bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Web-based Monitoring and Evaluation System for Government Projects in Tanzania: The Case of Ministry of Health
Authors: Mleke M. N. , Dida M. A.
Published: November 2020

Monitoring and evaluation systems are used by organizations or governments to measure, track progress, and evaluate the outcomes of projects. Organizations can improve their performance, effectiveness, and achieved results in project success by strengthening their monitoring and evaluation systems. Moreover, various studies reveal the need for information and communication technology systems in monitoring and evaluation activities. Despite the advantage of the tools, most organizations do not employ computerized monitoring and evaluation systems due to their cost and limited expertise whereas those having these systems lack a systematic alert mechanism of the projects' progress. Currently, the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children of Tanzania monitors and evaluates its projects manually facing the risks and consequences of delayed project completeness. In this study, the evolutionary prototyping approach was used to develop the proposed system. This study describes the development of a web-based monitoring and evaluation system that aims to solve the monitoring and evaluation challenges, simplify works, generate quality data, and provide timely successful project implementation. The developed system was tested and evaluated against the user’s requirements and was positively accepted to be deployed at the Ministry of Health.
Effect of Friction Time on the Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of AA6061 Joints by Continuous Drive Friction Welding
Authors: Tashkandi M. A. , Mohamed M. I.
Published: November 2020

Friction welding is becoming a viable replacement of conventional joining methods. Continuous Drive Friction Welding (CDFW) is a type of friction welding used to join rods, tubes and similar shapes. Usually, the process contains a friction stage and a forging stage and the process parameters would be ticked accordingly. AA6061 is an Mg and Si aluminum alloy that is widely used in many industries. This research investigates the effect of friction time on the mechanical properties of AA6061 joints made with CDFW and the relation to the microstructure of the material and thermal profiles. It was found that AA6061 does not require a forging stage where solid joints are obtained without forging and did not fracture within the welding zones. Also, it was concluded that the process parameters are to be tailored in a way that produces a specific type of grain structure within the welding areas.
Software Risk Analysis with the use of Classification Techniques: A Review
Authors: Khan M. N. A. , Mirza A. M. , Saleem I.
Published: November 2020

Risk analysis and management is a critical aspect of the software development process. Various risks are associated with every phase of the software development lifecycle. The early identification of risks in each phase of software development coupled with mitigating plans can help to reduce the cost of the product and increase software quality. This study aims to explore various tools and techniques used in the literature of analyzing and managing risks. Most risk analysis techniques have been applied in the requirement analysis phase, so there is a scarcity of tools supporting automated risk analysis. Accommodating various types of risk factors to predict the software risks reduces the accuracy of the classifier.
Computational Modeling of Quasi-Periodic Rudin-Shapiro Multilayered Band Gap Structure
Authors: Bouazzi Y. , Ben Ali N. , Alsaif H. , Boudjemline A. , Trabelsi Y. , Torchani A.
Published: November 2020

The optical transmission spectra proprieties of the one-dimensional quasi-periodic multilayered photonic structures according to the Rudin-Shapiro distribution are studied theoretically in this paper by using a theoretical model based on the transfer matrix approach for normal incidence geometry. The influence of the layer number has been studied, i.e. the iteration order of the generating sequence of the quasi-periodic structure on the structure spectral behavior and the width of the Photonic Band Gap (PBG). It was found that the width of the PBG is proportional to the index contrast.
Efficient Feature Extraction Algorithms to Develop an Arabic Speech Recognition System
Authors: Alasadi A. A. , Aldhayni T. H. , Deshmukh R. R. , Alahmadi A. H. , Alshebami A. S.
Published: November 2020

This paper studies three feature extraction methods, Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), Power-Normalized Cepstral Coefficients (PNCC), and Modified Group Delay Function (ModGDF) for the development of an Automated Speech Recognition System (ASR) in Arabic. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm processed the obtained features. These feature extraction algorithms extract speech or voice characteristics and process the group delay functionality calculated straight from the voice signal. These algorithms were deployed to extract audio forms from Arabic speakers. PNCC provided the best recognition results in Arabic speech in comparison with the other methods. Simulation results showed that PNCC and ModGDF were more accurate than MFCC in Arabic speech recognition.
Some Factors Affecting the Breakdown Strength of Solid Dielectrics: A Short Review
Authors: Danikas M. , Vardakis G. E. , Sarathi R.
Published: November 2020

This paper refers to some factors affecting the breakdown strength of solid insulating materials. Solid insulating materials play a most important role in the high voltage industry. Factors, such as area effect, crystallinity, impregnation with liquids, temperature, the role of interfaces and mechanical stressing, are investigated and commented upon.
Perlite Application and Performance Comparison to Conventional Additives in Blended Cement
Authors: Sicakova A. , Kardosova E. , Spak M.
Published: November 2020

