Search results for: Magnetic Field
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 2676

Search results for: Magnetic Field

1026 The Optimal Equilibrium Capacity of Information Hiding Based on Game Theory

Authors: Ziquan Hu, Kun She, Shahzad Ali, Kai Yan

Abstract:

Game theory could be used to analyze the conflicted issues in the field of information hiding. In this paper, 2-phase game can be used to build the embedder-attacker system to analyze the limits of hiding capacity of embedding algorithms: the embedder minimizes the expected damage and the attacker maximizes it. In the system, the embedder first consumes its resource to build embedded units (EU) and insert the secret information into EU. Then the attacker distributes its resource evenly to the attacked EU. The expected equilibrium damage, which is maximum damage in value from the point of view of the attacker and minimum from the embedder against the attacker, is evaluated by the case when the attacker attacks a subset from all the EU. Furthermore, the optimal equilibrium capacity of hiding information is calculated through the optimal number of EU with the embedded secret information. Finally, illustrative examples of the optimal equilibrium capacity are presented.

Keywords: 2-Phase Game, Expected Equilibrium damage, InformationHiding, Optimal Equilibrium Capacity.

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1025 Tuned Mass Damper Effects of Stationary People on Structural Damping of Footbridge Due to Dynamic Interaction in Vertical Motion

Authors: M. Yoneda

Abstract:

It is known that stationary human occupants act as dynamic mass-spring-damper systems and can change the modal properties of civil engineering structures. This paper describes the full scale measurement to explain the tuned mass damper effects of stationary people on structural damping of footbridge with center span length of 33 m. A human body can be represented by a lumped system consisting of masses, springs, and dashpots. Complex eigenvalue calculation is also conducted by using ISO5982:1981 human model (two degree of freedom system). Based on experimental and analytical results for the footbridge with the stationary people in the standing position, it is demonstrated that stationary people behave as a tuned mass damper and that ISO5982:1981 human model can explain the structural damping characteristics measured in the field.

Keywords: Dynamic interaction, footbridge, stationary people, structural damping.

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1024 The Functionality and Usage of CRM Systems

Authors: Michael Torggler

Abstract:

Modern information and communication technologies offer a variety of support options for the efficient handling of customer relationships. CRM systems have been developed, which are designed to support the processes in the areas of marketing, sales and service. Along with technological progress, CRM systems are constantly changing, i.e. the systems are continually enhanced by new functions. However, not all functions are suitable for every company because of different frameworks and business processes. In this context the question arises whether or not CRM systems are widely used in Austrian companies and which business processes are most frequently supported by CRM systems. This paper aims to shed light on the popularity of CRM systems in Austrian companies in general and the use of different functions to support their daily business. First of all, the paper provides a theoretical overview of the structure of modern CRM systems and proposes a categorization of currently available software functionality for collaborative, operational and analytical CRM processes, which provides the theoretical background for the empirical study. Apart from these theoretical considerations, the paper presents the empirical results of a field survey on the use of CRM systems in Austrian companies and analyzes its findings.

Keywords: CRM systems, CRM system adoption, CRM system diffusion, CRM functionality, Market study.

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1023 Silver Nanoparticles-Enhanced Luminescence Spectra of Silicon Nanocrystals

Authors: Khamael M. Abualnaja, Lidija Šiller, Benjamin R. Horrocks

Abstract:

Metal-enhanced Luminescence of silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) was determined using two different particle sizes of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). SiNCs have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the SiNCs are crystalline with an average diameter of 65 nm and FCC lattice. AgNPs were synthesized using photochemical reduction of AgNO3 with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The enhanced luminescence of SiNCs by AgNPs was evaluated by confocal Raman microspectroscopy. Enhancement up to x9 and x3 times were observed for SiNCs that mixed with AgNPs which have an average particle size of 100 nm and 30 nm, respectively. Silver NPs-enhanced luminescence of SiNCs occurs as a result of the coupling between the excitation laser light and the plasmon bands of AgNPs; thus this intense field at AgNPs surface couples strongly to SiNCs.

