Abstract: Stick models are widely used in studying the
behaviour of straight as well as skew bridges and viaducts subjected
to earthquakes while carrying out preliminary studies. The
application of such models to highly curved bridges continues to
pose challenging problems. A viaduct proposed in the foothills of the
Himalayas in Northern India is chosen for the study. It is having 8
simply supported spans @ 30 m c/c. It is doubly curved in horizontal
plane with 20 m radius. It is inclined in vertical plane as well. The
superstructure consists of a box section. Three models have been
used: a conventional stick model, an improved stick model and a 3D
finite element model. The improved stick model is employed by
making use of body constraints in order to study its capabilities. The
first 8 frequencies are about 9.71% away in the latter two models.
Later the difference increases to 80% in 50th mode. The viaduct was
subjected to all three components of the El Centro earthquake of May
1940. The numerical integration was carried out using the Hilber-
Hughes-Taylor method as implemented in SAP2000. Axial forces
and moments in the bridge piers as well as lateral displacements at
the bearing levels are compared for the three models. The maximum
difference in the axial forces and bending moments and
displacements vary by 25% between the improved and finite element
model. Whereas, the maximum difference in the axial forces,
moments, and displacements in various sections vary by 35%
between the improved stick model and equivalent straight stick
model. The difference for torsional moment was as high as 75%. It is
concluded that the stick model with body constraints to model the
bearings and expansion joints is not desirable in very sharp S curved
viaducts even for preliminary analysis. This model can be used only
to determine first 10 frequency and mode shapes but not for member
forces. A 3D finite element analysis must be carried out for
meaningful results.
Abstract: Housebuilders in England have been the target of numerous government policies in recent years promoting increased productivity and affordability. As a result, the housebuilding industry is currently faced with objectives to improve the affordability and sustainability of new homes whilst also increasing production rates to 240,000 per year by 2016.Yet amidst a faltering economic climate, the UK Government is forging ahead with the 'Code for Sustainable Homes', which includes stringent sustainable standards for all new homes and sets ambitious targets for the housebuilding industry, the culmination of which is the production of zero carbon homes by 2016.Great uncertainty exists amongst housebuilders as to the costs, benefits and risks of building zero carbon homes. This paper examines the key barriers to zero carbon homes from housebuilders- perspective. A comprehensive opinion on the challenges to deliver zero carbon homes is gathered through a questionnaire survey issued to the major housing developers in England. The study found that a number of cultural, legislative, and financial barriers stand in the way of the widespread construction of zero carbon homes. The study concludes with several recommendations to both the Government and the housebuilding industry to address the barriers that hinder a successful delivery of zero carbon homes in England.
Abstract: Early supplier involvement (ESI) benefits new
product development projects several ways. Nevertheless, many castuser
companies do not know the advantages of ESI and therefore do
not utilize it. This paper presents reasons why to utilize ESI in
casting industry and how that can be done. Further, this paper
presents advantages and challenges related to ESI in casting industry,
and introduces a Casting-Network Collaboration Model. The model
presents practices for companies to build advantageous collaborative
relationships. More detailed, the model describes three levels for
company-network relationships in casting industry with different
degrees of collaboration, and requirements for operating in each
level. In our research, ESI was found to influence, for example, on
project time, component cost, and quality. In addition, challenges
related to ESI, such as, a lack of mutual trust and unawareness about
the advantages were found. Our research approach was a case study
including four cases.
Abstract: Through the course of this paper we define Business Case Management and its characteristics, and highlight its link to knowledge workers. Business Case Management combines knowledge and process effectively, supporting the ad hoc and unpredictable nature of cases, and coordinate a range of other technologies to appropriately support knowledge-intensive processes. We emphasize the growing importance of knowledge workers and the current poor support for knowledge work automation. We also discuss the challenges in supporting this kind of knowledge work and propose a novel approach to overcome these challenges.