This study compares the performance of perlite with that of conventional additives in blended cements. The results of the application of Perlite Powder (PP) as a component of blended cements in two different proportions (30% and 50%) are presented and compared with standard additives of fly ash (FA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). Moreover, perlite is tested as a component of ternary cement (70% cement, 15% P and 15% FA and GGBFS alternatively). Blended cements are tested in terms of flexural strength, compressive strength, bulk density, water absorption, and frost resistance. The results show that although perlite blended cements achieve lower strengths and higher absorptivity compared to conventional additives, they have significant potential for freezing and thawing durability, especially in ternary combination with GGBFS. For practical applications, the intrinsic values of the parameters of the individual binders with perlite (e.g. flexural strength of 4.1–6.2MPa or compressive strength of 18.8–38.5MPa) are sufficient for many practical applications. Perlite, when suitably combined with other pozzolanic materials, can be a suitable component of blended binders.
Design of a Face Recognition System based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
Authors: Said Y. , Barr M. , Ahmed H. E.
Published: November 2020

Face recognition is an important function of video surveillance systems, enabling verification and identification of people who appear in a scene often captured by a distributed network of cameras. The recognition of people from the faces in images arouses great interest in the scientific community, partly because of the application interests but also because of the challenge that this represents for artificial vision algorithms. They must be able to cope with the great variability of the aspects of the faces themselves as well as the variations of the shooting parameters (pose, lighting, haircut, expression, background, etc.). This paper aims to develop a face recognition application for a biometric system based on Convolutional Neural Networks. It proposes a structure of a Deep Learning model which allows improving the existing state-of-the-art precision and processing time.
Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams using Wire Rope as Internal Shear Reinforcement
Authors: Colyvas G. M. , Malecot Y. , Sieffert Y. , Aboudha S. , Kanali C.
Published: November 2020

Wire ropes as internal shear reinforcements could are an economic alternative to conventional stirrups in rectangular concrete beams, mainly due to their attractive advantages such as high flexibility, light weight, and strength. The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of the shear behavior of concrete beams with continuous spiral-type wire rope as internal shear reinforcement. In order to achieve this objective, an experimental program involving the testing of six beam specimens under four-point load was conducted. Digital image correlation technique was employed to study the crack formation and propagation in the beam specimens. The test results demonstrated that using continuous spiral-type wire rope as shear reinforcement is highly favorable for diagonal crack control. In particular, spiral-type wire rope specimens attained serviceability crack width at a higher load than that of normal stirrup beam specimens.
Effect of Fly Ash on the Compressive Strength of Green Concrete
Authors: Chandio S. A. , Memon B. A. , Oad M. , Chandio F. A. , Memon M. U.
Published: November 2020

This research paper aims at investigating the effects of fly ash as cement replacement in green concrete made with partial replacement of conventional coarse aggregates with coarse aggregates from demolishing waste. Green concrete developed with waste materials is an active area of research as it helps in reducing the waste management issues and protecting the environment. Six concrete mixes were prepared using 1:2:4 ratio and demolishing waste was used in equal proportion with conventional aggregates, whereas fly ash was used from 0%-10% with an increment of 2.5%. The water-cement ratio used was equal to 0.5. Out of these mixes, one mix was prepared with all conventional aggregates and was used as the control, and one mix with 0% fly ash had only conventional and recycled aggregates. The slump test of all mixes was determined. A total of 18 cylinders of standard size were prepared and cured for 28 days. After curing the compressive strength of the specimens was evaluated under gradually increasing load until failure. It is observed that 5% replacement of cement with fly ash and 50% recycled aggregates gives better results. With this level of dosage of two waste materials, the reduction in compressive strength is about 11%.
Tying Devices to Mitigate Pounding of Adjacent Building Blocks
Authors: Masmoum M. S. , Alama M. S. A.
Published: November 2020

Adjacent building blocks separated by thermal expansion joints are vulnerable to pounding during earthquakes. The specified Saudi building code minimum separation may be very large and does not necessarily eliminate pounding forces. This research discusses the feasibility of tying the adjacent building blocks with simple devices to mitigate structural pounding when separated by thermal joints. Six and twelve-story moment resistance frames of intermediate ductility were designed for seismic loads of moderate risk. The seismic response was studied for frames with variable separation distances in three cases related to thermal joint, code minimum separation, required separation to eliminate pounding force, and in a fourth case in which the tying device was used along with thermal separation. A linear elastic model was used to model the assigned gap links between the adjacent building blocks. The tying device was modeled with a tension-only hook element. Four normalized earthquake records were used with inelastic-time history analysis to assess the seismic response of the adjacent building blocks. The proposed tying devices reduced successfully the pounding forces by 40% to 60% for adjacent building blocks with installed thermal separations. Building damage as observed from damage index and the hysteretic response was not influenced by the pounding force, indicating that the tying may be used on existing buildings with thermal separation as a partial mitigation technique to reduce the pounding hazard in such cases. Further improvement on the tying device will increase the mitigation of the pounding hazard.
Impact of Encroachment and Hyderabad City Effluents on Pinyari Canal
Authors: Mahessar A. A. , Ansari K. , Qureshi A. L. , Mukwana K. C. , Pathan A. A. , Kori S. M.
Published: November 2020

