Abstract: The effect of flooding can be a serious problem for
wheat farmers, even at dry land condition. Amount of flooding
damage depends on duration flooding, developmental stage, wheat
type and variety. Therefore as a factorial experiment in randomized
complete design based on winter bread wheat cultivars (Pishtaz,
Marvdasht, Shiraz, Zarin, Shahriar, C-81-4, Sardari, Agosta seed,
FGS and Azar2) at stages (Non- flooding stress, flooding at tillering
and stem elongation stages for 15 days) carried out in Faculty of
Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. During flooding,
soil environment of plant roots were water saturated. Analysis of
variance showed that flooding had a significant effect on the number
of grains per spike, grain weight per spike and a grain weight. Hence
flooding reduces the number of grain per spike between 27.1 to 42.5
percent, grain weight per spike between 34.7 to 54.4 percent and
single grain weight between 12.1 to 15.1 percent. Effects of flooding
at the tillering stage reduced higher than stem elongation stage on
studied traits. The result also showed that flooding at tillering stage
delayed spikelet primordial and floret. Between wheat cultivars was
significant for traits, but were different reactions. "Shiraz", "Zarin"
and "Shahriar" had the most no. grain per spike, but "Zarin" and
"Sardari" had the most grain weight per spike and single grain
weight, respectively. Also, interaction between start of flooding and
cultivar was significant.
Abstract: The current paper presents the findings of a research
study on learners- barriers and motivators engaged into blended
programs in a workplace context. In this study, the participants were
randomly assigned to one of four parallel e-learning courses, each of
which was delivered using a different learning strategy. Data were
collected through web-based and telephone surveys developed by the
researchers. The results showed that vague instruction, time
management, and insufficient feedback were the top-most barriers to
blended learning. The major motivators for blended learning included
content relevance, flexibility in time, and the ability to work at own
pace.
Abstract: A potentially serious problem with current payment systems is that their underlying hard problems from number theory may be solved by either a quantum computer or unanticipated future advances in algorithms and hardware. A new quantum payment system is proposed in this paper. The suggested system makes use of fundamental principles of quantum mechanics to ensure the unconditional security without prior arrangements between customers and vendors. More specifically, the new system uses Greenberger-Home-Zeilinger (GHZ) states and Quantum Key Distribution to authenticate the vendors and guarantee the transaction integrity.
Abstract: Tomato nutrition value, color, flavor of their fruits and products depends mainly on lycopene, β-carotene, ascorbic acid, sugars and their ratio. The two most important carotenoids in fruits of tomato are lycopene, which determined fruits red color, and β- carotene, which accounts for approximately 7% of the tomato carotenoids. Therefore, tomato products and their quality can be well characterized by the content of these elements.Maturity at harvest is very important to composition and quality of tomatoes. This is especially a problem with tomatoes picked green since it is difficult to differentiate between mature and immature-green fruits. Typical and advanced mature-green tomatoes will usually attain a much better flavor than those picked at the immature or partially mature stages.To better understand the synthesis of biochemical compounds, their concentration should be compared not only at the last stage of maturity, but also during all fruit ripening period in different varieties.
Abstract: Cluster analysis divides data into groups that are
meaningful, useful, or both. Analysis of biological data is creating a
new generation of epidemiologic, prognostic, diagnostic and
treatment modalities. Clustering of protein sequences is one of the
current research topics in the field of computer science. Linear
relation is valuable in rule discovery for a given data, such as if value
X goes up 1, value Y will go down 3", etc. The classical linear
regression models the linear relation of two sequences perfectly.
However, if we need to cluster a large repository of protein sequences
into groups where sequences have strong linear relationship with
each other, it is prohibitively expensive to compare sequences one by
one. In this paper, we propose a new technique named General
Regression Model Technique Clustering Algorithm (GRMTCA) to
benignly handle the problem of linear sequences clustering. GRMT
gives a measure, GR*, to tell the degree of linearity of multiple
sequences without having to compare each pair of them.