Abstract: Recent advancements in sensor technologies and
Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have led to the
development of cost-effective healthcare devices which can be used
to monitor and analyse a person-s physiological parameters from
remote locations. These advancements provides a unique opportunity
to overcome current healthcare challenges of low quality service
provisioning, lack of easy accessibility to service varieties, high costs
of services and increasing population of the elderly experienced
globally. This paper reports on a prototype implementation of an
architecture that seamlessly integrates Wireless Body Area Network
(WBAN) with Web services (WS) to proactively collect
physiological data of remote patients to recommend diagnostic
services. Technologies based upon WBAN and WS can provide
ubiquitous accessibility to a variety of services by allowing
distributed healthcare resources to be massively reused to provide
cost-effective services without individuals physically moving to the
locations of those resources. In addition, these technologies can
reduce costs of healthcare services by allowing individuals to access
services to support their healthcare. The prototype uses WBAN body
sensors implemented on arduino fio platforms to be worn by the
patient and an android smart phone as a personal server. The
physiological data are collected and uploaded through GPRS/internet
to the Medical Health Server (MHS) to be analysed. The prototype
monitors the activities, location and physiological parameters such as
SpO2 and Heart Rate of the elderly and patients in rehabilitation.
Medical practitioners would have real time access to the uploaded
information through a web application.
Abstract: None of the processing models in the software
development has explained the software systems performance
evaluation and modeling; likewise, there exist uncertainty in the
information systems because of the natural essence of requirements,
and this may cause other challenges in the processing of software
development. By definition an extended version of UML (Fuzzy-
UML), the functional requirements of the software defined
uncertainly would be supported. In this study, the behavioral
description of uncertain information systems by the aid of fuzzy-state
diagram is crucial; moreover, the introduction of behavioral diagrams
role in F-UML is investigated in software performance modeling
process. To get the aim, a fuzzy sub-profile is used.
Abstract: Palestinian cities face the challenges of land scarcity,
high population growth rates, rapid urbanization, uneven
development and territorial fragmentation. Due to geopolitical
constrains and the absence of an effective Palestinian planning
institution, urban development in Palestinian cities has not followed
any discernable planning scheme. This has led to a number of
internal contradictions in the structure of cities, and adversely
affected land use, the provision of urban services, and the quality of
the living environment.
This paper explores these challenges, and the potential that exists
for introducing a more sustainable urban development pattern in
Palestinian cities. It assesses alternative development approaches
with a particular focus on sustainable development, promoting ecodevelopment
imperatives, limiting random urbanization, and meeting
present and future challenges, including fulfilling the needs of the
people and conserving the scarce land and limited natural resources.
This paper concludes by offering conceptual proposals and guidelines
for promoting sustainable physical development in Palestinian cities.
Abstract: The technology usages of high speed Internet leads to
establish and start new era of online education. With the
advancement of the information technology and communication
systems new opportunities have been created. This leads universities
to have various online education channels to meet the demand of
different learners- needs. One of these channels is M-learning, which
can be used to improve the online education environment. With using
such mobile technology in learning both students and instructors can
easily access educational courses anytime from anywhere. The paper
first presents literature about mobile learning and to what extent this
approach can be utilized to enhance the overall learning system. It
provides a comparison between mobile learning and traditional elearning
showing the wide array of benefits of the new generation of
technology. The possible challenges and potential advantages of Mlearning
in the online education system are also discussed.
Abstract: We have previously introduced an ultrasonic imaging
approach that combines harmonic-sensitive pulse sequences with a
post-beamforming quadratic kernel derived from a second-order
Volterra filter (SOVF). This approach is designed to produce images
with high sensitivity to nonlinear oscillations from microbubble
ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) while maintaining high levels of
noise rejection. In this paper, a two-step algorithm for computing the
coefficients of the quadratic kernel leading to reduction of tissue
component introduced by motion, maximizing the noise rejection and
increases the specificity while optimizing the sensitivity to the UCA
is presented. In the first step, quadratic kernels from individual
singular modes of the PI data matrix are compared in terms of their
ability of maximize the contrast to tissue ratio (CTR). In the second
step, quadratic kernels resulting in the highest CTR values are
convolved. The imaging results indicate that a signal processing
approach to this clinical challenge is feasible.
Abstract: Car accident is one of the major causes of death in many countries. Many researchers have attempted to design and develop techniques to increase car safety in the past recent years. In spite of all the efforts, it is still challenging to design a system adaptive to the driver rather than the automotive characteristics. In this paper, the adaptive car safety system is explained which attempts to find a balance.
