Abstract: Isobaric vapor-liquid equilibrium measurements are
reported for binary mixture of 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran and Cumene
at 97.3 kPa. The data were obtained using a vapor recirculating type
(modified Othmer's) equilibrium still. The mixture shows slight
negative deviation from ideality. The system does not form an
azeotrope. The experimental data obtained in this study are
thermodynamically consistent according to the Herington test. The
activity coefficients have been satisfactorily correlated by means of
the Margules, and NRTL equations. Excess Gibbs free energy has
been calculated from the experimental data. The values of activity
coefficients have also been obtained by the UNIFAC group
contribution method.
Abstract: Water is the main component of biological processes.
Water management is important to obtain higher productivity. In this
study, some of the yield components were investigated together with
different drought levels. Four chickpea genotypes (CDC Frontier,
CDC Luna, Sawyer and Sierra) were grown in pots with 3 different
irrigation levels (a dose of 17.5 ml, 35 ml and 70 ml for each pot per
day) after three weeks from sowing. In the research, flowering, pod
set, pod per plant, fertile pod, double seed/pod, stem diameter, plant
weight, seed per plant, 1000 seed weight, seed diameter, vegetation
length and weekly plant height were measured. Consequently,
significant differences were observed on all the investigated
characteristics owing to genotypes (except double seed/pod and stem
diameter), water levels (except first pod, seed weight and height on
3rd week) and genotype x water level interaction (except first pod,
double seed/pod, seed weight and height).
Abstract: Properties of cement pastes with fine-ground ceramics
used as an alternative binder replacing Portland cement up to 20% of
its mass are investigated. At first, the particle size distribution of
cement and fine-ground ceramics is measured using laser analyser.
Then, the material properties are studied in the early hardening
period up to 28 days. The hydration process of studied materials is
monitored by electrical conductivity measurement using TDR
sensors. The changes of materials- structures within the hardening are
observed using pore size distribution measurement. The compressive
strength measurements are done as well. Experimental results show
that the replacement of Portland cement by fine-ground ceramics in
the amount of up to 20% by mass is acceptable solution from the
mechanical point of view. One can also assume similar physical
properties of designed materials to the reference material with only
Portland cement as binder.
Abstract: Since DVB-RCS has been successively implemented, the mobile communication on the multi-beam satellite communication is attractive attention. And the DVB-RCS standard sets up to support mobility of a RCST. In the case of the spot-beam satellite system, the received signal strength does not differ largely between the center and the boundary of the beam. Thus, the RSS based handoff detection algorithm is not benefit to the satellite system as a terrestrial system. Therefore we propose an Adaptive handoff detection algorithm based on RCST mobility information. Our handoff detection algorithm not only can be used as centralized handoff detection algorithm but also removes uncertainties of handoff due to the variation of RSS. Performances were compared with RSS based handoff algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed handoff detection algorithm not only achieved better handoff and link degradation rate, but also achieved better forward link spectral efficiency.
Abstract: ICT and supply chain management (SCM) are two
notions, which have attracted much attention among both
academicians and practitioners during the last decade. However, the
discussion of the relationship between the two notions has been
limited and fragmented. In this paper, we will present a summary of
the discussion of ICT components and SCM on an extensive
literature review. Then, we will discuss the interrelation between ICT
and SCM from some major components and applications of ICT
perspective. After all, we can introduce e-SCM concept, that arisen
recently in management literature, in order to cover the whole topic.
The authors look at all of the major components of electronic supply
chain management and demonstrate that the future holds tremendous
opportunity for those firms that take advantage of all of its
possibilities.
Abstract: This work presents a new algorithm based on a combination of fuzzy (FUZ), Dynamic Programming (DP), and Genetic Algorithm (GA) approach for capacitor allocation in distribution feeders. The problem formulation considers two distinct objectives related to total cost of power loss and total cost of capacitors including the purchase and installation costs. The novel formulation is a multi-objective and non-differentiable optimization problem. The proposed method of this article uses fuzzy reasoning for sitting of capacitors in radial distribution feeders, DP for sizing and finally GA for finding the optimum shape of membership functions which are used in fuzzy reasoning stage. The proposed method has been implemented in a software package and its effectiveness has been verified through a 9-bus radial distribution feeder for the sake of conclusions supports. A comparison has been done among the proposed method of this paper and similar methods in other research works that shows the effectiveness of the proposed method of this paper for solving optimum capacitor planning problem.
Abstract: The burst noise is a kind of noises that are destructive
and frequently found in semiconductor devices and ICs, yet detecting
and removing the noise has proved challenging for IC designers or users. According to the properties of burst noise, a methodological
approach is presented (proposed) in the paper, by which the burst noise
can be analysed and detected in time domain. In this paper, principles
and properties of burst noise are expounded first, Afterwards,
feasibility (viable) of burst noise detection by means of wavelet
transform in the time domain is corroborated in the paper, and the multi-resolution characters of Gaussian noise, burst noise and blurred
burst noise are discussed in details by computer emulation. Furthermore, the practical method to decide parameters of wavelet
transform is acquired through a great deal of experiment and data statistics. The methodology may yield an expectation in a wide variety of applications.
