Abstract: In this paper, sodium borosilicates glasses were prepared by melting in air. These heat-resistant transparent glasses have subjected subsequently isothermal treatments at different times, which have transformed them at opaque glass (milky white color). Such changes indicate that these glasses showed clearly phase separation (immiscibility). The immiscibility region in a sodium borosilicate ternary system was investigated in this work, i.e. to determine the regions from which some compositions can show phase separation. For this we went through the conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium, which were translated later by mathematical equations to find an approximate solution. The latter has been translated in a simulation which was established thereafter to find the immiscibility regions in this type of special glasses.
Abstract: The paper gives basic information on application of
rotation bending for manufacturing ship hull parts from steel plates
and on MGPS machines, employed for this purpose.
Abstract: Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) allows modeling of dynamic interaction between incongruous providers, which enables governing the development of complex applications. However, implementation of SOA comes with some challenges, including its adaptability and robustness. Dynamism is inherent to the nature of service based applications and of their running environment. These factors lead to necessity for dynamic adaptation. In this paper we try to describe basics and main structure of SOA adaptation process with a conceptual view to this issue. In this survey we will review the relevant adaptation approaches. This paper allows studying how different approaches deal with service oriented architecture adaptation life-cycle and provides basic guidelines for their analysis, evaluation and comparison.
Abstract: When it comes to last, it is regarded as the critical foundation of shoe design and development. Not only the last relates to the comfort of shoes wearing but also it aids the production of shoe styling and manufacturing. In order to enhance the efficiency and application of last development, a computer aided methodology for customized last form designs is proposed in this study. The reverse engineering is mainly applied to the process of scanning for the last form. Then the minimum energy is used for the revision of surface continuity, the surface of the last is reconstructed with the feature curves of the scanned last. When the surface of a last is reconstructed, based on the foundation of the proposed last form reconstruction module, the weighted arithmetic mean method is applied to the calculation on the shape morphing which differs from the grading for the control mesh of last, and the algorithm of subdivision is used to create the surface of last mesh, thus the feet-fitting 3D last form of different sizes is generated from its original form feature with functions remained. Finally, the practicability of the proposed methodology is verified through later case studies.
Abstract: Assistive robotics are playing a vital role in advancing the quality of life for disable people. There exist wide range of systems that can control and guide autonomous mobile robots. The objective of the control system is to guide an autonomous mobile robot using the movement of eyes by means of EOG signal. The EOG signal is acquired using Ag/AgCl electrodes and this signal is processed by a microcontroller unit to calculate the eye gaze direction. Then according to the guidance control strategy, the control commands of the wheelchair are sent. The classification of different eye movements allows us to generate simple code for controlling the wheelchair. This work was aimed towards developing a usable and low-cost assistive robotic wheel chair system for disabled people. To live more independent life, the system can be used by the handicapped people especially those with only eye-motor coordination.
Abstract: The most important problem occurs on oil spills in sea
water is to reduce the oil spills size. This study deals with the
development of high pressurized nozzle using dispersion method for
oil leakage in offshore. 3D numerical simulation results were
obtained using ANSYS Fluent 13.0 code and correlate with the
experimental data for validation. This paper studies the contribution
of the process on flow speed and pressure of the flow from two
different geometrical designs of nozzles and to generate a spray
pattern suitable for dispersant application. Factor of size distribution
of droplets generated by the nozzle is calculated using pressures
ranging from 2 to 6 bars. Results obtain from both analyses shows a
significant spray pattern and flow distribution as well as distance.
Results also show a significant contribution on the effect of oil
leakage in terms of the diameter of the oil spills break up.
Abstract: This research analyzes factors affecting the success of Bitcoin Value within Thailand and develops a guideline for self-reliance for effective business implementation. Samples in this study included 121 people through surveys. The results revealed four main factors affecting the success as follows: 1) A great majority didn't know what Bitcoin was. 2) Didn't grasp the concept of a digital currency or see the benefit of a digital currency. 3) There is a great need to educate the next generation of learners on the benefits of Bitcoin within the community. 4) Future Career training should be pursued in applied Bitcoin development.
