Abstract: Six Sigma is a well known discipline that reduces
variation using complex statistical tools and the DMAIC model. By
integrating Goldratts-s Theory of Constraints, the Five Focusing
Points and System Thinking tools, Six Sigma projects can be selected
where it can cause more impact in the company. This research
defines an integrated model of six sigma and constraint management
that shows a step-by-step guide using the original methodologies
from each discipline and is evaluated in a case study from the
production line of a Automobile engine monoblock V8, resulting in
an increase in the line capacity from 18.7 pieces per hour to 22.4
pieces per hour, a reduction of 60% of Work-In-Process and a
variation decrease of 0.73%.
Abstract: To support mobility in ATM networks, a number of
technical challenges need to be resolved. The impact of handoff
schemes in terms of service disruption, handoff latency, cost
implications and excess resources required during handoffs needs to
be addressed. In this paper, a one phase handoff and route
optimization solution using reserved PVCs between adjacent ATM
switches to reroute connections during inter-switch handoff is
studied. In the second phase, a distributed optimization process is
initiated to optimally reroute handoff connections. The main
objective is to find the optimal operating point at which to perform
optimization subject to cost constraint with the purpose of reducing
blocking probability of inter-switch handoff calls for delay tolerant
traffic. We examine the relation between the required bandwidth
resources and optimization rate. Also we calculate and study the
handoff blocking probability due to lack of bandwidth for resources
reserved to facilitate the rapid rerouting.
Abstract: Some of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
are the strongest known carcinogens compounds; the majority of
them are mostly produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil
fuels; Motor vehicles are a significant source of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) where diesel emission is one of the main sources
of such compounds available in the ambient air. There is a big
concern about the increasing concentration of PAHs in the
environment. Researchers are trying to explore optimal methods to
reduce those pollutants and improve the quality of air. Water blended
fuel is one of the possible approaches to reduce emission of PAHs
from the combustion of diesel in urban and domestic vehicles. In this
work a modeling study was conducted using CHEMKIN-PRO
software to simulate spray combustion at similar diesel engine
conditions. Surrogate fuel of (80 % n-heptane and 20 % toluene) was
used due to detailed kinetic and thermodynamic data needed for
modeling is available for this kind of fuel but not available for diesel.
An emulsified fuel with 3, 5, 8, 10 and 20 % water by volume is used
as an engine feed for this study. The modeling results show that water
has a significant effect on reducing engine soot and PAHs precursors
formation up to certain extent.
Abstract: It has formed an essential issue that Climate Change, composed of highly knowledge complexity, reveals its significant impact on human existence. Therefore, specific national policies, some of which present the educational aspects, have been published for overcoming the imperative problem. Accordingly, the study aims to analyze as well as integrate the relationship between Climate Change and environmental education and apply the perspective of concept map to represent the knowledge contents and structures of Climate Change; by doing so, knowledge contents of Climate Change could be represented in an even more comprehensive way and manipulated as the tool for environmental education. The method adapted for this study is knowledge conversion model compounded of the platform for experts and teachers, who were the participants for this study, to cooperate and combine each participant-s standpoints into a complete knowledge framework that is the foundation for structuring the concept map. The result of this research contains the important concepts, the precise propositions and the entire concept map for representing the robust concepts of Climate Change.
Abstract: This paper presents design trade-off and performance impacts of
the amount of pipeline phase of control path signals in a wormhole-switched
network-on-chip (NoC). The numbers of the pipeline phase of the control
path vary between two- and one-cycle pipeline phase. The control paths
consist of the routing request paths for output selection and the arbitration
paths for input selection. Data communications between on-chip routers are
implemented synchronously and for quality of service, the inter-router data
transports are controlled by using a link-level congestion control to avoid
lose of data because of an overflow. The trade-off between the area (logic
cell area) and the performance (bandwidth gain) of two proposed NoC router
microarchitectures are presented in this paper. The performance evaluation is
made by using a traffic scenario with different number of workloads under
2D mesh NoC topology using a static routing algorithm. By using a 130-nm
CMOS standard-cell technology, our NoC routers can be clocked at 1 GHz,
resulting in a high speed network link and high router bandwidth capacity
of about 320 Gbit/s. Based on our experiments, the amount of control path
pipeline stages gives more significant impact on the NoC performance than
the impact on the logic area of the NoC router.
