Abstract: With the exponential progress of technological
development comes a strong sense that events are moving too quickly
for our schools and that teachers may be losing control of them in the
process. This paper examines the impact of e-learning and e-teaching
in universities, from both the student and teacher perspective. In
particular, it is shown that e-teachers should focus not only on the
technical capacities and functions of IT materials and activities, but
must attempt to more fully understand how their e-learners perceive
the learning environment. From the e-learner perspective, this paper
indicates that simply having IT tools available does not automatically
translate into all students becoming effective learners. More
evidence-based evaluative research is needed to allow e-learning and
e-teaching to reach full potential.
Abstract: The counting and analysis of blood cells allows the
evaluation and diagnosis of a vast number of diseases. In particular,
the analysis of white blood cells (WBCs) is a topic of great interest to
hematologists. Nowadays the morphological analysis of blood cells is
performed manually by skilled operators. This involves numerous
drawbacks, such as slowness of the analysis and a nonstandard
accuracy, dependent on the operator skills. In literature there are only
few examples of automated systems in order to analyze the white
blood cells, most of which only partial. This paper presents a
complete and fully automatic method for white blood cells
identification from microscopic images. The proposed method firstly
individuates white blood cells from which, subsequently, nucleus and
cytoplasm are extracted. The whole work has been developed using
MATLAB environment, in particular the Image Processing Toolbox.
Abstract: Biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engines has been developed for some three decades now. While it is gaining wide acceptance in Europe, USA and some parts of Asia, the same cannot be said of Africa. With more than 35 countries in the continent depending on imported crude oil, it is necessary to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from resources available locally within any country. Hence this study presents performance of single cylinder diesel engine using blends of shea butter biodiesel. Shea butter was transformed into biodiesel by transesterification process. Tests are conducted to compare the biodiesel with baseline diesel fuel in terms of engine performance and exhaust emission characteristics. The results obtained showed that the addition of biodiesel to diesel fuel decreases the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and increases the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). These results are expected due to the lower energy content of biodiesel fuel. On the other hand while the NOx emissions increased with increase in biodiesel content in the fuel blends, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), un-burnt hydrocarbon (UHC) and smoke opacity decreased. The engine performance which indicates that the biodiesel has properties and characteristics similar to diesel fuel and the reductions in exhaust emissions make shea butter biodiesel a viable additive or substitute to diesel fuel.
Abstract: The present study deals with the analysis of the cylindrical part of a CNG storage vessel, combining a plastic liner and an over wrapped filament wound composite. Three kind of polymer are used in the present analysis: High density Polyethylene HDPE, Light low density Polyethylene LLDPE and finally blend of LLDPE/HDPE. The effect of the mechanical properties on the behavior of type IV vessel may be then investigated. In the present paper, the effect of the order of the circumferential winding on the stacking sequence may be then investigated. Based on mechanical considerations, the present model provides an exact solution for stresses and deformations on the cylindrical section of the vessel under thermo-mechanical static loading. The result show a good behavior of HDPE liner compared to the other plastic materials. The presence of circumferential winding angle in the stacking improves the rigidity of vessel by improving the burst pressure.
Abstract: In this work, the natural convection in a concentric
annulus between a cold outer inclined square enclosure and heated
inner circular cylinder is simulated for two-dimensional steady
state. The Boussinesq approximation was applied to model the
buoyancy-driven effect and the governing equations were solved
using the time marching approach staggered by body fitted
coordinates. The coordinate transformation from the physical
domain to the computational domain is set up by an analytical
expression. Numerical results for Rayleigh numbers 103 , 104 , 105
and 106, aspect ratios 1.5 , 3.0 and 4.5 for seven different
inclination angles for the outer square enclosure 0o , -30o
, -45o
,
-60o , -90o , -135o , -180o are presented as well. The computed flow
and temperature fields were demonstrated in the form of
streamlines, isotherms and Nusselt numbers variation. It is found
that both the aspect ratio and the Rayleigh number are critical to the
patterns of flow and thermal fields. At all Rayleigh numbers angle
of inclination has nominal effect on heat transfer.
Abstract: A novel path planning approach is presented to solve
optimal path in stochastic, time-varying networks under priori traffic
information. Most existing studies make use of dynamic programming
to find optimal path. However, those methods are proved to
be unable to obtain global optimal value, moreover, how to design
efficient algorithms is also another challenge.
This paper employs a decision theoretic framework for defining
optimal path: for a given source S and destination D in urban transit
network, we seek an S - D path of lowest expected travel time
where its link travel times are discrete random variables. To solve
deficiency caused by the methods of dynamic programming, such as
curse of dimensionality and violation of optimal principle, an integer
programming model is built to realize assignment of discrete travel
time variables to arcs. Simultaneously, pruning techniques are also
applied to reduce computation complexity in the algorithm. The final
experiments show the feasibility of the novel approach.
