Abstract: Personnel protection devices are cardinal in safety hazard applications. They are widely used in home, office and in industry environments to reduce the risk of lethal shock to human being and equipment safety. This paper briefly reviews various personnel protection devices also describes the basic working principle of conventional ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) or ground fault isolator (GFI), its disadvantages and ways to overcome the disadvantages with solid-state relay (SSR) based GFI with ultrafast response up on fault implemented in printed circuit board. This solid state GFI comprises discrete MOSFET based alternating current (AC) switches, linear optical amplifier, photovoltaic isolator and sense resistor. In conventional GFI, current transformer is employed as a sensing element to detect the difference in current flow between live and neutral conductor. If there is no fault in equipment powered through GFI, due to insulation failure of internal wires and windings of motors, both live and neutral currents will be equal in magnitude and opposite in phase.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new robust and secure
system that is based on the combination between two different
transforms Discrete wavelet Transform (DWT) and Contourlet
Transform (CT). The combined transforms will compensate the
drawback of using each transform separately. The proposed
algorithm has been designed, implemented and tested successfully.
The experimental results showed that selecting the best sub-band for
embedding from both transforms will improve the imperceptibility
and robustness of the new combined algorithm. The evaluated
imperceptibility of the combined DWT-CT algorithm which gave a
PSNR value 88.11 and the combination DWT-CT algorithm
improves robustness since it produced better robust against Gaussian
noise attack. In addition to that, the implemented system shored a
successful extraction method to extract watermark efficiently.
Abstract: Having done in this study, air-conditioning
automation for patisserie shopwindow was designed. In the cooling
sector it is quite important to cooling up the air temperature in the
shopwindow within short time interval. Otherwise the patisseries
inside of the shopwindow will be spoilt in a few days. Additionally
the humidity is other important parameter for the patisseries kept in
shopwindow. It must be raised up to desired level in a quite short
time. Traditional patisserie shopwindows only allow controlling
temperature manually. There is no humidity control and humidity is
supplied by fans that are directed to the water at the bottom of the
shopwindows. In this study, humidity and temperature sensors
(SHT11), PIC, AC motor controller, DC motor controller, ultrasonic
nebulizer and other electronic circuit members were used to simulate
air conditioning automation for patisserie shopwindow in proteus
software package. The simulation results showed that temperature
and humidity values are adjusted in desired time duration by openloop
control technique. Outer and inner temperature and humidity
values were used for control mechanism.
Abstract: The proliferation of user-generated content (UGC) results in huge opportunities to explore event patterns. However, existing event recommendation systems primarily focus on advanced information technology users. Little work has been done to address novice and low-literacy users. The next billion users providing and consuming UGC are likely to include communities from developing countries who are ready to use affordable technologies for subsistence goals. Therefore, we propose a design framework for providing event recommendations to address the needs of such users. Grounded in information integration theory (IIT), our framework advocates that effective event recommendation is supported by systems capable of (1) reliable information gathering through structured user input, (2) accurate sense making through spatial-temporal analytics, and (3) intuitive information dissemination through interactive visualization techniques. A mobile pest management application is developed as an instantiation of the design framework. Our preliminary study suggests a set of design principles for novice and low-literacy users.
Abstract: The transition to sustainable development requires
considerable investments from stakeholders, both financial and
immaterial. However, accounting for such investments often poses a
challenge, as ventures with intangible or non-financial returns remain
oblivious to conventional accounting techniques and risk assessment.
That such investments may significantly contribute to the welfare of
those affected may act as a driving force behind attempting to bridge
this gap. This gains crucial importance as investments must be also
backed by governments and administrations; entities whose budget
depends on taxpayers- contributions and whose tasks are based on
securing the welfare of their citizens. Besides economic welfare,
citizens also require social and environmental wellbeing too.
However, administrations must also safeguard that welfare is
guaranteed not only to present, but to future generations too. With
already strained budgets and the requirement of sustainable
development, governments on all levels face the double challenge of
making both of these ends meet.
