Abstract: This paper suggests a rethinking of the existing
research about Genetically Modified (GM) food. Since the first batch
of GM food was commercialised in the UK market, GM food rapidly
received and lost media attention in the UK. Disagreement on GM
food policy between the US and the EU has also drawn scholarly
attention to this issue. Much research has been carried out intending to
understand people-s views about GM food and the shaping of these
views. This paper was based on the data collected in twenty-nine
semi-structured interviews, which were examined through Erving
Goffman-s idea of self-presentation in interactions to suggest that the
existing studies investigating “consumer attitudes" towards GM food
have only considered the “front stage" in the dramaturgic metaphor.
This paper suggests that the ways in which people choose to present
themselves when participating these studies should be taken into
account during the data analysis.
Abstract: Decrease in hardware costs and advances in computer
networking technologies have led to increased interest in the use of
large-scale parallel and distributed computing systems. One of the
biggest issues in such systems is the development of effective
techniques/algorithms for the distribution of the processes/load of a
parallel program on multiple hosts to achieve goal(s) such as
minimizing execution time, minimizing communication delays,
maximizing resource utilization and maximizing throughput.
Substantive research using queuing analysis and assuming job
arrivals following a Poisson pattern, have shown that in a multi-host
system the probability of one of the hosts being idle while other host
has multiple jobs queued up can be very high. Such imbalances in
system load suggest that performance can be improved by either
transferring jobs from the currently heavily loaded hosts to the lightly
loaded ones or distributing load evenly/fairly among the hosts .The
algorithms known as load balancing algorithms, helps to achieve the
above said goal(s). These algorithms come into two basic categories -
static and dynamic. Whereas static load balancing algorithms (SLB)
take decisions regarding assignment of tasks to processors based on
the average estimated values of process execution times and
communication delays at compile time, Dynamic load balancing
algorithms (DLB) are adaptive to changing situations and take
decisions at run time.
The objective of this paper work is to identify qualitative
parameters for the comparison of above said algorithms. In future this
work can be extended to develop an experimental environment to
study these Load balancing algorithms based on comparative
parameters quantitatively.
Abstract: In this paper, a simple active contour based visual
tracking algorithm is presented for outdoor AGV application which is
currently under development at the USM robotic research group
(URRG) lab. The presented algorithm is computationally low cost
and able to track road boundaries in an image sequence and can
easily be implemented on available low cost hardware. The proposed
algorithm used an active shape modeling using the B-spline
deformable template and recursive curve fitting method to track the
current orientation of the road.
Abstract: The quest of providing more secure identification
system has led to a rise in developing biometric systems. Dorsal
hand vein pattern is an emerging biometric which has attracted the
attention of many researchers, of late. Different approaches have
been used to extract the vein pattern and match them. In this work,
Principle Component Analysis (PCA) which is a method that has
been successfully applied on human faces and hand geometry is
applied on the dorsal hand vein pattern. PCA has been used to obtain
eigenveins which is a low dimensional representation of vein pattern
features. Low cost CCD cameras were used to obtain the vein
images. The extraction of the vein pattern was obtained by applying
morphology. We have applied noise reduction filters to enhance the
vein patterns. The system has been successfully tested on a database
of 200 images using a threshold value of 0.9. The results obtained are
encouraging.
Abstract: Many IT projects come to failure because of having
technical approach, focusing on the final product and lack of proper
attention to strategic alignment. Project management models quite
often have technical management view [4], [8], [13], [14]. These
models focus greatly on the finalization of the project product and the
delivery of the product to the customer. However, many project
problems are due to lack of attention to the needs and capabilities of
the organizations or disregarding how to deploy and use the product
in the organization. In this regard, in the current research we are
trying to present a solution with the purpose of raising the value of
the project in an organization. This way, the project outputs will be
properly deployed in the organization. Therefore, a comprehensive
model is presented which takes into account the whole processes
from initial step of project definition to the deployment of the final
outputs in the organization and then the definition of all roles and
responsibilities to put the model into practice. Taking into account
the opinions of experts and project managers, to prove the
performance of the model, the project problems were recognized and
based on the model, categorized and analyzed. And at the end it is
made clear that ignoring the proper definition of the project and not
having a proper understanding of the expected value on the one hand
and not supervising the emerged value in the process of production
and installment are among the most important factors that bring a
project to failure.
