Abstract: To understand complex living system an effort has
made by mechanical engineers and dentists to deliver prompt
products and services to patients concerned about their aesthetic look.
Since two decades various bracket systems have designed involving
techniques like milling, injection molding which are technically not
flexible for the customized dental product development. The aim of
this paper to design, develop a customized system which is
economical and mainly emphasizes the expertise design and
integration of engineering and dental fields. A custom made selfadjustable
lingual bracket and customized implants are designed and
developed using computer aided design (CAD) and rapid prototyping
technology (RPT) to improve the smiles and to overcome the
difficulties associated with conventional ones. Lengthy orthodontic
treatment usually not accepted by the patients because the patient
compliance is lost. Patient-s compliance can be improved by
facilitating faster tooth movements by designing a localized dental
vibrator using advanced engineering principles.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to briefly review the opportunities that social media present to counselors and psychologists. Particular attention was given to understanding some of the more important common risks inherent in social media and the potential ethical dilemmas which may arise for counselors and psychologists who embrace them in their practice. Key considerations of issues pertinent to an online presence such as multiple relationships, visibility and privacy, maintaining ethical principles and professional boundaries are being discussed.
Abstract: Fuel cell's system requires regulating circuit for
voltage and current in order to control power in case of connecting to
other generative devices or load. In this paper Fuel cell system and
convertor, which is a multi-variable system, are controlled using
sliding mode method. Use of weighting matrix in design procedure
made it possible to regulate speed of control. Simulation results show
the robustness and accuracy of proposed controller for controlling
desired of outputs.
Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of blind source separation
(BSS). To recover original signals, from linear instantaneous
mixtures, we propose a new contrast function based on the use of a
double referenced system. Our approach assumes statistical independence
sources. The reference vectors will be incrusted in the cumulant
to evaluate the independence. The estimation of the separating matrix
will be performed in two steps: whitening observations and joint
diagonalization of a set of referenced cumulant matrices. Computer
simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the
suggested approach.
Abstract: For smaller mechatronic device, especially for micro
Electronic system, a micro machining is a must. However, most
investigations on vibration of a mill have been limited to the
traditional type mill. In this article, vibration and dynamic
characteristics of a micro mill were investigated in this study. The
trend towards higher precision manufacturing technology requires
producing miniaturized components. To improve micro-milled
product quality, obtain a higher production rate and avoid milling
breakage, the dynamic characteristics of micro milling must be
studied. A stepped pre-twisted mill is used to simulate the micro mill.
The finite element analysis is employed in this work. The flute length
and diameter effects of the micro mill are considered. It is clear that
the effects of micro mill shape parameters on vibration in a micro mill
are significant.
Abstract: This paper presents a web based remote access
microcontroller laboratory. Because of accelerated development in
electronics and computer technologies, microcontroller-based devices
and appliances are found in all aspects of our daily life. Before the
implementation of remote access microcontroller laboratory an
experiment set is developed by teaching staff for training
microcontrollers. Requirement of technical teaching and industrial
applications are considered when experiment set is designed.
Students can make the experiments by connecting to the experiment
set which is connected to the computer that set as the web server. The
students can program the microcontroller, can control digital and
analog inputs and can observe experiment. Laboratory experiment
web page can be accessed via www.elab.aku.edu.tr address.
Abstract: The reliability of the tools developed to learn the
learning styles is essential to find out students- learning styles
trustworthily. For this purpose, the psychometric features of Grasha-
Riechman Student Learning Style Inventory developed by Grasha
was studied to contribute to this field. The study was carried out on
6th, 7th, and 8th graders of 10 primary education schools in Konya.
The inventory was applied twice with an interval of one month, and
according to the data of this application, the reliability coefficient
numbers of the 6 sub-dimensions pointed in the theory of the
inventory was found to be medium. Besides, it was found that the
inventory does not have a structure with 6 factors for both
Mathematics and English courses as represented in the theory.
Abstract: Large scale climate signals and their teleconnections can influence hydro-meteorological variables on a local scale. Several extreme flow and timing measures, including high flow and low flow measures, from 62 hydrometric stations in Canada are investigated to detect possible linkages with several large scale climate indices. The streamflow data used in this study are derived from the Canadian Reference Hydrometric Basin Network and are characterized by relatively pristine and stable land-use conditions with a minimum of 40 years of record. A composite analysis approach was used to identify linkages between extreme flow and timing measures and climate indices. The approach involves determining the 10 highest and 10 lowest values of various climate indices from the data record. Extreme flow and timing measures for each station were examined for the years associated with the 10 largest values and the years associated with the 10 smallest values. In each case, a re-sampling approach was applied to determine if the 10 values of extreme flow measures differed significantly from the series mean. Results indicate that several stations are impacted by the large scale climate indices considered in this study. The results allow the determination of any relationship between stations that exhibit a statistically significant trend and stations for which the extreme measures exhibit a linkage with the climate indices.
