Abstract: The contribution deals with problem of take-off phase of back somersault with twisting with various numbers of twists along longitudinal body axis. The aim was to evaluate the changes in angles during transition phase from back handspring to back somersault using 3D kinematic analysis of the somersaults. We used Simi Motion System for the 3D kinematic analysis of the observed gymnastic element performed by Czech Republic female representative and 2008 Summer Olympic Games participant. The results showed that the higher the number of twists, the smaller the touchdown angle in which the gymnasts lands on the pad in the beginning of take-off phase. In back somersault with one twist (180°) the average angle is 54°, in 1080° back somersault the average angle is 45.9°. These results may help to improve technical training of sports gymnasts.
Abstract: The paper presents the multi-element synthetic
transmit aperture (MSTA) method with a small number of elements
transmitting and all elements apertures in medical ultrasound
imaging. As compared to the other methods MSTA allows to
increase the system frame rate and provides the best compromise
between penetration depth and lateral resolution.
In the experiments a 128-element linear transducer array with
0.3 mm pitch excited by a burst pulse of 125 ns duration were used.
The comparison of 2D ultrasound images of tissue mimicking
phantom obtained using the STA and the MSTA methods is
presented to demonstrate the benefits of the second approach. The
results were obtained using SA algorithm with transmit and receive
signals correction based on a single element directivity function.
Abstract: A Reading Comprehend (RC) Platform has been
constructed and developed to facilitate children-s English reading
comprehension. Like a learning bridge, the RC Platform focuses on
the integration of rich media and picture-book texts. The study is to
examine the effects of the project within the RC Platform for children.
Two classes of fourth graders were selected from a public elementary
school in an urban area of central Taiwan. The findings taken from the
survey showed that the students demonstrated high interest in the RC
Platform. The students benefited greatly and enjoyed reading via the
technology-enhanced project within the RC Platform. This Platform is
a good reading bridge to enrich students- learning experiences and
enhance their performance in English reading comprehension.
Abstract: Some Chromium (III) complexes were synthesized
with three amino acids: L Glutamic Acid, Glycine, and L-cysteine as
the ligands, in order to provide a new supplement containing Cr(III)
for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The complexes have been
prepared by refluxing a mixture of Chromium(III) chloride in
aqueous solution with L-glutamic acid, Glycine, and L-cysteine after
pH adjustment by sodium hydroxide. These complexes were
characterized by Infrared and Uv-Vis spectrophotometer and
Elemental analyzer. The product yields of four products were 87.50
and 56.76% for Cr-Glu complexes, 46.70% for Cr-Gly complex and
40.08% for Cr-Cys complex respectively. The predicted structure of
the complexes are [Cr(glu)2(H2O)2].xH2O, Cr(gly)3..xH2O and
Cr(cys)3.xH2O., respectively.
Abstract: This paper features the modeling and design of a
Robust Decentralized Fast Output Sampling (RDFOS) Feedback
control technique for the active vibration control of a smart flexible
multimodel Euler-Bernoulli cantilever beams for a multivariable
(MIMO) case by retaining the first 6 vibratory modes. The beam
structure is modeled in state space form using the concept of
piezoelectric theory, the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the Finite
Element Method (FEM) technique by dividing the beam into 4 finite
elements and placing the piezoelectric sensor / actuator at two finite
element locations (positions 2 and 4) as collocated pairs, i.e., as
surface mounted sensor / actuator, thus giving rise to a multivariable
model of the smart structure plant with two inputs and two outputs.
Five such multivariable models are obtained by varying the
dimensions (aspect ratios) of the aluminium beam. Using model
order reduction technique, the reduced order model of the higher
order system is obtained based on dominant Eigen value retention
and the Davison technique. RDFOS feedback controllers are
designed for the above 5 multivariable-multimodel plant. The closed
loop responses with the RDFOS feedback gain and the magnitudes of
the control input are obtained and the performance of the proposed
multimodel smart structure system is evaluated for vibration control.
