Abstract: As new challenges emerge in power electrical
workplace safety, it is the responsibility of the systems designer to
seek out new approaches and solutions that address them. Design
decisions made today will impact cost, safety and serviceability of
the installed systems for 40 or 50 years during the useful life for the
owner. Studies have shown that this cost is an order of magnitude of
7 to 10 times the installed cost of the power distribution equipment.
This paper reviews some aspects of earthing system design in power
substation surrounded by residential houses. The electrical potential
rise and split factors are discussed and a few recommendations are
provided to achieve a safety voltage in the area beyond the boundary
of the substation.
Abstract: Fracture process in mechanically loaded steel fiber
reinforced high-strength (SFRHSC) concrete is characterized by
fibers bridging the crack providing resistance to its opening.
Structural SFRHSC fracture model was created; material fracture
process was modeled, based on single fiber pull-out laws, which were
determined experimentally (for straight fibers, fibers with end hooks
(Dramix), and corrugated fibers (Tabix)) as well as obtained
numerically ( using FEM simulations). For this purpose experimental
program was realized and pull-out force versus pull-out fiber length
was obtained (for fibers embedded into concrete at different depth
and under different angle). Model predictions were validated by
15x15x60cm prisms 4 point bending tests. Fracture surfaces analysis
was realized for broken prisms with the goal to improve elaborated
model assumptions. Optimal SFRHSC structures were recognized.
Abstract: In the national and professional music of oral tradition
of many people in the East there is the metric formula called “ussuli",
that is to say rhythmic constructions of different character and a
composition. Ussuli in translation from Arabic means the law. The
cultural contacts of the ancient and medieval inhabitants of the
Central Asia, India, China, East Turkestan, Iraq, Afghanistan,
Turkey, and Iran have played a certain role in formation of both
musical and dancing heritage of each of these people. During
theatrical shows many dances were performed under the
accompaniment of percussion instruments as nagra, dayulpaz, doll.
The abovementioned tools are used as the obligatory accompanying
tool in an orchestra and at support of dancing acts as the solo tool.
Dynamics of development of a dancing composition, at times
execution of technique of movement depends on various
combinations of ussuli and their receptions of execution.
Abstract: Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) has
evolved into an important and active area of research because of
theoretical challenges and practical applications associated with the
problem of discovering (or extracting) interesting and previously
unknown knowledge from very large real-world databases. Rough
Set Theory (RST) is a mathematical formalism for representing
uncertainty that can be considered an extension of the classical set
theory. It has been used in many different research areas, including
those related to inductive machine learning and reduction of
knowledge in knowledge-based systems. One important concept
related to RST is that of a rough relation. In this paper we presented
the current status of research on applying rough set theory to KDD,
which will be helpful for handle the characteristics of real-world
databases. The main aim is to show how rough set and rough set
analysis can be effectively used to extract knowledge from large
databases.
Abstract: Fourty one strains of ESBL producing P.aeruginosa
which were previously isolated from burn patients in Kerman
University general hospital, Iran were subjected to PCR, RFLP and
sequencing in order to determine the type of extended spectrum β-
lactamases (ESBL), the restriction digestion pattern and possibility of
mutation among detected genes. DNA extraction was carried out by
phenol chloroform method. PCR for detection of bla genes was
performed using specific primer for each gene. Restriction Fragment
Length Polymorphism (RFLP) for ESBL genes was carried out using
EcoRI, NheI, PVUII, EcoRV, DdeI, and PstI restriction enzymes. The
PCR products were subjected to direct sequencing of both the strands
for identification of the ESBL genes.The blaCTX-M, blaVEB-1, blaPER-1,
blaGES-1, blaOXA-1, blaOXA-4 and blaOXA-10 genes were detected in the
(n=1) 2.43%, (n=41)100%, (n=28) 68.3%, (n=10) 24.4%, (n=29)
70.7%, (n=7)17.1% and (n=38) 92.7% of the ESBL producing isolates
respectively. The RFLP analysis showed that each ESBL gene has
identical pattern of digestion among the isolated strains. Sequencing
of the ESBL genes confirmed the genuinety of PCR products and
revealed no mutation in the restriction sites of the above genes. From
results of the present investigation it can be concluded that blaVEB-1
and blaCTX-M were the most and the least frequently isolated ESBL
genes among the P.aeruginosa strains isolated from burn patients. The
RFLP and sequencing analysis revealed that same clone of the bla
genes were indeed existed among the antibiotic resistant strains.
