Abstract: The use of wireless technology in industrial networks
has gained vast attraction in recent years. In this paper, we have
thoroughly analyzed the effect of contention window (CW) size on
the performance of IEEE 802.11-based industrial wireless networks
(IWN), from delay and reliability perspective. Results show that the
default values of CWmin, CWmax, and retry limit (RL) are far from
the optimum performance due to the industrial application
characteristics, including short packet and noisy environment. In this
paper, an adaptive CW algorithm (payload-dependent) has been
proposed to minimize the average delay. Finally a simple, but
effective CW and RL setting has been proposed for industrial
applications which outperforms the minimum-average-delay solution
from maximum delay and jitter perspective, at the cost of a little
higher average delay. Simulation results show an improvement of up
to 20%, 25%, and 30% in average delay, maximum delay and jitter
respectively.
Abstract: This contribution is focused on the methodology for
identifying levels of quality and improving quality through new
logistics model in railway transport. It is oriented on the application
of dynamic quality models, which represent an innovative method of
evaluation quality services. Through this conception, time factor,
expected, and perceived quality in each moment of the transportation
process within logistics chain can be taken into account. Various
models describe the improvement of the quality which emphases the
time factor throughout the whole transportation logistics chain.
Quality of services in railway transport can be determined by the
existing level of service quality, by detecting the causes of
dissatisfaction employees but also customers, to uncover strengths
and weaknesses. This new logistics model is able to recognize critical
processes in logistic chain. It includes service quality rating that must
respect its specific properties, which are unrepeatability,
impalpability, their use right at the time they are provided and
particularly changeability, which is significant factor in the
conditions of rail transport as well. These peculiarities influence the
quality of service regarding the constantly increasing requirements
and that result in new ways of finding progressive attitudes towards
the service quality rating.
Abstract: Scheduled waste management is very important in
environmental and health aspects. In delivering services, highway
industry has been indirectly involved in producing scheduled wastes.
This paper aims to define the scheduled waste, to provide a
conceptual framework of the scheduled waste management in
highway industry, to highlight the effect of improper management of
scheduled waste and to encourage future researchers to identify and
share the present practice of scheduled waste management in their
country. The understanding on effective management of scheduled
waste will help the operators of highway industry, the academicians,
future researchers, and encourage a friendly environment around the
world. The study on scheduled waste management in highway
industry is very crucial as highway transverse and run along
kilometers crossing the various type of environment, residential and
schools. Using Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste)
Regulations 2005 as a guide, this conceptual paper highlight several
scheduled wastes produced by highway industry in Malaysia and
provide a conceptual framework of scheduled waste management that
focused on the highway industry. Understanding on scheduled waste
management is vital in order to preserve the environment. Besides
that, the waste substances are hazardous to human being. Many
diseases have been associated with the improper management of
schedule waste such as cancer, throat irritation and respiration
problem.
Abstract: The paper shows that on transferring sense from the
SL to the TL, the translator’s reading against the grain determines the
creation of a faulty pattern of rendering the original meaning in the
receiving culture which reflects the use of misleading transformative
codes. In this case, the translator is a writer per se who decides what
goes in and out of the book, how the style is to be ciphered and what
elements of ideology are to be highlighted. The paper also proves that
figurative language must not be flattened for the sake of clarity or
naturalness. The missing figurative elements make the translated text
less interesting, less challenging and less vivid which reflects poorly
on the writer. There is a close connection between style and the
writer’s person. If the writer’s style is very much altered in a
translation, the translation is useless as the original writer and his /
her imaginative world can no longer be discovered. The purpose of the paper is to prove that adaptation is a dangerous
tool which leads to variants that sometimes reflect the original less
than the reader would wish to. It contradicts the very essence of the
process of translation which is that of making an original work
available in a foreign language. If the adaptive transformative codes
are so flexible that they encourage the translator to repeatedly leave
out parts of the original work, then a subversive pattern emerges
which changes the entire book. In conclusion, as a result of using adaptation, manipulative or
subversive effects are created in the translated work. This is generally
achieved by adding new words or connotations, creating new figures
of speech or using explicitations. The additional meanings of the
original work are neglected and the translator creates new meanings,
implications, emphases and contexts. Again s/he turns into a new
author who enjoys the freedom of expressing his / her own ideas
without the constraints of the original text. Reading against the grain
is unadvisable during the process of translation and consequently,
following personal common sense becomes essential in the field of
translation as well as everywhere else, so that translation should not
become a source of fantasy.
