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[EN] This study aims to explore students’ perception of integrating education 4.0 in the Science program. The technology acceptance model was used to determine students’ understanding of integrating education 4.0 focusing on the Science program. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach. The interview was used to collect the data. Five respondents among Science students were interviewed. They were undergraduate students pursue study in a science education program. The finding of the interview result showed that students had positive responses in integrating education 4.0 for technological sustainable development. The results of the study showed that students had a positive understanding of the three aspects namely, readiness in integrating education 4.0 for the Science program, the impact of technology facilities, and enhancing digital skills for employability. We recommend further research to evaluate the preparation or readiness of students to integrate training using technology 4.0. Based on the results, further research is proposed to take into account new education skills among Science students in line with the industrial revolution 4.0., We would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Education FRGS grant FP024-2018A.

In this article, an intelligent rectification circuit capable of collecting radio frequency (RF) from dual GSM bands for small DC power applications is proposed. The RF energy harvesting system (RFEH) is designed to gather RF energy at GSM 900 MHz (950 MHz band) and GSM 1800 MHz (1850 MHz band) carrier signals. The RFEH system comprises an impedance matching network (IMN) and a voltage multiplier circuit (double rectifier). Conventional IMNs are made up of passive components such as inductors and capacitors. However, these components degrade at high RF due to their material characteristic behaviour. The IMN based on distributed element or also known as stubbing configuration is presented to maximize the output DC power generated by the voltage multiplier circuit which boosts up the overall RFEH circuit performance. The circuit performance was analyzed with the Advanced Design System (ADS) simulation software to find the optimum RF power conversion efficiency of several input power levels. The propositioned RFEH circuit achieves utmost effectiveness for RF-DC conversion at 43.514% and 25.985% for the 950 MHz and 1850 MHz bands, respectively, for a low input RF power of -10 dBm with an optimum load of 25 kΩ. These results present a promising RFEH circuit network, making it a good candidate for low-level RF input power applications that allow wireless sensor network circuits or devices.

In this paper we consider a fractional order Logistic model with Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative. By applying two-step Adams-Bashforth scheme, we obtain a system of difference equations. By using the Schur-Cohn criterion, stability conditions of the positive equilibrium point of the discrete system are obtained. It is observed that the discrete system shows much richer dynamic behaviors than its fractional-order form such as Neimark-Sacker bifurcation and chaos. The direction and stability of the Neimark-Sacker bifurcation are determined by using the normal form and center manifold theory. In addition, the effect of fractional order parameter on the dynamical behavior of the system is investigated. Finally, numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the accuracy of analytical results.

Combustion process in internal combustion engines involve significant temperature and pressure, carbon deposit, turbulence flame, swirling and tumbling flows which are considered necessary for operating these engines. This study examines the in-cylinder effects of swirling and tumbling motion along with the in-cylinder temperature during combustion process of air-fuel mixture. A detailed port flow analysis was carried out using ANSYS R-16 software and a valve lift of 8 mm. The velocity magnitude and mass flow rate were monitored using swirl motion simulated profiles and cut planes. Motion analysis was carried out to determine the angular velocity of the cycle using SOLIDWORKS 2017. The average angular velocity of the crankshaft was found to be 1315 rpm, with percentage deviation of less than 20%. It was also found that the area-weighted average velocity of charge was 11 m/s with corresponding mass flow rate measured as -0.055479 kg/s. The maximum flow rate was calculated at 8 mm as 0.005417 kg/s. The ICE swirl plane 1, 2 and 3 were characterized by different contours of velocity magnitude, indicating that the swirl intensity increased as the charge moved further down the cylinder while the charge volume of swirl increased along the cylinder length. For the ICE cut plane, the velocity increased as the swirl increased while the mass flow rate decreased as the fluid went further away from the poppet valve. Therefore, the intensity of swirl increased along the stroke length of the engine cylinder. In addition, increase in the swirl number led to uniform radial temperature distribution as well as reduction in the in-cylinder flame temperature which can mitigate against the formation of toxic pollutants.

The Masouleh river basin is in south of Iran. Different water user such as urban, rural, agriculture and industry are presented in the catchment. Municipal, rural, agricultural, industry and environmental need are going exacerbate future water resources management. The agricultural activities are related to a range of environmental factors such as conservation of the natural resources, water and biodiversity. WEAP capabilities are extensive related to water resources for municipal and agricultural sector including water conservation, ware allocation priorities, water demand and ecosystem requirements. In this study, three scenarios (Reference, Change of priority and Agriculture reuse Scenario) were selected in order to assess the impact of water demands on the water resources of the Masouleh River catchment in 2035. Scenario made in the current situation and the model enabled analyses of unmet water demand for each scenario for 25 years (from 2011 to 2035). The results of the study showed that Change of priority scenarios water supply is not insufficient to completely meet the demands of all sectors therefore, reuse scenario is the next priority. Application of Water Conservation and Demand Management practices and improvement water distribution can reduce the unmet demand.

Introduction. The article deals with the conditions for growing greenhouse plants. Supplementary lighting supports the process of plant photosynthesis and the microclimate in the greenhouse. The authors suggest the ways to reduce energy consumption in greenhouses by controlling the microclimate and process of supplementary lighting in greenhouses. Materials and Methods. Special lighting and temperature are required for growing greenhouse plants. A method of efficient plant growing is light and temperature control. The development of a control algorithm requires the mathematical models that relate the process of photosynthesis to the microclimate parameters. There are given the mathematical models based on the experimental data. Results. The control system and algorithm to control plant-growing conditions have been developed to maintain the greenhouse microclimate. LED lamps are used to control the lighting process. The authors present the developed block diagram of the control system, which contains four channels responsible for the main energy-intensive microclimate factors. The description of the algorithm of the greenhouse light-temperature control is given. Discussion and Conclusion. In conclusion, the need to maintain the greenhouse microclimate and supplementary lighting with the different radiation spectrum for the efficient cultivation of greenhouse plants is shown. The developed structure and control algorithm for the supplementary plant lighting process and greenhouse illumination through using LED lamps help reduce energy consumption.

Robotic machining is an alternative to manufacturing processes that combines the technologies of a high-performance machine tool with the flexibility of a 6-axis jointed arm robot. With their large working area, industrial robots are of particular interest for processing large-volume components and large structures, like aircraft components. An influencing variable, which is particularly relevant for milling processes with industrial robots are the cutting force F and the resulting dimensional deviation D. Milling tests of titanium alloys were carried out with an industrial robot and the results compared with a conventional machine tool. Due to the low thermal conductivity and high chemical reactivity of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, heat is generated and increases the temperature in the contact region of the cutting tool/work piece. That has an impact on the cutting tool wear and increases the cutting force F, and consequently, the dimensional deviation D and the machined surface quality. The aim of the investigations is to find a suitable parameter selection and machining strategy for machining titanium alloys with minimal deviation D and an appropriate surface finish.

Introduction. When carrying out an energy assessment of agricultural machines and traction tests of tractors, the most important indicator is the value of the tractive effort. The existing methods for determining the tractive effort of tractors imply the use of specialized measuring instruments, such as strain gauges and devices for processing and displaying information. The accuracy of determining the tractive effort is significantly influenced by the physical and mechanical properties of soil. To process the useful signal during the measurement of tractive effort, the data stream of the strain gauge sensor must be subjected to additional digital filtering taking into account the operating conditions of the agricultural unit. Materials and Methods. The functions of changing the tractive effort obtained on the K-744R2 tractor in various gears have been analyzed. An algorithm for digital processing of the signal of a strain gauge force meter based on a median filter has been developed that makes it possible to increase the measurement accuracy. The advantage of the proposed method is the ability to cut off sharp short-term impulse noise and sharp fluctuations in the amplitude of the measured value. Results. A method for determining the amount of tractive effort using median signal processing has been proposed. A device for determining the tractive effort during testing of agricultural tractors and units has been developed. The choice of the main components of the device for determining the magnitude of the tractive effort has been substantiated. As a result of the research, a device for measuring and digital processing of the signal of a force meter based on a microcontroller and specialized software for processing initial data in real time was designed and manufactured. Discussion and Conclusion. The developed method makes it possible to exclude the negative effect of impulse noise arising in the process of measuring the tractive effort of the tractor. The proposed device for measuring the tractive effort of tractors is compatible at the level of the exchange protocol with existing devices, has a high speed of operation in real time, multi-channel operation.

