Abstract: In this paper, a method for matching image segments
using triangle-based (geometrical) regions is proposed. Triangular
regions are formed from triples of vertex points obtained from a
keypoint detector (SIFT). However, triangle regions are subject to
noise and distortion around the edges and vertices (especially acute
angles). Therefore, these triangles are expanded into parallelogramshaped
regions. The extracted image segments inherit an important
triangle property; the invariance to affine distortion. Given two
images, matching corresponding regions is conducted by computing
the relative affine matrix, rectifying one of the regions w.r.t. the other
one, then calculating the similarity between the reference and
rectified region. The experimental tests show the efficiency and
robustness of the proposed algorithm against geometrical distortion.
Abstract: This paper introduces a low cost INS/GPS algorithm for
land vehicle navigation application. The data fusion process is done
with an extended Kalman filter in cascade configuration mode. In
order to perform numerical simulations, MATLAB software has been
developed. Loosely coupled configuration is considered. The results
obtained in this work demonstrate that a low-cost INS/GPS navigation
system is partially capable of meeting the performance requirements
for land vehicle navigation. The relative effectiveness of the kalman
filter implementation in integrated GPS/INS navigation algorithm is
highlighted. The paper also provides experimental results; field test
using a car is carried out.
Abstract: Consider the Gregory integration (G) formula
with end corrections where h Δ is the forward difference operator with step size h. In this study we prove that can be optimized by
minimizing some of the coefficient k a in the remainder term by
particle swarm optimization. Experimental tests prove that can be rendered a powerful formula for library use.
Abstract: Aluminum salt that is generally presents as a solid
phase in the water purification sludge (WPS) can be dissolved,
recovering a liquid phase, by adding strong acid to the sludge solution.
According to the reaction kinetics, when reactant is in the form of
small particles with a large specific surface area, or when the reaction
temperature is high, the quantity of dissolved aluminum salt or
reaction rate, respectively are high. Therefore, in this investigation,
water purification sludge (WPS) solution was treated with ultrasonic
waves to break down the sludge, and different acids (1 N HCl and 1 N
H2SO4) were used to acidify it. Acid dosages that yielded the solution
pH of less than two were used. The results thus obtained indicate that
the quantity of dissolved aluminum in H2SO4-acidified solution
exceeded that in HCl-acidified solution. Additionally, ultrasonic
treatment increased the rate of dissolution of aluminum and the
amount dissolved. The quantity of aluminum dissolved at 60℃ was 1.5
to 2.0 times higher than that at 25℃.
Abstract: Food control measures are critical in fostering food safety management of a nation. However, no academic study has been undertaken to assess the food control system of Myanmar up to now. The objective of this research paper was to assess the food control system with in depth examination of five key components using desktop analysis and short survey from related food safety program organizations including regulators and inspectors. Study showed that the existing food control system is conventional, mainly focusing on primary health care approach while relying on reactive measures. The achievements of food control work have been limited to a certain extent due to insufficienttechnical capacity that is needed to upgrade staffs, laboratory equipment and technical assistance etc. associated with various sectors. Assessing food control measures is the first step in the integration of food safety management, this paper could assist policy makers in providing information for enhancing the safety and quality of food produced and consumed in Myanmar.
Abstract: The visualization of geographic information on mobile devices has become popular as the widespread use of mobile Internet. The mobility of these devices brings about much convenience to people-s life. By the add-on location-based services of the devices, people can have an access to timely information relevant to their tasks. However, visual analysis of geographic data on mobile devices presents several challenges due to the small display and restricted computing resources. These limitations on the screen size and resources may impair the usability aspects of the visualization applications. In this paper, a variable-scale visualization method is proposed to handle the challenge of small mobile display. By merging multiple scales of information into a single image, the viewer is able to focus on the interesting region, while having a good grasp of the surrounding context. This is essentially visualizing the map through a fisheye lens. However, the fisheye lens induces undesirable geometric distortion in the peripheral, which renders the information meaningless. The proposed solution is to apply map generalization that removes excessive information around the peripheral and an automatic smoothing process to correct the distortion while keeping the local topology consistent. The proposed method is applied on both artificial and real geographical data for evaluation.
Abstract: In the study the influence of the physical-chemical properties of a liquid, the width of a channel gap and the superficial liquid and gas velocities on the patterns formed during two phase flows in vertical, narrow mini-channels was investigated. The research was performed in the channels of rectangular cross-section and of dimensions: 15 x 0.65 mm and 7.5 x 0.73 mm. The experimental data were compared with the published criteria of the transitions between the patterns of two-phase flows.
