Abstract: With a rapid growth in 3D graphics technology over the last few years, people are desired to see more flexible reacting motions of a biped in animations. In particular, it is impossible to anticipate all reacting motions of a biped while facing a perturbation. In this paper, we propose a three-level tracking method for animating a 3D humanoid character. First, we take the laws of physics into account to attach physical attributes, such as mass, gravity, friction, collision, contact, and torque, to bones and joints of a character. The next step is to employ PD controller to follow a reference motion as closely as possible. Once the character cannot tolerate a strong perturbation to prevent itself from falling down, we are capable of tracking a desirable falling-down action to avoid any falling condition inaccuracy. From the experimental results, we demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed method in comparison with conventional data-driven approaches.
Abstract: the article analyzes the national security as a scientific and practical problem, characterized by the state's political institutions to ensure effective action to maintain optimal conditions for the existence and development of the individual and society. National security, as a category of political science reflects the relationship between the security to the nation, including public relations and social consciousness, social institutions and their activities, ensuring the realization of national interests in a particular historical situation. In national security are three security levels: individual, society and state. Their role and place determined by the nature of social relations, political systems, the presence of internal and external threats. In terms of content in the concept of national security is taken to provide political, economic, military, environmental, information security and safety of the cultural development of the nation.
Abstract: In-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) has been widely
used for source zone remediation of Dense Nonaqueous Phase
Liquids (DNAPLs) in subsurface environments. DNAPL source
zones for karst aquifers are generally located in epikarst where the
DNAPL mass is trapped either in karst soil or at the regolith contact
with carbonate bedrock. This study aims to investigate the
performance of oxidation of residual trichloroethylene found in such
environments by potassium permanganate. Batch and flow cell
experiments were conducted to determine the kinetics and the mass
removal rate of TCE. pH change, Cl production, TCE and MnO4
destruction were monitored routinely during experiments. Nonreactive
tracer tests were also conducted prior and after the oxidation
process to determine the influence of oxidation on flow conditions.
The results show that oxidant consumption rate of the calcareous
epikarst soil was significant and the oxidant demand was determined
to be 20 g KMnO4/kg soil. Oxidation rate of residual TCE (1.26x10-3
s-1) was faster than the oxidant consumption rate of the soil (2.54 -
2.92x10-4 s-1) at only high oxidant concentrations (> 40 mM
KMnO4). Half life of TCE oxidation ranged from 7.9 to 10.7 min.
Although highly significant fraction of residual TCE mass in the
system was destroyed by permanganate oxidation, TCE
concentration in the effluent remained above its MCL. Flow
interruption tests indicate that efficiency of ISCO was limited by the
rate of TCE dissolution and the rate-limited desorption of TCE. The
residence time and the initial concentration of the oxidant in the
source zone also controlled the efficiency of ISCO in epikarst.
Abstract: Motion sensors have been commonly used as a valuable component in mechatronic systems, however, many mechatronic designs and applications that need motion sensors cost enormous amount of money, especially high-tech systems. Design of a software for communication protocol between data acquisition card and motion sensor is another issue that has to be solved. This study presents how to design a low cost motion data acquisition setup consisting of MPU 6050 motion sensor (gyro and accelerometer in 3 axes) and Arduino Mega2560 microcontroller. Design parameters are calibration of the sensor, identification and communication between sensor and data acquisition card, interpretation of data collected by the sensor.
Abstract: Yogyakarta, as the capital city of Yogyakarta Province, has important roles in various sectors that require good provision of public transportation system. Ideally, a good transportation system should be able to accommodate the amount of travel demand. This research attempts to develop a trip generation model to predict the number of public transport passenger in Yogyakarta city. The model is built by using multiple linear regression analysis, which establishes relationship between trip number and socioeconomic attributes. The data consist of primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected by conducting household surveys which randomly selected. The resulted model is further applied to evaluate the existing TransJogja, a new Bus Rapid Transit system serves Yogyakarta and surrounding cities, shelters.
Abstract: As the advancement of technology, online shopping channel develops rapidly in recent years. According to the report of Taiwan Network Information Center, there are almost eighty percents of internet population shopping in online channel. Synthesizing insights from the previous research, this study develops the conceptual model to integrate Theory of Perceived Risk (TPR) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to apply in online shopping. Using data collected from 637 respondents from online survey website, we use structural equation modeling to test measurement and structural models. The results suggest the need for consideration of perceived risk as an antecedent in the Technology Acceptance Model. The limitations and implications are discussed.
