Abstract: Electrophoretic motion of a liquid droplet within an
uncharged cylindrical pore is investigated theoretically in this study. It
is found that the boundary effect in terms of the reduction of droplet
mobility (droplet velocity per unit strength of the applied electric field)
is very significant when the double layer surrounding the droplet is
thick, and diminishes as it gets very thin. Moreover, the viscosity ratio
of the ambient fluid to the internal one, σ, is a crucial factor in
determining its electrophoretic behavior. The boundary effect is less
significant as the viscosity ratio gets high. Up to 70% mobility
reduction is observed when this ratio is low (σ = 0.01), whereas only
40% reduction when it is high (σ = 100). The results of this study can
be utilized in various fields of biotechnology, such as a biosensor or a
lab-on-a-chip device.
Abstract: The paper presents the influence of the conventional
ploughing tillage technology in comparison with the minimum
tillage, upon the soil properties, weed control and yield in the case of
maize (Zea mays L.), soya-bean (Glycine hispida L.) and winter
wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a three years crop rotation. A
research has been conducted at the University of Agricultural
Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The use of
minimum soil tillage systems within a three years rotation: maize,
soya-bean, wheat favorites the rise of the aggregates hydro stability
with 5.6-7.5% on a 0-20 cm depth and 5-11% on 20-30 cm depth.
The minimum soil tillage systems – paraplow, chisel or rotary grape
– are polyvalent alternatives for basic preparation, germination bed
preparation and sowing, for fields and crops with moderate loose
requirements being optimized technologies for: soil natural fertility
activation and rationalization, reduction of erosion, increasing the
accumulation capacity for water and realization of sowing in the
optimal period. The soil tillage system influences the productivity
elements of cultivated species and finally the productions thus
obtained. Thus, related to conventional working system, the
productions registered in minimum tillage working represented 89-
97% in maize, 103-112% in soya-bean, 93-99% in winter-wheat. The
results of investigations showed that the yield is a conclusion soil
tillage systems influence on soil properties, plant density assurance
and on weed control. Under minimum tillage systems in the case of
winter weat as an option for replacing classic ploughing, the best
results in terms of quality indices were obtained from version worked
with paraplow, followed by rotary harrow and chisel. At variants
worked with paraplow were obtained quality indices close to those of
the variant worked with plow, and protein and gluten content was
even higher. At Ariesan variety, highest protein content, 12.50% and
gluten, 28.6% was obtained for the variant paraplow.
Abstract: In an effort to understand the preliminary effects of aerodynamic stress on alveolar epithelial cells, we developed a multifluidic cell culture platform capable of supporting alveolar cultures at an air-liquid interface under constant air flow and exposure to varying pressure stimuli on the apical side while providing nourishment on the basolateral plane. Our current study involved utilizing the platform to study the effect of basement membrane coating and addition of dexamethasone on cellular response to pressure in A549 and H441 alveolar epithelial cells.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine and
compare physical fitness values of students engaged in different team
sport branches Totally 60 female, and 60 male athletes, that 20
athletes in each branch which are volleyball, basketball and football
participated the study as a volunteer. The mean ages of female and
male athletes were 21.20 ±1.87 and 21.61 ± 1.61 respectively. Age,
height, body weight, body mass index, flexibility, body fat
percentage, 30m sprint, maximum oxygen consumption capacity
(MaxVO2) and drop jump values were measured. As a result of
measurements, significant differences were found in height, weight,
MaxVO2, shuttle run speed between different sports branches in
female athletes. In male athletes, height, body weight, flexibility,
30m split speed and drop jump values were found significantly
different between sports branches.
As a conclusion and as a literature, it can be said that structure of
body has to be appropriate with the engaged sports branch. Physical
fitness values that required the sports branches can be expressed
clearly by increasing the number of subjects.
Abstract: The conventional production of biodiesel from crude
palm oil which contains large amounts of free fatty acids in the
presence of a homogeneous base catalyst confronts the problems of
soap formation and very low yield of biodiesel. To overcome these
problems, free fatty acids must be esterified to their esters in the
presence of an acid catalyst prior to alkaline-catalyzed
transesterification. Sulfated metal oxides are a promising group of
catalysts due to their very high acidity. In this research, aluminadoped
sulfated tin oxide (SO4
2-/Al2O3-SnO2) catalysts were prepared
and used for esterification of free fatty acids in crude palm oil in a
batch reactor. The SO4
2-/Al2O3-SnO2 catalysts were prepared from
different Al precursors. The results showed that different Al
precursors gave different activities of the SO4
2-/Al2O3-SnO2 catalysts.