Abstract: Coherent and incoherent scattering cross section measurements have been carried out using a HPGe detector on elements in the range of Z = 13 - 50 using 241Am gamma rays. The cross sections have been derived by comparing the net count rate obtained from the Compton peak of aluminium with the corresponding peak of the target. The measured cross sections for the coherent and incoherent processes are compared with theoretical values and earlier reported values. Our results are in agreement with the theoretical values.
Abstract: Avionic software architecture has transit from a
federated avionics architecture to an integrated modular avionics
(IMA) .ARINC 653 (Avionics Application Standard Software Interface) is a software specification for space and time partitioning in
Safety-critical avionics Real-time operating systems. Methods to transform the abstract avionics application logic function to the
executable model have been brought up, however with less
consideration about the code generating input and output model specific for ARINC 653 platform and inner-task synchronous dynamic
interaction order sequence. In this paper, we proposed an
AADL-based model-driven design methodology to fulfill the purpose
to automatically generating Cµ executable model on ARINC 653 platform from the ARINC653 architecture which defined as AADL653 in order to facilitate the development of the avionics software constructed on ARINC653 OS. This paper presents the
mapping rules between the AADL653 elements and the elements in
Cµ language, and define the code generating rules , designs an automatic C µ code generator .Then, we use a case to illustrate our
approach. Finally, we give the related work and future research directions.
Abstract: One of the essential sectors of Myanmar economy is
agriculture which is sensitive to climate variation. The most
important climatic element which impacts on agriculture sector is
rainfall. Thus rainfall prediction becomes an important issue in
agriculture country. Multi variables polynomial regression (MPR)
provides an effective way to describe complex nonlinear input output
relationships so that an outcome variable can be predicted from the
other or others. In this paper, the modeling of monthly rainfall
prediction over Myanmar is described in detail by applying the
polynomial regression equation. The proposed model results are
compared to the results produced by multiple linear regression model
(MLR). Experiments indicate that the prediction model based on
MPR has higher accuracy than using MLR.
Abstract: On one hand, SNMP (Simple Network Management
Protocol) allows integrating different enterprise elements connected
through Internet into a standardized remote management. On the
other hand, as a consequence of the success of Intelligent Houses
they can be connected through Internet now by means of a residential
gateway according to a common standard called OSGi (Open
Services Gateway initiative). Due to the specifics of OSGi Service
Platforms and their dynamic nature, specific design criterions should
be defined to implement SNMP Agents for OSGi in order to integrate
them into the SNMP remote management. Based on the analysis of
the relation between both standards (SNMP and OSGi), this paper
shows how OSGi Service Platforms can be included into the SNMP
management of a global enterprise, giving implementation details
about an SNMP Agent solution and the definition of a new MIB
(Management Information Base) for managing OSGi platforms that
takes into account the specifics and dynamic nature of OSGi.
Abstract: In this study, any possible differences between mathematics beliefs and anxiety of prospective elementary mathematics teachers have been investigated according to their gender. In this purpose, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students from a Government University in Turkey were selected as a sample. Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale (MATAS) and Beliefs About Mathematics Survey (BAMS) has been used as data collection tools. As a result of the study, it has been observed that prospective male teachers have more instrumentalist approach in learning mathematics than females according to their mathematical beliefs. On the other hand, females have more mathematics teaching anxiety than males especially, for subject knowledge in mathematics and selfconfidence.
Abstract: Postgraduate education is generally aimed at providing in-depth knowledge and understanding that include general philosophy in the world sciences, management, technologies, applications and other elements closely related to specific areas. In most universities, besides core and non-core subjects, a thesis is one of the requirements for the postgraduate student to accomplish before graduating. This paper reports on the empirical investigation into attributes that are associated with the obstacles to thesis accomplishment among postgraduate students. Using the quantitative approach the experiences of postgraduate students were tapped. Findings clearly revealed that information seeking, writing skills and other factors which refer to supervisor and time management, in particular, are recognized as contributory factors which positively or negatively influence postgraduates’ thesis accomplishment. Among these, writing skills dimensions were found to be the most difficult process in thesis accomplishment compared to information seeking and other factors. This pessimistic indication has provided some implications not only for the students but supervisors and institutions as a whole.