Abstract: The authors present optimization parameters of rotary
positioner controller in hard disk drive servo track writing process
using coefficient diagram method; CDM. Due to estimation
parameters in PI Positioning Control System by expected ratio
method cannot meet the required specification of response
effectively, we suggest coefficient diagram method for defining
controller parameters under the requirement of the system. Finally,
the simulation results show that our proposed method can improve
the problem in tuning parameter of rotary positioner controller. It is
satisfied specification of performance of control system. Furthermore,
it is very convenient as a fast adjustment damping ratio as well as a
high speed response.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of a numerical finite element algorithm used for the analysis of reinforced concrete structure equipped with shakes energy absorbing device subjected to earthquake excitation. For this purpose a finite element program code for analysis of reinforced concrete frame buildings is developed. The performance of developed program code is evaluated by analyzing of a reinforced concrete frame buildings model. The results are show that using damper device as seismic energy dissipation system effectively can reduce the structural response of framed structure during earthquake occurrence.
Abstract: Particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is responsible
for adverse health effects in adults and children. Relatively little is
known about the concentrations, sources and health effects of PM in
indoor air. A monitoring study was conducted in Ankara by three
campaigns in order to measure PM levels in indoor and outdoor
environments to identify and quantify associations between sources
and concentrations. Approximately 82 homes (1st campaign for 42,
2nd campaign for 12, and 3rd campaign for 28), three rooms (living
room, baby-s room and living room used as a baby-s room) and
outdoor ambient at each home were sampled with Grimm
Environmental Dust Monitoring (EDM) 107, during different
seasonal periods of 2011 and 2012. In this study, the relationship
between indoor and outdoor PM levels for particulate matter less than
10 micrometer (.m) (PM10), particulate matter less than 2.5.m
(PM2.5) and particulate matter less than 1.0.m (PM1) were
investigated. The mean concentration of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0 at
living room used as baby-s room is higher than living and baby-s
room (or bedroom) for three sampling campaigns. It is concluded that
the household activities and environmental conditions are very
important for PM concentrations in the indoor environments during
the sampling periods. The amount of smokers, being near a main
street and/or construction activities increased the PM concentration.
This study is based on the assessment the relationship between indoor
and outdoor PM levels and the household activities and
environmental conditions
Abstract: This paper presents design and characterization of a
microaccelerometer designated for integration into cataract surgical
probe to detect hardness of different eye tissues during cataract
surgery. Soft posterior lens capsule of eye can be easily damaged in
comparison with hard opaque lens since the surgeon can not see
directly behind cutting needle during the surgery. Presence of
microsensor helps the surgeon to avoid rupturing posterior lens
capsule which if occurs leads to severe complications such as
glaucoma, infection, or even blindness. The microsensor having
overall dimensions of 480 μm x 395 μm is able to deliver significant
capacitance variations during encountered vibration situations which
makes it capable to distinguish between different types of tissue.
Integration of electronic components on chip ensures high level of
reliability and noise immunity while minimizes space and power
requirements. Physical characteristics and results on performance
testing, proves integration of microsensor as an effective tool to aid
the surgeon during this procedure.
Abstract: Recently, the health of retired National Football
League players, particularly lineman has been investigated. A
number of studies have reported increased cardiometabolic risk,
premature cardiovascular disease and incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Rugby union players have somatotypes very similar to National
Football League players which suggests that rugby players may have
similar health risks. The International Golden Oldies World Rugby
Festival (GORF) provided a unique opportunity to investigate the
demographics of veteran rugby players. METHODOLOGIES: A
cross-sectional, observational study was completed using an online
web-based questionnaire that consisted of medical history and
physiological measures. Data analysis was completed using a one
sample t-test (50yrs) and Chi-square test. RESULTS:
A total of 216 veteran rugby competitors (response rate = 6.8%)
representing 10 countries, aged 35-72 yrs (mean 51.2, S.D. ±8.0),
participated in the online survey. As a group, the incidence of current
smokers was low at 8.8% (avg 72.4 cigs/wk) whilst the percentage
consuming alcohol was high (93.1% (avg 11.2 drinks/wk).
