bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Hands-Free Obstacle Detection and Avoidance System
Authors: Abdul-Niby M. , Alameen M. , Irscheid O. , Baidoun M. , Mourtada H.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we present a low cost hands-free detection and avoidance system designed to provide mobility assistance for visually impaired people. An ultrasonic sensor is attached to the jacket of the user and detects the obstacles in front. The information obtained is transferred to the user through audio messages and also by a vibration. The range of the detection is user-defined. A text-to-speech module is employed for the voice signal. The proposed obstacle avoidance device is cost effective, easy to use and easily upgraded.
Optimum Shape Design of Metal-Enclosed 550 kV Disconnectors Based on Response Surface Method and Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Gong R. , Wang S. , Luo X. , Danikas M.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, the optimum shape design of 550 kV disconnectors in Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS) are firstly presented employing the Finite Element Method (FEM) for electric field analysis coupled with an optimal design method. For effective analysis, the FEM is conducted in transient quasistatic electric field, using a finite element FORTRAN code. The structure parameters of disconnectors that provide the required electric field strength are obtained by the Response Surface Method (RSM) and the optimal values are presented by the variation in maximal electric field strength. The RSM and optimal design methods are also conducted by FORTRAN codes. The optimal result reveals that a uniform electric field distribution is achieved in 550 kV disconnectors. Additionally, the optimal result of disconnectors is verified by the proposed disconnector undertaken power frequency withstanding voltage of 740 kV for 1 minute, lightening impulse of 1675 kV, and operating impulse of 1300 kV, respectively.
The Effectiveness of High Quality Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Mitigating ASR Expansion in Concrete with High Alkali Content
Authors: Prasetia I.
Published: November 2020

Alkali silica reaction (ASR) is influenced by external factors such as the surrounding environment of high alkalinity. Countries with cold climate have a high probability to be exposed to high concentrations of NaCl solution by the deicing salt. This condition will lead to serious ASR problems in concrete, if the aggregates contain reactive silica. The main research work in this paper is to investigate the effect of 15% replacement ratio of high quality fine fly ash (FA15%) and 42% replacement ratio of blast furnace slag (BFS42%) on the ASR mitigation in concrete with different alkali amount inside the pore solution. The experiments were conducted according to the accelerated mortar bars experiment following the JIS A1146 mortar bar test method. In addition, post-analysis such as observation of ASR gel formation by the Uranyl Acetate Fluorescence Method and observation of thin sections using a Polarizing Microscope were also conducted. The mortar bar tests show a very good mitigation effect of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The results show that only small ASR expansions, which can be categorized as “innocuous”, occurred for specimens with 1.2% Na2Oeq using FA15% and BFS42%. However, larger alkali amount inside the system will require more SCMs amount.
Evaluation of E-Commerce Website Functionality Using a Mamdani Fuzzy System
Authors: Al-Qaisi L. , Mesleh A. , Al-Qaisi A. , Sharadqh A. , Zahran B. , Alkasassbeh J. , Olaimat M.
Published: November 2020

The majority of leader companies are running their businesses using online E-commerce websites. These E-commerce websites are becoming significant revenue drivers and major retailers. Hence, it is critical to evaluate the functionality of these websites which are expected to support growing business needs. The evaluation of the functionality of E-commerce websites is not a straightforward process due to the many constraints and standards that should be considered. Fuzzy logic is a powerful technique used in modeling impreciseness and uncertainties. This paper proposes a Mamdani fuzzy system that evaluates the functionality of E-commerce websites over different parameters: accuracy, flexibility, client support, and availability of product information. Experimental results provide positive relations between accuracy and flexibility on the functionality of E-commerce websites.
STATCOM – A Preface to Power Quality in Power Systems Performance
Authors: Jadeja R. , Patel S. , Chauhan S.
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates different types of Flexible AC transmission System (FACTS) controllers with focus on various operational and control aspects of static synchronous compensators (STATCOM) to different performance characteristics like power transfer capability, voltage regulation, reactive power management, stability limits, power factor improvement etc. In addition, various features related to STATCOM like converter topologies, reference compensating signal generation schemes, controllers, and generation of switching signals are reviewed.
UHF PD Experiments on Real Power Transformer and its Frequency Characteristics Results
Authors: Fan H. , Hu J. , Liu H. , Yin Y. , Danikas M.
Published: November 2020

A number of methods have been used in partial discharge (PD) detection and recognition. Among these methods, ultra-high frequency (UHF) detection and recognition based on a single signal have attracted much attention. In this paper, a UHF PD detection system is built, and samples are acquired through experiments on a real power transformer. The received signal is decomposed into different frequency ranges through wavelet packet decomposition (WPD). In each frequency range, a pattern recognition neural network is built, and then the relationship between the information in that frequency range and PD type is described. By comparing the recognition accuracy of these networks, frequency range selection is optimized. In this specific case (the specific transformer, PD sources, and UHF sensors), results show that low frequency (156.25 MHz to 312.5 MHz) and high frequency ranges (1093.75 MHz to 1250 MHz) contain the most information for recognition. If a PD detection recognition system is to be designed, then the performance around these frequency ranges should be given attention.
Laboratory Investigation of the Hydrophobicity Transfer Mechanism on Composite Insulators Aged in Coastal Service
Authors: Mavrikakis N. , Siderakis K. , Koudoumas E. , Drakakis E. , Kymakis E.
Published: November 2020

