Abstract: Although the field of parametric Pattern Recognition (PR) has been thoroughly studied for over five decades, the use of the Order Statistics (OS) of the distributions to achieve this has not been reported. The pioneering work on using OS for classification was presented in [1] for the Uniform distribution, where it was shown that optimal PR can be achieved in a counter-intuitive manner, diametrically opposed to the Bayesian paradigm, i.e., by comparing the testing sample to a few samples distant from the mean. This must be contrasted with the Bayesian paradigm in which, if we are allowed to compare the testing sample with only a single point in the feature space from each class, the optimal strategy would be to achieve this based on the (Mahalanobis) distance from the corresponding central points, for example, the means. In [2], we showed that the results could be extended for a few symmetric distributions within the exponential family. In this paper, we attempt to extend these results significantly by considering asymmetric distributions within the exponential family, for some of which even the closed form expressions of the cumulative distribution functions are not available. These distributions include the Rayleigh, Gamma and certain Beta distributions. As in [1] and [2], the new scheme, referred to as Classification by Moments of Order Statistics (CMOS), attains an accuracy very close to the optimal Bayes’ bound, as has been shown both theoretically and by rigorous experimental testing.
Abstract: Synchronization between 0.1 Hz oscillations in heart rate and blood pressure is studied and its change during vertical tilt is evaluated in 37 myocardial infarction patients. Two groups of patients are identified with decreased and increased, respectively, synchronization of the studied oscillations as a response to a tilt test. It is shown that assessment of synchronization of 0.1 Hz oscillations as a response to vertical tilt can be used as a guideline for selecting optimal dose of beta-blocker treatment in post-myocardial infarction patients.
Abstract: The effect of cross linking of the protein isolates of
three legumes with the microbial enzyme transglutaminase (EC
2.3.2.13) on the functional properties at different NaCl concentration
was studied. The reduction in the total free amino groups (OD340) of
the polymerized protein showed that TGase treatment cross-linking
the protein subunit of each legume. The solubility of the protein
polymer of each legume was greatly improved at high concentration
of NaCl. At 1.2 M NaCl the solubility of the native legumes protein
was significantly decreased but after polymerization slightly
improved. Cross linked proteins were less turbid on heating to higher
temperature as compared to native proteins and the temperature at
which the protein turns turbid also increased in the polymerized
proteins. The emulsifying and foaming properties of the protein
polymer were greatly improved at all concentrations of NaCl for all
legumes.
Abstract: The information on the Web increases tremendously.
A number of search engines have been developed for searching Web
information and retrieving relevant documents that satisfy the
inquirers needs. Search engines provide inquirers irrelevant
documents among search results, since the search is text-based rather
than semantic-based. Information retrieval research area has
presented a number of approaches and methodologies such as
profiling, feedback, query modification, human-computer interaction,
etc for improving search results. Moreover, information retrieval has
employed artificial intelligence techniques and strategies such as
machine learning heuristics, tuning mechanisms, user and system
vocabularies, logical theory, etc for capturing user's preferences and
using them for guiding the search based on the semantic analysis
rather than syntactic analysis. Although a valuable improvement has
been recorded on search results, the survey has shown that still
search engines users are not really satisfied with their search results.
Using ontologies for semantic-based searching is likely the key
solution. Adopting profiling approach and using ontology base
characteristics, this work proposes a strategy for finding the exact
meaning of the query terms in order to retrieve relevant information
according to user needs. The evaluation of conducted experiments
has shown the effectiveness of the suggested methodology and
conclusion is presented.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to propose a dynamic integrated approach, based on modularity concept and on the business ecosystem approach, that exploit different eBusiness services for SMEs under an open business network platform. The adoption of this approach enables firms to collaborate locally for delivering the best product/service to the customers as well as globally by accessing international markets, interrelate directly with the customers, create relationships and collaborate with worldwide actors. The paper will be structured as following: We will start by offering an overview of the state of the art of eBusiness platforms among SME of food and tourism firms and then we discuss the main drawbacks that characterize them. The digital business ecosystem approach and the modularity concept will be described as the theoretical ground in which our proposed integrated model is rooted. Finally, the proposed model along with a discussion of the main value creation potentialities it might create for SMEs will be presented.
