Abstract: The scattering effect of light in fog improves the
difficulty in visibility thus introducing disturbances in transport
facilities in urban or industrial areas causing fatal accidents or public
harassments, therefore, developing an enhanced fog vision system
with radio wave to improvise the way outs of these severe problems
is really a big challenge for researchers. Series of experimental
studies already been done and more are in progress to know the
weather effect on radio frequencies for different ranges. According to
Rayleigh scattering Law, the propagating wavelength should be
greater than the diameter of the particle present in the penetrating
medium. Direct wave RF signal thus have high chance of failure to
work in such weather for detection of any object. Therefore an
extensive study was required to find suitable region in the RF band
that can help us in detecting objects with proper shape. This paper
produces some results on object detection using 912 MHz band with
successful detection of the persistence of any object coming under the
trajectory of a vehicle navigating in indoor and outdoor environment.
The developed images are finally transformed to video signal to
enable continuous monitoring.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine to what
extend classroom management efficacy, marital status, gender, and
teaching experience predict burnout among primary school teachers.
Participants of this study were 523 (345 female, 178 male) teachers
who completed inventories. The results of multiple regression
analysis indicated that three dimensions of teacher burnout
(Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal
Accomplishment) were affected differently from four predictor
variables. Findings indicated that for the emotional exhaustion,
classroom management efficacy, marital status and teaching
experience; for depersonalization dimension, classroom management
efficacy and marital status and finally for the personal
accomplishment dimension, classroom management efficacy, gender,
and teaching experience were significant predictors.
Abstract: The MFCAV Riemann solver is practically used in many Lagrangian or ALE methods due to its merit of sharp shock profiles and rarefaction corners, though very often with numerical oscillations. By viewing it as a modification of the WWAM Riemann solver, we apply the MFCAV Riemann solver to the Lagrangian method recently developed by Maire. P. H et. al.. The numerical experiments show that the application is successful in that the shock profiles and rarefaction corners are sharpened compared with results obtained using other Riemann solvers. Though there are still numerical oscillations, they are within the range of the MFCAV applied in onther Lagrangian methods.
Abstract: The purpose of my research proposal is to
demonstrate that there is a relationship between EEG and
endometrial cancer.
The above relationship is based on an Aristotelian Syllogism;
since it is known that the 14-3-3 protein is related to the electrical
activity of the brain via control of the flow of Na+ and K+ ions and
since it is also known that many types of cancer are associated with
14-3-3 protein, it is possible that there is a relationship between EEG
and cancer. This research will be carried out by well-defined
diagnostic indicators, obtained via the EEG, using signal processing
procedures and pattern recognition tools such as neural networks in
order to recognize the endometrial cancer type. The current research
shall compare the findings from EEG and hysteroscopy performed on
women of a wide age range. Moreover, this practice could be
expanded to other types of cancer. The implementation of this
methodology will be completed with the creation of an ontology.
This ontology shall define the concepts existing in this research-s
domain and the relationships between them. It will represent the
types of relationships between hysteroscopy and EEG findings.
Abstract: FW4 is a newly developed hot die material widely
used in Forging Dies manufacturing. The right selection of the
machining conditions is one of the most important aspects to take
into consideration in the Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) of
FW4. In this paper an attempt has been made to develop
mathematical models for relating the Material Removal Rate (MRR),
Tool Wear Ratio (TWR) and surface roughness (Ra) to machining
parameters (current, pulse-on time and voltage). Furthermore, a study
was carried out to analyze the effects of machining parameters in
respect of listed technological characteristics. The results of analysis
of variance (ANOVA) indicate that the proposed mathematical
models, can adequately describe the performance within the limits of
the factors being studied.
Abstract: Organizations face challenges supporting knowledge
workers due to their particular requirements for an environment
supportive of their self-guided learning activities which are important
to increase their productivity and to develop creative solutions to
non-routine problems. Face-to-face knowledge sharing remains
crucial in spite of a large number of knowledge management
instruments that aim at supporting a more impersonal transfer of
knowledge. This paper first describes the main criteria for a
conceptual and technical solution targeted at flexible management of
office space that aims at assigning those knowledge workers to the
same room that are most likely to thrive when being brought together
thus enhancing their knowledge work productivity. The paper
reflects on lessons learned from the implementation and operation of
such a solution in a project-focused organization and derives several
implications for future extensions that target to foster problem
solving, informal learning and personal development.
