Abstract: The Simulation based VLSI Implementation of
FELICS (Fast Efficient Lossless Image Compression System)
Algorithm is proposed to provide the lossless image compression and
is implemented in simulation oriented VLSI (Very Large Scale
Integrated). To analysis the performance of Lossless image
compression and to reduce the image without losing image quality
and then implemented in VLSI based FELICS algorithm. In FELICS
algorithm, which consists of simplified adjusted binary code for
Image compression and these compression image is converted in
pixel and then implemented in VLSI domain. This parameter is used
to achieve high processing speed and minimize the area and power.
The simplified adjusted binary code reduces the number of arithmetic
operation and achieved high processing speed. The color difference
preprocessing is also proposed to improve coding efficiency with
simple arithmetic operation. Although VLSI based FELICS
Algorithm provides effective solution for hardware architecture
design for regular pipelining data flow parallelism with four stages.
With two level parallelisms, consecutive pixels can be classified into
even and odd samples and the individual hardware engine is
dedicated for each one. This method can be further enhanced by
multilevel parallelisms.
Abstract: We have developed a new computer program in
Fortran 90, in order to obtain numerical solutions of a system
of Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics partial differential equations
with predetermined gravitation (GRMHD), capable of simulating
the formation of relativistic jets from the accretion disk of matter
up to his ejection. Initially we carried out a study on numerical
methods of unidimensional Finite Volume, namely Lax-Friedrichs,
Lax-Wendroff, Nessyahu-Tadmor method and Godunov methods
dependent on Riemann problems, applied to equations Euler in
order to verify their main features and make comparisons among
those methods. It was then implemented the method of Finite
Volume Centered of Nessyahu-Tadmor, a numerical schemes that
has a formulation free and without dimensional separation of
Riemann problem solvers, even in two or more spatial dimensions,
at this point, already applied in equations GRMHD. Finally, the
Nessyahu-Tadmor method was possible to obtain stable numerical
solutions - without spurious oscillations or excessive dissipation -
from the magnetized accretion disk process in rotation with respect
to a central black hole (BH) Schwarzschild and immersed in a
magnetosphere, for the ejection of matter in the form of jet over a
distance of fourteen times the radius of the BH, a record in terms
of astrophysical simulation of this kind. Also in our simulations,
we managed to get substructures jets. A great advantage obtained
was that, with the our code, we got simulate GRMHD equations in
a simple personal computer.
Abstract: The most important component affecting the
efficiency of photovoltaic power systems are solar panels. In other
words, efficiency of these systems are significantly affected due to
the being low efficiency of solar panel. Thus, solar panels should be
operated under maximum power point conditions through a power
converter. In this study, design of boost converter has been carried
out with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm which is
incremental conductance (Inc-Cond). By using this algorithm,
importance of power converter in MPPT hardware design, impacts of
MPPT operation have been shown. It is worth noting that initial
operation point is the main criteria for determining the MPPT
performance. In addition, it is shown that if value of load resistance is
lower than critical value, failure operation is realized. For these
analyzes, direct duty control is used for simplifying the control.
Abstract: Since large part of electricity is generated by using
fossil based resources, energy is an important agenda for countries. In
this context, renewable energy sources are alternative to conventional
sources due to the depletion of fossil resources, increasing awareness
of climate change and global warming concerns. Solar, wind and
hydropower energy are the main renewable energy sources. Among
of them, since installed capacity of wind power has increased
approximately eight times between 2008 - November of 2014, wind
energy is a promising source for Turkey. Furthermore, signing of
Kyoto Protocol can be accepted as a milestone for Turkey's energy
policy. Turkish Government has announced Vision 2023 (energy
targets by 2023) in 2010-2014 Strategic Plan prepared by Ministry of
Energy and Natural Resources (MENR). Energy targets in this plan
can be summarized as follows: Share of renewable energy sources in
electricity generation is 30% of total electricity generation by 2023.
