Abstract: This paper proposes a new approach to perform the
problem of real-time face detection. The proposed method combines
primitive Haar-Like feature and variance value to construct a new
feature, so-called Variance based Haar-Like feature. Face in image
can be represented with a small quantity of features using this
new feature. We used SVM instead of AdaBoost for training and
classification. We made a database containing 5,000 face samples
and 10,000 non-face samples extracted from real images for learning
purposed. The 5,000 face samples contain many images which have
many differences of light conditions. And experiments showed that
face detection system using Variance based Haar-Like feature and
SVM can be much more efficient than face detection system using
primitive Haar-Like feature and AdaBoost. We tested our method on
two Face databases and one Non-Face database. We have obtained
96.17% of correct detection rate on YaleB face database, which is
higher 4.21% than that of using primitive Haar-Like feature and
AdaBoost.
Abstract: This paper presents a new configurable decimation
filter for sigma-delta modulators. The filter employs the Pascal-s
triangle-s theorem for building the coefficients of non-recursive
decimation filters. The filter can be connected to the back-end of
various modulators with different output accuracy. In this work two
methods are shown and then compared from area occupation
viewpoint. First method uses the memory and the second one
employs Pascal-s triangle-s method, aiming to reduce required gates.
XILINX ISE v10 is used for implementation and confirmation the
filter.
Abstract: White scar oyster (Crassostrea belcheri) is often eaten
raw and being the leading vehicle for foodborne disease, especially
Salmonella Weltevreden which exposed the prominent and most
resistant to radiation. Gamma irradiation at a low dose of 1 kGy was
enough to eliminate S. Weltevreden contaminated in oyster meat at a
level up to 5 log CFU/g while it still retain the raw characteristics and
equivalent sensory quality as the non-irradiated one. Process
development of ready-to-eat chilled oyster meat was conducted by
shucking the meat, individually packed in plastic bags, subjected to 1
kGy gamma radiation at chilled condition and then stored in 4oC
refrigerated temperature. Microbiological determination showed the
absence of S. Weltevreden (5 log CFU/g initial inoculated) along the
whole storage time of 30 days. Sensory evaluation indicated the
decreasing in sensory scores along storage time which determining
the product shelf life to be 18 days compared to 15 days of nonirradiated
one. The most advantage of developed process was to
provide the safe raw oyster to consumers and in addition sensory
quality retained and 3-day extension shelf life also exist.
Abstract: Phylogenetic tree is a graphical representation of the
evolutionary relationship among three or more genes or organisms.
These trees show relatedness of data sets, species or genes
divergence time and nature of their common ancestors. Quality of a
phylogenetic tree requires parsimony criterion. Various approaches
have been proposed for constructing most parsimonious trees. This
paper is concerned about calculating and optimizing the changes of
state that are needed called Small Parsimony Algorithms. This paper
has proposed enhanced small parsimony algorithm to give better
score based on number of evolutionary changes needed to produce
the observed sequence changes tree and also give the ancestor of the
given input.
Abstract: The author present PID controller design for
following control of hard disk drive by characteristic ratio assignment
method. The study in this paper concerns design of a PID controller
which sufficiently robust to the disturbances and plant perturbations
on following control of hard disk drive. Characteristic Ratio
Assignment (CRA) is shown to be an efficient control technique to
serve this requirement. The controller design by CRA is based on the
choice of the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of the
closed loop system according to the convenient performance criteria
such as equivalent time constant and ration of characteristic
coefficient. Hence, in this study, CRA method is applied in PID
controller design for following control of hard disk drive. Matlab
simulation results shown that CRA design is fairly stable and robust
whilst giving the convenience in controller-s parameters adjustment.
Abstract: On March 11, 2011, the East coast of Japan was hit by
one of the strongest earthquakes in history, followed by a devastating
tsunami. Although most lifelines, infrastructure, and public facilities
have been restored gradually, recovery efforts in terms of disposal of
disaster waste and revival of primary industry are lagging. This study
presents a summary of the damage inflicted by the earthquake and the
current status of reconstruction in the disaster area. Moreover, we
discuss the current trends and future perspectives on recently
implemented eco-friendly reconstruction projects and focus on the
pro-environmental behavior of disaster victims which is emerging as a
result of the energy shortage after the earthquake. Finally, we offer
ideas for initiatives for the next stage of the reconstruction policies.
Abstract: In recent years, we see an increase of interest for efficient tracking systems in surveillance applications. Many of the proposed techniques are designed for static cameras environments. When the camera is moving, tracking moving objects become more difficult and many techniques fail to detect and track the desired targets. The problem becomes more complex when we want to track a specific object in real-time using a moving Pan and Tilt camera system to keep the target within the image. This type of tracking is of high importance in surveillance applications. When a target is detected at a certain zone, the possibility of automatically tracking it continuously and keeping it within the image until action is taken is very important for security personnel working in very sensitive sites. This work presents a real-time tracking system permitting the detection and continuous tracking of targets using a Pan and Tilt camera platform. A novel and efficient approach for dealing with occlusions is presented. Also a new intelligent forget factor is introduced in order to take into account target shape variations and avoid learning non desired objects. Tests conducted in outdoor operational scenarios show the efficiency and robustness of the proposed approach.