Keywords: Luminescence, Silicon Nanocrystals, Silver Nanoparticles, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).

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1022 Effects of Mold Surface Roughness on Compressible Flow of Micro-Injection Molding

Authors: Nguyen Q. M. P., Chen X., Lam Y. C., Yue C. Y.

Abstract:

Polymer melt compressibility and mold surface roughness, which are generally ignored during the filling stage of the conventional injection molding, may become increasingly significant in micro injection molding where the parts become smaller. By employing the 2.5D generalized Hele-Shaw model, we presented here the effects of polymer compressibility and mold surface roughness on mold-filling in a micro-thickness cavity. To elucidate the effects of surface roughness, numerical investigations were conducted using a cavity flat plate which has two halves with different surface roughness. This allows the comparison of flow field on two different halves under identical processing conditions but with different roughness. Results show that polymer compressibility and mold surface roughness have effects on mold filling in micro injection molding. There is in shrinkage reduction as the density is increased due to polymer melt compressibility during the filling stage.

Keywords: Compressible flow, Micro-injection molding, Polymer, Surface roughness

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1021 Design and Fabrication of an Array Microejector Driven by a Shear-Mode Piezoelectric Actuator

Authors: Chiang-Ho Cheng, Hong-Yih Cheng, An-Shik Yang, Tung-Hsun Hsu

Abstract:

This paper reports a novel actuating design that uses the shear deformation of a piezoelectric actuator to deflect a bulge-diaphragm for driving an array microdroplet ejector. In essence, we employed a circular-shaped actuator poled radial direction with remnant polarization normal to the actuating electric field for inducing the piezoelectric shear effect. The array microdroplet ejector consists of a shear type piezoelectric actuator, a vibration plate, two chamber plates, two channel plates and a nozzle plate. The vibration, chamber and nozzle plate components are fabricated using nickel electroforming technology, whereas the channel plate is fabricated by etching of stainless steel. The diaphragm displacement was measured by the laser two-dimensional scanning vibrometer. The ejected droplets of the microejector were also observed via an optic visualization system.

Keywords: Actuator, nozzle, microejector, piezoelectric.

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1020 The Influence of Low Power Microwave Radiation on the Growth Rate of Listeria Monocytogenes

Authors: Renzo Carta, Francesco Desogus

Abstract:

Variations in the growth rate constant of the Listeria monocytogenes bacterial species were determined at 37°C in irradiated environments and compared to the situation of a nonirradiated environment. The bacteria cells, contained in a suspension made of a nutrient solution of Brain Heart Infusion, were made to grow at different frequency (2.30e2.60 GHz) and power (0e400 mW) values, in a plug flow reactor positioned in the irradiated environment. Then the reacting suspension was made to pass into a cylindrical cuvette where its optical density was read every 2.5 minutes at a wavelength of 600 nm. The obtained experimental data of optical density vs. time allowed the bacterial growth rate constant to be derived; this was found to be slightly influenced by microwave power, but not by microwave frequency; in particular, a minimum value was found for powers in the 50e150 mW field.

Keywords: Growth rate constant, irradiated environment, Listeria monocytogenes, microwaves, plug flow reactor.

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1019 Influence of Cavity Length on Forward-facing Cavity and Opposing Jet Combined Thermal Protection System Cooling Efficiency

Authors: Hai-bo Lu, Wei-qiang Liu

Abstract:

A numerical study on the influence of forward-facing cavity length upon forward-facing cavity and opposing jet combined thermal protection system (TPS) cooling efficiency under hypersonic flow is conducted, by means of which the flow field parameters, heat flux distribution along the outer body surface are obtained. The numerical simulation results are validated by experiments and the cooling effect of the combined TPS with different cavity length is analyzed. The numerical results show that the combined configuration dose well in cooling the nose of the hypersonic vehicle. The deeper the cavity is, the weaker the heat flux is. The recirculation region plays a key role for the reduction of the aerodynamic heating.

