Abstract: To make use of the limited amounts of water in arid
region, the Iranians developed man-made underground water
channels called qanats (kanats) .In fact, qanats may be considered as
the first long-distance water transfer system. Qanats are an ancient
water transfer system found in arid regions wherein groundwater
from mountainous areas, aquifers and sometimes from rivers, was
brought to points of re-emergence such as an oasis, through one or
more underground tunnels. The tunnels, many of which were
kilometers in length, had designed for slopes to provide gravitational
flow. The tunnels allowed water to drain out to the surface by gravity
to supply water to lower and flatter agricultural land.
Qanats have been an ancient, sustainable system facilitating the
harvesting of water for centuries in Iran, and more than 35 additional
countries of the world such as India, Arabia, Egypt, North Africa,
Spain and even to New world.
There are about 22000 qanats in Iran with 274000 kilometers of
underground conduits all built by manual labor. The amount of
water of the usable qanats of Iran produce is altogether 750 to
1000 cubic meter per second. The longest chain of qanat is
situated in Gonabad region in Khorasan province. It is 70
kilometers long. Qanats are renewable water supply systems that
have sustained agricultural settlement on the Iranian plateau for
millennia. The great advantages of Qanats are no evaporation
during transit, little seepage , no raising of the water- table and no
pollution in the area surrounding the conduits. Qanat systems
have a profound influence on the lives of the water users in Iran, and
conform to Iran-s climate. Qanat allows those living in a desert
environment adjacent to a mountain watershed to create a large oasis
in an otherwise stark environment.
This paper explains qanats structure designs, their history,
objectives causing their creation, construction materials, locations
and their importance in different times, as well as their present
sustainable role in Iran.
Abstract: In this paper we present a full performance analysis of an energy conserving routing protocol in mobile ad hoc network, named ER-AODV (Energy Reverse Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector routing). ER-AODV is a reactive routing protocol based on a policy which combines two mechanisms used in the basic AODV protocol. AODV and most of the on demand ad hoc routing protocols use single route reply along reverse path. Rapid change of topology causes that the route reply could not arrive to the source node, i.e. after a source node sends several route request messages, the node obtains a reply message, and this increases in power consumption. To avoid these problems, we propose a mechanism which tries multiple route replies. The second mechanism proposes a new adaptive approach which seeks to incorporate the metric "residual energy " in the process route selection, Indeed the residual energy of mobile nodes were considered when making routing decisions. The results of simulation show that protocol ER-AODV answers a better energy conservation.
Abstract: Order reduction of linear-time invariant systems employing two methods; one using the advantages of Routh approximation and other by an evolutionary technique is presented in this paper. In Routh approximation method the denominator of the reduced order model is obtained using Routh approximation while the numerator of the reduced order model is determined using the indirect approach of retaining the time moments and/or Markov parameters of original system. By this method the reduced order model guarantees stability if the original high order model is stable. In the second method Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is employed to reduce the higher order model. PSO method is based on the minimization of the Integral Squared Error (ISE) between the transient responses of original higher order model and the reduced order model pertaining to a unit step input. Both the methods are illustrated through numerical examples.
Abstract: Recent communications environment significantly
expands the mobile environment. The popularization of smartphones
with various mobile services has emerged, and smartphone users are
rapidly increasing. Because of these symptoms, existing wired
environment in a variety of mobile traffic entering to mobile network
has threatened the stability of the mobile network. Unlike traditional
wired infrastructure, mobile networks has limited radio resources and
signaling procedures for complex radio resource management. So
these traffic is not a problem in wired networks but mobile networks, it
can be a threat. In this paper, we analyze the security threats in mobile
networks and provide direction to solve it.
Abstract: In this paper, a second order autoregressive (AR)
model is proposed to discriminate alcoholics using single trial
gamma band Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) signals using 3 different
classifiers: Simplified Fuzzy ARTMAP (SFA) neural network (NN),
Multilayer-perceptron-backpropagation (MLP-BP) NN and Linear
Discriminant (LD). Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were
recorded from alcoholic and control subjects during the presentation
of visuals from Snodgrass and Vanderwart picture set. Single trial
VEP signals were extracted from EEG signals using Elliptic filtering
in the gamma band spectral range. A second order AR model was
used as gamma band VEP exhibits pseudo-periodic behaviour and
second order AR is optimal to represent this behaviour. This
circumvents the requirement of having to use some criteria to choose
the correct order. The averaged discrimination errors of 2.6%, 2.8%
and 11.9% were given by LD, MLP-BP and SFA classifiers. The
high LD discrimination results show the validity of the proposed
method to discriminate between alcoholic subjects.
Abstract: This paper proposes a new version of the Particle
Swarm Optimization (PSO) namely, Modified PSO (MPSO) for
model order formulation of Single Input Single Output (SISO) linear
time invariant continuous systems. In the General PSO, the
movement of a particle is governed by three behaviors namely
inertia, cognitive and social. The cognitive behavior helps the
particle to remember its previous visited best position. In Modified
PSO technique split the cognitive behavior into two sections like
previous visited best position and also previous visited worst
position. This modification helps the particle to search the target very
effectively. MPSO approach is proposed to formulate the higher
order model. The method based on the minimization of error
between the transient responses of original higher order model and
the reduced order model pertaining to the unit step input. The results
obtained are compared with the earlier techniques utilized, to validate
its ease of computation. The proposed method is illustrated through
numerical example from literature.
