Abstract: Quality control is the crucial step for ISO 9001
Quality System Management Standard for companies. While
measuring the quality level of both raw material and semi
product/product, the calibration of the measuring device is an
essential requirement. Calibration suppliers are in the service sector
and therefore the calibration supplier selection is becoming a worthy
topic for improving service quality.
This study presents the results of a questionnaire about the
selection criteria of a calibration supplier. The questionnaire was
applied to 103 companies and the results are discussed in this paper.
The analysis was made with MINITAB 14.0 statistical programs.
“Competence of documentations" and “technical capability" are
defined as the prerequisites because of the ISO/IEC17025:2005
standard. Also “warranties and complaint policy", “communication",
“service features", “quality" and “performance history" are defined as
very important criteria for calibration supplier selection.
Abstract: We intend to point out the differences which exist
between the classical Gini concentration coefficient and a proposed
bipolarization index defined for an arbitrary random variable which
have a finite support.
In fact Gini's index measures only the "poverty degree" for the
individuals from a given population taking into consideration their
wages. The Gini coefficient is not so sensitive to the significant
income variations in the "rich people class" .
In practice there are multiple interdependent relations between the
pauperization and the socio-economical polarization phenomena. The
presence of a strong pauperization aspect inside the population
induces often a polarization effect in this society. But the
pauperization and the polarization phenomena are not identical. For
this reason it isn't always adequate to use a Gini type coefficient,
based on the Lorenz order, to estimate the bipolarization level of the
individuals from the studied population.
The present paper emphasizes these ideas by considering two
families of random variables which have a linear or a triangular type
distributions. In addition, the continuous variation, depending on the
parameter "time" of the chosen distributions, could simulate a real
dynamical evolution of the population.
Abstract: A considerable amount of energy is consumed during
transmission and reception of messages in a wireless mesh network
(WMN). Reducing per-node transmission power would greatly
increase the network lifetime via power conservation in addition to
increasing the network capacity via better spatial bandwidth reuse. In
this work, the problem of topology control in a hybrid WMN of
heterogeneous wireless devices with varying maximum transmission
ranges is considered. A localized distributed topology control
algorithm is presented which calculates the optimal transmission
power so that (1) network connectivity is maintained (2) node
transmission power is reduced to cover only the nearest neighbours
(3) networks lifetime is extended. Simulations and analysis of results
are carried out in the NS-2 environment to demonstrate the
correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Abstract: Functioning of a biometric system in large part
depends on the performance of the similarity measure function.
Frequently a generalized similarity distance measure function such as
Euclidian distance or Mahalanobis distance is applied to the task of
matching biometric feature vectors. However, often accuracy of a
biometric system can be greatly improved by designing a customized
matching algorithm optimized for a particular biometric application.
In this paper we propose a tailored similarity measure function for
behavioral biometric systems based on the expert knowledge of the
feature level data in the domain. We compare performance of a
proposed matching algorithm to that of other well known similarity
distance functions and demonstrate its superiority with respect to the
chosen domain.
Abstract: This paper presents a fuzzy control system for a three degree of freedom (3-DOF) stabilized platform with explicit decoupling scheme. The system under consideration is a system with strong interactions between three channels. By using the concept of decentralized control, a control structure is developed that is composed of three control loops, each of which is associated with a single-variable fuzzy controller and a decoupling unit. Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy control algorithm is used to implement the fuzzy controller. The decoupling units design is based on the adaptive theory reasoning. Simulation tests were established using Simulink of Matlab. The obtained results have demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach. Simulation results are represented in this paper.
Abstract: Climate change and environmental pressures are
major international issues nowadays. It is time when governments,
businesses and consumers have to respond through more
environmentally friendly and aware practices, products and policies.
This is the prime time to develop alternative sustainable construction
materials, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, look to
renewable energy sources and recycled materials, and reduce waste.
