Abstract: We propose an integral tracking control method for a piezoelectric actuator system. The proposed method achieves the output tracking without requiring any hysteresis observer or schemes to compensate the hysteresis effect. With the proposed control law, the system is converted into the standard singularly perturbed model. Using Tikhonov-s theorem, we guarantee that the tracking error can be reduced to arbitrarily small bound. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Abstract: The major focus of this work was to characterize hydrodynamics in a packed-bed with and without static mixer by using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD). The commercial software: COMSOL MULTIPHYSICSTM Version 3.3 was used to simulate flow fields of mixed-gas reactants i.e. CO and H2. The packed-bed was a single tube with the inside diameter of 0.8 cm and the length of 1.2 cm. The static mixer was inserted inside the tube. The number of twisting elements was 1 with 0.8 cm in diameter and 1.2 cm in length. The packed-bed with and without static mixer were both packed with approximately 700 spherical structures representing catalyst pellets. Incompressible Navier-Stokes equations were used to model the gas flow inside the beds at steady state condition, in which the inlet Reynolds Number (Re) was 2.31. The results revealed that, with the insertion of static mixer, the gas was forced to flow radially inward and outward between the central portion of the tube and the tube wall. This could help improving the overall performance of the packed-bed, which could be utilized for heterogeneous catalytic reaction such as reforming and Fischer- Tropsch reactions.
Abstract: The copper flotation tailings from Konkola Copper
mine in Nchanga, Zambia were used in the study. The purpose of this
study was to determine the leaching characteristics of the tailings
material prior and after the physical beneficiation process is
employed. The Knelson gravity concentrator (KC-MD3) was used for
the beneficiation process. The copper leaching efficiencies and
impurity co-extraction percentages in both the upgraded and the raw
feed material were determined at different pH levels and temperature.
It was observed that the copper extraction increased with an increase
in temperature and a decrease in pH levels. In comparison to the raw
feed sample, the upgraded sample reported a maximum copper
extraction of 69% which was 9%, higher than raw feed % extractions.
The impurity carry over was reduced from 18% to 4 % on the
upgraded sample. The reduction in impurity co-extraction was as a
result of the removal of the reactive gangue elements during the
upgrading process, this minimized the number of side reaction
occurring during leaching.
Abstract: There are two major variants of the Simplex
Algorithm: the revised method and the standard, or tableau method.
Today, all serious implementations are based on the revised method
because it is more efficient for sparse linear programming problems.
Moreover, there are a number of applications that lead to dense linear
problems so our aim in this paper is to present some computational
results on parallel implementation of dense Simplex Method. Our
implementation is implemented on a SMP cluster using C
programming language and the Message Passing Interface MPI.
Preliminary computational results on randomly generated dense
linear programs support our results.
Abstract: This article investigated the validity of C-test and Cloze test which purport to measure general English proficiency. To provide empirical evidence pertaining to the validity of the interpretations based on the results of these integrative language tests, their criterion-related validity was investigated. In doing so, the test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) which is an established, standardized, and internationally administered test of general English proficiency was used as the criterion measure. Some 90 Iranian English majors participated in this study. They were seniors studying English at a university in Tehran, Iran. The results of analyses showed that there is a statistically significant correlation among participants- scores on Cloze test, C-test, and the TOEFL. Building on the findings of the study and considering criterion-related validity as the evidential basis of the validity argument, it was cautiously deducted that these tests measure the same underlying trait. However, considering the limitations of using criterion measures to validate tests, no absolute claims can be made as to the construct validity of these integrative tests.
Abstract: This study investigated the presence of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sediments of the Musa Bay
(around the PETZONE coastal area) from Feb 2010 to Jun 2010.
