Abstract: The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in schools and higher education is proliferating. Due to its interactive and animated features, it is regarded as a promising technology to increase students- spatial ability. Spatial ability is assumed to have a prominent role in science and engineering domains. However, research concerning individual differences such as spatial ability in the context of VR is still at its infancy. Moreover, empirical studies that focus on the features of VR to improve spatial ability are to date rare. Thus, this paper explores the possible educational values of VR in relation to spatial ability to call for more research concerning spatial ability in the context of VR based on studies in computerbased learning. It is believed that the incorporation of state-of-the-art VR technology for educational purposes should be justified by the enhanced benefits for the target learners.
Abstract: III-nitride quaternary InxAlyGa1-x-yN alloys have experienced considerable interest as potential materials for optoelectronic applications. Despite these interesting applications and the extensive efforts to understand their fundamental properties, research on its fundamental surface property, i.e., surface phonon polariton (SPP) has not yet been reported. In fact, the SPP properties have been shown to provide application for some photonic devices. Hence, there is an absolute need for thorough studies on the SPP properties of this material. In this work, theoretical study on the SPP modes in InAlGaN quaternary alloys are reported. Attention is focus on the wurtzite (α-) structure InxAlyGa1-x-yN semi-crystal with different In composition, x ranging from 0 to 0.10 and constant Al composition, y = 0.06. The SPP modes are obtained through the theoretical simulation by means of anisotropy model. The characteristics of SP dispersion curves are discussed. Accessible results in terms of the experimental point of view are also given. Finally, the results revealed that the SPP mode of α-InxAlyGa1-x-yN semiconductors exhibits two-mode behavior.
Abstract: The last decade has seen an early majority of people
The last decade, the role of the of the information communication
technologies has increased in improving the social and business life
of people. Today, it is recognized that game could contribute to
enhance virtual rehabilitation by better engaging patients. Our
research study aims to develop a game based system enhancing
cognitive and physical capabilities of elderly people. To this end, the
project aims to develop a low cost hand held system based on
existing game such as Wii, PSP, or Xbox. This paper discusses the
concepts and requirements for developing such game for elderly
people. Based on the requirement elicitation, we intend to develop a
prototype related to sport and dance activities.
Abstract: In this research relationship between to be smooth the
interest and output of accepted companies stock at negotiable paper
exchange of Tehran is studied. Static community capacity included
363 companies member of negotiable paper exchange of Tehran that
54 companies were, by considering research limitation, selected from
2004 to 2009. Needed data for model test in librarian method was
chosen from RAH AVARDE NOVIN informative banks, TADBIR
and collecting needed data was selected from Tehran negotiable
paper exchange archive. Given results show that in spite of belief
among people based on companies have more smooth interest have
more output, but resulted outcomes of test-done reveals that there is
no relation between smooth interest and stock output.
Abstract: From a long time age, human beings have chosen their
place of residence and comfort so that those places would have
relatively ideal natural and climatic conditions. For this reason, from
the beginning, the civilizations have been formed in the susceptible
natural regions such as Mesopotamia in Iran and Nile coasts in
Egypt. Also, the core of human density has been made in the form of
an oasis in the deserts.
Regarding the formation and combination of the native
architecture in different regions of Iran, we find that different
properties of these climates have affected frequently the formation of
cities and the architectural combinations of these regions. Thus, the
precise determinations of climatic areas and attaining the climatic
properties of different regions have a great deal of importance in
presenting appropriate and compatible-with-climate designs.
Abstract: This work develops a novel intelligent “model of dynamic decision-making" usingcell assemblies network architecture in robot's movement. The “model of dynamic decision-making" simulates human decision-making, and follows commands to make the correct decisions. The cell assemblies approach consisting of fLIF neurons was used to implement tasks for finding targets and avoiding obstacles. Experimental results show that the cell assemblies approach of can be employed to efficiently complete finding targets and avoiding obstacles tasks and can simulate the human thinking and the mode of information transactions.
Abstract: Gurus of the Classical Management School (like
Taylor, Fayol and Ford) had an opinion that work must be delegated
to the individual and the individual has to be instructed, his work
assessed and paid based on individual performance. The theories of
the Human Relations School have changed this mentality regarding
the concept of groups. They came to the conclusion that the influence
of groups greatly affects the behaviour and performance of its
members.
Group theories today are characterized by problem-solving teams
and self-managing groups authorized to make decisions and execute;
professional communities also play an important role during the
operation of knowledge management systems.
In this theoretical research we try to find answers to a question:
what kind of characteristics (professional competencies, personal
features, etc.) a successful team needs to manage a change to operate
a knowledge management system step by step.
Abstract: The bridge vibration due to traffic loading has been a
subject of extensive research during the last decades. A number of
these studies are concerned with the effects of the unevenness of
roadways on the dynamic responses of highway bridges. The road
unevenness is often described as a random process that constitutes
of different wavelengths. Thus, the study focuses on examining
the effects of the random description of roadways on the dynamic
response and its variance. A new setting of variance based sensitivity
analysis is proposed and used to identify and quantify the
contributions of the roadway-s wavelengths to the variance of the
dynamic response. Furthermore, the effect of the vehicle-s speed on
the dynamic response is studied.
