Abstract: Intradiscal and intervertebral pressure transducers
were developed. They were used to map the pressures in the nucleus
and within the annulus of the human spinal segments. Their stressrelaxation
were recorded over a period of time for nucleus
pressure, applied load, and peripherial strain against time. The
results show that for normal discs, pressures in the nucleus are
viscoelastic in nature with the applied compressive load.
Mechanical strains which develop around the periphery of the
vertebral body are also viscoelastic with the applied compressive
load. Applied compressive load against time also shows viscoelastic
behavior. However, annulus does not respond viscoelastically with
the applied load. It showed a linear response to compressive loading.
Abstract: The Informational Infrastructures of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises are relatively poor, there are serious shortages of capitals which can be invested in informatization construction, computer hardware and software resources, and human resources. To address the informatization issue in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, and enable them to the application of advanced management thinking and enhance their competitiveness, the paper establish a manufacturing-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises informatization platform based on the ASP business intelligence technology, which effectively improves the scientificity of enterprises decision and management informatization.
Abstract: A novel concept to balance and tradeoff between
make-to-stock and make-to-order has been hybrid MTS/MTO production context. One of the most important decisions involved in
the hybrid MTS/MTO environment is determining whether a product
is manufactured to stock, to order, or hybrid MTS/MTO strategy. In this paper, a model based on analytic network process is developed to tackle the addressed decision. Since the regarded decision deals with
the uncertainty and ambiguity of data as well as experts- and
managers- linguistic judgments, the proposed model is equipped with
fuzzy sets theory. An important attribute of the model is its generality due to diverse decision factors which are elicited from the
literature and developed by the authors. Finally, the model is validated by applying to a real case study to reveal how the proposed
model can actually be implemented.
Abstract: Hypernetworks are a generalized graph structure
representing higher-order interactions between variables. We present a
method for self-organizing hypernetworks to learn an associative
memory of sentences and to recall the sentences from this memory.
This learning method is inspired by the “mental chemistry" model of
cognition and the “molecular self-assembly" technology in
biochemistry. Simulation experiments are performed on a corpus of
natural-language dialogues of approximately 300K sentences
collected from TV drama captions. We report on the sentence
completion performance as a function of the order of word-interaction
and the size of the learning corpus, and discuss the plausibility of this
architecture as a cognitive model of language learning and memory.
Abstract: A spanning tree of a connected graph is a tree which
consists the set of vertices and some or perhaps all of the edges from
the connected graph. In this paper, a model for spanning tree
transformation of connected graphs into single-row networks, namely
Spanning Tree of Connected Graph Modeling (STCGM) will be
introduced. Path-Growing Tree-Forming algorithm applied with
Vertex-Prioritized is contained in the model to produce the spanning
tree from the connected graph. Paths are produced by Path-Growing
and they are combined into a spanning tree by Tree-Forming. The
spanning tree that is produced from the connected graph is then
transformed into single-row network using Tree Sequence Modeling
(TSM). Finally, the single-row routing problem is solved using a
method called Enhanced Simulated Annealing for Single-Row
Routing (ESSR).
Abstract: Among all geo-hydrological relationships, rainfallrunoff
relationship is of utmost importance in any hydrological
investigation and water resource planning. Spatial variation, lag time
involved in obtaining areal estimates for the basin as a whole can
affect the parameterization in design stage as well as in planning
stage. In conventional hydrological processing of data, spatial aspect
is either ignored or interpolated at sub-basin level. Temporal
variation when analysed for different stages can provide clues for its
spatial effectiveness. The interplay of space-time variation at pixel
level can provide better understanding of basin parameters.
Sustenance of design structures for different return periods and their
spatial auto-correlations should be studied at different geographical
scales for better management and planning of water resources.