Installed capacity of wind energy will be 20 GW by 2023. Other
renewable energy sources such as solar, hydropower and geothermal
are encouraged with new incentive mechanisms. Dependence on
foreign energy is reduced for sustainability and energy security. On
the other hand, since Turkey is surrounded by three coastal areas,
wind energy potential is convenient for wind power application. As
of November of 2014, total installed capacity of wind power plants is
3.51 GW and a lot of wind power plants are under construction with
capacity 1.16 GW. Turkish government also encourages the locally
manufactured equipments. In this context, one of the projects funded
by private sector, universities and TUBİTAK names as MILRES is
an important project aimed to promote the use wind energy in
electricity generation. Within this project, wind turbine with 500 kW
power has been produced and will be installed at the beginning of the
2015. After that, by using the experience obtained from the first
phase of the project, a wind turbine with 2.5 MW power will be
manufactured in an industrial scale.
Abstract: This paper presents a new structure of microstrip band
pass filter (BPF) based on coupled stepped impedance resonators.
Each filter consists of two coupled stepped impedance resonators
connected to microstrip feed lines. The coupled junction is utilized to
connect the two BPFs to the antenna. This two band pass filters are
designed and simulated to operate for the digital communication
system (DCS) and Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands at
1.8 GHz and 2.45 GHz respectively. The proposed circuit presents
good performances with an insertion loss lower than 2.3 dB and
isolation between the two channels greater than 21 dB. The prototype
of the optimized diplexer have been investigated numerically by
using ADS Agilent and verified with CST microwave software.
Abstract: In this study, attempt has been made to investigate the
relationship specifically the causal relation between fund unit prices
of Islamic equity unit trust fund which measure by fund NAV and the
selected macro-economic variables of Malaysian economy by using
VECM causality test and Granger causality test. Monthly data has
been used from Jan, 2006 to Dec, 2012 for all the variables. The
findings of the study showed that industrial production index,
political election and financial crisis are the only variables having
unidirectional causal relationship with fund unit price. However the
global oil price is having bidirectional causality with fund NAV.
Thus, it is concluded that the equity unit trust fund industry in
Malaysia is an inefficient market with respect to the industrial
production index, global oil prices, political election and financial
crisis. However the market is approaching towards informational
efficiency at least with respect to four macroeconomic variables,
treasury bill rate, money supply, foreign exchange rate, and
corruption index.
Abstract: Artificial Neural Network (ANN) can be trained using
back propagation (BP). It is the most widely used algorithm for
supervised learning with multi-layered feed-forward networks.
Efficient learning by the BP algorithm is required for many practical
applications. The BP algorithm calculates the weight changes of
artificial neural networks, and a common approach is to use a twoterm
algorithm consisting of a learning rate (LR) and a momentum
factor (MF). The major drawbacks of the two-term BP learning
algorithm are the problems of local minima and slow convergence
speeds, which limit the scope for real-time applications. Recently the
addition of an extra term, called a proportional factor (PF), to the
two-term BP algorithm was proposed. The third increases the speed
of the BP algorithm. However, the PF term also reduces the
convergence of the BP algorithm, and criteria for evaluating
convergence are required to facilitate the application of the three
terms BP algorithm. Although these two seem to be closely related,
as described later, we summarize various improvements to overcome
the drawbacks. Here we compare the different methods of
convergence of the new three-term BP algorithm.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to reduce patient
waiting times, improve system throughput and improve resources
utilization in radiology department. A discrete event simulation
model was developed using Arena simulation software to investigate
different alternatives to improve the overall system delivery based on
adding resource scenarios due to the linkage between patient waiting
times and resource availability. The study revealed that there is no
addition investment need to procure additional scanner but hospital
management deploy managerial tactics to enhance machine
utilization and reduce the long waiting time in the department.