Abstract: Current practice of indigenous Mapping production based on GIS, are mostly produced by professional GIS personnel. Given such persons maintain control over data collection and authoring, it is possible to conceive errors due to misrepresentation or cognitive misunderstanding, causing map production inconsistencies. In order to avoid such issues, this research into tribal GIS interface focuses not on customizing interfaces for individual tribes, but rather generalizing the interface and features based on indigenous tribal user needs. The methods employed differs from the traditional expert top-down approach, and instead gaining deeper understanding into indigenous Mappings and user needs, prior to applying mapping techniques and feature development.
Abstract: Several optimization algorithms specifically applied to
the problem of Operation Planning of Hydrothermal Power Systems
have been developed and are used. Although providing solutions to
various problems encountered, these algorithms have some
weaknesses, difficulties in convergence, simplification of the original
formulation of the problem, or owing to the complexity of the
objective function. Thus, this paper presents the development of a
computational tool for solving optimization problem identified and to
provide the User an easy handling. Adopted as intelligent
optimization technique, Genetic Algorithms and programming
language Java. First made the modeling of the chromosomes, then
implemented the function assessment of the problem and the
operators involved, and finally the drafting of the graphical interfaces
for access to the User. The program has managed to relate a coherent
performance in problem resolution without the need for
simplification of the calculations together with the ease of
manipulating the parameters of simulation and visualization of output
results.
Abstract: Globalisation is a phenomenon that cannot be avoided.
As globalisation allowed free flow of inputs including labour, it may
affect job opportunities for the locals. Therefore, investigate the
determinants of labour supply is essential in understanding the
structure of labour market in the new era of globalization. The
objective of this article is to examine labour supply by taking into
account the globalisation effect. The study covers 3885 households in
Peninsular Malaysia who are chosen using stratified random
sampling. The labour supply model will be the basis for the analysis.
The basic labour supply determinants are own wage and non-labour
income. However, the extended labour supply model incorporates
other variables like spouse wage，number of children and
individuals characteristics like education level and age. Besides, the
globalization indicator will also be incorporated as another
independent variable.
Abstract: The aim of this work is to investigate on the internalflow
patterns in a plate heat exchanger channel, which affect the
rate of sedimentation fouling on the heat transfer surface of the
plate heat exchanger. The research methodologies were the
computer simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
and the experimental works. COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS™
Version 3.3 was used to simulate the velocity flow fields to verify
the low and high flow regions. The results from the CFD technique
were then compared with the images obtained from the
experiments in which the fouling test rig was set up with a singlechannel
plate heat exchanger to monitor the fouling of calcium
carbonate. Two parameters were varied i.e., the crossing angle of
the two plate: 55/55, 10/10, and 55/10 degree, and the fluid flow
rate at the inlet: 0.0566, 0.1132 and 0.1698 m/s. The type of plate
“GX-12" (the surface area 0.12 m2, the depth 2.9 mm, the width of
fluid flow 215 mm and the thickness of stainless plate of 0.5 mm)
was used in this study. The results indicated that the velocity
distribution for the case of 55/55 degree seems to be very well
organized when compared with the others. Also, an increase in the
inlet velocity resulted in the reduction of fouling rate on the surface
of plate heat exchangers.
Abstract: This study suggests how an order-receiving company
can avoid disclosing schedule information on unit tasks to the
order-placing company when carrying out a collaborative project on
the value chain in an order-oriented industry. Specifically, it suggests
methods for keeping schedule information confidential, and
categorizes potential situations by inter-task dependency. Lastly, an
approach to select the most optimal non-disclosure method is
discussed. With the methods for not disclosing work-related
information suggested in the study, order-receiving companies can
logically deal with political issues relating to the question of whether
or not to disclose information upon the execution of a collaborative
project in cooperation with an order-placing firm. Moreover,
order-placing companies can monitor undistorted information, while
respecting the legitimate rights of an order-receiving company.
Therefore, it is fair to say that the suggestions made in this study will
contribute to the smooth operation of collaborative intercompany
projects.
Abstract: Due to their high power-to-weight ratio and low cost, pneumatic actuators are attractive for robotics and automation applications; however, achieving fast and accurate control of their position have been known as a complex control problem. The paper presents a methodology for obtaining controllers that achieve high position accuracy and preserve the closed-loop characteristics over a broad operating range. Experimentation with a number of conventional (or "classical") three-term controllers shows that, as repeated operations accumulate, the characteristics of the pneumatic actuator change requiring frequent re-tuning of the controller parameters (PID gains). Furthermore, three-term controllers are found to perform poorly in recovering the closed-loop system after the application of load or other external disturbances. The key reason for these problems lies in the non-linear exchange of energy inside the cylinder relating, in particular, to the complex friction forces that develop on the piston-wall interface. In order to overcome this problem but still remain within the boundaries of classical control methods, we designed an auto selective classicaql controller so that the system performance would benefit from all three control gains (KP, Kd, Ki) according to system requirements and the characteristics of each type of controller. This challenging experimentation took place for consistent performance in the face of modelling imprecision and disturbances. In the work presented, a selective PID controller is presented for an experimental rig comprising an air cylinder driven by a variable-opening pneumatic valve and equipped with position and pressure sensors. The paper reports on tests carried out to investigate the capability of this specific controller to achieve consistent control performance under, repeated operations and other changes in operating conditions.
