Abstract: In process control applications, above 90% of the
controllers are of PID type. This paper proposed a robust PI
controller with fractional-order integrator. The PI parameters were
obtained using classical Ziegler-Nichols rules but enhanced with the
application of error filter cascaded to the fractional-order PI. The
controller was applied on steam temperature process that was
described by FOPDT transfer function. The process can be classified
as lag dominating process with very small relative dead-time. The
proposed control scheme was compared with other PI controller
tuned using Ziegler-Nichols and AMIGO rules. Other PI controller
with fractional-order integrator known as F-MIGO was also
considered. All the controllers were subjected to set point change and
load disturbance tests. The performance was measured using Integral
of Squared Error (ISE) and Integral of Control Signal (ICO). The
proposed controller produced best performance for all the tests with
the least ISE index.
Abstract: The feasibility of employing solar radiation for
enhanced Fenton process in degradation of combined chlorpyrifos,
cypermethrin and chlorothalonil pesticides was examined. The effect
of various operating conditions of the process on biodegradability
improvement and mineralization of the pesticides were also
evaluated. The optimum operating conditions for treatment of
aqueous solution containing 100, 50 and 250 mg L-1 chlorpyrifos
cypermethrin and chlorothalonil, respectively were observed to be
H2O2/COD molar ratio 2, H2O2/Fe2+ molar ratio 25 and pH 3. Under
the optimum operating conditions, complete degradation of the
pesticides occurred in 1 min. Biodegradability (BOD5/COD)
increased from zero to 0.36 in 60 min, and COD and TOC removal
were 74.19 and 58.32%, respectively in 60 min. Due to
mineralization of organic carbon, decrease in ammonia-nitrogen from
22 to 4.3 mg L-1 and increase in nitrate from 0.7 to 18.1 mg L-1 in
60 min were recorded. The study indicated that solar photo-Fenton
process can be used for pretreatment of chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin
and chlorothalonil pesticides in aqueous solution for further
biological treatment.
Abstract: Tomato powder has good potential as substitute of tomato paste and other tomato products. In order to protect physicochemical properties and nutritional quality of tomato during dehydration process, investigation was carried out using different drying methods and pretreatments. Solar drier and continuous conveyor (tunnel) drier were used for dehydration where as calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium metabisulphite (KMS), calcium chloride and potassium metabisulphite (CaCl2 +KMS), and sodium chloride (NaCl) selected for treatment.. lycopene content, dehydration ratio, rehydration ratio and non-enzymatic browning in addition to moisture, sugar and titrable acidity were studied. Results show that pre-treatment with CaCl2 and NaCl increased water removal and moisture mobility in tomato slices during drying of tomatoes. Where CaCl2 used along with KMS the NEB was recorded the least compared to other treatments and the best results were obtained while using the two chemicals in combination form. Storage studies in LDPE polymeric and metalized polyesters films showed less changes in the products packed in metallized polyester pouches and even after 6 months lycopene content did not decrease more than 20% as compared to the control sample and provide extension of shelf life in acceptable condition for 6 months. In most of the quality characteristics tunnel drier samples presented better values in comparison to solar drier.
Abstract: A new SUZ-4 zeolite membrane with
tetraethlyammonium hydroxide as the template was fabricated on
mullite tube via hydrothermal sol-gel synthesis in a rotating
autoclave reactor. The suitable synthesis condition was SiO2:Al2O3
ratio of 21.2 for 4 days at 155 °C crystallization under autogenous
pressure. The obtained SUZ-4 possessed a high BET surface area of
396.4 m2/g, total pore volume at 2.611 cm3/g, and narrow pore size
distribution with 97 nm mean diameter and 760 nm long of needle
crystal shape. The SUZ-4 layer obtained from seeding crystallization
was thicker than that of without seeds or in situ crystallization.
