Abstract: We assert here that there might be some factors that
influence professional identity construction at the university/higher
education stage. In accord, we propose a conceptual framework of
intervening factors in professional identity construction at university
from a literature review and preliminary data from a qualitative pilot
study using focus groups. This model identifies several factors that
might influence university students- professional identity
construction and group them into categories. In turn, we describe
how these factors might contribute in strengthening or weakening
their professional identity. Finally, we discuss the implications of
strengthening students- PI for the university, individuals and
organizations and we provide a roadmap for future empirical work in
this area.
Abstract: The paper presents the Romanian realities and perspectives from the point of view of reaching the sustainable development model in the context of the recent accession to the European Union, based on the analysis of the indicators listed in the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. The analysis of the economic-social potential for sustainable development and of the environment aspects show that the objectives stipulated in the renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy of 2006 can be reached, but an extra effort must be put-in in order to overcome the existing substantial gaps in several areas in relation to the developed countries of the EU. The paper-s conclusions show that even if sustainable development is not an easy target to reach in Romania, there are resources and a growing potential, which can lead to sustainable development if used rationally.
Abstract: Active research is underway on virtual touch screens
that complement the physical limitations of conventional touch
screens. This paper discusses a virtual touch screen that uses a
multi-layer perceptron to recognize and control three-dimensional
(3D) depth information from a time of flight (TOF) camera. This
system extracts an object-s area from the image input and compares it
with the trajectory of the object, which is learned in advance, to
recognize gestures. The system enables the maneuvering of content in
virtual space by utilizing human actions.
Abstract: Incremental forming is a complex forming process with
continuously local cumulative deformation taking place during its
process, and springback that forming quality affected by would occur.
The springback evaluation method based on forming error
compensation also was proposed, which it can be defined as the
difference between theory and the actual amount of compensation
along the measured direction. According to forming error
compensation evaluation method, experiments was designed and
implemented. And from the results that obtained it can be show, the
magnitude of springback average (δE) of formed parts was very small,
and the forming precision could be significantly improved by adopting
compensation method. Based on double tensile stress state in the main
deformation area, a hypothesis that there is little springback be arisen
by bending behavior on the formed parts that was proposed.
Abstract: Polymeric microreactors have emerged as a new
generation of carriers that hold tremendous promise in the areas of
cancer therapy, controlled delivery of drugs, for removal of
pollutants etc. Present work reports a simple and convenient
methodology for synthesis of polystyrene and poly caprolactone
microreactors. An aqueous suspension of carboxylated (1μm)
polystyrene latex particles was mixed with toluene solution followed
by freezing with liquid nitrogen. Freezed particles were incubated at
-20°C and characterized for formation of voids on the surface of
polymer microspheres by Field Emission Scanning Electron
Microscope. The hollow particles were then overnight incubated at
40ºC with unfunctionalized quantum dots (QDs) in 5:1 ratio. QDs
Encapsulated polystyrene microcapsules were characterized by
fluorescence microscopy.
Likewise Poly ε-caprolactone microreactors were prepared by
micro-volcanic rupture of freeze dried microspheres synthesized
using emulsification of polymer with aqueous Poly vinyl alcohol and
freezed with liquid nitrogen. Microreactors were examined with Field
Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for size and morphology.
Current study is an attempt to create hollow polymer particles which
can be employed for microencapsulation of nanoparticles and drug
molecules.
Abstract: The draft Auckland Unitary Plan outlines the future land used for new housing and businesses with Auckland population growth over the next thirty years. According to Auckland Unitary Plan, over the next 30 years, the population of Auckland is projected to increase by one million, and up to 70% of total new dwellings occur within the existing urban area. Intensification will not only increase the number of median or higher density houses such as terrace house, apartment building, etc. within the existing urban area but also change mean housing design data that can impact building thermal performance under the local climate. Based on mean energy consumption and building design data, and their relationships of a number of Auckland sample houses, this study is to estimate the future mean housing energy consumption associated with the change of mean housing design data and evaluate housing energy efficiency with the Auckland Unitary Plan.
Abstract: There is an urgent need to conserve the biological diversity of the Nigerian Environment for the future and present generation in the face of current energy resources development. This paper gives an in-depth analysis of the impact of oil and gas activities on the biological diversity of the Nigerian Niger Delta area and its consequences on the sustainable development of the host communities as it relates to their social, economic and environmental issues, particularly on the womenfolk who are the key managers of environmental resources. Also reviewed is the frustration of these communities that is reflected in unending conflicts.
