Abstract: Corporate credit rating prediction using statistical and
artificial intelligence (AI) techniques has been one of the attractive
research topics in the literature. In recent years, multiclass
classification models such as artificial neural network (ANN) or
multiclass support vector machine (MSVM) have become a very
appealing machine learning approaches due to their good
performance. However, most of them have only focused on classifying
samples into nominal categories, thus the unique characteristic of the
credit rating - ordinality - has been seldom considered in their
approaches. This study proposes new types of ANN and MSVM
classifiers, which are named OMANN and OMSVM respectively.
OMANN and OMSVM are designed to extend binary ANN or SVM
classifiers by applying ordinal pairwise partitioning (OPP) strategy.
These models can handle ordinal multiple classes efficiently and
effectively. To validate the usefulness of these two models, we applied
them to the real-world bond rating case. We compared the results of
our models to those of conventional approaches. The experimental
results showed that our proposed models improve classification
accuracy in comparison to typical multiclass classification techniques
with the reduced computation resource.
Abstract: Speedups from mapping four real-life DSP
applications on an embedded system-on-chip that couples coarsegrained
reconfigurable logic with an instruction-set processor are
presented. The reconfigurable logic is realized by a 2-Dimensional
Array of Processing Elements. A design flow for improving
application-s performance is proposed. Critical software parts, called
kernels, are accelerated on the Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable
Array. The kernels are detected by profiling the source code. For
mapping the detected kernels on the reconfigurable logic a prioritybased
mapping algorithm has been developed. Two 4x4 array
architectures, which differ in their interconnection structure among
the Processing Elements, are considered. The experiments for eight
different instances of a generic system show that important overall
application speedups have been reported for the four applications.
The performance improvements range from 1.86 to 3.67, with an
average value of 2.53, compared with an all-software execution.
These speedups are quite close to the maximum theoretical speedups
imposed by Amdahl-s law.
Abstract: Time varying network induced delays in networked
control systems (NCS) are known for degrading control system-s
quality of performance (QoP) and causing stability problems. In
literature, a control method employing modeling of communication
delays as probability distribution, proves to be a better method. This
paper focuses on modeling of network induced delays as probability
distribution.
CAN and MIL-STD-1553B are extensively used to carry periodic
control and monitoring data in networked control systems.
In literature, methods to estimate only the worst-case delays for
these networks are available. In this paper probabilistic network
delay model for CAN and MIL-STD-1553B networks are given.
A systematic method to estimate values to model parameters from
network parameters is given. A method to predict network delay in
next cycle based on the present network delay is presented. Effect of
active network redundancy and redundancy at node level on network
delay and system response-time is also analyzed.
Abstract: A lateral trench-gate power metal-oxide-semiconductor on 4H-SiC is proposed. The device consists of two separate trenches in which two gates are placed on both sides of P-body region resulting two parallel channels. Enhanced current conduction and reduced-surface-field effect in the structure provide substantial improvement in the device performance. Using two dimensional simulations, the performance of proposed device is evaluated and compare of with that of the conventional device for same cell pitch. It is demonstrated that the proposed structure provides two times higher output current, 11% decrease in threshold voltage, 70% improvement in transconductance, 70% reduction in specific ON-resistance, 52% increase in breakdown voltage, and nearly eight time improvement in figure-of-merit over the conventional device.
Abstract: The paper presents the potential of fuzzy logic (FL-I)
and neural network techniques (ANN-I) for predicting the
compressive strength, for SCC mixtures. Six input parameters that is
contents of cement, sand, coarse aggregate, fly ash, superplasticizer
percentage and water-to-binder ratio and an output parameter i.e. 28-
day compressive strength for ANN-I and FL-I are used for modeling.
The fuzzy logic model showed better performance than neural
network model.
Abstract: Power cables are vulnerable to failure due to aging or
defects that occur with the passage of time under continuous
operation and loading stresses. PD detection and characterization
provide information on the location, nature, form and extent of the
degradation. As a result, PD monitoring has become an important
part of condition based maintenance (CBM) program among power
utilities. Online partial discharge (PD) localization of defect sources
in power cable system is possible using the time of flight method.