Abstract: Bloom filter is a probabilistic and memory efficient
data structure designed to answer rapidly whether an element is
present in a set. It tells that the element is definitely not in the set but
its presence is with certain probability. The trade-off to use Bloom
filter is a certain configurable risk of false positives. The odds of a
false positive can be made very low if the number of hash function is
sufficiently large. For spam detection, weight is attached to each set
of elements. The spam weight for a word is a measure used to rate the
e-mail. Each word is assigned to a Bloom filter based on its weight.
The proposed work introduces an enhanced concept in Bloom filter
called Bin Bloom Filter (BBF). The performance of BBF over
conventional Bloom filter is evaluated under various optimization
techniques. Real time data set and synthetic data sets are used for
experimental analysis and the results are demonstrated for bin sizes 4,
5, 6 and 7. Finally analyzing the results, it is found that the BBF
which uses heuristic techniques performs better than the traditional
Bloom filter in spam detection.
Abstract: This paper deals with a high-order accurate Runge
Kutta Discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG) method for the numerical
solution of the wave equation, which is one of the simple case of a
linear hyperbolic partial differential equation. Nodal DG method is
used for a finite element space discretization in 'x' by discontinuous
approximations. This method combines mainly two key ideas which
are based on the finite volume and finite element methods. The
physics of wave propagation being accounted for by means of
Riemann problems and accuracy is obtained by means of high-order
polynomial approximations within the elements. High order accurate
Low Storage Explicit Runge Kutta (LSERK) method is used for
temporal discretization in 't' that allows the method to be nonlinearly
stable regardless of its accuracy. The resulting RKDG
methods are stable and high-order accurate. The L1 ,L2 and L∞ error
norm analysis shows that the scheme is highly accurate and effective.
Hence, the method is well suited to achieve high order accurate
solution for the scalar wave equation and other hyperbolic equations.
Abstract: Entrepreneurs are important for national labour markets and economies in that they contribute significantly to economic growth as well as provide the majority of jobs and create new ones. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s “Report on Women and Entrepreneurship”, investment in women’s entrepreneurship is an important way to exponentially increase the impact of new venture creation finding ways to empower women’s participation and success in entrepreneurship are critical for more sustainable and successful economic development. Our results confirm that they are still differences between men and women entrepreneurs The reasons seems to be the lack of specific business skills, the less extensive social network, and the lack of identification patterns among women. Those differences can be explained by the fact that women still have fewer opportunities to make a career. If this is correct, we can predict an increasing proportion of women among entrepreneurs in the next years. Concerning the development of a favorable environment for developing and enhancing women entrepreneurship activities, our results show the insertion in a network and the role of a model doubtless represent elements determining in the choice to launch an entrepreneurship activity, as well as a precious resource for the success of her company.
Abstract: This paper deals with the design of a periodic output
feedback controller for a flexible beam structure modeled with
Timoshenko beam theory, Finite Element Method, State space
methods and embedded piezoelectrics concept. The first 3 modes are
considered in modeling the beam. The main objective of this work is
to control the vibrations of the beam when subjected to an external
force. Shear piezoelectric sensors and actuators are embedded into
the top and bottom layers of a flexible aluminum beam structure, thus
making it intelligent and self-adaptive. The composite beam is
divided into 5 finite elements and the control actuator is placed at
finite element position 1, whereas the sensor is varied from position 2
to 5, i.e., from the nearby fixed end to the free end. 4 state space
SISO models are thus developed. Periodic Output Feedback (POF)
Controllers are designed for the 4 SISO models of the same plant to
control the flexural vibrations. The effect of placing the sensor at
different locations on the beam is observed and the performance of
the controller is evaluated for vibration control. Conclusions are
finally drawn.
Abstract: In this paper we propose a novel method for human
face segmentation using the elliptical structure of the human head. It
makes use of the information present in the edge map of the image.