Abstract: This study aims to assess the potential of solar energy technology for improving access to water and hence the livelihood strategies of rural communities in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It focuses on livestock ranches and photovoltaic water-pumptechnology as well as other water extraction methods. The methodology used are the Sustainable Livelihoods and the Appropriate Technology approaches. A household survey was applied in June of 2006 to 32 ranches in the municipality, of which 22 used PV pumps; and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings indicate that solar pumps have in fact helped people improve their quality of life by allowing them to pursue a different livelihood strategy and that improved access to water -not necessarily as more water but as less effort to extract and collect it- does not automatically imply overexploitation of the resource; consumption is based on basic needs as well as on storage and pumping capacity. Justification for such systems lies in the avoidance of logistical problems associated to fossil fuels, PV pumps proved to be the most beneficial when substituting gasoline or diesel equipment but of dubious advantage if intended to replace wind or gravity systems. Solar water pumping technology-s main obstacle to dissemination are high investment and repairs costs and it is therefore not suitable for all cases even when insolation rates and water availability are adequate. In cases where affordability is not an obstacle it has become an important asset that contributes –by means of reduced expenses, less effort and saved time- to the improvement of livestock, the main livelihood provider for these ranches.
Abstract: Optimization of a microwave-assisted extraction of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) fruit using methanol was studied. The influence of process parameters (microwave power, plant material-to-solvent ratio and the extraction time) on the extraction efficiency were optimized by using response surface methodology. The predicted maximum yield of extractive substances (41.85 g/100 g fresh plant material) was obtained at microwave power of 600 W and plant material to solvent ratio of 0.2 g/cm3 after 26 minutes of extraction, while a mean value of 40.80±0.41 g/100 g fresh plant material was obtained from laboratory experiments. This proves applicability of the model in predicting optimal extraction conditions with minimal laborious and time consuming. The results indicated that all process parameters were effective on the extraction efficiency, while the most important factor was extraction time. In order to rationalize production the optimal economical condition which gave a large total extract yield with minimal energy and solvent consumption was found.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with calculating boiler
efficiency as one of the most important types of performance
measurements in any steam power plant. That has a key role in
determining the overall effectiveness of the whole system within the
power station. For this calculation, a Visual-Basic program was
developed, and a steam power plant known as El-Khmus power
plant, Libya was selected as a case study. The calculation of the
boiler efficiency was applied by using heating balance method. The
findings showed how the maximum heat energy which produced
from the boiler increases the boiler efficiency through increasing the
temperature of the feed water, and decreasing the exhaust
temperature along with humidity levels of the of fuel used within the
boiler.
Abstract: Recently, the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology offers the potential of designing high performance systems at low cost. The discrete wavelet transform has gained the reputation of being a very effective signal analysis tool for many practical applications. However, due to its computation-intensive nature, current implementation of the transform falls short of meeting real-time processing requirements of most application. The objectives of this paper are implement the Haar and Daubechies wavelets using FPGA technology. In addition, the Bit Error Rate (BER) between the input audio signal and the reconstructed output signal for each wavelet is calculated. From the BER, it is seen that the implementations execute the operation of the wavelet transform correctly and satisfying the perfect reconstruction conditions. The design procedure has been explained and designed using the stat-ofart Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools for system design on FPGA. Simulation, synthesis and implementation on the FPGA target technology has been carried out.
Abstract: A numerical study has been conducted to investigate the influence of fin pitch and relative humidity on the heat transfer performance of the fin-and-tube heat exchangers having plain fin geometry under dehumidifying conditions. The analysis is done using the ratio between the heat transfer coefficients in totally wet conditions and those in totally dry conditions using the appropriate correlations for both dry and wet conditions. For a constant relative humidity, it is found that the heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of the air frontal velocity. By contrast, the fin efficiency decreases when the face velocity is increased. Apparently, this phenomenon is attributed to the path of condensate drainage. For the influence of relative humidity, the results showed an increase in heat transfer performance and a decrease in wet fin efficiency when relative humidity increases. This is due to the higher amount of mass transfer encountered at higher relative humidity. However, it is found that the effect of fin pitch on the heat transfer performance depends strongly on the face velocity. At lower frontal velocity the heat transfer increases with fin pitch. Conversely, an increase in fin pitch gives lower heat transfer coefficients when air velocity is increased.