Pinyari canal off-takes from the left bank of Kotri barrage with a design discharge of 13,636 cusecs which passes through the ridge of Hyderabad city along with New Fuleli Canal and Akram Wah on its left side. Its water is used for irrigation, agriculture, industrial, domestic, and drinking purposes in Hyderabad and Sajawal districts in Sindh. This canal is non-perennial. Water is being released with low discharge only for drinking purposes during the dry season and with full supply in the wet season. The global water quality issue reflects the major impact of socioeconomic development and population growth changes on freshwater resources including canals and rivers. This paper presents the impact of untreated wastewater disposal to the canal. The practice of disposing of untreated effluents has created serious health and environmental problems for the locals. The statistical and geospatial tool GIS has been used for the assessment of water quality with visualization of wastewater behavior in the canal. The results of the statistical analysis showed that pH was within the permissible limits but Electric Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Sodium (Na), and Hardness exceed them. The Water Quality Index of the samples rated from very poor to unsuitable for drinking, hence, canal water is unfit for domestic use or drinking purposes.
Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm for the Dynamic Economic Emission Dispatch Problem incorporating Wind Farms and Energy Storage Systems
Authors: Alqunun K.
Published: November 2020

Intermittent and stochastic characteristics of wind energy sources cause many challenges for the existing power networks. One of these challenges is the violation of the energy balance constraint due to the high penetration of wind power. The use of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can facilitate the high penetration of wind power and mitigate the effect of its intermittency. Within this context, ESS incorporate the Dynamic Economic Emission Dispatch (DEED) problem. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective problem and the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA) is used for its resolution. Simulations were carried out on a well-known ten-unit system and the results show the importance of using ESS in reducing the total production cost of electricity and total emissions.
Mechanical Properties of Powder Metallugry (Ti-6Al-4V) with Hot Isostatic Pressing
Authors: Elfghi M. A. , Gunay M.
Published: November 2020

Titanium alloys are widely used due to their high performance and low density in comparison with iron-based alloys. Their applications extend to aerospace and military in order to utilize their high resistance for corrosion. Understanding the mechanical properties and microstructure of titanium alloys is critical for performance optimization, as well as their implications on strength, plasticity, and fatigue. Ti-6Al-4V is an α+β two-phase alloy and is considered one of the most commonly used titanium alloys for weight reduction and high-performance. To avoid manufacturing defects, such as porosity and composition segregation, Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is used to consolidate alloy powder. The HIP method is also used to facilitate the manufacturing of complex structures that cannot be made with forging and casting. In the current research, Ti-6Al-4V alloys were manufactured with HIP and the impact on heat treatment under different temperatures and sintering durations on the performance and microstructure of the alloy was studied. The results show changes in mechanical properties and microstructure with the increase of temperature and duration.
A Generic Feature Extraction Approach for Dealing with Multiple Attribute Decision Analysis Problems under Risk and Uncertainty
Authors: Hasan M. Z. , Hossain S. , Uddin M. S. , Islam M. S.
Published: November 2020

This paper represents a generic feature extraction approach to handle multiple attribute decision analysis problems. For that purpose, available decision support frameworks are carefully studied and the basic types of attributes involved in the decision problems are identified. Based on this analysis, a generic decision support scheme is proposed that can deal with all sorts of attributes in order to deduce the optimal solution for any decision problem. The proposed framework is capable of handling multiple attributes throughout the process of providing a flawless solution for the decision problem under both risk and uncertainty. This paper provides detailed information about the sources of uncertainty in the decision-making process and proposes a sophisticated approach for capturing all sorts of uncertainties. In the proposed approach, a cross assessment of every attribute against the corresponding attribute of the other alternatives is conducted to extract the significant features of an attribute. The relative importance of every attribute is considered as a supporting knowledge representation parameter in order to optimize the attribute-assessment process. The final decision is made based on the numerical scores seized by the alternatives. The paper also represents a numerical study to demonstrate the potential applications of the proposed methodology.
Review of Inpainting Algorithms for Wireless Communication Application
Authors: Yatnalli V. , Shivaleelavathi B. G. , Sudha K. L.
Published: November 2020