Long robotic arms are useful for many applications such as nuclear plant decommissioning, inspection, and firefighting. A major problem for designing and operating long robotic arms is that even small end effector reaction forces and arm gravity can result in large loads on proximal arm joints because of long moment arms. To solve that problem, previous researches focus on specifically designed long arms with certain compensation mechanisms. However, those specialized arm designs are difficult to be applied to existing long robotic arms and to be customized for different missions. To overcome those two drawbacks, we recently proposed a watch-like thrust-generating modular device, called flying watch, with the following two major advantages. Firstly, flying watch can be attached to different kinds of existing long robotic arms and generate thrusts to enhance arm strength. And we have proposed a thrust planning method for flying watch in our previous work. Secondly, since different flying watch attachment allocations can enhance the same robotic arm in different ways, flying watch attachment allocations can be customized to meet the needs of a specific mission. However, up to now, customizing flying watch attachment allocations to different missions is still based on human experience and there is no clear performance metric and automated design method for flying watch attachment allocation. To facilitate mission-dependent long arm enhancement, in this paper, we first propose a novel performance metric, called thrust drivability, which measures the ability of a flying watch attachment allocation to counteract unexpected end effector reaction forces. Then based on thrust drivability, we propose an automated design method, called Allocation Optimization based on Weighted Situations (AOWS), for generating mission-dependent flying watch attachment allocations counteracting both unexpected and known external forces. Simulations show that AOWS based allocation designs can counteract both known and unexpected external forces much better than human-experience-based allocation designs.

This study concerns competitiveness in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) performance between two different schools in Kedah, Malaysia, focusing on Mathematics scores. There are two different schools selected namely SMK Sungai Layar and SMK Bandar Sungai Petani. SMK Sungai Layar is a rural school while SMK Bandar Sungai Petani is an urban school. The objectives are to determine which schools between urban and rural schools perform better in mathematics subjects and classify students' performance on Mathematics subject using Fuzzy Logic. It is found that the performance of urban school was better than the rural school. As for rural school, the performance was moderate. The percentage of Mathematics value for SMK Bandar Sungai Petani is higher than SMK Sungai Layar. The number of students from an urban school who got a good score was double from the number of students from rural schools. The results show that the students from the urban school have excellent flexibility and reliability in Mathematics subject.

The common green blowfly, Lucilla sericata, is a widespread species with forensic, medical, and veterinary importance. In this study, we use geometric morphometric as a tool to assess differences in the wing shape of female L. sericata occurring on two different environs. Thirty samples were collected from the two sites of Poblacion Market and Pampam Falls, Iligan City. The right wings were dissected and previously identified landmarks were digitalized using TpsDig. Morphometric analysis was conducted through Generalized Procrustes-based analysis, together with the quantification of wing area and length. Subsequent discriminant analysis was also conducted through PAST software. Results revealed intraspecific variations with >70% statistically significant discrimination. 83.33% of studied individuals were correctly classified into their corresponding group on the first discriminant function. A total of twelve significant components contributed to the differentiation of the female L. sericata right wings from two environs. Amongst the significant components identified, Principal Component 1 contributed the highest to the variation with 20.95% shape variability. Most variability are from the landmarks of the upper margin and middle portion of the wings extending to the branching endpoint of the media vein. The results showing variation within species were accounted as phenotypic plasticity to contrasting environmental conditions.

Introduction. Farmers make extensive use of two-wheel tractors equipped with traction and drive interchangeable units. Two-wheel tractors are required to move evenly with minimal slip of the drive wheels on the soil. The tractive force on the drive wheels of the tillage unit is the decisive power factor in this case. An objective traction force value can be measured only by carrying out experimental studies. Materials and Methods. To determine the traction force on the drive wheels of the twowheel tractor, the design of the experimental stand was proposed and substantiated (RF patent for useful model No. 188610 “Movable module of the test stand”), and a methodology for planning and conducting a multifactor experiment to determine the traction force was developed. Results. As a result of the laboratory tests the calculation dependencies of the tractive force on the drive wheels of the Neva MB23-MultiAGRO Pro two-wheel tractor were obtained. Soil conditions, design and technological parameters, operating modes of the two-wheel tractor, and rolling resistance forces were taken into account. Discussion and Conclusion. The use of the developed regression models of the traction force under the condition of ensuring uniform movement with the minimum permissible slipping of the driving wheels of the two-wheel tractor on the soil will allow obtaining the permissible values of the two-tractor motion speed and form the zones of its most effective functioning.

There are a variety of approaches to the problem of predicting educational enrolment. However, none of them can be used when the historical data are linguistic values. Fuzzy time series is an efficient and effective tool to deal with such problems. In this paper, the forecast of the enrolment of pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary schools in Malaysia is carried out using fuzzy time series approaches. A fuzzy time series model is developed using historical dataset collected from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from the year 1981 to 2018. A complete procedure is proposed which includes: fuzzifying the historical dataset, developing a fuzzy time series model, and calculating and interpreting the outputs. The accuracy of the model are also examined to evaluate how good the developed forecasting model is. It is tested based on the value of the mean squared error (MSE), Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) and Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD). The lower the value of error measure, the higher the accuracy of the model. The result shows that fuzzy time series model developed for primary school enrollments is the most accurate with the lowest error measure, with the MSE value being 0.38, MAPE 0.43 and MAD 0.43 respectively.

Methods of digital image analysis find wide application both in scientific research and in many branches of industry. During the last decades, interest has grown in images with multifractal structure which are obtained in biology, medicine, chemistry and studying the soil. The mathematics of fractals and fractal geometry are well known and studied. However, despite this, a common approach to designing the methods of practical investigation of such images has not been developed until now. The main purpose of this work is to propose the using of multifractal formalism as the mathematical tool for the statistical description of multifractal sets. Such a description adequately depicts the chaotic behavior of the majority of real systems. The method for calculation of Rényi and singularity spectra based on using parametrized spectra, which are obtained from escort (zooming) distributions of an initial measure, is considered. The method for comparing images based on using vectors of divergences calculated for the sequence of escort distributions is proposed. The role of parametrized spectra as the tool for the approximation of any part of the singularity spectrum is substantiated. An estimation of the rate of growth of the divergence vector is obtained. Main theoretical results are confirmed by numerical experiments with images of biomedical preparations. These show the ability of the implemented methods to find subtle distinctions in image structure for a simple choice of an initial measure.

