RESEARCH ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE
Transcription
RESEARCH ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE
RESEARCH AT ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE 2007-2009 RESEARCH AT ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE 2007-2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE 4 RESEARCH CENTERS 6 COLLEGE INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCES 7 ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS BIOTECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING 8 ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING 18 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT 26 MATHEMATICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS 38 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING 50 ©2009 ORT Braude College PHYSICS 58 Compiled by: Moti Elnekave Jimmy Nishry David Shoikhet SOFTWARE ENGINEERING & INFORMATION SYSTEMS 62 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING 70 LIST OF RESEARCHERS 80 Produced by: ORT Braude College Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE CONFERS A BACHELOR OF SCIENCES (B.SC.) DEGREE IN THE FOLLOWING FIELDS: • • • • Applied Mathematics Biotechnology Engineering Electrical and Electronic Engineering Industrial Engineering and Management • • • • Information Systems Engineering Mechanical Engineering Optical Engineering (as of academic year 2010/2011) Software Engineering The College is continually developing new study programs, in step with the country’s economic and industrial development. ASIDE FROM THE B.SC. DEGREES, THE COLLEGE OFFERS ITS STUDENTS, THE FOLLOWING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS: • Pre-Academic Studies • Practical Engineering • Continuing Education > Prof. Yohanan Arzi, College President ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE ORT Braude College (OBC) strives for excellence in teaching and research in the fields of engineering and science. We achieve this by empowering the individual and establishing strong ties with industry, academia and the community. The campus is situated in the central Galilee, in the western district of the city of Karmiel. It is spread over 25 acres on a hillside with panoramic views of the Beit Hakerem Valley and the Galilean hills. The chosen geographic location is in direct response to national and regional needs: it serves as an academic center for the region; increases the accessibility to higher education in the north of the country and contributes to the educational enrichment of in the Galilee. • Youth Center for Science Enrichment • Teacher Certification in Science and Technology Vision: ORT Braude College strives to be the first choice for students and faculty, working to promote excellence in teaching and research while emphasizing each individual’s personal needs. At the same time, the college aims to play a leading role in community activity and the development of the Galilee. Consistent with our vision, during the last decade research plays an important role at OBC. This publication presents a summary of research achievements during the three-year period, 2007-2009. Approximately 90 faculty and adjunct members took part in research, yielding 71 research areas, 167 published papers in refereed journals, and over 200 papers presented at professional national and international conferences. Research and involvement in related activities positions the researcher in the mainstream flow of information regarding new developments in related fields. Being updated in current developments, gives the researcher added validity and better academic credentials in teaching. The College plays an important role in the development and prosperity of the Galilee and its communities, and attracts a diverse range of students. Many choose to live in the north after graduation. At OBC, dedication to excellence and high academic standards provides the graduates with the education and skills to meet their personal and professional goals in engineering and in science. At OBC, we cultivate independent learning to prepare students for the future as engineers in a fast-changing technological world. We invest substantial resources in training, improvement of teaching methods and student support systems to create an environment that is both nurturing and challenging. Our principal goal is to continue to advance the College as a leading academic institution. To this end, we remain committed to uncompromising academic excellence and to the cultivation of fruitful educational experiences. 4 5 RESEARCH CENTERS Industrial Engineering and Management, Ort Braude College. Additional information and reports are available at our website: http://brd4.braude.ac.il/cranet/ TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER RESEARCH ACTIVITY THE GALILEE RESEARCH CENTER FOR APPLIED MATHEMATICS OF ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE The Galilee Research Center for Applied Mathematics was established by the Department of Mathematics of ORT Braude College. This Center reflects ongoing research collaboration with universities in Israel and abroad. Our activities include a regular seminar which hosts mathematicians from other universities in Israel and abroad. Since 1998, we conducted seven one/two-day’s workshops and four international conferences. The scientific program of these conferences includes 60-80 lectures of high level mathematicians from 20-26 countries. The conferences are documented in formal proceedings, entitled “Complex Analysis and Dynamical Systems I, II and III” published by American Mathematical Society in the “Contemporary Mathematics” series. The extensive collaboration with many mathematical centers in Israel and overseas is worthy of mentioning. Among others, they include Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan, Israel); Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa, Israel); Universität Potsdam, (Potsdam, Germany); Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden); Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, (Rome, Italy); Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Mexico City, Mexico); Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Madrid, Spain); Stefan Banach International Mathematical Center (Warsaw, Poland) and University of South Florida (Tampa, USA). The Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) was established in 2005 in conjunction with the college strategy to promote students’ learning and thinking skills, decrease first year (freshmen) drop-out rates, and to enhance excellence in teaching. TLC programs include courses for learning and development of thinking skills, compulsory for all freshmen students. Peer-lead workshops conducted by high-achieving students gather in smallgroups, forming a collaborative problem-solving setting, a program for supporting underachieving students. In addition, personal coaching is provided by college lecturers for students with unsatisfactory academic learning habits. All TLC programs are closely shadowed by researched in order to assess their effectiveness and to provide recommendations for future application. Research tries to reveal the roots of difficulties and failure among students, deriving it’s data from participating students’ factual performance and from perceptions of students and lecturers regarding programs’ contribution. Research fields include Geometric Function Theory, Dynamical Systems, General Relativity, Partial Differential Equations with applications, Functional Analysis and Nonlinear Analysis, Operator Theory, Mathematical Control Theory, Differential Games and Optimization. > Prof. David Shoikhet Vice President of Academic Affairs & Director of Research CRANET - CRANFIELD NETWORK ON COMPARATIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Cranet is an established group of top business schools and academic institutions, all collaborating to provide unique and rigorous data on human resource management practices across the world. Cranet provides a coherent and accurate picture of international and comparative Human Resource Management (HRM). To date, 40 countries around the world belong to the project. The Centre for European Human Resource Management at the Cranfield School of Management (UK) coordinates the project through the collaboration of universities and business schools in the participating countries. In Israel, Cranet project is managed by Prof. Amnon Caspi from the laboratory of human resources at the business school, Bar Ilan University, and Dr. Hilla Peretz from the department of 6 COLLEGE INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCES • ORT Braude College Interdisciplinary Research Conference (annual event) • The Impact of Corrosion on Environment (Feb 2009) 7 TISSUE ENGINEERING OF SKELETAL MUSCLE UNDER MECHANICAL STIMULATIO DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING Rosa Azhari and Ehud Kroll (Technion, Israel) Tissue Engineering aims at generating bio-artificial tissue for replacing diseased, degenerated or damages tissue. In tissue engineering, cells are seeded on synthetic or natural scaffolds, that provide a platform for cell proliferation and differentiation, and the constructs are grown in bioreactors. One of the obstacles encountered in tissue engineering is the inability to obtain functional bio-artificial tissue, with structural hierarchy and biomechanical properties identical to those of the native one. Previous studies have demonstrated that the mechanical environment plays a critical role in tissue development, especially in those tissues that operate in mechanically-challenging physiological settings. This research aims to study the effects of mechanical stimulation on skeletal muscle tissue development and organization and on the properties of the engineered muscle tissue. Hybrid Mats, produced by electrospinning, are used as scaffolds for growing skeletal muscle tissue in a bioreactor containing a stretching device. The device can be programmed to apply various stretching patterns on the constructs during tissue development in the bioreactor. Keywords: Skeletal muscle, Tissue Engineering, Mechanotransduction, Electrospinning > Dr. Ditza Levin D.Sc., Department Head RESEARCH AREAS > Prof. Rosa Azhari and Dr. Ditza Levin at the Tissue Culture Lab. A NOVEL METHODOLOGY IN THERAPY OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ADJUVANTS Maria Grozovski, Sigal Korem, Michal Maoz and Iris S. Weitz. Rosa Azhari and Ditza Levin. The metabolic syndrome and high cholesterol are recognized as the two important risk factors for the development of fatty liver disease and damage to the cardiovascular system. Therefore, much attention has focused on its treatment. In our research we examine the therapeutic potential of an aqueous I. viscosa extract on metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation in rats with fatty liver and on the use of nanoformulation of statins for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Vaccine design is a major challenge in the battle against newly emerged infectious diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, and different Influenza pandemics. The development of Immunotherapy for cancer or autoimmune diseases based on the use of a vaccination approach is also a key line of research. An effective vaccine is dependent on the inclusion of adjuvant in addition to the specific immunizing pathogen or antigen. Very few adjuvants are available for human vaccines and they are limited in their potential to dictate the desired immune response. We study the development of an innovative generic adjuvant that will enable to direct the immune response to the protective type against the specific pathogen or pathogenic disease. This adjuvant is based on immuno-microspheres that are generated by a coacervation process and are composed from a combination of different natural materials. The composition of these microspheres facilitates the encapsulation of antigens and immunomodulators and allows binding of targeting agents to the microspheres. The microspheres can target the antigen to professional antigen presenting cells that are crucial for the initiation of an efficient immune response and can dictate the type of response. Keywords: Immunology, controlled release, targeting, microencapsulation 8 Keywords: Metabolic syndrome, Fatty liver, Hypercholesterolemia, nanoformulation FATE AND TRANSPORT OF NANOMATERIALS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF HOC’S IN SOIL-WATER SYSTEMS Isam Sabbah The objective of this research is to determine the release points of engineered carbon nanotubes (NPs) into the environment and the physical and chemical properties controlling the transport and transformation of these nanomaterials and associated pollutants in environmental media. Such studies become very relevant with the increasing implementation of wastewater recycling, irrigation with marginal waters, etc. The work will include characterization of the size, electrical charge/pH relationships, surface chemistry and hydraulic properties of natural and engineered NPs. 9 Also new modeling approaches are proposed here to improve the understanding of the impact of strong nonlinear sorption on rates of desorption and hence the bioavailability of contaminants associated to NPs for a better prediction of environmental impacts. The outcomes of this study will provide fundamental and basic physicochemical behavior of NPs and CNTs on the transport, fate and bioavailability of HOCs in soil-water systems related to seepage and groundwater contamination. This information is highly needed for assessing environmental risk, and will be used by regulatory authorities to assess global changes issues in Israel and beyond. Keywords: NP; Bioavailability; Adsorption; Groundwater > Biotechnology Engineering Teaching and Research - Immunology Lab MOLECULAR MODELING OF POLYMERS AND BIOPOLYMERS Dafna Knani and D. Alperstein (Department of Mechanical Engineering) > Dr. Isam Sabbah at the Chromatography Lab NATURAL PRODUCTS POSSESSING BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY Tova Cohen, Michal Maoz and Iris S. Weitz. There is ongoing research on plant extracts that acquire biological activity. Natural materials are extracted in our labs and some are commercials. The following research topics involve natural extracts: Some examples of research projects in this field are: PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ENZYME GLUCOSE FUEL CELL 1. Computational research of the interaction of CNTs with various molecules which may serve as surfactants, used for improving CNTs dispersion in aqueous media. 