Abstract: Economic Load Dispatch (ELD) is a method of determining
the most efficient, low-cost and reliable operation of a power
system by dispatching available electricity generation resources to
supply load on the system. The primary objective of economic
dispatch is to minimize total cost of generation while honoring
operational constraints of available generation resources. In this paper
an intelligent water drop (IWD) algorithm has been proposed to
solve ELD problem with an objective of minimizing the total cost of
generation. Intelligent water drop algorithm is a swarm-based natureinspired
optimization algorithm, which has been inspired from natural
rivers. A natural river often finds good paths among lots of possible
paths in its ways from source to destination and finally find almost
optimal path to their destination. These ideas are embedded into
the proposed algorithm for solving economic load dispatch problem.
The main advantage of the proposed technique is easy is implement
and capable of finding feasible near global optimal solution with
less computational effort. In order to illustrate the effectiveness of
the proposed method, it has been tested on 6-unit and 20-unit test
systems with incremental fuel cost functions taking into account the
valve point-point loading effects. Numerical results shows that the
proposed method has good convergence property and better in quality
of solution than other algorithms reported in recent literature.
Abstract: Modern highly automated production systems faces
problems of reliability. Machine function reliability results in
changes of productivity rate and efficiency use of expensive
industrial facilities. Predicting of reliability has become an important
research and involves complex mathematical methods and
calculation. The reliability of high productivity technological
automatic machines that consists of complex mechanical, electrical
and electronic components is important. The failure of these units
results in major economic losses of production systems. The
reliability of transport and feeding systems for automatic
technological machines is also important, because failure of transport
leads to stops of technological machines. This paper presents
reliability engineering on the feeding system and its components for
transporting a complex shape parts to automatic machines. It also
discusses about the calculation of the reliability parameters of the
feeding unit by applying the probability theory. Equations produced
for calculating the limits of the geometrical sizes of feeders and the
probability of sticking the transported parts into the chute represents
the reliability of feeders as a function of its geometrical parameters.
Abstract: The acoustic and articulatory properties of fricative speech sounds are being studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and acoustic recordings from a single subject. Area functions were derived from a complete set of axial and coronal MR slices using two different methods: the Mermelstein technique and the Blum transform. Area functions derived from the two techniques were shown to differ significantly in some cases. Such differences will lead to different acoustic predictions and it is important to know which is the more accurate. The vocal tract acoustic transfer function (VTTF) was derived from these area functions for each fricative and compared with measured speech signals for the same fricative and same subject. The VTTFs for /f/ in two vowel contexts and the corresponding acoustic spectra are derived here; the Blum transform appears to show a better match between prediction and measurement than the Mermelstein technique.
Abstract: Natural outdoor scene classification is active and
promising research area around the globe. In this study, the
classification is carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the
features are extracted from the images by wavelet decomposition
method and stored in a database as feature vectors. In the second
phase, the neural classifiers such as back-propagation neural network
(BPNN) and resilient back-propagation neural network (RPNN) are
employed for the classification of scenes. Four hundred color images
are considered from MIT database of two classes as forest and street.
A comparative study has been carried out on the performance of the
two neural classifiers BPNN and RPNN on the increasing number of
test samples. RPNN showed better classification results compared to
BPNN on the large test samples.
Abstract: The grey oyster mushroom, Pleurotus sajor-caju
(PSC), is a common edible mushroom and is now grown
commercially around the world for food. This fungus has been
broadly used as food or food ingredients in various food products for
a long time. To enhance the nutritional quality and sensory attributes
of bakery-based products, PSC powder is used in the present study to
partially replace wheat flour in baked product formulations. The
nutrient content and sensory properties of rice-porridge and
unleavened bread (paratha) incorporated with various levels of PSC
powder were studied. These food items were formulated with either
0%, 2%, 4% or 6% of PSC powder. Results show PSC powder
recorded β-glucan at 3.57g/100g. In sensory evaluation, consumers
gave higher score to both rice-porridge and paratha bread containing
2-4% PSC compared to those that are not added with PSC powder.
The paratha containing 4% PSC powder can be formulated with the
intention in improving overall acceptability of paratha bread.
Meanwhile, for rice-porridge, consumers prefer the formulated
product added with 4% PSC powder. In conclusion, the addition of
PSC powder to partially wheat flour can be recommended for the
purpose of enhancing nutritional composition and maintaining the
acceptability of carbohydrate-based products.
Abstract: We propose our genuine research of geometric
moments which detects the mineral inadequacy in the frail groundnut
plant. This plant is prone to many deficiencies as a result of the
variance in the soil nutrients. By analyzing the leaves of the plant, we
detect the visual symptoms that are not recognizable to the naked eyes.
We have collected about 160 samples of leaves from the nearby fields.