Competitors reported the following top six chronic
diseases/disorders; hypertension (18.6%), arthritis (OA/RA, 11.5%),
asthma (9.3%), hyperlipidemia (8.2%), diabetes (all types, 7.5%) and
gout (6%), there were significant differences between groups with
regard to cancer (all types) and migraines. When compared to the
Australian general population (Australian Bureau of Statistics data,
n=18,000), GORF competitors had a significantly lower incidence of
anxiety (p
Abstract: The IFS is a scheme for describing and manipulating complex fractal attractors using simple mathematical models. More precisely, the most popular “fractal –based" algorithms for both representation and compression of computer images have involved some implementation of the method of Iterated Function Systems (IFS) on complete metric spaces. In this paper a new generalized space called Multi-Fuzzy Fractal Space was constructed. On these spases a distance function is defined, and its completeness is proved. The completeness property of this space ensures the existence of a fixed-point theorem for the family of continuous mappings. This theorem is the fundamental result on which the IFS methods are based and the fractals are built. The defined mappings are proved to satisfy some generalizations of the contraction condition.
Abstract: In this paper, a new adaptive Fourier decomposition
(AFD) based time-frequency speech analysis approach is proposed.
Given the fact that the fundamental frequency of speech signals often
undergo fluctuation, the classical short-time Fourier transform (STFT)
based spectrogram analysis suffers from the difficulty of window size
selection. AFD is a newly developed signal decomposition theory. It is
designed to deal with time-varying non-stationary signals. Its
outstanding characteristic is to provide instantaneous frequency for
each decomposed component, so the time-frequency analysis becomes
easier. Experiments are conducted based on the sample sentence in
TIMIT Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus. The results
show that the AFD based time-frequency distribution outperforms the
STFT based one.
Abstract: Mushrooms are a group of fleshy macroscopic fungi.
They have been valued throughout the world as both edible and
medicine. They are highly nutritious with good amount of quality
proteins, vitamins and minerals. An edible mushroom, Calocybe
indica was selected to validate its nutritional and medicinal
properties. Since tissue damage in hyperglycemia has been related to
oxidative stress, we evaluated the enzymatic and non-enzymatic
antioxidant status in the serum, liver and kidney since they are the
target organs in diabetic complications. From the results, increased
oxidative stress and decreased antioxidants might be related to the
causation of diabetes mellitus. The treatment in the diabetic rats with
the Calocybe indica showed an increase in the antioxidant system
and decrease in the production of free radicals. The mushrooms
which contain antioxidant phytochemicals has potential free radical
scavenging capacity and hence can induce the antioxidant system in
the body significantly reduces the generated free radicals thereby
maintaining the normal levels of the antioxidants
Abstract: The seismic feedback experiences in Algeria have
shown higher percentage of damages for non-code conforming
reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. Furthermore, the vulnerability of
these buildings was further aggravated due to presence of many
factors (e.g. weak the seismic capacity of these buildings, shorts
columns, Pounding effect, etc.).
Consequently Seismic risk assessments were carried out on
populations of buildings to identify the buildings most likely to
undergo losses during an earthquake. The results of such studies are
important in the mitigation of losses under future seismic events as
they allow strengthening intervention and disaster management plans
to be drawn up.
Within this paper, the state of the existing structures is assessed using
"the vulnerability index" method. This method allows the
classification of RC constructions taking into account both, structural
and non structural parameters, considered to be ones of the main
parameters governing the vulnerability of the structure. Based on
seismic feedback from past earthquakes DPM (damage probability
matrices) were developed too.
Abstract: The main objective of this article is to present the semi-active vibration control using an electro-rheological fluid embedded sandwich structure for a cantilever beam. ER fluid is a smart material, which cause the suspended particles polarize and connect each other to form chain. The stiffness and damping coefficients of the ER fluid can be changed in 10 micro seconds; therefore, ERF is suitable to become the material embedded in the tunable vibration absorber to become a smart absorber. For the ERF smart material embedded structure, the fuzzy control law depends on the experimental expert database and the proposed self-tuning strategy. The electric field is controlled by a CRIO embedded system to implement the real application. This study investigates the different performances using the Type-1 fuzzy and interval Type-2 fuzzy controllers. The Interval type-2 fuzzy control is used to improve the modeling uncertainties for this ERF embedded shock absorber. The self-tuning vibration controllers using Type-1 and Interval Type-2 fuzzy law are implemented to the shock absorber system. Based on the resulting performance, Internal Type-2 fuzzy is better than the traditional Type-1 fuzzy control for this vibration control system.
