Abstract: Soil chemical and physical properties have important
roles in compartment of the environment and agricultural
sustainability and human health. The objectives of this research is
determination of spatial distribution patterns of Cd, Zn, K, pH, TNV,
organic material and electrical conductivity (EC) in agricultural soils
of Natanz region in Esfehan province. In this study geostatistic and
non-geostatistic methods were used for prediction of spatial
distribution of these parameters. 64 composite soils samples were
taken at 0-20 cm depth. The study area is located in south of
NATANZ agricultural lands with area of 21660 hectares. Spatial
distribution of Cd, Zn, K, pH, TNV, organic material and electrical
conductivity (EC) was determined using geostatistic and geographic
information system. Results showed that Cd, pH, TNV and K data
has normal distribution and Zn, OC and EC data had not normal
distribution. Kriging, Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Local
Polynomial Interpolation (LPI) and Redial Basis functions (RBF)
methods were used to interpolation. Trend analysis showed that
organic carbon in north-south and east to west did not have trend
while K and TNV had second degree trend. We used some error
measurements include, mean absolute error(MAE), mean squared
error (MSE) and mean biased error(MBE). Ordinary
kriging(exponential model), LPI(Local polynomial interpolation),
RBF(radial basis functions) and IDW methods have been chosen as
the best methods to interpolating of the soil parameters. Prediction
maps by disjunctive kriging was shown that in whole study area was
intensive shortage of organic matter and more than 63.4 percent of
study area had shortage of K amount.
Abstract: Images are important in disease research, education,
and clinical medicine. This paper presents a Web Service Platform
(WSP) for support multiple programming languages to access image
from biomedical databases. The main function WSP is to allow web
users access image from biomedical databases. The WSP will
receive web user-s queries. After that, it will send to Querying
Server (QS) and the QS will search and retrieve data from
biomedical databases. Finally, the information will display to the
web users. Simple application is developed and tested for
experiment purpose. Result from experiment indicated WSP can be
used in biomedical environment.
Abstract: Mathematical models can be used to describe the
transmission of disease. Dengue disease is the most significant
mosquito-borne viral disease of human. It now a leading cause of
childhood deaths and hospitalizations in many countries. Variations
in environmental conditions, especially seasonal climatic parameters,
effect to the transmission of dengue viruses the dengue viruses and
their principal mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. A transmission model
for dengue disease is discussed in this paper. We assume that the
human and vector populations are constant. We showed that the local
stability is completely determined by the threshold parameter, 0 B . If
0 B is less than one, the disease free equilibrium state is stable. If
0 B is more than one, a unique endemic equilibrium state exists and
is stable. The numerical results are shown for the different values of
the transmission probability from vector to human populations.
Abstract: Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection that has peaked to an alarming rate in recent decades. It can be found in tropical and sub-tropical climate. In Malaysia, dengue has been declared as one of the national health threat to the public. This study aimed to map the spatial distributions of dengue cases in the district of Hulu Langat, Selangor via a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial statistic tools. Data related to dengue was gathered from the various government health agencies. The location of dengue cases was geocoded using a handheld GPS Juno SB Trimble. A total of 197 dengue cases occurring in 2003 were used in this study. Those data then was aggregated into sub-district level and then converted into GIS format. The study also used population or demographic data as well as the boundary of Hulu Langat. To assess the spatial distribution of dengue cases three spatial statistics method (Moran-s I, average nearest neighborhood (ANN) and kernel density estimation) were applied together with spatial analysis in the GIS environment. Those three indices were used to analyze the spatial distribution and average distance of dengue incidence and to locate the hot spot of dengue cases. The results indicated that the dengue cases was clustered (p < 0.01) when analyze using Moran-s I with z scores 5.03. The results from ANN analysis showed that the average nearest neighbor ratio is less than 1 which is 0.518755 (p < 0.0001). From this result, we can expect the dengue cases pattern in Hulu Langat district is exhibiting a cluster pattern. The z-score for dengue incidence within the district is -13.0525 (p < 0.0001). It was also found that the significant spatial autocorrelation of dengue incidences occurs at an average distance of 380.81 meters (p < 0.0001). Several locations especially residential area also had been identified as the hot spots of dengue cases in the district.
