Abstract: As new challenges emerge in power electrical
workplace safety, it is the responsibility of the systems designer to
seek out new approaches and solutions that address them. Design
decisions made today will impact cost, safety and serviceability of
the installed systems for 40 or 50 years during the useful life for the
owner. Studies have shown that this cost is an order of magnitude of
7 to 10 times the installed cost of the power distribution equipment.
This paper reviews some aspects of earthing system design in power
substation surrounded by residential houses. The electrical potential
rise and split factors are discussed and a few recommendations are
provided to achieve a safety voltage in the area beyond the boundary
of the substation.
Abstract: Software projects are very dynamic and require
recurring adjustments of their project plans. These settings can be
understood as reconfigurations in the schedule, in the resources
allocation and other design elements. Yet, during the planning and
execution of a software project, the integration of specific activities
in the projects with the activities that take part in the organization-s
common activity flow should be considered. This article presents the
results from a systematic review of aspects related to software
projects- dynamic reconfiguration emphasizing the integration of
project management with the organizational flows. A series of studies
was analyzed from the year 2000 to the present. The results of this
work show that there is a diversity of techniques and strategies for
dynamic reconfiguration of software projects-. However, few
approaches consider the integration of software project activities with
the activities that take part in the organization-s common workflow.
Abstract: This research involved fingerprints on ballistics after shooting. Two objectives of research were as follow; (1) to study the duration of the existence of latent fingerprints on .38, .45, 9 mm and .223 cartridge case after shooting, and (2) to compare the effectiveness of the detection of latent fingerprints by Black Powder, Super Glue, Perma Blue and Gun Bluing. The latent fingerprint appearance were studied on .38, .45, 9 mm. and .223 cartridge cases before and after shooting with Black Powder, Super Glue, Perma Blue and Gun Bluing. The detection times were 3 minute, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 78 and 84 hours respectively. As a result of the study, it can be conclude that
Before shooting, the detection of latent fingerprints on 38, .45, and 9 mm. and .223 cartridge cases with Black Powder, Super Glue, Perma Blue and Gun Bluing can detect the fingerprints at all detection times.
After shooting, the detection of latent fingerprints on .38, .45, 9 mm. and .223 cartridge cases with Black Powder, Super Glue did not appear. The detection of latent fingerprints on .38, .45, 9 mm. cartridge cases with Perma Blue and Gun Bluing were found 100% of the time and the detection of latent fingerprints on .223 cartridge cases with Perma Blue and Gun Bluing were found 40% and 46.67% of the time, respectively.
Abstract: The article deals with technical support of intracranial single unit activity measurement. The parameters of the whole measuring set were tested in order to assure the optimal conditions of extracellular single-unit recording. Metal microelectrodes for measuring the single-unit were tested during animal experiments. From signals recorded during these experiments, requirements for the measuring set parameters were defined. The impedance parameters of the metal microelectrodes were measured. The frequency-gain and autonomous noise properties of preamplifier and amplifier were verified. The measurement and the description of the extracellular single unit activity could help in prognoses of brain tissue damage recovery.
Abstract: Availability of high dimensional biological datasets such as from gene expression, proteomic, and metabolic experiments can be leveraged for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. Many classification methods in this area have been studied to predict disease states and separate between predefined classes such as patients with a special disease versus healthy controls. However, most of the existing research only focuses on a specific dataset. There is a lack of generic comparison between classifiers, which might provide a guideline for biologists or bioinformaticians to select the proper algorithm for new datasets. In this study, we compare the performance of popular classifiers, which are Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression, k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN), Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, and Random Forest based on mock datasets. We mimic common biological scenarios simulating various proportions of real discriminating biomarkers and different effect sizes thereof. The result shows that SVM performs quite stable and reaches a higher AUC compared to other methods. This may be explained due to the ability of SVM to minimize the probability of error. Moreover, Decision Tree with its good applicability for diagnosis and prognosis shows good performance in our experimental setup. Logistic Regression and Random Forest, however, strongly depend on the ratio of discriminators and perform better when having a higher number of discriminators.