Abstract: The growth in the demand of electrical energy is
leading to load on the Power system which increases the occurrence
of frequent oscillations in the system. The reason for the oscillations
is due to the lack of damping torque which is required to dominate
the disturbances of Power system. By using FACT devices, such as
Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) can control power flow,
reduce sub-synchronous resonances and increase transient stability.
Hence, UPFC is used to damp the oscillations occurred in Power
system. This research focuses on adapting the neuro fuzzy controller
for the UPFC design by connecting the infinite bus (SMIB - Single
machine Infinite Bus) to a linearized model of synchronous machine
(Heffron-Phillips) in the power system. This model gains the
capability to improve the transient stability and to damp the
oscillations of the system.
Abstract: The aim of the study is to compare behavioral and
EEG reactions in Turkic-speaking inhabitants of Siberia (Tuvinians
and Yakuts) and Russians during the recognition of syntax errors in
native and foreign languages. Sixty-three healthy aboriginals of the
Tyva Republic, 29 inhabitants of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, and
55 Russians from Novosibirsk participated in the study. EEG were
recorded during execution of error-recognition task in Russian and
English language (in all participants) and in native languages
(Tuvinian or Yakut Turkic-speaking inhabitants). Reaction time (RT)
and quality of task execution were chosen as behavioral measures.
Amplitude and cortical distribution of P300 and P600 peaks of ERP
were used as a measure of speech-related brain activity. In Tuvinians,
there were no differences in the P300 and P600 amplitudes as well as
in cortical topology for Russian and Tuvinian languages, but there
was a difference for English. In Yakuts, the P300 and P600
amplitudes and topology of ERP for Russian language were the same
as Russians had for native language. In Yakuts, brain reactions during
Yakut and English language comprehension had no difference, while
the Russian language comprehension was differed from both Yakut
and English. We found out that the Tuvinians recognized both Russian and
Tuvinian as native languages, and English as a foreign language. The
Yakuts recognized both English and Yakut as foreign languages, but
Russian as a native language. According to the inquirer, both
Tuvinians and Yakuts use the national language as a spoken
language, whereas they do not use it for writing. It can well be a
reason that Yakuts perceive the Yakut writing language as a foreign
language while writing Russian as their native.
Abstract: The critical concern of satellite operations is to ensure
the health and safety of satellites. The worst case in this perspective
is probably the loss of a mission, but the more common interruption
of satellite functionality can result in compromised mission
objectives. All the data acquiring from the spacecraft are known as
Telemetry (TM), which contains the wealth information related to the
health of all its subsystems. Each single item of information is
contained in a telemetry parameter, which represents a time-variant
property (i.e. a status or a measurement) to be checked. As a
consequence, there is a continuous improvement of TM monitoring
systems to reduce the time required to respond to changes in a
satellite's state of health. A fast conception of the current state of the
satellite is thus very important to respond to occurring failures.
Statistical multivariate latent techniques are one of the vital learning
tools that are used to tackle the problem above coherently.
Information extraction from such rich data sources using advanced
statistical methodologies is a challenging task due to the massive
volume of data. To solve this problem, in this paper, we present a
proposed unsupervised learning algorithm based on Principle
Component Analysis (PCA) technique. The algorithm is particularly
applied on an actual remote sensing spacecraft. Data from the
Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) was acquired
under two operation conditions: normal and faulty states. The models
were built and tested under these conditions, and the results show that
the algorithm could successfully differentiate between these
operations conditions. Furthermore, the algorithm provides
competent information in prediction as well as adding more insight
and physical interpretation to the ADCS operation.