In order to understand the relative effect of spatio-temporal
variation in hydrological data network, a detailed geo-hydrological
analysis of Betwa river catchment falling in Lower Yamuna Basin is
presented in this paper. Moreover, the exact estimates about the
availability of water in the Betwa river catchment, especially in the
wake of recent Betwa-Ken linkage project, need thorough scientific
investigation for better planning. Therefore, an attempt in this
direction is made here to analyse the existing hydrological and
meteorological data with the help of SPSS, GIS and MS-EXCEL
software. A comparison of spatial and temporal correlations at subcatchment
level in case of upper Betwa reaches has been made to
demonstrate the representativeness of rain gauges. First, flows at
different locations are used to derive correlation and regression
coefficients. Then, long-term normal water yield estimates based on
pixel-wise regression coefficients of rainfall-runoff relationship have
been mapped. The areal values obtained from these maps can
definitely improve upon estimates based on point-based
extrapolations or areal interpolations.
Abstract: Location-based services (LBS) exploit the known
location of a user to provide services dependent on their geographic
context and personalized needs [1].
The development and arrival of broadband mobile data networks
supported with mobile terminals equipped with new location
technologies like GPS have finally created opportunities for
implementation of LBS applications. But, from the other side,
collecting location information data in general raises privacy
concerns.
This paper presents results from two surveys of LBS acceptance in
Croatia. The first survey was administered on 181 students, and the
second extended survey involved pattern of 180 Croatian citizens.
We developed questionnaire which consists of descriptions of 15
different applications with scale which measures perceptions and
attitudes of users towards these applications.
We report the results to identify potential commercial applications
for LBS in B2C segment. Our findings suggest that some types of
applications like emergency&safety services and navigation have
significantly higher rate of acceptance than other types.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the
controversial subject of tax incentives to promote regional
development. Although extensive research has been conducted, a
review of the literature gives an inconclusive answer to whether
economic incentives are effective. One reason is the fact that for
some researchers “effective" means the significant location of new
firms in targeted areas, while for others the creation of jobs
regardless if new firms are arriving in a significant fashion. We
present this dichotomy by analyzing a tax incentive program via both
alternatives: location and job creation. The contribution of the paper
is to inform policymakers about the potential opportunities and
pitfalls when designing incentive strategies. This is particularly
relevant, given that both the US and Europe have been promoting
incentives as a tool for regional economic development.
Abstract: The higher compounded growth rates coupled with
favourable demographics in emerging markets portend abundant
opportunities for multinational organizations. With many
organizations competing for talent in these growing markets, their
ability to succeed will depend on their understanding of local
workforce needs and aspirations. Using data from the Towers Watson
2010 Global Workforce Study, this paper highlights differences in
employee engagement, turnover risks, and attraction and retention
drivers between the two markets. Apart from looking at the
traditional drivers of employee engagement, the study also explores
the value placed by employees on elements like a strong senior
leadership, managerial capabilities and career advancement
opportunities. Results reveal that emerging markets employees seem
to be more engaged and value the non-traditional elements more
highly than the developed markets employees.
Abstract: Heavy rainfall greatly affects the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. There are many accidents of aircraft caused by aerodynamic efficiency degradation by heavy rain.
In this Paper we have studied the heavy rain effects on the aerodynamic efficiency of cambered NACA 64-210 and symmetric
NACA 0012 airfoils. Our results show significant increase in drag and decrease in lift. We used preprocessing software gridgen for creation of geometry and mesh, used fluent as solver and techplot as postprocessor. Discrete phase modeling called DPM is used to model the rain particles using two phase flow approach. The rain particles are assumed to be inert.
Both airfoils showed significant decrease in lift and increase in drag in simulated rain environment. The most significant difference between these two airfoils was the NACA 64-210 more sensitivity than NACA 0012 to liquid water content (LWC). We believe that the results showed in this paper will be useful for the designer of the commercial aircrafts and UAVs, and will be helpful for training of the pilots to control the airplanes in heavy rain.