Abstract: In this paper 2D Simulation of catalytic Fixed Bed Reactor in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of GTL technology has been performed utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) has been used as feedstock. The reactor was modeled and the model equations were solved employing finite volume method. The model was validated against the experimental data reported in literature. The comparison showed a good agreement between simulation results and the experimental data. In addition, the model was applied to predict the concentration contours of the reactants and products along the length of reactor.
Abstract: A vast array of biological materials, especially algae have received increasing attention for heavy metal removal. Algae have been proven to be cheaper, more effective for the removal of metallic elements in aqueous solutions. A fresh water algal strain was isolated from Zoo Lake, Johannesburg, South Africa and identified as Desmodesmus sp. This paper investigates the efficacy of Desmodesmus sp.in removing heavy metals contaminating the Wonderfonteinspruit Catchment Area (WCA) water bodies. The biosorption data fitted the pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherm models. The Langmuir maximum uptakes gave the sequence: Mn2+>Ni2+>Fe2+. The best results for kinetic study was obtained in concentration 120 ppm for Fe3+ and Mn2+, whilst for Ni2+ was at 20 ppm, which is about the same concentrations found in contaminated water in the WCA (Fe3+115 ppm, Mn2+ 121 ppm and Ni2+ 26.5 ppm).
Abstract: In this work, the results of mixing study by a jet mixer in a tank have been investigated in the laboratory scale. The tank dimensions are H/D=1 and the jet entrance have been considered in
the center of upper surface of tank. RNG-k-ε model is used as the
turbulent model for the prediction of the pattern of turbulent flow
inside the tank. For this purpose, a tank with volume of 110 liter is
simulated and it has been divided into 410,000 tetrahedral control
cells for performing the calculations. The grids at the vicinity of the
nozzle and suction pare are finer to get more accurate results. The
experimental results showed that in a vertical jet, the lowest mixing
time takes place at 35 degree. In addition, mixing time decreased by
increasing the Reynolds number. Furthermore, the CFD simulation
predicted the items as well a flow patterns precisely that validates the
experiments.
Abstract: Now-a-days, numbers of simulation software are
being used all over the world to solve Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) related problems. In this present study, a
commercial CFD simulation software namely STAR-CCM+ is
applied to analyze the airflow characteristics inside a 2.5" hard
disk drive. Each step of the software is described adequately to
obtain the output and the data are verified with the theories to
justify the robustness of the simulation outcome. This study
gives an insight about the accuracy level of the CFD
simulation software to compute CFD related problems
although it largely depends upon the computer speed. Also
this study will open avenues for further research.
Abstract: In many applications, magnetic suspension systems
are required to operate over large variations in air gap. As a result,
the nonlinearities inherent in most types of suspensions have a
significant impact on performance. Specifically, it may be difficult to
design a linear controller which gives satisfactory performance,
stability, and disturbance rejection over a wide range of operating
points. in this paper an optimal controller based on discontinuous
mathematical model of the system for an electromagnetic suspension
system which is applied in magnetic trains has been designed .
Simulations show that the new controller can adapt well to the
variance of suspension mass and gap, and keep its dynamic
performance, thus it is superior to the classic controller.
Abstract: The present study is concerned with the free
convective two dimensional flow and heat transfer, within the
framework of Boussinesq approximation, in anisotropic fluid filled
porous rectangular enclosure subjected to end-to-end temperature
difference have been investigated using Lattice Boltzmann method
fornon-Darcy flow model. Effects of the moving lid direction (top,
bottom, left, and right wall moving in the negative and positive x&ydirections),
number of moving walls (one or two opposite walls), the
sliding wall velocity, and four different constant temperatures
opposite walls cases (two surfaces are being insulated and the
twoother surfaces areimposed to be at constant hot and cold
temperature)have been conducted. The results obtained are discussed
in terms of the Nusselt number, vectors, contours, and isotherms.
Abstract: The present study has been conducted to characterize
the prophenoloxidase (PPO) system of the desert locust, Schistocerca
gregaria following injection of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Bt).
