Abstract: To analyze the behavior of Petri nets, the accessibility
graph and Model Checking are widely used. However, if the
analyzed Petri net is unbounded then the accessibility graph becomes
infinite and Model Checking can not be used even for small Petri
nets. ECATNets [2] are a category of algebraic Petri nets. The main
feature of ECATNets is their sound and complete semantics based on
rewriting logic [8] and its language Maude [9]. ECATNets analysis
may be done by using techniques of accessibility analysis and Model
Checking defined in Maude. But, these two techniques supported by
Maude do not work also with infinite-states systems. As a category
of Petri nets, ECATNets can be unbounded and so infinite systems.
In order to know if we can apply accessibility analysis and Model
Checking of Maude to an ECATNet, we propose in this paper an
algorithm allowing the detection if the ECATNet is bounded or not.
Moreover, we propose a rewriting logic based tool implementing this
algorithm. We show that the development of this tool using the
Maude system is facilitated thanks to the reflectivity of the rewriting
logic. Indeed, the self-interpretation of this logic allows us both the
modelling of an ECATNet and acting on it.
Abstract: New lead-free ferroelectric relaxor ceramics were
prepared by conventional solid-state synthesis in the BaTiO3-Bi2O3-
Y2O3 systems. Some of these ceramics present a ferroelectric relaxor
with transition temperature close to room temperature. These new
materials are very interesting for applications and can replace leadbased
ceramic to prevent the toxic pollutions during the preparation
state. In the other hand, the energy band diagram shows the
potentiality of these compounds for the solar energy conversion.
Thus, some compositions have been tested successfully for H2
production upon visible light. The best activity occurs in alkaline
media with a rate evolution of about 0.15 mL g-1 mn-1 and a quantum
yield of 1% under polychromatic light.
Abstract: We propose an enhanced key management scheme
based on Key Infection, which is lightweight scheme for tiny sensors.
The basic scheme, Key Infection, is perfectly secure against node
capture and eavesdropping if initial communications after node
deployment is secure. If, however, an attacker can eavesdrop on
the initial communications, they can take the session key. We use
common neighbors for each node to generate the session key. Each
node has own secret key and shares it with its neighbor nodes. Then
each node can establish the session key using common neighbors-
secret keys and a random number. Our scheme needs only a few
communications even if it uses neighbor nodes- information. Without
losing the lightness of basic scheme, it improves the resistance against
eavesdropping on the initial communications more than 30%.
Abstract: This article is devoted to the analysis of results of
sociological researches carried out by authors directed on studying of
opinion of representatives of small, medium and big business on
formation of the Customs Union, Common Free Market Zone with
participation of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.
It-s forecasted that companies, their branches will interpenetrate
with registration and moving their businesses to regions with more
beneficial conditions. They say that in Kazakhstan there are more
profitable geo-strategic operating environment for business and lower
taxes. Russia using this opportunity will create new conditions for
expansion into other countries of Central Asia and China. Opinions
of participants of questionnaire and expert poll different in estimation
of value of these two integration mechanisms since market segments
on the one hand extend, but also on the other hand - loss of exclusive
influence in certain fields of activity.
Abstract: Despite the strong and consistent increase in the use of
electronic payment methods worldwide, the diffusion of electronic
wallets is still far from widespread. Analysis of the failure of
electronic wallet uptake has either focused on technical issues or
chosen to analyse a specific scheme. This article proposes a joint
approach to analysing key factors affecting the adoption of e-wallets
by using the ‘Technology Acceptance Model” [1] which we have
expanded to take into account the cost of using e-wallets. We use this
model to analyse Monéo, the only French electronic wallet still in
operation.