The guideline for self-reliance planning consisted of 4 aspects: 1) Local communities need to develop awareness of the usefulness of Bitcoin and share the value of Bitcoin among friends and family. 2) Computer Science and Business Management staff should develop skills to expand on the benefits of Bitcoin within their departments. 3) Further research should be pursued on how Bitcoin Value can improve business and tourism within Thailand. Local communities should focus on developing Bitcoin awareness by encouraging street vendors to accept Bitcoin as another form of payment for services rendered. 4) Development planning: by arranging meet up groups to conduct further education on Bitcoin and share solutions on adoption into every day usage.
Abstract: Heat transfer from flat tube is studied numerically. Reynolds number is defined base on equivalent circular tube which is varied in range of 100 to 300. In these range of Reynolds number flow is considered to be laminar, unsteady, and incompressible. Equations are solved by using finite volume method. Results show that increasing l/D from 1 to 2 has insignificant effect on heat transfer and Nusselt number of flat tube is slightly lower than circular tube. However, thermal-hydraulic performance of flat tube is up to 2.7 times greater than circular tube.
Abstract: Mostly of public financing programs at national and regional level are funded from European Union sources. EU can participate directly to a national and regional program (example LEADER initiative, URBAN…) or indirectly by funding regional or national funds.Funds from European Union are provided from EU multiannual financial framework form which the annual budget is programmed. The adjusted program 2007-2013 of the EU considered commitments of almost 1 trillion Euros for the EU-28 countries. Provisions of the new program 2014-2020 consider commitments of more than 1 trillion Euros. Sustainable growth, divided to Cohesion and Competitiveness for Growth an Employment, is one of the two principal categories; the other is the preservation and management of natural resources.Through this financing process SMEs benefited of EU and public sources by receiving grants for their investments. Most of the financial instruments are available indirectly through the national financial intermediaries. Part of them is managed by the European Investment Fund.The paper focuses on the public financing to SMEs by examining case studies on divers forms of public help. It tries to distinguish the efficiency of the examined good practices and therefore try to have some conclusions on the possibility of application to other regions.
Abstract: Sustainable tall buildings that provide comfortable,
healthy and efficient indoor environments are clearly desirable as the
densification of living and working space for the world’s increasing
population proceeds. For environmental concerns, these buildings
must also be energy efficient. One component of these tasks is the
provision of indoor air quality and thermal comfort, which can be
enhanced with natural ventilation by the supply of fresh air. Working
spaces can only be naturally ventilated with connections to the
outdoors utilizing operable windows, double facades, ventilation
stacks, balconies, patios, terraces and skygardens. Large amounts of
fresh air can be provided to the indoor spaces without mechanical
air-conditioning systems, which are widely employed in
contemporary tall buildings.
This paper tends to present the concept of natural ventilation for
sustainable tall office buildings in order to achieve healthy and
comfortable working spaces, as well as energy efficient
environments. Initially the historical evolution of ventilation
strategies for tall buildings is presented, beginning with natural
ventilation and continuing with the introduction of mechanical airconditioning
systems. Then the emergence of natural ventilation due
to the health and environmental concerns in tall buildings is handled,
and the strategies for implementing this strategy are revealed. In the
next section, a number of case studies that utilize this strategy are
investigated. Finally, how tall office buildings can benefit from this
strategy is discussed.
Abstract: Sustainability, being the urgent issue of our time, is
closely related with the innovations in technology. Nanotechnology
(NT), although not a new science, can be regarded relatively a new
science for buildings with brand new materials and applications. This
paper tends to give a research review of current and near future
applications of nanotechnology (NT) for achieving high-performance
and healthy buildings for a sustainable future. In the introduction, the
driving forces for the sustainability of construction industry are
explained. Then, the term NT is defined, and significance of
innovations in NT for a sustainable construction industry is revealed.