Abstract: Multimedia courseware has been accepted as a tool
that can support teaching and learning process. 'Li2D' courseware
was developed to assist student-s visualization on the topic of Loci in
Two Dimension. This paper describes an evaluation on the
effectiveness and usability of a 'Li2D' courseware. The quasi
experiment was used for the effectiveness evaluation. Usability
evaluation was accomplished based on four constructs of usability,
namely: efficiency, learnability, screen design and satisfaction. An
evaluation on the multimedia elements was also conducted. A total of
63 students of Form Two are involved in the study. The students are
divided into two groups: control and experimental. The experimental
group had to interact with 'Li2D' courseware as part of the learning
activities while the control group used the conventional learning
methods. The results indicate that the experimental group performed
better than the control group in understanding the Loci in Two
Dimensions topic. In terms of usability, the results showed that the
students agreed on the usability in multimedia elements in the 'Li2D'
courseware.
Abstract: ERP systems are the largest software applications adopted by universities, along with quite significant investments in their implementation. However, unlike other applications little research has been conducted regarding these systems in a university environment. This paper aims at providing a critical review of previous research in ERP system in higher education with a special focus on higher education in Australia. The research not only forms the basis of an evaluation of previous research and research needs, it also makes inroads in identifying the payoff of ERPs in the sector from different perspectives with particular reference to the user. The paper is divided into two parts, the first part focuses on ERP literature in higher education at large, while the second focuses on ERP literature in higher education in Australia.
Abstract: The process for predicting the ballistic properties of a liquid rocket engine is based on the quantitative estimation of idealized performance deviations. In this aim, an equilibrium chemistry procedure is firstly developed and implemented in a Fortran routine. The thermodynamic formulation allows for the calculation of the theoretical performances of a rocket thrust chamber. In a second step, a computational fluid dynamic analysis of the turbulent reactive flow within the chamber is performed using a finite volume approach. The obtained values for the “quasi-real" performances account for both turbulent mixing and chemistryturbulence coupling. In the present work, emphasis is made on the combustion efficiency performance for which deviation is mainly due to radial gradients of static temperature and mixture ratio. Numerical values of the characteristic velocity are successfully compared with results from an industry-used code. The results are also confronted with the experimental data of a laboratory-scale rocket engine.
Abstract: This paper focuses on the quadratic stabilization problem for a class of uncertain impulsive switched systems. The uncertainty is assumed to be norm-bounded and enters both the state and the input matrices. Based on the Lyapunov methods, some results on robust stabilization and quadratic stabilization for the impulsive switched system are obtained. A stabilizing state feedback control law realizing the robust stabilization of the closed-loop system is constructed.
Abstract: The nanofiber sheet of Multiwall Cabon Nanotube
(MWCNTs)/Polyacylonitile (PAN) composites was fabricated from
electrospun nanofiber. Firstly the surface of MWCNTs was
chemically modified, comparing two different techniques consisting
of admicellar polymerization and functionalization to improve the
dispersion and prevent the aggregation in the PAN matrix. The
modified MWCNTs were characterized by the dispersion in
dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent, Laser particle size, and FTRaman.
Lastly, DSC, SEM and mechanical properties of the
nanofiber sheet were examined. The results show that the mechanical
properties of the nanofiber sheet prepared from admicellar
polymerization-modified MWCNTs were higher than those of the
others.
Abstract: Effective cooling of electronic equipment has emerged
as a challenging and constraining problem of the new century. In the
present work the feasibility and effectiveness of jet impingement
cooling on electronics were investigated numerically and
experimentally. Studies have been conducted to see the effect of the
geometrical parameters such as jet diameter (D), jet to target
spacing (Z) and ratio of jet spacing to jet diameter (Z/D) on the heat
transfer characteristics. The values of Reynolds numbers considered
are in the range 7000 to 42000. The results obtained from the
numerical studies are validated by conducting experiments. From the
studies it is found that the optimum value of Z/D ratio is 5. For a
given Reynolds number, the Nusselt number increases by about 28%
if the diameter of the nozzle is increased from 1mm to 2mm.
Correlations are proposed for Nusselt number in terms of Reynolds
number and these are valid for air as the cooling medium.
Abstract: The aims of this paper are to study the efficacy of
chitosan nanoparticles in stimulating specific antibody against
A/H1N1 influenza antigen in mice. Chitosan nanoparticles (CSN)
were characterized by TEM. The results showed that the average size
of CSN was from 80nm to 106nm. The efficacy of A/H1N1 influenza
vaccine loaded on the surface of CSN showed that loading efficiency
of A/H1N1 influenza antigen on CSN was from 93.75 to 100%. Safe
property of the vaccine were tested. In 10 days post vaccination,
group of CSN 30 kDa and 300 kDa loaded A/H1N1 influenza antigen
were the rate of immune response on mice to be 100% (9/9) higher
than Al(OH)3 and other adjuvant. 100% mice in the experiment of all
groups had immune response in 20 days post vaccination. The results
also showed that HI titer of the group using CSN 300 kDa as an
adjuvant increased significantly up to 3971 HIU, over three-fold
higher than the Al(OH)3 adjuvant, chitosan (CS), and one hundredfold
than the A/H1N1 antigen only. Stability of the vaccine
formulation was investigated.