Abstract: En bloc assumes modeling all phases of the orthostatic test with the only one mathematical model, which allows the complex parametric view of orthostatic response. The work presents the implementation of a mathematical model for processing of the measurements of systolic, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate performed on volunteers during orthostatic test. The original assumption of model hypothesis that every postural change means only one Stressor, did not complying with the measurements of physiological circulation factor-time profiles. Results of the identification support the hypothesis that second postural change of orthostatic test causes induced Stressors, with the observation of a physiological regulation mechanism. Maximal demonstrations are on the heart rate and diastolic blood pressure-time profile, minimal are for the measurements of the systolic blood pressure. Presented study gives a new view on orthostatic test with impact on clinical practice.
Abstract: The fault detection and diagnosis of complicated
production processes is one of essential tasks needed to run the process
safely with good final product quality. Unexpected events occurred in
the process may have a serious impact on the process. In this work,
triangular representation of process measurement data obtained in an
on-line basis is evaluated using simulation process. The effect of using
linear and nonlinear reduced spaces is also tested. Their diagnosis
performance was demonstrated using multivariate fault data. It has
shown that the nonlinear technique based diagnosis method produced
more reliable results and outperforms linear method. The use of
appropriate reduced space yielded better diagnosis performance. The
presented diagnosis framework is different from existing ones in that it
attempts to extract the fault pattern in the reduced space, not in the
original process variable space. The use of reduced model space helps
to mitigate the sensitivity of the fault pattern to noise.
Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the
response of plants exposed to lignite-based thermal power plant
emission. For this purpose, five plant species were collected from 1.0
km distance (polluted site) and control plants were collected from
20.0 km distance (control site) to thermal power plant. The common
tree species Cassia siamea Lamk., Polyalthia longifolia. Sonn,
Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Wild., Azadirachta indica A.Juss, Ficus
religiosa L. were selected as test plants. Photosynthetic pigments
changes (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids) and rubisco
enzyme modifications were studied. Reduction was observed in the
photosynthetic pigments of plants growing in polluted site and also
large sub unit of the rubisco enzyme was degraded in Azadirachta
indica A. Juss collected from polluted site.
Abstract: Environment both endowed and built are essential for
tourism. However tourism and environment maintains a complex
relationship, where in most cases environment is at the receiving end.
Many tourism development activities have adverse environmental
effects, mainly emanating from construction of general infrastructure
and tourism facilities. These negative impacts of tourism can lead to
the destruction of precious natural resources on which it depends.
These effects vary between locations; and its effect on a hill
destination is highly critical. This study aims at developing a
Sustainable Tourism Planning Model for an environmentally
sensitive tourism destination in Kerala, India. Being part of the
Nilgiri mountain ranges, Munnar falls in the Western Ghats, one of
the biological hotspots in the world. Endowed with a unique high
altitude environment Munnar inherits highly significant ecological
wealth. Giving prime importance to the protection of this ecological
heritage, the study proposes a tourism planning model with resource
conservation and sustainability as the paramount focus. Conceiving a
novel approach towards sustainable tourism planning, the study
proposes to assess tourism attractions using Ecological Sensitivity
Index (ESI) and Tourism Attractiveness Index (TAI). Integration of
these two indices will form the Ecology – Tourism Matrix (ETM),
outlining the base for tourism planning in an environmentally
sensitive destination. The ETM Matrix leads to a classification of
tourism nodes according to its Conservation Significance and
Tourism Significance. The spatial integration of such nodes based on
the Hub & Spoke Principle constitutes sub – regions within the STZ.
Ensuing analyses lead to specific guidelines for the STZ as a whole,
specific tourism nodes, hubs and sub-regions. The study results in a
multi – dimensional output, viz., (1) Classification system for tourism
nodes in an environmentally sensitive region/ destination (2)
Conservation / Tourism Development Strategies and Guidelines for
the micro and macro regions and (3) A Sustainable Tourism Planning
Tool particularly for Ecologically Sensitive Destinations, which can
be adapted for other destinations as well.