Keywords: Thermal protection, hypersonic vehicle, aerodynamic heating, forward-facing cavity, opposing jet

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1018 Global GMRES with Deflated Restarting for Families of Shifted Linear Systems

Authors: Jing Meng, Peiyong Zhu, Houbiao Li

Abstract:

Many problems in science and engineering field require the solution of shifted linear systems with multiple right hand sides and multiple shifts. To solve such systems efficiently, the implicitly restarted global GMRES algorithm is extended in this paper. However, the shift invariant property could no longer hold over the augmented global Krylov subspace due to adding the harmonic Ritz matrices. To remedy this situation, we enforce the collinearity condition on the shifted system and propose shift implicitly restarted global GMRES. The new method not only improves the convergence but also has a potential to simultaneously compute approximate solution for the shifted systems using only as many matrix vector multiplications as the solution of the seed system requires. In addition, some numerical experiments also confirm the effectiveness of our method.

Keywords: Shifted linear systems, global Krylov subspace, GLGMRESIR, GLGMRESIRsh, harmonic Ritz matrix, harmonic Ritz vector.

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1017 Verification and Application of Finite Element Model Developed for Flood Routing in Rivers

Authors: A. L. Qureshi, A. A. Mahessar, A. Baloch

Abstract:

Flood wave propagation in river channel flow can be enunciated by nonlinear equations of motion for unsteady flow. It is difficult to find analytical solution of these non-linear equations. Hence, in this paper verification of the finite element model has been carried out against available numerical predictions and field data. The results of the model indicate a good matching with both Preissmann scheme and HEC-RAS model for a river reach of 29km at both sites (15km from upstream and at downstream end) for discharge hydrographs. It also has an agreeable comparison with the Preissemann scheme for the flow depth (stage) hydrographs. The proposed model has also been applying to forecast daily discharges at 400km downstream in the Indus River from Sukkur barrage of Sindh, Pakistan, which demonstrates accurate model predictions with observed the daily discharges. Hence, this model may be utilized for flood warnings in advance.

Keywords: Finite Element Method, Flood Forecasting, HEC-RAS, Indus river.

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1016 Towards a Web 2.0 Based Practical Works Management System at a Public University: Case of Sultan Moulay Slimane University

Authors: Khalid Ghoulam, Belaid Bouikhalene, Zakaria Harmouch, Hicham Mouncif

Abstract:

The goal of engineering education is to prepare students to cope with problems of real devices and systems. Usually there are not enough devices or time for conducting experiments in a real lab. Other factors that prevent the use of lab devices directly by students are inaccessible or dangerous phenomena, or polluting chemical reactions. The technology brings additional strategies of learning and teaching, there are two types of online labs, virtual and remote labs RL. We present an example of a successful development and deployment of a remote lab in the field of engineering education, integrated in the Moodle platform, using very low-coast, high documented devices and free software. The remote lab is user friendly for both teachers and students. Our web 2.0 based user interface would attract and motivate students, as well as solving the problem of larger classes and expensive lab devices.

Keywords: Remote lab, online learning, Moodle, Arduino, SMSU, lab experimentation, engineering education, online engineering education.

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1015 Effect of Tillage Technology on Species Composition of Weeds in Monoculture of Maize

Authors: S. Chovancova, F. Illek, J. Winkler

Abstract:

The effect of tillage technology of maize on intensity of weed infestation and weed species composition was observed at experimental field. Maize is grown consecutively since 2001. The experimental site is situated at an altitude of 230 m above sea level in the Czech Republic. Variants of tillage technology are CT: plowing – conventional tillage 0.22 m, MT: loosening – disc tillage on the depth of 0.1 – 0.12 m, NT: direct sowing – without tillage. The evaluation of weed infestation was carried out by numerical method in years 2012 and 2013. Within the monitoring were found 20 various species of weeds. Conventional tillage (CT) primarily supports the occurrence of perennial weeds (Cirsium arvense, Convolvulus arvensis). Late spring species (Chenopodium album, Echinochloa crus-galli) were more frequently noticed on variants of loosening (MT) and direct sowing (NT). Different tillage causes a significant change of weed species spectrum in maize.

