Abstract: Safe drinking water is one of the biggest issues facing
the planet this century. The primary aim of this paper is to present our
research focused on theoretical and experimental analysis of potable
water and in-building water distribution systems from the point of
view of microbiological risk on the basis of confrontation between
the theoretical analysis and synthesis of gathered information in
conditions of the Slovak Republic. The presence of the bacteria
Legionella in water systems, especially in hot water distribution
system, represents in terms of health protection of inhabitants the
crucial problem which cannot be overlooked. Legionella
pneumophila discovery, its classification and its influence on
installations inside buildings are relatively new. There are a lot of
guidelines and regulations developed in many individual countries for
the design, operation and maintenance for tap water systems to avoid
the growth of bacteria Legionella pneumophila, but in Slovakia we
don-t have any. The goal of this paper is to show the necessity of
prevention and regulations for installations inside buildings verified
by simulation methods.
Abstract: The objective of this work was to examine the
changes in the microstructure and macro physical properties caused
by the carbonation of normalised CEM II mortar. Samples were
prepared and subjected to accelerated carbonation at 20°C, 65%
relative humidity and 20% CO2 concentration. On the microstructure
scale, the evolutions of the cumulative pore volume, pore size
distribution, and specific surface area during carbonation were
calculated from the adsorption desorption isotherms of nitrogen. We
also examined the evolution of macro physical properties such as the
porosity accessible to water, the gas permeability, and thermal
conductivity. The conflict between the results of nitrogen porosity
and water porosity indicated that the porous domains explored using
these two techniques are different and help to complementarily
evaluate the effects of carbonation. This is a multi-scale study where
results on microstructural changes can help to explain the evolution
of macro physical properties.
Abstract: In this paper, an overview of the radio over fiber (RoF) technology is provided. Obstacles for reducing the capital and operational expenses in the existing systems are discussed in various perspectives. Some possible RoF deployment scenarios for WiMAX
data transmission are proposed as a means for capital and operational
expenses reduction. IEEE 802.16a standard based end-to-end physical layer model is simulated including intensity modulated direct detection RoF technology. Finally the feasibility of RoF
technology to carry WiMAX signals between the base station and the
remote antenna units is demonstrated using the simulation results.
Abstract: Antioxidants contribute to endogenous photoprotection
and are important for the maintenance of skin health. The study was carried out to compare the skin hydration and transepidermal
water loss (TEWL) effects of a stable cosmetic preparation
containing flavonoids, following two applications a day over a period
of tenth week. The skin trans-epidermal water loss and skin hydration
effect was measured at the beginning and up to the end of study period of ten weeks. Any effect produced was measured by Corneometer and TEWA meter (Non-invasive probe).
Two formulations were developed for this study design. Formulation one the control formulation in which no apple juice
extract( Flavonoids) was incorporated while second one was the active formulation in which the apple juice extract (3%) containing
flavonoids was incorporated into water in oil emulsion using Abil EM 90 as an emulsifier. Stable formulations (control and Active)
were applied on human cheeks (n = 12) for a study period of 10 weeks. Result of each volunteer of skin hydration and TEWL was
measured by corneometer and TEWA meter. By using ANOVA and Paired sample t test as a statistical evaluation, result of both base and
formulation were compared. Statistical significant results (p≤0.05)
were observed regarding skin hydration and TEWL when two creams, control and Formulation were compared. It showed that
desired formulation (Active) may have interesting application as an
active moisturizing cream on healthy skin.
Abstract: Swietenia mahagoni have been used in traditional
medicine for treatment of different diseases. Present study was
performed to evaluate anti-ulcerogenic activity of ethanol seed
extract against ethanol induced gastric mucosal injury in rats. Six
groups of rats were orally pre-treated respectively with
carboxymethyl cellulose, omeprazole 20 mg/kg, 50, 100, 200 and 400
mg/kg plant extract one hour before oral administration of absolute
ethanol to generate gastric mucosal injury. After additional hour, rats
were sacrificed and ulcer areas of gastric walls were determined.
Grossly, carboxymethyl cellulose group exhibited severe mucosal
injury, whereas pre-treatment with plant extract exhibited significant
protection of gastric mucosa. Histology, carboxymethyl cellulose
group exhibited severe damage of gastric mucosa; edema and
leucocytes infiltration of sub mucosa compared to plant extract which
showed gastric protection. Acute toxicity study did not manifest any
toxicological signs in rats. Conclusions, results suggest that S.
mahagoni promotes ulcer protection as ascertained grossly and
histologically.
Abstract: Offset mismatch, gain mismatch, and time-skew error between time-interleaved channels limit the performance of time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters (TIADC). This paper focused on the time-skew error. A new technique for calibrating time-skew error in M-channels TIADC is described, and simulation results are also presented.