Concentrations of PAHs recorded in the Musa Bay sediments ranged
from 537.89 to 26,659.06 ng/g dry weight with a mean value of
3990.74 ng/g. the highest concentration of PAHs was observed at
station 4, which is located near the aromatic outlet of Imam
Khomeini petrochemical company (station 4: BI-PC Aromatic
effluent outlet) in which its concentration level was more than the
NOAA sediment quality guideline value (ERL= 4022 ng/g dry
weight). Owing to the concentration of PAHs in the study area, its
concentration level was still meet the NOAA sediment quality
guideline value (ERL: 4022 ng/g dry weight); however, according to
the PELq factor, slightly adverse biological effects are associated
with the exposure to PAHs levels in the study area (0.1< PELq= 0.24
> 0.5).
Abstract: Cosmic showers, from their places of origin in space,
after entering earth generate secondary particles called Extensive Air
Shower (EAS). Detection and analysis of EAS and similar High
Energy Particle Showers involve a plethora of experimental setups
with certain constraints for which soft-computational tools like
Artificial Neural Network (ANN)s can be adopted. The optimality
of ANN classifiers can be enhanced further by the use of Multiple
Classifier System (MCS) and certain data - dimension reduction
techniques. This work describes the performance of certain data
dimension reduction techniques like Principal Component Analysis
(PCA), Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and Self Organizing
Map (SOM) approximators for application with an MCS formed
using Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP), Recurrent Neural Network
(RNN) and Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). The data inputs are
obtained from an array of detectors placed in a circular arrangement
resembling a practical detector grid which have a higher dimension
and greater correlation among themselves. The PCA, ICA and SOM
blocks reduce the correlation and generate a form suitable for real
time practical applications for prediction of primary energy and
location of EAS from density values captured using detectors in a
circular grid.
Abstract: Cry j 1 is a causative substance of Japanese cedar
pollinosis, and it may deteriorate by Cry j 1 invasion to a lower
respiratory tract. We observed airborne particles containing Cry j 1 by
an immunofluorescence technique using a fluorescence microscope,
and we clarified that Cry j 1 exist as aggregates of airborne fine
particles (< 1.1 μm) in the urban atmosphere. Airborne Cry j 1 may
react with air pollutants and be denature to a substance deteriorated
Japanese cedar pollinosis. Therefore, we applied a sodium dodecyl
sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to evaluate a
Cry j 1 reacted with various air pollutants by liquid phase reaction,
and calculated kinetics constants of Cry j 1 extracted from pollens
collected in various sites and airborne fine particles containing Cry j
1 by using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method. As a result, it
is suggested that Cry j 1 may be denatured by air pollutants during
the transportation to the urban atmosphere.
Abstract: Today, money laundering (ML) poses a serious threat
not only to financial institutions but also to the nation. This criminal
activity is becoming more and more sophisticated and seems to have
moved from the cliché of drug trafficking to financing terrorism and
surely not forgetting personal gain. Most international financial
institutions have been implementing anti-money laundering solutions
(AML) to fight investment fraud. However, traditional investigative
techniques consume numerous man-hours. Recently, data mining
approaches have been developed and are considered as well-suited
techniques for detecting ML activities. Within the scope of a
collaboration project for the purpose of developing a new solution for
the AML Units in an international investment bank, we proposed a
data mining-based solution for AML. In this paper, we present a
heuristics approach to improve the performance for this solution. We
also show some preliminary results associated with this method on
analysing transaction datasets.
Abstract: In the present study, the incorporation of graphene
into blends of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer with
polypropylene (ABS/PP) was investigated focusing on the
improvement of their thermomechanical characteristics and the effect
on their rheological behavior. The blends were prepared by melt
mixing in a twin-screw extruder and were characterized by measuring
the MFI as well as by performing DSC, TGA and mechanical tests.
The addition of graphene to ABS/PP blends tends to increase their
melt viscosity, due to the confinement of polymer chains motion.
Also, graphene causes an increment of the crystallization temperature
(Tc), especially in blends with higher PP content, because of the
reduction of surface energy of PP nucleation, which is a consequence
of the attachment of PP chains to the surface of graphene through the
intermolecular CH-π interaction. Moreover, the above nanofiller
improves the thermal stability of PP and increases the residue of
thermal degradation at all the investigated compositions of blends,
due to the thermal isolation effect and the mass transport barrier
effect. Regarding the mechanical properties, the addition of graphene
improves the elastic modulus, because of its intrinsic mechanical
characteristics and its rigidity, and this effect is particularly strong in
the case of pure PP.
Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are known to be
persistent and bioaccumulative toxicants that may cause reproductive
impairments in wildlife as well as human. The current study uses the
snail-eating turtle Malayemys macrocephala, a long-lived animal
commonly distribute in rice field habitat in central part of Thailand,
as a sentinel to monitor OCP contamination in environment. The
nest soil, complete clutch of eggs, and blood of the turtle were
collected from agricultural areas in the Chao Phraya River Basin,
Thailand during the nesting season of 2007-2008. The novel
methods for tissue extraction by an accelerated solvent extractor
(ASE, for egg) and liquid-liquid extraction (for blood) have been
developed. The nineteen OCP residues were analyzed by gas
chromatography with micro-electron captured detector (GC-μECD).
The validated methods have met requirements of the AOAC
standard. The results indicated that significant amounts of OCPs are
still contaminated in nest soil and eggs of the turtle even though the
OCPs had been banned in this area for many years. This suggested
the potential risk to health of wildlife as well as human in the area.
Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of thermal and
mechanical shocks, which rising during operation, mostly at
interrupted cut. Here will be solved their impact on the cutting edge
tool life, the impact of coating technology on resistance to shocks
and experimental determination of tool life in heating flame.
Resistance of removable cutting edges against thermal and
mechanical shock is an important indicator of quality as well as its
abrasion resistance. Breach of the edge or its crumble may occur due
to cyclic loading. We can observe it not only during the interrupted
cutting (milling, turning areas abandoned hole or slot), but also in
continuous cutting. This is due to the volatility of cutting force on
cutting. Frequency of the volatility in this case depends on the type
of rising chips (chip size element). For difficult-to-machine materials
such as austenitic steel particularly happened at higher cutting speeds
for the localization of plastic deformation in the shear plane and for
the inception of separate elements substantially continuous chips.
This leads to variations of cutting forces substantially greater than for
other types of steel.
Abstract: Domain-specific languages describe specific solutions to problems in the application domain. Traditionally they form a solution composing black-box abstractions together. This, usually, involves non-deep transformations over the target model. In this paper we argue that it is potentially powerful to operate with grey-box abstractions to build a domain-specific software system. We present parametric code templates as grey-box abstractions and conceptual tools to encapsulate and manipulate these templates. Manipulations introduce template-s merging routines and can be defined in a generic way. This involves reasoning mechanisms at the code templates level. We introduce the concept of Neurath Modelling Language (NML) that operates with parametric code templates and specifies a visualisation mapping mechanism for target models. Finally we provide an example of calculating a domain-specific software system with predefined NML elements.
Abstract: The current trend of increasing quality and demands
of the final product is affected by time analysis of the entire
manufacturing process. The primary requirement of manufacturing is
to produce as many products as soon as possible, at the lowest
possible cost, but of course with the highest quality. Such
requirements may be satisfied only if all the elements entering and
affecting the production cycle are in a fully functional condition.
These elements consist of sensory equipment and intelligent control
elements that are essential for building intelligent manufacturing
systems. The intelligent manufacturing paradigm includes a new
approach to production system structure design. Intelligent behaviors
are based on the monitoring of important parameters of system and
its environment. The flexible reaction to changes. The realization and
utilization of this design paradigm as an "intelligent manufacturing
system" enables the flexible system reaction to production
requirement as soon as environmental changes too. Results of these
flexible reactions are a smaller layout space, be decreasing of
production and investment costs and be increasing of productivity.