Abstract: There are reports of gas and oil wells fire due to different accidents. Many different methods are used for fire fighting in gas and oil industry. Traditional fire extinguishing techniques are mostly faced with many problems and are usually time consuming and needs lots of equipments. Besides, they cause damages to facilities, and create health and environmental problems. This article proposes innovative approach in fire extinguishing techniques in oil and gas industry, especially applicable for burning oil wells located offshore. Fire extinguishment employing a turbojet is a novel approach which can help to extinguishment the fire in short period of time. Divergent and convergent turbojets modeled in laboratory scale along with a high pressure flame were used. Different experiments were conducted to determine the relationship between output discharges of trumpet and oil wells. The results were corrected and the relationship between dimensionless parameters of flame and fire extinguishment distances and also the output discharge of turbojet and oil wells in specified distances are demonstrated by specific curves.
Abstract: Software and applications are subjected to serious and damaging security threats, these threats are increasing as a result of increased number of potential vulnerabilities. Security testing is an indispensable process to validate software security requirements and to identify security related vulnerabilities. In this paper we analyze and compare different available vulnerabilities testing techniques based on a pre defined criteria using analytical hierarchy process (AHP). We have selected five testing techniques which includes Source code analysis, Fault code injection, Robustness, Stress and Penetration testing techniques. These testing techniques have been evaluated against five criteria which include cost, thoroughness, Ease of use, effectiveness and efficiency. The outcome of the study is helpful for researchers, testers and developers to understand effectiveness of each technique in its respective domain. Also the study helps to compare the inner working of testing techniques against a selected criterion to achieve optimum testing results.
Abstract: This paper proposes an auto-classification algorithm
of Web pages using Data mining techniques. We consider the
problem of discovering association rules between terms in a set of
Web pages belonging to a category in a search engine database, and
present an auto-classification algorithm for solving this problem that
are fundamentally based on Apriori algorithm. The proposed
technique has two phases. The first phase is a training phase where
human experts determines the categories of different Web pages, and
the supervised Data mining algorithm will combine these categories
with appropriate weighted index terms according to the highest
supported rules among the most frequent words. The second phase is
the categorization phase where a web crawler will crawl through the
World Wide Web to build a database categorized according to the
result of the data mining approach. This database contains URLs and
their categories.
Abstract: The latest Geographic Information System (GIS)
technology makes it possible to administer the spatial components of
daily “business object," in the corporate database, and apply suitable
geographic analysis efficiently in a desktop-focused application. We
can use wireless internet technology for transfer process in spatial
data from server to client or vice versa. However, the problem in
wireless Internet is system bottlenecks that can make the process of
transferring data not efficient. The reason is large amount of spatial
data. Optimization in the process of transferring and retrieving data,
however, is an essential issue that must be considered. Appropriate
decision to choose between R-tree and Quadtree spatial data indexing
method can optimize the process. With the rapid proliferation of
these databases in the past decade, extensive research has been
conducted on the design of efficient data structures to enable fast
spatial searching. Commercial database vendors like Oracle have also
started implementing these spatial indexing to cater to the large and
diverse GIS. This paper focuses on the decisions to choose R-tree
and quadtree spatial indexing using Oracle spatial database in mobile
GIS application. From our research condition, the result of using
Quadtree and R-tree spatial data indexing method in one single
spatial database can save the time until 42.5%.
Abstract: The brain MR imaging-based clinical research and analysis system were specifically built and the development for a large-scale data was targeted. We used the general clinical data available for building large-scale data. Registration period for the selection of the lesion ROI and the region growing algorithm was used and the Mesh-warp algorithm for matching was implemented. The accuracy of the matching errors was modified individually. Also, the large ROI research data can accumulate by our developed compression method. In this way, the correctly decision criteria to the research result was suggested. The experimental groups were age, sex, MR type, patient ID and smoking which can easily be queries. The result data was visualized of the overlapped images by a color table. Its data was calculated by the statistical package. The evaluation for the utilization of this system in the chronic ischemic damage in the area has done from patients with the acute cerebral infarction. This is the cause of neurologic disability index location in the center portion of the lateral ventricle facing. The corona radiate was found in the position. Finally, the system reliability was measured both inter-user and intra-user registering correlation.