Injection systems of modern commercial vehicle power units are still a frequent topic for development engineers in terms of durability and reliability. Therefore, the content of this study is just an investigation of the dynamic behaviour of high-pressure injection pipes of a four-cylinder combustion engine. The modal properties of the injection tubes are evaluated by experimental modal analysis (EMA). Another phase of the measurements is the sensing and analysing of the acceleration on each injection pipe during the engine speed ramp in the entire range of the speed spectrum. There was investigated the modal behaviour of the structure to the operational character of the excitation. The work includes a numerical model established by finite element method (FEM), where the boundary conditions correspond to the real installation of injection pipes from the measurement. The modal properties of injection pipes were primarily investigated through the numerical approach, several variants of pipe attachments were considered in simulations. Comparing the FEM results of different pipe attachments, the suitability of the clamp position with respect to the specific installation in the power unit from the measurement is discussed. From the evaluated results, it is possible to assume the dynamic behaviour of the high-pressure injection pipe in the power unit. Based on the performed analyses, the critical mode shapes of the injection pipes are described considering the engine operating condition. When the engine speed frequency and some pipe eigen frequency interfere together, it is undesirable state. In many cases, this leads to a crack initiation and subsequent damage of the injection pipes during the cyclic load. The presented results and conclusions in this study should improve the overall knowledge on high-pressure fuel pipes in terms of modal properties and its vibration behaviour during operating condition.

Gold has become one of the most popular and secures type of investment in our country. However, the price of gold shows a high level of volatility. This paper aims to explore the use of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) in evaluating and ranking the Malaysian gold price fluctuation factors. Nevertheless, there are not many researches have been done on FAHP method in gold price analysis. Hence, FAHP as tools of measurement have been applied to evaluate, compare, and rank the gold price fluctuation factors. Specifically, four factors that contribute to the volatility of gold price are determined from experts. The factors are currency exchange, demand, inflation and mining. The evaluation of FAHP shows that the highest value of normalized weight was 0.6892 for the currency factor. This study concludes that the most important factor that affects the gold price change is the currency exchange.

Mono- and multilayer coatings can be suitable alternatives to traditional bulk materials due to their favorable mechanical properties. Thanks to the ever-evolving coating technology and process, there are a wide variety of coating types today, such as soft, hard, or super-hard coatings that can be made with single or multilayer coatings. Adhesion and damage to coatings is especially important for coated tools, where damage to the coating can reduce tool life and result in deterioration of the surface quality of the product. The coatings were characterized by Calotest layer thickness measurement, AFM assisted roughness measurement and microhardness test. The adhesion test of the different underlayered (TiBN, CrN and TiAlN) DLC coated Böhler K100 forming tool steel is designed with the Mercedes test (Rockwell C Adhesion Test), which is frequently used to classify the layers, and is complemented by instrumented scratch test.

This paper presents an EKF-based self-attitude estimation with a DNN (deep neural network) learning landscape information. The method integrates gyroscopic angular velocity and DNN inference in the EKF. The DNN predicts a gravity vector in a camera frame. The input of the network is a camera image, the outputs are a mean vector and a covariance matrix of the gravity. It is trained and validated with a dataset of images and corresponded gravity vectors. The dataset is collected in a flight simulator because we can easily obtain various gravity vectors, although the method is not only for UAVs. Using a simulator breaks the limitation of amount of collecting data with ground truth. The validation shows the network can predict the gravity vector from only a single shot image. It also shows that the covariance matrix expresses the uncertainty of the inference. The covariance matrix is used for integrating the inference in the EKF. Flight data of a drone is also recorded in the simulator, and the EKF-based method is tested with it. It shows the method suppresses accumulative error by integrating the network outputs.

Introduction. Grinding sugar beet should be carried out with minimal losses in centrifugal beet cutters with specially designed knives that provide frequent and constant chaotic longitudinal-lateral cutting of circular conductive beet knots. The objective of the work is to increase the reliability of the knives of centrifugal beet cutters by structural and technological strengthening in the process of their production and restoration. Materials and Methods. The state of the cutting edges of the knives was determined by using the micrometric measurement of the wear and deformation of the edges. Physical and mechanical indicators were analyzed based on the values of wear resistance, microhardness, and bending endurance. Results. The analyzes of the defective state of the knives of centrifugal beet cutters and theoretical studies of the grinding process have allowed formulating the factors affecting the permeability of the beet chips and the efficiency of their grinding with knives of a special diamond-shaped design. Experimental studies have made it possible to establish dynamically substantiated design parameters of an improved knurled knife. Discussion and Conclusion. The proposed measures ensured an increase in the durability of knives by 27–30%, the relative wear resistance of cutting edges by 20%, the limit of endurance of cutting edges for bending by 25% and a shift increase in the length of chips by 18–20% with an increase in its permeability by 16–18%.

Gypsum composites with several types of lightweight fillers were studied. Gypsum starts to be more important material nowadays, because it is one of the most environmentally friendly building binders. Therefore, there are new ways of the larger utilization of gypsum based materials to be sought. Even though the use of fillers in the gypsum is generally not necessary, because gypsum (opposite to cement or lime) does not shrink, fillers can be used for economic reasons or to improve some other properties of the gypsum material, e.g. thermal or fire resistance. We studied the adhesive strength of gypsum composites, containing three types of lightweight fillers (perlite, expanded clay aggregate and recycled PUR) and compared them with the properties of gypsum mortar with siliceous sand. It was found, that the type of the filler has principal impact on the adhesive strength of the gypsum composite.

Fatigue crack propagation is an undesirable phenomenon that may lead to catastrophic failures in many components and structures, therefore it is important to understand its underlying mechanics. To that effect, systematic parametric studies of fatigue crack propagation laws are interesting to determine how fatigue life varies with the constants that define the mechanical behavior of a given material in a fatigue situation, such as the Paris’ law constants, fracture toughness (Kc) or the stress range ??. The parametric studies performed in the present work assess the influence of several parameters, assuming that failure occurs when K>Kc, but also when all the material ahead of the crack is yielding. It was found that m and C, the Paris’ law parameters, are the most influential parameters in terms of fatigue life. The present study should help future designers when choosing materials for components or structures subjected to cyclic loads.

The traffic congestion at the junction is becoming one of the major issues for many cities all around the world. One of the reasons causing this issue is due to the inefficient of the existing traffic light system at the traffic junction. This paper proposes a Smart Traffic Light Controller System (STLCS) with deep learning capability in image processing. The developed STLCS is comprised of Altera DE2 board, personal computer and Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 (NCS2). The personal computer is used as the vehicle detection system of the STLCS by performing various computer vision tasks and inference. The tasks include image acquisition, processing, and vehicle detection and counting. The smart feature of the system can detect the vehicles by using deep learning model and compute a flexible green time for each lane according to the density of traffic in each lane. The vehicle detection emphasizes the image processing by using the deep learning algorithm from the pre-trained model to increase the efficiency and computing time of the system. The efficiency of the vehicle detection system is about 94.73%.

Introduction. The importance of controlling the organogenesis stages is that it provides the opportunity to create favorable conditions during the development of certain elements of the yield structure by caring crops and influence the grain quality. The objective of the work is to define a connection between the Earth remote sensing data and the state of winter wheat plants in the initial period of their growth and development. Materials and Methods. The object of the study was the winter wheat plantings. The wheat varieties “Odisseya”, “Olympus”, “Niva Stavropolya”, “Victoria 11”, “Nastya” and “Firuza 40” were sown by plot in the experimental field. The industrial crops of winter wheat were studied to assess the state of the plants in the tillering stage in 2012–2013, 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 agricultural years. The Earth remote sensing data were obtained using the “VEGA” service of FBSI “Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences”. Results. The obtained function of the dependence of NDVI of winter wheat crops on the height and development stage of plants is a polynomial of the third degree and is characterized by high accuracy (Rcorr = 0.98). The analysis of the NDVI, RED and NIR data of fields on dates close to the dates of collecting plant samples showed a considerable degree of relationship between the vegetation index NDVI and height of winter wheat plants. In 2013, the correlation coefficient was 0.60, in 2014 – 0.66, in 2016 – 0.80, and in 2013–2016 on average about 0.85. Discussion and Conclusion. The studies have shown that the Earth remote sensing data can be used to assess the state and degree of the development of winter wheat crops during the seeding and tillering stages, including in the production conditions. To improve the accuracy of the assessment, it is better to use the spectral brightness values in the infrared region of the spectrum.

Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) is a method of communication that can ‘add-on’ to speech and are used to get around problems with ordinary speech. The purpose of this research is to design and develop an AAC for speech delay children. The technique that is applied is speech recognition to improve their speech developmental among them. In methodology, the model that used in the project is Waterfall model. There are two types of testing used to evaluate the application which are heuristic evaluation and usability testing. A heuristic evaluation has been conducted to three expert users where feedbacks and suggestions from them were taken into refinement. After refinement, Usability Testing was conducted with thirty speech delay children at age four to nine years old. Usability Testing was used to evaluate the application based on User Interface Satisfaction, Interaction and Navigation, Functionality, Content and General Feedback. Result from Usability Testing, reported that speech delay children agreed the functionality of the application very well where the icon and image used are suitable. Furthermore, there were also recommendations to improve the AAC application in the future such as to include verbal instructions along with the instructions of the word for the users to understand where the users can play the application themselves without being instructed by the therapist or teacher. As a conclusion, AAC application for speech delay children has been successfully designed and developed to assist the children in improving their communication skill.

The sanitation plays a very important role to control the spread of infectious diseases and is much effective public health intervention. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of spread of carrier dependent infectious diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera. In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed to study the effect of sanitation on the spread of such diseases in a homogeneously mixed human population. In modeling the process, it is assumed that the disease spreads directly from the infectives to susceptibles as well as indirectly by the carriers present in the environment. The density of carrier population is assumed to grow logistically but it declines due to sanitation effort applied whereas the sanitation effort also follows a logistic model with its desired increase taken directly proportional to the density of carrier population. The proposed model is also extended to an optimal control problem and is analyzed using Pontryagin Maximum Principle. The model analysis reveals that the carrier population density decreases with increase in the sanitation effort applied resulting to decrease the infective population and hence decline in the disease prevalence. Thus, the spread of carrier dependent infectious diseases can be controlled significantly if suitable sanitation effort is applied to curb the carrier population in the environment. Numerical simulations performed also support the analytical findings.

The usage of bio-fibres and recycled materials is a growing approach to address the ecological problems being faced today. Inspired by the guidelines defining the Waste for Life initiative, the present study reports new composite materials, based on the recycling of high-impact polystyrene, found, for instance in yogurt cups, and paper plastic laminates, deriving from disposable paper cups. Given their recycling incompatibility, paper plastic laminates are either dumped in landfills or incinerated after their first usage, threatening the environmental condition. Therefore, through the development of a new composite solution, the goal was to reduce this damaging environmental impact by providing a second life to both paper plastic laminates and high-impact polystyrene. Samples presented overall good mechanical properties, from which it is highlighted a Young’s Modulus of 1.75 GPa and a Tensile Strength of 21.2 MPa, encouraging the application of the present material to identified global obstacles.

The last satellite of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System with Global Coverage (BDS-3) constellation was successfully launched on June 23rd, 2020, and the entire system began to provide Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services worldwide. We evaluated the performance of location services using BDS with a smartphone that can track the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites in Nottingham, UK. The static and kinematic experiments were conducted in an open meadow and a lakeside route covered by trees, respectively. Experimental results show that BDS has good visibility, and its overall signal carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) is comparable to that of Global Positioning System (GPS). The average C/N0 of BDS-3 satellites with elevation angles above 45° on B1 band is the highest among all systems, reaching 40.0 dB·Hz. The noise level of the BDS pseudorange measurements is within 0.5 m, and it has a good consistency among satellites. In the static experiment, the standard deviations of BDS positioning in the east, north and up directions are 1.09, 1.16, and 3.02 m, respectively, and the R95 value of the horizontal position is 2.88 m. In harsh environments, the number of BDS satellites tracked by the smartphone is susceptible to environmental factors. The bias Root Mean Squares (RMS) in the three directions of the whole kinematic positioning are 6.83, 6.68, 11.67 m, in which the positioning bias RMS values in a semi-open environment are only 2.81, 1.11, 3.29 m. Furthermore, the inclusion of BDS in multiple GNSS systems can significantly improve the positioning precision. This study intends to provide a reference for the further improvements of BDS global PNT services, particularly for Location-Based Services (LBS).

Introduction. The completed developments are aimed at creating a new technology for increasing the wear resistance of a thin-walled instrument of complex configuration made of steel 65G for cutting beets at sugar enterprises. The most important requirement to improve the operability and durability of such a tool is the preservation of its profile and cutting edge during operation. Materials and Methods. A new developed equipment and technological process of strengthening using low-temperature nitrogen plasma were used to solve this problem. There have been determined optimal processing parameters that ensure the formation of a quasi-morphic structure on the friction surface that reduces the defectiveness of the cutting edge after its machining and also provides a process of self-sharpening due to tool strengthening on one side. Results. The comparative studies of the friction surface of products after operational tests have shown that their resistance increase significantly when strengthening both new and used products. This is determined by the nature of the quasi-morphic structure formed and the specific relief in friction on the working surface. Discussion and Conclusion. To describe the new process of strengthening thin-walled products, the structure formation on the friction surface was analyzed in detail with the use of metallographic images and its phase relationship variability was estimated by the optic-mathematical analysis of various zones (compression and vacuum) formed as friction bands. This was done trough modeling with the estimation of the distribution density of the conditional colors of the analyzed fragments.

The object of research is the system and schemes of conformity assessment (certification) of cybersecurity of operational technologies (OT), as a set of rules and procedures that describe the objects of certification, determine the specified requirements and provide a methodology for certification. The terminological base and conceptual apparatus of the study of cybersecurity certification of operational technologies are based on the international standard ISO 17000:2020 Conformity assessment – Vocabulary and general principles. Cybersecurity certification systems and schemes are based on assessment standards, the choice and application of which is not unambiguous and historically has many interpretations and application mechanisms. These standards consist of tools, policies, security concepts, security assurances, guidelines, risk management approaches, best practices, safeguards, and technologies. But they have, to one degree or another, a significant drawback – the complexity of transforming the results of information security assessment according to these standards into security guarantees with any wide international recognition. In the context of globalization, this significantly degrades the cybersecurity quality. The main hypothesis of research is that the cybersecurity quality can be improved by converging towards a common methodology that is based on agreed international standards and international best practice for certification. The question of the key role of cybersecurity for operational technologies, which become the basis for Economy 4.0 and are now considered as a new frontier of cybersecurity, is considered. The need to create a system and schemes for certification of OT cybersecurity based on international and European certification principles is shown. A hierarchical model of cybersecurity certification system assessment standards and a hierarchical model of agreements on mutual recognition of cybersecurity certificates have been developed, which will allow a systematic approach to the creation of a system and schemes for OT cybersecurity certification. This provides an opportunity for developers of systems and certification schemes to form OT cybersecurity certification systems based on the principles of wide cross-border recognition of OT cybersecurity certificates.