The information regarding the time difference between the main and
reflected pulses and cable length can help in locating the partial
discharge source along the cable length. However, if the length of
the cable is not known and the defect source is located at the extreme
ends of the cable or in the middle of the cable, then double ended
measurement is required to indicate the location of PD source. Use of
multiple sensors can also help in discriminating the cable PD or local/
external PD. This paper presents the experience and results from
online partial discharge measurements conducted in the laboratory
and the challenges in partial discharge source localization.
Abstract: Due to growing environmental concerns of the cement
industry, alternative cement technologies have become an area of
increasing interest. It is now believed that new binders are
indispensable for enhanced environmental and durability
performance. Self-compacting Geopolymer concrete is an innovative
method and improved way of concreting operation that does not
require vibration for placing it and is produced by complete
elimination of ordinary Portland cement.
This paper documents the assessment of the compressive strength
and workability characteristics of low-calcium fly ash based selfcompacting
geopolymer concrete. The essential workability
properties of the freshly prepared Self-compacting Geopolymer
concrete such as filling ability, passing ability and segregation
resistance were evaluated by using Slump flow, V-funnel, L-box and
J-ring test methods. The fundamental requirements of high
flowability and segregation resistance as specified by guidelines on
Self Compacting Concrete by EFNARC were satisfied. In addition,
compressive strength was determined and the test results are included
here. This paper also reports the effect of extra water, curing time and
curing temperature on the compressive strength of self-compacting
geopolymer concrete. The test results show that extra water in the
concrete mix plays a significant role. Also, longer curing time and
curing the concrete specimens at higher temperatures will result in
higher compressive strength.
Abstract: this paper presents a multi-context recurrent network for time series analysis. While simple recurrent network (SRN) are very popular among recurrent neural networks, they still have some shortcomings in terms of learning speed and accuracy that need to be addressed. To solve these problems, we proposed a multi-context recurrent network (MCRN) with three different learning algorithms. The performance of this network is evaluated on some real-world application such as handwriting recognition and energy load forecasting. We study the performance of this network and we compared it to a very well established SRN. The experimental results showed that MCRN is very efficient and very well suited to time series analysis and its applications.
Abstract: Visually impaired people find it extremely difficult to
acquire basic and vital information necessary for their living.
Therefore, they are at a very high risk of being socially excluded as a
result of poor access to information. In recent years, several attempts
have been made in improving the communication methods for
visually impaired people which involve tactile sensation such as
finger Braille, manual alphabets and the print on palm method and
several other electronic devices. But, there are some problems which
arise in such methods such as lack of privacy and lack of
compatibility to computer environment. This paper describes a low
cost Braille hand glove for blind people using slot sensors and
vibration motors with the help of which they can read and write emails,
text messages and read e-books. This glove allows the person
to type characters based on different Braille combination using six
slot sensors. The vibration in six different positions of the glove
which matches to the Braille code allows them to read characters.
Abstract: This paper presents three models which enable the
customisation of Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
(UDDI) query results, based on some pre-defined and/or real-time
changing parameters. These proposed models detail the requirements,
design and techniques which make ranking of Web service discovery
results from a service registry possible. Our contribution is two fold:
First, we present an extension to the UDDI inquiry capabilities. This
enables a private UDDI registry owner to customise or rank the query
results, based on its business requirements. Second, our proposal
utilises existing technologies and standards which require minimal
changes to existing UDDI interfaces or its data structures. We believe
these models will serve as valuable reference for enhancing the
service discovery methods within a private UDDI registry
environment.
