Abstract: Decision-making process in the current dynamics agro industry environment requires a quick response and efficiency process. Demands on efficient operation in agro-industry for the management, financing and quality of design requires a business intelligence system capable of balancing both sides of the high complexity and great uncertainty. This paper proposes a construction that consists of object-oriented analysis and design for data warehouse development in the business intelligence system. Modeling the core business is supported by financing and quality management model to support a modeling approach to computing intelligence and fuzzy system. Evaluation of this system demonstrated the effectiveness of achieving leanness indicators are implemented in the case of Dairy medium-scale agroindustry. This will balance the risk of complexity, agility and efficiency.

Abstract: The study investigated the compressive strength performance of periwinkle shell ash (PSA) blended cement concrete exposed to sulphate environments. Periwinkle shells were obtained from Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria; and calcined in a furnace to temperature of 8000C at zero soaking time. Concrete mix of design characteristic strength of 25N/mm2 was adopted as the control. The cement component replaced with PSA at five levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% were cast, and on hardened exposed to varying concentration of sulphates of magnesium, sodium and calcium at four levels of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% each for three exposure periods of 62, 92 and 152 days after complete immersion in water for 28 days. Using three replicates in all the tests, a total of 630 cubical (150mm) specimens were cast and tested.The results revealed that compressive strength increased with increase in curing age but decreased as the PSA contents increased. The design compressive strength was attained with 10% PSA content at the age of 28 days. The compressive strength reduction in sulphate solutions was noted to increase significantly (p = 0.005, R2 = 0.995) with increase exposure period and concentration, with the most severe caused by magnesium sulphate and the least by calcium sulphate. The least reduction in compressive strength was experienced with 10% PSA blended cement concrete. Based on the test results the study concluded that 10% PSA content is adequate as supplementary cementitious material for structural concrete to be placed in an aggressive sulphate environment.

Abstract: An active solar space water heating system (ASSWHS) using two wall storage tanks was built and tested. At the same time a computer program has been written and used to set the recommended dimensions of the solar collectors where the F - Chart method is utilized to set the monthly solar fraction for the investigated solar heating system. Some parameters affecting the active solar heating system performance, such as collectors’ area and tilt angle were investigated. This study highlights the ability of using this system which is simple, low cost with high performance in heating residential and public buildings and heating water with an annual solar fraction achieves the needed saving of using this system.

Abstract: It is assumed that polluted environment reduces the quality of porcelain insulator in terms of leakage current. In this paper we conduct a correlation analysis to understand to what extent the influence of geothermal area to the quality of porcelain insulator. For that purpose, first, we test the equality of two correlation matrices by using Jennrich’s test. Second, in case the two correlation matrices are not equal, we use principal component analysis (PCA) to study which variables are responsible to that situation. An example will be discussed and a recommendation will be addressed.

Abstract: The catalytic activity of ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([bmim]Cl) in the conversion of starch, cellulose and palm stem was investigated. It was found that the total reducing sugars yield obtained from hydrolysis of starch was about 8.6% at 130 °C for 4 h. However, the total reducing sugars yield obtained in the conversion of cellulose was very low, which was about 4% at specific condition. This low activity could be due to the low acidic strength of the ionic liquid, and also the amount of water in the system. Later, the [bmimCl] was studied as a reaction medium for cellulose hydrolysis over solid acid Amberlite® IR120. Interestingly, the TRS yield obtained was improved up to 13.4% at lower reaction time and temperature. Later on, the identical procedure was utilized for palm stem hydrolysis for preliminary study. It was found that, the TRS yield obtained was about 19.9% at a specific condition. This result shows the opportunity to use the combination of ionic liquids and solid acids for converting lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars.

Abstract: Iterative decoding in turbo code has very high decoding complexity. This paper adopts an improvement model for Turbo codes (parallel Concatenation Convolutional Codes (PCCCs) by using additional interleaver in the system. The proposed additional interleaver can achieve better error rate performance than standard system, makes the computation much easier and the operation of the hardware system much faster where the number of iteration can be decrease to a half. Simulation results show that the proposed model performs very closely to the Turbo Codes encoder – decoder system in AWGN, correlated and uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels.

