Program Memories Error Detection and Correction On-Board Earth Observation Satellites

Memory Errors Detection and Correction aim to secure the transaction of data between the central processing unit of a satellite onboard computer and its local memory. In this paper, the application of a double-bit error detection and correction method is described and implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. The performance of the proposed EDAC method is measured and compared with two different EDAC devices, using the same FPGA technology. Statistical analysis of single-event upset (SEU) and multiple-bit upset (MBU) activity in commercial memories onboard the first Algerian microsatellite Alsat-1 is given.

Growth Behaviors, Thermostable Direct Hemolysin Secretion and Fatty Acid Profiles of Acid-adapted and Non-adapted Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Three strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (690, BCRC 13023 and BCRC 13025) implicated in food poisoning outbreaks in Taiwan were subjected to acid adaptation at pH 5.5 for 90 min. The growth behaviors of acid-adapted and non-adapted V. parahaemolyticus in the media supplemented with various nitrogen and carbon sources were investigated. The effects of acid adaptation on the thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) secretion and fatty acid profiles of V. parahaemolyticus were also examined. Results showed that acid-adapted and non-adapted V. parahaemolyticus 690, BCRC 13023 and BCRC 13025 grew similarly in TSB-3% NaCl and basal media supplemented with various carbon and nitrogen sources during incubation period. Higher TDH secretion was noted with V. parahaemolyticus 690 among the three strains. However, acid-adapted strains produced less amounts of TDH than non-adapted strains when they were grown in TSB-3% NaCl. Additionally, acid adaptation increased the ratio of SFA/USFA in cells of V. parahaemolyticus strains.

On-Line Geometrical Identification of Reconfigurable Machine Tool using Virtual Machining

One of the main research directions in CAD/CAM machining area is the reducing of machining time. The feedrate scheduling is one of the advanced techniques that allows keeping constant the uncut chip area and as sequel to keep constant the main cutting force. They are two main ways for feedrate optimization. The first consists in the cutting force monitoring, which presumes to use complex equipment for the force measurement and after this, to set the feedrate regarding the cutting force variation. The second way is to optimize the feedrate by keeping constant the material removal rate regarding the cutting conditions. In this paper there is proposed a new approach using an extended database that replaces the system model. The feedrate scheduling is determined based on the identification of the reconfigurable machine tool, and the feed value determination regarding the uncut chip section area, the contact length between tool and blank and also regarding the geometrical roughness. The first stage consists in the blank and tool monitoring for the determination of actual profiles. The next stage is the determination of programmed tool path that allows obtaining the piece target profile. The graphic representation environment models the tool and blank regions and, after this, the tool model is positioned regarding the blank model according to the programmed tool path. For each of these positions the geometrical roughness value, the uncut chip area and the contact length between tool and blank are calculated. Each of these parameters are compared with the admissible values and according to the result the feed value is established. We can consider that this approach has the following advantages: in case of complex cutting processes the prediction of cutting force is possible; there is considered the real cutting profile which has deviations from the theoretical profile; the blank-tool contact length limitation is possible; it is possible to correct the programmed tool path so that the target profile can be obtained. Applying this method, there are obtained data sets which allow the feedrate scheduling so that the uncut chip area is constant and, as a result, the cutting force is constant, which allows to use more efficiently the machine tool and to obtain the reduction of machining time.

A Mathematical Model for Predicting Isothermal Soil Moisture Profiles Using Finite Difference Method

Subgrade moisture content varies with environmental and soil conditions and has significant influence on pavement performance. Therefore, it is important to establish realistic estimates of expected subgrade moisture contents to account for the effects of this variable on predicted pavement performance during the design stage properly. The initial boundary soil suction profile for a given pavement is a critical factor in determining expected moisture variations in the subgrade for given pavement and climatic and soil conditions. Several numerical models have been developed for predicting water and solute transport in saturated and unsaturated subgrade soils. Soil hydraulic properties are required for quantitatively describing water and chemical transport processes in soils by the numerical models. The required hydraulic properties are hydraulic conductivity, water diffusivity, and specific water capacity. The objective of this paper was to determine isothermal moisture profiles in a soil fill and predict the soil moisture movement above the ground water table using a simple one-dimensional finite difference model.