Digital image inpainting is a technique of restoring large removed /damaged regions of an image with the data from the surrounding pixels of the removed region. The issue of image restoration with inpainting techniques occurs commonly in computer vision/image processing when unwanted objects have to be removed from images, for filling cracks in photographs, etc. Digital image inpainting approach is an active field of research in two significant applications of wireless communication: image compression and image recovery from a damaged image due to errors in a wireless channel. This work presents a brief survey of different image inpainting techniques and their contributions to different wireless communication applications.
Performance Analysis of Smart Energy Monitoring Systems in Real-time
Authors: Govindarajan R. , Meikandasivam S. , Vijayakumar D.
Published: November 2020

The use of smart energy monitoring systems in buildings offers significant potential for energy saving. The introduction of a new kind of energy monitoring system is essential in the consumer-side in order to meet the demands of energy conservation. In this paper, four energy monitoring systems based on advanced wireless technology are proposed. The design and implementation of the smart real-time energy monitoring systems is analyzed with respect to their performance. The proposed systems utilize advanced wireless technologies like the Zigbee module, Internet of Things (IoT), Android Mobile Apps, and cloud computing for interfacing the information between the meters and the consumer end. A digital power meter is installed in the main panel, interfaced with a communication gateway and parameters such as voltage, current, power, power factor, and the harmonics of household appliances are measured in real-time. These systems provide power consumption details to the consumer and allow interacting with them by giving instant data such as live power tracking, identification of abnormal patterns of energy usage, energy bill estimation, and energy usage information.
Synchronization of Two Chaotic Stream Ciphers in Secure CDMA Communication Systems
Authors: Alshammari A. S.
Published: November 2020

In the basic processing of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems using chaotic code sequences, a pair of chaos generators in the transmitter and the receiver are used to generate the same sequence, in order to synchronize and retrieve the transmitted signals. In addition, a filter with a simple structure should be integrated into chaotic signals to achieve the maximum of the signal to noise ratio and mitigate the harmful effects of multipath. Another effective property of chaos signal is that a wireless multipath channel does not change the amount of contained information. Considering those issues, the present paper describes a practical system for synchronizing two chaotic generators used in a digital CDMA. Chaotic generators were used to spread the data and provide security against attack. Both receiver and transmitter were implemented using two separate Spartan 6 FPGA boards. Experimental results proved the robustness of the proposed method which could contribute towards the synchronization of chaotic signals in secure CDMA communication systems.
An Experimental Study on the Way Bottom Widening of Pier Foundations Affects Seismic Resistance
Authors: Nagao T.
Published: November 2020

The resistance of a pier to horizontal loads, like seismic loads, is due to the flexural rigidity of its foundations and the horizontal subgrade reaction. In the event of a massive earthquake, the latter becomes very small because of the softening of the ground, while the structure may experience a large inertial force and lateral spreading pressure. Therefore, structures with high seismic resistance are required in areas with high seismicity. When a wide caisson is used as a pier foundation, a rotational resistance moment caused by the vertical subgrade reaction acting on the foundation bottom can be expected. Although this rotational resistance moment increases if the foundation is widened, in design practice the subgrade reaction coefficient is evaluated as being low under such circumstances. Therefore, even if the foundation is widened, the rotational resistance moment does not increase greatly. Rotational resistance commensurate with the increased construction cost due to foundation widening cannot be expected. In the present study, horizontal loading experiments were performed at one pier with a normal foundation and at one with widened at the bottom foundation, and the way that the widening affected the seismic performance was examined. The results show that compared with the normal foundation, the bottom-widened one experienced far less displacement and offered higher earthquake resistance.
Partial Discharges in Cavities and their Connection with Dipoles, Space Charges, and Some Phenomena Below Inception Voltage
Authors: Vardakis G. E. , Danikas M. , Nterekas A.
Published: November 2020

This paper tries to relate Pedersen’s model on partial discharges and work carried out by Bruning and co-workers on the possibility of the existence of charging phenomena below inception voltage, which may eventually cause deterioration of polymeric insulation. Moreover, with the aid of the Electromagnetic theory, some aspects of the Pedersen’s model are tried to be clarified, especially those which are correlated with space charges, electric dipoles, charge distribution, charge dynamics, and partial discharge activity.
Using Fuzzy Approach to Model Skill Shortage in Vietnam’s Labor Market in the Context of Industry 4.0
Authors: Duong M. T. H. , Nguyen D. V. , Nguyen P. T.
Published: November 2020

