Abstract: We have developed a distributed asynchronous Web
based training system. In order to improve the scalability and robustness
of this system, all contents and a function are realized on
mobile agents. These agents are distributed to computers, and they
can use a Peer to Peer network that modified Content-Addressable
Network. In this system, all computers offer the function and exercise
by themselves. However, the system that all computers do the same
behavior is not realistic. In this paper, as a solution of this issue,
we present an e-Learning system that is composed of computers
of different participation types. Enabling the computer of different
participation types will improve the convenience of the system.
Abstract: The aim of our work is to study phase composition,
particle size and magnetic response of Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites
with respect to the final annealing temperature. Those nanomaterials
are considered as smart catalysts, separable from a liquid/gaseous
phase by applied magnetic field. The starting product was obtained
by an ecologically acceptable route, based on heterogeneous
precipitation of the TiO2 on modified g-Fe2O3 nanocrystals dispersed
in water. The precursor was subsequently annealed on air at
temperatures ranging from 200 oC to 900 oC. The samples were
investigated by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (S-PXRD),
magnetic measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. As evidenced
by S-PXRD and Mössbauer spectroscopy, increasing the annealing
temperature causes evolution of the phase composition from
anatase/maghemite to rutile/hematite, finally above 700 oC the
pseudobrookite (Fe2TiO5) also forms. The apparent particle size of
the various Fe2O3/TiO2 phases has been determined from the highquality
S-PXRD data by using two different approaches: the Rietveld
refinement and the Debye method. Magnetic response of the samples
is discussed in considering the phase composition and the particle
size.
Abstract: The study was conducted to investigate the profile of
hepatitis in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to determine which age
group hepatitis viruses most commonly infect. The epidemiology of
viral hepatitis in Saudi Arabia has undergone major changes,
concurrent with major socioeconomic developments over the last two
to three decades. This disease represents a major public health
problem in Saudi Arabia resulting in the need for considerable
healthcare resources. A retrospective cross sectional analysis of the
reported cases of viral hepatitis was conducted based on the reports
of The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia about Hepatitis A, B and C
infections in all regions from the period of January 2006 to December
2010. The study demonstrated that incidence of viral Hepatitis is
decreasing, except for Hepatitis B that showed minimal increase. Of
hepatitis A, B, and C, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was the most
predominant type, accounting for (53%) of the cases, followed by
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) (30%) and HAV (17%). HAV infection
predominates in children (5–14 years) with 60% of viral hepatitis
cases, HBV in young adults (15–44 years) with 69% of viral hepatitis
cases, and HCV in older adults (>45 years) with 59% of viral
hepatitis cases. Despite significant changes in the prevalence of viral
hepatitis A, B and C, it remains a major public health problem in
Saudi Arabia; however, it showed a significant decline in the last two
decades that could be attributed to the vaccination programs and the
improved health facilities. Further researches are needed to identify
the risk factors making a specific age group or a specific region in
Saudi Arabia targeted for a specific type of hepatitis viruses.
Abstract: This paper has been investigated a technique that predicts the performance of a bar-type unimorph piezoelectric vibration actuator depending on the frequency. This paper has been proposed an equivalent circuit that can be easily analyzed for the bar-type unimorph piezoelectric vibration actuator. In the dynamic analysis, rigidity and resonance frequency, which are important mechanical elements, were derived using the basic beam theory. In the equivalent circuit analysis, the displacement and bandwidth of the piezoelectric vibration actuator depending on the frequency were predicted. Also, for the reliability of the derived equations, the predicted performance depending on the shape change was compared with the result of a finite element analysis program.
Abstract: Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging
is an emerging technique that provides both chemically and
spatially resolved information. The rich chemical content of data
may be utilized for computer-aided determinations of structure and
pathologic state (cancer diagnosis) in histological tissue sections for
prostate cancer. FT-IR spectroscopic imaging of prostate tissue has
shown that tissue type (histological) classification can be performed to
a high degree of accuracy [1] and cancer diagnosis can be performed
with an accuracy of about 80% [2] on a microscopic (≈ 6μm)
length scale. In performing these analyses, it has been observed
that there is large variability (more than 60%) between spectra from
different points on tissue that is expected to consist of the same
essential chemical constituents. Spectra at the edges of tissues are
characteristically and consistently different from chemically similar
tissue in the middle of the same sample. Here, we explain these
differences using a rigorous electromagnetic model for light-sample
interaction. Spectra from FT-IR spectroscopic imaging of chemically
heterogeneous samples are different from bulk spectra of individual
chemical constituents of the sample. This is because spectra not
only depend on chemistry, but also on the shape of the sample.