Utilization of heat from gases leaving the waelz process is a promising way to increase its energy efficiency and environmental safety. Taking into account the gas dustiness, the most rational is the use of a loop air heater, which is a multi-pass and multi-section heat exchanger with a complex mixed scheme of coolant movement. In modern conditions, when the methods and means of calculation of such devices are simplified, the task of obtaining improved methods and means of calculation, determining the efficiency and reliability of their work is relevant. Two mathematical models of the process of heat transfer and hydroaerodynamics in a multi-pass tubular air heater with a cross-circuit of coolants are used. The developed models for the loop air heater are based on the main methods of thermal calculation: a simpler method of correction factor to the average logarithmic temperature pressure and a discrete P-NTU method, which allows obtaining local thermal characteristics of the surface. Diagrams of distribution of heat transfer coefficients, heat transfer, local temperatures of flue gases, air and pipe walls are constructed. The influence of dust and dust particle size on heat transfer is determined. When the flue gas dust is 50g/Nm3and with a dust particle size of 1μm, the heat transfer coefficient increases by 12%. The application of the air heater design with different schemes of coolant movement is substantiated. The developed universal methods allow determining the thermal productivity of heat exchangers and obtaining the distribution of local temperature characteristics on the heating surface. It is also possible to identify places of possible overheating of the heat exchange surface and the course of corrosion processes, taking into account the design of recuperators, operating conditions, operating modes and different schemes of coolant movement

The development of technology has increased the need for composite materials, where the technology of composite materials with naturalfiberreinforcement is growing.The existence of naturalfiberis very abundant, and it has not been fully utilized. Until now, the use ofcoconutfiberwas still limited to the furniture and household handicraft industries.Coconutcoirfiberhas the potential as a raw material for composite materials. The lack ofstrengthof the bonds is due to the hydrophobicfiber, and thefibersurfaceis less rough, and dirty. This study evaluates the coirsurfacecharacteristic of thefiberand its bounding with the polyester matrix after being treated bylimestonewater. The scanning electron microscope was used for observingfibersurfaces andsurfacematrix.Thewettabilitytest to observefibersurfaceenergy was performed.Interfaceshearstrengthto evaluate the bonds between fibers and matrix was determined.Coconutcoir fibers were immersed inlimestonewater, with a 5% percentage oflimestoneand time variations of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20hours. The scanning microscope electron observations of fibers show that thefibersurfacetends to be clean, rough, and grooved. The highestsurfaceenergy was obtained at 40.74mN/m during thelimestonewaterimmersion for 8hours. The highest value of theinterfaceshearstrengthbetween thefiberand the matrix is 3.80MPa during 8-hour immersion, 0, 4, 12, 16, and 20-hour immersion, respectively, 3.02, 3.09, 3.52, 3.47, and 4.40MPa. The results showed that coirfiberwithlimestonewaterimmersion for 8hours had a clean, rough, and groovedsurfaceso that the bond between thefiberand matrix was better. This research shows thatlimestonewatercan be used as afibertreatmentmedium whichwasnatural

The object of research in science and technology valleys and technology incubators, which for governments are the best investment of the scientific energies of scientists and innovators. As they are a link between research institutions and the industrial and service sectors, and as they transfer ideas and research results to different markets. This research aims to highlight the importance of Localization science and technology valleys and technological incubators related to nuclear activities, as they are one of the important tributaries to support the owners of the ideas of ambitious nuclear projects. The research also aims to shed light on the problems and obstacles that hinder the achievement of the desired goals of nuclear activities, such as: – the lack of information in the fields related to it; – the scarcity of expertise needed to implement it; – the lack of funding; – the absence of investors in this highly specific «nuclear» sector. The research presents the extent of the possibility of Localization those nuclear activities in Egypt through establishment valleys and incubators so that through this Localization there is an integrated environment of services and support that will ensure their development, raise their growth rates, and increase their efficiency. It is will lead to an increase in the chances of their success and sustainability, especially since Nuclear technology is used in many fields of industry, medicine, and agriculture. The research highlight the provisions of Egyptian Law regarding science, technology, and innovation incentives, as well as Egyptian Law establishing the Innovators Care Fund, to determine the possibility of establishing these valleys and incubators through the provisions of Egyptian legislation. Obtained results will have reached a great impact in encouraging investors and financiers to enter into technological partnerships with nuclear agencies in Egypt for the sake of safe investment in the elements associated with nuclear materials., Об'єктом дослідження є науково-технічні долини та технологічні інкубатори, які для урядів є найкращим вкладенням наукової енергії вчених і новаторів. Оскільки вони є сполучною ланкою між дослідницькими установами та промисловим сектором, і сектором послуг, а також передають ідеї та результати досліджень на різні ринки. Це дослідження спрямоване на те, щоб підкреслити важливість локалізації науково-технічних долин і технологічних інкубаторів, пов'язаних з ядерною діяльністю, оскільки вони є одним з важливих джерел підтримки власників ідей амбітних ядерних проектів. Дослідження також направлено на те, щоб пролити світло на проблеми та загрози, які перешкоджають досягненню бажаних цілей ядерної діяльності, такі як: – відсутність інформації в областях, пов'язаних з нею; – брак досвіду, необхідного для його реалізації; – відсутність фінансування; – відсутність інвесторів в цьому вузькоспеціалізованому «атомному» секторі. У дослідженні представлена можливість локалізації цієї ядерної діяльності в Єгипті за допомогою створення долин і інкубаторів, щоб щоб завдяки цій локалізації була інтегрована середовище послуг та підтримки, що забезпечить їх розвиток, підвищить темпи їх зростання, а також їх ефективність. Це призведе до збільшення їх шансів на успіх і стійкість, особливо з урахуванням того, що ядерні технології використовуються в багатьох галузях промисловості, медицини та сільського господарства. У дослідженні висвітлюються положення єгипетського законодавства, що стосуються стимулів в науці, технологіях і інноваціях, а також єгипетського закону про заснування Фонду допомоги новаторам, щоб визначити можливість створення цих долин та інкубаторів відповідно до положень єгипетського законодавства. Отримані результати нададуть великий вплив на заохочення інвесторів і фінансистів до вступу в технологічне партнерство з ядерними агентствами в Єгипті заради безпечних інвестицій в елементи, пов'язані з ядерними матеріалами., Об'єктом дослідження є науково-технічні долини та технологічні інкубатори, які для урядів є найкращим вкладенням наукової енергії вчених і новаторів. Оскільки вони є сполучною ланкою між дослідницькими установами та промисловим сектором, і сектором послуг, а також передають ідеї та результати досліджень на різні ринки. Це дослідження спрямоване на те, щоб підкреслити важливість локалізації науково-технічних долин і технологічних інкубаторів, пов'язаних з ядерною діяльністю, оскільки вони є одним з важливих джерел підтримки власників ідей амбітних ядерних проектів. Дослідження також направлено на те, щоб пролити світло на проблеми та загрози, які перешкоджають досягненню бажаних цілей ядерної діяльності, такі як: – відсутність інформації в областях, пов'язаних з нею; – брак досвіду, необхідного для його реалізації; – відсутність фінансування; – відсутність інвесторів в цьому вузькоспеціалізованому «атомному» секторі. У дослідженні представлена можливість локалізації цієї ядерної діяльності в Єгипті за допомогою створення долин і інкубаторів, щоб завдяки цій локалізації було інтегровано середовище послуг та підтримки, що забезпечить їх розвиток, підвищить темпи їх зростання, а також їх ефективність. Це призведе до збільшення їх шансів на успіх і стійкість, особливо з урахуванням того, що ядерні технології використовуються в багатьох галузях промисловості, медицини та сільського господарства. У дослідженні висвітлюються положення єгипетського законодавства, що стосуються стимулів в науці, технологіях і інноваціях, а також єгипетського закону про заснування Фонду допомоги новаторам, щоб визначити можливість створення цих долин та інкубаторів відповідно до положень єгипетського законодавства. Отримані результати нададуть великий вплив на заохочення інвесторів і фінансистів до вступу в технологічне партнерство з ядерними агентствами в Єгипті заради безпечних інвестицій в елементи, пов'язані з ядерними матеріалами.