Human resource development is one of the main issues in the socio-economic development strategy and the transform of any regions  in the context of the Industry 4.0. However, Vietnamese human resources have been poorly evaluated in the areas of quality, lack of dynamism, and creativity. Therefore, this paper presents fuzzy logic approach to ranking seven skills shortage in Vietnam’s Labor Market, namely lifelong learning, adaptive capacity, information technology capacity, creativity and innovation capacity, problem-solving capacity, foreign language competency, and organizing and managing competency. The result results  shown that the problem solving skill is the largest gap between an enterprise’s requirements and the actual response of employees.
A New and Efficient Nonlinear Solver for Load Flow Problems
Authors: Khoso A. H. , Shaikh M. M. , Hashmani A. A.
Published: November 2020

Load Flow (LF) analysis is a fundamental and significant issue in electric power systems. Because of the nonlinearity of the power mismatch equations, the accuracy of the nonlinear solvers is important. In this study, a novel and efficient nonlinear solver is proposed with active applications to LF problems. The formulation of the Proposed Method (PM) and its workflow and mathematical modeling for its application in LF problems have been discussed. The performance of the PM has been validated on the IEEE 14-bus and 30-bus test systems against several existing methods. The simulation results show that the PM exhibits higher order accuracy, faster convergence characteristics, smaller number of iterations, and lesser computation times in comparison with the other benchmark methods.
Robust Adaptive Tracking Control of Manipulator Arms with Fuzzy Neural Networks
Authors: Fouzia M. , Khenfer N. , Boukezzoula N. E.
Published: November 2020

The learning space for executing general motions of a flexible joint manipulator is quite large and the dynamics are, in general, nonlinear, time-varying, and complex. The objective of this paper is to design a nonlinear system based on the fuzzy neural network control using supervised training, into executing reference trajectories by a flexible joint manipulator. The structure identifications of controller networks are performed by using the Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), with new parameters and weight coefficients automatically adapted and adjusted, in order to decrease position tracking errors. In order to adapt and reduce the number of undefined parameters in the network, a new technique is used. Reported research works use the Euler method for the resolution of the arm's dynamic function, in this paper, a more exact method was used, represented by the Fourth-Order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method. A comparative study has been carried out between these two methods in order to prove the effectiveness of the later. Finally, in order to test the robustness of the proposed approach, it was also investigated considering parameter variations. The tracking speed of the model on the system control accuracy was also analyzed. The simulation results show that the proposed approach has a good tracking effect.
Space Charges as Pre-breakdown Phenomena in Solid Dielectrics: A Concise Approach and Some Critical Comments
Authors: Danikas M. , Vardakis G. E. , Sarathi R.
Published: November 2020

This short review deals with some aspects of space charges in solid dielectrics, and in particular in polymeric materials. The relationship between space charges and pre-breakdown events is discussed and the importance of space charges for the breakdown of solid dielectrics is emphasized.
FEATHER: A Proposed Lightweight Protocol for Mobile Cloud Computing Security
Authors: Alamer A. , Soh B.
Published: November 2020

Ensuring security for lightweight cryptosystems in mobile cloud computing is challenging. Encryption speed and battery consumption must be maintained while securing mobile devices, the server, and the communication channel. This study proposes a lightweight security protocol called FEATHER which implements MICKEY 2.0 to generate keystream in the cloud server and to perform mobile device decryption and encryption. FEATHER can be used to implement secure parameters and lightweight mechanisms for communication among mobile devices and between them and a cloud server. FEATHER is faster than the existing CLOAK protocol and consumes less battery power. FEATHER also allows more mobile devices to communicate at the same time during very short time periods, maintain security for more applications with minimum computation ability. FEATHER meets mobile cloud computing requirements of speed, identity, and confidentiality assurances, compatibility with mobile devices, and effective communication between cloud servers and mobile devices using an unsafe communication channel.
Using Resistivity Measurements to Determine Anisotropy in Soil and Weathered Rock
Authors: Soto-Caban S. , Law E.
Published: November 2020

This study uses electrical resistivity measurements of soils and weathered rock to perform a fast and reliable evaluation of field anisotropy. Two test sites at New Concord, Ohio were used for the study. These sites are characterized by different landform and slightly east dipping limestone and siltstone formations of Pennsylvanian age. The measured resistivity ranged from 19 Ω∙m to 100 Ω∙m, and varied with depth, landform, and season. The anisotropy was determined by a comparison of resistance values along the directions of strike and the dip. Measurements showed that the orientation of electrical anisotropy in the shallow ground may vary due to fluid connection, which is determined by the pore geometry in soil and rock, as well as by the direction of fluid movement. Results from this study indicated that a portable electrical resistivity meter is sensitive and reliable enough to be used for shallow ground fluid monitoring.
Effect of Iron Additives on the Microstructure of Hydroxyapatite
Authors: Gamal G. A. , Al-Mufadi F. A. , Said A. H.
Published: November 2020

