Abstract: A new analytical method to predict the torsional
capacity and behavior of R.C multi-cell box girders strengthened with
carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets is presented.
Modification was done on the Softened Truss Model (STM) in the
proposed method; the concrete torsional problem is solved by
combining the equilibrium conditions, compatibility conditions and
constitutive laws of materials by taking into account the confinement
of concrete with CFRP sheets. A specific algorithm is developed to
predict the torsional behavior of reinforced concrete multi-cell box
girders with or without strengthening by CFRP sheets. Applications
of the developed method as an assessment tool to strengthened multicell
box girders with CFRP and first analytical example that
demonstrate the contribution of the CFRP materials on the torsional
response is also included.
Abstract: This paper proposes a meta-heuristic called Ant Colony Optimization to solve multi-objective production problems. The multi-objective function is to minimize lead time and work in process. The problem is related to the decision variables, i.e.; distance and process time. According to decision criteria, the mathematical model is formulated. In order to solve the model an ant colony optimization approach has been developed. The proposed algorithm is parameterized by the number of ant colonies and the number of pheromone trails. One example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The proposed formulations; Max-Min Ant system are then used to solve the problem and the results evaluate the performance and efficiency of the proposed algorithm using simulation.
Abstract: In studying the possibility of using plants as
rhizoremediators, barley and grass mixture which showed resistance
to various concentrations of oil were selected. The minimum
inhibitory effect of oil on these plants by morphological parameters
such as survival of plants, length and biomass of shoot and root
compared with the control was showed. In determining physiological
parameters, a slight decrease in the number of chlorophyll a and b in
the leaves of plants was noted. The differences in the ratio of the total
surface of the roots to the work surface with the growth of plants in
soil with oil in the study of adsorption of the root surface were
showed.
Abstract: The global chaos synchronization for a class of time-delayed power systems is investigated via observer-based approach. By employing the concepts of quadratic stability theory and generalized system model, a new sufficient criterion for constructing an observer is deduced. In contrast to the previous works, this paper proposes a theoretical and systematic design procedure to realize chaos synchronization for master-slave power systems. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show the applicability of the obtained scheme.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate
the scale of implementation of Just-In-Time (JIT) in the different industrial sectors in the Middle East. This study analyzes the empirical data collected by a questionnaire survey distributed to
companies in three main industrial sectors in the Middle East, which
are: food, chemicals and fabrics. The following main hypotheses is formulated and tested: (The requirements of JIT application differ
according to the type of industrial sector).Descriptive statistics and Box plot analysis were used to examine the hypotheses. This study indicates a reasonable evidence for accepting the main hypotheses. It
reveals that there is no standard way to adopt JIT as a production system. But each industrial sector should concentrate in the
investment on critical requirements that differ according to the nature
and strategy of production followed in that sector.
Abstract: Inconel718 has been widely used as a super alloy in aerospace application due to the high strength at elevated temperatures, satisfactory oxidation resistance and heat corrosion resistance. In this study, the Inconel718 has been fabricated using high technology of Metal Injection Molding (MIM) process due to the cost effective technique for producing small, complex and precision parts in high volume compared with conventional method through machining. Through MIM, the binder system is one of the most important criteria in order to successfully fabricate the Inconel718. Even though, the binder system is a temporary, but failure in the selection and removal of the binder system will affect on the final properties of the sintered parts. Therefore, the binder system based on palm oil derivative which is palm stearin has been formulated and developed to replace the conventional binder system. The rheological studies of the mixture between the powder and binders system have been determined properly in order to be successful during injection into injection molding machine. After molding, the binder holds the particles in place. The binder system has to be removed completely through debinding step. During debinding step, solvent debinding and thermal pyrolysis has been used to remove completely of the binder system. The debound part is then sintered to give the required physical and mechanical properties. The results show that the properties of the final sintered parts fulfill the Standard Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) 35 for MIM parts.
