Deriving consensus rankings via multicriteria decision making methodology

Purpose - This paper seeks to take a cautionary stance to the impact of the marketing mix on customer satisfaction, via a case study deriving consensus rankings for benchmarking on selected retail stores in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - The ELECTRE I model is used in deriving consensus rankings via multicriteria decision making method for benchmarking base on the marketing mix model 4P's. Descriptive analysis is used to analyze best practice among the four marketing tactics. Findings - Outranking methods in consequence constitute a strong base on which to found the entire structure of the behavioral theory of benchmarking applied to development of marketing strategy. Research limitations/implications - This study looks only at a limited part of the puzzle of how consumer satisfaction translates into behavioral outcomes. Practical implications - The study provides managers with guidance on how to generate a rough outline of potential marketing activities that can be used to take advantage of capabilities and convert weaknesses and threats. Originality/value - The paper interestingly portrays the effective usage of multicriteria decision-making and ranking method to help marketing managers predict their marketing trends

sEMG FEATURE EXTRACTION USING HYBRID TECHNIQUES FOR POWER X.A

This research is about the surface Electromyography (sEMG) feature extraction using hybrid method for Powered Exoskeleton Arm (Power X.A) application. The main objective of this research is to investigate the feature extraction techniques for EMG signal processing. This report is divided into 5 chapters. The first chapter is about the introduction, the second chapter is on the literature review and theory of this research, the third chapter is on the methodology used in this project, the fourth chapter is the discussion of the results and the final chapter is the conclusion and recommendation of this research. EMG is the biomedical signal and widely in used in clinical applications. This research can be divided into 3 parts where the 1st part is on the design on the experimental procedure, the 2nd part is on the signal acquisition and the 3rd part is on the feature extraction based on hybrid techniques. The raw EMG signal was collected from different test subjects and further processed in MATLAB to obtain the clean EMG signal. The most powerful EMG feature extraction which is wavelet techniques and mean absolute value was used for this research. The result shows that Daubechies wavelet order 7 in level 1 and 2 gives the best performance in EMG feature extraction

Compatibility And Degradability Of Kenaf-Filled Linear Low Density Polyethylene Polyvinyl Alcohol Composites

The research on natural fibres polymer composites are rapidly growing due to an increasing demand on environmentally friendly polymer products with reasonable price. The on-going efforts are focused on the improvement in overall properties of these composites. In this research work, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) blend were utilized as polymer matrices with a fixed composition at 60/40 (wt. %), whereas kenaf bast fiber (KNF) was used as filler. The effect of filler loading, as well as various chemical treatments on the natural filler towards the processing characteristic, tensile, structural, morphological, thermal and biodegradability properties of LLDPE/PVOH/KNF composites were explored. LLDPE/PVOH/KNF composites containing different KNF loadings (i.e. 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 phr) were prepared by means of melt-mixing and compression moulding. It was found that with increasing KNF loading, the processing torque, tensile modulus, thermal stability and water absorption of composites were increased. Nevertheless, tensile strength and elongation at break of composites were found declined. This indicated weak interfacial adhesion between LLDPE/PVOH matrices and KNF, as revealed by SEM studies. Natural weathering and soil burial has affected the properties of LLDPE/PVOH/KNF composites, as displayed by the deterioration in tensile properties, damage of exposed surfaces, and higher percentage of weight loss. Results from FTIR spectra further confirmed the occurrence of degradation with appearance of intense carbonyl peaks. The existence of chemical treatments of KNF has enhanced the tensile, morphological and thermal properties, as well as reduced the water absorption of LLDPE/PVOH/KNF composites. The chemical treatment of KNF was further confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Based on the results, it was found that addition of 3- (trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMS) treated KNF into LLDPE/PVOH matrices has increased the processing torque, tensile strength, tensile modulus, thermal stability and reduced the water absorption of the composites. This was evidenced by the enhanced interfacial adhesion between TMS-treated KNF and LLDPE/PVOH matrices in SEM analysis. Addition of treated KNF with eco-friendy coupling agent (EFCA), chromium (III) sulfate and lysine into LLDPE/PVOH matrices were found respectively increased the processing torque, tensile properties, thermal stability and reduced the water absorption of composites. Results from SEM analysis revealed an improvement in the interfacial adhesion between treated KNF and LLDPE/PVOH matrices. FTIR results also confirmed that chemical bonds were formed between coupling agents and KNF, subsequently provide linkages between KNF and LLDPE/PVOH matrices