2. Computational research of the interactions between various organogelator molecules in polymer matrix. Understanding the characteristics of known gelators will enable to develop new oganogelators that can be used for Introducing new properties to the polymer matrix at a nanometric scale. 3. Investigation of peroxide crosslinking of a styrene - free unsaturated polyester alkyd. The research is focused on network analysis by Monte Carlo simulation technique and crosslinking mechanism using quantum mechanics codes. 4. Molecular Modeling of Charges Biopolymers Interactions. In this study, the interactions between two biopoymers, gelatin (positively charged) and chondroitin sulphate (negatively charged) in aqueous media are investigated. Lea. Mor, and Zeev. Rubin (Department of Physics) Keywords: molecular modeling, organogelator, carbon nanotube, charged biopolymers a. Antifungal activity against dermatophytes and wood decay fungi b. Inhibition of cancer cell cultures c. Synergism: treatment with combination of natural materials d. Active materials extraction from the plants` soil, without harming the plant e. New approach to dissolve natural extracts in water, which naturally dissolve only in organic solvents, while conserving their biological activity f. Formulation of water soluble metallic oxide nanoparticles with antifungal agents Keywords: natural products, metallic oxide nanoparticles, fungicide, wood preservative This research is part of an effort to develop a glucose-fuelled fuel cell. To study the resistivity of the fuel cell, experimental and theoretical considerations of the electrode and the electrolyte solution were studied. A model was adopted to relate fuel cell conductivity to fuel and electrolyte concentrations. The results showed that the resistivity increased with an increase in the glucose concentration. The physical properties of the species (i.e. radii, thermal velocity) and the chemical equilibrium constant of the reaction that glucose undergoes in an alkaline solution can be estimated by comparing the experimental results with the theory. An enzyme electrode for the glucose fuelled fuel cell was developed. The electrode consisted of an enzyme coupled to a gold or silver coated carbon film. The fuel cell was characterized for its conductivity, and the coupled enzyme was characterized for its activity and stability. Keywords: glucose fuel cell, electrolyte, conductivity, coupled enzyme 10 Molecular modeling research is performed using state of the art software techniques: Molecular mechanics and dynamics models are used for prediction and analyzing polymers properties and polymer - additives blends; Quantum mechanics enables calculation of reaction profiles and energies. Coursegrained models are used for polymer - polymer blends miscibility; QSAR software is used for prediction of properties by studying the correlations between molecular parameters and a property of interest. Molecular modeling of Chondroitin sulphate –Water - Gelatin cell Molecular modeling of CNT and anthracene molecule Molecular modeling of amorphous cell Containing polypropylene and the organogelator DBS 11 CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS WASTEWATER AND ORGANIC WASTE EQUAL FOOD AND ENERGY Joint conference with the Department of Industrial Engineering & Management, 2009 http://conferences.braude.ac.il/environmentalIndustry10/Default.aspx WOOD MICROBIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM, 2008 http://www.braude.ac.il/Apps/WW/Page.aspx?ws=881d3d84-752a-45e1-8d3b350f6d7697da&page=213ebdb0-2b46-4fd8-a811-0a410e08cae4 TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT THE INDUSTRY IS NOT THE ENEMY OF THE ENVIRONMENT Joint conference with the Department of Industrial Engineering & Management, 2008 http://conferences.braude.ac.il/environmentalIndustry/Default.aspx REFEREED PAPERS D. Levin, R. DiPaolo, C. Brinster, J. M. Revilleza, L. F. Boyd, L. Teyton, K. Natarajan, M. G. Mage, E. M. Shevach and D. H. Margulies, Availability of Autoantigenic Epitopes Controls Phenotype, Severity, and Penetrance in TCR Transgenic Autoimmune Gastritis, Eur. J. Immunol. 38, 2008, 3339-3353. L. Mor, Z. Rubin and P. Schechner, Measuring Open Circuit Voltage in Glucose Alkaline Fuel Cell Operated as a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor, Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, 5(1), 914503, 2008, 1-4. O. Hussein, M. Grozovski, S. Schlesinger, S. Svalb and N. Assy, Orlistat Reverse Fatty Infiltration and Improves Hepatic Fibrosis in Obese Patients with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 52(10), 2007, 2512-2519. O. Hussein, M. Grozovski, E. Lasri, S. Svalb and N. Assy, Monounsaturated Fat Decrease Hepatic Lipid Content in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Rats, World Journal of Gastroenterology, 13(3), 2007, 361-368. N. Massalha, S. Basheer, and I. Sabbah, Effect of Adsorption and Bead Size of Immobilized Biomass on the Rate of Biodegradation Of Phenol at High Concentration Levels, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 46, 2007, 6820-6824. ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION A. Abid, O. Taha, W. Nseir, R. Farah, M. Grozovski and N. Assy, Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with Fatty Liver Disease Independently by Metabolic Syndrome, Journal of Hepatology, 51(5), 2009, 918-924. Z. Ackerman, M. Oron-Herman O. Pappo, E. Peleg, R. Safadi, H. Schmilovitz-Weiss and M. Grozovski, Hepatic Effects of Rosiglitazone in rats with the Metabolic Syndrome, Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, accepted for publication, 2009. N. Assy, Z. Beniashvili, A. Djibre, G. Nasser, M. Grozovski and W. Nseir, Lower Baseline ALT Cut-Off Values and HBV DNA Levels Better Differentiate HBeAg Chronic Hepatitis B Patients from Inactive Chronic Carriers, World Journal of Gastroenterology, 15(24), 2009, 3025-3031. D. Alperstein, N. Kornberg and D. Knani, A Study of Fire Retardant Blooming In HIPS By Molecular Modeling, Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 20, 2009, 1–6. N. Assy, A. Djibre, M. Grozovski, R. Farah, F. Nassar and A. Marmor, Presence of Coronary Plaques in Patients with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, (NAFLD) Radiology, 2009 (In press). N. Assy, G. Nasser, F. Nassar and M. Grozovski, Olive Oil Consumption and Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, World Journal of Gastroenterology, 15(15), 2009, 1809-1815. I. Mironi-Harpaz, D. Alperstein, D. Knani and M. Narkis, Curing of Styrene-Free Unsaturated Polyester Alkyd: Synthesis, Characterization and Simulation, Polymer International, accepted for publication, 2009. BOOKS AND CHAPTERS IN BOOKS M. Borisover, A Sas, I. Sabbah, and G. Lavie, Characterization of Effluent DOM using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Water and Irrigation, 506, (Hebrew), 2009, 26-32. A. Khatib, F. Aqra, N. Yagi, S. Basheer, I. Sabbah, B. Al-Hayek, and M. Musa, Environmental Pollution Resulting from Olive Oil Production in Palestine, South. Braz. J. Chem., 17(17), 2009. A. Khatib, F. Aqra, N. Yagi, Y. Subuh, B. Hayeek, M. Musa, S. Basheer, and I. Sabbah, Reducing the Environmental Impact of Olive Mill Wastewater, Amer. J. Environ. Sci., 5(1), 2009, 1-6. N. Assy, F. Nassar and M. Grozovski, Monosaturated Fat Enriched with Olive Oil in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, chapter in book, Olives and Oil in Health and Disease Prevention, Life Science, San Diego, CA, USA, (In press, 2009). I. Sabbah and A. Rayan, Wastewater Treatment in The Arab villages, Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2007 (Book in Hebrew) http://www.jiis.org.il/imageBank/File/publications/isam-eng.pdf. E. Krasnits, E. Friedler, I. Sabbah, M. Beliavski, S. Tarre, and M. Green, Spatial Distribution of microbial population in a well established constructed wetland treating municipal wastewater, J. Ecological Eng., 35, 2009, 1085-1089. M. Sammar, C. Sieber and P. Knaus, Biochemical and Functional Characterization of the Ror2/Brib Receptor Complex, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 381, 2009, 1–6. 12 13 CONFERENCE PROCEEDING AND ABSTRACTS Z. Ackerman, M. Grozovski, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, B.A. Sela and G. Amir, Effects of Amlodipine, Captopril and Bezafibrate on Splenic Histology and Splenocytes Apoptosis in Rats with Fatty Liver, The 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009. N. Assy, G. Nasser, I. Kamayse, W. Nseir and M. Grozovski, Soft Drink Consumption Linked with Fatty Liver Independently by Metabolic Syndrome Diagnosis, The 44th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009. K. Baransi, Y.Dubowski and I. Sabbah, Synergetic Effect of Photocatalytic Degradation and Adsorption Processes on the Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Agro-Industrial Effluent, Xenowac-2009 Conference, Cyprus, 2009. A. Djibre, A. Marmor, M. Grosovski, R. Farah, F. Nassar and N. Assy, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases and Sub Clinical Coronary Atherosclerosis, The Annual Meeting of the Israeli Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Liver Disease, Kfar Blum, Israel, 2009. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, D. Daod, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Association Between Excessive Soft Drink Consumption and Coronary Artery Disease and Early Atherosclerosis, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, R. Farah, F. Nassar, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases and Sub Clinical Coronary Atherosclerosis, 3rd International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, Nice, France, 2009. D. Knani and D. Alperstein, In Silico Studies of 1,3:2,4-Dibenzylidene-D-Sorbitol as a Gelator for Polypropylene, NanoIsrael 2009, Jerusalem, 2009. M. Maoz, C. Freitag and J. J. Morrell, Potential Synergy between Natural Product Extracts for Limiting Fungal Decay.Preservation, document No. IRG/WP/09-30495, Stockholm, Sweden. 2009, (8 pages). N. Massalha, M. Green and Sabbah I., Combined CEPT with Intermittent Bio-Filter for WWT in Rural Areas, the 6th Israeli Water Association, Israel, 2009. B. Royman, A. Marmor, A. Dvorin, M. Grozovski, M. Daitzman and N. Assy, Fatty Liver Predicts the Presence of Coronary Plaques and Early Atherosclerosis Independently by Visceral Fat Accumulation, the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the study of liver disease, Boston, USA, 2009. I. Sabbah, Agro-Industrial Wastewater is Good Biogas Source, Terni, Italy, 2009, (Invited talk). I. Sabbah and N. Massalha, Development of Biomass Adaptation for the Treatment of Strong Wastewater (Agro-Industrial) Olive Mill Waste (OMW) as a Model, the 6th Israeli Water Association, Israel, 2009. I. Sabbah, W. P. Ball, P. C. D’Adamo and E. J. Bouwer, Modeling the Effect of Aging on Naphthalene and Phenanthrene Desorption Rates from Environmental Solids, Xenowac-2009 Conference, Paphos, Cyprus, 2009. M. Grozovski, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, B. A. Sela, G. Amir and Z. Ackerman, Effects of Amlodipine, Captopril and Bezafibrate on Splenic Histology and Splenocytes Apoptosis in Rats with Fatty Liver, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. Z. Ackerman, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, O.Pappo, G.Link, B.Sela and M. Grozovski, Hepatic Effects of Rosiglitazone in Rats with the Metabolic Syndrome, the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Milan, Italy, 2008. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, R. Farah, F. Nassar, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases and Sub Clinical Coronary Atherosclerosis, 3rd International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, Nice, France, 2009. Z. Ackerman, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, O. Pappo, G. Link, B. Sela and M. Grozovski, Hepatic Effects of Rosiglitazone in Rats with the Metabolic Syndrome, the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Liver Disease, Israel, 2008. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, D. Daod, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Association Between Excessive Soft Drink Consumption and Coronary Artery Disease and Early Atherosclerosis, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. N. Assy, S. Dabush, T. Ali, M. Grozovski and F. Nassar, Serum Cholesterollevels at Week 4 as a Predictor of Sustained Viral Response in Patients with Chronic Hpatitis C Infection, the 15th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus& Related Viruses, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 2008. M. Grozovski, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, B. A. Sela, G. Amir and Z. Ackerman, Effects of Amlodipine, Captopril and Bezafibrate on Splenic Histology and Splenocytes Apoptosis in Rats with Fatty Liver, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. N. Assy, G. Nasser, I. Kamayse, W. Nseir and M. Grozovski, Soft drink Consumption Linked with Fatty Liver (NASH and NAFLD) in Patients with No Obvious Traditional Risk Factors, International Liver Congress (ICL), Hong Kong,China, 2008. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, R. Farah, F. Nassar, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases and Sub Clinical Coronary Atherosclerosis, 3rd International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, Nice, France, 2009. N. Assy, T. Shatil and M. Grozovski, The effect of Insulin Sensitizing Agents (ISA) on “Protein C” and on Paraoxonase mRNA expression in rats with fatty Liver, the 3rd International Falk Symposium, Mainz, Germany, 2008. M. Grozovski, G. Lipez and N. Assy, Effect of Insulin Sensitizing Agents (ISA) on Hepatic “Protein C” and Paraoxonase m-RNA Expression in Rats with Fatty Liver, the 19th Conference of the APASL, Hong Kong SAR, China. 2009 M. Grozovski, T. Shatil, Z. Beniashvili, S. Korem and N. Assy, Retinol Binding Protein 4 Expression is Up Regulated in Rats with Fatty Liver During Quiescent and Regenerative State and Improves with Insulin Sensitizing Agents, International Liver Congress (ICL). Hong Kong, China, 2008. M. Grozovski, A. Djibre, D. Daod, A. Marmor and N. Assy, Association Between Excessive Soft Drink Consumption and Coronary Artery Disease and Early Atherosclerosis, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. M. Grozovski, T. Shatil, Z. Beniashvili, S. Korem and N. Assy, Retinol Binding Protein 4 Expression is Up Regulated in Rats with Fatty Liver During Quiescent and Regenerative State and Improves with Insulin Sensitizing Agents, The 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Milan, Italy, 2008. M. Grozovski, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, B. A. Sela, G. Amir and Z. Ackerman, Effects of Amlodipine, 14 Captopril and Bezafibrate on Splenic Histology and Splenocytes Apoptosis in Rats with Fatty Liver, the 5th International Seoul Liver Symposium Liver, Seoul, Korea, 2009. 15 Z. Rubin and L. Mor, Electrode Resistance Dependence on Alkaline Glucose Fuel Cell Electrolyte Concentration, Fundamentals and Developments of Fuel Cells, (FDFC 2008), Nancy, France, 115-116, 2008. H. Kliman, H. Meiri and M. Samar, Galectins, chemokines and trophoblast invasion IFPA Meeting 2008 Workshops Report. Z. Beniashvilli, M. Grozovski, S. Daboush, P. Erdstein and N. Assy, The Use of New Normal ALT Values Differentiate Better HBeAg (-) Chronic Hepatitis B From Inactive Carrier State, the 58th annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of the Liver Diseases, Boston, USA, 2007. Z. Beniashvili, O. Hussein, M. Grozovski, S. Dabush, B. Hino and N. Assy, HBV DNA Levels at Different Clinical Stages of Chronic HBV (CHB), the annual meeting of the Israeli Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Liver Disease, Tiberius, Israel, 2007. M. Grozovski, M. Oron-Herman, T. Rosenthal, O. Pappo, G. Link, B. Sela and Z. Ackerman, Effect of Amlodipine, Captopril and Bezafibrate on Oxidativemilieu in Rats with Fatty Liver, the 2nd International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, Barcelona, Spain,2007. M. Grozovski, T. Shatil, S. Korem, Z. Beniashvili and N. Assy, Increased Serum and Hepatic RBP 4 Level: an Additional Risk Factor for Experimental Fatty Liver Disease, The 3rd ORT Braude College Research Conference, Hagoshrim, Israel, 2007. O. Hussein, K. Abu Gabai, M. Grozovski, I. Bersudsky, N. Assy, R. Karry and M. Aviram, The Effect of Insulin Sensitizers (Rosiglitazone and Metformin), Ezetimibe and Valsartan (Each Alone or in Combination) on Plasma Paraoxonase Activity and mRNA Expression in Experimental Rat Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, the 12TH annual meeting of the Israeli Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis in conjunction with the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Science, Eilat, Israel, 2007. O. Hussein, K. Abu Gabai, M. Grozovski, I. Bersudsky, N. Assy, R. Karry and M. Aviram, The Effect of Insulin Sensitizers (Rosiglitazone and metformin), Ezetimibe and Valsartan (Each Alone or in Combination) on Plasma Paraoxonase Activity and mRNA Expression in Experimental Rat Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, the 16th International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism, New York, USA, 2007. D. Knani, M. Shilo and R. Azhari, Molecular Modeling of Gelatin and Chondroitin Sulfate Interactions in Aqueous Medium, the 6th annual meeting of ICRS, Caesarea, September 2007. D. Knani and D. Alperstein, In Silico Studies of 1,3:2,4-Dibenzylidene-D-Sorbitol as a Gelator for Polypropylene, the 1st workshop on Multiscale Modeling of Nanostructured and Functional Polymeric Materials, Brno, Czech Republic, October 2007. M. Maoz, I. S. Weitz, M. Blumenfeld, C. Freitag, and J. J. Morrell, Antifungal Activity of Plant Derived Extracts Against G. Trabeum IRG 38, the International Research Group on Wood Preservation, USA, 2007. I. Sabbah and A. Yazbak, Decreasing the Start-Up Period of Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Reactor for the Biodegradation of Olive Mill Wastewater, paper and poster presentation at the New Technologies for the Treatment and Valorization of Agro by Products Conference, Terni, Italy, 2007. T. Shatil, S. Korem, N. Assy, Z. Beniashvili and M. Grozovski, The Effect of Antidiabetic Agents on Hepatic Retinol Binding Protein 4 Expression and Lipid Metabolism in Rats with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Undergoing Partial Hepatectomy, the 12TH annual meeting of the Israeli Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis in conjunction with the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Science, Eilat, Israel, 2007. T. Shatil, S. Korem, N. Assy, Z. Beniashvili and M. Grozovski, The Effect of Antidiabetic Agents and Partial Hepatectomy on the Retinol Binding Protein Level Expression in Rats with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Undergoing Partial Hepatectomy, 6th ICRS annual meeting, Caesarea, Israel, 2007. 16 17 RESEARCH AREAS DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING FUEL CELLS Eugenia Bubis, Pinchas Shechner, Hana Feiger (Department of Biotechnology), Lea Mor (Department of Biotechnology) and Zeev Rubin (Department of Physics). Electrochemical characterization and development of environmentally-friendly Alkaline Fuel Cell (‘batteries’), including advanced electrodes. The device is able to convert chemical energy stored in sugar (and other Saccharides) into electrical energy. The research focuses on parameter optimizations, such as: the electro-catalytic anode, an electro-catalytic cathode and the electrolyte. Peak Power Density of 14.8 W/m2 has been obtained. This work yielded several patent applications. Keywords: Fuel Cells, Sugar, Human Friendly > Dr. Shmuel Miller Ph.D., Department Head > Fuel Cell Laboratory SOLID STATE DEVICES Radu Florescu and Rona Sarfaty. Development via advanced of solid-state devices, including photo-voltaic cells, simulation and characterization of the devices via advanced work-stations. The photo-voltaic cells are developed in collaboration with Tel Aviv University (TAU) Engineering Department, funded by the chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Infrastructures. Device structure, physical modeling and process simulations are carried out using the Synopsys TCAD Sentaurus Tools. Feasibility and realization of prototype of a Novel design of high-voltage and higher efficiencies cells for concentrating photovoltaic, are carried out using outsourced Fabs, funded by the Israeli Ministry of Infrastructures. Simulation results for Si cells predict efficiencies above 30% under 1000suns concentration. World record is currently about 27%. Keywords: Photo-voltaic (PV), Vertical Multi-Junction, CPV (Concentrated PV), Monolithic 18 19 ANALOG AND DIGITAL DESIGN Emma Elkind, Michael Gladshtein and Samuel Kosolapov. Design, development and implementation of advanced digital systems, based on programmable devices (FPGA, mixed signal microcontrollers and DSP) and on Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata (QCA). The recent projects are: 3D Structure-Light Scanner, Image Processing Algorithms for 3D and Stereo Vision, Driverless USB-HID microcontroller-PC communication. Intellectual sensors for security systems, Decimal arithmetic unit design for a QCA nanocomputer. In the last project we investigated a new approach to construction of decimal nanocomputer based on using of the Johnson-Mobius code. Number of QCA decimal Johnson-Mobius adder structural solutions are successfully simulated, aided the program tools “QCA Designer”. Keywords: Nanocomputer, image processing, microcontroller, programmable device, 3D Image Processing, USB-HID > Solid-State Devices Characterization Laboratories COMMUNICATION AND SIGNAL PROCESSING Samuel Kosolapov and Shmuel Y. Miller. This research area includes modeling and real-time simulations of communication signalprocessing functions (up-to a full Modem), and development of advanced temporal and spatial signal processing algorithms for image processing applications. Development of Modem functions including synchronization, phase tracking, amplitude estimation, and space-time MIMO receiver processing. In addition, wireless sensor networks (WSN) comparative performance evaluation for several PHY- radio and MAC protocols. Feasibility evaluation of driverless USB-HID protocol for PC-Microcontroller communication and of Intrusion Alarm system based of 3D/Stereo camera. Keywords: Modems, Linearization, Image processing, WSN, USB-HID, 3D Camera, Stereo Vision > Analog and Digital Design OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS Shmuel Y. Miller, Rona Sarfaty, and Pinchas Schechner. Enhancement of the dynamic range for intensity modulated laser optical fiber communication links. This will improve the overall performance (mainly range and number of multiplexed signals) of analog optical fiber links. Another area of research involves optical multiplexing of a number of wireless radio information channels. Keywords: E/O Converters, ALC, Multiplexing > Communication and signal Processing Laboratories 20 > Optical Communication 21 ANTENNAS AND MICROWAVE ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION Shmuel Y. Miller and Albert Sabban. One area of research focuses on modeling, simulations and prototyping of antennas and microwave components, with emphasis on classes of micro strip antennas. Another area focuses on the analysis of antennas in the vicinity of in-vivo biological tissues. This research considers the near-field effects in the operation of antennas, including their impedance, radiation characteristics and MEG. Another research area involves the development of lumped models for microwave elements (transmission lines, couplers, etc.) and antennas and prediction of their performance parameters using the lumped models. Y. Rosenwaks, G. Segev, R. Pozner, R. Sarfaty, and A. Kribus, Monolithic Vertical Multijunction Concentrator Cells, CPV-6. international conference on concentrating photovoltaic systems. G. Segev, A. Kribus, R. Pozner, R. Sarfaty, and Y. Rosenwaks, CPV Modules based on Monolithic Vertical Multijunction Cells, 16th Sede Boker symposium on solar electricity production. Keywords: Near field, Impedance, Lumped models, SAR (specific absorption rate), MEG (mean effective gain) PUBLISHED BOOKS CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS COMMUNICATIONS TOWARDS CONVERGENCE IN SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY Developments in communications approaching the 4th generation, Participants from high-tech industries, government and academia, March, 2007, OBC. REFEREED PAPERS M. Gladshtein, Algorithmic Synthesis of a Combinational Adder of Decimal Digits Encoded by the Johnson–Mobius Code, Avtomatika i Vychislitel’naya Tekhnika, 5, 2009, 14-23, (in Russian), Automatic Control and Computer Science, 5, 2009, 233 236, (in English). M. Gladshtein, Intellectual Automatic Control Systems for Lighting Control, Electronic Components, 3, 2009 (in Russian). N. Sabag and E. Trotskovsky, Internship in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, MoreTech. Journal of National Center of Technology Teachers. 2009, 14–18. M. Gladshtein, Using MCUs and DSPs for Control of Power Devices, Electronic Components, 7, 2008, 42-50, (in Russian). M. Gladshtein, Embedded Electronic Systems: State, Issues and Prospects, Electronic Components, 5, 2008, 20-32, (in Russian). L. Mor, Z. Rubin and P. Schechner, Measuring Open Circuit Voltage in a Glucose Alkaline Fuel Cell Operated as a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor, Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology 5, 1, 2008. M. Gladshtein, The Power Saving Techniques for Embedded Microelectronic Systems, Electronic Components, 12, 2007,1-5, (in Russian). M. Gladshtein, New Microcontrollers of Mixed Signal, Electronic Components, 7, 2007, 56-64, (in Russian). P. Schechner, E. Kroll, E. Bubis, S. Chervinsky and E. Zussman, Silver-plated Electrospun Fibrous Anode for Glucose Alkaline Fuel Cells, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 154, 9, 2007. 