Abstract: Due to the emergence of “Humanized Healthcare"
introduced by Professor Dr. Prawase Wasi in 2003[1], the
development of this paradigm tends to be widely implemented. The
organizations included Healthcare Accreditation Institute (public
organization), National Health Foundation, Mahidol University in
cooperation with Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and National
Health Security Office (Thailand) have selected the hospitals or
infirmaries that are qualified for humanized healthcare since 2008-
2010 and 35 of them are chosen to be the outstandingly navigating
organizations for the development of humanized healthcare,
humanized healthcare award [2].
The research aims to study the current issue, characteristics and
patterns of hospital administration contributing to humanized
healthcare system in Thailand. The selected case studies are from
four hospitals including Dansai Crown Prince Hospital, Leoi;
Ubolrattana Hospital, Khon Kaen; Kapho Hospital, Pattani; and
Prathai Hospital, Nakhonrachasima. The methodology is in-depth
interviewing with 10 staffs working as hospital executive directors,
and representatives from leader groups including directors,
multidisciplinary hospital committees, personnel development
committees, physicians and nurses in each hospital. (Total=40) In
addition, focus group discussions between hospital staffs and general
people (including patients and their relatives, the community leader,
and other people) are held by means of setting 4 groups including 8
people within each group. (Total=128) The observation on the
working in each hospital is also implemented. The findings of the
study reveal that there are five important aspects found in each
hospital including (1) the quality improvement under the mental and
spiritual development policy from the chief executives and lead
teams, leaders as Role model and they have visionary leadership; (2)
the participation hospital administration system focusing on learning
process and stakeholder- needs, spiritual human resource
management and development; (3) the relationship among people
especially staffs, team work skills, mutual understanding, effective
communication and personal inner-development; (4) organization
culture relevant to the awareness of patients- rights as well as the
participation policy including spiritual growth achieving to the same
goals, sharing vision, developing public mind, and caring; and (5)
healing structures or environment providing warmth and convenience
for hospital staffs, patients and their relatives and visitors.
Abstract: This research studied the appropriate factors and conditions for laminated bamboo bending by Design of Experiments (DOE). The interested factors affecting the spring back in laminates bamboo were (1) time, (2) thickness, and (3) frequency. This experiment tested the specimen by using high frequency machine and measured its spring back immediately and next 24 hours for comparing the spring back ratio. Results from the experiments showed that significant factors having major influence to bending of laminates bamboo were thickness and frequency. The appropriate conditions of thickness and frequency were 4 mm. and 1.5 respectively.
Abstract: Bioprocesses are appreciated as difficult to control because their dynamic behavior is highly nonlinear and time varying, in particular, when they are operating in fed batch mode. The research objective of this study was to develop an appropriate control method for a complex bioprocess and to implement it on a laboratory plant. Hence, an intelligent control structure has been designed in order to produce biomass and to maximize the specific growth rate.
Abstract: The study and development of an innovative material
for building insulation is really important for a sustainable society in order to improve comfort and reducing energy consumption. The aim of this work is the development of insulating panels for
sustainable buildings based on an innovative material made by
cardboard and Phase Change Materials (PCMs).
The research has consisted in laboratory tests whose purpose has been the obtaining of the required properties for insulation panels: lightweight, porous structures and mechanical resistance. PCMs have been used for many years in the building industry as
smart insulation technology because of their properties of storage and release high quantity of latent heat at useful specific temperatures [1]- [2].
The integration of PCMs into cellulose matrix during the waste paper recycling process has been developed in order to obtain a
composite material.
Experiments on the productive process for the realization of insulating panels were done in order to make the new material
suitable for building application. The addition of rising agents
demonstrated the possibility to obtain a lighter structure with better
insulation properties.
Several tests were conducted to verify the new panel properties. The results obtained have shown the possibility to realize an
innovative and sustainable material suitable to replace insulating panels currently used.
Abstract: Nowadays, access to sustainable development in cities is assumed as one of the most important goals of urban managers. In the meanwhile, neighborhood as the smallest unit of urban spatial organization has a substantial effect on urban sustainability. Hence, attention to and focus on this subject is highly important in urban development plans. The objective of this study is evaluation of the status of Jahanshahr Neighborhood in Karaj city based on sustainable neighborhood development indicators. This research has been applied based on documentary method and field surveys. Also, evaluating of Jahanshahr Neighborhood of Karaj shows that it has a high level in sustainability in physical and economical dimension while a low level in cultural and social dimension. For this purpose, this neighborhood as a semi-sustainable neighborhood must take measures for development of collective spaces and efficiency of utilizing the public neighborhood spaces via collaboration of citizens and officials.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of an analytical study
on the seismic response of a Multi-Span-Simply-Supported precast
bridge in Washington State. The bridge was built in the early 1960's
along Interstate 5 and was widened the first time in 1979 and the
second time in 2001. The primary objective of this research project
is to determine the seismic vulnerability of the bridge in order to
develop the required retrofit measure. The seismic vulnerability of
the bridge is evaluated using two seismic evaluation methods
presented in the FHWA Seismic Retrofitting Manual for Highway
Bridges, Method C and Method D2. The results of the seismic
analyses demonstrate that Method C and Method D2 vary markedly
in terms of the information they provide to the bridge designer
regarding the vulnerability of the bridge columns.
