Abstract: Planning of economic activities development has various dimensions one of which determines adequate capacity of economic activities in provinces regarding the government-s goals. Paralleling planning goals of economic activities development including subjects being focused on the view statement is effective to better realize the statement's goals. Current paper presents a native framework for economic activities development in provincial level. Triple steps within the framework are concordant with the view statement-s goals achievement. At first step of the proposed framework, economic activities are being prioritized in terms of employment indices, and secondly economic activities regarding to the province's relative advantages are being recognized. In the third step, desirable capacity of economic activities is determined with regards to the government's goals and effective constraints in economic activities development. Development of economic activities related to the provinces- relative advantages, contributes on regional balance and on equal development of economic activities. Furthermore, results of the framework enable more confident investment, affect employment development and remove unemployment concern as the main goals of the view statement.
Abstract: This study explores perceptions of English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) learners on using computer mediated communication
technology in their learner of English. The data consists of
observations of both synchronous and asynchronous communication
participants engaged in for over a period of 4 months, which included
online, and offline communication protocols, open-ended interviews
and reflection papers composed by participants.
Content analysis of interview data and the written documents listed
above, as well as, member check and triangulation techniques are the
major data analysis strategies. The findings suggest that participants
generally do not benefit from computer-mediated communication in
terms of its effect in learning a foreign language. Participants regarded
the nature of CMC as artificial, or pseudo communication that did not
aid their authentic communicational skills in English. The results of
this study sheds lights on insufficient and inconclusive findings, which
most quantitative CMC studies previously generated.
Abstract: ZnO nanocrystals with mean diameter size 14 nm
have been prepared by precipitation method, and examined as
photocatalyst for the UV-induced degradation of insecticide diazinon
as deputy of organic pollutant in aqueous solution. The effects of
various parameters, such as illumination time, the amount of
photocatalyst, initial pH values and initial concentration of
insecticide on the photocatalytic degradation diazinon were
investigated to find desired conditions. In this case, the desired
parameters were also tested for the treatment of real water containing
the insecticide. Photodegradation efficiency of diazinon was
compared between commercial and prepared ZnO nanocrystals. The
results indicated that UV/ZnO process applying prepared
nanocrystalline ZnO offered electrical energy efficiency and
quantum yield better than commercial ZnO. The present study, on the
base of Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, illustrated a pseudo
first-order kinetic model with rate constant of surface reaction equal
to 0.209 mg l-1 min-1 and adsorption equilibrium constant of 0.124 l
mg-1.
Abstract: Automatic segmentation of skin lesions is the first step
towards the automated analysis of malignant melanoma. Although
numerous segmentation methods have been developed, few studies
have focused on determining the most effective color space for
melanoma application. This paper proposes an automatic segmentation
algorithm based on color space analysis and clustering-based histogram
thresholding, a process which is able to determine the optimal
color channel for detecting the borders in dermoscopy images. The
algorithm is tested on a set of 30 high resolution dermoscopy images.
A comprehensive evaluation of the results is provided, where borders
manually drawn by four dermatologists, are compared to automated
borders detected by the proposed algorithm, applying three previously
used metrics of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and a new metric
of similarity. By performing ROC analysis and ranking the metrics,
it is demonstrated that the best results are obtained with the X and
XoYoR color channels, resulting in an accuracy of approximately
97%. The proposed method is also compared with two state-of-theart
skin lesion segmentation methods.
Abstract: This paper presents a generalized form of the
mechanistic deconvolution technique (GMD) to modeling image sensors applicable in various pan–tilt planes of view. The mechanistic deconvolution technique (UMD) is modified with the
given angles of a pan–tilt plane of view to formulate constraint parameters and characterize distortion effects, and thereby, determine
the corrected image data. This, as a result, does not require experimental setup or calibration. Due to the mechanistic nature of
the sensor model, the necessity for the sensor image plane to be
orthogonal to its z-axis is eliminated, and it reduces the dependency on image data. An experiment was constructed to evaluate the
accuracy of a model created by GMD and its insensitivity to changes in sensor properties and in pan and tilt angles. This was compared
with a pre-calibrated model and a model created by UMD using two sensors with different specifications. It achieved similar accuracy
with one-seventh the number of iterations and attained lower mean error by a factor of 2.4 when compared to the pre-calibrated and
UMD model respectively. The model has also shown itself to be robust and, in comparison to pre-calibrated and UMD model, improved the accuracy significantly.
Abstract: The upgrading of low quality crude natural gas (NG) is attracting interest due to high demand of pipeline-grade gas in recent years. Membrane processes are commercially proven technology for the removal of impurities like carbon dioxide from NG. In this work, cross flow mathematical model has been suggested to be incorporated with ASPEN HYSYS as a user defined unit operation in order to design the membrane system for CO2/CH4 separation. The effect of operating conditions (such as feed composition and pressure) and membrane selectivity on the design parameters (methane recovery and total membrane area required for the separation) has been studied for different design configurations. These configurations include single stage (with and without recycle) and double stage membrane systems (with and without permeate or retentate recycle). It is shown that methane recovery can be improved by recycling permeate or retentate stream as well as by using double stage membrane systems. The ASPEN HYSYS user defined unit operation proposed in the study has potential to be applied for complex membrane system design and optimization.
