Abstract: Laser beam forming is a novel technique developed for the joining of metallic components. In this study, an overview of the laser beam forming process, areas of application, the basic mechanisms of the laser beam forming process, some recent research
studies and the need to focus more research effort on improving the
laser-material interaction of laser beam forming of titanium and its
alloys are presented.
Abstract: Systems Analysis and Design is a key subject in
Information Technology courses, but students do not find it easy to
cope with, since it is not “precise" like programming and not exact
like Mathematics. It is a subject working with many concepts,
modeling ideas into visual representations and then translating the
pictures into a real life system. To complicate matters users who are
not necessarily familiar with computers need to give their inputs to
ensure that they get the system the need. Systems Analysis and
Design also covers two fields, namely Analysis, focusing on the
analysis of the existing system and Design, focusing on the design of
the new system. To be able to test the analysis and design of a
system, it is necessary to develop a system or at least a prototype of
the system to test the validity of the analysis and design. The skills
necessary in each aspect differs vastly. Project Management Skills,
Database Knowledge and Object Oriented Principles are all
necessary. In the context of a developing country where students
enter tertiary education underprepared and the digital divide is alive
and well, students need to be motivated to learn the necessary skills,
get an opportunity to test it in a “live" but protected environment –
within the framework of a university. The purpose of this article is to
improve the learning experience in Systems Analysis and Design
through reviewing the underlying teaching principles used, the
teaching tools implemented, the observations made and the
reflections that will influence future developments in Systems
Analysis and Design. Action research principles allows the focus to
be on a few problematic aspects during a particular semester.
Abstract: Chemical and physical functionalization of multiwalled
carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) has been commonly practiced to
achieve better dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polymer
matrix. This work describes various functionalization methods (acidtreatment,
non-ionic surfactant treatment with TritonX-100),
fabrication of MWCNT/PP nanocomposites via melt blending and
characterization of mechanical properties. Microscopy analysis
(FESEM, TEM, XPS) showed effective purification of MWCNTs
under acid treatment, and better dispersion under both chemical and
physical functionalization techniques combined, in their respective
order. Tensile tests showed increase in tensile strength for the
nanocomposites that contain MWCNTs up to 2 wt%. A decrease in
tensile strength was seen in samples that contain 4 wt% of MWCNTs
for both raw and Triton X-100 functionalized, signifying MWCNT
degradation/rebundling at composition with higher content of
MWCNTs. For the acid-treated MWCNTs, however, the tensile
results showed slight improvement even at 4wt%, indicating effective
dispersion of MWCNTs.
Abstract: In this paper we address the issue of classifying the fluorescent intensity of a sample in Indirect Immuno-Fluorescence (IIF). Since IIF is a subjective, semi-quantitative test in its very nature, we discuss a strategy to reliably label the image data set by using the diagnoses performed by different physicians. Then, we discuss image pre-processing, feature extraction and selection. Finally, we propose two ANN-based classifiers that can separate intrinsically dubious samples and whose error tolerance can be flexibly set. Measured performance shows error rates less than 1%, which candidates the method to be used in daily medical practice either to perform pre-selection of cases to be examined, or to act as a second reader.
Abstract: A separation-kernel-based operating system (OS) has been designed for use in secure embedded systems by applying formal methods to the design of the separation-kernel part. The separation kernel is a small OS kernel that provides an abstract distributed environment on a single CPU. The design of the separation kernel was verified using two formal methods, the B method and the Spin model checker. A newly designed semi-formal method, the extended state transition method, was also applied. An OS comprising the separation-kernel part and additional OS services on top of the separation kernel was prototyped on the Intel IA-32 architecture. Developing and testing of a prototype embedded application, a point-of-sale application, on the prototype OS demonstrated that the proposed architecture and the use of formal methods to design its kernel part are effective for achieving a secure embedded system having a high-assurance separation kernel.
Abstract: This paper presents an efficient emission constrained
economic dispatch algorithm that deals with nonlinear cost function
and constraints. It is then incorporated into the dynamic
programming based hydrothermal coordination program. The
program has been tested on a practical utility system having 32
thermal and 12 hydro generating units. Test results show that a slight
increase in production cost causes a substantial reduction in
emission.
Abstract: We introduce an algorithm based on the
morphological shared-weight neural network. Being nonlinear and
translation-invariant, the MSNN can be used to create better
generalization during face recognition. Feature extraction is
performed on grayscale images using hit-miss transforms that are
independent of gray-level shifts. The output is then learned by
interacting with the classification process. The feature extraction and
classification networks are trained together, allowing the MSNN to
simultaneously learn feature extraction and classification for a face.