Abstract: The Institute of Product Development is dealing
with the development, design and dimensioning of micro components
and systems as a member of the Collaborative Research
Centre 499 “Design, Production and Quality Assurance of
Molded micro components made of Metallic and Ceramic Materials".
Because of technological restrictions in the miniaturization
of conventional manufacturing techniques, shape and
material deviations cannot be scaled down in the same proportion
as the micro parts, rendering components with relatively
wide tolerance fields. Systems that include such components
should be designed with this particularity in mind, often requiring
large clearance. On the end, the output of such systems
results variable and prone to dynamical instability. To save
production time and resources, every study of these effects
should happen early in the product development process and
base on computer simulation to avoid costly prototypes. A
suitable method is proposed here and exemplary applied to a
micro technology demonstrator developed by the CRC499. It
consists of a one stage planetary gear train in a sun-planet-ring
configuration, with input through the sun gear and output
through the carrier. The simulation procedure relies on ordinary
Multi Body Simulation methods and subsequently adds
other techniques to further investigate details of the system-s
behavior and to predict its response. The selection of the relevant
parameters and output functions followed the engineering
standards for regular sized gear trains. The first step is to
quantify the variability and to reveal the most critical points of
the system, performed through a whole-mechanism Sensitivity
Analysis. Due to the lack of previous knowledge about the system-s
behavior, different DOE methods involving small and
large amount of experiments were selected to perform the SA.
In this particular case the parameter space can be divided into
two well defined groups, one of them containing the gear-s profile
information and the other the components- spatial location.
This has been exploited to explore the different DOE techniques
more promptly. A reduced set of parameters is derived for
further investigation and to feed the final optimization process,
whether as optimization parameters or as external perturbation
collective. The 10 most relevant perturbation factors and 4 to 6
prospective variable parameters are considered in a new, simplified
model. All of the parameters are affected by the mentioned
production variability. The objective functions of interest
are based on scalar output-s variability measures, so the
problem becomes an optimization under robustness and reliability constrains. The study shows an initial step on the development
path of a method to design and optimize complex micro
mechanisms composed of wide tolerated elements accounting
for the robustness and reliability of the systems- output.
Abstract: Utilization of various sensors has made it possible to
extend capabilities of industrial robots. Among these are vision
sensors that are used for providing visual information to assist robot
controllers. This paper presents a method of integrating a vision
system and a simulation program with an industrial robot. The vision
system is employed to detect a target object and compute its location
in the robot environment. Then, the target object-s information is sent
to the robot controller via parallel communication port. The robot
controller uses the extracted object information and the simulation
program to control the robot arm for approaching, grasping and
relocating the object. This paper presents technical details of system
components and describes the methodology used for this integration.
It also provides a case study to prove the validity of the methodology
developed.
Abstract: The phylogenetic analysis using the most conservative
portions of 18S rRNA gene revealed the phylogenetic relationship
among the two populations where DNA divergence showed that the
nucleotides diversity value were -0.00838 for the Tanjung Dawai,
Kedah and -0.00708 for the Cherating, Pahang populations
respectively. The net nucleotide divergence among populations (Da)
was -0.0073 indicating a low polymorphism among the populations
studied. Total number of mutations in the Tanjung Dawai, Kedah
samples was higher than Cherating, Pahang samples, which are 73 and
59 respectively while shared mutations across the populations were 8,
and reveal the evolutionary in the genome of Malaysian T. gigas. The
tree topology of both populations inferred using Neigbour-joining
method by comparing 1791 bp of partial 18S rRNA sequence revealed
that T. gigas haplotypes were clustered into seven clades, suggesting
that they are genetically diverse among populations which derived
from a common ancestor.
Abstract: In this study, the density dependent nonlinear reactiondiffusion
equation, which arises in the insect dispersal models, is
solved using the combined application of differential quadrature
method(DQM) and implicit Euler method. The polynomial based
DQM is used to discretize the spatial derivatives of the problem. The
resulting time-dependent nonlinear system of ordinary differential
equations(ODE-s) is solved by using implicit Euler method. The
computations are carried out for a Cauchy problem defined by a onedimensional
density dependent nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation
which has an exact solution. The DQM solution is found to be in a
very good agreement with the exact solution in terms of maximum
absolute error. The DQM solution exhibits superior accuracy at large
time levels tending to steady-state. Furthermore, using an implicit
method in the solution procedure leads to stable solutions and larger
time steps could be used.
