Abstract: Learning outcomes of a course (CLOs) and the abilities at the time of graduation referred to as Student Outcomes (SOs) are required to be assessed for ABET accreditation. A question in an assessment must target a CLO as well as an SO and must represent a required level of competence. This paper presents the idea of an Expert System (ES) to select a proper question to satisfy ABET accreditation requirements. For ES implementation, seven attributes of a question are considered including the learning outcomes and Bloom’s Taxonomy level. A database contains all the data about a course including course content topics, course learning outcomes and the CLO-SO relationship matrix. The knowledge base of the presented ES contains a pool of questions each with tags of the specified attributes. Questions and the attributes represent expert opinions. With implicit rule base the inference engine finds the best possible question satisfying the required attributes. It is shown that the novel idea of such an ES can be implemented and applied to a course with success. An application example is presented to demonstrate the working of the proposed ES.
Abstract: Healthcare waste management continues to present an
array of challenges for developing countries, and Liberia is of no
exception. There is insufficient information available regarding the
generation, handling, and disposal of health care waste. This face
serves as an impediment to healthcare management schemes. The
specific objective of this study is to present an evaluation of the
current health care management practices in Liberia. It also presented
procedures, techniques used, methods of handling, transportation, and
disposal methods of wastes as well as the quantity and composition
of health care waste. This study was conducted as an investigative
case study, covering three different health care facilities; a hospital, a
health center, and a clinic in Monrovia, Montserrado County. The
average waste generation was found to be 0-7kg per day at the clinic
and health center and 8-15kg per/day at the hospital. The composition
of the waste includes hazardous and non-hazardous waste i.e. plastic,
papers, sharps, and pathological elements etc. Nevertheless, the
investigation showed that the healthcare waste generated by the
surveyed healthcare facilities were not properly handled because of
insufficient guidelines for separate collection, and classification, and
adequate methods for storage and proper disposal of generated
wastes. This therefore indicates that there is a need for improvement
within the healthcare waste management system to improve the
existing situation.
Abstract: The importance of culture and tourism in the attractiveness and competitiveness of the countries is central, and many regions are evidencing their cultural assets, tangible and intangible, as a means to create comparative advantages in tourism and produce a distinctive place in response to the pressures of globalization. Culture and tourism are interlinked because of their obvious combination and growth potential. Cultural tourism is a crucial global tourism market with fast growing. Regions can develop significant relations between culture and tourism to increase their attractiveness as places to visit, live and invest, increasing their competitiveness. Accordingly, having new and creative approach to historical areas as cultural value-based destinations can improve their conditions to promote tourism. Furthermore, in 21st century, media become the most important factor affecting the development of urban cities, including public places. As a result of the digital revolution, re-imaging and re-linkage public places by media are essential to create more interactions between public spaces and users, interaction media display, and urban screens, one of the most important defined media. This interaction can transform the urban space from being neglected to be more interactive space with users, especially the pedestrians. The paper focuses on The Walled City of Famagusta. As many other historic quarters elsewhere in the world, is in a process, of decay and deterioration, and its functionally distinctive areas are severely threatened by physical, functional, locational, and image obsolescence at varying degrees. So the focus on the future development of this area through tourism promotion can be an appropriate decision for the monument enhancement of the spatial quality in Walled City of Famagusta. In this paper, it is aimed to identify the effects of these new digital factors to transform public spaces especially in historic urban areas to promote creative tourism. Accordingly, two different analysis methods are used as well as a theoretical review. The first is case study on site and the second is Close ended questionnaire, test many concepts raised in this paper. The physical analysis on site carried out in order to evaluate the walled city restoration for touristic purpose. Besides, theoretical review is done in order to provide background to the subject and cleared Factors to attract tourists.
Abstract: Liquid storage tanks have become widespread during the recent decades due to their extensive usage. Analysis of liquid containing tanks is known to be complex due to hydrodynamic force exerted on tank which makes the analysis a complex one. The objective of this research is to carry out analysis of liquid domain along with structural interaction for various geometries of circular tanks considering seismic effects. An attempt has been made to determine hydrodynamic pressure distribution on the tank wall considering impulsive and convective components of liquid mass. To get a better picture, a comparative study of Draft IS 1893 Part 2, ACI 350.3 and Eurocode 8 for Circular Shaped Tank has been performed. Further, the differences in the magnitude of shear and moment at base as obtained from static (IS 3370 IV) and dynamic (Draft IS 1892 Part 2) analysis of ground supported circular tank highlight the need for us to mature from the old code to a newer code, which is more accurate and reliable.
