Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology

6

Authors: Alam N., Sarim M., Shaikh A.B.

Image matting is a technique in which a foreground is separated from the background of a given image along with the pixel wise opacity. This foreground can then be seamlessly composited in a different background to obtain a novel scene. This paper presents a global non-parametric sampling algorithm over image patches and utilizes a dimension reduction technique known as NMF (Non-Negative Matrix Factorization). Although some existing non-parametric approaches use large nearby foreground and background regions to sample patches but these approaches fail to take the whole image to sample patches. It is because of the high memory and computational requirements. The use of NMF in the proposed algorithm allows the dimension reduction which reduces the computational cost and memory requirement. The use of NMF also allow the proposed approach to use the whole foreground and background region in the image and reduces the patch complexity and help in efficient patch sampling. The use of patches not only allows the incorporation of the pixel colour but also the local image structure. The use of local structures in the image is important to estimate a high-quality alpha matte especially in the images which have regions containing high texture. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on the standard data set and obtained results are comparable to the state-of-the-art matting techniques.

6

Authors: Siddiqi A.A., Narejo G.B., Khan A.M., Tariq M.

The research is done to provide appropriate detection technique for skin tumor detection. The work is done by using the image processing toolbox of MATLAB. Skin tumors are unwanted skin growth with different causes and varying extent of malignant cells. It is a syndrome in which skin cells mislay the ability to divide and grow normally. Early detection of tumor is the most important factor affecting the endurance of a patient. Studying the pattern of the skin cells is the fundamental problem in medical image analysis. The study of skin tumor has been of great interest to the researchers. DIP (Digital Image Processing) allows the use of much more complex algorithms for image processing, and hence, can offer both more sophisticated performance at simple task, and the implementation of methods which would be impossibly by analog means. It allows much wider range of algorithms to be applied to the input data and can avoid problems such as build up of noise and signal distortion during processing. The study shows that few works has been done on cellular scale for the images of skin. This research allows few checks for the early detection of skin tumor using microscopic images after testing and observing various algorithms. After analytical evaluation the result has been observed that the proposed checks are time efficient techniques and appropriate for the tumor detection. The algorithm applied provides promising results in lesser time with accuracy. The GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is generated for the algorithm makes the system user friendly.

8

Authors: Haque M.I., Qadri M.T., Siddiqui N.

This research proposes a RR (Reduced Reference) DIQAM (Detailed Image Quality Assessment Meter) for DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) based compressed images. DCT technique divides image in sub blocks to achieve image compression.Therefore, it degrades the IQ (Image Quality) by introducing the distortions called blockiness and blurriness in the compressed image.In the telecommunication systems scenario, the systems available bandwidth is limited. The proposed IQ assessment technique requires fewer image details parameters called RR parameters at the receiver, rather than the complete reference image. This paper suggests a method for receiving end to estimate the objective quality of the received image in frequency domain.The proposed IQ meter starts by taking the image through edge detection method, then converting it into frequency domain by Fourier transform and estimating the image details. The image details calculations include the vertical and horizontal ac harmonics as well as all other ac coefficients present in the image. It has been shown in the presented work that using dc coefficients with the other ac coefficients further improves the quality assessment.The calculated strength of coded image details at receiver is compared with the received RR parameter for the estimation of distortions, blockiness and blurriness. The accuracy of the designed RR DIQAM algorithm is proved by correlating the estimated objective values of the distortions with the LIVE image database2 subjective DMOS values of blockiness and blurriness. The results obtained by the proposed technique are well matched with the LIVE database values and provide 94-96% correlation.

8

Authors: Memon N.A., Abbasi F., Zardari S.

A computer can read and write multiple languages and today?s computers are capable of understanding various human languages. A computer can be given instructions through various input methods but OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and handwritten character recognition are the input methods in which a scanned page containing text is converted into written or editable text. The change in language text available on scanned page demands different algorithm to recognize text because every language and script pose varying number of challenges to recognize text. The Latin language recognition pose less difficulties compared to Arabic script and languages that use Arabic script for writing and OCR systems for these Latin languages are near to perfection. Very little work has been done on regional languages of Pakistan. In this paper the Sindhi glyphs are identified and the number of characters and connected components are identified for this regional language of Pakistan. A graphical user interface has been created to perform identification task for glyphs and characters of Sindhi language. The glyphs of characters are successfully identified from scanned page and this information can be used to recognize characters. The language glyph identification can be used to apply suitable algorithm to identify language as well as to achieve a higher recognition rate.

8

Authors: Hafiz Q.A., Farooq A., Ahmed M.

Treatment efficiency of the sewage stabilization ponds at Chokera, Faisalabad was carried out with respect to the parameters (i.e. BOD5 (Five Days Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), pH, Turbidity, TS (Total Solids), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), Copper, Lead, etc.). Parameters under investigation were monitored at six different locations (i.e. Influent of treatment plant, Influent of anaerobic Ponds, Effluent of Anaerobic Ponds, Effluent of Facultative Ponds, Drain before disposal of treated sewage and Drain after mixing with treated sewage). The testing was done during the low flow season i.e. from December 2015 to January 2016 in Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan. BOD5 removal efficiency of the treatment plant was found 30.08 against designed value of 90% removal. The removal efficiency of COD, TS, TDS, pH, Turbidity, lead and Copper was found 36.56, 22.43, 30.40, 3.43, 73.50, 34.13 and 41.15%, respectively. The maximum removal was of turbidity which is 73.50% but still none of the parameters of the effluent were meeting the PEQS (Punjab Environmental Quality Standards) 2012 except pH and TS. The reasons of low efficiency included lack of funds by government for operation and maintenance of the ponds, increased population, mixing of industrial sewage with domestic and less attention to maintain the performance of Ponds.

8

Authors: Khoso S.A., Abro M.I., Agheem M.H.

