Abstract: The many feasible alternatives and conflicting
objectives make equipment selection in materials handling a
complicated task. This paper presents utilizing Monte Carlo (MC)
simulation combined with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to
evaluate and select the most appropriate Material Handling
Equipment (MHE). The proposed hybrid model was built on the base
of material handling equation to identify main and sub criteria critical
to MHE selection. The criteria illustrate the properties of the material
to be moved, characteristics of the move, and the means by which the
materials will be moved. The use of MC simulation beside the AHP
is very powerful where it allows the decision maker to represent
his/her possible preference judgments as random variables. This will
reduce the uncertainty of single point judgment at conventional AHP,
and provide more confidence in the decision problem results. A small
business pharmaceutical company is used as an example to illustrate
the development and application of the proposed model.
Abstract: Cities expansion, urban travels increase, the
technology development, the automobile price cheapen, and the
families' income ascending cause the considerable increase in
automobile numbers of the city. This fact has led to the traffic
creation and the automobile parking site shortage in the city. Also in
Esfahan metropolis, the parking lots shortage has been the great
problem of this town; in addition, in designing and constructing of
the parking sites the traditional methods are utilized which do not
have a reasonable and optimized usage of the valuable urban lands. In
this article, by introducing the prefabricate mechanized parking
system which is inexpensive, simple and quick, and occupies very
small space, therefore provides the high content of parking site for
the cities, we can eliminate the parking space shortage difficulty of
the cities. The achieved results of this research represent that an
optimized utilization of the existent urban spaces for parking site
construction has not been accomplished. By employing the new
parking site technologies such as mechanization categorized parking
sites and the capacity prefabricate mechanized of each parking space
have become 8 multiples; in this case, the valuable urban lands can
be used in an optimized way.
Abstract: In the upgrade process of enterprise information
systems, how to deal with and utilize those legacy systems affects the
efficiency of construction and development of the new system. We
propose an evaluation system, which comprehensively describes the
capacity of legacy information systems in five aspects. Then we
propose a practical legacy systems evaluation method. Base on the
evaluation result, we can determine the current state of legacy system
which was evaluated.
Abstract: A new design approach for three-stage operational
amplifiers (op-amps) is proposed. It allows to actually implement a
symmetrical push-pull class-AB amplifier output stage for wellestablished
three-stage amplifiers using a feedforward
transconductance stage. Compared with the conventional design
practice, the proposed approach leads to a significant
improvement of the symmetry between the positive and the
negative op-amp step response, resulting in similar values of the
positive/negative settling time. The new approach proves to be very
useful in order to fully exploit the potentiality allowed by the op-amp
in terms of speed performances. Design examples in a commercial
0.35-μm CMOS prove the effectiveness of theproposed strategy.
Abstract: The strengthening of competitive advantage combined with the transformation of business strategy is necessary for the company to succeed in the time of market changes. And in this sense the innovation activities of the firm are exactly significanting. Virtual firms are a specific form of enterprise in which we can't suppose all regularities obtaining in other forms. The aim of the paper is to evaluate factors influencing the innovation activity of virtual firm with the determination of their importance and influences on the basis of selected metrics.
Abstract: The novelty proposed in this study is twofold and consists in the developing of a new color similarity metric based on the human visual system and a new color indexing based on a textual approach. The new color similarity metric proposed is based on the color perception of the human visual system. Consequently the results returned by the indexing system can fulfill as much as possibile the user expectations. We developed a web application to collect the users judgments about the similarities between colors, whose results are used to estimate the metric proposed in this study. In order to index the image's colors, we used a text indexing engine to facilitate the integration of visual features in a database of text documents. The textual signature is build by weighting the image's colors in according to their occurrence in the image. The use of a textual indexing engine, provide us a simple, fast and robust solution to index images. A typical usage of the system proposed in this study, is the development of applications whose data type is both visual and textual. In order to evaluate the proposed method we chose a price comparison engine as a case of study, collecting a series of commercial offers containing the textual description and the image representing a specific commercial offer.
