Abstract: We demonstrate a nonfaradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement of biochemically modified gold plated electrodes using a two-electrode system. The absence of any redox indicator in the impedance measurements provide more precise and accurate characterization of the measured bioanalyte at molecular resolution. An equivalent electrical circuit of the electrodeelectrolyte interface was deduced from the observed impedance data of saline solution at low and high concentrations. The detection of biomolecular interactions was fundamentally correlated to electrical double-layer variation at modified interface. The investigations were done using 20mer deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands without any label. Surface modification was performed by creating mixed monolayer of the thiol-modified single-stranded DNA and a spacer thiol (mercaptohexanol) by a two-step self-assembly method. The results clearly distinguish between the noncomplementary and complementary hybridization of DNA, at low frequency region below several hundreds Hertz.
Abstract: Effect of geometry on crushing behavior, energy absorption and failure mode of woven roving jute fiber/epoxy laminated composite tubes were experimentally studied. Investigations were carried out on three different geometrical types of composite tubes (circular, square and radial corrugated) subjected to axial compressive loading. It was observed in axial crushing study that the load bearing capability is significantly influenced by corrugation geometry. The influence of geometries of specimens was supported by the plotted load – displacement curves of the tests.
Abstract: Cognitive Dissonance can be conceived both as a concept related to the tendency to avoid internal contradictions in certain situations, and as a higher order theory about information processing in the human mind. In the last decades, this last sense has been strongly surpassed by the former, as nearly all experiment on the matter discuss cognitive dissonance as an output of motivational contradictions. In that sense, the question remains: is cognitive dissonance a process intrinsically associated with the way that the mind processes information, or is it caused by such specific contradictions? Objective: To evaluate the effects of cognitive dissonance in the absence of rewards or any mechanisms to manipulate motivation. Method: To solve this question, we introduce a new task, the hypothetical social arrays paradigm, which was applied to 50 undergraduate students. Results: Our findings support the perspective that the human mind shows a tendency to avoid internal dissonance even when there are no rewards or punishment involved. Moreover, our findings also suggest that this principle works outside the conscious level.
Abstract: The detection of outliers is very essential because of
their responsibility for producing huge interpretative problem in
linear as well as in nonlinear regression analysis. Much work has
been accomplished on the identification of outlier in linear
regression, but not in nonlinear regression. In this article we propose
several outlier detection techniques for nonlinear regression. The
main idea is to use the linear approximation of a nonlinear model and
consider the gradient as the design matrix. Subsequently, the
detection techniques are formulated. Six detection measures are
developed that combined with three estimation techniques such as the
Least-Squares, M and MM-estimators. The study shows that among
the six measures, only the studentized residual and Cook Distance
which combined with the MM estimator, consistently capable of
identifying the correct outliers.
Abstract: The occurrence of missing values in database is a serious problem for Data Mining tasks, responsible for degrading data quality and accuracy of analyses. In this context, the area has shown a lack of standardization for experiments to treat missing values, introducing difficulties to the evaluation process among different researches due to the absence in the use of common parameters. This paper proposes a testbed intended to facilitate the experiments implementation and provide unbiased parameters using available datasets and suited performance metrics in order to optimize the evaluation and comparison between the state of art missing values treatments.
Abstract: The analytical solutions for geodesic acoustic
eigenmodes in tokamak plasmas with circular concentric magnetic
surfaces are found. In the frame of ideal magnetohydrodynamics the
dispersion relation taking into account the toroidal coupling between
electrostatic perturbations and electromagnetic perturbations with
poloidal mode number |m| = 2 is derived. In the absence of such
a coupling the dispersion relation gives the standard continuous
spectrum of geodesic acoustic modes. The analysis of the existence
of global eigenmodes for plasma equilibria with both off-axis
and on-axis maximum of the local geodesic acoustic frequency is
performed.
