Abstract: This paper focuses on a critical component of the
situational awareness (SA), the control of autonomous vertical flight for tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (TUAV). With the SA strategy,
we proposed a two stage flight control procedure using two autonomous control subsystems to address the dynamics variation
and performance requirement difference in initial and final stages of flight trajectory for a nontrivial nonlinear eight-rotor helicopter
model. This control strategy for chosen model of mini-TUAV has been verified by simulation of hovering maneuvers using software
package Simulink and demonstrated good performance for fast
stabilization of engines in hovering, consequently, fast SA with
economy in energy of batteries can be asserted during search-andrescue
operations.
Abstract: Despite many success stories of manufacturing safety, many organizations are still reluctant, perceiving it as cost increasing and time consuming. The clear contributor may be due to the use of lagging indicators rather than leading indicator measures. The study therefore proposes a combinatorial model for determining the best safety strategy. A combination theory and cost benefit analysis was employed to develop a monetary saving / loss function in terms value of preventions and cost of prevention strategy. Documentations, interviews and structured questionnaire were employed to collect information on Before-And-After safety programme records from a Tobacco company between periods of 1993-2001(for pre-safety) and 2002-2008 (safety period) for the model application. Three combinatorial alternatives A, B, C were obtained resulting into 4, 6 and 4 strategies respectively with PPE and Training being predominant. A total of 728 accidents were recorded for a 9 year period of pre-safety programme and 163 accidents were recorded for 7 years period of safety programme. Six preventions activities (alternative B) yielded the best results. However, all the years of operation experienced except year 2004. The study provides a leading resources for planning successful safety programme
Abstract: The new programming technologies allow for the
creation of components which can be automatically or manually
assembled to reach a new experience in knowledge understanding
and mastering or in getting skills for a specific knowledge area. The
project proposes an interactive framework that permits the creation,
combination and utilization of components that are specific to
mathematical training in high schools.
The main framework-s objectives are:
• authoring lessons by the teacher or the students; all they need
are simple operating skills for Equation Editor (or something
similar, or Latex); the rest are just drag & drop operations,
inserting data into a grid, or navigating through menus
• allowing sonorous presentations of mathematical texts and
solving hints (easier understood by the students)
• offering graphical representations of a mathematical function
edited in Equation
• storing of learning objects in a database
• storing of predefined lessons (efficient for expressions and
commands, the rest being calculations; allows a high
compression)
• viewing and/or modifying predefined lessons, according to the
curricula
The whole thing is focused on a mathematical expressions minicompiler,
storing the code that will be later used for different
purposes (tables, graphics, and optimisations).
Programming technologies used. A Visual C# .NET
implementation is proposed. New and innovative digital learning
objects for mathematics will be developed; they are capable to
interpret, contextualize and react depending on the architecture
where they are assembled.
Abstract: While financial institutions have faced difficulties
over the years for a multitude of reasons, the major cause of serious
banking problems continues to be directly related to lax credit
standards for borrowers and counterparties, poor portfolio risk
management, or a lack of attention to changes in economic or other
circumstances that can lead to a deterioration in the credit standing of
a bank's counterparties. Credit risk is most simply defined as the
potential that a bank borrower or counterparty will fail to meet its
obligations in accordance with agreed terms. The goal of credit risk
management is to maximize a bank's risk-adjusted rate of return by
maintaining credit risk exposure within acceptable parameters. Banks
need to manage the credit risk inherent in the entire portfolio as well
as the risk in individual credits or transactions. Banks should also
consider the relationships between credit risk and other risks. The
effective management of credit risk is a critical component of a
comprehensive approach to risk management and essential to the
long-term success of any banking organization. In this research we
also study the relationship between credit risk indices and borrower-s
timely payback in Karafarin bank.
