Search results for: smartphone applications; photo mosaic; similarity search; data mining; large-scale image databases.
3019 Safety Practices among Bus Operators during Wee Hour Operations
Authors: M.R. Osman, F. Abas, M.S. Noh, A. Mohamad Suffian, O. Ilhamah, H.Z. Zarir, A.B. Wahida, P. Noor Faradila, M.F. Siti Atiqah
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Safety Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP) was developed to help road transportation operators to manage its operation in a systematic and safe manner. A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of SHE COP implementation during non-OPS period. The objective of the study is to evaluate the implementations of SHE COP among bus operators during wee hour operations. The data was collected by completing a set of checklist after observing the activities during pre departure, during the trip, and upon arrival. The results show that there are seven widely practiced SHE COP elements. 22% of the buses have average speed exceeding the maximum permissible speed on the highways (90 km/h), with 13% of the buses were travelling at the speed of more than 100 km/h. The statistical analysis shows that there is only one significant association which relates speeding with prior presence of enforcement officers.Keywords: Safety practices, speeding, wee hour.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15633018 Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Flow Control Using a Novel Active Slat
Authors: Basman Elhadidi, Islam Elqatary, Osama Mohamady, Hesham Othman
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An active slat is developed to increase the lift and delay the separation for a DU96-W180 airfoil. The active slat is a fixed slat that can be closed, fully opened or intermittently opened by a rotating vane depending on the need. Experimental results show that the active slat has reduced the mean pressure and increased the mean velocity on the suction side of the airfoil for all positive angles of attack, indicating an increase of lift. The experimental data and numerical simulations also show that the direction of actuator vane rotation can influence the mixing of the flow streams on the suction side and hence influence the aerodynamic performance.
Keywords: Active slat, flow control.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 27793017 Construction and Analysis of Samurai Sudoku
Authors: A. Danbaba
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Samurai Sudoku consists of five Sudoku square designs each having nine treatments in each row (column or sub-block) only once such the five Sudoku designs overlaps. Two or more Samurai designs can be joint together to give an extended Samurai design. In addition, two Samurai designs, each containing five Sudoku square designs, are mutually orthogonal (Graeco). If we superimpose two Samurai designs and obtained a pair of Latin and Greek letters in each row (column or sub-block) of the five Sudoku designs only once, then we have Graeco Samurai design. In this paper, simple method of constructing Samurai designs and mutually orthogonal Samurai design are proposed. In addition, linear models and methods of data analysis for the designs are proposed.
Keywords: Samurai design, Graeco samurai design, sudoku design, row or column swap.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 14863016 Human Induced Dynamic Loading on Stairs
Authors: L. Gaile, I. Radinsh
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Based on experimental data using accelerometry technology there was developed an analytical model that approximates human induced ground reaction forces in vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions ascending and descending the stairs. Proposed dynamic loading factors and corresponding phase shifts for the first five harmonics of continuous walking force history in case of stair ascend and descend. Into account is taken imperfectness of individual footfall forcing functions, differences between continuous walking force histories among individuals. There is proposed mean synthetic continuous walking force history that can be used in numerical simulations of human movement on the stairs.
Keywords: footfall, ground reaction forces, human loads, serviceability, stair vibration, walking
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 22473015 Design and Implementation of Cyber Video Consultation System Using Hybrid P2P
Authors: Hyen Ki Kim
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This paper describes the design and implementation of cyber video consultation systems(CVCS) using hybrid P2P for video consultation between remote sites. The proposed system is based on client-server and P2P(Peer to Peer) architecture, where client-server is used for communication with the MCU(Multipoint Control Unit) and P2P is used for the cyber video consultation. The developed video consultation system decreases server traffic, and cuts down network expenses, as the multimedia data decentralizes to the client by hybrid P2P architecture. Also the developed system is tested by the group-type video consultation system using communication protocol and application software through Ethernet networks.
