Search results for: Mason-Caffin method

Authors: M. Tridi, N. Nacereddine, N. Oucief

Abstract:

This paper describes a novel method for automatic estimation of the contours of weld defect in radiography images. Generally, the contour detection is the first operation which we apply in the visual recognition system. Our approach can be described as a region based maximum likelihood formulation of parametric deformable contours. This formulation provides robustness against the poor image quality, and allows simultaneous estimation of the contour parameters together with other parameters of the model. Implementation is performed by a deterministic iterative algorithm with minimal user intervention. Results testify for the very good performance of the approach especially in synthetic weld defect images.

Keywords: Contour, gaussian, likelihood, rayleigh.

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Authors: P. Zakikhani, R. Zahari, M. T. H. Sultan, D. L. Majid

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Natural plant fibres reinforced polymeric composite materials have been used in many fields of our lives to save the environment. Especially, bamboo fibres due to its environmental sustainability, mechanical properties, and recyclability have been utilized as reinforced polymer matrix composite in construction industries. In this review study bamboo structure and three different methods such as mechanical, chemical and combination of mechanical and chemical to extract fibres from bamboo are summarized. Each extraction method has been done base on the application of bamboo. In addition Bamboo fibre is compared with glass fibre from various aspects and in some parts it has advantages over the glass fibre.

Keywords: Bamboo fibres, natural fibres, mechanical extraction, glass fibres.

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Authors: B. Vahdani, S. M. Mousavi, R. Tavakkoli-Moghaddam

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Nowadays, the plant location selection has a critical impact on the performance of numerous companies. In this paper, a methodology is presented to solve this problem. The three decision making methods, namely Delphi, AHP and improved VIKOR, are hybridized in order to make the best use of information available based on the decision makers or experts. In this respect, the aim of using Delphi is to select the most influential criteria by a few decision makers. The AHP is utilized to give weights of the selected criteria. Finally, the improved VIKOR method is applied to rank alternatives. At the end of paper, an application example demonstrates the applicability of the proposed methodology.

Keywords: Decision making, Plant location selection, Delphi, AHP, Improved VIKOR.

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Authors: Yoshio Kurosawa, Takao Yamaguchi

Abstract:

High frequency automotive interior noise above 500 Hz considerably affects automotive passenger comfort. To reduce this noise, sound insulation material is often laminated on body panels or interior trim panels. For a more effective noise reduction, the sound reduction properties of this laminated structure need to be estimated. We have developed a new calculate tool that can roughly calculate the sound absorption and insulation properties of laminate structure and handy for designers. In this report, the outline of this tool and an analysis example applied to floor mat are introduced.

Keywords: Automobile, acoustics, porous material, Transfer Matrix Method.

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Authors: Ozlem Bozok, Yusuf Bozok

Abstract:

The importance of using mother tongue and translation in foreign language classrooms cannot be ignored and translation can be utilized as a method in English Language Teaching courses. There exist researches advocating or objecting to the use of translation in foreign language learning but they all have a point in common: Translation should be used as an aid to teaching, not an end in itself. In this research, prospective English language teachers’ opinions about translation use and use of mother tongue in foreign language teaching are investigated and according to the findings, some explanations and recommendations are made.

Keywords: Exposure to foreign language, translation, foreign language learning, prospective teachers’ opinions, use of L1.

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Authors: B. Selma, S. Chouraqui

Abstract:

Nonlinear system identification is becoming an important tool which can be used to improve control performance. This paper describes the application of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model for controlling a car. The vehicle must follow a predefined path by supervised learning. Backpropagation gradient descent method was performed to train the ANFIS system. The performance of the ANFIS model was evaluated in terms of training performance and classification accuracies and the results confirmed that the proposed ANFIS model has potential in controlling the non linear system.

