Abstract: Pulmonary Function Tests are important non-invasive
diagnostic tests to assess respiratory impairments and provides
quantifiable measures of lung function. Spirometry is the most
frequently used measure of lung function and plays an essential role
in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary diseases. However,
the test requires considerable patient effort and cooperation,
markedly related to the age of patients resulting in incomplete data
sets. This paper presents, a nonlinear model built using Multivariate
adaptive regression splines and Random forest regression model to
predict the missing spirometric features. Random forest based feature
selection is used to enhance both the generalization capability and the
model interpretability. In the present study, flow-volume data are
recorded for N= 198 subjects. The ranked order of feature importance
index calculated by the random forests model shows that the
spirometric features FVC, FEF25, PEF, FEF25-75, FEF50 and the
demographic parameter height are the important descriptors. A
comparison of performance assessment of both models prove that, the
prediction ability of MARS with the `top two ranked features namely
the FVC and FEF25 is higher, yielding a model fit of R2= 0.96 and
R2= 0.99 for normal and abnormal subjects. The Root Mean Square
Error analysis of the RF model and the MARS model also shows that
the latter is capable of predicting the missing values of FEV1 with a
notably lower error value of 0.0191 (normal subjects) and 0.0106
(abnormal subjects) with the aforementioned input features. It is
concluded that combining feature selection with a prediction model
provides a minimum subset of predominant features to train the
model, as well as yielding better prediction performance. This
analysis can assist clinicians with a intelligence support system in the
medical diagnosis and improvement of clinical care.
Abstract: In the framework of the modernization of the city of
Constantine and in order to restore its status as a regional metropolis
introducing it into the network of cities international metropolises,
has major urban project was launched: project of modernization and
of metropolitanization of the city of Constantine.
Our research project focuses on the management of the project for
the modernization of the city of Constantine (PMMC) focusing on
the management of some aspects of the urban project whose
participation, with the objective assessment of the managerial
approach business.
In this contribution, we focus on two cases revealing taken into
account in our research work on the question of participation of
actors and their organizations. It is "the urban project of
modernization of Constantine" and the operation relating to "the
urban improvement in the city of the Brothers FERRAD in the
district of Zouaghi". This project and this operation with the objective
of improving the living conditions of citizens have faced several
challenges and obstacles that have been in major part the factors of its
failures.
Through this study, we examined the management process and the
mode of organization of the actors of the project as well as the level
of participation of the citizen to finally proposed managerial solutions
toconflict situations observed.
Abstract: Hurling a successful Construction and Demolition
Waste (C&DW) recycling operation around the globe is a challenge
today, predominantly because secondary materials markets are yet to
be integrated. Reducing, Reusing and recycling of (C&DW) have
been employed over the years, and various techniques have been
investigated. However, the economic and environmental viability of
its application seems limited. This paper discusses the costs and
benefits in using secondary materials and focus on investigating reuse
and recycling process for five major types of construction materials:
concrete, metal, wood, cardboard/paper and plasterboard. Data
obtained from demolition specialists and contractors are considered
and evaluated. The research paper found that construction material
recovery process fully incorporate a 3R’s principle contributing to
saving energy and natural resources. This scrutiny leads to the
empathy of grand challenges in construction material recovery
process. Recommendations to deepen material recovery process are
also discussed.
Abstract: The development of allometric models is crucial to
accurate forest biomass/carbon stock assessment. The aim of this
study was to develop a set of biomass prediction models that will
enable the determination of total tree aboveground biomass for
savannah woodland area in Niger State, Nigeria. Based on the data
collected through biometric measurements of 1816 trees and
destructive sampling of 36 trees, five species specific and one site
specific models were developed. The sample size was distributed
equally between the five most dominant species in the study site
(Vitellaria paradoxa, Irvingia gabonensis, Parkia biglobosa,
Anogeissus leiocarpus, Pterocarpus erinaceous). Firstly, the
equations were developed for five individual species. Secondly these
five species were mixed and were used to develop an allometric
equation of mixed species. Overall, there was a strong positive
relationship between total tree biomass and the stem diameter. The
coefficient of determination (R2 values) ranging from 0.93 to 0.99 P
< 0.001 were realised for the models; with considerable low standard
error of the estimates (SEE) which confirms that the total tree above
ground biomass has a significant relationship with the dbh. F-test
values for the biomass prediction models were also significant at p
Abstract: MSMEs are regarded as the sunrise sector of the
Indian economy in view of its large potential for growth and likely
socio economic impact specifically on employment and income
generation. In today’s competitive business environment, global
competition forces companies to continuously seek ways of
improving their products and services. The pressure on organizations
to adapt to new technologies and external threats requires
resourcefulness, creativity and innovation. Market has become more
open, competitive and customers more demanding. Without
continuous technology innovation, no organization can ever remain
competitive. Innovations reflect a critical way in which organizations
respond to either technological or market challenges. The need of the
market is to deliver high quality products through continuous
changing in features in product, improve existing products, reduce
their cost, and improve employee skills, training, technology
infrastructure and financial policies. Therefore, the key factor of
organization’s ability to change is innovation. The study presents a
detailed review of literature on the role of technology innovation in
improving manufacturing performance of industries.