Abstract: The very nonlinear nature of the generator and system
behaviour following a severe disturbance precludes the use of
classical linear control technique. In this paper, a new approach of
nonlinear control is proposed for transient and steady state stability
analysis of a synchronous generator. The control law of the generator
excitation is derived from the basis of Lyapunov stability criterion.
The overall stability of the system is shown using Lyapunov
technique. The application of the proposed controller to simulated
generator excitation control under a large sudden fault and wide
range of operating conditions demonstrates that the new control
strategy is superior to conventional automatic voltage regulator
(AVR), and show very promising results.
Abstract: In this paper, the Fuzzy Autocatalytic Set (FACS) is
composed into Omega Algebra by embedding the membership value
of fuzzy edge connectivity using the property of transitive affinity.
Then, the Omega Algebra of FACS is a transformation semigroup
which is a special class of semigroup is shown.
Abstract: Several researchers have proposed methods about
combination of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Fuzzy Logic (the use of
GA to obtain fuzzy rules and application of fuzzy logic in
optimization of GA). In this paper, we suggest a new method in
which fuzzy decision making is used to improve the performance of
genetic algorithm. In the suggested method, we determine the alleles
that enhance the fitness of chromosomes and try to insert them to the
next generation.
In this algorithm we try to present an innovative vaccination in the
process of reproduction in genetic algorithm, with considering the
trade off between exploration and exploitation.
Abstract: The Constraints imposed by non-thermal
leptogenesis on the survival of the neutrino mass models describing
the presently available neutrino mass patterns, are studied
numerically. We consider the Majorana CP violating phases coming
from right-handed Majorana mass matrices to estimate the baryon
asymmetry of the universe, for different neutrino mass models
namely quasi-degenerate, inverted hierarchical and normal
hierarchical models, with tribimaximal mixings. Considering two
possible diagonal forms of Dirac neutrino mass matrix as either
charged lepton or up-quark mass matrix, the heavy right-handed
mass matrices are constructed from the light neutrino mass matrix.
Only the normal hierarchical model leads to the best predictions of
baryon asymmetry of the universe, consistent with observations in
non-thermal leptogenesis scenario.
Abstract: Quality of school meals is one of the major concerns of governments and international organizations worldwide. This study aims to evaluate nutritional compliance of meals served at a Portuguese primary school considering the portions stated by Portuguese Education Ministry. To evaluate adequacy of portions served, weighing of all meal components offered to students and leftovers was performed during ten consecutive days at two different moments. Plate waste (%) was calculated by the ratio of food discarded and food served to the children. Nutritional evaluation of menus was made using the Portuguese Food Composition Table. Meals evaluated showed a percent contribution to energetic daily intake higher than recommendations. Meals served to children were considered high energy and protein dense. No significant waste of soup was accounted and the main meal components wasted were fish and vegetables. It will be necessary to adjust portions indicated by Ministry of Education in order to comply with recommendations and reduce food waste.
Abstract: Palm methyl ester (PME) is one of the alternative
biomass fuels to liquid fossil fuels. To investigate the combustion
characteristics of PME as an alternative fuel for gas turbines, combustion experiments using two types of burners under atmospheric
pressure were performed. One of the burners has a configuration
making strong non-premixed flame, whereas the other has a
configuration promoting prevaporization of fuel droplets. The results
show that the NOx emissions can be reduced by employing the latter burner without accumulation of soot when PME is used as a fuel. A
burner configuration promoting prevaporzation of fuel droplets is
recommended for PME.
