Abstract: This paper proposes a new technique for improving
the efficiency of software testing, which is based on a conventional
attempt to reduce test cases that have to be tested for any given
software. The approach utilizes the advantage of Regression Testing
where fewer test cases would lessen time consumption of the testing
as a whole. The technique also offers a means to perform test case
generation automatically. Compared to one of the techniques in the
literature where the tester has no option but to perform the test case
generation manually, the proposed technique provides a better
option. As for the test cases reduction, the technique uses simple
algebraic conditions to assign fixed values to variables (Maximum,
minimum and constant variables). By doing this, the variables values
would be limited within a definite range, resulting in fewer numbers
of possible test cases to process. The technique can also be used in
program loops and arrays.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of academic achievement of student Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) teachers with different learning styles. Participants were 148 student ICT teachers from Ankara University. Participants were asked to fill out a personal information sheet, the Turkish version of Kolb-s Learning Style Inventory, Weinstein-s Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, Schommer's Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire, and Eysenck-s Personality Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analyses showed that the statistically significant predictors of the academic achievement of the accommodators were attitudes and high school GPAs; of the divergers was anxiety; of the convergers were gender, epistemological beliefs, and motivation; and of the assimilators were gender, personality, and test strategies. Implications for ICT teaching-learning processes and teacher education are discussed.
Abstract: Subgrade moisture content varies with environmental and soil conditions and has significant influence on pavement performance. Therefore, it is important to establish realistic estimates of expected subgrade moisture contents to account for the effects of this variable on predicted pavement performance during the design stage properly. The initial boundary soil suction profile for a given pavement is a critical factor in determining expected moisture variations in the subgrade for given pavement and climatic and soil conditions. Several numerical models have been developed for predicting water and solute transport in saturated and unsaturated subgrade soils. Soil hydraulic properties are required for quantitatively describing water and chemical transport processes in soils by the numerical models. The required hydraulic properties are hydraulic conductivity, water diffusivity, and specific water capacity. The objective of this paper was to determine isothermal moisture profiles in a soil fill and predict the soil moisture movement above the ground water table using a simple one-dimensional finite difference model.
Abstract: This work presents a neural network model for the
clustering analysis of data based on Self Organizing Maps (SOM).
The model evolves during the training stage towards a hierarchical
structure according to the input requirements. The hierarchical structure
symbolizes a specialization tool that provides refinements of the
classification process. The structure behaves like a single map with
different resolutions depending on the region to analyze. The benefits
and performance of the algorithm are discussed in application to the
Iris dataset, a classical example for pattern recognition.
Abstract: This article concerns the presentation of an integrated
method for detection of steganographic content embedded by new
unknown programs. The method is based on data mining and
aggregated hypothesis testing. The article contains the theoretical
basics used to deploy the proposed detection system and the
description of improvement proposed for the basic system idea.
Further main results of experiments and implementation details are
collected and described. Finally example results of the tests are
presented.
Abstract: Thermal behavior of fuel channel under loss of coolant accident (LOCA) is a major concern for nuclear reactor safety. LOCA along with failure of emergency cooling water system (ECC) may leads to mechanical deformations like sagging and ballooning. In order to understand the phenomenon an experiment has been carried out using 19 pin fuel element simulator. Main purpose of the experiment was to trace temperature profiles over the pressure tube, calandria tube and clad tubes of Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (IPHWR) under symmetrical and asymmetrical heat-up conditions. For simulating the fully voided scenario, symmetrical heating of pressure was carried out by injecting 13.2 KW (2 % of nominal power) to all the 19 pins and the temperatures of pressure tube, calandria tube and clad tubes were measured. During symmetrical heating the sagging of fuel channel was initiated at 460 °C and the highest temperature attained by PT was 650 °C . The decay heat from clad tubes was dissipated to moderator mainly by radiation and natural convection. The highest temperature of 680 °C was observed over the outer ring of clad tubes of fuel simulator. Again, to simulate partially voided condition, asymmetrical heating of pressure was carried out by supplying 8.0 kW power to upper 8 pins of fuel simulator and temperature profiles were measured. Along the circumference of pressure tube (PT) the highest temperature difference of 320 °C was observed, which highlights the magnitude of thermal stresses under partially voided conditions.
Abstract: The autonomous mobile robot was designed and implemented which was capable of navigating in the industrial environments and did a job of picking objects from variable height and delivering it to another location following a predefined trajectory. In developing country like Bangladesh industrial robotics is not very prevalent yet, due to the high installation cost. The objective of this project was to develop an autonomous mobile robot for industrial application using the available resources in the local market at lower manufacturing cost. The mechanical system of the robot was comprised of locomotion, gripping and elevation system. Grippers were designed to grip objects of a predefined shape. Cartesian elevation system was designed for vertical movement of the gripper. PIC18F452 microcontroller was the brain of the control system. The prototype autonomous robot was fabricated for relatively lower load than the industry and the performance was tested in a virtual industrial environment created within the laboratory to realize the effectiveness.