Development of Distillation Column Model for MLNG Depropanizer Column - Incorporating Redlich-Kwong Equation of State

The growing importance of propane as an alternative fuel and refrigerant has intensified the need to optimize the production of propane from the MLNG depropanizer column. In order to achieve on-line optimization for the depropanizer column using Advanced Process Control Teclmiques (APC), an accurate distillation column model is essential. This report presents the preliminary work in developing an accurate distillation column model for the depropanizer column. The depropanizer column modeled is a 47-stage column processing feed which contains Propane, i- and n- Butane, i- and n- Pentane and n- Hexane. The model was developed based on MESH equations, using MA TLAB programming tool, as required by MLNG. The depropanizer column model was developed to account for the non-ideality of the mixture by incorporating RedlichKwong equation of state in the enthalpy balances. The outputs obtained from the model include vapor and liquid flow profiles, composition profiles and temperature profile of the depropanizer column. The model developed in the study was able to predict the flow profiles, plate composition and temperature to good accuracy. In the depropanizer column, vapor and liquid flow rates, and column temperature decrease from the bottom tray up to top tray. The composition of the desired product (propane.) -increases ascending the column. The inverse trends occur for other heavier components. "WhatIf' analysis, which can be used for optimization study, was also carried out on feed flow rate and reflux ratio. Conclusively, a functional model of the MLNG depropanizer column was successfully built

On Potential of Natural and Artificial Particulate Mixtures as Reinforcements in Hybrid Bio-composites

Efforts have been directed toward developing and characterizing natural fibers and fillers filled hybrid bio-composites through different combinations and modifications of constituent materials that consists of epoxy as matrix, sugarcane bagasse fibers, rice husk ash and nanosilica particulates. The interrelation behaviors between the matrix and the reinforcing phases are obtained through characterizations and experimentation using tensile and flexural tests, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and XRD tests

A novel principal component analysis method for identifying differentially expressed gene signatures

Microarray data sets contain a wealth of information on the gene expression levels for thousands of genes for small number of different conditions called assays. But, the information is hidden by high noise levels, and low signal levels. Data mining techniques are used to extract the information of genes related to the assays. This work proposed a powerful principal component analysis (PCA) based method in extend of PCA approach of Rollins et. al. (2006). The proposed method is able to generate gene signatures that expressed the most differently between two assay groups in a microarray data set. This work developed and evaluated two new test statistics based on PCA and they were found to be effective as evaluated in different case studies including real and simulated data. The methods proposed in this work were compared to the current method. The proposed method was favor in term of high statistical power and low false discovery rate. Therefore, the PCA based approach is highly recommended for use in gene expressions data analysis

A New Perspective of Translation Criticism: Descriptive Translation Studies

Descriptive translation studies (DTS) provides a new approach to translation studies which developed in the 1970s in the western world. This approach not only broadens the horizon of translation studies, but also shifts its focus to target language and target-oriented culture. This thesis, based on a general description of DTS and its developments and characteristics, chooses the article “The translation of Hong Lou Meng into English: A descriptive Study” as its model and tries to discuss how are the ways of description revealed in this article. Key words: descriptive translation studies, objects of description, ways of description Résumé: La traduction descriptive émergeant dans les années 70 du 20e siècle ouvre une nouvelle perspective pour l’étude de la traduction. Elle élargit non seulement le domaine d’étude de la traduction, mais aussi centre la recherche sur la langue et culture cible. L’article présente d’abord sommairement la théorie de la traduction descriptive, son développement et ses caractéristiques, et puis prend comme exemple l’essai intitulé « L’itinéraire inoubliable – étude descriptive sur le travail de traduction anglaise du « Rêve dans le pavillon rouge » pour examiner comment le moyen descriptif se traduit dans cet essai. Mots-clés: étude de la traduction descriptive, objet de description, manière de description 摘要：西方 20世紀 70年代發展起來的描寫翻譯為譯學研究提供了一個新的視角，它不僅拓寬了翻譯研究的範圍，而且將研究的焦點轉向以目的語及其文化為研究中心。本文在概述描寫譯學理論及其發展，特徵基礎上，選取 “難忘的歷程 ——《紅樓夢》英譯事業的描寫性研究 ”這篇論文，談談描寫方式在該論文中是如何體現出來的。關鍵詞：描寫翻譯研究；描寫對象；描寫方