Abstract: This paper discusses the theory behind the existence of an idealistic model for business network governance and uses a clarifying case-study, containing governance structures and processes within a business network framework. The case study from a German pharmaceutical industry company complements existing literature by providing a comprehensive explanation of the relations between supply chains and business networks, and also between supply chain management and business network governance. Supply chains and supply chain management are only one side of the interorganizational relationships and ensure short-term performance, while real-world governance structures are needed for ensuring the long-term existence of a supply chain. Within this context, a comprehensive model for business governance is presented. An interesting finding from the case study is that multiple business network governance systems co-exist within the evaluated supply chain.
Abstract: A major challenge in camel productivity is the high
mortality rate of camel calves in the early stage due to the lack of
colostrums. This study investigates the time required for the calves to
obtain the optimum amount of the immunoglobulin (IgG). Eleven
pregnant female camels (Camelus Dromedarus) were selected
randomly and variant in age and gestation. After delivery, 7 calves
were obtained and used for this investigation. Colostrum samples
were collected from mothers immediately after parturition. Blood
samples were obtained from the calves as follow: 0 day (before
suckling), 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 hours, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weeks
post suckling. Blood serum and colostrums whey were separated and
used to determine IgG concentration, total protein and concentration
of Cortisol and Thyroxin. The results showed high levels of IgG in
camel colostrums (328.8 ± 4.5 mg / ml). The IgG concentration in
serum of calves was the highest within 1st 24 h after suckling (140.75
mg /ml), and then declined gradually reached lower level at 144 h
(41.97 mg / ml). The average turnover rate (t 1/2) of serum IgG in
the all cases was 3.22 days. The turnover of ranged from 2.56 days
for calves have values of IgG more than average and 7.7 days for
those with values below average. In spite of very high levels of
thyroxin in sera of new born the results showed no correlation
between cortisol and thyroxin with IgG levels.
Abstract: Endemic Artemia franciscana populations can be found throughout the American continent and also as an introduced specie in several country all over the world, such as in the Mediterranean region where Artemia franciscana was identified as an invasive specie replacing native Artemia parthenogenetica and Artemia salina. In the present study, the characterization of the new invasive Artemia franciscana reported from Sabkhet Halk El-Menzel (Tunisia) was done based on the cysts biometry, nauplii instar-I length, Adult sexual dimorphism and fatty acid profile. The mean value of the diameter of non-decapsulated and decapsulated cysts, chorion thickness and naupliar length is 235.8, 226.3, 4.75 and 426.8 μm, respectively. Sexual dimorphism for adults specimen showed that maximal distance between compound eyes, diameter for compound eyes, length of first antenna and the abdomen length compared to the total body length ratio, are the most important variables for males and females discrimination with a total contribution of 62.39 %. The analysis of fatty acid methyl esters profile of decapsulated cysts resulted in low levels of linolenic acid (LLA, C18:3n-3) and high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) with 3.11 and 11.10 %, respectively. Low quantity of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) was also observed with 0.17 mg.g-1 dry weight.
Abstract: The previous proposed evacuation routing approaches usually divide the space into multiple interlinked zones. However, it may be harder to clearly and objectively define the margins of each zone. This paper proposes an approach that connects locations of necessary guidance into a spatial network. In doing so, evacuation routes can be constructed based on the links between starting points, turning nodes, and terminal points. This approach more conforms to the real-life evacuation behavior. The feasibility of the proposed approach is evaluated through a case of one floor in a hospital building. Results indicate that the proposed approach provides valuable suggestions for evacuation planning.
Abstract: A feed-forward, back-propagation Artificial Neural
Network (ANN) model has been used to forecast the occurrences of
wastewater overflows in a combined sewerage reticulation system.
This approach was tested to evaluate its applicability as a method
alternative to the common practice of developing a complete
conceptual, mathematical hydrological-hydraulic model for the
sewerage system to enable such forecasts. The ANN approach
obviates the need for a-priori understanding and representation of the
underlying hydrological hydraulic phenomena in mathematical terms
but enables learning the characteristics of a sewer overflow from the
historical data.