Abstract: Continuation of an active call is one of the most important quality measurements in the cellular systems. Handoff process enables a cellular system to provide such a facility by transferring an active call from one cell to another. Different approaches are proposed and applied in order to achieve better handoff service. The principal parameters used to evaluate handoff techniques are: forced termination probability and call blocking probability. The mechanisms such as guard channels and queuing handoff calls decrease the forced termination probability while increasing the call blocking probability. In this paper we present an overview about the issues related to handoff initiation and decision and discuss about different types of handoff techniques available in the literature.
Abstract: One of the essential requirements in order to have a
realistic surgical simulator is real-time interaction by means of a
haptic interface is. In fact, reproducing haptic sensations increases
the realism of the simulation. However, the interaction need to be
performed in real-time, since a delay between the user action and the
system reaction reduces the user immersion. In this paper, we present
a prototype of the coronary stent implant simulator developed in the
HERMES Project; this system allows real-time interactions with a
artery by means of a specific haptic device; thus the user can
interactively navigate in a reconstructed artery and force feedback is
produced when contact occurs between the artery walls and the
medical instruments
Abstract: Fourty one strains of ESBL producing P.aeruginosa
which were previously isolated from burn patients in Kerman
University general hospital, Iran were subjected to PCR, RFLP and
sequencing in order to determine the type of extended spectrum β-
lactamases (ESBL), the restriction digestion pattern and possibility of
mutation among detected genes. DNA extraction was carried out by
phenol chloroform method. PCR for detection of bla genes was
performed using specific primer for each gene. Restriction Fragment
Length Polymorphism (RFLP) for ESBL genes was carried out using
EcoRI, NheI, PVUII, EcoRV, DdeI, and PstI restriction enzymes. The
PCR products were subjected to direct sequencing of both the strands
for identification of the ESBL genes.The blaCTX-M, blaVEB-1, blaPER-1,
blaGES-1, blaOXA-1, blaOXA-4 and blaOXA-10 genes were detected in the
(n=1) 2.43%, (n=41)100%, (n=28) 68.3%, (n=10) 24.4%, (n=29)
70.7%, (n=7)17.1% and (n=38) 92.7% of the ESBL producing isolates
respectively. The RFLP analysis showed that each ESBL gene has
identical pattern of digestion among the isolated strains. Sequencing
of the ESBL genes confirmed the genuinety of PCR products and
revealed no mutation in the restriction sites of the above genes. From
results of the present investigation it can be concluded that blaVEB-1
and blaCTX-M were the most and the least frequently isolated ESBL
genes among the P.aeruginosa strains isolated from burn patients. The
RFLP and sequencing analysis revealed that same clone of the bla
genes were indeed existed among the antibiotic resistant strains.
Abstract: Mathematical models can be used to describe the
transmission of disease. Dengue disease is the most significant
mosquito-borne viral disease of human. It now a leading cause of
childhood deaths and hospitalizations in many countries. Variations
in environmental conditions, especially seasonal climatic parameters,
effect to the transmission of dengue viruses the dengue viruses and
their principal mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. A transmission model
for dengue disease is discussed in this paper. We assume that the
human and vector populations are constant. We showed that the local
stability is completely determined by the threshold parameter, 0 B . If
0 B is less than one, the disease free equilibrium state is stable. If
0 B is more than one, a unique endemic equilibrium state exists and
is stable. The numerical results are shown for the different values of
the transmission probability from vector to human populations.
Abstract: A simple impedance matching technique for inset feed
grooved microstrip patch antenna based on the concept of coplanar
waveguide feed line has been developed and investigated for a
printed antenna at X-Band frequency of 10GHz. The proposed
technique has been used in the design of Linear Grooved Microstrip
patch antenna array. The characteristics of the antenna are
determined in terms of Return loss, VSWR, gain, radiation pattern
etc. The measured and simulated results presented are found to be in
good agreement.