22 M. Gladshtein, Silicon Laboratories Mixed Signal Microcontrollers C8051Fxxx and their using: User’s Manual, Moscow, DODECA, 336 pp., 2008. S. Y. Miller and J. Shapira, CDMA Radio with Repeaters, Series Editors: Prof. Robert Gallager (MIT) and J. Keil Wolf (UCSD), Springer, NY, 2007. REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS N. Sabag and M. Maoz, The Influence of Dynamic Assessment and Instrumental Enrichment Course on Student Achievements – Case Study, accepted for publication in Iyunim. S. Y. Miller, Characterizing Finite Uniform Cascade of Two-Port Network, CISSE2009 conference, Bridgeport, CT, USA, 2009 N. Sabag and Y. Dupelt, Chronology of Change Assimilation in Technology Education – Case Study, MoreTech. Journal of National Center of Technology Teachers. 2009. N. Sabag and E. Trotskovsky, Internship in Engineering Design at Hi–Tech Industries: Practice and Theory, Industry – Academy Conference ORT Braude College. 2009. S. Kosolapov and N. Sabag, Time-Effective Logistics of Electronically Signed Laboratory Results Reporting, 2009 American Society for Engineering Education, Northeast Section Conference, Bridgeport, CT, USA, 2009. R. Sarfaty, V. Timofeev, L. Grinberg, R. Pozner, G. Segev, Y. Rosenwaks and A. Kribus, Development of Three Dimensional (3D), High Efficient, Vertical Junctions (VJ) Solar Cells, The 14th Israel Materials Engineering Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2009 Y. Rosenwaks, G. Segev, R. Pozner, R. Sarfaty, and A. Kribus, Vertical Junction Photovoltaic Cells, invited talk, The 28th IVS Annual Conference & Technical Workshop, October 15, 2009. G. Segev, R. Pozner, L. Grinberg, R. Sarfaty, A. Kribus, and Y. Rosenwaks, Vertical Junction Photovoltaic Cell for Concentrating PV, the 28th IVS Annual Conference & Technical Workshop, 2009. 23 P. Schechner, Glucose Fuel Cells, 5th Chemical Engineering Conference for Collaborative Research in Eastern Mediterranean Countries, Cetraro, Italy, 2008, (invited dissertation). N. Thirer and R. Florescu, A New UART Controller, 4th International Conference of Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, France, 2007. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AND ABSTRACTS P. Schechner, E. Kroll, H. Feiger and E. Bubis, Saccharied Fueled Fuel Cell, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009. (Invited Dissertation). S. Prilutsky, E. Bubis, P. Schechner, E. Zussman and Y. Cohen, Composite Carbon Nanofibers with Carbon Nanotubes, 46th Conference of the Israel Institute of Chemical Engineers, Tel Aviv, 2008. P. Schechner, E. Kroll, E. Zussman, H. Faiger and E. Bubis, Electricity from Glucose Fuelled Fuel Cells, 46th Conference of the Israel Institute of Chemical Engineers, Tel Aviv, 2008. P. Schechner, E. Bubis, H. Faiger, E. Zussman and E. Kroll, Glucose Oxidation by Nano-Fibrous Anodes in a Fuel Cell, 9th Biennial ASME Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis, ESDA08, Haifa, 2008. PATENTS P. Schechner, E. Kroll, E. Bubis, S. Chervinsky and E. Zussman, A Fibrous Anode with High Surface to Volume Ratio for Fuel Cells and a Fuel Cell with such Anode, PCT/IB2008/000065, 2008. S. Kosolapov, Color Edge Based System and Method for Determination of 3D Surface Topology, US Patent, US 7,456,842 B2, 2008 P. Schechner, E. Kroll, E. Bubis, S. Chervinsky and E. Zussman, A Method to Extract Electrical Power from Glucose, P.P.A. # 60/884,714, USA., 2007. A. Kribus, Y. Rosenwaks, R. Sarfaty and G. Segev, High Voltage PV Cells, US patent No. 497955 Provisional. 24 25 DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT extent and effectiveness of the TI process in businesses. The model enables various businesses to be compared, so that weaknesses and strengthens are highlighted and recommendations for improving the TI process can be made. The proposed model is implemented in industrial companies and service providers in the Galilee – the northern region of the State of Israel. We are investigating the inter-relationships between the TI process measures, and also between these measures and other business parameters. In addition, we are interested in comparing the current technological innovation achievements of the companies with their goals. Keywords: Technological Innovation, Performance Measurement, Analytic Hierarchy Process, Data Envelopment Analysis COST ESTIMATION IN A CAPACITATED ENVIRONMENT Yohanan Arzi As the world has turned into a global village and firms compete in the worldwide market, accurate estimation of product costs becomes very important. Good product cost estimations provide advantage in various decision-making processes. During the last two decades, the relative weight of direct costs in manufacturing has dramatically diminished, while the relative weight of indirect costs has increased. Therefore, allocating indirect costs to products, without taking into account the shop floor capacity, may lead to erroneous estimations. Despite this, most of the existing cost estimating models assume unlimited shop floor capacity. The commonly used methods assume sufficient available capacity. However, in practice, capacity is limited and workloads are dynamic and may change over time. Our research is concentrating in developing methods and tools for estimating the total cost of a new order in a stochastic manufacturing system with finite capacity. > Dr. Shuki Dror Ph.D., Department Head Keywords: Cost Estimation, Capacity Planning, Financial Models CAUSALITY RESEARCH IN THE PERFORMANCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATION Shuki Dror > Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)lab, in conjunction with the Department of Mechanical Engineering RESEARCH AREAS Construction of a causal model is the objective of many empirical researches and particularly in the domain of social and behavioral sciences. In these research studies, the causal modeling has two main stages. In the first stage ‘latent variables’ are created and in the second stage ‘structural equations’ are estimated. We deem that empirical researches focus on the question “which” relationships exists and not on “why” and “when” they occur. The present work builds on the findings of past studies to develop generic frameworks used to construct causal models for a specific organization. Quality function deployment, fuzzy set theory, analysis of variance and statistical process control are the tools we use to support the developed methodology. Keywords: Causality, QFD, fuzzy logic, SPC QUALITY ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION MEASUREMENT Yohanan Arzi Technological Innovation (TI) is a process of acquiring new or improved capabilities, or providing increased value for customers. Managing the TI process requires quantitative measurement of its extent and effectiveness. We developed a three-level model for quantitatively measuring the 26 Emil Bashkansky, Shuki Dror, Tamar Gadrich and Rachel Ravid The research focuses on effective methods of evaluation, statistical control and prediction of quality measured on an ordinal scale basis. Such scales are also widely used in other fields of quality engineering: customer satisfaction surveys, FMECA and risk analysis, defects and quality classification, statistical process control, QFD and others. In turn, design and analysis of optimal curtailed inspection schemes for such scales enables effective quality data mining from quality inspection reports. Some 27 of the developed methods are ready for immediate industrial application and were applied for decision making in patient involved health care process, product quality classification and metrology. LINE BALANCING Keywords: Quality control, evaluation, prediction, ordinal Establishing technology profitability index and incorporating it into the House of Quality scheme. Such index should not only describe the profitability of a given technology in microeconomic sense, but should also deal with the environmental impact of the technology, and the effect on public goods due to the employment of this technology. Production or assembly line balancing is assigning work elements and resources to workstations in the line so that the workload at all workstations will be equal. In particular, one research direction is balancing a robotic assembly line. The robotic assembly line balancing (RALB) is the problem where different robots may be assigned to the assembly tasks, and each robot needs different assembly times to perform a given task, because of its capabilities and specialization. The solution to the RALB problem includes an attempt for optimal assignment of robots to line stations and a balanced distribution of work among different stations. A genetic algorithm was used to find a solution to this problem. Keywords: Quality function deployment, environment requirements, economic analysis Keywords: Line balancing, robotic assembly lines, genetic algorithms SERVICE ENGINEERING INTERPRETATION OF MARKETING MESSAGES Shuki Dror, Tamar Gadrich, Maya Kaner and Reuven Karni (Shenkar College) Arie Maharshak Service engineering is a discipline concerned with the systematic development and design of services using engineering models, methods and tools (e.g. in our case conceptual models, design of experiments and simulation). We focus on conceptual service models referring to a high-layer generic service concept rather than operational models derived from the generic service concept scheme (e.g. specific emergence department processes designed basing on the generic scheme of such processes). The present study is focused on the theoretical explanation of advertising failures. It hypothesizes that the reality in which a marketing slogan has been created is different from that of the addressee; different to the extent that the original meaning is not transferable. The philosophical basis for this argument is that of Martin Heidegger, known as “being and time”. Heidegger was concerned with the inability to understand texts across contexts being context time- or culture- related. The inability he points to is beyond mere translation; neither is it a conceptual gap. The essence is that the very usage of words reflects a reality within which one exists, and the emphasis is on “within”: one is unable to think beyond this envelope. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Shuki Dror and Natalia Zaitsev Keywords: Simulation, design of experiments, generic processes, emergency department BUSINESS PROCESS DESIGN Keywords: Advertisement, copywriting, message, communication Maya Kaner, Pnina Soffer, (Haifa University) and Yair Wand, (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada). MARKET ORIENTATION As business processes become increasingly automated through process aware information systems, the quality of process design becomes crucial. In our research we focus on reachability of the process goal and the process modeling frameworks intended to be used by human analysts as a prior step to automation of these processes. Keywords: Business process goal, validation and verification, process aware information systems FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS (FMS): OPERATIONS AND CONTROL Boris Shnits An FMS is a manufacturing system that is comprised of automated flexible hardware (CNC machining/turning centers, robots, etc.) providing the system with the flexibility to produce a wide array of products and to recover quickly from breakdowns. In reality FMSs fall short from the theoretical flexibility they were expected to provide. This research focuses on developing methodologies and control schemes that enable an FMS to improve its efficiency and productivity and to cope with the volatile production environment that the FMS operates in. These control schemes deal with solving a multi-criteria dynamic scheduling problem using optimization-based techniques and simulation. Keywords: Flexible manufacturing systems, dynamic scheduling, simulation-based control 28 Boris Shnits Arie Maharshak With the market orientation, for the first time emphasis was placed on the importance of intently listening to the customer, implementing the concept of long-term process, and adapting the product for the user’s needs. A naïve concept is the way a layman perceives events and phenomena in the world around him before being exposed to methodical scientific study. His naïveté rules his accumulated experience, intuition and instincts, which often have led to conclusions contrary to scientific doctrine. The research examines marketing philosophy and its implications on business, and the ‘Naïve Concept’ as a conceptual barrier for adopting market orientation. Keywords: Market orientation, naïve concept, reality, intuition CROSS CULTURE HR MANAGEMENT Hilla Peretz and Yizhak Fried (Syracuse University, NY) Cross Culture Management focuses on content pertaining to HR management with a cross-border dimension. In our longitudinal research we study the effects of national values on a variety of HR practices (such as performance appraisal, training strategies, HR information system and more), and the effect of fit between HR practices and national values on organizations’ performance 29 indicators. The study consists of a large sample of over 20 countries and is based on data from several years, with the goal of exploring the stability of these relationships before and after the financial crisis. Keywords: National values, human resource management, organizational performance HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - DIVERSITY STUDY Hilla Peretz The importance of group diversity has rapidly penetrated into organizations and research theory in recent years. Diversity has been credited with both positive and negative outcomes for team performance. In our ongoing research we explore two major topics: 1. the factors influencing a positive implementation of diversity in regard to group performance and its effectiveness. 