Abstract: In recent years, a wide variety of applications are developed with Support Vector Machines -SVM- methods and Artificial Neural Networks -ANN-. In general, these methods depend on intrusion knowledge databases such as KDD99, ISCX, and CAIDA among others. New classes of detectors are generated by machine learning techniques, trained and tested over network databases. Thereafter, detectors are employed to detect anomalies in network communication scenarios according to user’s connections behavior. The first detector based on training dataset is deployed in different real-world networks with mobile and non-mobile devices to analyze the performance and accuracy over static detection. The vulnerabilities are based on previous work in telemedicine apps that were developed on the research group. This paper presents the differences on detections results between some network scenarios by applying traditional detectors deployed with artificial neural networks and support vector machines.
Abstract: Electric field is an important fundamental concept in
electrostatics. In high-school, generally Thai students have already
learned about definition of electric field, electric field due to a point
charge, and superposition of electric fields due to multiple-point
charges. Those are the prerequisite basic knowledge students holding
before entrancing universities. In the first-year university level,
students will be quickly revised those basic knowledge and will be
then introduced to a more complicated topic—electric field due to
continuous charged distributions. We initially found that our
freshman students, who were from the Faculty of Science and
enrolled in the introductory physic course (SCPY 158), often
seriously struggled with the basic physics concepts—superposition of
electric fields and inverse square law and mathematics being relevant
to this topic. These also then resulted on students’ understanding of
advanced topics within the course such as Gauss's law, electric
potential difference, and capacitance. Therefore, it is very important
to determine students' understanding of electric field due to
continuous charged distributions. The open-ended question about
sketching net electric field vectors from a uniformly charged
insulating rod was administered to 260 freshman science students as
pre- and post-tests. All of their responses were analyzed and
classified into five levels of understandings. To get deep
understanding of each level, 30 students were interviewed toward
their individual responses. The pre-test result found was that about
90% of students had incorrect understanding. Even after completing
the lectures, there were only 26.5% of them could provide correct
responses. Up to 50% had confusions and irrelevant ideas. The result
implies that teaching methods in Thai high schools may be
problematic. In addition for our benefit, these students’ alternative
conceptions identified could be used as a guideline for developing the
instructional method currently used in the course especially for
teaching electrostatics.
Abstract: Digital technologies offer many opportunities in the
design and implementation of brand communication and advertising.
Augmented reality (AR) is an innovative technology in marketing
communication that focuses on the fact that virtual interaction with a
product ad offers additional value to consumers. AR enables
consumers to obtain (almost) real product experiences by the way of
virtual information even before the purchase of a certain product.
Aim of AR applications in relation with advertising is in-depth
examination of product characteristics to enhance product knowledge
as well as brand knowledge. Interactive design of advertising
provides observers with an intense examination of a specific
advertising message and therefore leads to better brand knowledge.
The elaboration likelihood model and the central route to persuasion
strongly support this argumentation. Nevertheless, AR in brand
communication is still in an initial stage and therefore scientific
findings about the impact of AR on information processing and brand
attitude are rare. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate
the potential of AR applications in combination with traditional print
advertising. To that effect an experimental design with different
levels of interactivity is built to measure the impact of interactivity of
an ad on different variables o advertising effectiveness.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to identify the measures
companies undertake in order to adapt to the environment as well as
discussing their diversity and effectiveness. The research methods
used in the study include an in-depth analysis of the literature and a
case study, which helps to illustrate the issue in question. Referring to
the concept of agility, which is firmly embedded in the theory of
strategic management and has been developed with the aim of
adapting to the environment and its changes, the paper first examines
different types of adaptation measures for companies. Then the issue
under discussion is illustrated with the example of the company
Hortimex. This company is an eminent representative of the world’s
leading manufacturers of food additives and ingredients. The
company was established in 1988 and is a family business, which in
practice means that it conducts business in a responsible manner,
observing the law and respecting the interests of society and the
environment. The company’s mission is to develop a market in
Poland for the products and solutions offered by their partners and to
share their knowledge of additives in food production and
consumption.