Abstract: In textile industry, besides the conventional textile
products, technical textile goods, that have been brought external
functional properties into, are being developed for technical textile
industry. Especially these products produced with weaving
technology are widely preferred in areas such as sports, geology,
medical, automotive, construction and marine sectors. These textile
products are exposed to various stresses and large deformations under
typical conditions of use. At this point, sufficient and reliable data
could not be obtained with uniaxial tensile tests for determination of
the mechanical properties of such products due to mainly biaxial
stress state. Therefore, the most preferred method is a biaxial tensile
test method and analysis. These tests and analysis is applied to fabrics
with different functional features in order to establish the textile
material with several characteristics and mechanical properties of the
product. Planar biaxial tensile test, cylindrical inflation and bulge
tests are generally required to apply for textile products that are used
in automotive, sailing and sports areas and construction industry to
minimize accidents as long as their service life. Airbags, seat belts
and car tires in the automotive sector are also subject to the same
biaxial stress states, and can be characterized by same types of
experiments. In this study, in accordance with the research literature
related to the various biaxial test methods are compared. Results with
discussions are elaborated mainly focusing on the design of a biaxial
test apparatus to obtain applicable experimental data for developing a
finite element model. Sample experimental results on a prototype
system are expressed.
Abstract: The contribution is dealing with the influence of high speed parameters on the quality of machined surface. In general the principle of high speed cutting lies in achieving faster machine times with concurrent increase in accuracy and quality of the machined areas in largely irregular, mathematically hard to define shapes. High speed machining is a highly effective method of machining with the following goals: increasing of machining productivity, increasing of quality of the machined surface, improving of machining economy, improving of ecological aspects of machining. This article is based on an experiment performed by the Department of Machining and Assembly of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of VŠBTechnical University of Ostrava.
Abstract: Horizontal continuous casting is widely used to
produce semi-finished non-Ferrous products. Homogeneity in the
metallurgical characteristics and mechanical properties for this
product is vital for industrial application. In the present work, the
microstructure and mechanical properties of a horizontal continuous
cast two-phase brass billet have been studied. Impact strength and
hardness variations were examined and the phase composition and
porosity studied with image analysis software. Distinct differences in
mechanical properties were observed between the upper, middle and
lower parts of the billet, which are explained in terms of the
morphology and size of the phase in the microstructure. Hardness
variation in the length of billet is higher in upper area but impact
strength is higher in lower areas.
Abstract: Detecting object in video sequence is a challenging
mission for identifying, tracking moving objects. Background
removal considered as a basic step in detected moving objects tasks.
Dual static cameras placed in front and rear moving platform
gathered information which is used to detect objects. Background
change regarding with speed and direction moving platform, so
moving objects distinguished become complicated. In this paper, we
propose framework allows detection moving object with variety of
speed and direction dynamically. Object detection technique built on
two levels the first level apply background removal and edge
detection to generate moving areas. The second level apply Moving
Areas Filter (MAF) then calculate Correlation Score (CS) for
adjusted moving area. Merging moving areas with closer CS and
marked as moving object. Experiment result is prepared on real scene
acquired by dual static cameras without overlap in sense. Results
showing accuracy in detecting objects compared with optical flow
and Mixture Module Gaussian (MMG), Accurate ratio produced to
measure accurate detection moving object.
Abstract: The purpose of this research study is to investigate the manner in which various loads affect the mechanical properties of the formed mild steel plates. The investigation focuses on examining the cross-sectional area of the metal plate at the centre of the formed mild steel plate. Six mild steel plates were deformed with different loads. The loads applied on the plates had a magnitude of 5 kg, 10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg, 25 kg and 30 kg. The radius of the punching die was 120 mm and the loads were applied at room temperature. The investigations established that the applied load causes the Vickers microhardness at the cross-sectional area of the plate to increase due to strain hardening. Hence, the percentage increase of the hardness due to the load was found to be directly proportional to the increase in the load. Furthermore, the tensile test results for the parent material showed that the average Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) for the three samples was 308 MPa while the average Yield Strength and Percentage Elongation were 227 MPa and 38 % respectively. Similarly, the UTS of the formed components increased after the deformation of the plate, as such it can be concluded that the forming loads alter the mechanical properties of the materials by improving and strengthening the material properties.
Abstract: In this paper methodology to exploit creeping wave
for body area network BAN communication reliability are described.
Creeping wave propagation effects are visualized & analyzed.
During this work Dipole, IA antennas various antennas were
redesigned using existing designs and their propagation
characteristics were verified for optimum performance when used on
BANs. These antennas were then applied on body shapes-including
rectangular, spherical and cylindrical so that all the effects of actual
human body can be taken nearly into account. Parametric simulation
scheme was devised so that on Body channel characterization can be
visualized at front, curved and back region. In the next phase
multiple inputs multiple output MIMO scheme was introduced where
virtual antennas were used in order to diminish the effects of
antennas on the propagation of waves. Results were, extracted and
analyzed at different heights. Finally based on comparative
measurement and analysis it was concluded that on body propagation
can be exploited to gain spatial diversity.