Abstract: We estimate snow velocity and snow drift density on hilly terrain under the assumption that the drifting snow mass can be represented using a micro-continuum approach (i.e. using a nonclassical mechanics approach assuming a class of fluids for which basic equations of mass, momentum and energy have been derived). In our model, the theory of coupled stress fluids proposed by Stokes [1] has been employed for the computation of flow parameters. Analyses of bulk drift velocity, drift density, drift transport and mass transport of snow particles have been carried out and computations made, considering various parametric effects. Results are compared with those of classical mechanics (logarithmic wind profile). The results indicate that particle size affects the flow characteristics significantly.
Abstract: This research investigates the factors that influence moral judgments when dealing with ethical dilemmas in the organizational context. It also investigates the antecedents of individual ethical ideology (idealism and relativism). A mixed method study, which combines qualitative (field study) and quantitative (survey) approaches, was used in this study. An initial model was developed first, which was then fine-tuned based on field studies. Data were collected from managers in Malaysian large organizations. The results of this study reveal that in-group collectivism culture, power distance culture, parental values, and religiosity were significant as antecedents of ethical ideology. However, direct effects of these variables on moral judgment were not significant. Furthermore, the results of this study confirm the significant effects of ethical ideology on moral judgment. This study provides valuable insight into evaluating the validity of existing theory as proposed in the literature and offers significant practical implications.
Abstract: Phase locked loops (PLL) and delay locked loops (DLL) play an important role in establishing coherent references (phase of carrier and symbol timing) in digital communication systems. Fully digital receiver including digital carrier synchronizer and symbol timing synchronizer fulfils the conditions for universal multi-mode communication receiver with option of symbol rate setting over several digit places and long-term stability of requirement parameters. Afterwards it is necessary to realize PLL and DLL in synchronizer in digital form and to approach to these subsystems as a discrete representation of analog template. Analysis of discrete phase locked loop (DPLL) or discrete delay locked loop (DDLL) and technique to determine their characteristics based on analog (continuous-time) template is performed in this posed paper. There are derived transmission response and error function for 1st order discrete locked loop and resulting equations and graphical representations for 2nd order one. It is shown that the spectrum translation due to sampling takes effect at frequency characteristics computing for specific values of loop parameters.
Abstract: Coagulation of water involves the use of coagulating
agents to bring the suspended matter in the raw water together for
settling and the filtration stage. Present study is aimed to examine the
effects of aluminum sulfate as coagulant in conjunction with Moringa
Oleifera Coagulant Protein as coagulant aid on turbidity, hardness,
and bacteria in turbid water. A conventional jar test apparatus was
employed for the tests. The best removal was observed at a pH of 7
to 7.5 for all turbidities. Turbidity removal efficiency was resulted
between % 80 to % 99 by Moringa Oleifera Coagulant Protein as
coagulant aid. Dosage of coagulant and coagulant aid decreased with
increasing turbidity. In addition, Moringa Oleifera Coagulant Protein
significantly has reduced the required dosage of primary coagulant.
Residual Al+3 in treated water were less than 0.2 mg/l and meets the
environmental protection agency guidelines. The results showed that
turbidity reduction of % 85.9- % 98 paralleled by a primary
Escherichia coli reduction of 1-3 log units (99.2 – 99.97%) was
obtained within the first 1 to 2 h of treatment. In conclusions,
Moringa Oleifera Coagulant Protein as coagulant aid can be used for
drinking water treatment without the risk of organic or nutrient
release. We demonstrated that optimal design method is an efficient
approach for optimization of coagulation-flocculation process and
appropriate for raw water treatment.
Abstract: In this work we develop an object extraction method
and propose efficient algorithms for object motion characterization.
The set of proposed tools serves as a basis for development of objectbased
functionalities for manipulation of video content. The
estimators by different algorithms are compared in terms of quality
and performance and tested on real video sequences. The proposed
method will be useful for the latest standards of encoding and
description of multimedia content – MPEG4 and MPEG7.
Abstract: Located within the tropical belt region, there are
certain rules which should implemented in creating a passive
sustainable housing design in Malaysia. Traditional Malay house
possess a strong character with certain special spaces to create a
sustainable house which suit to the tropical climate in Malaysia. One
of the special space known as verandah or serambi gantung, create
various advantages in solving various issues. However, this special
space is not extremely being applied currently which produce major
issues in term of social and environmental aspects. Hence, this
phenomena create a negative impact to the occupant while Malaysia
already has a best housing design previously. Therefore, this paper
aims to explore both of the main issues mentioned above and reveal
the advantages of implementing verandah into passive sustainable
housing design in Malaysia. A systematic literature review is the
main methodology in this research to identify the various advantages
about verandah.. The study reveals that verandah is the best solution
in term of social and environmental issues and should be
implemented in current housing design in Malaysia.