Abstract: The grain quality of chickpea in Iran is low and
instable, which may be attributed to the evolution of cultivars with a
narrow genetic base making them vulnerable to biotic stresses. Four
chickpea varieties from diverse geographic origins were chosen and
arranged in a randomized complete block design. Mesorhizobium sp.
cicer strain SW7 was added to all the chickpea seeds. Chickpea seeds
were planted on October 9, 2013. Each genotype was sown 5 m in
length, with 35 cm inter-row spacing, in 3 rows. Weeds were
removed manually in all plots. Results showed that Analysis of
variance on the studied traits showed significant differences among
genotypes for N, P, K and Fe contents of chickpea, but there is not a
significant difference among Ca, Zn and Mg continents of chickpea.
The experimental coefficient of variation (CV) varied from 7.3 to
15.8. In general, the CV value lower than 20% is considered to be
good, indicating the accuracy of conducted experiments. The highest
grain N was observed in Hashem and Jam cultivars. The highest grain
P was observed in Jam cultivar. Phosphorus content (mg/100g)
ranged from 142.3 to 302.3 with a mean value of 221.3. The negative
correlation (-0.126) was observed between the N and P of chickpea
cultivars. The highest K and Fe contents were observed in Jam
cultivar.
Abstract: A simple adaptive voice activity detector (VAD) is
implemented using Gabor and gammatone atomic decomposition of
speech for high Gaussian noise environments. Matching pursuit is
used for atomic decomposition, and is shown to achieve optimal
speech detection capability at high data compression rates for low
signal to noise ratios. The most active dictionary elements found by
matching pursuit are used for the signal reconstruction so that the
algorithm adapts to the individual speakers dominant time-frequency
characteristics. Speech has a high peak to average ratio enabling
matching pursuit greedy heuristic of highest inner products to isolate
high energy speech components in high noise environments. Gabor
and gammatone atoms are both investigated with identical
logarithmically spaced center frequencies, and similar bandwidths.
The algorithm performs equally well for both Gabor and gammatone
atoms with no significant statistical differences. The algorithm
achieves 70% accuracy at a 0 dB SNR, 90% accuracy at a 5 dB SNR
and 98% accuracy at a 20dB SNR using 30d B SNR as a reference
for voice activity.
Abstract: The objectives of this study are to study Chinese
tourist’s Behaviors towards travel and shopping in Bangkok. The
research methodology was a quantitative research. The sample of this
research was 400 Chinese tourists in Bangkok chosen by the
accidental sampling and the purposive sampling. Inferential Statistics
Analysis by using the Chi-square statistics. As for the results of this
study the researcher found that differences between personal, social
and cultural information, i.e., gender, age, place of residence,
educational level, occupation, income, family, and main objectives of
tourism with behaviors of Chinese tourists in Bangkok towards travel
and shopping in Bangkok.
Abstract: Margin-Based Principle has been proposed for a long
time, it has been proved that this principle could reduce the
structural risk and improve the performance in both theoretical
and practical aspects. Meanwhile, feed-forward neural network is
a traditional classifier, which is very hot at present with a deeper
architecture. However, the training algorithm of feed-forward neural
network is developed and generated from Widrow-Hoff Principle that
means to minimize the squared error. In this paper, we propose
a new training algorithm for feed-forward neural networks based
on Margin-Based Principle, which could effectively promote the
accuracy and generalization ability of neural network classifiers
with less labelled samples and flexible network. We have conducted
experiments on four UCI open datasets and achieved good results
as expected. In conclusion, our model could handle more sparse
labelled and more high-dimension dataset in a high accuracy while
modification from old ANN method to our method is easy and almost
free of work.
Abstract: In this paper the problem of the application of
temporal reasoning and case-based reasoning in intelligent decision
support systems is considered. The method of case-based reasoning
with temporal dependences for the solution of problems of real-time
diagnostics and forecasting in intelligent decision support systems is
described. This paper demonstrates how the temporal case-based
reasoning system can be used in intelligent decision support systems
of the car access control. This work was supported by RFBR.