Zard Koh and Kulli Koh are two recently discovered iron ore deposits, existing in the Chagai district, Balochistan, Pakistan. PSM (Pakistan Steel Mill Limited) is interested to utilize these ore deposits at priority. Purpose of the present study was to assess the mineralogy of the Zard Koh and Kulli Koh iron ore deposits, as it plays a vital role in the selection of an appropriate processing method. The mineralogical study of ore deposits was carried out by XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) attached with EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscope) and SM (Stereomicroscope) techniques. Results indicated that the Zard Koh ore is mainly composed of 60.15% maghemite, 23.57% pyrite, 4.07% chlorite, 10.30% grossular and 1.65% admontite minerals. The chemical analysis revealed that Zard Koh iron ore contains an average of 54.27% Fe, 12.73% S, 8.70% Si, 3.07% Al, 4.07% Ca, and 2.16% Mg. Similarly, the mineralogical study of the Kulli Koh iron ore indicated that, ore is containing 51.16% hematite, 29.24% quartz, 8.89% dravite, and 8.76% kaolinite minerals. Elemental analysis of different samples indicated that Kulli Koh iron ore contains an average composition of 40.23% Fe, 20.67% Si, 3.44% Ca, 3.81% Al and 3.25% Mg. Mineralogical study of the Zard Koh and Kulli Koh iron ore deposits suggested that these ore deposits can be beneficiated costeffectively by using magnetic separation techniques.

10

Authors: Javaid Q., Zafar A., Awais M., Shah M.A.

Caching strategies can improve the overall performance of a system by allowing the fast processor and slow memory to at a same pace. One important factor in caching is the replacement policy. Advancement in technology results in evolution of a huge number of techniques and algorithms implemented to improve cache performance. In this paper, analysis is done on different cache optimization techniques as well as replacement algorithms. Furthermore this paper presents a comprehensive statistical comparison of cache optimization techniques.To the best of our knowledge there is no numerical measure which can tell us the rating of specific cache optimization technique. We tried to come up with such a numerical figure. By statistical comparison we find out which technique is more consistent among all others. For said purpose we calculated mean and CV (Coefficient of Variation). CV tells us about which technique is more consistent. Comparative analysis of different techniques shows that victim cache has more consistent technique among all.

10

Authors: Mahmood N., Burney S.M.A., Rizwan K.,Shah A., Nadeem A.

Everything in this world is encapsulated by space and time fence. Our daily life activities are utterly linked and related with other objects in vicinity. Therefore, a strong relationship exist with our current location, time (including past, present and future) and event through with we are moving as an object also affect our activities in life. Ontology development and its integration with database are vital for the true understanding of the complex systems involving both spatial and temporal dimensions. In this paper we propose a conceptual framework for building spatio-temporal database model based on ontological approach. We have used relational data model for modelling spatio-temporal data content and present our methodology with spatio-temporal ontological accepts and its transformation into spatio-temporal database model. We illustrate the implementation of our conceptual model through a case study related to cultivated land parcel used for agriculture to exhibit the spatio-temporal behaviour of agricultural land and related entities. Moreover, it provides a generic approach for designing spatiotemporal databases based on ontology. The proposed model is capable to understand the ontological and somehow epistemological commitments and to build spatio-temporal ontology and transform it into a spatio-temporal data model. Finally, we highlight the existing and future research challenges.

10

Authors: Memon S.A., Qureshi I.A., Latif A.

Multicarrier transmission technique has become a prominent transmission technique in high-speed wireless communication systems. It is due to its frequency diversity,small inter-symbol interference in the multipath fading channel, simple equalizer structure, and high bandwidth efficiency. Nevertheless, in thetime domain, multicarrier transmission signal has high PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) thatinterprets to low power amplifier efficiencies. To decrease the PAPR, a CCSLM (Convolutional Code Selective Mapping) scheme for multicarrier transmission with a high number of subcarriers is proposed in this paper. Proposed scheme is based on SLM method and employs interleaver and convolutional coding. Related works on the PAPR reduction have considered either 128 or 256 number of subcarriers. However, PAPR of multicarrier transmission signal will increase as a number of subcarriers increases. The proposed method achieves significant PAPR reduction for ahigher number of subcarriers as well as better power amplifier efficiency. Simulation outcomes validate the usefulness of projected scheme.

12

Authors: Ali H.M.K., Sultan A., Rana B.B.

Based on the prevailing energy crisis, it is reasonable for the Cement industry of Pakistan to look for alternate sources of electricity generation. The decision of selecting a CPP (Captive Power Plant) depends on a broad variety of parameters which may be conflicting to each other. A comparative evaluation of these CPP?s should be helpful for industry, particularly if the applied methodology can handle with the real world ambiguities and imprecisions associated with the data pools and expert opinions. This paper utilizes an F-AHP (Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process) based multi-attribute framework to prioritize the affecting parameters and assign rankings to the CPP alternatives. The CPP?s recommended by experts for this study are RDF-CPP (Refused Derived Fuel CPP), CF-CPP (Coal Fired CPP) and WHR-CPP (Waste Heat Recovery CPP). The factors affecting the decision of selecting the optimum CPP are prioritized by the experts using our F-AHP approach. Real world quantitative data is extracted from different online resources and financial reports of cement companies in Pakistan. The F-AHP model is flexible enough to deal with a variety of inputs including qualitative scales, crisp values and standard fuzzy numbers. The model is solved and a sensitivity analysis is performed in respective software. This study shows that non-conventional CPPs are highly demanded for cement industry in Pakistan and while selecting these CPPs, management gives high priority to factors like 'automation' and 'environment' whereas associated ?initial cost? is not given much weight in decision making.

12

Authors: Mehmood S., Shah M., Rana B.B., Anjum N.A., Sultan A

EDMed (Electric Discharge Machined) surfaces are unique in their appearance and metallurgical characteristics, which depend on different parameter such as electric parameters, flushing method, and dielectric type. Conventionally, in static workpiece method the EDM (Electric Discharge Machining) is performed by submerging both of the tool and workpiece in dielectric liquid and side flushing is provided by impinging pressurized dielectric liquid into the gap. Another flushing method has been investigated in this study, in which, instead of side flushing the rotation motion is provided to the workpiece. Surface characteristics for both flushing methods are determined and compared in this study. The investigated surface characteristics are: surface roughness, crater size, surface morphology, white layer thickness and composition. These investigations are performed using optical and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Statistical confidence limits are determined for scattered data of surface roughness. It is found that the white layer thickness and surface roughness are directly proportional to discharge current for both flushing methods. The comparison has shown that the side flushing of statics workpiece gives thicker white layer and lower surface finish as compared to the flushing caused by the rotation of workpiece.

12

Authors: Ali H.Q., Farooq A., Ahmed M.