Abstract: The present paper represents a methodology for
investigating flow characteristics near orifice plate by using a
commercial computational fluid dynamics code. The flow
characteristics near orifice plate which is located in the auxiliary
feedwater system were modeled via three different levels of grid and
four different types of Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)
equations with proper near-wall treatment. The results from CFD code
were compared with experimental data in terms of differential pressure
through the orifice plate. In this preliminary study, the Realizable k-ε
and the Reynolds stress models with enhanced wall treatment were
suitable to analyze flow characteristics near orifice plate, and the
results had a good agreement with experimental data.
Abstract: Several different cements have been tested to evaluate
their potential to leach calcium, chromium and aluminum ions in soft
water environment. The research allows comparing some different
cements in order to the potential risk of water contamination. This
can be done only in the same environment. To reach the results in
reasonable short time intervals and to make heavy metals
measurements with high accuracy, demineralized water was used. In
this case the conditions of experiments are far away from the water
supply practice, but short time experiments and measurably high
concentrations of elements in the water solution are an important
advantage. Moreover leaching mechanisms can be recognized, our
experiments reported here refer to this kind of cements evaluation.
Abstract: In spite of the advent of new materials, clay bricks
remain, arguably, the most popular construction materials today.
Nevertheless the low cost and versatility of clay bricks cannot always
be associated with high environmental and sustainable values,
especially in terms of raw material sources and manufacturing
processes. At the same time, the worldwide agricultural footprint is
fast growing, with vast agricultural land cultivation and active
expansion of the agro-based industry. The resulting large quantities of
agricultural wastes, unfortunately, are not always well managed or
utilised. These wastes can be recycled, such as by retrieving fibres
from disposed leaves and fruit bunches, and then incorporated in
brick-making. This way the clay bricks are made a 'greener' building
material and the discarded natural wastes can be reutilised, avoiding
otherwise wasteful landfill and harmful open incineration. This study
examined the physical and mechanical properties of clay bricks made
by adding two natural fibres to a clay-water mixture, with baked and
non-baked conditions. The fibres were sourced from pineapple leaves
(PF) and oil palm fruit bunch (OF), and added within the range of
0.25-0.75 %. Cement was added as a binder to the mixture at 5-15 %.
Although the two fibres had different effects on the bricks produced,
cement appeared to dominate the compressive strength. The
non-baked bricks disintegrated when submerged in water, while the
baked ones displayed cement-dependent characteristics in
water-absorption and density changes. Interestingly, further increase
in fibre content did not cause significant density decrease in both the
baked and non-baked bricks.
Abstract: The combustion of liquid fuel in the porous burner
(PB) was experimented to investigate evaporation mechanism and
combustion behavior. The diesel oil was used as fuel and the pebbles
carefully chosen in the same size like the solid sphere homogeneously
was adopted as the porous media. Two structures of the liquid porous
burner, i.e. the PB without and with installation of porous emitter
(PE), were performed. PE was installed by lower than PB with
distance of 20 cm. The pebbles having porosity (φ) of 0.45 and 0.52
were, respectively, used in PB and PE. The fuel was supplied dropwise
from the top through the PB and the combustion was occurred between
PB and PE. Axial profiles of temperature along the burner length were
measured to clarify the evaporation and combustion phenomena. The
pollutant emission characteristics were monitored at the burner exit.
From the experiment, it was found that the temperature profiles of both
structures decreased with the three ways swirling air flows (QA)
increasing. On the other hand, the temperature profiles increased with
fuel heat input (QF). Obviously, the profile of the porous burner
installed with PE was higher than that of the porous burner without
PE
Abstract: The use of composite materials in offshore engineering for deep sea oil production riser systems has drawn considerable interest due to the potential weight savings and improvement in durability. The design of composite risers consists of two stages: (1) local design based on critical local load cases, and (2) global analysis of the full length composite riser under global loads and assessment of critical locations. In the first stage, eight different material combinations were selected and their laminate configurations optimised under local load considerations. Stage two includes a final local stress analysis of the critical sections of the riser under the combined loads determined in the global analysis. This paper describes two design methodologies of the composite riser to provide minimum structural weight and shows that the use of off angle fibre orientations in addition to axial and hoop reinforcements offer substantial weight savings and ensure the structural capacity.
Abstract: We are concerned with a class of quadratic matrix
equations arising from the overdamped mass-spring system. By
exploring the structure of coefficient matrices, we propose a fast
cyclic reduction algorithm to calculate the extreme solutions of the
equation. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm
outperforms the original cyclic reduction and the structure-preserving
doubling algorithm.