Abstract: This paper presents a spectroscopic study on doping
of Vanadyl pathalocyanine (VOPc) by [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid
methyl ester (PCBM). The films are characterized by UV/Vis/NIR
spectroscopy. A drastic increase in the absorption coefficient has
been observed with increasing dopant concentration. Optical
properties of VOPc:PCBM films deposited by spin coating technique
were studied in detail. Optical band gap decreased with the PCBM
incorporation in the VOPc film. Optical band gap calculated from the
absorption spectra decreased from 3.32 eV to 3.26 eV with a
variation of 0–75 % of PCBM concentration in the VOPC films.
Abstract: In this research work, poly (acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene)/
polypropylene (ABS/PP) blends were processed by melt
compounding in a twin-screw extruder. Upgrading of the thermal
characteristics of the obtained materials was attempted by the
incorporation of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT), as
well as, by the addition of two types of compatibilizers;
polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH) and ABS
grafted with maleic anhydride (ABS-g-MAH). The effect of the
above treatments was investigated separately and in combination.
Increasing the PP content in ABS matrix seems to increase the
thermal stability of their blend and the glass transition temperature
(Tg) of SAN phase of ABS. From the other part, the addition of ABS
to PP promotes the formation of its β-phase, which is maximum at 30
wt% ABS concentration, and increases the crystallization temperature
(Tc) of PP. In addition, it increases the crystallization rate of PP.The
β-phase of PP in ABS/PP blends is reduced by the addition of
compatibilizers or/and organoclay reinforcement. The incorporation
of compatibilizers increases the thermal stability of PP and reduces
its melting (ΔΗm) and crystallization (ΔΗc) enthalpies. Furthermore it
decreases slightly the Tgs of PP and SAN phases of ABS/PP blends.
Regarding the storage modulus of the ABS/PP blends, it presents a
change in their behavior at about 10°C and return to their initial
behavior at ~110°C. The incorporation of OMMT to no compatibilized
and compatibilized ABS/PP blends enhances their storage modulus.
Abstract: With China's urbanization continuing to accelerate, a amount of rural people flood into China's cities in recent years, and the issue of agriculture, rural areas and farmers is getting more and more serious. In 2005, the Chinese government put forward a plan for “the construction of new rural village", in order to coordinate the development of both urban and rural areas. The planning method of rural region differs sharply from that of urban areas, as same as village social structure and habits of farmer-s life, so the studies which can consider the special needs of village construction in China are absolutely essential. This paper expresses explore current situation and problems existing in the construction of China-s new rural village, such as bigger gap between urban and rural areas, excessive new construction projects, extinct traditional village style and so on. It tries to analyze the deep reason of the present situation of the village from law system, industrial structure, financial sources and planning method. Then it also provides a guide for developing policies and procedures promoting the development of china-s rural areas.
Abstract: The abundance and availability of rice husk, an agricultural waste, make them as a good source for precursor of activated carbon. In this work, rice husk-based activated carbons were prepared via base treated chemical activation process prior the carbonization process. The effect of carbonization temperatures (400, 600 and 800oC) on their pore structure was evaluated through morphology analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Sample carbonized at 800oC showed better evolution and development of pores as compared to those carbonized at 400 and 600oC. The potential of rice husk-based activated carbon as an alternative adsorbent was investigated for the removal of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from single metal aqueous solution. The adsorption studies using rice husk-based activated carbon as an adsorbent were carried out as a function of contact time at room temperature and the metal ions were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The ability to remove metal ion from single metal aqueous solution was found to be improved with the increasing of carbonization temperature. Among the three metal ions tested, Pb(II) ion gave the highest adsorption on rice husk-based activated carbon. The results obtained indicate the potential to utilize rice husk as a promising precursor for the preparation of activated carbon for removal of heavy metals.
