Abstract: This paper presents a narrative management system
for organizations to capture organization's tacit knowledge
through stories. The intention of capturing tacit knowledge is to
address the problem that comes with the mobility of workforce in
organisation. Storytelling in knowledge management context is
seen as a powerful management tool to communicate tacit
knowledge in organization. This narrative management system is
developed firstly to enable uploading of many types of knowledge
sharing stories, from general to work related-specific stories and
secondly, each video has comment functionality where knowledge
users can post comments to other knowledge users. The narrative
management system allows the stories to browse, search and view
by the users. In the system, stories are stored in a video repository.
Stories that were produced from this framework will improve
learning, knowledge transfer facilitation and tacit knowledge
quality in an organization.
Abstract: The paper investigates downtrend algorithm and
trading strategy based on chart pattern recognition and technical
analysis in futures market. The proposed chart formation is a pattern
with the lowest low in the middle and one higher low on each side.
The contribution of this paper lies in the reinforcement of statements
about the profitability of momentum trend trading strategies.
Practical benefit of the research is a trading algorithm in falling
markets and back-test analysis in futures markets. When based on
daily data, the algorithm has generated positive results, especially
when the market had downtrend period. Downtrend algorithm can be
applied as a hedge strategy against possible sudden market crashes.
The proposed strategy can be interesting for futures traders, hedge
funds or scientific researchers performing technical or algorithmic
market analysis based on momentum trend trading.
Abstract: Laminar natural-convective heat transfer from a
horizontal cylinder is studied by solving the Navier-Stokes and
energy equations using higher order compact scheme in cylindrical
polar coordinates. Results are obtained for Rayleigh numbers of 1,
10, 100 and 1000 for a Prandtl number of 0.7. The local Nusselt
number and mean Nusselt number are calculated and compared with
available experimental and theoretical results. Streamlines, vorticity -
lines and isotherms are plotted.
Abstract: The chatter is one of the major limitations of the productivity in the ball end milling process. It affects the surface roughness, the dimensional accuracy and the tool life. The aim of this research is to propose the new system to detect the chatter during the ball end milling process by using the wavelet transform. The proposed method is implemented on the 5-axis CNC machining center and the new three parameters are introduced from three dynamic cutting forces, which are calculated by taking the ratio of the average variances of dynamic cutting forces to the absolute variances of themselves. It had been proved that the chatter can be easier to detect during the in-process cutting by using the new parameters which are proposed in this research. The experimentally obtained results showed that the wavelet transform can provide the reliable results to detect the chatter under various cutting conditions.
Abstract: In this paper an alternative analysis in the time
domain is described and the results of the interpolation process are
presented by means of functions that are based on the rule of
conditional mathematical expectation and the covariance function. A
comparison between the interpolation error caused by low order
filters and the classic sinc(t) truncated function is also presented.
When fewer samples are used, low-order filters have less error. If the
number of samples increases, the sinc(t) type functions are a better
alternative. Generally speaking there is an optimal filter for each
input signal which depends on the filter length and covariance
function of the signal. A novel scheme of work for adaptive
interpolation filters is also presented.
Abstract: In this paper three basic approaches and different
methods under each of them for extracting region of interest (ROI)
from stationary images are explored. The results obtained for each of
the proposed methods are shown, and it is demonstrated where each
method outperforms the other. Two main problems in ROI
extraction: the channel selection problem and the saliency reversal
problem are discussed and how best these two are addressed by
various methods is also seen. The basic approaches are 1) Saliency
based approach 2) Wavelet based approach 3) Clustering based
approach. The saliency approach performs well on images containing
objects of high saturation and brightness. The wavelet based
approach performs well on natural scene images that contain regions
of distinct textures. The mean shift clustering approach partitions the
image into regions according to the density distribution of pixel
intensities. The experimental results of various methodologies show
that each technique performs at different acceptable levels for
various types of images.