Abstract: Nowadays there are more than thirty maturity models
in different knowledge areas. Maturity model is an area of interest
that contributes organizations to find out where they are in a specific
knowledge area and how to improve it. As Information Resource
Management (IRM) is the concept that information is a major
corporate resource and must be managed using the same basic
principles used to manage other assets, assessment of the current
IRM status and reveal the improvement points can play a critical role
in developing an appropriate information structure in organizations.
In this paper we proposed a framework for information resource
management maturity model (IRM3) that includes ten best practices
for the maturity assessment of the organizations' IRM.
Abstract: Leading topic of this article is description of Lorentz
forces in the container with cuboid and cylindrical shape. Inside of
the container is an electrically conductive melt. This melt is driven by
rotating magnetic field. Input data for comparing Lorentz forces in
the container with cuboid shape were obtained from the computing
program NS-FEM3D, which uses DDS method of computing. Values
of Lorentz forces for container with cylindrical shape were obtained
from inferred analytical formula.
Abstract: A great deal of research works in the field information
systems security has been based on a positivist paradigm. Applying
the reductionism concept of the positivist paradigm for information
security means missing the bigger picture and thus, the lack of holism
which could be one of the reasons why security is still overlooked,
comes as an afterthought or perceived from a purely technical
dimension. We need to reshape our thinking and attitudes towards
security especially in a complex and dynamic environment such as e-
Business to develop a holistic understanding of e-Business security in
relation to its context as well as considering all the stakeholders in
the problem area. In this paper we argue the suitability and need for
more inductive interpretive approach and qualitative research method
to investigate e-Business security. Our discussion is based on a
holistic framework of enquiry, nature of the research problem, the
underling theoretical lens and the complexity of e-Business
environment. At the end we present a research strategy for
developing a holistic framework for understanding of e-Business
security problems in the context of developing countries based on an
interdisciplinary inquiry which considers their needs and
requirements.
Abstract: Automotive engine air-ratio plays an important role of
emissions and fuel consumption reduction while maintains
satisfactory engine power among all of the engine control variables. In
order to effectively control the air-ratio, this paper presents a model
predictive fuzzy control algorithm based on online least-squares
support vector machines prediction model and fuzzy logic optimizer.
The proposed control algorithm was also implemented on a real car for
testing and the results are highly satisfactory. Experimental results
show that the proposed control algorithm can regulate the engine
air-ratio to the stoichiometric value, 1.0, under external disturbance
with less than 5% tolerance.
Abstract: The objective of this research is parameters optimized
of the stair shape workpiece which is cut by CNC Wire-Cut EDM
(WEDW). The experiment material is SKD-11 steel of stair-shaped
with variable height workpiece 10, 20, 30 and 40 mm. with the same
10 mm. thickness are cut by Sodick's CNC Wire-Cut EDM model
AD325L.
The experiments are designed by 3k full factorial experimental
design at 3 level 2 factors and 9 experiments with 2 replicate. The
selected two factor are servo voltage (SV) and servo feed rate (SF)
and the response is cutting thickness error. The experiment is divided
in two experiments. The first experiment determines the significant
effective factor at confidential interval 95%. The SV factor is the
significant effective factor from first result. In order to result smallest
cutting thickness error of workpieces is 17 micron with the SV value
is 46 volt. Also show that the lower SV value, the smaller different
thickness error of workpiece. Then the second experiment is done to
reduce different cutting thickness error of workpiece as small as
possible by lower SV. The second experiment result show the
significant effective factor at confidential interval 95% is the SV
factor and the smallest cutting thickness error of workpieces reduce
to 11 micron with the experiment SV value is 36 volt.
Abstract: The study aims to develop a framework of social
network management to enhance customer relationship. Social
network management of this research is derived from social network
site management, individual and organization social network usage
motivation. The survey was conducted with organization employees
who have used social network to interact with customers. The results
reveal that content, link, privacy and security, page design and
interactivity are the major issues of social network site management.
Content, link, privacy and security, individual and organization
motivation have major impacts on encouraging business knowledge
sharing among employees. Moreover, Page design and interactivity,
content, organization motivation and knowledge sharing can improve
customer relationships.