Abstract: This paper discusses a genetic algorithm (GA) based optimal load shedding that can apply for electrical distribution networks with and without dispersed generators (DG). Also, the proposed method has the ability for considering constant and variable capacity deficiency caused by unscheduled outages in the bulked generation and transmission system of bulked power supply. The genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to search for the optimal load shedding strategy in distribution networks considering DGs in two cases of constant and variable modelling of bulked power supply of distribution networks. Electrical power distribution systems have a radial network and unidirectional power flows. With the advent of dispersed generations, the electrical distribution system has a locally looped network and bidirectional power flows. Therefore, installed DG in the electrical distribution systems can cause operational problems and impact on existing operational schemes. Introduction of DGs in electrical distribution systems has introduced many new issues in operational and planning level. Load shedding as one of operational issue has no exempt. The objective is to minimize the sum of curtailed load and also system losses within the frame-work of system operational and security constraints. The proposed method is tested on a radial distribution system with 33 load points for more practical applications.
Abstract: This study, focusing on the importance of encouraging
outdoor activities for children, aims to propose and implement a Web-GIS based outdoor education program for junior high schools,
which will then be evaluated by users. Specifically, for the purpose of improved outdoor activities in the junior high school education, the
outdoor education program, with chiefly using the Web-GIS that provides a good information provision and sharing tool, is proposed
and implemented before being evaluated by users. The conclusion of
this study can be summarized in the following two points.
(1) A five -step outdoor education program based on Web-GIS was
proposed for a “second school" at junior high schools that was then implemented before being evaluated by teachers as users.
(2) Based on the results of evaluation by teachers, it was clear that the general operation of Web-GIS based outdoor education program with them only is difficult due to their lack of knowledge regarding Web-GIS and that support staff who can effectively utilize Web-GIS are essential.
Abstract: Sedimentation formation is a complex hydraulic phenomenon that has emerged as a major operational and maintenance consideration in modern hydraulic engineering in general and river engineering in particular. Sediments accumulation along the river course and their eventual storage in a form of islands affect water intake in the canal systems that are fed by the storage reservoirs. Without proper management, sediment transport can lead to major operational challenges in water distribution system of arid regions like the Dez and Hamidieh command areas. The paper aims to investigate sedimentation in the Western Canal of Dez Diversion Weir using the SHARC model and compare the results with the two intake structures of the Hamidieh dam in Iran using SSIIM model. The objective was to identify the factors which influence the process, check reliability of outcome and provide ways in which to mitigate the implications on operation and maintenance of the structures. Results estimated sand and silt bed loads concentrations to be 193 ppm and 827ppm respectively. This followed ,ore or less similar pattern in Hamidieh where the sediment formation impeded water intake in the canal system. Given the available data on average annual bed loads and average suspended sediment loads of 165ppm and 837ppm in the Dez, there was a significant statistical difference (16%) between the sand grains, whereas no significant difference (1.2%) was find in the silt grain sizes. One explanation for such finding being that along the 6 Km river course there was considerable meandering effects which explains recent shift in the hydraulic behavior along the stream course under investigation. The sand concentration in downstream relative to present state of the canal showed a steep descending curve. Sediment trapping on the other hand indicated a steep ascending curve. These occurred because the diversion weir was not considered in the simulation model. The comparative study showed very close similarities in the results which explains the fact that both software can be used as accurate and reliable analytical tools for simulation of the sedimentation in hydraulic engineering.
Abstract: This paper presented two new efficient algorithms
for contour approximation. The proposed algorithm is compared
with Ramer (good quality), Triangle (faster) and Trapezoid (fastest)
in this work; which are briefly described. Cartesian co-ordinates of
an input contour are processed in such a manner that finally
contours is presented by a set of selected vertices of the edge of the
contour. In the paper the main idea of the analyzed procedures for
contour compression is performed. For comparison, the mean
square error and signal-to-noise ratio criterions are used.
Computational time of analyzed methods is estimated depending on
a number of numerical operations. Experimental results are
obtained both in terms of image quality, compression ratios, and
speed. The main advantages of the analyzed algorithm is small
numbers of the arithmetic operations compared to the existing
algorithms.