Software size is one of the most important inputs of many software cost and effort estimation models. Early estimation of software plays an important role at the time of project inception. An accurate estimate of software size is, therefore, crucial for planning, managing, and controlling software development projects dealing with the development of software games. However, software size is unavailable during early phase of software development. This research determines the utility of CK (Chidamber and Kemerer) metrics, a well-known suite of object-oriented metrics, in estimating the size of software applications using the information from its UML (Unified Modeling Language) class diagram. This work focuses on a small subset dealing with board-based software games. Almost sixty games written using an object-oriented programming language are downloaded from open source repositories, analyzed and used to calibrate a regression-based size estimation model. Forward stepwise MLR (Multiple Linear Regression) is used for model fitting. The model thus obtained is assessed using a variety of accuracy measures such as MMRE (Mean Magnitude of Relative Error), Prediction of x(PRED(x)), MdMRE (Median of Relative Error) and validated using K-fold cross validation. The accuracy of this model is also compared with an existing model tailored for size estimation of board games. Based on a small subset of desktop games developed in various object-oriented languages, we obtained a model using CK metrics and forward stepwise multiple linear regression with reasonable estimation accuracy as indicated by the value of the coefficient of

12

Authors: Bhatti Z.A., Qureshi K., Bhatti I., Unar I.N., Khuhawar M.Y.

As (Arsenic) is one of the lethal element present at the various locations of the world, putting human beings in danger by polluting the water. Arsenic Kit and atomic absorption spectrometer were used to determine As in ground water of Sindh province, Pakistan. Twenty-Four (24) districts both on the left and right bank of RI (River Indus) were analyzed. It was observed from the results that highest As concentration 200 ppb (parts per billion) i.e. above the WHO (World Health Organization) limit (10 ppb) was observed in Sakrand, district Shaheed Benazirabad followed by Hala, Matairi, TMK (Tando Mohammad Khan) and Nasarpur regions. It was further found that ground water of regions on the left bank of RIwas more contaminated than the right bank. Contour map was created using OriginPro and coordinate systems to highlight the elevated arsenic in the studied area. HRA (Health Risk Assessment) of these areas was carried out to calculate EDI (Estimated Daily Intake), TQH (Target Hazard Quotient) and CR (Cancer Risk). 45% of the total ground water samples analyzed were above the permissible limit for As in water and mostly these are located on the left bank of RI. The local wells in Sindh have never been tested for metal concentration former to use. These results provide baselines for researchers, NGO?s (Non-Governmental Organizations) and government to apply arsenic treatment technologies in those areas

14

Authors: Kandhar I.A., Khaskheli G.B., Sahito A.R., Mahar R.B.

This study was conducted at lab scale to determine the performance of the canal-bed for the removal of turbidity and microorganisms TC (Total Coliforms) from surface water. The canal-bed sediments were collected and analyzed for the characteristics of sediments for grain size distribution, hydraulic conductivity and the POM (Particulate Organic Matter) percent. Canal-bed sediments were containing fine particles<0.075mm in the range of 40-58%, with hydraulic conductivity averaged 7ft/day, and the POM 2.75%. The water samples collected from the canal-water have shown average POM 3.6%. Theremoval-reduction in turbidity and TC were determined through the column experiments on the canal-bed sediments. Three columns were prepared at lab-scale by using prepared canal-bed sediment as a filter-bed in the columns for the filtration of raw water samples. Fine particles of the canal-bed grain size D10 0.2 and D10 0.1mm were selected for the filter-bed formation. The prepared concentrated and diluted influent water samples containing turbidity and TC were passed through the washed filter-bed into the columns for 8-weeks filter run. The frequency of sampling and analysis were followedafter the interval of one-week run, the influent (raw water) and effluent (filtered) water samples were collected and analyzed for the turbidity and TC concentrations. The performance of the grain size D10 0.1mm have shown 95-99.95% reduction in turbidity and TC compared to the larger grain size having D10 0.2mm particles.

16

Authors: Zaidi S.M.K., Junejo F., Syed B.M

The application of robots or robotic systems for painting parts is becoming increasingly conventional; to improve reliability, productivity, consistency and to decrease waste. However, in Pakistan only highend Industries are able to afford the luxury of a robotic system for various purposes. In this study we propose an economical Painting Robot that a small-scale industry can install in their plant with ease. The importance of this robot is that being cost effective, it can easily be replaced in small manufacturing industries and therefore, eliminate health problems occurring to the individual in charge of painting parts on an everyday basis. To achieve this aim, the robot is made with local parts with only few exceptions, to cut costs; and the programming language is kept at a mediocre level. Image processing is used to establish object recognition and it can be programmed to paint various simple geometries. The robot is placed on a conveyer belt to maximize productivity. A four DoF (Degree of Freedom) arm increases the working envelope and accessibility of painting different shaped parts with ease. This robot is capable of painting up, front, back, left and right sides of the part with a single colour. Initially CAD (Computer Aided Design) models of the robot were developed which were analyzed, modified and improved to withstand loading condition and perform its task efficiently. After design selection, appropriate motors and materials were selected and the robot was developed. Throughout the development phase, minor problems and errors were fixed accordingly as they arose. Lastly the robot was integrated with the computer and image processing for autonomous control. The final results demonstrated that the robot is economical and reduces paint wastage.

4

Authors: Jamali A.R., Chandio A.D., Khan W., Anwer Z., Soomro I.A

Plasmonic materials are the artificially manufactured materials (metamaterials) typically composed of nanostructure noble metals which give the unique optical properties superior to naturally occurring materials. Such plasmonic material has ability to give surface plasmon when electromagnetic light wave interact with free electrons in conduction band of the noble metals. Entirely absorption of light wave is the one of the major property of such plasmonicmetamaterials. Recently, these metamaterials has drawn the attention of scientists because of its wide range of applications in harvesting energy and sensors. These applications are strongly dependent on adjusting the absorption band-width, peak position and absorption intensity. In this work we show that using ultra-thin multicomponent (i.e. Au NPs incorporated in mixture of SiO2 and TiO2 matrix) nanocomposite deposited on optically thick gold film through subsequent magnetron sputtering. Experimental results show that one can broaden the bandwidth and peak position to span Ultraviolet up to near infrared wavelength range.

8

Authors: Qureshi S., Kratzer J.

