Abstract: In this paper, we discuss the performance of applying
hybrid spiral dynamic bacterial chemotaxis (HSDBC) optimisation
algorithm on an intelligent controller for a differential drive robot. A
unicycle class of differential drive robot is utilised to serve as a basis
application to evaluate the performance of the HSDBC algorithm. A
hybrid fuzzy logic controller is developed and implemented for the
unicycle robot to follow a predefined trajectory. Trajectories of
various frictional profiles and levels were simulated to evaluate the
performance of the robot at different operating conditions. Controller
gains and scaling factors were optimised using HSDBC and the
performance is evaluated in comparison to previously adopted
optimisation algorithms. The HSDBC has proven its feasibility in
achieving a faster convergence toward the optimal gains and resulted
in a superior performance.
Abstract: Interaction of Schiff base complexes of Iron and
Manganese: Iron [N, N’ Bis (5- (triphenyl phosphonium methyl)
salicylidene) -1, 2 ethanediamine) chloride, [Fe Salen]Cl; Manganese
[N, N’ Bis (5- (triphenyl phosphonium methyl) salicylidene) -1, 2
ethanediamine) acetate, were investigated by spectroscopic and
isothermal titration calorimetry techniques (ITC).
The absorbance spectra of complexes have shown hyper and
hypochromism in the presence of DNA that is indication of
interaction of complexes with DNA. The linear dichroism (LD)
measurements confirmed the bending of DNA in the presence of
complexes.
Furthermore, Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments
approved that complexes bound to DNA on the base of both
electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. More, ITC profile exhibits
the existence of two binding phases for the complexes. Antibacterial
activity of ligand and complexes were tested in vitro to evaluate their
activity against the gram positive and negative bacteria.
Abstract: The Algeria by its location offers a rich and diverse
vegetation. A large number of aromatic and medicinal plants grow
spontaneously. The interest in these plants has continued to grow in
recent years. Their particular properties due to the essential oil
fraction can be utilized to treat microbial infections. To this end, and
in the context of the valuation of the Algerian flora, we became
interested in the species of the family Lamiaceae which is one of the
most used as a global source of spices. The plant on which we have
based our choice is a species of sage "Salvia officinalis" from the
Isser localized region within the province of Boumerdes. This work
focuses on the study of the antimicrobial activity of essential oil
extracted from the leaves of Salvia officinalis. The extraction is
carried out by essential oil hydrodistillation and reveals a yield of
1.06℅. The study of the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil by
the method of at aromatogramme shown that Gram positive bacteria
are most susceptible (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis)
with a strong inhibition of growth. The yeast Candida albicans
fungus Aspergillus niger and have shown moderately sensitive.
Abstract: Innovation plays an important role in economic
growth and development. Evolutionary economics has entrepreneurs
at the centre of the innovation system, but includes all other
participants as contributors to the performance of the innovation
system. Education and training institutions, one of the participants in
the innovation system, contributes in different ways to human capital.
The gap in literature on the competence building as part of human
capital in the analysis of innovation systems is addressed in this
paper. The Mpumalanga Province of South Africa is used as a case
study. It was found that the absence of a university, the level of
education, the quality and performance in the education sector and
the condition of the education infrastructure have not been conducive
to learning.
Abstract: The FOSDT (the First Order Shear Deformation
Theory) is taking into consideration to study the static behavior of a
bimorph beam, with a delamination zone between the upper and the
lower layer. The effect of limit conditions and lengths of the
delamination zone are presented in this paper, with a PVDF
piezoelectric material application. A FEM “Finite Element Method”
is used to discretize the beam. In the axial displacement, a
displacement field appears in the debonded zone with inverse effect
between the upper and the lower layer was observed.
Abstract: The explosion of the World Wide Web and the
electronic trend of university teaching have transformed the learning
style to become more learner-centered, which has popularized the
digital delivery of mediated lectures as an alternative or an adjunct to
traditional lectures. Despite its potential and popularity, virtual
lectures have not been adopted yet in Jordanian universities. This
research aimed to fill this gap by studying the factors that influence
students’ willingness to accept virtual lectures in one Jordanian
University. A quantitative approach was followed, by obtaining 216
survey responses and statistically applying the UTAUT model with
some modifications. Results revealed that performance expectancy,
effort expectancy, social influences, and self-efficacy could
significantly influence students’ attitudes towards virtual lectures.