The performance of the standard feed-forward, back-propagation
of error algorithm was enhanced by a modified data normalizing
technique that enabled the ANN model to extrapolate into the
territory that was unseen by the training data. The algorithm and the
data normalizing method are presented along with the ANN model
output results that indicate a good accuracy in the forecasted sewer
overflow rates. However, it was revealed that the accurate
forecasting of the overflow rates are heavily dependent on the
availability of a real-time flow monitoring at the overflow structure
to provide antecedent flow rate data. The ability of the ANN to
forecast the overflow rates without the antecedent flow rates (as is
the case with traditional conceptual reticulation models) was found to
be quite poor.
Abstract: Web intelligence, if made personal, can fuel the process of building communications around the interests and preferences of each individual customer or prospect, by providing specific behavioral insights about each individual. To become fully efficient, Web intelligence must reach a stage of a high-level maturity, passing throughout a process that involves five steps: (1) Web site analysis; (2) Web site and advertising optimization; (3) Segment targeting; (4) Interactive marketing (online only); and (5) Interactive marketing (online and offline). Discussing these steps in detail, the paper uncovers the real gold mine that is personal-level Web intelligence.
Abstract: A Watson-Crick automaton is recently introduced as a
computational model of DNA computing framework. It works on
tapes consisting of double stranded sequences of symbols. Symbols
placed on the corresponding cells of the double-stranded sequences are
related by a complimentary relation. In this paper, we investigate a
variation of Watson-Crick automata in which both heads read the tape
in reverse directions. They are called reverse Watson-Crick finite
automata (RWKFA). We show that all of following four classes, i.e.,
simple, 1-limited, all-final, all-final and simple, are equal to
non-restricted version of RWKFA.
Abstract: A numerical study on the heat transfer in the thermal
barrier coatings and the substrates of a parallel-plate enclosure is
carried out. Some of the thermal barrier coatings, such as ceramics, are
semitransparent and are of interest for high-temperature applications
where radiation effects are significant. The radiative transfer equations
and the energy equations are solved by using the discrete ordinates
method and the finite difference method. Illustrative results are
presented for temperature distributions in the coatings and the opaque
walls under various heating conditions. The results show that the
temperature distribution is more uniform in the interior portion of each
coating away from its boundary for the case with a larger average of
varying refractive index and a positive gradient of refractive index
enhances radiative transfer to the substrates.
Abstract: The transient hydrodynamics and thermal behaviors of
fluid flow in open-ended vertical parallel-plate porous microchannel are investigated semi-analytically under the effect of the hyperbolic
heat conduction model. The model that combines both the continuum approach and the possibility of slip at the boundary is adopted in the
study. The Effects of Knudsen number , Darcy number , and thermal relaxation time on the microchannel hydrodynamics and thermal behaviors are investigated using the hyperbolic heat
conduction models. It is found that as increases the slip in the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary condition increases. This slip in
the hydrodynamic boundary condition increases as increases. Also, the slip in the thermal boundary condition increases as
decreases especially the early stage of time.
Abstract: In this paper the combination of thermal oxidation and
electrochemical anodizing processes is used to produce titanium
oxide layers. The response of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V to oxidation
processes at various temperatures and electrochemical anodizing in
various voltages are investigated. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM); X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and porosity determination have
been used to characterize the oxide layer thickness, surface
morphology, oxide layer-substrate adhesion and porosity. In the first
experiment, samples modified by thermal oxidation process then
followed by electrochemical anodizing. Second experiment consists
of surfaces modified by electrochemical anodizing process and then
followed by thermal oxidation. The first method shows better
properties than other one. In second experiment, Surfaces modified
were achieved by thicker and more adherent thick oxide layers on
titanium surface. The existence of an electrochemical anodized oxide
layer did not improve the adhesion of thermal oxide layer. The high
temperature, thermal formation of an oxide layer leads to a coarse
oxide grain morphology and a complete oxidative particle. In
addition, in high temperature oxidation porosity content is increased.
The oxide layer of thermal oxidation and electrochemical anodizing
processes; on Ti–6Al–4V substrate was covered with different
colored oxide layers.