Keywords: Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), Fuzzy logic, neural network, nonlinear system, control

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Authors: W. Fethallah, L. Chraibi, N. Sefiani

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The present paper is concerned with a statistical approach involving latent and manifest variables applied in order to assess the organization's social responsibility performance. The main idea is to develop an assessment tool and a measurement of the Social Responsibility Performance, enabling the company to characterize her performance regarding to the ISO 26000 standard's seven core subjects. For this, we conceptualize a structural equation modeling (SEM) which describes various causal connections between the Social Responsibility’s components. The SEM’s resolution is based on the Partial Least squares (PLS) method and the implementation is running in the XLSTAT software.

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, latent and manifest variable, partial least squares, structural equation model.

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Authors: Mehdi Salami-Kalajahi, Pejman Ganjeh-Anzabi, Vahid Haddadi-Asl, Mohammad Najafi

Abstract:

In the following text, we show that by introducing universal kinetic scheme, the origin of rate retardation and inhibition period which observed in dithiobenzoate-mediated RAFT polymerization can be described properly. We develop our model by utilizing the method of moments, then we apply our model to different monomer/RAFT agent systems, both homo- and copolymerization. The modeling results are in an excellent agreement with experiments and imply the validity of universal kinetic scheme, not only for dithiobenzoate-mediated systems, but also for different types of monomer/RAFT agent ones.

Keywords: RAFT Polymerization, Mechanism, Kinetics, Moment Equations, Modeling.

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Authors: Girish Kumar Singh, Sonajharia Minz

Abstract:

Granular computing deals with representation of information in the form of some aggregates and related methods for transformation and analysis for problem solving. A granulation scheme based on clustering and Rough Set Theory is presented with focus on structured conceptualization of information has been presented in this paper. Experiments for the proposed method on four labeled data exhibit good result with reference to classification problem. The proposed granulation technique is semi-supervised imbibing global as well as local information granulation. To represent the results of the attribute oriented granulation a tree structure is proposed in this paper.

Keywords: Granular computing, clustering, Rough sets, datamining.

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Authors: Olaniyi O. Omoyajowo

Abstract:

To be successful in today’s competitive global environment, manufacturing industry must be able to respond quickly to changes in technology. These changes in technology introduce new risks and hazards. The management of risk/hazard in a manufacturing process recommends method through which the success rate of an organization can be increased. Thus, there is a continual need for manufacturing industries to invest significant amount of resources in risk management, which in turn optimizes the production output and profitability of any manufacturing industry (if implemented properly). To help improve the existing risk prevention and mitigation practices in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Nigeria Manufacturing Industries (NMI), the researcher embarks on this research to develop a systematic Risk Management process.

Keywords: Manufacturing industries, production output, risk, risk management, SMEs.

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Authors: Adrian T.Pleşca

Abstract:

In this paper a three dimensional thermal model of high breaking capacity fuse with unequal fuse links is proposed for both steady-state or transient conditions. The influence of ambient temperature and electric current on the temperature distribution inside the fuse, has been investigated. A thermal analysis of the unbalanced distribution of the electric current through the fuse elements and their influence on fuse link temperature rise, has been performed. To validate the three dimensional thermal model, some experimental tests have been done. There is a good correlation between experimental and simulation results.

Keywords: Electric fuse, fuse links, temperature distribution, thermal analysis.

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Authors: Hong-fang Ma, Cong-yi He, Hai-tao Zhang, Wei-yong Ying, Ding-ye Fang

Abstract:

A Ni-based catalyst supported by γ-Al₂O₃ was prepared by impregnation method, and the catalyst was used in a low CO and CO₂ concentration methanation system. The effect of temperature, pressure and space velocity on the methanation reaction was investigated in an experimental fixed-bed reactor. The methanation reaction was operated at the conditions of 190-240°C, 3000-24000ml•g^-1•h^-1 and 1.5-3.5MPa. The results show that temperature and space velocity play important role on the reaction. With the increase of reaction temperature the CO and CO₂ conversion increase and the selectivity of CH₄ increase. And with the increase of the space velocity the conversion of CO and CO₂ and the selectivity of CH₄ decrease sharply.

Keywords: Coke oven gas, methanation, catalyst, fixed-bed.