Abstract: In the present work flow past circular cylinder and
cylinder with rectangular and triangular wake splitter is studied to
improve aerodynamic parameters. The Comparison of drag
coefficient is tabulated for bare cylinder, cylinder with rectangular
and triangular wake splitters. Flow past circular cylinder and cylinder
with triangular and rectangular wake splitter is performed at
Reynoldsnumber 5, 20, 40, 50,80, 100.An incompressible PISO finite
volume code employing a non-staggered grid arrangement is used, a
second order upwind scheme is used for convective terms. The time
discretization is implicit and a Second order Crank-Nicholson scheme
is employed. Length of wake splitter in both configurations is taken
to be equal to diameter of cylinder. Wake length is found to be less
with rectangular wake splitter when compared to bare cylinder and
cylinder with triangular wake splitter. Coefficient of drag is found to
be less for triangular wake splitter when compared to bare cylinder &
cylinder with rectangular wake splitter.
Abstract: This study presents the performance of membrane
bioreactor in treating high phosphate wastewater. The laboratory
scale MBR was operated at permeate flux of 25 L/m2.h with a hollow
fiber membrane (polypropylene, approx. pore size 0.01 - 0.2 μm) at
hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 hrs. Scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) and energy diffusive X-ray (EDX) analyzer were
used to characterize the membrane foulants. Results showed that the
removal efficiencies of COD, TSS, NH3-N and PO4
3- were 93, 98, 80
and 30% respectively. On average 91% of influent soluble microbial
products (SMP) were eliminated, with the eliminations of
polysaccharides mostly above 80%. The main fouling resistance was
cake resistance. It should be noted that SMP were found in major
portions of mixed liquor that played a relatively significant role in
membrane fouling. SEM and EDX analyses indicated that the
foulants covering the membrane surfaces comprises not only organic
substances but also inorganic elements including Mg, Ca, Al, K and
P.
Abstract: The world demand for potable water is
increasing every day with growing population. Desalination
using solar energy is suitable for potable water production
from brackish and seawater. In this paper, we present a
theoretical study of solar distillation in a single basin under
the open environmental conditions of Chabahar-Iran. The still
has a base area of 2000mm×500mm with a glass cover
inclined at 25° in order to obtain extra solar energy. We model
the still and conduct its energy balance equations under minor
assumptions. We computed the temperatures of glass cover,
seawater interface, moist air and bottom using numerical
method. The investigation addressed the following: The still
productivity, distilled water salinity and still performance in
terms of the still efficiency. Calculated still productivity in
July was higher than December. So in this paper, we show
that still productivity is directly functioning of solar radiation.
Abstract: A high-frequency low-power sinusoidal quadrature
oscillator is presented through the use of two 2nd-order low-pass
current-mirror (CM)-based filters, a 1st-order CM low-pass filter and
a CM bilinear transfer function. The technique is relatively simple
based on (i) inherent time constants of current mirrors, i.e. the
internal capacitances and the transconductance of a diode-connected
NMOS, (ii) a simple negative resistance RN formed by a resistor load
RL of a current mirror. Neither external capacitances nor inductances
are required. As a particular example, a 1.9-GHz, 0.45-mW, 2-V
CMOS low-pass-filter-based all-current-mirror sinusoidal quadrature
oscillator is demonstrated. The oscillation frequency (f0) is 1.9 GHz
and is current-tunable over a range of 370 MHz or 21.6 %. The
power consumption is at approximately 0.45 mW. The amplitude
matching and the quadrature phase matching are better than 0.05 dB
and 0.15°, respectively. Total harmonic distortions (THD) are less
than 0.3 %. At 2 MHz offset from the 1.9 GHz, the carrier to noise
ratio (CNR) is 90.01 dBc/Hz whilst the figure of merit called a
normalized carrier-to-noise ratio (CNRnorm) is 153.03 dBc/Hz. The
ratio of the oscillation frequency (f0) to the unity-gain frequency (fT)
of a transistor is 0.25. Comparisons to other approaches are also
included.
Abstract: A five-class density histogram with an index named cumulative density was proposed to analyze the short-term HRV. 150 subjects participated in the test, falling into three groups with equal numbers -- the healthy young group (Young), the healthy old group (Old), and the group of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Results of multiple comparisons showed a significant differences of the cumulative density in the three groups, with values 0.0238 for Young, 0.0406 for Old and 0.0732 for CHF (p
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate Thai Muslims’ way of life through the way their clothes. The data of this qualitative research were collected from related documents and research reports, ancient cloths and clothing, and in-depth interviews with clothes owners and weavers.