Keywords: Weeds, maize, tillage, loosening, direct sowing.

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1014 Mining Sequential Patterns Using Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm

Authors: Mourad Ykhlef, Hebah ElGibreen

Abstract:

Mining Sequential Patterns in large databases has become an important data mining task with broad applications. It is an important task in data mining field, which describes potential sequenced relationships among items in a database. There are many different algorithms introduced for this task. Conventional algorithms can find the exact optimal Sequential Pattern rule but it takes a long time, particularly when they are applied on large databases. Nowadays, some evolutionary algorithms, such as Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithm, were proposed and have been applied to solve this problem. This paper will introduce a new kind of hybrid evolutionary algorithm that combines Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to mine Sequential Pattern, in order to improve the speed of evolutionary algorithms convergence. This algorithm is referred to as SP-GAPSO.

Keywords: Genetic Algorithm, Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, Sequential Pattern mining.

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1013 Isotropic Stress Distribution in Cu/(001) Fe Two Sheets

Authors: A. Derardja, L. Baroura, M. Brioua

Abstract:

The nanotechnology based on epitaxial systems includes single or arranged misfit dislocations. In general, whatever is the type of dislocation or the geometry of the array formed by the dislocations; it is important for experimental studies to know exactly the stress distribution for which there is no analytical expression [1, 2]. This work, using a numerical analysis, deals with relaxation of epitaxial layers having at their interface a periodic network of edge misfit dislocations. The stress distribution is estimated by using isotropic elasticity. The results show that the thickness of the two sheets is a crucial parameter in the stress distributions and then in the profile of the two sheets. A comparative study between the case of single dislocation and the case of parallel network shows that the layers relaxed better when the interface is covered by a parallel arrangement of misfit. Consequently, a single dislocation at the interface produces an important stress field which can be reduced by inserting a parallel network of dislocations with suitable periodicity.

Keywords: Parallel array of misfit, interface, isotropic elasticity, single crystalline substrates, coherent interface

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1012 Sunflower Irrigation with Two Different Types of Soil Moisture Sensors

Authors: C. D. Papanikolaou, V. A. Giouvanis, E. A. Karatasiou, D. S. Dimakas, M. A. Sakellariou-Makrantonaki

Abstract:

Irrigation is one of the most important cultivation practices for each crop, especially in areas where rainfall is enough to cover the crop water needs. In such areas, the farmers must irrigate in order to achieve high economical results. The precise irrigation scheduling contributes to irrigation water saving and thus a valuable natural resource is protected. Under this point of view, in the experimental field of the Laboratory of Agricultural Hydraulics of the University of Thessaly, a research was conducted during the growing season of 2012 in order to evaluate the growth, seed and oil production of sunflower as well as the water saving, by applying different methods of irrigation scheduling. Three treatments in four replications were organized. These were: a) surface drip irrigation where the irrigation scheduling based on the Penman-Monteith (PM) method (control); b) surface drip irrigation where the irrigation scheduling based on a soil moisture sensor (SMS); and c) surface drip irrigation, where the irrigation scheduling based on a soil potential sensor (WM).

Keywords: Irrigation scheduling, soil moisture sensors, sustainable agriculture, water saving.