Abstract: The success of an electronic system in a System-on- Chip is highly dependent on the efficiency of its interconnection network, which is constructed from routers and channels (the routers move data across the channels between nodes). Since neither classical bus based nor point to point architectures can provide scalable solutions and satisfy the tight power and performance requirements of future applications, the Network-on-Chip (NoC) approach has recently been proposed as a promising solution. Indeed, in contrast to the traditional solutions, the NoC approach can provide large bandwidth with moderate area overhead. The selected topology of the components interconnects plays prime rule in the performance of NoC architecture as well as routing and switching techniques that can be used. In this paper, we present two generic NoC architectures that can be customized to the specific communication needs of an application in order to reduce the area with minimal degradation of the latency of the system. An experimental study is performed to compare these structures with basic NoC topologies represented by 2D mesh, Butterfly-Fat Tree (BFT) and SPIN. It is shown that Cluster mesh (CMesh) and MinRoot schemes achieves significant improvements in network latency and energy consumption with only negligible area overhead and complexity over existing architectures. In fact, in the case of basic NoC topologies, CMesh and MinRoot schemes provides substantial savings in area as well, because they requires fewer routers. The simulation results show that CMesh and MinRoot networks outperforms MESH, BFT and SPIN in main performance metrics.
Abstract: In this study, a novel approach of image embedding is introduced. The proposed method consists of three main steps. First, the edge of the image is detected using Sobel mask filters. Second, the least significant bit LSB of each pixel is used. Finally, a gray level connectivity is applied using a fuzzy approach and the ASCII code is used for information hiding. The prior bit of the LSB represents the edged image after gray level connectivity, and the remaining six bits represent the original image with very little difference in contrast. The proposed method embeds three images in one image and includes, as a special case of data embedding, information hiding, identifying and authenticating text embedded within the digital images. Image embedding method is considered to be one of the good compression methods, in terms of reserving memory space. Moreover, information hiding within digital image can be used for security information transfer. The creation and extraction of three embedded images, and hiding text information is discussed and illustrated, in the following sections.
Abstract: A simple network model is developed in OPNET to
study the performance of the Wi-Fi protocol. The model is simulated
in OPNET and performance factors such as load, throughput and delay
are analysed from the model. Four applications such as oracle, http, ftp
and voice are applied over the Wireless LAN network to determine the
throughput. The voice application utilises a considerable amount of
bandwidth of up to 5Mbps, as a result the 802.11g standard of the
Wi-Fi protocol was chosen which can support a data rate of up to
54Mbps. Results indicate that when the load in the Wi-Fi network is
increased the queuing delay on the point-to-point links in the Wi-Fi
network significantly reduces until it is comparable to that of WiMAX.
In conclusion, the queuing delay of the Wi-Fi protocol for the network
model simulated was about 0.00001secs comparable to WiMAX
network values.
Abstract: This paper contributes to our knowledge about buyerseller
relations by identifying barriers and conflict situations
associated with maintaining and developing durable business
relationships by small companies. The contribution of prior studies
with regard to negative aspects of marketing relationships is
presented in the first section. The international research results are
discussed with regard to the existing conceptualizations and main
research implications identified at the end.
Abstract: This paper presents the hardware design of a unified
architecture to compute the 4x4, 8x8 and 16x16 efficient twodimensional
(2-D) transform for the HEVC standard. This
architecture is based on fast integer transform algorithms. It is
designed only with adders and shifts in order to reduce the hardware
cost significantly. The goal is to ensure the maximum circuit reuse
during the computing while saving 40% for the number of operations.
The architecture is developed using FIFOs to compute the second
dimension. The proposed hardware was implemented in VHDL. The
VHDL RTL code works at 240 MHZ in an Altera Stratix III FPGA.
The number of cycles in this architecture varies from 33 in 4-point-
2D-DCT to 172 when the 16-point-2D-DCT is computed. Results
show frequency improvements reaching 96% when compared to an
architecture described as the direct transcription of the algorithm.
