Abstract: High resolution seismic reflection has recently been carried out on Zaria batholith, with the aim of characterizing the granitic Zaria batholiths in terms of its lithology. The geology of the area has revealed that the older granite outcrops in the vicinity of Zaria are exposures of a syntectonics to late-tectonic granite batholiths which intruded a crystalline gneissic basement during the Pan-African Orogeny. During the data acquisition the geophone were placed at interval of 1 m, variable offset of 1 and 10 m was used. The common midpoint (CMP) method with 12 fold coverage was employed for the survey. Analysis of the generated 3D surface of the p wave velocities from different profiles for densities and bulk modulus revealed that the rock material is more consolidated in South East part of the batholith and less consolidated in the North Western part. This was in conformity with earlier identified geology of the area, with the South Eastern part majorly of granitic outcrop, while the North Western part is characterized with the exposure of gneisses and thick overburden cover. The difference in lithology was also confirmed by the difference in seismic sections and Arial satellite photograph. Hence two major lithologies were identified, the granitic and gneisses complex which are characterized by gradational boundaries.
Abstract: This study investigates the role and impact of English loan words on Japanese language in travel brochures. The issues arising from a potential switch to English as a tool to absorb the West’s advanced knowledge and technology in the modernization of Japan to a means of linking Japan with the rest of the world and enhancing the country’s international presence. Sociolinguistic contexts was used to analyze data collected from the Nippon Travel agency "HIS"’s brochures in Thailand, revealing that English plays the most important role as lexical gap fillers and special effect givers. An increasing mixer of English to Japanese affects how English is misused, the way the Japanese see the world and the present generation’s communication gap.
Abstract: The process of thermoforming a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) has increased its presence in the automotive industry for its wide applicability to the mass production car. A non-isothermal forming for CFRTP can shorten its cycle time to less than 1 minute. In this paper, the textile reinforcement FE model which the authors proposed in a previous work is extended to the CFRTP model for non-isothermal forming simulation. The effect of thermoplastic is given by adding shell elements which consider thermal effect to the textile reinforcement model. By applying Reuss model to the stress calculation of thermoplastic, the proposed model can accurately predict in-plane shear behavior, which is the key deformation mode during forming, in the range of the process temperature. Using the proposed model, thermoforming simulation was conducted and the results are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Abstract: Prior literature on innovation diffusion or acceptance has almost exclusively concentrated on consumers’ positive attitudes and behaviors for new products/services. Consumers’ negative attitudes or behaviors to innovations have received relatively little marketing attention, but it happens frequently in practice. This study discusses consumer psychological factors when they try to learn or use new technologies. According to recent research, technological innovation acceptance has been considered as a dynamic or mediated process. This research argues that consumers can experience inertia and emotions in the initial use of new technologies. However, given such consumer psychology, the argument can be made as to whether the inclusion of consumer inertia (routine seeking and cognitive rigidity) and emotions increases the predictive power of new technology acceptance model. As data from the empirical study find, the process is potentially consumer emotion changing (independent of performance benefits) because of technology complexity and consumer inertia, and impact innovative technology use significantly. Finally, the study presents the superior predictability of the hypothesized model, which let managers can better predict and influence the successful diffusion of complex technological innovations.
Abstract: In recent years many finite elements have been
developed for plate bending analysis. The formulated elements are
based on the strain based approach. This approach leads to the
representation of the displacements by higher order polynomial terms
without the need for the introduction of additional internal and
unnecessary degrees of freedom. Good convergence can also be
obtained when the results are compared with those obtained from the
corresponding displacement based elements, having the same total
number of degrees of freedom. Furthermore, the plate bending
elements are free from any shear locking since they converge to the
Kirchhoff solution for thin plates contrarily for the corresponding
displacement based elements. In this paper the efficiency of the strain
based approach compared to well known displacement formulation is
presented. The results obtained by a new formulated plate bending
element based on the strain approach and Kirchhoff theory are
compared with some others elements. The good convergence of the
new formulated element is confirmed.
Abstract: The sound pressure level (SPL) of the moving-coil
loudspeaker (MCL) is often simulated and analyzed using the lumped
parameter model. However, the SPL of a MCL cannot be simulated
precisely in the high frequency region, because the value of cone
effective area is changed due to the geometry variation in different
mode shapes, it is also related to affect the acoustic radiation mass and
resistance. Herein, the paper presents the inverse method which has a
high ability to measure the value of cone effective area in various
frequency points, also can estimate the MCL electroacoustic
parameters simultaneously. The proposed inverse method comprises
the direct problem, adjoint problem, and sensitivity problem in
collaboration with nonlinear conjugate gradient method. Estimated
values from the inverse method are validated experimentally which
compared with the measured SPL curve result. Results presented in
this paper not only improve the accuracy of lumped parameter model
but also provide the valuable information on loudspeaker cone design.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a smart music player that combines the musical genre classification and the spatial audio processing. The musical genre is classified based on content analysis of the musical segment detected from the audio stream. In parallel with the classification, the spatial audio quality is achieved by adding an artificial reverberation in a virtual acoustic space to the input mono sound. Thereafter, the spatial sound is boosted with the given frequency gains based on the musical genre when played back. Experiments measured the accuracy of detecting the musical segment from the audio stream and its musical genre classification. A listening test was performed based on the virtual acoustic space based spatial audio processing.