Abstract: Fixed-point simulation results are used for the performance measure of inverting matrices using a reconfigurable processing element. Matrices are inverted using the Cholesky decomposition algorithm. The reconfigurable processing element is capable of all required mathematical operations. The fixed-point word length analysis is based on simulations of different condition numbers and different matrix sizes.
Abstract: Skin color is an important visual cue for computer
vision systems involving human users. In this paper we combine skin
color and optical flow for detection and tracking of skin regions. We
apply these techniques to gesture recognition with encouraging
results. We propose a novel skin similarity measure. For grouping
detected skin regions we propose a novel skin region grouping
mechanism. The proposed techniques work with any number of skin
regions making them suitable for a multiuser scenario.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of
supplementing the diluent of roosters' semen with different levels of
olive oil on motility, viability, morphology and acrosome integrity of
chicken spermatozoa after in vitro storage for up to 72 h. Semen was
collected from 60 White Layer males (62 wk of age) kept in
separated floor pens and randomly divided into six treatment groups
(10 males in each group). Experimental groups were as follows: T1
:fresh semen, T2 : semen extended 1:1 with Al – Daraji 2 diluent
(AD2D) alone, T3 – T6 :semen samples extended 1:1 with AD2D
supplemented with 2 ml, 4 ml, 6 ml or 8 ml of olive oil / 100 ml of
diluent, respectively. Semen samples were then stored at 5 °C for 24
h, 48 h or 72 h. There was a clear influence of diluent
supplementation with olive oil on the spermatozoa motility profile;
olive oil groups (T3, T4, T5 and T6) recorded the highest scores of
mass activity and individual motility during all storage periods
compared to T1 and T2 groups. In addition, the inclusion of olive oil
into semen diluent (T3, T4, T5 and T6) gave significantly higher
percentages of viable spermatozoa, normal morphologically
spermatozoa and intact acrosomes irrespective of storage period.
These results clearly show that supplementation the diluent of
roosters' semen with olive oil can improve semen quality when
semen samples in vitro stored at 5 °C for up to 72 h.
Abstract: The production of devices in nanoscale with specific
molecular rectifying function is one of the most significant goals in
state-of-art technology. In this work we show by ab initio quantum
mechanics calculations coupled with non-equilibrium Green
function, the design of an organic two-terminal device. These
molecular structures have molecular source and drain with several
bridge length (from five up to 11 double bonds). Our results are
consistent with significant features as a molecular rectifier and can be
raised up as: (a) it can be used as bi-directional symmetrical rectifier;
(b) two devices integrated in one (FET with one operational region,
and Thyristor thiristor); (c) Inherent stability due small intrinsic
capacitance under forward/reverse bias. We utilize a scheme for the
transport mechanism based on previous properties of ¤Ç bonds type
that can be successfully utilized to construct organic nanodevices.
Abstract: Scheduling for the flexible job shop is very important
in both fields of production management and combinatorial
optimization. However, it quit difficult to achieve an optimal solution
to this problem with traditional optimization approaches owing to the
high computational complexity. The combining of several
optimization criteria induces additional complexity and new
problems. In this paper, a Pareto approach to solve the multi
objective flexible job shop scheduling problems is proposed. The
objectives considered are to minimize the overall completion time
(makespan) and total weighted tardiness (TWT). An effective
simulated annealing algorithm based on the proposed approach is
presented to solve multi objective flexible job shop scheduling
problem. An external memory of non-dominated solutions is
considered to save and update the non-dominated solutions during
the solution process. Numerical examples are used to evaluate and
study the performance of the proposed algorithm. The proposed
algorithm can be applied easily in real factory conditions and for
large size problems. It should thus be useful to both practitioners and
researchers.
Abstract: The amplitude response of infrared (IR) sensors
depends on the reflectance properties of the target. Therefore, in
order to use IR sensor for measuring distances accurately, prior
knowledge of the surface must be known. This paper describes the
Phong Illumination Model for determining the properties of a surface
and subsequently calculating the distance to the surface. The angular
position of the IR sensor is computed as normal to the surface for
simplifying the calculation. Ultrasonic (US) sensor can provide the
initial information on distance to obtain the parameters for this
method. In addition, the experimental results obtained by using
LabView are discussed. More care should be taken when placing the
objects from the sensors during acquiring data since the small change
in angle could show very different distance than the actual one.
Since stereo camera vision systems do not perform well under some
environmental conditions such as plain wall, glass surfaces, or poor
lighting conditions, the IR and US sensors can be used additionally to
improve the overall vision systems of mobile robots.
