Abstract: Unlike general-purpose processors, digital signal
processors (DSP processors) are strongly application-dependent. To
meet the needs for diverse applications, a wide variety of DSP
processors based on different architectures ranging from the
traditional to VLIW have been introduced to the market over the
years. The functionality, performance, and cost of these processors
vary over a wide range. In order to select a processor that meets the
design criteria for an application, processor performance is usually
the major concern for digital signal processing (DSP) application
developers. Performance data are also essential for the designers of
DSP processors to improve their design. Consequently, several DSP
performance benchmarks have been proposed over the past decade or
so. However, none of these benchmarks seem to have included recent
new DSP applications.
In this paper, we use a new benchmark that we recently developed
to compare the performance of popular DSP processors from Texas
Instruments and StarCore. The new benchmark is based on the
Selectable Mode Vocoder (SMV), a speech-coding program from the
recent third generation (3G) wireless voice applications. All
benchmark kernels are compiled by the compilers of the respective
DSP processors and run on their simulators. Weighted arithmetic
mean of clock cycles and arithmetic mean of code size are used to
compare the performance of five DSP processors.
In addition, we studied how the performance of a processor is
affected by code structure, features of processor architecture and
optimization of compiler. The extensive experimental data gathered,
analyzed, and presented in this paper should be helpful for DSP
processor and compiler designers to meet their specific design goals.
Abstract: Shipping comb is mounted on Head Stack Assembly
(HSA) to prevent collision of the heads, maintain the gap between
suspensions and protect HSA tips from unintentional contact
damaged in the manufacturing process. Failure analysis of shipping
comb in hard disk drive production processes is proposed .Field
observations were performed to determine the fatal areas on shipping
comb and their failure fraction. Root cause failure analysis (RCFA) is
applied to specify the failure causes subjected to various loading
conditions. For reliability improvement, failure mode and effects
analysis (FMEA) procedure to evaluate the risk priority is performed.
Consequently, the more suitable information design criterions were
obtained.
Abstract: Based on the standard finite element method, a new
finite element method which is known as nonlocal finite element
method (NL-FEM) is numerically implemented in this article to
study the nonlocal effects for solving 1D nonlocal elastic problem.
An Eringen-type nonlocal elastic model is considered. In this model,
the constitutive stress-strain law is expressed interms of integral
equation which governs the nonlocal material behavior. The new
NL-FEM is adopted in such a way that the postulated nonlocal elastic
behavior of material is captured by a finite element endowed with a
set of (cross-stiffness) element itself by the other elements in mesh.
An example with their analytical solutions and the relevant numerical
findings for various load and boundary conditions are presented and
discussed in details. It is observed from the numerical solutions that
the torsional deformation angle decreases with increasing nonlocal
nanoscale parameter. It is also noted that the analytical solution fails
to capture the nonlocal effect in some cases where numerical
solutions handle those situation effectively which prove the
reliability and effectiveness of numerical techniques.
Abstract: In the present paper, we-ll explore how social media tools provide an opportunity for new developments of the e-Learning in the context of managing personal knowledge. There will be a discussion how social media tools provide a possibility for helping knowledge workersand students to gather, organize and manage their personal information as a part of the e-learning process. At the centre of this social software driven approach to e-learning environments are the challenges of personalization and collaboration. We-ll share concepts of how organizations are using social media for e-Learning and believe that integration of these tools into traditional e-Learning is probably not a choice, but inevitability. Students- Survey of use of web technologies and social networking tools is presented. Newly developed framework for semantic blogging capable of organizing results relevant to user requirements is implemented at Varna Free University (VFU) to provide more effective navigation and search.
