Optimum Control Strategy of Three-Phase Shunt Active Filter System

The aim of this paper is to identify an optimum control strategy of three-phase shunt active filters to minimize the total harmonic distortion factor of the supply current. A classical PIPI cascade control solution of the output current of the active filterand the voltage across the DC capacitor based on Modulus–Optimum criterion is taken into consideration. The control system operation has been simulated using Matlab-Simulink environment and the results agree with the theoretical expectation. It is shown that there is an optimum value of the DC-bus voltage which minimizes the supply current harmonic distortion factor. It corresponds to the equality of the apparent power at the output of the active filter and the apparent power across the capacitor. Finally, predicted results are verified experimentally on a MaxSine active power filter.

Design for Manufacturability and Concurrent Engineering for Product Development

In the 1980s, companies began to feel the effect of three major influences on their product development: newer and innovative technologies, increasing product complexity and larger organizations. And therefore companies were forced to look for new product development methods. This paper tries to focus on the two of new product development methods (DFM and CE). The aim of this paper is to see and analyze different product development methods specifically on Design for Manufacturability and Concurrent Engineering. Companies can achieve and be benefited by minimizing product life cycle, cost and meeting delivery schedule. This paper also presents simplified models that can be modified and used by different companies based on the companies- objective and requirements. Methodologies that are followed to do this research are case studies. Two companies were taken and analysed on the product development process. Historical data, interview were conducted on these companies in addition to that, Survey of literatures and previous research works on similar topics has been done during this research. This paper also tries to show the implementation cost benefit analysis and tries to calculate the implementation time. From this research, it has been found that the two companies did not achieve the delivery time to the customer. Some of most frequently coming products are analyzed and 50% to 80 % of their products are not delivered on time to the customers. The companies are following the traditional way of product development that is sequentially design and production method, which highly affect time to market. In the case study it is found that by implementing these new methods and by forming multi disciplinary team in designing and quality inspection; the company can reduce the workflow steps from 40 to 30.

The Role of the Ethnos of Intellect in Legal and Informatical Observation of “Information Society“

By the end of XX century in the structure of humanity some changes have been provoked: a new ethnos - Ethnos of Intellect is formed and is still being formed, beside the historical types of ethnoses: open ethnos, closed ethnos, wandering ethnos, dead ethnos, - and this event was caused by the technical progress, development of informational and transport communications, especially - by creation of Internet. The Ethnos of Intellect is something very close to the ÔÇ×Information Society“ described by J. Ellule and Y. Masuda that was regarded as the culture of XXI century, being an antithesis for technical and technicistical civilizations, but it-s necessary to indicate also the essential difference between these concepts: the Ethnos of Intellect is the antithesis of Socium. The existence of such an ethnos within human society that has already become an Information Society itself is extremely important in observing legally and informatically a new kind of reins in the hands of the political power, revealing every attempt to violate the human rights of simple citizens. A concrete example of some conjunction points of legal informatics and informatical law in a certain kind of ambiental studies of the project ''State Registre of Population'' in Russia is very eloquent.

A Critical Social Research Perspective on Self-Directed Learning and Information Technology Practitioners

Information systems practitioners are frequently required to master new technology, often without the aid of formal training. They require the skill to manage their own learning and, when this skill is developed in their formal training, their adaptability to new technology may be improved. Self- directed learning is the ability of the learner to manage his or her own learning experience with some guidance from a facilitator. Self-directed learning skills are best improved when practiced. This paper reflects on a critical social research project to improve the self-directed learning skills of fourth year Information Systems students. Critical social research differs from other research paradigms in that the researcher is viewed as the agent of change to achieve the desired outcome in the problem situation.

Relational Framework and its Applications

This paper has, as its point of departure, the foundational axiomatic theory of E. De Giorgi (1996, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Preprints di Matematica 26, 1), based on two primitive notions of quality and relation. With the introduction of a unary relation, we develop a system totally based on the sole primitive notion of relation. Such a modification enables a definition of the concept of dynamic unary relation. In this way we construct a simple language capable to express other well known theories such as Robinson-s arithmetic or a piece of a theory of concatenation. A key role in this system plays an abstract relation designated by “( )", which can be interpreted in different ways, but in this paper we will focus on the case when we can perform computations and obtain results.