Abstract: The study aims to develop a framework of social
network management to enhance customer relationship. Social
network management of this research is derived from social network
site management, individual and organization social network usage
motivation. The survey was conducted with organization employees
who have used social network to interact with customers. The results
reveal that content, link, privacy and security, page design and
interactivity are the major issues of social network site management.
Content, link, privacy and security, individual and organization
motivation have major impacts on encouraging business knowledge
sharing among employees. Moreover, Page design and interactivity,
content, organization motivation and knowledge sharing can improve
customer relationships.
Abstract: A robust AUSM+ upwind discretisation scheme has been developed to simulate multiphase flow using consistent spatial discretisation schemes and a modified low-Mach number diffusion term. The impact of the selection of an interfacial pressure model has also been investigated. Three representative test cases have been simulated to evaluate the accuracy of the commonly-used stiffenedgas equation of state with respect to the IAPWS-IF97 equation of state for water. The algorithm demonstrates a combination of robustness and accuracy over a range of flow conditions, with the stiffened-gas equation tending to overestimate liquid temperature and density profiles.
Abstract: In this study, oxidative steam reforming of methanol (OSRM) over a Au/CeO2–Fe2O3 catalyst prepared by a depositionprecipitation (DP) method was studied to produce hydrogen in order to feed a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC). The support (CeO2, Fe2O3, and CeO2–Fe2O3) were prepared by precipitation and co-precipitation methods. The impact of the support composition on the catalytic performance was studied by varying the Ce/(Ce+Fe) atomic ratio, it was found that the 1%Au/CF(0.25) calcined at 300 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity in the whole temperature studied. In addition, the effect of Au content was investigated and 3%Au/CF(0.25) exhibited the highest activity under the optimum condition in the temperature range of 200 °C to 400 °C. The catalysts were characterized by various techniques: XRD, TPR, XRF, and UV-vis.
Abstract: This research documents a qualitative study of
selected Native Americans who have successfully graduated from
mainstream higher education institutions. The research framework
explored the Bicultural Identity Formation Model as a means of
understanding the expressions of the students' adaptations to
mainstream education. This approach lead to an awareness of how
the participants in the study used specific cultural and social
strategies to enhance their educational success and also to an
awareness of how they coped with cultural dissonance to achieve a
new academic identity. Research implications impact a larger
audience of bicultural, foreign, or international students experiencing
cultural dissonance.
Abstract: This paper proposes, for the first time, how the
challenges facing the guard-band designs including the margin
assist-circuits scheme for the screening-test in the coming process
generations should be addressed. The increased screening error
impacts are discussed based on the proposed statistical analysis
models. It has been shown that the yield-loss caused by the
misjudgment on the screening test would become 5-orders of
magnitude larger than that for the conventional one when the
amplitude of random telegraph noise (RTN) caused variations
approaches to that of random dopant fluctuation. Three fitting methods
to approximate the RTN caused complex Gamma mixtures
distributions by the simple Gaussian mixtures model (GMM) are
proposed and compared. It has been verified that the proposed
methods can reduce the error of the fail-bit predictions by 4-orders of
magnitude.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the
relationship between parent involvement and preschool disabled
children’s development. Parents of 3 year old disabled children
(N=440) and 5 year old disabled children (N=937) participating in the
Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study were interviewed or
answered the web design questionnaire about their actions in parenting
their disabled children. These children’s developments were also
evaluated by their teachers. Data were analyzed using Structural
Equation Modeling. Results were showed by tables and figures. Based
on the results, the researcher made some suggestions for future studies.
