Abstract: One of the major, difficult tasks in automated video
surveillance is the segmentation of relevant objects in the scene.
Current implementations often yield inconsistent results on average
from frame to frame when trying to differentiate partly occluding
objects. This paper presents an efficient block-based segmentation
algorithm which is capable of separating partly occluding objects and
detecting shadows. It has been proven to perform in real time with a
maximum duration of 47.48 ms per frame (for 8x8 blocks on a
720x576 image) with a true positive rate of 89.2%. The flexible
structure of the algorithm enables adaptations and improvements with
little effort. Most of the parameters correspond to relative differences
between quantities extracted from the image and should therefore not
depend on scene and lighting conditions. Thus presenting a
performance oriented segmentation algorithm which is applicable in
all critical real time scenarios.
Abstract: Controlled release urea has become popular in agricultural industry as it helps to solve environmental issues and increase crop yield. Recently biomass was identified to replace the polymer used as a coating material in the conventional coated urea. In this paper spreading and contact angle of biomass droplet (lignin, cellulose and clay) on urea surface are investigated experimentally. There were two tests were conducted, sessile drop for contact angle measurement and pendant drop for contact angle measurement. A different concentration of biomass droplet was released from 30 mm above a substrate. Glass was used as a controlled substrate. Images were recorded as soon as the droplet impacted onto the urea before completely adsorb into the urea. Digitized droplets were then used to identify the droplet-s surface tension and contact angle. There is large difference observed between the low surface tension and high surface tension liquids, where the wetting and spreading diameter is higher for lower surface tension. From the contact angle results, the data showed that the biomass coating films were possible as wetting liquid (θ < 90º). Contact angle of biomass coating material gives good indication for the wettablity of a liquid on urea surface.
Abstract: In the area where the high quality water is not
available, unconventional water sources are used to irrigate.
Household leachate is one of the sources which are used in dry and
semi dry areas in order to water the barer trees and plants. It meets
the plants needs and also has some effects on the soil, but at the same
time it might cause some problems as well. This study in order to
evaluate the effect of using Compost leachate on the density of soil
iron in form of a statistical pattern called ''Split Plot'' by using two
main treatments, one subsidiary treatment and three repetitions of the
pattern in a three month period. The main N treatments include:
irrigation using well water as a blank treatments and the main I
treatments include: irrigation using leachate and well water
concurrently. Some subsidiary treatments were DI (Drop Irrigation)
and SDI (Sub Drop Irrigation). Then in the established plots, 36
biannual pine and cypress shrubs were randomly grown. Two months
later the treatment begins. The results revealed that there was a
significant variation between the main treatment and the instance
regarding pH decline in the soil which was related to the amount of
leachate injected into the soil. After some time and using leachate the
pH level fell, as much as 0.46 and also increased due to the great
amounts of leachate. The underneath drop irrigation ends in better
results than sub drop irrigation since it keeps the soil texture fixed.
Abstract: In this work, the physical based device model of
AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has been
established and the corresponding device operation behavior has
been investigated also by using Sentaurus TCAD from Synopsys.
Advanced AlGaN/GaN hetero-structures with GaN cap layer and AlN
spacer have been considered and the GaN cap layer and AlN spacer
are found taking important roles on the gate leakage blocking and
off-state breakdown voltage enhancement.
Abstract: As part of national epidemiological survey on bovine
viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a total of 274 dejecta samples were
collected from 14 cattle farms in 8 areas of Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region in northwestern China. Total RNA was extracted
from each sample, and 5--untranslated region (UTR) of BVDV
genome was amplified by using two-step reverse
transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The PCR products
were subsequently sequenced to study the genetic variations of BVDV
in these areas. Among the 274 samples, 33 samples were found
virus-positive. According to sequence analysis of the PCR products,
the 33 samples could be arranged into 16 groups. All the sequences,
however, were highly conserved with BVDV Osloss strains. The virus
possessed theses sequences belonged to BVDV-1b subtype by
phylogenetic analysis. Based on these data, we established a typing
tree for BVDV in these areas. Our results suggested that BVDV-1b
was a predominant subgenotype in northwestern China and no
correlation between the genetic and geographical distances could be
observed above the farm level.
Abstract: In Algeria, some fruit trees produce fruits in free nature. Such trees are Celtis australis, Crataegus azarolus, Crataegus monogyna and Zizyphus lotus. In spite of their appreciable consumption, their nutritional value remains unknown. The objective of this study is the determination of sugars in the pulpe and almond of the above fruits. The biochemical analysis shows that these fruits present interesting contents of soluble sugars which confers significant caloric intakes to them. As well as significant fibres which give them therapeutic and industrial benefits? The analysis of the almonds shows that it contains considerable contents of sugars which enable them to be an energetic food.
Abstract: The paper provides an in-depth tutorial of mathematical
construction of maximal length sequences (m-sequences) via primitive
polynomials and how to map the same when implemented in
shift registers. It is equally important to check whether a polynomial
is primitive or not so as to get proper m-sequences. A fast method to
identify primitive polynomials over binary fields is proposed where
the complexity is considerably less in comparison with the standard
procedures for the same purpose.
