Abstract: Current advancements in nanotechnology are dependent
on the capabilities that can enable nano-scientists to extend their eyes
and hands into the nano-world. For this purpose, a haptics (devices
capable of recreating tactile or force sensations) based system for
AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) is proposed. The system enables
the nano-scientists to touch and feel the sample surfaces, viewed
through AFM, in order to provide them with better understanding of
the physical properties of the surface, such as roughness, stiffness and
shape of molecular architecture. At this stage, the proposed work uses
of ine images produced using AFM and perform image analysis to
create virtual surfaces suitable for haptics force analysis. The research
work is in the process of extension from of ine to online process
where interaction will be done directly on the material surface for
realistic analysis.
Abstract: A statistical optimization of the saccharification
process of EFB was studied. The statistical analysis was done by
applying faced centered central composite design (FCCCD) under
response surface methodology (RSM). In this investigation, EFB
dose, enzyme dose and saccharification period was examined, and the
maximum 53.45% (w/w) yield of reducing sugar was found with 4%
(w/v) of EFB, 10% (v/v) of enzyme after 120 hours of incubation. It
can be calculated that the conversion rate of cellulose content of the
substrate is more than 75% (w/w) which can be considered as a
remarkable achievement. All the variables, linear, quadratic and
interaction coefficient, were found to be highly significant, other than
two coefficients, one quadratic and another interaction coefficient.
The coefficient of determination (R2) is 0.9898 that confirms a
satisfactory data and indicated that approximately 98.98% of the
variability in the dependent variable, saccharification of EFB, could
be explained by this model.
Abstract: Behavior of dams against the seismic loads has been
studied by many researchers. Most of them proposed new numerical
methods to investigate the dam safety. In this paper, to study the
effect of nonlinear parameters of concrete in gravity dams, a twodimensional
approach was used including the finite element method,
staggered method and smeared crack approach. Effective parameters
in the models are physical properties of concrete such as modulus of
elasticity, tensile strength and specific fracture energy. Two different
models were used in foundation (mass-less and massed) in order to
determine the seismic response of concrete gravity dams. Results
show that when the nonlinear analysis includes the dam- foundation
interaction, the foundation-s mass, flexibility and radiation damping
are important in gravity dam-s response.
Abstract: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterized
by abnormalities in social interaction and communication, as well as
repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Although various studies have
been conducted in ASDs etiology across the world, it seems that they
are still unknown in Middle East. Some scientific researches have
been conducted on ASDs in Middle East (ME) especially in
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
A systematic literature review was performed to identify the ASDs
studies in KSA. Accordingly, PubMed, ISI web of Science and
Google were searched to find KSA and ME studies in ASDs. The
main focus of this review work is to outline an improved
understanding of the underpinnings of ASD in order to achieve
therapeutic interventions and we will discuss the main problem we
waiting for solution with reference with role of Transcranial
Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to modulate cortical activity improve
understanding ASD.
Abstract: Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks (WSANs) constitute an emerging and pervasive technology that is attracting increasing interest in the research community for a wide range of applications. WSANs have two important requirements: coordination interactions and real-time communication to perform correct and timely actions. This paper introduces a methodology to facilitate the task of the application programmer focusing on the coordination and real-time requirements of WSANs. The methodology proposed in this model uses a real-time component model, UM-RTCOM, which will help us to achieve the design and implementation of applications in WSAN by using the component oriented paradigm. This will help us to develop software components which offer some very interesting features, such as reusability and adaptability which are very suitable for WSANs as they are very dynamic environments with rapidly changing conditions. In addition, a high-level coordination model based on tuple channels (TC-WSAN) is integrated into the methodology by providing a component-based specification of this model in UM-RTCOM; this will allow us to satisfy both sensor-actor and actor-actor coordination requirements in WSANs. Finally, we present in this paper the design and implementation of an application which will help us to show how the methodology can be easily used in order to achieve the development of WSANs applications.
Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of the hand-hold
positions on both antenna performance and the specific absorption
rate (SAR) induced in the user-s head. A cellular handset with
external antenna operating at GSM-900 frequency is modeled and
simulated using a finite difference time-domain (FDTD)-based
platform SEMCAD-X. A specific anthropomorphic mannequin
(SAM) is adopted to simulate the user-s head, whereas a semirealistic
CAD-model of three-tissues is designed to simulate the
user-s hand. The results show that in case of the handset in hand close
to head at different positions; the antenna total efficiency gets
reduced to (14.5% - 5.9%) at cheek-position and to (27.5% to 11.8%)
at tilt-position. The peak averaged SAR1g values in head close to
handset without hand, are 4.67 W/Kg and 2.66 W/Kg at cheek and
tilt-position, respectively. Due to the presence of hand, the SAR1g in
head gets reduced to (3.67-3.31 W/Kg) at cheek-position and to
(1.84-1.64 W/Kg) at tilt-position, depending on the hand-hold
position.
Abstract: The present paper is a case study about exploitation of
Kheir Abad river (Khoozestan, Iran) water resources and the
problems caused by river sediments around the pumping stations.
