Automated major depressive disorder detection using melamine pattern with EEG signals

Applied Intelligence - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common modern ailments affected huge population throughout the world. The electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is widely used...     

A deep feature warehouse and iterative MRMR based handwritten signature verification method

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Offline handwritten signature verification has been widely used for document forensics and biometrics, and it is a popular issue. Deep learning models have...     

Treatment of paint manufacturing wastewater by electrocoagulation

Treatability of paint manufacturing wastewater (PMW) by electrocoagulation (EC) process was investigated. Effects of operating parameters for the EC process such as electrode type (Al or Fe), initial pH (2–10), current density (5–80 A/m²) and operating time (0–50 min) were evaluated for optimum operating conditions. The highest removal efficiencies for COD and TOC in PMW were obtained with 93% and 88% for Fe and 94% and 89% for Al electrodes at the optimum conditions (35 A/m², 15 min and pH 6.95). Operating costs for removal of PMW at the optimum conditions were calculated for Fe and Al electrodes as 0.187 €/m³ and 0.129 €/m³. Toxicity test was carried out to obtain information about toxic effect of the raw and treated wastewaters at optimum operating conditions. The samples measured by respirometric method contained hardly toxicities. Performance of Al electrode was better than that of Fe electrode in terms of removal efficiency and operating cost.     

Solution approaches for a real-life resource-constrained parallel machine scheduling problem

This paper deals with a real-world scheduling problem in an injection-molding department of an electrical appliance plant. In the department, a resource-constrained parallel machine scheduling problem with machine eligibility restrictions is investigated. First, an integer-programming (IP) model with the objective of minimizing makespan is developed for the entire problem. Since this entire IP model has a huge number of variables, it cannot handle the problem efficiently. To obtain more efficient results, two solution approaches, namely IP/IP and IP/constraint programming (CP) both of which partition the entire problem into loading and scheduling sub-problems, are proposed. The loading phase, in which an IP loading model assigns the jobs to machines with the aim of minimizing maximum load on the machines and operators, is the same for both approaches. Subsequently, in the scheduling phase, the IP/IP approach uses an IP scheduling model while the IP/CP approach applies a CP scheduling model to obtain the final schedule of the jobs. Computational results show that the proposed solution methods improve makespan values for almost all test problems in comparison to the entire IP model. In particular, the IP/IP approach performs better in the test problems with greater number of operators, whereas IP/CP approach provides quick and practical results in almost all test problems and gives relatively more efficient makespan values when the resource constraints are tight (i.e., the case of smaller number of operators).     

Effect of Tungsten (W) Substitution on the Physical Properties of Bi-(2223) Superconductors

The superconducting Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu_3?x W _x O_10+y (x=0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) bulk samples were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The effects of W substitution on the BSCCO system have been investigated by the electrical resistivity (ρ-T), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), magnetic hysteresis and critical current density measurements. It has been found that the Bi-(2212) low-T _C phase is formed for all the substitution levels, together with the Bi-(2223) high-T _C phase. The results obtained from the XRD data show that the Bi-(2223) phase gradually transforms into the Bi-(2212) phase with increasing W substituting for Cu. In addition, from the magnetization measurements at the temperatures below the zero resistance temperatures of the samples, we have observed that a decreasing in magnitude of |M| with the increasing measurement temperature and W concentration. Therefore, the decreasing of |M| related to superconducting volume seems to imply an existence of flux-pinning centers in our samples.     

Finite element modelling of thermally bonded bicomponent fibre nonwovens: Tensile behaviour

Nonwovens are polymer-based engineered textiles with a random microstructure and hence require a numerical model to predict their mechanical performance. This paper focuses on finite element (FE) modelling the elastic–plastic mechanical response of polymer-based core/sheath type thermally bonded bicomponent fibre nonwoven materials. The nonwoven fabric is treated as an assembly of two regions having distinct mechanical properties: fibre matrix and bond points. The fibre matrix is composed of randomly oriented core/sheath type fibres acting as load-transfer link between bond points. Random orientation of individual fibres is introduced into the model in terms of the orientation distribution function (ODF) in order to determine the material’s anisotropy. The ODF is obtained by analysing the data acquired with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray micro computed tomography (CT). On the other hand, bond points are treated as a deformable bicomponent composite material composed of the sheath material as matrix and the core material as fibres having random orientations. An algorithm is developed to calculate the anisotropic material properties of these regions based on properties of fibres and manufacturing parameters such as the planar density, core/sheath ratio and fibre diameter. Having distinct anisotropic mechanical properties for two regions, the fabric is modelled with shell elements with thicknesses identical to those of the bond points and fibre matrix. Finally, nonwoven specimens are subjected to tensile tests along different loading directions with respect to the machine direction of the fabric. The force–displacement curves obtained in these tests are compared with the results of FE simulations.     

Measurements of a leaky-wave ferrite isolator

A single ferrite/dielectric image line is analyzed using the effective permittivity method adapted for ferrites. E/sub pq//sup x/ modes are used in association with a transverse bias direction to obtain nonreciprocal behavior. It is shown that the required conditions can be obtained that enable the composite image line to guide in one direction and leak in the other. Thus, the structure behaves as a "leaky-wave isolator." Dispersion diagrams showing this behavior in the frequency range of 14-30 GHz are obtained for a 2 /spl times/ 2 mm/sup 2/ ferrite (type TT1-390) rod with adjacent dielectric loading with /spl epsiv/r=10. The structure is built and the bias is applied externally in a direction transverse to and in the plane of the direction of propagation. The required modes are excited and probed by semirigid coaxial cables mounted on vernier mechanisms. The S-parameters indicating the nonreciprocal behavior in the frequency range expected are shown.     

Sorption and desorption behaviours of 2,4‐D and glyphosate in calcareous soil from Antalya,Turkey

2,4‐Dichlorophenoxyl acetic acid (2,4‐D) and glyphosate are used extensively as a herbicide in vicinity of Antalya, Turkey. Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to investigate the sorption isotherm and sorption‐desorption characteristics of 2,4‐D and glyphosate. Results indicated that degree of sorption of glyphosate was approximately 50 times higher than 2,4‐D (K_d= 34.43 vs. 0.66 L/Kg). The sorption of 2,4‐D and glyphosate was described by linear and rate‐limited processes for soil. Organic carbon content was most likely responsible for sorption behaviour of 2,4‐D and glyphosate. The rapid desorption can be attributed to soft carbon fraction (humic/fluvic acid and lipids) whereas slower desorption can be responsible by hard carbon fraction (black carbon, kerogen) of soils that led to chemically nonideal behaviour (hysteresis). Sorption of 2,4‐D was low due to most likely deactivation of organic carbon surfaces by excess carbonate fraction, whereas strong binding of glyphosate onto organic carbon causing high sorption behaviour.