Abstract: This article considers the problems of economic growth
and Russian energy strategy. Also in this paper, the issues related to
the economic growth prospects of Russian were discussed. Russian
energy strategy without standing Russia`s stature in global energy
markets, at the current production and extraction rates, will not be able
to sustain its own production as well as fulfil its energy strategy.
Indeed, Russia’s energy sector suffers from a chronic lack of
investments which are necessary to modernize its energy supply
system. In recent years, especially since the international financial
crisis, Russia-EU energy cooperation has made substantive progress.
Recently the break-through progress has been made, resulting mainly
from long-term contributing factors between the countries and recent
international economic and political situation changes. Analytical
material presented in the article is intended for a more detailed or
substantive analysis related to foreign economic relations of the
countries and Russia as well.
Abstract: Effect of Zn addition on the microstructure and
mechanical properties of Mg-Zn alloys with Zn contents from 6 to 10
weight percent was investigated in this study. Through calculation of
phase equilibria of Mg-Zn alloys, carried out by using FactSage® and
FTLite database, solution treatment temperature was decided as
temperatures from 300 to 400oC, where supersaturated solid solution
can be obtained. Solid solution treatment of Mg-Zn alloys was
successfully conducted at 380oC and supersaturated microstructure
with all beta phase resolved into matrix was obtained. After solution
treatment, hot rolling was successfully conducted by reduction of
60%. Compression and tension tests were carried out at room
temperature on the samples as-cast, solution treated, hot-rolled and
recrystallized after rolling. After solid solution treatment, each alloy
was annealed at temperatures of 180 and 200oC for time intervals from
1 min to 48 hrs and hardness of each condition was measured by
micro-Vickers method. Peak aging conditions were deduced as at the
temperature of 200oC for 10 hrs. By addition of Zn by 10 weight
percent, hardness and strength were enhanced.
Abstract: The combination of the properties of graphene oxide
(OG) and PVDF homopolymer makes their combined composite
materials as multifunctional systems with great potential. Knowledge
of the molecular structure is essential for better use. In this work, the
degradation of PVDF polymer exposed to gamma irradiation in
oxygen atmosphere in high dose rate has been studied and compared
to degradation of PVDF/OG composites. The samples were irradiated
with a Co-60 source at constant dose rate, with doses ranging from
100 kGy to 1,000 kGy. In FTIR data shown that the formation of
oxidation products was at the both samples with formation of
carbonyl and hydroxyl groups amongst the most prevalent products
in the pure PVDF samples. In the other hand, the composites samples
exhibit less presence of degradation products with predominant
formation of carbonyl groups, these results also seen in the UV-Vis
analysis. The results show that the samples of composites may have
greater resistance to the irradiation process, since they have less
degradation products than pure PVDF samples seen by spectroscopic
techniques.
Abstract: Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) is used worldwide since 1998 to treat cartilage defect. GEL based ACI is a new tissue-engineering technique to treat full thickness cartilage defect with fibrin and thrombin as scaffold for chondrocytes. Purpose of this study is to see safety and efficacy of gel based ACI for knee cartilage defect in multiple centres with different surgeons. Gel-based Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (GACI) has shown effectiveness in treating isolated cartilage defect of knee joint. Long term results are still needed to be studied. This study was followed-up up to two years and showed benefit to patients. All enrolled patients with a mean age of 28.5 years had an average defect size of3 square centimeters, and were grade IV as per ICRS grading. All patients were followed up several times and at several intervals at 6th week, 8th week, 11th week, 17th week, 29th week, 57th week after surgery. The outcomes were measured based on the IKDC (subjective and objective) and MOCART scores.