EM (Entrepreneurial Making) and MC (Marketing Capabilities) play a crucial role in the success of a firm. Many engineering and technology firms are run by people having an engineering degree which have less exposure to marketing. A strong EO (Entrepreneurial Orientation) enables the firm to carry out and develop its MC in opportunistic, proactive and innovative way. The EO and MC are shaped and defined by various antecedents i.e. technological and market turbulence, market and strategic orientation. The impact and influence of these antecedents vary as the organization moves from its infancy to growth and maturity. The following research tests the impacts of various antecedents during the various stages of the life cycle of the engineering and technology based firms. To conduct the longitudinal study, the engineering and technology firms were grouped in to four categories temporally i.e. (1) less than 2 years, (2) 3-4 years, (3) 5-8 years and (4) more than 9 years. This allowed a quasi longitudinal observation to find out and compare the changes over time. The results show that the various factors influence the MC in varying degree during the various stages of the life cycle of the firm

8

Authors: Abro M.I., Memon R.A., Soomro I.A

Intercritical heat treatments attempts were made to enhance the mechanical properties of reinforcing steel bars milled from scrap metal. For this, two grades of steel bars were obtained from different steel mills and their mechanical properties that include hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and percent elongation before and after intercritical heat treatment were determined. Results indicated that 25.5 and 17.6%, improvements in UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) and 18.8 and 14.3% improvement in percent elongation in two grades of reinforcing steel samples containing 0.17 and 0.24% carbon respectively was achieved while heating at 750oC for 2h. Appreciable improvement in the mechanical properties was noted due to birth of sufficient quantity of martensite along with ferrite

8

Authors: Shaikh A., Khurshid I., Memon A.G., Deep A., Hussain T.

Two of the popular refrigeration cycles, VC (Vapor Compression), and VA (Vapor Absorption) are used extensively for refrigeration purposes. In this paper, a system is proposed that works using both cycles powered by an IC (Internal Combustion) engine, where mechanical energy is used to run the VC cycle while exhaust gasses are used to operate the VA cycle. The VC cycle works on R12 refrigerant while LiBr-H2O combination is selected for operation of VA cycle. Firstly, the refrigeration system is modeled, followed by a parametric study to investigate the impacts of various operating parameters on the system performance. The results exhibit that for maximum chilling and overall performance, the condenser and evaporator pressures in the VC cycle are obtained as 710 and 340 kPa, respectively, whereas generator and absorber temperatures in VA cycle are 85 and 20oC, respectively.

10

Authors: Aslam M.W., Batool Z.

This research work has evaluated the performance of urban public bus transport service operating in Gujranwala city of Pakistan. The assessment has been made in terms of financial viability, bus condition, operational performance and user perception. Based on the data requirements, various traffic/transport surveys were conducted including Passenger Boarding and Alighting Survey, Bus Count Survey, Bus Inspection Survey, Illegal Operations Survey and Public Transport User Interview Survey in consultation with concerned department/agencies. Field surveys were also conducted to get input from passengers and local people. Initial investigation informed that out of four operational bus routes, only two routes are profitable. The overall bus operation is running in loss (only 0.3% net profit). It has barely any profit for the bus operator against its investment thereby making the urban bus operation financially non-viable. The whole revenue flow is dependent on passenger ticketing revenue only. Around 35% of the buses are in poor condition with major issues of quality of tyres, no speedometer, worse condition of seats, floor and ceiling, and display of route. Illegal operation of Qingqis/Rickshaws (as para-transit mode) along the bus routes is also decreasing the revenue by capturing the passenger volume. According to passenger opinion analysis, around 55% of the passenger are not satisfied with the service quality and prefer other modes of transport. Their major concerns are absence of facilities for disables and bus stops, bus seating and standing capacity, poor bus condition and pick pocketing. Collectively, these factors are contributing

10

Authors: Afzal M.M., Awan F.G.

Extraction of maximum power from PV (Photovoltaic) cell is necessary to make the PV system efficient. Maximum power can be achieved by operating the system at MPP (Maximum Power Point) (taking the operating point of PV panel to MPP) and for this purpose MPPT (Maximum Power Point Trackers) are used. There are many tracking algorithms/methods used by these trackers which includes incremental conductance, constant voltage method, constant current method, short circuit current method, PAO (Perturb and Observe) method, and open circuit voltage method but PAO is the mostly used algorithm because it is simple and easy to implement. PAO algorithm has some drawbacks, one is low tracking speed under rapid changing weather conditions and second is oscillations of PV systems operating point around MPP. Little improvement is achieved in past papers regarding these issues. In this paper, a new method named ?Decrease and Fix? method is successfully introduced as improvement in PAO algorithm to overcome these issues of tracking speed and oscillations. Decrease and fix method is the first successful attempt with PAO algorithm for stability achievement and speeding up of tracking process in photovoltaic system. Complete standalone photovoltaic system?s model with improved perturb and observe algorithm is simulated in MATLAB Simulink.

10

Authors: Ishaque M.A., Chaudhry A.N

Focusing on health care systems can improve health outcomes now and in the future. Growing economies have serious concerns on the rising cost of health, whereas, in under developed countries like Pakistan, it is not emphasized yet at all. The research is conducted to improve a unique aspect of health care systems to provide effective, patient-centred, high-standard health care while maintaining the cost effectiveness. Research is being qualified in two paradigms qualitative and quantitative. In qualitative research, expert?s interviews have been taken to get the basic knowledge of radiology based testing and their prerequisites, in quantitative research ordered are being analysed to check the frequency and if they are unnecessary or qualified medical necessity guidelines as established in qualitative method. Analysis was made on the basis of the trinity relationship of diagnosis, symptoms and respected order to determine the necessity of the order to get its impact on cost of the overall health of those patients and point out more than 50% unnecessary orders are being performed in two government hospitals. The situation is alarming and policy makers should focus on unnecessary ordering to avoid out of pocket expenses and improve quality of care. The research helps in successful application of health care system modifications and policies pertaining to one aspect of health systems, i.e. cost-effectiveness of health care.

12

Authors: Bari M., Bashir R., Mustafa G.

In this paper, an algorithm is defined to construct 3n-point quaternary approximating subdivision schemes which are useful to design different geometric objects in the field of geometric modeling. We are going to establish a family of approximating schemes because approximating scheme provide maximum smoothness as compare to the interpolating schemes. It is to be observed that the proposed schemes satisfying the basic sum rules with bell-shaped mask go up to the convergent subdivision schemes which preserve monotonicity. We analyze the shape-preserving properties such that convexity and concavity of proposed schemes. We also show that quaternary schemes associated to the certain refinable functions with dilation 4 have higher order shape preserving properties. We also calculated the polynomial reproduction of proposed quaternary approximating subdivision schemes. The proposed schemes have tension parameter, so by choosing different values of the tension parameter we can get different limit curves of initial control polygon. We show in the table form that the proposed schemes are better than the existing schemes by comparing them on the behalf of their support and continuity. The visual quality of proposed schemes is demonstrated by different snapshots.

