Abstract: GFRG(Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum) wall is a green product which can erect a building fast in prefabricated method, but its application to high-rise residential buildings is limited for its poor lateral stiffness. This paper has proposed a modification to GFRG walls structure to increase its lateral stiffness, which aiming to erect small high-rise residential buildings as load-bearing walls. The elastic finite element analysis to it has shown the lateral deformation feature and the distributions of the axial force and the shear force. The analysis results show that the new GFRG reinforced concrete wall can be used for small high-rise residential buildings.
Abstract: The objective of the research was to evaluate the
hardness stability of milk pomade sweets packed in several
packaging materials (OPP, Multibarrier 60 HFP, BIALON 65
HFP, BIALON 50 HFP, ECOLEAN) by several packaging
technologies – modified atmosphere (MAP) (consisting of
30% CO2+70% N2; 30% N2+70% CO2 and 100% CO2) and
control – in air ambiance. Samples were stored at the room
temperature +21±1 °C. The studies of the samples were
carried out before packaging and after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10
storage weeks.
Abstract: Australia, while being a large and eager consumer of
innovative and cutting edge Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT), continues to struggle to remain a leader in
Technological Innovation. This paper has two main contributions to
address certain aspects of this complex issue. The first being the
current findings of an ongoing research project on Information and
Innovation Management in the Australian Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) sector. The major issues being
considered by the project include: investigation of the possible
inherent entrepreneurial nature of ICT; how to foster ICT innovation;
and examination of the inherent difficulties currently found within
the ICT industry of Australia in regards to supporting the
development of innovative and creative ideas. The second major
contribution is details of the I.-C.A.N. (Innovation by Collaborative
Anonymous Networking) software application information
management tool created and evolving in our research group. I-CAN,
besides having a positive reinforcement acronym, is aimed at
facilitating productive collaborative innovation in an Australian
workplace. Such a work environment is frequently subjected to
cultural influences such as the 'tall poppy syndrome' and 'negative'
or 'unconstructive' peer-pressure. There influences are frequently
seen as inhibitors to employee participation, entrepreneurship and
innovation.
Abstract: Vortex-shedding phenomenon of the flow
around combined two bodies having various geometries and sizes has been investigated experimentally in the Reynolds
number range between 4.1x103 and 1.75x104. To see the effect
of the rotation of the bodies on the vortex shedding, the
combined bodies were rotated from 0° to 180°. The combined models have a cross section composing of a main circular cylinder and an attached circular or square cylinder. Results
have shown that Strouhal numbers for two cases were
changed considerably with the angle of incidence, while it was found to be largely independent of Reynolds number at 150. Characteristics of the vortex formation region and
location of flow attachments, reattachments, and separations
were observed by means of the flow visualizations.
Depending on the inclination angle the effects of flow
attachment, separation and reattachment on vortex-shedding phenomenon have been discussed.
Abstract: Large full frequency band gaps of surface and bulk
acoustic waves in two-dimensional phononic band structures with
hollow cylinders are addressed in this paper. It is well-known that
absolute frequency band gaps are difficultly obtained in a band
structure consisted of low-acoustic-impedance cylinders in
high-acoustic-impedance host materials such as PMMA/Ni band
structures. Phononic band structures with hollow cylinders are
analyzed and discussed to obtain large full frequency band gaps not
only for bulk modes but also for surface modes. The tendency of
absolute frequency band gaps of surface and bulk acoustic waves is
also addressed by changing the inner radius of hollow cylinders in this
paper. The technique and this kind of band structure are useful for
tuning the frequency band gaps and the design of acoustic waveguides.
Abstract: The leaching rate of 137Cs from spent mix bead (anion and cation) exchange resins in a cement-bentonite matrix has been studied. Transport phenomena involved in the leaching of a radioactive material from a cement-bentonite matrix are investigated using three methods based on theoretical equations. These are: the diffusion equation for a plane source an equation for diffusion coupled to a firstorder equation and an empirical method employing a polynomial equation. The results presented in this paper are from a 25-year mortar and concrete testing project that will influence the design choices for radioactive waste packaging for a future Serbian radioactive waste disposal center.
Abstract: Cluster analysis divides data into groups that are
meaningful, useful, or both. Analysis of biological data is creating a
new generation of epidemiologic, prognostic, diagnostic and
treatment modalities. Clustering of protein sequences is one of the
current research topics in the field of computer science. Linear
relation is valuable in rule discovery for a given data, such as if value
X goes up 1, value Y will go down 3", etc. The classical linear
regression models the linear relation of two sequences perfectly.
However, if we need to cluster a large repository of protein sequences
into groups where sequences have strong linear relationship with
each other, it is prohibitively expensive to compare sequences one by
one. In this paper, we propose a new technique named General
Regression Model Technique Clustering Algorithm (GRMTCA) to
benignly handle the problem of linear sequences clustering. GRMT
gives a measure, GR*, to tell the degree of linearity of multiple
sequences without having to compare each pair of them.