Abstract: Anaerobic treatment has many advantages over other
biological method particularly when used to treat complex
wastewater such as petroleum refinery wastewater. In this study two
Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors were operated
in parallel to treat six volumetric organic loads (0.58, 1.21, 0.89,
2.34, 1.47 and 4.14 kg COD/m3·d) to evaluate the chemical oxygen
demand (COD) removal efficiency. The reactors were continuously
adapting to the changing of operation condition with increase in the
removal efficiency or slight decrease until the last load which was
more than two times the load, at which the reactor stressed and the
removal efficiency decreased to 75% with effluent concentration of
1746 mg COD/L. Other parameters were also monitored such as pH,
alkalinity, volatile fatty acid and gas production rate. The UASB
reactor was suitable to treat petroleum refinery wastewater and the
highest COD removal rate was 83% at 1215 kg/m3·d with COD
concentration about 356 mg/L in the effluent.
Abstract: In this paper, vapour-liquid critical locus for the
binary system acetone + chloroform was determined experimentally
over the whole range of composition. The critical property
measurements were carried out using a dynamic-synthetic apparatus,
employed in the dynamic mode. The critical points are visually
determined by observing the critical opalescence and the
simultaneous disappearance and reappearance of the meniscus in the
middle of a high-pressure view cell which withstands operations up
to 673K and 20MPa. The experimental critical points measured in
this work were compared to those available in literature.
Abstract: Quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) from
atmospheric model as input to hydrological model in an integrated
hydro-meteorological flood forecasting system has been operational
in many countries worldwide. High-resolution numerical weather
prediction (NWP) models with grid cell sizes between 2 and 14 km
have great potential in contributing towards reasonably accurate QPF.
In this study the potential of two NWP models to forecast
precipitation for a flood-prone area in a tropical region is examined.
The precipitation forecasts produced from the Fifth Generation Penn
State/NCAR Mesoscale (MM5) and Weather Research and
Forecasting (WRF) models are statistically verified with the observed
rain in Kelantan River Basin, Malaysia. The statistical verification
indicates that the models have performed quite satisfactorily for low
and moderate rainfall but not very satisfactory for heavy rainfall.
Abstract: Recently, distributed generation technologies have received much attention for the potential energy savings and reliability assurances that might be achieved as a result of their widespread adoption. Fueling the attention have been the possibilities of international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electricity sector restructuring, high power reliability requirements for certain activities, and concern about easing transmission and distribution capacity bottlenecks and congestion. So it is necessary that impact of these kinds of generators on distribution feeder reconfiguration would be investigated. This paper presents an approach for distribution reconfiguration considering Distributed Generators (DGs). The objective function is summation of electrical power losses A Tabu search optimization is used to solve the optimal operation problem. The approach is tested on a real distribution feeder.
Abstract: Drilling is the most common machining operation and it forms the highest machining cost in many manufacturing activities including automotive engine production. The outcome of this operation depends upon many factors including utilization of proper cutting tool geometry, cutting tool material and the type of coating used to improve hardness and resistance to wear, and also cutting parameters. With the availability of a large array of tool geometries, materials and coatings, is has become a challenging task to select the best tool and cutting parameters that would result in the lowest machining cost or highest profit rate. This paper describes an algorithm developed to help achieve good performances in drilling operations by automatically determination of proper cutting tools and cutting parameters. It also helps determine machining sequences resulting in minimum tool changes that would eventually reduce machining time and cost where multiple tools are used.
Abstract: This paper describes an effective solution to the task
of a remote monitoring of super-extended objects (oil and gas
pipeline, railways, national frontier). The suggested solution is based
on the principle of simultaneously monitoring of seismoacoustic and
optical/infrared physical fields. The principle of simultaneous
monitoring of those fields is not new but in contrast to the known
solutions the suggested approach allows to control super-extended
objects with very limited operational costs. So-called C-OTDR
(Coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) systems are used to
monitor the seismoacoustic field. Far-CCTV systems are used to
monitor the optical/infrared field. A simultaneous data processing
provided by both systems allows effectively detecting and classifying
target activities, which appear in the monitored objects vicinity. The
results of practical usage had shown high effectiveness of the
suggested approach.