Silicone rubber (SIR) insulators are known to maintain their surface hydrophobicity even under severe pollution conditions in contrast to the other composite insulator materials used at the last decades. This critical advantage of silicone rubber insulators has made them dominant in high voltage power systems despite the fact that there are other composite materials with better static hydrophobicity. In service conditions, priority is given to the dynamic performance of hydrophobicity due to the unpredictable environmental pollution conditions. This dynamic performance of silicone rubber insulators is also known as hydrophobicity transfer mechanism. In literature, the hydrophobicity transfer mechanism of silicone rubber is related to the reorientation of methyl-groups and the existence of low molecular weight components. However there are many parameters which can change the effectiveness of this mechanism. Some of them referred to the ageing effects on the material structure. Thus it is of great importance to investigate the hydrophobicity transfer mechanism of field aged composite insulators. For this reason a new experimental procedure is introduced based on Cigre TB 442. The results of field aged insulators are compared to that of a new SIR insulator revealing the superiority of silicone rubber even after 17 years of field ageing.
Impacts of Soil Contamination on the Response of Piles Foundation under a Combination of Loading
Authors: Karkush M. O.
Published: November 2020

The behavior of single piles driven into contaminated clayey soil samples subjected to a combination of static axial and cyclic lateral loadings have been studied in this research. A laboratory model was manufactured especially for studying such behavior. A solid circular cross sectional area pile of diameter 19 mm and made from aluminum, the pile was embedded into the soil with an eccentricity to embedded length (e/L) ratio of 0.334. The intact soil samples and industrial wastewater were obtained from the center of Iraq. The industrial wastewater is a byproduct disposed from Musayib thermal electric power plant. The intact clayey soil samples were synthetically contaminated with four percentages of 10, 20, 40 and 100% from the weight of water used in the soaking process which continued for a period of 30 days. The different percentages of contaminant concentrations have significant effects on the lateral load-displacement relation of the piles subjected to a combination of axial and lateral loadings. The vertical displacement under the same vertical load increased by 5–95%, the axial strength of piles decreased by 10–34% and the lateral-bearing capacity of the piles decreased by 10–34% with increasing the percentage of contamination from 10 to 100%. The ratio of permanent lateral displacement to the total lateral displacement was increased by 23–27% when the concentration of contaminant increased by 10-100%. Generally, the application of axial loading increases the lateral-bearing capacity of piles, and reduces the total lateral displacement.
Kinetic Modeling and Effect of Process Parameters on Selenium Removal Using Strong Acid Resin
Authors: Rajamohan N. , Rajesh Kannan R. , Rajasimman M.
Published: November 2020

Heavy metal pollution due to the contamination of Selenium above the tolerable limit in the natural environment is a challenging issue that environmental scientists face. This study is aimed at identifying ion exchange technology as a feasible solution to remove selenium ions using 001x7 resin. Parametric experiments were conducted to identify the optimal pH, sorbent dose and speed of agitation. Selenium removal efficiency of 85% was attained at pH 5.0 with 100 mg/L selenium concentration. The increase in resin dose was found to increase removal efficiency. However, metal uptake decreased. The experiments on the effect of concentration proved the negative effect of higher concentrations of selenium on removal efficiency. The ion exchange process was proved to be optimal at an agitation speed of 200 rpm and a temperature of 35 °C. Pseudo second order model was found to fit the kinetic data very well compared to the pseudo-first order model and the pseudo second order rate constant was estimated as 8.725x10-5 g mg-1 min-1 with a solution containing 100 mg/L selenium.
Perspectives of a Farmer Digital Expert Assistant System
Authors: Narayanamurthy V. , Samsuri F.
Published: November 2020

Global positioning system (GPS) based farmer digital expert assistant systems (FDEAS) are capable of analyzing the agricultural field and environmental factors associated with the field. The agricultural yield to be harvested, depends on the liquidity content of the soil, the mineral content of the soil, the geographical position of the field, the microbial content of the soil and the temperature of the environment. Other parameters include irrigation, spraying of chemicals, animals or intruders getting into the field, etc. Such a system monitors all these parameters and provides the appropriate values and suggestions to the farmers. Several factors are monitored using different set of sensors. The location, specified by the GPS, can be compared to existing databases of soil maps and thus provide the nature and type of crop to be cultivated with all specifications to obtain maximum yield at that location. Cameras may be employed to continuously monitor the field and initiate alerts. All sensor outputs and systems can be integrated with a GSM modem which sends alert messages as SMS or recorded audio alerts when required. Such a system would ensure real time monitoring and should provide expert assistance for attaining maximum efficiency. It would act as a holistic system for analyzing, monitoring, alerting and assisting farmers at different stages of farming.
Effect of Viscosity on the GTA Welds Bead Penetration in Relation with Surface Tension Elements
Authors: Touileb K. , Djoudjou R. , Ouis A.
Published: November 2020