The utilization of waste materials (slag, fly ash, glass beads, plastic
and so on) in concrete manufacturing is significant due to its
engineering, financial, environmental and ecological benefits. Thus,
utilization of waste materials in concrete production is very much
helpful to reach the goal of the sustainable construction. Therefore,
this study intends to use glass beads in concrete production.
The paper reports on the performance of 9 different concrete
mixes containing different ratios of glass crushed to 5 mm - 20 mm
maximum size and glass marble of 20 mm size as coarse aggregate.
Ordinary Portland cement type 1 and fine sand less than 0.5 mm were
used to produce standard concrete cylinders. Compressive strength
tests were carried out on concrete specimens at various ages. Test
results indicated that the mix having the balanced ratio of glass beads
and round marbles possess maximum compressive strength which is
3889 psi, as glass beads perform better in bond formation but have
lower strength, on the other hand marbles are strong in themselves
but not good in bonding. These mixes were prepared following a
specific W/C and aggregate ratio; more strength can be expected to
achieve from different W/C, aggregate ratios, adding admixtures like
strength increasing agents, ASR inhibitor agents etc.
Abstract: Asphalt surfaces are exposed to various weather
conditions and dynamic loading caused by passing trucks and
vehicles. In such situations, asphalt cement shows so different
rheological-mechanical behavior. If asphalt cement isn-t compatible
enough, asphalt layer will be damaged immediately and expensive
repairing procedures should be performed then. To overcome this
problem, researchers study on mechanical improved asphalt cement.
In this study, bentonite was used in order to modify bitumen
characteristics and the modified bitumen's characteristics were
investigated by asphalt cement tests. Then, the optimal bitumen
content in various compounds was determined and asphalt samples
with different contents of additives were prepared and tested. Results
show using this kind of additive not only has caused improvement in
bitumen mechanical properties, but also improvement in Marshall
Parameters was achieved.
Abstract: Phaseolus coccineus L. is the third most important
cultivated Phaseolus species in the world. It is widely grown in
Latvia due to its earliness, good taste and uniform and qualitative
yield. Experiments were carried out in the laboratories of Department
of Food Technology and Agronomical Analysis Scientific Laboratory
at Latvia Universityof Agriculture. Beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.)
crude protein, crude ash content as well as colour measurements were
analyzed. Results show, that brown coloured beans have less crude
protein content than others, and ash content have significant
differences.
Abstract: Classification of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals
extracted during mental tasks is a technique that is actively pursued
for Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) designs. In this paper, we
compared the classification performances of univariateautoregressive
(AR) and multivariate autoregressive (MAR) models
for representing EEG signals that were extracted during different
mental tasks. Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network (NN)
trained by the backpropagation (BP) algorithm was used to classify
these features into the different categories representing the mental
tasks. Classification performances were also compared across
different mental task combinations and 2 sets of hidden units (HU): 2
to 10 HU in steps of 2 and 20 to 100 HU in steps of 20. Five different
mental tasks from 4 subjects were used in the experimental study and
combinations of 2 different mental tasks were studied for each
subject. Three different feature extraction methods with 6th order
were used to extract features from these EEG signals: AR
coefficients computed with Burg-s algorithm (ARBG), AR
coefficients computed with stepwise least square algorithm (ARLS)
and MAR coefficients computed with stepwise least square
algorithm. The best results were obtained with 20 to 100 HU using
ARBG. It is concluded that i) it is important to choose the suitable
mental tasks for different individuals for a successful BCI design, ii)
higher HU are more suitable and iii) ARBG is the most suitable
feature extraction method.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new method to distinguish
between arousal and relaxation states by using multiple features
acquired from a photoplethysmogram (PPG) and support vector
machine (SVM). To induce arousal and relaxation states in subjects, 2
kinds of sound stimuli are used, and their corresponding biosignals are
obtained using the PPG sensor. Two features–pulse to pulse interval
(PPI) and pulse amplitude (PA)–are extracted from acquired PPG
data, and a nonlinear classification between arousal and relaxation is
performed using SVM.
