Abstract: Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is the
coherent oscillation of conductive electrons confined in noble
metallic nanoparticles excited by electromagnetic radiation, and
nanosphere lithography (NSL) is one of the cost-effective methods to
fabricate metal nanostructures for LSPR. NSL can be categorized
into two major groups: dispersed NSL and closely pack NSL. In
recent years, gold nanocrescents and gold nanoholes with vertical
sidewalls fabricated by dispersed NSL, and silver nanotriangles and
gold nanocaps on silica nanospheres fabricated by closely pack NSL,
have been reported for LSPR biosensing. This paper introduces
several novel gold nanostructures fabricated by NSL in LSPR
applications, including 3D nanostructures obtained by evaporating
gold obliquely on dispersed nanospheres, nanoholes with slant
sidewalls, and patchy nanoparticles on closely packed nanospheres,
all of which render satisfactory sensitivity for LSPR sensing. Since
the LSPR spectrum is very sensitive to the shape of the metal
nanostructures, formulas are derived and software is developed for
calculating the profiles of the obtainable metal nanostructures by
NSL, for different nanosphere masks with different fabrication
conditions. The simulated profiles coincide well with the profiles of
the fabricated gold nanostructures observed under scanning electron
microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), which
proves that the software is a useful tool for the process design of
different LSPR nanostructures.
Abstract: Short circuit currents plays a vital role in influencing the design and operation of equipment and power system and could not be avoided despite careful planning and design, good maintenance and thorough operation of the system. This paper discusses the short circuit analysis conducted in KSO briefly comprising of its significances, methods and results. A result sample of the analysis based on a single transformer is detailed in this paper. Furthermore, the results of the analysis and its significances were also discussed and commented.
Abstract: A full six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) flight dynamics
model is proposed for the accurate prediction of short and long-range
trajectories of high spin and fin-stabilized projectiles via atmospheric
flight to final impact point. The projectiles is assumed to be both rigid
(non-flexible), and rotationally symmetric about its spin axis launched
at low and high pitch angles. The mathematical model is based on the
full equations of motion set up in the no-roll body reference frame and
is integrated numerically from given initial conditions at the firing
site. The projectiles maneuvering motion depends on the most
significant force and moment variations, in addition to wind and
gravity. The computational flight analysis takes into consideration the
Mach number and total angle of attack effects by means of the
variable aerodynamic coefficients. For the purposes of the present
work, linear interpolation has been applied from the tabulated database
of McCoy-s book. The developed computational method gives
satisfactory agreement with published data of verified experiments and
computational codes on atmospheric projectile trajectory analysis for
various initial firing flight conditions.
Abstract: Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is one of the
serious problems in most electrical and electronic appliances
including fluorescent lamps. The electronic ballast used to regulate
the power flow through the lamp is the major cause for EMI. The
interference is because of the high frequency switching operation of
the ballast. Formerly, some EMI mitigation techniques were in
practice, but they were not satisfactory because of the hardware
complexity in the circuit design, increased parasitic components and
power consumption and so on. The majority of the researchers have
their spotlight only on EMI mitigation without considering the other
constraints such as cost, effective operation of the equipment etc. In
this paper, we propose a technique for EMI mitigation in fluorescent
lamps by integrating Frequency Modulation and Evolutionary
Programming. By the Frequency Modulation technique, the
switching at a single central frequency is extended to a range of
frequencies, and so, the power is distributed throughout the range of
frequencies leading to EMI mitigation. But in order to meet the
operating frequency of the ballast and the operating power of the
fluorescent lamps, an optimal modulation index is necessary for
Frequency Modulation. The optimal modulation index is determined
using Evolutionary Programming. Thereby, the proposed technique
mitigates the EMI to a satisfactory level without disturbing the
operation of the fluorescent lamp.