Abstract: In data mining, the association rules are used to search
for the relations of items of the transactions database. Following the
data is collected and stored, it can find rules of value through
association rules, and assist manager to proceed marketing strategy
and plan market framework. In this paper, we attempt fuzzy partition
methods and decide membership function of quantitative values of
each transaction item. Also, by managers we can reflect the
importance of items as linguistic terms, which are transformed as
fuzzy sets of weights. Next, fuzzy weighted frequent pattern growth
(FWFP-Growth) is used to complete the process of data mining. The
method above is expected to improve Apriori algorithm for its better
efficiency of the whole association rules. An example is given to
clearly illustrate the proposed approach.
Abstract: An exploration in the competency of the optical
multilevel Mapping Multiplexing Technique (MMT) system in
tolerating to the impact of nonlinearities as Self Phase Modulation
(SPM) during the presence of dispersion compensation methods. The
existence of high energy pulses stimulates deterioration in the chirp
compression process attained by SPM which introduces an upper
power boundary limit. An evaluation of the post and asymmetric prepost
fiber compensation methods have been deployed on the MMT
system compared with others of the same bit rate modulation formats.
The MMT 40 Gb/s post compensation system has 1.4 dB
enhancements to the 40 Gb/s 4-Arysystem and less than 3.9 dB
penalty compared to the 40 Gb/s OOK-RZsystem. However, the
optimized Pre-Post asymmetric compensation has an enhancement of
4.6 dB compared to the Post compensation MMT configuration for a
30% pre compensation dispersion.
Abstract: Addition of an oily waste to a co-composting process of dairy cow manure with food waste, and the influence in the final product was evaluated. Three static composting piles with different substrates concentrations were assessed. Sawdust was also added to all composting piles to attain 60%, humidity at the beginning of the process. In pile 1, the co-substrates were the solid-phase of dairy cow manure, food waste and sawdust as bulking agent. In piles 2 and 3 there was an extra input of oily waste of 7 and 11% of the total volume, respectively, corresponding to 18 and 28% in dry weight. The results showed that the co-composting process was feasible even at the highest fat content. Another positive effect due to the oily waste addition was the requirement of extra humidity, due to the hydrophobic properties of this specific waste, which may imply reduced need of a bulking agent. Moreover, this study shows that composting can be a feasible way of adding value to fatty wastes. The three final composts presented very similar and suitable properties for land application.
Abstract: Cattle manure and mineral fertilizers are two source
of Nitrogen, which can affect the growth and quantity of potato. In
this research the effects of the use of cattle manure (5, 10, 15 and 20
ton ha-1), Nitrogen fertilizer (50, 100 and 150 kg N ha-1) and their
interaction on potato growth were evaluated during field
experiments in 2008 with the help of Randomized Complete Block
(RCB) with the factorial arrangement of three experimental
replications in Iran. At the 75 th day after emergence, dry weight of
Shoots, leaf area index (LAI) and plant height were recorded. Results
showed that, dry weight of Shoots, LAI and plant height increased
linearly and very significantly in response to the application of
manure and Nitrogen fertilizer. While the interaction between
manure and Nitrogen fertilizer just on the LAI and plant height was
significant, somehow the maximum amount of plant height( 73 cm)
was obtained by using 150 kg Nitrogen + 15 tons of manure per
hectare, and maximum LAI ( 5.36) was obtained by using 150 kg
Nitrogen + 20 tons of manure per hectare. Also in this experiment
maximum tuber yield (36.8 tons ha-1) was obtained by the utilization
of 150 kg Nitrogen per hectare + 20 tons manure.
Abstract: HIV-1 genome is highly heterogeneous. Due to this
variation, features of HIV-I genome is in a wide range. For this
reason, the ability to infection of the virus changes depending on
different chemokine receptors. From this point of view, R5 HIV
viruses use CCR5 coreceptor while X4 viruses use CXCR5 and
R5X4 viruses can utilize both coreceptors. Recently, in
Bioinformatics, R5X4 viruses have been studied to classify by using
the experiments on HIV-1 genome.