Abstract: The objective of this research is to explore the role of actors at the local level in managing the Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system in Thailand. The research method was done through documentary research, individual interviews, and one forum conducted in each province. This paper uses the case of three provinces located in three regions in Thailand including; Ubon Ratchathani (North-eastern region), Lampang (Northern Region), and Songkhla (Southern Region). The result shows that, recently, the role of the local government in being the service provider for their local people is increasingly concerned. In identifying the key success factors towards the EMS system, it includes; (i) the local executives- vision and influence that the decisions made by them, for both PAO (Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) and TAO (Tambon Administration Organisation), is vital to address the overall challenges in EMS development, (ii) the administrative system through reforming their working style create the flexibility in running the EMS task, (iii) the network-based management among different agencies at the local level leads to the better EMS practices, and (iv) the development in human resource is very vital in delivering the effective services.
Abstract: The goals of the present research are to estimate Six Sigma implementation in Latvian commercial banks and to identify the perceived benefits of its implementation. To achieve the goals, the authors used sequential explanatory method. To obtain empirical data, the authors have developed the questionnaire and adapted it for the employees of Latvian commercial banks. The questions are related to Six Sigma implementation and its perceived benefits. The questionnaire mainly consists of closed questions, the evaluation of which is based on 5 point Likert scale. The obtained empirical data has shown that of the two hypotheses put forward in the present research – Hypothesis 1 – has to be rejected, while Hypothesis 2 has been partially confirmed. The authors have also faced some research limitations related to the fact that the participants in the questionnaire belong to different rank of the organization hierarchy.
Abstract: The preparation of good-quality Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports contribute to enhancing overall effectiveness of EIA. This component of the EIA process becomes more important in situation where public participation is weak and there is lack of expertise on the part of the competent authority. In Pakistan, EIA became mandatory for every project likely to cause adverse environmental impacts from July 1994. The competent authority also formulated guidelines for preparation and review of EIA reports in 1997. However, EIA is yet to prove as a successful decision support tool to help in environmental protection. One of the several reasons of this ineffectiveness is the generally poor quality of EIA reports. This paper critically reviews EIA reports of some randomly selected projects. Interviews of EIA consultants, project proponents and concerned government officials have also been conducted to underpin the root causes of poor quality of EIA reports. The analysis reveals several inadequacies particularly in areas relating to identification, evaluation and mitigation of key impacts and consideration of alternatives. The paper identifies some opportunities and suggests measures for improving the quality of EIA reports and hence making EIA an effective tool to help in environmental protection.
Abstract: Hypersonic flows around spatial vehicles during their
reentry phase in planetary atmospheres are characterized by intense
aerothermal phenomena. The aim of this work is to analyze high
temperature flows around an axisymmetric blunt body taking into
account chemical and vibrational non-equilibrium for air mixture
species. For this purpose, a finite volume methodology is employed
to determine the supersonic flow parameters around the axisymmetric
blunt body, especially at the stagnation point and along the wall of
spacecraft for several altitudes. This allows the capture shock wave
before a blunt body placed in supersonic free stream. The numerical
technique uses the Flux Vector Splitting method of Van Leer. Here,
adequate time stepping parameter, along with CFL coefficient and
mesh size level are selected to ensure numerical convergence, sought
with an order of 10-8
Abstract: Evaluation of educational portals is an important
subject area that needs more attention from researchers. A university
that has an educational portal which is difficult to use and interact by
teachers or students or management staff can reduce the position and
reputation of the university. Therefore, it is important to have the
ability to make an evaluation of the quality of e-services the
university provide to improve them over time.
The present study evaluates the usability of the Information
Technology Faculty portal at University of Benghazi. Two evaluation
methods were used: a questionnaire-based method and an online
automated tool-based method. The first method was used to measure
the portal's external attributes of usability (Information, Content and
Organization of the portal, Navigation, Links and Accessibility,
Aesthetic and Visual Appeal, Performance and Effectiveness and
educational purpose) from users' perspectives, while the second
method was used to measure the portal's internal attributes of
usability (number and size of HTML files, number and size of images,
load time, HTML check errors, browsers compatibility problems,
number of bad and broken links), which cannot be perceived by the
users. The study showed that some of the usability aspects have been
found at the acceptable level of performance and quality, and some
others have been found otherwise. In general, it was concluded that
the usability of IT faculty educational portal generally acceptable.