Abstract: HMS Industrial Networks AB has been recognized as
one of the most innovative companies in the industrial
communication industry worldwide. The creation of their Anybus
innovation during the 1990s contributed considerably to the
company’s success. From inception, HMS’ employees were
innovating for the purpose of creating new business (the creation
phase). After the Anybus innovation, they began the process of
internationalization (the commercialization phase), which in turn led
them to concentrate on cost reduction, product quality, delivery
precision, operational efficiency, and increasing growth (the growth
phase). As a result of this transformation, performing new radical
innovations have become more complicated. The purpose of our research was to explore the dynamics of
innovation at HMS from the aspect of key actors, activities, and
events, over the three phases, in order to understand what led to the
creation of their Anybus innovation, and why it has become
increasingly challenging for HMS to create new radical innovations
for the future. Our research methodology was based on a longitudinal,
retrospective study from the inception of HMS in 1988 to 2014, a
single case study inspired by the grounded theory approach. We
conducted 47 interviews and collected 1 024 historical documents for
our research. Our analysis has revealed that HMS’ success in creating the
Anybus, and developing a successful business around the innovation,
was based on three main capabilities – cultivating customer relations
on different managerial and organizational levels, inspiring business
relations, and balancing complementary human assets for the purpose
of business creation. The success of HMS has turned the management’s attention away
from past activities of key actors, of their behavior, and how they
influenced and stimulated the creation of radical innovations.
Nowadays, they are rhetorically focusing on creativity and
innovation. All the while, their real actions put emphasis on growth,
cost reduction, product quality, delivery precision, operational
efficiency, and moneymaking. In the process of becoming an
international company, HMS gradually refocused. In so doing they
became profitable and successful, but they also forgot what made
them innovative in the first place. Fortunately, HMS’ management
has come to realize that this is the case and they are now in search of
recapturing innovation once again. Our analysis indicates that HMS’ management is facing several
barriers to innovation related path dependency and other lock-in
phenomena. HMS’ management has been captured, trapped in their
mindset and actions, by the success of the past. But now their future has to be secured, and they have come to realize that moneymaking is
not everything. In recent years, HMS’ management have begun to
search for innovation once more, in order to recapture their past
capabilities for creating radical innovations. In order to unlock their
managerial perceptions of customer needs and their counter-innovation
driven activities and events, to utilize the full potential of
their employees and capture the innovation opportunity for the future.
Abstract: The exploitation of flow pulsation in micro- and
mini-channels is a potentially useful technique for enhancing cooling
of high-end photonics and electronics systems. It is thought that
pulsation alters the thickness of the hydrodynamic and thermal
boundary layers, and hence affects the overall thermal resistance
of the heat sink. Although the fluid mechanics and heat transfer
are inextricably linked, it can be useful to decouple the parameters
to better understand the mechanisms underlying any heat transfer
enhancement. Using two-dimensional, two-component particle image
velocimetry, the current work intends to characterize the heat transfer
mechanisms in pulsating flow with a mean Reynolds number of
48 by experimentally quantifying the hydrodynamics of a generic
liquid-cooled channel geometry. Flows circulated through the test
section by a gear pump are modulated using a controller to achieve
sinusoidal flow pulsations with Womersley numbers of 7.45 and
2.36 and an amplitude ratio of 0.75. It is found that the transient
characteristics of the measured velocity profiles are dependent on the
speed of oscillation, in accordance with the analytical solution for
flow in a rectangular channel. A large velocity overshoot is observed
close to the wall at high frequencies, resulting from the interaction
of near-wall viscous stresses and inertial effects of the main fluid
body. The steep velocity gradients at the wall are indicative of
augmented heat transfer, although the local flow reversal may reduce
the upstream temperature difference in heat transfer applications.
While unsteady effects remain evident at the lower frequency, the
annular effect subsides and retreats from the wall. The shear rate at
the wall is increased during the accelerating half-cycle and decreased
during deceleration compared to steady flow, suggesting that the flow
may experience both enhanced and diminished heat transfer during
a single period. Hence, the thickness of the hydrodynamic boundary
layer is reduced for positively moving flow during one half of the
pulsation cycle at the investigated frequencies. It is expected that the
size of the thermal boundary layer is similarly reduced during the
cycle, leading to intervals of heat transfer enhancement.
Abstract: The cumulative costs for O&M may represent as
much as 65%-90% of the turbine's investment cost. Nowadays the
cost effectiveness concept becomes a decision-making and
technology evaluation metric. The cost of energy metric accounts for
the effect replacement cost and unscheduled maintenance cost
parameters. One key of the proposed approach is the idea of
maintaining the WTs which can be captured via use of a finite state
Markov chain. Such a model can be embedded within a probabilistic
operation and maintenance simulation reflecting the action to be
done. In this paper, an approach of estimating the cost of O&M is
presented. The finite state Markov model is used for decision
problems with number of determined periods (life cycle) to predict
the cost according to various options of maintenance.