Abstract: Heating systems are a necessity for regions which
brace extreme cold weather throughout the year. To maintain a comfortable temperature inside a given place, heating systems
making use of- Hydronic boilers- are used. The principle of a single
pipe system serves as a base for their working. It is mandatory for these heating systems to control the room temperature, thus
maintaining a warm environment. In this paper, the concept of regulation of the room temperature over a wide range is established
by using an Adaptive Fuzzy Controller (AFC). This fuzzy controller automatically detects the changes in the outside temperatures and
correspondingly maintains the inside temperature to a palatial value. Two separate AFC's are put to use to carry out this function: one to
determine the quantity of heat needed to reach the prospective temperature required and to set the desired temperature; the other to control the position of the valve, which is directly proportional to the
error between the present room temperature and the user desired temperature. The fuzzy logic controls the position of the valve as per
the requirement of the heat. The amount by which the valve opens or closes is controlled by 5 knob positions, which vary from minimum to maximum, thereby regulating the amount of heat flowing through the valve. For the given test system data, different de-fuzzifier
methods have been implemented and the results are compared. In order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a fuzzy controller has been designed by obtaining a test data from a real time
system. The simulations are performed in MATLAB and are verified with standard system data. The proposed approach can be implemented for real time applications.
Abstract: This paper presents a research conducted to investigate the effect of mixing process on polypropylene (PP) modified bitumen mixed with well graded aggregate to form modified bituminous concrete mix. Two mode of mixing, namely dry and wet with different concentration of polymer polypropylene was used with 80/100 pen bitumen, to evaluate the bituminous concrete mix properties. Three percentages of polymer varying from 1-3% by the weight of bitumen was used in this study. Three mixes namely control mix, wet mix and dry mix were prepared. Optimum binder content was calculated considering Marshall Stability, flow, air voids and Marshall Quotient at different bitumen content varying from 4% - 6.5% for control, dry and wet mix. Engineering properties thus obtained at the calculated optimum bitumen content revealed that wet mixing process is advantageous in comparison to dry mixing as it increases the stiffness of the mixture with the increase in polymer content in bitumen. Stiffness value for wet mix increases with the increase in polymer content which is beneficial in terms of rutting. 1% PP dry mix also shows enhanced stiffness, with the air void content limited to 4%.The flow behaviour of dry mix doesn't indicate any major difference with the increase in polymer content revealing that polymer acting as an aggregate only without affecting the viscosity of the binder in the mix. Polypropylene (PP) when interacted with 80 pen base bitumen enhances its performance characteristics which were brought about by altered rheological properties of the modified bitumen. The decrease in flow with the increase in binder content reflects the increase in viscosity of binder which induces the plastic flow in the mix. Workability index indicates that wet mix were easy to compact up to desired void ratio in comparison to dry mix samples.
Abstract: The advancement in wireless technology with the wide
use of mobile devices have drawn the attention of the research and
technological communities towards wireless environments, such as
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wireless Wide Area
Networks (WWANs), and mobile systems and ad-hoc networks.
Unfortunately, wired and wireless networks are expressively different
in terms of link reliability, bandwidth, and time of propagation delay
and by adapting new solutions for these enhanced
telecommunications, superior quality, efficiency, and opportunities
will be provided where wireless communications were otherwise
unfeasible. Some researchers define 4G as a significant improvement
of 3G, where current cellular network’s issues will be solved and data
transfer will play a more significant role. For others, 4G unifies
cellular and wireless local area networks, and introduces new routing
techniques, efficient solutions for sharing dedicated frequency bands,
and an increased mobility and bandwidth capacity. This paper
discusses the possible solutions and enhancements probabilities that
proposed to improve the performance of Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP) over different wireless networks and also the paper
investigated each approach in term of advantages and disadvantages.
Abstract: This paper aims to present a survey of object
recognition/classification methods based on image moments. We
review various types of moments (geometric moments, complex
moments) and moment-based invariants with respect to various
image degradations and distortions (rotation, scaling, affine
transform, image blurring, etc.) which can be used as shape
descriptors for classification. We explain a general theory how to
construct these invariants and show also a few of them in explicit
forms. We review efficient numerical algorithms that can be used
for moment computation and demonstrate practical examples of
using moment invariants in real applications.