Abstract: The Integrated Performance Modelling Environment
(IPME) is a powerful simulation engine for task simulation and
performance analysis. However, it has no high level cognition such
as memory and reasoning for complex simulation. This article
introduces a knowledge representation and reasoning scheme that can
accommodate uncertainty in simulations of military personnel with
IPME. This approach demonstrates how advanced reasoning models
that support similarity-based associative process, rule-based abstract
process, multiple reasoning methods and real-time interaction can be
integrated with conventional task network modelling to provide
greater functionality and flexibility when modelling operator
performance.
Abstract: With the exponential progress of technological
development comes a strong sense that events are moving too quickly
for our schools and that teachers may be losing control of them in the
process. This paper examines the impact of e-learning and e-teaching
in universities, from both the student and teacher perspective. In
particular, it is shown that e-teachers should focus not only on the
technical capacities and functions of IT materials and activities, but
must attempt to more fully understand how their e-learners perceive
the learning environment. From the e-learner perspective, this paper
indicates that simply having IT tools available does not automatically
translate into all students becoming effective learners. More
evidence-based evaluative research is needed to allow e-learning and
e-teaching to reach full potential.
Abstract: According as the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry projects have grown more complex and larger, the number of utilization of BIM for 3D design and simulation is increasing significantly. Therefore, typical applications of BIM such as clash detection and alternative measures based on 3-dimenstional planning are expanded to process management, cost and quantity management, structural analysis, check for regulation, and various domains for virtual design and construction. Presently, commercial BIM software is operated on single-user environment, so initial cost is so high and the investment may be wasted frequently. Cloud computing that is a next-generation internet technology enables simple internet devices (such as PC, Tablet, Smart phone etc) to use services and resources of BIM software. In this paper, we suggested developing method of the BIM software based on cloud computing environment in order to expand utilization of BIM and reduce cost of BIM software. First, for the benchmarking, we surveyed successful case of BIM and cloud computing. And we analyzed needs and opportunities of BIM and cloud computing in AEC Industry. Finally, we suggested main functions of BIM software based on cloud computing environment and developed a simple prototype of cloud computing BIM software for basic BIM model viewing.
Abstract: As business environments are rapidly changing,
the manufacturing system must be reconfigured to adapt to
various customer needs. In order to cope with this challenge, it
is quintessential to test industrial control logic rapidly and
easily in the design time, and monitor operational behavior in
the run time of automated manufacturing system. Proposed
integrated model for virtual prototyping and operational
monitoring of industrial control logic is to improve limitations
of current ladder programming practices and general discrete
event simulation method. Each plant layout model using HMI
package and object-oriented control logic model is designed
independently and is executed simultaneously in integrated
manner to reflect design practices of automation system in the
design time. Control logic is designed and executed using UML
activity diagram without considering complicated control
behavior to deal with current trend of reconfigurable
manufacturing. After the physical installation, layout model of
virtual prototype constructed in the design time is reused for
operational monitoring of system behavior during run time.
Abstract: The counting and analysis of blood cells allows the
evaluation and diagnosis of a vast number of diseases. In particular,
the analysis of white blood cells (WBCs) is a topic of great interest to
hematologists. Nowadays the morphological analysis of blood cells is
performed manually by skilled operators. This involves numerous
drawbacks, such as slowness of the analysis and a nonstandard
accuracy, dependent on the operator skills. In literature there are only
few examples of automated systems in order to analyze the white
blood cells, most of which only partial. This paper presents a
complete and fully automatic method for white blood cells
identification from microscopic images. The proposed method firstly
individuates white blood cells from which, subsequently, nucleus and
cytoplasm are extracted. The whole work has been developed using
MATLAB environment, in particular the Image Processing Toolbox.
Abstract: In modern distributed software systems, the issue of communication among composing parts represents a critical point, but the idea of extending conventional programming languages with general purpose communication constructs seems difficult to realize. As a consequence, there is a (growing) gap between the abstraction level required by distributed applications and the concepts provided by platforms that enable communication. This work intends to discuss how the Model Driven Software Development approach can be considered as a mature technology to generate in automatic way the schematic part of applications related to communication, by providing at the same time high level specialized languages useful in all the phases of software production. To achieve the goal, a stack of languages (meta-meta¬models) has been introduced in order to describe – at different levels of abstraction – the collaborative behavior of generic entities in terms of communication actions related to a taxonomy of messages. Finally, the generation of platforms for communication is viewed as a form of specification of language semantics, that provides executable models of applications together with model-checking supports and effective runtime environments.