Using coupled wave analysis, we characterize and quantify the nature
of spectral distortions at the edges of tissues. Furthermore, we
present a method of performing histological classification of tissue
samples. Since the mid-infrared spectrum is typically assumed to
be a quantitative measure of chemical composition, classification
results can vary widely due to spectral distortions. However, we
demonstrate that the selection of localized metrics based on chemical
information can make our data robust to the spectral distortions
caused by scattering at the tissue boundary.
Abstract: Since injection engines have a considerable portion, in
consumption of energy and environmental pollution, using an
alternative source of energy with lower pollutant effects in this
regard is necessary.
Biodiesel fuel is a suitable alternative for gasoline in diesel
engines.
In this research the property of biodiesel, the function and the
pollution effects of diesel engine, when using 100% biodiesel, using
100% gasoline and mixing ratio of both fuels for comparing them,
have been investigated.
The researches have shown, using biodiesel fuel in prevalent
diesel engine, will reduce the pollutants such as Co, half burned
carbohydrate and suspended particles and a little increase in
oxidation will achieve while power consumption, particularly fuel
and thermal efficiency of diesel fuel has the same.
Abstract: Numerical analysis for the aerodynamic characteristics
of the WIG (wing-in ground effect) craft with highly cambered and
aspect ratio of one is performed to predict the ground effect for the
case of with- and without- lower-extension endplate. The analysis is
included varying angles of attack from 0 to10 deg. and ground
clearances from 5% of chord to 50%. Due to the ground effect, the lift
by rising in pressure on the lower surface is increased and the
influence of wing-tip vortices is decreased. These two significant
effects improve the lift-drag ratio. On the other hand, the endplate
prevents the high-pressure air escaping from the air cushion at the
wing tip and causes to increase the lift and lift-drag ratio further. It is
found from the visualization of computation results that two wing-tip
vortices are generated from each surface of the wing tip and their
strength are weak and diminished rapidly. Irodov-s criteria are also
evaluated to investigate the static height stability. The comparison of
Irodov-s criteria shows that the endplate improves the deviation of the
static height stability with respect to pitch angles and heights. As the
results, the endplate can improve the aerodynamic characteristics and
static height stability of wings in ground effect, simultaneously.
Abstract: Rapid urbanization, industrialization and population
growth have led to an increase in number of automobiles that cause
air pollution. It is estimated that road traffic contributes 60% of air
pollution in urban areas. A case by case assessment is required to
predict the air quality in urban situations, so as to evolve certain
traffic management measures to maintain the air quality levels with
in the tolerable limits. Calicut city in the state of Kerala, India has
been chosen as the study area. Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentration
was monitored at 15 links in Calicut city and air quality performance
was evaluated over each link. The CO pollutant concentration values
were compared with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS), and the CO values were predicted by using CALINE4 and
IITLS and Linear regression models. The study has revealed that
linear regression model performs better than the CALINE4 and
IITLS models. The possible association between CO pollutant
concentration and traffic parameters like traffic flow, type of vehicle,
and traffic stream speed was also evaluated.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a comparative study between two computer vision systems for objects recognition and tracking, these algorithms describe two different approach based on regions constituted by a set of pixels which parameterized objects in shot sequences. For the image segmentation and objects detection, the FCM technique is used, the overlapping between cluster's distribution is minimized by the use of suitable color space (other that the RGB one). The first technique takes into account a priori probabilities governing the computation of various clusters to track objects. A Parzen kernel method is described and allows identifying the players in each frame, we also show the importance of standard deviation value research of the Gaussian probability density function. Region matching is carried out by an algorithm that operates on the Mahalanobis distance between region descriptors in two subsequent frames and uses singular value decomposition to compute a set of correspondences satisfying both the principle of proximity and the principle of exclusion.
