Abstract: The Japanese integrative approach to social systems
can be observed in supply chain management as well as in the
relationship between public and private sectors. Both the Lean
Production System and the Developmental State Model are
characterized by efforts towards the achievement of mutual goals,
resulting in initiatives for capacity building which emphasize the
system level. In Brazil, although organizations undertake efforts to
build capabilities at the individual and organizational levels, the
system level is being neglected. Fieldwork data confirmed the findings
of other studies in terms of the lack of integration in supply chain
management in the Brazilian automobile industry. Moreover, due to
the absence of an active role of the Brazilian state in its relationship
with the private sector, automakers are not fully exploiting the
opportunities in the domestic and regional markets. For promoting a
higher level of economic growth as well as to increase the degree of
spill-over of technologies and techniques, a more integrative approach
is needed.
Abstract: A virtual collaborative classroom was created at East Carolina University, using videoconference technology via regular internet to bring students from 18 different countries, 2 at a time, to the ECU classroom in real time to learn about each other-s culture. Students from two countries are partnered one on one, they meet for 4-5 weeks, and submit a joint paper. Then the same process is repeated for two other countries. Lectures and student discussions are managed with pre-determined topics and questions. Classes are conducted in English and reading assignments are placed on the website. Administratively all partners are independent, students pay fees and get credits at their home institution. Familiarity with technology, knowledge in cultural understanding and attitude change were assessed, only attitude changes are reported in this paper. After taking this course, all students stated their comfort level in working with, and their desire to interact with, culturally different others grew stronger and their xenophobia and isolationist attitudes decreased.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to consider the
introduction of online courses to replace the current classroom-based
staff training. The current training is practical, and must be
completed before access to the financial computer system is
authorized. The long term objective is to measure the efficacy,
effectiveness and efficiency of the training, and to establish whether
a transfer of knowledge back to the workplace has occurred. This
paper begins with an overview explaining the importance of staff
training in an evolving, competitive business environment and
defines the problem facing this particular organization. A summary
of the literature review is followed by a brief discussion of the
research methodology and objective. The implementation of the
alpha version of the online course is then described. This paper may
be of interest to those seeking insights into, or new theory regarding,
practical interventions of online learning in the real world.
Abstract: A DEA model can generally evaluate the performance
using multiple inputs and outputs for the same period. However, it is
hard to avoid the production lead time phenomenon some times, such
as long-term project or marketing activity. A couple of models have
been suggested to capture this time lag issue in the context of DEA.
This paper develops a dual-MPO model to deal with time lag effect in
evaluating efficiency. A numerical example is also given to show that
the proposed model can be used to get efficiency and reference set of
inefficient DMUs and to obtain projected target value of input
attributes for inefficient DMUs to be efficient.
Abstract: The effect of the rotational speed and axial torque on
the diagnostics of tapered rolling element bearing defects was
investigated. The accelerometer was mounted on the bearing housing
and connected to Sound and Vibration Analyzer (SVAN 958) and
was used to measure the accelerations from the bearing housing. The
data obtained from the bearing was processed to detect damage of the
bearing using statistical tools and the results were subsequently
analyzed to see if bearing damage had been captured. From this study
it can be seen that damage is more evident when the bearing is
loaded. Also, at the incipient stage of damage the crest factor and
kurtosis values are high but as time progresses the crest factors and
kurtosis values decrease whereas the peak and RMS values are low at
the incipient stage but increase with damage.
Abstract: Direct conversion of methane to methanol by partial oxidation in a thermal reactor has a poor yield of about 2% which is less than the expected economical yield of about 10%. Conventional thermal catalytic reactors have been proposed to be superseded by plasma reactors as a promising approach, due to strength of the electrical energy which can break C-H bonds of methane. Among the plasma techniques, non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma chemical process is one of the most future promising technologies in synthesizing methanol. The purpose of this paper is presenting a brief review of CH4 oxidation with O2 in DBD plasma reactors based on the recent investigations. For this reason, the effect of various parameters of reactor configuration, feed ratio, applied voltage, residence time (gas flow rate), type of applied catalyst, pressure and reactor wall temperature on methane conversion and methanol selectivity are discussed.
Abstract: In this research, a part of Aghche basin in Isfahan
province with an area about 2000 hectars, was chosen to be obtain
curve number coefficient runoff and W indicator in second Cook
method By using aerial photos 1968 and 1995, the satellite data of
the IRS in 2008. Then the process of land use changes in the period
of study and its effect on the changes of curve number (CN), W
indicator and surface runoff coefficient (C) of the basin was
investigated. These results showed that on the track of these land use
changes the weight averages curve number (CN), surface runoff
coefficient (C) and W indicator of the basin were increased to 0.92,
0.02 and 0.78 unit in the first period of study and 1.18, 0.03, 0.99
Unit in the second period of study respectively.