Abstract: e-Service has moved from the usual manual and
traditional way of rendering services to electronic service provision
for the public and there are several reasons for implementing these
services, Airline ticketing have gone from its manual traditional way
to an intelligent web-driven service of purchasing. Many companies
have seen their profits doubled through the use of online services in
their operation and a typical example is Hewlett Packard (HP) which
is rapidly transforming their after sales business into a profit
generating e-service business unit.
This paper will examine the various challenges confronting e-
Service adoption and implementation in Nigeria and also analyse
lessons learnt from e-Service adoption and implementation in Asia to
see how it could be useful in Nigeria which is a lower middle income
country. From the analysis of the online survey data, it has been
identified that the public in Nigeria are much aware of e-Services but
successful adoption and implementation have been the problems
faced.
Abstract: Over the last few decades, oilfield service rolling
equipment has significantly increased in weight, primarily because of
emissions regulations, which require larger/heavier engines, larger
cooling systems, and emissions after-treatment systems, in some
cases, etc. Larger engines cause more vibration and shock loads,
leading to failure of electronics and control systems.
If the vibrating frequency of the engine matches the system
frequency, high resonance is observed on structural parts and mounts.
One such existing automated control equipment system comprising
wire rope mounts used for mounting computers was designed
approximately 12 years ago. This includes the use of an industrialgrade
computer to control the system operation. The original
computer had a smaller, lighter enclosure. After a few years, a newer
computer version was introduced, which was 10 lbm heavier. Some
failures of internal computer parts have been documented for cases in
which the old mounts were used. Because of the added weight, there
is a possibility of having the two brackets impact each other under
off-road conditions, which causes a high shock input to the computer
parts. This added failure mode requires validating the existing mount
design to suit the new heavy-weight computer.
This paper discusses the modal finite element method (FEM)
analysis and experimental modal analysis conducted to study the
effects of vibration on the wire rope mounts and the computer. The
existing mount was modelled in ANSYS software, and resultant
mode shapes and frequencies were obtained. The experimental modal
analysis was conducted, and actual frequency responses were
observed and recorded.
Results clearly revealed that at resonance frequency, the brackets
were colliding and potentially causing damage to computer parts. To
solve this issue, spring mounts of different stiffness were modeled in
ANSYS software, and the resonant frequency was determined.
Increasing the stiffness of the system increased the resonant
frequency zone away from the frequency window at which the engine
showed heavy vibrations or resonance. After multiple iterations in
ANSYS software, the stiffness of the spring mount was finalized,
which was again experimentally validated.
Abstract: Background: Taiwan now is an aging society. Research
on the elderly should not be confined to caring for seniors, but should
also be focused on ways to improve health and the quality of life.
Senior citizens who participate in volunteer services could become
less lonely, have new growth opportunities, and regain a sense of
accomplishment. Thus, the question of how to get the elderly to
participate in volunteer service is worth exploring. Objective: Apply
the Transtheoretical Model to understand stages of change in regular
volunteer service and voluntary service behaviour among the seniors.
Methods: 1525 adults over the age of 65 from the Renai district of
Keelung City were interviewed. The research tool was a
self-constructed questionnaire, and individual interviews were
conducted to collect data. Then the data was processed and analyzed
using the IBM SPSS Statistics 20 (Windows version) statistical
software program. Results: In the past six months, research subjects
averaged 9.92 days of volunteer services. A majority of these elderly
individuals had no intention to change their regular volunteer services.
We discovered that during the maintenance stage, the self-efficacy for
volunteer services was higher than during all other stages, but
self-perceived barriers were less during the preparation stage and
action stage. Self-perceived benefits were found to have an important
predictive power for those with regular volunteer service behaviors in
the previous stage, and self-efficacy was found to have an important
predictive power for those with regular volunteer service behaviors in
later stages. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The research
results support the conclusion that community nursing staff should
group elders based on their regular volunteer services change stages
and design appropriate behavioral change strategies.