2. The acceptance of affirmative action in different contextual settings (both organizational and national) and its implementation on performance. Keywords: Diversity, team performance MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION (MNC) Hilla Peretz MNC is a corporation that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. MNC defined as a corporation which has it managerial head quarters in one country and operates in several other countries. The purpose of this research is to build a model of the success of a MNC based on three groups of factors: professional characteristics, organizational characteristics and countries’ similarities. The aim is to understand the conditions for a MNC to attain high performance levels and by that to suggest a useful typology of MNCs. Keywords: Multinational firms, organizational culture, professional culture, national culture APPLIED PROBABILITY Tamar Gadrich and Rachel Ravid Applied probability is concerned with the application of probability theory to other scientific and engineering areas (e.g. physics, biology, medicine, computer science, technology and social sciences). We apply generalizations of classical models in order to solve problems that appeared in modern industry. Occupancy models are an example of one of the models that generalized the classical coupon collector problem and were applied in the area of statistical quality control. SUPPLY CHAIN DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT Hussein Naseraldin The main objective of supply chain management is to achieve operational excellence across all aspects of the firm. This can be achieved by maximizing the value created by each and every decision and operation. This results in superior performance that leads to increasing market share with satisfied customers. To achieve the above, all decisions must be aligned and integrated, i.e. while determining strategic decisions, consider the operational decisions. Among the most important strategic decisions in a supply chain context is the number and location of facilities. Keywords: Supply chain design, network configuration, multi-echelon, supply chain performance INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Hussein Naseraldin A major decision in the supply chain context is the inventory level of the product that is kept along the supply chain. The inventory level affects the service level that the customer receives thus, it affects the operational performance. Though the decisions regarding inventory levels are typically made after several other strategic and tactical decisions are made, yet integrating the inventory decisions with strategic decisions at an early stage has a crucial effect on the overall performance. Inventory management encompasses policies and practices of inventory. For example, lateral transshipment is a practice in which excess inventory is moved along the supply chain to locations with a shortage of inventory, and by doing so the cost of excess and shortage are saved. Keywords: Inventory policy, inventory-location model, lateral transshipments, unit-price discount FACILITY LOCATION Hussein Naseraldin A facility refers to a retail outlet or a service depot or a production plant. In all cases, facility location is about determining how many facilities to open in order to cover a demand that is created in a specific area. It also determines the location of each facility. By determining these two decisions, we fix most of the supply chain network structure. Several approaches are possible when coming to determine these decisions. Among others, a robust optimization approach guarantees solutions that are robust to changes in the parameters due to uncertainty, in particular uncertainty in the demand. Keywords: Number of facilities, network design, distance metric, robust optimization Keywords: Probability models, statistical quality control, occupancy problems, enumerative combinatorics APPLIED PROBABILITY CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS Tamar Gadrich and Rachel Ravid Applied probability is concerned with the application of probability theory to other scientific and engineering areas (e.g. physics, biology, medicine, computer science, technology and social sciences). We apply generalizations of classical models in order to solve problems that appeared in modern industry. Occupancy models are an example of one of the models that generalized the classical coupon collector problem and were applied in the area of statistical quality control. Keywords: Probability models, statistical quality control, occupancy problems, enumerative combinatorics 30 ISENBIS CONFERENCE • The second meeting of the Israeli Local Network of ENBIS on Predictive Analytics, Herzelia, Israel, 2009 • The first meeting of the Israeli Local Network of ENBIS on selected topics in data mining, Herzelia, Israel, 2008 • Conference on creating information from data infrastructures, ORT Braude College, Israel, 2008 31 QUALITY IN THE GALILEE • The second conference on quality in the Galilee: The role of quality, theory and practice, ORT Braude College, Israel, 2009 • The first conference on quality in the Galilee: The role of quality, theory and practice, ORT Braude College, Israel, 2008 H. Peretz, Review of the book “Women Principals in a Multicultural Society: New Insights into Feminist Educational Leadership”. Oplatka, I. & Hertz-Lazarowitz, H. (Eds.), Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education: An International Journal, 2, 2008, 80-86. H. Peretz and Y. Fried, National values, performance appraisal and organizational performance: A study across 21 countries, Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, CD ISSN 1035-7359, 2008 ENVIRONMENT QUALITY S. Dror, Deployment of Service Quality Characteristics, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(1), 2007, 31-34. • The second conference on environment quality, ORT Braude College, Israel, 2009 • The first conference on technologies and management of the environment quality, ORT Braude College, Israel, 2008 S. Dror, A Process Causality Approach Given a Strategic Frame, Journal of Modeling in Management, (1)2, 2007, 40 – 55. REFEREED PAPERS R. Hertz-Lazarowitz, H. Peretz, A. Farah, F. Azaiza, T. Zelniker and R. Sharabany, Psychological Attitudes of Life at Haifa University Before and After Second Lebanon War: Comparative Study for Years 20062007. Studies in Educational Administration and Organization, (in press). M. Kaner and R. Karni, Design of Service Systems using a Knowledge-Based Approach, Knowledge and Process Management, 14(4), 2007, 260-274. E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, Some Metrological Aspects of Ordinal Measurements, Accreditation and Quality Assurance, 2009 (published online) M. Eklin, Y. Arzi and A. Shtub, Model for Cost Estimation in a Finite-Capacity Stochastic Environment based on Shop Floor Optimization Combined with Simulation, European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR), 194, 1, 294-306, 2009 M. Eklin, Y. Arzi and A. Shtub, A Comparative Study of Rough-Cut Cost Estimation in a FiniteCapacity Stochastic Environment, International Journal of Revenue Management (IJRM), 1(3), 2009, 1-36. A. Silver, H. Naseraldin, and D. Bischak, Determining the Reorder Point and Order-Up-To-Level in a Periodic Review System so as to Achieve a Desired Fill Rate and a Desired Average Time Between Replenishments, Journal of the Operational Research Society, 2009, 1244-1253. M. Kaner and R. Karni, Engineering Design of a Service System: an Empirical Study, Information Knowledge Systems Management, 6, 2007, 235-263. A. Maharshak and D. Pundak, Decision-Maker’s Impact on a firm’s Market Orientation. Reviewed Proceedings - Studies in Simulation and Modelling, 8th WSEAS Int. Conf. on Mathematics and Computers in Business and Economics (MCBE’07), Vancouver, Canada, 2007. R. Karni, and M. Kaner, Integration of a Service Taxonomy and the 40 Inventive Principles for Conceptualizing the Components of a Service System, TRIZ Journal, e journal, October, 2007. D. Sinreich and B. Shnits, A Robust FMS Control Architecture with an Embedded Adaptive Scheduling Mechanism, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 4(25), 2007, 301-312. ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION M. Barad, and S. Dror, Strategy Maps as Improvements Paths of Enterprises, International Journal of Production Research, 46, 23:6627-6647, 2008. E. Bashkansky, S. Dror, R. Ravid and P. Grabov, Effectiveness of a Product Quality Classifier, Quality Engineering, 3(19), 2007, 235-244. E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, Evaluating Quality Measured On a Ternary Ordinal Scale, Quality And Reliability Engineering International, (24), 2008, 957-971. S. Dror, The Balance Scorecard versus Quality Award Models as Strategic frameworks, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 6(19), 2008, 583-593. M. Eklin, Y. Arzi and A. Shtub, Rough-Cut Cost Estimation in a Capacitated Environment, The International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management (IJISSCM), 2(1), 2008, 19-39. R. Karni, and M. Kaner, Knowledge Management Of Interconnected Decisions with Application to Project Management, Knowledge and Process Management, 15(4), 2008, 211-223. H. Naseraldin and Y. Herer, Integrating the Number and the Location of Retail Outlets on a Line with Replenishment Decisions, Management Science, 54(3), 2008, 1666-1683. 32 G. Avigad, E. Eisenstadt-Matalon and B. Shnits, Supporting the Selection of Robust Engineering Concepts Under Supplier Related Uncertainties, Journal of Engineering Design. S. Dror, A Methodology for Realignment of Quality Cost Elements, Journal of Modeling in Management. T. Gadrich and R. Ravid, The Sequential Occupancy Problem through Group Throwing of Indistinguishable Balls, Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability. M. Kaner and R. Karni, An Ideation Framework for Service Process Improvement, International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology. A. Kurland, H. Peretz and R. Hertz-Lazarowitz, Leadership Style and Organizational Learning: The Mediate Effect of School Vision, Journal of Educational Administration. H. Peretz and Z. Rosenblatt, National Culture Effect on Organizational Training: a Comparative Study in 21 Countries, Journal of Cross-Culture Psychology. B. Shnits, Methods for activating the Decision Making Process that is used for Controlling Flexible 33 Manufacturing Systems, International Journal of Production Research. P. Soffer, M. Kaner, and Y. Wand, Assigning Ontological Meaning to Workflow Nets, Journal of Database Management. PUBLISHED BOOKS H. Peretz, Organizational Training: A Multi-Dimensional and Multi Cultural Approach, VDM publishing. ISBN 978-3-639-14306-5, 2009. W. Christian, M. Belloni, A. Maharshak and D. Pundak, (2008). Multi-Representational Electromagnetism. Reches, Kadima. (Hebrew) T. Gadrich and E. Bashkansky, SPC Performance for Ternary Ordinal Quality Measures, Fourth Israel Industrial Engineering and Management Research Meeting (IIERM), Maalot, Israel, 2009. T. Gadrich and R. Ravid, Waiting Time in the Sequential Occupancy Problem, 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings, Washington DC, USA, 2009. M. Kaner, T. Gadrich and S. Dror, Engineering of Service Processes through Design of Experiments and Simulation, 4th Israel Industrial Engineering and Management Research Meeting (IIERM), Maalot, 2009. R. Ravid, S. Dror and E. Bashkansky, Integrating AHP in an FMECA R framework for Ranking Down Syndrome Tests, proceedings of ICPR 20 – International Conference on Production Research, Beijing, China, 2009. S. Dror, T. Gadrich and M. Kaner, Service Process Operations Management Using Design of Experiments and Simulation, XVIII International RESER Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, 2008. T. Gadrich and R. Ravid, The Coupon Collector Problem in Statistical Quality Control, The 2008 International conference of applied and engineering mathematics (ICAEM), London, U.K., 2008. CHAPTERS IN BOOKS T. Zelniker, H. Hertz-Lazarowitz, H. Peretz, F. Azaiza and R. Sharabany, Arab and Jewish students’ Participatory Action Research at the University of Haifa: A Model for Peace Education, In C. McGlynn, M. Zembylas, Z. Bekerman, & T. Gallagher (Eds.). Peace Education In Coflict and Post-Conflict Societies: Comparative Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, 198-216, 2009. P. Soffer, M. Kaner and Y. Wand, Assigning Ontology-Based Semantics to Process Models: the Case of Petri Nets, Information Systems Engineering, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 5074, Springer Verlag, 16-31, 2008. R. Karni. and M. Kaner, An Engineering Tool for the Conceptual Design of Service Systems, in Advances in Services Innovations, eds. Spath, D. and Faehnrich, K.-P., Springer Verlag, (invited chapter), 67-86, 2007 H. Peretz and Z. Rosenblatt, Cultural and Organizational Effects on Training and Development, In K. Kumar (Ed.), Training and Development - Country Experiences. Hyderabad: ICFAI Press. (in press) P. Soffer, Y. Wand and M. Kaner, Semantic Analysis of Flow Patterns in Business Process Modeling, Business Process Management (BPM), G. Alonso, P. Dadam, M. Rosemann, eds, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 4714, Springer Verlag, 400-407, 2007. REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, Statistical Quality Control on a Ternary Scale Basis, The 20th International Conference on Production Research, Shanghai, China, 2009. S. Dror and Y. Sukenik, A Framework for Service Quality Deployment, In Proceedings of the RESER 2009 conference, Budapest, Hungary, 2009. 