Abstract: In this work, lead-bismuth, lead-bismuth-tin, lead-bismuth-cadmium and cerrobend metal-spun ribbon alloys were fabricated by chill-block melt-spun technique using rapid solidification from melt. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that melt-spun ribbons with a thickness of 60-120 mm irradiated or unirradiated with 6MV photon beam, are composed of Pb7Bi3 and Bi phases, and have a single orientation of growth. Double bridge method and dynamic resonance method have been used to characterize the resistivity, Fermi parameters and elastic moduli of the melt–spun ribbons. The results show that the irradiated or unirradiated melt-spun ribbons of Bi-50%Pb, Bi-40%Pb-20%Sn, Bi-40% Pb-20%Cd and Bi-27%Pb-14%Sn-9%Cd, have a slightly variations in value is observed, in elastic properties and in resistivity measurement. We have tried to explain the formation and stability of Pb7Bi3 intermetallic compound in terms of the classical Williamson and Hall method.

Abstract: Pioneer is namely Perintis air transport service system in Papua Island has lasted 36 years and has grown from year to year. The research objective was to measure the level of service pioneers of air transport system based on 14 indicators. The research method used was a field survey by circulating a list of research questions to users and stakeholders as respondents. The highest percentage of the value of the service indicator is polluted and or low and order by category Excellent value, while the fast moving is very good category, while the lowest percentage with a value of 54.44 is integrated of Mode Transport, right time with the value of security with a value very poor category. Pioneer air transport system services have been able to meet the wishes of service users on the Safety of service indicators, current and fast and low pollution, whereas indicators of service accessibility, on time, convenience and security still needs improvement.

Abstract: Magnetic and dielectric properties of M-type Sr-hexaferrites of composition (SrO)1-x (La2O3)x 5.7 Fe2O3, where x = 0.00, 0.04, 0.08 prepared by conventional ceramic technology at different sintering temperatures using magnetite of Cox’s Bazar beach sand, Bangladesh have been investigated in the present work. Investigations have been carried out by permeability, loss tangent, quality factor and dielectric constant measurements of various samples of Sr-hexaferrites with the addition of La2O3. In our entire study, magnetic and dielectric properties of Sr-hexaferrites have been found to be strongly dependent upon the additives, temperature and frequency.

Abstract: An in-house built asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system comprising of a 50 Hz high tension ac source and single dielectric barrier layer (quartz, glass) between two conducting electrodes is used to generate and sustain the micro-discharge plasmas of practical importance. Most of the DBDs of industrial interest are operated in this filamentary mode. The variations in transported charge and discharge power with increase in ac input voltage and barrier thickness are reported. Whereas, the optical emission spectroscopy technique with line intensity ratio method is used to determine the electron temperature and electron number density from recorded spectra as a function of ac input voltage, dielectric barrier thickness and inter-electrode air gap. It is observed that the applied voltage, type and thickness of dielectric barrier and inter-electrode air gap significantly influence the corresponding DBD plasma parameters.

Abstract: This paper describes the design and simulation of bandpass filter which uses operational frequency from 130 MHz until 190 MHz and has cut off frequency at 160 MHz. In order to design this filter, first of all, we calculate the value of inductor and capasitor, and then simulate it with software.  The filter design with seventh order involves many parameter such as pass band, stop bandwidths, center frequency, stop band attenuation, pass band return loss and impedances of the input and output resonator. The design filter was simulated using Elsie Tonne version 2.4. From the simulation results,  we can see that the VSWR is 1.3, insertion loss -4dB and dB/octave is  less than -50 dB.

Abstract: This research focuses on the development of a method, based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), aimed to infer the geotechnical characteristics of the subgrade of Caucaia Town, located in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza – Ceará, Brazil based on biophysical variables (pedology, geology, geomorphology and phytophysiognomy). The main objective of this research was to systematize method to assist with the recognition of geotechnical characteristics of the subgrade from data obtained in projects and pre-existing studies (secondary data), so as to help with the decision-making process regarding land use for paving purposes. For that, GIS techniques were used to cross spatial information on biophysical variables from several layers, with the geotechnical classification of the subgrade obtained by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) method. We developed an ANN a model to provide estimates of the geotechnical classification based on the biophysical variables studied, creating a neural-geotechnical map presenting the prediction of TRB classification of the subgrades of the Town of Caucaia. In order to check the efficacy of the proposed mapping, 20 samples were collected and classified according to the TRB categories. The results show the potential of the technique of artificial neural networks in predicting the properties of materials occurring in the town of Caucaia.