Abstract: This paper examines the available experiment data for a copper bromide vapor laser (CuBr laser), emitting at two wavelengths - 510.6 and 578.2nm. Laser output power is estimated based on 10 independent input physical parameters. A classification and regression tree (CART) model is obtained which describes 97% of data. The resulting binary CART tree specifies which input parameters influence considerably each of the classification groups. This allows for a technical assessment that indicates which of these are the most significant for the manufacture and operation of the type of laser under consideration. The predicted values of the laser output power are also obtained depending on classification. This aids the design and development processes considerably.
Abstract: Mammalian genomes contain large number of
retroelements (SINEs, LINEs and LTRs) which could affect
expression of protein coding genes through associated transcription
factor binding sites (TFBS). Activity of the retroelement-associated
TFBS in many genes is confirmed experimentally but their global
functional impact remains unclear. Human SINEs (Alu repeats) and
mouse SINEs (B1 and B2 repeats) are known to be clustered in GCrich
gene rich genome segments consistent with the view that they
can contribute to regulation of gene expression. We have shown
earlier that Alu are involved in formation of cis-regulatory modules
(clusters of TFBS) in human promoters, and other authors reported
that Alu located near promoter CpG islands have an increased
frequency of CpG dinucleotides suggesting that these Alu are
undermethylated. Human Alu and mouse B1/B2 elements have an
internal bipartite promoter for RNA polymerase III containing
conserved sequence motif called B-box which can bind basal
transcription complex TFIIIC. It has been recently shown that TFIIIC
binding to B-box leads to formation of a boundary which limits
spread of repressive chromatin modifications in S. pombe. SINEassociated
B-boxes may have similar function but conservation of
TFIIIC binding sites in SINEs located near mammalian promoters
has not been studied earlier. Here we analysed abundance and
distribution of retroelements (SINEs, LINEs and LTRs) in annotated
sequences of the Database of mammalian transcription start sites
(DBTSS). Fractions of SINEs in human and mouse promoters are
slightly lower than in all genome but >40% of human and mouse
promoters contain Alu or B1/B2 elements within -1000 to +200 bp
interval relative to transcription start site (TSS). Most of these SINEs
is associated with distal segments of promoters (-1000 to -200 bp
relative to TSS) indicating that their insertion at distances >200 bp
upstream of TSS is tolerated during evolution. Distribution of SINEs
in promoters correlates negatively with the distribution of CpG
sequences. Using analysis of abundance of 12-mer motifs from the
B1 and Alu consensus sequences in genome and DBTSS it has been
confirmed that some subsegments of Alu and B1 elements are poorly
conserved which depends in part on the presence of CpG
dinucleotides. One of these CpG-containing subsegments in B1
elements overlaps with SINE-associated B-box and it shows better
conservation in DBTSS compared to genomic sequences. It has been
also studied conservation in DBTSS and genome of the B-box
containing segments of old (AluJ, AluS) and young (AluY) Alu
repeats and found that CpG sequence of the B-box of old Alu is
better conserved in DBTSS than in genome. This indicates that Bbox-
associated CpGs in promoters are better protected from
methylation and mutation than B-box-associated CpGs in genomic
SINEs. These results are consistent with the view that potential
TFIIIC binding motifs in SINEs associated with human and mouse
promoters may be functionally important. These motifs may protect
promoters from repressive histone modifications which spread from
adjacent sequences. This can potentially explain well known
clustering of SINEs in GC-rich gene rich genome compartments and
existence of unmethylated CpG islands.
Abstract: In this paper we consider a nonlinear feedback control called augmented automatic choosing control (AACC) for nonlinear systems with constrained input. Constant terms which arise from section wise linearization of a given nonlinear system are treated as coefficients of a stable zero dynamics.Parameters included in the control are suboptimally selectedby extremizing a combination of Hamiltonian and Lyapunov functions with the aid of the genetic algorithm. This approach is applied to a field excitation control problem of power system to demonstrate the splendidness of the AACC. Simulation results show that the new controller can improve performance remarkably well.