A revolutionary change to public-key cryptography can be considered as an Identity Based Cryptography (IBC) in which identity of the receiver is being used as a public key for encrypting a message and Key Generation Centre (KGC). IBC will generate and distribute the private key to each user to decrypt a message. The thought behind presenting the scheme was to improve and reduce the complexity of certificate and key management, but it also gives rise to key escrow problem, access to encrypted information to unauthorized users. The paper represents Improved Identity-Based Encryption Scheme (IIBES) for Domain Name System (DNS) security which provides confidentiality and authentication through modified identity based encryption and identity based digital signatures. The IIBES comprises key revocation mechanism for non-revoked users and also eliminates key escrow problem. Thus, the IIBES aids to implement the identity-based cryptography more safely in reality and protects DNS against cache poisoning, spoofing attack and masquerade attack. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01259 Full Text: PDF

The nutritional value of food is one of the most important factors that determine the health of the population. In the macaroni market, dietary and functional products, fortified macaroni products and products of high nutritional value occupy a small segment that does not exceed 1%. In this regard, the development of an assortment of pasta with increased nutritional value, with a directionally changed chemical composition, is relevant. In the pasta industry, an increase in the nutritional and biological value of products is achieved through the introduction of non-traditional types of raw materials and special food additives into the recipe. To reduce the deteriorating effect of corn and amaranth flour on the pasta properties of flour from durum wheat, ionized water was used with a concentration of ions of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000units/cm3 and ozone of 2mg/l. It was found that ionized water has a positive effect on the properties of gluten and the quality of pasta with the addition of corn and amaranth flour. It was determined that the best quality of pasta is achieved when using ionized water with an ion concentration of 3,000units/cm3 and ozone 2mg/l and at dosages of amaranth flour 17.5%, corn flour – 20% to pasta flour. Summing up the results of the experimental study, the amount of prescription components for the production of pasta with high nutritional and biological value was optimized, Пищевая ценность продуктов питания является одним из важнейших факторов, определяющих здоровье населения. На рынке макарон диетические и функциональные продукты, обогащенные макаронные изделия и продукты с высокой пищевой ценностью занимают небольшой сегмент, не превышающий 1 %. В связи с этим актуальной является разработка ассортимента макаронных изделий с повышенной пищевой ценностью с направленным изменением химического состава. В макаронной промышленности повышение пищевой и биологической ценности продуктов достигается за счет введения в рецептуру нетрадиционных видов сырья и специальных пищевых добавок. Для снижения негатиного влияния кукурузной и амарантовой муки на свойства макарон из муки из твердых сортов пшеницы использовали ионизированную воду с концентрацией ионов 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 ед/см3 и озона 2 мг/л. Установлено, что ионизированная вода положительно влияет на свойства клейковины и качество макаронных изделий с добавлением кукурузной и амарантовой муки. Выявлено, что наилучшее качество макаронных изделий достигается при использовании ионизированной воды с концентрацией ионов 3000 ед/см3 и озона 2 мг/л и при добавлении амарантовой муки 17,5%, кукурузной муки 20% к макаронной муке. По результатам экспериментального исследования было оптимизировано количество рецептурных компонентов для производства макарон с высокой пищевой и биологической ценностью, Харчова цінність продуктів харчування є одним з найважливіших факторів, що визначають здоров'я населення. На ринку макаронів дієтичні та функціональні продукти, збагачені макаронні вироби та продукти з високою харчовою цінністю займають невеликий сегмент, що не перевищує 1%. У зв'язку з цим актуальною є розробка асортименту макаронних виробів з підвищеною харчовою цінністю з спрямованою зміною хімічного складу. У макаронній промисловості підвищення харчової та біологічної цінності продуктів досягається за рахунок введення в рецептуру нетрадиційних видів сировини і спеціальних харчових добавок. Для зниження негатиного впливу кукурудзяного і амарантового борошна на властивості макаронів з борошна з твердих сортів пшениці використовували іонізовану воду з концентрацією іонів 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000од/см3 і озону 2мг/л. Встановлено, що іонізована вода позитивно впливає на властивості клейковини і якість макаронних виробів з додаванням кукурудзяного і амарантового борошна. Виявлено, що найкраща якість макаронних виробів досягається при використанні іонізованої води з концентрацією іонів 3000 од/см3 і озону 2мг/л і при додаванні амарантового борошна 17,5%, кукурудзяного борошна 20% до макаронного борошна. За результатами експериментального дослідження було оптимізовано кількість рецептурних компонентів для виробництва макаронів з високою харчовою та біологічною цінністю

The quality of reception, as well as the processing and demodulation of the input signal in the telecommunication systems' networks, are closely related to the quality indicators in the functioning of one of the subsystems of these networks, namely a phase synchronization system. This work has directly considered the issues related to improving the performance and reducing the transitional component of the phase error generated by transition processes in the combined synchronization system. A mathematical model has been built that makes it possible to synthesize a disrupted link in the synchronization system of a telecommunication network meeting the condition for a decrease in the transitional component of the phase error. It is shown that a simple disrupted link, synthesized under the condition of suppressing a slow-fading transition component, makes it possible to shorten the time of the transition process in the system while maintaining the initial order of astatism. When a complex link is synthesized, the transition process becomes oscillatory. It was established that under the conditions of a phase jump or a frequency jump, it is possible to improve the dynamics of the system and reduce the transitional component of the phase error variance by making the parameters for the disrupted communication link influence the roots of the characteristic equation of the transition process. The features in synthesizing disrupted communication have been considered for the intervals of movement corresponding to areas with the positive and negative inclination of the phase discriminator's static characteristic. Such conditions have been devised that make it possible to determine the value and sign of the root in the characteristic equation of the transition process, which is introduced by the parameter of a disrupted communication link separately for areas of the stable and non-steady movement of the phase discriminator's static characteristic. The reported mathematical model of disrupted link synthesis has made it possible to derive reference results. They indicated that in order to suppress the slowly fading component of the phase error characteristic equation to "0", it is necessary to provide for a significant advantage, up to 10 times, of the roots introduced by the disrupted communication link over the roots of the specified component. By changing the value for a disrupted communication parameter, one can significantly, up to 5times or larger, shorten the time of the transition process in the combined synchronization system at a simultaneous decrease of 18‒25% in the initial value of the transition error

Few physical models of oral and laryngeal systems for human speech movement exist for computer or mechanical simulators. In particular, a robot tongue mechanism that fully reproduces the deformation motion of the human tongue is lacking. The human tongue is an aggregate of muscles that is devoid of a skeleton. It possesses only a small hyoid. A mechanism that can drive and control the deformation of a soft body, such as the human tongue, along multiple degrees of freedom has not been realized to date. To solve this problem, a wire-pulling mechanism with embedded soft tubes is proposed. Using this mechanism, a flexible tongue that can be deformed along multiple degrees of freedom without breaking the wire is achieved. A prototype planar mechanism with two degrees of freedom that is capable of contraction and bending was fabricated. A deformation model that assumes a piecewise constant curvature (PCC) was formulated. Deformation tests confirmed that the prototype is capable of contraction and bending movements that are consistent with those of the model. Variations in the error with respect to the hardness of the deformable part are discussed, and the limits of the deformation model based on the PCC assumption are presented.