Abstract: Calcium is very important for communication among
the neurons. It is vital in a number of cell processes such as secretion,
cell movement, cell differentiation. To reduce the system of reactiondiffusion
equations of [Ca2+] into a single equation, two theories
have been proposed one is excess buffer approximation (EBA) other
is rapid buffer approximation (RBA). The RBA is more realistic than
the EBA as it considers both the mobile and stationary endogenous
buffers. It is valid near the mouth of the channel. In this work we have
studied the effects of different types of buffers on calcium diffusion
under RBA. The novel thing studied is the effect of sodium ions on
calcium diffusion. The model has been made realistic by considering
factors such as variable [Ca2+], [Na+] sources, sodium-calcium
exchange protein(NCX), Sarcolemmal Calcium ATPase pump. The
proposed mathematical leads to a system of partial differential equations
which has been solved numerically to study the relationships
between different parameters such as buffer concentration, buffer
disassociation rate, calcium permeability. We have used Forward
Time Centred Space (FTCS) approach to solve the system of partial
differential equations.
Abstract: The impact of fixed speed squirrel cage type as well as
variable speed doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) on dynamic
performance of a multimachine power system has been investigated.
Detailed models of the various components have been presented and
the integration of asynchronous and synchronous generators has been
carried out through a rotor angle based transform. Simulation studies
carried out considering the conventional dynamic model of squirrel
cage asynchronous generators show that integration, as such, could
degrade to the AC system performance transiently. This article
proposes a frequency or power controller which can effectively
control the transients and restore normal operation of fixed speed
induction generator quickly. Comparison of simulation results
between classical cage and doubly-fed induction generators indicate
that the doubly fed induction machine is more adaptable to
multimachine AC system. Frequency controller installed in the DFIG
system can also improve its transient profile.
Abstract: The present research was focused to investigate the
role of investment in the course of economic growth with reference to
Pakistan. The study analyzed the role of the public and private
investment and impact of the political and macroeconomic
uncertainty on economic growth of Pakistan by using the vector
autoregressive approach (VAR). In long-run both public and private
investment showed a positive impact on economic growth but the
growth was largely driven by private investment as compared to
public investment. Government consumption expenditure, economic
uncertainty and political instability hampered the economic growth of
Pakistan. In short-run the private investment positively influences the
growth but there was negative and insignificant effect of the public
investment and government consumption expenditure on the growth.
There was a positive relationship found between economic
uncertainty (proxy for inflation) and GDP in short run.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the
relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation capability,
by examining the influence of individual, organizational and
technological factors on knowledge sharing. The research is based
on a survey of 103 employees from different organizations in the
United Arab Emirates. The study is based on a model and a
questionnaire that was previously tested by Lin [1]. Thus, the study
aims at examining the validity of that model in UAE context. The
results of the research show varying degrees of correlation between
the different variables, with ICT use having the strongest relationship
with the innovation capabilities of organizations. The study also
revealed little evidence of knowledge collecting and knowledge
sharing among UAE employees.
Abstract: This paper presents an environmental and technoeconomic
evaluation of light duty vehicles in Iran. A comprehensive
well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis is applied to compare different
automotive fuel chains, conventional internal combustion engines and
innovative vehicle powertrains. The study examines the
competitiveness of 15 various pathways in terms of energy
efficiencies, GHG emissions, and levelized cost of different energy
carriers. The results indicate that electric vehicles including battery
electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEV) increase the WTW energy efficiency by
54%, 51% and 46%, respectively, compared to common internal
combustion engines powered by gasoline. On the other hand,
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kilometer of FCV and BEV
would be 48% lower than that of gasoline engines. It is concluded
that BEV has the lowest total cost of energy consumption and
external cost of emission, followed by internal combustion engines
(ICE) fueled by CNG. Conventional internal combustion engines
fueled by gasoline, on the other hand, would have the highest costs.
Abstract: The project was undertaken to determine the effects of modified tissue culture protocols e.g. age of culture and hormone levels (2,4-D) in generating somaclonal variation. Moreover, the utility of molecular markers (SSR and MSAP) in sorting off types/somaclones were investigated.
Results show that somaclonal variation is in effect due to prolonged subculture and high 2,4-D concentration. The resultant variation was observed to be due to high level of methylation events specifically cytosine methylation either at the internal or external cytosine and was identified by methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP).Simple sequence repeats (SSR) on the other hand, was able to associate a marker to a trait of interest.