Keywords: Consultation, Cyber, Hybrid, Peer-to-Peer
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 19163014 On the Use of Correlated Binary Model in Social Network Analysis
Authors: Elsayed A. Habib Elamir
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In social network analysis the mean nodal degree and density of the graph can be considered as a measure of the activity of all actors in the network and this is an important property of a graph and for making comparisons among networks. Since subjects in a family or organization are subject to common environment factors, it is prime interest to study the association between responses. Therefore, we study the distribution of the mean nodal degree and density of the graph under correlated binary units. The cross product ratio is used to capture the intra-units association among subjects. Computer program and an application are given to show the benefits of the method.Keywords: Correlated Binary data, cross product ratio, densityof the graph, multiplicative binomial distribution.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 14513013 Stochastic Resonance in Nonlinear Signal Detection
Authors: Youguo Wang, Lenan Wu
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Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phenomenon whereby the signal transmission or signal processing through certain nonlinear systems can be improved by adding noise. This paper discusses SR in nonlinear signal detection by a simple test statistic, which can be computed from multiple noisy data in a binary decision problem based on a maximum a posteriori probability criterion. The performance of detection is assessed by the probability of detection error Per . When the input signal is subthreshold signal, we establish that benefit from noise can be gained for different noises and confirm further that the subthreshold SR exists in nonlinear signal detection. The efficacy of SR is significantly improved and the minimum of Per can dramatically approach to zero as the sample number increases. These results show the robustness of SR in signal detection and extend the applicability of SR in signal processing.Keywords: Probability of detection error, signal detection, stochastic resonance.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15333012 Sport and Exercise Behavior of Students in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University
Authors: Pimporn Thongmuang
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The purpose of this research is to study sport and exercise behavior of students in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in September of 2012. The sample group used in this research was a group of regular students in undergraduate school enrolled in faculty of science and technology. This sample group consisted of 1,858 students. The research tool used to collect result was the checklist. The data was calculated by statistical percentage. From the research, it was discovered that most students did exercise in previous month. 71.6% of students exercised by running. 61.1% of students exercised in their neighborhood. 60.4% of students exercised in order to keep fit. 60.2% of students agreed that the result from this research can be educational and inspirational for students in campus in terms of living healthily by exercise.Keywords: Exercise behavior, sport behavior, students.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 8653011 Forecasting the Volatility of Geophysical Time Series with Stochastic Volatility Models
Authors: Maria C. Mariani, Md Al Masum Bhuiyan, Osei K. Tweneboah, Hector G. Huizar
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This work is devoted to the study of modeling geophysical time series. A stochastic technique with time-varying parameters is used to forecast the volatility of data arising in geophysics. In this study, the volatility is defined as a logarithmic first-order autoregressive process. We observe that the inclusion of log-volatility into the time-varying parameter estimation significantly improves forecasting which is facilitated via maximum likelihood estimation. This allows us to conclude that the estimation algorithm for the corresponding one-step-ahead suggested volatility (with ±2 standard prediction errors) is very feasible since it possesses good convergence properties.Keywords: Augmented Dickey Fuller Test, geophysical time series, maximum likelihood estimation, stochastic volatility model.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 8603010 Finite Element Method Analysis of Occluded-Ear Simulator and Natural Human Ear Canal
Authors: M. Sasajima, T. Yamaguchi, Y. Hu, Y. Koike
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In this paper, we discuss the propagation of sound in the narrow pathways of an occluded-ear simulator typically used for the measurement of insert-type earphones. The simulator has a standardized frequency response conforming to the international standard (IEC60318-4). In narrow pathways, the speed and phase of sound waves are modified by viscous air damping. In our previous paper, we proposed a new finite element method (FEM) to consider the effects of air viscosity in this type of audio equipment. In this study, we will compare the results from the ear simulator FEM model, and those from a three dimensional human ear canal FEM model made from computed tomography images, with the measured frequency response data from the ear canals of 18 people.
