Abstract: This paper presents a new approach for the prob-ability density function estimation using the Support Vector Ma-chines (SVM) and the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithms.In the proposed approach, an advanced algorithm for the SVM den-sity estimation which incorporates the Mean Field theory in the learning process is used. Instead of using ad-hoc values for the para-meters of the kernel function which is used by the SVM algorithm,the proposed approach uses the EM algorithm for an automatic optimization of the kernel. Experimental evaluation using simulated data set shows encouraging results.
Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the
chemical and biological properties of local cowpea seed protein
cultivated in Gizan region. The results showed that the cowpea and
its products contain high level of protein (22.9-77.6%), high
carbohydrates (9.4-64.3%) and low fats (0.1-0.3%). The trypsin and
chymotrypsin activities were found to be 32.2 and 15.2 units,
respectively. These activities were not affected in both defatted and
protein concentrate whereas they were significantly reduced in
isolated protein and cooked samples. The phytate content of cooked
and concentrated cowpea samples varied from 0.25% -0.32%,
respectively. Tannin content was found to be 0.4% and 0.23% for
cooked and raw samples, respectively. The in vitro protein
digestibility was very high in cowpea seeds (75.04-78.76%). The
biological evaluation using rats showed that the group fed with
animal feed containing casein gain more weight than those fed with
that containing cowpea. However, the group fed with cooked cowpea
gain more weight than those fed with uncooked cowpea. On the
other hand, in vivo digestion showed high value (98.33%) among the
group consumed casein compared to other groups those consumed
cowpea contains feed. This could be attributed to low antinutritional
factors in casein contains feed compared to those of cowpea contains
feed because cooking significantly increased the digestion rate
(80.8% to 83.5%) of cowpea contains feed. Furthermore, the
biological evaluation was high (91.67%) of casein containing feed
compared to that of cowpea containing feed (80.83%-87.5%). The
net protein utilization (NPU) was higher (89.67%) in the group fed
with casein containing feed than that of cowpea containing feed
(56.33%-69.67%).
Abstract: To comply with the international human right
legislation concerning the freedom of movement, transport systems
are required to be made accessible in order that all citizens, regardless
of their physical condition, have equal possibilities to use them. In
Hungary, apparently there is a considerable default in the
improvement of accessible public transport. This study is aiming to
overview the current Hungarian situation and to reveal the reasons of
the deficiency. The result shows that in spite of the relatively
favourable juridical background linked to the accessibility needs and
to the rights of persons with disabilities there is a strong delay in
putting all in practice in the field of public transport. Its main reason
is the lack of financial resource and referring to this the lack of
creating mandatory regulations. In addition to this the proprietary
rights related to public transport are also variable, which also limits
the improvement possibilities. Consequently, first of all an accurate
and detailed regulatory procedure is expected to change the present
unfavourable situation and to create the conditions of the fast
realization, which is already behind time.
Abstract: The tracing methods determine the contribution the
power system sources have in their supplying. The methods can be used
to assess the transmission prices, but also to recover the transmission
fixed cost. In this paper is presented the influence of the modification of
commons structure has on the specific price of transfer. The operator
must make use of a few basic principles about allocation. Most
tracing methods are based on the proportional sharing principle. In this
paper Kirschen method is used. In order to illustrate this method, the 25-
bus test system is used, elaborated within the Electrical Power
Engineering Department, from Timisoara, Romania.
Abstract: The large and small-scale shaking table tests, which
was conducted for investigating damage evolution of piles inside
liquefied soil, are numerically simulated and experimental verified by the3D nonlinear finite element analysis. Damage evolution of
elasto-plastic circular steel piles and reinforced concrete (RC) one with cracking and yield of reinforcement are focused on, and the failure patterns and residual damages are captured by the proposed constitutive models. The superstructure excitation behind quay wall is
reproduced as well.
