Abstract: Image enhancement is the most important challenging preprocessing for almost all applications of Image Processing. By now, various methods such as Median filter, α-trimmed mean filter, etc. have been suggested. It was proved that the α-trimmed mean filter is the modification of median and mean filters. On the other hand, ε-filters have shown excellent performance in suppressing noise. In spite of their simplicity, they achieve good results. However, conventional ε-filter is based on moving average. In this paper, we suggested a new ε-filter which utilizes α-trimmed mean. We argue that this new method gives better outcomes compared to previous ones and the experimental results confirmed this claim.
Abstract: The development of entrepreneurial competences of
farmers has been pointed out as a necessary condition for the
modernization of land in facing the phenomenon of globalization.
However, the educational processes involved in such a development
have been studied little, especially in emerging economies. This
research aims to enlighten some of the critical issues behind the early
stages of the transformation of farmers into entrepreneurs, through in
depth interviews with farmers, entrepreneurial promoters and public
officials participating in a public pilot project in Mexico. Although
major impacts were expected only in the long run, important positive
changes in the mind set of farmers and other participants were found
in early stages of the intervention. Apparently, the farmers started a
process of becoming more conscious about the importance of
preserving the aquiferous resources, as well as more market and
entrepreneurial oriented.
Abstract: The condition of lightning surge causes the traveling waves and the temporary increase in voltage in the transmission line system. Lightning is the most harmful for destroying the transmission line and setting devices so it is necessary to study and analyze the temporary increase in voltage for designing and setting the surge arrester. This analysis describes the figure of the lightning wave in transmission line with 115 kV voltage level in Thailand by using ATP/EMTP program to create the model of the transmission line and lightning surge. Because of the limit of this program, it must be calculated for the geometry of the transmission line and surge parameter and calculation in the manual book for the closest value of the parameter. On the other hand, for the effects on surge protector when the lightning comes, the surge arrester model must be right and standardized as metropolitan electrical authority's standard. The candidate compared the real information to the result from calculation, also. The results of the analysis show that the temporary increase in voltage value will be rise to 326.59 kV at the line which is done by lightning when the surge arrester is not set in the system. On the other hand, the temporary increase in voltage value will be 182.83 kV at the line which is done by lightning when the surge arrester is set in the system and the period of the traveling wave is reduced, also. The distance for setting the surge arrester must be as near to the transformer as possible. Moreover, it is necessary to know the right distance for setting the surge arrester and the size of the surge arrester for preventing the temporary increase in voltage, effectively.
Abstract: Amongst the consistently fluctuating conditions
prevailing today, changeability represents a strategic key factor for a
manufacturing company to achieve success on the international
markets. In order to cope with turbulences and the increasing level of
incalculability, not only the flexible design of production systems but
in particular the employee as enabler of change provide the focus
here. It is important to enable employees from manufacturing
companies to participate actively in change events and in change
decisions. To this end, the learning factory has been created, which is
intended to serve the development of change-promoting competences
and the sensitization of employees for the necessity of changes.
Abstract: This paper applies an anthropological approach to illuminate the dynamic cultural geography of Kazakhstani Korean ethnicity focusing on its turning point, the historic “Seoul Olympic Games in 1988." The Korean ethnic group was easily considered as a harmonious and homogeneous community by outsiders, but there existed deep-seated conflicts and hostilities within the ethnic group. The majority-s oppositional dichotomy of superiority and inferiority toward the minority was continuously reorganized and reinforced by difference in experience, memory and sentiment. However, such a chronic exclusive boundary was collapsed following the patriotism ignited by the Olympics held in their mother country. This paper explores the fluidity of subject by formation of the boundary in which constructed cultural differences are continuously essentialized and reproduced, and by dissolution of cultural barrier in certain contexts.
Abstract: In view of the good properties of nonstationary wavelet frames and the better flexibility of wavelets in Sobolev spaces, the nonstationary dual wavelet frames in a pair of dual Sobolev spaces are studied in this paper. We mainly give the oblique extension principle and the mixed extension principle for nonstationary dual wavelet frames in a pair of dual Sobolev spaces Hs(Rd) and H-s(Rd).
Abstract: Metallic micro parts are playing an important role in micro-fabrication industry. Recently, we have demonstrated a new deformation mechanism for micro-formability of polycrystalline materials. Different depressed micro-features smaller than the grain size have been successfully fabricated on 6061 aluminum alloy (AA6061) substrates with good fidelity. To further verify this proposed deformation mechanism that grain size is not a limiting factor, we demonstrate here that in addition of depressed features, protruded micro-features on a polycrystalline substrate can similarly be fabricated.
Abstract: Nowadays, under developed countries for progress in
science and technology and decreasing the technologic gap with
developed countries, increasing the capacities and technology
transfer from developed countries. To remain competitive, industry is
continually searching for new methods to evolve their products.