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1011 Formal Verification of a Multicast Protocol in Mobile Networks

Authors: M. Matash Borujerdi, S.M. Mirzababaei

Abstract:

As computer network technology becomes increasingly complex, it becomes necessary to place greater requirements on the validity of developing standards and the resulting technology. Communication networks are based on large amounts of protocols. The validity of these protocols have to be proved either individually or in an integral fashion. One strategy for achieving this is to apply the growing field of formal methods. Formal methods research defines systems in high order logic so that automated reasoning can be applied for verification. In this research we represent and implement a formerly announced multicast protocol in Prolog language so that certain properties of the protocol can be verified. It is shown that by using this approach some minor faults in the protocol were found and repaired. Describing the protocol as facts and rules also have other benefits i.e. leads to a process-able knowledge. This knowledge can be transferred as ontology between systems in KQML format. Since the Prolog language can increase its knowledge base every time, this method can also be used to learn an intelligent network.

Keywords: Formal methods, MobiCast, Mobile Network, Multicast.

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1010 Assessment on Communication Students’ Internship Performances from the Employers’ Perspective

Authors: Yesuselvi Manickam, Tan Soon Chin

Abstract:

Internship is a supervised and structured learning experience related to one’s field of study or career goal. Internship allows students to obtain work experience and the opportunity to apply skills learned during university. Internship is a valuable learning experience for students; however, literature on employer assessment is scarce on Malaysian student’s internship experience. This study focuses on employer’s perspective on student’s performances during their three months of internship. The results are based on the descriptive analysis of 45 sets of question gathered from the on-site supervisors of the interns. The survey of 45 on-site supervisor’s feedback was collected through postal mail. It was found that, interns have not met their on-site supervisor’s expectations in many areas. The significance of this study is employer’s assessment on the internship shall be used as feedback to improve on ways how to prepare students for their internship and employments in future.

Keywords: Employers perspective, internship, structured learning, student’s performances.

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1009 The Visual Inspection of Surgical Tasks Using Machine Vision: Applications to Robotic Surgery

Authors: M. Ovinis, D. Kerr, K. Bouazza-Marouf, M. Vloeberghs

Abstract:

In this paper, the feasibility of using machine vision to assess task completion in a surgical intervention is investigated, with the aim of incorporating vision based inspection in robotic surgery systems. The visually rich operative field presents a good environment for the development of automated visual inspection techniques in these systems, for a more comprehensive approach when performing a surgical task. As a proof of concept, machine vision techniques were used to distinguish the two possible outcomes i.e. satisfactory or unsatisfactory, of three primary surgical tasks involved in creating a burr hole in the skull, namely incision, retraction, and drilling. Encouraging results were obtained for the three tasks under consideration, which has been demonstrated by experiments on cadaveric pig heads. These findings are suggestive for the potential use of machine vision to validate successful task completion in robotic surgery systems. Finally, the potential of using machine vision in the operating theatre, and the challenges that must be addressed, are identified and discussed.

Keywords: Machine vision, robotic surgery, visual inspection.

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1008 CMOS-Compatible Silicon Nanoplasmonics for On-Chip Integration

Authors: Shiyang Zhu, Guo-Qiang Lo, Dim-Lee Kwong

Abstract:

Although silicon photonic devices provide a significantly larger bandwidth and dissipate a substantially less power than the electronic devices, they suffer from a large size due to the fundamental diffraction limit and the weak optical response of Si. A potential solution is to exploit Si plasmonics, which may not only miniaturize the photonic device far beyond the diffraction limit, but also enhance the optical response in Si due to the electromagnetic field confinement. In this paper, we discuss and summarize the recently developed metal-insulator-Si-insulator-metal nanoplasmonic waveguide as well as various passive and active plasmonic components based on this waveguide, including coupler, bend, power splitter, ring resonator, MZI, modulator, detector, etc. All these plasmonic components are CMOS compatible and could be integrated with electronic and conventional dielectric photonic devices on the same SOI chip. More potential plasmonic devices as well as plasmonic nanocircuits with complex functionalities are also addressed.