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of the viscous dissipation on the surface tension and its role on the shape of weld pool. Experiments were conducted on four different casts of ferritic stainless steel with different content in the sulfur and titanium. The results show in particular that the presence of titanium solid compounds affects the role of sulfur as surfactant element. Titanium in the presence of carbon and oxygen, titanium forms solid compounds which affect the Marangoni convection due to the sulfur element in the weld pool. The viscous dissipation due to these compounds alters the flow rate of the molten metal. We expect that the viscosity of metal liquid was altered by these solid compounds. The viscous dissipation due to these compounds contributes to heat the molten metal leading to larger weld bead.
A Comparison Between Inter-Asterisk eXchange Protocol and Jingle Protocol: Session Time
Authors: Haj Aliwi H. S. , Alajmi N. K. A. , Sumari P. , Alieyan K.
Published: November 2020

Over the last few years, many multimedia conferencing and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications have been developed due to the use of signaling protocols in providing video, audio and text chatting services between at least two participants. This paper compares between two widely common signaling protocols: InterAsterisk eXchange Protocol (IAX) and the extension of the eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (Jingle) in terms of delay time during call setup, call teardown, and media sessions.
Modeling and Analysis of a Multilevel Parallel Hybrid Active Power Filter
Authors: Demirdelen T. , Kayaalp R. I. , Tumay M.
Published: November 2020

This paper introduces a new control approach for the Multilevel Parallel Hybrid Active Power Filter (M-PHAPF) which can compensate harmonics and variable reactive power demand of loads by controlling the DC link voltage adaptively in medium voltage applications. By the means of this novel control method, M-PHAPF obtains a better and more efficient performance in the compensation of harmonics and reactive power compared to when using conventional control methods. The performance and stability of the proposed method are verified with a simulation model realized in PSCAD/EMTDC with different case studies. The simulation results demonstrate that harmonic compensation performance meets the requirements of the IEEE-519 standard.
Reliability-Based Design Optimization of Trusses with Linked-Discrete Design Variables using the Improved Firefly Algorithm
Authors: Okasha N. M.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, an approach for conducting a Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) of truss structures with linked-discrete design variables is proposed. The sections of the truss members are selected from the AISC standard tables and thus the design variables that represent the properties of each section are linked. Latin hypercube sampling is used in the evaluation of the structural reliability. The improved firefly algorithm is used for the optimization solution process. It was found that in order to use the improved firefly algorithm for efficiently solving problems of reliability-based design optimization with linked-discrete design variables; it needs to be modified as proposed in this paper to accelerate its convergence.
A Tunable Capacitor Based on MEMS Technology for RF Applications
Authors: Teymoori M. M. , Ahangarkolaei J. M.
Published: November 2020

A tunable capacitor based on MEMS technology is presented in this paper. The proposed structure consists of two fixed-fixed parallel movable plates with 4 supports. Movability of two plates makes it possible to actuate the plates with a small voltage. When the actuation is applied, two plates move together and their distance is decreased, hence the capacitance is increased and tuning is achieved. The structure is simulated through the finite element method using COMSOL and ANSOFT HFSS software. Simulation results show that the actuation voltage required to access the 59% tuning, is 7 V. The effective area of the designed tunable capacitor is 200 x 200 µm2 with a thickness of 2 µm. The quality factor is 91 at 11 GHz which is sufficient for various RF communication applications such as filters, transceivers and so on. The low stress induced on the plates and low actuation voltage, are the main advantages of the design.
Air Distributor Designs for Fluidized Bed Combustors: A Review
Authors: Shukrie A. , Anuar S. , Oumer A. N.
Published: November 2020

Fluidized bed combustion (FBC) has been recognized as one of the suitable technologies for converting a wide variety of biomass fuels into energy. One of the key factors affecting the successful operation of fluidized bed combustion is its distributor plate design. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to provide a critical overview of the published studies that are relevant to the characteristics of different fluidized bed air distributor designs. The review of available works display that the type of distributor design significantly affects the operation of the fluidized bed i.e., performance characteristics, fluidization quality, air flow dynamics, solid pattern and mixing caused by the direction of air flow through the distributors. Overall it is observed that high pressure drop across the distributor is one of the major draw backs of the current distributor designs. However, fluidization was stable in a fluidized bed operated at a low perforation ratio distributor due to the pressure drop across the distributor, adequate to provide uniform gas distribution. The swirling motion produced by the inclined injection of gas promotes lateral dispersion and significantly improves fluidization quality. Lastly, the research gaps are highlighted for future improvement consideration on the development of efficient distributor designs.
Controller Design For DFIG Driven By Variable Speed Wind Turbine Using Static Output Feedback Technique
Authors: Bharti O. P. , Saket R. K. , Nagar S. K.
Published: November 2020