The esterification of free fatty acids in crude palm oil with methanol
in the presence of SO4
2-/Al2O3-SnO2 catalysts followed first-order
kinetics.
Abstract: The customary practice of identifying industrial sickness is a set traditional techniques which rely upon a range of manual monitoring and compilation of financial records. It makes the process tedious, time consuming and often are susceptible to manipulation. Therefore, certain readily available tools are required which can deal with such uncertain situations arising out of industrial sickness. It is more significant for a country like India where the fruits of development are rarely equally distributed. In this paper, we propose an approach based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to deal with industrial sickness with specific focus on a few such units taken from a less developed north-east (NE) Indian state like Assam. The proposed system provides decision regarding industrial sickness using eight different parameters which are directly related to the stages of sickness of such units. The mechanism primarily uses certain signals and symptoms of industrial health to decide upon the state of a unit. Specifically, we formulate an ANN based block with data obtained from a few selected units of Assam so that required decisions related to industrial health could be taken. The system thus formulated could become an important part of planning and development. It can also contribute towards computerization of decision support systems related to industrial health and help in better management.
Abstract: The k-nearest neighbors (knn) is a simple but effective method of classification. In this paper we present an extended version of this technique for chemical compounds used in High Throughput Screening, where the distances of the nearest neighbors can be taken into account. Our algorithm uses kernel weight functions as guidance for the process of defining activity in screening data. Proposed kernel weight function aims to combine properties of graphical structure and molecule descriptors of screening compounds. We apply the modified knn method on several experimental data from biological screens. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Abstract: Because of importance of energy, optimization of
power generation systems is necessary. Gas turbine cycles are
suitable manner for fast power generation, but their efficiency is
partly low. In order to achieving higher efficiencies, some
propositions are preferred such as recovery of heat from exhaust
gases in a regenerator, utilization of intercooler in a multistage
compressor, steam injection to combustion chamber and etc.
However thermodynamic optimization of gas turbine cycle, even
with above components, is necessary. In this article multi-objective
genetic algorithms are employed for Pareto approach optimization of
Regenerative-Intercooling-Gas Turbine (RIGT) cycle. In the multiobjective
optimization a number of conflicting objective functions
are to be optimized simultaneously. The important objective
functions that have been considered for optimization are entropy
generation of RIGT cycle (Ns) derives using Exergy Analysis and
Gouy-Stodola theorem, thermal efficiency and the net output power
of RIGT Cycle. These objectives are usually conflicting with each
other. The design variables consist of thermodynamic parameters
such as compressor pressure ratio (Rp), excess air in combustion
(EA), turbine inlet temperature (TIT) and inlet air temperature (T0).
At the first stage single objective optimization has been investigated
and the method of Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm
(NSGA-II) has been used for multi-objective optimization.
Optimization procedures are performed for two and three objective
functions and the results are compared for RIGT Cycle. In order to
investigate the optimal thermodynamic behavior of two objectives,
different set, each including two objectives of output parameters, are
considered individually. For each set Pareto front are depicted. The
sets of selected decision variables based on this Pareto front, will
cause the best possible combination of corresponding objective
functions. There is no superiority for the points on the Pareto front
figure, but they are superior to any other point. In the case of three
objective optimization the results are given in tables.
Abstract: For complete support of Quality of Service, it is better that environment itself predicts resource requirements of a job by using special methods in the Grid computing. The exact and correct prediction causes exact matching of required resources with available resources. After the execution of each job, the used resources will be saved in the active database named "History". At first some of the attributes will be exploit from the main job and according to a defined similarity algorithm the most similar executed job will be exploited from "History" using statistic terms such as linear regression or average, resource requirements will be predicted. The new idea in this research is based on active database and centralized history maintenance. Implementation and testing of the proposed architecture results in accuracy percentage of 96.68% to predict CPU usage of jobs and 91.29% of memory usage and 89.80% of the band width usage.