Abstract: The world demand for potable water is
increasing every day with growing population. Desalination
using solar energy is suitable for potable water production
from brackish and seawater. In this paper, we present a
theoretical study of solar distillation in a single basin under
the open environmental conditions of Chabahar-Iran. The still
has a base area of 2000mm×500mm with a glass cover
inclined at 25° in order to obtain extra solar energy. We model
the still and conduct its energy balance equations under minor
assumptions. We computed the temperatures of glass cover,
seawater interface, moist air and bottom using numerical
method. The investigation addressed the following: The still
productivity, distilled water salinity and still performance in
terms of the still efficiency. Calculated still productivity in
July was higher than December. So in this paper, we show
that still productivity is directly functioning of solar radiation.
Abstract: In today-s turbulent environment, companies are faced with two principal challenges. On the one hand, it is necessary to produce ever more cost-effectively to remain competitive. On the other hand, factories need to be transformable in order to manage unpredictable changes in the corporate environment. To deal with these different challenges, companies use the philosophy of lean production in the first case, in the second case the philosophy of transformability. To a certain extent these two approaches follow different directions. This can cause conflicts when designing factories. Therefore, the Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA) of the Leibniz University of Hanover has developed a procedure to allow companies to evaluate and design their factories with respect to the requirements of both philosophies.
Abstract: This paper presents an algorithm for the recognition
and tracking of moving objects, 1/10 scale model car is used to verify
performance of the algorithm. Presented algorithm for the recognition
and tracking of moving objects in the paper is as follows. SURF
algorithm is merged with Lucas-Kanade algorithm. SURF algorithm
has strong performance on contrast, size, rotation changes and it
recognizes objects but it is slow due to many computational
complexities. Processing speed of Lucas-Kanade algorithm is fast but
the recognition of objects is impossible. Its optical flow compares the
previous and current frames so that can track the movement of a pixel.
The fusion algorithm is created in order to solve problems which
occurred using the Kalman Filter to estimate the position and the
accumulated error compensation algorithm was implemented. Kalman
filter is used to create presented algorithm to complement problems
that is occurred when fusion two algorithms. Kalman filter is used to
estimate next location, compensate for the accumulated error. The
resolution of the camera (Vision Sensor) is fixed to be 640x480. To
verify the performance of the fusion algorithm, test is compared to
SURF algorithm under three situations, driving straight, curve, and
recognizing cars behind the obstacles. Situation similar to the actual is
possible using a model vehicle. Proposed fusion algorithm showed
superior performance and accuracy than the existing object
recognition and tracking algorithms. We will improve the performance
of the algorithm, so that you can experiment with the images of the
actual road environment.
Abstract: Since the world printing industry has to confront
globalization with a constant change, the Thai printing industry, as a
small but increasingly significant part of the world printing industry,
cannot inevitably escape but has to encounter with the similar change
and also the need to revamp its production processes, designs and
technology to make them more appealing to both international and
domestic market. The essential question is what is the Thai
competitive edge in the printing industry in changing environment?
This research is aimed to study the Thai level of competitive edge in
terms of marketing, technology, environment friendly, and the level
of satisfaction of the process of using printing machines. To access
the extent to which is the trends in competitiveness of Thai printing
industry, both quantitative and qualitative study were conducted. The
quantitative analysis was restricted to 100 respondents. The
qualitative analysis was restricted to a focus group of 10 individuals
from various backgrounds in the Thai printing industry. The findings
from the quantitative analysis revealed that the overall mean scores
are 4.53, 4.10, and 3.50 for the competitiveness of marketing, the
competitiveness of technology, and the competitiveness of being
environment friendly respectively. However, the level of satisfaction
for the process of using machines has a mean score only 3.20. The
findings from the qualitative analysis have revealed that target
customers have increasingly reordered due to their contentment in
both low prices and the acceptable quality of the products. Moreover,
the Thai printing industry has a tendency to convert to ambient green
technology which is friendly to the environment. The Thai printing
industry is choosing to produce or substitute with products that are
less damaging to the environment. It is also found that the Thai
printing industry has been transformed into a very competitive
industry which bargaining power rests on consumers who have a
variety of choices.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the current
state of corporate social responsibility statements on corporate
websites of Malaysian and Singaporean corporations and analyze
how the CSR statements contribute in building a unique corporate
identity of corporations. Content analysis is employed to examine the
websites of Malaysian and Singaporean consumer corporations. It is
believed that generally most companies tend to publish and
communicate their CSR statements visibly to general stakeholders.