Abstract: During the last decade ultrafine grained (UFG) and nano-structured (NS) materials have experienced a rapid development. In this research work finite element analysis has been carried out to investigate the plastic strain distribution in equal channel angular process (ECAP). The magnitudes of Standard deviation (S. D.) and inhomogeneity index (Ci) were compared for different ECAP passes. Verification of a three-dimensional finite element model was performed with experimental tests. Finally the mechanical property including impact energy of ultrafine grained pure commercially pure Aluminum produced by severe plastic deformation method has been examined. For this aim, equal channel angular pressing die with the channel angle, outer corner angle and channel diameter of 90°, 20° and 20mm had been designed and manufactured. Commercial pure Aluminum billets were ECAPed up to four passes by route BC at the ambient temperature. The results indicated that there is a great improvement at the hardness measurement, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength after ECAP process. It is found that the magnitudes of HV reach 67HV from 21HV after the final stage of process. Also, about 330% and 285% enhancement at the YS and UTS values have been obtained after the fourth pass as compared to the as-received conditions, respectively. On the other hand, the elongation to failure and impact energy have been reduced by 23% and 50% after imposing four passes of ECAP process, respectively.
Abstract: The aim of this investigation is to study the
performance of the new generation of the PVD coated grade and to
map the influence of cutting conditions on the tool life in milling of
ADI (Austempered Ductile Iron). The results show that chipping is
the main wear mechanism which determines the tool life in dry
condition and notch wear in wet condition for this application. This
due to the different stress mechanisms and preexisting cracks in the
coating. The wear development shows clearly that the new PVD
coating (C20) has the best ability to delay the chipping growth. It
was also found that a high content of Al in the new coating (C20)
was especially favorable compared to a TiAlN multilayer with lower
Al content (C30) or CVD coating. This is due to fine grains and low
compressive stress level in the coating which increase the coating
ability to withstand the mechanical and thermal impact. It was also
found that the use of coolant decreases the tool life with 70-80%
compare to dry milling.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to summarize the
following protection of scouring countermeasures by using
Bentonite-Enhanced Sand (BES) mixtures. The concept of
underground improvement is being used in this study to reduce the
void of the sand. The sand bentonite mixture was used to bond the
ground soil conditions surrounding the pile of integral bridge. The
right composition of sand bentonite mixture was proposed based on
previous findings. The swelling effect of bentonite also was
investigated to ensure there is no adverse impact to the structure of
the integral bridge. ScourScour, another name for severe erosion,
occurs when the erosive capacity of water resulting from natural and
manmade events exceeds the ability of earth materials to resist its
effects. According to AASHTO LRFD Specifications (Section
C3.7.5), scour is the most common reason for the collapse of
highway bridges in the United States
Abstract: The paper deals with the analysis of the dynamic
response of footbridges under human - induced dynamic loads.
This is a frequently occurring and often dominant load for
footbridges as it stems from the very purpose of a footbridge - to
convey pedestrian. Due to the emergence of new materials and
advanced engineering technology, slender footbridges are
increasingly becoming popular to satisfy the modern transportation
needs and the aesthetical requirements of the society. These
structures however are always lively with low stiffness, low mass,
low damping and low natural frequencies. As a consequence, they are
prone to vibration induced by human activities and can suffer severe
vibration serviceability problems, particularly in the lateral direction.
Pedestrian bridges are designed according to first and second limit
states, these are the criteria involved in response to static design load.
However, it is necessary to assess the dynamic response of bridge
design load on pedestrians and assess it impact on the comfort of the
user movement. Usually the load is considered a person or a small
group which can be assumed in perfect motion synchronization.
Already one person or small group can excite significant vibration of
the deck. In order to calculate the dynamic response to the movement
of people, designer needs available and suitable computational model
and criteria. For the calculation program ANSYS based on finite
element method was used.
Abstract: This article discusses the prospects of participation of
the Republic of Kazakhstan in Hague Conference on Private
International Law on the unification of collision law in the
international trade.
The article analyzes some conventions on international trade. The
appropriate conclusions based on the opinions of scientists and
experts in this field have been made. First, all issues presented in the
form of gaps or spaces in conventions should be the subject to direct
negotiations in the course of the activities of Hague Conference, and
have a comprehensive feature, be transparent and taken under
simplified procedure.
Secondly, one should not underestimate the value of conventions
that do not become active due to various reasons and having a
positive impact on the development and improvement of national
legislation and practice in the field of private international law.
Thirdly, Kazakhstan has to reconsider its attitude to Hague
Conference, having become its full member and aiming at providing
constructive and fruitful cooperation with both the organization itself
and its member states.