Abstract: Kidney cancer is the most lethal urological cancer
accounting for 3% of adult malignancies. VHL, a tumor-suppressor
gene, is best known to be associated with renal cell carcinoma
(RCC). The VHL functions as negative regulator of hypoxia inducible
factors. Recent sequencing efforts have identified several novel
frequent mutations of histone modifying and chromatin remodeling
genes in ccRCC (clear cell RCC) including PBRM1 and SETD2. The
PBRM1 gene encodes the BAF180 protein, which involved in
transcriptional activation and repression of selected genes. SETD2
encodes a histone methyltransferase, which may play a role in
suppressing tumor development. In this study, RNAs of 30 paired
tumor and normal samples that were grouped according to the types
of kidney cancer and clinical characteristics of patients, including
gender and average age were examined by RT-PCR, SSCP and
sequencing techniques. VHL, PBRM1 and SETD2 expressions were
relatively down-regulated. However, statistically no significance was
found (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p>0.05). Interestingly, no mutation
was observed on the contrary of previous studies. Understanding the
molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of RCC has
aided the development of molecular-targeted drugs for kidney cancer.
Further analysis is required to identify the responsible genes rather
than VHL, PBRM1 and SETD2 in kidney cancer.
Abstract: The changes of the optical and structural properties of
Bismuth-Boro-Tellurite glasses pre and post gamma irradiation were
studied. Six glass samples, with different composition [(TeO2)0.7
(B2O3)0.3]1-x (Bi2O3)x prepared by melt quenching method were
irradiated with 25kGy gamma radiation at room temperature. The
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to explore
the structural bonding in the prepared glass samples due to exposure,
while UV-VIS Spectrophotometer was used to evaluate the changes
in the optical properties before and after irradiation. Gamma
irradiation causes profound changes in the peak intensity as shown by
FTIR spectra which is due to the breaking of the network bonding.
Before gamma irradiation, the optical band gap, Eg value decreased
from 2.44 eV to 2.15 eV with the addition of Bismuth content. The
value kept decreasing (from 2.18 eV to 2.00 eV) following exposure
to gamma radiation due to the increase of non-bridging oxygen
(NBO) and the increase of defect in the glass. In conclusion, the glass
with high content of Bi2O3 (0.30Bi) give smallest Eg and show less
changes in FTIR spectra after gamma irradiation which indicate that
this glass is more resistant to gamma radiation compared to other
glasses.
Abstract: In Hungary, the society has changed a lot for the past
25 years, and these changes could be detected in educational
situations as well. The number and the intensity of conflicts have
been increased in most fields of life, as well as at schools. Teachers
have difficulties to be able to handle school conflicts. What is more,
the new net generation, generation Z has values and behavioural
patterns different from those of the previous one, which might
generate more serious conflicts at school, especially with teachers
who were mainly socialising in a traditional teacher – student
relationship.
In Hungary, the bill CCIV of 2011 declared the foundation of
Institutes of Teacher Training in higher education institutes. One of
the tasks of the Institutes is to survey the competences and needs of
teachers working in public education and to provide further trainings
and services for them according to their needs and requirements. This
job is supported by the Social Renewal Operative Programs 4.1.2.B.
The professors of a college carried out a questionnaire and surveyed
the needs and the requirements of teachers working in the region.
Based on the results, the professors of the Institute of Teacher
Training decided to meet the requirements of teachers and to launch
short teacher further training courses in spring 2015. One of the
courses is going to focus on school conflict management through
mediation.
The aim of the pilot course is to provide conflict management
techniques for teachers and to present different mediation techniques
to them. The theoretical part of the course (5 hours) will enable
participants to understand the main points and the advantages of
mediation, while the practical part (10 hours) will involve teachers in
role plays to learn how to cope with conflict situations applying
mediation. We hope if conflicts could be reduced, it would influence
school atmosphere in a positive way and the teaching – learning
process could be more successful and effective.