Abstract: Aligned and random nanofibrous scaffolds of PVA/PCL/nHA were fabricated by electrospinning method. The composite nanofibrous scaffolds were subjected to detailed analysis. Morphological investigations revealed that the prepared nanofibers have uniform morphology and the average fiber diameters of aligned and random scaffolds were 135.5 and 290 nm, respectively. The obtained scaffolds have a porous structure with porosity of 88 and 76% for random and aligned nanofibers, respectively. Furthermore, FTIR analysis demonstrated that there were strong intramolecular interactions between the molecules of PVA/PCL/nHA. On the other hand, mechanical characterizations show that aligning the nanofibers, could significantly improve the rigidity of the resultant biocomposite nanofibrous scaffolds.
Abstract: Asiatic Houbara ( Chlamydotis macqueenii ) is a
flagship and vulnerable species. In-situ conservation of this
threatened species demands for knowledge of its habitat selection.
The aim of this study was to determine habitat variables influencing
birds wintering and breeding selection in semi- arid central Iran.
Habitat features of the detected nest and pellet sites were compared
with paired and random plots by quantifying a number of habitat
variables. In wintering habitat use at micro scale houbara selected
sites where vegetation cover was significantly lower compard to
control sites( p< 0.001). Areas with low number of larger plant
species (p=0.03) that were not too close to a vegetation
patch(p
Abstract: The Integrated Performance Modelling Environment
(IPME) is a powerful simulation engine for task simulation and
performance analysis. However, it has no high level cognition such
as memory and reasoning for complex simulation. This article
introduces a knowledge representation and reasoning scheme that can
accommodate uncertainty in simulations of military personnel with
IPME. This approach demonstrates how advanced reasoning models
that support similarity-based associative process, rule-based abstract
process, multiple reasoning methods and real-time interaction can be
integrated with conventional task network modelling to provide
greater functionality and flexibility when modelling operator
performance.
Abstract: The counting and analysis of blood cells allows the
evaluation and diagnosis of a vast number of diseases. In particular,
the analysis of white blood cells (WBCs) is a topic of great interest to
hematologists. Nowadays the morphological analysis of blood cells is
performed manually by skilled operators. This involves numerous
drawbacks, such as slowness of the analysis and a nonstandard
accuracy, dependent on the operator skills. In literature there are only
few examples of automated systems in order to analyze the white
blood cells, most of which only partial. This paper presents a
complete and fully automatic method for white blood cells
identification from microscopic images. The proposed method firstly
individuates white blood cells from which, subsequently, nucleus and
cytoplasm are extracted. The whole work has been developed using
MATLAB environment, in particular the Image Processing Toolbox.
Abstract: Biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engines has been developed for some three decades now. While it is gaining wide acceptance in Europe, USA and some parts of Asia, the same cannot be said of Africa. With more than 35 countries in the continent depending on imported crude oil, it is necessary to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from resources available locally within any country. Hence this study presents performance of single cylinder diesel engine using blends of shea butter biodiesel. Shea butter was transformed into biodiesel by transesterification process. Tests are conducted to compare the biodiesel with baseline diesel fuel in terms of engine performance and exhaust emission characteristics. The results obtained showed that the addition of biodiesel to diesel fuel decreases the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and increases the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). These results are expected due to the lower energy content of biodiesel fuel. On the other hand while the NOx emissions increased with increase in biodiesel content in the fuel blends, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), un-burnt hydrocarbon (UHC) and smoke opacity decreased. The engine performance which indicates that the biodiesel has properties and characteristics similar to diesel fuel and the reductions in exhaust emissions make shea butter biodiesel a viable additive or substitute to diesel fuel.