Abstract: This paper presents a simple and sensitive kinetic
spectrophotometric method for the determination of ramipril in
commercial dosage forms. The method is based on the reaction of the
drug with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) in dimethylsulfoxide
(DMSO) at 100 ± 1ºC. The reaction is followed
spectrophotometrically by measuring the rate of change of the
absorbance at 420 nm. Fixed-time (ΔA) and equilibrium methods are
adopted for constructing the calibration curves. Both the calibration
curves were found to be linear over the concentration ranges 20 - 220
μg/ml. The regression analysis of calibration data yielded the linear
equations: Δ A = 6.30 × 10-4 + 1.54 × 10-3 C and A = 3.62 × 10-4 +
6.35 × 10-3 C for fixed time (Δ A) and equilibrium methods,
respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for fixed time and
equilibrium methods are 1.47 and 1.05 μg/ml, respectively. The
method has been successfully applied to the determination of ramipril
in commercial dosage forms. Statistical comparison of the results
shows that there is no significant difference between the proposed
methods and Abdellatef-s spectrophotometric method.
Abstract: Tungsten trioxide has been prepared by using P-PTA
as a precursor on alumina substrates by spin coating method.
Palladium introduced on WO3 film via electrolysis deposition by
using palladium chloride as catalytic precursor. The catalytic
precursor was introduced on the series of films with different
morphologies. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) and XPS were applied to analyze structure and
morphology of the fabricated thin films. Then we measured variation
of samples- electrical conductivity of pure and Pd added films in air
and diluted hydrogen. Addition of Pd resulted in a remarkable
improvement of the hydrogen sensing properties of WO3 by detection
of Hydrogen below 1% at room temperature. Also variation of the
electrical conductivity in the presence of diluted hydrogen revealed
that response of samples depends rather strongly on the palladium
configuration on the surface.
Abstract: Wind turbines with double output induction
generators can operate at variable speed permitting conversion
efficiency maximization over a wide range of wind velocities. This
paper presents the performance analysis of a wind driven double
output induction generator (DOIG) operating at varying shafts speed.
A periodic transient state analysis of DOIG equipped with two
converters is carried out using a hybrid induction machine model.
This paper simulates the harmonic content of waveforms in various
points of drive at different speeds, based on the hybrid model
(dqabc). Then the sinusoidal and trapezoidal pulse-width–modulation
control techniques are used in order to improve the power factor of
the machine and to weaken the injected low order harmonics to the
supply. Based on the frequency spectrum, total harmonics distortion,
distortion factor and power factor. Finally advantages of sinusoidal
and trapezoidal pulse width modulation techniques are compared.
Abstract: This paper reviews designs of the built environment
from a sustainability perspective, emphasizing their importance in
achieving ecological and sustainable economic objectives. The built
environment has traditionally resulted in loss of biodiversity,
extinction of some species, climate change, excessive water use, land
degradation, space depletion, waste accumulation, energy
consumption and environmental pollution. Materials used like
plastics, metals, bricks, concrete, cement, natural aggregates, glass
and plaster have wreaked havoc on the earth´s resources, since they
have high levels of embodied energy hence not sustainable.
Additional resources are consumed during use and disposal phases.
Proposed designs for sustainability solutions include: ecological
sanitation and eco-efficiency systems that ensure social, economic,
environmental and technical sustainability. Renewable materials and
energy systems, passive cooling and heating systems and material
and energy reduction, reuse and recycling can improve the sector.
These ideas are intended to inform the field of ecological design of
the built environment.
Abstract: As global industry developed rapidly, the energy
demand also rises simultaneously. In the production process, there’s a
lot of energy consumed in the process. Formally, the energy used in
generating the heat in the production process. In the total energy
consumption, 40% of the heat was used in process heat, mechanical
work, chemical energy and electricity. The remaining 50% were
released into the environment. It will cause energy waste and
environment pollution. There are many ways for recovering the waste
heat in factory. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system can produce
electricity and reduce energy costs by recovering the waste of low
temperature heat in the factory. In addition, ORC is the technology
with the highest power generating efficiency in low-temperature heat
recycling. However, most of factories executives are still hesitated
because of the high implementation cost of the ORC system, even a lot
of heat are wasted. Therefore, this study constructs a nonlinear
mathematical model of waste heat recovery equipment configuration
to maximize profits. A particle swarm optimization algorithm is
developed to generate the optimal facility installation plan for the ORC
system.
Abstract: Accident in spent fuel pool (SFP) of Fukushima
Daiichi Unit 4 showed the importance of continuous monitoring of the
key environmental parameters such as water temperature, water level,
and radiation level in the SFP at accident conditions. Because the SFP
water temperature is one of the key parameters indicating SFP
conditions, its behavior at accident conditions shall be understood to
prepare appropriate measures. This study estimated temporal change
in the SFP water temperature at Kori Unit 1 with 587 MWe for 1 hour
after initiation of a loss-of-pool-cooling accident. For the estimation,
ANSYS CFX 13.0 code was used. The estimation showed that the
increasing rate of the water temperature was 3.90C per hour and the
SFP water temperature could reach 1000C in 25.6 hours after the
initiation of loss-of-pool-cooling accident.