Keywords: Ear simulator, FEM, viscosity, human ear canal.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 11283009 Bank Business Models and The Changes in CEE Countries
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The aim of this article is to assess the existing business models used by the banks operating in the CEE countries in the time period from 2006 till 2011. In order to obtain research results, the authors performed qualitative analysis of the scientific literature on bank business models, which have been grouped into clusters that consist of such components as: 1) capital and reserves; 2) assets; 3) deposits, and 4) loans. In their turn, bank business models have been developed based on the types of core activities of the banks, and have been divided into four groups: Wholesale, Investment, Retail and Universal Banks. Descriptive statistics have been used to analyse the models, determining mean, minimal and maximal values of constituent cluster components, as well as standard deviation. The analysis of the data is based on such bank variable indices as Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE).Keywords: Banks, Business model, CEE, ROA, ROE.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 18493008 An Online Evaluation of Operating Reserve for System Security
Authors: Le-Ren Chang-Chien, Yin-Juin Lin, Chin-Chung Wu
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Utilities use operating reserve for frequency regulation.To ensure that the operating frequency and system security are well maintained, the operating grid codes always specify that the reserve quantity and response rate should meet some prescribed levels. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate system's contingency reserve for an isolated power network. With the presented algorithm to estimate system's frequency response characteristic, an online allocation of contingency reserve would be feasible to meet the grid codes for contingency operation. Test results from the simulated conditions, and from the actual operating data verify the merits of the proposed methodology to system's frequency control, and security.
Keywords: Contingency, frequency control, operating reserve.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 16483007 A Review of Survey Methodology Employedin IT Outsourcing
Authors: B. Terzioglu, E.S.K. Chan
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on methodological aspects of the information technology outsourcing (ITO) surveys, in an attempt to improve the data quality and reporting in survey research. It is based on a review of thirty articles on ITO surveys and focuses on two commonly explored dimensions of ITO, namely what are outsourced and why should there be ITO. This study highlights weaknesses in ITO surveys including lack of a clear definition of population, lack of information regarding the sampling method used, not citing the response rate, no information pertaining to pilot testing of survey instrument and absence of information on internal validity in the use or reporting of surveys. This study represents an attempt with a limited scope to point to shortfalls in the use survey methodology in ITO, and thus raise awareness among researchers in enhancing the reliability of survey findings.
Keywords: ITO, information technology outsourcing, survey methodology
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 18533006 Gas Sweetening Process Simulation: Investigation on Recovering Waste Hydraulic Energy
Authors: Meisam Moghadasi, Hassan Ali Ozgoli, Foad Farhani
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In this research, firstly, a commercial gas sweetening unit with methyl-di-ethanol-amine (MDEA) solution is simulated and comprised in an integrated model in accordance with Aspen HYSYS software. For evaluation purposes, in the second step, the results of the simulation are compared with operating data gathered from South Pars Gas Complex (SPGC). According to the simulation results, the considerable energy potential contributed to the pressure difference between absorber and regenerator columns causes this energy driving force to be applied in power recovery turbine (PRT). In the last step, the amount of waste hydraulic energy is calculated, and its recovery methods are investigated.
Keywords: Gas sweetening unit, simulation, MDEA, power recovery turbine, waste-to-energy.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 10773005 The Effects of Perceived Organizational Support, Abusive Supervision, and Exchange Ideology on Employees- Task Performance
Authors: Seung Yeon Son, Heetae Park, Soojin Lee, Seckyoung Loretta Kim, Dongkyu Kim, Seokhwa Yun
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Employee-s task performance has been recognized as a core contributor to overall organizational effectiveness. Hence, verifying the determinants of task performance is one of the most important research issues. This study tests the influence of perceived organizational support, abusive supervision, and exchange ideology on employee-s task performance. We examined our hypotheses by collecting self-reported data from 413 Korean employees in different organizations. Our all hypotheses gained support from the results. Implications for research and directions for future research are discussed.Keywords: Abusive supervision, exchange ideology, perceived organizational support, task performance.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 26693004 Effects of Intake Temperature and Intake Pressure on Combustion and Exhaust Emissions of HCCI Engine
Authors: Fridhi Hadia, Soua Wadhah, Hidouri Ammar, Omri Ahmed
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In this paper, the effect of the intake temperature (IT) and intake pressure (IP) on ignition timing and pollutants emission of Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine is investigated. Numerical computations are performed using the CHEMKIN computer code. The numerical temperature obtained using different boundary conditions is compared to published data and a good agreement is assigned. Results show that the HCCI combustion engine is significantly improved by increasing the IT. With a value of IT lower than 390 K, combustion cannot occur. However, with an IT greater than 420 K, the cylinder pressure decreases. An optimum crank rotation angle is achieved by using IT of 420 K. So, we can conclude that the variation of the IT and IP influence notably the emission concentration.