Abstract: The study was meant to identify the impediments to
female sports management and participation in the selected colleges.
Seven colleges of education in the south west parts of the country
were selected for the study. A total of one hundred and five subjects
were sampled to supply data. Only one hundred adequately
completed and returned, copies of the questionnaire were used for
data analysis. The collected data were analysed descriptively. The
result of the study showed that inadequate fund, personnel, facilities
equipment, supplies, management of sports, supervision and coaching
were some of the impediments to female sports management and
participation. Athletes were not encouraged to participate. Based on
the findings, it was recommended that the government should come
to the aid of the colleges by providing fund and other needs that will
make sports attractive for enhanced participation.
Abstract: Recent progress in the next generation of automobile
technology is geared towards incorporating information technology
into cars. Collectively called smart cars are bringing intelligence to
cars that provides comfort, convenience and safety. A branch of smart
cars is connected-car system. The key concept in connected-cars is the
sharing of driving information among cars through decentralized
manner enabling collective intelligence. This paper proposes a
foundation of the information model that is necessary to define the
driving information for smart-cars. Road conditions are modeled
through a unique data structure that unambiguously represent the time
variant traffics in the streets. Additionally, the modeled data structure
is exemplified in a navigational scenario and usage using UML.
Optimal driving route searching is also discussed using the proposed
data structure in a dynamically changing road conditions.
Abstract: Cloud computing is a business model which provides
an easier management of computing resources. Cloud users can
request virtual machine and install additional softwares and configure
them if needed. However, user can also request virtual appliance
which provides a better solution to deploy application in much faster
time, as it is ready-built image of operating system with necessary
softwares installed and configured. Large numbers of virtual
appliances are available in different image format. User can
download available appliances from public marketplace and start
using it. However, information published about the virtual appliance
differs from each providers leading to the difficulty in choosing
required virtual appliance as it is composed of specific OS with
standard software version. However, even if user choses the
appliance from respective providers, user doesn’t have any flexibility
to choose their own set of softwares with required OS and
application. In this paper, we propose a referenced architecture for
dynamically customizing virtual appliance and provision them in an
easier manner. We also add our experience in integrating our
proposed architecture with public marketplace and Mi-Cloud, a cloud
management software.
Abstract: In this study, thermal fatigue properties of 400 series
ferritic stainless steels have been evaluated in the temperature ranges
of 200-800oC and 200-900oC. Systematic methods for control of
temperatures within the predetermined range and measurement of load
applied to specimens as a function of temperature during thermal
cycles have been established. Thermal fatigue tests were conducted
under fully constrained condition, where both ends of specimens were
completely fixed. It has been revealed that load relaxation behavior at
the temperatures of thermal cycle was closely related with the thermal
fatigue property. Thermal fatigue resistance of 430J1L stainless steel
is found to be superior to the other steels.
Abstract: The combination of multi–walled carbon nanotubes
(MWCNTs) with polymers offers an attractive route to reinforce the
macromolecular compounds as well as the introduction of new
properties based on morphological modifications or electronic
interactions between the two constituents. As they are only a few
nanometers in dimension, it offers ultra-large interfacial area per
volume between the nano-element and polymer matrix. Nevertheless,
the use of MWCNTs as a rough material in different applications has
been largely limited by their poor processability, insolubility, and
infusibility. Studies concerning the nanofiller reinforced polymer
composites are justified in an attempt to overcome these limitations.
This work presents one preliminary study of MWCNTs dispersion
into the PVDF homopolymer. For preparation, the composite
components were diluted in n,n-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) with
mechanical agitation assistance. After complete dilution, followed by
slow evaporation of the solvent at 60°C, the samples were dried.
Films of about 80 μm were obtained. FTIR and UV-Vis
spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the
nanocomposites. The appearance of absorption bands in the FTIR
spectra of nanofilled samples, when compared to the spectrum of
pristine PVDF samples, are discussed and compared with the UV-Vis
measurements.