Abstract: This paper was to study the clothes dryer using waste
heat from a split type air conditioner with a capacity of 12,648 btu/h.
The drying chamber had a minimum cross section area with the size
of 0.5 x 1.0 m2. The chamber was constructed by sailcloth and was
inside folded with aluminium foil. Then, it was connected to the
condensing unit of an air conditioner. The experiment was carried out
in two aspects which were the clothes drying with and without
auxiliary fan unit. The results showed that the drying rate of clothes
in the chamber installed with and without auxiliary fan unit were
2.26 and 1.1 kg/h, respectively. In case of the chamber installed with
a auxiliary fan unit, the additional power of 0.011 kWh was
consumed and the drying rate was higher than that of clothes drying
without auxiliary fan unit. Without auxiliary fan unit installation, no
energy was required but there was a portion of hot air leaks away
through the punctured holes at the wall of the drying chamber, hence
the drying rate was dropped below. The drying rate of clothes drying
using waste heat was higher than natural indoor drying and
commercial dryer which their drying rate were 0.17 and 1.9 kg/h,
respectively. It was noted that the COP of the air conditioner did not
change during the operating of clothes drying.
Abstract: This paper focuses on the development of bond graph
dynamic model of the mechanical dynamics of an excavating mechanism
previously designed to be used with small tractors, which are
fabricated in the Engineering Workshops of Jomo Kenyatta University
of Agriculture and Technology. To develop a mechanical dynamics
model of the manipulator, forward recursive equations similar to
those applied in iterative Newton-Euler method were used to obtain
kinematic relationships between the time rates of joint variables
and the generalized cartesian velocities for the centroids of the
links. Representing the obtained kinematic relationships in bondgraphic
form, while considering the link weights and momenta as
the elements led to a detailed bond graph model of the manipulator.
The bond graph method was found to reduce significantly the number
of recursive computations performed on a 3 DOF manipulator for a
mechanical dynamic model to result, hence indicating that bond graph
method is more computationally efficient than the Newton-Euler
method in developing dynamic models of 3 DOF planar manipulators.
The model was verified by comparing the joint torque expressions
of a two link planar manipulator to those obtained using Newton-
Euler and Lagrangian methods as analyzed in robotic textbooks. The
expressions were found to agree indicating that the model captures
the aspects of rigid body dynamics of the manipulator. Based on
the model developed, actuator sizing and valve sizing methodologies
were developed and used to obtain the optimal sizes of the pistons
and spool valve ports respectively. It was found that using the pump
with the sized flow rate capacity, the engine of the tractor is able to
power the excavating mechanism in digging a sandy-loom soil.
Abstract: The ability of the brain to organize information and generate the functional structures we use to act, think and communicate, is a common and easily observable natural phenomenon. In object-oriented analysis, these structures are represented by objects. Objects have been extensively studied and documented, but the process that creates them is not understood. In this work, a new class of discrete, deterministic, dissipative, host-guest dynamical systems is introduced. The new systems have extraordinary self-organizing properties. They can host information representing other physical systems and generate the same functional structures as the brain does. A simple mathematical model is proposed. The new systems are easy to simulate by computer, and measurements needed to confirm the assumptions are abundant and readily available. Experimental results presented here confirm the findings. Applications are many, but among the most immediate are object-oriented engineering, image and voice recognition, search engines, and Neuroscience.
Abstract: Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used for post
result evaluation in the construction industry, and they normally do
not have provisions for changes. This paper proposes a set of
dynamic key performance indicators (d-KPIs) which predicts the
future performance of the activity being measured and presents the
opportunity to change practice accordingly. Critical to the
predictability of a construction project is the ability to achieve
automated data collection. This paper proposes an effective way to
collect the process and engineering management data from an
integrated construction management system. The d-KPI matrix,
consisting of various indicators under seven categories, developed
from this study can be applied to close monitoring of the
development projects of aged-care facilities. The d-KPI matrix also
enables performance measurement and comparison at both project
and organization levels.