Abstract: Sediment and mangrove root samples from Iko River
Estuary, Nigeria were analyzed for microbial and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content. The total heterotrophic
bacterial (THB) count ranged from 1.1x107 to 5.1 x107 cfu/g, total
fungal (TF) count ranged from 1.0x106 to 2.7x106 cfu/g, total
coliform (TC) count ranged from 2.0x104 to 8.0x104cfu/g while
hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial (HUB) count ranged from 1.0x 105 to
5.0 x 105cfu/g. There was a range of positive correlation (r = 0.72 to
0.93) between THB count and total HUB count, respectively. The
organisms were Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus,
Flavobacterium breve, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Erwinia
amylovora, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sp, Desulfovibrio sp,
Acinetobacter iwoffii, Chromobacterium violaceum, Micrococcus
sedentarius, Corynebacterium sp, and Pseudomonas putrefaciens.
The PAH were Naphthalene, 2-Methylnaphthalene, Acenapthylene,
Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Phenanthene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene,
Pyrene, Benzo(a)anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene,
Benzo(k)fluoranthene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene,
Benzo(g,h,l)perylene ,Indeno(1,2,3-d)pyrene with individual PAH
concentrations that ranged from 0.20mg/kg to 1.02mg/kg, 0.20mg/kg
to 1.07mg/kg and 0.2mg/kg to 4.43mg/kg in the benthic sediment,
epipellic sediment and mangrove roots, respectively. Total PAH
ranged from 6.30 to 9.93mg/kg, 6.30 to 9.13mg/kg and 9.66 to
16.68mg/kg in the benthic sediment, epipellic sediment and
mangrove roots, respectively. The high concentrations in the
mangrove roots are indicative of bioaccumulation of the pollutant in
the plant tissue. The microorganisms are of ecological significance
and the detectable quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
could be partitioned and accumulated in tissues of infaunal and
epifaunal organisms in the study area.
Abstract: Environmental micro-organisms include a large number of taxa and some species that are generally considered nonpathogenic, but can represent a risk in certain conditions, especially for elderly people and immunocompromised individuals. Chemotaxonomic identification techniques are powerful tools for environmental micro-organisms, and cellular fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) content is a powerful fingerprinting identification technique. A system based on an unsupervised artificial neural network (ANN) was set up using the fatty acid profiles of standard bacterial strains, obtained by gas-chromatography, used as learning data. We analysed 45 certified strains belonging to Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Alcaligenes, Aquaspirillum, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Enterobacter, Flavobacterium, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Shewanella and Vibrio genera. A set of 79 bacteria isolated from a drinking water line (AMGA, the major water supply system in Genoa) were used as an example for identification compared to standard MIDI method. The resulting ANN output map was found to be a very powerful tool to identify these fresh isolates.
Abstract: Porcelain specimens were fired at 6C/min to 1250C (dwell time 0.5-3h) and cooled at 6C/min to room temperature. Additionally, three different slower firing/cooling cycles were tried. Sintering profile and effects on MOR, crystalline phase content and morphology were investigated using dilatometry, 4-point bending strength, XRD and FEG-SEM respectively. Industrial-sized specimens prepared using the promising cycle were tested basing on the ANSI standards. Increasing dwell time from 1h to 3h at peak temperature of 1250C resulted in neither a significant effect on the quartz and mullite content nor MOR. Reducing the firing/cooling rate to below 6C/min, for peak temperature of 1250C (dwell time of 1h) does not result in improvement of strength of porcelain. The industrial sized specimen exhibited flashover voltages of 20.3kV (dry) and 9.3kV (wet) respectively, transverse strength of 12.5kN and bulk density of 2.27g/cm3, which are satisfactory. There was however dye penetration during porosity test. KeywordsDwell time, Microstructure, Porcelain, Strength.
Abstract: To study the performance of soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivars in varying weeding regimes, a field experiment was conducted in 2010. The experiment was split plot in a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. The four cultivars and two lines of soybean including: Sahar, Hill, Sari, Telar, 032 and 033 in main plot and weeding regime consist of no weeding (control), one weeding (35 days after planting) and two weeding (35+20 days after planting) were randomized in sub plot. In weed infested plots inevitably had the highest yield reduction in all varieties. On the other hand, plots weeded twice showed the best performance for all cultivars and lines. Although 033 had the highest yield over weeding regimes, but Hill was the best cultivar in suppression of weeds, which indicated the competitiveness of this cultivar. Double weeding, with the use of competitive soybean cultivars would be an effective approach for producing yield.
