Abstract: In this experimental study, performance of a counter
flow Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (RHVT) with threads cut on its inner
surface was investigated experimentally (pitch is 1 and 2 mm). The
inner diameter of the vortex tube used was D=9 mm and the ratio of
the tube’s length to diameter was L/D=12. The experimental system
was a thermodynamic open system. Flow was controlled by a valve
on the hot outlet side, where the valve was changed from a nearly
closed position to its nearly open position. Fraction of cold flow (ξ) =
0.1-0.9, was determined under 300 and 350 kPa pressurized air. All
experimental data were compared with each other, the maximum
heating performance of the RHVT system was found to be 38.2 oC
and the maximum cooling performance of the RHVT in this study
was found to be -30.9 oC at pitch 1 mm.
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: A numerical analysis of a reinforced concrete (RC) wall under missile impact loading is presented in this study. The model created by Technical Research Center of Finland was used. The commercial finite element code, LS-DYNA was used to analyze. The structural components of the reinforced concrete wall, missile and their contacts are fully modeled. The material nonlinearity with strain rate effects considering damage and failure is included in the analysis. The results of analysis were verified with other research results. The case-studies with different reinforcement ratios were conducted to investigate the influence of reinforcement on the punching behavior of walls under missile impact.
Abstract: In field of Computer Science and Mathematics,
sorting algorithm is an algorithm that puts elements of a list in a
certain order i.e. ascending or descending. Sorting is perhaps the
most widely studied problem in computer science and is frequently
used as a benchmark of a system-s performance. This paper
presented the comparative performance study of four sorting
algorithms on different platform. For each machine, it is found that
the algorithm depends upon the number of elements to be sorted. In
addition, as expected, results show that the relative performance of
the algorithms differed on the various machines. So, algorithm
performance is dependent on data size and there exists impact of
hardware also.
Abstract: Polymer-like organic thin films were deposited on both
aluminum alloy type 6061 and glass substrates at room temperature by
Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) methodusing
benzene and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as precursor materials.
The surface and physical properties of plasma-polymerized organic
thin films were investigated at different r.f. powers. The effects of
benzene/argon ratio on the properties of plasma polymerized benzene
films were also investigated. It is found that using benzene alone
results in a non-coherent and non-adherent powdery deposited
material. The chemical structure and surface properties of the asgrown
plasma polymerized thin films were analyzed on glass
substrates with FTIR and contact angle measurements. FTIR spectra
of benzene deposited film indicated that the benzene rings are
preserved when increasing benzene ratio and/or decreasing r.f.
powers. FTIR spectra of HMDSO deposited films indicated an
increase of the hydrogen concentration and a decrease of the oxygen
concentration with the increase of r.f. power. The contact angle (θ) of
the films prepared from benzene was found to increase by about 43%
as benzene ratio increases from 10% to 20%. θ was then found to
decrease to the original value (51°) when the benzene ratio increases
to 100%. The contact angle, θ, for both benzene and HMDSO
deposited films were found to increase with r.f. power. This signifies
that the plasma polymerized organic films have substantially low
surface energy as the r.f power increases. The corrosion resistance of
aluminum alloy substrate both bare and covered with plasma
polymerized thin films was carried out by potentiodynamic
polarization measurements in standard 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution at
room temperature. The results indicate that the benzene and HMDSO
deposited films are suitable for protection of the aluminum substrate
against corrosion. The changes in the processing parameters seem to
have a strong influence on the film protective ability. Surface
roughness of films deposited on aluminum alloy substrate was
investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM
images indicate that the surface roughness of benzene deposited films
increase with decreasing the benzene ratio. SEM images of benzene
and HMDSO deposited films indicate that the surface roughness
decreases with increasing r.f. power. Studying the above parameters
indicate that the films produced are suitable for specific practical
applications.