Abstract: This paper presents Cost per Equivalent Wafer Out, which we find useful in wafer fab operational cost monitoring and controlling. It removes the loading and product mix effect in the cost variance analysis. The operation heads, therefore, could immediately focus on identifying areas for cost improvement. Without this, they would have to measure the impact of the loading variance and product mix variance between actual and budgeted prior to make any decision on cost improvement. Cost per Equivalent Wafer Out, thereby, increases efficiency in wafer fab operational cost monitoring and controlling.
Abstract: Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection that has peaked to an alarming rate in recent decades. It can be found in tropical and sub-tropical climate. In Malaysia, dengue has been declared as one of the national health threat to the public. This study aimed to map the spatial distributions of dengue cases in the district of Hulu Langat, Selangor via a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial statistic tools. Data related to dengue was gathered from the various government health agencies. The location of dengue cases was geocoded using a handheld GPS Juno SB Trimble. A total of 197 dengue cases occurring in 2003 were used in this study. Those data then was aggregated into sub-district level and then converted into GIS format. The study also used population or demographic data as well as the boundary of Hulu Langat. To assess the spatial distribution of dengue cases three spatial statistics method (Moran-s I, average nearest neighborhood (ANN) and kernel density estimation) were applied together with spatial analysis in the GIS environment. Those three indices were used to analyze the spatial distribution and average distance of dengue incidence and to locate the hot spot of dengue cases. The results indicated that the dengue cases was clustered (p < 0.01) when analyze using Moran-s I with z scores 5.03. The results from ANN analysis showed that the average nearest neighbor ratio is less than 1 which is 0.518755 (p < 0.0001). From this result, we can expect the dengue cases pattern in Hulu Langat district is exhibiting a cluster pattern. The z-score for dengue incidence within the district is -13.0525 (p < 0.0001). It was also found that the significant spatial autocorrelation of dengue incidences occurs at an average distance of 380.81 meters (p < 0.0001). Several locations especially residential area also had been identified as the hot spots of dengue cases in the district.
Abstract: In this paper, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is utilized to characterize a prototype biolistic delivery system, the biomedical device based on the contoured-shock-tube design (CST), with the aim at investigating shocks induced flow instabilities within the contoured shock tube. The shock/interface interactions, the growth of perturbation at an interface between two fluids of different density are interrogated. The key features of the gas dynamics and gas-particle interaction are discussed
Abstract: Urban road network traffic has become one of the
most studied research topics in the last decades. This is mainly due to
the enlargement of the cities and the growing number of motor
vehicles traveling in this road network. One of the most sensitive
problems is to verify if the network is congestion-free. Another
related problem is the automatic reconfiguration of the network
without building new roads to alleviate congestions. These problems
require an accurate model of the traffic to determine the steady state
of the system. An alternative is to simulate the traffic to see if there
are congestions and when and where they occur. One key issue is to
find an adequate model for road intersections. Once the model
established, either a large scale model is built or the intersection is
represented by its performance measures and simulation for analysis.
In both cases, it is important to seek the queueing model to represent
the road intersection. In this paper, we propose to model the road
intersection as a BCMP queueing network and we compare this
analytical model against a simulation model for validation.
Abstract: Weblog is an Internet tool that is believed to possess
great potential to facilitate learning in education. This study wants to
know if weblog can be used to promote students- critical thinking. It
used a group of secondary two students from a Singapore school to
write weblogs as a means of substitution for their traditional
handwritten assignments. The topics for the weblogging are taken
from History syllabus but modified to suit the purpose of this study.
Weblogs from the students were collected and analysed using a
known coding system for measuring critical thinking. Results show
that the topic for blogging is crucial in determining the types of
critical thinking employed by the students. Students are seen to
display critical thinking traits in the areas of information sourcing,
linking information to arguments and viewpoints justification.
