Abstract: Benefits to the organisation are just as important as technical ability when it comes to software success. The challenge is to provide industry with professionals who understand this. In other words: How to teach computer engineering students to look beyond technology, and at the benefits of software to organizations? This paper reports on the conceptual design of a section of the computer networks module aimed to sensitize the students to the organisational context.
Checkland focuses on different worldviews represented by various role players in the organisation. He developed the Soft Systems Methodology that guides purposeful action in organisations, while incorporating different worldviews in the modeling process. If we can sensitize students to these methods, they are likely to appreciate the wider context of application of system software. This paper will provide literature on these concepts as well as detail on how the students will be guided to adopt these concepts.
Abstract: This paper includes two novel techniques for skew
estimation of binary document images. These algorithms are based on
connected component analysis and Hough transform. Both these
methods focus on reducing the amount of input data provided to
Hough transform. In the first method, referred as word centroid
approach, the centroids of selected words are used for skew detection.
In the second method, referred as dilate & thin approach, the selected
characters are blocked and dilated to get word blocks and later
thinning is applied. The final image fed to Hough transform has the
thinned coordinates of word blocks in the image. The methods have
been successful in reducing the computational complexity of Hough
transform based skew estimation algorithms. Promising experimental
results are also provided to prove the effectiveness of the proposed
methods.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a new method for solving quadratic programming problems, not strictly convex. Constraints of the problem are linear equalities and inequalities, with bounded variables. The suggested method combines the active-set strategies and support methods. The algorithm of the method and numerical experiments are presented, while comparing our approach with the active set method on randomly generated problems.
Abstract: Finding the shortest path between two positions is a
fundamental problem in transportation, routing, and communications
applications. In robot motion planning, the robot should pass around
the obstacles touching none of them, i.e. the goal is to find a
collision-free path from a starting to a target position. This task has
many specific formulations depending on the shape of obstacles,
allowable directions of movements, knowledge of the scene, etc.
Research of path planning has yielded many fundamentally different
approaches to its solution, mainly based on various decomposition
and roadmap methods. In this paper, we show a possible use of
visibility graphs in point-to-point motion planning in the Euclidean
plane and an alternative approach using Voronoi diagrams that
decreases the probability of collisions with obstacles. The second
application area, investigated here, is focused on problems of finding
minimal networks connecting a set of given points in the plane using
either only straight connections between pairs of points (minimum
spanning tree) or allowing the addition of auxiliary points to the set
to obtain shorter spanning networks (minimum Steiner tree).
Abstract: The article touches upon questions of information security in Russian Economy. It covers theoretical bases of information security and causes of its development. The theory is proved by the analysis of business activities and the main tendencies of information security development. Perm region has been chosen as the bases for the analysis, being the fastestdeveloping region that uses methods of information security in managing it economy. As a result of the study the authors of the given article have formulated their own vision of the problem of information security in various branches of economy and stated prospects of information security development and its growing role in Russian economy
Abstract: In this paper, a model for an information retrieval
system is proposed which takes into account that knowledge about
documents and information need of users are dynamic. Two
methods are combined, one qualitative or symbolic and the other
quantitative or numeric, which are deemed suitable for many
clustering contexts, data analysis, concept exploring and
knowledge discovery. These two methods may be classified as
inductive learning techniques. In this model, they are introduced to
build “long term" knowledge about past queries and concepts in a
collection of documents. The “long term" knowledge can guide
and assist the user to formulate an initial query and can be
exploited in the process of retrieving relevant information. The
different kinds of knowledge are organized in different points of
view. This may be considered an enrichment of the exploration
level which is coherent with the concept of document/query
structure.
Abstract: Aim of this work was to compare the efficacy of two
loading methods of proteins onto polymeric nanocarriers: adsorption
and encapsulation methods. Preliminary studies of protein loading
were done using Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) as model protein.
Nanocarriers were prepared starting from polylactic co-glycolic acid
(PLGA) polymer; production methods used are two different variants
of emulsion evaporation method. Nanoparticles obtained were
analyzed in terms of dimensions by Dynamic Light Scattering and
Loading Efficiency of BSA by Bradford Assay. Loaded
nanoparticles were then submitted to in-vitro protein dissolution test
in order to study the effect of the delivery system on the release rate
of the protein.
Abstract: The MFCAV Riemann solver is practically used in many Lagrangian or ALE methods due to its merit of sharp shock profiles and rarefaction corners, though very often with numerical oscillations. By viewing it as a modification of the WWAM Riemann solver, we apply the MFCAV Riemann solver to the Lagrangian method recently developed by Maire. P. H et. al.. The numerical experiments show that the application is successful in that the shock profiles and rarefaction corners are sharpened compared with results obtained using other Riemann solvers. Though there are still numerical oscillations, they are within the range of the MFCAV applied in onther Lagrangian methods.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity
of a range of EEG indices to time-on-task effects and to a workload
manipulation (cueing), during performance of a resource-limited
vigilance task. Effects of task period and cueing on performance and
subjective state response were consistent with previous vigilance
studies and with resource theory. Two EEG indices – the Task Load
Index (TLI) and global lower frequency (LF) alpha power – showed
effects of task period and cueing similar to those seen with correct
detections. Across four successive task periods, the TLI declined and
LF alpha power increased. Cueing increased TLI and decreased LF
alpha. Other indices – the Engagement Index (EI), frontal theta and
upper frequency (UF) alpha failed to show these effects. However, EI
and frontal theta were sensitive to interactive effects of task period
and cueing, which may correspond to a stronger anxiety response to
the uncued task.
