Abstract: The paper proposes a new concept in developing
collaborative design system. The concept framework involves
applying simulation of supply chain management to collaborative
design called – 'SCM–Based Design Tool'. The system is developed
particularly to support design activities and to integrate all facilities
together. The system is aimed to increase design productivity and
creativity. Therefore, designers and customers can collaborate by the
system since conceptual design. JAG: Jewelry Art Generator based
on artificial intelligence techniques is integrated into the system.
Moreover, the proposed system can support users as decision tool
and data propagation. The system covers since raw material supply
until product delivery. Data management and sharing information are
visually supported to designers and customers via user interface. The
system is developed on Web–assisted product development
environment. The prototype system is presented for Thai jewelry
industry as a system prototype demonstration, but applicable for
other industry.
Abstract: Information hiding, especially watermarking is a
promising technique for the protection of intellectual property rights.
This technology is mainly advanced for multimedia but the same has
not been done for text. Web pages, like other documents, need a
protection against piracy. In this paper, some techniques are
proposed to show how to hide information in web pages using some
features of the markup language used to describe these pages. Most
of the techniques proposed here use the white space to hide
information or some varieties of the language in representing
elements. Experiments on a very small page and analysis of five
thousands web pages show that these techniques have a wide
bandwidth available for information hiding, and they might form a
solid base to develop a robust algorithm for web page watermarking.
Abstract: In this paper, we present user pattern learning
algorithm based MDSS (Medical Decision support system) under
ubiquitous. Most of researches are focus on hardware system, hospital
management and whole concept of ubiquitous environment even
though it is hard to implement. Our objective of this paper is to design
a MDSS framework. It helps to patient for medical treatment and
prevention of the high risk patient (COPD, heart disease, Diabetes).
This framework consist database, CAD (Computer Aided diagnosis
support system) and CAP (computer aided user vital sign prediction
system). It can be applied to develop user pattern learning algorithm
based MDSS for homecare and silver town service. Especially this
CAD has wise decision making competency. It compares current vital
sign with user-s normal condition pattern data. In addition, the CAP
computes user vital sign prediction using past data of the patient. The
novel approach is using neural network method, wireless vital sign
acquisition devices and personal computer DB system. An intelligent
agent based MDSS will help elder people and high risk patients to
prevent sudden death and disease, the physician to get the online
access to patients- data, the plan of medication service priority (e.g.
emergency case).
Abstract: Organizational culture fosters innovation, and innovation is the main engine to be sustained within the uncertainty market. Like other countries, the construction industry significantly contributes to the economy, society and technology of Malaysia, yet, innovation is still considered slow compared to other industries such as manufacturing. Given the important role of an architect as the key player and the contributor of new ideas in the construction industry, there is a call to identify the issue and improve the current situation by focusing on the architectural firms. In addition, the existing studies tend to focus only on a few dimensions of organizational culture and very few studies consider whether innovation is being generated or adopted. Hence, the present research tends to fill in the gap by identifying the organizational cultures that foster or hinder innovation generation and/or innovation adoption, and propose a model of organizational culture and innovation generation and/or adoption.
Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to provide a detailed
statistical overview of the time and regional distribution, relative
timing occurrence of economic crises and government changes in 51
economies over the 1990–2007 periods. At the same time, the
predictive power of the economic crises on set government changes
will be examined using “signal approach".
The result showed that the percentage of government changes is
highest in transition economies (86 percent of observations) and
lowest in Latin American economies (39 percent of observations).
The percentages of government changes are same in both developed
and developing countries (43 percent of observations). However,
average crises per year (frequency of crises) are higher (lower) in
developing (developed) countries than developed (developing)
countries. Also, the predictive power of economic crises about the
onset of a government change is highest in Transition economies (81
percent) and lowest in Latin American countries (30 percent). The
predictive power of economic crises in developing countries (43
percent) is lower than developed countries (55 percent).
Abstract: This paper proposes the application of a hierarchical fuzzy system (HFS) based on multi-input power system stabilizer (MPSS) and also Static Var Compensator (SVC) in multi-machine environment.The number of rules grows exponentially with the number of variables in a conventional fuzzy logic system. The proposed HFS method is developed to solve this problem. To reduce the number of rules the HFS consists of a number of low-dimensional fuzzy systems in a hierarchical structure. In fact, by using HFS the total number of involved rules increases only linearly with the number of input variables. In the MPSS, to have better efficiency an auxiliary signal of reactive power deviation (ΔQ) is added with ΔP+ Δω input type Power system stabilizer (PSS). Phasor model of SVC is described and used in this paper. The performances of MPSS, Conventional power system stabilizer (CPSS), hierarchical Fuzzy Multi-input Power System Stabilizer (HFMPSS) and the proposed method in damping inter-area mode of oscillation are examined in response to disturbances. By using digital simulations the comparative study is illustrated. It can be seen that the proposed PSS is performing satisfactorily within the whole range of disturbances.