Abstract: Current proposals for E-passport or ID-Card is similar to a regular passport with the addition of tiny contactless integrated circuit (computer chip) inserted in the back cover, which will act as a secure storage device of the same data visually displayed on the photo page of the passport. In addition, it will include a digital photograph that will enable biometric comparison, through the use of facial recognition technology at international borders. Moreover, the e-passport will have a new interface, incorporating additional antifraud and security features. However, its problems are reliability, security and privacy. Privacy is a serious issue since there is no encryption between the readers and the E-passport. However, security issues such as authentication, data protection and control techniques cannot be embedded in one process. In this paper, design and prototype implementation of an improved E-passport reader is presented. The passport holder is authenticated online by using GSM network. The GSM network is the main interface between identification center and the e-passport reader. The communication data is protected between server and e-passport reader by using AES to encrypt data for protection will transferring through GSM network. Performance measurements indicate a 19% improvement in encryption cycles versus previously reported results.
Abstract: Retinal prostheses have been successful in eliciting
visual responses in implanted subjects. As these prostheses progress,
one of their major limitations is the need for increased resolution. As
an alternative to increasing the number of electrodes, virtual
electrodes may be used to increase the effective resolution of current
electrode arrays. This paper presents a virtual electrode technique
based upon time-offsets between stimuli. Two adjacent electrodes are
stimulated with identical pulses with too short of pulse widths to
activate a neuron, but one has a time offset of one pulse width. A
virtual electrode of twice the pulse width was then shown to appear in
the center, with a total width capable of activating a neuron. This can
be used in retinal implants by stimulating electrodes with pulse
widths short enough to not elicit responses in neurons, but with their
combined pulse width adequate to activate a neuron in between them.
Abstract: With a rapid growth in 3D graphics technology over the last few years, people are desired to see more flexible reacting motions of a biped in animations. In particular, it is impossible to anticipate all reacting motions of a biped while facing a perturbation. In this paper, we propose a three-level tracking method for animating a 3D humanoid character. First, we take the laws of physics into account to attach physical attributes, such as mass, gravity, friction, collision, contact, and torque, to bones and joints of a character. The next step is to employ PD controller to follow a reference motion as closely as possible. Once the character cannot tolerate a strong perturbation to prevent itself from falling down, we are capable of tracking a desirable falling-down action to avoid any falling condition inaccuracy. From the experimental results, we demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed method in comparison with conventional data-driven approaches.
Abstract: The DNA microarray technology concurrently monitors the expression levels of thousands of genes during significant biological processes and across the related samples. The better understanding of functional genomics is obtained by extracting the patterns hidden in gene expression data. It is handled by clustering which reveals natural structures and identify interesting patterns in the underlying data. In the proposed work clustering gene expression data is done through an Advanced Nelder Mead (ANM) algorithm. Nelder Mead (NM) method is a method designed for optimization process. In Nelder Mead method, the vertices of a triangle are considered as the solutions. Many operations are performed on this triangle to obtain a better result. In the proposed work, the operations like reflection and expansion is eliminated and a new operation called spread-out is introduced. The spread-out operation will increase the global search area and thus provides a better result on optimization. The spread-out operation will give three points and the best among these three points will be used to replace the worst point. The experiment results are analyzed with optimization benchmark test functions and gene expression benchmark datasets. The results show that ANM outperforms NM in both benchmarks.
Abstract: Motion sensors have been commonly used as a valuable component in mechatronic systems, however, many mechatronic designs and applications that need motion sensors cost enormous amount of money, especially high-tech systems. Design of a software for communication protocol between data acquisition card and motion sensor is another issue that has to be solved. This study presents how to design a low cost motion data acquisition setup consisting of MPU 6050 motion sensor (gyro and accelerometer in 3 axes) and Arduino Mega2560 microcontroller. Design parameters are calibration of the sensor, identification and communication between sensor and data acquisition card, interpretation of data collected by the sensor.
Abstract: This paper presents the voltage regulation scheme of
D-STATCOM under three-phase faults. It consists of the voltage
detection and voltage regulation schemes in the 0dq reference. The
proposed control strategy uses the proportional controller in which
the proportional gain, kp, is appropriately adjusted by using genetic
algorithms. To verify its use, a simplified 4-bus test system is situated
by assuming a three-phase fault at bus 4. As a result, the DSTATCOM
can resume the load voltage to the desired level within
1.8 ms. This confirms that the proposed voltage regulation scheme
performs well under three-phase fault events.
Abstract: The significance of environmental protection is wellknown in today's world. The execution of any program depends on sufficient knowledge and required familiarity with environment and its pollutants. Taking advantage of a systematic method, as a new science, in environmental planning can solve many problems. In this article, air pollution in Tehran and its relationship with health and population growth have been analyzed using dynamic systems. Firstly, by using casual loops, the relationship between the parameters effective on air pollution in Tehran were taken into consideration, then these casual loops were turned into flow diagrams [6], and finally, they were simulated using the software Vensim [16]in order to conclude what the effect of each parameter will be on air pollution in Tehran in the next 10 years, how changing of one or more parameters influences other parameters, and which parameter among all other parameters requires to be controlled more.