This paper describes the controller design for a DFIG based wind energy generation system using the static output feedback technique through the LMI Toolbox. The features of the DFIG, its converters and their controllers are discussed. The lower order nominal representation of DFIG is obtained using numerical differentiation of the SIMULINK model which is subsequently used for PID controller design. The obtained results are compared with existing methods for performance enhancement of the DFIG and wind energy conversion systems.
An Image Fusion Technique Based on Hadamard Transform and HVS
Authors: Vadhi R. , Kilari V. S. , Srinivas Kumar S.
Published: November 2020

The main endeavor of image fusion is to obtain an image that contains more visual quality information than any one of the source images. In general, the source images may be multi focus, multi modality, multi resolution, multi temporal, panchromatic, satellite images considered for fusion. This paper discusses image fusion using Hadamard Transform (HT). In this work, Human Visual System (HVS) is investigated for image fusion in the HT domain. The proposed fusion process contains three important parts, (1) divide source images into sub images / blocks and transform them into HT domain. (2) multiply transformed coefficients with HVS based weightage matrix of HT and select the highest value from them (3) fuse the corresponding block of selected coefficients from source images in to an empty image. The utility of HVS makes the coefficients more significant. The performance of the proposed method is analyzed and compared with Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) based image fusion technique. Implementation in HT domain is simple and time saving when compared with DWT.
Investigation of the Effect of Pipeline Size on the Cross Flow Injection Process
Authors: Elashmawy M. , Alghamdi A. , Badawi I.
Published: November 2020

Injection pumps constitute an essential component for many industrial applications. The main focus of this study is to predict the effect of the size of the pipeline on the cross flow injection process. A test-rig was designed, built and equipped with three different pipelines, 1½", ¾" and ½" diameters. Comparison was made under constant line pressure of 40-bar and line flow rate of 5 liter/min, with a fixed injection pump rotational speed of 100 rpm. The main parameter tested was the injection dose capacity at different pump displacements. Cross flow mixing process is also theoretically studied using 3D-CFD analysis to show the injection cross flow behavior for the same geometry and parameters used for experimental test. Results show that increasing the size of the pipeline increases injection pump doses ability. This effect is insignificant at lower injection pump displacements, while the effect of the size of the pipeline becomes dominant when increasing the displacement. By changing the size of the pipeline from ½" to 1½" diameter injection pump dose capacity increases by 3.24% at 100% pump displacement. Selecting larger pipe sizes for injection ports is recommended whenever possible.
Recovery of Nickel from Reformer Catalysts of Direct Reduction, Using the Pressurized Dissolving Method in Nitric Acid
Authors: Abrar B. , Halali M. , Pourfathi A.
Published: November 2020

In the process of direct reduction of iron pellet and production of sponge iron, NiO/Al2O3 act as a catalyst for the generation of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by vapor and natural gas. As an expensive material used in MIDREX method for steel units, this type of catalyst has major environmental problems after accumulation. The steel industry in Iran hopes to employ the MIDREX technique for the 80 percent of the 50 million tons of steel. Thus, the problem of spent catalysts will become a serious environmental challenge. Through the hydrometallurgy method, the present study investigates a possible solution to the problem of catalyst depot (due to heavy metals such as nickel) via nickel recovery, which may increase the possibility of selling or re-using the precious and expensive metal. The present research studied the Nickel recovery from spent catalysts of NiO/Al2O¬3 used in reduction gas reliefs of the production of sponge iron unit. In this study, the parameters of temperature, concentration, time and Rpm were studied using pressurized dissolving method. 100% efficiency was achieved at 140 °C for 120 minutes, nitric acid concentration of 1.5 mm, Rpm of 600 and 40 s/l 40 grams per liter.
Effect of IT Application on Project Performance Focusing on the Mediating Role of Organizational Innovation, Knowledge Management and Organizational Capabilities
Authors: Hemmati M. , Hosseini H.
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of IT application on project performance focusing on mediating role of organizational innovation, knowledge management and organizational capabilities using SEM. For this purpose, 194 managers, supervisors and experts of software developer companies participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on each subject. SEM was used to analyze data using the LISREL software. Results are thoroughly discussed in this paper and the findings support the role of IT application, organizational innovation, knowledge management and organizational capabilities on project performance and project benefits.
Hybridizing Differential Evolution with a Genetic Algorithm for Color Image Segmentation
Authors: Krishna R. V. V. , Srinivas Kumar S.
Published: November 2020