Abstract: Bonding has become a routine procedure in several
dental specialties – from prosthodontics to conservative dentistry and
even orthodontics. In many of these fields it is important to be able to
investigate the bonded interfaces to assess their quality. All currently
employed investigative methods are invasive, meaning that samples
are destroyed in the testing procedure and cannot be used again. We
have investigated the interface between human enamel and bonded
ceramic brackets non-invasively, introducing a combination of new
investigative methods – optical coherence tomography (OCT),
fluorescence OCT and confocal microscopy (CM). Brackets were
conventionally bonded on conditioned buccal surfaces of teeth. The
bonding was assessed using these methods. Three dimensional
reconstructions of the detected material defects were developed using
manual and semi-automatic segmentation. The results clearly prove
that OCT, fluorescence OCT and CM are useful in orthodontic
bonding investigations.
Abstract: Decomposition processes take place in landfill
generate leachates that can be categorized mainly of acetogenic and
methanogenic in nature. BOD:COD ratio computed in this study for a
landfill site over a 3 years duration revealed as a good indicator to
identify acetogenic leachate from methanogenic leachate. Correlation
relationships to predict pollutant level taking into consideration of
climatic condition are derived.
Abstract: Network reconfiguration in distribution system is realized by changing the status of sectionalizing switches to reduce the power loss in the system. This paper presents a new method which applies an artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) for determining the sectionalizing switch to be operated in order to solve the distribution system loss minimization problem. The ABC algorithm is a new population based metaheuristic approach inspired by intelligent foraging behavior of honeybee swarm. The advantage of ABC algorithm is that it does not require external parameters such as cross over rate and mutation rate as in case of genetic algorithm and differential evolution and it is hard to determine these parameters in prior. The other advantage is that the global search ability in the algorithm is implemented by introducing neighborhood source production mechanism which is a similar to mutation process. To demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, computer simulations are carried out on 14, 33, and 119-bus systems and compared with different approaches available in the literature. The proposed method has outperformed the other methods in terms of the quality of solution and computational efficiency.
Abstract: The potential, opportunities and drawbacks of biogas
technology use in Turkey are evaluated in this paper. Turkey is
dependent on foreign sources of energy. Therefore, use of biogas
technology would provide a safe way of waste disposal and recovery
of renewable energy, particularly from a sustainable domestic source,
which is less unlikely to be influenced by international price or
political fluctuations. Use of biogas technology would especially
meet the cooking, heating and electricity demand in rural areas and
protect the environment, additionally creating new job opportunities
and improving social-economical conditions.
Abstract: In this paper, based on linear matrix inequality (LMI), by using Lyapunov functional theory, the exponential stability criterion is obtained for a class of uncertain Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy Hopfield neural networks (TSFHNNs) with time delays. Here we choose a generalized Lyapunov functional and introduce a parameterized model transformation with free weighting matrices to it, these techniques lead to generalized and less conservative stability condition that guarantee the wide stability region. Finally, an example is given to illustrate our results by using MATLAB LMI toolbox.
Abstract: Aloe vera has been used worldwide both for
pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to the plethora of
biological activities of some of its metabolites. The aim of this study
was to evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant activities of the leaf
extract. The antifungal activity was determined by the agar-well
diffusion method against plant and human fungal pathogens. The
methanol and ethanol portions of the extracts studied were more
bioactive than ethyl acetate portion. It was also observed that the
activity was more pronounced on plant pathogen than human
pathogen except Candida albicans. This is an indication that the
extract has the potential to treat plant fungal infections. The Aloe
extract showed the significant antioxidant activity by the DPPH
radical scavenging method. Therefore, the Aloe extract provided as
natural antioxidant has been used in health foods for medical and
preservative purposes.
Abstract: Data mining uses a variety of techniques each of which is useful for some particular task. It is important to have a deep understanding of each technique and be able to perform sophisticated analysis. In this article we describe a tool built to simulate a variation of the Kohonen network to perform unsupervised clustering and support the entire data mining process up to results visualization. A graphical representation helps the user to find out a strategy to optmize classification by adding, moving or delete a neuron in order to change the number of classes. The tool is also able to automatically suggest a strategy for number of classes optimization.The tool is used to classify macroeconomic data that report the most developed countries? import and export. It is possible to classify the countries based on their economic behaviour and use an ad hoc tool to characterize the commercial behaviour of a country in a selected class from the analysis of positive and negative features that contribute to classes formation.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of an electronic
instrument that looks like a flute, which is able to sense the basic musical notes being executed by a specific user. The principal function of the instrument is to teach how to play a flute. This device
will generate a significant academic impact, in a field of virtual reality interactive that combine art and technology. With this example is expected to contribute in research and implementation of teaching devices around the world.