Abstract: This paper describes the evolution of language
politics and the part played by political leaders with reference to
the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu. It explores the interesting
evolution from separatism to coalition in sustaining the values of
parliamentary democracy and federalism. It seems that the
appropriation of language politics is fully ascribed to the DMK
leadership under Annadurai and Karunanidhi. For them, the Tamil
language is a self-determining power, a terrain of nationhood, and
a perennial source of social and political powers. The DMK
remains a symbol of Tamil nationalist party playing language
politics in the interest of the Tamils. Though electoral alliances
largely determine the success, the language politics still has
significant space in the politics of Tamil Nadu. Ironically, DMK
moves from the periphery to centre for getting national recognition
for the Tamils as well as for its own maximization of power. The
evolution can be seen in two major phases as: language politics for
party building; and language politics for state building with three
successive political processes, namely, language politics in the
process of separatism, representative politics and coalition. The
much pronounced Dravidian Movement is radical enough to
democratize the party ideology to survive the spirit of
parliamentary democracy. This has secured its own rewards in
terms of political power. The political power provides the means to
achieve the social and political goal of the political party.
Language politics and leadership pattern actualized this trend
though the movement is shifted from separatism to coalition.
Abstract: This study focuses on bureau management
technologies and information systems in developing countries.
Developing countries use such systems which facilitate executive and
organizational functions through the utilization of bureau
management technologies and provide the executive staff with
necessary information.
The concepts of data and information differ from each other in
developing countries, and thus the concepts of data processing and
information processing are different. Symbols represent ideas,
objects, figures, letters and numbers. Data processing system is an
integrated system which deals with the processing of the data related
to the internal and external environment of the organization in order
to make decisions, create plans and develop strategies; it goes
without saying that this system is composed of both human beings
and machines. Information is obtained through the acquisition and
the processing of data. On the other hand, data are raw
communicative messages. Within this framework, data processing
equals to producing plausible information out of raw data.
Organizations in developing countries need to obtain information
relevant to them because rapid changes in the organizational arena
require rapid access to accurate information. The most significant
role of the directors and managers who work in the organizational
arena is to make decisions. Making a correct decision is possible only
when the directors and managers are equipped with sound ideas and
appropriate information. Therefore, acquisition, organization and
distribution of information gain significance. Today-s organizations
make use of computer-assisted “Management Information Systems"
in order to obtain and distribute information.
Decision Support System which is closely related to practice is an
information system that facilitates the director-s task of making
decisions. Decision Support System integrates human intelligence,
information technology and software in order to solve the complex
problems. With the support of the computer technology and software
systems, Decision Support System produces information relevant to
the decision to be made by the director and provides the executive
staff with supportive ideas about the decision.
Artificial Intelligence programs which transfer the studies and
experiences of the people to the computer are called expert systems.
An expert system stores expert information in a limited area and can
solve problems by deriving rational consequences.
Bureau management technologies and information systems in
developing countries create a kind of information society and
information economy which make those countries have their places
in the global socio-economic structure and which enable them to play
a reasonable and fruitful role; therefore it is of crucial importance to
make use of information and management technologies in order to
work together with innovative and enterprising individuals and it is
also significant to create “scientific policies" based on information
and technology in the fields of economy, politics, law and culture.
Abstract: We propose a control design scheme that aims to
prevent undesirable liquid outpouring and suppress sloshing during
the forward and backward tilting phases of the pouring process, for
the case of liquid containers carried by manipulators. The proposed
scheme combines a partial inverse dynamics controller with a PID
controller, tuned with the use of a “metaheuristic" search algorithm.
The “metaheuristic" search algorithm tunes the PID controller based
on simulation results of the plant-s linearization around the operating
point corresponding to the critical tilting angle, where outpouring
initiates. Liquid motion is modeled using the well-known pendulumtype
model. However, the proposed controller does not require
measurements of the liquid-s motion within the tank.
Abstract: This paper develops models to analyze the
relationship between leisure time and wage change. Using Thailand-s
Time Use Survey and Labor Force Survey data, the estimation of
wage changes in response to leisure time change indicates that media
receiving, personal care and social participation and volunteer
activities are the ones that significantly raise hourly wages. Thus, the
finding suggests the stimulation in time use for media access to
enhance knowledge and productivity, personal care for attractiveness
and healthiness in order to raise productivity, and social activities to
develop connections for possible future opportunities including wage
increase. These activities should be promoted for productive leisure
time and for welfare improvement.
Abstract: Despite various methods that exist in software risk management, software projects have a high rate of failure. When complexity and size of the projects are increased, managing software development becomes more difficult. In these projects the need for more analysis and risk assessment is vital. In this paper, a classification for software risks is specified. Then relations between these risks using risk tree structure are presented. Analysis and assessment of these risks are done using probabilistic calculations. This analysis helps qualitative and quantitative assessment of risk of failure. Moreover it can help software risk management process. This classification and risk tree structure can apply to some software tools.