12

Authors: Manganhar A.L., Rajper A.H., Samo S.R

Rooftop, building integrated and building augmented micro wind systems have the potential for small scale power generation in the built environment. Nevertheless, the expansion of micro wind technology is very slow and its market is strongly affected by the low efficiency of conventional wind generators. WAG-RH (Wind Accelerating and Guiding Rotor House) which is a new technique introduced to enhance the efficiency of vertical axis rotor. The present study utilizes other green energy element by integrating the WAG-RH with a solar heating system. In this effort roof of the WAG-RH has been utilized to heat air through micro solar chimney for creating buoyancy effect in the air flow channel at rotor zone in the WAG-RH. The integration is capable of improving the performance of rotor setup in the WAG-RH as well as providing hot air with sufficient air mass flow rate for space heating. The WAG-RH had brought about 138% increase in the performance coefficient(Cp) of conventional three bladed Savonius rotor, whereas solar integrated WAG-RH has contributed 162% increase in the Cp of the same rotor.

12

Authors: Saeed S., Shaikh A., Noor S.A

The impact of cellular phone radiation on human health is the subject of current mindfulness and is an outcome of the huge increase in phone usage throughout the world. Phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. The issue is associated with wireless use for 50 minutes and above. The excessive use of mobile phone may cause brain tumors. Nowadays the most commonly developed brain tumor type is GBM (Glioblastoma) in multiform and Malignant Astrocytoma. In this paper, we focus on the causes of brain tumor (cancer) due to the cell phone as this increase in glucose metabolism. The aim of the study is to address the aforementioned problems associated with the cell phone. MATLAB programming to detect a brain tumor has been used. We have conducted MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) study to get the best images and results.

12

Authors: Memon M.A., Bhatti S., Nizamani S., Mahoto N.A., Memon F

Life logging has been an eminent topic of concern in recent years with many researchers focusing on capturing daily life activities of human. With the proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) domain, the devices are now able to record human interaction for longer periods as well as transfer this data easily to other computing devices or cloud storage. This article proposes a novel framework named as LIFEREC which acquires information from IoT aware devices and sensors. It maintains activity profiles of various activities performed by the users in their daily lives. Furthermore, the framework provides recommendations when requested by an individual while taking into account the past life history and current context. Recent research on digitizing human life is quite efficient in amassing enormous data but futile in offering assistance for prospect decisions in life. The data gathered by the lifelog devices may be of a great help in taking decisions. The proposed system gives a new direction to existing mechanisms of providing recommendations by exploiting the current context and the past experiences of human life. The recommendations provided by our proposed system may be very helpful while performing those activities which have already been experienced in the past

12

Authors: Shah A.A., Sahito A.R

Pakistan is facing energy scarcity. The biogas is one of the renewable substitutes. It does not only overcome the energy scarcity but also harness the energy from animal dung which causes the CO2 emissions. The present study was done on the appraisal of potential of biogas from the dung of animals (Buffaloes, Cows, Goats and Sheep) within the villages surrounded by Taluka Saeedabad. The purpose of the study was the energy potential of the biogas and the selection of the most suitable design and size of the biogas plant for the villagers. The present study also includes the domestic biogas plant economics. As per the estimation, total quantity of animal dung generated was about 129 tons/day, which can produce 3859 m3 of biogas per day. On the contrary, for cooking villagers require only 2748 m3 of biogas per day. Moreover, the surplus biogas of 1111 m3 per day can be used to produce electricity of 6666 kWh per day, which can fulfill the demand of about half of the population of villages under study. People are using firewood, cotton stalks, kerosene oil and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) for cooking. Converting animal dung into the biogas not only reduces the consumption of the traditional fuels used (Firewood, Cotton Stalks, Kerosene Oil and LPG), but also prevents about 900 thousand tons of CO2 emissions into the environment. Additionally, a fixed dome biogas plant of 8-10 m3 size was recommended for each of the houses under study.

14

Authors: Ashraf M. , Sarim M. , Shaikh A.B.

Image segmentation has become a widely studied research problem in image processing. There exist different graph based solutions for interactive image segmentation but the domain of image segmentation still needs persistent improvements. The segmentation quality of existing techniques generally depends on the manual input provided in beginning, therefore, these algorithms may not produce quality segmentation with initial seed labels provided by a novice user. In this work we investigated the use of cellular automata in image segmentation and proposed a new algorithm that follows a cellular automaton in label propagation. It incorporates both the pixels? local and global information in the segmentation process. We introduced the novel global constraints in automata evolution rules; hence proposed scheme of automata evolution is more effective than the automata based earlier evolution schemes. Global constraints are also effective in deceasing the sensitivity towards small changes made in manual input; therefore proposed approach is less dependent on label seed marks. It can produce the quality segmentation with modest user efforts. Segmentation results indicate that the proposed algorithm performs better than the earlier segmentation techniques.

14

Authors: Massan S.R., Wagan A.I., Shaikh M.M

This work focuses on proposing a new algorithm, referred as HMA (Hybrid Metaheuristic Algorithm) for the solution of the WTO (Wind Turbine Optimization) problem. It is well documented that turbines located behind one another face a power loss due to the obstruction of the wind due to wake loss. It is required to reduce this wake loss by the effective placement of turbines using a new HMA. This HMA is derived from the two basic algorithms i.e. DEA (Differential Evolution Algorithm) and the FA (Firefly Algorithm). The function of optimization is undertaken on the N.O. Jensen model. The blending of DEA and FA into HMA are discussed and the new algorithm HMA is implemented maximize power and minimize the cost in a WTO problem. The results by HMA have been compared with GA (Genetic Algorithm) used in some previous studies. The successfully calculated total power produced and cost per unit turbine for a wind farm by using HMA and its comparison with past approaches using single algorithms have shown that there is a significant advantage of using the HMA as compared to the use of single algorithms. The first time implementation of a new algorithm by blending two single algorithms is a significant step towards learning the behavior of algorithms and their added advantages by using them together.