Abstract: The symmetric solution set Σ sym is the set of all solutions to the linear systems Ax = b, where A is symmetric and lies between some given bounds A and A, and b lies between b and b. We present a contractor for Σ sym, which is an iterative method that starts with some initial enclosure of Σ sym (by means of a cartesian product of intervals) and sequentially makes the enclosure tighter. Our contractor is based on polyhedral approximation and solving a series of linear programs. Even though it does not converge to the optimal bounds in general, it may significantly reduce the overestimation. The efficiency is discussed by a number of numerical experiments.
Abstract: RF performance of SOI CMOS device has attracted
significant amount of interest recently. In order to improve RF
parameters, Strained Si/Relaxed Si0.8Ge0.2 investigated as a
replacement for Si technology .Enhancement of carrier mobility
associated with strain engineering makes Strained Si a promising
candidate for improving RF performance of CMOS technology.
From the simulation, the cut-off frequency is estimated to be 224
GHZ, whereas in SOI at similar bias is about 188 GHZ. Therefore,
Strained Si exhibits 19% improvement in cut-off frequency over
similar Si counterpart. In this paper, Ion/Ioff ratio is studied as one of
the key parameters in logic and digital application. Strained Si/SiGe
demonstrates better Ion/Ioff characteristic than SOI, in similar channel
length of 100 nm.Another important key analog figures of merit such
as Early Voltage (VEA) ,transconductance vs drain current (gm /Ids)
are studied. They introduce the efficiency of the devices to convert
dc power into ac frequency.
Abstract: The modern telecommunication industry demands
higher capacity networks with high data rate. Orthogonal frequency
division multiplexing (OFDM) is a promising technique for high data
rate wireless communications at reasonable complexity in wireless
channels. OFDM has been adopted for many types of wireless
systems like wireless local area networks such as IEEE 802.11a, and
digital audio/video broadcasting (DAB/DVB). The proposed research
focuses on a concatenated coding scheme that improve the
performance of OFDM based wireless communications. It uses a
Redundant Residue Number System (RRNS) code as the outer code
and a convolutional code as the inner code. Here, a direct conversion
of analog signal to residue domain is done to reduce the conversion
complexity using sigma-delta based parallel analog-to-residue
converter. The bit error rate (BER) performances of the proposed
system under different channel conditions are investigated. These
include the effect of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN),
multipath delay spread, peak power clipping and frame start
synchronization error. The simulation results show that the proposed
RRNS-Convolutional concatenated coding (RCCC) scheme provides
significant improvement in the system performance by exploiting the
inherent properties of RRNS.
Abstract: Selection of maize (Zea mays) hybrids with wide adaptability across diverse farming environments is important, prior to recommending them to achieve a high rate of hybrid adoption. Grain yield of 14 maize hybrids, tested in a randomized completeblock design with four replicates across 22 environments in Iran, was analyzed using site regression (SREG) stability model. The biplot technique facilitates a visual evaluation of superior genotypes, which is useful for cultivar recommendation and mega-environment identification. The objectives of this study were (i) identification of suitable hybrids with both high mean performance and high stability (ii) to determine mega-environments for maize production in Iran. Biplot analysis identifies two mega-environments in this study. The first mega-environments included KRM, KSH, MGN, DZF A, KRJ, DRB, DZF B, SHZ B, and KHM, where G10 hybrid was the best performing hybrid. The second mega-environment included ESF B, ESF A, and SHZ A, where G4 hybrid was the best hybrid. According to the ideal-hybrid biplot, G10 hybrid was better than all other hybrids, followed by the G1 and G3 hybrids. These hybrids were identified as best hybrids that have high grain yield and high yield stability. GGE biplot analysis provided a framework for identifying the target testing locations that discriminates genotypes that are high yielding and stable.