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Authors: B. Abbad, A. Lounis, Tassalit Djilali

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The effects of equilibrium time, solution pH, and sorption temperature of cationic methylene blue (MB) adsorption on nanoporous metallosilicoaluminophosphate ZnAPSO-34 was studied using a batch equilibration method. UV–VIS spectroscopy was used to obtain the adsorption isotherms at 20° C. The optimum period for adsorption was 300 min. However, MB removal increased from 81,82 % to 94,81 %. The equilibrium adsorption data was analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. Langmuir isotherm was found to be the better-fitting model and the process followed pseudo second–order kinetics. The results showed that ZnAPSO-34 could be employed as an effective material and could be an attractive alternative for the removal of dyes and colors from aqueous solutions.

Keywords: Adsorption, Dye, Metallosilicoaluminophosphate, Methylene Blue.

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Authors: Aditya Khanna, Andrei Kotousov

Abstract:

A novel method is presented for obtaining the stress field induced by an edge dislocation in a multilayered composite. To demonstrate the applications of the obtained solution, we consider the problem of an interfacial crack in a periodically layered bimaterial medium. The crack is modelled as a continuous distribution of edge dislocations and the Distributed Dislocation Technique (DDT) is utilized to obtain numerical results for the energy release rate (ERR). The numerical implementation of the dislocation solution in MATLAB is also provided.

Keywords: Distributed dislocation technique, Edge dislocation, Elastic field, Interfacial crack, Multi-layered composite.

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Authors: Abhishek Bansal, G. N. Pillai

Abstract:

This paper presents a new method to detect high impedance faults in radial distribution systems. Magnitudes of third and fifth harmonic components of voltages and currents are used as a feature vector for fault discrimination. The proposed methodology uses a learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network as a classifier for identifying high impedance arc-type faults. The network learns from the data obtained from simulation of a simple radial system under different fault and system conditions. Compared to a feed-forward neural network, a properly tuned LVQ network gives quicker response.

Keywords: Fault identification, distribution networks, high impedance arc-faults, feature vector, LVQ networks.

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Authors: K. B. Dermenci, B. Ebin, S.Gürmen

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Noble metal participation in nanostructured semiconductor catalysts has drawn much interest because of their improved properties. Recently, it has been discussed by many researchers that Ag participation in TiO2, CuO, ZnO semiconductors showed improved photocatalytic and optical properties. In this research, Ag/ZnO nanocomposite particles were prepared by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis(USP) Method. 0.1M silver and zinc nitrate aqueous solutions were used as precursor solutions. The Ag:Zn atomic ratio of the solution was selected 1:1. Experiments were taken place under constant air flow of 400 mL/min at 800°C furnace temperature. Particles were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The crystallite sizes of Ag and ZnO in composite particles are 24.6 nm, 19.7 nm respectively. Although, spherical nanocomposite particles are in a range of 300- 800 nm, these particles are formed by the aggregation of primary particles which are in a range of 20-60 nm.

Keywords: Ag/ZnO nanocatalysts, Nanotechnology, USP

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Authors: Ibtissem Gammoudi, Ndeye Rokhaya Faye, Fabien Moroté, Daniel Moynet, Christine Grauby-Heywang, Touria Cohen-Bouhacina

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The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the morphology of Escherchia coli bacteria in interaction with SiO2 nanoparticles. This study was made by atomic force microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance using SiO2 nanoparticles with 10nm, 50nm and 100nm diameter and bacteria immobilized on polyelectrolyte multilayer films obtained by spin coating or by “layer by layer” (LbL) method.

Keywords: Atomic Force Microscopy, Escherichia coli, Quartz Crystal Microbalance, polyelectrolyte, silica nanoparticle.

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Authors: Yao-Hong Tsai

Abstract:

Salient points are frequently used to represent local properties of the image in content-based image retrieval. In this paper, we present a reduction algorithm that extracts the local most salient points such that they not only give a satisfying representation of an image, but also make the image retrieval process efficiently. This algorithm recursively reduces the continuous point set by their corresponding saliency values under a top-down approach. The resulting salient points are evaluated with an image retrieval system using Hausdoff distance. In this experiment, it shows that our method is robust and the extracted salient points provide better retrieval performance comparing with other point detectors.