14

Authors: Mahesar A.A., Shar A.M., Memon K.R., Memon H.R., Baladi S.A

The laboratory experiments on samples from Kirthar fold belt of lower Indus basin Sindh Pakistan were carried out to investigate the effect of gas slippage under varying conditions of pore pressures and overburden stress. The samples were dried in an oven at temperature of 600C and were randomly selected for measurement of permeability and porosity. Permeability was measured using nitrogen gas, while the porosity measurements were made using helium gas expansion porosimeter. The bulk volume was determined by measuring sample diameter and length with caliper. The permeability results suggest that gas slippage increases as if low pore pressures are used, which leads to higher measured permeability than intrinsic permeability of samples. An attempt was also made to estimate the permeability using existing correlations and found that there is large scatter in predicted permeability and measured data. This large amount of scatter in the predicted permeability values concludes that unless absolutely necessary, such correlations should not be used where accurate absolute permeability values are needed. Moreover, the permeability and porosity were plotted together to develop a relation between two properties; the power law fitting of the data well explains the relation between permeability and effective porosity

6

Authors: Lakho N.A., Zardari M.A., Pathan A.A.

Walls of wet loam, used in earthen houses, generally experience more shrinkage which results in cracks and less compressive strength. This paper presents a technique of producing loam masonry blocks that are compacted in drained state during casting process in order to minimize shrinkage. For this purpose, loam masonry blocks were cast and compacted at a pressure of 6 MPa and then dried in shade by covering them in plastic sheet. The results show that linear shrinkage of 2% occurred which is smaller when compared to un-compacted wet loam walls. This implies that the loam masonry blocks compacted in drained state is expected to perform better than un-compacted wet loam walls.

6

Authors: Narejo G.B., Azeem F., Zardari S.

Pakistan energy demand has grown exponentially over the last 2 decades. Reason behind increasing energy demand is excessive mobility of rural population to cities, rapid progression in industrial and transport sector, lack of policy making and implementation on the developed policies and improvements in living style. At present, Pakistan witness 5000-7000 MW power deficit in summer. To reduce the demand and supply gap, power plants across Pakistan are planned to be installed while some are under development phase. Power expansion plans cannot cope with the current energy shortfall since several years are required for them to get fully operational. Effective energy policy is the only key to address the existing shortfall. This paper discusses the initiatives that may be taken to reduce the power shortfall using energy efficiency and conservation, deployment of microgrids, utilization of renewable energy resources and effective research and development in energy sector. Since another most important issue evaluated in the research regarding the energy crises is energy efficiency and lack of compliance to government regulations for energy efficiency and conservation. Implementation on the policies developed for energy efficiencies and conservation has not been witnessed. Possible solutions on short term basis to lessen the energy crises have also been discussed in the paper.

10

Authors: Nadeem A., Ahsan K., Sarim M.

MANETs (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks) have applications in various walks of life from rescue operations to battle field operations, personal and commercial. However, routing operations in MANETs are still vulnerable to anomalies and DoS (Denial of Service) attacks such as sleep deprivation. In SD (Sleep Deprivation) attack malicious node exploits the vulnerability in the route discovery function of the reactive routing protocol for example AODV (Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector). In this paper, we first illustrate the SD anomaly in MANETs and then propose a SD detection and prevention algorithm which efficiently deals with this attack. We assess the performance of our proposed approach through simulation, evaluating its successfulness using different network scenarios.

10

Authors: Mahmood W., Khan N.A., Memon N.M., Chaudhry F.A.

A technique of cross-term suppression in WD (Wigner Distribution) for a multi-component signal that is embedded WGN (White Gaussian Noise) is proposed. In this technique, an optimized algorithm is developed for time-varying noisy signal and a CAD (Computer Aided Design) simulator is designed for Numerical simulations of synthetic signal. In proposed technique, signal components are localized in tf (time frequency) plane by STFT (Short Time Fourier Transform). Rectified STFT is computed and Spectral Kurtosis is used to separate a signal components from noise in t-f plane. The t-f plane is segmented and then signal components are filtered out by FFT (Fractional Fourier Transform). Finally, WD (free of cross terms) of isolated signal component is computed to obtain high resolution in t-f plane.

10

Authors: Solangi U.S., Memon T.D., Noonari A.S., Ansari O.A.

The problem of vehicular traffic congestion is a persistent constraint in the socio-economic development of Pakistan. This paper presents design and implementation of an intelligent traffic controller based on FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) to provide an efficient traffic management by optimizing functioning of traffic lights which will result in minimizing traffic congestion at intersections. The existent Traffic Signal system in Pakistan is fixed-time based and offers only Open Loop method for Traffic Control. The Intelligent Traffic Controller presented here uses feedback sensors to read the Traffic density present at a four way intersection to provide an efficient alternative for better supervisory Control of Traffic flow. The traffic density based control logic has been developed in a State Flow Chart for improved visualization of State Machine based operation, and implemented as a Subsystem in Simulink and transferred into VHDL (Hardware Description Language) code using HDL Coder for reducing development time and time to market, which are essential to capitalize Embedded Systems Market. The VHDL code is synthesized with Altera QUARTUS, simulated timing waveform is obtained to verify correctness of the algorithm for different Traffic Scenarios. For implementation purpose estimations were obtained for Cyclone-III and Stratix-III.

12

Authors: Bajwa I.S., Shahzada M.A.

This paper presents an approach used for automated generations of software constraints. In this model, the SBVR (Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Rules) based semi-formal representation is obtained from the syntactic and semantic analysis of a NL (Natural Language) (such as English) sentence. A SBVR representation is easy to translate to other formal languages as SBVR is based on higher-order logic like other formal languages such as OCL (Object Constraint Language). The proposed model endows with a systematic and powerful system of incorporating NL knowledge on the formal languages. A prototype is constructed in Java (an Eclipse plug-in) as a proof of the concept. The performance was tested for a few sample texts taken from existing research thesis reports and books.

12

Authors: Rind M.M., Qureshi I.A., Ansari A.Q.

With the emergence of internet and WWW (World Wide Web), traditional businesses got a new opportunity to compete globally. A new term of M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce) emerged and set a new trend in commerce and business. Traditional bricks-and-mortar businesses became e-business (electronic business) with the help of ICT (Information & Communication Technology) tools. Evidences from literature review suggest that there has been little growth in the acceptance of M-commerce in developing economies such as Pakistan as compared to developed economies. There are doubts that users of M-commerce demonstrate a lack of enthusiasm, which may be because of the lack of trustworthiness. Based on the well-known and widely used TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), this study provides the theoretical underpinning and empirical evidence between the relationships of trust construct with the adoption of Mcommerce in Pakistan. A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from Mcommerce users in Pakistan to check the influence of trust. After the analysis of 390 valid responses obtained results indicate that trust and other constructs of TAM are related and there is positive and significant role of trust in the acceptance of M-commerce in Pakistan. Results also prove the hypothesized relationship among all constructs of proposed Model.