Abstract: Pure phase gallosilicate nitrite sodalite has been synthesized in a single step by low temperature (373 oK) hydrothermal technique. The product obtained was characterized using a combination of techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, IR, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, MAS NMR spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetry. Sodalite with an ideal composition was obtained after synthesis at 3730K and seven days duration using alkaline medium. The structural features of the Na8[GaSiO4]6(NO2)2 sodalite were investigated by IR, MAS NMR spectroscopy of 29Si and 23Na nuclei and by Reitveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction data. The crystal structure of this sodalite has been refined in the space group P 4 3n; with a cell parameter 8.98386Å, V= 726.9 Å, (Rwp= 0.077 and Rp=0.0537) and Si-O-Ga angle is found to be 132.920 . MAS NMR study confirms complete ordering of Si and Ga in the gallosilicate framework. The surface area of single entity with stoichiometry Na8[GaSiO4]6(NO2)2 was found to be 8.083 x10-15 cm2/g.
Abstract: Objective of this study was to study and compare the effectiveness of inspectors who had different workloads for feed forward and feedback training. The visual search task was simulated to search for specified alphabets called defects. These defects were included of four alphabets in Thai and English such as s ภ, ถ, X, and V with different background. These defects were combined in the specified alphabets and were given the different three backgrounds i.e., Thai, English, and mixed English and Thai alphabets. Sixty students were chosen as a sample in this study and test for final selection subject. Finally, five subjects were taken into testing process. They were asked to search for defects after they were provided basic information. Experiment design was used factorial design and subjects were trained for feed forward and the feedback training. The results show that both trainings were affected on mean search time. It was also found that the feedback training can increase the effectiveness of visual inspectors rather than the feed forward training significantly different at the level of .05
Abstract: In this study we present the effect of elevated
temperatures from 300K to 400K on the electrical properties of
copper Phthalocyanine (CuPc) based organic field effect transistors
(OFET). Thin films of organic semiconductor CuPc (40nm) and
semitransparent Al (20nm) were deposited in sequence, by vacuum
evaporation on a glass substrate with previously deposited Ag source
and drain electrodes with a gap of 40 μm. Under resistive mode of
operation, where gate was suspended it was observed that drain
current of this organic field effect transistor (OFET) show an
increase with temperature. While in grounded gate condition metal
(aluminum) – semiconductor (Copper Phthalocyanine) Schottky
junction dominated the output characteristics and device showed
switching effect from low to high conduction states like Zener diode
at higher bias voltages. This threshold voltage for switching effect
has been found to be inversely proportional to temperature and shows
an abrupt decrease after knee temperature of 360K. Change in
dynamic resistance (Rd = dV/dI) with respect to temperature was
observed to be -1%/K.
Abstract: The paper presents an on-line recognition machine
(RM) for continuous/isolated, dynamic and static gestures that arise
in Flight Deck Officer (FDO) training. RM is based on generic pattern
recognition framework. Gestures are represented as templates using
summary statistics. The proposed recognition algorithm exploits temporal
and spatial characteristics of gestures via dynamic programming
and Markovian process. The algorithm predicts corresponding index
of incremental input data in the templates in an on-line mode.
Accumulated consistency in the sequence of prediction provides a
similarity measurement (Score) between input data and the templates.
The algorithm provides an intuitive mechanism for automatic detection
of start/end frames of continuous gestures. In the present paper,
we consider isolated gestures. The performance of RM is evaluated
using four datasets - artificial (W TTest), hand motion (Yang) and
FDO (tracker, vision-based ). RM achieves comparable results which
are in agreement with other on-line and off-line algorithms such as
hidden Markov model (HMM) and dynamic time warping (DTW).
The proposed algorithm has the additional advantage of providing
timely feedback for training purposes.
Abstract: The presence of a vertical edge-crack within a web
plate subjected to pure bending induces local compressive stresses
about the crack which may cause tension buckling. Approximate
theoretical expressions were derived for the critical far-field tensile
stress and bending moment capacity of an edge-cracked web plate
associated with tension buckling. These expressions were validated
with finite element analyses and used to investigate the possibility of
tension buckling in web-cracked trial girders. It was found that
tension buckling is an unlikely occurrence unless the web is relatively
thin or the crack is very long.
Abstract: A novel application of neural network approach to
fault classification and fault location of Medium voltage cables is
demonstrated in this paper. Different faults on a protected cable
should be classified and located correctly. This paper presents the use
of neural networks as a pattern classifier algorithm to perform these
tasks. The proposed scheme is insensitive to variation of different
parameters such as fault type, fault resistance, and fault inception
angle. Studies show that the proposed technique is able to offer high
accuracy in both of the fault classification and fault location tasks.