Abstract: This paper reviews the objectives, methods and results of previous studies on biodrying of solid waste in several countries. Biodrying of solid waste is a novel technology in developing countries such as in Malaysia where high moisture content in organic waste makes the segregation process for recycling purposes complicated and diminishes the calorific value for the use of fuel source. In addition, the high moisture content also encourages the breeding of vectors and disease-bearing animals. From the laboratory results, the average moisture content of organic waste, paper, plastics and metals are 58.17%, 37.93%, 29.79% and 1.03% respectively for UKM campus. Biodrying of solid waste is a simple method of waste treatment as well as a cost-efficient technology to dry the solid waste. The process depends on temperature monitoring and air flow control along with the natural biodegradable process of organic waste. This review shows that the biodrying of solid waste method has high potential in treatment and recycling of solid waste, be useful for biodrying study and implementation in Malaysia.
Abstract: The performance and the plasma created by a pulsed
magnetoplasmadynamic thruster for small satellite application is
studied to understand better the ablation and plasma propagation
processes occurring during the short-time discharge. The results can
be applied to improve the quality of the thruster in terms of efficiency,
and to tune the propulsion system to the needs required by the satellite
mission. Therefore, plasma measurements with a high-speed camera
and induction probes, and performance measurements of mass bit
and impulse bit were conducted. Values for current sheet propagation
speed, mean exhaust velocity and thrust efficiency were derived from
these experimental data. A maximum in current sheet propagation
was found by the high-speed camera measurements for a medium
energy input and confirmed by the induction probes. A quasilinear
tendency between the mass bit and the energy input, the current
action integral respectively, was found, as well as a linear tendency
between the created impulse and the discharge energy. The highest
mean exhaust velocity and thrust efficiency was found for the highest
energy input.
Abstract: This paper proposes a method, combining color and layout features, for identifying documents captured from low-resolution handheld devices. On one hand, the document image color density surface is estimated and represented with an equivalent ellipse and on the other hand, the document shallow layout structure is computed and hierarchically represented. Our identification method first uses the color information in the documents in order to focus the search space on documents having a similar color distribution, and finally selects the document having the most similar layout structure in the remaining of the search space.
Abstract: A cross sectional survey design was used to collect
data from 370 diabetic patients. Two instruments were used in
obtaining data; in-depth interview guide and researchers- developed
questionnaire. Fisher's exact test was used to investigate association
between the identified factors and nonadherence. Factors identified
were: socio-demographic factors such as: gender, age, marital status,
educational level and occupation; psychosocial obstacles such as:
non-affordability of prescribed diet, frustration due to the restriction,
limited spousal support, feelings of deprivation, feeling that
temptation is inevitable, difficulty in adhering in social gatherings
and difficulty in revealing to host that one is diabetic; health care
providers obstacles were: poor attitude of health workers, irregular
diabetes education in clinics , limited number of nutrition education
sessions/ inability of the patients to estimate the desired quantity of
food, no reminder post cards or phone calls about upcoming patient
appointments and delayed start of appointment / time wasting in
clinics.
Abstract: Economically transformers constitute one of the largest investments in a Power system. For this reason, transformer condition assessment and management is a high priority task. If a transformer fails, it would have a significant negative impact on revenue and service reliability. Monitoring the state of health of power transformers has traditionally been carried out using laboratory Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) tests performed at periodic intervals on the oil sample, collected from the transformers. DGA of transformer oil is the single best indicator of a transformer-s overall condition and is a universal practice today, which started somewhere in the 1960s. Failure can occur in a transformer due to different reasons. Some failures can be limited or prevented by maintenance. Oil filtration is one of the methods to remove the dissolve gases and prevent the deterioration of the oil. In this paper we analysis the DGA data by regression method and predict the gas concentration in the oil in the future. We bring about a comparative study of different traditional methods of regression and the errors generated out of their predictions. With the help of these data we can deduce the health of the transformer by finding the type of fault if it has occurred or will occur in future. Additional in this paper effect of filtration on the transformer health is highlight by calculating the probability of failure of a transformer with and without oil filtrating.
Abstract: In the past years, the world has witnessed significant work in the field of Manufacturing. Special efforts have been made in the implementation of new technologies, management and control systems, among many others which have all evolved the field. Closely following all this, due to the scope of new projects and the need of turning the existing flexible ideas into more autonomous and intelligent ones, i.e.: moving toward a more intelligent manufacturing, the present paper emerges with the main aim of contributing to the analysis and a few customization issues of a new iCIM 3000 system at the IPSAM. In this process, special emphasis in made on the material flow problem. For this, besides offering a description and analysis of the system and its main parts, also some tips on how to define other possible alternative material flow scenarios and a partial analysis of the combinatorial nature of the problem are offered as well. All this is done with the intentions of relating it with the use of simulation tools, for which these have been briefly addressed with a special focus on the Witness simulation package. For a better comprehension, the previous elements are supported by a few figures and expressions which would help obtaining necessary data. Such data and others will be used in the future, when simulating the scenarios in the search of the best material flow configurations.