The images have been taken by keeping every leaf into a black box to
avoid the external interference. For the first time, it has been possible
to provide the farmer with the stages of deficiencies. This paper has
applied the algorithms successfully to many other plants like Lady-s
finger, Green Bean, Lablab Bean, Chilli and Tomato. But we submit
the results of the groundnut predominantly. The accuracy of our
algorithm and method is almost 93%. This will again pioneer a kind of
green revolution in the field of agriculture and will be a boon to that
field.
Abstract: This paper presents a systematic approach for designing Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) based supplementary damping controllers for damping low frequency oscillations in a single-machine infinite-bus power system. Detailed investigations have been carried out considering the four alternatives UPFC based damping controller namely modulating index of series inverter (mB), modulating index of shunt inverter (mE), phase angle of series inverter (δB ) and phase angle of the shunt inverter (δE ). The design problem of the proposed controllers is formulated as an optimization problem and Real- Coded Genetic Algorithm (RCGA) is employed to optimize damping controller parameters. Simulation results are presented and compared with a conventional method of tuning the damping controller parameters to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed design approach.
Abstract: Stock portfolio selection is a classic problem in finance,
and it involves deciding how to allocate an institution-s or an individual-s
wealth to a number of stocks, with certain investment objectives
(return and risk). In this paper, we adopt the classical Markowitz
mean-variance model and consider an additional common realistic
constraint, namely, the cardinality constraint. Thus, stock portfolio
optimization becomes a mixed-integer quadratic programming problem
and it is difficult to be solved by exact optimization algorithms.
Chemical Reaction Optimization (CRO), which mimics the molecular
interactions in a chemical reaction process, is a population-based
metaheuristic method. Two different types of CRO, named canonical
CRO and Super Molecule-based CRO (S-CRO), are proposed to solve
the stock portfolio selection problem. We test both canonical CRO
and S-CRO on a benchmark and compare their performance under
two criteria: Markowitz efficient frontier (Pareto frontier) and Sharpe
ratio. Computational experiments suggest that S-CRO is promising
in handling the stock portfolio optimization problem.
Abstract: This paper investigates the use of mobile phones and
tablets for learning purposes among university students in Saudi
Arabia. For this purpose, an extended Technology Acceptance Model
(TAM) is proposed to analyze the adoption of mobile devices and
smart phones by Saudi university students for accessing course
materials, searching the web for information related to their
discipline, sharing knowledge, conducting assignments etc.
Abstract: Palm oil could be converted to cocoa butter equivalent by lipase-catalyzed interesterification. The objective of this research was to investigate the structure modification of palm oil to cocoa butter equivalent using Carica papaya lipase –catalyzed interesterification. The study showed that the compositions of cocoa butter equivalent were affected by acyl donor sources, substrate ratio, initial water of enzyme, reaction time, reaction temperature and the amount of enzyme. Among three acyl donors tested (methyl stearate, ethyl stearate and stearic acid), methyl stearate appeared to be the best acyl donor for incorporation to palm oil structure. The best reaction conditions for cocoa butter equivalent production were : substrate ratio (palm oil : methyl stearate, mol/mol) at 1 : 4, water activity of enzyme at 0.11, reaction time at 4 h, reaction temperature at 45 ° C and 18% by weight of the enzyme. The chemical and physical properties of cocoa butter equivalent were 9.75 ± 0.41% free fatty acid, 44.89 ± 0.84 iodine number, 193.19 ± 0.78 sponification value and melting point at 37-39 °C.
Abstract: In this paper we present the deep study about the Bio-
Medical Images and tag it with some basic extracting features (e.g.
color, pixel value etc). The classification is done by using a nearest
neighbor classifier with various distance measures as well as the
automatic combination of classifier results. This process selects a
subset of relevant features from a group of features of the image. It
also helps to acquire better understanding about the image by
describing which the important features are. The accuracy can be
improved by increasing the number of features selected. Various
types of classifications were evolved for the medical images like
Support Vector Machine (SVM) which is used for classifying the
Bacterial types. Ant Colony Optimization method is used for optimal
results. It has high approximation capability and much faster
convergence, Texture feature extraction method based on Gabor
wavelets etc..
Abstract: A novel physico-chemical route to produce few layer graphene nanoribbons with atomically smooth edges is reported, via acid treatment (H2SO4:HNO3) followed by characteristic thermal shock processes involving extremely cold substances. Samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This method demonstrates the importance of having the nanotubes open ended for an efficient uniform unzipping along the nanotube axis. The average dimensions of these nanoribbons are approximately ca. 210 nm wide and consist of few layers, as observed by transmission electron microscopy. The produced nanoribbons exhibit different chiralities, as observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. This method is able to provide graphene nanoribbons with atomically smooth edges which could be used in various applications including sensors, gas adsorption materials, composite fillers, among others.
Abstract: We considered repeated-root cyclic codes whose
block length is divisible by the characteristic of the underlying field.
Cyclic self dual codes are also the repeated root cyclic codes. It is
known about the one-level squaring construction for binary repeated
root cyclic codes. In this correspondence, we introduced of two
level squaring construction for binary repeated root cyclic codes of
length 2a b , a > 0, b is odd.