Recommendations and suggestions to improve the weakness and
quality of the portal usability are presented in this study.
Abstract: Nowadays, biometrical characterizations of Artemia
cysts are used as one of the most important factors in the study of
Artemia populations and intraspecific particularity; meanwhile these
characters can be used as economical indices. For example, typically
high hatching efficiency is possible due to the small diameter of
cysts (high number per gram); therefore small diameter of cysts
show someway high quality of cysts. This study was performed
during a ten year period, including two different ecological
conditions: rainy and drought. It is important from two different
aspects because it covers alteration of A. urmiana during ten years
also its variation in the best and worst environmental situations in
which salinity increased from 173.8 ppt in 1994 to 280.8 ppt in
2003/4. In this study the biometrical raw data of Artemia urmiana
cysts at seven stations from the Urmia Lake in 1994 and their seven
identical locations at 26 studied stations in 2003/4 were reanalyzed
again and compared together. Biometrical comparison of untreated
and decapsulated cysts in each of the seven similar stations showed a
highly significant variation between 1994 and 2003/4. Based on this
study, in whole stations the untreated and decapsulated cysts from
1994 were larger than cysts of 2003/4 without any exception. But
there was no logical relationship between salinity and chorion
thickness in the Urmia Lake. With regard to PCA analyses the
stations of two different studied years certainly have been separated
with factor 1 from each other. In conclusion, the interaction between
genetic and environmental factors can determine and explain
variation in the range of cysts diameter in Artemia.
Abstract: Recognizing the increasing importance of using the
Internet to conduct business, this paper looks at some related matters
associated with small businesses making a decision of whether or not
to have a Website and go online. Small businesses in Saudi Arabia
struggle to have this decision. For organizations, to fully go online,
conduct business and provide online information services, they need
to connect their database to the Web. Some issues related to doing
that might be beyond the capabilities of most small businesses in
Saudi Arabia, such as Website management, technical issues and
security concerns. Here we focus on a small business firm in Saudi
Arabia (Case Study), discussing the issues related to going online
decision and the firm's options of what to do and how to do it. The
paper suggested some valuable solutions of connecting databases to
the Web. It also discusses some of the important issues related to
online information services and e-commerce, mainly Web hosting
options and security issues.
Abstract: In the study of honeycomb crushing under quasistatic loading, two parameters are important, the mean crushing stress and the wavelength of the folding mode. The previous theoretical models did not consider the true cylindrical curvature effects and the flow stress in the folding mode of honeycomb material. The present paper introduces a modification on Wierzbicki-s model based on considering two above mentioned parameters in estimating the mean crushing stress and the wavelength through implementation of the energy method. Comparison of the results obtained by the new model and Wierzbicki-s model with existing experimental data shows better prediction by the model presented in this paper.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to demonstrate
prevalence of post-exposure preventive measures (PEP) after needlestick
injuries and its relationship with locus of control beliefs in a
sample of medical students. In this cross-sectional study, 300 medical
students with history of having experienced needle stick injuries
(NSI) for at least once filled in a questionnaire to determine if they
perceived themselves to be responsible and effective in preventing
blood born infections after NSI. About 38% of students did not seek
any professional consult or PEP after NSI due to lack of enough time
or access, anxiety about tests results, belief in uselessness of followup
and not being able to change destiny. These 114 students were not
different from others regarding their scores on NSI specific scale of
locus of health control. Thus, the potentiality of NSI locus of control
beliefs in predicting PEP was not seen in this study.