Keywords: HCCI engine, CEMKIN, intake temperature, intake pressure.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 10753003 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Memory Overcommit Techniques on KVM-based Hosting Platform
Authors: Chin-Hung Li
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Determining how many virtual machines a Linux host could run can be a challenge. One of tough missions is to find the balance among performance, density and usability. Now KVM hypervisor has become the most popular open source full virtualization solution. It supports several ways of running guests with more memory than host really has. Due to large differences between minimum and maximum guest memory requirements, this paper presents initial results on same-page merging, ballooning and live migration techniques that aims at optimum memory usage on KVM-based cloud platform. Given the design of initial experiments, the results data is worth reference for system administrators. The results from these experiments concluded that each method offers different reliability tradeoff.Keywords: Kernel-based Virtual Machine, Overcommit, Virtualization.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 31233002 Application of Motivational Factors for Uploading Films to Websites Ulozto.net and Piratebay.org
Authors: Pavel Janak
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This paper studies, maps and explains the interactions between downloaders and uploaders pertaining to the Internet film piracy. This study also covers several motivational factors that influence users to upload or download movies, and thus to engage in film piracy over the Internet. The essay also proposes a model that describes user behavior including their relationships and influences. Moreover, proposed theoretical interactions and motivational factors are applied to the real world scenario, using examples of a data storage webpage server Ulozto.net and webpage Piratebay.org gathering information about downloadable BitTorrents. Moreover, the theory is further supported by description of behavior of real Internet uploaders.
Keywords: Download, film piracy, internet, motivational factors for uploading.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21823001 Axisymmetric Vibration of Pyrocomposite Hollow Cylinder
Authors: V. K. Nelson, S. Karthikeyan
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Axisymmetric vibration of an infinite Pyrocomposite circular hollow cylinder made of inner and outer pyroelectric layer of 6mm-class bonded together by a Linear Elastic Material with Voids (LEMV) layer is studied. The exact frequency equation is obtained for the traction free surfaces with continuity condition at the interfaces. Numerical results in the form of data and dispersion curves for the first and second mode of the axisymmetric vibration of the cylinder BaTio3 / Adhesive / BaTio3 by taking the Adhesive layer as an existing Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) are compared with a hypothetical LEMV layer with and without voids and as well with a pyroelectric hollow cylinder. The damping is analyzed through the imaginary parts of the complex frequencies.Keywords: Axisymmetric vibration, CFRP, hollow cylinders, LEMV, pyrocomposite
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15033000 Gender Differences of Elementary Prospective Teachers in Mathematical Beliefs and Mathematics Teaching Anxiety
Authors: Ersen Yazıcı, Erhan Ertekin
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In this study, any possible differences between mathematics beliefs and anxiety of prospective elementary mathematics teachers have been investigated according to their gender. In this purpose, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students from a Government University in Turkey were selected as a sample. Mathematics Teaching Anxiety Scale (MATAS) and Beliefs About Mathematics Survey (BAMS) has been used as data collection tools. As a result of the study, it has been observed that prospective male teachers have more instrumentalist approach in learning mathematics than females according to their mathematical beliefs. On the other hand, females have more mathematics teaching anxiety than males especially, for subject knowledge in mathematics and selfconfidence.
Keywords: Mathematical beliefs, mathematics teaching anxiety, gender, prospective elementary mathematics teachers.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 20282999 Knowledge Continuity as a Part of Business Continuity Management
Authors: H. Urbancova, J. Urbanec
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Today the intangible assets are the capital of knowledge and are the most important and the most valuable resource for organizations. All employees have knowledge independently of the kind of jobs they do. Knowledge is thus an asset, which influences business operations. The objective of this article is to identify knowledge continuity as an objective of business continuity management. The article has been prepared based on the analysis of secondary sources and the evaluation of primary sources of data by means of a quantitative survey conducted in the Czech Republic. The conclusion of the article is that organizations that apply business continuity management do not focus on the preservation of the knowledge of key employees. Organizations ensure knowledge continuity only intuitively, on a random basis, non-systematically and discontinuously. The non-ensuring of knowledge continuity represents a threat of loss of key knowledge for organizations and can also negatively affect business continuity.