Abstract: In this paper, the application of thermal spray
coatings in high speed shafts by a revolution up to 23000 RPM
has been studied. Gas compressor shafts are worn in contact
zone with journal therefore will be undersized. Wear
mechanisms of compressor shaft were identified. The
predominant wear mechanism is abrasion wear. The worn
surface was coated by hard WC-Co cermets using high
velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) after preparation. The shafts were in
satisfactory service in 8000h period. The metallurgical and
Tribological studies has been made on the worn and coated
shaft using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) and X-ray diffraction.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to develop mathematical
relationships for the performance parameter brake thermal efficiency
(BTE) and emission parameter nitrogen oxides (NOx) for the various
esters of vegetable oils used as CI engine fuel. The BTE is an
important performance parameter defining the ability of engine to
utilize the energy supplied and power developed similarly it is
indication of efficiency of fuels used. The esters of cottonseed oil,
soybean oil, jatropha oil and hingan oil are prepared using
transesterification process and characterized for their physical and
main fuel properties including viscosity, density, flash point and
higher heating value using standard test methods. These esters are
tried as CI engine fuel to analyze the performance and emission
parameters in comparison to diesel. The results of the study indicate
that esters as a fuel does not differ greatly with that of diesel in
properties. The CI engine performance with esters as fuel is in line
with the diesel where as the emission parameters are reduced with the
use of esters.
The correlation developed between BTE and brake power(BP),
gross calorific value(CV), air-fuel ratio(A/F), heat carried away by
cooling water(HCW). Another equation is developed between the
NOx emission and CO, HC, smoke density (SD), exhaust gas
temperature (EGT). The equations are verified by comparing the
observed and calculated values which gives the coefficient of
correlation of 0.99 and 0.96 for the BTE and NOx equations
respectively.
Abstract: In this paper, we develop quartic nonpolynomial
spline method for the numerical solution of third order two point
boundary value problems. It is shown that the new method gives
approximations, which are better than those produced by other spline
methods. Convergence analysis of the method is discussed through
standard procedures. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate
the applicability and efficiency of the novel method.
Abstract: Coal tar is a liquid by-product of the process of coal
gasification and carbonation. This liquid oil mixture contains various
kinds of useful compounds such as phenol, o-cresol, and p-cresol.
These compounds are widely used as raw material for insecticides,
dyes, medicines, perfumes, coloring matters, and many others.
This research needed to be done that given the optimum conditions
for the separation of phenol, o-cresol, and p-cresol from the coal tar
by solvent extraction process. The aim of the present work was to
study the effect of two kinds of aqueous were used as solvents:
methanol and acetone solutions, the effect of temperature (298, 306,
and 313K) and mixing (30, 35, and 40rpm) for the separation of
phenol, o-cresol, and p-cresol from coal tar by solvent extraction.
Results indicated that phenol, o-cresol, and p-cresol in coal tar
were selectivity extracted into the solvent phase and these
components could be separated by solvent extraction. The aqueous
solution of methanol, mass ratio of solvent to feed, Eo/Ro=1,
extraction temperature 306K and mixing 35 rpm were the most
efficient for extraction of phenol, o-cresol, and p-cresol from coal tar.
Abstract: This study reports results of a meta-analytic path analysis e-learning Acceptance Model with k = 27 studies, Databases searched included Information Sciences Institute (ISI) website. Variables recorded included perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward behavior, and behavioral intention to use e-learning. A correlation matrix of these variables was derived from meta-analytic data and then analyzed by using structural path analysis to test the fitness of the e-learning acceptance model to the observed aggregated data. Results showed the revised hypothesized model to be a reasonable, good fit to aggregated data. Furthermore, discussions and implications are given in this article.
Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to provide an efficient tool for delineating brain tumors in three-dimensional magnetic resonance images. To achieve this goal, we use basically a level-sets approach to delineating three-dimensional brain tumors. Then we introduce a compression plan of 3D brain structures based for the meshes simplification, adapted for time to the specific needs of the telemedicine and to the capacities restricted by network communication. We present here the main stages of our system, and preliminary results which are very encouraging for clinical practice.
Abstract: The Kansei engineering is a technology which
converts human feelings into quantitative terms and helps designers
develop new products that meet customers- expectation. Standard
Kansei engineering procedure involves finding relationships between
human feelings and design elements of which many researchers have
found forward and backward relationship through various soft
computing techniques. In this paper, we proposed the framework of
Kansei engineering linking relationship not only between human
feelings and design elements, but also the whole part of product, by
constructing association rules. In this experiment, we obtain input
from emotion score that subjects rate when they see the whole part of
the product by applying semantic differentials. Then, association
rules are constructed to discover the combination of design element
which affects the human feeling. The results of our experiment
suggest the pattern of relationship of design elements according to
human feelings which can be derived from the whole part of product.