Abstract: The objective of this work is to explicit knowledge on the interactions between the chlorophyll-a and nine meroplankton larvae of epibenthonic fauna. The studied case is the Arraial do Cabo upwelling system, Southeastern of Brazil, which provides different environmental conditions. To assess this information a network approach based in probability estimative was used. Comparisons among the generated graphs are made in the light of different water masses, application of Shannon biodiversity index, and the closeness and betweenness centralities measurements. Our results show the main pattern among different water masses and how the core organisms belonging to the network skeleton are correlated to the main environmental variable. We conclude that the approach of complex networks is a promising tool for environmental diagnostic.
Abstract: One of the essential components of much of DSP
application is noise cancellation. Changes in real time signals are
quite rapid and swift. In noise cancellation, a reference signal which
is an approximation of noise signal (that corrupts the original
information signal) is obtained and then subtracted from the noise
bearing signal to obtain a noise free signal. This approximation of
noise signal is obtained through adaptive filters which are self
adjusting. As the changes in real time signals are abrupt, this needs
adaptive algorithm that converges fast and is stable. Least mean
square (LMS) and normalized LMS (NLMS) are two widely used
algorithms because of their plainness in calculations and
implementation. But their convergence rates are small. Adaptive
averaging filters (AFA) are also used because they have high
convergence, but they are less stable. This paper provides the
comparative study of LMS and Normalized NLMS, AFA and new
enhanced average adaptive (Average NLMS-ANLMS) filters for noise
cancelling application using speech signals.
Abstract: The hidden-point bar method is useful in many
surveying applications. The method involves determining the
coordinates of a hidden point as a function of horizontal and vertical
angles measured to three fixed points on the bar. Using these
measurements, the procedure involves calculating the slant angles,
the distances from the station to the fixed points, the coordinates of
the fixed points, and then the coordinates of the hidden point. The
propagation of the measurement errors in this complex process has
not been fully investigated in the literature. This paper evaluates the
effect of the bar geometry on the position accuracy of the hidden
point which depends on the measurement errors of the horizontal and
vertical angles. The results are used to establish some guidelines
regarding the inclination angle of the bar and the location of the
observed points that provide the best accuracy.
Abstract: Performing High Voltage (HV) tasks with a multi craft
work force create a special set of safety circumstances. This paper
aims to present vital information relating to when it is acceptable to
use a single or a two-layer soil structure. Also it discusses the
implication of the high voltage infrastructure on the earth grid and the
safety of this implication under a single or a two-layer soil structure.
A multiple case study is investigated to show the importance of using
the right soil resistivity structure during the earthing system design.
Abstract: The frontal area in the brain is known to be involved in
behavioral judgement. Because a Kanji character can be discriminated
visually and linguistically from other characters, in Kanji character
discrimination, we hypothesized that frontal event-related potential
(ERP) waveforms reflect two discrimination processes in separate
time periods: one based on visual analysis and the other based
on lexcical access. To examine this hypothesis, we recorded ERPs
while performing a Kanji lexical decision task. In this task, either a
known Kanji character, an unknown Kanji character or a symbol was
presented and the subject had to report if the presented character was
a known Kanji character for the subject or not. The same response
was required for unknown Kanji trials and symbol trials. As a preprocessing
of signals, we examined the performance of a method
using independent component analysis for artifact rejection and found
it was effective. Therefore we used it. In the ERP results, there
were two time periods in which the frontal ERP wavefoms were
significantly different betweeen the unknown Kanji trials and the
symbol trials: around 170ms and around 300ms after stimulus onset.
This result supported our hypothesis. In addition, the result suggests
that Kanji character lexical access may be fully completed by around
260ms after stimulus onset.
Abstract: Soursop (Anona muricata) is one of the underutilized tropical fruits containing nutrients, particularly dietary fibre and antioxidant properties that are beneficial to human health. This objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of matured soursop pulp flour (SPF) to be substituted with high-protein wheat flour in bread. Bread formulation was substituted with different levels of SPF (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%). The effect on physicochemical properties and sensory attributes were evaluated. Higher substitution level of SPF resulted in significantly higher (p
Abstract: Software maintenance is extremely important activity in software development life cycle. It involves a lot of human efforts, cost and time. Software maintenance may be further subdivided into different activities such as fault prediction, fault detection, fault prevention, fault correction etc. This topic has gained substantial attention due to sophisticated and complex applications, commercial hardware, clustered architecture and artificial intelligence. In this paper we surveyed the work done in the field of software maintenance. Software fault prediction has been studied in context of fault prone modules, self healing systems, developer information, maintenance models etc. Still a lot of things like modeling and weightage of impact of different kind of faults in the various types of software systems need to be explored in the field of fault severity.