Abstract: As the impact of salient supply disparity of seasonal staple food, producer and consumer may experience losses in their transaction with wholesaler.  In monopolistic market, it is probable that wholesaler manipulate the market situation to get staple food at the lowest purchasing price and sell them at the highest selling price. An indirect market intervention model is projected to mitigate producer’s revenue loss when selling price plunges and to secure consumer’s need when staple food is scarce.  We present a buffer stock scheme under warehouse receive system to develop the instrument of indirect market intervention (IMI). A buffer stock model formulated in MINLP is addressed to determine IMI instrument conforming to the general agreement on trade and tariff. We propose new entity namely BLUPP (a distributor owned by government) for implementing IMI in order to stabilize price and ensure availability of staple food.

Abstract: This paper shows an algorithm to calculate the switching angles of a cascaded multilevel inverter minimizing the total harmonic distortion. The implementation uses a cascaded multilevel inverter with only one battery feeding one bridge and one transformer for each switching angle and connected in cascade with the other transformers. A comparison of total harmonic distortion (THD) with selective harmonic elimination technique and the angles calculation with this algorithm is shown.

Abstract: In this paper, the performance limitations of spectral-amplitude-coding optical code-division multiple-access (SAC-OCDMA) systems due to nonlinear stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effects have been evaluated for different number of users. A number of computer simulations experiments have been conducted for this purpose. The maximum transmission distance is evaluated for optical CDMA based on bit error rate equal to 10-9 and launch power into fiber below the SBS threshold power value. It is shown that as the number of users grows, the maximum transmission distance should be limited in order to keep the launching power lower than the level that can cause severe SBS-effects.

Abstract: The need for directional antennas possessing high gain, wideband and circular polarization characteristics for different wireless applications has increased considerably. In this research paper, a slotted coaxial line fed cavity backed U-shaped cross dipole antenna is developed to achieve wide bandwidth and reconfigurable circular polarization. The cross dipole consists of two orthogonal U-shaped dipoles. These dipoles are mounted on the outer conductor of the coaxial line. The feeding and tuning screws are used for impedance matching and increasing impedance bandwidth. A novel technique is developed to generate reconfigurable circular polarization using cross dipole configuration. The sub-reflector is supported by the feed line, thus requiring no extra support. The antenna is developed on elliptical ground plane with dielectric rim making fabrication of antenna easy. It is demonstrated that antenna achieves voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) bandwidth of 32.14% for 2:1 VSWR, axial ratio of 0.2 dB with axial ratio (≤ 3dB) bandwidth of 2.14% and a gain of more than12 dBic. The experimental results for the designed antenna structure are in close agreement with computer simulations.

Abstract: Low-power laser may stimulate biological cells such as changing the cell membrane potential and membrane permeability to sodium, potassium, and calcium ions that increases cellular and enzyme activities. Yet the cellular activity mechanisms associated with laserpuncture exposure at the reproduction point tissue of catfish (Clarias sp.) remains unknown. In this study we observed and analyzed calcineurin expression against protein kinase c (PKC) at the reproduction points in skin tissue of catfish following laserpuncture exposures. In this study we used 8-9 months old F1 fish from crossbreeding female Sangkuriang catfish and male Paiton catfish that have never spawned. Our experimental method employed a completely randomized design (CRD) with 6 treatments and 6 repeats. Skin tissue sampling was performed 6 hours after laserpuncture exposure. Parameters measured were calcineurin expression against the skin tissue PKC in pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn conditions following laserpuncture exposures. The experiment results showed calcineurin expressions against the PKC of skin tissue in pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn conditions were higher than the control. Exposure of laserpuncture at the reproduction points in skin tissue in 2/3 the ventral part of the body (governor vessel) can stimulate cell activity in regulating neurotransmitter release.

Abstract: The minimum bit error rate (MBER) beamforming is one of the intelligent adaptive beamforming techniques used in smart antenna (SA) system. It directly minimizes the BER performance. It is based on the approximating the probability density function (pdf) of the beamformer’s output using block-data-adaptive MBER algorithm which iteratively minimizes the estimated BER by adjusting the beamformer weights. There are many pdf estimators can be utilized to approximate the unknown pdf from the observed data. A widely used of approximating a pdf is known as the kernel or Parzen window-based estimator. This approach, however, suffers from slight drawback when applied to the data from long-tailed distributions. In this paper, a variable kernel estimator is proposed to overcome this difficulty and enhance the BER performance.

Abstract: In this paper, the comparative studies of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) manufactured with different cathode materials have been investigated. It has been observed that different cathode materials have different bandgap energies and it directly affect the efficiency of DSSC. The tested materials for counter electrode are carbon black and graphite. Although both of these materials are carbon based but there is significant difference in the photoelectric conversion efficiencies of these cells. Surface morphology of thin films, absorption spectrum after adsorbing dye were investigated for both cells by scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometer. The results show that carbon black (4.19 %) performs more efficient than graphite (2.10%).