Abstract: The recent development of humanoid robots has led robot designers to imagine a great variety of anthropomorphic forms for human-like machine. Which form is the best ? We try to answer this question from a double meaning of the anthropomorphism : a positive anthropomorphism corresponing to the realization of an effective anthropomorphic form object and a negative one corresponding to our natural tendency in certain circumstances to give human attributes to non-human beings. We postulate that any humanoid robot is concerned by both these two anthropomorphism kinds. We propose to use gestalt theory and Heider-s balance theory in order to analyze how negative anthropomorphism can influence our perception of human-like robots. From our theoretical approach we conclude that an “even shape" as defined by gestalt theory is not a sufficient condition for a good integration of future humanoid robots into a human community. Aesthetic perception of the robot cannot be splitted from a social perception : a humanoid robot, any how the efforts made for improving its appearance, could be rejected if it is devoted to a task with too high affective implications.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine a
Teaching Commitment Scale of Health and Physical Education
(TCS-HPE) for Taiwanese elementary school teachers. First of all,
based on teaching commitment related theory and literatures to
develop a original scale with 40 items, later both stratified random
sampling and cluster sampling were used to sample participants.
During the first stage, 300 teachers were sampled and 251 valid scales
(83.7%) returned. Later, the data was analyzed by exploratory factor
analysis to obtain 74.30% of total variance for the construct validity.
The Cronbach-s alpha coefficient of sum scale reliability was 0.94, and
subscale coefficients were between 0.80 and 0.96. In the second stage,
400 teachers were sampled and 318 valid scales (79.5%) returned.
Finally, this study used confirmatory factor analysis to test validity and
reliability of TCS-HPE. The result showed that the fit indexes reached
acceptable criteria(¤ç2
(246 ) =557.64 , p
Abstract: the work contains the results of complex investigation
related to the evaluation of condition of working blades of gas turbine
engines during fatigue tests by applying the acoustic emission
method. It demonstrates the possibility of estimating the fatigue
damage of blades in the process of factory tests. The acoustic
emission criteria for detecting and testing the kinetics of fatigue crack
distribution were detected. It also shows the high effectiveness of the
method for non-destructive testing of condition of solid and cooled
working blades for high-temperature gas turbine engines.
Abstract: The world demand for potable water is
increasing every day with growing population. Desalination
using solar energy is suitable for potable water production
from brackish and seawater. In this paper, we present a
theoretical study of solar distillation in a single basin under
the open environmental conditions of Chabahar-Iran. The still
has a base area of 2000mm×500mm with a glass cover
inclined at 25° in order to obtain extra solar energy. We model
the still and conduct its energy balance equations under minor
assumptions. We computed the temperatures of glass cover,
seawater interface, moist air and bottom using numerical
method. The investigation addressed the following: The still
productivity, distilled water salinity and still performance in
terms of the still efficiency. Calculated still productivity in
July was higher than December. So in this paper, we show
that still productivity is directly functioning of solar radiation.
Abstract: A high-frequency low-power sinusoidal quadrature
oscillator is presented through the use of two 2nd-order low-pass
current-mirror (CM)-based filters, a 1st-order CM low-pass filter and
a CM bilinear transfer function. The technique is relatively simple
based on (i) inherent time constants of current mirrors, i.e. the
internal capacitances and the transconductance of a diode-connected
NMOS, (ii) a simple negative resistance RN formed by a resistor load
RL of a current mirror. Neither external capacitances nor inductances
are required. As a particular example, a 1.9-GHz, 0.45-mW, 2-V
CMOS low-pass-filter-based all-current-mirror sinusoidal quadrature
oscillator is demonstrated. The oscillation frequency (f0) is 1.9 GHz
and is current-tunable over a range of 370 MHz or 21.6 %. The
power consumption is at approximately 0.45 mW. The amplitude
matching and the quadrature phase matching are better than 0.05 dB
and 0.15°, respectively. Total harmonic distortions (THD) are less
than 0.3 %. At 2 MHz offset from the 1.9 GHz, the carrier to noise
ratio (CNR) is 90.01 dBc/Hz whilst the figure of merit called a
normalized carrier-to-noise ratio (CNRnorm) is 153.03 dBc/Hz. The
ratio of the oscillation frequency (f0) to the unity-gain frequency (fT)
of a transistor is 0.25. Comparisons to other approaches are also
included.
Abstract: Car failure detection is a complicated process and
requires high level of expertise. Any attempt of developing an expert
system dealing with car failure detection has to overcome various
difficulties. This paper describes a proposed knowledge-based
system for car failure detection. The paper explains the need for an
expert system and the some issues on developing knowledge-based
systems, the car failure detection process and the difficulties involved
in developing the system. The system structure and its components
and their functions are described. The system has about 150 rules for
different types of failures and causes. It can detect over 100 types of
failures. The system has been tested and gave promising results.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate Thai Muslims’ way of life through the way their clothes. The data of this qualitative research were collected from related documents and research reports, ancient cloths and clothing, and in-depth interviews with clothes owners and weavers.