Abstract: The estimation of overall on-site and off-site greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by wastewater treatment plants revealed that in anaerobic and hybrid treatment systems greater emissions result from off-site processes compared to on-site processes. However, in aerobic treatment systems, onsite processes make a higher contribution to the overall GHG emissions. The total GHG emissions were estimated to be 1.6, 3.3 and 3.8 kg CO2-e/kg BOD in the aerobic, anaerobic and hybrid treatment systems, respectively. In the aerobic treatment system without the recovery and use of the generated biogas, the off-site GHG emissions were 0.65 kg CO2-e/kg BOD, accounting for 40.2% of the overall GHG emissions. This value changed to 2.3 and 2.6 kg CO2-e/kg BOD, and accounted for 69.9% and 68.1% of the overall GHG emissions in the anaerobic and hybrid treatment systems, respectively. The increased off-site GHG emissions in the anaerobic and hybrid treatment systems are mainly due to material usage and energy demand in these systems. The anaerobic digester can contribute up to 100%, 55% and 60% of the overall energy needs of plants in the aerobic, anaerobic and hybrid treatment systems, respectively.
Abstract: Reinforced concrete has good durability and excellent structural performance. But there are cases of early deterioration due to a number of factors, one prominent factor being corrosion of steel reinforcement. The process of corrosion sets in due to ingress of moisture, oxygen and other ingredients into the body of concrete, which is unsound, permeable and absorbent. Cracks due to structural and other causes such as creep, shrinkage, etc also allow ingress of moisture and other harmful ingredients and thus accelerate the rate of corrosion. There are several interactive factors both external and internal, which lead to corrosion of reinforcement and ultimately failure of structures. Suitable addition of mineral admixture like silica fume (SF) in concrete improves the strength and durability of concrete due to considerable improvement in the microstructure of concrete composites, especially at the transition zone. Secondary reinforcement in the form of fibre is added to concrete, which provides three dimensional random reinforcement in the entire mass of concrete. Reinforced concrete beams of size 0.1 m X 0.15 m and length 1m have been cast using M 35 grade of concrete. The beams after curing process were subjected to corrosion process by impressing an external Direct Current (Galvanostatic Method) for a period of 15 days under stressed and unstressed conditions. The corroded beams were tested by applying two point loads to determine the ultimate load carrying capacity and cracking pattern and the results of specimens were compared with that of the companion specimens. Gravimetric method is used to quantify corrosion that has occurred.
Abstract: This paper provides a new approach to solve the motion planning problems of flying robots in uncertain 3D dynamic environments. The robots controlled by this method can adaptively choose the fast way to avoid collision without information about the shapes and trajectories of obstacles. Based on sphere coordinates the new method accomplishes collision avoidance of flying robots without any other auxiliary positioning systems. The Self-protection System gives robots self-protection abilities to work in uncertain 3D dynamic environments. Simulations illustrate the validity of the proposed method.
Abstract: A product goes through various processes in a production flow which is also known as assembly line in manufacturing process management. Toyota created a new concept which is known as lean concept in manufacturing industry. Today it is the leading model in manufacturing plants through the globe. The linear walking worker assembly line is a flexible assembly system where each worker travels down the line carrying out each assembly task at each station; and each worker accomplishes the assembly of a unit from start to finish. This paper attempts to combine the flexibility of the walking worker and lean in order to quantify the benefits from applying the shop floor principles of lean management.
Abstract: There are three main ways of categorizing capital in banking operations: accounting, regulatory and economic capital. However, the 2008-2009 global crisis has shown that none of these categories adequately reflects the real risks of bank operations, especially in light of the failures Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers or Northern Rock. This paper deals with the economic capital allocation of global banks. In theory, economic capital should reflect the real risks of a bank and should be publicly available. Yet, as discovered during the global financial crisis, even when economic capital information was publicly disclosed, the underlying assumptions rendered the information useless. Specifically, some global banks that reported relatively high levels of economic capital before the crisis went bankrupt or had to be bailed-out by their government. And, only 15 out of 50 global banks reported their economic capital during the 2007-2010 period. In this paper, we analyze the changes in reported bank economic capital disclosure during this period. We conclude that relative shares of credit and business risks increased in 2010 compared to 2007, while both operational and market risks decreased their shares on the total economic capital of top-rated global banks. Generally speaking, higher levels of disclosure and transparency of bank operations are required to obtain more confidence from stakeholders. Moreover, additional risks such as liquidity risks should be included in these disclosures.