Abstract: The paper presents the service learning project titled
DicDucFac (idea-leadership-product), that was planned and
conducted by the team of information sciences students. It was
planned as a workshop dealing with the application of modern social
media (Facebook, YouTube, Gmail) for the purposes of selfpromotion,
free advertising via social networks and marketing own
ideas and/or products in the virtual world. The workshop was
organized for highly-skilled computer literate unemployed youth.
These youth, as final beneficiaries, will be able to apply what they
learned in this workshop to “the real world“, increasing their chances
for employment and self-employment. The results of the project
reveal that the basic, active-learning principles embodied in our
teaching approach allow students to learn more effectively and gain
essential life skills (from computer applications to teamwork) that
can only be learned by doing. It also shows that our students received
the essentials of professional ethics and citizenship through direct,
personal engagement in professional activities and the life of the
community.
Abstract: The Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling
Problem (RCPSP) is concerned with single-item or small batch
production where limited resources have to be allocated to dependent
activities over time. Over the past few decades, a lot of work has
been made with the use of optimal solution procedures for this basic
problem type and its extensions. Brucker and Knust[1] discuss, how
timetabling problems can be modeled as a RCPSP. Authors discuss
high school timetabling and university course timetabling problem as
an example. We have formulated two mathematical formulations of
course timetabling problem in a new way which are the prototype of
single-mode RCPSP. Our focus is to show, how course timetabling
problem can be transformed into RCPSP. We solve this
transformation model with genetic algorithm.
Abstract: This article provides a comparative analysis of poetries of diverse nations around the world while largely focusing on Kazakh lyric poetry (Kazakh zhyraulyq oneri). Alongside, it sheds the light to the historical development and contemporary progress path of foremost poetry school located along the Syr Darya coast. Hereby, it-s content and central motives are examined.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate ammonium
exchange capacity of natural and activated clinoptilolite from
Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa. X – ray fluorescence (XRF)
analysis showed that the clinoptilolite contained exchangeable ions
of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. This analysis also
confirmed that the zeolite sample had a high silicon composition
compared to aluminium. Batch equilibrium studies were performed
in an orbital shaker and the data fitted the Langmuir isotherm very
well. The ammonium exchange capacity was found to increase with
pH and temperature. Clinoptilolite functionalization with
hydrochloric acid increased its ammonia uptake ability.
Abstract: A handful of propagation textbooks that discuss radio frequency (RF) propagation models merely list out the models and perhaps discuss them rather briefly; this may well be frustrating for the potential first time modeller who's got no idea on how these models could have been derived. This paper fundamentally provides an overture in modelling the radio channel. Explicitly, for the modelling practice discussed here, signal strength field measurements had to be conducted beforehand (this was done at 469 MHz); to be precise, this paper primarily concerns empirically/statistically modelling the radio channel, and thus provides results obtained from empirically modelling the environments in question. This paper, on the whole, proposes three propagation models, corresponding to three experimented environments. Perceptibly, the models have been derived by way of making the most use of statistical measures. Generally speaking, the first two models were derived via simple linear regression analysis, whereas the third have been originated using multiple regression analysis (with five various predictors). Additionally, as implied by the title of this paper, both indoor and outdoor environments have been experimented; however, (somewhat) two of the environments are neither entirely indoor nor entirely outdoor. The other environment, however, is completely indoor.
Abstract: By analyzing the sources of energy and power
loss in PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled drivers of
water electrolysis cells, it is possible to reduce the power
dissipation and enhance the efficiency of such hydrogen
production units. A PWM controlled power driver is based on
a semiconductor switching element where its power
dissipation might be a remarkable fraction of the total power
demand of an electrolysis system. Power dissipation in a
semiconductor switching element is related to many different
parameters which could be fitted into two main categories:
switching losses and conduction losses. Conduction losses are
directly related to the built, structure and capabilities of a
switching device itself and indeed the conditions in which the
element is handling the switching application such as voltage,
current, temperature and of course the fabrication technology.
On the other hand, switching losses have some other
influencing variables other than the mentioned such as control
system, switching method and power electronics circuitry of
the PWM power driver. By analyzings the characteristics of
recently developed power switching transistors from different
families of Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT), Metal Oxide
Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET) and
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT), some
recommendations are made in this paper which are able to
lead to achieve higher hydrogen production efficiency by
utilizing PWM controlled water electrolysis cells.