In this study, R5X4 type of HIV viruses were classified using
Auto Regressive (AR) model through Artificial Neural Networks
(ANNs). The statistical data of R5X4, R5 and X4 viruses was
analyzed by using signal processing methods and ANNs. Accessible
residues of these virus sequences were obtained and modeled by AR
model since the dimension of residues is large and different from
each other. Finally the pre-processed data was used to evolve various
ANN structures for determining R5X4 viruses. Furthermore ROC
analysis was applied to ANNs to show their real performances. The
results indicate that R5X4 viruses successfully classified with high
sensitivity and specificity values training and testing ROC analysis
for RBF, which gives the best performance among ANN structures.
Abstract: Midpoint filter is quite effective in recovering the
images confounded by the short-tailed (uniform) noise. It, however,
performs poorly in the presence of additive long-tailed (impulse)
noise and it does not preserve the edge structures of the image
signals. Median smoother discards outliers (impulses) effectively, but
it fails to provide adequate smoothing for images corrupted with nonimpulse
noise. In this paper, two nonlinear techniques for image
filtering, namely, New Filter I and New Filter II are proposed based
on a nonlinear high-pass filter algorithm. New Filter I is constructed
using a midpoint filter, a highpass filter and a combiner. It suppresses
uniform noise quite well. New Filter II is configured using an alpha
trimmed midpoint filter, a median smoother of window size 3x3, the
high pass filter and the combiner. It is robust against impulse noise
and attenuates uniform noise satisfactorily. Both the filters are shown
to exhibit good response at the image boundaries (edges). The
proposed filters are evaluated for their performance on a test image
and the results obtained are included.
Abstract: Liners are made to protect the groundwater table from
the infiltration of leachate which normally carries different kinds of
toxic materials from landfills. Although these liners are engineered to
last for long period of time; unfortunately these liners fail; therefore,
toxic materials pass to groundwater. This paper focuses on the
changes of the hydraulic conductivity of a sand-bentonite liner due to
the infiltration of biofuel and ethanol fuel. Series of laboratory tests
were conducted in 20-cm-high PVC columns. Several compositions
of sand-bentonite liners were tested: 95% sand: 5% bentonite; 90%
sand: 10% bentonite; and 100% sand (passed mesh #40). The
columns were subjected to extreme pressures of 40 kPa, and 100 kPa
to evaluate the transport of alternative fuels (biofuel and ethanol
fuel). For comparative studies, similar tests were carried out using
water. Results showed that hydraulic conductivity increased due to
the infiltration of alternative fuels through the liners. Accordingly,
the increase in the hydraulic conductivity showed significant
dependency on the type of liner mixture and the characteristics of the
liquid. The hydraulic conductivity of a liner (subjected to biofuel
infiltration) consisting of 5% bentonite: 95% sand under pressure of
40 kPa and 100 kPa had increased by one fold. In addition, the
hydraulic conductivity of a liner consisting of 10% bentonite: 90%
sand under pressure of 40 kPa and 100 kPa and infiltrated by biofuel
had increased by three folds. On the other hand, the results obtained
by water infiltration under 40 kPa showed lower hydraulic
conductivities of 1.50×10-5 and 1.37×10-9 cm/s for 5% bentonite:
95% sand, and 10% bentonite: 90% sand, respectively. Similarly,
under 100 kPa, the hydraulic conductivities were 2.30×10-5 and
1.90×10-9 cm/s for 5% bentonite: 95% sand, and 10% bentonite: 90%
sand, respectively.
Abstract: Together with the industrialization, women began to
be included in business life by peeling off of the tasks given them by
society and they have become a factor of production creating value in
economic and social sense. Thus, women have taken place in the
labor market, majority of which has been formed by men. In this
study, the experiences of women entrepreneurs, who succeed in
business activities, will be analyzed. By the study, current state of the
women entrepreneurs in the labor market of Turkey will be put down,
as a result of interferences obtained from the shared experiences of
women entrepreneurs. Findings obtained at the end of the study are
thought to light the way of future studies for increasing women
entrepreneurship.