In this article, some Fe (III) doped hydroxyapatite samples (FeHAp) were prepared using the wet chemical method. The prepared samples were characterized via the use of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Detailed structural analysis were done by  Scherrer and Williamson–Hall plot methods to detect the effect of iron on the structure of hydroxyapatite (HAp). XRD patterns showed that all samples were single phased HAp. Relations between the Fe content and the deformation of the lattice parameters, dislocation density, grain size, microstrain, crystallinity were investigated. The presence of iron in the HAp lattice is found to decrease both the crystal size and the dislocation density. Further results are presented and discussed.
Remote Sensing Techniques for Classification and Mapping of Sugarcane Growth
Authors: Villareal M. K. , Tongco A. F.
Published: November 2020

This study aimed to apply remote sensing technologies in delineating sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) plantations and in identifying its growth stages. Considering the growing demand for sugarcane in the local and global markets, the need for a science-based resource inventory emerges. In this sense, remote sensing techniques’ unique ability is vital to monitor crop growth and estimate crop yield. Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) concept was employed by utilizing orthophotos and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) datasets. Specifically, the study applied the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm to generate the resource map, validated by a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS). The classification result showed an accuracy of 98.4%, delineating a total of 13.93 hectares of sugarcane plantation in the study area. The height information from LiDAR datasets aided in developing the rule-set that can further classify the sugarcane according to its growth stages. Results showed that the area distribution of sugarcane at establishment, tillering, yield formation, and ripening stage were 6.65%, 11.61%, 13.89%, and 17.90% respectively. GPS validation points of the growth stages verified the accuracy of SVM. The accuracy results for growth stages, i.e. establishment, tillering, yield formation, and ripening are 88%, 94.4%, 96.3%, and 91.7% respectively. The results proved the usefulness of SVM as a remote sensing classification technique which led to an exact mapping of the sugarcane areas as well as the practical use of LiDAR height information in estimating the growth stages of the mapped resource, both of which can provide valuable aid in estimating the potential sugarcane yield in the future.
Literature Review and a Conceptual Research Framework of Adaptive Street Lighting Criteria
Authors: Ibrahim A. H. , Alharbi F. A. , Almoshaogeh M. I. , Elmadina A. E. M.
Published: November 2020

Street lighting (SL) aims to improve security for street users during the night by expanding perceivability level by guaranteeing a certain luminance level. This paper introduces a brief investigation of previous researches on SL criteria and applications. The main objectives were to assess and indicate further research required in SL criteria, and explore additional aspects to improve their efficiency, with the Buraidah, Qassim region in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia used as a case study. This paper proposes additional limitations, alternative criteria, and their associated benefits.
IoT Gas Leakage Detector and Warning Generator
Authors: Alshammari B. F. , Chughtai M. T.
Published: November 2020

This paper presents an industrial monitoring system design using the Internet of Things (IoT). The gas sensor (MQ-5) captured information is posted into a data cloud. The sensor detects the leakage of gas under most atmospheric conditions. All the components are controlled by an Arduino (UNO-1) that acts as a central processor unit in the setup t. As soon as a gas leakage is detected by the sensor, the alarm is raised in the form of a buzzer. This alarm is supported by an LCD to display the location of leakage, alert the observer, and activate the exhaust fan in the particular section to extract leaked gas. The requirement of a gas detection system is not only to monitor continuously the surroundings but also to help prevent the gas leakage hence minimizing the chances of fire and damage.
Modeling of the Internal Temperature for an Energy Saving Chinese Solar Greenhouse
Authors: Yau J. , Wei J. J. , Wang H. , Eniola O. , Ibitoye F. P.
Published: November 2020

The global rise in food demand requires urgent attention in the aspect of crop production. The microclimate of a greenhouse is a critical issue in agricultural practice, due to the variations of the external climatic conditions and their negative effect on crop production. In this work, a dynamic model of the internal air temperature of a Chinese solar greenhouse was designed in Matlab/Simulink environment. The dynamic model was designed with the use of energy balance equations. The weather data consisting of solar radiation, relative humidity, ambient temperature, and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) were acquired from meteorological stations. The results of the simulations show that the temperature of the internal air varies with weather conditions, location, number of covers, and the structure of the solar greenhouse.
Behaviour of Water Droplets Under the Influence of a Uniform Electric Field in Nanocomposite Samples of Epoxy Resin/TiO2
Authors: Bairaktari Α. , Danikas M. , Zhao X. , Cheng Y. , Zhang Y.
Published: November 2020

In this paper nanocomposite samples of epoxy resin and TiO2 nanoparticles were investigated with water droplets on their surface. A uniform electric field was applied and the behaviour of the water droplets was observed. Parameters that were studied were the water conductivity, the droplet volume, the number of droplets and the droplet positioning with respect to (w.r.t.) the electrodes. All above mentioned parameters influence the flashover voltage of the samples. It is to be noted that – at least in some cases – the water droplet positioning w.r.t. the electrodes was more important in determining the flashover voltage than the droplet volume.
Logo Recognition with the Use of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Alsheikhy A. , Said Y. , Barr M.
Published: November 2020