Abstract: Sedimentation is a hydraulic phenomenon that is
emerging as a serious challenge in river engineering. When the flow
reaches a certain state that gather potential energy, it shifts the
sediment load along channel bed. The transport of such materials can
be in the form of suspended and bed loads. The movement of these
along the river course and channels and the ways in which this could
influence the water intakes is considered as the major challenges for
sustainable O&M of hydraulic structures. This could be very serious
in arid and semi-arid regions like Iran, where inappropriate watershed
management could lead to shifting a great deal of sediments into the
reservoirs and irrigation systems. This paper aims to investigate
sedimentation in the Western Canal of Dez Diversion Weir in Iran,
identifying factors which influence the process and provide ways in
which to mitigate its detrimental effects by using the SHARC
Software.
For the purpose of this paper, data from the Dezful water authority
and Dezful Hydrometric Station pertinent to a river course of about 6
Km were used.
Results estimated sand and silt bed loads concentrations to be 193
ppm and 827ppm respectively. Given the available data on average
annual bed loads and average suspended sediment loads of 165ppm
and 837ppm, there was a significant statistical difference (16%)
between the sand grains, whereas no significant difference (1.2%)
was find in the silt grain sizes. One explanation for such finding
being that along the 6 Km river course there was considerable
meandering effects which explains recent shift in the hydraulic
behavior along the stream course under investigation. The sand
concentration in downstream relative to present state of the canal
showed a steep descending curve. Sediment trapping on the other
hand indicated a steep ascending curve. These occurred because the
diversion weir was not considered in the simulation model.
Abstract: Buildings and associated construction methods have a significant impact on the environment. As construction activity increases in Kuwait, there is a need to create design and construction strategies which will minimize the environmental impact of new buildings. Green construction is a design philosophy intended to improve the sustainability of construction by the minimization of resource depletion and CO2 emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings. This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey that was conducted in Kuwait, with the objective of investigating the awareness of developers and other stakeholders regarding their understanding and use of green construction strategies. The results of the survey demonstrate that whilst there seems to be a reasonable level of awareness amongst the stakeholders, this awareness is not currently well reflected in the design and construction practices actually being applied. It is therefore concluded is there is a pressing need for intervention from Government in order that the use of sustainable green design and construction strategies becomes the norm in Kuwait.
Abstract: Although agriculture is an important part of the world
economy, accounting in agriculture still has many shortcomings. The
adoption of IAS 41 “Agriculture” has tried to improve this situation
and increase the comparability of financial statements of entities in
the agricultural sector. Although controversial, IAS 41 is the first
step of a consistent transition to fair value assessment in the
agricultural sector. The objective of our work is the analysis of IAS
41 and current accounting agricultural situation in Romania.
Accounting regulations in Romania are in accordance with European
directives and, in many respects, converged with IFRS referential.
Provisions of IAS 41, however, are not reflected directly in
Romanian regulations. With the increase of forest land transactions,
it is expected that recognition and measurement of biological assets
under IAS 41 to become a necessity.
Abstract: The current education system in India is adept in
equipping and assessing the scholastic development of children.
However, there is an immediate need to strengthen co-scholastic
areas like life-skills, values and attitudes to equip students to face real
life challenges. Audio-visual technology and their respective media
can make a significant contribution to a value based learning
curriculum. Thus, co-scholastic skills need to be effectively nurtured
by a medium that is entertaining and impactful. Films in general have
a tremendous impact in our society. Films with a positive message
make a formidable learning experience that can influence and inspire
generations of learners. Leveraging on this powerful medium,
EduMedia India Pvt. Ltd. has introduced School Cinema a well
researched film-based learning module supported by a fun and
exciting workbook, designed to introduce and reaffirm life-skills and
values to children, thereby having a positive influence on their
attitudes.
Abstract: The designing of charge pump with high gain Op-
Amp is a challenging task for getting faithful response .Design of
high performance phase locked loop require ,a design of high
performance charge pump .We have designed a operational amplifier
for reducing the error caused by high speed glitch in a transistor and
mismatch currents . A separate Op-Amp has designed in 180 nm
CMOS technology by CADENCE VIRTUOSO tool. This paper
describes the design of high performance charge pump for GHz
CMOS PLL targeting orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
(OFDM) application. A high speed low power consumption Op-Amp
with more than 500 MHz bandwidth has designed for increasing the
speed of charge pump in Phase locked loop.
Abstract: e-mail has become an important means of electronic
communication but the viability of its usage is marred by Unsolicited
Bulk e-mail (UBE) messages. UBE consists of many types
like pornographic, virus infected and 'cry-for-help' messages as well
as fake and fraudulent offers for jobs, winnings and medicines. UBE
poses technical and socio-economic challenges to usage of e-mails.
