Abstract: Support vector regression (SVR) has been regarded
as a state-of-the-art method for approximation and regression. The
importance of kernel function, which is so-called admissible support
vector kernel (SV kernel) in SVR, has motivated many studies
on its composition. The Gaussian kernel (RBF) is regarded as a
“best" choice of SV kernel used by non-expert in SVR, whereas
there is no evidence, except for its superior performance on some
practical applications, to prove the statement. Its well-known that
reproducing kernel (R.K) is also a SV kernel which possesses many
important properties, e.g. positive definiteness, reproducing property
and composing complex R.K by simpler ones. However, there are a
limited number of R.Ks with explicit forms and consequently few
quantitative comparison studies in practice. In this paper, two R.Ks,
i.e. SV kernels, composed by the sum and product of a translation
invariant kernel in a Sobolev space are proposed. An exploratory
study on the performance of SVR based general R.K is presented
through a systematic comparison to that of RBF using multiple
criteria and synthetic problems. The results show that the R.K is
an equivalent or even better SV kernel than RBF for the problems
with more input variables (more than 5, especially more than 10) and
higher nonlinearity.
Abstract: The eco-efficient use of “waste" makes sense from
economic, social, and environmental perspectives. By efficiency diverting “waste" products back into useful and/or profitable inputs,
industries and entire societies can reap the benefits of improved financial profit, decreased environmental degradation, and overall
well-being of humanity.
In this project, several material flows at
Company Limited were investigated. Principles of "industrial ecology" were applied to improve the management of waste rubbers that are used in the jewelry manufacturing process. complete this project, a brief engineering analysis stream, and investigated eco-efficient principles for more efficient
handling of the materials and wastes were conducted, and the result were used to propose implementation strategies.
Abstract: This paper focuses on developing an integrated
reliable and sophisticated model for ultra large wind turbines And to
study the performance and analysis of vector control on large wind
turbines. With the advance of power electronics technology, direct
driven multi-pole radial flux PMSG (Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Generator) has proven to be a good choice for wind turbines
manufacturers. To study the wind energy conversion systems, it is
important to develop a wind turbine simulator that is able to produce
realistic and validated conditions that occur in real ultra MW wind
turbines. Three different packages are used to simulate this model,
namely, Turbsim, FAST and Simulink. Turbsim is a Full field wind
simulator developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL). The wind turbine mechanical parts are modeled by FAST
(Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures and Turbulence) code which is
also developed by NREL. Simulink is used to model the PMSG, full
scale back to back IGBT converters, and the grid.
Abstract: The photocatalytic activity efficiency of TiO2 for the degradation of Toluene in photoreactor can be enhanced by nano- TiO2/LDPE composite film. Since the amount of TiO2 affected the efficiency of the photocatalytic activity, this work was mainly concentrated on the effort to embed the high amount of TiO2 in the Polyethylene matrix. The developed photocatalyst was characterized by XRD, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and SEM. The SEM images revealed the high homogeneity of the deposition of TiO2 on the polyethylene matrix. The XRD patterns interpreted that TiO2 embedded in the PE matrix exhibited mainly in anatase form. In addition, the photocatalytic results show that the toluene removal efficiencies of 30±5%, 49±4%, 68±5%, 42±6% and 33±5% were obtained when using the catalyst loading at 0%, 10%, 15%, 25% and 50% (wt. cat./wt. film), respectively.
Abstract: The introduction of sowing technologies into minimum- or no-tillage soil has a number of economical and environmental virtues, such as improving soil properties, decreasing soil erosion and degradation, and saving working time and fuel. However, the main disadvantage of these technologies is that plant residues on the soil surface reduce the quality of the planted crop seeds, thus requiring plant residues to be removed or cut. This paper presents a analysis of disc coulter parameters and an experimental investigation of cutting spring barley straw containing various amounts of moisture with different disc coulters (smooth and notched).