Abstract: The Kowsar dam supply water for different usages
such as drinking, industrial, agricultural and aquaculture farms
usages and located next to the city of Dehdashat in Kohgiluye and
Boyerahmad province in southern Iran. There are some towns and
villages on the Kowsar dam watersheds, which Dehdasht and Choram
are the most important and populated cities in this area. The study
was undertaken to assess the status of water quality in the urban areas
of the Kowsar dam. A total of 28 water samples were collected from
6 stations on surface water and 1 station from groundwater on the
watershed of the Kowsar dam. All the samples were analyzed for Ni
concentration using standard procedures. The results were compared
with other national and international standards. Among the analyzed
samples, as the maximum value of Nickel (0.01 mg/L) was observed
on the station 2 at the autumn 2010, all the samples analyzed were
within the maximum admissible limits by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, EU, WHO and the Iranian. In
general results of the present study have shown that a Ni mean value
of station No. 2 with 0.006 mg/L is higher than the other stations. Ni
level of all samples and stations have had normal values and this is an
indication of pollution potential and hazards because of human
activity and waste water of towns in the areas, which can effect on
human health implications in future. This research, therefore,
recommends the government and other responsible authorities to take
suitable improving measures in the Kowsar dam watersheds.
Abstract: The article examines an opportunity of corruption
restriction exercised by international business community in Russia.
Integration of Russian economy into the international business does
not reduce corruption inside the country. Foreign actors investing in
Russia under the condition of obtaining their required rates of returns
will be reluctant to harm their investments by involving into anticorruption
activities. Furthermore, many Russian firms- competitive
advantage could be directly related to their corruption connections. In
this case, foreign investments would only accentuate corrupt
companies- success by supporting them financially
Abstract: In aerospace applications, interactions of airflow with
aircraft structures can result in undesirable structural deformations.
This structural deformation in turn, can be predicted if the natural
modes of the structure are known. This can be achieved through
conventional modal testing that requires a known excitation force in
order to extract these dynamic properties. This technique can be
experimentally complex because of the need for artificial excitation
and it is also does not represent actual operational condition. The
current work presents part of research work that address the practical
implementation of operational modal analysis (OMA) applied to a
cantilevered hybrid composite plate employing single contactless
sensing system via laser vibrometer. OMA technique extracts the
modal parameters based only on the measurements of the dynamic
response. The OMA results were verified with impact hammer modal
testing and good agreement was obtained.
Abstract: Equations with differentials relating to the inverse of an unknown function rather than to the unknown function itself are solved exactly for some special cases and numerically for the general case. Invertibility combined with differentiability over connected domains forces solutions always to be monotone. Numerical function inversion is key to all solution algorithms which either are of a forward type or a fixed point type considering whole approximate solution functions in each iteration. The given considerations are restricted to ordinary differential equations with inverted functions (ODEIs) of first order. Forward type computations, if applicable, admit consistency of order one and, under an additional accuracy condition, convergence of order one.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate fire
behaviors, experimentally and numerically, in a scaled version of an
underground station. The effect of ventilation velocity on the fire is
examined. Fire experiments are simulated by burning 10 ml
isopropyl alcohol fuel in a fire pool with dimensions 5cm x 10cm x 4
mm at the center of 1/100 scaled underground station model. A
commercial CFD program FLUENT was used in numerical
simulations. For air flow simulations, k-ω SST turbulence model and
for combustion simulation, non-premixed combustion model are
used. This study showed that, the ventilation velocity is increased
from 1 m/s to 3 m/s the maximum temperature in the station is found
to be less for ventilation velocity of 1 m/s. The reason for these
experimental result lies on the relative dominance of oxygen supply
effect on cooling effect. Without piston effect, maximum temperature
occurs above the fuel pool. However, when the ventilation velocity
increased the flame was tilted in the direction of ventilation and the
location of maximum temperature moves along the flow direction.
The velocities measured experimentally in the station at different
locations are well matched by the CFD simulation results. The
prediction of general flow pattern is satisfactory with the smoke
visualization tests. The backlayering in velocity is well predicted by
CFD simulation. However, all over the station, the CFD simulations
predicted higher temperatures compared to experimental
measurements.
Abstract: In this paper we present modeling and simulation for
physical vapor deposition for metallic bipolar plates. In the models
we discuss the application of different models to simulate the
transport of chemical reactions of the gas species in the gas chamber.