Abstract: In this study, we present an advanced detection
technique for mass type breast cancer based on texture information
of organs. The proposed method detects the cancer areas in three
stages. In the first stage, the midpoints of mass area are determined
based on AHE (Adaptive Histogram Equalization). In the second
stage, we set the threshold coefficient of homogeneity by using
MLE (Maximum Likelihood Estimation) to compute the uniformity
of texture. Finally, mass type cancer tissues are extracted from the
original image. As a result, it was observed that the proposed
method shows an improved detection performance on dense breast
tissues of Korean women compared with the existing methods. It is
expected that the proposed method may provide additional
diagnostic information for detection of mass-type breast cancer.
Abstract: The localization of software products is essential for reaching the users of the international market. An important task for this is the translation of the user interface into local national languages. As graphical interfaces are usually optimized for the size of the texts in the original language, after the translation certain user controls (e.g. text labels and buttons in dialogs) may grow in such a manner that they slip above each other. This not only causes an unpleasant appearance but also makes the use of the program more difficult (or even impossible) which implies that the arrangement of the controls must be corrected subsequently. The correction should preserve the original structure of the interface (e.g. the relation of logically coherent controls), furthermore, it is important to keep the nicely proportioned design: the formation of large empty areas should be avoided. This paper describes an algorithm that automatically rearranges the controls of a graphical user interface based on the principles above. The algorithm has been implemented and integrated into a translation support system and reached results pleasant for the human eye in most test cases.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the
distribution patterns of Cd, Zn and Hg in groundwater by geospatial
interpolation. The study was performed at Rayong province in the
eastern part of Thailand, with high agricultural and industrial
activities. Groundwater samples were collected twice a year from 31
tubewells around this area. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic
Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) was used to measure the
concentrations of Cd, Zn, and Hg in groundwater samples. The
results demonstrated that concentrations of Cd, Zn and Hg range
from 0.000-0.297 mg/L (x = 0.021±0.033 mg/L), 0.022-33.236 mg/L
(x = 4.214±4.766 mg/L) and 0.000-0.289 mg/L (x = 0.023±0.034
mg/L), respectively. Most of the heavy metals concentrations were
exceeded groundwater quality standards as specified in the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand. The trend
distribution of heavy metals were high concentrations at the
southeastern part of the area that especially vulnerable to heavy
metals and other contaminants.
Abstract: In this paper, we focus on the use of knowledge bases
in two different application areas – control of systems with unknown
or strongly nonlinear models (i.e. hardly controllable by the classical
methods), and robot motion planning in eight directions. The first
one deals with fuzzy logic and the paper presents approaches for
setting and aggregating the rules of a knowledge base. Te second one
is concentrated on a case-based reasoning strategy for finding the
path in a planar scene with obstacles.
Abstract: From a long time age, human beings have chosen their
place of residence and comfort so that those places would have
relatively ideal natural and climatic conditions. For this reason, from
the beginning, the civilizations have been formed in the susceptible
natural regions such as Mesopotamia in Iran and Nile coasts in
Egypt. Also, the core of human density has been made in the form of
an oasis in the deserts.
Regarding the formation and combination of the native
architecture in different regions of Iran, we find that different
properties of these climates have affected frequently the formation of
cities and the architectural combinations of these regions. Thus, the
precise determinations of climatic areas and attaining the climatic
properties of different regions have a great deal of importance in
presenting appropriate and compatible-with-climate designs.
Abstract: Capacity and efficiency of any refrigerating system
diminish rapidly as the difference between the evaporating and
condensing temperature is increased by reduction in the evaporator
temperature. The single stage vapour compression refrigeration
system is limited to an evaporator temperature of -40 0C. Below
temperature of -40 0C the either cascade refrigeration system or multi
stage vapour compression system is employed. Present work
describes thermal design of main three heat exchangers namely
condenser (HTS), cascade condenser and evaporator (LTS) of
R404A-R508B and R410A-R23 cascade refrigeration system. Heat
transfer area of condenser (HTS), cascade condenser and evaporator
(LTS) for both systems have been compared and the effect of
condensing and evaporating temperature on heat-transfer area for
both systems have been studied under same operating condition. The
results shows that the required heat-transfer area of condenser and
cascade condenser for R410A-R23 cascade system is lower than the
R404A-R508B cascade system but heat transfer area of evaporator is
similar for both the system. The heat transfer area of condenser and
cascade condenser decreases with increase in condensing temperature
(Tc), whereas the heat transfer area of cascade condenser and
evaporator increases with increase in evaporating temperature (Te).
Abstract: A new and highly efficient architecture for elliptic curve scalar point multiplication which is optimized for a binary field recommended by NIST and is well-suited for elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) applications is presented. To achieve the maximum architectural and timing improvements we have reorganized and reordered the critical path of the Lopez-Dahab scalar point multiplication architecture such that logic structures are implemented in parallel and operations in the critical path are diverted to noncritical paths. With G=41, the proposed design is capable of performing a field multiplication over the extension field with degree 163 in 11.92 s with the maximum achievable frequency of 251 MHz on Xilinx Virtex-4 (XC4VLX200) while 22% of the chip area is occupied, where G is the digit size of the underlying digit-serial finite field multiplier.