Abstract: An automatic speech recognition system for the
formal Arabic language is needed. The Quran is the most formal
spoken book in Arabic, it is spoken all over the world. In this
research, an automatic speech recognizer for Quranic based speakerindependent
was developed and tested. The system was developed
based on the tri-phone Hidden Markov Model and Maximum
Likelihood Linear Regression (MLLR). The MLLR computes a set
of transformations which reduces the mismatch between an initial
model set and the adaptation data. It uses the regression class tree, as
well as, estimates a set of linear transformations for the mean and
variance parameters of a Gaussian mixture HMM system. The 30th
Chapter of the Quran, with five of the most famous readers of the
Quran, was used for the training and testing of the data. The chapter
includes about 2000 distinct words. The advantages of using the
Quranic verses as the database in this developed recognizer are the
uniqueness of the words and the high level of orderliness between
verses. The level of accuracy from the tested data ranged 68 to 85%.
Abstract: True integration of multimedia services over wired or
wireless networks increase the productivity and effectiveness in
today-s networks. IP Multimedia Subsystems are Next Generation
Network architecture to provide the multimedia services over fixed
or mobile networks. This paper proposes an extended SIP-based QoS
Management architecture for IMS services over underlying IP access
networks. To guarantee the end-to-end QoS for IMS services in
interconnection backbone, SIP based proxy Modules are introduced
to support the QoS provisioning and to reduce the handoff disruption
time over IP access networks. In our approach these SIP Modules
implement the combination of Diffserv and MPLS QoS mechanisms
to assure the guaranteed QoS for real-time multimedia services. To
guarantee QoS over access networks, SIP Modules make QoS
resource reservations in advance to provide best QoS to IMS users
over heterogeneous networks. To obtain more reliable multimedia
services, our approach allows the use of SCTP protocol over SIP
instead of UDP due to its multi-streaming feature. This architecture
enables QoS provisioning for IMS roaming users to differentiate IMS
network from other common IP networks for transmission of realtime
multimedia services. To validate our approach simulation
models are developed on short scale basis. The results show that our
approach yields comparable performance for efficient delivery of
IMS services over heterogeneous IP access networks.
Abstract: Testing is an activity that is required both in the
development and maintenance of the software development life cycle
in which Integration Testing is an important activity. Integration
testing is based on the specification and functionality of the software
and thus could be called black-box testing technique. The purpose of
integration testing is testing integration between software
components. In function or system testing, the concern is with overall
behavior and whether the software meets its functional specifications
or performance characteristics or how well the software and
hardware work together. This explains the importance and necessity
of IT for which the emphasis is on interactions between modules and
their interfaces. Software errors should be discovered early during
IT to reduce the costs of correction. This paper introduces a new type
of integration error, presenting an overview of Integration Testing
techniques with comparison of each technique and also identifying
which technique detects what type of error.
Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the appearance of the giant component in random subgraphs G(p) of a given large finite graph family Gn = (Vn, En) in which each edge is present independently with probability p. We show that if the graph Gn satisfies a weak isoperimetric inequality and has bounded degree, then the probability p under which G(p) has a giant component of linear order with some constant probability is bounded away from zero and one. In addition, we prove the probability of abnormally large order of the giant component decays exponentially. When a contact graph is modeled as Gn, our result is of special interest in the study of the spread of infectious diseases or the identification of community in various social networks.
Abstract: Rapid advancement in computing technology brings
computers and humans to be seamlessly integrated in future. The
emergence of smartphone has driven computing era towards
ubiquitous and pervasive computing. Recognizing human activity has
garnered a lot of interest and has raised significant researches-
concerns in identifying contextual information useful to human
activity recognition. Not only unobtrusive to users in daily life,
smartphone has embedded built-in sensors that capable to sense
contextual information of its users supported with wide range
capability of network connections. In this paper, we will discuss the
classification algorithms used in smartphone-based human activity.
Existing technologies pertaining to smartphone-based researches in
human activity recognition will be highlighted and discussed. Our
paper will also present our findings and opinions to formulate
improvement ideas in current researches- trends. Understanding
research trends will enable researchers to have clearer research
direction and common vision on latest smartphone-based human
activity recognition area.