Abstract: Small tanks, the ancient man-made rain water storage
systems, support the pheasant life and agriculture of the dry zone of
Sri Lanka. Many small tanks were abandoned with time due to
various reasons. Such tanks, rehabilitated in the recent past, were
found to be less sustainable and most of these rehabilitation
approaches have failed. The objective of this research is to assess the
impact of the rehabilitation approaches in the management of small
tanks in the Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka with respect to eight
small tanks. A Sustainability index was developed using seven
indicators representing the ability and commitment of the villagers to
maintain these tanks. The sustainability index of the eight tanks
varied between 79.2 and 47.2 out of a total score of 100. The
conclusion is that, the approaches used for tank rehabilitation have a
significant effect on the sustainability of the management of these
small tanks.
Abstract: Crucial information barely visible to the human eye is
often embedded in a series of low resolution images taken of the
same scene. Super resolution reconstruction is the process of
combining several low resolution images into a single higher
resolution image. The ideal algorithm should be fast, and should add
sharpness and details, both at edges and in regions without adding
artifacts. In this paper we propose a super resolution blind
reconstruction technique for linearly degraded images. In our
proposed technique the algorithm is divided into three parts an image
registration, wavelets based fusion and an image restoration. In this
paper three low resolution images are considered which may sub
pixels shifted, rotated, blurred or noisy, the sub pixel shifted images
are registered using affine transformation model; A wavelet based
fusion is performed and the noise is removed using soft thresolding.
Our proposed technique reduces blocking artifacts and also
smoothens the edges and it is also able to restore high frequency
details in an image. Our technique is efficient and computationally
fast having clear perspective of real time implementation.
Abstract: The operation performance of a valveless micro-pump
is strongly dependent on the shape of connected nozzle/diffuser and
Reynolds number. The aims of present work are to compare the
performance curves of micropump with the original straight
nozzle/diffuser and contoured nozzle/diffuser under different back
pressure conditions. The tested valveless micropumps are assembled
of five pieces of patterned PMMA plates with hot-embracing
technique. The structures of central chamber, the inlet/outlet
reservoirs and the connected nozzle/diffuser are fabricated with laser
cutting machine. The micropump is actuated with circular-type PZT
film embraced on the bottom of central chamber. The deformation of
PZT membrane with various input voltages is measured with a
displacement laser probe. A simple testing facility is also constructed
to evaluate the performance curves for comparison.
In order to observe the evaluation of low Reynolds number
multiple vortex flow patterns within the micropump during suction
and pumping modes, the unsteady, incompressible laminar
three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are
solved. The working fluid is DI water with constant thermo-physical
properties. The oscillating behavior of PZT film is modeled with the
moving boundary wall in way of UDF program. With the dynamic
mesh method, the instants pressure and velocity fields are obtained
and discussed.Results indicated that the volume flow rate is not
monotony increased with the oscillating frequency of PZT film,
regardless of the shapes of nozzle/diffuser. The present micropump
can generate the maximum volume flow rate of 13.53 ml/min when
the operation frequency is 64Hz and the input voltage is 140 volts.
The micropump with contoured nozzle/diffuser can provide 7ml/min
flow rate even when the back pressure is up to 400 mm-H2O. CFD
results revealed that the flow central chamber was occupied with
multiple pairs of counter-rotating vortices during suction and
pumping modes. The net volume flow rate over a complete
oscillating periodic of PZT
Abstract: In this paper we present a novel approach for human
Body configuration based on the Silhouette. We propose to address
this problem under the Bayesian framework. We use an effective
Model based MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) method to solve
the configuration problem, in which the best configuration could be
defined as MAP (maximize a posteriori probability) in Bayesian
model. This model based MCMC utilizes the human body model to
drive the MCMC sampling from the solution space. It converses the
original high dimension space into a restricted sub-space constructed
by the human model and uses a hybrid sampling algorithm. We
choose an explicit human model and carefully select the likelihood
functions to represent the best configuration solution. The
experiments show that this method could get an accurate
configuration and timesaving for different human from multi-views.
Abstract: This study was investigated on sampling and
analyzing water quality in water reservoir & water tower installed in
two kind of residential buildings and school facilities. Data of water
quality was collected for correlation analysis with frequency of
sanitization of water reservoir through questioning managers of
building about the inspection charts recorded on equipment for water
reservoir. Statistical software packages (SPSS) were applied to the
data of two groups (cleaning frequency and water quality) for
regression analysis to determine the optimal cleaning frequency of
sanitization. The correlation coefficient (R) in this paper represented
the degree of correlation, with values of R ranging from +1 to -1.After
investigating three categories of drinking water users; this study found
that the frequency of sanitization of water reservoir significantly
influenced the water quality of drinking water. A higher frequency of
sanitization (more than four times per 1 year) implied a higher quality
of drinking water. Results indicated that sanitizing water reservoir &
water tower should at least twice annually for achieving the aim of
safety of drinking water.
