Archives-December 

In this chapter, we introduce (1,2)*-fg-closed maps, (1,2)*-fg-open maps, (1,2)*-fg*-closed maps and (1,2)*-fg*-open maps in Fuzzy bitopological spaces and obtain certain characterizations of these classes of maps. In last section, we introduce (1,2)*-fg*-homeomorphisms and prove that the set of all (1,2)*-fg*-homeomorphisms forms a group under the operation composition of functions.

Grid computing is a high performance computing environment to solve larger scale computational demands. Grid computing contains resource management, task scheduling, security problems, information management and so on. Task scheduling is a fundamental issue in achieving high performance in grid computing systems. A computational GRID is typically heterogeneous in the sense that it combines clusters of varying sizes, and different clusters typically contains processing elements with different level of performance. The scheduling problem is computationally hard even when there are no dependencies among jobs. Thus, the new local search (LS) and particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm seems to be efficient for the problem of batch job scheduling on computational grids. We consider the grid scheduling as a bi-objective optimization problem consisting of the minimization of the makespan and flowtime. The bi-objectivity is tackled through a hierarchic approach in which makespan is considered a primary objective and flowtime a secondary one. In this, a heuristic approach based on particle swarm optimization algorithm is adopted for solving task scheduling problem in grid environment. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is one of the latest evolutionary optimization techniques by nature. It has the better ability of global searching and has been successfully applied to many areas such as, neural network training etc. Due to the linear decreasing of inertia weight in PSO the convergence rate becomes faster, which leads to the minimal makespan time when used for scheduling. To make the convergence rate faster, the PSO algorithm is improved by modifying the inertia parameter, such that it produces better performance and gives an optimized result. The computational results show that our PSO & TS implementation clearly outperforms the compared algorithms. This work proposes optimization technique called Tabu search that is combined with the ant colony optimization and PSO technique to solve the grid scheduling problems.

Image morphing is a very important tool in film and animation industry. There is a potential need to do the research in the field of image morphing. There are lots of applications based on morphing in the area of image processing and image data security. There has been a significant improvement in the research related to image morphing in the past few years. In this paper, state of the art methods from 1980, s of morphing is discussed. In various sections of the paper methods related to transformation of pixels, interpolation and other methods of image morphing are discussed. A sincere attempt is made to address the comparison of these methods depending upon various parameters and techniques. This will help the researcher to compare and identify the method for further research. It is also highlighted the possible direction of research till date. Moreover the paper also contains a comprehensive bibliography of many selected papers appeared in reputed journals and conference proceedings as an aid for the researchers working in the field of image morphing. It includes old research papers to new research papers till date.

The karyotype is analyzed to detect the genetic abnormalities. It is generated by arranging the chromosomes after extracting them from the metaphase images. The chromosomes are non-rigid bodies that contain the genetic information of an individual. The metaphase spread contains the chromosomes but these chromosomes are not distinct bodies, they can either be individual chromosomes or they may be touching one another, they may be bent or even may be overlapping and thus forming a cluster of chromosomes. The extraction of these touching and overlapping chromosomes is a very tedious process. The segmentation of these may not give us correct and accurate results. Therefore before taking up a metaphase image for analysis it must be analyzed for the orientation of the chromosomes it contains. The various reported methods for metaphase image selection for automatic karyotype generation are compared in this paper, the images of metaphase spread are having hypo or hyper fluorescent regions and there is variability of contrast between the background and the chromosomes. After analysis it has been concluded that each metaphase image selection method has its advantages and disadvantages. The MetaSel software outperforms all the methods and is having the overall best performance.

Looking at markets at global level, every country has its own norms, traditions, and habits. If we look at market at nation level, every market is different from other market in that it has its own norms, traditions and habits which influence individuals’ purchase behavior in a given market. If selling company fails to undertake a thorough investigation into how buyers think about their target market and how buying behavior should be and how to use company’s products, they will encounter astonishing situation in which they have to pay huge costs. The present applied research concerns Management and Economy students of Islamic Azad University (Science and Research Branch). The sampling method of the study is a stratified random method. For variable measurements, a questionnaire was used; the reliability of the questionnaire was measured by Cronbach’s alpha, the amount of which was obtained 93 percent, indicating an acceptable reliability. For field operation part, a number of 246 questionnaires were completed. Non-parametric methods were also used for data analysis, and then the validity and reliability of the questionnaire were measured and confirmed. In this regard, the value of Cronbach’s alpha was obtained 93 percent, which indicates an acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. For inferential and testing hypothesis part, we used Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Spearman, structural equation modelling and Friedman. The results of hypothesis test led to the rejection of a number of hypotheses and significance of the relationship between variables. In the end, using structural equation modelling, researcher’s proposed model was fitted.

Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. It was depicted as a literary movement that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality. Whereas realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also attempts to determine "scientifically" the underlying forces influencing the actions of its subjects. Naturalistic works often include sordid subject matter, frankness about sexuality along with a pervasive pessimism. Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, violence, prejudice, disease, corruption, prostitution, and filth. This study focused on the Sadegh Choobak's Short Story A Man in the Cage from the viewpoint of literary naturalism. In this regard, the story's naturalistic features represented and discussed.

Team-based learning (TBL) is an effective way of incorporating interactive small group peer teaching and enthusiasm for learning. The objective of this study is to evaluated student perceptions of team based learning by using a survey that elicited perceptions of different modes of learning between UK and Pakistani students. Overall 733 students were selected on the basis of quota sampling between two countries. Student preferences of teamwork were measured with 15 items scale. These were self administered questionnaire asking for responses on a five point Likert scale. Structural equation model (SEM) was applied on the obtained data set to find the difference between the preferences of English and Pakistani students regarding teamwork. Both groups had a common definition of teams and agreed on the value of teams with regard to satisfaction and productivity. The result shows that there exists difference in student preferences of teamwork. Students of both the cultures show positive response that teams are effective way to learn the management courses and increase their productivity and working in a team improve their ability to learn new things. However, Pakistani students showed more preference for teamwork as compared to UK students. Their attitudes diverged, however, with regard to the presence of slackers on the team. Possible reasons for the similarities and divergence are discussed.

The present study investigates the problem of counterfeiting from consumer’s perspective. Fashion products and accessories like garments and shoes are the products that are mostly counterfeited. The present study profiles the consumers of counterfeit garments and shoes with respect to their demographic determinants such as age, education, income and occupation. Face to face interviews by using mall-intercept method were conducted on 200 consumers in Delhi, India. The findings revealed that students and private sector employees with low disposable income have a positive perception towards counterfeit garments.

HVA foods (Pvt) Ltd, is a company that is committed to enhancing the quality of life of discerning global consumers by providing natural beverages. Its parent Company HVA Lanka Exports (Pvt) Ltd, was established in 1990 as an off shore office of HVA International B V of The Netherlands. After becoming a fully Sri Lankan Enterprise by the mid 90s, HVA Foods has been the proud Winner of Six Gold Awards as the exporter of the year in both traditional and non-traditional exports from Sri Lanka. Their commitment to quality was acknowledged with the ISO 22000 in September 2007 to both HVA Foods (Pvt) Ltd and HVA Lanka Exports (Pvt) Ltd.

In all kinds of forums communication takes place. These forums could be social, academic, political, cultural, and technological. In a communication setting, information, messages and the whole array of ideas and suggestions are exchanged by groups of people. This paper will use “presenters” and “listeners” for these two groups of people. A further clarification in this realm of communication is production and reception. The production realm of communication will emphasize the oral skills, which necessarily imply speaking, and forms of Non-verbal Communication. The reception will include reading and listening. Currently however, in the communication spheres, it has become difficult to draw lines among the 4 basic communication skills of Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. It is not clear whether reading lies wholly on reception or whether it can also be considered a production aspect of communication. The situation being referred to here is where one reads out aloud to an audience. The basic question we would need to consider is when reading, is one engaged in producing or receiving as the listeners do? The field of psycholinguistics discerns these differences. They are not the specific focus of this paper. Likewise, in a writing session when one generates ideas as one writes can one be termed to be receiving or producing? The confines of this paper will be productive skills and the emphasis will be on presentation skills in the jurisdiction of speakers. The paper stakes its claim on the issue that the person who gives information orally has others listening to him/her. The presenters use Language or words in speech and Non-verbal cues to get their messages across. These cues are categorized as gestures, facial expressions and expressive movements. As the presenter manifests these communicative acts, certain impressions form in the mind of those at the receiving end and these in turn affect the presenter and create an impact on the listener/recipient of the information. The objective of this paper will be to discuss the paradoxes of the impact of oral presentation. It is a known fact, albeit subtly, that those who listen to a presentation affect the presenters. The impact of the listener on the presenter determines the level of communication. This is the focus of this paper.