Abstract: Networking is important among students to achieve
better understanding. Social networking plays an important role in the
education. Realizing its huge potential, various organizations,
including institutions of higher learning have moved to the area of
social networks to interact with their students especially through
Facebook. Therefore, measuring the effectiveness of Facebook as a
learning tool has become an area of interest to academicians and
researchers. Therefore, this study tried to integrate and propose new
theoretical and empirical evidences by linking the western idea of
adopting Facebook as an alternative learning platform from a
Malaysian perspective. This study, thus, aimed to fill a gap by being
among the pioneering research that tries to study the effectiveness of
adopting Facebook as a learning platform across other cultural
settings, namely Malaysia. Structural equation modeling was
employed for data analysis and hypothesis testing. This study finding
has provided some insights that would likely affect students’
awareness towards using Facebook as an alternative learning
platform in the Malaysian higher learning institutions. At the end,
future direction is proposed.
Abstract: A comprehensive CFD model is developed to
represent heterogeneous combustion and two burner designs of
supply sugar-cane bagasse into a furnace. The objective of this work
is to compare the insertion and burning of a Brazilian south-eastern
sugar-cane bagasse using a new swirl burner design against an actual
geometry under operation. The new design allows control the
particles penetration and scattering inside furnace by adjustment of
axial/tangential contributions of air feed without change their mass
flow. The model considers turbulence using RNG k-, combustion
using EDM, radiation heat transfer using DTM with 16 ray directions
and bagasse particle tracking represented by Schiller-Naumann
model. The obtained results are favorable to use of new design swirl
burner because its axial/tangential control promotes more penetration
or more scattering than actual design and allows reproduce the actual
design operation without change the overall mass flow supply.
Abstract: Prosperity of electronic equipment in photocopying
environment not only has improved work efficiency, but also has
changed indoor air quality. Considering the number of photocopying
employed, indoor air quality might be worse than in general office
environments. Determining the contribution from any type of
equipment to indoor air pollution is a complex matter. Non-methane
hydrocarbons are known to have an important role on air quality due
to their high reactivity. The presence of hazardous pollutants in
indoor air has been detected in one photocopying shop in Novi Sad,
Serbia. Air samples were collected and analyzed for five days, during
8-hr working time in three time intervals, whereas three different
sampling points were determined. Using multiple linear regression
model and software package STATISTICA 10 the concentrations of
occupational hazards and microclimates parameters were mutually
correlated. Based on the obtained multiple coefficients of
determination (0.3751, 0.2389 and 0.1975), a weak positive
correlation between the observed variables was determined. Small
values of parameter F indicated that there was no statistically
significant difference between the concentration levels of nonmethane
hydrocarbons and microclimates parameters. The results
showed that variable could be presented by the general regression
model: y = b0 + b1xi1+ b2xi2. Obtained regression equations allow to
measure the quantitative agreement between the variables and thus
obtain more accurate knowledge of their mutual relations.
Abstract: Historical narration is an act that necessarily develops
and deforms history. This “translation” is examined within the
historical and political context of the 1930 Berlin film premiere of
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” a film based on Erich Maria
Remarque’s 1928 best-selling novel. Both the film and the novel
appeared during an era in which life was conceived of as innately
artistic. The emergence of this “aestheticization” of memory and
history enabled conservative propaganda of the period to denounce
all art that did not adhere conceptually to its political tenets, with “All
Quiet” becoming yet another of its “victims.”