Title: The Effect of Rotational Speed to the Forming of Intermetallic Layer on Tempered H13 Steel Surface in a Die Casting Process of Al-12%Si Alloy

Abstract: Die soldering is a result of interface reaction between liquid aluminum and die material. The high degree of aluminum affinity toward iron has caused the iron element of die material to diffuse into liquid aluminum and form an intermetallic layer on the die surface. Then, the liquid aluminum adheres on the die surface and left behind after the release of casting product. This phenomenon has caused a failure in the die and a decrease on the surface quality of the casting product, which lead to decrease in productivity and increase in casting production cost. To prevent die soldering from happening, the forming of intermetallic layer on die surface must be minimized. This research was conducted to study about the morphology and characteristic of AlxFeySiz intermetallic layer, which formed during interface reaction process at the time of dipping. The test samples used are tool steel type H13 that has been tempered, which dipped in Al-12%Si with the addition of Mn as much as 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7%, holding temperature on 7000C, and rotational speed 2,500, 3,000, and 3,500 rpm. The research showed that two intermetallic layers was formed on the surface of H13 tool steel, namely compact intermetallic layer with AlxFey intermetallic phase. The increase of contact period during dipping process of the H13 tool steel in Al-12%Si, with addition of Mn as much as 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7% with rotations 2,500, 3,000, and 3,500 rpm, an intermetallic layer thickness was formed in the form of compact layer.

Abstract: In this paper, new compact narrowband, broadband and ultra-wideband microstrip patch filtenna structures (dual/triple/forth) have been proposed and presented. The proposed filtennas have been analyzed, investigated and optimized using the microwave CST_Studio simulator for three different ground geometries.  The presented filtenna structures are mounted on FR4-substrate, and resonate within the band from 3.0 GHz up to 18 GHz. Simulation results show that using the concept of partitioned ground (Digital ground Structure), the resonance frequencies as well as the operating bands of the patch filtenna can be controlled. The presented paper added a new concept for filtenna design.

Abstract: This reseach is to evaluate the strength of the traditional ship constructions which focused on phinisi sailing motor vessel in efforts to improve their safety performance. This is because in recent years there has been an increase in traditional ship accident in Indonesian waters. The research was conducted by taking samples of the many ship accidents i.e. 100 GT - 150 GT. The results indicated that theoretically ships sailing in waters conditions under beaufort scale 4,5,6, which were generally navigable by traditional ships had adequate strength because their stress still smaller than the requirements on wood. However, in real conditions revealed any discrepancies with the technical requirements such as (i) no watertight bulkhead to separate the cargo hold and engine room; (ii) compaction cargoes which sometimes up to the deck; (iii) weaknesses in wooden construction that built traditionally under the influence of engine vibration.  These facts in turn potentially large ship accidents.

Abstract: This study were aimed to analyze the market segmentation of goat milk in the Bogor region, Indonesia and to analyze the consumer characteristics and factors which affecting consumer behavior in consuming goat milk in order to serve as the basic data in formulating the marketing strategies of goat's milk in Bogor Regency.
The subjects of this study were agents, retailers and goat milk consumers. The data were collected through depth interviews used comprehensive questionnaires. One hundred fifty (150) goat milk consumers were taken in this study. The parameters of this study are goat milk consumption, consumer characteristics and some factors that influence the purchasing behavior of goat's milk. Data analysis was conducted on the analysis of consumer characteristics was performed by descriptive analysis and the factors that influence goat’s milk purchase decision and goat's milk market segmentation was performed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and cluster analysis. Finding the result showed most of goat milk consumers decided bought goat milk because of health reason, productive consumer which age of 21 to 60 years on average relatively high educated and working as private employees, state employees and civil servants as well as derived from the Javanese and Sundanese. A Goat milk consumer in the area of Bogor was not dominated by Arabs and Chinese ethnic, but mainly from the Sundanese and Javanese. The result showed that consumers purchasing interest were directly affected by social and psychological factors of consumer, and were not influenced by personal factors and consumer subculture. Consumer factually purchasing was directly affected by personal factors (education level and occupation) and consumer purchase interest, indirectly affected by social and psychological factors, the purchasing behavior was not influenced by subculture factors of consumer. The image of goat's milk as a healthy drink could be done through the promotion of media products through advertising, distribution, and by improving customer service.