Abstract: The Institute of Product Development is dealing
with the development, design and dimensioning of micro components
and systems as a member of the Collaborative Research
Centre 499 “Design, Production and Quality Assurance of
Molded micro components made of Metallic and Ceramic Materials".
Because of technological restrictions in the miniaturization
of conventional manufacturing techniques, shape and
material deviations cannot be scaled down in the same proportion
as the micro parts, rendering components with relatively
wide tolerance fields. Systems that include such components
should be designed with this particularity in mind, often requiring
large clearance. On the end, the output of such systems
results variable and prone to dynamical instability. To save
production time and resources, every study of these effects
should happen early in the product development process and
base on computer simulation to avoid costly prototypes. A
suitable method is proposed here and exemplary applied to a
micro technology demonstrator developed by the CRC499. It
consists of a one stage planetary gear train in a sun-planet-ring
configuration, with input through the sun gear and output
through the carrier. The simulation procedure relies on ordinary
Multi Body Simulation methods and subsequently adds
other techniques to further investigate details of the system-s
behavior and to predict its response. The selection of the relevant
parameters and output functions followed the engineering
standards for regular sized gear trains. The first step is to
quantify the variability and to reveal the most critical points of
the system, performed through a whole-mechanism Sensitivity
Analysis. Due to the lack of previous knowledge about the system-s
behavior, different DOE methods involving small and
large amount of experiments were selected to perform the SA.
In this particular case the parameter space can be divided into
two well defined groups, one of them containing the gear-s profile
information and the other the components- spatial location.
This has been exploited to explore the different DOE techniques
more promptly. A reduced set of parameters is derived for
further investigation and to feed the final optimization process,
whether as optimization parameters or as external perturbation
collective. The 10 most relevant perturbation factors and 4 to 6
prospective variable parameters are considered in a new, simplified
model. All of the parameters are affected by the mentioned
production variability. The objective functions of interest
are based on scalar output-s variability measures, so the
problem becomes an optimization under robustness and reliability constrains. The study shows an initial step on the development
path of a method to design and optimize complex micro
mechanisms composed of wide tolerated elements accounting
for the robustness and reliability of the systems- output.
Abstract: After the development of the Internet a suitable
discipline for trading goods electronically has been emerged.
However, this type of markets is not still mature enough in order to
become independent and get closer to seller/buyer-s needs.
Furthermore, the buyable and sellable goods in these markets still
don-t have essential standards for being well-defined. In this paper,
we will present a model for development of a market which can
contain goods with variable definitions and we will also investigate
its characteristics. Besides, by noticing the fact that people have
different discriminations, it-s figured out that the significance of each
attribute of a specific product may vary from different people-s view
points. Consequently we-ll present a model for weighting and
accordingly different people-s view points could be satisfied. These
two aspects will be discussed completely throughout this paper.
Abstract: Heating systems are a necessity for regions which
brace extreme cold weather throughout the year. To maintain a comfortable temperature inside a given place, heating systems
making use of- Hydronic boilers- are used. The principle of a single
pipe system serves as a base for their working. It is mandatory for these heating systems to control the room temperature, thus
maintaining a warm environment. In this paper, the concept of regulation of the room temperature over a wide range is established
by using an Adaptive Fuzzy Controller (AFC). This fuzzy controller automatically detects the changes in the outside temperatures and
correspondingly maintains the inside temperature to a palatial value. Two separate AFC's are put to use to carry out this function: one to
determine the quantity of heat needed to reach the prospective temperature required and to set the desired temperature; the other to control the position of the valve, which is directly proportional to the
error between the present room temperature and the user desired temperature. The fuzzy logic controls the position of the valve as per
the requirement of the heat. The amount by which the valve opens or closes is controlled by 5 knob positions, which vary from minimum to maximum, thereby regulating the amount of heat flowing through the valve. For the given test system data, different de-fuzzifier
methods have been implemented and the results are compared. In order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a fuzzy controller has been designed by obtaining a test data from a real time
system. The simulations are performed in MATLAB and are verified with standard system data. The proposed approach can be implemented for real time applications.
Abstract: This paper aims to present a survey of object
recognition/classification methods based on image moments. We
review various types of moments (geometric moments, complex
moments) and moment-based invariants with respect to various
image degradations and distortions (rotation, scaling, affine
transform, image blurring, etc.) which can be used as shape
descriptors for classification. We explain a general theory how to
construct these invariants and show also a few of them in explicit
forms. We review efficient numerical algorithms that can be used
for moment computation and demonstrate practical examples of
using moment invariants in real applications.