Abstract: Nowadays, Photovoltaic-PV Farms/ Parks and large
PV-Smart Grid Interface Schemes are emerging and commonly
utilized in Renewable Energy distributed generation. However, PVhybrid-
Dc-Ac Schemes using interface power electronic converters
usually has negative impact on power quality and stabilization of
modern electrical network under load excursions and network fault
conditions in smart grid. Consequently, robust FACTS based
interface schemes are required to ensure efficient energy utilization
and stabilization of bus voltages as well as limiting switching/fault
onrush current condition. FACTS devices are also used in smart grid-
Battery Interface and Storage Schemes with PV-Battery Storage
hybrid systems as an elegant alternative to renewable energy
utilization with backup battery storage for electric utility energy and
demand side management to provide needed energy and power
capacity under heavy load conditions. The paper presents a robust
interface PV-Li-Ion Battery Storage Interface Scheme for
Distribution/Utilization Low Voltage Interface using FACTS
stabilization enhancement and dynamic maximum PV power tracking
controllers.
Digital simulation and validation of the proposed scheme is done
using MATLAB/Simulink software environment for Low Voltage-
Distribution/Utilization system feeding a hybrid Linear-Motorized
inrush and nonlinear type loads from a DC-AC Interface VSC-6-
pulse Inverter Fed from the PV Park/Farm with a back-up Li-Ion
Storage Battery.
Abstract: In this paper a new design of a broadband microwave
power limiter is presented and validated into simulation by using
ADS software (Advanced Design System) from Agilent technologies.
The final circuit is built on microstrip lines by using identical Zero
Bias Schottky diodes. The power limiter is designed by Associating 3
stages Schottky diodes. The obtained simulation results permit to
validate this circuit with a threshold input power level of 0 dBm until
a maximum input power of 30 dBm.
Abstract: In this study, we are interested in a species of the
family of Asteraceae (Tagetes erecta). This family is considered as a
source of antimicrobial extracts with strong capacity. The extraction
of the flavonoids is carried out by the method of liquid/liquid with the
use of successive solvents. Afterwards, we evaluated the biological
activity of the flavonoids on five pathogenic bacterial stocks such as
Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and two stocks
of yeasts to knowing Candida albicans) and Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, by employing the method of the aromatogramme starting
from a solid disc. The result of the antimicrobial activity shows an
action and a variable degree of sensitivity according to bacterial
stocks tested. It will be noted that the flavonoids have an inhibiting
effect on E. coli, B. subtilis, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus. But a
resistance with respect to the extract by P. aeruginosa, C. albicans
and S. cerevisiae is to be mentioned.
Abstract: The IEEE 802.22 working group aims to drive the
Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) bands for data
communication to the rural area without interfering the TV broadcast.
In this paper, we arrive at a closed-form expression for average
detection probability of Fusion center (FC) with multiple antenna
over the κ − μ fading channel model. We consider a centralized
cooperative multiple antenna network for reporting. The DVB-T
samples forwarded by the secondary user (SU) were combined using
Maximum ratio combiner at FC, an energy detection is performed
to make the decision. The fading effects of the channel degrades
the detection probability of the FC, a generalized independent and
identically distributed (IID) κ − μ and an additive white Gaussian
noise (AWGN) channel is considered for reporting and sensing
respectively. The proposed system performance is verified through
simulation results.
Abstract: At present, the evaluation of voltage stability
assessment experiences sizeable anxiety in the safe operation of
power systems. This is due to the complications of a strain power
system. With the snowballing of power demand by the consumers
and also the restricted amount of power sources, therefore, the system
has to perform at its maximum proficiency. Consequently, the
noteworthy to discover the maximum ability boundary prior to
voltage collapse should be undertaken. A preliminary warning can be
perceived to evade the interruption of power system’s capacity. The
effectiveness of line voltage stability indices (LVSI) is differentiated
in this paper. The main purpose of the indices used is to predict the
proximity of voltage instability of the electric power system. On the
other hand, the indices are also able to decide the weakest load buses
which are close to voltage collapse in the power system. The line
stability indices are assessed using the IEEE 14 bus test system to
validate its practicability. Results demonstrated that the implemented
indices are practically relevant in predicting the manifestation of
voltage collapse in the system. Therefore, essential actions can be
taken to dodge the incident from arising.