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to present the
development of the frame of Chulalongkorn University team in TSAE
Auto Challenge Student Formula and Student Formula SAE
Competition of Japan. Chulalongkorn University's SAE team, has
established since year 2003, joined many competitions since year 2006
and became the leading team in Thailand. Through these 5 years, space
frame was the most selected and developed year by year through six
frame designs. In this paper, the discussions on the conceptual design
of these frames are introduced, focusing on the mass and torsional
stiffness improvement. The torsional stiffness test was performed on
the real used frames and the results are compared. It can be seen that
the 2010-2011 frame is firstly designed based on the analysis and
experiment that considered the required mass and torsional stiffness.
From the torsional stiffness results, it can be concluded that the frames
were developed including the decreasing of mass and the increasing
torsional stiffness by applying many techniques.
Abstract: Security has been an important issue and concern in the
smart home systems. Smart home networks consist of a wide range of
wired or wireless devices, there is possibility that illegal access to
some restricted data or devices may happen. Password-based
authentication is widely used to identify authorize users, because this
method is cheap, easy and quite accurate. In this paper, a neural
network is trained to store the passwords instead of using verification
table. This method is useful in solving security problems that
happened in some authentication system. The conventional way to
train the network using Backpropagation (BPN) requires a long
training time. Hence, a faster training algorithm, Resilient
Backpropagation (RPROP) is embedded to the MLPs Neural
Network to accelerate the training process. For the Data Part, 200
sets of UserID and Passwords were created and encoded into binary
as the input. The simulation had been carried out to evaluate the
performance for different number of hidden neurons and combination
of transfer functions. Mean Square Error (MSE), training time and
number of epochs are used to determine the network performance.
From the results obtained, using Tansig and Purelin in hidden and
output layer and 250 hidden neurons gave the better performance. As
a result, a password-based user authentication system for smart home
by using neural network had been developed successfully.
Abstract: Common acceptable cuisine usually discussed in the
multicultural/ethnic nation as it represents the process of sharing it
among the ethnic groups. The common acceptable cuisine is also
considered as a precursor in the process of constructing the national
food identity within ethnic groups in the multicultural countries. The
adaptation of certain ethnic cuisines through its types of food,
methods of cooking, ingredients and eating decorum by ethnic groups
is believed creating or enhancing the process of formation on
common acceptable cuisines in a multicultural country. Malaysia as
the multicultural country without doubt is continuing to experience
cross-culturing processes among the ethnic groups including cuisine.
This study empirically investigates the adaptation level of Malay,
Chinese and Indian chefs on each other ethnic cuisine attributes
toward the formation on common acceptable cuisines and national
food identity.
Abstract: The frequency contents of the non-stationary
signals vary with time. For proper characterization of such
signals, a smart time-frequency representation is necessary.
Classically, the STFT (short-time Fourier transform) is
employed for this purpose. Its limitation is the fixed timefrequency
resolution. To overcome this drawback an enhanced
STFT version is devised. It is based on the signal driven
sampling scheme, which is named as the cross-level sampling.
It can adapt the sampling frequency and the window function
(length plus shape) by following the input signal local
variations. This adaptation results into the proposed technique
appealing features, which are the adaptive time-frequency
resolution and the computational efficiency.