Abstract: The environmental impacts caused by the current production and consumption models, together with the impact that the current economic crisis, bring necessary changes in the European industry toward new business models based on sustainability issues that could allow them to innovate and improve their competitiveness. This paper analyzes the key environmental issues and the current and future market trends in one of the most important industrial sectors in Spain, the furniture sector. It also proposes new decision support tools -diagnostic kit, roadmap and guidelines- to guide companies to implement sustainability criteria into their organizations, including eco-design strategies and other economical and social strategies in accordance with the sustainability definition, and other available tools such as eco-labels, environmental management systems, etc., and to use and combine them to obtain the results the company expects to help improve its competitiveness.
Abstract: A direct connection between ElectroEncephaloGram
(EEG) and the genetic information of individuals has been
investigated by neurophysiologists and psychiatrists since 1960-s;
and it opens a new research area in the science. This paper focuses on
the person identification based on feature extracted from the EEG
which can show a direct connection between EEG and the genetic
information of subjects. In this work the full EO EEG signal of
healthy individuals are estimated by an autoregressive (AR) model
and the AR parameters are extracted as features. Here for feature
vector constitution, two methods have been proposed; in the first
method the extracted parameters of each channel are used as a
feature vector in the classification step which employs a competitive
neural network and in the second method a combination of different
channel parameters are used as a feature vector. Correct classification
scores at the range of 80% to 100% reveal the potential of our
approach for person classification/identification and are in agreement
to the previous researches showing evidence that the EEG signal
carries genetic information. The novelty of this work is in the
combination of AR parameters and the network type (competitive
network) that we have used. A comparison between the first and the
second approach imply preference of the second one.
Abstract: Does education matter to the quality of our life? The results of extensive studies offer an affirmative answer to this question: high education levels are positively associated with higher income, with more highly qualified professions, with lower risk of unemployment, with better physical health and also, it is said, with more happiness. However, exploring these relationships is far from straightforward. Aside from educational credentials, what properties distinguish functionally literate individuals? How can their personal level of satisfaction be measured? What are the social mechanisms whereby education affects well-being?Using a literacy index and several measures for well-being developed by secondary analysis of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey database, this investigation examined the relationship between literacy skills and subjective wellbeing in several OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Special attention was been addressed to Italy, and in particular to two regions representing territorial differences in this country: Piedmont and Campania.
Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite capable
of infecting all nucleated cells in a diverse array of species.
Toxoplasma plaque assay have been described using Bacto Agar.
Because of its experimental advantages carboxymethyl cellulose
overlay, medium viscosity was choosing and the aim of this work
was to develop alternative method for formation of T. gondii plaques.
Tachyzoites were inoculated onto monolayers of Vero cells and
cultured at 37° C under 5 % CO2. The cultures were followed up by
microscopy inspection. Small plaques were visible by naphtol blue
stain 4 days after infection. Larger plaques could be observed by day
10 of culture. The carboxymethyl cellulose is a cheap reagent and the
methodology is easier, faster than assays under agar overlay. This is
the first description of the carboxymethyl cellulose overlay use for
obtaining the formation of T. gondii plaques and may be useful in
consequent obtaining tachyzoites for detailed studies.
Abstract: For the last years, the variants of the Newton-s method with cubic convergence have become popular iterative methods to find approximate solutions to the roots of non-linear equations. These methods both enjoy cubic convergence at simple roots and do not require the evaluation of second order derivatives. In this paper, we present a new Newton-s method based on contra harmonic mean with cubically convergent. Numerical examples show that the new method can compete with the classical Newton's method.
Abstract: Semnan is a city in semnan province, northern Iran
with a population estimated at 119,778 inhabitants. It is the
provincial capital of semnan province. Iran is a developing country
and construction is a basic factor of developing too. Hence, Semnan
city needs to a special programming for construction of buildings,
structures and infrastructures. Semnan municipality tries to begin this
program. In addition to, city has some historical monuments which
can be interesting for tourists. Hence, Semnan inhabitants can benefit
from tourist industry. Optimization of Energy in construction
industry is another activity of this municipality and the inhabitants
who execute these regulations receive some discounts. Many parts of
Iran such as semnan are located in highly seismic zones and
structures must be constructed safe e.g., according to recent seismic
codes. In this paper opportunities of IT in construction industry of
Iran are investigated in three categories. Pre-construction phase,
construction phase and earthquake disaster mitigation are studied.
Studies show that information technology can be used in these items
for reducing the losses and increasing the benefits. Both government
and private sectors must contribute to this strategic project for
obtaining the best result.