For evaluation, we test for robustness under variations in gray levels
and noise while varying the network-s configuration to optimize
recognition efficiency and processing time. Results show that the
MSNN performs better for grayscale image pattern classification
than ordinary neural networks.
Abstract: Three dimensional simulations are carried out to estimate the effect of wind direction, wind speed and geometry on the flow and dispersion of vehicular pollutant in a street canyon. The pollutant sources are motor vehicles passing between the two buildings. Suitable emission factors for petrol and diesel vehicles at varying vehicle speed are used for the estimation of the rate of emission from the streets. The dispersion of automobile pollutant released from the street is simulated by introducing vehicular emission source term as a fixed-flux boundary condition at the ground level over the road. The emission source term is suitably calculated by adopting emission factors from literature for varying conditions of street traffic. It is observed that increase in wind angle disturbs the symmetric pattern of pollution distribution along the street length. The concentration increases in the far end of the street as compared to the near end.
Abstract: Sharing consistent and correct master data among
disparate applications in a reverse-logistics chain has long been
recognized as an intricate problem. Although a master data
management (MDM) system can surely assume that responsibility,
applications that need to co-operate with it must comply with
proprietary query interfaces provided by the specific MDM system. In
this paper, we present a RFID-ready MDM system which makes
master data readily available for any participating applications in a
reverse-logistics chain. We propose a RFID-wrapper as a part of our
MDM. It acts as a gateway between any data retrieval request and
query interfaces that process it. With the RFID-wrapper, any
participating applications in a reverse-logistics chain can easily
retrieve master data in a way that is analogous to retrieval of any other
RFID-based logistics transactional data.
Abstract: Wind energy has been shown to be one of the most
viable sources of renewable energy. With current technology, the low
cost of wind energy is competitive with more conventional sources of
energy such as coal. Most blades available for commercial grade
wind turbines incorporate a straight span-wise profile and airfoil
shaped cross sections. These blades are found to be very efficient at
lower wind speeds in comparison to the potential energy that can be
extracted. However as the oncoming wind speed increases the
efficiency of the blades decreases as they approach a stall point. This
paper explores the possibility of increasing the efficiency of the
blades at higher wind speeds while maintaining efficiency at the
lower wind speeds. The design intends to maintain efficiency at
lower wind speeds by selecting the appropriate orientation and size
of the airfoil cross sections based on a low oncoming wind speed and
given constant rotation rate. The blades will be made more efficient
at higher wind speeds by implementing a swept blade profile.
Performance was investigated using the computational fluid
dynamics (CFD).
Abstract: Nowadays, the increase of human population every
year results in increasing of water usage and demand. Saen Saep
canal is important canal in Bangkok. The main objective of this study
is using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to estimate the
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) on data from 11 sampling sites.
The data is obtained from the Department of Drainage and Sewerage,
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, during 2007-2011. The
twelve parameters of water quality are used as the input of the
models. These water quality indices affect the COD. The
experimental results indicate that the ANN model provides a high
correlation coefficient (R=0.89).
Abstract: Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is probably the most
widely used estimation algorithm for nonlinear systems. However,
not only it has difficulties arising from linearization but also many
times it becomes numerically unstable because of computer round off
errors that occur in the process of its implementation. To overcome
linearization limitations, the unscented transformation (UT) was
developed as a method to propagate mean and covariance
information through nonlinear transformations. Kalman filter that
uses UT for calculation of the first two statistical moments is called
Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). Square-root form of UKF (SRUKF)
developed by Rudolph van der Merwe and Eric Wan to
achieve numerical stability and guarantee positive semi-definiteness
of the Kalman filter covariances. This paper develops another
implementation of SR-UKF for sequential update measurement
equation, and also derives a new UD covariance factorization filter
for the implementation of UKF. This filter is equivalent to UKF but
is computationally more efficient.
Abstract: This report aims to utilize existing and future Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Wireless Local Area Network (MIMO-OFDM WLAN) systems characteristics–such as multiple subcarriers, multiple antennas, and channel estimation characteristics–for indoor location estimation systems based on the Direction of Arrival (DOA) and Radio Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) methods. Hybrid of DOA-RSSI methods also evaluated. In the experimental data result, we show that location estimation accuracy performances can be increased by minimizing the multipath fading effect. This is done using multiple subcarrier frequencies over wideband frequencies to estimate one location. The proposed methods are analyzed in both a wide indoor environment and a typical room-sized office. In the experiments, WLAN terminal locations are estimated by measuring multiple subcarriers from arrays of three dipole antennas of access points (AP). This research demonstrates highly accurate, robust and hardware-free add-on software for indoor location estimations based on a MIMO-OFDM WLAN system.