Abstract: Time series models have been used to make predictions of academic enrollments, weather, road accident, casualties and stock prices, etc. Based on the concepts of quartile regression models, we have developed a simple time variant quantile based fuzzy time series forecasting method. The proposed method bases the forecast using prediction of future trend of the data. In place of actual quantiles of the data at each point, we have converted the statistical concept into fuzzy concept by using fuzzy quantiles using fuzzy membership function ensemble. We have given a fuzzy metric to use the trend forecast and calculate the future value. The proposed model is applied for TAIFEX forecasting. It is shown that proposed method work best as compared to other models when compared with respect to model complexity and forecasting accuracy.
Abstract: MiRNAs participate in gene regulation of translation.
Some studies have investigated the interactions between genes and
intragenic miRNAs. It is important to study the miRNA binding sites
of genes involved in carcinogenesis. RNAHybrid 2.1 and ERNAhybrid
programmes were used to compute the hybridization free
energy of miRNA binding sites. Of these 54 mRNAs, 22.6%, 37.7%,
and 39.7% of miRNA binding sites were present in the 5'UTRs,
CDSs, and 3'UTRs, respectively. The density of the binding sites for
miRNAs in the 5'UTR ranged from 1.6 to 43.2 times and from 1.8 to
8.0 times greater than in the CDS and 3'UTR, respectively. Three
types of miRNA interactions with mRNAs have been revealed: 5'-
dominant canonical, 3'-compensatory, and complementary binding
sites. MiRNAs regulate gene expression, and information on the
interactions between miRNAs and mRNAs could be useful in
molecular medicine. We recommend that newly described sites
undergo validation by experimental investigation.
Abstract: In industry, on of the most important subjects is die
and it's characteristics in which for cutting and forming different
mechanical pieces, various punch and matrix metal die are used.
whereas the common parts which form the main frame die are not
often proportion with pieces and dies therefore using a part as socalled
common part for frames in specified dimension ranges can
decrease the time of designing, occupied space of warehouse and
manufacturing costs. Parts in dies with getting uniform in their shape
and dimension make common parts of dies. Common parts of punch
and matrix metal die are as bolster, guide bush, guide pillar and
shank. In this paper the common parts and effective parameters in
selecting each of them as the primary information are studied,
afterward for selection and design of mechanical parts an
introduction and investigation based on the Mech. Desk. software is
done hence with developing this software can standardize the metal
common parts of punch and matrix. These studies will be so useful
for designer in their designing and also using it has with very much
advantage for manufactures of products in decreasing occupied
spaces by dies.
Abstract: Result of the study on knowledge management systems in businesses was shown that the most of these businesses provide internet accessibility for their employees in order to study new knowledge via internet, corporate website, electronic mail, and electronic learning system. These business organizations use information technology application for knowledge management because of convenience, time saving, ease of use, accuracy of information and knowledge usefulness. The result indicated prominent improvements for corporate knowledge management systems as the following; 1) administrations must support corporate knowledge management system 2) the goal of corporate knowledge management must be clear 3) corporate culture should facilitate the exchange and sharing of knowledge within the organization 4) cooperation of personnel of all levels must be obtained 5) information technology infrastructure must be provided 6) they must develop the system regularly and constantly.