Hierarchical Clustering Analysis with SOM Networks

This work presents a neural network model for the clustering analysis of data based on Self Organizing Maps (SOM). The model evolves during the training stage towards a hierarchical structure according to the input requirements. The hierarchical structure symbolizes a specialization tool that provides refinements of the classification process. The structure behaves like a single map with different resolutions depending on the region to analyze. The benefits and performance of the algorithm are discussed in application to the Iris dataset, a classical example for pattern recognition.

Integrated Method for Detection of Unknown Steganographic Content

This article concerns the presentation of an integrated method for detection of steganographic content embedded by new unknown programs. The method is based on data mining and aggregated hypothesis testing. The article contains the theoretical basics used to deploy the proposed detection system and the description of improvement proposed for the basic system idea. Further main results of experiments and implementation details are collected and described. Finally example results of the tests are presented.

An Experimental Investigation on the Behavior of Pressure Tube under Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Heating Conditions in an Indian PHWR

Thermal behavior of fuel channel under loss of coolant accident (LOCA) is a major concern for nuclear reactor safety. LOCA along with failure of emergency cooling water system (ECC) may leads to mechanical deformations like sagging and ballooning. In order to understand the phenomenon an experiment has been carried out using 19 pin fuel element simulator. Main purpose of the experiment was to trace temperature profiles over the pressure tube, calandria tube and clad tubes of Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (IPHWR) under symmetrical and asymmetrical heat-up conditions. For simulating the fully voided scenario, symmetrical heating of pressure was carried out by injecting 13.2 KW (2 % of nominal power) to all the 19 pins and the temperatures of pressure tube, calandria tube and clad tubes were measured. During symmetrical heating the sagging of fuel channel was initiated at 460 °C and the highest temperature attained by PT was 650 °C . The decay heat from clad tubes was dissipated to moderator mainly by radiation and natural convection. The highest temperature of 680 °C was observed over the outer ring of clad tubes of fuel simulator. Again, to simulate partially voided condition, asymmetrical heating of pressure was carried out by supplying 8.0 kW power to upper 8 pins of fuel simulator and temperature profiles were measured. Along the circumference of pressure tube (PT) the highest temperature difference of 320 °C was observed, which highlights the magnitude of thermal stresses under partially voided conditions.

Fabrication of Autonomous Wheeled Mobile Robot for Industrial Applications Using Appropriate Technology

The autonomous mobile robot was designed and implemented which was capable of navigating in the industrial environments and did a job of picking objects from variable height and delivering it to another location following a predefined trajectory. In developing country like Bangladesh industrial robotics is not very prevalent yet, due to the high installation cost. The objective of this project was to develop an autonomous mobile robot for industrial application using the available resources in the local market at lower manufacturing cost. The mechanical system of the robot was comprised of locomotion, gripping and elevation system. Grippers were designed to grip objects of a predefined shape. Cartesian elevation system was designed for vertical movement of the gripper. PIC18F452 microcontroller was the brain of the control system. The prototype autonomous robot was fabricated for relatively lower load than the industry and the performance was tested in a virtual industrial environment created within the laboratory to realize the effectiveness.

Performance Evaluation of TCP Vegas versus Different TCP Variants in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Wired Networks

A study on the performance of TCP Vegas versus different TCP variants in homogeneous and heterogeneous wired networks are performed via simulation experiment using network simulator (ns-2). This performance evaluation prepared a comparison medium for the performance evaluation of enhanced-TCP Vegas in wired network and for wireless network. In homogeneous network, the performance of TCP Tahoe, TCP Reno, TCP NewReno, TCP Vegas and TCP SACK are analyzed. In heterogeneous network, the performances of TCP Vegas against TCP variants are analyzed. TCP Vegas outperforms other TCP variants in homogeneous wired network. However, TCP Vegas achieves unfair throughput in heterogeneous wired network.

Main Bearing Stiffness Investigation

Simplified coupled engine block-crankshaft models based on beam theory provide an efficient substitute to engine simulation in the design process. These models require accurate definition of the main bearing stiffness. In this paper, an investigation of this stiffness is presented. The clearance effect is studied using a smooth bearing model. It is manifested for low shaft displacement. The hydrodynamic assessment model shows that the oil film has no stiffness for low loads and it is infinitely rigid for important loads. The deformation stiffness is determined using a suitable finite elements model based on real CADs. As a result, a main bearing behaviour law is proposed. This behaviour law takes into account the clearance, the hydrodynamic sustention and the deformation stiffness. It ensures properly the transition from the configuration low rigidity to the configuration high rigidity.