Abstract: An alternative approach is proposed to develop the analytic solution for one dimensional heat conduction with one mixed type boundary condition and general time-dependent heat transfer coefficient. In this study, the physic meaning of the solution procedure is revealed. It is shown that the shifting function takes the physic meaning of the reciprocal of Biot function in the initial time. Numerical results show the accuracy of this study. Comparing with those given in the existing literature, the difference is less than 0.3%.
Abstract: Sustainable urban waterfront development is one of the
most interesting phenomena of urban renewal in the last decades.
However, there are still many cities whose visual image is
compromised due to the lack of a sustainable urban waterfront
development, which consequently affects the place of those cities
globally. This paper aims to reimagine the role of waterfront areas in
city design, with a particular focus on Egypt, so that they provide
attractive, sustainable urban environments while promoting the
continued aesthetic development of the city overall. This aim will be
achieved by determining the main principles of a sustainable urban
waterfront and its applications. This paper concentrates on
sustainability assessment rating systems. A number of international
case-studies, wherein a city has applied the basic principles for a
sustainable urban waterfront and have made use of sustainability
assessment rating systems, have been selected as examples which can
be applied to the urban waterfronts in Egypt. This paper establishes the
importance of developing the design of urban environments in Egypt,
as well as identifying the methods of sustainability application for
urban waterfronts.
Abstract: In this article the problem of distributional moments estimation is considered. The new approach of moments estimation based on usage of the characteristic function is proposed. By statistical simulation technique author shows that new approach has some robust properties. For calculation of the derivatives of characteristic function there is used numerical differentiation. Obtained results confirmed that author’s idea has a certain working efficiency and it can be recommended for any statistical applications.
Abstract: The Ballast Water Convention requires less than 5% of the world tonnage for ratification. Consequently, ships will have to comply with the requirements. Compliance evaluation and enforcement will become mandatory. Ship owners have to invest in treatment systems and shipboard personnel have to operate them and ensure compliance. The monitoring and enforcement will be the responsibilities of the Administrations. Herein, a review of the current status of the Ballast Water Management and the issues faced by these are projected. Issues range from efficacy and economics of the treatment systems to sampling and testing. Health issues of chemical systems, paucity of data for decision support etc., are other issues. It is emphasized that management of ballast water must be extended to ashore and sustainable solutions must be researched upon. An exemplar treatment system based on ship’s waste heat is also suggested.
Abstract: As a developing country, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) needs to make the best possible use of its workforce for social and economic reasons. The workforce is diverse, calling for appropriate diversity management (DM). The thesis focuses on the banking sector in KSA. To date, there have been no studies on DM in the banking sector in this country. Many organizations have introduced specific policies and programmes to improve the recruitment, inclusion, promotion, and retention of diverse employees, in addition to the legal requirements existing in many countries. However, Western-centric models of DM may not be applicable, at least not in their entirety, in other regions.
The aim of the study is to devise a framework for understanding gender, age and disability DM in the banking sector in KSA in order to enhance DM in this sector. A sample of 24 managers, 2 from each of the 12 banks, was interviewed to obtain their views on DM in the banking sector in KSA. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. These themes were used to develop the questionnaire, which was administered to 10 managers in each of the 12 banks. After analysis of these data, and completion of the study, the research will make a theoretical contribution to the knowledge on DM and a practical contribution to the management of diversity in Saudi banks. This paper concerns a work in progress.
Abstract: Accurate Short Term Load Forecasting (STLF) is essential for a variety of decision making processes. However, forecasting accuracy can drop due to the presence of uncertainty in the operation of energy systems or unexpected behavior of exogenous variables. Interval Type 2 Fuzzy Logic System (IT2 FLS), with additional degrees of freedom, gives an excellent tool for handling uncertainties and it improved the prediction accuracy. The training data used in this study covers the period from January 1, 2012 to February 1, 2012 for winter season and the period from July 1, 2012 to August 1, 2012 for summer season. The actual load forecasting period starts from January 22, till 28, 2012 for winter model and from July 22 till 28, 2012 for summer model. The real data for Iraqi power system which belongs to the Ministry of Electricity.
Abstract: In this study, Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is used to modify the surface of high carbon steel En31 with the help of tool electrode (Copper-Chromium-Nickel) manufactured by powder metallurgy (PM) process. The effect of EDM on surface roughness during surface alloying is studied. Taguchi’s Design of experiment (DOE) and L18 orthogonal array is used to find the best level of input parameters in order to achieve high surface finish. Six input parameters are considered and their percentage contribution towards surface roughness is investigated by analysis of variances (ANOVA). Experimental results show that an hard alloyed surface (1.21% carbon, 2.14% chromium and 1.38% nickel) with surface roughness of 3.19µm can be generated using EDM with PM tool. Additionally, techniques like Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) are used to analyze the machined surface and EDMed layer composition, respectively. The increase in machined surface micro-hardness (101%) may be related to the formation of carbides containing chromium.