Abstract: This paper discusses the designing of knowledge
integration of clinical information extracted from distributed medical
ontologies in order to ameliorate a machine learning-based multilabel
coding assignment system. The proposed approach is
implemented using a decision tree technique of the machine learning
on the university hospital data for patients with Coronary Heart
Disease (CHD). The preliminary results obtained show a satisfactory
finding that the use of medical ontologies improves the overall
system performance.
Abstract: Earth reinforcing techniques have become useful and economical to solve problems related to difficult grounds and provide satisfactory foundation performance. In this context, this paper uses radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) for predicting the bearing pressure of strip footing on reinforced granular bed overlying weak soil. The inputs for the neural network models included plate width, thickness of granular bed and number of layers of reinforcements, settlement ratio, water content, dry density, cohesion and angle of friction. The results indicated that RBFNN model exhibited more than 84 % prediction accuracy, thereby demonstrating its application in a geotechnical problem.
Abstract: Transition prediction of boundary layers has always
been an important problem in fluid mechanics both theoretically and
practically, yet notwithstanding the great effort made by many
investigators, there is no satisfactory answer to this problem. The most
popular method available is so-called e-N method which is heavily
dependent on experiments and experience. The author has proposed
improvements to the e-N method, so to reduce its dependence on
experiments and experience to a certain extent. One of the key
assumptions is that transition would occur whenever the velocity
amplitude of disturbance reaches 1-2% of the free stream velocity.
However, the reliability of this assumption needs to be verified. In this
paper, transition prediction on a flat plate is investigated by using both
the improved e-N method and the parabolized stability equations (PSE)
methods. The results show that the transition locations predicted by
both methods agree reasonably well with each other, under the above
assumption. For the supersonic case, the critical velocity amplitude in
the improved e-N method should be taken as 0.013, whereas in the
subsonic case, it should be 0.018, both are within the range 1-2%.
Abstract: In this paper we propose a new criterion for solving
the problem of channel shortening in multi-carrier systems. In a
discrete multitone receiver, a time-domain equalizer (TEQ) reduces
intersymbol interference (ISI) by shortening the effective duration of
the channel impulse response. Minimum mean square error (MMSE)
method for TEQ does not give satisfactory results. In [1] a new
criterion for partially equalizing severe ISI channels to reduce the
cyclic prefix overhead of the discrete multitone transceiver (DMT),
assuming a fixed transmission bandwidth, is introduced. Due to
specific constrained (unit morm constraint on the target impulse
response (TIR)) in their method, the freedom to choose optimum
vector (TIR) is reduced. Better results can be obtained by avoiding
the unit norm constraint on the target impulse response (TIR). In
this paper we change the cost function proposed in [1] to the cost
function of determining the maximum of a determinant subject to
linear matrix inequality (LMI) and quadratic constraint and solve the
resulting optimization problem. Usefulness of the proposed method
is shown with the help of simulations.
Abstract: Intelligent deep-drawing is an instrumental research field in sheet metal forming. A set of 28 different experimental data have been employed in this paper, investigating the roles of die radius, punch radius, friction coefficients and drawing ratios for axisymmetric workpieces deep drawing. This paper focuses an evolutionary neural network, specifically, error back propagation in collaboration with genetic algorithm. The neural network encompasses a number of different functional nodes defined through the established principles. The input parameters, i.e., punch radii, die radii, friction coefficients and drawing ratios are set to the network; thereafter, the material outputs at two critical points are accurately calculated. The output of the network is used to establish the best parameters leading to the most uniform thickness in the product via the genetic algorithm. This research achieved satisfactory results based on demonstration of neural networks.
Abstract: We present our ongoing work on the development
of a new quadrotor aerial vehicle which has a tilt-wing
mechanism. The vehicle is capable of take-off/landing in vertical flight mode (VTOL) and flying over long distances in horizontal flight mode. Full dynamic model of the vehicle is derived using
Newton-Euler formulation. Linear and nonlinear controllers for
the stabilization of attitude of the vehicle and control of its
altitude have been designed and implemented via simulations. In particular, an LQR controller has been shown to be quite
effective in the vertical flight mode for all possible yaw angles. A sliding mode controller (SMC) with recursive nature has also
been proposed to stabilize the vehicle-s attitude and altitude. Simulation results show that proposed controllers provide
satisfactory performance in achieving desired maneuvers.