Keywords: Business continuity, knowledge, organizations, survey.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 35332998 Performance Assessment of the Gold Coast Desalination Plant Offshore Multiport Brine Diffuser during ‘Hot Standby’ Operation
Authors: M. J. Baum, B. Gibbes, A. Grinham, S. Albert, D. Gale, P. Fisher
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Alongside the rapid expansion of Seawater Reverse Osmosis technologies there is a concurrent increase in the production of hypersaline brine by-products. To minimize environmental impact, these by-products are commonly disposed into open-coastal environments via submerged diffuser systems as inclined dense jet outfalls. Despite the widespread implementation of this process, diffuser designs are typically based on small-scale laboratory experiments under idealistic quiescent conditions. Studies concerning diffuser performance in the field are limited. A set of experiments were conducted to assess the near field characteristics of brine disposal at the Gold Coast Desalination Plant offshore multiport diffuser. The aim of the field experiments was to determine the trajectory and dilution characteristics of the plume under various discharge configurations with production ranging 66 – 100% of plant operative capacity. The field monitoring system employed an unprecedented static array of temperature and electrical conductivity sensors in a three-dimensional grid surrounding a single diffuser port. Complimenting these measurements, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers were also deployed to record current variability over the depth of the water column and wave characteristics. Recorded data suggested the open-coastal environment was highly active over the experimental duration with ambient velocities ranging 0.0 – 0.5 m∙s-1, with considerable variability over the depth of the water column observed. Variations in background electrical conductivity corresponding to salinity fluctuations of ± 1.7 g∙kg-1 were also observed. Increases in salinity were detected during plant operation and appeared to be most pronounced 10 – 30 m from the diffuser, consistent with trajectory predictions described by existing literature. Plume trajectories and respective dilutions extrapolated from salinity data are compared with empirical scaling arguments. Discharge properties were found to adequately correlate with modelling projections. Temporal and spatial variation of background processes and their subsequent influence upon discharge outcomes are discussed with a view to incorporating the influence of waves and ambient currents in the design of brine outfalls into the future.
Keywords: Brine disposal, desalination, field study, inclined dense jets, negatively buoyant discharge.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 10652997 An Experimental Study on Autoignition of Wood
Authors: Tri Poespowati
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Experiments were conducted to characterize fire properties of wood exposed to the certain external heat flux and under variety of wood moisture content. Six kinds of Indonesian wood: keruing, sono, cemara, kamper, pinus, and mahoni were exposed to radiant heat from a conical heater, result in appearance of a stable flame on the wood surface caused by spontaneous ignition. A thermocouple K-type was used to measure the wood surface temperature. Temperature histories were recorded throughout each experiment at 1 s intervals using a TC-08. Data of first ignition time and temperature, end ignition time and temperature, and charring rate have been successfully collected. It was found that the ignition temperature and charring rate depend on moisture content of wood.Keywords: Fire properties, moisture content, wood, charring rate.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 20602996 Mechanical Buckling of Functionally Graded Engesser-Timoshenko Beams Located on a Continuous Elastic Foundation
Authors: M. Karami Khorramabadi, A. R. Nezamabadi
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This paper studies mechanical buckling of functionally graded beams subjected to axial compressive load that is simply supported at both ends lies on a continuous elastic foundation. The displacement field of beam is assumed based on Engesser-Timoshenko beam theory. Applying the Hamilton's principle, the equilibrium equation is established. The influences of dimensionless geometrical parameter, functionally graded index and foundation coefficient on the critical buckling load of beam are presented. To investigate the accuracy of the present analysis, a compression study is carried out with a known data.Keywords: Mechanical Buckling, Functionally graded beam- Engesser-Timoshenko beam theory
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 16712995 Dynamics of Phytoplankton Blooms in the Baltic Sea – Numerical Simulations
Authors: L. Dzierzbicka-Głowacka, M. Janecki
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Dynamic of phytoplankton blooms in the Baltic Sea has been analyzed applying the numerical ecosystem model 3D CEMBS. The model consists of the hydrodynamic model (POP, version 2.1) and the ice model (CICE, version 4.0), which are imposed by the atmospheric data model (DATM7). The 3D model has an ecosystem module, activated in 2012 in the operational mode. The ecosystem model consists of 11 main variables: biomass of small-size phytoplankton and large-size phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, zooplankton biomass, dissolved and molecular detritus, dissolved oxygen concentration, as well as concentrations of nutrients, including: nitrates, ammonia, phosphates and silicates. The 3D-CEMBS model is an effective tool for solving problems related to phytoplankton blooms dynamic in the Baltic SeaKeywords: Ecosystem model, phytoplankton, Baltic Sea