Intelligent manufacturing system itself should be a system that can
flexibly respond to changes in entering and exiting the process in
interaction with the surroundings.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present current and future
procedures in castings procurement. Differences in procurement are
highlighted. The supplier selection criteria used in practice is
compared to literature findings. Different trends related to supply
chains are presented and it is described how they are reflected in
reality to castings procurement. To fulfil the aim, interviews were
conducted in nine companies using castings. It was found that largest
casting users have the most subcontractor foundries and it is more
typical that they have multiple suppliers for the same parts. Currently
only two companies out of nine purchase castings outside Europe,
but the others are also progressing in the same direction. The main
reason is the need to lower purchasing costs. Another trend is that all
companies want to buy cast components or sub-assemblies instead of
raw castings from foundries. It was found that price is a main
supplier selection criterion. All companies use competitive bidding in
supplier selection.
Abstract: The article analyses historical aspects of the formation
of the Kazakh nation in the conditions of the multicultural society.
The authors underline cultural integration as a significant stage of the
cultural advancement of the Kazakh nation. The transition to the
modern-style houses, the adoption and development of the secular
education gave a rise to the development of the society and culture
on the whole.
Abstract: There have been many variations of technologies that helped educators in teaching & learning. From the past research it is evident that Information Technology significantly increases student participation and interactivity in the classrooms. This research started with a aim to find whether adoption of Wi-Fi environment by Malaysian Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) can benefit students and staff equally. The study was carried out in HEI-s of Klang Valley, Malaysia and the data is gathered through paper based surveys. A sample size of 237 units were randomly selected from 5 higher educational institutions in the Klang Valley using the Stratified Random sampling method and from the analysis of the data, it was found that the implementation of wireless technologies in HEIs have created lot of opportunities and also challenges.
Abstract: In this study, communities of ammonia-oxidizing
archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in nitrifying
activated sludge (NAS) prepared by enriching sludge from a
municipal wastewater treatment plant in three continuous-flow
reactors receiving an inorganic medium containing different
ammonium concentrations of 2, 10, and 30 mM NH4
+-N (NAS2,
NAS10, and NAS30, respectively) were investigated using molecular
analysis. Results suggested that almost all AOA clones from NAS2,
NAS10, and NAS30 fell into the same AOA cluster and AOA
communities in NAS2 and NAS10 were more diverse than those of
NAS30. In contrast to AOA, AOB communities obviously shifted
from the seed sludge to enriched NASs and in each enriched NAS,
communities of AOB varied particularly. The seed sludge contained
members of N. communis cluster and N. oligotropha cluster. After it
was enriched under various ammonium loads, members of N.
communis cluster disappeared from all enriched NASs. AOB with
high affinity to ammonia presented in NAS 2, AOB with low affinity
to ammonia presented in NAS 30, and both types of AOB survived in
NAS 10. These demonstrated that ammonium load significantly
influenced AOB communities, but not AOA communities in enriched
NASs.
Abstract: Anti-allergic effects of royal jelly were evaluated in a human-like mouse model of atopic dermatitis. NC/Nga mice were cutaneously applied with royal jelly for 6 weeks. Royal jelly-treated mice exhibited lower levels of serum total immunoglobulin E in comparison with controls. We found that the treatment decreased (11% to the control) expression of mRNA for aquaporin-3, which is involved in the modulation of epidermal hydration. Microarray analysis revealed more than 10-fold changes in the expression of several genes, such as transglutaminase 2, repetin, and keratins. In normal human epidermal keratinocytes, royal jelly extract suppressed interleukin-8 elevation induced by TNF-α and interferon-γ, suggesting direct anti-inflammatory activity in keratinocytes. Collectively, topical application of royal jelly may be useful for amelioration of lesions and inflammation in atopic dermatitis.
Abstract: The world is entering a new path of development which is becoming the driving force of globalization. It is seen as an irreversible process of the present reality and has a significant impact on the transformation of economic, social and cultural rights. This also applies to changes in the rural environment which while emphasizing the global development should also maintain its identity and locality, and a rural community should do more to recognize the globalization of an opportunity than a threat to the Polish countryside. The paper discusses theoretical problems of rural development and the importance of diversification in rural areas and preserving the countryside life and there werepresente the opinions of residents of the Polish countryside on the impact of globalization on the development.