Abstract: Today Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is known as one of the most important tools for decision makers in the construction of civil and industrial projects towards sustainable development. In the past, projects were evaluated based on cost and benefit analysis regardless of the physical and biological environmental effects and its socio-economical impacts. According to the Department of Environment (DOE) of Iran's regulations, the construction of hydroelectric dams is an activity that requires an EIA report. In this paper the environmental impact assessment of the Gotvand hydro-electrical dam has been evaluated in the three environment elements, biological, Physical-chemical and cultural units. This dam is one of the largest dams in Iran with a volume of 4500 MCM and is going to be the last dam on the Karoon River in the south of Iran. In this paper the ICOLD (International Commission on Large Dams) technique was employed for the environmental impact assessment of the dam. The research includes all socio economical and environmental effects of the dam during the construction and operation of the hydro electric dam and Environmental management, monitoring and mitigation of negative impacts were analyzed. In this project the results led to using some techniques to protect the destructive impacts on biological aspects beside the effective long time period impacts on the biological aspects. The impacts on physical aspects are temporary and negative commonly that could be restored and rehabilitated in natural process in the long time in operation period.
Abstract: The RK5GL3 method is a numerical method for solving
initial value problems in ordinary differential equations, and is based
on a combination of a fifth-order Runge-Kutta method and 3-point
Gauss-Legendre quadrature. In this paper we describe the propagation
of local errors in this method, and show that the global order of
RK5GL3 is expected to be six, one better than the underlying Runge-
Kutta method.
Abstract: A new Meta heuristic approach called "Randomized gravitational emulation search algorithm (RGES)" for solving vertex covering problems has been designed. This algorithm is found upon introducing randomization concept along with the two of the four primary parameters -velocity- and -gravity- in physics. A new heuristic operator is introduced in the domain of RGES to maintain feasibility specifically for the vertex covering problem to yield best solutions. The performance of this algorithm has been evaluated on a large set of benchmark problems from OR-library. Computational results showed that the randomized gravitational emulation search algorithm - based heuristic is capable of producing high quality solutions. The performance of this heuristic when compared with other existing heuristic algorithms is found to be excellent in terms of solution quality.
Abstract: In this paper the behavior of the decision feedback
equalizers (DFEs) adapted by the decision-directed or the constant
modulus blind algorithms is presented. An analysis of the error
surface of the corresponding criterion cost functions is first
developed. With the intention of avoiding the ill-convergence of the
algorithm, the paper proposes to modify the shape of the cost
function error surface by using a soft decision instead of the hard
one. This was shown to reduce the influence of false decisions and to
smooth the undesirable minima. Modified algorithms using the soft
decision during a pseudo-training phase with an automatic switch to
the properly tracking phase are then derived. Computer simulations
show that these modified algorithms present better ability to avoid
local minima than conventional ones.
Abstract: This study examines the design and construction of AC Electronics load surge protection in order to carry electric surge load arisen from faults in low voltage electricity system (single phase/220V) by using the principle of electronics load clamping voltage during induction period so that electric voltage could go through to safe load and continue to work. The qualification of the designed device could prevent both transient over voltage and voltage swell. Both will work in cooperation, resulting in the ability to improve and modify the quality of electrical power in Thailand electricity distribution system more effective than the past and help increase the lifetime of electric appliances, electric devices, and electricity protection equipments.
Abstract: Metropolitan areas have suffered from traffic problems, which have steadily increased in many monocentric cities. Urban expansion, population growth, and road network development have resulted in a structural shift toward urban sprawl, increasing commuters’ dependence on private modes of transport. This paper aims to model the influence of socioeconomic and land-use factors on mode choice using a multinomial and nested logit model. Land-use patterns—such as residential, commercial, retail, educational and employment related—affect the choice of mode and destination in the short and medium term. Socioeconomic factors—such as age, gender, income, household size, and house type—also affect choice, while residential location is affected in the long term. Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Melbourne in Australia were chosen as case studies. Riyadh is a car-dependent city with limited public transport, whereas Melbourne has good public transport but an increase in car dependence. Aggregate level land-use data and disaggregate level individual, household, and journey-to-work data are used to determine the effects of land use and socioeconomic factors on mode choice. The model results determined that urban sprawl is the main factor that affects mode choice, income, and house type.
Abstract: Nanofluids are novel fluids that are going to have an
important role in future industrial thermal device designs. Studies are
being predominantly conducted on the mechanism of these heat
transfers. The key to this attraction is in the increase in thermal
conductivity brought about by the Nanofluids compared with the
base fluid. Different models have been proposed for calculation of
effective thermal conduction that has been gradually modified. In this
investigation effect of nanolayer structure and Brownian motion of
particles are studied and a new modified thermal conductivity model
is proposed. Temperature, concentration, nanolayer thickness and
particle size are taken as variables and their effect are studied
simultaneously on the thermal conductivity of the fluids, showing the
concentration of the nanoparticles to affect the nanolayer thickness
which also affects the Brownian motion.