Exploitation of Public Technology for Industrial Use

The purpose of study is to demonstrate how the characteristics of technology and the process required for development of technology affect technology transfer from public organisations to industry on the technology level. In addition, using the advantage of the analytic level and the novel means of measuring technology convergence, we examine the characteristics of converging technologies as compared to non-converging technologies in technology transfer process. In sum, our study finds that a technology from the public sector is likely to be transferred when its readiness level is closer to generation of profit, when its stage of life cycle is early and when its economic values is high. Our findings also show that converging technologies are less likely to be transferred.

Adding Olive Oil into Diluents for Improving Semen Quality and Storage Ability of Roosters' Semen during Liquid Storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementing the diluent of roosters' semen with different levels of olive oil on motility, viability, morphology and acrosome integrity of chicken spermatozoa after in vitro storage for up to 72 h. Semen was collected from 60 White Layer males (62 wk of age) kept in separated floor pens and randomly divided into six treatment groups (10 males in each group). Experimental groups were as follows: T1 :fresh semen, T2 : semen extended 1:1 with Al – Daraji 2 diluent (AD2D) alone, T3 – T6 :semen samples extended 1:1 with AD2D supplemented with 2 ml, 4 ml, 6 ml or 8 ml of olive oil / 100 ml of diluent, respectively. Semen samples were then stored at 5 °C for 24 h, 48 h or 72 h. There was a clear influence of diluent supplementation with olive oil on the spermatozoa motility profile; olive oil groups (T3, T4, T5 and T6) recorded the highest scores of mass activity and individual motility during all storage periods compared to T1 and T2 groups. In addition, the inclusion of olive oil into semen diluent (T3, T4, T5 and T6) gave significantly higher percentages of viable spermatozoa, normal morphologically spermatozoa and intact acrosomes irrespective of storage period. These results clearly show that supplementation the diluent of roosters' semen with olive oil can improve semen quality when semen samples in vitro stored at 5 °C for up to 72 h.

Investigations Into the Turning Parameters Effect on the Surface Roughness of Flame Hardened Medium Carbon Steel with TiN-Al2O3-TiCN Coated Inserts based on Taguchi Techniques

The aim of this research is to evaluate surface roughness and develop a multiple regression model for surface roughness as a function of cutting parameters during the turning of flame hardened medium carbon steel with TiN-Al2O3-TiCN coated inserts. An experimental plan of work and signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) were used to relate the influence of turning parameters to the workpiece surface finish utilizing Taguchi methodology. The effects of turning parameters were studied by using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Evaluated parameters were feed, cutting speed, and depth of cut. It was found that the most significant interaction among the considered turning parameters was between depth of cut and feed. The average surface roughness (Ra) resulted by TiN-Al2O3- TiCN coated inserts was about 2.44 μm and minimum value was 0.74 μm. In addition, the regression model was able to predict values for surface roughness in comparison with experimental values within reasonable limit.

Simulation and Measurement the Radiation of an Antenna inside a Metallic Case using FDTD

In this paper we have developed a FDTD simulation code which can treat wave propagation of a monopole antenna in a metallic case which covers with PML, and performed a series of three dimensional FDTD simulations of electromagnetic wave propagation in this space .We also provide a measurement set up in antenna lab and fortunately the simulations and measurements show good agreement. According to simulation and measurement results, we confirmed that the computer program which had been written in FORTRAN, works correctly.