The weak points and strong points of Boneh Basht pumping station
have been studied by experienced experts, work teams, and
consulting engineers and technical and executive solutions have been
suggested. Therefore, the suggestions of this article are based on the
performed studies and are proposed in order to evaluate the logical
solutions.
Rather complicated processes resulting from the interaction of
water flows and sediments observed at Boneh Basht pumping station
occur at other pumping stations in almost the same way. Therefore,
Boneh Basht pumping station can be selected as a sample (pilot) and
up-to-date theories and experiences can be applied to this station and
the results can be offered to other stations.
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: The persistent nature of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) has attracted global concern in recent years. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are the most commonly found PFC compounds, and thus their fate and transport play key roles in PFC distribution in the natural environment. The kinetic behavior of PFOS or PFOA on boehmite consists of a fast adsorption process followed by a slow adsorption process which may be attributed to the slow transport of PFOS or PFOA into the boehmite pore surface. The adsorption isotherms estimated the maximum adsorption capacities of PFOS and PFOA on boehmite as 0.877 μg/m2 and 0.633 μg/m2, with the difference primarily due to their different functional groups. The increase of solution pH led to a moderate decrease of PFOS and PFOA adsorption, owing to the increase of ligand exchange reactions and the decrease of electrostatic interactions. The presence of NaCl in solution demonstrated negative effects for PFOS and PFOA adsorption on boehmite surfaces, with potential mechanisms being electrical double layer compression, competitive adsorption of chloride.
Abstract: Intrusion detection systems (IDS)are crucial components
of the security mechanisms of today-s computer systems.
Existing research on intrusion detection has focused on sequential
intrusions. However, intrusions can also be formed by concurrent
interactions of multiple processes. Some of the intrusions caused
by these interactions cannot be detected using sequential intrusion
detection methods. Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism that
views the distributed system as a whole. L-BIDS (Lattice-Based
Intrusion Detection System) is proposed to address this problem. In
the L-BIDS framework, a library of intrusions and distributed traces
are represented as lattices. Then these lattices are compared in order
to detect intrusions in the distributed traces.
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus. The treatment of coronavirus-associated SARS has been evolving and so far there is no consensus on an optimal regimen. The mainstream therapeutic interventions for SARS involve broad-spectrum antibiotics and supportive care, as well as antiviral agents and immunomodulatory therapy. The Protein- Ligand interaction plays a significant role in structural based drug designing. In the present work we have taken the receptor Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and identified the drugs that are commonly used against SARS. They are Lopinavir, Ritonavir, Ribavirin, and Oseltamivir. The receptor Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) was docked with above said drugs and the energy value obtained are as follows, Lopinavir (-292.3), Ritonavir (-325.6), Oseltamivir (- 229.1), Ribavirin (-208.8). Depending on the least energy value we have chosen the best two drugs out of the four conventional drugs. We tried to improve the binding efficiency and steric compatibility of the two drugs namely Ritonavir and Lopinavir. Several modifications were made to the probable functional groups (phenylic, ketonic groups in case of Ritonavir and carboxylic groups in case of Lopinavir respectively) which were interacting with the receptor molecule. Analogs were prepared by Marvin Sketch software and were docked using HEX docking software. Lopinavir analog 8 and Ritonavir analog 11 were detected with significant energy values and are probable lead molecule. It infers that some of the modified drugs are better than the original drugs. Further work can be carried out to improve the steric compatibility of the drug based upon the work done above for a more energy efficient binding of the drugs to the receptor.
Abstract: The Internet and the ever growing applications enable
communities to share and collaborate through common platforms.
However, this growing pattern is not witnessed yet even for elearning.
This paper is based on a doctoral research which aimed at
researching the ways students interact in an online campus and the
supports that they look for and require. Content analysis, based on the
Panchoo/Jaillet methodology, was done on four synchronous
meetings between a tutor and his ten students. The UNIV-Rct ecampus,
analogical to a physical campus, was found to be user
friendly and the students enrolled in a master-s course faced no
difficulties in using it. In addition to the environmental aspects, the
pedagogical implementation of the course has driven the students to
interact and collaborate significantly and this has contributed to
overcome the problems faced by the distance learners. This
completely online model was found to be fruitful in helping distant
learners fight their loneliness and brave their difficulties in a socioconstructivism
approach.
Abstract: Social ideology, cultural values and principles shaping environment are inferred by environment and structural characteristics of construction site. In other words, this inference manifestation also indicates ideology and culture of its foundation and also applies its principles and values and somehow plays an important role in Cultural Revolution. All human behaviors and artifacts are affected and being influenced by culture. Culture is not abstract concept, it is a spiritual domain that an individual and society grow and develop in it. Social behaviors are affected by environmental comprehension, so the architecture work influences on its audience and it is the environment that fosters social behaviors. Indeed, sustainable architecture should be considered as background of culture for establishing optimal sustainable culture. Since unidentified architecture roots in cultural non identity and abnormalities, so the society possesses identity characteristics and life and as a consequence, the society and architecture are changed by transformation of life style. This article aims to investigate the interaction of architecture, society, environment and sustainable architecture formation in its cultural basis and analyzes the results approaching behavior and sustainable culture in recent era.