Abstract: This paper considers the development of a two-point
predictor-corrector block method for solving delay differential
equations. The formulae are represented in divided difference form
and the algorithm is implemented in variable stepsize variable order
technique. The block method produces two new values at a single
integration step. Numerical results are compared with existing
methods and it is evident that the block method performs very well.
Stability regions of the block method are also investigated.
Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in mathematical education is a very active field of research and innovation, where learning is understood to be meaningful and grasping multiple linked representation rather than rote memorization, a great amount of literature offering a wide range of theories, learning approaches, methodologies and interpretations, are generally stressing the potentialities for teaching and learning using ICT. Despite the utilization of new learning approaches with ICT, students experience difficulties in learning concepts relevant to understanding mathematics, much remains unclear about the relationship between the computer environment, the activities it might support, and the knowledge that might emerge from such activities. Many questions that might arise in this regard: to what extent does the use of ICT help students in the process of understanding and solving tasks or problems? Is it possible to identify what aspects or features of students' mathematical learning can be enhanced by the use of technology? This paper will highlight the interest of the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into the teaching and learning of mathematics (quadratic functions), it aims to investigate the effect of four instructional methods on students- mathematical understanding and problem solving. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used to report about 43 students in middle school. Results showed that mathematical thinking and problem solving evolves as students engage with ICT activities and learn cooperatively.
Abstract: This paper presents a generalization kernel for gravitational
potential determination by harmonic splines. It was shown
in [10] that the gravitational potential can be approximated using a
kernel represented as a Newton integral over the real Earth body. On
the other side, the theory of geopotential approximation by harmonic
splines uses spherically oriented kernels. The purpose of this paper
is to show that in the spherical case both kernels have the same type
of representation, which leads us to conclusion that it is possible
to consider the kernel represented as a Newton integral over the real
Earth body as a kind of generalization of spherically harmonic kernels
to real geometries.
Abstract: This study examines perception of environmental
approach in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – the
process by which firms integrate environmental concern into
business. Based on a review of the literature, the paper synthesizes
focus on environmental issues with the reflection in a case study in
the Czech Republic. Two themes of corporate environmentalism are
discussed – corporate environmental orientation and corporate
stances toward environmental concerns. It provides theoretical
material on greening organizational culture that is helpful in
understanding the response of contemporary business to
environmental problems. We integrate theoretical predictions with
empirical findings confronted with reality. Scales to measure these
themes are tested in a survey of managers in 229 Czech firms. We
used the process of in-depth questioning. The research question was
derived and answered in the context of the corresponding literature
and conducted research. A case study showed us that environmental
approach is variety different (depending on the size of the firm) in
SMEs sector. The results of the empirical mapping demonstrate
Czech company’s approach to environment and define the problem
areas and pinpoint the main limitation in the expansion of
environmental aspects. We contribute to the debate for recognition of
the particular role of environmental issues in business reality.
Abstract: A novel circuit for generating a signal embedded with
features about data from three sensors is presented. This suggested
circuit is making use of a resistance-to-time converter employing a
bridge amplifier, an integrator and a comparator. The second resistive
sensor (Rz) is transformed into duty cycle. Another bridge with
varying resistor, (Ry) in the feedback of an OP AMP is added in
series to change the amplitude of the resulting signal in a proportional
relationship while keeping the same frequency and duty cycle
representing proportional changes in resistors Rx and Rz already
mentioned. The resultant output signal carries three types of
information embedded as variations of its frequency, duty cycle and
amplitude.
