Abstract: In the fifteenth century, the Malacca Empire emerged
as the centre of Islamic civilization in the Malay Archipelago. The
history had been recorded in Sulalat Al-Salatin, an important literary
source about the genealogy of all Kings in Malacca. The objective of
this study was to analyze the understanding of sayings from Prophet
Muhammad among Malays in Malacca during the fifteenth century
through all of the hadith quoted in Sulalat Al-Salatin. This study used
content analysis methodology to validate the sayings where all of
them were critically analyzed and compared with the classical hadith
sources from prominent Muslim scholars. As a result, only two out of
the four quotations were considered as authentic sayings of Prophet
Muhammad. This study also showed the importance of the palace as
the centre of the Islamic education system and the role played by
Muslim preachers from outside of Malacca to propagate Islam in
Malacca.
Abstract: This paper investigates vortex shedding processes
occurring at the end of a stack of parallel plates, due to an oscillating
flow induced by an acoustic standing wave within an acoustic
resonator. Here, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to quantify
the vortex shedding processes within an acoustic cycle
phase-by-phase, in particular during the “ejection" of the fluid out of
the stack. Standard hot-wire anemometry measurement is also applied
to detect the velocity fluctuations near the end of the stack.
Combination of these two measurement techniques allowed a detailed
analysis of the vortex shedding phenomena. The results obtained show
that, as the Reynolds number varies (by varying the plate thickness
and drive ratio), different flow patterns of vortex shedding are
observed by the PIV measurement. On the other hand, the
time-dependent hot-wire measurements allow obtaining detailed
frequency spectra of the velocity signal, used for calculating
characteristic Strouhal numbers. The impact of the plate thickness and
the Reynolds number on the vortex shedding pattern has been
discussed. Furthermore, a detailed map of the relationship between the
Strouhal number and Reynolds number has been obtained and
discussed.
Abstract: Large full frequency band gaps of surface and bulk
acoustic waves in two-dimensional phononic band structures with
hollow cylinders are addressed in this paper. It is well-known that
absolute frequency band gaps are difficultly obtained in a band
structure consisted of low-acoustic-impedance cylinders in
high-acoustic-impedance host materials such as PMMA/Ni band
structures. Phononic band structures with hollow cylinders are
analyzed and discussed to obtain large full frequency band gaps not
only for bulk modes but also for surface modes. The tendency of
absolute frequency band gaps of surface and bulk acoustic waves is
also addressed by changing the inner radius of hollow cylinders in this
paper. The technique and this kind of band structure are useful for
tuning the frequency band gaps and the design of acoustic waveguides.
Abstract: This paper presents design and characterization of a
microaccelerometer designated for integration into cataract surgical
probe to detect hardness of different eye tissues during cataract
surgery. Soft posterior lens capsule of eye can be easily damaged in
comparison with hard opaque lens since the surgeon can not see
directly behind cutting needle during the surgery. Presence of
microsensor helps the surgeon to avoid rupturing posterior lens
capsule which if occurs leads to severe complications such as
glaucoma, infection, or even blindness. The microsensor having
overall dimensions of 480 μm x 395 μm is able to deliver significant
capacitance variations during encountered vibration situations which
makes it capable to distinguish between different types of tissue.
Integration of electronic components on chip ensures high level of
reliability and noise immunity while minimizes space and power
requirements. Physical characteristics and results on performance
testing, proves integration of microsensor as an effective tool to aid
the surgeon during this procedure.
Abstract: In this paper, a new adaptive Fourier decomposition
(AFD) based time-frequency speech analysis approach is proposed.
Given the fact that the fundamental frequency of speech signals often
undergo fluctuation, the classical short-time Fourier transform (STFT)
based spectrogram analysis suffers from the difficulty of window size
selection. AFD is a newly developed signal decomposition theory. It is
designed to deal with time-varying non-stationary signals. Its
outstanding characteristic is to provide instantaneous frequency for
each decomposed component, so the time-frequency analysis becomes
easier. Experiments are conducted based on the sample sentence in
TIMIT Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus. The results
show that the AFD based time-frequency distribution outperforms the
STFT based one.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the kinematic
analysis and mechanism design of an assistive robotic leg for
hemiplegic and hemiparetic patients. In this work, the priority is to
design and develop the lightweight, effective and single driver
mechanism on the basis of experimental hip and knee angles- data for
walking speed of 1 km/h. A mechanism of cam-follower with three
links is suggested for this purpose. The kinematic analysis is carried
out and analysed using commercialized MATLAB software based on
the prototype-s links sizes and kinematic relationships. In order to
verify the kinematic analysis of the prototype, kinematic analysis data
are compared with the experimental data. A good agreement between
them proves that the anthropomorphic design of the lower extremity
exoskeleton follows the human walking gait.