The research found that in the 18th century Thai Muslims in the three southern border provinces used many types of clothing in their life. At home women wore plain clothes. They used checked cloths to cover the upper part of their body from the breasts down to the waist. When going out, they used Lima cloth and So Kae with a piece of Pla-nging cloth as a head scarf. For men, they wore a checked sarong as a lower garment, and wore no upper garment. However, when going out, they wore Puyo Potong. In addition, Thai Muslims used cloths in various religious rites, namely, the rite of placing a baby in a cradle, the Masoyawi rite, the Nikah rite, and the burial rite. These types of cloths were related to the way of life of Thai Muslims from birth to death. They reflected the race, gender, age, social status, values, and beliefs in traditions that have been inherited.
Practical Implication: Woven in these cloths are the lost local wisdom, and therefore, aesthetics on the cloths are like mirrors reflecting the background of people in this region that is fading away. These cloths are pages of a local history book that is of importance and value worth for preservation and publicity so that they are treasured. Government organizations can expand and materialize the knowledge received from the study in accordance with government policy in supporting the One Tambon, One Product project.
Abstract: The emergence of mobile application services and App
Store has led to the explosive growth of user innovation, which users
voluntarily contribute to. User innovation communities where end
users freely reveal innovative ideas and needs with other community
members are becoming increasingly influential in this area. However,
user-s ideas in user innovation community are not enough to be new
service opportunity, because some of them can already developed as
existing services in App Store. Moreover, the existing services similar
to new service opportunity can be significant references to apply
analogy to develop service concept. In response, this research
proposes Case-Based Reasoning approach to matching the user needs
and existing services, identifying unmet opportunistic user needs, and
retrieving similar services with opportunity. Due to its intuitive and
transparent algorithm, users related to App Store innovation
communities can easily employ Case-Based Reasoning based
approach to their innovation.
Abstract: Intellectual capital reporting becomes critical at
universities, mainly due to the fact that knowledge is the main output
as well as input in these institutions. In addition, universities have
continuous external demands for greater information and
transparency about the use of public funds, and are increasingly
provided with greater autonomy regarding their organization,
management, and budget allocation. This situation requires new
management and reporting systems. The purpose of the present study
is to provide a model for intellectual capital report in Spanish
universities. To this end, a questionnaire was sent to every member of
the Social Councils of Spanish public universities in order to identify
which intangible elements university stakeholders demand most. Our
proposal for an intellectual capital report aims to act as a guide to
help the Spanish universities on the road to the presentation of
information on intellectual capital which can assist stakeholders to
make the right decisions.
Abstract: Since the world printing industry has to confront
globalization with a constant change, the Thai printing industry, as a
small but increasingly significant part of the world printing industry,
cannot inevitably escape but has to encounter with the similar change
and also the need to revamp its production processes, designs and
technology to make them more appealing to both international and
domestic market. The essential question is what is the Thai
competitive edge in the printing industry in changing environment?
This research is aimed to study the Thai level of competitive edge in
terms of marketing, technology, environment friendly, and the level
of satisfaction of the process of using printing machines. To access
the extent to which is the trends in competitiveness of Thai printing
industry, both quantitative and qualitative study were conducted. The
quantitative analysis was restricted to 100 respondents. The
qualitative analysis was restricted to a focus group of 10 individuals
from various backgrounds in the Thai printing industry. The findings
from the quantitative analysis revealed that the overall mean scores
are 4.53, 4.10, and 3.50 for the competitiveness of marketing, the
competitiveness of technology, and the competitiveness of being
environment friendly respectively. However, the level of satisfaction
for the process of using machines has a mean score only 3.20. The
findings from the qualitative analysis have revealed that target
customers have increasingly reordered due to their contentment in
both low prices and the acceptable quality of the products. Moreover,
the Thai printing industry has a tendency to convert to ambient green
technology which is friendly to the environment. The Thai printing
industry is choosing to produce or substitute with products that are
less damaging to the environment. It is also found that the Thai
printing industry has been transformed into a very competitive
industry which bargaining power rests on consumers who have a
variety of choices.