Abstract: Virtual environments are a hot topic in academia and more importantly in courses offered via distance education. Today-s gaming generation view virtual worlds as strong social and interactive mediums for communicating and socializing. And while institutions of higher education are challenged with increasing enrollment while balancing budget cuts, offering effective courses via distance education become a valid option. Educators can utilize virtual worlds to offer students an enhanced learning environment which has the power to alleviate feelings of isolation through the promotion of communication, interaction, collaboration, teamwork, feedback, engagement and constructivists learning activities. This paper focuses on the use of virtual environments to facilitate interaction in distance education courses so as to produce positive learning outcomes for students. Furthermore, the instructional strategies were reviewed and discussed for use in virtual worlds to enhance learning within a social context.
Abstract: This study had two goals. First, it investigated marital
interaction variables as predictors of treatment outcome in panic
disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) in sixty-five couples with one
spouse suffering from PDA. Second, it analyzed the impact of PDA
improvement, following therapy, on marital interaction patterns of
both spouses. The partners were observed during a problem-solving
task, before and after treatment. Negative behaviors at the outset of
therapy, both in the PDA and the NPDA partners, predicted less
improvement at post-test. It also appears that improvement in some
PDA symptoms following therapy is linked to increase in the
dominant behavior of the NPDA spouse and to an improvement in
terms of his intrusiveness.
Abstract: In this paper, we summarize recent work of the authors on nanocomputing memory devices. We investigate two memory devices, each comprising a charged metallofullerene and carbon nanotubes. The first device involves two open nanotubes of the same radius that are joined by a centrally located nanotube of a smaller radius. A metallofullerene is then enclosed inside the structure. The second device also involves a etallofullerene that is located inside a closed carbon nanotube. Assuming the Lennard-Jones interaction energy and the continuum approximation, for both devices, the metallofullerene has two symmetrically placed equal minimum energy positions. On one side the metallofullerene represents the zero information state and by applying an external electrical field, it can overcome the energy barrier, and pass from one end of the tube to the other, where the metallofullerene then represents the one information state.
Abstract: Sign language recognition has been a topic of research since the first data glove was developed. Many researchers have attempted to recognize sign language through various techniques. However none of them have ventured into the area of Pakistan Sign Language (PSL). The Boltay Haath project aims at recognizing PSL gestures using Statistical Template Matching. The primary input device is the DataGlove5 developed by 5DT. Alternative approaches use camera-based recognition which, being sensitive to environmental changes are not always a good choice.This paper explains the use of Statistical Template Matching for gesture recognition in Boltay Haath. The system recognizes one handed alphabet signs from PSL.
Abstract: This paper introduces a novel design for boring bar with enhanced damping capability. The principle followed in the design phase was to enhance the damping capability minimizing the loss in static stiffness through implementation of composite material interfaces. The newly designed tool has been compared to a conventional tool. The evaluation criteria were the dynamic characteristics, frequency and damping ratio, of the machining system, as well as the surface roughness of the machined workpieces. The use of composite material in the design of damped tool has been demonstrated effective. Furthermore, the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models presented in this paper take into consideration the interaction between the elastic structure of the machine tool and the cutting process and can therefore be used to characterize the machining system in operational conditions.
Abstract: Avionic software architecture has transit from a
federated avionics architecture to an integrated modular avionics
(IMA) .ARINC 653 (Avionics Application Standard Software Interface) is a software specification for space and time partitioning in
Safety-critical avionics Real-time operating systems. Methods to transform the abstract avionics application logic function to the
executable model have been brought up, however with less
consideration about the code generating input and output model specific for ARINC 653 platform and inner-task synchronous dynamic
interaction order sequence. In this paper, we proposed an
AADL-based model-driven design methodology to fulfill the purpose
to automatically generating Cµ executable model on ARINC 653 platform from the ARINC653 architecture which defined as AADL653 in order to facilitate the development of the avionics software constructed on ARINC653 OS. This paper presents the
mapping rules between the AADL653 elements and the elements in
Cµ language, and define the code generating rules , designs an automatic C µ code generator .Then, we use a case to illustrate our
approach. Finally, we give the related work and future research directions.
Abstract: To study the effect of suitable methods for
propagation of True Potato Seed (TPS) progenies, transplant and
selection of the best progenies, a factorial experiment base on a
randomized complete block design was carried out in the research
field of Sahneh region, Kermanshah, Iran during 2009-2010. Five
selective progenies from CIP (International Potato Center) including
CIP.994013, CIP.994002, CIP.994014, CIP.888006, and
CIP.994001 and two transplant preparation methods (Paper pot
preparation for mechanical cultivation and preparation in transplant
trays for manual cultivation) were studied in three replications.
Results showed that different progenies had no significant effect on
plant height (cm) and tuber yield (t ha-1), whereas had a significant
effect on number of tubers per unit area (m2). There was significant
difference between transplant preparation methods for plant height
and tuber yield. The interaction effect of progenies and transplant
preparation method was not significant for these traits. CIP.888006
progeny and paper pot preparation method produced the highest
tuber yields. Also CIP.994002 and CIP.994014 progenies considered
as the best progenies under paper pot preparation method due to high
yields.