Abstract: Vertical Double Gate (DG) Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) is believed to suppress various short channel effect problems. The gate to channel coupling in vertical DG-MOSFET are doubled, thus resulting in higher current density. By having two gates, both gates are able to control the channel from both sides and possess better electrostatic control over the channel. In order to ensure that the transistor possess a superb turn-off characteristic, the subs-threshold swing (SS) must be kept at minimum value (60-90mV/dec). By utilizing SILVACO TCAD software, an n-channel vertical DG-MOSFET was successfully designed while keeping the sub-threshold swing (SS) value as minimum as possible. From the observation made, the value of sub-threshold swing (SS) was able to be varied by adjusting the height of the silicon pillar. The minimum value of sub-threshold swing (SS) was found to be 64.7mV/dec with threshold voltage (VTH) of 0.895V. The ideal height of the vertical DG-MOSFET pillar was found to be at 0.265 µm.
Abstract: In this study acoustic emission (AE) signals obtained during deformation and fracture of two types of ferrite-martensite dual phase steels (DPS) specimens have been analyzed in frequency domain. For this reason two low carbon steels with various amounts of carbon were chosen, and intercritically heat treated. In the introduced method, identifying the mechanisms of failure in the various phases of DPS is done. For this aim, AE monitoring has been used during tensile test of several DPS with various volume fraction of the martensite (VM) and attempted to relate the AE signals and failure mechanisms in these steels. Different signals, which referred to 2-3 micro-mechanisms of failure due to amount of carbon and also VM have been seen. By Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of signals in distinct locations, an excellent relationship between peak frequencies in these areas and micro-mechanisms of failure were seen. The results were verified by microscopic observations (SEM).
Abstract: This paper presents a review on vision aided systems
and proposes an approach for visual rehabilitation using stereo vision
technology. The proposed system utilizes stereo vision, image
processing methodology and a sonification procedure to support
blind navigation. The developed system includes a wearable
computer, stereo cameras as vision sensor and stereo earphones, all
moulded in a helmet. The image of the scene infront of visually
handicapped is captured by the vision sensors. The captured images
are processed to enhance the important features in the scene in front,
for navigation assistance. The image processing is designed as model
of human vision by identifying the obstacles and their depth
information. The processed image is mapped on to musical stereo
sound for the blind-s understanding of the scene infront. The
developed method has been tested in the indoor and outdoor
environments and the proposed image processing methodology is
found to be effective for object identification.
Abstract: The Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a metaheuristic inspired by the behavior of real ants in their search for the shortest paths to food sources. It has recently attracted a lot of attention and has been successfully applied to a number of different optimization problems. Due to the importance of the feature selection problem and the potential of ACO, this paper presents a novel method that utilizes the ACO algorithm to implement a feature subset search procedure. Initial results obtained using the classification of speech segments are very promising.
Abstract: Water quality and freshwater fish diversity from nine
waterfalls at Khao Luang National Park, Thailand was examined.
Streams were shallow, fast flowing with clear water and rocky and
sandy substrate. The mean water quality of waterfalls at Khao Luang
National Park were as following pH 7.50, air temperature 24.27 °C,
water temperature 26.37 °C, dissolved oxygen 7.88 mg/l, hardness
4.44-21.33 mg/l, alkalinity 3.55-11.88 mg/(as CaCO3). Twenty fish
species were found at Khao Luang National Park belonging to nine
families. A cluster analysis of water quality at Khao Luang National
Park revealed that waterfalls at Khao Luang National Park were
divided into two groups: A and B. Group A composed of two
waterfalls (i.e. Aie Kaew and Wangmaipak) that flew to the Gulf of
Thailand side. Group B composed of seven waterfalls (i.e. Promlok,
Kalom, Nuafa, Suankun, Soidaw, Suanhai, and Thapae) that flew to
the Andaman Sea side (Fig. 2) .The Cyprinids represented the major
species in all the waterfalls comprising of 45%.