Assessment of the Adaptive Pushover Analysis Using Displacement-based Loading in Prediction the Seismic Behaviour of the Unsymmetric-Plan Buildings

The recent drive for use of performance-based methodologies in design and assessment of structures in seismic areas has significantly increased the demand for the development of reliable nonlinear inelastic static pushover analysis tools. As a result, the adaptive pushover methods have been developed during the last decade, which unlike their conventional pushover counterparts, feature the ability to account for the effect that higher modes of vibration and progressive stiffness degradation might have on the distribution of seismic storey forces. Even in advanced pushover methods, little attention has been paid to the Unsymmetric structures. This study evaluates the seismic demands for three dimensional Unsymmetric-Plan buildings determined by the Displacement-based Adaptive Pushover (DAP) analysis, which has been introduced by Antoniou and Pinho [2004]. The capability of DAP procedure in capturing the torsional effects due to the irregularities of the structures, is investigated by comparing its estimates to the exact results, obtained from Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Also the capability of the procedure in prediction the seismic behaviour of the structure is discussed.

Molecular Electronic Devices based on Carotenoid Derivatives

The production of devices in nanoscale with specific molecular rectifying function is one of the most significant goals in state-of-art technology. In this work we show by ab initio quantum mechanics calculations coupled with non-equilibrium Green function, the design of an organic two-terminal device. These molecular structures have molecular source and drain with several bridge length (from five up to 11 double bonds). Our results are consistent with significant features as a molecular rectifier and can be raised up as: (a) it can be used as bi-directional symmetrical rectifier; (b) two devices integrated in one (FET with one operational region, and Thyristor thiristor); (c) Inherent stability due small intrinsic capacitance under forward/reverse bias. We utilize a scheme for the transport mechanism based on previous properties of ¤Ç bonds type that can be successfully utilized to construct organic nanodevices.

Fully Parameterizable FPGA based Crypto-Accelerator

In this paper, RSA encryption algorithm and its hardware implementation in Xilinx-s Virtex Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is analyzed. The issues of scalability, flexible performance, and silicon efficiency for the hardware acceleration of public key crypto systems are being explored in the present work. Using techniques based on the interleaved math for exponentiation, the proposed RSA calculation architecture is compared to existing FPGA-based solutions for speed, FPGA utilization, and scalability. The paper covers the RSA encryption algorithm, interleaved multiplication, Miller Rabin algorithm for primality test, extended Euclidean math, basic FPGA technology, and the implementation details of the proposed RSA calculation architecture. Performance of several alternative hardware architectures is discussed and compared. Finally, conclusion is drawn, highlighting the advantages of a fully flexible & parameterized design.

Multimethod Approach to Research in Interlanguage Pragmatics

Argument over the use of particular method in interlanguage pragmatics has increased recently. Researchers argued the advantages and disadvantages of each method either natural or elicited. Findings of different studies indicated that the use of one method may not provide enough data to answer all its questions. The current study investigated the validity of using multimethod approach in interlanguage pragmatics to understand the development of requests in Arabic as a second language (Arabic L2). To this end, the study adopted two methods belong to two types of data sources: the institutional discourse (natural data), and the role play (elicited data). Participants were 117 learners of Arabic L2 at the university level, representing four levels (beginners, low-intermediate, highintermediate, and advanced). Results showed that using two or more methods in interlanguage pragmatics affect the size and nature of data.

Human Capacity Building in Manufacturing Sector: A Factor to Industrial Growth in Nigeria

Human ability is a major source of constraint to manufacturing industries in Nigeria. This paper therefore, discusses the importance of human influences on manufacturing and consequently to industrialization and National development. In this paper, the development of manufacturing was anchored on two main factors; Infrastructural Capacity Development (ICD) and Human Capacity Development (HCD). However, a wider view was given to the HCD and the various contemporary human capacity issues militating against manufacturing in Nigeria. It went further to discuss various ways of acquiring and upgrading workers’ skills and finally, suggestions were made on how to tackle the onerous human capacity issues in manufacturing.

Influence of Noise on the Inference of Dynamic Bayesian Networks from Short Time Series

In this paper we investigate the influence of external noise on the inference of network structures. The purpose of our simulations is to gain insights in the experimental design of microarray experiments to infer, e.g., transcription regulatory networks from microarray experiments. Here external noise means, that the dynamics of the system under investigation, e.g., temporal changes of mRNA concentration, is affected by measurement errors. Additionally to external noise another problem occurs in the context of microarray experiments. Practically, it is not possible to monitor the mRNA concentration over an arbitrary long time period as demanded by the statistical methods used to learn the underlying network structure. For this reason, we use only short time series to make our simulations more biologically plausible.