After presenting the application areas of NT and nanomaterials for
buildings with a number of cases, challenges in the adoption of this
technology are put forward, and finally the impacts of nanoparticles
and nanomaterials on human health and environment are discussed.
Abstract: Information technology is changing rapidly and the users’ expectations are also growing. Dealing with these changes in information technology, while satisfying the users’ needs and expectations is a big challenge. IT managers need to explore new mechanisms/strategies to enable them to cope with such challenges.
The objectives of this research are to identify the significant challenges that might face IT managers in higher education institutes in the face of the high and ever growing customer expectations and to propose possible solutions to cope with such high-speed changes in information technology.
To achieve these objectives, interviews with the IT professionals from different higher education institutes in Oman were conducted. In addition, documentation (printed and online) related to these institutions were studied and an intensive literature review of published work was examined.
The findings of this research are expected to give a better understanding of the challenges that might face the IT managers at higher education institutes. This acquired understanding is expected to highlight the importance of being adaptable and fast in keeping up with the ever-growing technological changes. Moreover, adopting different tools and technologies could assist IT managers in developing their organisations’ IT policies and strategies.
Abstract: This study has only one objective which is to identify the different in factors of choosing the distributor for food and non-food OTOP entrepreneur in Thailand. In this research, the types of OTOP product will be divided into two groups which are food and non-food. The sample for the food type OTOP product was the processed fruit and vegetable from Nakorn Pathom province and the sample for the non-food type OTOP product was the court doll from Ang Thong province. The research was divided into 3 parts which were a study of the distribution pattern and how to choose the distributor of the food type OTOP product, a study of the distribution pattern and how to choose the distributor of the non-food type OTOP product and a comparison between 2 types of products to find the differentiation in the factor of choosing distributor. The data and information was collected by using the interview. The populations in the research were 5 producers of the processed fruit and vegetable from Nakorn Pathom province and 5 producers of the court doll from Ang Thong province. The significant factor in choosing the distributor of the food type OTOP product is the material handling efficiency and on-time delivery but for the non-food type OTOP product is focused on the channel of distribution and cost of the distributor.
Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) is a rapidly emerging computer
interface that attempts to immerse the user completely within an
experimental recreation; thereby, greatly enhancing the overall
impact and providing a much more intuitive link between the
computer and the human participants. The main objective of this
study is to design tractor trailer capable of meeting the customers’
requirements and suitable for rough conditions to be used in
combination with a farm tractor in India. The final concept is capable
of providing arrangements for attaching the trailer to the tractor easily
by pickup hitch, stronger and lighter supporting frame, option of
spare tyre etc. Furthermore, the resulting product design can be sent
via the Internet to customers for comments or marketing purposes.
The virtual prototyping (VP) system therefore facilitates advanced
product design and helps reduce product development time and cost
significantly.
Abstract: Advances in the field of image processing envision a
new era of evaluation techniques and application of procedures in
various different fields. One such field being considered is the
biomedical field for prognosis as well as diagnosis of diseases. This
plethora of methods though provides a wide range of options to select
from, it also proves confusion in selecting the apt process and also in
finding which one is more suitable. Our objective is to use a series of
techniques on bone scans, so as to detect the occurrence of
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as accurately as possible. Amongst other
techniques existing in the field our proposed system tends to be more
effective as it depends on new methodologies that have been proved
to be better and more consistent than others. Computer aided
diagnosis will provide more accurate and infallible rate of
consistency that will help to improve the efficiency of the system.
The image first undergoes histogram smoothing and specification,
morphing operation, boundary detection by edge following algorithm
and finally image subtraction to determine the presence of
rheumatoid arthritis in a more efficient and effective way. Using preprocessing
noises are removed from images and using segmentation,
region of interest is found and Histogram smoothing is applied for a
specific portion of the images. Gray level co-occurrence matrix
(GLCM) features like Mean, Median, Energy, Correlation, Bone
Mineral Density (BMD) and etc. After finding all the features it
stores in the database. This dataset is trained with inflamed and noninflamed
values and with the help of neural network all the new
images are checked properly for their status and Rough set is
implemented for further reduction.