Abstract: This study used Item Analysis, Exploratory Factor
Analysis (EFA) and Reliability Analysis (Cronbach-s α value) to
exam the Questions which selected by the Delphi method based on the
issue of “Socio-technical system (STS)" and user-centered
perspective. A structure questionnaire with seventy-four questions
which could be categorized into nine dimensions (healthcare
environment, organization behaviour, system quality, medical data
quality, service quality, safety quality, user usage, user satisfaction,
and organization net benefits) was provided to evaluate EMR of the
Taiwanese healthcare environment.
Abstract: The field of polymeric biomaterials is very important
from the socio-economical viewpoint. Synthetic carbohydrate
polymers are being increasingly investigated as biodegradable,
biocompatible and biorenewable materials. The aim of this study was
to synthesize and characterize some derivatives based on D-mannose.
D-mannose was chemically modified to obtain 1-O-allyl-2,3:5,6-di-
O-isopropylidene-D-mannofuranose and 1-O-(2-,3--epoxy-propyl)-
2,3:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannofuranose.
The chemical structure of the resulting compounds was
characterized by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, and by HPLC-MS.
Abstract: In this paper we present a novel approach for density estimation. The proposed approach is based on using the logistic regression model to get initial density estimation for the given empirical density. The empirical data does not exactly follow the logistic regression model, so, there will be a deviation between the empirical density and the density estimated using logistic regression model. This deviation may be positive and/or negative. In this paper we use a linear combination of Gaussian (LCG) with positive and negative components as a model for this deviation. Also, we will use the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate the parameters of LCG. Experiments on real images demonstrate the accuracy of our approach.
Abstract: Using maximal consistent blocks of tolerance relation
on the universe in incomplete decision table, the concepts of join block
and meet block are introduced and studied. Including tolerance class,
other blocks such as tolerant kernel and compatible kernel of an object
are also discussed at the same time. Upper and lower approximations
based on those blocks are also defined. Default definite decision rules
acquired from incomplete decision table are proposed in the paper. An
incremental algorithm to update default definite decision rules is
suggested for effective mining tasks from incomplete decision table
into which data is appended. Through an example, we demonstrate
how default definite decision rules based on maximal consistent
blocks, join blocks and meet blocks are acquired and how optimization
is done in support of discernibility matrix and discernibility function
in the incomplete decision table.
Abstract: We intend to point out the differences which exist
between the classical Gini concentration coefficient and a proposed
bipolarization index defined for an arbitrary random variable which
have a finite support.
In fact Gini's index measures only the "poverty degree" for the
individuals from a given population taking into consideration their
wages. The Gini coefficient is not so sensitive to the significant
income variations in the "rich people class" .
In practice there are multiple interdependent relations between the
pauperization and the socio-economical polarization phenomena. The
presence of a strong pauperization aspect inside the population
induces often a polarization effect in this society. But the
pauperization and the polarization phenomena are not identical. For
this reason it isn't always adequate to use a Gini type coefficient,
based on the Lorenz order, to estimate the bipolarization level of the
individuals from the studied population.
The present paper emphasizes these ideas by considering two
families of random variables which have a linear or a triangular type
distributions. In addition, the continuous variation, depending on the
parameter "time" of the chosen distributions, could simulate a real
dynamical evolution of the population.
Abstract: The use of 3D computer-aided design (CAD) models
to support construction project planning has been increasing in the
previous year. 3D CAD models reveal more planning ideas by
visually showing the construction site environment in different stages
of the construction process. Using 3D CAD models together with
scheduling software to prepare construction plan can identify errors
in process sequence and spatial arrangement, which is vital to the
success of a construction project. A number of 4D (3D plus time)
CAD tools has been developed and utilized in different construction
projects due to the awareness of their importance. Virtual prototyping
extends the idea of 4D CAD by integrating more features for
simulating real construction process. Virtual prototyping originates
from the manufacturing industry where production of products such
as cars and airplanes are virtually simulated in computer before they
are built in the factory. Virtual prototyping integrates 3D CAD,
simulation engine, analysis tools (like structural analysis and
collision detection), and knowledgebase to streamline the whole
product design and production process. In this paper, we present the
application of a virtual prototyping software which has been used in
a few construction projects in Hong Kong to support construction
project planning. Specifically, the paper presents an implementation
of virtual prototyping in a residential building project in Hong Kong.