Abstract: The noise is one of the negative elements which
affects the human health. This article presents the measurement of
emitted noise by road vehicle and its parts during the operation.
Measurement was done in the interior of common passenger cars
with a digital sound meter. The results compare the noise value in
different cars with different body shape, which influences the driver’s
health. Transport has considerable ecological effects; many of them
are detrimental to environmental sustainability. Roads and traffic
exert a variety of direct and mostly detrimental effects on nature.
Abstract: Wheat is the first and the most important grain of the
world and its bakery property is due to glutenin and gliadin qualities.
Wheat seed proteins were divided into four groups according to
solubility including albumin, globulin, glutenin and prolamin or
gliadin. Gliadins are major components of the storage proteins in
wheat endosperm. It seems that little information is available about
gliadin genes in Iranian wild relatives of wheat. Thus, the aim of this
study was the evaluation of the wheat wild relatives collected from
different origins of Zagros Mountains in Iran, in terms of coding
gliadin genes using specific primers. For this, forty accessions of
Triticum boeoticum and Triticum urartu were selected for this study.
For each accession, genomic DNA was extracted and PCRs were
performed in total volumes of 15 μl. The amplification products were
separated on 1.5% agarose gels. In results, for Gli-2A locus three
allelic variants were detected by Gli-2As primer pairs. The sizes of
PCR products for these alleles were 210, 490 and 700 bp. Only five
(13%) and two accessions (5%) produced 700 and 490 bp fragments
when their DNA was amplified with the Gli.As.2 primer pairs.
However, 93% of the accessions carried allele 210 bp, and only 8%
did not any product for this marker. Therefore, these germplasm
could be used as rich gene pool to broaden the genetic base of bread
wheat.
Abstract: Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) is a recent
meta-heuristic method that is inspired by the social evolutions for
solving NP-Hard problems. The ICA is a population-based algorithm
which has achieved a great performance in comparison to other metaheuristics.
This study is about developing enhanced ICA approach to
solve the Cell Formation Problem (CFP) using sequence data. In
addition to the conventional ICA, an enhanced version of ICA,
namely EICA, applies local search techniques to add more
intensification aptitude and embed the features of exploration and
intensification more successfully. Suitable performance measures are
used to compare the proposed algorithms with some other powerful
solution approaches in the literature. In the same way, for checking
the proficiency of algorithms, forty test problems are presented. Five
benchmark problems have sequence data, and other ones are based on
0-1 matrices modified to sequence based problems. Computational
results elucidate the efficiency of the EICA in solving CFP problems.
Abstract: The health care must be a right for people around the
world, but in order to guarantee the access to all, it is necessary to
overcome geographical barriers. Telemedicine take advantage of
Information Communication Technologies to deploy health care
services around the world. To achieve those goals, it is necessary to
use existing last mile solution to create access for home users, which
is why is necessary to establish the channel characteristics for those
kinds of services. This paper presents an analysis of network
performance of last mile solution for the use of IPTV broadcasting
with the application of streaming for telemedicine apps.
Abstract: Spectrum handover is a significant topic in the
cognitive radio networks to assure an efficient data transmission in
the cognitive radio user’s communications. This paper proposes a
comparison between three spectrum handover models: VIKOR, SAW
and MEW. Four evaluation metrics are used. These metrics are,
accumulative average of failed handover, accumulative average of
handover performed, accumulative average of transmission
bandwidth and, accumulative average of the transmission delay. As a difference with related work, the performance of the three
spectrum handover models was validated with captured data of
spectrum occupancy in experiments performed at the GSM frequency
band (824 MHz - 849 MHz). These data represent the actual behavior
of the licensed users for this wireless frequency band. The results of the comparison show that VIKOR Algorithm
provides a 15.8% performance improvement compared to SAW
Algorithm and, it is 12.1% better than the MEW Algorithm.