Abstract: Minimization methods for training feed-forward networks with Backpropagation are compared. Feedforward network training is a special case of functional minimization, where no explicit model of the data is assumed. Therefore due to the high dimensionality of the data, linearization of the training problem through use of orthogonal basis functions is not desirable. The focus is functional minimization on any basis. A number of methods based on local gradient and Hessian matrices are discussed. Modifications of many methods of first and second order training methods are considered. Using share rates data, experimentally it is proved that Conjugate gradient and Quasi Newton?s methods outperformed the Gradient Descent methods. In case of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is of special interest in financial forecasting.
Abstract: An important problem in speech research is the automatic extraction of information about the shape and dimensions of the vocal tract during real-time speech production. We have previously developed Southampton dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (SDMRI) as an approach to the solution of this problem.However, the SDMRI images are very noisy so that shape extraction is a major challenge. In this paper, we address the problem of tongue shape extraction, which poses difficulties because this is a highly deforming non-parametric shape. We show that combining active shape models with the dynamic Hough transform allows the tongue shape to be reliably tracked in the image sequence.
Abstract: RoboCup Rescue simulation as a large-scale Multi
agent system (MAS) is one of the challenging environments for
keeping coordination between agents to achieve the objectives
despite sensing and communication limitations. The dynamicity of
the environment and intensive dependency between actions of
different kinds of agents make the problem more complex. This point
encouraged us to use learning-based methods to adapt our decision
making to different situations. Our approach is utilizing
reinforcement leaning. Using learning in rescue simulation is one of
the current ways which has been the subject of several researches in
recent years. In this paper we present an innovative learning method
implemented for Police Force (PF) Agent. This method can cope
with the main difficulties that exist in other learning approaches.
Different methods used in the literature have been examined. Their
drawbacks and possible improvements have led us to the method
proposed in this paper which is fast and accurate. The Brain
Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controller (BELBIC) is our
solution for learning in this environment. BELBIC is a
physiologically motivated approach based on a computational model
of amygdale and limbic system. The paper presents the results
obtained by the proposed approach, showing the power of BELBIC
as a decision making tool in complex and dynamic situation.
Abstract: Although many researchers have studied the flow
hydraulics in compound channels, there are still many complicated problems in determination of their flow rating curves. Many different
methods have been presented for these channels but extending them
for all types of compound channels with different geometrical and
hydraulic conditions is certainly difficult. In this study, by aid of nearly 400 laboratory and field data sets of geometry and flow rating
curves from 30 different straight compound sections and using artificial neural networks (ANNs), flow discharge in compound channels was estimated. 13 dimensionless input variables including relative depth, relative roughness, relative width, aspect ratio, bed
slope, main channel side slopes, flood plains side slopes and berm
inclination and one output variable (flow discharge), have been used
in ANNs. Comparison of ANNs model and traditional method
(divided channel method-DCM) shows high accuracy of ANNs model results. The results of Sensitivity analysis showed that the relative depth with 47.6 percent contribution, is the most effective input parameter for flow discharge prediction. Relative width and
relative roughness have 19.3 and 12.2 percent of importance, respectively. On the other hand, shape parameter, main channel and
flood plains side slopes with 2.1, 3.8 and 3.8 percent of contribution, have the least importance.
Abstract: In this paper, the residual stress of thermal spray
coatings in gas turbine component by curvature method has been
studied. The samples and shaft were coated by hard WC-12Co
cermets using high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) after preparation in
same conditions. The curvature of coated samples was measured by
using of coordinate measurement machine (CMM). The metallurgical
and Tribological studies has been made on the coated shaft using
optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)