Abstract: Increased physical fitness participation has been
paralleled by increasedoveruse injuries such as insertional Achilles
tendinosis (AT). Treatment has provided inconsistentresults. The use
of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ECSWT) offers a new
treatment consideration.The purpose of this study was to assess the
effects of ECSWTon pain, function, range of motion (ROM), joint
mobility and strength in patients with AT. Thirty subjects were
treated with ECSWT and measures were takenbefore and three
months after treatment. There was significant differences in visual
analog scale (VAS) scores for pain at rest (p=0.002); after activity
(p= 0.0001); overall improvement(p=0.0001); Lower Extremity
Functional Scale (LEFS) scores (p=0.002); dorsiflexion range of
motion (ROM) (p=0.0001); plantarflexion strength (p=0.025);
talocrural joint anterior glide (p=0.046); and subtalar joint medial and
lateral glide (p=0.025).ECSWT offers a new intervention that may
limit the progression of the disorder and the long term healthcare
costs associated with AT.
Abstract: Ant colony optimization (ACO) and its variants are
applied extensively to resolve various continuous optimization
problems. As per the various diversification and intensification
schemes of ACO for continuous function optimization, researchers
generally consider components of multidimensional state space to
generate the new search point(s). However, diversifying to a new
search space by updating only components of the multidimensional
vector may not ensure that the new point is at a significant distance
from the current solution. If a minimum distance is not ensured
during diversification, then there is always a possibility that the
search will end up with reaching only local optimum. Therefore, to
overcome such situations, a Mahalanobis distance-based
diversification with Nelder-Mead simplex-based search scheme for
each ant is proposed for the ACO strategy. A comparative
computational run results, based on nine nonlinear standard test
problems, confirms that the performance of ACO is improved
significantly with the integration of the proposed schemes in the
ACO.
Abstract: In this paper, the construction of a detailed spine
model is presented using the LifeMOD Biomechanics Modeler. The
detailed spine model is obtained by refining spine segments in
cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions into individual vertebra
segments, using bushing elements representing the intervertebral
discs, and building various ligamentous soft tissues between
vertebrae. In the sagittal plane of the spine, constant force will be
applied from the posterior to anterior during simulation to determine
dynamic characteristics of the spine. The force magnitude is
gradually increased in subsequent simulations. Based on these
recorded dynamic properties, graphs of displacement-force
relationships will be established in terms of polynomial functions by
using the least-squares method and imported into a haptic integrated
graphic environment. A thoracolumbar spine model with complex
geometry of vertebrae, which is digitized from a resin spine
prototype, will be utilized in this environment. By using the haptic
technique, surgeons can touch as well as apply forces to the spine
model through haptic devices to observe the locomotion of the spine
which is computed from the displacement-force relationship graphs.
This current study provides a preliminary picture of our ongoing
work towards building and simulating bio-fidelity scoliotic spine
models in a haptic integrated graphic environment whose dynamic
properties are obtained from LifeMOD. These models can be helpful
for surgeons to examine kinematic behaviors of scoliotic spines and
to propose possible surgical plans before spine correction operations.
Abstract: The present investigation was aimed to develop methodology for the standardization of Marichyadi Vati and its raw materials. Standardization was carried using systematic Pharmacognostical and physicochemical parameters as per WHO guidelines. The detailed standardization of Marichyadi Vati, it is concluded that there are no major differences prevailed in the quality of marketed products and laboratory samples of Marichyadi Vati. However, market samples showed slightly better amount of Piperine than the laboratory sample by both methods. This is the first attempt to generate complete set of standards required for the Marichyadi Vati.