The so called sputter process is an extremely sensitive process to
deposit thin layers to metallic plates. We have taken into account
lower order models to obtain first results with respect to the gas
fluxes and the kinetics in the chamber.
The model equations can be treated analytically in some
circumstances and complicated multi-dimensional models are solved
numerically with a software-package (UG unstructed grids, see [1]).
Because of multi-scaling and multi-physical behavior of the models,
we discuss adapted schemes to solve more accurate in the different
domains and scales. The results are discussed with physical
experiments to give a valid model for the assumed growth of thin
layers.
Abstract: Low temperature (LT) is one of the most abiotic
stresses causing loss of yield in wheat (T. aestivum). Four major
genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with the dominant alleles
designated Vrn–A1,Vrn–B1,Vrn–D1 and Vrn4, are known to have
large effects on the vernalization response, but the effects on cold
hardiness are ambiguous. Poor cold tolerance has restricted winter
wheat production in regions of high winter stress [9]. It was known
that nearly all wheat chromosomes [5] or at least 10 chromosomes of
21 chromosome pairs are important in winter hardiness [15]. The
objective of present study was to clarify the role of each chromosome
in cold tolerance. With this purpose we used 20 isogenic lines of
wheat. In each one of these isogenic lines only a chromosome from
‘Bezostaya’ variety (a winter habit cultivar) was substituted to
‘Capple desprez’ variety. The plant materials were planted in
controlled conditions with 20º C and 16 h day length in moderately
cold areas of Iran at Karaj Agricultural Research Station in 2006-07
and the acclimation period was completed for about 4 weeks in a
cold room with 4º C. The cold hardiness of these isogenic lines was
measured by LT50 (the temperature in which 50% of the plants are
killed by freezing stress).The experimental design was completely
randomized block design (RCBD)with three replicates. The results
showed that chromosome 5A had a major effect on freezing
tolerance, and then chromosomes 1A and 4A had less effect on this
trait. Further studies are essential to understanding the importance of
each chromosome in controlling cold hardiness in wheat.
Abstract: Rapid progress in process automation and tightening
quality standards result in a growing demand being placed on fault
detection and diagnostics methods to provide both speed and
reliability of motor quality testing. Doubly fed induction generators
are used mainly for wind energy conversion in MW power plants.
This paper presents a detection of an inter turn stator and an open
phase faults, in a doubly fed induction machine whose stator and
rotor are supplied by two pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters.
The method used in this article to detect these faults, is based on
Park-s Vector Approach, using a neural network.
Abstract: This research aimed to study correlation between
work satisfaction and organization core value of officers in
Waterworks Authority, Bangkean Branch. Sample group of the study
was 112 officers who worked in the Waterworks Authority,
Bangkean Branch. Questionnaires were employed as a research tools,
while, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, T-test, One-way
ANOVA, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were claimed as
statistics used in this study. Researcher found that overall and
individual aspects of work satisfaction namely, work characteristic,
work progress, and colleagues significantly correlated with
organization core value in aspect of perception in choice of work at
0.5, 0.01, and 0.01 respectively. Also, such aspects were compatible
with income at .05 which indicated the low level of correlation, mid
low correlation respectively at the same direction, same direction,
opposite direction, and same direction, correspondingly.
Abstract: Defining strategic position of the organizations within
the industry environment is one of the basic and most important
phases of strategic planning to which extent that one of the
fundamental schools of strategic planning is the strategic positioning
school. In today-s knowledge-based economy and dynamic
environment, it is essential for universities as the centers of
education, knowledge creation and knowledge worker evolvement.
Till now, variant models with different approaches to strategic
positioning are deployed in defining the strategic position within the
various industries. Balanced Scorecard as one of the powerful models
for strategic positioning, analyzes all aspects of the organization
evenly. In this paper with the consideration of BSC strength in
strategic evaluation, it is used for analyzing the environmental
position of the best-s Iranian Business Schools. The results could be
used in developing strategic plans for these schools as well as other
Iranian Management and Business Schools.