The applicability, difficulties and benefits of construction virtual
prototyping are examined based on this project.
Abstract: The objective of this paper is the introduction to a
unified optimization framework for research and education. The
OPTILIB framework implements different general purpose algorithms
for combinatorial optimization and minimum search on standard continuous
test functions. The preferences of this library are the straightforward
integration of new optimization algorithms and problems
as well as the visualization of the optimization process of different
methods exploring the search space exclusively or for the real time
visualization of different methods in parallel. Further the usage of
several implemented methods is presented on the basis of two use
cases, where the focus is especially on the algorithm visualization.
First it is demonstrated how different methods can be compared
conveniently using OPTILIB on the example of different iterative
improvement schemes for the TRAVELING SALESMAN PROBLEM.
A second study emphasizes how the framework can be used to find
global minima in the continuous domain.
Abstract: In recent years, strategic alliances have taken
increasing importance as a means to control competitive forces and to
enter into new markets. Joint ventures are one of the most frequently
used contractual forms in strategic alliances. There are various
motivations for cooperation between two or more firms e.g.,
accessing to technical know-how, accessing to financial resources
and managing risks. The firms must know about these motivations to
encourage for establishing joint venture. So, it is important for
managers to understand about these motives. On the other hand, the
cooperation section is one of the most effective parts in each country.
In this way, our study identifies goals of joint venture between
cooperative manufacturing firms, and prioritizes those using
TOPSIS1. The results show that the most important of joint venture
goals are: accessing to managerial know-how, sharing total capital
investment.
Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of various
parameters on the behaviour of water droplets on polymeric surfaces
under high electric fields. An inclined plane test was carried out to
understand the droplet behaviour in strong electric field. Parameters
such as water droplet conductivity, droplet volume, polymeric
surface roughness and droplet positioning with respect to the
electrodes were studied. The flashover voltage is affected by all
aforementioned parameters. The droplet positioning is in some cases
more vital than the droplet volume. Surface damages were analysed
using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies and by Energy
dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX). It is observes that magnitude of
discharge have direct influence on amount of surface da
Abstract: A new automatic system for the recognition and re¬construction of resealed and/or rotated partially occluded objects is presented. The objects to be recognized are described by 2D views and each view is occluded by several half-planes. The whole object views and their visible parts (linear cuts) are then stored in a database. To establish if a region R of an input image represents an object possibly occluded, the system generates a set of linear cuts of R and compare them with the elements in the database. Each linear cut of R is associated to the most similar database linear cut. R is recognized as an instance of the object 0 if the majority of the linear cuts of R are associated to a linear cut of views of 0. In the case of recognition, the system reconstructs the occluded part of R and determines the scale factor and the orientation in the image plane of the recognized object view. The system has been tested on two different datasets of objects, showing good performance both in terms of recognition and reconstruction accuracy.
Abstract: The implementation of the new software and hardware-s technologies for tritium processing nuclear plants, and especially those with an experimental character or of new technology developments shows a coefficient of complexity due to issues raised by the implementation of the performing instrumentation and equipment into a unitary monitoring system of the nuclear technological process of tritium removal. Keeping the system-s flexibility is a demand of the nuclear experimental plants for which the change of configuration, process and parameters is something usual. The big amount of data that needs to be processed stored and accessed for real time simulation and optimization demands the achievement of the virtual technologic platform where the data acquiring, control and analysis systems of the technological process can be integrated with a developed technological monitoring system. Thus, integrated computing and monitoring systems needed for the supervising of the technological process will be executed, to be continued with the execution of optimization system, by choosing new and performed methods corresponding to the technological processes within the tritium removal processing nuclear plants. The developing software applications is executed with the support of the program packages dedicated to industrial processes and they will include acquisition and monitoring sub-modules, named “virtually" as well as the storage sub-module of the process data later required for the software of optimization and simulation of the technological process for tritium removal. The system plays and important role in the environment protection and durable development through new technologies, that is – the reduction of and fight against industrial accidents in the case of tritium processing nuclear plants. Research for monitoring optimisation of nuclear processes is also a major driving force for economic and social development.