This methodology has several advantages when compared with
previous similar studies. Firstly, we extracted 2 separate features from
PPG, i.e., PPI and PA. Secondly, in order to improve the classification
accuracy, SVM-based nonlinear classification was performed.
Thirdly, to solve classification problems caused by generalized
features of whole subjects, we defined each threshold according to
individual features.
Experimental results showed that the average classification
accuracy was 74.67%. Also, the proposed method showed the better
identification performance than the single feature based methods.
From this result, we confirmed that arousal and relaxation can be
classified using SVM and PPG features.
Abstract: This paper presents results of measurements campaign
carried out at a carrier frequency of 24GHz with the help of TPLINK
router in indoor line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios. Firstly, the
radio wave propagation strategies are analyzed in some rooms with
router of point to point Ad hoc network. Then floor attenuation is
defined for 3 floors in experimental region. The free space model and
dual slope models are modified by considering the influence of
corridor conditions on each floor. Using these models, indoor signal
attenuation can be estimated in modeling of indoor radio wave
propagation. These results and modified models can also be used in
planning the networks of future personal communications services.
Abstract: Concurrency and synchronization are becoming big
issues as every new PC comes with multi-core processors. A major
reason for Object-Oriented Programming originally was to enable
easier reuse: encode your algorithm into a class and thoroughly
debug it, then you can reuse the class again and again. However,
when we get to concurrency and synchronization, this is often not
possible. Thread-safety issues means that synchronization constructs
need to be entangled into every class involved. We contributed a
detailed literature review of issues and challenges in concurrent
programming and present a methodology that uses the Aspect-
Oriented paradigm to address this problem. Aspects will allow us to
extract the synchronization concerns as schemes to be “weaved in"
later into the main code. This allows the aspects to be separately
tested and verified. Hence, the functional components can be weaved
with reusable synchronization schemes that are robust and scalable.
Abstract: The aim of the paper work is to investigate and predict
the static performance of journal bearing in turbulent flow condition
considering micropolar lubrication. The Reynolds equation has been
modified considering turbulent micropolar lubrication and is solved
for steady state operations. The Constantinescu-s turbulence model is
adopted using the coefficients. The analysis has been done for a
parallel and inertia less flow. Load capacity and friction factor have
been evaluated for various operating parameters.
Abstract: According to celebrated Hurwitz theorem, there exists
four division algebras consisting of R (real numbers), C (complex
numbers), H (quaternions) and O (octonions). Keeping in view
the utility of octonion variable we have tried to extend the three
dimensional vector analysis to seven dimensional one. Starting with
the scalar and vector product in seven dimensions, we have redefined
the gradient, divergence and curl in seven dimension. It is shown
that the identity n(n - 1)(n - 3)(n - 7) = 0 is satisfied only
for 0, 1, 3 and 7 dimensional vectors. We have tried to write all
the vector inequalities and formulas in terms of seven dimensions
and it is shown that same formulas loose their meaning in seven
dimensions due to non-associativity of octonions. The vector formulas
are retained only if we put certain restrictions on octonions and split
octonions.
Abstract: Biplot can be used to evaluate cultivars for their oil
percent potential and stability and to evaluate trial sites for their
discriminating ability and representativeness. Multi-environmental
trial (MET) data for oil percent of 10 open pollinating sunflower
cultivars were analyzed to investigate the genotype-environment
interactions. The genotypes were evaluated in four locations with
different climatic conditions in Iran in 2010. In each location, a
Randomized Complete Block design with four replications was used.
According to both mean and stability, Zaria, Master and R453, had
highest performances among all cultivars. The graphical analysis
identified best cultivar for each environment. Cultivars Berezans and
Record performed best in Khoy and Islamabad. Zaria and R453 were
the best genotypes in Sari and Karaj followed by Master and Favorit.