Automatic logo recognition is gaining importance due to the increasing number of its applications. Unlike other object recognition tasks, logo recognition is more challenging because of the limited amount of the available original data. In this paper, the transfer leaning technique was applied to a Deep Convolutional Neural Network model to guarantee logo recognition using a small computational overhead. The proposed method was based on the Densely Connected Convolutional Networks (DenseNet). The experimental results show that for the FlickrLogos-32 logo recognition dataset, our proposed method performs comparably with state-of-the-art methods while using fewer parameters.
The Effect of Displacement Mode of Rigid Retaining Walls on Shearing Bands by Active Earth Pressure
Authors: Sekkel A. , Meghachou M.
Published: November 2020

This work treats the physical modeling of failure mechanisms by active earth pressure. This last is developed by retaining wall movement. A lot of research showed that wall displacement has a significant effect on active earth pressure. A good comprehension of active earth pressure phenomenon and its failure mechanisms help us to better conceive retaining walls. The conception of a small-scale model allowed the realization of active earth pressure tests, while displacing the mobile wall toward the outside of the massif. The studied material is that of Schneebeli; light two-dimensional material made of cylindrical plastic rollers, simulating granular non-cohesive soil. The evolution of shearing zones under continuous and discontinuous displacement modes of mobile walls by correlation pictures allows the investigation of the localization of deformations and failure mechanisms.
Assessment of Uplink Massive MIMO in Scattering Environment
Authors: Alzamil A. A.
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the performance of massive MIMO systems under the effect of multipath propagation environment. Linear Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) is considered to assess the performance of BPBK/OFDM based uplink massive MIMO transmission. Bit Error Rate (BER) and channel capacity in Non Line Of Site (NLOS) multipath fading environment are presented. The results show a correlation between the number of antennas and the performance of the system.
Comparison of a Chaotic Cryptosystem with Other Cryptography Systems
Authors: Alshammari A. S.
Published: November 2020

The keyspace of a cryptography system must be long enough in order to protect it from brute force attacks. The One-Time Pad (OTP) encryption is unconditionally secure because of its truly random keystream that is used only once. This paper proposes a new chaotic symmetric cryptosystem approach, comparable to OTP. The proposed system utilizes two Lorenz generators, a main and an auxiliary, where the aim of the second one is to make one of the main Lorenz generator’s parameters to vary continually with time in a chaotic manner. This technique was built on digitizing two Lorenz chaotic models to increase the security level. The scrambling scheme was developed and the Lorenz stream cipher binary stream successfully passed the NIST randomness test. The cryptosystem showed a high degree of security, as it had a keyspace of 2576, and it was compared with existing symmetric key cryptography systems, such as DES, 3DES, AES, Blowfish, and OTP.
Design of a Four-Element Array Antenna for 5G Cellular Wireless Networks
Authors: My D. T. T. , Phuong H. N. B. , Huong T. T. , Tu B. T. M.
Published: November 2020

This paper proposes the design of a four-element array planar antenna based on a single antenna that combines the Double Positive (DPS) and Epsilon Negative (ENG) materials. The single antenna consists of a microstrip segment (which is equivalent to a DPS material) connected to a grounded microstrip segment (which is equivalent to an ENG material). T-Junction power dividers with one-input and two-output ports are used for feeding the two-element and the four-element array antennas. The proposed array antenna is designed to operate optimally at 30GHz frequency under Finite Element Method (FEM)-based simulation. The obtained simulation results show that the proposed array antennas have good radiation performances, in which the four-element array antenna has a -10dB bandwidth ranging from 28.7 to 33.4GHz and 12.9dBi gain.
Optimal Unit Commitment Problem Considering Stochastic Wind Energy Penetration
Authors: Alqunun K.
Published: November 2020

Wind energy has attracted much attention as a clean energy resource with low running cost over the last decade,. However, due to the unpredictable nature of wind speed, the Unit Commitment (UC) problem including wind power becomes more difficult. Therefore, engineers and researchers are required to seek reliable models and techniques to plan the operation of thermal units in presence of wind farms. This paper presents a new attempt to solve the stochastic UC including wind energy sources. In order to achieve this, the problem is modeled as a chance-constrained optimization problem. Then, a method based on the here-and-now strategy is used to convert the uncertain power balance constraint into a deterministic constraint. The obtained deterministic problem is modeled using Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) on GAMS interface whereas the CEPLEX MIP solver is employed for its solution.
Evaluation of the High Performance Indirect Field Oriented Controlled Dual Induction Motor Drive Fed by a Single Inverter using Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Control
Authors: Bounab A. , Chaiba A. , Belkacem S.
Published: November 2020