Business model is one of the latest buzzwords in the Internet and
electronic business world. To be successful, organizations must look
into the needs and wants of their customers. This research attempts to
identify a specific feature of the company with a strong competitive
advantage by analyzing the cause of Customer satisfaction. Due to
the rapid development of knowledge and information technology,
business environments have become much more complicated.
Information technology can help a firm aiming to gain a competitive
advantage. This study explores the role and effect of Information
Communication Technology in Business Models and Customer
satisfaction on firms and also relationships between ICTs and
Outsourcing strategic.
Abstract: The unanticipated brittle fracture of connection of the
steel moment resisting frame (SMRF) occurred in 1994 the Northridge
earthquake. Since then, the researches for the vulnerability of
connection of the existing SMRF and for rehabilitation of those
buildings were conducted. This paper suggests performance-based
optimal seismic retrofit technique using connection upgrade. For
optimal design, a multi-objective genetic algorithm(NSGA-II) is used.
One of the two objective functions is to minimize initial cost and
another objective function is to minimize lifetime seismic damages
cost. The optimal algorithm proposed in this paper is performed
satisfying specified performance objective based on FEMA 356. The
nonlinear static analysis is performed for structural seismic
performance evaluation. A numerical example of SAC benchmark
SMRF is provided using the performance-based optimal seismic
retrofit technique proposed in this paper
Abstract: In this work, bending fatigue life of notched
specimens with various notch geometries and dimensions is
investigated by experiment and Manson-Caffin theoretical method. In
this theoretical method, fatigue life of notched specimens is
calculated using the fatigue life obtained from the experiments for
plain specimens (without notch). Three notch geometries including
∪-shape, ∨-shape and C -shape notches are considered in this
investigation. The experiments are conducted on a rotary bending
Moore machine. The specimens are made of a low carbon steel alloy,
which has wide application in industry. The stress- life curves are
captured for all notched specimen by experiment. The results indicate
that Manson-Caffin analytical method cannot adequately predict
the fatigue life of notched specimen. However, it seems that the
difference between the experiments and Manson-Caffin predictions
can be compensated by a proportional factor.
Abstract: This paper analysed the food security situation among
Nigerian rural farmers. Data collected on 202 rural farmers from
Benue State were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
The study revealed that majority of the respondents (60.83%) had
medium dietary diversity. Furthermore, household daily calorie
requirement for the food secure households was 10,723 and the
household daily calorie consumption was 12,598, with a surplus
index of 0.04. The food security index was 1.16. The Household
daily per capita calorie consumption was 3,221.2. For the food
insecure households, the household daily calorie requirement was
20,213 and the household daily calorie consumption was 17,393. The
shortfall index was 0.14. The food security index was 0.88. The
Household daily per capita calorie consumption was 2,432.8. The
most commonly used coping strategies during food stress included
intercropping (99.2%), reliance on less preferred food (98.1%),
limiting portion size at meal times (85.8%) and crop diversification
(70.8%).
Abstract: In this work a new method for low complexity
image coding is presented, that permits different settings and great
scalability in the generation of the final bit stream. This coding
presents a continuous-tone still image compression system that
groups loss and lossless compression making use of finite arithmetic
reversible transforms. Both transformation in the space of color and
wavelet transformation are reversible. The transformed coefficients
are coded by means of a coding system in depending on a
subdivision into smaller components (CFDS) similar to the bit
importance codification. The subcomponents so obtained are
reordered by means of a highly configure alignment system
depending on the application that makes possible the re-configure of
the elements of the image and obtaining different importance levels
from which the bit stream will be generated. The subcomponents of
each importance level are coded using a variable length entropy
coding system (VBLm) that permits the generation of an embedded
bit stream. This bit stream supposes itself a bit stream that codes a
compressed still image. However, the use of a packing system on the
bit stream after the VBLm allows the realization of a final highly
scalable bit stream from a basic image level and one or several
improvement levels.
Abstract: Testable software has two inherent properties – observability and controllability. Observability facilitates observation of internal behavior of software to required degree of detail. Controllability allows creation of difficult-to-achieve states prior to execution of various tests. In this paper, we describe COTT, a Controllability and Observability Testing Tool, to create testable object-oriented software. COTT provides a framework that helps the user to instrument object-oriented software to build the required controllability and observability. During testing, the tool facilitates creation of difficult-to-achieve states required for testing of difficultto- test conditions and observation of internal details of execution at unit, integration and system levels. The execution observations are logged in a test log file, which are used for post analysis and to generate test coverage reports.