Abstract: A new strategy for oriented immobilization of proteins was proposed. The strategy contains two steps. The first step is to search for a docking site away from the active site on the protein surface. The second step is trying to find a ligand that is able to grasp the targeted site of the protein. To avoid ligand binding to the active site of protein, the targeted docking site is selected to own opposite charges to those near the active site. To enhance the ligand-protein binding, both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions need to be included. The targeted docking site should therefore contain hydrophobic amino acids. The ligand is then selected through the help of molecular docking simulations. The enzyme α-amylase derived from Aspergillus oryzae (TAKA) was taken as an example for oriented immobilization. The active site of TAKA is surrounded by negatively charged amino acids. All the possible hydrophobic sites on the surface of TAKA were evaluated by the free energy estimation through benzene docking. A hydrophobic site on the opposite side of TAKA-s active site was found to be positive in net charges. A possible ligand, 3,3-,4,4- – Biphenyltetra- carboxylic acid (BPTA), was found to catch TAKA by the designated docking site. Then, the BPTA molecules were grafted onto silica gels and measured the affinity of TAKA adsorption and the specific activity of thereby immobilized enzymes. It was found that TAKA had a dissociation constant as low as 7.0×10-6 M toward the ligand BPTA on silica gel. The increase in ionic strength has little effect on the adsorption of TAKA, which indicated the existence of hydrophobic interaction between ligands and proteins. The specific activity of the immobilized TAKA was compared with the randomly adsorbed TAKA on primary amine containing silica gel. It was found that the orderly immobilized TAKA owns a specific activity twice as high as the one randomly adsorbed by ionic interaction.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for constructing correct parallel processing programs based on Equivalent Transformation Framework (ETF). ETF regards computation as In the framework, a problem-s domain knowledge and a query are described in definite clauses, and computation is regarded as transformation of the definite clauses. Its meaning is defined by a model of the set of definite clauses, and the transformation rules generated must preserve meaning. We have proposed a parallel processing method based on “specialization", a part of operation in the transformations, which resembles substitution in logic programming. The method requires “Memo-tree", a history of specialization to maintain correctness. In this paper we proposes the new method for the specialization-base parallel processing without Memo-tree.
Abstract: The effect of seed inoculation by VA- mycorrhiza and
different levels of phosphorus fertilizer on growth and yield of
sunflower (Azargol cultivar) was studied in experiment farm of
Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch during 2008 growing season.
The experiment treatments were arranged in factorial based on a
complete randomized block design with three replications. Four
phosphorus fertilizer levels of 25%, 50% 75% and 100% P
recommended with two levels of Mycorrhiza: with and without
Mycorrhiza (control) were assigned in a factorial combination.
Results showed that head diameter, number of seeds in head, seed
yield and oil yield were significantly higher in inoculated plants than
in non-inoculated plants. Head diameter, number of seeds in head,
1000 seeds weight, biological yield, seed yield and oil yield increased
with increasing P level above 75% P recommended in non-inoculated
plants, whereas no significant difference was observed between 75%
and 100% P recommended. The positive effect of mycorrhizal
inoculation decreased with increasing P levels due to decreased
percent root colonization at higher P levels. According to the results
of this experiment, application of mycorrhiza in present of 50% P
recommended had an appropriate performance and could increase
seed yield and oil production to an acceptable level, so it could be
considered as a suitable substitute for chemical phosphorus fertilizer
in organic agricultural systems.
Abstract: Super-quadrics can represent a set of implicit surfaces,
which can be used furthermore as primitive surfaces to construct a
complex object via Boolean set operations in implicit surface
modeling. In fact, super-quadrics were developed to create a
parametric surface by performing spherical product on two parametric
curves and some of the resulting parametric surfaces were also
represented as implicit surfaces. However, because not every
parametric curve can be redefined implicitly, this causes only implicit
super-elliptic and super-hyperbolic curves are applied to perform
spherical product and so only implicit super-ellipsoids and
hyperboloids are developed in super-quadrics. To create implicit
surfaces with more diverse shapes than super-quadrics, this paper
proposes an implicit representation of spherical product, which
performs spherical product on two implicit curves like super-quadrics
do. By means of the implicit representation, many new implicit curves
such as polygonal, star-shaped and rose-shaped curves can be used to
develop new implicit surfaces with a greater variety of shapes than
super-quadrics, such as polyhedrons, hyper-ellipsoids, superhyperboloids
and hyper-toroids containing star-shaped and roseshaped
major and minor circles. Besides, the newly developed implicit
surfaces can also be used to define new primitive implicit surfaces for
constructing a more complex implicit surface in implicit surface
modeling.
Abstract: An adaptive software reliability prediction model
using evolutionary connectionist approach based on Recurrent Radial
Basis Function architecture is proposed. Based on the currently
available software failure time data, Fuzzy Min-Max algorithm is
used to globally optimize the number of the k Gaussian nodes. The
corresponding optimized neural network architecture is iteratively
and dynamically reconfigured in real-time as new actual failure time
data arrives. The performance of our proposed approach has been
tested using sixteen real-time software failure data. Numerical results
show that our proposed approach is robust across different software
projects, and has a better performance with respect to next-steppredictability
compared to existing neural network model for failure
time prediction.