Abstract: The Kowsar dam supply water for different usages
such as drinking, industrial, agricultural and aquaculture farms
usages and located next to the city of Dehdashat in Kohgiluye and
Boyerahmad province in southern Iran. There are some towns and
villages on the Kowsar dam watersheds, which Dehdasht and
Choram are the most important and populated cities in this area. The
study was undertaken to assess the status of water quality in the
urban areas of the Kowsar dam. A total of 28 water samples were
collected from 6 stations on surface water and 1 station from
groundwater on the watershed of the Kowsar dam. All the samples
were analyzed for Cd concentration using standard procedures. The
results were compared with other national and international
standards. Among the analyzed samples, as the maximum value of
cadmium (1.131 μg/L) was observed on the station 2 at the winter
2009, all the samples analyzed were within the maximum admissible
limits by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, EU,
WHO, New Zealand , Australian, Iranian, and the Indian standards.
In general results of the present study have shown that Cd mean
values of stations No. 4, 1 and 2 with 0.5135, 0.0.4733 and 0.4573
μg/L respectively are higher than the other stations . Although Cd
level of all samples and stations have had normal values but this is
an indication of pollution potential and hazards because of human
activity and waste water of towns in the areas, which can effect on
human health implications in future. This research, therefore,
recommends the government and other responsible authorities to take
suitable improving measures in the Kowsar dam watershed-s.
Abstract: Random Oracle Model (ROM) is an effective method
for measuring the practical security of cryptograph. In this paper, we
try to use it into information hiding system (IHS). Because IHS has its
own properties, the ROM must be modified if it is used into IHS.
Firstly, we fully discuss why and how to modify each part of ROM
respectively. The main changes include: 1) Divide the attacks that IHS
may be suffered into two phases and divide the attacks of each phase
into several kinds. 2) Distinguish Oracles and Black-boxes clearly. 3)
Define Oracle and four Black-boxes that IHS used. 4) Propose the
formalized adversary model. And 5) Give the definition of judge.
Secondly, based on ROM of IHS, the security against known original
cover attack (KOCA-KOCA-security) is defined. Then, we give an
actual information hiding scheme and prove that it is
KOCA-KOCA-secure. Finally, we conclude the paper and propose the
open problems of further research.
Abstract: The regional innovative competitiveness is an integrating characteristic of the innovative sphere of the region. It depends on a big variety of different parameters connected with all kinds of economic entities- activities. But management parameters shouldn't be irregular, so in order to avoid it, an institutional system should be formed. This system should carry out strategic management of factors having the greatest influence on the region's innovative development. This article is devoted to different aspects of organization of the region's development institutional mechanism, which is based on management of regional innovative competitiveness parameters. The base of the analysis is innovatively-active Russian regions which were compared according to the level of the innovative competitiveness. After that the most important parameters of successful innovative development of the region were revealed with the help of the correlation-regression analysis. The results of the research could be used for investigation of the region's innovative policy.
Abstract: This paper aims to argue that religion and Faith-based
Organizations (FBOs) contribute to building democratic process
through the provision of education in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone
experienced a civil war from 1991 to 2002 and about 70 percent of the
population lives in poverty. While the government has been in the
process of rebuilding the nation, many forms of Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs), including FBOs, have played a significant role
in promoting social development. Education plays an important role in
supporting people-s democratic movements through knowledge
acquisition, spiritual enlightenment and empowerment. This paper
discusses religious tolerance in Sierra Leone and how FBOs have
contributed to the provision of primary education in Sierra Leone. This
study is based on the author-s field research, which involved
interviews with teachers and development stakeholders, notably
government officials, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and
FBOs, as well as questionnaires completed by pupils, parents and
teachers.
Abstract: The paper presents a part of the results obtained in a
complex research project on Romanian Grey Steppe breed, owner of
some remarkable qualities such as hardiness, longevity, adaptability,
special resistance to ban weather and diseases and included in the
genetic fund (G.D. no. 822/2008.) from Romania.