These therefore, show that molecular markers can be an important tool in sorting out variation/mutants at an early stage.
Abstract: World population growth drives food demand, promotes intensification of agriculture, development of new production technologies and varieties more suitable for regional nature conditions. Climate change can affect the length of growing period, biomass and carbon accumulation in winter wheat. The increasing mean air temperature resulting from climate change can reduce the length of growth period of cereals, and without adequate adjustments in growing technologies or varieties, can reduce biomass and carbon accumulation. Deeper understanding and effective measures for monitoring and management of cereal growth process are needed for adaptation to changing climate and technological conditions.
Abstract: Nowadays Multilevel inverters are widely using in various applications. Modulation strategy at fundamental switching frequency like, SHEPWM is prominent technique to eliminate lower order of harmonics with less switching losses and better harmonic profile. The equations which are formed by SHE are highly nonlinear transcendental in nature, there may exist single, multiple or even no solutions for a particular MI. However, some loads such as electrical drives, it is required to operate in whole range of MI. In order to solve SHE equations for whole range of MI, intelligent techniques are well suited to solve equations so as to produce lest %THDV. Hence, this paper uses Continuous genetic algorithm for minimising harmonics. This paper also presents wavelet based analysis of harmonics. The developed algorithm is simulated and %THD from FFT analysis and Wavelet analysis are compared. MATLAB programming environment and SIMULINK models are used whenever necessary.
Abstract: Identifying and classifying intersections according to
severity is very important for implementation of safety related
counter measures and effective models are needed to compare and
assess the severity. Highway safety organizations have considered
intersection safety among their priorities. In spite of significant
advances in highways safety, the large numbers of crashes with high
severities still occur in the highways. Investigation of influential
factors on crashes enables engineers to carry out calculations in order
to reduce crash severity. Previous studies lacked a model capable of
simultaneous illustration of the influence of human factors, road,
vehicle, weather conditions and traffic features including traffic
volume and flow speed on the crash severity. Thus, this paper is
aimed at developing the models to illustrate the simultaneous
influence of these variables on the crash severity in urban highways.
The models represented in this study have been developed using
binary Logit Models. SPSS software has been used to calibrate the
models. It must be mentioned that backward regression method in
SPSS was used to identify the significant variables in the model.
Consider to obtained results it can be concluded that the main
factor in increasing of crash severity in urban highways are driver
age, movement with reverse gear, technical defect of the vehicle,
vehicle collision with motorcycle and bicycle, bridge, frontal impact
collisions, frontal-lateral collisions and multi-vehicle crashes in
urban highways which always increase the crash severity in urban
highways.
Abstract: In this paper the authors propose and verify an approach to control heat flow in machine tool components. Thermal deformations are a main aspect that affects the accuracy of machining. Due to goals of energy efficiency, thermal basic loads should be reduced. This leads to inhomogeneous and time variant temperature profiles. To counteract these negative consequences, material with high melting enthalpy is used as a method for thermal stabilization. The increased thermal capacity slows down the transient thermal behavior. To account for the delayed thermal equilibrium, a control mechanism for thermal flow is introduced. By varying a gap in a heat flow path the thermal resistance of an assembly can be controlled. This mechanism is evaluated in two experimental setups. First to validate the ability to control the thermal resistance and second to prove the possibility of a self-sufficient option based on the selfsensing abilities of thermal shape memory alloys.
Abstract: Introduction applicability of high-speed cutting stock problem (CSP) is presented in this paper. Due to the orders continued coming in from various on-line ways for a professional cutting company, to stay competitive, such a business has to focus on sustained production at high levels. In others words, operators have to keep the machine running to stay ahead of the pack. Therefore, the continuous stock cutting problem with setup is proposed to minimize the cutting time and pattern changing time to meet the on-line given demand. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to solve the problem directly by using cutting patterns directly. A major advantage of the proposed method in series on-line production is that the system can adjust the cutting plan according to the floating orders. Examples with multiple items are demonstrated. The results show considerable efficiency and reliability in high-speed cutting of CSP.