Abstract: This paper examines international marketing in
business practice of Czech exporting small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) with regard to the strategic perspectives.
Research was focused on Czech exporting SMEs from Moravian-
Silesia region and their behavior on international markets. For
purpose of collecting data, a questionnaire was given to 262 SMEs
involved in international business. Statistics utilized in this research
included frequency, mean, percentage, and chi-square test. Data were
analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. The
research analysis disclosed that there is certain space for
improvement in strategic marketing especially in a marketing
research, perception of cultural and social differences, product
adaptation and usage of marketing communication tools.
Abstract: Multi-Level Inverter technology has been developed in the area of high-power medium-voltage energy scheme, because of their advantages such as devices of lower rating can be used thereby enabling the schemes to be used for high voltage applications. Reduced Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).Since the dv/dt is low; the Electromagnetic Interference from the scheme is low. To avoid the switching losses Lower switching frequencies can be used. In this paper present a survey of various topologies, control strategy and modulation techniques used by these inverters. Here the regenerative and superior topologies are also discussed.
Abstract: A new concept of response system is proposed for
filling the gap that exists in reducing vulnerability during immediate
response to natural disasters. Real Time Early Response Systems
(RTERSs) incorporate real time information as feedback data for
closing control loop and for generating real time situation assessment.
A review of the state of the art on works that fit the concept of
RTERS is presented, and it is found that they are mainly focused on
manmade disasters. At the same time, in response phase of natural
disaster management many works are involved in creating early
warning systems, but just few efforts have been put on deciding what
to do once an alarm is activated. In this context a RTERS arises as a
useful tool for supporting people in their decision making process
during natural disasters after an event is detected, and also as an
innovative context for applying well-known automation technologies
and automatic control concepts and tools.
Abstract: The elastic period has a primary role in the seismic
assessment of buildings. Reliable calculations and/or estimates of the
fundamental frequency of a building and its site are essential during
analysis and design process. Various code formulas based on
empirical data are generally used to estimate the fundamental
frequency of a structure. For existing structures, in addition to code
formulas and available analytical tools such as modal analyses,
various methods of testing including ambient and forced vibration
testing procedures may be used to determine dynamic characteristics.
In this study, the dynamic properties of the 32 buildings located in
the Madinah of Saudi Arabia were identified using ambient motions
recorded at several, spatially-distributed locations within each
building. Ambient vibration measurements of buildings have been
analyzed and the fundamental longitudinal and transverse periods for
all tested buildings are presented. The fundamental mode of vibration
has been compared in plots with codes formulae (Saudi Building
Code, EC8, and UBC1997). The results indicate that measured
periods of existing buildings are shorter than that given by most
empirical code formulas. Recommendations are given based on the
common design and construction practice in Madinah city.
Abstract: This study investigated some results of the use of
digital art tools by junior school children in order to discover if these
tools could promote artistic ability and creativity. The study considers
the ease of use and usefulness of the tools as well as how to assess
artwork produced by digital means. As the use of these tools is a
relatively new development in Art education, this study may help
educators in their choice of which tools to use and when to use them.
The study also aims to present a model for the assessment of
students’ artistic development and creativity by studying their artistic
activity. This model can help in determining differences in students’
creative ability and could be useful both for teachers, as a means of
assessing digital artwork, and for students, by providing the
motivation to use the tools to their fullest extent. Sixteen students
aged nine to ten years old were observed and recorded while they
used the digital drawing tools. The study found that, according to the
students’ own statements, it was not the ease of use but the successful
effects the tools provided which motivated the children to use them.
Abstract: The implementation of e-assessment as tool to support
the process of teaching and learning in university has become a
popular technological means in universities. E-Assessment provides
many advantages to the users especially the flexibility in teaching and
learning. The e-assessment system has the capability to improve its
quality of delivering education. However, there still exists a
drawback in terms of security which limits the user acceptance of the
online learning system. Even though there are studies providing
solutions for identified security threats in e-learning usage, there is no
particular model which addresses the factors that influences the
acceptance of e-assessment system by lecturers from security
perspective. The aim of this study is to explore security aspects of eassessment
in regard to the acceptance of the technology. As a result
a conceptual model of secure acceptance of e-assessment is proposed.