Generalization of the results of theoretical and practical research in the production of beer showed that the rise in prices for cereals, and in particular for barley, leads to an increase in the price of malt and, accordingly, an increase in the cost of the final product – beer. In this regard, modern brewers face the acute problem of a shortage of high-quality raw materials for beer production, as well as high competition in the consumer market. The need for inexpensive raw materials for brewing beer has grown significantly. Along with malt substitutes, a new product has appeared on the brewing commodity market – triticale. It surpasses barley in terms of the total amount of extract and other chemical indicators, so the use of this culture as a raw material for the production of brewing malt is a promising direction in brewing. In this work, we selected the optimal modes of malting grain triticale varieties “Balausa 8” to a moisture content of 40%, 42% and 44% and germination for 3, 4 and 5days at temperatures of 14°C, 16°C and 18°C. Based on experimental studies, it has been found that 16°C should be considered the optimal temperature for soaking triticale grains to a moisture content of 44%. In the studies, the optimal mode of malting was experimentally determined for 5days at a temperature of 16°C, which made it possible to ensure the maximum accumulation of hydrolytic enzymes. Accelerated synthesis of amylases (217.99units) occurs due to an increase in the rate of diffusion of gibberellin-like substances to the cells of the aleurone layer. The maximum accumulation of amylolytic enzymes is observed already on the 5thday of malting, which shortens this process by 2days in the production of malt using classical technology

A significant problem in the control field is the adjustment of PID controller parameters. Because of its high nonlinearity property, control of the DC motor system is difficult and mathematically repetitive. The particle swarm optimization PSO solution is a great optimization technique and a promising approach to address the problem of optimum PID controller results. In this paper, a modified particle swarm optimization PSO method with four inertia weight functions is suggested to find the global optimum parameters of the PID controller for speed and position control of the DC motor. Benchmark studies of inertia weight functions are described. Two scenarios have been suggested in order to modify PSO including the first scenario called M1-PSO and the second scenario called M2-PSO, as well as classical PSO algorithms. For the first scenario, the modification of the PSO was done based on changing the four inertia weight functions, social and personal acceleration coefficient, while in the second scenario, the four inertia weight functions have been changed but the social and personal acceleration coefficient stayed constant during the algorithm implementation. The comparison between the presented scenarios and traditional PID was carried out and satisfied simulation results have shown that the first scenario has rapid search speeds, and very effective and fast implementation compared to the second scenario and classical PSO and even improved PSO technique. Moreover, the proposed approach has a fast searching speed compared to classical PSO. However, it has been found that the classical PSO algorithm has a premature, inaccurate and local convergence process when solving complex optimization issues. The presented algorithm is proposed to increase the search speed of the original PSO.

The object of research ischildren’s spelled biscuits Holle (Germany) and Belgian children’s biscuits with pieces of Fleur Alpine chocolate (Belgium). Consumers often buy organic-branded traditional food products through unfair advertising and labeling violations. Due to the fact that organic products are often the subject of counterfeiting, quality expertise is especially important. Also, thanks to the conformity assessment of the labeling given in the work, it is possible to establish whether the product is really organic. The labeling of biscuits was analyzed for compliance with the Law of Ukraine «On Organic Production» and the Law of Ukraine «On Information for Food Consumers». The study showed that the labeling complies with legal requirements in both samples. It was also found that both samples of biscuits meet the requirements of regulatory documents for organoleptic indicators. Organoleptic characteristics were tested: shape, surface, color, taste and smell, appearance in the fault. The tasting assessment was carried out according to a 45-point scale developed by the authors. The total number of points in the tasting score, taking into accounts the weight factor, for Fleur Alpine biscuits was 39.96, which corresponds to a quality level of 0.88; and Holle biscuits – 44, with a quality level of 0.97. Both samples meet the requirements of regulatory documents for such physicochemical indicators as humidity, alkalinity and moisture content. The moisture content of the biscuits was determined in an accelerated manner in an oven. Wetness was determined by the ratio of the weight of the items after wetting to the weight of the dry items. Alkalinity was determined by titration of the product filtrate. The moisture content for Fleur Alpine biscuits was 9.3% and for Holle biscuits it was 8.0%. The alkalinity was 1.6 and 1.4 degrees, respectively, and the wetness was also within the normal range with values of 120 and 110%. The results indicate the quality of the studied samples in terms of organoleptic and physicochemical indicators.

The study results have made it possible to devise a methodology for the formation and adjustment of the Defense Forces Capabilities Catalog using cluster analysis and the developed tree-like system of basic indicators characterizing groups and subgroups (clusters). That enables stakeholders to form and adjust the Defense Force Capabilities Catalog with the proper quality, according to the uniform developed algorithm and defined identifiers (features). The methodology is intended for use by members of the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Defense Review, as well as working groups in the course of a separate review or capacity assessment. The Defense Force Capabilities Catalog was deconstructed into five levels of hierarchy, each of which contains interdependent typical tasks, organizational structures, and means (systems, complexes). The procedure is to analyze and clearly cluster individual capabilities of the defense forces according to certain features (requirements, characteristics) to group them and include them in the relevant groups, subgroups, and functional capabilities groups. A system of the indicators for the formation and adjustment of the Defense Forces Capabilities Catalog has been proposed, as well as a conformity criterion based on the generalized indicator, which defines the level of formation (adjustment) of the Defense Forces Capabilities Catalog. Seven steps of the procedure have been defined: from identifying individual capabilities based on their description (step1) to verifying the acceptability of the results obtained (step7) using the evaluation criterion and specially designed tables. The methodology was tested during a passive experiment in 2020 on the analysis of the current Defense Forces Capabilities Catalog, which made it possible to identify a series of significant shortcomings in its structure and content.

A method of adaptive control of military radio network parameters has been developed. This method allows predicting suppressed frequencies by electronic warfare devices, determining the topology of the military radio network. Also, this method allows determining rational routes of information transmission and operating mode of radio communications. Forecasting of the electronic environment is characterized by recirculation of input data for one count, resampling on a logarithmic time scale, finding a forecast for the maximum value of entropy and resampling the forecast on the exponential time scale. The developed method allows choosing a rational network topology. The choice of topology of the military radio communication system is based on the method of ant multi-colony system. The main idea of the new option of ant colony optimization is that instead of one colony of the traditional ant algorithm several colonies are used that work together in a common search space. However, this procedure additionally takes into account the type of a priori uncertainty and the evaporation coefficient of the pheromone level. The proposed method allows choosing a rational route for information transmission. The proposed procedure is based on an improved DSR algorithm. This method uses several operating modes of radio communications, namely the technology of multi-antenna systems with noise-like signals, with pseudo-random adjustment of the operating frequency and with orthogonal frequency multiplexing. The developed method provides a gain of 10‒16 % compared to conventional management approaches

This paper presents demo program for teaching random variables dedicated to demonstration and visualization of behaviour of the product of m independent uniform random variables. The demo is used as a complementary tool in the teaching Random signals and processes curriculum at the graduate level. The demo is made in MATLAB and utilizes all benefits provided by MATLAB, such as simplicity, and good graphic environment, interactive use, among others. Additionally, this demo is used with other demo programs, also made in MATLAB, in teaching/learning process of random variables. Students were very satisfied with this demo program expressing that helped them understanding better the behaviour of the product of uniform random variables.

The object of research is gas condensate fields at a late stage of their development under conditions of a decrease in reservoir pressure below the pressure of condensate separation from a gaseous state. Reservoir losses of condensate during the development of deposits in depletion mode can reach 78%, which entails the need to use various methods of stimulating the reservoir system to remove it. The most acceptable method is the use of a cycling process by re-injection (recirculation) of the produced and separated gas into the formation. A significant disadvantage of the cycling process is the long-term conservation of gas reserves as a result of its re-injection into the reservoir and significant capital and operating costs for dry gas injection. From a technological point of view, the use of the cycling process is constrained by the low value of the sweep efficiency. Dry gas that is injected has a lower viscosity in terms of the gas-condensate mixture is withdrawn from the reservoir, and under the conditions of the heterogeneous structure of the reservoir, its rapid breakthrough from injection to production wells takes place and, as a result, a decrease in the efficiency of condensate recovery. As an alternative to the cycling process for extracting retrograde condensate from the reservoir, it has been proposed to squeeze it out with water. The paper proposes a unified waterflooding system, actually displacing condensate with water or a gas-water mixture. This is achieved by controlled operation of injection and production wells. First, gas is taken from the wells, and with the appearance of water in the product, methods of intensifying the transfer to the surface are used. If necessary, the wells are switched to forced production mode. The results of laboratory studies carried out on real samples of core material from the Andriyashivske gas condensate field (Ukraine) are presented. The directions of the implementation of gas-water repression in gas condensate fields with the parallel use of restrained reservoir gas available in the reservoir are substantiated. The technology allows to extract up to 50% of the condensate dropped out in the reservoir.