Abstract: This study examined the underlying dimensions of
brand equity in the chocolate industry. For this purpose, researchers
developed a model to identify which factors are influential in
building brand equity. The second purpose was to assess brand
loyalty and brand images mediating effect between brand attitude,
brand personality, brand association with brand equity. The study
employed structural equation modeling to investigate the causal
relationships between the dimensions of brand equity and brand
equity itself. It specifically measured the way in which consumers’
perceptions of the dimensions of brand equity affected the overall
brand equity evaluations. Data were collected from a sample of
consumers of chocolate industry in Iran. The results of this empirical
study indicate that brand loyalty and brand image are important
components of brand equity in this industry. Moreover, the role of
brand loyalty and brand image as mediating factors in the intention of
brand equity are supported. The principal contribution of the present
research is that it provides empirical evidence of the
multidimensionality of consumer based brand equity, supporting
Aaker´s and Keller´s conceptualization of brand equity. The present
research also enriched brand equity building by incorporating the
brand personality and brand image, as recommended by previous
researchers. Moreover, creating the brand equity index in chocolate
industry of Iran particularly is novel.
Abstract: Phrases has a long history in information retrieval, particularly in commercial systems. Implicit semantic relationship between words in a form of BaseNP have shown significant improvement in term of precision in many IR studies. Our research focuses on linguistic phrases which is language dependent. Our results show that using BaseNP can improve performance although above 62% of words formation in Malay Language based on derivational affixes and suffixes.
Abstract: Web applications have become complex and crucial for many firms, especially when combined with areas such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and BPR (Business Process Reengineering). The scientific community has focused attention to Web application design, development, analysis, testing, by studying and proposing methodologies and tools. Static and dynamic techniques may be used to analyze existing Web applications. The use of traditional static source code analysis may be very difficult, for the presence of dynamically generated code, and for the multi-language nature of the Web. Dynamic analysis may be useful, but it has an intrinsic limitation, the low number of program executions used to extract information. Our reverse engineering analysis, used into our WAAT (Web Applications Analysis and Testing) project, applies mutational techniques in order to exploit server side execution engines to accomplish part of the dynamic analysis. This paper studies the effects of mutation source code analysis applied to Web software to build application models. Mutation-based generated models may contain more information then necessary, so we need a pruning mechanism.
Abstract: This article is an extension and a practical application
approach of Wheeler-s NEBIC theory (Net Enabled Business
Innovation Cycle). NEBIC theory is a new approach in IS research
and can be used for dynamic environment related to new technology.
Firms can follow the market changes rapidly with support of the IT
resources. Flexible firms adapt their market strategies, and respond
more quickly to customers changing behaviors. When every leading
firm in an industry has access to the same IT resources, the way that
these IT resources are managed will determine the competitive
advantages or disadvantages of firm. From Dynamic Capabilities
Perspective and from newly introduced NEBIC theory by Wheeler,
we know that only IT resources cannot deliver customer value but
good configuration of those resources can guarantee customer value
by choosing the right emerging technology, grasping the economic
opportunities through business innovation and growth. We found
evidences in literature that SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) is a
promising emerging technology which can deliver the desired
economic opportunity through modularity, flexibility and loosecoupling.
SOA can also help firms to connect in network which can
open a new window of opportunity to collaborate in innovation and
right kind of outsourcing
Abstract: This article examines the emergence and development
of the Kazakhstan species of humanism. The biggest challenge for
Kazakhstan in terms of humanism is connected with advocating
human values in parallel to promoting national interests; preserving
the continuity of traditions in various spheres of life, business and
culture. This should be a common goal for the entire society, the
main direction for a national intelligence, and a platform for the state
policy. An idea worth considering is a formation of national humanist
tradition model; the challenges are adapting people to live in the
context of new industrial and innovative economic conditions,
keeping the balance during intensive economic development of the
country, and ensuring social harmony in the society.
Abstract: To explore pipelines is one of various bio-mimetic
robot applications. The robot may work in common buildings such as
between ceilings and ducts, in addition to complicated and massive
pipeline systems of large industrial plants. The bio-mimetic robot finds
any troubled area or malfunction and then reports its data. Importantly,
it can not only prepare for but also react to any abnormal routes in the
pipeline. The pipeline monitoring tasks require special types of mobile
robots. For an effective movement along a pipeline, the movement of
the robot will be similar to that of insects or crawling animals. During
its movement along the pipelines, a pipeline monitoring robot has an
important task of finding the shapes of the approaching path on the
pipes. In this paper we propose an effective solution to the pipeline
pattern recognition, based on the fuzzy classification rules for the
measured IR distance data.