Abstract: In this work, we analyze the deformation of surface
waves in shallow flows conditions, propagating in a channel of
slowly varying cross-section. Based on a singular perturbation
technique, the main purpose is to predict the motion of waves by
using a dimensionless formulation of the governing equations,
considering that the longitudinal variation of the transversal section
obey a power-law distribution. We show that the spatial distribution
of the waves in the varying cross-section is a function of a kinematic
parameter,κ , and two geometrical parameters εh
and w ε . The above
spatial behavior of the surface elevation is modeled by an ordinary
differential equation. The use of single formulas to model the varying
cross sections or transitions considered in this work can be a useful
approximation to natural or artificial geometrical configurations.
Abstract: With the proliferation of multi-channel retailing, developing a better understanding of the factors that affect customers- purchase behaviors within a multi-channel retail context has become an important topic for practitioners and academics. While many studies have investigated the various customer behaviors associated with brick-and-mortar retailing, online retailing, and brick-and-click retailing, little research has explored how customer shopping value perceptions influence online purchase behaviors within the TV-and-online retail environment. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of TV and online shopping values on online patronage intention. Data collected from 116 respondents in Taiwan are tested against the research model using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. The results indicate that utilitarian and hedonic TV shopping values have indirect, positive influences on online patronage intention through their online counterparts in the TV-and-online retail context. The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for multi-channel retailing.
Abstract: Cryptographic protocols are widely used in various
applications to provide secure communications. They are usually
represented as communicating agents that send and receive messages.
These agents use their knowledge to exchange information and
communicate with other agents involved in the protocol. An agent
knowledge can be partitioned into explicit knowledge and procedural
knowledge. The explicit knowledge refers to the set of information
which is either proper to the agent or directly obtained from other
agents through communication. The procedural knowledge relates to
the set of mechanisms used to get new information from what is
already available to the agent.
In this paper, we propose a mathematical framework which specifies
the explicit knowledge of an agent involved in a cryptographic
protocol. Modelling this knowledge is crucial for the specification,
analysis, and implementation of cryptographic protocols. We also,
report on a prototype tool that allows the representation and the
manipulation of the explicit knowledge.
Abstract: The contents of nitrates and nitrites were monitored in
15 ground water resources of a selected region earmarked for the
emergency supply of population. The resources have been selected on
the basis of previous assessment of natural conditions and the
exploitation of territory in the infiltration area as well as the
surroundings of water resources. The health risk analysis carried out
in relation to nitrates and nitrites, which were found to be the most
serious water contaminants, proved, that 14 resources met the health
standards in relation to the assessed criterion and could be included in
crisis plans. Water quality of ground resources may be assessed in the
same way with regard to other contaminants.
Abstract: Currently, web usage make a huge data from a lot of
user attention. In general, proxy server is a system to support web
usage from user and can manage system by using hit rates. This
research tries to improve hit rates in proxy system by applying data
mining technique. The data set are collected from proxy servers in the
university and are investigated relationship based on several features.
The model is used to predict the future access websites. Association
rule technique is applied to get the relation among Date, Time, Main
Group web, Sub Group web, and Domain name for created model.
The results showed that this technique can predict web content for the
next day, moreover the future accesses of websites increased from
38.15% to 85.57 %.
This model can predict web page access which tends to increase
the efficient of proxy servers as a result. In additional, the
performance of internet access will be improved and help to reduce
traffic in networks.
Abstract: The influence of human activities produced by dams
along the river beds is minor, but the location of accumulation of
water directly influences the hydrological regime. The most
important effect of the influence of damming on the way water flows
decreases the frequency of floods. The water rate controls the water
flow of the dams. These natural reservoirs become dysfunctional and,
as a result, a new distribution of flow in the downstream sector,
where maximum flow is, brings about, in this case, higher values. In
addition to fishing, middle and lower courses of rivers located by
accumulation also have a role in mitigating flood waves, thus
providing flood protection. The Vaslui also ensures a good part of the
needs of the town water supply. The most important lake is Solesti,
close to the Vaslui River, opened in 1974. A hydrological regime of
accumulation is related to an anthropogenic and natural drainage
system. The design conditions and their manoeuvres drain or fill the
water courses.
Abstract: A piston cylinder based high pressure differential
thermal analyzer system is developed to investigate phase
transformations, melting, glass transitions, crystallization behavior of
inorganic materials, glassy systems etc., at ambient to 4 GPa and at
room temperature to 1073 K. The pressure is calibrated by the phase
transition of bismuth and ytterbium and temperature is calibrated
by using thermocouple data chart. The system developed is
calibrated using benzoic acid, ammonium nitrate and it has a
pressure and temperature control of ± 8.9 x 10 -4 GPa , ± 2 K
respectively. The phase transition of Asx Te100-x chalcogenides,
ferrous oxide and strontium boride are studied using the
indigenously developed system.