Abstract: E-learning has become an efficient and widespread
means of education at all levels of human activities. Statistics is no
exception. Unfortunately the main focus in statistics teaching is
usually paid to the substitution in formulas. Suitable websites can
simplify and automate calculations and provide more attention and
time to the basic principles of statistics, mathematization of real-life
situations and following interpretation of results. We now introduce
our own web-site for hypothesis testing. Its didactic aspects, the
technical possibilities of the individual tools, the experience of use
and the advantages or disadvantages are discussed in this paper. This
web-site is not a substitute for common statistical software but should
significantly improve the teaching of statistics at universities.
Abstract: In this research, waterglass based aerogel powder was
prepared by sol–gel process and ambient pressure drying. Inspired by
limited dust releasing, aerogel powder was introduced to the PET
electrospinning solution in an attempt to create required bulk and
surface structure for the nanofibers to improve their hydrophobic and
insulation properties. The samples evaluation was carried out by
measuring density, porosity, contact angle, heat transfer, FTIR, BET,
and SEM. According to the results, porous silica aerogel powder was
fabricated with mean pore diameter of 24 nm and contact angle of
145.9º. The results indicated the usefulness of the aerogel powder
confined into nanofibers to control surface roughness for
manipulating superhydrophobic nanowebs with water contact angle
of 147º. It can be due to a multi-scale surface roughness which was
created by nanowebs structure itself and nanofibers surface
irregularity in presence of the aerogels while a layer of fluorocarbon
created low surface energy. The wettability of a solid substrate is an
important property that is controlled by both the chemical
composition and geometry of the surface. Also, a decreasing trend in
the heat transfer was observed from 22% for the nanofibers without
any aerogel powder to 8% for the nanofibers with 4% aerogel
powder. The development of thermal insulating materials has become
increasingly more important than ever in view of the fossil energy
depletion and global warming that call for more demanding energysaving
practices.
Abstract: Real time image and video processing is a demand in
many computer vision applications, e.g. video surveillance, traffic
management and medical imaging. The processing of those video
applications requires high computational power. Thus, the optimal
solution is the collaboration of CPU and hardware accelerators. In
this paper, a Canny edge detection hardware accelerator is proposed.
Edge detection is one of the basic building blocks of video and image
processing applications. It is a common block in the pre-processing
phase of image and video processing pipeline. Our presented
approach targets offloading the Canny edge detection algorithm from
processing system (PS) to programmable logic (PL) taking the
advantage of High Level Synthesis (HLS) tool flow to accelerate the
implementation on Zynq platform. The resulting implementation
enables up to a 100x performance improvement through hardware
acceleration. The CPU utilization drops down and the frame rate
jumps to 60 fps of 1080p full HD input video stream.
Abstract: This paper presents nonlinear pulse propagation characteristics for different input optical pulse shapes with various input pulse energy levels in semiconductor optical amplifiers. For simulation of nonlinear pulse propagation, finite-difference beam propagation method is used to solve the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In this equation, gain spectrum dynamics, gain saturation are taken into account which depends on carrier depletion, carrier heating, spectral-hole burning, group velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation and two photon absorption. From this analysis, we obtained the output waveforms and spectra for different input pulse shapes as well as for different input energies. It shows clearly that the peak position of the output waveforms are shifted toward the leading edge which due to the gain saturation of the SOA for higher input pulse energies. We also analyzed and compared the normalized difference of full-width at half maximum for different input pulse shapes in the SOA.