Thermal Stability of a Vertical SOI-Based Capacitorless One-Transistor DRAM with Trench-Body Structure

A vertical SOI-based MOSFET with trench body structure operated as 1T DRAM cell at various temperatures has been studied and investigated. Different operation temperatures are assigned for the device for its performance comparison, thus the thermal stability is carefully evaluated for the future memory device applications. Based on the simulation, the vertical SOI-based MOSFET with trench body structure demonstrates the electrical characteristics properly and possess conspicuous kink effect at various operation temperatures. Transient characteristics were also performed to prove that its programming window values and retention time behaviors are acceptable when the new 1T DRAM cell is operated at high operation temperature.

An Efficient Technique for Extracting Fuzzy Rulesfrom Neural Networks

Artificial neural networks (ANN) have the ability to model input-output relationships from processing raw data. This characteristic makes them invaluable in industry domains where such knowledge is scarce at best. In the recent decades, in order to overcome the black-box characteristic of ANNs, researchers have attempted to extract the knowledge embedded within ANNs in the form of rules that can be used in inference systems. This paper presents a new technique that is able to extract a small set of rules from a two-layer ANN. The extracted rules yield high classification accuracy when implemented within a fuzzy inference system. The technique targets industry domains that possess less complex problems for which no expert knowledge exists and for which a simpler solution is preferred to a complex one. The proposed technique is more efficient, simple, and applicable than most of the previously proposed techniques.

Auction Theory: Bidder's Perspective in an English Auction Environment

This paper provides an overview of auction theory literature. We present a general review on literature of various auctions and focus ourselves specifically on an English auction. We are interested in modelling bidder's behavior in an English auction environment. And hence, we present an overview of the New Zealand wool auction followed by a model that would describe a bidder's decision making behavior from the New Zealand wool auction. The mathematical assumptions in an English auction environment are demonstrated from the perspective of the New Zealand wool auction.

Fuzzy Logic Based Coordinated Voltage Control for Distribution Network with Distributed Generations

This paper discusses the implementation of a fuzzy logic based coordinated voltage control for a distribution system connected with distributed generations (DGs). The connection of DGs has created a challenge for the distribution network operators to keep the voltage in the system within its acceptable limits. Intelligent centralized or coordinated voltage control schemes have proven to be more reliable due to its ability to provide more control and coordination with the communication with other network devices. In this work, voltage control using fuzzy logic by coordinating three methods of control, power factor control, on load tap changer and generation curtailment is implemented on a distribution network test system. The results show that the fuzzy logic based coordination is able to keep the voltage within its allowable limits. 

Manipulation of Probiotics Fermentation of Yogurt by Cinnamon and Licorice: Effects on Yogurt Formation and Inhibition of Helicobacter Pylori Growth in vitro

Probiotic bacteria especially Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium exert suppressive effect on Helicobacter pylori. Cinnamon and licorice have been traditionally used for the treatment of gastric ulcer. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of herbs on yogurt fermentation, the level of probiotic bacteria in yogurt during 28 days storage and the effect of herbal yogurt on the growth of H. pylori in vitro. Cinnamon or licorice was mixed with milk and the mixture was fermented with probiotic bacteria to form herbal-yogurt. Changes of pH and total titratable acids were monitored and the viability of probiotic bacteria was evaluated during and after refrigerated storage. The in vitro inhibition of H. pylori growth was determined using agar diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The presence of herbs did not affect the probiotic population during storage. There were no significant differences in pH and TTA between herbal-yogurts and plain-yogurt during fermentation and storage. Water extract of cinnamon-yogurt showed the highest inhibition effect (13.5mm) on H. pylori growth in comparison with licorice-yogurt (11.2mm). The present findings indicate cinnamon and licorice has bioactive components to decrease the growth of H. pylori.

Improving Location Management in Mobile IPv4 Networks

The Mobile IP Standard has been developed to support mobility over the Internet. This standard contains several drawbacks as in the cases where packets are routed via sub-optimal paths and significant amount of signaling messages is generated due to the home registration procedure which keeps the network aware of the current location of the mobile nodes. Recently, a dynamic hierarchical mobility management strategy for mobile IP networks (DHMIP) has been proposed to reduce home registrations costs. However, this strategy induces a packet delivery delay and increases the risk of packet loss. In this paper, we propose an enhanced version of the dynamic hierarchical strategy that reduces the packet delivery delay and minimizes the risk of packet loss. Preliminary results obtained from simulations are promising. They show that the enhanced version outperforms the original dynamic hierarchical mobility management strategy version.

