Abstract: Waste load allocation (WLA) policies may use multiobjective
optimization methods to find the most appropriate and
sustainable solutions. These usually intend to simultaneously
minimize two criteria, total abatement costs (TC) and environmental
violations (EV). If other criteria, such as inequity, need for
minimization as well, it requires introducing more binary
optimizations through different scenarios. In order to reduce the
calculation steps, this study presents value index as an innovative
decision making approach. Since the value index contains both the
environmental violation and treatment costs, it can be maximized
simultaneously with the equity index. It implies that the definition of
different scenarios for environmental violations is no longer required.
Furthermore, the solution is not necessarily the point with minimized
total costs or environmental violations. This idea is testified for Haraz
River, in north of Iran. Here, the dissolved oxygen (DO) level of river
is simulated by Streeter-Phelps equation in MATLAB software. The
WLA is determined for fish farms using multi-objective particle
swarm optimization (MOPSO) in two scenarios. At first, the trade-off
curves of TC-EV and TC-Inequity are plotted separately as the
conventional approach. In the second, the Value-Equity curve is
derived. The comparative results show that the solutions are in a
similar range of inequity with lower total costs. This is due to the
freedom of environmental violation attained in value index. As a
result, the conventional approach can well be replaced by the value
index particularly for problems optimizing these objectives. This
reduces the process to achieve the best solutions and may find better
classification for scenario definition. It is also concluded that decision
makers are better to focus on value index and weighting its contents
to find the most sustainable alternatives based on their requirements.
Abstract: The need to use high volumes of data and the high
competition are only two reasons which make necessary the use of
information technologies. The objective of our research is to establish
the impact of information technologies on the accounting department
of the Romanian companies. In order to achieve it, starting from the
literature review we made an empirical research based on a
questionnaire. We investigated the types of technologies used, the
reasons which led to the implementation of certain technologies, the
benefits brought by the use of the information technologies, the
difficulties brought by the implementation and the future effects of
the applications. The conclusions show that there is an evolution in
the degree of implementation of the information technologies in the
Romanian companies, compared with the results of other studies
conducted a few years before.
Abstract: Channel sections are widely used in practice as beams.
However, design rules for eccentrically loaded (not through shear
center) beams with channel cross- sections are not available in
Eurocode 3. This paper compares the ultimate loads based on the
adjusted design rules for lateral torsional buckling of eccentrically
loaded channel beams in bending to the ultimate loads obtained with
Finite Element (FE) simulations on the basis of a parameter study.
Based on the proposed design rule, this study has led to a new design
rule which conforms to Eurocode 3.
Abstract: In this paper, a model is proposed to determine the life
distribution parameters of the useful life region for the PV system
utilizing a combination of non-parametric and linear regression
analysis for the failure data of these systems. Results showed that this
method is dependable for analyzing failure time data for such reliable
systems when the data is scarce.
Abstract: Quantitative radiobiological models can be used to
assess the optimum clinical outcome from sophisticated therapeutic
modalities by calculating tumor control probability (TCP) and normal
tissue complication probability (NTCP). In this study two 3D-CRT
and an IMRT treatment plans were developed with an initial
prescription dose of 60 Gy in 2 Gy/fraction to prostate. Sensitivity of
TCP and Complication free tumor control probability (P+) to the
different values of α/β ratio was investigated for various prescription
doses planned to be delivered in either a fixed number of fractions (I)
or in a fixed dose per fraction (II) in each of the three different
treatment plans. High dose/fraction and high α/β value result in
comparatively smaller P+ and IMRT plans resulted in the highest P+,
mainly due to the decrease in NTCP. If α/β is lower than expected,
better tumor control can be achieved by increasing dose/fraction but
decreasing the number of fractions.