Additionally, Facilitating conditions and attitudes towards virtual
lectures were found with significant influence on students’ intention
to take virtual lectures. Research implications and future work were
specified afterwards.
Abstract: This paper introduces a proposal scheme for an
Intelligent System applied to Pedagogical Advising using Case-Based
Reasoning, to find consolidated solutions before used for the new
problems, making easier the task of advising students to the
pedagogical staff. We do intend, through this work, introduce the
motivation behind the choices for this system structure, justifying the
development of an incremental and smart web system who learns
bests solutions for new cases when it’s used, showing technics and
technology.
Abstract: The thermal control in many systems is widely
accomplished applying mixed convection process due to its low cost,
reliability and easy maintenance. Typical applications include the
aircraft electronic equipment, rotating-disc heat exchangers, turbo
machinery, and nuclear reactors, etc. Natural convection in an inclined
square enclosure heated via wall heater has been studied numerically.
Finite volume method is used for solving momentum and energy
equations in the form of stream function–vorticity. The right and left
walls are kept at a constant temperature, while the other parts are
adiabatic. The range of the inclination angle covers a whole revolution.
The method is validated for a vertical cavity. A general power law
dependence of the Nusselt number with respect to the Rayleigh
number with the coefficient and exponent as functions of the
inclination angle is presented. For a fixed Rayleigh number, the
inclination angle increases or decreases is found.
Abstract: Ionic liquids consisting of a phosphonium cationic
moiety and a saccharinate anion are synthesized and compared with
their precursors, phosphonium chlorides, in reference to their
extraction efficiency towards L-lactic acid. On the base of
measurements of the acid and the water partitioning in the
equilibrium biphasic systems, the molar ratios between acid, water
and ionic liquid are estimated which allows to deduce the lactic acid
extractive pathway. The effect of a salting-out addition that
strengthens hydrophobicity in both phases is studied in view to reveal
the best biphasic system with respect to IL low toxicity and high
extraction efficiency.
Abstract: This article discusses ways to implement a
differentiated approach to developing academic motivation for
mathematical studies which relies on defining the primary structural
characteristics of motivation. The following characteristics are
considered: features of realization of cognitive activity, meaningmaking
characteristics, level of generalization and consistency of
knowledge acquired by personal experience. The assessment of the
present level of individual student understanding of each component
of academic motivation is the basis for defining the relevant
educational strategy for its further development.
Abstract: Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
often experience social-communication difficulties that negatively
impact their social interactions with typical peers. However, unlike
other age and disability groups, there is little intervention research to
inform best practice for these students. One evidence-based strategy
for younger students with ASD is peer-mediated intervention (PMI).
PMI may be particularly promising for use with adolescents, as peers
are readily available and are natural experts for encouraging authentic
high school conversations. This paper provides a review of previous
research that evaluated the use of PMI to improve the socialcommunication
skills of students with ASD. Specific intervention
features associated with positive student outcomes are identified and
recommendations for future research are provided. Adolescents with
ASD are targeted due the critical importance of social conversation at
the high school level.
Abstract: This study aimed to examine the management and
development of forest tourism Kamchanoad. Ban Dung, Udon Thani
sustainability. Data were collected by means of qualitative research
including in-depth interviews, semi- structured, and then the data
were summarized and discussed in accordance with the objectives.
And make a presentation in the form of lectures. The target
population for the study consisted of 16 people, including
representatives from government agencies, community leaders and
the community. The results showed that Guidelines for the
Management and Development of Forest Tourism Kamchanoad
include management of buildings and infrastructure such as roads,
water, electricity, toilets. Other developments are the establishment
of a service center that provides information and resources to
facilitate tourists.; nature trails and informative signage to educate
visitors on the path to the jungle Kamchanoad; forest activities for
tourists who are interested only in occasional educational activities
such as vegetation, etc.; disseminating information on various aspects
of tourism through various channels in both Thailand and English, as
well as a web site to encourage community involvement in the
planning and management of tourism together with the care and
preservation of natural resources and preserving the local cultural
tourist area of Kamchanoad.
