosphate removal by
pumping a phosphate solution into the filter at HLRs (3.8 to 7.6 m h-1).
Abstract: Background in music analysis: Traditionally, when we
think about a composer’s sketches, the chances are that we are
thinking in terms of the working out of detail, rather than the
evolution of an overall concept. Since music is a “time art,” it follows
that questions of a form cannot be entirely detached from
considerations of time. One could say that composers tend to regard
time either as a place gradually and partially intuitively filled, or they
can look for a specific strategy to occupy it. It seems that the one
thing that sheds light on Stockhausen’s compositional thinking is his
frequent use of “form schemas,” that is often a single-page
representation of the entire structure of a piece.
Background in music technology: Sonic Visualiser is a program
used to study a musical recording. It is an open source application for
viewing, analyzing, and annotating music audio files. It contains a
number of visualisation tools, which are designed with useful default
parameters for musical analysis. Additionally, the Vamp plugin
format of SV supports to provide analysis such as for example
structural segmentation.
Aims: The aim of paper is to show how SV may be used to obtain
a better understanding of the specific musical work, and how the
compositional strategy does impact on musical structures and musical
surfaces. It is known that “traditional” music analytic methods don’t
allow indicating interrelationships between musical surface (which is
perceived) and underlying musical/acoustical structure.
Main Contribution: Stockhausen had dealt with the most diverse
musical problems by the most varied methods. A characteristic which
he had never ceased to be placed at the center of his thought and
works, it was the quest for a new balance founded upon an acute
connection between speculation and intuition. In the case with
Mikrophonie I (1964) for tam-tam and 6 players Stockhausen makes
a distinction between the “connection scheme,” which indicates the
ground rules underlying all versions, and the form scheme, which is
associated with a particular version. The preface to the published
score includes both the connection scheme, and a single instance of a
“form scheme,” which is what one can hear on the CD recording. In
the current study, the insight into the compositional strategy chosen
by Stockhausen was been compared with auditory image, that is, with
the perceived musical surface. Stockhausen’s musical work is
analyzed both in terms of melodic/voice and timbre evolution.
Implications: The current study shows how musical structures
have determined of musical surface. The general assumption is this,
that while listening to music we can extract basic kinds of musical
information from musical surfaces. It is shown that interactive
strategies of musical structure analysis can offer a very fruitful way
of looking directly into certain structural features of music.
Abstract: Dynamics of a rotor supported by air bearings is
strongly depends on the pressure distribution between the rotor and
the bearing. In this study, internal pressure in air bearings is
numerical and experimental analyzed for different radial clearances.
Firstly the pressure distribution between rotor and bearing is modeled
using Reynold's equation and this model is solved numerically. The
rotor-bearing system is also modeled in four degree of freedom and it
is simulated for different radial clearances. Then, in order to validate
numerical results, a test rig is designed and the rotor bearing system
is run under the same operational conditions. Pressure signals of left
and right bearings are recorded. Internal pressure variations are
compared for numerical and experimental results for different radial
clearances.
Abstract: In the field of fashion design, 3D Mannequin is a kind
of assisting tool which could rapidly realize the design concepts.
While the concept of 3D Mannequin is applied to the computer added
fashion design, it will connect with the development and the
application of design platform and system. Thus, the situation
mentioned above revealed a truth that it is very critical to develop a
module of 3D Mannequin which would correspond with the necessity
of fashion design. This research proposes a concrete plan that
developing and constructing a system of 3D Mannequin with Kinect.
In the content, ergonomic measurements of objective human features
could be attained real-time through the implement with depth camera
of Kinect, and then the mesh morphing can be implemented through
transformed the locations of the control-points on the model by
inputting those ergonomic data to get an exclusive 3D mannequin
model. In the proposed methodology, after the scanned points from the
Kinect are revised for accuracy and smoothening, a complete human
feature would be reconstructed by the ICP algorithm with the method
of image processing. Also, the objective human feature could be
recognized to analyze and get real measurements. Furthermore, the
data of ergonomic measurements could be applied to shape morphing
for the division of 3D Mannequin reconstructed by feature curves. Due
to a standardized and customer-oriented 3D Mannequin would be
generated by the implement of subdivision, the research could be
applied to the fashion design or the presentation and display of 3D
virtual clothes. In order to examine the practicality of research
structure, a system of 3D Mannequin would be constructed with JAVA
program in this study. Through the revision of experiments the
practicability-contained research result would come out.