Both human and security factors are considered in formulation of this
conceptual model. In order to increase understanding of critical issues
related to the subject of this study, interpretive approach involving
convergent mixed method research method is proposed to be used to
execute the research. This study will be useful in providing more
insightful understanding regarding the factors that influence the user
acceptance of e-assessment system from security perspective.
Abstract: Standard processes, similar and limited production
lines, the production of high direct costs will be more accurate than
the use of parts of the traditional cost systems in the literature.
However, direct costs, overhead expenses, in turn, decrease the
burden of increasingly sophisticated production facilities, a situation
that led the researchers to look for the cost of traditional systems of
alternative techniques. Variety cost management approaches for
example Total quality management (TQM), just-in-time (JIT),
benchmarking, kaizen costing, targeting cost, life cycle costs (LLC),
activity-based costing (ABC) value engineering have been
introduced. Management and cost applications have changed over the
past decade and will continue to change. Modern cost systems can
provide relevant and accurate cost information. These methods
provide the decisions about customer, product and process
improvement. The aim of study is to describe and explain the
adoption and application of costing systems in SME. This purpose
reports on a survey conducted during 2014 small and medium sized
enterprises (SME) in Ankara. The survey results were evaluated
using SPSS18 package program.
Abstract: The English competence of Thai people was examined
in the context of knowledge of English in everyday life for Small and
Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs), and also integrated with Second
language acquisition (SLA) students’ classroom. Second language
acquisition was applied to the results of the questionnaires and
interview forms. Levels of the need on English used for SME
entrepreneurs in Thailand, satisfaction on joining the street classroom
project were shown to be significantly high for some certain language
functions and satisfaction. Finding suggests that the language
functions on etiquette for professional use is essential and useful
because lesson learned can be used in the real situation for their
career. Implications for the climate of the street classroom are
discussed.
Abstract: The Cone Penetration Test (CPT) is a common in-situ
test which generally investigates a much greater volume of soil more
quickly than possible from sampling and laboratory tests. Therefore,
it has the potential to realize both cost savings and assessment of soil
properties rapidly and continuously. The principle objective of this
paper is to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of using
artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict the soil angle of internal
friction (Φ) and the soil modulus of elasticity (E) from CPT results
considering the uncertainties and non-linearities of the soil. In
addition, ANNs are used to study the influence of different
parameters and recommend which parameters should be included as
input parameters to improve the prediction. Neural networks discover
relationships in the input data sets through the iterative presentation
of the data and intrinsic mapping characteristics of neural topologies.
General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) is one of the powerful
neural network architectures which is utilized in this study. A large
amount of field and experimental data including CPT results, plate
load tests, direct shear box, grain size distribution and calculated data
of overburden pressure was obtained from a large project in the
United Arab Emirates. This data was used for the training and the
validation of the neural network. A comparison was made between
the obtained results from the ANN's approach, and some common
traditional correlations that predict Φ and E from CPT results with
respect to the actual results of the collected data. The results show
that the ANN is a very powerful tool. Very good agreement was
obtained between estimated results from ANN and actual measured
results with comparison to other correlations available in the
literature. The study recommends some easily available parameters
that should be included in the estimation of the soil properties to
improve the prediction models. It is shown that the use of friction
ration in the estimation of Φ and the use of fines content in the
estimation of E considerable improve the prediction models.
Abstract: Conservation works in Malaysia that is procured by
public organisation usually follow the traditional approach where the
works are tendered based on Bills of Quantities (BQ). One of the
purposes of tendering is to enable the selection of a competent
contractor that offers a competitive price. While competency of the
contractors are assessed by their technical knowledge, experience and
track records, the assessment of pricing will be dependent on the
tender amount. However, the issue currently faced by the
conservation works sector is the difficulty in assessing the
competitiveness and reasonableness of the tender amount due to the
high variance between the tenders amount. Thus, this paper discusses
the factors that cause difficulty to the tenderers in pricing
competitively in a bidding exercise for conservation tenders. Data on
tendering is collected from interviews with conservation works
contractors to gain in-depth understanding of the barriers faced in
pricing tenders of conservation works. Findings from the study lent
support to the contention that the variance of tender amount is very
high amongst tenderers. The factors identified in the survey are the
format of BQ, hidden works, experience and labour and material
costs.
Abstract: Precise capture of plantar 3D surface of the foot at the
loading gait phases on rigid substrates was found to be valuable for
the assessment of the physiology, health and problems of the feet.