Abstract: Graph transformation has recently become more and
more popular as a general visual modeling language to formally state
the dynamic semantics of the designed models. Especially, it is a
very natural formalism for languages which basically are graph (e.g.
UML). Using this technique, we present a highly understandable yet
precise approach to formally model and analyze the behavioral
semantics of UML 2.0 Activity diagrams. In our proposal, AGG is
used to design Activities, then using our previous approach to model
checking graph transformation systems, designers can verify and
analyze designed Activity diagrams by checking the interesting
properties as combination of graph rules and LTL (Linear Temporal
Logic) formulas on the Activities.
Abstract: A generalized Dirichlet to Neumann map is
one of the main aspects characterizing a recently introduced
method for analyzing linear elliptic PDEs, through which it
became possible to couple known and unknown components
of the solution on the boundary of the domain without
solving on its interior. For its numerical solution, a well conditioned
quadratically convergent sine-Collocation method
was developed, which yielded a linear system of equations
with the diagonal blocks of its associated coefficient matrix
being point diagonal. This structural property, among others,
initiated interest for the employment of iterative methods for
its solution. In this work we present a conclusive numerical
study for the behavior of classical (Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel)
and Krylov subspace (GMRES and Bi-CGSTAB) iterative
methods when they are applied for the solution of the Dirichlet
to Neumann map associated with the Laplace-s equation
on regular polygons with the same boundary conditions on
all edges.
Abstract: A simple and easy algorithm is presented for a fast calculation of kernel functions which required in fluid simulations using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) method. Present proposed algorithm improves the Linked-list algorithm and adopts the Pair-Wise Interaction technique, which are widely used for evaluating kernel functions in fluid simulations using the SPH method. The algorithm is easy to be implemented without any complexities in programming. Some benchmark examples are used to show the simulation time saved by using the proposed algorithm. Parametric studies on the number of divisions for sub-domains, smoothing length and total amount of particles are conducted to show the effectiveness of the present technique. A compact formulation is proposed for practical usage.
Abstract: The motion of a sphere moving along the axis of a
rotating viscous fluid is studied at high Reynolds numbers and
moderate values of Taylor number. The Higher Order Compact
Scheme is used to solve the governing Navier-Stokes equations. The
equations are written in the form of Stream function, Vorticity
function and angular velocity which are highly non-linear, coupled
and elliptic partial differential equations. The flow is governed by
two parameters Reynolds number (Re) and Taylor number (T). For
very low values of Re and T, the results agree with the available
experimental and theoretical results in the literature. The results are
obtained at higher values of Re and moderate values of T and
compared with the experimental results. The results are fourth order
accurate.
Abstract: Carbon steel is used in boilers, pressure vessels, heat
exchangers, piping, structural elements and other moderatetemperature
service systems in which good strength and ductility are
desired. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section II Part A
(2004) provides specifications of ferrous materials for construction of
pressure equipment, covering wide range of mechanical properties
including high strength materials for power plants application.
However, increased level of springback is one of the major problems
in fabricating components of high strength steel using bending.
Presented work discuss the springback simulations for five different
steels (i.e. SA-36, SA-299, SA-515 grade 70, SA-612 and SA-724
grade B) using finite element analysis of air V-bending. Analytical
springback simulations of hypothetical layered materials are
presented. Result shows that; (i) combination of the material property
parameters controls the springback, (ii) layer of the high ductility
steel on the high strength steel greatly suppresses the springback.
Abstract: In online context, the design and implementation of
effective remote laboratories environment is highly challenging on
account of hardware and software needs. This paper presents the
remote laboratory software framework modified from ilab shared
architecture (ISA). The ISA is a framework which enables students to
remotely acccess and control experimental hardware using internet
infrastructure. The need for remote laboratories came after
experiencing problems imposed by traditional laboratories. Among
them are: the high cost of laboratory equipment, scarcity of space,
scarcity of technical personnel along with the restricted university
budget creates a significant bottleneck on building required
laboratory experiments. The solution to these problems is to build
web-accessible laboratories. Remote laboratories allow students and
educators to interact with real laboratory equipment located
anywhere in the world at anytime. Recently, many universities and
other educational institutions especially in third world countries rely
on simulations because they do not afford the experimental
equipment they require to their students. Remote laboratories enable
users to get real data from real-time hand-on experiments. To
implement many remote laboratories, the system architecture should
be flexible, understandable and easy to implement, so that different
laboratories with different hardware can be deployed easily. The
modifications were made to enable developers to add more
equipment in ISA framework and to attract the new developers to
develop many online laboratories.