In this paper, a high-performance indirect field-oriented controlled dual Induction Motor (IM) drive fed by a single inverter using type-2 fuzzy logic control will be presented. At first, the mathematical model of the IM is implemented in the d-q reference frame. Then, the speed control of the Dual Induction Motor (DIM) operating in parallel configuration with Indirect Field Oriented Control (IFOC) using PI and type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller (T2-FLC) will be presented. For the control of this system, a DC supply and a Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) voltage source inverter are introduced with constant switching frequency. Also, the performance of T2-FLC, which is based on the IFOC, is tested and compared to those achieved using the PI controller. The simulation results demonstrate that the T2-FLC is more robust, efficient, and has superior dynamic performance for traction system applications.
Numerical Analysis of Crack Progress in Different Areas of a Friction Stir Welded Bead for an 5251 H14 Aluminum Alloy Specimen
Authors: Kambouz Y. , Benguediab M. , Bouchouicha B.
Published: November 2020

The assemblies welded by Friction Stir Welding have a major advantage which is the absence of a metal filler. This process contributes to the welding of materials that are known to be difficult to weld using the conventional techniques often employed in the field of transport, for example in the automobile body by applying a spot welding. The numerical modeling of this type of process is complex, not only in terms of the variety of physical phenomena which must be considered, but also because of the experimental procedure that must be followed in order to verify and validate numerical predictions. In this work, a finite element model is proposed in order to simulate the crack propagation under monotonic loading in different areas of the weld seam of a strain hardening CT-50 aluminum alloy 5251H14 specimen.
Design and Analysis of News Category Predictor
Authors: Hussain A. , Ali G. , Akhtar F. , Khand Z. H. , Ali A.
Published: November 2020

Recent technological advancements have changed significantly the way news is produced, consumed, and disseminated. Frequent and on-spot news reporting has been enabled, which smartphones can access anywhere and anytime. News categorization or classification can significantly help in its proper and timely dissemination. This study evaluates and compares news category predictors' performance based on four supervised machine learning models. We choose a standard dataset of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news consisting of five categories: business, sports, technology, politics, and entertainment. Four multi-class news category predictors have been developed and trained on the same dataset: Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Each category predictor's performance was evaluated by analyzing the confusion matrix and quantifying the test dataset's precision, recall, and overall accuracy. In the end, the performance of all category predictors was studied and compared. The results show that all category predictors have achieved satisfactory accuracy grades. However, the SVM model performed better than the four supervised learning models, categorizing news articles with 98.3% accuracy. In contrast, the lowest accuracy was obtained by the KNN model. However, the KNN model's performance can be enhanced by investigating the optimal number of neighbors (K) value.
Two-Switch High Gain Non-Isolated Cuk Converter
Authors: Almalaq Y. , Matin M.
Published: November 2020

This paper introduces a two-switch high gain non-isolated Cuk converter which can be used as a high gain DC-DC converter in renewable energy, such as photovoltaic and fuel cell, applications because their output is low. As the conventional, the proposed Cuk converter provides negative output voltage but with a higher voltage in magnitude. The main advantage of the proposed converter is having lower voltage stress with the ability to maintain a higher voltage gain. By combining a switched-inductor and a switched-capacitor into the conventional Cuk converter, the proposed Cuk converter has the ability to reach 13 times the input voltage for a duty cycle D of 0.75. Also, by attaching more switched-inductors to the proposed Cuk converter, more voltage gain can be achieved. A complete theoretical analysis of the Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) of the proposed Cuk converter is presented and the key aspects of the circuit design have been derived. Also, a comparison in terms of voltage gain and voltage stress between the proposed Cuk converter and Cuk converters using other techniques is presented. The proposed Cuk converter has been designed for 100W rated power, -152V output voltage, 50kHz switching frequency, and 75% duty cycle. The presented converter is simulated in Matlab/Simulink and the results are discussed.
Robust Wheel Slip for Vehicle Anti-lock Braking System with Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (FSMC)
Authors: Latreche S. , Benaggoune S.
Published: November 2020

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is used in automobiles to prevent slipping and locking of wheels after the brakes are applied. Its control is a rather complicated problem due to its strongly nonlinear and uncertain characteristics. The aim of this paper is to investigate the wheel slip control of the ground vehicle, comprising two new strategies. The first strategy is the Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) and the second one is the Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller (FSMC), which is a combination of fuzzy logic and sliding mode, to ensure the stability of the closed-loop system and remove the chattering phenomenon introduced by classical sliding mode control. The obtained simulation results reveal the efficiency of the proposed technique for various initial road conditions.