Abstract: During the last couple of years, the degree of dependence on IT systems has reached a dimension nobody imagined to be possible 10 years ago. The increased usage of mobile devices (e.g., smart phones), wireless sensor networks and embedded devices (Internet of Things) are only some examples of the dependency of modern societies on cyber space. At the same time, the complexity of IT applications, e.g., because of the increasing use of cloud computing, is rising continuously. Along with this, the threats to IT security have increased both quantitatively and qualitatively, as recent examples like STUXNET or the supposed cyber attack on Illinois water system are proofing impressively. Once isolated control systems are nowadays often publicly available - a fact that has never been intended by the developers. Threats to IT systems don’t care about areas of responsibility. Especially with regard to Cyber Warfare, IT threats are no longer limited to company or industry boundaries, administrative jurisdictions or state boundaries. One of the important countermeasures is increased cooperation among the participants especially in the field of Cyber Defence. Besides political and legal challenges, there are technical ones as well. A better, at least partially automated exchange of information is essential to (i) enable sophisticated situational awareness and to (ii) counter the attacker in a coordinated way. Therefore, this publication performs an evaluation of state of the art Intrusion Detection Message Exchange protocols in order to guarantee a secure information exchange between different entities.
Abstract: As the majority of faults are found in a few of its
modules so there is a need to investigate the modules that are
affected severely as compared to other modules and proper
maintenance need to be done in time especially for the critical
applications. As, Neural networks, which have been already applied
in software engineering applications to build reliability growth
models predict the gross change or reusability metrics. Neural
networks are non-linear sophisticated modeling techniques that are
able to model complex functions. Neural network techniques are
used when exact nature of input and outputs is not known. A key
feature is that they learn the relationship between input and output
through training. In this present work, various Neural Network Based
techniques are explored and comparative analysis is performed for
the prediction of level of need of maintenance by predicting level
severity of faults present in NASA-s public domain defect dataset.
The comparison of different algorithms is made on the basis of Mean
Absolute Error, Root Mean Square Error and Accuracy Values. It is
concluded that Generalized Regression Networks is the best
algorithm for classification of the software components into different
level of severity of impact of the faults. The algorithm can be used to
develop model that can be used for identifying modules that are
heavily affected by the faults.
Abstract: Inter-organizational Workflow (IOW) is commonly
used to support the collaboration between heterogeneous and
distributed business processes of different autonomous organizations
in order to achieve a common goal. E-government is considered as an
application field of IOW. The coordination of the different
organizations is the fundamental problem in IOW and remains the
major cause of failure in e-government projects. In this paper, we
introduce a new coordination model for IOW that improves the
collaboration between government administrations and that respects
IOW requirements applied to e-government. For this purpose, we
adopt a Multi-Agent approach, which deals more easily with interorganizational
digital government characteristics: distribution,
heterogeneity and autonomy. Our model integrates also different
technologies to deal with the semantic and technologic
interoperability. Moreover, it conserves the existing systems of
government administrations by offering a distributed coordination
based on interfaces communication. This is especially applied in
developing countries, where administrations are not necessary
equipped with workflow systems. The use of our coordination
techniques allows an easier migration for an e-government solution
and with a lower cost. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed
model, we present a case study of an identity card creation in Tunisia.
Abstract: In this study, aerobic digestion of tannery industry
wastewater was carried out using mixed culture obtained from
common effluent treatment plant treating tannery wastewater. The
effect of pH, temperature, inoculum concentration, agitation speed
and initial substrate concentration on the reduction of organic matters
were found. The optimum conditions for COD reduction was found
to be pH - 7 (60%), temperature - 30ÔùªC (61%), inoculum
concentration - 2% (61%), agitation speed - 150rpm (65%) and initial
substrate concentration - 1560 mg COD/L (74%). Kinetics studies
were carried by using Monod model, First order, Diffusional model
and Singh model. From the results it was found that the Monod
model suits well for the degradation of tannery wastewater using
mixed microbial consortium.
Abstract: Increasing energy absorption is a significant parameter
in vehicle design. Absorbing more energy results in decreasing
occupant damage. Limitation of the deflection in a side impact results
in decreased energy absorption (SEA) and increased peak load (PL).
Hence a high crash force jeopardizes passenger safety and vehicle
integrity. The aims of this paper are to determine suitable dimensions
and material of a square beam subjected to side impact, in order to
maximize SEA and minimize PL. To achieve this novel goal, the
geometric parameters of a square beam are optimized using the
response surface method (RSM).multi-objective optimization is
performed, and the optimum design for different response features is
obtained.