Abstract: This paper develops a multiple channel assignment
model, which allows to take advantage of spectrum opportunities in
cognitive radio networks in the most efficient way. The developed
scheme allows making several assignments of available and
frequency adjacent channel, which require a bigger bandwidth, under
an equality environment. The hybrid assignment model it is made by
two algorithms, one that makes the ranking and selects available
frequency channels and the other one in charge of establishing the
Max-Min Fairness for not restrict the spectrum opportunities for all
the other secondary users, who also claim to make transmissions.
Measurements made were done for average bandwidth, average
delay, as well as fairness computation for several channel
assignments. Reached results were evaluated with experimental
spectrum occupational data from captured GSM frequency band. The
developed model shows evidence of improvement in spectrum
opportunity use and a wider average transmission bandwidth for each
secondary user, maintaining equality criteria in channel assignment.
Abstract: Government reports and published research have
flagged and brought to public attention the deteriorating condition of
a large percentage of bridges in Canada and the United States. With
the increasing number of deteriorated bridges in the US, Canada, and
around the globe, condition assessment techniques of concrete
bridges are evolving. Investigation for bridges’ defects such as
cracks, spalls, and delamination and their level of severity are the
main objectives of condition assessment. Inspection and
rehabilitation programs are being implemented to monitor and
maintain deteriorated bridge infrastructure. This paper highlights the
state-of-the art of current practices being performed for concrete
bridge inspection. The information is gathered from the literature and
through a distributed questionnaire. The current practices in concrete
bridge inspection rely on the use of hummer sounding and chain
dragging tests. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques are not
being utilized fully in the process. Nonetheless, they are being
partially utilized by the recommendation of the bridge inspector after
conducting visual inspection. Lanes are usually closed during the
performance of visual inspection and bridge inspection in general.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to identify the suitability of
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in welding simulator
application towards Computer-Based Training (CBT) in developing
skills upon new students at the Advanced Technology Training
Center (ADTEC) Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia and GIATMARA,
Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. The significance of the study is to create
a computer-based skills development approach in welding technology
among new students in ADTEC and GIATMARA as well as to
cultivate the elements of general skills among them. This study is
also important in elevating the number of individual knowledge
workers (K-workers) working in manufacturing industry in order to
achieve a national vision which is to be an industrial nation in the
year of 2020. The design of the study is a survey type of research
which using questionnaires as the instruments and some 136 students
from ADTEC and GIATMARA were interviewed. Descriptive
analysis is used to identify the frequency and mean values. The
findings of the study show that the welding technology has developed
skills in the students because of the application of VLE simulated at a
high level and the respondents agreed that the skills could be
embedded through the application of the VLE simulator. In summary,
the VLE simulator is suitable in welding skills development training
in terms of exposing new students with the relevant characteristics of
welding skills and at the same time spurring the students’ interest
towards learning more about the skills.
Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the extent
with which knowledge of results influences the performance of
cricket players. A sample of 160 fresh students in the Department of
Physical and Health Education who are novice in the game were
randomly assigned into two groups. The first group of eighty (80)
subjects was classified as experimental group while the second group
of eighty (80) subjects was the control group. Subjects in both groups
were asked to bowl and bat ten times each for a period of six weeks.
After the first round, the subjects in the experimental group were
allowed feedback on their performance in the first trial while those in
the control group were denied feedback. Two null hypotheses
generated for the study were tested using percentages and chi-square
statistical analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Analysis of data
showed that knowledge of results influenced the performance of
cricket players. It was concluded that knowledge of results is
pertinent for effective skill acquisition and could enhance better
performance among unskilled cricket players. Hence, it is suggested
that immediate feedback on the level of skill acquisition by the
prospective and unskilled cricket players would inspire them for
better performance in cricket tournaments.
Abstract: Household waste form a larger proportion of waste
generated across the state, accumulation of organic waste is an
apparent problem and the existing dump sites could be overstress.