Abstract: A catastrophic earthquake measuring 6.3 on the
Richter scale struck the Christchurch, New Zealand Central Business
District on February 22, 2012, abruptly disrupting the business of
teaching and learning at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of
Technology. This paper presents the findings from a study
undertaken about the complexity of delivering an educational
programme in the face of this traumatic natural event. Nine
interconnected themes emerged from this multiple method study:
communication, decision making, leader- and follower-ship,
balancing personal and professional responsibilities, taking action,
preparedness and thinking ahead, all within a disruptive and uncertain
context. Sustainable responses that maximise business continuity, and
provide solutions to practical challenges, are among the study-s
recommendations.
Abstract: Studies were carried out to determine the in vitro
susceptibility of the typhoid pathogens to combined action of Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia heterophylla and Phyllanthus niruri. Clinical isolates of the typhoid bacilli were subjected to susceptibility testing using agar diffusion technique and the minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) determined with tube dilution technique. These
isolates, when challenged with doses of the extracts from the three
medicinal plants showed zones of inhibition as wide as 26±0.2mm, 22±0.1mm and 18±0.0mm respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) revealed organisms inhibited at varying
concentrations of extracts: E. hirta (S. typhi 0.250mg/ml, S. paratyphi A 0.125mg/ml, S. paratyphi B 0.185mg/ml and S. paratyphi C 0.225mg/ml), E. heterophylla (S. typhi 0.280mg/ml, S. paratyphi A
0.150mg/ml, S. paratyphi B 0.200mg/ml and S. paratyphi C 0.250mg/ml) and P. niruri (S. typhi 0.150mg/ml, S. paratyphi A 0.100mg/ml, S. paratyphi B 0.115mg/ml and S. paratyphi C 0.125mg/ml). The results of the synergy between the three plants in
the ration of 1:1:1 showed very low MICs for the test pathogens as follows S. typhi 0.025mg/ml, S. paratyphi A 0.080mg/ml, S. paratyphi B 0.015mg/ml and S. paratyphi C 0.10mg/ml with the
diameter zone of inhibition (DZI) ranging from 35±0.2mm,
28±0.4mm, 20±0.1mm and 32±0.3mm respectively. The secondary
metabolites were identified using simple methods and HPLC. Organic components such as anthroquinones, different alkaloids,
tannins, 6-ethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2,2,4-trimethyl and steroids were identified. The prevalence of Salmonellae, a deadly infectious disease, is still very high in parts of Nigeria. The synergistic action of these three plants is very high. It is concluded that pharmaceutical companies should take advantage of these findings to develop new
anti-typhoid drugs from these plants.
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine if, among
32 brain injured adults in community rehabilitation programs, there is
a statistically significant relationship between the degree of severity
of brain injury and these adults- level of self-esteem and stress. The
researcher hypothesized there would be a statistically significant
difference and a statistically significant relationship in self-esteem
and stress levels among and TBI adults. A Pearson product moment
correlational analysis was implemented and results found a
statistically significant relationship between self-esteem and stress
levels. Future recommendations were suggested upon completion of
research.
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to construct a creativity
composite index designed to capture the growing role of creativity in
driving economic and social development for the 27 European Union
countries.
The paper proposes a new approach for the measurement of EU-27
creative potential and for determining its capacity to attract and
develop creative human capital. We apply a modified version of the
3T model developed by Richard Florida and Irene Tinagli for
constructing a Euro-Creativity Index. The resulting indexes establish
a quantitative base for policy makers, supporting their efforts to
determine the contribution of creativity to economic development.
Abstract: Candida albicans ATCC 10231 had low endogenous activity of the alternative oxidase compared with that of C. albicans ATCC 10261. In C. albicans ATCC 10231 the endogenous activity declined as the cultures aged. Alternative oxidase activity could be induced in C. albicans ATCC 10231 by treatment with cyanide, but the induction of this activity required the presence of oxygen which could be replaced, at least in part, with high concentrations of potassium ferricyanide. We infer from this that the expression of the gene encoding the alternative oxidase is under the control of a redoxsensitive transcription factor.