Abstract: Medicinal plants are now gaining attractiveness in
treatment of bacterial infections and food preservation. The objective
of this study was to assess antibacterial activity of some medicinal
plants on pathogenic bacteria. Screening of antibacterial activity of
aqueous and methanol extracts of some plants: Jojoba, Ginger, Sage,
Thyme and Clove against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium,
Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli
were investigated. Antibacterial activity was performed by agar
diffusion and disc diffusion method. Jatropha, Jojoba, Clove and
Ginger extracts showed notable bacterial activity in the first
screening step then selected to be tested against Bacillus cereus
(Gram+), Staphylococcus aureus (Gram+) and Salmonella
typhimurium (Gram−) and their effect was compared using
antibiotics as control. Screening results showed potential antibacterial
activity of the tested plant extracts against the screened bacterial
strains. It was found that methanol extracts exhibited higher
antibacterial activity than aqueous extracts. Methanol extract of
Jatropha showed the highest inhibition zone against Staphylococcus
aureus (Gram+) with 24.00 mm diameter, compared to the other
plant extracts followed by clove. Meanwhile, the inhibition zones of
methanol extracts of Jojoba and Ginger were the same (12mm).The
Gram-positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive to aqueous
and methanol extracts than Gram-negative bacteria.
Abstract: In this research article of modeling Underwater
Wireless Sensor Network Simulators, we provide a comprehensive
overview of the various currently available simulators used in UWSN
modeling. In this work, we compare their working environment,
software platform, simulation language, key features, limitations and
corresponding applications. Based on extensive experimentation and
performance analysis, we provide their efficiency for specific
applications. We have also provided guidelines for developing
protocols in different layers of the protocol stack, and finally these
parameters are also compared and tabulated. This analysis is
significant for researchers and designers to find the right simulator
for their research activities.
Abstract: This paper analyses the heat transfer performance and
fluid flow using different nanofluids in a square enclosure. The
energy equation and Navier-Stokes equation are solved numerically
using finite volume scheme. The effect of volume fraction
concentration on the enhancement of heat transfer has been studied
icorporating the Brownian motion; the influence of effective thermal
conductivity on the enhancement was also investigated for a range of
volume fraction concentration. The velocity profile for different
Rayleigh number. Water-Cu, water AL2O3 and water-TiO2 were
tested.
Abstract: The article represents the results of isolation and
component chromatographic analysis of essential oils of Polygonym
L. plants growing in Kazakhstan in commercial reserves at the
territory of Kazakhstan. The results of research of antiviral activity of
isolated substances to flu virus have been represented in this article.
The main pharmacophore groups in the structure of alkaloids have
been identified.
Abstract: This paper reports a novel actuating design that uses
the shear deformation of a piezoelectric actuator to deflect a
bulge-diaphragm for driving an array microdroplet ejector. In essence,
we employed a circular-shaped actuator poled radial direction with
remnant polarization normal to the actuating electric field for inducing
the piezoelectric shear effect. The array microdroplet ejector consists
of a shear type piezoelectric actuator, a vibration plate, two chamber
plates, two channel plates and a nozzle plate. The vibration, chamber
and nozzle plate components are fabricated using nickel
electroforming technology, whereas the channel plate is fabricated by
etching of stainless steel. The diaphragm displacement was measured
by the laser two-dimensional scanning vibrometer. The ejected
droplets of the microejector were also observed via an optic
visualization system.
Abstract: As the trend in automotive technology is fast moving
towards hybridization and electrification to curb emissions as well as
to improve the fuel efficiency, air-conditioning systems in passenger
cars have not caught up with this trend and still remain as the major
energy consumers amongst others. Adsorption based air-conditioning
systems, e.g. with silica-gel water pair, which are already in use for
residential and commercial applications, are now being considered as
a technology leap once proven feasible for the passenger cars. In this
paper we discuss a methodology, challenges and feasibility of
implementing an adsorption based air-conditioning system in a
passenger car utilizing the exhaust waste heat. We also propose an
optimized control strategy with interfaces to the engine control unit
of the vehicle for operating this system with reasonable efficiency
supported by our simulation and validation results in a prototype
vehicle, additionally comparing to existing implementations,
simulation based as well as experimental. Finally we discuss the
influence of start-stop and hybrid systems on the operation strategy of
the adsorption air-conditioning system.