Abstract: Currently, a large number of license activities (Early
Site Permits, Combined Operating License, reactor certifications,
etc.), are pending for review before the United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (US NRC). Much of the senior staff at the
NRC is now committed to these review and licensing actions. To
address this additional workload, the NRC has recruited a large
number of new Regulatory Staff for dealing with these and other
regulatory actions such as the US Fleet of Research and Test Reactors
(RTRs). These reactors pose unusual demands on Regulatory Staff
since the US Fleet of RTRs, although few (32 Licensed RTRs as of
2010), they represent a broad range of reactor types, operations, and
research and training aspects that nuclear reactor power plants (such
as the 104 LWRs) do not pose. The NRC must inspect and regulate
all these facilities. This paper addresses selected training topics and
regulatory activities providedNRC Inspectors for RTRs.
Abstract: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic
relapsing-remitting condition that afflicts millions of people
throughout the world and impairs their daily functions and quality of
life. Treatment of IBD depends largely on 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-
ASA) and corticosteroids. The present study aimed to clarify the
effects of 5-aminosalicylic acid, budesonide and currcumin on 90
male albino rats against trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNB) induced
colitis. TNB was injected intrarectally to 50 rats. The other 40 rats
served as control groups. Both 5-ASA (in a dose of 120 mg/kg) and
budesonide (in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg) were administered daily for one
week whereas currcumin was injected intraperitonially (in a dose of
30 mg/kg daily) for 14 days after injection of either TNB in the
colitis rats (group B) or saline in control groups (group A). The study
included estimation of macroscopic score index, histological
examination of H&E stained sections of the colonic tissue,
biochemical estimation of myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide
(NO), and caspase-3 levels, in addition to studying the effect of tested
drugs on colonic motility. It was found that budesonide and curcumin
improved mucosal healing, reduced both NO production and caspase-
3 level. They had the best impact on the disturbed colonic motility in
TNBS-model of colitis.
Abstract: The sequential morphologic changes of rabbit duodenal mucosa-submucosa were studied from primodial stage to birth in 15 fetuses and during the early days of life in 21 rabbit newborns till maturity using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Fetal rabbit duodenum develops from a simple tube of stratified epithelium to a tube containing villus and intervillus regions of simple columnar epithelium. By day 21 of gestation, the first rudimentary villi were appeared and by day 24 the first true villi were appeared. The Crypts of Lieberkuhn did not appear until birth. By the first day of postnatal life the duodenal glands appeared. The histological maturity of the rabbit small intestine occurred one month after birth. In conclusion, at all stages, the sequential morphologic changes of the rabbit small intestine developed to meet the structural and physiological demands during the fetal stage to be prepared to extra uterine life.
Abstract: Use of microemulsion in enhanced oil recovery has become more attractive in recent years because of its high level of extraction efficiency. Experimental investigations have been made on characterization of microemulsions of oil-brinesurfactant/ cosurfactant system for its use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Sodium dodecyl sulfate, propan-1-ol and heptane were selected as surfactant, cosurfactant and oil respectively for preparation of microemulsion. The effects of salinity on the relative phase volumes and solubilization parameters have also been studied. As salinity changes from low to high value, phase transition takes place from Winsor I to Winsor II via Winsor III. Suitable microemulsion composition has been selected based on its stability and ability to reduce interfacial tension. A series of flooding experiments have been performed using the selected microemulsion. The flooding experiments were performed in a core flooding apparatus using uniform sand pack. The core holder was tightly packed with uniform sands (60-100 mesh) and saturated with brines of different salinities. It was flooded with the brine at 25 psig and the absolute permeability was calculated from the flow rate of the through sand pack. The sand pack was then flooded with the crude oil at 800 psig to irreducible water saturation. The initial water saturation was determined on the basis of mass balance. Waterflooding was conducted by placing the coreholder horizontally at a constant injection pressure at 200 pisg. After water flooding, when water-cut reached above 95%, around 0.5 pore volume (PV) of the above microemulsion slug was injected followed by chasing water. The experiments were repeated using different composition of microemulsion slug. The additional recoveries were calculated by material balance. Encouraging results with additional recovery more than 20% of original oil in place above the conventional water flooding have been observed.