Abstract: Transportation is one of the most fundamental
challenges of urban development in contemporary world. On the
other hand, sustainable urban development has received tremendous
public attention in the last few years. This trend in addition to other
factors such as energy cost, environmental concerns, traffic
congestion and the feeling of lack of belonging have contributed to
the development of pedestrian areas. The purpose of this paper is to
study the role of walkable streets in sustainable development of
cities. Accordingly, a documentary research through valid sources
has been utilized to substantiate this study. The findings demonstrate
that walking can lead to sustainable urban development from
physical, social, environmental, cultural, economic and political
aspects. Also, pedestrian areas –which are the main context of
walking- act as focal points of development in cities and have a great
effect on modifying and stimulating of their adjacent urban spaces.
Abstract: In this paper static and dynamic response of a
varactor of a micro-phase shifter to DC, step DC and AC
voltages have been studied. By presenting a mathematical
modeling Galerkin-based step by step linearization method
(SSLM) and Galerkin-based reduced order model have been
used to solve the governing static and dynamic equations,
respectively. The calculated static and dynamic pull-in
voltages have been validated by previous experimental and
theoretical results and a good agreement has been achieved.
Then the frequency response and phase diagram of the system
has been studied. It has been shown that applying the DC
voltage shifts down the phase diagram and frequency
response. Also increasing the damping ratio shifts up the
phase diagram.
Abstract: Advances in information technology, recent changes in business environment, globalization, deregulation, privatization have made running a successful business more difficult than ever before. To remain successful and to be competitive have forced companies to react to the new changes in order to survive and succeed. The implementation of an Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) system improves information flow, reduce costs, establish linkage with suppliers and reduce response time to customer needs. This paper focuses on a sample of Greek companies, investigates the ERP market in Greece, the reasons why the Greek companies are investing in ERP systems, the benefits that users have achieved and the influence of ERP systems on the use of new accounting practices. The results indicate a greater level on information integration, flexibility in information access and greater functionality provided by ERP systems but little influence on the use of new accounting practices.
Abstract: In this paper, we analyze the rotor eddy currents losses provoqued by the stator slot harmonics developed in the permanent magnets or pole pieces of synchronous machines. An analytical approach is presented to evaluate the effect of slot ripples on rotor field and losses calculation. This analysis is then tested on a model by 2D/3D finite element (FE) calculation. The results show a good agreement on loss calculations when skin effect is negligible and the magnet is considered.
Abstract: Tubular process equipment is often damaged in
industrial processes. The damage occurs both on devices working at
high temperatures and also on less exposed devices. In case of sudden
damage of key equipment a shutdown of the whole production unit
and resulting significant economic losses are imminent. This paper
presents a solution of several types of tubular process equipment. The
causes of damage and suggestions of correction actions are discussed
in all cases. Very important part is the analysis of operational
conditions, determination of unfavourable working states decreasing
lifetime of devices and suggestions of correction actions. Lately very
popular numerical methods are used for analysis of the equipment.
Abstract: A new approach to promote the generalization ability
of neural networks is presented. It is based on the point of view of
fuzzy theory. This approach is implemented through shrinking or
magnifying the input vector, thereby reducing the difference between
training set and testing set. It is called “shrinking-magnifying
approach" (SMA). At the same time, a new algorithm; α-algorithm is
presented to find out the appropriate shrinking-magnifying-factor
(SMF) α and obtain better generalization ability of neural networks.
Quite a few simulation experiments serve to study the effect of SMA
and α-algorithm. The experiment results are discussed in detail, and
the function principle of SMA is analyzed in theory. The results of
experiments and analyses show that the new approach is not only
simpler and easier, but also is very effective to many neural networks
and many classification problems. In our experiments, the proportions
promoting the generalization ability of neural networks have even
reached 90%.
Abstract: Due to its geographical location, Iran is considered one of the earthquake-prone areas where the best way to decrease earthquake effects is supposed to be strengthening the buildings. Even though, one idea suggests that the use of adobe in constructing buildings be prohibited for its weak function especially in earthquake-prone areas, however, regarding ecological considerations, sustainability and other local skills, another idea pays special attention to adobe as one of the construction technologies which is popular among people. From the architectural and technological point of view, as strong sustainable building construction materials, compressed adobe construction materials make most of the construction in urban or rural areas ranging from small to big industrial buildings used to replace common earth blocks in traditional systems and strengthen traditional adobe buildings especially against earthquake. Mentioning efficient construction using compressed adobe system as a reliable replacement for traditional soil construction materials , this article focuses on the experiences of India in the fields of sustainable development of compressed adobe systems in the form of system in which the compressed soil is combined with cement, load bearing building with brick/solid concrete block system, brick system using rat trap bond, metal system with adobe infill and finally emphasizes on the use of these systems in the earthquake-struck city of Bam in Iran.