Abstract: We propose new multiple-channel piezoelectric (PZT)
actuated tunable optical filter based on racetrack multi-ring
resonators for wavelength de-multiplexing network applications. We
design tunable eight-channel wavelength de-multiplexer consisting of
eight cascaded PZT actuated tunable multi-ring resonator filter with a
channel spacing of 1.6nm. The filter for each channel is basically
structured on a suspended beam, sandwiched with piezoelectric
material and built in integrated ring resonators which are placed on
the middle of the beam to gain uniform stress and linearly varying
longitudinal strain. A reference single mode serially coupled multi
stage racetrack ring resonator with the same radii and coupling length
is designed with a line width of 0.8974nm with a flat top pass band at
1dB of 0.5205nm and free spectral range of about 14.9nm. In each
channel, a small change in the perimeter of the rings is introduced to
establish the shift in resonance wavelength as per the defined channel
spacing. As a result, when a DC voltage is applied, the beams will
elongate, which involves mechanical deformation of the ring
resonators that induces a stress and a strain, which brings a change in
refractive index and perimeter of the rings leading to change in the
output spectrum shift providing the tunability of central wavelength
in each channel. Simultaneous wave length shift as high as
45.54pm/
Abstract: In wastewater treatment processes, aeration introduces
air into a liquid. In these systems, air is introduced by different
devices submerged in the wastewater. Smaller bubbles result in more
bubble surface area per unit of volume and higher oxygen transfer
efficiency. Jet pumps are devices that use air bubbles and are widely
used in wastewater treatment processes. The principle of jet pumps is
their ability to transfer energy of one fluid, called primary or motive,
into a secondary fluid or gas. These pumps have no moving parts and
are able to work in remote areas under extreme conditions. The
objective of this work is to study experimentally the characteristics of
the jet pump and the size of air bubbles in the laboratory water tank.
The effect of flow rate ratio on pump performance is investigated in
order to have a better understanding about pump behavior under
various conditions, in order to determine the efficiency of receiving
air bubbles different sizes. The experiments show that we should take
care when increasing the flow rate ratio while seeking to decrease
bubble size in the outlet flow. This study will help improve and
extend the use of the jet pump in many practical applications.
Abstract: A field study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of
safflower plant for phytoremediation of contaminated soils. The
experiment was performed on an agricultural fields contaminated by
the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Field
experiments with randomized complete block design with five
treatments (control, compost amendments added at 20 and 40 t/daa,
and vermicompost amendments added at 20 and 40 t/daa) were
carried out. The quality of safflower seeds and oil (heavy metals and
fatty acid composition) were determined. Tested organic amendments
significantly influenced the chemical composition of safflower seeds
and oil. The compost and vermicompost treatments significantly
reduced heavy metals concentration in safflower seeds and oils, but
the effect differed among them. Addition of vermicompost and
compost leads to an increase in the content of palmitic acid and
linoleic acid, and a decrease in the stearic and oleic acids compared
with the control. A significant increase in the quantity of saturated
acids was observed in the variants with 20 t/daa of compost and 20
t/daa of vermicompost (9.1 and 8.9% relative to the control).
Safflower is a plant which is tolerant to heavy metals and can be
successfully used in the phytoremediation of heavy metal
contaminated soils. The processing of seeds to oil and using the
obtained oil for nutritional purposes will greatly reduce the cost of
phytoremediation.
Abstract: Due to the continuous increment of the load demand,
identification of weaker buses, improvement of voltage profile and
power losses in the context of the voltage stability problems has
become one of the major concerns for the larger, complex,
interconnected power systems. The objective of this paper is to
review the impact of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS)
controller in Wind generators connected electrical network for
maintaining voltage stability. Wind energy could be the growing
renewable energy due to several advantages. The influence of wind
generators on power quality is a significant issue; non uniform power
production causes variations in system voltage and frequency.
Therefore, wind farm requires high reactive power compensation; the
advances in high power semiconducting devices have led to the
development of FACTS. The FACTS devices such as for example
SVC inject reactive power into the system which helps in maintaining
a better voltage profile. The performance is evaluated on an IEEE 14
bus system, two wind generators are connected at low voltage buses
to meet the increased load demand and SVC devices are integrated at
the buses with wind generators to keep voltage stability. Power
flows, nodal voltage magnitudes and angles of the power network are
obtained by iterative solutions using MIPOWER.