Abstract: This paper presents a novel CMOS four-transistor
SRAM cell for very high density and low power embedded SRAM
applications as well as for stand-alone SRAM applications. This cell
retains its data with leakage current and positive feedback without
refresh cycle. The new cell size is 20% smaller than a conventional
six-transistor cell using same design rules. Also proposed cell uses
two word-lines and one pair bit-line. Read operation perform from
one side of cell, and write operation perform from another side of
cell, and swing voltage reduced on word-lines thus dynamic power
during read/write operation reduced. The fabrication process is fully
compatible with high-performance CMOS logic technologies,
because there is no need to integrate a poly-Si resistor or a TFT load.
HSPICE simulation in standard 0.25μm CMOS technology confirms
all results obtained from this paper.
Abstract: The steady-state operation of maintaining voltage
stability is done by switching various controllers scattered all over
the power network. When a contingency occurs, whether forced or
unforced, the dispatcher is to alleviate the problem in a minimum
time, cost, and effort. Persistent problem may lead to blackout. The
dispatcher is to have the appropriate switching of controllers in terms
of type, location, and size to remove the contingency and maintain
voltage stability. Wrong switching may worsen the problem and that
may lead to blackout. This work proposed and used a Fuzzy CMeans
Clustering (FCMC) to assist the dispatcher in the decision
making. The FCMC is used in the static voltage stability to map
instantaneously a contingency to a set of controllers where the types,
locations, and amount of switching are induced.
Abstract: A parallel block method based on Backward
Differentiation Formulas (BDF) is developed for the parallel solution
of stiff Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs). Most common
methods for solving stiff systems of ODEs are based on implicit
formulae and solved using Newton iteration which requires repeated
solution of systems of linear equations with coefficient matrix, I -
hβJ . Here, J is the Jacobian matrix of the problem. In this paper,
the matrix operations is paralleled in order to reduce the cost of the
iterations. Numerical results are given to compare the speedup and
efficiency of parallel algorithm and that of sequential algorithm.
Abstract: In North America, Most power distribution systems
employ a four-wire multi-grounded neutral (MGN) design. This paper has explained the inherent characteristics of multi-grounded three-phase four-wire distribution systems under unbalanced
situations. As a result, the mechanism of voltage swell and voltage sag in MGN feeders becomes difficult to understand. The simulation
tool that has been used in this paper is MATLAB under Windows software. In this paper the equivalent model of a full-scale multigrounded
distribution system implemented by MATLAB is
introduced. The results are expected to help utility engineers to understand the impact of MGN on distribution system operations.
Abstract: Vector quantization is a powerful tool for speech
coding applications. This paper deals with LPC Coding of speech
signals which uses a new technique called Multi Switched Split
Vector Quantization (MSSVQ), which is a hybrid of Multi, switched,
split vector quantization techniques. The spectral distortion
performance, computational complexity, and memory requirements
of MSSVQ are compared to split vector quantization (SVQ), multi
stage vector quantization(MSVQ) and switched split vector
quantization (SSVQ) techniques. It has been proved from results that
MSSVQ has better spectral distortion performance, lower
computational complexity and lower memory requirements when
compared to all the above mentioned product code vector
quantization techniques. Computational complexity is measured in
floating point operations (flops), and memory requirements is
measured in (floats).
Abstract: Image synthesis is an important area in image processing.
To synthesize images various systems are proposed in
the literature. In this paper, we propose a bio-inspired system to
synthesize image and to study the generating power of the system, we
define the class of languages generated by our system. We call image
as array in this paper. We use a primitive called iso-array to synthesize
image/array. The operation is double splicing on iso-arrays. The
double splicing operation is used in DNA computing and we use
this to synthesize image. A comparison of the family of languages
generated by the proposed self restricted double splicing systems on
iso-arrays with the existing family of local iso-picture languages is
made. Certain closure properties such as union, concatenation and
rotation are studied for the family of languages generated by the
proposed model.