Abstract: This paper study the high-level modelling and design
of delta-sigma (ΔΣ) noise shapers for audio Digital-to-Analog
Converter (DAC) so as to eliminate the in-band Signal-to-Noise-
Ratio (SNR) degradation that accompany one channel mismatch in
audio signal. The converter combines a cascaded digital signal
interpolation, a noise-shaping single loop delta-sigma modulator with
a 5-bit quantizer resolution in the final stage. To reduce sensitivity of
Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) nonlinearities of the last stage, a
high pass second order Data Weighted Averaging (R2DWA) is
introduced. This paper presents a MATLAB description modelling
approach of the proposed DAC architecture with low distortion and
swing suppression integrator designs. The ΔΣ Modulator design can
be configured as a 3rd-order and allows 24-bit PCM at sampling rate
of 64 kHz for Digital Video Disc (DVD) audio application. The
modeling approach provides 139.38 dB of dynamic range for a 32
kHz signal band at -1.6 dBFS input signal level.
Abstract: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence, species characterization and associated risk factors with Eimeria (E.) in sheep of district Toba Tek Singh from April, 2009 to March, 2010. Of the total 486 faecal samples examined for Eimeria, 209 (43%) were found infected with five species of Eimeria. Amongst the identified species of Eimeria, E. ovinoidalis was the commonest one (48.32%), followed in order by E. ahsata, E. intricata, E. parva and E. faurei with prevalence of 45.45, 28.71, 24.40 and 19.14 percent respectively. Peak prevalence was observed in August. Wet season (rainy and post-rainy) was found to be favourable for Eimeria infection. Lambs had significantly higher prevalence (P < 0.05) of Eimeria than adults. Similarly higher prevalence of Eimeria was observed in female as compared to male. Among management and husbandry practices; watering system, housing system, floor type and herd size strongly influenced the prevalence of Eimeria. Coccidiosis was more prevalent in closed housing system, non-cemented floor type, pond watered animals and larger herds (P < 0.05) as compared to open housing system, partially cemented floor type, tap watered animals and smaller herds respectively. Feeding system, breed and body condition of animals were not found as risk factors (P>0.05) influencing prevalence of Eimeria.
Abstract: This study analyses the perceptions of secondary
school students about the accounting profession in Malaysia. Fifty
five form three and form four students who are taking
accounting/commerce subjects were met. Individual-s perception
data were collected through questionnaires. The results at the
secondary school level suggest that the stereotypical negative image
of the accountant ends, with students expressing the positive view of
the work of an accountant. There were also gender differences in
perceiving the accounting profession. Overall, the results of the study
suggest that we are now in line in projecting positive and accurate
perceptions of the accounting profession to secondary school
students.
Abstract: This manuscript presents a fast blind signature scheme
with extremely low computation for users. Only several modular additions
and multiplications are required for a user to obtain and verify
a signature in the proposed scheme. Comparing with the existing
ones in the literature, the scheme greatly reduces the computations
for users.
Abstract: in this paper, we propose a numerical method
for the approximate solution of fuzzy Fredholm functional
integral equations of the second kind by using an iterative
interpolation. For this purpose, we convert the linear fuzzy
Fredholm integral equations to a crisp linear system of integral
equations. The proposed method is illustrated by some fuzzy
integral equations in numerical examples.
Abstract: Soil mechanics is a traditional course in any
university. Management of lab classes is one of the main issues to
deliver a proper outline. In Curtin University, different methods
applied to check the efficiency of these methods. One of them was
mainly rely on demonstration and the other one mainly on involving
students in running tests. Comparison between these delivery
methods also are outlined in summary section. The recommendation
also made that the more satisfaction is reachable while the students
engaged.
Abstract: In this paper presents a technique for developing the
computational efficiency in simulating double output induction
generators (DOIG) with two rotor circuits where stator transients are
to be included. Iterative decomposition is used to separate the flux–
Linkage equations into decoupled fast and slow subsystems, after
which the model order of the fast subsystems is reduced by
neglecting the heavily damped fast transients caused by the second
rotor circuit using integral manifolds theory. The two decoupled
subsystems along with the equation for the very slowly changing slip
constitute a three time-scale model for the machine which resulted in
increasing computational speed. Finally, the proposed method of
reduced order in this paper is compared with the other conventional
methods in linear and nonlinear modes and it is shown that this
method is better than the other methods regarding simulation
accuracy and speed.
Abstract: Paper deals with the topic of questions as important
components of information behavior in the school. By analyzing the
Corpus Schola2010, the state of contemporary education in terms of
questioning is proven unsatisfactory: 80% of the questions are asked
by teachers; most of teacher-s questions are asked at the beginning of
the first grade, than their number decreases and is settling down on
80±10 questions per lesson. The average number of questions within
one lesson per one pupil is generally less than one whole question.
The highest values are achieved in the first, sixth, eighth and tenth
grade,, i.e. in the transition years in which pupils are moving into
higher levels of education and every following year it declines. We
can state Czech school do not support questioning and question skill
of their pupils, thereby typical Czech schools are neglecting the
development of thinking, reasoning and cooperation of their pupils.