Abstract: The efficient operation of any biological treatment
process requires pre-treatment of incompatible pollutants such as
acids, bases, oil, toxic substances, etc. which hamper the treatment
of other major components which are otherwise degradable. The
pre-treatment of alkaline waste-waters, generated from various
industries like textile, paper & pulp, potato-processing industries,
etc., having a pH of 10 or higher, is essential. The pre-treatment,
i.e., neutralization of such alkaline waste-waters can be achieved by
chemical as well as biological means. However, the biological pretreatment
offers better package over the chemical means by being
safe and economical. The biological pre-treatment can be
accomplished by using a blend of microorganisms able to withstand
such harsh alkaline conditions. In the present study, for the proper
pre-treatment of alkaline waste-waters, a package of alkalophilic
bacteria is formulated to neutralise the alkaline pH of the industrial
waste-waters. The developed microbial package is cost-effective as
well as environmental friendly.
Abstract: Erwinia carotovora var. carotovora is the main cause of soft rot in potatoes. Hyphaene thebaica was studied for biocontrol of E. carotovora which inhibited growth of E. carotovora on solid medium, a comparative study of classical and ultrasound-assisted extractions of Hyphaene thebaica fruit. The use of ultrasound decreased significant the total time of treatment and increase the total amount of crude extract. The crude extract was subjected to determine the in vitro, by a bioassay technique revealed that the treatment of paper disks with ultrasound extraction of Hyphaene thebaica reduced the growth of pathogen and produced inhibition zones up to 38mm in diameter. The antioxidant activity of ultrasound-ethanolic extract of Doum fruits (Hyphaene thebaica) was determined. Data obtained showed that the extract contains the secondary metabolites such as Tannins, Saponin, Flavonoids, Phenols, Steroids, Terpenoids, Glycosides and Alkaloids.
Abstract: The progress of concentrations of particular heavy metals was assessed in chosen localities in region Moravia, the Czech Republic, from 2007 to 2009. Particular metals were observed in localities with various types and characterization of zone. Pb, Ni, As and Cd were emphasized as a result of their toxicity and potential adverse health effect to the exposed population. The progress of metal concentrations and their health effects in the most polluted localities were examined. According to the results, the air pollution limit values were not exceeded. Based on the health risk assessment, the probability of developing tumorous diseases is acceptable, except for the increased probability of cancer risk from long-term exposure to As.
Abstract: The interaction among information and communication technology (ICT) industries is a recently ubiquitous phenomenon through fixed-mobile integration. To monitor the impact of interaction, previous research has mainly focused on measuring spillover effect among ICT industries using various methods. Among others, inter-industry analysis is one of the useful methods for examining spillover effect between industries. However, more complex ICT industries become, more important the impact within an industry is. Inter-industry analysis is limited in mirroring intra-relationships within an industry. Thus, this study applies the analytic network process (ANP) to measure the spillover effect, capturing all of the intra and inter-relationships. Using ANP-based intra and inter-industry analysis, the spillover effect is effectively measured, mirroring the complex structure of ICT industries. A main ICT industry and its linkages are also explored to show the current structure of ICT industries. The proposed approach is expected to allow policy makers to understand interactions of ICT industries and their impact.
Abstract: This paper presented the results of an experimental
investigation into the axial fatigue behavior of a 5086 aluminum
alloy which have several notch-aspect ratios a0/c0 and notch
thickness ratio a/t with semi-elliptical surface cracks. Tests were
conducted in la b air for stress levels of 50 % of their yield
strength. Experiments were carried out for various notch to
thickness ratios. Crack growth rates of test specimens both in
surface and depth directions were determined by using die
penetration method. Fuzzy Logic method was used to predict the
deep direction crack growth because the dept of the crack is
considerably difficult to measure.