Archives-December  

In the present day scenario rapid product development (RPD) becomes essential for product manufacturers for their survival. However, success of RPD depends on advancement and effective utilization of many more available technologies. Now with the availability of Computer Aided Design (CAD) / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) for RPD making the demands of the present day industry are taken care. The product development by CAD/CAM reduces the considerable time of equipment and is made with higher accuracy and repeat-ability resulting in faster development of products and less rejection in the long run this approach to product developing results in cost effectiveness. This paper reviews the technological advancements in CAD/CAM Systems. This paper also depicts the lead-time reduction in product development through modeling with CAD/CAM and application of reverse engineering, Rapid prototyping and CNC approach to RPD.

Fingerprint recognition is one of the most prominent biometric identification techniques. The features of fingerprint are broadly classified into three categories namely level 1, level 2 and level 3 features. In order to increase the recognition rate here the hierarchical matching technique is used which allows us to use all levels of features hierarchically. The level 3 features can be observed only in 1000 dpi images. So the matching is performed on a 1000 dpi fingerprint database captured using Hamster IV fingerprint scanner. At the first level of hierarchical matching the agreement between two orientation images is tested using dot product of the images. If an image is accepted at the first level it is brought to the second level of matching where minutiae details are tested. If an image crosses this stage as accepted then the decision will be taken as genuine otherwise the image will be given to the third level. The third level extracts the level 3 features such as pores and ridge contour points using Dynamic Anisotropic Pore Model (DAPM) and Mexican hat wavelet transform respectively. For each matched minutiae the pores and ridge contour points within the associated region of that minutiae will be matched. Based on the third level of matching a person is accepted as genuine or rejected as imposter.

This paper presents a queuing model to evaluate the latency associated with file transfers or replications in peer-to-peer (P2P) computer systems. The main contribution of this paper is a modelling framework for the peers that accounts for the file size distribution, the search time, load distribution at peers, and number of concurrent downloads allowed by a peer. We propose a queuing model that models the nodes or peers in such systems as M/G/1/K processor sharing queues. The model is extended to account for peers which alternate between online and offline states. The proposed queuing model for the peers is combined with a single class open queuing network for the routers interconnecting the peers to obtain the overall file transfer latency. We also show that in scenarios with multipart downloads from different peers, a rate proportional allocation strategy minimizes the download times.

The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which CBOs in Kisumu County apply Ansoff's Product Market Growth Strategy. In this context the study examined the four Ansoff's growth Strategies namely: Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development and Diversification Strategies. The study was descriptive in nature. The population of interest consisted of Community Based Organizations in Kisumu County which numbered 223 CBOs. Given the large number of CBOs, a sample size was targeted and random sampling conducted. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to the respondents through drop and pick later method. Out of a targeted sample of 69 CBOs, 59 of them responded giving 85% response rate while data was analyzed using mean scores, standard deviation and t-tests. Findings showed that CBOs apply all the four growth strategies with market penetration being the most widely applied. The respondents stated relevance in services/products offering as the most influencing factor to their strategic choice while attracting donor funding remained the least. On views on how to improve on the capacities and growth of local CBOs, majority respondents expressed improved funding, improved community mobilization and improved method of service/products delivery as most applicable. Study findings present market penetration strategy as the most preferred through free added services. This is an indication of what heads of CBOs should pursue in order to achieve their organizational growth. Pursuit of Relevance in service offerings and competition are leading factors influencing choice of strategy. While the study served to fill a knowledge gap, it has well opened more areas like exploring levels of competition within CBOs by scholars. The fact that there is growth in CBOs should inform the Government and other nongovernmental organizations that CBOs have a role to play in achieving millennium goals. Thus, handling of CBOs operational limitations like lack secure and permanent facilities are crucial dimensions for their growth.