Abstract: This paper presents an experimental investigation of
transformer dielectric response and solid insulation water content.
The dielectric response was carried out on the base of Hybrid
Frequency Dielectric Spectroscopy and Polarization Current
measurements method (FDS &PC). The calculation of the water
content in paper is based on the water content in oil and the obtained
equilibrium curves. A reference measurements were performed at
equilibrium conditions for water content in oil and paper of
transformer at different stable temperatures (25, 50, 60 and 70°C) to
prepare references to evaluate the insulation behavior at the not
equilibrium conditions. Some measurements performed at the
different simulated normal working modes of transformer operation
at the same temperature where the equilibrium conditions. The
obtained results show that when transformer temperature is mach
more than the its ambient temperature, the transformer temperature
decreases immediately after disconnecting the transformer from the
network and this temperature reduction influences the transformer
insulation condition in the measuring process. In addition to the oil
temperature at the near places to the sensors, the temperature
uniformity in transformer which can be changed by a big change in
the load of transformer before the measuring time will influence the
result. The investigations have shown that the extremely influence of
the time between disconnecting the transformer and beginning the
measurements on the results. And the online monitoring for water
content in paper measurements, on the basis of the oil water content
on line monitoring and the obtained equilibrium curves. The
measurements where performed continuously and for about 50 days
without any disconnection in the prepared the adiabatic room.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of a numerical finite element algorithm used for the analysis of reinforced concrete structure equipped with shakes energy absorbing device subjected to earthquake excitation. For this purpose a finite element program code for analysis of reinforced concrete frame buildings is developed. The performance of developed program code is evaluated by analyzing of a reinforced concrete frame buildings model. The results are show that using damper device as seismic energy dissipation system effectively can reduce the structural response of framed structure during earthquake occurrence.
Abstract: The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia
operate very small-scaled business activities such as food stalls,
burger stalls, night market hawkers, grocery stores, constructions,
rubber and oil palm small holders, and other agro-based services and
activities. Why are they venturing into entrepreneurship - is it for
survival, out of interest or due to encouragement and assistance from
the local government? And why is it that some micro-entrepreneurs
are lagging behind in entrepreneurship, and what do they need to
rectify this situation so that they are able to progress further?
Furthermore, what are the skills that the micro entrepreneurs should
developed to transform them into successful micro-enterprises and
become small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)? This paper
proposes a 7-Step approach that can serve as a basis for identification
of critical entrepreneurial success factors that enable policy makers,
practitioners, consultants, training managers and other agencies in
developing tools to assist micro business owners. This paper also
highlights the experience of one of the successful companies in
Malaysia that has transformed from micro-enterprise to become a
large organization in less than 10 years.
Abstract: In this paper, the deformation modes of a compact impact absorption member subjected to axial compression are investigated using finite element method and experiments. A multiple combination compact impact absorption member, referred to as a 'compress-expand member', is proposed to substitute the conventional thin-walled circular tube. This study found that the proposed compact impact absorption member has stable load increase characteristics and a wider range of high load efficiency (Pave/Pmax) than the thin-walled circular tube. Moreover, the proposed compact impact absorption member can absorb larger loads in a smaller radius than the thin-walled cylindrical tube, as it can maintain its stable deformation in increased wall thicknesses.
Abstract: This paper presents an efficient emission constrained
hydrothermal scheduling algorithm that deals with nonlinear
functions such as the water discharge characteristics, thermal cost,
and transmission loss. It is then incorporated into the hydrothermal
coordination program. The program has been tested on a practical
utility system having 32 thermal and 12 hydro generating units. Test
results show that a slight increase in production cost causes a
substantial reduction in emission.
Abstract: Recent widespread use of information and
communication technology has greatly changed information security
risks that businesses and institutions encounter. Along with this
situation, in order to ensure security and have confidence in electronic
trading, it has become important for organizations to take competent
information security measures to provide international confidence that
sensitive information is secure. Against this backdrop, the approach to
information security checking has come to an important issue, which
is believed to be common to all countries. The purpose of this paper is
to introduce the new system of information security checking program
in Korea and to propose synthetic information security
countermeasures under domestic circumstances in order to protect
physical equipment, security management and technology, and the
operation of security check for securing services on ISP(Internet
Service Provider), IDC(Internet Data Center), and
e-commerce(shopping malls, etc.)
Abstract: In this paper a novel method for finding the fault zone
on a Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC) incorporated
transmission line is presented. The method makes use of the Support
Vector Machine (SVM), used in the classification mode to
distinguish between the zones, before or after the TCSC. The use of
Discrete Wavelet Transform is made to prepare the features which
would be given as the input to the SVM. This method was tested on a
400 kV, 50 Hz, 300 Km transmission line and the results were highly
accurate.