12

Authors: Abro M.M.Q., Memon Z.A., Shah A.A., Naqvi I.B.

In today's knowledge based globalized business world, the contemporary organizations are thriving to apply the innovative as well as modern business techniques and tools in their products and processes regularly. Besides, the organizations give sufficient significance while building up their business organisms and operations in order to utilize the innovative methodologies alongside their other primary procedures. Based on the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and prior literature on management of supply chain, this paper analyzed an integrated model of ERP assimilation and integration by using Saudi Arabian firms as a case. This paper addresses the questions (1) there is a positive link between technological, organizational and environmental factors and ERP implementation, and (2) that ERP implementation encourages SCI (Supply Chain Integration) and performance. The paper empirically examines the antecedents of ERP implementation on SCI which will lead towards the firm performance by using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) as an approach. Moreover, ERP is used as a mediating factor by using quantitative data, collected from Tadawul. Tadawul is Saudi Arabian stock exchange, in which 167 firms are registered. The results of the paper, may add to the hypothetical comprehension of accomplishing a change in supply chain management, and might leave some imperative implications for the firms motivated by enhancing their supply chain performance. It is also found that the linkage from ERP implementation to SCI is very significant.

16

Authors: Baber J, Bakhtyar M., Ihsanullah, Rehman M., Khalid M.

In this paper, we propose simple and effective compression of CSLBP (Center Symmetric Local Binary Pattern) descriptors, which is a textured based operator and mostly used as key point descriptor. With default parameters for computation, it is 256-length descriptor for each keypoint or affine patch. CSLBP is an extended form of LBP (Local Binary Patterns). The calculation of CSLBP descriptor is effective, robust, and straightforward for different image transformations for instance; image blurring and illumination alteration. However, an improvement in time and space consumption of CSLBP can be attained by means of simple compression. For this reason, CSLBP is a smart choice for smart phones as well as large databases. We reduce the descriptor length (dimensions) upto 50% without applying any techniques of dimensionality reduction like PCA (Principle Component Analysis) or LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis). The compressed CSLBP descriptor is denoted as C-CSLBP. The performance of C-CSLBP is evaluated on state-of-the-art datasets using standard metrics. It is quantitatively shown by experiments that C-CSLBP is equivalently effective compared to CSLBP despite of reduced dimensions.

18

Authors: Shaikh S.H., Malik T.N.

Due to the increasing environmental concerns, the demand of clean and green energy and concern of atmospheric pollution is increasing. Hence, the power utilities are forced to limit their emissions within the prescribed limits. Therefore, the minimization of fuel cost as well as exhaust gas emissions is becoming an important and challenging task in the short-term scheduling of hydro-thermal energy systems. This paper proposes a novel algorithm known as WCA-ER (Water Cycle Algorithm with Evaporation Rate) to inspect the short term EEPSHES (Economic Emission Power Scheduling of Hydrothermal Energy Systems). WCA has its ancestries from the natural hydrologic cycle i.e. the raining process forms streams and these streams start flowing towards the rivers which finally flow towards the sea. The worth of WCA-ER has been tested on the standard economic emission power scheduling of hydrothermal energy test system consisting of four hydropower and three thermal plants. The problem has been investigated for the three case studies (i) ECS (Economic Cost Scheduling), (ii) ES (Economic Emission Scheduling) and (iii) ECES (Economic Cost & Emission Scheduling). The results obtained show that WCA-ER is superior to many other methods in the literature in bringing lower fuel cost and emissions.

6

Authors: Khan M.S., Asif H.M.S., Saleem Y.

In the field of data analytics grouping of like documents in textual data is a serious problem. A lot of work has been done in this field and many algorithms have purposed. One of them is a category of algorithms which firstly group the documents on the basis of similarity and then assign the meaningful labels to those groups. Description first clustering algorithm belong to the category in which the meaningful description is deduced first and then relevant documents are assigned to that description. LINGO (Label Induction Grouping Algorithm) is the algorithm of description first clustering category which is used for the automatic grouping of documents obtained from search results. It uses LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing); an IR (Information Retrieval) technique for induction of meaningful labels for clusters and VSM (Vector Space Model) for cluster content discovery. In this paper we present the LINGO while it is using LSI during cluster label induction and cluster content discovery phase. Finally, we compare results obtained from the said algorithm while it uses VSM and Latent semantic analysis during cluster content discovery phase.

6

Authors: Babahanova H.

This study examines the possibility of using paper based on lint cellulose with addition of licorice cellulose for printing. The physical, mechanical and printing characteristics of paper, were studied towards this end. The addition of licorice cellulose components into the lint cellulose composition changed the surface nature and paper structure, which are defining phenomena of humidification, adsorption, adhesion, ink penetration and swelling. A reduction of paper sponginess by 15% increases the resolution capability - smoothness. This stimulates the provision of image high legibility. According to the research of the results of paper whiteness and opacity which define paper printing properties, it is possible to conclude that the research paper is fit for printing of single-color outputs. The use of licorice cellulose in cellulose-paper industry will solve the problem concerning not only raw materials but the ecology at the same time due to utilization of licorice root waste and use of hydrogen peroxide instead of carcinogenic sodium hypochlorite.

8

Authors: Solangi G.S., Qureshi A.L., Jatoi M.A.

A study has been conducted in the command area of Gadeji minor, Sindh, Pakistan to compute the amount of net groundwater recharge and its effect on sustainable irrigated agriculture. In this connection, Water budget equation was used and three groundwater recharging components along with one discharging component were computed for both Rabi and Kharif crop seasons for the period (2001-2013). Data shows that groundwater is rising at rapid rate during the Kharif season. The percolation rate through cropped fields is the major recharge component; accounting for 81% in the total mean recharge of 8.42 million m3, moreover the rice area is the major contributor to net groundwater recharge during Kharif season. The contributions of canal seepage and rainfall are estimated to be 16 and 04% respectively for the above period. However, during the Rabi season groundwater is rising at low rate where canal seepage is the major recharging component with an average contribution of 48% in the total mean recharge of 2.32 million m3, the contribution of deep percolation from cropped fields is estimated to be 47% as compared to the rainfall of only 05%. Survey shows non-functionality of most of the tubewells, groundwater withdrawal is not sufficient to fully offset groundwater recharge which has increased water table and caused waterlogging and soil salinity in more than 40% of agricultural land. To overcome this rising water table problem, it is recommended: to change existing cropping pattern (i.e. minimize or no cultivation of rice crop), lining of minor and all its watercourses, adopt salt tolerant crops and increase groundwater withdrawals by operating tube-wells on emergency basis.