A Face-to-Face Education Support System Capable of Lecture Adaptation and Q&A Assistance Based On Probabilistic Inference

Keys to high-quality face-to-face education are ensuring flexibility in the way lectures are given, and providing care and responsiveness to learners. This paper describes a face-to-face education support system that is designed to raise the satisfaction of learners and reduce the workload on instructors. This system consists of a lecture adaptation assistance part, which assists instructors in adapting teaching content and strategy, and a Q&A assistance part, which provides learners with answers to their questions. The core component of the former part is a “learning achievement map", which is composed of a Bayesian network (BN). From learners- performance in exercises on relevant past lectures, the lecture adaptation assistance part obtains information required to adapt appropriately the presentation of the next lecture. The core component of the Q&A assistance part is a case base, which accumulates cases consisting of questions expected from learners and answers to them. The Q&A assistance part is a case-based search system equipped with a search index which performs probabilistic inference. A prototype face-to-face education support system has been built, which is intended for the teaching of Java programming, and this approach was evaluated using this system. The expected degree of understanding of each learner for a future lecture was derived from his or her performance in exercises on past lectures, and this expected degree of understanding was used to select one of three adaptation levels. A model for determining the adaptation level most suitable for the individual learner has been identified. An experimental case base was built to examine the search performance of the Q&A assistance part, and it was found that the rate of successfully finding an appropriate case was 56%.

Numerical Calculation of the Ionization Energy of Donors in a Cubic Quantum well and Wire

The ionization energy in semiconductor systems in nano scale was investigated by using effective mass approximation. By introducing the Hamiltonian of the system, the variational technique was employed to calculate the ground state and the ionization energy of a donor at the center and in the case that the impurities are randomly distributed inside a cubic quantum well. The numerical results for GaAs/GaAlAs show that the ionization energy strongly depends on the well width for both cases and it decreases as the well width increases. The ionization energy of a quantum wire was also calculated and compared with the results for the well.

Effective Collaboration in Product Development via a Common Sharable Ontology

To achieve competitive advantage nowadays, most of the industrial companies are considering that success is sustained to great product development. That is to manage the product throughout its entire lifetime ranging from design, manufacture, operation and destruction. Achieving this goal requires a tight collaboration between partners from a wide variety of domains, resulting in various product data types and formats, as well as different software tools. So far, the lack of a meaningful unified representation for product data semantics has slowed down efficient product development. This paper proposes an ontology based approach to enable such semantic interoperability. Generic and extendible product ontology is described, gathering main concepts pertaining to the mechanical field and the relations that hold among them. The ontology is not exhaustive; nevertheless, it shows that such a unified representation is possible and easily exploitable. This is illustrated thru a case study with an example product and some semantic requests to which the ontology responds quite easily. The study proves the efficiency of ontologies as a support to product data exchange and information sharing, especially in product development environments where collaboration is not just a choice but a mandatory prerequisite.

Negative Impact of Bacteria Legionella Pneumophila in Hot Water Distribution Systems on Human Health

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.

Effects of Carbonation on the Microstructure and Macro Physical Properties of Cement Mortar

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.

Stability Analysis of Mutualism Population Model with Time Delay

This paper studies the effect of time delay on stability of mutualism population model with limited resources for both species. First, the stability of the model without time delay is analyzed. The model is then improved by considering a time delay in the mechanism of the growth rate of the population. We analyze the effect of time delay on the stability of the stable equilibrium point. Result showed that the time delay can induce instability of the stable equilibrium point, bifurcation and stability switches.

Recurrent Neural Network Based Fuzzy Inference System for Identification and Control of Dynamic Plants

This paper presents the development of recurrent neural network based fuzzy inference system for identification and control of dynamic nonlinear plant. The structure and algorithms of fuzzy system based on recurrent neural network are described. To train unknown parameters of the system the supervised learning algorithm is used. As a result of learning, the rules of neuro-fuzzy system are formed. The neuro-fuzzy system is used for the identification and control of nonlinear dynamic plant. The simulation results of identification and control systems based on recurrent neuro-fuzzy network are compared with the simulation results of other neural systems. It is found that the recurrent neuro-fuzzy based system has better performance than the others.

Radio over Fiber as a Cost Effective Technology for Transmission of WiMAX Signals

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.

In Vivo Evaluation of Stable Cream Containing Flavonoids on Hydration and TEWL of Human Skin

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.