Abstract: Among the numerous economic evaluation techniques currently available, Multi-criteria Spatial Analysis lends itself to solving localization problems of property complexes and, in particular, production plants. The methodology involves the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the mapping overlay technique, which overlaps the different information layers of a territory in order to obtain an overview of the parameters that characterize it. This first phase is used to detect possible settlement surfaces of a new agglomeration, subsequently selected through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), so as to choose the best alternative. The result ensures the synthesis of a multidimensional profile that expresses both the quantitative and qualitative effects. Each criterion can be given a different weight.
Abstract: Education, as the most important resource in any country, has multiplying effects on all facets of development in a society. The new social realities, particularly the interplay between democratization of education; unprecedented developments in IT sector; emergence of knowledge society, liberalization of economy and globalization have greatly influenced the educational process of all nations. This turbulence entails upon education to undergo dramatic changes to keep up with the new expectations. Growth of entrepreneurship among Indian women is highly important for empowering them and this is highly essential for socio-economic development of a society. Unfortunately in India there is poor acceptance of entrepreneurship among women as unfounded myths and fears restrain them to be enterprising. To remove these inhibitions, education system needs to be re-engineered to make entrepreneurship more acceptable. This paper empirically analyses the results of a survey done on around 500 female graduates in North India to measure and evaluate various entrepreneurial traits present in them. A formative model has been devised in this context, which should improve the teaching-learning process in our education system, which can lead to sustainable growth of women entrepreneurship in India.
Abstract: This paper focuses on issues of engagement by staff in professional development related to the delivery of e-learning. The paper reports on findings drawn from a New Zealand research project which is producing a sector-wide framework for professional development in tertiary e-learning. The research findings indicate that staff engaged in e-learning in tertiary institutions is not making the most effective use of the professional development opportunities available to them; rather they seem to gain their knowledge and support from a variety of informal means. This is despite an emphasis on the provision of professional development opportunities by both Government Policies and Institutions themselves. The conclusion drawn from the findings is that institutional approaches to professional development for e-learning do not yet fully reflect the demands and constraints that working in a digital context impose.
Abstract: Interaction effects of xanthan gum (XG), carboxymethyl
cellulose (CMC), and locust bean gum (LBG) on the flow properties
of oil-in-water emulsions were investigated by a mixture design
experiment. Blends of XG, CMC and LBG were prepared according
to an augmented simplex-centroid mixture design (10 points) and used
at 0.5% (wt/wt) in the emulsion formulations. An appropriate
mathematical model was fitted to express each response as a function
of the proportions of the blend components that are able to
empirically predict the response to any blend of combination of the
components. The synergistic interaction effect of the ternary
XG:CMC:LBG blends at approximately 33-67% XG levels was
shown to be much stronger than that of the binary XG:LBG blend at
50% XG level (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, an antagonistic interaction
effect became significant as CMC level in blends was more than 33%
(p < 0.05). Yield stress and apparent viscosity (at 10 s-1) responses
were successfully fitted with a special quartic model while flow
behaviour index and consistency coefficient were fitted with a full
quartic model (R2
adjusted ≥ 0.90). This study found that a mixture
design approach could serve as a valuable tool in better elucidating
and predicting the interaction effects beyond the conventional twocomponent
blends.
Abstract: In this paper the problem of face recognition under variable illumination conditions is considered. Most of the works in the literature exhibit good performance under strictly controlled acquisition conditions, but the performance drastically drop when changes in pose and illumination occur, so that recently number of approaches have been proposed to deal with such variability. The aim of this work is to introduce an efficient local appearance feature extraction method based steerable pyramid (SP) for face recognition. Local information is extracted from SP sub-bands using LBP(Local binary Pattern). The underlying statistics allow us to reduce the required amount of data to be stored. The experiments carried out on different face databases confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Abstract: We developed an effective microfluidic device for photoreactions with low reflectance and good heat conductance. The performance of this microfluidic device was tested by carrying out a photoreactive synthesis of benzopinacol and acetone from benzophenone and 2-propanol. The yield reached 36% with an irradiation time of 469.2 s and was improved by more than 30% when compared to the values obtained by the batch method. Therefore, the microfluidic device was found to be effective for improving the yields of photoreactions.
Abstract: The innovation performance of nations has been
repeatedly measured in the literature. We argue that while the
literature offers many suggestions, their theoretical foundation is
often weak and the underlying assumptions are rarely discussed. In
this paper, we systematize various mechanisms by which spatial units
influence nation and firms' innovation activities. On the basis of this,
common innovation performance measures and analyses are
discussed and evaluated. It is concluded that there is no general best
way of measuring the innovation performance of spatial units. In
fact, the most interesting insights can be obtained using a multitude
of different approaches at the same time.
Abstract: We have solved the Burgers-Fisher (BF) type equations,
with time-dependent coefficients of convection and reaction terms,
by using the auxiliary equation method. A class of solitary wave
solutions are obtained, and some of which are derived for the first
time. We have studied the effect of variable coefficients on physical
parameters (amplitude and velocity) of solitary wave solutions. In
some cases, the BF equations could be solved for arbitrary timedependent
coefficient of convection term.