Abstract: In this article, biomechanical aspects of hen-s eggshell as a natural ceramic structure are studied. The images, taken by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), are used to investigate the microscopic aspects of the egg. It is observed that eggshell has a three-layered microstructure with different morphological and structural characteristics. Studies on the eggshell membrane (ESM) as a prosperous tissue suggest that it is placed to prevent the penetration of microorganisms into the egg. Finally, numerical models of the egg are presented to study the stress distribution and its deformation under different loading conditions. The effects of two different types of loading (hydrostatic and point loadings) on two different shell models (with constant and variable thicknesses) are investigated in detail.
Abstract: The heart tissue is an excitable media. A Cellular
Automata is a type of model that can be used to model cardiac action
potential propagation. One of the advantages of this approach against
the methods based on differential equations is its high speed in large
scale simulations. Recent cellular automata models are not able to
avoid flat edges in the result patterns or have large neighborhoods. In
this paper, we present a new model to eliminate flat edges by
minimum number of neighbors.
Abstract: The worldwide prevalence of H3N2 influenza virus
and its increasing resistance to the existing drugs necessitates for the
development of an improved/better targeting anti-influenza drug.
H3N2 influenza neuraminidase is one of the two membrane-bound
proteins belonging to group-2 neuraminidases. It acts as key player
involved in viral pathogenicity and hence, is an important target of
anti-influenza drugs. Oseltamivir is one of the potent drugs targeting
this neuraminidase. In the present work, we have taken subtype N2
neuraminidase as the receptor and probable analogs of oseltamivir as
drug molecules to study the protein-drug interaction in anticipation of
finding efficient modified candidate compound. Oseltamivir analogs
were made by modifying the functional groups using Marvin Sketch
software and were docked using Schrodinger-s Glide. Oseltamivir
analog 10 was detected to have significant energy value (16% less
compared to Oseltamivir) and could be the probable lead molecule. It
infers that some of the modified compounds can interact in a novel
manner with increased hydrogen bonding at the active site of
neuraminidase and it might be better than the original drug. Further
work can be carried out such as enzymatic inhibition studies;
synthesis and crystallizing the drug-target complex to analyze the
interactions biologically.
Abstract: One of the main limitations for the resolution of
optical instruments is the size of the sensor-s pixels. In this paper we
introduce a new sub pixel resolution algorithm to enhance the
resolution of images. This method is based on the analysis of multiimages
which are fast recorded during the fine relative motion of
image and pixel arrays of CCDs. It is shown that by applying this
method for a sample noise free image one will enhance the resolution
with 10-14 order of error.
Abstract: Oxide scale thickness measurements are used in assessing the life of different components operating at high temperature environment. Such measurements provide an approximation for the temperature inside components such as reheater and superheater tubes. A number of failures were encountered in one of the boilers in one of Kuwaiti power plants. These failure were mainly in the first row of the primary super heater tubes, therefore, the specialized engineer decide to replace them during the annual shutdown. As a tool for failure analysis, oxide scale thickness measurement were used to investigate the temperature distribution in these tubes. In this paper, the oxide scale thickness of these tubes were measured and used for analysis. The measurements provide an illustration of the distribution of heat transfer of the primary superheater tubes in the boiler system. Remarks and analysis about the design of the boiler are also provided.
Abstract: The Principal component regression (PCR) is a
combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR). The objective of this paper is to revise the
use of PCR in shortwave near infrared (SWNIR) (750-1000nm) spectral analysis. The idea of PCR was explained mathematically and
implemented in the non-destructive assessment of the soluble solid
content (SSC) of pineapple based on SWNIR spectral data. PCR achieved satisfactory results in this application with root mean
squared error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.7611 Brix°, coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.5865 and root mean squared error of crossvalidation
(RMSECV) of 0.8323 Brix° with principal components
(PCs) of 14.
Abstract: Four different colors of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)
(black, white, red and black/white speckled) and red kidney bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris) were used to evaluate proximate compositions,
starch content, and pasting properties. There were no significant
differences of moisture, protein, ash, fat, and carbohydrate contents
of all bean types. The kidney bean had significantly lower amounts of
total starch and solubilized starch compared to those of other
cowpeas (p ≤ 0.05), whereas the red cowpea and red kidney bean had
highest content of resistant starch (9-10%). Decortication indicated
no significant effect on the proximate compositions of all samples,
but it significantly decreased the resistant starch content in cowpeas
and increased the solubilized starch and total starch content in all
types of cowpeas. The highest values of pasting properties, generally
observed in flours obtained from black and black/white speckled
cowpea.