The GGE bi-plot indicated two mega-environments, group one
contained Karaj, Khoy and Islamabad and the second group
contained Sari. The best discriminating location was Karaj followed
with Khoy, Islamabad and Sari. The best representative genotypes
were Zaria, R453, Master and Favorit. Ranking of ten cultivars based
their oil percent was as Zaria > R453 ≈ Master ≈ Favorit > Record ≈
Berezans > Sor > Lakumka > Bulg3 > Bulg5.
Abstract: Stairway Ushtobin Village is one of the five villages with original and sustainable architecture in Northwest of Iran along the border of Armenia, which has been able to maintain its environment and sustainable ecosystem. Studying circulation, function and scale (grand, medium and minor) of space, ratio of full and empty spaces, number and height of stairs, ratio of compound volume to luxury spaces, openings, type of local masonry (stone, mud, wood) and form of covering elements have been carried out in four houses of this village comparatively as some samples in this article, and furthermore, this article analyzes that the architectural shapes and organic texture of the village meet the needs of cold and dry climate. Finally, some efficient plans are offered suiting the present needs of the village to have a sustainable architecture.
Abstract: Utilization of waste material in asphalt pavement
would be beneficial in order to find an alternative solution to increase
service life of asphalt pavement and reduce environmental pollution
as well. One of these waste materials is Polyethylene Terephthalate
(PET) which is a type of polyester material and is produced in a large
extent. This research program is investigating the effects of adding
waste PET particles into the asphalt mixture with a maximum size of
2.36 mm. Different percentages of PET were added into the mixture
during dry process. Gap-graded mixture (SMA 14) and PG 80-100
asphalt binder have been used for this study. To evaluate PET
reinforced asphalt mixture different laboratory investigations have
been conducted on specimens. Marshall Stability test was carried
out. Besides, stiffness modulus test and indirect tensile fatigue test
were conducted on specimens at optimum asphalt content. It was
observed that in many cases PET reinforced SMA mixture had better
mechanical properties in comparison with control mixture.
Abstract: In a metal forming process, the friction between the
material and the tools influences the process by modifying the stress
distribution of the workpiece. This frictional behaviour is often taken
into account by using a constant coefficient of friction in the finite
element simulations of sheet metal forming processes. However,
friction coefficient varies in time and space with many parameters.
The Stribeck friction model is investigated in this study to predict
springback behaviour of AA6061-T4 sheets during V-bending
process. The coefficient of friction in Stribeck curve depends on
sliding velocity and contact pressure. The plane-strain bending
process is simulated in ABAQUS/Standard. We compared the
computed punch load-stroke curves and springback related to the
constant coefficient of friction with the defined friction model. The
results clearly showed that the new friction model provides better
agreement between experiments and results of numerical simulations.
The influence of friction models on stress distribution in the
workpiece is also studied numerically
Abstract: To create a solution for a specific problem in machine
learning, the solution is constructed from the data or by use a search
method. Genetic algorithms are a model of machine learning that can
be used to find nearest optimal solution. While the great advantage of
genetic algorithms is the fact that they find a solution through
evolution, this is also the biggest disadvantage. Evolution is inductive,
in nature life does not evolve towards a good solution but it evolves
away from bad circumstances. This can cause a species to evolve into
an evolutionary dead end. In order to reduce the effect of this
disadvantage we propose a new a learning tool (criteria) which can be
included into the genetic algorithms generations to compare the
previous population and the current population and then decide
whether is effective to continue with the previous population or the
current population, the proposed learning tool is called as Keeping
Efficient Population (KEP). We applied a GA based on KEP to the
production line layout problem, as a result KEP keep the evaluation
direction increases and stops any deviation in the evaluation.
Abstract: Water samples were collected from river Pandu at six
stations where human and animal activities were high. Composite
samples were analyzed for dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) , pH values
during dry and wet seasons as well as the harmattan period. The total
data points were used to establish relationships between the
parameters and data were also subjected to statistical analysis and
expressed as mean ± standard error of mean (SEM) at a level of
significance of p