Keywords: Barnard detector, Content-based image retrieval, Points reduction, Salient point.

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Authors: Anatoli Torokhti, Stanley Miklavcic

Abstract:

Suppose KY and KX are large sets of observed and reference signals, respectively, each containing N signals. Is it possible to construct a filter F : KY → KX that requires a priori information only on few signals, p  N, from KX but performs better than the known filters based on a priori information on every reference signal from KX? It is shown that the positive answer is achievable under quite unrestrictive assumptions. The device behind the proposed method is based on a special extension of the piecewise linear interpolation technique to the case of random signal sets. The proposed technique provides a single filter to process any signal from the arbitrarily large signal set. The filter is determined in terms of pseudo-inverse matrices so that it always exists.

Keywords: Wiener filter, filtering of stochastic signals.

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Authors: Valentina Koliskina, Inta Volodko

Abstract:

Transient eddy current problem is solved in the present paper by the method of the Laplace transform for the case of a double conductor line located parallel to a conducting half-space. The Fourier sine and cosine integral transforms are used in order to find the Laplace transform of the solution. The inverse Laplace transform of the solution is found in closed form. The integrated electromotive force per unit length of the double conductor line is calculated in the form of an improper integral.

Keywords: Transient eddy currents, Laplace transform, double conductor line.

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Authors: M. Sultana, A. Rahman, S. Chowdhury

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Road authorities have confronted problems to maintaining the serviceability of road infrastructure systems by using various traditional methods of contracting. As a solution to these problems, many road authorities have started contracting out road maintenance works to the private sector based on performance measures. This contracting method is named Performance-Based Maintenance Contracting (PBMC). It is considered more costeffective than other traditional methods of contracting. It has a substantial success records in many developed and developing countries over the last two decades. This paper discusses and analyses the potential issues to be considered before the introduction of PBMC in a country.

Keywords: Contracting, Performance-Based Maintenance, Road infrastructure

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Authors: Riad Saraiji, Scott Sizer, Emily Yance-Houser, Felix Bermejo

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The use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in roadway lighting to show the state of street-lighting and nighttime accident is demonstrated. Geographical maps were generated showing colored streets based on how much of the street's length is illuminated. The night to daytime accidents ratio at intersections were found along with the state of lighting at those intersections. The result is a method to show the state of street-lighting at roads and intersections and a quick guide for decision makers to implement strategies for better street-lighting to reduce night time traffic accidents in a particular district.

Keywords: GIS. Roadway lighting, Traffic Accidents

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Authors: Graziele Zwielewski, Suzana R. Tolfo

Abstract:

The globalization of markets, the need to develop competitive advantages and core competencies, among other things, lead organizations to increasingly cross borders to operate in other countries. The expatriation of professionals who go to work in another country besides their own becomes increasingly common. In order to generate data about this issue, research was conducted concerning the perception of expatriate employees concerning expatriation success. The research method used was case study through a qualitative approach. This research was done through interviews with five India expatriates and five China expatriates, interview with expatriate department heads and analysis of company documents. It was found that there are differences between the organizational perception and perception of expatriates of what constitutes mission success. The paper also provides suggestions for further research and suggestions for future expatriates.

Keywords: Expatriation success, International assignments, Success factors, Success for expatriates.

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Authors: G. Bhushan

Abstract:

Multilobe bearings are found to be more stable than circular bearings. A three lobe bearing also possesses good stability characteristics. Sometimes the line of action of the load does not pass through the axis of a bearing and is shifted on either side by a few degrees. Load orientation is one of the factors that affect the stability of a three lobe bearing. The effect of load orientation on the stability of a three-lobe has been discussed in this paper. The results show that stability of a three-lobe bearing supporting either rigid or flexible rotor is increased for the positive values of load orientation i.e. when the load line is shifted in the opposite direction of rotation.

Keywords: Thee-lobe bearing, load orientation, finite element method.