Abstract: In the present work the internal sulfate attack on
pastes made from pure clinker phases was studied. Two binders were
produced: (a) a binder with 2% C3A and 18% C4AF content; (b) a
binder with 10% C3A and C4AF content each. Gypsum was used as
the sulfate bearing compound, while calcium carbonate added to
differentiate the binders produced. The phases formed were identified
by XRD analysis. The results showed that ettringite was the
deterioration phase detected in the case of the low C3A content
binder. Carbonation occurred in the specimen without calcium
carbonate addition, while portlandite was observed in the one
containing calcium carbonate. In the case of the high C3A content
binder, traces of thaumasite were detected when calcium carbonate
was not incorporated in the binder. A solid solution of thaumasite and
ettringite was found when calcium carbonate was added. The amount
of C3A had not fully reacted with sulfates, since its corresponding
peaks were detected.
Abstract: In wireless and mobile communications, this progress
provides opportunities for introducing new standards and improving
existing services. Supporting multimedia traffic with wireless networks
quality of service (QoS). In this paper, a grey-fuzzy controller for radio
resource management (GF-RRM) is presented to maximize the number
of the served calls and QoS provision in wireless networks. In a
wireless network, the call arrival rate, the call duration and the
communication overhead between the base stations and the control
center are vague and uncertain. In this paper, we develop a method to
predict the cell load and to solve the RRM problem based on the
GF-RRM, and support the present facility has been built on the
application-level of the wireless networks. The GF-RRM exhibits the
better adaptability, fault-tolerant capability and performance than other
algorithms. Through simulations, we evaluate the blocking rate, update
overhead, and channel acquisition delay time of the proposed method.
The results demonstrate our algorithm has the lower blocking rate, less
updated overhead, and shorter channel acquisition delay.
Abstract: The fluid flow and the properties of the hydraulic
fluid inside a torque converter are the main topics of interest in this
research. The primary goal is to investigate the applicability of
various viscous fluids inside the torque converter. The Taguchi
optimization method is adopted to analyse the fluid flow in a torque
converter from a design perspective. Calculations are conducted in
maximizing the pressure since greater the pressure, greater the torque
developed. Using the values of the S/N ratios obtained, graphs are
plotted. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is also
conducted.
Abstract: Mobile learning (M-learning) integrates mobile
devices and wireless computing technology to enhance the current
conventional learning system. However, there are constraints which
are affecting the implementation of platform and device independent
M-learning. The main aim of this research is to fulfill the following
main objectives: to develop platform independent mobile learning
tool (M-LT) for structured programming course, and evaluate its
effectiveness and usability using ADDIE instructional design model
(ISD) as M-LT life cycle. J2ME (Java 2 micro edition) and XML
(Extensible Markup Language) were used to develop platform
independent M-LT. It has two modules lecture materials and quizzes.
This study used Quasi experimental design to measure effectiveness
of the tool. Meanwhile, questionnaire is used to evaluate the usability
of the tool. Finally, the results show that the system was effective and
also usability evaluation was positive.
Abstract: Based on different experiences in the historic centers
of Spain, we propose an global strategy for the regeneration of the
pre-tertiary fabrics and its application to the specific case of San
Mateo neighborhood, in Jerez de la Frontera (Andalusia), through a
diagnosis that focus particularly on the punishments the last-decade
economic situation (building boom and crisis) and shows the tragic
transition from economic center to an imminent disappearance with
an image similar to the ruins of war, due to the loss of their
traditional roles. From it we will learn their historically-tested
mechanisms of environment adaptation, which distill the vernacular
architecture essence and that we will apply to our strategy of action
based on a dotacional-and-free-space rhizome which rediscovers its
hidden character. The architectural fact will be crystallized in one of
the example-pieces proposed: The Artistic Revitalization Center.
Abstract: Severe heart failure is a common problem that has a significant effect on health expenditures in industrialized countries; moreover it reduces patient-s quality of life. However, current research usually focuses either on detailed modeling of the heart or on detailed modeling of the cardiovascular system. Thus, this paper aims to present a sophisticated model of the heart enhanced with an extensive model of the cardiovascular system. Special interest is on the pressure and flow values close to the heart since these values are critical to accurately diagnose causes of heart failure. The model is implemented in Dymola an object-oriented, physical modeling language. Results achieved with the novel model show overall feasibility of the approach. Moreover, results are illustrated and compared to other models. The novel model shows significant improvements.