This paper proposes a hybrid of differential evolution and genetic algorithms to solve the color image segmentation problem. Clustering based color image segmentation algorithms segment an image by clustering the features of color and texture, thereby obtaining accurate prototype cluster centers. In the proposed algorithm, the color features are obtained using the homogeneity model. A new texture feature named Power Law Descriptor (PLD) which is a modification of Weber Local Descriptor (WLD) is proposed and further used as a texture feature for clustering. Genetic algorithms are competent in handling binary variables, while differential evolution on the other hand is more efficient in handling real parameters. The obtained texture feature is binary in nature and the color feature is a real value, which suits very well the hybrid cluster center optimization problem in image segmentation. Thus in the proposed algorithm, the optimum texture feature centers are evolved using genetic algorithms, whereas the optimum color feature centers are evolved using differential evolution.
Production of Hydrogen from Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) using CT 434 ZSM-5 Catalyst at Considerably Low Temperatures
Authors: El-Sinawi A. H.
Published: November 2020

The production of hydrogen from Poly Ethylene Terephthalate (PET) using CT 434 ZSM-5 is investigated in this research study. Gas chromatography equipped with a thermal conductivity detector is used to detect the amount of hydrogen produced at different temperatures. The Chromatograph spectrum of pure hydrogen as well as the spectra of evolved gases at 250oC, 280oC, 310oC and 340oC are obtained to validate the presence of hydrogen. The spectra of percentage of hydrogen and peak area to height ratio with increasing temperature shows a similar trend except at the temperature of 340oC. Maximum hydrogen percentage of 20.11% is found in the evolved gases collected at temperature of 250oC. The retention time of sample collected at 340oC is very close to reference retention time 2.014 min observed for a pure hydrogen sample.
Optimization of ETL Process in Data Warehouse Through a Combination of Parallelization and Shared Cache Memory
Authors: Faridi Masouleh M. , Afshar Kazemi M. A. , Alborzi M. , Toloie Eshlaghy A.
Published: November 2020

Extraction, Transformation and Loading (ETL) is introduced as one of the notable subjects in optimization, management, improvement and acceleration of processes and operations in data bases and data warehouses. The creation of ETL processes is potentially one of the greatest tasks of data warehouses and so its production is a time-consuming and complicated procedure. Without optimization of these processes, the implementation of projects in data warehouses area is costly, complicated and time-consuming. The present paper used the combination of parallelization methods and shared cache memory in systems distributed on the basis of data warehouse. According to the conducted assessment, the proposed method exhibited 7.1% speed improvement to kattle optimization instrument and 7.9% to talend instrument in terms of implementation time of the ETL process. Therefore, parallelization could notably improve the ETL process. It eventually caused the management and integration processes of big data to be implemented in a simple way and with acceptable speed.
Computation of the Speed of Four In-Wheel Motors of an Electric Vehicle Using a Radial Basis Neural Network
Authors: Yildirim M. , Catalbas M. C. , Gulten A. , Kurum H.
Published: November 2020

This paper presents design and speed estimation for an Electric Vehicle (EV) with four in-wheel motors using Radial Basis Neural Network (RBNN). According to the steering angle and the speed of EV, the speeds of all wheels are calculated by equations derived from the Ackermann-Jeantand model using CoDeSys Software Package. The Electronic Differential System (EDS) is also simulated by Matlab/Simulink using the mathematical equations. RBNN is used for the estimation of the wheel speeds based on the steering angle and EV speed. Further, different levels of noise are added to the steering angle and the EV speed. The speeds of front wheels calculated by CoDeSys are sent to two Induction Motor (IM) drives via a Controller Area Network-Bus (CAN-Bus). These speed values are measured experimentally by a tachometer changing the steering angle and EV speed. RBNN results are verified by CoDeSys, Simulink, and experimental results. As a result, it is observed that RBNN is a good estimator for EDS of an EV with in-wheel motor due to its robustness to different levels of sensor noise.
Numerical Simulation of a Mechanically Stacked GaAs/Ge Solar Cell
Authors: Enayat Taghavi Moghaddam S. , Mehrdad Kankanani S.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, GaAs and Ge solar cells have been studied and simulated separately and the inner characteristics of each have been calculated including the energy band structure, the internal field, carrier density distribution in the equilibrium condition (dark condition) and the voltage-current curve in the sun exposure with the output power of each one. Finally, the output power of these two mechanically stacked cells is achieved. Drift-diffusion model have been used for simulation that solved with numerically method and Gummel algorithm. In this simulation, the final cells exposed to sun light in a standard AM 1.5 G conditions and temperatures are 300° K. The efficiency of the proposed structure is 9.47%. The analytical results are compared with results of numerical simulations and the accuracy of the method used is shown.
A Constrained Multi-Objective Learning Algorithm for Feed-Forward Neural Network Classifiers
Authors: Njah M. , El Hamdi R.
Published: November 2020