Abstract: When cars are released from the factory, strut noises are very small and therefore it is difficult to perceive them. As the use time and travel distance increase, however, strut noises get larger so as to cause users much uneasiness. The noises generated at the field include engine noises and flow noises and therefore it is difficult to clearly discern the noises generated from struts. This study developed a test method which can reproduce field strut noises in the lab. Using the newly developed noise evaluation test, this study analyzed the effects that insulator performance degradation and failure can have on car noises. The study also confirmed that the insulator durability test by the simple back-and-forth motion cannot completely reflect the state of the parts failure in the field. Based on this, the study also confirmed that field noises can be reproduced through a durability test that considers heat aging.
Abstract: The use of machine vision to inspect the outcome of
surgical tasks is investigated, with the aim of incorporating this
approach in robotic surgery systems. Machine vision is a non-contact
form of inspection i.e. no part of the vision system is in direct contact
with the patient, and is therefore well suited for surgery where
sterility is an important consideration,. As a proof-of-concept, three
primary surgical tasks for a common neurosurgical procedure were
inspected using machine vision. Experiments were performed on
cadaveric pig heads to simulate the two possible outcomes i.e.
satisfactory or unsatisfactory, for tasks involved in making a burr
hole, namely incision, retraction, and drilling. We identify low level
image features to distinguish the two outcomes, as well as report on
results that validate our proposed approach. The potential of using
machine vision in a surgical environment, and the challenges that
must be addressed, are identified and discussed.
Abstract: This work presents the highly accurate numerical calculation
of the natural frequencies for functionally graded beams with
simply supported boundary conditions. The Timoshenko first order
shear deformation beam theory and the higher order shear deformation
beam theory of Reddy have been applied to the functionally
graded beams analysis. The material property gradient is assumed
to be in the thickness direction. The Hamilton-s principle is utilized
to obtain the dynamic equations of functionally graded beams. The
influences of the volume fraction index and thickness-to-length ratio
on the fundamental frequencies are discussed. Comparison of the
numerical results for the homogeneous beam with Euler-Bernoulli
beam theory results show that the derived model is satisfactory.
Abstract: The purpose of planned islanding is to construct a
power island during system disturbances which are commonly
formed for maintenance purpose. However, in most of the cases
island mode operation is not allowed. Therefore distributed
generators (DGs) must sense the unplanned disconnection from the
main grid. Passive technique is the most commonly used method for
this purpose. However, it needs improvement in order to identify the
islanding condition. In this paper an effective method for
identification of islanding condition based on phase space and neural
network techniques has been developed. The captured voltage
waveforms at the coupling points of DGs are processed to extract the
required features. For this purposed a method known as the phase
space techniques is used. Based on extracted features, two neural
network configuration namely radial basis function and probabilistic
neural networks are trained to recognize the waveform class.
According to the test result, the investigated technique can provide
satisfactory identification of the islanding condition in the
distribution system.
Abstract: This study investigated the ecological effects of
particulate pollution from a cement factory on the vegetation in the
western Mediterranean coastal desert of Egypt. Variations in
vegetation, soil chemical characters, and some responses of Atriplex
halimus, as a dominant species in the study area, were investigated in
some sites located in different directions from the cement factory
between Burg El-Arab in the east and El-Hammam in the west. The
results showed an obvious decrease in vegetation diversity, in
response to cement-kiln dust pollution, that accompanied by a high
dominance attributed to the high contribution of Atriplex halimus.