However, there is a significantly different outcome of the articulation
of CSR on practices on websites between Malaysian and Singaporean
consumer corporations. A number of Singaporean organizations were
found less concerned with CSR practices as compared to Malaysian
organizations. The findings indicate a need for corporations in
Malaysia and Singapore to orchestrate their core competence of CSR
activities in order to develop a unique corporate identity in a global
business environment.
Abstract: Short term electricity demand forecasts are required
by power utilities for efficient operation of the power grid. In a
competitive market environment, suppliers and large consumers also
require short term forecasts in order to estimate their energy
requirements in advance. Electricity demand is influenced (among
other things) by the day of the week, the time of year and special
periods and/or days such as Ramadhan, all of which must be
identified prior to modelling. This identification, known as day-type
identification, must be included in the modelling stage either by
segmenting the data and modelling each day-type separately or by
including the day-type as an input. Day-type identification is the
main focus of this paper. A Kohonen map is employed to identify the
separate day-types in Algerian data.
Abstract: A satellite is being integrated and tested by BISEE (Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering). This paper describes the infrared lamp array simulation technology used for satellite thermal balance and thermal vacuum test. These tests were performed in KM6 space environmental simulator in Beijing, China. New software and hardware developed by BISEE, along with enhanced heat flux uniformity, provided for well accomplished thermal balance and thermal vacuum tests. The flux uniformity of lamp array was satisfied with test requirement. Monitored background radiometer offered reliable heat flux measurements with remarkable repeatability. Simulation software supplied accurate thermal flux distribution predictions.
Abstract: Modern organizations operate under the pressure of
dynamic and often unpredictable changes, both in external and
internal environment. Market success, in this context, requires a
particular competence in the form of flexibility, interpreted here both
on the level of individuals and on the level of organization. This
paper addresses the changes taking place in the sphere of
employment, as observed in economic entities operating on Polish
market. Based on own empirical studies, the authors focus on the
progressing trend of ‘flexibilization’ of employment, particularly in
the context of transformations in organizational structure, designed to
facilitate the transition into management by projects and
differentiation of labor forms.
Abstract: A finite element analysis (FEA) computer software HyperWorks is utilized in re-designing an automotive component to reduce its mass. Reduction of components mass contributes towards environmental sustainability by saving world-s valuable metal resources and by reducing carbon emission through improved overall vehicle fuel efficiency. A shape optimization analysis was performed on a rear spindle component. Pre-processing and solving procedures were performed using HyperMesh and RADIOSS respectively. Shape variables were defined using HyperMorph. Then optimization solver OptiStruct was utilized with fatigue life set as a design constraint. Since Stress-Number of Cycle (S-N) theory deals with uni-axial stress, the Signed von Misses stress on the component was used for looking up damage on S-N curve, and Gerber criterion for mean stress corrections. The optimization analysis resulted in mass reduction of 24% of the original mass. The study proved that the adopted approach has high potential use for environmental sustainability.
Abstract: This paper explores how Critical Systems Thinking and Action Research can be used to improve student performance in Networking. When describing a system from a systems thinking perspective, the following aspects can be identified: the total system performance, the systems environment, the resources, the components and the management of the system. Following the history of system thinking we observe three emerged methodologies namely, hard systems, soft systems, and critical systems. This paper uses Critical Systems Thinking (CST) which describes systems in terms of contradictions and conflict. It demonstrates how CST can be used in an Action Research (AR) project to improve the performance of students. Intervention in terms of student assessment is discussed and the impact of the intervention is discussed.