Abstract: This paper reports work done to improve the modeling of complex processes when only small experimental data sets are available. Neural networks are used to capture the nonlinear underlying phenomena contained in the data set and to partly eliminate the burden of having to specify completely the structure of the model. Two different types of neural networks were used for the application of pulping problem. A three layer feed forward neural networks, using the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) methods were used in this investigation. Preconditioning is a method to improve convergence by lowering the condition number and increasing the eigenvalues clustering. The idea is to solve the modified odified problem M-1 Ax= M-1b where M is a positive-definite preconditioner that is closely related to A. We mainly focused on Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient- based training methods which originated from optimization theory, namely Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Fletcher-Reeves Update (PCGF), Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Polak-Ribiere Update (PCGP) and Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient with Powell-Beale Restarts (PCGB). The behavior of the PCG methods in the simulations proved to be robust against phenomenon such as oscillations due to large step size.
Abstract: We have measured the pressure drop and convective
heat transfer coefficient of water – based AL(25nm),AL2O3(30nm)
and CuO(50nm) Nanofluids flowing through a uniform heated
circular tube in the fully developed laminar flow regime. The
experimental results show that the data for Nanofluids friction factor
show a good agreement with analytical prediction from the Darcy's
equation for single-phase flow. After reducing the experimental
results to the form of Reynolds, Rayleigh and Nusselt numbers. The
results show the local Nusselt number and temperature have
distribution with the non-dimensional axial distance from the tube
entry. Study decided that thenNanofluid as Newtonian fluids through
the design of the linear relationship between shear stress and the rate
of stress has been the study of three chains of the Nanofluid with
different concentrations and where the AL, AL2O3 and CuO – water
ranging from (0.25 - 2.5 vol %). In addition to measuring the four
properties of the Nanofluid in practice so as to ensure the validity of
equations of properties developed by the researchers in this area and
these properties is viscosity, specific heat, and density and found that
the difference does not exceed 3.5% for the experimental equations
between them and the practical. The study also demonstrated that the
amount of the increase in heat transfer coefficient for three types of
Nano fluid is AL, AL2O3, and CuO – Water and these ratios are
respectively (45%, 32%, 25%) with insulation and without insulation
(36%, 23%, 19%), and the statement of any of the cases the best
increase in heat transfer has been proven that using insulation is
better than not using it. I have been using three types of Nano
particles and one metallic Nanoparticle and two oxide Nanoparticle
and a statement, whichever gives the best increase in heat transfer.
Abstract: PCCI engines can reduce NOx and PM emissions
simultaneously without sacrificing thermal efficiency, but a low
combustion temperature resulting from early fuel injection, and
ignition occurring prior to TDC, can cause higher THC and CO
emissions and fuel consumption. In conclusion, it was found that the
PCCI combustion achieved by the 2-stage injection strategy with
optimized calibration factors (e.g. EGR rate, injection pressure, swirl
ratio, intake pressure, injection timing) can reduce NOx and PM
emissions simultaneously. This research works are expected to
provide valuable information conducive to a development of an
innovative combustion engine that can fulfill upcoming stringent
emission standards.
Abstract: One of the main advantages of the LO paradigm is to
allow the availability of good quality, shareable learning material
through the Web. The effectiveness of the retrieval process requires a
formal description of the resources (metadata) that closely fits the
user-s search criteria; in spite of the huge international efforts in this
field, educational metadata schemata often fail to fulfil this
requirement. This work aims to improve the situation, by the
definition of a metadata model capturing specific didactic features of
shareable learning resources. It classifies LOs into “teacher-oriented"
and “student-oriented" categories, in order to describe the role a LO
is to play when it is integrated into the educational process. This
article describes the model and a first experimental validation process
that has been carried out in a controlled environment.
Abstract: The problem of robust stability and robust stabilization for a class of discrete-time uncertain systems with time delay is investigated. Based on Tchebychev inequality, by constructing a new augmented Lyapunov function, some improved sufficient conditions ensuring exponential stability and stabilization are established. These conditions are expressed in the forms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), whose feasibility can be easily checked by using Matlab LMI Toolbox. Compared with some previous results derived in the literature, the new obtained criteria have less conservatism. Two numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the improvement and effectiveness of the proposed method.