as is well known, estimating parameters of the tree-parameter weibull distribution is a complicated task and sometimes contentious area with several methods vying for recognition. weibull distribution involves in reliability studies frequently and has many applications in engineering. however estimating the parameters of weibull distribution is crucial in classical ways. this distribution has t...

this article deals with the issues associated with developing a new design methodology for the nonlinear model-predictive control (mpc) of a chemical plant. a combination of multiple neural networks is selected and used to model a nonlinear multi-input multi-output (mimo) process with time delays.  an optimization procedure for a neural mpc algorithm based on this model is then developed. the p...

this paper investigates the performances of artificial neural networks approximation, the translog and the fourier flexible functional forms for the cost function, when different production technologies are used. using simulated data bases, the author provides a comparison in terms of capability to reproduce input demands and in terms of the corresponding input elasticities of substitution esti...

conventionally, regression and time series analyses have been employed in modeling water demand forecasts. in recent years, the relatively new technique of neural networks (nns) has been proposed as an efficient tool for modeling and forecasting. the objective of this study is to investigate the relatively new technique of gmdh – type neural networks for the use of forecasting long – term urban...

abstract to get ride of fragile and unsustainable single product export, a comprehensive knowledge of export potential and comparative advantage is required. agricultural products can be considered as a suitable target for this purpose. for more efficient planning for agricultural products export, proper forecasting is necessary. to achieve this goal, two methods were used and compared. first, ...

A parametric study was carried out in order to investigate the buckling capacity of the vertically stiffened cylindrical shells. To this end ANSYS software was used. Cylindrical steel shells with different yield stresses, diameter-to-thickness ratios (D/t) and number of stiffeners were modeled and their buckling capacities were calculated by displacement control nonlinear static analysis.  Radi...

estimation (forecasting) of industrial production costs is one of the most important factor affecting decisions in the highly competitive markets. thus, accuracy of the estimation is highly desirable. hibrid regression neural network is an approach proposed in this paper to obtain better fitness in comparison with regression analysis and the neural network methods. comparing the estimated resul...

this paper presents the application of three main artificial neural networks (anns) in damage detection of steel bridges. this method has the ability to indicate damage in structural elements due to a localized change of stiffness called damage zone. the changes in structural response is used to identify the states of structural damage. to circumvent the difficulty arising from the non-linear n...

the work exposure conditions such as dust concentration, exposure time, use of respiratory protection devices and smoking status are effective to cause pulmonary function disorder. the objective of this study was prediction of pulmonary disorders in workers exposed to silica dust using artificial neural networks and logistic regression. a sample of 117 out of 150 workers employed in the stone c...