Abstract: As the advancement of technology, online shopping channel develops rapidly in recent years. According to the report of Taiwan Network Information Center, there are almost eighty percents of internet population shopping in online channel. Synthesizing insights from the previous research, this study develops the conceptual model to integrate Theory of Perceived Risk (TPR) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to apply in online shopping. Using data collected from 637 respondents from online survey website, we use structural equation modeling to test measurement and structural models. The results suggest the need for consideration of perceived risk as an antecedent in the Technology Acceptance Model. The limitations and implications are discussed.
Abstract: This study aims to assess the potential of solar energy technology for improving access to water and hence the livelihood strategies of rural communities in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It focuses on livestock ranches and photovoltaic water-pumptechnology as well as other water extraction methods. The methodology used are the Sustainable Livelihoods and the Appropriate Technology approaches. A household survey was applied in June of 2006 to 32 ranches in the municipality, of which 22 used PV pumps; and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings indicate that solar pumps have in fact helped people improve their quality of life by allowing them to pursue a different livelihood strategy and that improved access to water -not necessarily as more water but as less effort to extract and collect it- does not automatically imply overexploitation of the resource; consumption is based on basic needs as well as on storage and pumping capacity. Justification for such systems lies in the avoidance of logistical problems associated to fossil fuels, PV pumps proved to be the most beneficial when substituting gasoline or diesel equipment but of dubious advantage if intended to replace wind or gravity systems. Solar water pumping technology-s main obstacle to dissemination are high investment and repairs costs and it is therefore not suitable for all cases even when insolation rates and water availability are adequate. In cases where affordability is not an obstacle it has become an important asset that contributes –by means of reduced expenses, less effort and saved time- to the improvement of livestock, the main livelihood provider for these ranches.
Abstract: In recent years there has been a continuous increase of
axle loads, tonnage, train speed and train length which has increased
both the productivity in the rail sector and the risk of rail breaks and
derailments. On the other hand, the environmental requirements (e.g.
noise reduction) for railway operations will become tighter in the
future. In our research we developed a new composite material which
does not change braking properties, is capable of taking extremely
high pressure loads, reduces noise and is environmentally friendly.
Part of our research was also the development of technology which
will be able to apply this material to the rail. The result of our
research was the system which reduces the wear out significantly and
almost completely eliminates the squealing noise at the same time,
and by using only one special material.
Abstract: Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is well
established machining technique mainly used to machine complex
geometries on difficult-to-machine materials and high strength
temperature resistant alloys. In the present research, the objective is
to study the shape of the electrode and establish the application of
liquid nitrogen in reducing distortion of the electrode during
electrical discharge machining of M2 grade high speed steel using
copper electrodes. Study of roundness was performed on the
electrode to observe the shape of the electrode for both conventional
EDM and EDM with cryogenically cooled electrode. Scanning
Electron Microscope (SEM) has been used to study the shape of
electrode tip. The effect of various parameters such as discharge
current and pulse on time has been studied to understand the behavior
of distortion of electrode. It has been concluded that the shape
retention is better in case of liquid nitrogen cooled electrode.
Abstract: RFID system, in which we give identification number to each item and detect it with radio frequency, supports more variable service than barcode system can do. For example, a refrigerator with RFID reader and internet connection will automatically notify expiration of food validity to us. But, in spite of its convenience, RFID system has some security threats, because anybody can get ID information of item easily. One of most critical threats is privacy invasion. Existing privacy protection schemes or systems have been proposed, and these schemes or systems defend normal users from attempts that any attacker tries to get information using RFID tag value. But, these systems still have weakness that attacker can get information using analogous value instead of original tag value. In this paper, we mention this type of attack more precisely and suggest 'Tag Broker Model', which can defend it. Tag broker in this model translates original tag value to random value, and user can only get random value. Attacker can not use analogous tag value, because he/she is not able to know original one from it.
Abstract: Recently, the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology offers the potential of designing high performance systems at low cost. The discrete wavelet transform has gained the reputation of being a very effective signal analysis tool for many practical applications. However, due to its computation-intensive nature, current implementation of the transform falls short of meeting real-time processing requirements of most application. The objectives of this paper are implement the Haar and Daubechies wavelets using FPGA technology. In addition, the Bit Error Rate (BER) between the input audio signal and the reconstructed output signal for each wavelet is calculated. From the BER, it is seen that the implementations execute the operation of the wavelet transform correctly and satisfying the perfect reconstruction conditions. The design procedure has been explained and designed using the stat-ofart Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools for system design on FPGA. Simulation, synthesis and implementation on the FPGA target technology has been carried out.
Abstract: This research is aimed at studying the nature of
problems and demands of the training for community leaders in the
upper northeastern region of Thailand. Population and group
samplings are based on 360 community leaders in the region who
have experienced prior training from the Udonthani Rajabhat
University. Stratified random samplings have been drawn upon 186
participants. The research tools is questionnaires. The frequency,
percentage and standard deviation are employed in data analysis. The
findings indicate that most of community leaders are males and
senior adults. The problems in training are associated with the
inconveniences of long-distance travelling to training locations,
inadequacy of learning centers and training sites and high training
costs. The demand of training is basically motivated by a desire for
self-development in modern knowledge in keeping up-to-date with
the changing world and the need for technological application and
facilitation in shortening the distance to training locations and in
limiting expensive training costs.