Abstract: Internet infrastructures in most places of the world
have been supported by the advancement of optical fiber technology,
most notably wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system.
Optical technology by means of WDM system has revolutionized
long distance data transport and has resulted in high data capacity,
cost reductions, extremely low bit error rate, and operational
simplification of the overall Internet infrastructure. This paper
analyses and compares the system impairments, which occur at data
transmission rates of 2.5Gb/s and 10 Gb/s per wavelength channel in
our proposed optical WDM system for Internet infrastructure in
Tanzania. The results show that the data transmission rate of 2.5 Gb/s
has minimum system impairments compared with a rate of 10 Gb/s
per wavelength channel, and achieves a sufficient system
performance to provide a good Internet access service.
Abstract: Static Var Compensator (SVC) is a shunt type FACTS
device which is used in power system primarily for the purpose of
voltage and reactive power control. In this paper, a fuzzy logic based
supplementary controller for Static Var Compensator (SVC) is
developed which is used for damping the rotor angle oscillations and
to improve the transient stability of the power system. Generator
speed and the electrical power are chosen as input signals for the
Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC). The effectiveness and feasibility of
the proposed control is demonstrated with Single Machine Infinite
Bus (SMIB) system and multimachine system (WSCC System)
which show improvement over the use of a fixed parameter
controller.
Abstract: Access to information is the key to the empowerment of everybody despite where they are living. This research is to be carried out in respect of the people living in developing countries, considering their plight and complex geographical, demographic, social-economic conditions surrounding the areas they live, which hinder access to information and of professionals providing services such as medical workers, which has led to high death rates and development stagnation. Research on Unified Communications and Integrated Collaborations (UCIC) system in the health sector of developing countries comes in to create a possible solution of bridging the digital canyon among the communities. The aim is to deliver services in a seamless manner to assist health workers situated anywhere to be accessed easily and access information which will help in service delivery. The proposed UCIC provides the most immersive Telepresence experience for one-to-one or many-tomany meetings. Extending to locations anywhere in the world, the transformative platform delivers Ultra-low operating costs through the use of general purpose networks and using special lenses and track systems.
Abstract: A generalized method for small-signal simulation of
avalanche noise in Mixed Tunneling Avalanche Transit Time
(MITATT) device is presented in this paper where the effect of series
resistance is taken into account. The method is applied to a
millimeter-wave Double Drift Region (DDR) MITATT device based
on Silicon to obtain noise spectral density and noise measure as a
function of frequency for different values of series resistance. It is
found that noise measure of the device at the operating frequency
(122 GHz) with input power density of 1010 Watt/m2 is about 35 dB
for hypothetical parasitic series resistance of zero ohm (estimated
junction temperature = 500 K). Results show that the noise measure
increases as the value of parasitic resistance increases.
Abstract: The request for a sustainable development challenges
both managers and consumers to rethink habitual practices and
activities. While consumers are challenged to develop sustainable
consumption patterns, companies are asked to establish managerial
systems and structures considering economical, ecological, and social
issues. As this is in particular true for housing associations, this paper
aims first, at providing an understanding of sustainability strategy in
residential trade and industry (RTI) by identifying relevant facets of
this construct and second, at conceptually analyzing the impact of
sustainability strategy in RTI on operational efficiency and
performance of municipal housing companies. The author develops a
model of sustainability strategy in RTI and its effects and further,
sheds light in priorities for future research.