This paper proposes a new approach to address the optimal design of a Feed-forward Neural Network (FNN) based classifier. The originality of the proposed methodology, called CMOA, lie in the use of a new constraint handling technique based on a self-adaptive penalty procedure in order to direct the entire search effort towards finding only Pareto optimal solutions that are acceptable. Neurons and connections of the FNN Classifier are dynamically built during the learning process. The approach includes differential evolution to create new individuals and then keeps only the non-dominated ones as the basis for the next generation. The designed FNN Classifier is applied to six binary classification benchmark problems, obtained from the UCI repository, and results indicated the advantages of the proposed approach over other existing multi-objective evolutionary neural networks classifiers reported recently in the literature.
Evaluating the Effects of Dam Construction on the Morphological Changes of Downstream Meandering Rivers (Case Study: Karkheh River)
Authors: Liaghat A. , Adib A. , Gafouri H. R.
Published: November 2020

The establishment of stability in rivers is dependent on a variety of factors, and yet the established stability can be interrupted at any moment or time. One factor that can strongly disrupt the stability of rivers is the construction of dams. For this study, the identification and evaluation of morphological changes occurring to the Karkheh River, before and after the construction of the Karkheh Dam, along with determining the degree of changes to the width and length of the downstream meanders of the river, have been performed with the assistance of satellite images and by applying the CCHE2D hydrodynamic model. Results show that under natural circumstances the width of the riverbed increases downstream parallel to the decrease in the slope angle of the river. The average width of the river was reduced from 273 meters to 60 meters after dam construction. This 78% decrease in river width has made available 21 hectares of land across the river bank per kilometer length of the river. In the studied area, the average thalweg migration of the river is approximately 340 meters, while the minimum and maximum of river migration measured 53 and 768 meters, respectively. Evaluations reveal that nearly 56% of the migrations pertain to the western side of the river, while over 59% of these migrations take place outside the previous riverbed. By average, each year, the lateral migration rate of the river is 34 meters in the studied area which signifies the relevant instability of the region.
Modeling Support Loss in Torsional Mode Vibrations of a Micromechanical Disk Resonator with Two L-Shaped Support Beams
Authors: Bagheri M. , Bijari A. , Imanparast M. , Raghebi M.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, a new micromechanical disc resonator with two L-shaped horizontal support beams in torsional mode vibrations has been proposed. The proposed micromechanical resonator has been studied in the field of natural frequencies and support loss. In order to verify the findings of natural frequencies, the analytical results are compared to the simulation results given by ANSYS software. A good agreement between analytical and simulation results is shown. In addition a closed-form equation for support loss quality factor in torsional mode vibrations of the proposed micromechanical resonator is presented. The results show that using L-shaped support beams can improve the support loss quality factor up to two times.
A Mathematical Approximation of the Left-sided Truncated Normal Distribution Using the Cadwell Approximation Model
Authors: Hamasha M. M.
Published: November 2020

In the case that life distribution of new devices follows the normal distribution, the life distribution of the same brand used devices follows left-sided truncated normal distribution. In spite of many mathematical models being available to approximate the normal distribution density functions, there is a few work available on modeling/approximating the density functions of left-sided truncated normal distribution. This article introduces a high accuracy mathematical model to approximate the cumulative density function of left-sided truncated standard normal distribution defined on the range of [truncation point (ZL): ∞]. The introduced model is derived from the Cadwell approximation of the normal cumulative density. The accuracy level change with Z score is discussed in details. The maximum deviation of the model results, from the real results for the whole region of [-∞<Z<-2:∞], is 0.006877.
Implementation of a Flexible Bayesian Classifier for the Assessment of Patient’s Activities within a Real-time Personalized Mobile Application
Authors: Miskovic V. , Babic D.
Published: November 2020

This paper presents an implementation of a mobile application that provides a real-time personalized assessment of patient’s activities by using a Flexible Bayesian Classifier. The personalized assessment is derived from data collected from the 3-axial accelerometer sensor and the counting steps sensor, both widespread among nowadays mobile devices. Despite the fact that online mobile solutions with Bayesian Classifier have been rare and insufficiently precise, we have proven that the accuracy of the proposed system within a defined data model is comparable to the accuracy of decision trees and neural networks.
Perspectives of Safe Work Practices: Improving Personal Electrical Safety of Low-Voltage Systems from Electrical Hazards
Authors: Mobarak Y. , Alshehri A.
Published: November 2020

A person’s understanding of a safety hazard has a dramatic effect on his or her behavior. An in-depth understanding of a hazard usually results in a healthy respect for what can happen. People who know the most about a specific hazard tend to rely more heavily on procedures and plans to guide their actions. Personal protective equipment selection and use are influenced by increased understanding of a hazard. Training and training programs are influenced by the depth of knowledge held by all members of the line organization. Recent work has focused attention on the thermal effects of arc flashes. However, when electrical energy is converted into thermal energy in an arcing fault, still another energy conversion is taking place. Applications are on record that suggest that a considerable amount of force is created during an arcing fault. Concrete block walls can be destroyed by the increased pressure that is created during an arcing fault. This study is present about preventing injuries to people. We will study about injuries and then develop some understanding about electrical hazards. Also, we will present about safe work practices, responsible, and then about what makes us act as we do.
Strategi Peningkatan Penerimaan Pajak Hiburan dalam Upaya Peningkatan Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD) Kota Palembang
Authors: Lawati Susi
Published: November 2020

Judul penelitian ini adalah strategi peningkatan penerimaan pajak hiburan dalam upaya meningkatkan pendapatan (PAD) kota Palembang. Bertujuan untuk 1) Menentukan strategi implementasi untuk meningkatkan Pendapatan Pajak Hiburan dalam upaya meningkatkan pendapatan daerah Palembang, 2) Mengetahui faktor- faktor pendukung dan hambatan yang dapat mempengaruhi peningkatan pendapatan pajak hiburan di kota Palembang.

Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan analisis yang telah dilakukan dapat disimpulkan sebagai berikut: pertama, implementasi strategi Dinas Pendapatan Daerah Kota Palembang dalam peningkatan penerimaan pajak hiburan dengan: 1) Memprioritaskan intensifikasi penerimaan pajak yang belum mencapai target. . 2) Mengembangkan Pendapatan potensial yang diarahkan ke jenis objek pajak daerah baru. 3) Prioritaskan pengembangan layanan pajak infrastruktur on-line.

4) Memberikan Hadiah dan Hukuman kepada aparat, faktor kedua dan pendukung yang mempengaruhi peningkatan pajak hiburan di kota meliputi: jumlah karyawan, pemantauan penggunaan tiket hiburan, pemeriksaan pajak daerah, ketersediaan fasilitas dan kegiatan infrastruktur , potensi peningkatan objek pajak hiburan, kemajuan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi, dan faktor penghambat meningkatkan pajak hiburan di kota Palembang meliputi: dukungan keuangan untuk pekerja lapangan masih rendah, struktur birokrasi yang terkadang berbelit-belit dibuat oleh pejabat, sikap mental dalam wajah pembayar pajak beragam masih lemah, pejabat setempat selingkuh, jumlah tempat hiburan yang tidak memiliki izin resmi

Saran dapat diberikan, Kantor Pendapatan Daerah Palembang harus lebih berhati-hati dan bekerja lebih keras untuk menemukan wajib pajak-wajib pajak baru yang merupakan sumber pendapatan agar pajak hiburan ditingkatkan. Telah menerapkan sanksi terhadap perusahaan, sehingga masyarakat dapat diharapkan untuk mematuhi pajak yang dibayarkan tepat waktu sesuai dengan ketentuan. Kantor Pendapatan Daerah Palembang harus lebih meningkatkan pemantauan izin hiburan dan juga peningkatan kualitas personel yang memiliki loyalitas, bersih, dan sangat disiplin.
One Seed at a Time: Prosocial Youth Development in an Urban Agriculture Program
Authors: Dickey Kristyn J. , Alpízar Amy E. Boren , Irlbeck Erica , Burris Scott
Published: November 2020

The Growing Recruits for Urban Business (GRUB) is an urban agricultural education program in Lubbock, Texas with a focus on youth development. The mission of the program is to provide at-risk youth with the opportunity to learn technical agricultural skills and leadership skills through the management of a 5.5-acre farm. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the program fosters prosocial decision-making in at-risk youth participants. Using grounded theory, a model was created to illustrate the transition youth experience when developing prosocial behaviors through participation in the program. The model that emerged identifies four main antisocial constructs youth exhibited when they began the program and four prosocial constructs they developed during their participation in the program. The results yielded information regarding participants’ individual prosocial behavioral development as well as examples of the long-term benefits experienced at the individual and societal levels as a result of prosocial decision-making. Implications for the role of agricultural education and agricultural educators in transforming marginalized communities are discussed.
An Investigation of the Routes to Certification and Turnover Intentions of Wisconsin Agriculture Teachers
Authors: Claflin Kellie , Lambert Misty D. , Stewart Josh
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the routes to certification and turnover intentions of agriculture teachers to identify differences between alternatively and traditionally certified teachers. The population consisted of a census of early career agriculture teachers in Wisconsin with fewer than three years of teaching (N = 67) with a response rate of 52% (n = 35). The majority of respondents were traditionally certified (71%) through a bachelor’s degree program, and 29% were alternatively certified through three different routes. Respondents had moderately low turnover intentions to leave the agriculture classroom as a teacher with no statistical difference (U = 130.50, p = .843) between traditionally and alternatively certified teachers. Additionally, there was no correlation between turnover intentions and traditional and alternative certification routes. While this study is not generalizable to other populations, it does provide the first insight into agricultural education research on how teachers are being alternatively certified. The results of this study prompt the need for further research on alternative certification in agricultural education, focusing on the types of programs and preparation, as well as the impact of certification route on turnover.
Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Team-Based Learning During an Introductory Agricultural Mechanics Course: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Figland Whitney L. , Blackburn J. Joey , Roberts Richie
Published: November 2020