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Authors: H. Binti Ya’akob, C. Siew Chin, A. Abd Aziz, I. Ware, M. Fauzi Abd Jalil, N. Rashidah Ahmed, R. Sabtu

Abstract:

Labisia pumila (LP) plant extract has the potential to be applied in cosmeceutical products due to its anti-photoaging properties. The main purpose of this study was to improve transdermal delivery of LP by encapsulating LP in niosomes. Niosomes loaded LPs were prepared by coacervation phase separation method using non-ionic surfactant (Span 60), labrasol, and cholesterol. The optimum formula obtained were Span 60, labrasol and cholesterol at the mole ratio of 6:1:4. At the optimum formulation, the niosome obtained significantly improved the quality of transdermal penetration of LP compared to free LP.

Keywords: Labisia pumila, niosomes, transdermal, quality.

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Authors: Longqiao Zhou, Zixin Liu, Shu Lü

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This paper addresses the robust stability problem of a class of delayed neutral Lur’e systems. Combined with the property of convex function and double integral Jensen inequality, a new tripe integral Lyapunov functional is constructed to derive some new stability criteria. Compared with some related results, the new criteria established in this paper are less conservative. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to illustrate the validity of the main results.

Keywords: Lur’e system, Convex function, Jensen integral inequality, Triple-integral method, Exponential stability.

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Authors: K. Easawi, M. Nabil, T. Abdallah, S. Negm, H. Talaat

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Composite nanostructures of metal core/semiconductor shell (Au/CdS) configuration were prepared using organometalic method. UV-Vis spectra for the Au/CdS colloids show initially two well separated bands, corresponding to surface plasmon of the Au core, and the exciton of CdS shell. The absorption of CdS shell is enhanced, while the Au plasmon band is suppressed as the shell thickness increases. The shell sizes were estimated from the optical spectra using the effective mass approximation model (EMA), and compared to the sizes of the Au core and CdS shell measured by high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The changes in the absorption features are discussed in terms of gradual increase in the coupling strength of the Au core surface plasmon and the exciton in the CdS. leading to charge transfer and modification of electron oscillation in Au core.

Keywords: Nanocomposites, Plasmonics.

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Authors: Paul Akagwu, Aaron Aboshio

Abstract:

In this study, typical c-ɸ soils subjected to loadings were assessed with a view to understand the general stress distribution and settlement behaviour of the soils under drained conditions. Numerical estimations of the non-dimensional bearing capacity factors, N_q and N_γ for varied angles of friction in the soil mass were obtained using PLAXIS. Ultimate bearing capacity values over a Ф range of 0-30 degrees were also computed and compared with analytical results obtained from the traditional simplified uncoupled approach of Terzaghi and Meyerhof. Results from the numerical study agree well with theoretical findings.

Keywords: Bearing capacity factors, finite element method, safe bearing pressure, structure-soil interaction.

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Authors: Young-Lim Choi, Nak-Yun Choi, Jae-Yong Seo, Sang-Il Park, Jong-Wook Kim

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This paper proposes a prototype of a lower-limb rehabilitation system for recovering and strengthening patients- injured lower limbs. The system is composed of traction motors for each leg position, a treadmill as a walking base, tension sensors, microcontrollers controlling motor functions and a main system with graphic user interface. For derivation of reference or normal velocity profiles of the body segment point, kinematic method is applied based on the humanoid robot model using the reference joint angle data of normal walking.

Keywords: Rehabilitation, lower limb, treadmill, humanoid robot.

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Authors: Dimitra Alexiou

Abstract:

In an urban area the location allocation of emergency services mobile units, such as ambulances, police patrol cars must be designed so as to achieve a prompt response to demand locations. In this paper the partition of a given urban network into distinct sub-networks is performed such that the vertices in each component are close and simultaneously the sums of the corresponding population in the sub-networks are almost uniform. The objective here is to position appropriately in each sub-network a mobile emergency unit in order to reduce the response time to the demands. A mathematical model in framework of graph theory is developed. In order to clarify the corresponding method a relevant numerical example is presented on a small network.

Keywords: Distances, Emergency Service, Graph Partition, location.

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