The bulk of PPO system was associated with haemocytes and a little
amount was found in plasma. This system was activated by different
activators such as laminarin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and trypsin
suggesting that the stimulatory mechanism may involve an enzyme
cascade of one or more associated molecules. These activators did
not activate all the molecules of the cascade. Presence of
phenoloxidase activity (PO) coincides with the appearance of protein
band with molecular weight (MW) 70.154 KD (Kilo Dalton).
Abstract: Deep Brain Stimulation or DBS is the second solution
for Parkinson's Disease. Its three parameters are: frequency, pulse
width and voltage. They must be optimized to achieve successful
treatment. Nowadays it is done clinically by neurologists and there is
not certain numerical method to detect them. The aim of this research
is to introduce simulation and modeling of Parkinson's Disease
treatment as a computational procedure to select optimum voltage.
We recorded finger tremor signals of some Parkinsonian patients
under DBS treatment at constant frequency and pulse width but
variable voltages; then, we adapted a new model to fit these data. The
optimum voltages obtained by data fitting results were the same as
neurologists- commented voltages, which means modeling can be
used as an engineering method to select optimum stimulation
voltages.
Abstract: Insulation used in transformer is mostly oil pressboard insulation. Insulation failure is one of the major causes of catastrophic failure of transformers. It is established that partial discharges (PD) cause insulation degradation and premature failure of insulation. Online monitoring of PDs can reduce the risk of catastrophic failure of transformers. There are different techniques of partial discharge measurement like, electrical, optical, acoustic, opto-acoustic and ultra high frequency (UHF). Being non invasive and non interference prone, acoustic emission technique is advantageous for online PD measurement. Acoustic detection of p.d. is based on the retrieval and analysis of mechanical or pressure signals produced by partial discharges. Partial discharges are classified according to the origin of discharges. Their effects on insulation deterioration are different for different types. This paper reports experimental results and analysis for classification of partial discharges using acoustic emission signal of laboratory simulated partial discharges in oil pressboard insulation system using three different electrode systems. Acoustic emission signal produced by PD are detected by sensors mounted on the experimental tank surface, stored on an oscilloscope and fed to computer for further analysis. The measured AE signals are analyzed using discrete wavelet transform analysis and wavelet packet analysis. Energy distribution in different frequency bands of discrete wavelet decomposed signal and wavelet packet decomposed signal is calculated. These analyses show a distinct feature useful for PD classification. Wavelet packet analysis can sort out any misclassification arising out of DWT in most cases.
Abstract: A comparative study on the feasibility of producing instant high fibre plantain flour for diabetic fufu by blending soy residence with different plantain (Musa spp) varieties (Horn, false Horn and French), all sieved at 60 mesh, mixed in ratio of 60:40 was analyzed for their passing properties using standard analytical method. Results show that VIIIS60 had the highest peak viscosity (303.75 RVU), Trough value (182.08 RVU), final viscosity (284.50 RVU), and lowest in breakdown viscosity (79.58 RVU), set back value (88.17 RVU), peak time (4.36min), pasting temperature (81.18°C) and differed significantly (p
Abstract: Cardiac pulse-related artifacts in the EEG recorded
simultaneously with fMRI are complex and highly variable. Their
effective removal is an unsolved problem. Our aim is to develop an
adaptive removal algorithm based on the matching pursuit (MP)
technique and to compare it to established methods using a visual
evoked potential (VEP). We recorded the VEP inside the static
magnetic field of an MR scanner (with artifacts) as well as in an
electrically shielded room (artifact free). The MP-based artifact
removal outperformed average artifact subtraction (AAS) and
optimal basis set removal (OBS) in terms of restoring the EEG field
map topography of the VEP. Subsequently, a dipole model was fitted
to the VEP under each condition using a realistic boundary element
head model. The source location of the VEP recorded inside the MR
scanner was closest to that of the artifact free VEP after cleaning
with the MP-based algorithm as well as with AAS. While none of the
tested algorithms offered complete removal, MP showed promising
results due to its ability to adapt to variations of latency, frequency
and amplitude of individual artifact occurrences while still utilizing a
common template.