Annual species were found to be more sensitive to cement dust
pollution as they all failed to persist in highly disturbed sites. It is
remarkable that cover and phytomass of Atriplex halimus were
increased greatly in response to cement dust pollution, and this was
accompanied by a reduction in the mature seeds and leaf-area of the
plant. The few seeds of the affected individuals seemed to be more
fertile and attained higher germination percentages and exhibited
hardening against drought stress.
Abstract: This paper proposes a Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control (FSMC) as a control strategy for Buck-Boost DC-DC converter. The proposed fuzzy controller specifies changes in the control signal based on the knowledge of the surface and the surface change to satisfy the sliding mode stability and attraction conditions. The performances of the proposed fuzzy sliding controller are compared to those obtained by a classical sliding mode controller. The satisfactory simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed control law which reduces the chattering phenomenon. Moreover, the obtained results prove the robustness of the proposed control law against variation of the load resistance and the input voltage of the studied converter.
Abstract: Heuristics-based search methodologies normally
work on searching a problem space of possible solutions toward
finding a “satisfactory" solution based on “hints" estimated from the
problem-specific knowledge. Research communities use different
types of methodologies. Unfortunately, most of the times, these hints
are immature and can lead toward hindering these methodologies by
a premature convergence. This is due to a decrease of diversity in
search space that leads to a total implosion and ultimately fitness
stagnation of the population. In this paper, a novel Decision Maturity
framework (DMF) is introduced as a solution to this problem. The
framework simply improves the decision on the direction of the
search by materializing hints enough before using them. Ideas from
this framework are injected into the particle swarm optimization
methodology. Results were obtained under both static and dynamic
environment. The results show that decision maturity prevents
premature converges to a high degree.
Abstract: A multi-block algorithm and its implementation in two-dimensional finite element numerical model CCHE2D are presented. In addition to a conventional Lagrangian Interpolation Method (LIM), a novel interpolation method, called Consistent Interpolation Method (CIM), is proposed for more accurate information transfer across the interfaces. The consistent interpolation solves the governing equations over the auxiliary elements constructed around the interpolation nodes using the same numerical scheme used for the internal computational nodes. With the CIM, the momentum conservation can be maintained as well as the mass conservation. An imbalance correction scheme is used to enforce the conservation laws (mass and momentum) across the interfaces. Comparisons of the LIM and the CIM are made using several flow simulation examples. It is shown that the proposed CIM is physically more accurate and produces satisfactory results efficiently.
Abstract: Due to short product life cycles, increasing variety of
products and short cycles of leap innovations manufacturing
companies have to increase the flexibility of factory structures.
Flexibility of factory structures is based on defined factory planning
processes in which product, process and resource data of various
partial domains have to be considered. Thus factory planning
processes can be characterized as iterative, interdisciplinary and
participative processes [1]. To support interdisciplinary and
participative character of planning processes, a federative factory
data management (FFDM) as a holistic solution will be described.
FFDM is already implemented in form of a prototype. The interim
results of the development of FFDM will be shown in this paper. The
principles are the extracting of product, process and resource data
from documents of various partial domains providing as web services
on a server. The described data can be requested by the factory
planner by using a FFDM-browser.
Abstract: To maximise furnace production it-s necessary to
optimise furnace control, with the objectives of achieving maximum
power input into the melting process, minimum network distortion
and power-off time, without compromise on quality and safety. This
can be achieved with on the one hand by an appropriate electrode
control and on the other hand by a minimum of AC transformer
switching.
Electrical arc is a stochastic process; witch is the principal cause
of power quality problems, including voltages dips, harmonic
distortion, unbalance loads and flicker. So it is difficult to make an
appropriate model for an Electrical Arc Furnace (EAF). The factors
that effect EAF operation are the melting or refining materials,
melting stage, electrode position (arc length), electrode arm control
and short circuit power of the feeder. So arc voltages, current and
power are defined as a nonlinear function of the arc length. In this
article we propose our own empirical function of the EAF and model,
for the mean stages of the melting process, thanks to the
measurements in the steel factory.