Keywords: Silicon nanoplasmonics, Silicon nanophotonics, Onchip integration, CMOS

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1007 A Universal Approach for the Intuitive Control of Mobile Robots using an AR/VR-based Interface

Authors: Juergen Rossmann, Andre Kupetz, Roland Wischnewski

Abstract:

Mobile robots are used in a large field of scenarios, like exploring contaminated areas, repairing oil rigs under water, finding survivors in collapsed buildings, etc. Currently, there is no unified intuitive user interface (UI) to control such complex mobile robots. As a consequence, some scenarios are done without the exploitation of experience and intuition of human teleoperators. A novel framework has been developed to embed a flexible and modular UI into a complete 3-D virtual reality simulation system. This new approach wants to access maximum benefits of human operators. Sensor information received from the robot is prepared for an intuitive visualization. Virtual reality metaphors support the operator in his decisions. These metaphors are integrated into a real time stereo video stream. This approach is not restricted to any specific type of mobile robot and allows for the operation of different robot types with a consistent concept and user interface.

Keywords: 3-D simulation system, augmented reality, teleoperation of mobile robots, user interface.

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1006 Advancing the Theory of Planned Behavior within Dietary and Physical Domains among Type 2 Diabetics: A Mixed Methods Approach

Authors: D.O. Omondi, M.K. Walingo, G.M. Mbagaya, L.O.A. Othuon

Abstract:

Many studies have applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in predicting health behaviors among unique populations. However, a new paradigm is emerging where focus is now directed to modification and expansion of the TPB model rather than utilization of the traditional theory. This review proposes new models modified from the Theory of Planned Behavior and suggest an appropriate study design that can be used to test the models within physical activity and dietary practice domains among Type 2 diabetics in Kenya. The review was conducted by means of literature search in the field of nutrition behavior, health psychology and mixed methods using predetermined key words. The results identify pre-intention and post intention gaps within the TPB model that need to be filled. Additional psychosocial factors are proposed to be included in the TPB model to generate new models and the efficacy of these models tested using mixed methods design.

Keywords: Physical activity, diet, Type 2 diabetes, behaviorchange theory, model.

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1005 Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Authors: Violina R. Angelova, Mariana N. Perifanova-Nemska, Galina P. Uzunova, Elitsa N. Kolentsova

Abstract:

Comparative research has been conducted to allow us to determine the accumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Zn and Cd) in the vegetative and reproductive organs of safflower, and to identify the possibility of its growth on soils contaminated by heavy metals and efficacy for phytoremediation. The experiment was performed on an agricultural field contaminated by the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works (MFMW) near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The experimental plots were situated at different distances (0.1, 0.5, 2.0, and 15 km) from the source of pollution. The contents of heavy metals in plant materials (roots, stems, leaves, seeds) were determined. The quality of safflower oils (heavy metals and fatty acid composition) was also determined. The quantitative measurements were carried out with inductively-coupled plasma (ICP). Safflower is a plant that is tolerant to heavy metals and can be referred to the hyperaccumulators of lead and cadmium and the accumulators of zinc. The plant can be successfully used in the phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. The processing of safflower seeds into oil and the use of the obtained oil will greatly reduce the cost of phytoremediation.

Keywords: Heavy metals, phytoremediation, polluted soils, safflower.

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1004 Designing a Multilingual Auction Website for Selling Agricultural Products

Authors: Popa Cosmin, Chiran Aurel

Abstract:

The study aimed to identify the logical structure of data and particularities of developing and testing a website designed for selling farm products through online auctions. The research is based on a short literature review in the field and exploratory trials of some successful models from other industries, in order to identify the advantages of using such tool, as well as the optimal structure and functionality of an auction portal. In the last part, the study focuses on the results of testing the website by the potential beneficiaries. Conclusions of the study underlines that the particularities of some agricultural products could raise difficulties in the process of selling them through online auctions, but the use of such system it is perceived to bring significant improvements in the supply chain. The results of scientific investigations require a more detailed study regarding the importance of using quality standards for agricultural products sold via online auction, the impact that implementation of an online payment system could have on trade with agricultural products and problems which could arise in using the website in different countries.

Keywords: E-commerce, online auctions, marketing.