The research found that in the 18th century Thai Muslims in the three southern border provinces used many types of clothing in their life. At home women wore plain clothes. They used checked cloths to cover the upper part of their body from the breasts down to the waist. When going out, they used Lima cloth and So Kae with a piece of Pla-nging cloth as a head scarf. For men, they wore a checked sarong as a lower garment, and wore no upper garment. However, when going out, they wore Puyo Potong. In addition, Thai Muslims used cloths in various religious rites, namely, the rite of placing a baby in a cradle, the Masoyawi rite, the Nikah rite, and the burial rite. These types of cloths were related to the way of life of Thai Muslims from birth to death. They reflected the race, gender, age, social status, values, and beliefs in traditions that have been inherited.
Practical Implication: Woven in these cloths are the lost local wisdom, and therefore, aesthetics on the cloths are like mirrors reflecting the background of people in this region that is fading away. These cloths are pages of a local history book that is of importance and value worth for preservation and publicity so that they are treasured. Government organizations can expand and materialize the knowledge received from the study in accordance with government policy in supporting the One Tambon, One Product project.
Abstract: In today-s turbulent environment, companies are faced with two principal challenges. On the one hand, it is necessary to produce ever more cost-effectively to remain competitive. On the other hand, factories need to be transformable in order to manage unpredictable changes in the corporate environment. To deal with these different challenges, companies use the philosophy of lean production in the first case, in the second case the philosophy of transformability. To a certain extent these two approaches follow different directions. This can cause conflicts when designing factories. Therefore, the Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA) of the Leibniz University of Hanover has developed a procedure to allow companies to evaluate and design their factories with respect to the requirements of both philosophies.
Abstract: The paper considered the construction of BIBDs using potential Lotto Designs (LDs) earlier derived from qualifying parent BIBDs. The study utilized Li’s condition pr t−1 ( t−1 2 ) + pr− pr t−1 (t−1) 2 < ( p 2 ) λ, to determine the qualification of a parent BIBD (v, b, r, k, λ) as LD (n, k, p, t) constrained on v ≥ k, v ≥ p, t ≤ min{k, p} and then considered the case k = t since t is the smallest number of tickets that can guarantee a win in a lottery. The (15, 140, 28, 3, 4) and (7, 7, 3, 3, 1) BIBDs were selected as parent BIBDs to illustrate the procedure. These BIBDs yielded three potential LDs each. Each of the LDs was completely generated and their properties studied. The three LDs from the (15, 140, 28, 3, 4) produced (9, 84, 28, 3, 7), (10, 120, 36, 3, 8) and (11, 165, 45, 3, 9) BIBDs while those from the (7, 7, 3, 3, 1) produced the (5, 10, 6, 3, 3), (6, 20, 10, 3, 4) and (7, 35, 15, 3, 5) BIBDs. The produced BIBDs follow the generalization (v + 1, b + r + λ + 1, r +λ+1, k, λ+1) where (v, b, r, k, λ) are the parameters of the (9, 84, 28, 3, 7) and (5, 10, 6, 3, 3) BIBDs. All the BIBDs produced are unreduced designs.
Abstract: Background: This investigated the mental health of the elderly survivors six months, ten months and two years after the “5.12 Wenchuan" earthquake. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-two physically healthy older survivors from earthquake-affected Mianyang County were interviewed. The measures included the Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R, Chinese version, for PTSD) and a Chinese Mental Health Inventory for the Elderly (MHIE). A repeated measures ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The follow-up group had a statistically significant lower IES-R score and lower MHIE score than the initial group ten months after the earthquake. Two years later, the score of IES-R in follow-up group were still lower than that of non-follow-up group, but no differences were significant on the score of MHIE between groups. Furthermore, a negative relationship was found between scores of IES-R and MHIE. Conclusion: The earthquake has had a persistent negative impact on older survivors- mental health within the two-year period and that although the PTSD level declined significantly with time, it did not disappear completely.
Abstract: This paper presents an algorithm for the recognition
and tracking of moving objects, 1/10 scale model car is used to verify
performance of the algorithm. Presented algorithm for the recognition
and tracking of moving objects in the paper is as follows. SURF
algorithm is merged with Lucas-Kanade algorithm. SURF algorithm
has strong performance on contrast, size, rotation changes and it
recognizes objects but it is slow due to many computational
complexities. Processing speed of Lucas-Kanade algorithm is fast but
the recognition of objects is impossible. Its optical flow compares the
previous and current frames so that can track the movement of a pixel.
The fusion algorithm is created in order to solve problems which
occurred using the Kalman Filter to estimate the position and the
accumulated error compensation algorithm was implemented. Kalman
filter is used to create presented algorithm to complement problems
that is occurred when fusion two algorithms. Kalman filter is used to
estimate next location, compensate for the accumulated error. The
resolution of the camera (Vision Sensor) is fixed to be 640x480. To
verify the performance of the fusion algorithm, test is compared to
SURF algorithm under three situations, driving straight, curve, and
recognizing cars behind the obstacles. Situation similar to the actual is
possible using a model vehicle. Proposed fusion algorithm showed
superior performance and accuracy than the existing object
recognition and tracking algorithms. We will improve the performance
of the algorithm, so that you can experiment with the images of the
actual road environment.