Abstract: Due to today’s globalization as well as outsourcing
practices of the companies, the Supply Chain (SC) performances
have become more dependent on the efficient movement of material
among places that are geographically dispersed, where there is more
chance for disruptions. One such disruption is the quality and
delivery uncertainties of outsourcing. These uncertainties could lead
the products to be unsafe and, as is the case in a number of recent
examples, companies may have to end up in recalling their products.
As a result of these problems, there is a need to develop a
methodology for selecting suppliers globally in view of risks
associated with low quality and late delivery. Accordingly, we
developed a two-stage stochastic model that captures the risks
associated with uncertainty in quality and delivery as well as a
solution procedure for the model. The stochastic model developed
simultaneously optimizes supplier selection and purchase quantities
under price discounts over a time horizon. In particular, our target is
the study of global organizations with multiple sites and multiple
overseas suppliers, where the pricing is offered in suppliers’ local
currencies. Our proposed methodology is applied to a case study for a
US automotive company having two assembly plants and four
potential global suppliers to illustrate how the proposed model works
in practice.
Abstract: In recent years a new method of combination
treatment for cancer has been developed and studied that has led to
significant advancements in the field of cancer therapy. Hyperthermia
is a traditional therapy that, along with a creation of a medically
approved level of heat with the help of an alternating magnetic AC
current, results in the destruction of cancer cells by heat. This paper
gives details regarding the production of the spherical nanocomposite
PVA/γ-Fe2O3 in order to be used for medical purposes such as tumor
treatment by hyperthermia. To reach a suitable and evenly distributed
temperature, the nanocomposite with core-shell morphology and
spherical form within a 100 to 200 nanometer size was created using
phase separation emulsion, in which the magnetic nano-particles γ-
Fe2O3 with an average particle size of 20 nano-meters and with
different percentages of 0.2, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 were covered by
polyvinyl alcohol. The main concern in hyperthermia and heat
treatment is achieving desirable specific absorption rate (SAR) and
one of the most critical factors in SAR is particle size. In this project
all attempts has been done to reach minimal size and consequently
maximum SAR. The morphological analysis of the spherical
structure of the nanocomposite PVA/γ-Fe2O3 was achieved by SEM
analyses and the study of the chemical bonds created was made
possible by FTIR analysis. To investigate the manner of magnetic
nanocomposite particle size distribution a DLS experiment was
conducted. Moreover, to determine the magnetic behavior of the γ-
Fe2O3 particle and the nanocomposite PVA/γ-Fe2O3 in different
concentrations a VSM test was conducted. To sum up, creating
magnetic nanocomposites with a spherical morphology that would be
employed for drug loading opens doors to new approaches in
developing nanocomposites that provide efficient heat and a
controlled release of drug simultaneously inside the magnetic field,
which are among their positive characteristics that could significantly
improve the recovery process in patients.
Abstract: Adopting Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) for the
government procurement projects has become popular in Taiwan. As
time pass by, the problems of MAT has appeared gradually. People
condemn two points that are the result might be manipulated by a
single committee member’s partiality and how to make a fair decision
when the winner has two or more. Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem
proposed that the best scoring method should meet the four reasonable
criteria. According to these four criteria this paper constructed an
“Illegitimate Scores Checking Scheme” for a scoring method and used
the scheme to find out the illegitimate of the current evaluation method
of MAT. This paper also proposed a new scoring method that is called
the “Standardizing Overall Evaluated Score Method”. This method
makes each committee member’s influence tend to be identical. Thus,
the committee members can scoring freely according to their partiality
without losing the fairness. Finally, it was examined by a large-scale
simulation, and the experiment revealed that the it improved the
problem of dictatorship and perfectly avoided the situation of cyclical
majorities, simultaneously. This result verified that the Standardizing
Overall Evaluated Score Method is better than any current evaluation
method of MAT.