Abstract: This paper deals with the experimental investigations
of the in-cylinder tumble flows in an unfired internal combustion
engine with a flat piston at the engine speeds ranging from 400 to
1000 rev/min., and also with the dome and dome-cavity pistons at an
engine speed of 1000 rev/min., using particle image velocimetry.
From the two-dimensional in-cylinder flow measurements, tumble
flow analysis is carried out in the combustion space on a vertical
plane passing through cylinder axis. To analyze the tumble flows,
ensemble average velocity vectors are used and to characterize it,
tumble ratio is estimated. From the results, generally, we have found
that tumble ratio varies mainly with crank angle position. Also, at the
end of compression stroke, average turbulent kinetic energy is more
at higher engine speeds. We have also found that, at 330 crank angle
position, flat piston shows an improvement of about 85 and 23% in
tumble ratio, and about 24 and 2.5% in average turbulent kinetic
energy compared to dome and dome-cavity pistons respectively
Abstract: A therapeutic success is the aim of any therapeutic
intervention, but a therapeutic failure is the other side of the same
coin. The purpose of this study is to present the activity of a personal
development group, composed of 14 participants (psychologists,
doctors and a priest) registered for a 2 days course of integrative
psychotherapy. The objectives of this study are centred on: the
management of the personal development group breaking moment
realized by the therapist/trainer; the analysis of the trainer’s personal
situation and of some group participants and the brief presentation of
the main work methods applied on participants in the repairing of the
therapeutic relation and in the counter transfer management. The
therapist’s orientation is an integrative one and the demarche realized
includes T.A. techniques, role play, Gestalt and family systemic
psychotherapy. The conclusions obtained represent landmarks for the
future activity within that group and strengthen the therapeutic
relation with the group.
Abstract: Fly ash is one of the residues generated in
combustion, and comprises the fine particles that rise with the flue
gases. Ash which does not rise is termed bottom ash [1]. In our
country, it is expected that will be occurred 50 million tons of waste
ash per year until 2020. Released waste from the thermal power
plants is caused very significant problems as known. The fly ashes
can be evaluated by using as adsorbent material.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of use of
Tuncbilek fly ash like low-cost adsorbents for heavy metal
adsorption. First of all, Tuncbilek fly ash was characterized. For this
purpose; analysis such as sieve analysis, XRD, XRF, SEM and FT-IR
were performed.
Abstract: Heart-s electric field can be measured anywhere on
the surface of the body (ECG). When individuals touch, one person-s
ECG signal can be registered in other person-s EEG and elsewhere
on his body. Now, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis
that physical contact (hand-holding) of two persons changes their
heart rate variability. Subjects were sixteen healthy female (age: 20-
26) which divided into eight sets. In each sets, we had two friends
that they passed intimacy test of J.sternberg. ECG of two subjects
(each set) acquired for 5 minutes before hand-holding (as control
group) and 5 minutes during they held their hands (as experimental
group). Then heart rate variability signals were extracted from
subjects' ECG and analyzed in linear feature space (time and
frequency domain) and nonlinear feature space. Considering the
results, we conclude that physical contact (hand-holding of two
friends) increases parasympathetic activity, as indicate by increase
SD1, SD1/SD2, HF and MF power (p
Abstract: Tea is consumed by a big part of the world-s
population. It has an enormous importance for the Turkish culture.
Nearly it is brewed every morning and evening at the all houses. Also it is consumed with lemon wedge. Habitual drinking of tea
infusions may significantly contribute to daily dietary requirements of elements.
Different instrumental techniques are used for determination of
these elements. But atomic and mass spectroscopic methods are preferred most. In these study chromium, iron and selenium contents
after the hot water brewing of black and green tea were determined
by Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Furthermore, effect
of lemon addition on chromium, iron and selenium concentration tea
infusions is investigated.