Abstract: Integrative teaching methodology is based on
connecting and summarizing knowledge from different subjects in
order to create better understanding of different disciplines and
improvement of competences in general. Integrative teaching
methodology was implemented and realised during one academic
year in 17 Latvian schools according with specially worked out
programme by specialists of different fields for adaptation in social
environment of children and young people with learning, cognitive
functions and motor disorders. Implemented integrative teaching
methodology consisted from three subsections which were
specialised for adaptation in social environment, improvement of
cognitive functions and improvement and harmonization of
personality. The results of investigation showed that the use of
integrative teaching methodology is an effective way for
improvement of learning motivation and negotiation of learning
disorders of different age schoolchildren.
Abstract: Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a statistical
learning tool developed to a more complex concept of
structural risk minimization (SRM). In this paper, SVM is
applied to signal detection in communication systems in the
presence of channel noise in various environments in the form
of Rayleigh fading, additive white Gaussian background noise
(AWGN), and interference noise generalized as additive color
Gaussian noise (ACGN). The structure and performance of
SVM in terms of the bit error rate (BER) metric is derived and
simulated for these advanced stochastic noise models and the
computational complexity of the implementation, in terms of
average computational time per bit, is also presented. The
performance of SVM is then compared to conventional binary
signaling optimal model-based detector driven by binary
phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation. We show that the
SVM performance is superior to that of conventional matched
filter-, innovation filter-, and Wiener filter-driven detectors,
even in the presence of random Doppler carrier deviation,
especially for low SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) ranges. For
large SNR, the performance of the SVM was similar to that of
the classical detectors. However, the convergence between
SVM and maximum likelihood detection occurred at a higher
SNR as the noise environment became more hostile.
Abstract: This paper presents a new approach for automatic
document categorization. Exploiting the logical structure of the
document, our approach assigns a HTML document to one or more
categories (thesis, paper, call for papers, email, ...). Using a set of
training documents, our approach generates a set of rules used to
categorize new documents. The approach flexibility is carried out
with rule weight association representing your importance in the
discrimination between possible categories. This weight is
dynamically modified at each new document categorization. The
experimentation of the proposed approach provides satisfactory
results.
Abstract: Enzymatic hydrolysis of starch from natural sources
finds potential application in commercial production of alcoholic
beverage and bioethanol. In this study the effect of starch
concentration, temperature, time and enzyme concentration were
studied and optimized for hydrolysis of cassava (Manihot esculenta)
starch powder (of mesh 80/120) into glucose syrup by immobilized
(using Polyacrylamide gel) a-amylase using central composite
design. The experimental result on enzymatic hydrolysis of cassava
starch was subjected to multiple linear regression analysis using
MINITAB 14 software. Positive linear effect of starch concentration,
enzyme concentration and time was observed on hydrolysis of
cassava starch by a-amylase. The statistical significance of the model
was validated by F-test for analysis of variance (p < 0.01). The
optimum value of starch concentration temperature, time and enzyme
concentration were found to be 4.5% (w/v), 45oC, 150 min, and 1%
(w/v) enzyme. The maximum glucose yield at optimum condition
was 5.17 mg/mL.
Abstract: In this paper we consider the problem of change
detection and non stationary signals tracking. Using parametric
estimation of signals based on least square lattice adaptive filters we
consider for change detection statistical parametric methods using
likelihood ratio and hypothesis tests. In order to track signals
dynamics, we introduce a compensation procedure in the adaptive
estimation. This will improve the adaptive estimation performances
and fasten it-s convergence after changes detection.
Abstract: A wrist-band type biosignal measurement system and its data transfer through human body communication (HBC) were investigated. An HBC method based on pulses of ultra-wide band instead of using frequency or amplitude modulations was studied and implemented since the system became very compact and it was more suited for personal or mobile health monitoring. Our system measured photo-plethysmogram (PPG) and measured PPG signals were transmitted through a finger to a monitoring PC system. The device was compact and low-power consuming. HBC communication has very strongsecurity measures since it does not use wireless network.Furthermore, biosignal monitoring system becomes handy because it does not need to have wire connections.
Abstract: With the increasing number of on-chip components and the critical requirement for processing power, Chip Multiprocessor (CMP) has gained wide acceptance in both academia and industry during the last decade. However, the conventional bus-based onchip communication schemes suffer from very high communication delay and low scalability in large scale systems. Network-on-Chip (NoC) has been proposed to solve the bottleneck of parallel onchip communications by applying different network topologies which separate the communication phase from the computation phase. Observing that the memory bandwidth of the communication between on-chip components and off-chip memory has become a critical problem even in NoC based systems, in this paper, we propose a novel 3D NoC with on-chip Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) in which different layers are dedicated to different functionalities such as processors, cache or memory. Results show that, by using our proposed architecture, average link utilization has reduced by 10.25% for SPLASH-2 workloads. Our proposed design costs 1.12% less execution cycles than the traditional design on average.