Abstract: The purpose of this research is: a) to investigate how
the HR practices influence psychological contracts, b) to examine the
influence of psychological contracts to individual behavior and to
contribute individually, c) to study the psychological contact through
leadership. This research using mixed methods, qualitative and
quantitative research methods were utilized to gather the data
collected using a qualitative method by the HR Manager who is in
charge of the trainings from the staffs and quantitative method
(survey) by using questionnaire was utilized to draw upon and to
elaborate on the recurring themes present during the interviews. The
survey was done to 400 staffs of the company. The study found that
leadership styles supporting the firm’s HR strategy is the key in
making psychological contracts that benefit both the firm and its
members.
Abstract: The paper is intended to declare and apply ethics, i. e.
moral principles, rules in marketing environment. Ethical behavior of
selected pharmaceutical companies in the Slovak Republic is the
object of our research. The aim of our research is to determine
perception of ethical behavior of the pharmaceutical industry in
Slovakia by the medicine representatives in comparison with the
assessment of doctors and patients. The experimental sample
included 90 participants who were divided into three groups:
medicine representatives of the pharmaceutical companies (N=30),
doctors (N=30) and patients (N=30). The research method was a
Questionnaire of ethical behavior, created by us, that describes
individual areas included in the Code of ethics of the pharmaceutical
industry in Slovakia. The results showed influence of professional
status on ethical behavior perception, not gender. Higher perception
was indicated at patients rather than doctors and medicine
representatives.
Abstract: PARIS (Personal Archiving and Retrieving Image
System) is an experiment personal photograph library, which includes
more than 80,000 of consumer photographs accumulated within a
duration of approximately five years, metadata based on our proposed
MPEG-7 annotation architecture, Dozen Dimensional Digital Content
(DDDC), and a relational database structure. The DDDC architecture
is specially designed for facilitating the managing, browsing and
retrieving of personal digital photograph collections. In annotating
process, we also utilize a proposed Spatial and Temporal Ontology
(STO) designed based on the general characteristic of personal
photograph collections. This paper explains PRAIS system.
Abstract: For higher order multiplications, a huge number of
adders or compressors are to be used to perform the partial product
addition. We have reduced the number of adders by introducing
special kind of adders that are capable to add five/six/seven bits per
decade. These adders are called compressors. Binary counter
property has been merged with the compressor property to develop
high order compressors. Uses of these compressors permit the
reduction of the vertical critical paths. A 16×16 bit multiplier has
been developed using these compressors. These compressors make
the multipliers faster as compared to the conventional design that
have been used 4-2 compressors and 3-2 compressors.
Abstract: In this paper we describe a hybrid technique of Minimax search and aggregate Mahalanobis distance function synthesis to evolve Awale game player. The hybrid technique helps to suggest a move in a short amount of time without looking into endgame database. However, the effectiveness of the technique is heavily dependent on the training dataset of the Awale strategies utilized. The evolved player was tested against Awale shareware program and the result is appealing.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to analyze Green IT industry in major developed countries and to suggest overall directions for IT-Energy convergence industry. Recently, IT industry is pointed out as a problem such as environmental pollution, energy exhaustion, and high energy consumption. Therefore, Green IT gets focused which concerns as solution of these problems. However, since it is a beginning stage of this convergence area, there are only a few studies of IT-Energy convergence industry. According to this, this study examined the major developed countries in terms of institution arrangements, resources, markets and companies based on Van de Ven(1999)'s social system framework that shows relationship among key components of industrial infrastructure. Subsequently, the direction of the future study of convergence on IT and Energy industry is proposed.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to find natural gait of
biped robot such as human being by analyzing the COG (Center Of
Gravity) trajectory of human being's gait. It is discovered that human
beings gait naturally maintain the stability and use the minimum
energy. This paper intends to find the natural gait pattern of biped
robot using the minimum energy as well as maintaining the stability by
analyzing the human's gait pattern that is measured from gait image on
the sagittal plane and COG trajectory on the frontal plane. It is not
possible to apply the torques of human's articulation to those of biped
robot's because they have different degrees of freedom. Nonetheless,
human and 5-link biped robots are similar in kinematics. For this, we
generate gait pattern of the 5-link biped robot by using the GA
algorithm of adaptation gait pattern which utilize the human's ZMP
(Zero Moment Point) and torque of all articulation that are measured
from human's gait pattern. The algorithm proposed creates biped
robot's fluent gait pattern as that of human being's and to minimize
energy consumption because the gait pattern of the 5-link biped robot
model is modeled after consideration about the torque of human's each
articulation on the sagittal plane and ZMP trajectory on the frontal
plane. This paper demonstrate that the algorithm proposed is superior
by evaluating 2 kinds of the 5-link biped robot applied to each gait
patterns generated both in the general way using inverse kinematics
and in the special way in which by considering visuality and
efficiency.