Abstract: In this study free vibration analysis of aluminum
honeycomb sandwich structures were carried out experimentally and
numerically. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of sandwich
structures fabricated with different configurations for clamped-free
boundary condition were determined. The effects of lower and upper
face sheet thickness, the core material thickness, cell diameter, cell
angle and foil thickness on the vibration characteristics were
examined. The numerical studies were performed with ANSYS
package. While the sandwich structures were modeled in ANSYS the
continuum model was used. Later, the numerical results were
compared with the experimental findings.
Abstract: Out-migration is an important issue for Georgia as
well as since independence has loosed due to emigration one fifth of
its population. During Soviet time out-migration from USSR was
almost impossible and one of the most important instruments in
regulating population movement within the Soviet Union was the
system of compulsory residential registrations, so-called “propiska”.
Since independent here was not any regulation for migration from
Georgia. The majorities of Georgian migrants go abroad by tourist
visa and then overstay, becoming the irregular labor migrants. The
official statistics on migration published for this period was based on
the administrative system of population registration, were
insignificant in terms of numbers and did not represent the real scope
of these migration movements. This paper discusses the data quality
and methodology of migration statistics in Georgia and we are going
to answer the questions: what is the real reason of increasing
immigration flows according to the official numbers since 2000s?
Abstract: This paper represents the results of experimental work to investigate the suitability of a waste material (WM) for soft soil stabilisation. In addition, the effect of particle size distribution (PSD) of the waste material on its performance as a soil stabiliser was investigated. The WM used in this study is produced from the incineration processes in domestic energy power plant and it is available in two different grades of fineness (coarse waste material (CWM) and fine waste material (FWM)). An intermediate plasticity silty clayey soil with medium organic matter content has been used in this study. The suitability of the CWM and FWM to improve the physical and engineering properties of the selected soil was evaluated dependant on the results obtained from the consistency limits, compaction characteristics (optimum moisture content (OMC) and maximum dry density (MDD)); along with the unconfined compressive strength test (UCS). Different percentages of CWM were added to the soft soil (3, 6, 9, 12 and 15%) to produce various admixtures. Then the UCS test was carried out on specimens under different curing periods (zero, 7, 14, and 28 days) to find the optimum percentage of CWM. The optimum and other two percentages (either side of the optimum content) were used for FWM to evaluate the effect of the fineness of the WM on UCS of the stabilised soil. Results indicated that both types of the WM used in this study improved the physical properties of the soft soil where the index of plasticity (IP) was decreased significantly. IP was decreased from 21 to 13.64 and 13.10 with 12% of CWM and 15% of FWM respectively. The results of the unconfined compressive strength test indicated that 12% of CWM was the optimum and this percentage developed the UCS value from 202kPa to 500kPa for 28 days cured samples, which is equal, approximately 2.5 times the UCS value for untreated soil. Moreover, this percentage provided 1.4 times the value of UCS for stabilized soil-CWA by using FWM which recorded just under 700kPa after 28 days curing.