Abstract: The focus of this research is in the area of the soviet period and the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan in the XIX century. There was close connection of national customs and traditions with religious practices, outlooks and attitudes. In particular, such an approach has alleged estimation by Kazakh historians of the process of Christianization of the local population. Some of them are inclined to consider the small number of Christening Kazakhs as evidence that the Russian Orthodox Church didn’t achieve its mission. The number of historians who think that the church didn’t achieve its mission has thousand over the last centuries, however our calculations of the number of Kazakhs who became Orthodox Christian is much more than other historians think. Such Christians can be divided into 3 groups: Some remained Christian until their deaths, others had two faiths and the third hid their true religions, having returned to their former belief. Therefore, to define the exact amount of Christening Kazakhs represented a challenge. Some data does not create a clear picture of the level of Christianization, constant and accurate was not collected. The data appearing in reports of spiritual attendants and civil authorities is not always authentic. Article purpose is illumination and the analysis missionary activity of Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan.
Abstract: The innovative fuzzy estimator is used to estimate the
ground motion acceleration of the retaining structure in this study. The
Kalman filter without the input term and the fuzzy weighting recursive
least square estimator are two main portions of this method. The
innovation vector can be produced by the Kalman filter, and be
applied to the fuzzy weighting recursive least square estimator to
estimate the acceleration input over time. The excellent performance
of this estimator is demonstrated by comparing it with the use of
difference weighting function, the distinct levels of the measurement
noise covariance and the initial process noise covariance. The
availability and the precision of the proposed method proposed in this
study can be verified by comparing the actual value and the one
obtained by numerical simulation.
Abstract: In this paper, RSA encryption algorithm and its hardware
implementation in Xilinx-s Virtex Field Programmable Gate
Arrays (FPGA) is analyzed. The issues of scalability, flexible performance,
and silicon efficiency for the hardware acceleration of
public key crypto systems are being explored in the present work.
Using techniques based on the interleaved math for exponentiation,
the proposed RSA calculation architecture is compared to existing
FPGA-based solutions for speed, FPGA utilization, and scalability.
The paper covers the RSA encryption algorithm, interleaved multiplication,
Miller Rabin algorithm for primality test, extended Euclidean
math, basic FPGA technology, and the implementation details of
the proposed RSA calculation architecture. Performance of several
alternative hardware architectures is discussed and compared. Finally,
conclusion is drawn, highlighting the advantages of a fully flexible
& parameterized design.
Abstract: In this paper, we are presenting a new type of pointing interface for computers which provides mouse functionalities with near surface haptic feedback. Further, it can be configured as a haptic display where users may feel the basic geometrical shapes in the GUI by moving the finger on top of the device surface. These functionalities are achieved by tracking three dimensional positions of the neodymium magnet using Hall Effect sensors grid and generating like polarity haptic feedback using an electromagnet array. This interface brings the haptic sensations to the 3D space where previously it is felt only on top of the buttons of the haptic mouse implementations.
Abstract: In this paper we investigate the influence of external
noise on the inference of network structures. The purpose of our
simulations is to gain insights in the experimental design of microarray
experiments to infer, e.g., transcription regulatory networks
from microarray experiments. Here external noise means, that the
dynamics of the system under investigation, e.g., temporal changes of
mRNA concentration, is affected by measurement errors. Additionally
to external noise another problem occurs in the context of microarray
experiments. Practically, it is not possible to monitor the mRNA
concentration over an arbitrary long time period as demanded by the
statistical methods used to learn the underlying network structure. For
this reason, we use only short time series to make our simulations
more biologically plausible.
Abstract: This study numerically investigates the effects of Electrohydrodynamic on flow patterns and heat transfer enhancement within a cavity which is on the lower wall of channel. In this simulation, effects of using ground wire and ground plate on the flow patterns are compared. Moreover, the positions of electrode wire respecting with ground are tested in the range of angles θ = 0 - 180o. High electrical voltage exposes to air is 20 kV. Bulk mean velocity and temperature of inlet air are controlled at 0.1 m/s and 60 OC, respectively. The result shows when electric field is applied, swirling flow is appeared in the channel. In addition, swirling flow patterns in the main flow of using ground plate are widely spreader than that of using ground wire. Moreover, direction of swirling flow also affects the flow pattern and heat transfer in a cavity. These cause the using ground wire to give the maximum temperature and heat transfer higher than using ground plate. Furthermore, when the angle is at θ = 60o, high shear flow effect is obtained. This results show high strength of swirling flow and effective heat transfer enhancement.
Abstract: Abrasive Jet Machining is an Unconventional
machining process in which the metal is removed from brittle and
hard material in the form of micro-chips. With increase in need of
materials like ceramics, composites, in manufacturing of various
Mechanical & Electronic components, AJM has become a useful
technique for micro machining. The present study highlights the
influence of different parameters like Pressure, SOD, Time, Abrasive
grain size, nozzle diameter on the Metal removal of FRP (Fiber
Reinforced Polymer) composite by Abrasive jet machining. The
results of the Experiments conducted were analyzed and optimized
with TAGUCHI method of Optimization and ANOVA for Optimal
Value.