Following the researches effectuated, we identified alleles of six
loci, codifying the six types of major milk proteins: alpha-casein S1
(α S1-cz); beta-casein (β-cz); kappa-casein (K-cz); beta-lactoglobulin
(β-lg); alpha-lactalbumin (α-la) and alpha-casein S2 (α S2-cz). In
system αS1-cz allele αs1-Cn B has the highest frequency (0.700), in
system β-cz allele β-Cn A2 ( 0.550 ), in system K-cz allele k-CnA2 (
0.583 ) and heterozygote genotype AB ( 0.416 ) and BB (0.375), in
system β-lg allele β-lgA1 has the highest frequency (0.542 ) and
heterozygote genotype AB ( 0.500 ), in system α-la there is
monomorphism for allele α-la B and similarly in system αS2-cz for
allele αs2-Cn A.
The milk analysis by the isoelectric focalization technique (I.E.F.)
allowed the identification of a new allele for locus αS1-casein, for two
of the individuals under analysis, namely allele called αS1-casein
IRV. When experiments were repeated, we noticed that this is not a
proteolysis band and it really was a new allele that has not been
registered in the specialized literature so far. We identified two
heterozygote individuals, carriers of this allele, namely: BIRV and
CIRV. This discovery is extremely important if focus is laid on the
national genetic patrimony.
Abstract: In this paper the vibration behaviors of a structure equipped with a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) under a harmonic type of earthquake loading are studied. However, due to inherent nonlinear liquid damping, it is no doubt that a great deal of computational effort is required to search the optimum parameters of the TLCD, numerically. Therefore by linearization the equation of motion of the single degree of freedom structure equipped with the TLCD, the closed form solutions of the TLCD-structure system are derived. To find the reliability of the analytical method, the results have been compared with other researcher and have good agreement. Further, the effects of optimal design parameters such as length ratio and mass ratio on the performance of the TLCD for controlling the responses of a structure are investigated by using the harmonic type of earthquake excitation. Finally, the Citicorp Center which has a very flexible structure is used as an example to illustrate the design procedure for the TLCD under the earthquake excitation.
Abstract: This paper proposes new algorithms for the computeraided
design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) of 3D woven multi-layer
textile structures. Existing commercial CAD/CAM systems are often
restricted to the design and manufacture of 2D weaves. Those
CAD/CAM systems that do support the design and manufacture of
3D multi-layer weaves are often limited to manual editing of design
paper grids on the computer display and weave retrieval from stored
archives. This complex design activity is time-consuming, tedious
and error-prone and requires considerable experience and skill of a
technical weaver. Recent research reported in the literature has
addressed some of the shortcomings of commercial 3D multi-layer
weave CAD/CAM systems. However, earlier research results have
shown the need for further work on weave specification, weave
generation, yarn path editing and layer binding. Analysis of 3D
multi-layer weaves in this research has led to the design and
development of efficient and robust algorithms for the CAD/CAM of
3D woven multi-layer textile structures. The resulting algorithmically
generated weave designs can be used as a basis for lifting plans that
can be loaded onto looms equipped with electronic shedding
mechanisms for the CAM of 3D woven multi-layer textile structures.
Abstract: In this paper, supply policy and procurement of
shared resources in some kinds of concurrent construction projects
are investigated. This could be oriented to the problems of holding
construction companies who involve in different projects
concurrently and they have to supply limited resources to several
projects as well as prevent delays to any project. Limits on
transportation vehicles and storage facilities for potential
construction materials and also the available resources (such as cash
or manpower) are some of the examples which affect considerably on
management of all projects over all. The research includes
investigation of some real multi-storey buildings during their
execution periods and surveying the history of the activities. It is
shown that the common resource demand variation curve of the
projects may be expanded or displaced to achieve an optimum
distribution scheme. Of course, it may cause some delay to some
projects, but it has minimum influence on whole execution period of
all projects and its influence on procurement cost of the projects is
considerable. These observations on investigation of some
multistorey building which are built in Iran will be presented in this
paper.
Abstract: In the current research, we present an operation framework and protection mechanism to facilitate secure environment to protect mobile agents against tampering. The system depends on the presence of an authentication authority. The advantage of the proposed system is that security measures is an integral part of the design, thus common security retrofitting problems do not arise. This is due to the presence of AlGamal encryption mechanism to protect its confidential content and any collected data by the agent from the visited host . So that eavesdropping on information from the agent is no longer possible to reveal any confidential information. Also the inherent security constraints within the framework allow the system to operate as an intrusion detection system for any mobile agent environment. The mechanism is tested for most of the well known severe attacks against agents and networked systems. The scheme proved a promising performance that makes it very much recommended for the types of transactions that needs highly secure environments, e. g., business to business.