Abstract: Structural redundancy is an interesting point in
seismic design of structures. Initially, the structural redundancy is
described as indeterminate degree of a system. Although many definitions are presented for redundancy in structures, recently the
definition of structural redundancy has been related to the configuration of structural system and the number of lateral load
transferring directions in the structure. The steel frames with infill walls are general systems in the constructing of usual residential buildings in some countries. It is
obviously declared that the performance of structures will be affected by adding masonry infill walls. In order to investigate the effect of
infill walls on the redundancy of the steel frame which constructed
with masonry walls, the components of redundancy including redundancy variation index, redundancy strength index and
redundancy response modification factor were extracted for the
frames with masonry infills. Several steel frames with typical storey number and various numbers of bays were designed and considered.
The redundancy of frames with and without infill walls was evaluated by proposed method. The results showed the presence of infill causes increase of redundancy.
Abstract: Response to the public health-related emergencies is analysed here for a rural university in South Africa. The structure of the designated emergency plan covers all the phases of the disaster management cycle. The plan contains elements of the vulnerability model and the technocratic model of emergency management. The response structures are vertically and horizontally integrated, while the planning contains elements of scenario-based and functional planning. The available number of medical professionals at the Rhodes University, along with the medical insurance rates, makes the staff and students potentially more medically vulnerable than the South African population. The main improvements of the emergency management are required in the tornado response and the information dissemination during health emergencies. The latter should involve the increased use of social media and e-mails, following the Taylor model of communication. Infrastructure must be improved in the telecommunication sector in the face of unpredictable electricity outages.
Abstract: This article presents a resistorless current-mode firstorder allpass filter based on second generation current controlled current conveyors (CCCIIs). The features of the circuit are that: the pole frequency can be electronically controlled via the input bias current: the circuit description is very simple, consisting of 2 CCCIIs and single grounded capacitor, without any external resistors and component matching requirements. Consequently, the proposed circuit is very appropriate to further develop into an integrated circuit. Low input and high output impedances of the proposed configuration enable the circuit to be cascaded in current-mode without additional current buffers. The PSpice simulation results are depicted. The given results agree well with the theoretical anticipation. The application example as a current-mode quadrature oscillator is included.
Abstract: Three new algorithms based on minimization of autocorrelation of transmitted symbols and the SLM approach which are computationally less demanding have been proposed. In the first algorithm, autocorrelation of complex data sequence is minimized to a value of 1 that results in reduction of PAPR. Second algorithm generates multiple random sequences from the sequence generated in the first algorithm with same value of autocorrelation i.e. 1. Out of these, the sequence with minimum PAPR is transmitted. Third algorithm is an extension of the second algorithm and requires minimum side information to be transmitted. Multiple sequences are generated by modifying a fixed number of complex numbers in an OFDM data sequence using only one factor. The multiple sequences represent the same data sequence and the one giving minimum PAPR is transmitted. Simulation results for a 256 subcarrier OFDM system show that significant reduction in PAPR is achieved using the proposed algorithms.
Abstract: Current trends in manufacturing are characterized by
production broadening, innovation cycle shortening, and the products
having a new shape, material and functions. The production strategy
focused on time needed change from the traditional functional
production structure to flexible manufacturing cells and lines.
Production by automated manufacturing system (AMS) is one of the
most important manufacturing philosophies in the last years. The
main goals of the project we are involved in lies on building a
laboratory in which will be located a flexible manufacturing system
consisting of at least two production machines with NC control
(milling machines, lathe). These machines will be linked to a
transport system and they will be served by industrial robots. Within
this flexible manufacturing system a station for the quality control
consisting of a camera system and rack warehouse will be also
located. The design, analysis and improvement of this manufacturing
system, specially with a special focus on the communication among
devices constitute the main aims of this paper. The key determining
factors for the manufacturing system design are: the product, the
production volume, the used machines, the disposable manpower, the
disposable infrastructure and the legislative frame for the specific
cases.