Abstract: This paper deals with various questions related to
functionality and providing banking services in the European union
on the Internet. Due to the fact that we live in the information
technologies era, the Internet become a new space for doing
economic and business activities in all areas, and especially important
in banking. Accepting the busy tempo of life, in the past several years
electronic banking has become necessity and a must for most users of
banking services. On a sample of 300 web sites of the banks
operating in European Union (EU) we conduct the research on the
functionality of e-banking services offered through banks web sites
with the key objective to reveal to what extent the information
technologies are used in their business operations. Characteristics of
EU banks websites will be examined and compared to the basic
groups of business activities on the web. Also some
recommendations for the successful bank web sites will be provided.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive
profile of the adapted physical activity research using single subject
experimental designs. All research articles using single subject
experimental designs published in the journal of Adapted Physical
Activity Quarterly from 1984 to 2013 were employed as the data
source. Each of the articles was coded in a subcategory of seven
categories: (a) the size of sample; (b) the age of participants; (c) the
type of disabilities; (d) the type of data analysis; (e) the type of
designs, (f) the independent variable, and (g) the dependent variable.
Frequencies, percentages, and trend inspection were used to analyze
the data and develop a profile. The profile developed characterizes a
small portion of research articles used single subject designs, in
which most researchers used a small sample size, recruited children
as subjects, emphasized learning and behavior impairments, selected
visual inspection with descriptive statistics, preferred a multiple
baseline design, focused on effects of therapy, inclusion, and
strategy, and measured desired behaviors more often, with a
decreasing trend over years.
Abstract: The growth in the volume of text data such as books
and articles in libraries for centuries has imposed to establish
effective mechanisms to locate them. Early techniques such as
abstraction, indexing and the use of classification categories have
marked the birth of a new field of research called "Information
Retrieval". Information Retrieval (IR) can be defined as the task of
defining models and systems whose purpose is to facilitate access to
a set of documents in electronic form (corpus) to allow a user to find
the relevant ones for him, that is to say, the contents which matches
with the information needs of the user. This paper presents a new
semantic indexing approach of a documentary corpus. The indexing
process starts first by a term weighting phase to determine the
importance of these terms in the documents. Then the use of a
thesaurus like Wordnet allows moving to the conceptual level.
Each candidate concept is evaluated by determining its level of
representation of the document, that is to say, the importance of the
concept in relation to other concepts of the document. Finally, the
semantic index is constructed by attaching to each concept of the
ontology, the documents of the corpus in which these concepts are
found.
Abstract: Microscopic simulation tool kits allow for
consideration of the two processes of railway operations and the
previous timetable production. Block occupation conflicts on both
process levels are often solved by using defined train priorities. These
conflict resolutions (dispatching decisions) generate reactionary
delays to the involved trains. The sum of reactionary delays is
commonly used to evaluate the quality of railway operations, which
describes the timetable robustness. It is either compared to an
acceptable train performance or the delays are appraised
economically by linear monetary functions. It is impossible to
adequately evaluate dispatching decisions without a well-founded
objective function. This paper presents a new approach for the
evaluation of dispatching decisions. The approach uses mode choice
models and considers the behaviour of the end-customers. These
models evaluate the reactionary delays in more detail and consider
other competing modes of transport. The new approach pursues the
coupling of a microscopic model of railway operations with the
macroscopic choice mode model. At first, it will be implemented for
railway operations process but it can also be used for timetable
production. The evaluation considers the possibility for the customer
to interchange to other transport modes. The new approach starts to
look at rail and road, but it can also be extended to air travel. The
result of mode choice models is the modal split. The reactions by the
end-customers have an impact on the revenue of the train operating
companies. Different purposes of travel have different payment
reserves and tolerances towards late running. Aside from changes to
revenues, longer journey times can also generate additional costs.
The costs are either time- or track-specific and arise from required
changes to rolling stock or train crew cycles. Only the variable values
are summarised in the contribution margin, which is the base for the
monetary evaluation of delays. The contribution margin is calculated
for different possible solutions to the same conflict. The conflict
resolution is optimised until the monetary loss becomes minimal. The
iterative process therefore determines an optimum conflict resolution
by monitoring the change to the contribution margin. Furthermore, a
monetary value of each dispatching decision can also be derived.