Alcohol abuse is a major global contributing factor to death, disease and injury. Alcohol abuse results in approximately 2.5 million deaths each year, with a net loss of 2.25 million lives, considering the estimated beneficial impact of low levels of alcohol use on some diseases in some population groups. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of religious affiliations on alcohol abuse among public school teachers in Nyeri County. The study used both correlational design and phenomenological design. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in determining the relationship existing between religious affiliation and alcohol abuse and establishing the perception of teachers on alcohol abuse respectively. The study utilised the stratified sampling methodology to select participating teachers in each sub-county and level of the school (primary or secondary). The study had a sample size of 385 respondents. The ratio of primary school teachers to secondary school teachers in the overall teacher population was 5:3 which was also observed in the sample mainly attributed to the high number of primary schools as compared to secondary schools. A sampling frame was obtained from Teachers Service Commission (TSC) providing a list of all teachers in the county and the schools they teach in. The study utilized the stratified sampling methodology to select participants, where strata used was the subcounty and type of school (primary/secondary). A sample of 385 teachers was selected from a population of 6,264 from Nyeri County. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was coded and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The religious affiliations and alcohol abuse had a weak correlation of .290). However, religious affiliation had no significant effect on alcohol abuse among the teachers at .096. The study concludes that there is a relationship between religious affiliation and alcohol abuse among school teachers in Nyeri County. The study recommends religious affiliations to be encouraged as a part of prevention strategies.

Lifestyle in the modern society along with human behavior and thinking is changing dramatically with the advancement of technology, and the concept of a simple home is changing into a smart home. Home Security has been a major issue where crime is increasing and everybody wants to take proper measure to prevent intrusion, besides homes the system is also implemented in business premises and office. This project is residential intrusion detection and it detects the face by using image processing

Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS) is generally a rare complication, little-known, and remains probably under-diagnosed. Its causes and favorable factors are numerous. Eclampsia is widely one of those factors. The diagnosis is raised based on clinical and radiological signs and an adequate and early management usually help prevent the occurrence of irreversible sequels.

Sugarcane is one of the industrial crops used as raw material for several major and minor industries. In Khuzestan, which contains most of the sugarcane farms of Iran, sugarcane is harvested either in green or burnt method. Mechanized harvesting has been replaced by manual harvesting during recent years. Delay in milling of the harvested sugarcane is caused by different reasons in agro-industry units, in addition, methods of harvesting including green and burnt harvesting can cause qualitative and quantitative losses of canes. Thus, a split-plot in time design was executed, with the randomized complete block basic design in 5 replications, in Hakim Farabi agro-industry in 2015. The results showed that the interaction between time delay and harvesting method was significant in 5% level of probability in the main traits of sugarcane i.e. the amount of yellow and white sugar which is affected by other qualitative and quantitative factors. In such a way that the amount of yellow and white sugar during 5 days delay in burnt sugarcane was respectively 1.96 and 1.63 tons per each 100 tons, whereas the amount was 1.3 and 1.08 tons in green harvesting of sugarcane. Thus, compared to burnt sugarcane, green harvesting is less sensitive toward time delay. The invert, which represents loss of sugarcane quality, was separately significant in harvest and time treatments respectively in 1% and 5% levels of probability; in such a way that was 1.7 times higher in burnt sugarcane compared to green one day. The amount of invert in 5th day was 1.35 higher than 4th day.

If the Business Model is a central concept in traditional entrepreneurship research, it constitutes also an emergent concept and a subject of many pioneer investigations in the context of social entrepreneurship. Indeed, assuring a sufficient and sustainable financing of social activities is one of the most critical issues facing the social entrepreneurship. This paper introduces the concept of Social Business Model and present its specificities compared to the Traditional Business Model. By transposing the traditional business model literature, we will present a framework able to apprehend the specificity of social activities.

The contemporary Nigeria society has been a theatre of unending insurgency from the Fulani herdsmen. The spate of violent attacks from these insurgents against farmers in various part of the country has become a thing of great worry to all. This is moreso as the federal government appears unwilling to bring to book those behind the increasing deadly menace. This paper will therefore seek to examine the socio-ethical religious implications of the above insurgency with a view to charting the way forward. Relevant published texts across the country and the structural conflict theory provided the leverage for this study.