Abstract: Simulations play a major role in education not only because they provide realistic models with which students can interact to acquire real world experiences, but also because they constitute safe environments in which students can repeat processes without any risk in order to perceive easier concepts and theories. Virtual reality is widely recognized as a significant technological advance that can facilitate learning process through the development of highly realistic 3D simulations supporting immersive and interactive features. The objective of this paper is to analyze the influence of virtual reality-s use in chemistry instruction as well as to present an integrated web-based learning environment for the simulation of chemical experiments. The proposed application constitutes a cost-effective solution for both schools and universities without appropriate infrastructure and a valuable tool for distance learning and life-long education in chemistry. Its educational objectives are the familiarization of students with the equipment of a real chemical laboratory and the execution of virtual volumetric analysis experiments with the active participation of students.
Abstract: High level and high velocity flood flows are
potentially harmful to bridge piers as evidenced in many toppled
piers, and among them the single-column piers were considered as
the most vulnerable. The flood flow characteristic parameters
including drag coefficient, scouring and vortex shedding are built into
a pier-flood interaction model to investigate structural safety against
flood hazards considering the effects of local scouring, hydrodynamic
forces, and vortex induced resonance vibrations. By extracting the
pier-flood simulation results embedded in a neural networks code,
two cases of pier toppling occurred in typhoon days were reexamined:
(1) a bridge overcome by flash flood near a mountain side;
(2) a bridge washed off in flood across a wide channel near the
estuary. The modeling procedures and simulations are capable of
identifying the probable causes for the tumbled bridge piers during
heavy floods, which include the excessive pier bending moments and
resonance in structural vibrations.
Abstract: The conventional GA combined with a local search
algorithm, such as the 2-OPT, forms a hybrid genetic algorithm(HGA)
for the traveling salesman problem (TSP). However, the geometric
properties which are problem specific knowledge can be used to
improve the search process of the HGA. Some tour segments (edges)
of TSPs are fine while some maybe too long to appear in a short tour.
This knowledge could constrain GAs to work out with fine tour
segments without considering long tour segments as often.
Consequently, a new algorithm is proposed, called intelligent-OPT
hybrid genetic algorithm (IOHGA), to improve the GA and the 2-OPT
algorithm in order to reduce the search time for the optimal solution.
Based on the geometric properties, all the tour segments are assigned
2-level priorities to distinguish between good and bad genes. A
simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the
IOHGA. The experimental results indicate that in general the IOHGA
could obtain near-optimal solutions with less time and better accuracy
than the hybrid genetic algorithm with simulated annealing algorithm
(HGA(SA)).
Abstract: Fossil fuels are the major source to meet the world
energy requirements but its rapidly diminishing rate and adverse
effects on our ecological system are of major concern. Renewable
energy utilization is the need of time to meet the future challenges.
Ocean energy is the one of these promising energy resources. Threefourths
of the earth-s surface is covered by the oceans. This enormous
energy resource is contained in the oceans- waters, the air above the
oceans, and the land beneath them. The renewable energy source of
ocean mainly is contained in waves, ocean current and offshore solar
energy. Very fewer efforts have been made to harness this reliable
and predictable resource. Harnessing of ocean energy needs detail
knowledge of underlying mathematical governing equation and their
analysis. With the advent of extra ordinary computational resources
it is now possible to predict the wave climatology in lab simulation.
Several techniques have been developed mostly stem from numerical
analysis of Navier Stokes equations. This paper presents a brief over
view of such mathematical model and tools to understand and
analyze the wave climatology. Models of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations
have been developed to estimate the wave characteristics to assess the
power potential. A brief overview of available wave energy
technologies is also given. A novel concept of on-shore wave energy
extraction method is also presented at the end. The concept is based
upon total energy conservation, where energy of wave is transferred
to the flexible converter to increase its kinetic energy. Squeezing
action by the external pressure on the converter body results in
increase velocities at discharge section. High velocity head then can
be used for energy storage or for direct utility of power generation.
This converter utilizes the both potential and kinetic energy of the
waves and designed for on-shore or near-shore application. Increased
wave height at the shore due to shoaling effects increases the
potential energy of the waves which is converted to renewable
energy. This approach will result in economic wave energy
converter due to near shore installation and more dense waves due to
shoaling. Method will be more efficient because of tapping both
potential and kinetic energy of the waves.