Abstract: The textile industry produces highly coloured
effluents containing polar and non-polar compounds. The textile mill
run by the Assam Polyester Co-operative Society Limited (APOL) is
situated at Rangia, about 55 km from Guwahati (26011' N, 91047' E)
in the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra, Assam (India). This
unit was commissioned in June 1988 and started commercial
production in November 1988. The installed capacity of the weaving
unit was 8000 m/day and that of the processing unit was 20,000
m/day. The mill has its own dyeing unit with a capacity of 1500-2000
kg/day. The western side of the mill consists of vast agricultural land
and the far northern and southern side of the mill has scattered human
population. The eastern side of the mill has a major road for
thoroughfare. The mill releases its effluents into the agricultural land
in the western side of the mill. The present study was undertaken to
assess the impact of the textile mill on surface soil quality in and
around the mill with particular reference to Cr, Mn, Ni and Zn.
Surface soil samples, collected along different directions at 200, 500
and 1000 m were digested and the metals were estimated with
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The metals were found in the
range of: Cr 50.9 – 105.0 mg kg-1, Mn 19.2- 78.6 mg kg-1, Ni 41.9 –
50.6 mg kg-1 and Zn 187.8 – 1095.8 mg kg-1. The study reveals
enrichment of Cr, Mn, Ni and Zn in the soil near the textile mill.
Abstract: In this paper we present an off line system for the
recognition of the handwritten numeric chains. Our work is divided
in two big parts. The first part is the realization of a recognition
system of the isolated handwritten digits. In this case the study is
based mainly on the evaluation of neural network performances,
trained with the gradient back propagation algorithm. The used
parameters to form the input vector of the neural network are
extracted on the binary images of the digits by several methods: the
distribution sequence, the Barr features and the centred moments of
the different projections and profiles. The second part is the
extension of our system for the reading of the handwritten numeric
chains constituted of a variable number of digits. The vertical
projection is used to segment the numeric chain at isolated digits and
every digit (or segment) will be presented separately to the entry of
the system achieved in the first part (recognition system of the
isolated handwritten digits). The result of the recognition of the
numeric chain will be displayed at the exit of the global system.
Abstract: Alcohol and water extracts of Cymbopogon citratus
was investigated for anti-bacterial properties and phytochemical
constituents. The extract was screened against four gram-negative
bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris) and two grampositive bacteria Bacillus
subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus at four different concentrations
(1:1, 1:5, 1:10 and 1:20) using disc diffusion method. The antibacterial
examination was by disc diffusion techniques, while the
photochemical constituents were investigated using standard
chemical methods. Results showed that the extracts inhibited the
growth of standard and local strains of the organisms used. The
treatments were significantly different (P = 0.05). The minimum
inhibitory concentration of the extracts against the tested
microorganisms ranged between 150mg/ml and 50mg/ml. The
alcohol extracts were found to be generally more effective than the
water extract. The photochemical analysis revealed the presence of
alkaloids and phenol but absence of cardiac and cyanogenic
glycosides. The presence of alkaloid and phenols were inferred as
being responsible for the anti-bacterial properties of the extracts.
Abstract: One of the main trouble in a steel strip manufacturing
line is the breakage of whatever weld carried out between steel coils,
that are used to produce the continuous strip to be processed. A weld
breakage results in a several hours stop of the manufacturing line. In
this process the damages caused by the breakage must be repaired.
After the reparation and in order to go on with the production it will
be necessary a restarting process of the line. For minimizing this
problem, a human operator must inspect visually and manually each
weld in order to avoid its breakage during the manufacturing process.
The work presented in this paper is based on the Bayesian decision
theory and it presents an approach to detect, on real-time, steel strip
defective welds. This approach is based on quantifying the tradeoffs
between various classification decisions using probability and the
costs that accompany such decisions.