Abstract: One of the most famous techniques which affect the
efficiency of a production line is the assembly line balancing (ALB)
technique. This paper examines the balancing effect of a whole
production line of a real auto glass manufacturer in three steps. In the
first step, processing time of each activity in the workstations is
generated according to a practical approach. In the second step, the
whole production process is simulated and the bottleneck stations
have been identified, and finally in the third step, several
improvement scenarios are generated to optimize the system
throughput, and the best one is proposed. The main contribution of
the current research is the proposed framework which combines two
famous approaches including Assembly Line Balancing and
Optimization via Simulation technique (OvS). The results show that
the proposed framework could be applied in practical environments,
easily.
Abstract: This paper contains the description of argumentation
approach for the problem of inductive concept formation. It is
proposed to use argumentation, based on defeasible reasoning with
justification degrees, to improve the quality of classification models,
obtained by generalization algorithms. The experiment’s results on
both clear and noisy data are also presented.
Abstract: Durian is the flagship fruit of Mindanao and there is
an abundance of several cultivars with many confusing identities/
names.
The project was conducted to develop procedure for reliable and
rapid detection and sorting of durian planting materials. Moreover, it
is also aimed to establish specific genetic or DNA markers for routine
testing and authentication of durian cultivars in question.
The project developed molecular procedures for routine testing.
SSR primers were also screened and identified for their utility in
discriminating durian cultivars collected.
Results of the study showed the following accomplishments:
1. Twenty (29) SSR primers were selected and identified based on
their ability to discriminate durian cultivars,
2. Optimized and established standard procedure for identification
and authentication of Durian cultivars
3. Genetic profile of durian is now available at Biotech Unit
Our results demonstrate the relevance of using molecular
techniques in evaluating and identifying durian clones. The most
polymorphic primers tested in this study could be useful tools for
detecting variation even at the early stage of the plant especially for
commercial purposes. The process developed combines the efficiency
of the microsatellites development process with the optimization of
non-radioactive detection process resulting in a user-friendly protocol
that can be performed in two (2) weeks and easily incorporated into
laboratories about to start microsatellite development projects. This
can be of great importance to extend microsatellite analyses to other
crop species where minimal genetic information is currently
available. With this, the University can now be a service laboratory
for routine testing and authentication of durian clones.
Abstract: Many factors influence the educational outcome of
students. Some of these have been studied by researchers with many
emphasizing the role of students, schools, governments, peer groups
and so on. More often than not, some of these factors influencing the
academic achievement of the students have been traced back to
parents and family; being the primary platform on which learning not
only begins but is nurtured, encouraged and developed which later
transforms to the performance of the students. This study not only
explores parental and related factors that predict academic
achievement through the review of relevant literatures but also,
investigates the influence of parental background on the academic
achievement of senior secondary school students in Ibadan North
Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. As one of the criteria
of the quality of education, students’ academic achievement was
investigated because it is most often cited as an indicator of school
effectiveness by school authorities and educationists. The data
collection was done through interviews and use of well-structured
questionnaires administered to one hundred students (100) within the
target local government. This was statistically analysed and the result
showed that parents’ attitudes towards their children’s education had
significant effect(s) on students’ self-reporting of academic
achievement. However, such factors as parental education and socioeconomic
background had no significant relationship with the
students’ self-reporting of academic achievement.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the concept of an
agile enterprise model and to initiate discussion on the research
assumptions of the model presented. The implementation of the
research project "The agility of enterprises in the process of adapting
to the environment and its changes" began in August 2014 and is
planned to last three years. The article has the form of a work-inprogress
paper which aims to verify and initiate a debate over the
proposed research model. In the literature there are very few
publications relating to research into agility; it can be concluded that
the most controversial issue in this regard is the method of measuring
agility. In previous studies the operationalization of agility was often
fragmentary, focusing only on selected areas of agility, for example
manufacturing, or analysing only selected sectors. As a result the
measures created to date can only be treated as contributory to the
development of precise measurement tools. This research project
aims to fill a cognitive gap in the literature with regard to the
conceptualization and operationalization of an agile company. Thus,
the original contribution of the author of this project is the
construction of a theoretical model that integrates manufacturing
agility (consisting mainly in adaptation to the environment) and
strategic agility (based on proactive measures). The author of this
research project is primarily interested in the attributes of an agile
enterprise which indicate that the company is able to rapidly adapt to
changing circumstances and behave pro-actively.