Abstract: To determine the potential of a low cost Irish
engineered timber product to replace high cost solid timber for use in
bending active structures such as gridshells a single Irish engineered
timber product in the form of orientated strand board (OSB) was
selected. A comparative study of OSB and solid timber was carried
out to determine the optimum properties that make a material suitable
for use in gridshells. Three parameters were identified to be relevant
in the selection of a material for gridshells. These three parameters
are the strength to stiffness ratio, the flexural stiffness of
commercially available sections, and the variability of material and
section properties. It is shown that when comparing OSB against
solid timber, OSB is a more suitable material for use in gridshells that
are at the smaller end of the scale and that have tight radii of
curvature. Typically, for solid timber materials, stiffness is used as an
indicator for strength and engineered timber is no different. Thus, low
flexural stiffness would mean low flexural strength. However, when
it comes to bending active gridshells, OSB offers a significant
advantage. By the addition of multiple layers, an increased section
size is created, thus endowing the structure with higher stiffness and
higher strength from initial low stiffness and low strength materials
while still maintaining tight radii of curvature. This allows OSB to
compete with solid timber on large scale gridshells. Additionally, a
preliminary sustainability study using a set of sustainability indicators
was carried out to determine the relative sustainability of building a
large-scale gridshell in Ireland with a primary focus on economic
viability but a mention is also given to social and environmental
aspects. For this, the Savill garden gridshell in the UK was used as
the functional unit with the sustainability of the structural roof
skeleton constructed from UK larch solid timber being compared
with the same structure using Irish OSB. Albeit that the advantages of
using commercially available OSB in a bending active gridshell are
marginal and limited to specific gridshell applications, further study
into an optimised engineered timber product is merited.
Abstract: In the past few decades, the field of chemistry
education has grown tremendously and researches indicated that after
traditional chemistry instruction students often lacked deep
conceptual understanding and failed to integrate their ideas into
coherent conceptual framework. For several concepts in chemistry,
students at all levels have demonstrated difficulty in changing their
initial perceptions. Their perceptions are most often wrong and don't
agree with correct scientific concepts. This study explored the
effectiveness of intervention discussion sections for a college general
chemistry course designed to apply research on students
preconceptions, knowledge integration and student explanation.
Three interventions discussions lasting three hours on bond energy
and spontaneity were done tested and intervention (treatment)
students’ performances were compared with that of control group
which did not use the experimental pedagogy. Results indicated that
this instruction which was capable of identifying students'
misconceptions, initial conceptions and integrating those ideas into
class discussion led to enhanced conceptual understanding and better
achievement for the experimental group.
Abstract: Nitrogen fertilizer is the most used and often the most
mismanaged nutrient input. Nitrogen management has tremendous
implications on crop productivity, quality and environmental
stewardship. Sufficient nitrogen is needed to optimum yield and
quality. Soil and in-season plant tissue testing for nitrogen status are
a time consuming and expensive process. Real time sensing of plant
nitrogen status can be a useful tool in managing nitrogen inputs. The
objectives of this project were to assess the reliability of remotely
sensed non-destructive plant nitrogen measurements compared to wet
chemistry data from sampled plant tissue, develop in-season nitrogen
recommendations based on remotely sensed data for improved
nitrogen use efficiency and assess the potential for determining yield
and quality from remotely sensed data. Very good correlations were
observed between early-season remotely sensed crop nitrogen status
and plant nitrogen concentrations and subsequent in-season fertilizer
recommendations. The transmittance/absorbance type meters gave
the most accurate readings. Early in-season fertilizer recommendation
would be to apply 40 kg nitrogen per hectare plus 15 kg nitrogen per
hectare for each unit difference measured with the SPAD meter
between the crop and reference area or 25 kg plus 13 kg per hectare
for each unit difference measured with the CCM 200. Once the crop
was sufficiently fertilized meter readings became inconclusive and
were of no benefit for determining nitrogen status, silage yield and
quality and grain yield and protein.