Niger state has abundant arable land and water resources thus should
be one of the highest producers of agricultural crops in the country.
However, the major challenge to agricultural sector today is loss of
soil nutrient coupled with high cost of fertilizer. These have
continued to increase the use of fertilizer and decomposed solid waste
for enhance agricultural yield, which have varying effects on the soil
as well a threat to human livelihood. Consequently, vegetable yield
samples from poultry droppings, decomposed household waste
manure, NPK treatments and control from each replication were
subjected to proximate analysis to determine the nutritional and antinutritional
component as well as heavy metal concentration. Data
collected was analyzed using SPSS software and Randomized
complete Block Design means were compared. The result shows that
the treatments do not devoid the concentrations of any nutritional
components while the anti-nutritional analysis proved that NPK had
higher oxalate content than control and organic treats. The
concentration of lead and cadmium are within safe permissible level
while the mercury level exceeded the FAO/WHO maximum
permissible limit for the entire treatments depicts the need for urgent
intervention to minimize mercury levels in soil and manure in order
to mitigate its toxic effect. Thus, eco-agriculture should be widely
accepted and promoted by the stakeholders for soil amendment,
higher yield, strategies for sustainable environmental protection, food
security, poverty eradication, attainment of sustainable development
and healthy livelihood.
Abstract: Nowadays, illegal logging has been causing many
effects including flash flood, avalanche, global warming, and etc. The
purpose of this study was to maintain the earth ecosystem by keeping
and regulate Malaysia’s treasurable rainforest by utilizing a new
technology that will assist in real-time alert and give faster response
to the authority to act on these illegal activities. The methodology of
this research consisted of design stages that have been conducted as
well as the system model and system architecture of the prototype in
addition to the proposed hardware and software that have been
mainly used such as microcontroller, sensor with the implementation
of GSM, and GPS integrated system. This prototype was deployed at
Royal Belum forest in December 2014 for phase 1 and April 2015 for
phase 2 at 21 pinpoint locations. The findings of this research were
the capture of data in real-time such as temperature, humidity,
gaseous, fire, and rain detection which indicate the current natural
state and habitat in the forest. Besides, this device location can be
detected via GPS of its current location and then transmitted by SMS
via GSM system. All of its readings were sent in real-time for further
analysis. The data that were compared to meteorological department
showed that the precision of this device was about 95% and these
findings proved that the system is acceptable and suitable to be used
in the field.
Abstract: We consider the problem of stabilization of an unstable
heat equation in a 2-D, 3-D and generally n-D domain by deriving a
generalized backstepping boundary control design methodology. To
stabilize the systems, we design boundary backstepping controllers
inspired by the 1-D unstable heat equation stabilization procedure.
We assume that one side of the boundary is hinged and the other
side is controlled for each direction of the domain. Thus, controllers
act on two boundaries for 2-D domain, three boundaries for 3-D
domain and ”n” boundaries for n-D domain. The main idea of the
design is to derive ”n” controllers for each of the dimensions by
using ”n” kernel functions. Thus, we obtain ”n” controllers for the
”n” dimensional case. We use a transformation to change the system
into an exponentially stable ”n” dimensional heat equation. The
transformation used in this paper is a generalized Volterra/Fredholm
type with ”n” kernel functions for n-D domain instead of the one
kernel function of 1-D design.
Abstract: In the context of the handwriting recognition, we
propose an off line system for the recognition of the Arabic
handwritten words of the Algerian departments. The study is based
mainly on the evaluation of neural network performances, trained
with the gradient back propagation algorithm. The used parameters to
form the input vector of the neural network are extracted on the
binary images of the handwritten word by several methods. The
Distribution parameters, the centered moments of the different
projections of the different segments, the centered moments of the
word image coding according to the directions of Freeman, and the
Barr features applied binary image of the word and on its different
segments. The classification is achieved by a multi layers perceptron.
A detailed experiment is carried and satisfactory recognition results
are reported.