34 M. Kaner, and R. Karni, Application of theTheory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to Service System Design, XVIII International RESER Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, 2008. E. Bashkansky, T. Gadrich and E. Godik, How to Estimate Quality on a Ternary Categorical Scale? proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Quality and Reliability, Chang Mai, Thailand, 2007. M. Kaner, and P. Soffer, Facilitating Validity Analysis in Business Process Models: an Empirical Study, 3rd Israel Industrial Engineering and Management Research Meeting (IIERM), Tel-Aviv, 2007. P. Soffer, Y. Wand and M. Kaner, Semantic analysis of Flow Patterns in Business Process Modeling, proceeding of the 5th International Conference on Business Process Management, Brisbane, Australia, 2007. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AND ABSTRACTS E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, Some Metrological Aspects of Ordinal Measurements, The 10th National Conference, Israel Soc. for Quality, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2009. S. Dror, Causality Processes in the Performances of an Individual Organization Consistent with a Given Strategy, In Proceedings of the ENBIS9 conference, Goteborg, Sweden, 2009. M. Kaner and R. Karni, Innovative Redesign of Service Processes, 11th International Conference on The Modern Information Technology in the Innovation Processes of the Industrial Enterprises, Bergamo, Italy, 2009. Y. Arzi, A. Grosman and I. Gurfinkel, A Model for Measuring the Efficiency of Technological Innovation Process in Businesses, 15th Industrial Engineering and Management Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2008. E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, Realization of SPC for Ordinal Quality Measures, proceedings of the 15th Industrial Engineering and Management Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2008 35 E. Bashkansky and T. Gadrich, SPC Performance for Ordinal Quality Measures – Theory and Practice, the 17th International Conference of the Israel Society for Quality, Tel Aviv, 2008 S. Dror, T. Gadrich and M. Kaner, Design of Experiments in Simulation with Application to Services, ENBIS8 Athens, Greece, Athens, 2008. B. Shnits and D. Sinreich, Multi-Criteria Dynamic Scheduling and Simulation-Based Control in Flexible Manufacturing Systems, proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Logistics (ICIL2008), Tel Aviv, Israel, 2008. S. Dror, Utilizing QFD for Translating Business Objectives into Action Plans, In proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Logistics (ICIL08), Tel Aviv, 2008. Y. Arzi, A. Grosman and I. Gurfinkel, Measuring Technological Innovation in Businesses, 5th AIMS International Conference on Management, (keynote speaker in Plenary Session), Hyderabad, India, 2007. S. Dror, House of Service Quality (HOSQ): from Service Quality Characteristics to Organizational Features, In proceedings of the 15th Industrial Engineering and Management Conference (IE&M 2008), Tel Aviv, 2008. E. Bashkansky, T. Gadrich and E. Godik, Evaluating Quality on a Triple Ordinal Scale, the 12th International Conference on Quality and Productivity Research, Haifa, Israel, 2007. S. Dror, R. Ravid and E. Bashkansky, Identifying Downs Syndrome Fetuses Using Taguchi’s Approach: Selecting the Most Appropriate Detection Method, In proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Production and Operations Management, POM Tokyo, 2008. E. Bashkansky, Managing Quality in the ORT Braude Academic College, proceedings of the 9th National Conference, Israel Soc. for Quality, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2007. S. Dror, House of Quality Costs (HOQC), in proceedings of the 3rd Israeli Industrial Engineering Research, Tel Aviv, 2007. S. Dror, Strategy Deployment: Linking Business Objectives to Action Plans, In proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Production and Operations Management, POM Tokyo, 2008. S. Dror, Deployment of Service Quality, in proceedings of the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 24:31-34, 2007, ISSN 1307-6884, Nice, 2007. D. Faran, Methodology for Identifying Information Needs along the Decision-Making Process, the 15th Conference of Industrial Engineering and Management, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2008. M. Eklin, Y. Arzi, A. Shtub, M. J. Chandra and Y. Ge, Cost Estimate in a Finite-Capacity Environment with Stochastic Processing Times, Machine Failures and Yields of Products, IIE-RM – the 3rd Israeli Industrial Engineering Research Meeting: Industrial Engineering & Management, Current Research Issues, edited by I. Ben-Gal, E. Menipaz and D. Sinreich, Tel Aviv, 2007. D. Faran, The Case of Community-of-Practice Demise: Why Good Will and Real Need are Necessary for Peer Learning but are not Enough, International Conference on Organizational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities (OLKC2008), Copenhagen, Denmark, 2008. M. Eklin, Y. Arzi and A. Shtub, A Comparative Study of Rough-Cut Cost Estimation in a FiniteCapacity Stochastic Environment, 15th Industrial Engineering and Management Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2008. M. Eklin, Y. Arzi and A. Shtub, A Rough-Cut Cost Estimation in a Finite-Capacity Stochastic Environment Based on Forced Idle Time Prediction, proceedings of the 9th Biennial ASME Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis - ESDA08, ESDA2008-59042, Haifa, Israel, 2008. M. Kaner and R. Karni, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving with Application to Service Design, 15th Israel Conference on Industrial Engineering and Management, Tel-Aviv, 2008 R. Karni and M. Kaner, Knowledge-Based Design of Services with Application to an After-Sales Service Facility, 9th ASME Engineering Design and Analysis Conference, Haifa, Israel, 2008 H. Kurland, H. Peretz and R. Hertz-Lazarowitz, School Vision as Mediator between Principals’ Leadership Style and School Organizational Learning, American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, 2008 A. Maharshak and D. Pundak, Marketing Principles versus Experience and Intuition, International Colloquium on Asian Business (ICAB) 2008, Bangkok, Thailand, 2008. H. Peretz and Z. Rosenblatt, The Role of National Values in Organizational Training: a Comparative Study in 21 Counties, International Society of Work and Organizational Values, Singapore, 2008 H. Peretz and Y. Fried, Values, Performance Appraisal and Organizational Performance: A Study Across 21 Countries, Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA.,(nominated by the HR division for the Dexter International award), 2008 B. Shnits and D. Sinreich, Embedding an Adaptive Scheduling Mechanism in a Robust FMS Control System, proceedings of the 15th Industrial Engineering and Management Conference (IE&M 2008), 36 Tel Aviv, Israel, 2008. H. Hertz-Lazarowitz, F. Azaiza, H. Peretz, T. Zelniker and R. Sharabany, Haifa University: Is it an Umwelt for Dialogue between Religions and Identities?, The World Council of Comparative Education Societies, Sarajevo, 2007. A. Maharshak and D. Pundak, the Impact of a Decision-Making Group on the Market Orientation of a Firm - a Case Study, 8th WSEAS Int. Conf. on Mathematics and Computers in Business and Economics (MCBE’07), Vancouver, Canada, 2007. A. Maharshak and D. Pundak, Decision-Maker’s Impact on the Firm’s Market Orientation, The 3rd Research Conference, ORT Braude Engineering College, Karmiel, Israel, 2007. H. Naseraldin and A. E. Silver, Integrating a One-time Probabilistic Special Purchasing Opportunity with On-Going Replenishment Decisions, Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences – INFORMS, Seattle, Washington, USA, 2007. H. Peretz and Z. Rosenblatt, International Approach to Organizational Investment in Training: Country Cluster-Analysis, Academy of Management, Philadelphia, PA, 2007. H. Peretz and Z. Rosenblatt, The Role of Leadership in Training: Predicting Training Effectiveness by Leadership Style, Academy of Management, Philadelphia, PA, 2007. PATENTS A. Maharshak, et al, Flexible Printed Circuits with Many Tiny Holes, US Patent 7,291,795 B2, November 6, 2007. 37 GEOMETRIC FUNCTION THEORY DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND APPLIED MATHEMATICS Mark Elin, Marina Levenshtein, David Shoikhet, Fiana Yacobzon, Dov Aharonov (Technion, Israel), Lev Aizenberg (Bar-Ilan University, Israel), Nikolai Tarkhanov (Universität Potsdam, Germany) and Lawrence Zalcman (Bar-Ilan University, Israel). Geometric function theory deals with the study of geometric properties of univalent mappings. The subject has been studied with changing emphases for over a hundred years. The famous results in this field are the Riemann mapping theorem, the hyperbolic geometry, Schwarz Lemma, Julia-WolffCarathéodory Theorem and others. The subject of our interest is biholomorphic mappings on the unit ball (in the one-dimensional and multi-dimensional complex spaces). We study their geometric structures including starlike and spirallike mappings with respect to an interior point or a boundary point, functions convex in one direction and so on. Considered geometric characteristics of images involve distortion theorems and boundary behavior of different classes of mappings as well as interpolation problems. Keywords: starlike, spirallike functions, distortion theorems, boundary behavior PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND GENERAL RELATIVITY > Prof. Mark Elin Ph.D., Department Head RESEARCH AREAS COMPLEX DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS Mark Elin, Marina Levenshtein, David Shoikhet, Fiana Yacobzon, Filippo Bracci (Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Italy), Simeon Reich (Technion, Israel) and Roberto Tauraso (Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Italy). Complex dynamical systems have been intensively developed from the beginning of the 20th century. One of the first applicable models of the complex dynamical systems arose from studies of stochastic branching processes in the development of families and populations. The interest in these models has further increased because of their connections to chemical and nuclear chain reactions, the theory of cosmic radiation, and many other biological and physical problems. The study of these problems is based on one-parameter semigroups of holomorphic self-mappings of the unit disk of the complex plane that is the sphere of our interest. We study the asymptotic behavior of discrete and continuous time semigroups (in one-dimensional and multi-dimensional settings), rate of convergence of semigroups to their attractive fixed points, boundary rigidity problems for semigroups and their generators. Keywords: semigroup, infinitesimal generator, iteration theory, asymptotic behavior, rigidity Lavi Karp, Oleg Kelis, Yakov Lutsky, Victor Ostrovki, Uwe Brawer (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain), Igor Gaissinski (Technion, Israel), Vladimir Rabinovich (Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico) and Vladimir Rovenski (Haifa University, Israel). The subject of general relativity has a long history and has had longstanding interest in both mathematics and physics. It is a rich source of problems both for global and nonlinear partial differential equations. Our main studies deal with Einstein-Euler systems which describe relativistic self-gravitating perfect fluids and modeling isolated systems such as stars. The group also studies the following areas: • Inverse problems at potential theory, free boundaries and Hele-Shaw flows • Pseudodifferential operators with applications to elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations • Mathematical models for hydrodynamics Keywords: Einstein-Euler systems, nonlinear PDE, pseudodifferential operators, potential theory OPERATOR THEORY AND NONLINEAR ANALYSIS Mark Elin, Victor A. Khatskevich, David Shoikhet, Daniel Alpay (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel), Tomas Azizov (Voronezh State University, Voronezh, Russia), Lawrence Harris (University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA), Tadeusz Kuczumov (University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska, Poland), Simeon Reich (Technion, Israel), Victor Shulman (Vologda State Technical University, Russia) and Jaroslav Zemanek (Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland). The study is focused on fixed point theory and operator methods and their applications to holomorphic semigroups, to dichotomy in spaces of operators, to functional equations of Abel and Schroeder type and others. We aim to give some parametric descriptions of bistrict plus operators and some groups of automorphisms of the unit operator ball. Lastly, we are interested in the structure of images of operator linear fractional relations. Keywords: Hilbert space, orthogonal systems of vectors, linear operator, spectrum of operator 38 39 CONTROL THEORY, DIFFERENTIAL GAMES AND OPTIMIZATION CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS Valeri Y. Glizer, Alexander Goldvard, Vladimir Turetsky, Gideon Avigad (Departmebt of Mechanical Engineering), Emilia Fridman (Tel-Aviv University), Leonid Fridman (National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico) and Galina A. Kurina (Voronezh State University, Russia). Control theory studies how to manipulate an input of a dynamic system in order to obtain its desired behavior and output. Differential games theory studies optimal strategies of several persons subject to their different, even opposing goals. Optimization theory studies methods to choose an optimal element from a given admissible set. Prof. Glizer studies the topics: Control problems and differential games with singularly perturbed dynamics; Cheap control problems; Robust control; Differential games with perfect and imperfect information; Differential games with hybrid dynamics; Singularly perturbed ODE, PDE, functional-differential equations, difference equations; Nonlinear theory of generalized functions and its applications. Dr. Goldvard focuses on multi-criteria (multi-objective) optimization problems. Dr. Turetsky is engaged with the topics: Pursuit-evasion games with perfect and imperfect information; Generalized linear-quadratic games; Optimal control; Cheap control problems; Invariant sets for feedback strategies; Inverse problems of signal restoration and differentiation. Keywords: system analysis, control design, non-cooperative and antagonistic games, multi-objective optimization > Prof. B. Simon, California Institute of Technology > Prof. David Shoikhet COMPLEX ANALYSIS & DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS IV international conference with over 200 participants from close to 60 worldwide academic and research institutes, Nahariya, Israel, May 2009. MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION Buma Abramovitz, Miryam Berezina, Ludmila Shvartzman, Fiana Yacobzon, Abraham Berman (Technion, Israel) and Boris Koichu (Technion, Israel). The main purpose of the research is to develop methods in teaching Mathematics at the undergraduate level in order to improve students’ understanding. The results have been presented at international conferences and published in professional journals. OPEN PROBLEMS IN COMPLEX ANALYSIS & DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS international conference, May 2008. BRAUDAY OF PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS II November 2007. Keywords: Mathematical education, understanding, undergraduated level APPLIED HARMONIC ANALYSIS May 2007. 