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 26732994 Role of Customers in Stakeholders- Approach in Company Corporate Governance
Authors: Kolis Karel, Kubicek Ales
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the customers- issues in company corporate governance and the financial performance. At the beginning theoretical background consisting stakeholder theory and corporate governance is presented. On this theoretical background, the empirical research is built, collecting data of 60 Czech joint stock companies- boards considering their relationships with customers. Correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis were employed to test the sample on two hypotheses. The weak positive correlation between stakeholder approach and the company size was identified. But both hypotheses were not supported, because there was no significant relation of independent variables to financial performance.Keywords: customers, stakeholder theory, corporate governance, financial performance
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 46792993 Availability Analysis of a Power Plant by Computer Simulation
Authors: Mehmet Savsar
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Reliability and availability of power stations are extremely important in order to achieve a required level of power generation. In particular, in the hot desert climate of Kuwait, reliable power generation is extremely important because of cooling requirements at temperatures exceeding 50-centigrade degrees. In this paper, a particular power plant, named Sabiya Power Plant, which has 8 steam turbines and 13 gas turbine stations, has been studied in detail; extensive data are collected; and availability of station units are determined. Furthermore, a simulation model is developed and used to analyze the effects of different maintenance policies on availability of these stations. The results show that significant improvements can be achieved in power plant availabilities if appropriate maintenance policies are implemented.Keywords: Power plants, steam turbines, gas turbines, maintenance, availability, simulation.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15002992 The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Current Account Deficit: The Turkish Case
Authors: E. Selçuk, Z. Karaçor, P. Yardımcı
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Trade liberalization and its effects on the economies of developing countries have been investigated by many different studies, and some of them have focused on its impact on the current account balance. Turkey, as being one of the countries, which has liberalized its foreign trade in the 1980s, also needs to be studied in terms of the impact of liberalization on current account deficits. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out whether trade liberalization has affected Turkey’s trade and current account balances. In order to determine this, yearly data of Turkey from 1980 to 2013 is used. As liberalization dummy, the year 1989, which was set for Turkey, is selected. Structural break test and model estimation results show that trade liberalization has a negative impact on trade balance but do not have a significant impact on the current account balance.
Keywords: Budget deficit, current account, liberalization, Turkish economy.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 11492991 Conception of a Reliable, Low Cost and Autonomous Explorative Hovercraft
Authors: S. Burgalat, L. Teilhac, A. Brand, E. Chastel, M. Jumeline
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The paper presents actual benefits and drawbacks of a multidirectional autonomous hovercraft conceived with limited resources and designed for indoor exploration. Recent developments in the field have led to the apparition of very powerful automotive systems capable of very high calculation and exploration in complex unknown environments. They usually propose very complex algorithms, high precision/cost sensors and sometimes have heavy calculation consumption with complex data fusion. These systems are usually powerful but have a certain price, and the benefits may not be worth the cost, especially considering their hardware limitations and their power consumption. The present approach is to build a compromise between cost, power consumption and results preciseness.
Keywords: Hovercraft, Indoor Exploration, Autonomous, Multidirectional, Wireless Control.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 22272990 Characteristics of the Severe Rollover Crashes in the UAE Using In-Depth Crash Investigation Data
Authors: Yaser E. Hawas, Md. Didarul Alam
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Rollover crashes are complex events entailing interactions of driver, road, vehicle, and environmental factors. The primary objective of this paper is to present an empirical approach that can be used to characterise the rollover crashes and to identify some of the important factors that may lead to rollovers. Among the studied factors are the vehicle types and the rollover occurrence rate after hitting various barrier types. The carried analysis indicated that 71% of the rollover crashes occurred after impact and the type of rollover initiation is “trip/turn over” (nearly 50%). It was also found that light trucks (LTVs) vehicles are more likely to rollover than the sedan vehicles. Barrier impacts are associated with increased incidence of rollover.
Keywords: Empirical, hitting barrier, in-depth crash investigation, rollover, severe crash.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 789