Abstract: In this paper, fractional order feedback control of a ball
beam model is investigated. The ball beam model is a particular
example of the double Integrator system having strongly nonlinear
characteristics and unstable dynamics which make the control of
such system a challenging task. Most of the work in fractional order
control systems are in theoretical nature and controller design and its
implementation in practice is very small. In this work, a successful
attempt has been made to design a fractional order PIλDμcontroller
for a benchmark laboratory ball and beam model. Better performance
can be achieved using a fractional order PID controller and it is
demonstrated through simulations results with a comparison to the
classic PID controller.
Abstract: Combustion phenomenon will be accomplished
effectively by the development of low emission combustor. One of the
significant factors influencing the entire Combustion process is the
mixing between a swirling angular jet (Primary Air) and the
non-swirling inner jet (fuel). To study this fundamental flow, the
chamber had to be designed in such a manner that the combustion
process to sustain itself in a continuous manner and the temperature of
the products is sufficiently below the maximum working temperature
in the turbine. This study is used to develop the effective combustion
with low unburned combustion products by adopting the concept of
high swirl flow and motility of holes in the secondary chamber. The
proper selection of a swirler is needed to reduce emission which can be
concluded from the emission of Nox and CO2. The capture of CO2 is
necessary to mitigate CO2 emissions from natural gas. Thus the
suppression of unburned gases is a meaningful objective for the
development of high performance combustor without affecting turbine
blade temperature.
Abstract: Chittagong is the commercial capital of Bangladesh.
Here Agrabad is one of the most commercial activity centers of
Chittagong. Due to many light industry and commercial land use,
Agrabad to CEPZ road at Agrabad is the only major road of
Chittagong port city which encompasses a huge number of vehicles
every day. It has many junctions which distribute traffic flow in
different roads. In these junctions vehicles gather at some conflict
point to create traffic jam and make the performance of the road
downward. This study is parallel focused on the existing level of
service with traffic volume, capacity, and speed by traffic survey.
After all of these analyses the performance of the road is determined
with finding the factors that influences the performance.
Abstract: In this paper, the design of a coaxial feed single layer rectangular microstrip patch antenna for three different wireless communication band applications is presented. The proposed antenna is designed by using substrate Roger RT/duroid 5880 having permittivity of about 2.2 and tangent loss of 0.0009. The characteristics of the substrate are designed and to evaluate the performance of modeled antenna using HFSS v.11 EM simulator, from Ansoft. The proposed antenna has small in size and operates at 2.25GHz, 3.76GHz and 5.23GHz suitable for mobile satellite service (MSS) network, WiMAX and WLAN applications. The dimension of the patch and slots are optimized to obtain these desired functional frequency ranges. The simulation results with frequency response, radiation pattern and return loss, VSWR, Input Impedance are presented with appropriate table and graph.
Abstract: This research aims to critical analyze the feminine violent within Thai daily newspaper. This study was qualitative base; content analysis from two popular newspapers (Thairath and Dailynews) two qualitative newspapers (Thaipost and Mathichon). Purposive sampling was used to select eleven specialize news reporters to do in-depth interview. The result found that, popular newspapers, Thairath and dailynews have presented feminine violent news in their paper more than Thaipost and Mathichon the qualitative newspaper. Beside, majority of sample present the feminine violent within news under the code of ethic, The National Press Council of Thailand. Interesting, the age of feminine violent victim was the information that has been focused most. The popular newspaper have illustrated crime scene photo on their first-page while qualitative newspaper used only headline to present the same news.
Abstract: Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the important
non-edible oilseed crops having immense industrial and medicinal
value. Oil yield per unit area is the ultimate target in growing oilseed
plants and sowing date is one of the important factors which have a
clear role on production of active substances particularly in oilseeds.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sowing date on the
seed and oil yield of castor in Central Anatolia of Turkey in 2011.
The field experiment was set up in a completely randomized block
design with three replications. Black Diamond-2 castor cultivar was
used as plant material. The treatment was four sowing dates of May
10, May 25, June 10, June 25. In this research; seed yield, oil content
and oil yield were investigated. Results showed that the effect of
different sowing dates were significant on all of characteristics. In
general; delayed sowing dates, resulted in decreased seed yield, oil
content and oil yield. The highest value of seed yield, oil content and
oil yield (respectively, 2523.7 kg ha-1, 51.18% and 1292.2 kg ha-1)
were obtained from the first sowing date (May 10) while the lowest
seed yield, oil content and oil yield (respectively, 1550 kg ha-1,
43.67%, 677.3 kg ha-1) were recorded from the latest sowing date
(June 25). Therefore, it can be concluded that early May could be
recommended as an appropriate sowing date in the studied location
and similar climates for achieved high oil yield of castor.