In this approach we use the fact that the eigenvalues of covariance
matrix represent the elliptical structure. The large and small
eigenvalues of covariance matrix are associated with major and
minor axial lengths of an ellipse. The other elliptical parameters are
used to identify the centre and orientation of the face. Since an
Elliptical Hough Transform requires 5D Hough Space, the Circular
Hough Transform (CHT) is used to evaluate the elliptical parameters.
Sparse matrix technique is used to perform CHT, as it squeeze zero
elements, and have only a small number of non-zero elements,
thereby having an advantage of less storage space and computational
time. Neighborhood suppression scheme is used to identify the valid
Hough peaks. The accurate position of the circumference pixels for
occluded and distorted ellipses is identified using Bresenham-s
Raster Scan Algorithm which uses the geometrical symmetry
properties. This method does not require the evaluation of tangents
for curvature contours, which are very sensitive to noise. The method
has been evaluated on several images with different face orientations.
Abstract: This project aims to investigate the potential of
torrefaction to improve the properties of Malaysian palm kernel shell
(PKS) as a solid fuel. A study towards torrefaction of PKS was
performed under various temperature and residence time of 240, 260,
and 280oC and 30, 60, and 90 minutes respectively. The torrefied
PKS was characterized in terms of the mass yield, energy yield,
elemental composition analysis, calorific value analysis, moisture and
volatile matter contents, and ash and fixed carbon contents. The mass
and energy yield changes in the torrefied PKS were observed to
prove that the temperature has more effect compare to residence time
in the torrefaction process. The C content of PKS increases while H
and O contents decrease after torrefaction, which resulted in higher
heating value between 5 to 16%. Meanwhile, torrefaction caused the
ash and fixed carbon content of PKS to increase, and the moisture
and volatile matter to decrease.
Abstract: The separation efficiency of a hydrocyclone has
extensively been considered on the rigid particle assumption. A
collection of experimental studies have demonstrated their
discrepancies from the modeling and simulation results. These
discrepancies caused by the actual particle elasticity have generally
led to a larger amount of energy consumption in the separation
process. In this paper, the influence of particle elasticity on the
separation efficiency of a hydrocyclone system was investigated
through the Finite Element (FE) simulations using crude oil droplets
as the elastic particles. A Reitema-s design hydrocyclone with a
diameter of 8 mm was employed to investigate the separation
mechanism of the crude oil droplets from water. The cut-size
diameter eter of the crude oil was 10 - Ðçm in order to fit with the
operating range of the adopted hydrocylone model. Typical
parameters influencing the performance of hydrocyclone were varied
with the feed pressure in the range of 0.3 - 0.6 MPa and feed
concentration between 0.05 – 0.1 w%. In the simulation, the Finite
Element scheme was applied to investigate the particle-flow
interaction occurred in the crude oil system during the process. The
interaction of a single oil droplet at the size of 10 - Ðçm to the flow
field was observed. The feed concentration fell in the dilute flow
regime so the particle-particle interaction was ignored in the study.
The results exhibited the higher power requirement for the separation
of the elastic particulate system when compared with the rigid
particulate system.
Abstract: The presence of chemical bonding between functionalized carbon nanotubes and matrix in carbon nanotube reinforced composites is modeled by elastic beam elements representing covalent bonding characteristics. Neglecting other reinforcing mechanisms in the composite such as relatively weak interatomic Van der Waals forces, this model shows close results to the Rule of Mixtures model-s prediction for effective Young-s modulus of a Representative Volume Element of composite for small volume fractions (~1%) and high aspect ratios (L/D>200) of CNTs.
Abstract: The rising price of fossil fuels, government incentives
and growing public aware-ness for the need to implement sustainable
energy supplies has resulted in a large in-crease in solar panel
installations across the country. For many sites the most eco-nomical
solar panel installation uses existing, southerly facing rooftops.
Adding solar panels to an existing roof typically means increased
loads that must be borne by the building-s structural elements. The
structural design professional is responsible for ensuring a new solar
panel installation is properly supported by an existing structure and
configured to maximize energy generation.