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1003 Electromagnetic Imaging of Inhomogeneous Dielectric Cylinders Buried in a Slab Mediumby TE Wave Illumination

Authors: Chung-Hsin Huang, Chien-Ching Chiu, Chun Jen Lin

Abstract:

The electromagnetic imaging of inhomogeneous dielectric cylinders buried in a slab medium by transverse electric (TE) wave illumination is investigated. Dielectric cylinders of unknown permittivities are buried in second space and scattered a group of unrelated waves incident from first space where the scattered field is recorded. By proper arrangement of the various unrelated incident fields, the difficulties of ill-posedness and nonlinearity are circumvented, and the permittivity distribution can be reconstructed through simple matrix operations. The algorithm is based on the moment method and the unrelated illumination method. Numerical results are given to demonstrate the capability of the inverse algorithm. Good reconstruction is obtained even in the presence of additive Gaussian random noise in measured data. In addition, the effect of noise on the reconstruction result is also investigated.

Keywords: Slab Medium, Unrelated Illumination Method, TEWave Illumination, Inhomogeneous Cylinders.

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1002 CFD Modeling of PROX Microreactor for Fuel Processing

Authors: M. Vahabi, M. H. Akbari

Abstract:

In order to investigate a PROX microreactor performance, two-dimensional modeling of the reacting flow between two parallel plates is performed through a finite volume method using an improved SIMPLE algorithm. A three-step surface kinetics including hydrogen oxidation, carbon monoxide oxidation and water-gas shift reaction is applied for a Pt-Fe/γ-Al2O3 catalyst and operating temperatures of about 100ºC. Flow pattern, pressure field, temperature distribution, and mole fractions of species are found in the whole domain for all cases. Also, the required reactive length for removing carbon monoxide from about 2% to less than 10 ppm is found. Furthermore, effects of hydraulic diameter, wall temperature, and inlet mole fraction of air and water are investigated by considering carbon monoxide selectivity and conversion. It is found that air and water addition may improve the performance of the microreactor in carbon monoxide removal in such operating conditions; this is in agreement with the pervious published results.

Keywords: CFD, Fuel Processing, PROX, Reacting Flow, SIMPLE algorithm.

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1001 Free Vibration Analysis of Functionally Graded Pretwisted Plate in Thermal Environment Using Finite Element Method

Authors: S. Parida, S. C. Mohanty

Abstract:

The free vibration behavior of thick pretwisted cantilevered functionally graded material (FGM) plate subjected to the thermal environment is investigated numerically in the present paper. A mathematical model is developed in the framework of higher order shear deformation theory (HOST) with C0 finite element formulation i.e. independent displacement and rotations. The material properties are assumed to be temperature dependent and vary continuously through the thickness based on the volume fraction exponent in simple power rule. The finite element model has been discretized into eight node quadratic serendipity elements with node wise seven degrees of freedom. The effect of plate geometry, temperature field, material composition, and the modal analysis on the vibrational characteristics is examined. Finally, the results are verified by comparing with those available in literature.

Keywords: FGM, pretwisted plate, thermal environment, HOST, simple power law.

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1000 Simulations of Laminar Liquid Flows through Superhydrophobic Micro-Pipes

Authors: Mohamed E. Eleshaky

Abstract:

This paper investigates the dynamic behavior of laminar water flows inside superhydrophobic micro-pipes patterned with square micro-posts features under different operating conditions. It also investigates the effects of air fraction and Reynolds number on the frictional performance of these pipes. Rather than modeling the air-water interfaces of superhydrophobic as a flat inflexible surface, a transient, incompressible, three-dimensional, volume-of-fluid (VOF) methodology has been employed to continuously track the air–water interface shape inside micro-pipes. Also, the entrance effects on the flow field have been taken into consideration. The results revealed the strong dependency of the frictional performance on the air fractions and Reynolds number. The frictional resistance reduction becomes increasingly more significant at large air fractions and low Reynolds numbers. Increasing Reynolds number has an adverse effect on the frictional resistance reduction.