Results of the investigation showed that concentration of
chromium, iron and selenium increased in black tea with lemon addition. On the other hand only selenium is increased with lemon
addition in green tea. And iron concentration is not detected in green
tea but its concentration is determined as 1.420 ppm after lemon addition.
Abstract: There are many kinds of metal borates found not only
in nature but also synthesized in the laboratory such as magnesium
borates. Due to its excellent properties, as remarkable ceramic
materials, they have also application areas in anti-wear and friction
reducing additives as well as electro-conductive treating agents. The
synthesis of magnesium borate powders can be fulfilled simply with
two different methods, hydrothermal and thermal synthesis.
Microwave assisted method, also another way of producing
magnesium borate, can be classified into thermal synthesis because of
using the principles of solid state synthesis. It also contributes
producing particles with small size and high purity in nano-size
material synthesize. In this study the production of magnesium
borates, are aimed using MgCl2.6H2O and H3BO3. The identification
of both starting materials and products were made by the equipments
of, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectroscopy (FT-IR). After several synthesis steps magnesium
borates were synthesized and characterized by XRD and FT-IR, as
well.
Abstract: Intellectual capital measurement is a central aspect of knowledge management. The measurement and the evaluation of intangible assets play a key role in allowing an effective management of these assets as sources of competitiveness. For these reasons, managers and practitioners need conceptual and analytical tools taking into account the unique characteristics and economic significance of Intellectual Capital. Following this lead, we propose an efficiency and productivity analysis of Intellectual Capital, as a determinant factor of the company competitive advantage. The analysis is carried out by means of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI). These techniques identify Bests Practice companies that have accomplished competitive advantage implementing successful strategies of Intellectual Capital management, and offer to inefficient companies development paths by means of benchmarking. The proposed methodology is employed on the Biotechnology industry in the period 2007-2010.
Abstract: Turkey has 72 % of total world boron reserves on the
basis of B2O3.Borates that is a refined form of boron minerals have a
wide range of applications. Zinc borates can be used as multifunctional
synergistic additives. The most important properties are
low solubility in water and high dehydration temperature. Zinc
borates dehydrate above 290°C and anhydrous zinc borate has
thermal resistance about 400°C. Zinc borates can be synthesized
using several methods such as hydrothermal and solid-state
processes. In this study, the solid-state method was applied between
500 and 800°C using the starting materials of ZnO and H3BO3 with
1:4 mole ratio. The reaction time was determined as 4 hours after
some preliminary experiments. After the synthesis, the crystal
structure and the morphology of the products were examined by XRay
Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
(FT-IR) and Raman Spectrometer. As a result the form of ZnB4O7
was synthesized with the highest crystal score at 800°C.
Abstract: This paper explores the effectiveness of machine
learning techniques in detecting firms that issue fraudulent financial
statements (FFS) and deals with the identification of factors
associated to FFS. To this end, a number of experiments have been
conducted using representative learning algorithms, which were
trained using a data set of 164 fraud and non-fraud Greek firms in the
recent period 2001-2002. The decision of which particular method to
choose is a complicated problem. A good alternative to choosing
only one method is to create a hybrid forecasting system
incorporating a number of possible solution methods as components
(an ensemble of classifiers). For this purpose, we have implemented
a hybrid decision support system that combines the representative
algorithms using a stacking variant methodology and achieves better
performance than any examined simple and ensemble method. To
sum up, this study indicates that the investigation of financial
information can be used in the identification of FFS and underline the
importance of financial ratios.
Abstract: The incidence of mechanical fracture of an
automobile piston rings prompted development of fracture analysis
method on this case. The three rings (two compression rings and one
oil ring) were smashed into several parts during the power-test (after
manufacturing the engine) causing piston and liner to be damaged.
The radial and oblique cracking happened on the failed piston rings.