Abstract: The study of proteomics reached unexpected levels of
interest, as a direct consequence of its discovered influence over
some complex biological phenomena, such as problematic diseases
like cancer. This paper presents a new technique that allows for an
accurate analysis of the human interactome network. It is basically
a two-step analysis process that involves, at first, the detection of
each protein-s absolute importance through the betweenness centrality
computation. Then, the second step determines the functionallyrelated
communities of proteins. For this purpose, we use a community
detection technique that is based on the edge betweenness
calculation. The new technique was thoroughly tested on real biological
data and the results prove some interesting properties of those proteins that are involved in the carcinogenesis process. Apart from its
experimental usefulness, the novel technique is also computationally
effective in terms of execution times. Based on the analysis- results, some topological features of cancer mutated proteins are presented
and a possible optimization solution for cancer drugs design is suggested.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the role strategic
management plays in higher education and the methods it entails.
Using the University of West Bohemia and the Czech Republic as
examples, the paper describes the methods used in furthering
strategic objectives within institutions and their different parts
(faculties, institutes). The nature of the demands faced by the
university dictates the need for a strategic framework which defines
the basic objectives and parameters of tertiary education and research
in a local, regional and national context. Sharing strategies with a
wider range of actors (universities, cities, regions, the practical
sphere) is key to laying the foundations for more efficient
cooperation.
Abstract: Computerized lip reading has been one of the most
actively researched areas of computer vision in recent past because
of its crime fighting potential and invariance to acoustic environment.
However, several factors like fast speech, bad pronunciation,
poor illumination, movement of face, moustaches and beards make
lip reading difficult. In present work, we propose a solution for
automatic lip contour tracking and recognizing letters of English
language spoken by speakers using the information available from
lip movements. Level set method is used for tracking lip contour
using a contour velocity model and a feature vector of lip movements
is then obtained. Character recognition is performed using modified
k nearest neighbor algorithm which assigns more weight to nearer
neighbors. The proposed system has been found to have accuracy
of 73.3% for character recognition with speaker lip movements as
the only input and without using any speech recognition system in
parallel. The approach used in this work is found to significantly
solve the purpose of lip reading when size of database is small.
Abstract: A new numerical scheme based on the H1-Galerkin mixed finite element method for a class of second-order pseudohyperbolic equations is constructed. The proposed procedures can be split into three independent differential sub-schemes and does not need to solve a coupled system of equations. Optimal error estimates are derived for both semidiscrete and fully discrete schemes for problems in one space dimension. And the proposed method dose not requires the LBB consistency condition. Finally, some numerical results are provided to illustrate the efficacy of our method.
Abstract: In this paper real money demand function is analyzed
within multivariate time-series framework. Cointegration approach is
used (Johansen procedure) assuming interdependence between
money demand determinants, which are nonstationary variables. This
will help us to understand the behavior of money demand in Croatia,
revealing the significant influence between endogenous variables in
vector autoregrression system (VAR), i.e. vector error correction
model (VECM). Exogeneity of the explanatory variables is tested.
Long-run money demand function is estimated indicating slow speed
of adjustment of removing the disequilibrium. Empirical results
provide the evidence that real industrial production and exchange
rate explains the most variations of money demand in the long-run,
while interest rate is significant only in short-run.
Abstract: The paper presents the study of synthetic transmit
aperture method applying the Golay coded transmission for medical
ultrasound imaging. Longer coded excitation allows to increase the
total energy of the transmitted signal without increasing the peak
pressure. Signal-to-noise ratio and penetration depth are improved
maintaining high ultrasound image resolution.
In the work the 128-element linear transducer array with 0.3 mm
inter-element spacing excited by one cycle and the 8 and 16-bit
Golay coded sequences at nominal frequencies 4 MHz was used.
Single element transmission aperture was used to generate a spherical
wave covering the full image region and all the elements received the
echo signals. The comparison of 2D ultrasound images of the wire
phantom as well as of the tissue mimicking phantom is presented to
demonstrate the benefits of the coded transmission. The results were
obtained using the synthetic aperture algorithm with transmit and
receive signals correction based on a single element directivity
function.