Abstract: The effect of phosphorus supplementation of ammoniated rice straw was studied. The in vitro experiment was carried out following the first stage of Tilley and Terry method. The treatments consisting of four diets were A = 50% ammoniated rice straw + 50% concentrate (control), B = A + 0.2% Phosphor (P) supplement, C = A + 0.4% Phosphor (P) supplement, and D = A + 0.6% Phosphor (P) supplement of dry matter. Completely randomized design was used as the experimental design with differences among treatment means were examined using Duncan multiple range test. Variables measured were total bacterial and cellulolytic bacterial population, cellulolytic enzyme activity, ammonia (NH3) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, as fermentability indicators and synthesized microbial protein, as well as degradability indicators including dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and cellulose. The results indicated that fermentability and degradability of diets consisting ammoniated rice straw with P supplementation were significantly higher than the control diet (P< 0.05). It is concluded that P supplementation is important to improve fermentability and degradability of rations containing ammoniated RS and concentrate. In terms of the most effective level of P supplementation occurred at a supplementation rate of 0.4% of dry matter.
Abstract: The colonic tissue is a complicated dynamic system
and the colonic activities it generates are composed of irregular
segmental waves, which are referred to as erratic fluctuations or spikes.
They are also highly irregular with subunit fractal structure. The
traditional time-frequency domain statistics like the averaged
amplitude, the motility index and the power spectrum, etc. are
insufficient to describe such fluctuations. Thus the fractal
box-counting dimension is proposed and the fractal scaling behaviors
of the human colonic pressure activities under the physiological
conditions are studied. It is shown that the dimension of the resting
activity is smaller than that of the normal one, whereas the clipped
version, which corresponds to the activity of the constipation patient,
shows with higher fractal dimension. It may indicate a practical
application to assess the colonic motility, which is often indicated by
the colonic pressure activity.
Abstract: This paper focuses on reducing the power consumption
of wireless sensor networks. Therefore, a communication protocol
named LEACH (Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) is modified.
We extend LEACHs stochastic cluster-head selection algorithm
by a modifying the probability of each node to become cluster-head
based on its required energy to transmit to the sink. We present
an efficient energy aware routing algorithm for the wireless sensor
networks. Our contribution consists in rotation selection of clusterheads
considering the remoteness of the nodes to the sink, and then,
the network nodes residual energy. This choice allows a best distribution
of the transmission energy in the network. The cluster-heads
selection algorithm is completely decentralized. Simulation results
show that the energy is significantly reduced compared with the
previous clustering based routing algorithm for the sensor networks.
Abstract: This paper proposes an efficient method to classify
inverse synthetic aperture (ISAR) images. Because ISAR images can
be translated and rotated in the 2-dimensional image place, invariance
to the two factors is indispensable for successful classification. The
proposed method achieves invariance to translation and rotation of
ISAR images using a combination of two-dimensional Fourier
transform, polar mapping and correlation-based alignment of the
image. Classification is conducted using a simple matching score
classifier. In simulations using the real ISAR images of five scaled
models measured in a compact range, the proposed method yields
classification ratios higher than 97 %.
Abstract: The practice of burying the solid waste under the ground is one of the waste disposal methods and dumping is known as an ultimate method in the fastest-growing cities like Rasht city in Iran. Some municipalities select the solid waste landfills without feasibility studies, programming, design and management plans. Therefore, several social and environmental impacts are created by these sites. In this study, the suitability of solid waste landfill in Rasht city, capital of Gilan Province is reviewed using Regional Screening Method (RSM), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results indicated that according to the suitability maps, the value of study site is midsuitable to suitable based on RSM and mid-suitable based on AHP.
Abstract: This paper features the proposed modeling and design
of a Robust Decentralized Periodic Output Feedback (RDPOF)
control technique for the active vibration control of smart flexible
multimodel Euler-Bernoulli cantilever beams for a multivariable
(MIMO) case by retaining the first 6 vibratory modes. The beam
structure is modeled in state space form using the concept of
piezoelectric theory, the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the Finite
Element Method (FEM) technique by dividing the beam into 4 finite
elements and placing the piezoelectric sensor / actuator at two finite
element locations (positions 2 and 4) as collocated pairs, i.e., as
surface mounted sensor / actuator, thus giving rise to a multivariable
model of the smart structure plant with two inputs and two outputs.
Five such multivariable models are obtained by varying the
dimensions (aspect ratios) of the aluminum beam, thus giving rise to
a multimodel of the smart structure system. Using model order
reduction technique, the reduced order model of the higher order
system is obtained based on dominant eigen value retention and the
method of Davison. RDPOF controllers are designed for the above 5
multivariable-multimodel plant. The closed loop responses with the
RDPOF feedback gain and the magnitudes of the control input are
observed and the performance of the proposed multimodel smart
structure system with the controller is evaluated for vibration control.