Abstract: In this study, Li4SiO4 powder was successfully
synthesized via sol gel method followed by drying at 150oC. Lithium
oxide, Li2O and silicon oxide, SiO2 were used as the starting
materials with citric acid as the chelating agent. The obtained powder
was then sintered at various temperatures. Crystallographic phase
analysis, morphology and ionic conductivity were investigated
systematically employing X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform
Infrared, Scanning Electron Microscopy and AC impedance
spectroscopy. XRD result showed the formation of pure monoclinic
Li4SiO4 crystal structure with lattice parameters a = 5.140 Å, b =
6.094 Å, c = 5.293 Å, β = 90o in the sample sintered at 750oC. This
observation was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The bulk conductivity
of this sample at room temperature was 3.35 × 10-6 S cm-1 and the
highest bulk conductivity of 1.16 × 10-4 S cm-1 was obtained at
100°C. The results indicated that, the Li4SiO4 compound has
potential to be used as host for LISICON structured solid electrolyte
for low temperature application.
Abstract: Professions are concerned about the public image they
have, and this public image is represented by stereotypes. Research is
needed to understand how accountants are perceived by different
actors in the society in different contexts, which would allow
universities, professional bodies and employers to adjust their
strategies to attract the right people to the profession and their
organizations. We aim to develop in this paper a framework to be
used in empirical testing in different environments to determine and
analyze the accountant-s stereotype. This framework will be useful in
analyzing the nuances associated to the accountant-s image and in
understanding the factors that may lead to uniformity in the
profession and of those leading to diversity from one context
(country, type of countries, region) to another.
Abstract: This paper deals principally with the socio-economic impact on the local Iban community in Mukah Division, Sarawak; with the commencement of the open-cut coal mining industry since 2003. To-date there are no actual studies being carried out by either the public or private sector to truly analyze how the Iban community is coping with the advent of a large influx of cash into their society. The Iban community has traditionally been practicing shifting cultivation and farming of domesticated animals; with a portion of the younger generation working as laborers and professional. This paper represents the views and observations of the author supported by some statistical facts extracted from published articles and non-published reports. The paper deals primarily in the following areas: • Background of the coal mining industry in Mukah Division, Sarawak; • Benefits of the coal mining industry towards the Iban community; • Issues / Problems arise in the Iban community because of the presence of the coal mining industry; and • Possible actions that need to be taken to overcome these issues/ problems.
Abstract: Ad hoc networks are characterized by multihop wireless connectivity, frequently changing network topology and the need for efficient dynamic routing protocols. We compare the performance of three routing protocols for mobile ad hoc networks: Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) , Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV), location-aided routing(LAR1).The performance differentials are analyzed using varying network load, mobility, and network size. We simulate protocols with GLOMOSIM simulator. Based on the observations, we make recommendations about when the performance of either protocol can be best.
Abstract: The increasing interest in plant sterol enriched foods
is due to the fact that they reduce blood cholesterol concentrations
without adverse side effects. In this context, enriched foods with
phytosterols may be helpful in protecting population against
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present
work was to evaluate in a population of Viseu, Portugal, the
consumption habits low-fat, plant sterol-enriched yoghurt. For this
study, 577 inquiries were made and the sample was randomly
selected for people shopping in various supermarkets. The
preliminary results showed that the biggest consumers of these
products were women aged 45 to 65 years old. Most of the people
who claimed to buy these products consumed them once a day. Also,
most of the consumers under antidyslipidemic therapeutics noticed
positive effects on hypercholesterolemia.
Abstract: The possibility of radionuclides-related contamination
of lands at agricultural holdings defines the necessity to apply special
protective measures in plant growing. The aim of researches is to
elucidate the influence of polymers applying on biological migration
of man-made anthropogenic radionuclides 90Sr and 137Cs in the
system water - soil – plant. The tests are being carried out under field
conditions with and without application of polymers in root-inhabited
media in more radioecological tension zone (with the radius of 7 km
from the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant). The polymers on the base
of K+, Caµ, KµCaµ ions were tested. Productivity of pepper
depending on the presence and type of polymer material, content of
artificial radionuclides in waters, soil and plant material has been
determined. The character of different polymers influence on the
artificial radionuclides migration and accumulation in the system
water-soil-plant and accumulation in the plants has been cleared up.
Abstract: The volume of XML data exchange is explosively increasing, and the need for efficient mechanisms of XML data management is vital. Many XML storage models have been proposed for storing XML DTD-independent documents in relational database systems. Benchmarking is the best way to highlight pros and cons of different approaches. In this study, we use a common benchmarking scheme, known as XMark to compare the most cited and newly proposed DTD-independent methods in terms of logical reads, physical I/O, CPU time and duration. We show the effect of Label Path, extracting values and storing in another table and type of join needed for each method's query answering.