Abstract: Model mapping and transformation are important processes in high level system abstractions, and form the cornerstone of model-driven architecture (MDA) techniques. Considerable research in this field has devoted attention to static system abstraction, despite the fact that most systems are dynamic with high frequency changes in behavior. In this paper we provide an overview of work that has been done with regard to behavior model mapping and transformation, based on: (1) the completeness of the platform independent model (PIM); (2) semantics of behavioral models; (3) languages supporting behavior model transformation processes; and (4) an evaluation of model composition to effect the best approach to describing large systems with high complexity.
Abstract: Particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is responsible
for adverse health effects in adults and children. Relatively little is
known about the concentrations, sources and health effects of PM in
indoor air. A monitoring study was conducted in Ankara by three
campaigns in order to measure PM levels in indoor and outdoor
environments to identify and quantify associations between sources
and concentrations. Approximately 82 homes (1st campaign for 42,
2nd campaign for 12, and 3rd campaign for 28), three rooms (living
room, baby-s room and living room used as a baby-s room) and
outdoor ambient at each home were sampled with Grimm
Environmental Dust Monitoring (EDM) 107, during different
seasonal periods of 2011 and 2012. In this study, the relationship
between indoor and outdoor PM levels for particulate matter less than
10 micrometer (.m) (PM10), particulate matter less than 2.5.m
(PM2.5) and particulate matter less than 1.0.m (PM1) were
investigated. The mean concentration of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0 at
living room used as baby-s room is higher than living and baby-s
room (or bedroom) for three sampling campaigns. It is concluded that
the household activities and environmental conditions are very
important for PM concentrations in the indoor environments during
the sampling periods. The amount of smokers, being near a main
street and/or construction activities increased the PM concentration.
This study is based on the assessment the relationship between indoor
and outdoor PM levels and the household activities and
environmental conditions
Abstract: In construction of any structure, the aesthetic and utility values should be considered in such a way as to make the structure cost-effective. Most structures are composed of elements and joints which are very critical in any skeletal space structure because they majorly determine the performance of the structure. In early times, most space structures were constructed using rigid joints which had the advantage of better performing structures as compared to pin-jointed structures but with the disadvantage of requiring all the construction work to be done on site. The discovery of semi-rigid joints now enables connections to be prefabricated and quickly assembled on site while maintaining good performance. In this paper, cost-effective is discussed basing on strength of connectors at the joints, buckling of joints and overall structure, and the effect of initial geometrical imperfections. Several existing joints are reviewed by classifying them into categories and discussing where they are most suited and how they perform structurally. Also, finite element modeling using ABAQUS is done to determine the buckling behavior. It is observed that some joints are more economical than others. The rise to span ratio and imperfections are also found to affect the buckling of the structures. Based on these, general principles that guide the design of cost-effective joints and structures are discussed.
Abstract: This paper presents a particle swarm optimization
(PSO) based approach for multiple object tracking based on histogram
matching. To start with, gray-level histograms are calculated to
establish a feature model for each of the target object. The difference
between the gray-level histogram corresponding to each particle in the
search space and the target object is used as the fitness value. Multiple
swarms are created depending on the number of the target objects
under tracking. Because of the efficiency and simplicity of the PSO
algorithm for global optimization, target objects can be tracked as
iterations continue. Experimental results confirm that the proposed
PSO algorithm can rapidly converge, allowing real-time tracking of
each target object. When the objects being tracked move outside the
tracking range, global search capability of the PSO resumes to re-trace
the target objects.
Abstract: Resource Discovery in Grids is critical for efficient
resource allocation and management. Heterogeneous nature and
dynamic availability of resources make resource discovery a
challenging task. As numbers of nodes are increasing from tens to
thousands, scalability is essentially desired. Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
techniques, on the other hand, provide effective implementation of
scalable services and applications. In this paper we propose a model
for resource discovery in Condor Middleware by using the four axis
framework defined in P2P approach. The proposed model enhances
Condor to incorporate functionality of a P2P system, thus aim to
make Condor more scalable, flexible, reliable and robust.
Abstract: This article analyses the relationship between
sovereign credit risk rating and gross domestic product for Central
and Eastern European Countries for the period 1996 – 2010. In order
to study the metioned relationship, we have used a numerical
transformation of the risk qualification, thus: we marked 0 the lowest
risk; then, we went on ascending, with a pace of 5, up to the score of
355 corresponding to the maximum risk. The used method of analysis
is that of econometric modelling with EViews 7.0. programme. This
software allows the analysis of data into a pannel type system,
involving a mix of periods of time and series of data for different
entities. The main conclusion of the work is the one confirming the
negative relationship between the sovereign credit risk and the gross
domestic product for the Central European and Eastern countries
during the reviewed period.