Abstract: The high efficiency power management IC (PMIC) with switching device is presented in this paper. PMIC is controlled with PFM control method in order to have high power efficiency at high current level. Dynamic Threshold voltage CMOS (DT-CMOS) with low on-resistance is designed to decrease conduction loss. The threshold voltage of DT-CMOS drops as the gate voltage increase, resulting in a much higher current handling capability than standard MOSFET. PFM control circuits consist of a generator, AND gate and comparator. The generator is made to have 1.2MHz oscillation voltage. The DC-DC converter based on PFM control circuit and low on-resistance switching device is presented in this paper.
Abstract: This paper deals with a proposal of a new
methodology for durability assessment of solidification product for
its safe further use. The new methodology is based on a review of the
current state of assessment of treated waste in Czech Republic and
abroad. The aim of the paper is to propose an optimal evaluation
methodology for verifying properties of solidification product to
ensure its safe further use in building industry.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify the teaching method practices of the practical work subject in Vocational Secondary School. This study examined the practice of Vocational Teaching Method in Automotive Practical Work. The quantitative method used the sets of the questionnaire. 283 students and 63 teachers involved from ten VSS involved in this research. Research finding showed in conducting the introduction session teachers prefer used the demonstration method and questioning technique. While in deliver the content of practical task, teachers applied group monitoring and problem solving approach. To conclude the task of automotive practical work, teachers choose re-explain and report writing to make sure students really understand all the process of teaching. VTM-APW also involved the competency-based concept to embed in the model. Derived from factors investigated, research produced the combination of elements in teaching skills and vocational skills which could be used as the best teaching method in automotive practical work for school level. As conclusion this study has concluded that the VTM-APW model is able to apply in teaching to make an improvement with current practices in Vocational Secondary School. Hence, teachers are suggested to use this method to enhance student's knowledge in Automotive and teachers will deliver skills to the current and future workforce relevant with the required competency skilled in workplace.
Abstract: For Common R or R-L load to apply arbitrary voltage,
the bridge traditional inverters don’t have any difficulties by PWM
method. However for driving some piezoelectric actuator, arbitrary
voltage not a pulse but a steady voltage should be applied.
Piezoelectric load is considered as R-C load and its voltage does not
decrease even though the applied voltage decreases. Therefore it needs
some special inverter with circuit that can discharge the capacitive
energy. Especially for unidirectional arbitrary voltage driving like as
sine wave, it becomes more difficult problem. In this paper, a charge
and discharge circuit for unidirectional arbitrary voltage driving for
piezoelectric actuator is proposed. The circuit has charging and
discharging switches for increasing and decreasing output voltage.
With the proposed simple circuit, the load voltage can have any
unidirectional level with tens of bandwidth because the load voltage
can be adjusted by switching the charging and discharging switch
appropriately. The appropriateness is proved from the simulation of
the proposed circuit.
Abstract: In this study, a liquid phase microextraction by hollow fiber (HF-LPME) combined with high performance liquid chromatography-UV detector was applied to preconcentrate and determine trace levels of Cyproheptadine in human urine and plasma samples. Cyproheptadine was extracted from 10 mL alkaline aqueous solution (pH: 9.81) into an organic solvent (n-octnol) which was immobilized in the wall pores of a hollow fiber. Then was back-extracted into an acidified aqueous solution (pH: 2.59) located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber. This method is simple, efficient and cost-effective. It is based on pH gradient and differences between two aqueous phases. In order to optimize the HF-LPME some affecting parameters including the pH of donor and acceptor phases, the type of organic solvent, ionic strength, stirring rate, extraction time and temperature were studied and optimized. Under optimal conditions enrichment factor, limit of detection (LOD) and relative standard deviation (RSD(%), n=3) were up to 112, 15 μg.L−1 and 2.7, respectively.