e-Supply network coordination: the design of intelligent agents for buyer-supplier dynamic negotiations

This paper concentrates on the problem of automated negotiations in e-supply network coordination (e-SNC). Supply network is considered as a collection of agent-mediated decisions and coordination mechanisms in a web-based environment. The proposed agent based coordination model is composed of two negotiator agents and a coordinator agent. The coordination mechanism begins with determining the feasible and most promising partners in the network based on the similarity of profiles. In response to autonomy levels and conflict objectives, the model allows agents to negotiate in a cooperative manner through an iterative process of generating offers for re-establishing global optimality. The dynamic negotiation model is then defined based on the protocol, rule of bargain, proposal generation, and dynamic strategy. To illustrate the model efficiency, a prototype system has been modeled and is compared to the normal tendering mechanism. The validation results confirm the model efficiency in providing coherent decision making in a dynamic environment.     

A multi-objective fuzzy adaptive PSO algorithm for location of automatic voltage regulators in radial distribution networks

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimal location of Automatic Voltage Regulators (AVRs) in distribution systems at the presence of Distributed Generators (DGs) by a Fuzzy Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (FAPSO) algorithm. The proposed algorithm utilizes an external repository to save founded Pareto optimal solutions during the search process. The proposed technique allows the decision maker to select one of the Pareto optimal solutions (by trade-off) for different applications. The performance of the suggested algorithm on a 70-bus distribution network in comparison with other evolutionary methods such as Genetic algorithm and PSO is extraordinary.     

A new multi objective optimization approach based on TLBO for location of automatic voltage regulators in distribution systems

This paper proposes a new multi-objective optimization algorithm based on modified teaching–learning-based optimization (MTLBO) algorithm in order to solve the optimal location of automatic voltage regulators (AVRs) in distribution systems at presence of distributed generators (DGs). The objective functions including energy generation costs, electrical energy losses and the voltage deviation are considered in this paper. In the proposed MTLBO algorithm, teacher and learner phases are modified. The considered objective functions are energy generation costs, electrical energy losses and the voltage deviations. The proposed algorithm uses an external repository to save founded Pareto optimal solutions during the search process. Since the objective functions are not the same, a fuzzy clustering method is used to control the size of the repository. The proposed technique allows the decision maker to select one of the Pareto optimal solutions (by compromising) for different applications. The performance of the suggested algorithm on a 70-bus distribution network in comparison with other evolutionary methods such as genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and TLBO is extraordinary.     

Toughening of epoxy resin systems using core–shell rubber particles: a literature review

Journal of Materials Science - Excellent thermal and mechanical properties and high chemical resistance with low shrinkage of epoxy resins open a wide window of various industrial applications,...     

Synthesis and characterization of polymers containing naphthyl-2H-benzotriazoles, 2. Polymer synthesis and characterization

2-(2-Hydroxy-7-(meth)acryloyloxynaphthyl)-2H-benzotriazoles were polymerized and copolymerized with styrene and methyl methacrylate in dichloromethane using azoisobutyronitrile as the initiator. The polymer composition was determined by UV spectroscopy and compared with elemental analytical data; the molecular weights were determined by GPC. In homopolymerization, low molecular weight products were obtained due to the bulky naphthyl-2H-benzotriazole units. In the case of copolymerization with methyl methacrylate it was found, that the composition of the polymers was very close to the initial ratio of the monomers, whereas in copolymers with styrene the amount of incorporated benzotriazole was higher.     

Marine Propeller Design Using Evolving Chaotic Autonomous Particle Swarm Optimization

Wireless Personal Communications - Due to many antithetical design parameters and complex fluctuating underwater conditions, marine propeller design has been one of the researchers’...     

An improved algorithm for the longest common subsequence problem

The Longest Common Subsequence problem seeks a longest subsequence of every member of a given set of strings. It has applications, among others, in data compression, FPGA circuit minimization, and bioinformatics. The problem is NP-hard for more than two input strings, and the existing exact solutions are impractical for large input sizes. Therefore, several approximation and (meta) heuristic algorithms have been proposed which aim at finding good, but not necessarily optimal, solutions to the problem. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm based on the constructive beam search method. We have devised a novel heuristic, inspired by the probability theory, intended for domains where the input strings are assumed to be independent. Special data structures and dynamic programming methods are developed to reduce the time complexity of the algorithm. The proposed algorithm is compared with the state-of-the-art over several standard benchmarks including random and real biological sequences. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art by giving higher quality solutions with less computation time for most of the experimental cases.     

Effect of bitumen and migrated oil on hydrocarbon generation kinetic parameters derived from Rock-Eval pyrolysis

Thermally immature whole rock and related bitumen-extracted samples were pyrolyzed. Investigating the influence of high molecular weight hydrocarbons and degradation products of non-hydrocarbon constituents of bitumen and associated migrated oil (i.e. resins and asphaltenes) on petroleum generation kinetic parameters derived from Rock-Eval pyrolysis is the main aim of this study. Based on the optimized kinetic parameters, frequency factor values of the bitumen-free samples show an obvious increase compared to whole rocks, while the range of activation energies for them is narrower. On the other hand, the predicted geological temperatures of the onset (TR 10%) and the peak hydrocarbon generation (geological T_max) from the whole rocks are generally lower than the corresponding extracted samples. In other words, the whole rock samples underestimate the petroleum formation temperatures. Thus, the results of this study suggest the extraction of bitumen prior to Rock-Eval pyrolysis in order to obtain precise kinetic parameters for the source rocks bearing a large amounts of heavy bitumen or migrated oil.     

Ductile moment-resisting frames using cold-formed steel sections: An analytical investigation

This paper presents an investigation on the potential use of cold-formed steel sections (CFS sections) in moment-resisting frames (MRFs) for seismic applications. The main limitation of CFS sections is the low out-of-plane stiffness of their thin-walled elements which leads to low ductility. The main components of MRFs are beams, beam-column connections and columns. In earthquake resistant MRFs, the beams are designed to provide considerable ductility, whereas the other elements are mainly limited to their elastic range. The performance of a new shape of CFS beam with curved flange is examined analytically and compared with that of conventional shapes. The proposed beam-column connections include through plates which potentially limit the out-of-plane action of the forces transferred through the connections. The behaviour of both individual CFS beam sections and CFS beam-column connections is studied by means of finite element analysis (FEA). The results of the analyses show that the new beam cross sections and connections exhibit a good ductile behaviour, something which cannot be achieved by conventional cold-formed frame elements.     

Seismic evaluation of a 56‐storey residential reinforced concrete high‐rise building based on nonlinear dynamic time‐history analyses

In recent decades, shear walls and tube structures have been the most appropriate structural forms for the construction of high‐rise concrete buildings. Thus, recent Reinforced Concrete (RC) tall buildings have more complicated structural behaviour than before. Therefore, studying the structural systems and associated behaviour of these types of structures is very important. The main objective of this paper is to study the linear and nonlinear behaviour of one of the tallest RC buildings, a 56‐storey structure, located in a high seismic zone in Iran. In this tower, shear wall systems with irregular openings are utilized under both gravity and lateral loads and may result in some especial issues in the behaviour of structural elements such as shear walls and coupling beams. The analytical methodologies and the results obtained in the evaluation of life‐safety and collapse prevention of the building are also discussed. The weak zones of the structure based on the results are introduced, and a detailed discussion of some important structural aspects of the high‐rise shear wall system with consideration of the concrete time dependency and constructional sequence effects is also included. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.