In higher education classrooms, teacher-centered instruction remains the dominant learning approach. However, as calls have increased for university graduates to demonstrate the ability to solve complex problems, active learning strategies such as flipped classrooms and team-based learning (TBL), have emerged as popular approaches to ensure students possess such skills. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate students’ perceptions of TBL in a flipped introductory to agricultural mechanics course. After data collection, the quantitative and qualitative strands were analyzed independently, compared, and then merged to draw meta-inferences. Quantitative findings suggested that students exhibited an overwhelmingly positive view of TBL. Due to the complexity of the qualitative findings, however, they were assigned priority. To understand the intricacies of students’ perspectives, we narrated the emergent themes through Brunswick's three zones of judgment: (1) acceptance, (b) non-commitment, and (c) rejection. As a result, we noted more diversity in students’ perspectives. However, they remained satisfied with the course overall. Moving forward,
IoT Security: Penetration Testing of White-label Cloud-based IoT Camera Compromising Personal Data Privacy
Authors: Tayag Marlon Intal , Napalit Francisco , Napalit Arcely
Published: November 2020

The Internet is driving force on how we communicate with one another, from posting messages and images to Facebook or “tweeting” your activities from your vacation. Today it is being used everywhere, now imagine a device that connects to the internet sends out data based on its sensors, this is the Internet-ofThings, a connection of objects with a plethora of sensors. Smart devices as they are commonly called, are invading our homes. With the proliferation of cheap Cloud-based IoT Camera use as a surveillance system to monitor our homes and loved ones right from the palm of our hand using our smartphones. These cameras are mostly white-label product, a process in which the product comes from a single manufacturer and bought by a different company where they are re-branded and sold with their own product name, a method commonly practice in the retail and manufacturing industry. Each Cloud-based IoT cameras sold are not properly tested for security. The problem arises when a hacker, hacks into the Cloud-based IoT Camera sees everything we do, without us knowing about it. Invading our personal digital privacy. This study focuses on the vulnerabilities found on White-label Cloud-based IoT Camera on the market specifically on a Chinese brand sold by Shenzhen Gwelltimes Technology. How this IoT device can be compromised and how to protect our selves from such cyber-attacks.
Comparison of Denoising Algorithms for Demosacing Low Lighting Images Using CFA 2.0
Authors: Kwan Chiman , Larkin Jude
Published: November 2020

In modern digital cameras, the Bayer color filter array (CFA) has been widely used. It is also widely known as CFA 1.0. However, Bayer pattern is inferior to the red-green-blue-white (RGBW) pattern, which is also known as CFA 2.0, in low lighting conditions in which Poisson noise is present. It is well known that demosaicing algorithms cannot effectively deal with Poisson noise and additional denoising is needed in order to improve the image quality. In this paper, we propose to evaluate various conventional and deep learning based denoising algorithms for CFA 2.0 in low lighting conditions. We will also investigate the impact of the location of denoising, which refers to whether the denoising is done before or after a critical step of demosaicing. Extensive experiments show that some denoising algorithms can indeed improve the image quality in low lighting conditions. We also noticed that the location of denoising plays an important role in the overall demosaicing performance.
WHICH VARIABLES IN FOREST SURVEY DATA CAN BETTER DISTINGUISH CONSERVED AND DEGRADED TROPICAL DRY FOREST?
Authors: Gao Y. , Jiménez D. , Skutsch M. , Salinas M. , Solórzano J.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. This paper presents the results of a statistical study of forest inventory data for tropical dry forest in Ayuquila River Basin, Jalisco state, Mexico. The field inventory was carried out between May-June of 2019 which is at the end of dry season and the beginning of raining season. The field inventory data were collected in 43 plots of 500 m2 each which were designed in a way to include tropical dry forests in two conditions: degraded and conserved. In each plot, the collected data include DBH, tree height, number of trees per plot, and the density of tree stems. A study was carried out to find out if there are statistically significant differences variables relating to forest structure between degraded and conserved status. The Mann-Whitney test shows that there is significant differences in canopy cover, biomass, tree height, and basal area. This information is important since it helps to understand whether and how forest degradation can be detected using remote sensing data.
SPATIAL-TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF DROUGHT IN THE WESTERN REGION OF PARAGUAY (2005–2017)
Authors: Paniagua M. T. , Villalba J. , Pasten M.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. The Western Region of Paraguay is naturally dry which makes it vulnerable to almost permanent drought events. Hence, low cost drought monitoring is necessary. Therefore, an index derived from satellite image information was used for this purpose. The Normalized Difference Drought Index (NDDI) was used with the objective of studying the characteristics (temporal and spatial distribution) of drought in the Western Region of Paraguay from years 2005 to 2017 and relate drought point values of NDDI to the land use cover of the study area. Terra satellite’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) sensor images were used for the calculation of NDDI. The driest month of all years (July) and the wettest month of all years (December) were averaged to analyze spatial tendencies. The NDDI was contrasted spatially with the Land Use Cover of the Western Region to pinpoint the location of the highest values. The year 2015 had the highest value of 0.9847 in agricultural land use in the Department of Boqueron. The NDDI was a good indicator of drought throughout the region and could be a complement for in-situ measurements.