Abstract: In its efforts to utilize the information and
communication technology to enhance the quality of public service
delivery, national and local governments around the world are
competing to introduce more ICT applications as tools to automate
processes related to law enforcement or policy execution, increase
citizen orientation, trust, and satisfaction, and create one-stop-shops
for public services. In its implementation, e-Government ICTs need
to maintain transparency, participation, and collaboration. Due to this
diverse of mixed goals and requirements, e-Government systems
need to be designed based on special design considerations in order
to eliminate the risks of failure to compliance to government
regulations, citizen dissatisfaction, or market repulsion.
In this article we suggest a framework with guidelines for
designing government information systems that takes into
consideration the special requirements of the public sector. Then we
introduce two case studies and show how applying those guidelines
would result in a more solid system design.
Abstract: Hybrid bioreactor having both suspended-growth and
attached-growth bacteria is found a novel and excellent bioreactor
system for treating the municipal wastewater containing inhibitory
substrates too. In this reactor a fraction of substrate is used by
suspended biomass and the remaining by attached biomass resulting
in the competition between the two growths for the substrate. The
combination of suspended and attached growth provides the system
with enhanced biomass concentration and sludge age more than those
in ASP. Similar to attached growth system, the hybrid bioreactor
ensures considerable efficiency for treating toxic and refractory
substances in wastewater. For the process design of hybrid bioreactor
a suitable mathematical model is required. Although various
mathematical models were developed on hybrid bioreactor in due
course of time in earlier research works, none of them was found
having a specific simplified solution of the corresponding models and
without having any drawback. To overcome this drawback authors
already developed a simplified mathematical model for process
design of a hybrid bioreactor. The present paper briefly highlights on
the various aspects of process design of an aerobic hybrid bioreactor
for the treatment of municipal wastewater.
Abstract: This study aimed to identify the alignment of
understanding and assessment practices among secondary school
teachers. The study was carried out using quantitative descriptive
study. The sample consisted of 164 teachers who taught Form 1 and 2
from 11 secondary schools in the district of North Kinta, Perak,
Malaysia. Data were obtained from 164 respondents who answered
Expectation Alignment Understanding and Practices of School
Assessment (PEKDAPS) questionnaire. The data were analysed
using SPSS 17.0+. The Cronbach’s alpha value obtained through
PEKDAPS questionnaire pilot study was 0.86. The results showed
that teachers' performance in PEKDAPS based on the mean value
was less than 3, which means that perfect alignment does not occur
between the understanding and practices of school assessment. Two
major PEKDAPS sub-constructs of articulation across grade and age
and usability of the system were higher than the moderate alignment
of the understanding and practices of school assessment (Min=2.0).
The content focused of PEKDAPs sub-constructs which showed
lower than the moderate alignment of the understanding and practices
of school assessment (Min=2.0). Another two PEKDAPS subconstructs
of transparency and fairness and the pedagogical
implications showed moderate alignment (2.0). The implications of
the study is that teachers need to fully understand the importance of
alignment among components of assessment, learning and teaching
and learning objectives as strategies to achieve quality assessment
process.
Abstract: This study introduces two types of self-oscillating
circuits that are frequently found in power electronics applications.
Special effort is made to relate the circuits to the analogous mechanical
systems of some important scientific inventions: Galileo’s pendulum
clock and Coulomb’s friction model. A little touch of related history
and philosophy of science will hopefully encourage curiosity, advance
the understanding of self-oscillating systems and satisfy the aspiration
of some students for scientific literacy. Finally, the two self-oscillating
circuits are applied to design a simple class-D audio amplifier.
Abstract: The article deals with modelling of the fire
pragmatism in the area of military management and its experimental
verification. Potential approaches are based on the synergy of
mathematical and theoretical ideas, operational and tactical
requirements and the military decision-making process. This issue
has taken on importance in recent times, particularly with the
increasing trend of digitized battlefield, the development of C4ISR
systems and intention to streamline the command and control process
at the lowest levels of command. From fundamental and
philosophical point of view, these new approaches seek to
significantly upgrade and enhance the decision-making process of the
tactical commanders.