Methods and Effects of Shadowing Using Online Authentic Videos on L2 Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones

Mandarin Chinese tones are notoriously difficult for second language (L2) learners. Previous research focuses on tone training methods that can help learners produce monosyllabic lexical tones, and studies about the production of multisyllabic lexical tones at the sentence level in spontaneous speech are limited. This study applies shadowing—a method where the learners repeat what they heard with as little delay as possible—to tone training and compares the effects of using authentic videos and textbook audios as shadowing materials for beginner L2 Mandarin learners’ tone improvement at the sentence level. Fourteen students in elementary Chinese classes at an American university participated in the tone training activity for four weeks. The participants in the “authentic video” group received authentic videos as their training materials, while the “textbook audio” group was trained with textbook audios. The participants shadowed the materials twice a week, six times per session, at home in their free time. Tone accuracy was rated by Mandarin native speakers according to the pre-test and the post-test consisting of a read-aloud task and a one-on-one conversation. Qualitative and quantitative surveys were conducted to analyze learners’ attitudes toward the shadowing activity and the materials. The results indicate that learners in both groups showed significant improvements in their accuracy in spontaneous speech with no significant differences between the two groups. As for learners’ attitudes, although the participants reported overall positive feedback on the shadowing activity regardless of the materials, authentic materials generated great interest from the participants and were more appealing to the learners. A strong correlation between learners’ confidence in speaking and flexibility of the activity was also found. Based on the finding, pedagogical implications are discussed, including how to select suitable materials and shadowing instructions. For example, educators could introduce textbook audios first and gradually add authentic materials. The findings provide Mandarin Chinese instructors an effective and engaging way to improve learners’ tone production in spontaneous speaking. Incorporating shadowing activities into class has great potential to encourage learners’ autonomy without occupying precious class time. The findings not only contribute to research on teaching Chinese as a second language and the related pedagogy but also shed light on the use of authentic materials in second language teaching and learning

Preparation, Characterization And Properties Of Polypropylene/Waste Tyre Dust/Kenaf Powder Composites

Thermoplastic elastomer composites of polypropylene (PP)/waste tyre dust (WTD)/kenaf powder (KNFp) were prepared with a fix thermoplastic elastomer blend composition of PP/WTD at 70/30 (wt./wt.%). The amount of KNFp used in this research was 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 phr. All composites were prepared using a Thermo Haake Rheomix Polydrive R600/610 internal mixer at temperature of 180°C and rotor speed of 50 rpm for a mixing time of 10 minutes. The results showed that the stabilization torque, tensile modulus, water uptake and thermal stability of composites increased with increasing KNFp loading. However, the tensile strength and elongation at break was decreased. By substituting KNFp with kenaf short fiber (KNFs), the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composites were higher. However, the increasing in processing torque causes a difficulty during preparation of the PP/WTD/KNFs composites. Addition of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to the composites has resulted in higher stabilization torque, tensile strength and tensile modulus, whereas the elongation at break and water uptake were lower. APTES was found to be effective to act as coupling agent due to the enhancement in interfacial adhesion of the composites, as shown by the SEM micrographs. For PP/WTD/KNFp composites with the addition of phthalic anhydride (PA), tensile strength, tensile modulus and water uptake were increased, but the elongation at break and processing torque were decreased