8

Authors: Siddiqi A.A., Narejo G.B., Zardari S., Tariq M., Andleeb S.

Segmentation of brain tumors has been found challenging throughout in the field of image processing. Different algorithms have been applied to the segmentation of solid or cystic tumors individually but little work has been done for solid cum cystic tumor. The papers reviewed in this article only deal with the case study of patients suffering from solid cum cystic brain tumor as this type of tumor is rarely found for the purpose of research. The research work conducted so far on this topic has been reviewed. The study begins with 2D (Two Dimensional) segmentation of tumor using MATLAB. It is then extended to study of slices of tumor and its volume calculation using open source software named 3D Slicer which represents the tumor in 3D. This software can intake the 2D slices and process them to give a combined 3D view. Various techniques are available in the software. According to the particular requirement an appropriate algorithm can be chosen. This paper gives a promising hierarchy for volume calculation of tumor and the three dimensional view. Further we can also find the position of tumor in the skull using the same software. This piece of work is a valuable guideline for the researchers interested in segmentation and three dimensional representations of different areas of human body. The models extracted out using the given algorithms can also be treated for matching and comparison of any future research. This will also aid surgeons and physicians in efficient analysis and reporting techniques.

10

Authors: Mehmoos S., Umar A.I.

Cloud Computing is a cutting edge technology in market now a days. In Cloud Computing environment the customer should pay bills to use computing resources. Resource allocation is a primary task in a cloud environment. Significance of resources allocation and availability increase many fold because income of the cloud depends on how efficiently it provides the rented services to the clients. SLA (Service Level Agreement) is signed between the cloud Services Provider and the Cloud Services Consumer to maintain stipulated QoS (Quality of Service). It is noted that SLAs are violated due to several reasons. These may include system malfunctions and change in workload conditions. Elastic and adaptive approaches are required to prevent SLA violations. We propose an application level monitoring novel scheme to prevent SLA violations. It is based on elastic and scalable characteristics. It is easy to deploy and use. It focuses on application level monitoring.

10

Authors: Aain S., Shaikh F.A., Shaikh M.M.

In this study, we explore the problem of traffic congestion, its effects and related issues for Qasimabad, Hyderabad, Pakistan. The study is based on survey conducted at different sites of Qasimabad. The data was collected using a Questionnaire comprising of questions associated with traffic congestion and its causes. The data was analyzed with SPSS software. A main objective of this work is to present extent to which different driving behaviors are associated with each other. This is achieved using correlation analysis. Finally, recommendations to avoid transportation issues and traffic congestion in Qasimabad, Hyderabad based on present analysis are provided.

10

Authors: Qureshi S., Memon A.G., Abbasi A.F.

In Pakistan, the thermal efficiency of the power plants is low because of a huge share of fuel energy is dumped into the atmosphere as waste heat. The ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) has been revealed as one of the promising technologies to recover waste heat to enhance the thermal efficiency of the power plant. In current work, ORC is proposed as a second bottoming cycle for existing CCPP (Combined Cycle Power Plant). In order to assess the efficiency of the plant, a thermodynamic model is developed in the ESS (Engineering Equation Solver) software. The developed model is used for parametric analysis to assess the effects of various operating parameters on the system performance. The analysis of results shows that the integration of ORC system with existing CCPP system enhances the overall power output in the range of 150.5-154.58 MW with 0.24-5% enhancement in the efficiency depending on the operating conditions. During the parametric analysis of ORC, it is observed that inlet pressure of the turbine shows a significant effect on the performance of the system as compared to other operating parameters.

12

Authors: Sajid M., Ahsan K., Sarim M.

EA (Enterprise Architecture) is an instrument that is employed to describe the organization?s structure, business layout and operations within the IT (Information Technology) environment. Different types of organizations extensively employed EA for aligning their business and operations with IT resources. EA may also be employed in non-organizational setting such as service providing agencies; rescue, medical emergency and education services. This paper suggests an EAF (Enterprise Architecture Framework) for non-organizational setting by critically analyzing the top four EAs. The paper also proposes a new m-Health service model based on the mobile GPS (Global Positioning System) for train/rail passengers by employing the ArchiMate modeling language and compares the proposed model with existing service providers.

12

Authors: Mughees M., Awan F.G., Mughees A.

This paper addresses the issues of VVO (Volt/VAr Optimization) such as loss minimization, acceptable voltage profiles and optimized number of switching operations. Basic function of the DMS (Distribution Management System) is to upgrade system intelligence so that it can make dynamic decisions and control the network in realtime. Distributed generators can cause the system to operate above and below the desired limits due to their variable nature. Therefore, devices like SC (Shunt Capacitors) and OLTC (On Load Tap Changers) are used in distribution system as control devices. Main focus of this paper is to inspect effects of DG (Distributed Generation) on switching states of control devices while considering Volt/VAr standards. An optimization search algorithm is employed to search the optimal solution considering the system constraints. The GA (Genetic Algorithm) is used for the optimization process of the system and the simulation is done in MATLAB using IEEE-30 bus system with DG under 24 hour changing load profiles. By setting up constraints of distribution system?s voltage limits, capacitor bank and OLTC, losses are minimized up to 50%. Merits of the proposed optimized method are demonstrated through simulation results .The result achieved from the proposed technique has proven to be beneficial for switching optimization of control devices under variant conditions of loads and distributed generation

20

Authors: Mustafa G., Mahmood W., Ghani M.U.

Compute intensive programs generally consume significant fraction of execution time in a small amount of repetitive code. Such repetitive code is commonly known as hotspot code. We observed that compute intensive hotspots often possess exploitable loop level parallelism. A JIT (Just-in-Time) compiler profiles a running program to identify its hotspots. Hotspots are then translated into native code, for efficient execution. Using similar approach, we propose a methodology to identify hotspots and exploit their parallelization potential on multicore systems. Proposed methodology selects and parallelizes each DOALL loop that is either contained in a hotspot method or calls a hotspot method. The methodology could be integrated in front-end of a JIT compiler to parallelize sequential code, just before native translation. However, compilation to native code is out of scope of this work. As a case study, we analyze eighteen JGF (Java Grande Forum) benchmarks to determine parallelization potential of hotspots. Eight benchmarks demonstrate a speedup of up to 7.6x on an 8-core system