Abstract: This study aims to investigate mechanical behavior of
deep-drawn cups consisting of aluminum (A1050)/ duralumin
(A2017) multi-layered clad structures with micro- and macro-scale
functional gradients. Such multi-layered clad structures are possibly
used for a new type of crash-boxes in automobiles to effectively
absorb the impact forces generated when automobiles having
collisions. The effect of heat treatments on microstructure,
compositional gradient, micro hardness in 2 and 6-layered aluminum/
duralumin clad structures, which were fabricated by hot rolling, have
been investigated. Impact compressive behavior of deep-drawn cups
consisting of such aluminum/ duralumin clad structures has been also
investigated in terms of energy absorption and maximum force.
Deep-drawn cups consisting of 6-layerd clad structures with microand
macro-scale functional gradients exhibit superior properties in
impact compressive tests.
Abstract: Recently, the design is becoming important in product development. The technology which is a strong point of Japan is immediately caught up by the foreign countries, and the price competition begins. Therefore companies tend to plan differentiation of products by the design or a color. The purpose of my work was to consider the optimal color for using by product development. We needed to clarify the thing leading to color preference for this purpose. Two kinds of investigations were made. By the first investigation, we found out that a geographical factor difference existed in color preference. Then, investigation which regarded the difference as latitude was conducted. However, the result expected from the difference in latitude was not obtained. It seems that it is necessary to set up difference of latitude a little more greatly, or to reexamine by other geographical factors.
Abstract: In the current Grid environment, efficient workload
management presents a significant challenge, for which there are
exorbitant de facto standards encompassing resource discovery,
brokerage, and data transfer, among others. In addition, the real-time
resource status, essential for an optimal resource allocation strategy,
is often not readily accessible. To address these issues and provide a
cleaner abstraction of the Grid with the potential of generalizing into
arbitrary resource-sharing environment, this paper proposes a new
Condor-based pilot mechanism applied in the PanDA architecture,
PanDA-PF WMS, with the goal of providing a more generic yet
efficient resource allocating strategy. In this architecture, the PanDA
server primarily acts as a repository of user jobs, responding to pilot
requests from distributed, remote resources. Scheduling decisions are
subsequently made according to the real-time resource information
reported by pilots. Pilot Factory is a Condor-inspired solution for a
scalable pilot dissemination and effectively functions as a resource
provisioning mechanism through which the user-job server, PanDA,
reaches out to the candidate resources only on demand.
Abstract: In this paper we have proposed three and two
stage still gray scale image compressor based on BTC. In our
schemes, we have employed a combination of four techniques
to reduce the bit rate. They are quad tree segmentation, bit
plane omission, bit plane coding using 32 visual patterns and
interpolative bit plane coding. The experimental results show
that the proposed schemes achieve an average bit rate of 0.46
bits per pixel (bpp) for standard gray scale images with an
average PSNR value of 30.25, which is better than the results
from the exiting similar methods based on BTC.
Abstract: This study aims to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine the topic to be focused in developing Virtual Laboratory For Biology (VLab-Bio). Samples involved in answering the questionnaire are form five students (equivalent to A-Level) and biology teachers. Time and economical resources for the setting up and construction of scientific laboratories can be solved with the adaptation of virtual laboratories as an educational tool. Thus, it is hoped that the proposed virtual laboratory will help students to learn the abstract concepts in biology. Findings show that the difficult topic chosen is Cell Division and the learning objective to be focused in developing the virtual lab is “Describe the application of knowledge on mitosis in cloning".
Abstract: The phylogenetic analysis using the most conservative
portions of 18S rRNA gene revealed the phylogenetic relationship
among the two populations where DNA divergence showed that the
nucleotides diversity value were -0.00838 for the Tanjung Dawai,
Kedah and -0.00708 for the Cherating, Pahang populations
respectively. The net nucleotide divergence among populations (Da)
was -0.0073 indicating a low polymorphism among the populations
studied. Total number of mutations in the Tanjung Dawai, Kedah
samples was higher than Cherating, Pahang samples, which are 73 and
59 respectively while shared mutations across the populations were 8,
and reveal the evolutionary in the genome of Malaysian T. gigas. The
tree topology of both populations inferred using Neigbour-joining
method by comparing 1791 bp of partial 18S rRNA sequence revealed
that T. gigas haplotypes were clustered into seven clades, suggesting
that they are genetically diverse among populations which derived
from a common ancestor.