Abstract: Experimental investigations of the DC electric field effect on thermal decomposition of biomass, formation of the axial flow of volatiles (CO, H2, CxHy), mixing of volatiles with swirling airflow at low swirl intensity (S ≈ 0.2-0.35), their ignition and on formation of combustion dynamics are carried out with the aim to understand the mechanism of electric field influence on biomass gasification, combustion of volatiles and heat energy production. The DC electric field effect on combustion dynamics was studied by varying the positive bias voltage of the central electrode from 0.6 kV to 3 kV, whereas the ion current was limited to 2 mA. The results of experimental investigations confirm the field-enhanced biomass gasification with enhanced release of volatiles and the development of endothermic processes at the primary stage of thermochemical conversion of biomass determining the field-enhanced heat energy consumption with the correlating decrease of the flame temperature and heat energy production at this stage of flame formation. Further, the field-enhanced radial expansion of the flame reaction zone correlates with a more complete combustion of volatiles increasing the combustion efficiency by 3% and decreasing the mass fraction of CO, H2 and CxHy in the products, whereas by 10% increases the average volume fraction of CO2 and the heat energy production downstream the combustor increases by 5-10%
Abstract: Information generated from various computerization processes is a potential rich source of knowledge for its designated community. To pass this information from generation to generation without modifying the meaning is a challenging activity. To preserve and archive the data for future generations it’s very essential to prove the authenticity of the data. It can be achieved by extracting the metadata from the data which can prove the authenticity and create trust on the archived data. Subsequent challenge is the technology obsolescence. Metadata extraction and standardization can be effectively used to resolve and tackle this problem. Metadata can be categorized at two levels i.e. Technical and Domain level broadly. Technical metadata will provide the information that can be used to understand and interpret the data record, but only this level of metadata isn’t sufficient to create trustworthiness. We have developed a tool which will extract and standardize the technical as well as domain level metadata. This paper is about the different features of the tool and how we have developed this.
Abstract: In the present study, response surface methodology has been used to optimize turn-assisted deep cold rolling process of AISI 4140 steel. A regression model is developed to predict surface hardness and surface roughness using response surface methodology and central composite design. In the development of predictive model, deep cold rolling force, ball diameter, initial roughness of the workpiece, and number of tool passes are considered as model variables. The rolling force and the ball diameter are the significant factors on the surface hardness and ball diameter and numbers of tool passes are found to be significant for surface roughness. The predicted surface hardness and surface roughness values and the subsequent verification experiments under the optimal operating conditions confirmed the validity of the predicted model. The absolute average error between the experimental and predicted values at the optimal combination of parameter settings for surface hardness and surface roughness is calculated as 0.16% and 1.58% respectively. Using the optimal processing parameters, the surface hardness is improved from 225 to 306 HV, which resulted in an increase in the near surface hardness by about 36% and the surface roughness is improved from 4.84µm to 0.252 µm, which resulted in decrease in the surface roughness by about 95%. The depth of compression is found to be more than 300µm from the microstructure analysis and this is in correlation with the results obtained from the microhardness measurements. Taylor hobson talysurf tester, micro vickers hardness tester, optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometer are used to characterize the modified surface layer.
Abstract: Given the limited research on Small and Mediumsized
Enterprises’ (SMEs) contribution to Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and even scarcer research on Swiss SMEs, this
paper helps to fill these gaps by enabling the identification of supranational
SME parameters. Thus, the paper investigates the current
state of SME practices in Switzerland and across 15 other countries.
Combining the degree to which SMEs demonstrate an explicit (or
business case) approach or see CSR as an implicit moral activity with
the assessment of their attributes for “variety of capitalism” defines
the framework of this comparative analysis. To outline Swiss small
business CSR patterns in particular, 40 SME owner-managers were
interviewed. A secondary data analysis of studies from different
countries laid groundwork for this comparative overview of small
business CSR. The paper identifies Swiss small business CSR as
driven by norms, values, and by the aspiration to contribute to
society, thus, as an implicit part of the day-to-day business. Similar to
most Central European, Mediterranean, Nordic, and Asian countries,
explicit CSR is still very rare in Swiss SMEs. Astonishingly, also
British and American SMEs follow this pattern in spite of their strong
and distinctly liberal market economies. Though other findings show
that nationality matters this research concludes that SME culture and
an informal CSR agenda are strongly formative and superseding even
forces of market economies, nationally cultural patterns, and
language. Hence, classifications of countries by their market system,
as found in the comparative capitalism literature, do not match the
CSR practices in SMEs as they do not mirror the peculiarities of their
business. This raises questions on the universality and
generalisability of unmediated, explicit management concepts,
especially in the context of small firms.