Drone imaging has been shown to have increasing value in monitoring and analysing different kinds of processes related to agriculture and forestry. In long-term monitoring and observation tasks, huge amounts of image data are produced and stored. Environmental drone image datasets may have value beyond the studies that produced the data. A collection of image datasets from multiple data producers can, for example, provide more diverse training input for a machine learning model for vegetation classification, compared with a single dataset limited in time and location. To ensure reproducible research, research data such as image datasets should be published in usable and undegraded form, with sufficient metadata. Timely storage in a stable research data repository is recommended, to avoid loss of data. This work presents research datasets of 2020 drone images acquired from agricultural and forestry research sites of Häme University of Applied Sciences, and from Hämeenlinna urban areas. Those images that do not contain personal data are made freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution license. For images containing personal data, such as images of private homes, privacy-preserving forms of data sharing may be possible in the future. publishedVersion

The object of research is the equivalent circuit of an impulse current generator designed for testing surge arresters. Calculation of the impulse current generator parameters when discharging a capacitor bank to a complex nonlinear load is a difficult task for an analytical solution. Until now, the application of surge arrester frequency-dependent models was limited to the problems of overvoltage computation. Surge arrester frequency-dependent models can predict the residual voltage with high accuracy. This is the reason to consider that surge arrester frequency-dependent models can be used for calculating the main parameters of impulse current generators designed for physical testing of surge arresters. The task of determining the equivalent circuit parameters required for getting a discharge current of a given waveform and amplitude in an impulse current generator scheme with a nonlinear load was solved using circuit simulation. This article presents the results of studying the processes in impulse current generator equivalent circuit. In the circuit a dynamic model of a surge arrester is used as the load model. For this, an equivalent circuit for the discharge path of the impulse current generator was drawn up. The parameters of the circuit elements (including the required number of capacitors and their charging voltage) are determined, which are necessary for getting a discharge current of a given standardized waveform and amplitude. The parameters of the discharge path are determined for surge arresters of three different voltage classes. It was found that the relative error when determining the residual voltage between the terminals of the surge arrester model does not exceed 3%. The work contributes to the further development of circuit simulation of surge arresters and the expansion of the scope of surge arrester dynamic models. As a result of the research performed, the possibility of using surge arrester frequency-dependent models for determining the discharge current waveform in impulse current generators is shown. The research performed is relevant due to the fact that surge arresters have become a main tool for protecting the insulation of electrical network equipment against external and internal overvoltages.

This paper proposes a method to solve a mathematical programming problem under the conditions of uncertainty in the original data. The structural basis of the proposed method for solving optimization problems under the conditions of uncertainty is the function of criterion value distribution, which depends on the type of uncertainty and the values of the problem’s uncertain variables. In the case where independent variables are random values, this function then is the conventional theoretical-probabilistic density of the distribution of the random criterion value; if the variables are fuzzy numbers, it is then a membership function of the fuzzy criterion value. The proposed method, for the case where uncertainty is described in the terms of a fuzzy set theory, is implemented using the following two-step procedure. In the first stage, using the membership functions of the fuzzy values of criterion parameters, the values for these parameters are set to be equal to the modal, which are fitted in the analytical expression for the objective function. The resulting deterministic problem is solved. The second stage implies solving the problem by minimizing the comprehensive criterion, which is built as follows. By using an analytical expression for the objective function, as well as the membership function of the problem’s fuzzy parameters, applying the rules for operations over fuzzy numbers, one finds a membership function of the criterion’s fuzzy value. Next, one calculates a measure of the compactness of the resulting membership function of the fuzzy value of the problem’s objective function whose numerical value defines the first component of the integrated criterion. The second component is the rate of deviation of the desired solution to the problem from the previously received modal one. Absolutely similarly designed is the computational procedure for the case where uncertainty is described in the terms of a probability theory. Thus, the proposed method for solving optimization problems is universal in relation to the nature of the uncertainty in the original data. An important advantage of the proposed method is the ability to use it when solving any problem of mathematical programming under the conditions of fuzzily assigned original data, regardless of its nature, structure, and type

The implementation of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology is expected to significantly improve road safety and traffic efficiency. One of the key components of ITS is precise vehicle positioning. Positioning with decimetre to sub-metre accuracy is a fundamental capability for self-driving, and other automated applications. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is an attractive positioning approach for ITS due to its relatively low-cost and flexibility. However, GNSS PPP is vulnerable to several effects, especially those caused by the challenging urban environments, where the ITS technology is most likely needed. To meet the high integrity requirements of ITS applications, it is necessary to carefully analyse potential faults and failures of PPP and to study relevant integrity monitoring methods. In this paper an overview of vulnerabilities of GNSS PPP is presented to identify the faults that need to be monitored when developing PPP integrity monitoring methods. These vulnerabilities are categorised into different groups according to their impact and error sources to assist integrity fault analysis, which is demonstrated with Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) methods. The main vulnerabilities are discussed in detail, along with their causes, characteristics, impact on users, and related mitigation methods. In addition, research on integrity monitoring methods used for accounting for the threats and faults in PPP for ITS applications is briefly reviewed. Both system-level (network-end) and user-level (user-end) integrity monitoring approaches for PPP are briefly discussed, focusing on their development and the challenges in urban scenarios. Some open issues, on which further efforts should focus, are also identified.

Innovation training in engineering is an important facet of technical education in universities across China. Robotics training is a new course that has been developed using an informatization-based engineering training system at the Engineering Innovation Practice Center of the Harbin Institute of Technology. In this study, we propose a pedagogical method that combines virtual and on-site modes of teaching. Feedback obtained from students enrolled in the course showed a positive response to it. They claimed that they gained valuable knowledge from it that enabled them to carry out the relevant tasks in a better manner and more quickly. The feasibility of the proposed scheme was verified by a virtual simulation.

Teaching research methodology is one of the core components of various degree programs. Scholarship around teaching research methodology is beginning to grow with most work concentrated in Social Work, Health, Social Science, and limited work in the area computing education. This paper presents a reflection on adopting a student centred approach towards teaching research methodology course to three different groups of fourth level university students. In this paper the strategies for facilitating deep learning in teaching research methods and research methods in the Information Systems domain will be discussed. In addition, reflections on the use of a student centred approach, student experiences and strategies used. The experiences and strategies relate to facilitating deep learning. The experiences are focused on topic identification, conducting, and writing up the literature reviews, developing an understanding of the research methodology inclusive of data analysis and presenting the research report. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01255 Full Text: PDF

Probabilistic localization based on Bayesian theory has been researched as a sensor fusion method to improve the robustness of localization. Pieces of position information, generated by sensors’ observation models with consideration for noises, are fused according to Bayesian theory. However, having large noises not considered in their observation models, the sensors output erroneous position information; thus, the fusion result has a significant error, even when the other sensors output correct ones. In this research, we have proposed a sensor fusion system with a relative correlation checking test to realize robust localization. Pieces of erroneous position information, biased against others and having a negative correlation with others, are detected and excluded in our proposed system by checking their correlation between all of them. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the robustness of our fusion system by conducting recursive localization experiments in various environments.