Abstract: The practice of burying the solid waste under the ground is one of the waste disposal methods and dumping is known as an ultimate method in the fastest-growing cities like Rasht city in Iran. Some municipalities select the solid waste landfills without feasibility studies, programming, design and management plans. Therefore, several social and environmental impacts are created by these sites. In this study, the suitability of solid waste landfill in Rasht city, capital of Gilan Province is reviewed using Regional Screening Method (RSM), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results indicated that according to the suitability maps, the value of study site is midsuitable to suitable based on RSM and mid-suitable based on AHP.
Abstract: Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is one of machine
learning algorithms for problem solving and learning that caught a lot
of attention over the last few years. In general, CBR is composed of
four main phases: retrieve the most similar case or cases, reuse the
case to solve the problem, revise or adapt the proposed solution, and
retain the learned cases before returning them to the case base for
learning purpose. Unfortunately, in many cases, this retain process
causes the uncontrolled case base growth. The problem affects
competence and performance of CBR systems. This paper proposes
competence-based maintenance method based on deletion policy
strategy for CBR. There are three main steps in this method. Step 1,
formulate problems. Step 2, determine coverage and reachability set
based on coverage value. Step 3, reduce case base size. The results
obtained show that this proposed method performs better than the
existing methods currently discussed in literature.
Abstract: Due to some reasons, observed images are degraded which are mainly caused by noise. Recently image denoising using the wavelet transform has been attracting much attention. Waveletbased approach provides a particularly useful method for image denoising when the preservation of edges in the scene is of importance because the local adaptivity is based explicitly on the values of the wavelet detail coefficients. In this paper, we propose several methods of noise removal from degraded images with Gaussian noise by using adaptive wavelet threshold (Bayes Shrink, Modified Bayes Shrink and Normal Shrink). The proposed thresholds are simple and adaptive to each subband because the parameters required for estimating the threshold depend on subband data. Experimental results show that the proposed thresholds remove noise significantly and preserve the edges in the scene.
Abstract: Quantitative methods of economic decision-making as
the methodological base of the so called operational research
represent an important set of tools for managing complex economic
systems,both at the microeconomic level and on the macroeconomic
scale. Mathematical models of controlled and controlling processes
allow, by means of artificial experiments, obtaining information
foroptimalor optimum approaching managerial decision-making.The
quantitative methods of economic decision-making usually include a
methodology known as structural analysis -an analysisof
interdisciplinary production-consumption relations.
Abstract: Among neural models the Support Vector Machine
(SVM) solutions are attracting increasing attention, mostly because
they eliminate certain crucial questions involved by neural network
construction. The main drawback of standard SVM is its high
computational complexity, therefore recently a new technique, the
Least Squares SVM (LS–SVM) has been introduced. In this paper we
present an extended view of the Least Squares Support Vector
Regression (LS–SVR), which enables us to develop new
formulations and algorithms to this regression technique. Based on
manipulating the linear equation set -which embodies all information
about the regression in the learning process- some new methods are
introduced to simplify the formulations, speed up the calculations
and/or provide better results.
Abstract: At present time, competition, unpredictable fluctuations have made communication engineering education in the global sphere really difficult. Confront with new situation in the engineering education sector. Communication engineering education has to be reformed and ready to use more advanced technologies. We realized that one of the general problems of student`s education is that after graduating from their universities, they are not prepared to face the real life challenges and full skilled to work in industry. They are prepared only to think like engineers and professionals but they also need to possess some others non-technical skills. In today-s environment, technical competence alone is not sufficient for career success. Employers want employees (graduate engineers) who have good oral and written communication (soft) skills. It does require for team work, business awareness, organization, management skills, responsibility, initiative, problem solving and IT competency. This proposed curriculum brings interactive, creative, interesting, effective learning methods, which includes online education, virtual labs, practical work, problem-based learning (PBL), and lectures given by industry experts. Giving short assignments, presentations, reports, research papers and projects students can significantly improve their non-technical skills. Also, we noticed the importance of using ICT technologies in engineering education which used by students and teachers, and included that into proposed teaching and learning methods. We added collaborative learning between students through team work which builds theirs skills besides course materials. The prospective on this research that we intent to update communication engineering curriculum in order to get fully constructed engineer students to ready for real industry work.
Abstract: This paper reports a new and accurate method for load-flow solution of radial distribution networks with minimum data preparation. The node and branch numbering need not to be sequential like other available methods. The proposed method does not need sending-node, receiving-node and branch numbers if these are sequential. The proposed method uses the simple equation to compute the voltage magnitude and has the capability to handle composite load modelling. The proposed method uses the set of nodes of feeder, lateral(s) and sub lateral(s). The effectiveness of the proposed method is compared with other methods using two examples. The detailed load-flow results for different kind of load-modellings are also presented.