To meet this challenge and combat this menace, we need to
understand UBE. Towards this end, the current paper presents a
content-based textual analysis of nearly 3000 winnings-announcing
UBE. Technically, this is an application of Text Parsing and
Tokenization for an un-structured textual document and we approach
it using Bag Of Words (BOW) and Vector Space Document Model
techniques. We have attempted to identify the most frequently
occurring lexis in the winnings-announcing UBE documents. The
analysis of such top 100 lexis is also presented. We exhibit the
relationship between occurrence of a word from the identified lexisset
in the given UBE and the probability that the given UBE will be
the one announcing fake winnings. To the best of our knowledge and
survey of related literature, this is the first formal attempt for
identification of most frequently occurring lexis in winningsannouncing
UBE by its textual analysis. Finally, this is a sincere
attempt to bring about alertness against and mitigate the threat of
such luring but fake UBE.
Abstract: Intelligent Video-Surveillance (IVS) systems are
being more and more popular in security applications. The analysis
and recognition of abnormal behaviours in a video sequence has
gradually drawn the attention in the field of IVS, since it allows
filtering out a large number of useless information, which guarantees
the high efficiency in the security protection, and save a lot of human
and material resources. We present in this paper ADABeV, an
intelligent video-surveillance framework for event recognition in
crowded scene to detect the abnormal human behaviour. This
framework is attended to be able to achieve real-time alarming,
reducing the lags in traditional monitoring systems. This architecture
proposal addresses four main challenges: behaviour understanding in
crowded scenes, hard lighting conditions, multiple input kinds of
sensors and contextual-based adaptability to recognize the active
context of the scene.
Abstract: Segmentation and quantification of stenosis is an
important task in assessing coronary artery disease. One of the main
challenges is measuring the real diameter of curved vessels.
Moreover, uncertainty in segmentation of different tissues in the
narrow vessel is an important issue that affects accuracy. This paper
proposes an algorithm to extract coronary arteries and measure the
degree of stenosis. Markovian fuzzy clustering method is applied to
model uncertainty arises from partial volume effect problem. The
algorithm employs: segmentation, centreline extraction, estimation of
orthogonal plane to centreline, measurement of the degree of
stenosis. To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility, the approach
has been applied to a vascular phantom and the results are compared
with real diameter. The results of 10 patient datasets have been
visually judged by a qualified radiologist. The results reveal the
superiority of the proposed method compared to the Conventional
thresholding Method (CTM) on both datasets.
Abstract: Mobile Ad hoc networks (MANETs) are collections
of wireless mobile nodes dynamically reconfiguring and collectively
forming a temporary network. These types of networks assume
existence of no fixed infrastructure and are often useful in battle-field
tactical operations or emergency search-and-rescue type of
operations where fixed infrastructure is neither feasible nor practical.
They also find use in ad hoc conferences, campus networks and
commercial recreational applications carrying multimedia traffic. All
of the above applications of MANETs require guaranteed levels of
performance as experienced by the end-user. This paper focuses on
key challenges in provisioning predetermined levels of such Quality
of Service (QoS). It also identifies functional areas where QoS
models are currently defined and used. Evolving functional areas
where performance and QoS provisioning may be applied are also
identified and some suggestions are provided for further research in
this area. Although each of the above functional areas have been
discussed separately in recent research studies, since these QoS
functional areas are highly correlated and interdependent, a
comprehensive and comparative analysis of these areas and their
interrelationships is desired. In this paper we have attempted to
provide such an overview.
Abstract: Ad hoc networks are characterized by multi-hop
wireless connectivity and frequently changing network topology.
Forming security association among a group of nodes in ad-hoc
networks is more challenging than in conventional networks due to the
lack of central authority, i.e. fixed infrastructure. With that view in
mind, group key management plays an important building block of
any secure group communication. The main contribution of this paper
is a low complexity key management scheme that is suitable for fully
self-organized ad-hoc networks. The protocol is also password
authenticated, making it resilient against active attacks. Unlike other
existing key agreement protocols, ours make no assumption about the
structure of the underlying wireless network, making it suitable for
“truly ad-hoc" networks. Finally, we will analyze our protocol to show
the computation and communication burden on individual nodes for
key establishment.