Students- criticalness is more profound when the information for
writing a topic is readily available. Otherwise, they tend to be less
critical and subjective. The study also found that students lack the
ability to source for external information suggesting that students
may need to be taught information literacy in order to widen their use
of critical thinking skills.
Abstract: The Integrated Performance Modelling Environment
(IPME) is a powerful simulation engine for task simulation and
performance analysis. However, it has no high level cognition such
as memory and reasoning for complex simulation. This article
introduces a knowledge representation and reasoning scheme that can
accommodate uncertainty in simulations of military personnel with
IPME. This approach demonstrates how advanced reasoning models
that support similarity-based associative process, rule-based abstract
process, multiple reasoning methods and real-time interaction can be
integrated with conventional task network modelling to provide
greater functionality and flexibility when modelling operator
performance.
Abstract: Routing places an important role in determining the
quality of service in wireless networks. The routing methods adopted
in wireless networks have many drawbacks. This paper aims to
review the current routing methods used in wireless networks. This
paper proposes an innovative solution to overcome the problems in
routing. This solution is aimed at improving the Quality of Service.
This solution is different from others as it involves the resuage of the
part of the virtual circuits. This improvement in quality of service is
important especially in propagation of multimedia applications like
video, animations etc. So it is the dire need to propose a new solution
to improve the quality of service in ATM wireless networks for
multimedia applications especially during this era of multimedia
based applications.
Abstract: Modeling and simulation of fixed bed three-phase
catalytic reactors are considered for wet air catalytic oxidation of
phenol to perform a comparative numerical analysis between tricklebed
and packed-bubble column reactors. The modeling involves
material balances both for the catalyst particle as well as for different
fluid phases. Catalyst deactivation is also considered in a transient
reactor model to investigate the effects of various parameters
including reactor temperature on catalyst deactivation. The
simulation results indicated that packed-bubble columns were
slightly superior in performance than trickle beds. It was also found
that reaction temperature was the most effective parameter in catalyst
deactivation.
Abstract: A novel typical day prediction model have been built and validated by the measured data of a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) system in Macau. Unlike conventional statistical method used by previous study on PV systems which get results by averaging nearby continuous points, the present typical day statistical method obtain the value at every minute in a typical day by averaging discontinuous points at the same minute in different days. This typical day statistical method based on discontinuous point averaging makes it possible for us to obtain the Gaussian shape dynamical distributions for solar irradiance and output power in a yearly or monthly typical day. Based on the yearly typical day statistical analysis results, the maximum possible accumulated output energy in a year with on site climate conditions and the corresponding optimal PV system running time are obtained. Periodic Gaussian shape prediction models for solar irradiance, output energy and system energy efficiency have been built and their coefficients have been determined based on the yearly, maximum and minimum monthly typical day Gaussian distribution parameters, which are obtained from iterations for minimum Root Mean Squared Deviation (RMSD). With the present model, the dynamical effects due to time difference in a day are kept and the day to day uncertainty due to weather changing are smoothed but still included. The periodic Gaussian shape correlations for solar irradiance, output power and system energy efficiency have been compared favorably with data of the PV system in Macau and proved to be an improvement than previous models.
Abstract: Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in men and is a major cause of mortality in the most of countries. In many diagnostic and treatment procedures for prostate disease accurate detection of prostate boundaries in transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images is required. This is a challenging and difficult task due to weak prostate boundaries, speckle noise and the short range of gray levels. In this paper a novel method for automatic prostate segmentation in TRUS images is presented. This method involves preprocessing (edge preserving noise reduction and smoothing) and prostate segmentation. The speckle reduction has been achieved by using stick filter and top-hat transform has been implemented for smoothing. A feed forward neural network and local binary pattern together have been use to find a point inside prostate object. Finally the boundary of prostate is extracted by the inside point and an active contour algorithm. A numbers of experiments are conducted to validate this method and results showed that this new algorithm extracted the prostate boundary with MSE less than 4.6% relative to boundary provided manually by physicians.