Abstract: Effect of oral administration of “Gadagi" tea on liver
function was assessed on 50 healthy male albino rats which were
grouped and administered with different doses(mg/kg) i.e low dose
(380mg/kg, 415mg/kg, 365mg/kg, 315mg/kg for “sak", “sada" and
“magani" respectively), standard dose ( 760mg/kg, 830mg/kg,
730mg/kg for “sak-, “sada" and “magani" respectively) and high dose
(1500mg/kg, 1700mg/kg and 1460mg/kg for “sak--,"sada" and
“magani" groups respectively) for a period of four weeks. Animals
that were not administered with the tea constituted the control group.
At the end of fourth week, the animals were sacrificed and their
serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase
(AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin
(ALB), and globulins (GLO) were determined. Mean serum ALT and
ALP activities were significantly higher (P
Abstract: Fundamental sensor-motor couplings form the backbone
of most mobile robot control tasks, and often need to be implemented
fast, efficiently and nevertheless reliably. Machine learning
techniques are therefore often used to obtain the desired sensor-motor
competences.
In this paper we present an alternative to established machine
learning methods such as artificial neural networks, that is very fast,
easy to implement, and has the distinct advantage that it generates
transparent, analysable sensor-motor couplings: system identification
through nonlinear polynomial mapping.
This work, which is part of the RobotMODIC project at the
universities of Essex and Sheffield, aims to develop a theoretical understanding
of the interaction between the robot and its environment.
One of the purposes of this research is to enable the principled design
of robot control programs.
As a first step towards this aim we model the behaviour of the
robot, as this emerges from its interaction with the environment, with
the NARMAX modelling method (Nonlinear, Auto-Regressive, Moving
Average models with eXogenous inputs). This method produces
explicit polynomial functions that can be subsequently analysed using
established mathematical methods.
In this paper we demonstrate the fidelity of the obtained NARMAX
models in the challenging task of robot route learning; we present a
set of experiments in which a Magellan Pro mobile robot was taught
to follow four different routes, always using the same mechanism to
obtain the required control law.
Abstract: The steady-state temperature for one-dimensional transpiration cooling system has been conducted experimentally and numerically to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of combined convection and radiation. The Nickel –Chrome (Ni-Cr) open-cellular porous material having porosity of 0.93 and pores per inch (PPI) of 21.5 was examined. The upper surface of porous plate was heated by the heat flux of incoming radiation varying from 7.7 - 16.6 kW/m2 whereas air injection velocity fed into the lower surface was varied from 0.36 - 1.27 m/s, and was then rearranged as Reynolds number (Re). For the report of the results in the present study, two efficiencies including of temperature and conversion efficiency were presented. Temperature efficiency indicating how close the mean temperature of a porous heat plate to that of inlet air, and increased rapidly with the air injection velocity (Re). It was then saturated and had a constant value at Re higher than 10. The conversion efficiency, which was regarded as the ability of porous material in transferring energy by convection after absorbed from heat radiation, decreased with increasing of the heat flux and air injection velocity. In addition, it was then asymptotic to a constant value at the Re higher than 10. The numerical predictions also agreed with experimental data very well.
Abstract: In this paper, an algorithm for detecting and attenuating
puff noises frequently generated under the mobile environment is
proposed. As a baseline system, puff detection system is designed
based on Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), and 39th Mel Frequency
Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) is extracted as feature parameters. To
improve the detection performance, effective acoustic features for puff
detection are proposed. In addition, detected puff intervals are
attenuated by high-pass filtering. The speech recognition rate was
measured for evaluation and confusion matrix and ROC curve are used
to confirm the validity of the proposed system.
Abstract: Computerized lip reading has been one of the most
actively researched areas of computer vision in recent past because
of its crime fighting potential and invariance to acoustic environment.
However, several factors like fast speech, bad pronunciation,
poor illumination, movement of face, moustaches and beards make
lip reading difficult. In present work, we propose a solution for
automatic lip contour tracking and recognizing letters of English
language spoken by speakers using the information available from
lip movements. Level set method is used for tracking lip contour
using a contour velocity model and a feature vector of lip movements
is then obtained. Character recognition is performed using modified
k nearest neighbor algorithm which assigns more weight to nearer
neighbors. The proposed system has been found to have accuracy
of 73.3% for character recognition with speaker lip movements as
the only input and without using any speech recognition system in
parallel. The approach used in this work is found to significantly
solve the purpose of lip reading when size of database is small.