The aim of the fracture mechanics simulations presented in this paper
was the calculation of particular effective fracture mechanics
parameters, such as J-integrals and stress intensity factors. Crack
propagation angles were calculated as well. Two-dimensional
fracture analysis of the first compression ring has been developed in
this paper using ABAQUS CAE6.5-1 software. Moreover, SEM
fractography was developed on fracture surfaces and is discussed in
this paper. Results of numerical calculations constitute the basis for
further research on real object.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of academic achievement of student Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) teachers with different learning styles. Participants were 148 student ICT teachers from Ankara University. Participants were asked to fill out a personal information sheet, the Turkish version of Kolb-s Learning Style Inventory, Weinstein-s Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, Schommer's Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire, and Eysenck-s Personality Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analyses showed that the statistically significant predictors of the academic achievement of the accommodators were attitudes and high school GPAs; of the divergers was anxiety; of the convergers were gender, epistemological beliefs, and motivation; and of the assimilators were gender, personality, and test strategies. Implications for ICT teaching-learning processes and teacher education are discussed.
Abstract: Outsourcing, a management practice strongly
consolidated within the area of Information Systems, is currently
going through a stage of unstoppable growth. This paper makes a
proposal about the main reasons which may lead firms to adopt
Information Systems Outsourcing. It will equally analyse the
potential risks that IS clients are likely to face. An additional
objective is to assess these reasons and risks in the case of large
Spanish firms, while simultaneously examining their evolution over
time.
Abstract: Total liquid ventilation can support gas exchange in animal models of lung injury. Clinical application awaits further technical improvements and performance verification. Our aim was to develop a liquid ventilator, able to deliver accurate tidal volumes, and a computerized system for measuring lung mechanics. The computer-assisted, piston-driven respirator controlled ventilatory parameters that were displayed and modified on a real-time basis. Pressure and temperature transducers along with a lineal displacement controller provided the necessary signals to calculate lung mechanics. Ten newborn lambs (
Abstract: Total liquid ventilation can support gas exchange in animal models of lung injury. Clinical application awaits further technical improvements and performance verification. Our aim was to develop a liquid ventilator, able to deliver accurate tidal volumes, and a computerized system for measuring lung mechanics. The computer-assisted, piston-driven respirator controlled ventilatory parameters that were displayed and modified on a real-time basis. Pressure and temperature transducers along with a lineal displacement controller provided the necessary signals to calculate lung mechanics. Ten newborn lambs (
Abstract: The use of e-business in small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) has been recently received an enormous attention
in information systems research by both academic and practitioners.
With the adoption of new and efficient technologies to enhance
businesses, Thai SMEs should be able to compete worldwide.
Unfortunately, most of the owners are not used to new technologies.
It is clear that most Thai SMEs prefer to work manually rather than
electronically. This paper aims to provide a fundamental conceptual
framework for E-business adoption by Thai SMEs. Rooted in
Knowledge transfer model, several factors are identified, which drive
and enable e-business adoption. By overlooking the benefits
associated with implementing new technologies, it is difficult for
Thai SMEs to perform well enough to compete globally. The paper
also helps Thai SMEs to understand factors related to E-business
adoption.
Abstract: Borate minerals have attracted considerable attention in the past years due to their structural chemistry and mechanical properties in several industries. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the use of; synthetically produced magnesium borates as catalysts reinforcing material for plastics, the conversion of hydrocarbons, electro-conductive treating agent, anti-wear and anti-corrosion materials. Magnesium borates can be synthesized by several methods such as; hydrothermal and solid-state (thermal) processes. In this study the hydrothermal production method was applied at the modest temperature of 80C along with convenient crystal growth. Using MgCl2.6H2O, H3BO3, and NaOH as starting materials, 30, 60, 120, 240 minutes of reaction times were studied. After all, the crystal structure and the morphology of the products were examined by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). As a result the forms of Admontite and Mcallisterite minerals were synthesized.