Abstract: Catalytic converters are used for minimizing the release of pollutants to the atmosphere. It is during the warm-up period that hydrocarbons are seen to be released in appreciable quantities from these converters. In this paper the conversion of a fast oxidizing hydrocarbon propylene is analysed using two numerical methods. The quasi steady state method assumes the accumulation terms to be negligible in the gas phase mass and energy balance equations, however this term is present in the solid phase energy balance. The unsteady state model accounts for the accumulation term to be present in the gas phase mass and energy balance and in the solid phase energy balance. The results derived from the two models for gas concentration, gas temperature and solid temperature are compared.
Abstract: The p53 tumor suppressor gene plays two important
roles in genomic stability: blocking cell proliferation after DNA
damage until it has been repaired, and starting apoptosis if the
damage is too critical. Codon 72 exon4 polymorphism (Arg72Pro) of
the P53 gene has been implicated in cancer risk. Various studies have
been done to investigate the status of p53 at codon 72 for arginine
(Arg) and proline (Pro) alleles in different populations and also the
association of this codon 72 polymorphism with various tumors. Our
objective was to investigate the possible association between P53
Arg72Pro polymorphism and susceptibility to colorectal cancer
among Isfahan and Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari (a part of south west
of Iran) population. We investigated the status of p53 at codon 72 for
Arg/Arg, Arg/Pro and Pro/Pro allele polymorphisms in blood
samples from 145 colorectal cancer patients and 140 controls by
Nested-PCR of p53 exon 4 and digestion with BstUI restriction
enzyme and the DNA fragments were then resolved by
electrophoresis in 2% agarose gel. The Pro allele was 279 bp, while
the Arg allele was restricted into two fragments of 160 and 119 bp.
Among the 145 colorectal cancer cases 49 cases (33.79%) were
homozygous for the Arg72 allele (Arg/Arg), 18 cases (12.41%) were
homozygous for the Pro72 allele (Pro/Pro) and 78 cases (53.8%)
found in heterozygous (Arg/Pro).
In conclusion, it can be said that p53Arg/Arg genotype may be
correlated with possible increased risk of this kind of cancers in south
west of Iran.
Abstract: The use of power system stabilizers (PSSs) to damp
power system swing mode of oscillations is practical important. Our
purpose is to retune the power system stabilizer (PSS1A) parameters
in Unitrol D produced by ABB– was installed in 1995in Benghazi
North Power Plants (BNPPs) at General Electricity Company of
Libya (GECOL). The optimal values of the power system stabilizer
(PSS1A) parameters are determined off-line by a particle swarm
optimization technique (PSO). The objective is to damp the local and
inter-area modes of oscillations that occur following power system
disturbances. The retuned power system stabilizer (PSS1A) can cope
with large disturbance at different operating points and has enhanced
power system stability.
Abstract: This paper provides an in-depth study of Wireless
Sensor Network (WSN) application to monitor and control the
swiftlet habitat. A set of system design is designed and developed
that includes the hardware design of the nodes, Graphical User
Interface (GUI) software, sensor network, and interconnectivity for
remote data access and management. System architecture is proposed
to address the requirements for habitat monitoring. Such applicationdriven
design provides and identify important areas of further work
in data sampling, communications and networking. For this
monitoring system, a sensor node (MTS400), IRIS and Micaz radio
transceivers, and a USB interfaced gateway base station of Crossbow
(Xbow) Technology WSN are employed. The GUI of this monitoring
system is written using a Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation
Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) along with Xbow Technology
drivers provided by National Instrument. As a result, this monitoring
system is capable of collecting data and presents it in both tables and
waveform charts for further analysis. This system is also able to send
notification message by email provided Internet connectivity is
available whenever changes on habitat at remote sites (swiftlet farms)
occur. Other functions that have been implemented in this system
are the database system for record and management purposes; remote
access through the internet using LogMeIn software. Finally, this
research draws a conclusion that a WSN for monitoring swiftlet
habitat can be effectively used to monitor and manage swiftlet
farming industry in Sarawak.
Abstract: Non-viral gene carriers composed of biodegradable
polymers or lipids have been considered as a safer alternative for gene
carriers over viral vectors. We have developed multi-functional
nano-micelles for both drug and gene delivery application.
Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was modified by grafting stearic acid (SA)
and formulated to polymeric micelles (PEI-SA) with positive surface
charge for gene and drug delivery. Our results showed that PEI-SA
micelles provided high siRNA binding efficiency. In addition, siRNA
delivered by PEI-SA carriers also demonstrated significantly high
cellular uptake even in the presence of serum proteins. The
post-transcriptional gene silencing efficiency was greatly improved by
the polyplex formulated by 10k PEI-SA/siRNA. The amphiphilic
structure of PEI-SA micelles provided advantages for multifunctional
tasks; where the hydrophilic shell modified with cationic charges can
electrostatically interact with DNA or siRNA, and the hydrophobic
core can serve as payloads for hydrophobic drugs, making it a
promising multifunctional vehicle for both genetic and chemotherapy
application.