Abstract: In more complex systems, such as automotive
gearbox, a rigorous treatment of the data is necessary because there
are several moving parts (gears, bearings, shafts, etc.), and in this
way, there are several possible sources of errors and also noise. The
basic objective of this work is the detection of damage in automotive
gearbox. The detection methods used are the wavelet method, the
bispectrum; advanced filtering techniques (selective filtering) of
vibrational signals and mathematical morphology. Gearbox vibration
tests were performed (gearboxes in good condition and with defects)
of a production line of a large vehicle assembler. The vibration
signals are obtained using five accelerometers in different positions
of the sample. The results obtained using the kurtosis, bispectrum,
wavelet and mathematical morphology showed that it is possible to
identify the existence of defects in automotive gearboxes.
Abstract: The aim of this exploratory research is to understand
further how organisations can evaluate their activities, which
generate knowledge creation, to meet changing stakeholder
expectations. A Scale of Knowledge (SoK) Framework is proposed
which links knowledge management and organisational activities to
changing stakeholder expectations. The framework was informed by
the knowledge management literature, as well as empirical work
conducted via a single case study of a multi-site hospital organisation
in Saudi Arabia. Eight in-depth semi-structured interviews were
conducted with managers from across the organisation regarding
current and future stakeholder expectations, organisational
strategy/activities and knowledge management. Data were analysed
using thematic analysis and a hierarchical value map technique to
identify activities that can produce further knowledge and
consequently impact on how stakeholder expectations are met.
The SoK Framework developed may be useful to practitioners as
an analytical aid to determine if current organisational activities
produce organisational knowledge which helps them meet
(increasingly higher levels of) stakeholder expectations. The
limitations of the research and avenues for future development of the
proposed framework are discussed.
Abstract: High density electrical prospecting has been widely
used in groundwater investigation, civil engineering and
environmental survey. For efficient inversion, the forward modeling
routine, sensitivity calculation, and inversion algorithm must be
efficient. This paper attempts to provide a brief summary of the past
and ongoing developments of the method. It includes reviews of the
procedures used for data acquisition, processing and inversion of
electrical resistivity data based on compilation of academic literature.
In recent times there had been a significant evolution in field survey
designs and data inversion techniques for the resistivity method. In
general 2-D inversion for resistivity data is carried out using the
linearized least-square method with the local optimization technique
.Multi-electrode and multi-channel systems have made it possible to
conduct large 2-D, 3-D and even 4-D surveys efficiently to resolve
complex geological structures that were not possible with traditional
1-D surveys. 3-D surveys play an increasingly important role in very
complex areas where 2-D models suffer from artifacts due to off-line
structures. Continued developments in computation technology, as
well as fast data inversion techniques and software, have made it
possible to use optimization techniques to obtain model parameters to
a higher accuracy. A brief discussion on the limitations of the
electrical resistivity method has also been presented.
Abstract: In this study, we proposed two techniques to track the
maximum power point (MPPT) of a photovoltaic system. The first is
an intelligent control technique, and the second is robust used for
variable structure system. In fact the characteristics I-V and P–V of
the photovoltaic generator depends on the solar irradiance and
temperature. These climate changes cause the fluctuation of
maximum power point; a maximum power point tracking technique
(MPPT) is required to maximize the output power. For this we have
adopted a control by fuzzy logic (FLC) famous for its stability and
robustness. And a Siding Mode Control (SMC) widely used for
variable structure system. The system comprises a photovoltaic panel
(PV), a DC-DC converter, which is considered as an adaptation stage
between the PV and the load. The modelling and simulation of the
system is developed using MATLAB/Simulink. SMC technique
provides a good tracking speed in fast changing irradiation and when
the irradiation changes slowly or it is constant the panel power of
FLC technique presents a much smoother signal with less
fluctuations.