Abstract: In this study, the density dependent nonlinear reactiondiffusion
equation, which arises in the insect dispersal models, is
solved using the combined application of differential quadrature
method(DQM) and implicit Euler method. The polynomial based
DQM is used to discretize the spatial derivatives of the problem. The
resulting time-dependent nonlinear system of ordinary differential
equations(ODE-s) is solved by using implicit Euler method. The
computations are carried out for a Cauchy problem defined by a onedimensional
density dependent nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation
which has an exact solution. The DQM solution is found to be in a
very good agreement with the exact solution in terms of maximum
absolute error. The DQM solution exhibits superior accuracy at large
time levels tending to steady-state. Furthermore, using an implicit
method in the solution procedure leads to stable solutions and larger
time steps could be used.
Abstract: The literature has argued that firms based in industrial districts enjoy advantages for creating internal knowledge and absorbing external knowledge as a consequence of to the knowledge flows and spillovers that exist in the district. However, empirical evidence to show how belonging to an industrial district affects the business processes of creation and absorption of knowledge is scarce and, moreover, empirical research has not taken into account the influence of variations in the flows of knowledge circulating in each cluster. This study aims to extend empirical evidence on the effect that the stock of shared competencies in industrial districts has on the business processes of creation and absorption of knowledge, through data from an initial study on 952 firms and 35 industrial districts in Spain.
Abstract: At present time, competition, unpredictable fluctuations have made communication engineering education in the global sphere really difficult. Confront with new situation in the engineering education sector. Communication engineering education has to be reformed and ready to use more advanced technologies. We realized that one of the general problems of student`s education is that after graduating from their universities, they are not prepared to face the real life challenges and full skilled to work in industry. They are prepared only to think like engineers and professionals but they also need to possess some others non-technical skills. In today-s environment, technical competence alone is not sufficient for career success. Employers want employees (graduate engineers) who have good oral and written communication (soft) skills. It does require for team work, business awareness, organization, management skills, responsibility, initiative, problem solving and IT competency. This proposed curriculum brings interactive, creative, interesting, effective learning methods, which includes online education, virtual labs, practical work, problem-based learning (PBL), and lectures given by industry experts. Giving short assignments, presentations, reports, research papers and projects students can significantly improve their non-technical skills. Also, we noticed the importance of using ICT technologies in engineering education which used by students and teachers, and included that into proposed teaching and learning methods. We added collaborative learning between students through team work which builds theirs skills besides course materials. The prospective on this research that we intent to update communication engineering curriculum in order to get fully constructed engineer students to ready for real industry work.
Abstract: Recently, Northeast Asia has become one of the three
largest trade areas, covering approximately 30% of the total trade
volume of the world. However, the distribution facilities are saturated
due to the increase in the transportation volume within the area and
with the European countries. In order to accommodate the increase of
the transportation volume, the transportation networking with the
major countries in Northeast Asia and Europe is absolutely necessary.
The Eurasian Logistics Network will develop into an international
passenger transportation network covering the Northeast Asian region
and an international freight transportation network connecting across
Eurasia Continent. This paper surveys the changes and trend of the
distribution network in the Eurasian Region according to the political,
economic and environmental changes of the region, analyses the
distribution network according to the changes in the transportation
policies of the related countries, and provides the direction of the
development of composite transportation on the basis of the present
conditions of transportation means. The transportation means optimal
for the efficiency of transportation system are suggested to be train
ferries, sea & rail or sea & rail & sea. It is suggested to develop
diversified composite transportation means and routes within the
boundary of international cooperation system.