Keywords: Drag reduction, laminar flow in micropipes, numerical simulation, superhyrophobic surfaces, microposts.

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999 Design of Wireless Sensor Networks for Environmental Monitoring Using LoRa

Authors: Shathya Duobiene, Gediminas Račiukaitis

Abstract:

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are an emerging technology that opens up a new field of research. The significant advance in WSN leads to an increasing prevalence of various monitoring applications and real-time assistance in labs and factories. Selective surface activation induced by laser (SSAIL) is a promising technology that adapts to the WSN design freedom of shape, dimensions, and material. This article proposes and implements a WSN-based temperature and humidity monitoring system, and its deployed architectures made for the monitoring task are discussed. Experimental results of developed sensor nodes implemented in university campus laboratories are shown. Then, the simulation and the implementation results obtained through monitoring scenarios are displayed. At last, a convenient solution to keep the WSN alive and functional as long as possible is proposed. Unlike other existing models, on success, the node is self-powered and can utilize minimal power consumption for sensing and data transmission to the base station.

Keywords: Internet of Things, IoT, network formation, sensor nodes, SSAIL technology.

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998 Application of Post-Stack and Pre-Stack Seismic Inversion for Prediction of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in a Persian Gulf Gas Field

Authors: Nastaran Moosavi, Mohammad Mokhtari

Abstract:

Seismic inversion is a technique which has been in use for years and its main goal is to estimate and to model physical characteristics of rocks and fluids. Generally, it is a combination of seismic and well-log data. Seismic inversion can be carried out through different methods; we have conducted and compared post-stack and pre- stack seismic inversion methods on real data in one of the fields in the Persian Gulf. Pre-stack seismic inversion can transform seismic data to rock physics such as P-impedance, S-impedance and density. While post- stack seismic inversion can just estimate P-impedance. Then these parameters can be used in reservoir identification. Based on the results of inverting seismic data, a gas reservoir was detected in one of Hydrocarbon oil fields in south of Iran (Persian Gulf). By comparing post stack and pre-stack seismic inversion it can be concluded that the pre-stack seismic inversion provides a more reliable and detailed information for identification and prediction of hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Keywords: Density, P-impedance, S-impedance, post-stack seismic inversion, pre-stack seismic inversion.

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997 Oil Contents, Mineral Compositions, and Their Correlations in Wild and Cultivated Safflower Seeds

Authors: Rahim Ada, Mustafa Harmankaya, Sadiye Ayse Celik

Abstract:

The safflower seed contains about 25-40% solvent extract and 20-33% fiber. It is well known that dietary phospholipids lower serum cholesterol levels effectively. The nutrient composition of safflower seed changes depending on region, soil and genotypes. This research was made by using of six natural selected (A22, A29, A30, C12, E1, F4, G8, G12, J27) and three commercial (Remzibey, Dincer, Black Sun1) varieties of safflower genotypes. The research was conducted on field conditions for two years (2009 and 2010) in randomized complete block design with three replications in Konya-Turkey ecological conditions. Oil contents, mineral contents and their correlations were determined in the research. According to the results, oil content was ranged from 22.38% to 34.26%, while the minerals were in between the following values: 1469, 04-2068.07 mg kg-1 for Ca, 7.24-11.71 mg kg-1 for B, 13.29-17.41 mg kg-1 for Cu, 51.00-79.35 mg kg-1 for Fe, 3988-6638.34 mg kg-1 for K, 1418.61-2306.06 mg kg-1 for Mg, 11.37-17.76 mg kg-1 for Mn, 4172.33-7059.58 mg kg-1 for P and 32.60-59.00 mg kg-1 for Zn. Correlation analysis that was made separately for the commercial varieties and wild lines showed that high level of oil content was negatively affected by all the investigated minerals except for K and Zn in the commercial varieties.

Keywords: Safflower, oil, mineral content, quality.

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