Abstract: By employing BS (Base Station) cooperation we can
increase substantially the spectral efficiency and capacity of cellular
systems. The signals received at each BS are sent to a central unit that
performs the separation of the different MT (Mobile Terminal) using
the same physical channel. However, we need accurate sampling and
quantization of those signals so as to reduce the backhaul
communication requirements.
In this paper we consider the optimization of the quantizers for BS
cooperation systems. Four different quantizer types are analyzed and
optimized to allow better SQNR (Signal-to-Quantization Noise
Ratio) and BER (Bit Error Rate) performance.
Abstract: The Muslim faith requires individuals to fast between
the hours of sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan. Our
recent work has concentrated on some of the changes that take place
during the daytime when fasting. A questionnaire was developed to
assess subjective estimates of physical, mental and social activities,
and fatigue. Four days were studied: in the weeks before and after
Ramadan (control days) and during the first and last weeks of
Ramadan (experimental days). On each of these four days, this
questionnaire was given several times during the daytime and once
after the fast had been broken and just before individuals retired at
night.
During Ramadan, daytime mental, physical and social activities
all decreased below control values but then increased to abovecontrol
values in the evening. The desires to perform physical and
mental activities showed very similar patterns. That is, individuals
tried to conserve energy during the daytime in preparation for the
evenings when they ate and drank, often with friends. During
Ramadan also, individuals were more fatigued in the daytime and
napped more often than on control days. This extra fatigue probably
reflected decreased sleep, individuals often having risen earlier
(before sunrise, to prepare for fasting) and retired later (to enable
recovery from the fast).
Some physiological measures and objective measures of
performance (including the response to a bout of exercise) have also
been investigated. Urine osmolality fell during the daytime on
control days as subjects drank, but rose in Ramadan to reach values
at sunset indicative of dehydration. Exercise performance was also
compromised, particularly late in the afternoon when the fast had
lasted several hours. Self-chosen exercise work-rates fell and a set
amount of exercise felt more arduous. There were also changes in
heart rate and lactate accumulation in the blood, indicative of greater
cardiovascular and metabolic stress caused by the exercise in
subjects who had been fasting. Daytime fasting in Ramadan produces
widespread effects which probably reflect combined effects of sleep
loss and restrictions to intakes of water and food.
Abstract: Reciprocating compressors are flexible to handle wide capacity and condition swings, offer a very efficient method of compressing almost any gas mixture in wide range of pressure, can generate high head independent of density, and have numerous applications and wide power ratings. These make them vital component in various units of industrial plants. In this paper optimum reciprocating compressor configuration regarding interstage pressures, low suction pressure, non-lubricated cylinder, speed of machine, capacity control system, compressor valve, lubrication system, piston rod coating, cylinder liner material, barring device, pressure drops, rod load, pin reversal, discharge temperature, cylinder coolant system, performance, flow, coupling, special tools, condition monitoring (including vibration, thermal and rod drop monitoring), commercial points, delivery and acoustic conditions are presented.
Abstract: This study aims to propose three evaluation methods to
evaluate the Tokyo Cap and Trade Program when emissions trading is
performed virtually among enterprises, focusing on carbon dioxide
(CO2), which is the only emitted greenhouse gas that tends to increase.
The first method clarifies the optimum reduction rate for the highest
cost benefit, the second discusses emissions trading among enterprises
through market trading, and the third verifies long-term emissions
trading during the term of the plan (2010-2019), checking the validity
of emissions trading partly using Geographic Information Systems
(GIS). The findings of this study can be summarized in the following
three points.
1. Since the total cost benefit is the greatest at a 44% reduction rate, it
is possible to set it more highly than that of the Tokyo Cap and
Trade Program to get more total cost benefit.
2. At a 44% reduction rate, among 320 enterprises, 8 purchasing
enterprises and 245 sales enterprises gain profits from emissions
trading, and 67 enterprises perform voluntary reduction without
conducting emissions trading. Therefore, to further promote
emissions trading, it is necessary to increase the sales volumes of
emissions trading in addition to sales enterprises by increasing the
number of purchasing enterprises.
3. Compared to short-term emissions trading, there are few enterprises
which benefit in each year through the long-term emissions trading
of the Tokyo Cap and Trade Program. Only 81 enterprises at the
most can gain profits from emissions trading in FY 2019. Therefore,
by setting the reduction rate more highly, it is necessary to increase
the number of enterprises that participate in emissions trading and
benefit from the restraint of CO2 emissions.