Photogrammetry, a precision 3D spatial data capture technique is
suitable for this type of dynamic application. In this research, the
technique is utilised to study the plantar deformation as a result of
having a strip of kinesiology tape on the plantar surface during the
loading phase of gait. For this pilot study, one healthy adult male
subject was recruited under the University’s human research ethics
guidelines for this preliminary study. The 3D plantar deformation
data with and without applying the tape were analysed. The results
and analyses are presented together with detailed findings.
Abstract: The Blue Nile Basin is the most important tributary of
the Nile River. Egypt and Sudan are almost dependent on water
originated from the Blue Nile. This multi-dependency creates
conflicts among the three countries Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia
making the management of these conflicts as an international issue.
Good assessment of the water resources of the Blue Nile is an
important to help in managing such conflicts. Hydrological models
are good tool for such assessment. This paper presents a critical
review of the nature and variability of the climate and hydrology of
the Blue Nile Basin as a first step of using hydrological modeling to
assess the water resources of the Blue Nile. Many several attempts
are done to develop basin-scale hydrological modeling on the Blue
Nile. Lumped and semi distributed models used averages of
meteorological inputs and watershed characteristics in hydrological
simulation, to analyze runoff for flood control and water resource
management. Distributed models include the temporal and spatial
variability of catchment conditions and meteorological inputs to
allow better representation of the hydrological process. The main
challenge of all used models was to assess the water resources of the
basin is the shortage of the data needed for models calibration and
validation. It is recommended to use distributed model for their
higher accuracy to cope with the great variability and complexity of
the Blue Nile basin and to collect sufficient data to have more
sophisticated and accurate hydrological modeling.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess whether
living in proximity to a roofing fiber cement factory in southern
Thailand was associated with physical, mental, social, and spiritual
health domains measured in a self-reported health risk assessment
(HRA) questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was conducted among
community members divided into two groups: near population (living
within 0-2km of factory) and far population (living within 2-5km of
factory) (N=198). A greater proportion of those living far from the
factory (65.34%) reported physical health problems than the near
group (51.04%) (p =0.032). This study has demonstrated that the near
population group had higher proportion of participants with positive
ratings on mental assessment (30.34%) and social health impacts
(28.42%) than far population group (10.59% and 16.67%,
respectively) (p
Abstract: Various personality profile tests are used to identify
personality strengths and limits in individuals, helping both
individuals and managers to optimize work and team effort in
organizations. One such test, the Hartman’s personality profile,
emphasizes four driving "core motives" influenced or affected by
both strengths and limitations classified into four colors: Red -
motivated by power; Blue - discipline and loyalty; White - peace; and
Yellow – fun loving. Two shortcomings of Hartman’s personality test
are noted; 1) only one selection for every item / situation allowed and
2) selection of an item / option even if not applicable. A test taker
may be as much nurturing as he is opinionated but since
“opinionated” seems less attractive the individual would likely select
nurturing, causing a misidentification in personality strengths and
limits. Since few individuals have a “strong” personality, it is
difficult to assess their true personality strengths and limits allowing
only one choice or requiring unwanted choices, undermining the
potential of the test. We modified Hartman’s personality profile
allowing test takers to make either multiple choices for any item /
situation or leave them blank if applicable. Sixty-eight participants
(38 males and 30 females), 17 - 49 years old, from countries in Asia,
Europe, N. America, CIS, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania were
included. 58 participants (85.3%) reported the modified test, allowing
multiple / no choices better identified their personality strengths and
limits, while 10 participants (14.7%) expressed the original (one
choice version) was sufficient. The overall results show that our
modified test enhanced the identification and balance of core
personalities’ strengths and limits, aiding test takers, managers and
organizations to better assess individual characteristics, particularly
useful in making task-related, teamwork, and management decisions.
Abstract: Environmental impact assessment techniques have
been developed as a result of the worldwide efforts to reduce the
environmental impact of global warming. By using the quantification
method in the construction industry, it is now possible to manage the
greenhouse gas is to systematically evaluate the impact on the
environment over the entire construction process. In particular, the
proportion of greenhouse gas emissions at the production stage of
construction material occupied is high, and efforts are needed in
particular in the construction field.
In this research, intended for concrete products for the construction
materials, by using the LCA method, we compared the results of
environmental impact assessment and carbon emissions of developing
products that have been applied low-carbon technologies compared to
existing products. As a results, by introducing a raw material of
industrial waste, showed carbon reduction. Through a comparison of
the carbon emission reduction effect of low carbon technologies, it is
intended to provide academic data for the evaluation of greenhouse
gases in the construction sector and the development of low carbon
technologies of the future.