Abstract: Flood management is one of the important fields in
urban storm water management. Floods are influenced by the
increase of huge storm event, or improper planning of the area. This study mainly provides the flood protection in four stages; planning,
flood event, responses and evaluation. However it is most effective then flood protection is considered in planning/design and
evaluation stages since both stages represent the land development of the area. Structural adjustments are often more reliable than nonstructural
adjustments in providing flood protection, however
structural adjustments are constrained by numerous factors such as
political constraints and cost. Therefore it is important to balance
both adjustments with the situation. The technical decisions provided
will have to be approved by the higher-ups who have the power to
decide on the final solution. Costs however, are the biggest factor in
determining the final decision. Therefore this study recommends
flood protection system should have been integrated and enforces
more in the early stages (planning and design) as part of the storm
water management plan. Factors influencing the technical decisions
provided should be reduced as low as possible to avoid a reduction in
the expected performance of the proposed adjustments.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to measure the maximal
isometric strength and to investigate the effects of different handleheights
and elbow angles with respect to Mid. sagittal plane on the
pushing and pulling strength in vertical direction. Eight male subjects
performed a series of static strength measurement for each subject.
The highest isometric strength was found in pulling at shoulder
height (S.H.) (Mean = 60.29 lb., SD = 16.78 lb.) and the lowest
isometric strength was found also in pulling at elbow height (E.H.)
(Mean = 33.06 lb., SD = 6.56 lb.). Although the isometric strengths
were higher at S.H than at E.H. for both activities, the maximal
isometric strengths were compared statistically. ANOVA was
performed. The results of the experiment revealed that there was a
significant different between handle heights. However, there were no
significant different between angles and activities, also no correlation
between grip strength and activities.
Abstract: Effectiveness of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)
and Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifiers for fault diagnosis of
rolling element bearings are presented in this paper. The
characteristic features of vibration signals of rotating driveline that
was run in its normal condition and with faults introduced were used
as input to ANN and SVM classifiers. Simple statistical features such
as standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis etc. of the time-domain
vibration signal segments along with peaks of the signal and peak of
power spectral density (PSD) are used as features to input the ANN
and SVM classifier. The effect of preprocessing of the vibration
signal by Discreet Wavelet Transform (DWT) prior to feature
extraction is also studied. It is shown from the experimental results
that the performance of SVM classifier in identification of bearing
condition is better then ANN and pre-processing of vibration signal
by DWT enhances the effectiveness of both ANN and SVM classifier
Abstract: The electromagnetic spectrum is a natural resource
and hence well-organized usage of the limited natural resources is the
necessities for better communication. The present static frequency
allocation schemes cannot accommodate demands of the rapidly
increasing number of higher data rate services. Therefore, dynamic
usage of the spectrum must be distinguished from the static usage to
increase the availability of frequency spectrum. Cognitive radio is not
a single piece of apparatus but it is a technology that can incorporate
components spread across a network. It offers great promise for
improving system efficiency, spectrum utilization, more effective
applications, reduction in interference and reduced complexity of
usage for users. Cognitive radio is aware of its environmental,
internal state, and location, and autonomously adjusts its operations
to achieve designed objectives. It first senses its spectral environment
over a wide frequency band, and then adapts the parameters to
maximize spectrum efficiency with high performance. This paper
only focuses on the analysis of Bit-Error-Rate in cognitive radio by
using Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm. It is theoretically as
well as practically analyzed and interpreted in the sense of
advantages and drawbacks and how BER affects the efficiency and
performance of the communication system.
Abstract: Thirty six samples from each (aerobic and anoxic)
activated sludge were collected from two wastewater treatment plants
with MBRs in Berlin, Germany. The samples were prepared for count
and definition of fungal isolates; these isolates were purified by
conventional techniques and identified by microscopic examination.
Sixty tow species belonging to 28 genera were isolated from
activated sludge samples under aerobic conditions (28 genera and 58
species) and anoxic conditions (26 genera and 52 species). The
obtained data show that, Aspergillus was found at 94.4% followed by
Penicillium 61.1 %, Fusarium (61.1 %), Trichoderma (44.4 %) and
Geotrichum candidum (41.6 %) species were the most prevalent in all
activated sludge samples. The study confirmed that fungi can thrive
in activated sludge and sporulation, but isolated in different numbers
depending on the effect of aeration system. Some fungal species in
our study are saprophytic, and other a pathogenic to plants and
animals.
Abstract: Although considerable amount of research has attested to the link between work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) and psychological strain and wellbeing, there is a paucity of research investigating the phenomenon in the context of social workers. Moreover, very little is known about the impact of WFC and FWC in developing countries. The present study investigated the mediating effect of psychological strain on the relationship between WFC and FWC with wellbeing of social workers in India. Our findings show that WFC and FWC are influential antecedents of wellbeing; their influence is both direct on psychological strain, and indirect on wellbeing transmitted through psychological strain. Implications of the findings are discussed.