Abstract: In this study Vitaton (an organic supplement which
contains fermentative β-carotene) and synthetic astaxanthin
(CAROPHYLL® Pink) were evaluated as pro-growth factors in
Rainbow trout diet. An 8 week feeding trial was conducted to
determine the effects of Vitaton versus astaxanthin on rearing factors,
survival rate and visual flesh color of Rainbow trout
(Oncorhnchynchus mykiss) with initial weight of 196±5. Four
practical diets were formulated to contain 50 and 80 (ppm) of β-
carotene and astaxanthin and also a control diet was prepared without
any pigment. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish rearing in
fresh water. Fish were fed twice daily. The water temperature
fluctuated from 12 to 15 (C˚) and also dissolved oxygen content was
between 7 to 7.5 (mg/lit) during the experimental period. At the end
of the experiment, growth and food utilization parameters and
survival rate were unaffected by dietary treatments (p>0.05). Also,
there was no significant difference between carcass yield within
treatments (p>0.05). No significant difference recognized between
visual flesh color (SalmoFan score) of fish fed Vitaton-containing
diets. On the contrary, feeding on diets containing 50 and 80 (ppm)
of astaxanthin, increased SalmoFan score (flesh astaxanthin
concentration) from
Abstract: This paper adopted the hybrid differential transform approach for studying heat transfer problems in a gold/chromium thin film with an ultra-short-pulsed laser beam projecting on the gold side. The physical system, formulated based on the hyperbolic two-step heat transfer model, covers three characteristics: (i) coupling effects between the electron/lattice systems, (ii) thermal wave propagation in metals, and (iii) radiation effects along the interface. The differential transform method is used to transfer the governing equations in the time domain into the spectrum equations, which is further discretized in the space domain by the finite difference method. The results, obtained through a recursive process, show that the electron temperature in the gold film can rise up to several thousand degrees before its electron/lattice systems reach equilibrium at only several hundred degrees. The electron and lattice temperatures in the chromium film are much lower than those in the gold film.
Abstract: There is no doubt that Internet technology is widely used by hotels and its demand is constantly booming. Hotels have largely adopted website information services through using different interactive tools, dimensions and attributes to achieve excellence in functionality and usability but these do not necessary equate with website effectiveness. One way to investigate the effectiveness of hotel website is from the perspective ofe-consumers. This exploratory research is to investigate the perceived importance of websites effectiveness of some selected independent small and medium-sized hotels (SMHs) located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from the perspective of Omanie-consumers by using non-random sampling method. From 400 questionnaire addressed to respondents in 27 organizations in Muscat the capital city of Oman, 173 are valid. Findings of this study assist SMHs management in Dubai with the reallocation of their resources and efforts in order to supportebusiness development and to sustain a competitive advantage.
Abstract: It is known that symmetric encryption algorithms are
fast and easy to implement in hardware. Also elliptic curves have
proved to be a good choice for building encryption system. Although
most of the symmetric systems have been broken, we can create a
hybrid system that has the same properties of the symmetric
encryption systems and in the same time, it has the strength of
elliptic curves in encryption. As DES algorithm is considered the
core of all successive symmetric encryption systems, we modified
DES using elliptic curves and built a new DES algorithm that is hard
to be broken and will be the core for all other symmetric systems.
Abstract: Recently, Thai education system is engaged in serious and promising reforms. One of the crucial elements in most of these educational reforms is the teacher professional development. Teachers today are under growing pressure to perform. However, most new teachers are not adequately prepared to meet the expectation. Consequently, this paper seeks to investigate the opinion of mentor teachers and university supervisors about professional development in the aspect of learning management skill of the preservice teachers in Rajabhat Universities, then compare the opinion between the mentor teachers and university supervisors about professional development in the aspect of learning management skill of the pre-service teachers. The study involved a cohort of 40 university supervisors and 77 mentor teachers. The research concludes by showing that mentor teachers viewed pre-service teacher as a professional teacher with an effective learning management skill. However, in the perspective of the university supervisor, pre-service teachers still have inadequate learning management skill.
Abstract: This paper presents a methodology to harvest the kinetic energy of the raindrops using piezoelectric devices. In the study 1m×1m PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) piezoelectric membrane, which is fixed by the four edges, is considered for the numerical simulation on deformation of the membrane due to the impact of the raindrops. Then according to the drop size of the rain, the simulation is performed classifying the rainfall types into three categories as light stratiform rain, moderate stratiform rain and heavy thundershower. The impact force of the raindrop is dependent on the terminal velocity of the raindrop, which is a function of raindrop diameter. The results were then analyzed to calculate the harvestable energy from the deformation of the piezoelectric membrane.
Abstract: Coordinated supply chain represents major challenges
for the different actors involved in it, because each agent responds to
individual interests. The paper presents a framework with the
reviewed literature regarding the system's decision structure and
nature of demand. Later, it characterizes an agri food supply chain in
the Central Region of Colombia, it responds to a decentralized
distribution system and a stochastic demand. Finally, the paper
recommends coordinating the chain based on shared information, and
mechanisms for each agent, as VMI (vendor-managed inventory)
strategy for farmer-buyer relationship, information system for
farmers and contracts for transportation service providers.