40 41 REFEREED PAPERS B. Abramovitz, M. Berezina, A. Berman and L. Shvartsman, How to Understand a Theorem, Intern. J. Math. Education, 40, 2009, 577-586. T. Y. Azizov, V. A. Khatskevich and V. A. Senderov, Description of Automorphisms of the Unit Operator Ball, UMB, 6, 2009, 139-149. V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, A Linear Differential Game with Bounded Controls and Two Information Delays, Optimal Control, Applications and Methods, 30, 2009, 135 161. G. Hetsroni, A. Mosyak, E. Pogrebnyak and Z. Segal, Heat Transfer of Gas-Liquid Mixture in MicroChannel Heat Sink, Int. J. Heat and Mass Transfer 52, 2009, 3963 3971. M. Levenshtein and S. Reich, Approximating Fixed Points of Holomorphic Mappings in the Hilbert Ball, Nonlinear Analysis, 70, 2009, 4145-4150. J. Shinar and V. Turetsky, Three-Dimensional Validation of an Integrated Estimation/Guidance Algorithm against randomly Maneuvering Targets, Jour. Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 32, 2009, 1034–1039. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer, and V. Turetsky, A Pursuit-Evasion Game with Hybrid Pursuer Dynamics, European Jour. Control, 15, 2009, 665-684. F. Yacobzon, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, Linear Fractional Mappings: Invariant Sets, Semigroups and Commutativity, J. Fixed Point Theory and Appl., 2009, 63-91. M. Elin, D. Shoikhet and L. Zalcman, A Flower Structure of Backward Flow Invariant Domains for Semigroups, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. 1, Math. 346, 2008, 293-296. M. Elin, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, A Julia-Carathéodory Theorem for Hyperbolically Monotone Mappings in the Hilbert ball, Israel J. Math., 164, 2008, 397-411. M. Elin, S. Reich, D. Shoikhet and F. Yacobzon, Asymptotic Behavior of One-Parameter Semigroups and Rigidity of Holomorphic Generators, Compl. Anal. Oper. Theory, 2, 2008, 55-86. M. Elin, M. Levenshtein, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, Two Rigidity Theorems for Holomorphic Generators of Continuous Semigroups, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 9, 2008, 59-64. M. Elin, M. Levenshtein, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, A Rigidity Theorem for Holomorphic Generators on the Hilbert ball, Proc. AMS. 136, 2008, 4313-4320. M. Elin, D. Shoikhet and F. Yacobzon, Linearization Models for Parabolic Type Semigroups, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 9, 2008, 205-214. M. Elin, M. Levenshtein, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, Commuting Semigroups of Holomorphic Mappings, Math. Scand. 103, 2008, 295-319. I. Gaissinski, V. Rovenski and O. Kelis, Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability Model for a Supersonic Adiabatic Jet, Intern. Jour. Pure & Appl. Math., 44, 2008, 235 238. V. Y. Glizer, and V. Turetsky, Complete Solution of a Differential Game with Linear Dynamics and Bounded Controls, Applied Mathematics Research eXpress, article ID: abm012, 2008, 49 pages. V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, On the Inverse Problem for Robust Capture Zone Construction, Jour. Optimization Theory Appl., 137, 2008, 381–400. 42 43 A. Goldvard, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, Asymptotic Representations of Star-Like Functions via Continuous Semigroups of Holomorphic Mappings, Math. Proc. R. Ir. Acad. 108, 2008, 177-197. L. Karp, On Null Quadrature Domains, Comput. Methods Func. Theory, 8, 2008, 57-72. V. A. Khatskevich and V. A. Senderov, On the Structure of Semigroups of Operators Acting in Spaces with Indefinite Metric, Operator Theory, 188, 2008, 205 213. Y. Lutsky and V. Rabinovich, Parabolic Pseudodifferential Operators in Exponential Weighted Spaces, Contemp. Math., 455, 2008, 278-295. Y. Lutsky and V. Rabinovich, Invertibility of Parabolic Pseudodifferential Operators with Rapidly Increasing Symbols, Russian J. of Math. Physics, 15, 2008, 267-279. J. Shinar, V. Turetsky, V. Y. Glizer, and E. Ianovsky, Solvability of Linearquadratic Games Associated with Pursuit-Evasion Problems, Intern. Game Theory Review, 10, 2008, 481-515. D. Shoikhet, Another Look at the Burns-Krantz Theorem. J. Anal. Math. 105, 2008, 19-42. J. Shinar, V. Turetsky, and Y. Oshman, New Logic-Based Estimation/Guidance Algorithm for Improved Homing Against Randomly Maneuvering Targets, Jour.Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 30, 2007, 154 160. D. Shoikhet, Linearizing Models of Koenigs Type and the Asymptotic Behavior of One-Parameter Semigroups, (Russian) Sovrem. Mat. Fundam. Napravl. 21, 2007, 149-167; translation in J. Math. Sci. (N.Y.) 153, (5), 2008, 629-648. V. Turetsky, Capture Zones of Cheap Control Interception Strategies, Jour. Optimization, Theory Appl., 135, 2007, 69–84. V. Turetsky and V. Y. Glizer, Robust Solution of a Time-Variable Interception Problem: a Cheap Control Approach, Intern. Game Theory Review, 9, 2007, 637 655. ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION V. Turetsky, Capture Zones of Linear Feedback Pursuer Strategies, Automatica, 44, 2008, 560- 566. T. Y. Azizov and V. A. Khatskevich, Bistrict Plus-Operators and Linear Fractional Operator Transformations, UMB, 4, 2007, 307-328. T. Y. Azizov and V. A. Khatskevich, On Parametric Description of Linear Fractional Transformations of the Unit Operator Ball, Uchenye Zapiski Tavricheskogo Nazional’nogo Universiteta im. Vernadskogo, 20, 2007, 13 20. U. Brauer and L. Karp, Local Existence of Classical Solutions for the Einstein-Euler System using Weighted Sobolev Spaces of Fractional Order, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 345, 2007, 49-54. M. Elin, M. Levenshtein, D. Shoikhet and R. Tauraso, Rigidity of Holomorphic Generators and OneParameter Semigroups, Dynam. Systems Appl. 16, 2007 251 266. V. Y. Glizer, Infinite Horizon Quadratic Control of Linear Singularly Perturbed Systems with State Delays: An Asymptotic Solution of Riccati-Type Equations, IMA Journal of Mathematical Control and Information, 24(4) 2007. V. Y. Glizer, L. Fridman, and V. Turetsky, Cheap Suboptimal Control of Uncertain Systems with State Delays, IEEE Trans. Automatic Control, 52, 2007, 1892–1898. V. Y. Glizer, and V. Turetsky, Robust Controllability of Linear Systems: Analysis and Application to Pursuit Problems, Proc. Appl. Math. Mech., 7, 2007, 2030035 2030036. G. Hetsroni, A. Mosyak, E. Pogrebnyak and Z. Segal, Natural Convection Boiling of Water and Surfactants in Narrow Horizontal Annular Channels, Int. J. Multiphase Flow 33, 2007, 469-483. V. A. Khatskevich, V. Ostrovski and M. Shulman, Quadratic Inequalities for Hilbert Space Operators, Integr. Eq. Oper. Theory, 59, 2007, 19-34. V. A. Khatskevich, V. Ostrovski and M. Shulman, Quadratic Operator Inequalities and Linear-Fractional Relations, Func. Anal. Appl., 41, 2007, 314 317. 44 V. A. Khatskevich and V. Senderov, One Parameter Semigroups of Plus-Operators., Operator Theory. A. Goldvard, Pareto Layer: Its Formulation and Search by way of Evolutionary Multi Objective Optimization, Engineering Optimization. M. Levenshtein and S. Reich, A Rigidity Theorem for Commuting Holomorphic Functions, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. BOOKS AND CHAPTERS OF BOOKS B. Abramovitz, M. Berzina and L. Shvartsman, Calculus of Several Variables, Jerusalem Magnes Press, the Hebrew University, ISBN: 978-965-493-322-3, 2008, 334 pp. M. Agranovsky, D. Bshouty, L. Karp, S. Reich, D. Shoikhet, and L. Zalcman (Editors), Proceedings of an international conference Complex Analysis & Dynamical System III, a conference in honor of the Retirement of Dov Aharonov, Lev Aizenberg, Samuel Krushkal, and Uri Srebro, Contemporary Mathematics, (455) 2008, American Mathematical Society. M. Elin and D. Shoikhet, Linearization Models for Complex Dynamical Systems. Topic in Univalent Functions, Functions Equations and Semigroup Theory, (in print), Birkhauser Verlag. I. Giassinski, O. Kelis and V. Rovenski, Applications of Perturbation Methods to Hydrodynamic Instability Analysis, VDM (Verlag Dr. Muller) publishing house (in preparation). M. Levenshtein, S. Reich and D. Shoikhet, An Application of the Resolvent Method to Rigidity Theory for Holomorphic Mappings, J. Nonlinear Convex Anal. 8, 2007, 99 103. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, Solution of a Linear Pursuit-Evasion Game with Variable Structure and Uncertain Dynamics, in: Advances in Dynamic Game Theory, Numerical Methods, Algorithms, and Applications to Ecology and Economics (S. Jorgensen, M. Quincampoix and T. Vincent, Eds.), Annals of the International Society of Dynamic Games, Birkhauser, Boston, (9), 2007, 195-222. Y. Mishan, A. Mosyak, E. Pogrebnyak and G. Hetsroni, Effect of Developing Flow and Thermal Regime on Momentum and Heat Transfer in Micro-Scale Heat Sink, J. Heat and Mass Transfer 50, 2007, 3100-3114. D. Toledano-Kitai, D. Shoikhet and F. Yacobzon, Differential and Integral Calculus in One Variable, Magnes, The Acad. Press of Hebrew University, 2008, 327pp. 45 the Eighth International Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2007, 43-58, Yokohama Publishers, 2008. I. Gaissinski, V. Rovenski and O. Kelis, Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability Model for Supersonic Adiabatic Viscid Jet. – Proc. 2nd Int. Conference on Mathematics & Statistics, Athens, Greece 2008. V. Y. Glizer, V. Turetsky and J. Shinar, Continuous Robust Control Strategies in an Interception Problem with Variable Dynamics, Proceedings of Conference on Instrumentation, Control and Information Technology, DOI 10.1109/SICE 2008.4654751, Chofu City, Japan, 2008. V. Y. Glizer, V. Turetsky and J. Shinar, Differential Game with Linear Dynamics and Multiple Information Delays, International Conference on Actual Problems of Stability and Control Theory, Ekaterinburg, Russia, 2009. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, Pursuit of an Evader with Hybrid Dynamics, Preprints of the 3rd IFAC Conference on Analysis and Design of Hybrid Systems, Zaragoza, Spain, 2009. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, Novel Method to Control Linear Systems of Acceleration Constrained Dynamics, IFAC Workshop on Control Applications of Optimization, Jyvaskyla, Finland, 2009. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer, and V. Turetsky, A Pursuit-Evasion Game with Hybridpursuer Dynamics, Proceedings of the European Control Conference, 1306–1313, (invited paper) Kos, Greece, July 2007. J. Shinar, V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, A Pursuit-Evasion Game with Hybrid Evader Dynamics, Proceedings of the European Control Conference, Budapest, Hungary, 2009. J. Shinar and V. Turetsky, Two Potential Breakthroughs Answering the Ballistic Missile Defense Challenges, Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference for Aerospace Sciences, Versailles, Paris, France, 2009. J. Shinar and V. Turetsky, Meeting the Challenges of Modern Interceptor Guidance by Nonorthodox Approaches, Proceedings of the 17th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2009. REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS B. Abramovitz, A. Berman, M. Berzina, L. Shvartsman, Lagrange’s Theorem: what does the Theorem Mean?, Proceedings of CERME 5, ISBN 978-9963-671-25-0, Cyprus, 2231-2240, 2007. B. Abramovitz, M. Berzina, B. Koichu and L. Shvartsman, Urging Calculus Students to be Active Learners: What Works And What Doesn’t, Proceedings of CERME 6, France, 2009. B. Abramovitz, A. Berman, M. Berzina and L. Shvartsman, Proofs and “Puzzles”, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference “Modeles in Developing Mathematics Education”, ISBN 83-919465-92, Drezden, 2009. B. Abramovitz, A. Berman, M. Berzina and L. Shvartsman, Some Initiatives in Calculus Teaching, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference “Modeles in Developing Mathematics Education”, ISBN 83-919465-9-2, Drezden, 2009. M. Elin, D. Shoikhet and L. Zalcman, Controlled Approximation for Some Classes of Holomorphic Functions, Complex analysis and Dynamical Systems III, 63-92, Contemp. Math. 455, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 2008. M. Elin, S. Reich, D. Shoikhet and F. Yacobzon, Rates of Convergence of one-Parameter Semigroups with Boundary Denjoy-Wolff Fixed Points, in: Fixed Point Theory and its Applications, Proceedings of 46 J. Shinar and V. Turetsky, Estimation Aspects in the Interception of Randomly Maneuvering Targets, Proceedings of the 49th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences, Tel Aviv – Haifa, Israel, 2009. V. Turetsky and V. Y. Glizer, Feasibility Sets of Nonlinear Strategies in Scalarizable Robust Transfer Problem, Proceedings of the 10th IASTED International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Control, 434 – 439, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2007. V. Turetsky and V. Y. Glizer, Cheap Control in Generalized Linear-Quadratic Differential Game, the 4th Conference on Complex Analysis and Dynamical Systems, Nahariya, Israel, 2009. CONFERENCE PROCEEDING AND ABSTRACTS V. Y. Glizer, Euclidean Space Controllability Conditions for a Class of Singularly Perturbed Systems with State Delays. Book of Abstracts of the 18th International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems, pp. 90-91, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, 2008. V. Y. Glizer, Asymptotic Solution of Linear-Quadratic Optimal Control Problems for Singularly Perturbed Systems with Multiple Small State Delays. Abstracts of the International Conference on Nonlinear Analysis and Optimization, pp. 13-14, Haifa, Israel, 2008. 47 V. Y. Glizer, On a Constrained Control Mayer’s Problem for Singularly Perturbed Delayed Systems. Book of Abstracts of the 23rd IFIP Conference on System Modeling and Optimization, pp. 374-375, Cracow, Poland, 2007. V. Y. Glizer and V. Turetsky, J. Shinar, Differential Game with Linear Dynamics and Multiple Information Delays. Abstracts of the International Conference “Actual Problems of Stability and Control Theory” (APSCT’2009), pp.166-168, Ekaterinburg, Russia, 2009. V. Turetsky and V. Y. Glizer, Cheap Control in Generalized Linear-Quadratic Differential Game. Abstracts of Lectures Presented at the 4th International Conference on Complex Analysis and Dynamical Systems, pp. 43-44, Nahariya, Israel, 2009. V. A. Khatskevich. The Koenigs Problem and Extreme Fixed Points. Workshop: Open Problems in Complex Analysis And Dynamical Systems, Karmiel, 2008, (Book of Abstracts). V. A. Khatskevich and V. A. Senderov, The KE-Problem: Description of Diagonal Elements, Proceedings of the International Conference, Crimea Autumn Mathematical School-Symposium 2007, pp. 37-41, (published in 2008). OTHER PUBLICATIONS F. Yacobzon, D. Pundak, D. Toledano-Kitai and S. Rosner, To Adopt an Active Learning, Al hagova, 7 2008. L. Karp, On the Well-Posedness of the Vacuum Einstein’s Equa- tions, arXiv:0906.2918. U. Brauer and L. Karp, Interpolation of nonlinear contractive operators. U. Brauer and L. Karp, Well-posedness of the Einstein-Euler system in asymptotically at spacetimes, arXiv:0810.5045, 76 pages. 48 49 PARTICLE REINFORCED AZ91D AND AM50 MAGNESIUM ALLOYS SEMISOLID CASTING DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Michael Regev, Haim Rosenson and Zamir Koren (Technion) One of the ways to improve the mechanical properties of alloys is by dispersion strengthening, the product obtained is an MMC (Metal Matrix Composite). However, getting a uniform distribution of the strengthening compound presents a technological challenge. Semi solid metal (SSM) casting offers a number of advantages compared to other casting processes such as reducing cast defects, eliminating dendritic morphology and improving microstructural uniformity. The high shear rate and turbulence involved in SSM process can contribute to achieving a uniform distribution of the reinforcing phase when producing Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs). Keywords: Semi-solid casting, AZ91D, AM50, MMC FRICTION STIR WELDING Michael Regev and Stefano Spigarelli (Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy) Being a non-melting welding process Friction Stir Welding has many advantages over conventional welding processes. Among these advantages are the elimination of hot and cold cracking, the absence of an Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ), and the ability to weld Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs). In this research, project AZ31 plates will be butt welded, after which their creep properties will be studied. This research project is in collaboration with an Italian group from the University of Ancona. > Dr. Shmuel Gazit Keywords: friction stir welding, AZ31 Ph.D., Department Head DENTAL BUR WEAR OUT RECOGNITION USING ACOUSTIC EMISSION Uri Ben Hanan and Shmuel Miller (Department of Electronics) RESEARCH AREAS AMORPHOUS ALLOYS Michael Regev and Alexander Katz-Demyanetz (Technion) Crystalline magnesium alloys are attractive due to their high strength to weight ratio, amorphous alloys offer, in addition, higher corrosion resistance and better mechanical properties. One of the drawbacks of amorphous alloys is the high cooling rates required for achieving an amorphous microstructure. Research in this area is conducted, therefore, in order to develop amorphous alloys that can be cast by conventional processes. Keywords: Mg80Cu10Y10 , metallic glass, gravity casting, melt spinning The acoustic emission pattern of a dental bur during the grinding process is changing with the wear out of the bur. In the research acoustic emission and the force applied on the handpiece are record during the grinding process. Different signal processing procedures applied on the recorded acoustic emission will be correlate to the force applied. The best fitted procedure or procedure combination can lead to objective toll describing the bur wear out condition. Micrographs of the dental bur taken in certain stages during the grinding process by Electronic Microscope will give additional measure of the bur wear out condition. Keywords: Acoustic Emission, Grinding process DENTAL EQUIPMENT Uri. Ben Hanan, Peter Konvalina, Michael Regev and Herbert Judes (Tel Aviv University) In this research, we conduct tests of grinding extracted teeth or materials with like properties, with different dental burs. The experiments are carried out under controlled rate of advance of the handpiece and different properties and cooling methods, while measuring the; force, heat produced, amount of removed material and handpiece rotation speed. The burs micrographs before use and after use are compared to evaluate their wear-out mechanism. Keywords: grinding wear out, dental bur, tooth grinding > Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) 50 51 > Machining Research Lab Inauguration > Dental Equipment Lab Dr. S. Gazit, Mr. S. Wertheimer, Mr. Z. Pelleg, Dr. S. Rozner SET BASED DESIGN AND EVOLUTION (SBDE) OMNIDIRECTIONAL MOTION PLATFORM Gideon Avigad, Uri Ben Hanan, Vladimir Chechic, Erella Eisenstadt, Alex Goldvard (Department of Mathematics), Boris Shnits (Department of Industrial Engineering & Management) and Miri. Weiss (Department of Software Engineering & Information) Avraham Weiss SBDE is related to the search for both particular solutions as well as concepts for design and planning problems. SBDE is unique in that concepts and/or solutions are represented in the objective space by sets and not by a single representation for each. Currently there are five different studies conducted with respect to this field. About twelve researches were and are involved in these studies, half of whom are from abroad. Most of the studies involve the development of engineering paradigms and related search algorithms, yet some involve laboratory testing. Keywords: Evolutionary computation, Multi-objective, Engineering design Motion platforms such as those popular in flight simulators are parallel manipulators utilizing six extensible legs to control six degrees of freedom. Such platforms are used due to their ability to bear large weight, but have a very limited range of motion, singularities in their workspace and highly coupled kinematics. This research focuses on developing, modeling, and optimizing the design of an omnidirectional motion platform with unlimited, singularity-free angular motion that is decoupled from the translational motion. Keywords: Motion Platform, Omnidirectional Wheels, Spherical Motion, Design Optimization OMNIDIRECTIONAL MOBILE ROBOTS Avraham Weiss MOBILE PLATFORMS Gideon Avigad, Uri Ben Hanan and Vladimir Chechik In the Department, there are several projects which involve development of mobile platforms and their control. Among these projects are: a. RoBraude; a teleported mobile robot which can climb stairs and open doors (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syr85gWY9UA) b. BugBraude; building man-driven vehicle for competitions, c. SegBraude; building and controlling a set of Segways, for executing a multi-unit mission. Keywords: Un-Manned-Vehicles, Mobile robot control Most mobile robots and ground vehicles are non-holonomic, that is, they have more degrees of freedom than controls. Mobile robots utilizing omnidirectional wheels would be holonomic, thus being able to have full control over the pose of the robot instantly, without resorting to maneuvers circumventing motions that are not available for non-holonomic vehicles (such as lateral motion). Keywords: Mobile robots, Holonomic Ground Vehicles, Omnidirectional Wheels OMNIDIRECTIONAL WHEELS DESIGN Avraham Weiss Omnidirectional wheels are wheels with rollers on their periphery. These rollers allow for a passive degree of freedom in the rollers rolling direction. Different architectures of these wheels exist, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The common problem with such wheels is their low load capacity due to the fact that the load is concentrated on the axis of the small rollers as opposed to the large axis of the wheel. In order to be able to utilize such omnidirectional wheels for high-load vehicles, this problem must be resolved. Keywords: Omnidirectional Wheels, Dynamic Loading, Wheel Design MOLECULAR MODELING FOR POLYMERS David Alperstein and Dafna Knani (Department of Biotechnology Engineering) This is the state of the art software technique for prediction and analyzing plastics properties, from basic principles and computer aided simulations for plastics processing. The main interest in this is polymer-polymer blends and polymer - additives blends. Some research projects in this field are: > RobBraude a Tele-Operated Mobile Robot 52 • Computational research of slow release drugs from polymer matrix 53 • • • • Computational research of plasticizers for Nylon6. Computational research of the interaction of carbon tubes with organic compounds. Computational research of Low Shear Polymers Nano-Composites by phase separation or gelators. Investigation of Peroxide Crosslinking of a Styrene - Free Unsaturated Polyester Alkyd. The research is focused on network analysis by Monte Carlo simulation technique and crosslinking mechanism using quantum mechanics codes. Keywords: Polymers, Molecular Modeling BRITTLE FAILURE OF INJECTED PLASTIC PRODUCTS Materials Science and Technology, (25), 2009, 1227-1233. A. Weiss, R. G. Langlois and M. J. D. Hayes, The Effects of Dual-Row Omnidirectional Wheels on the Kinematics of the Atlas Spherical Motion Platform, Journal of Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2(44), 2009, 349-358. G. Avigad and A. Moshaiov, Set-based Concept Selection in Multi-Objective Problems Involving Delayed Decisions, Journal of Engineering Design, 2008. Currently on line (DOI: 10.1080/09544820802459243) U. Ben-Hanan, H. Judes and M. Regev, Comparative Study of Three Different Types of Dental Diamond Burs, Tribology - Materials, Surfaces & Interfaces, (2), 2008, 77-83. David Alperstein M. Regev, H. Rosenson and Z. Koren, Microstructure Study of Particle Reinforced AZ91D and AM50 Magnesium Alloys Semisolid Casting, Materials Science and Technology, (23), 2007, 1485-1491. Plastic products often fail in an unexpected brittle failure which causes uncertainty in predicting the product service time. The main interest is in analyzing, predicting and measuring this phenomenon, mainly in poly-olefins. The recent research project in this field is: Investigation of brittle failure in injected PP products. N. Perkas, G. Amiryan, S. Dubinsky, S. Gazit and A. Gedanken, Ultrasound-Assisted Coating of Nylon 6,6 with Silver Nanoparticles, and its Antibacterial Activity, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, (104), 2007, 1423-1430. Keywords: Brittle failure, Plastics ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION EMPLOYING ASSUR TENSEGRITY STRUCTURE FOR MIMICKING A CATERPILLAR MOTION Uri Ben-Hanan, Ofer Shai1, Omer Orki1, Itay Techori1 and Michael Slavutin1 (1 Tel Aviv University) This project is ongoing project aiming to build a robot, composed of Assur tensegrity structures, that mimics the caterpillar locomotion. Caterpillars are soft bodied animals capable of making complex movements with an astonishing fault-tolerance. In this model, a caterpillar segment is represented as a 2D tensegrity triad, consists of two cables and a linear actuator which are connected between two bars. The unique engineering properties of Assur tensegrity structures which were mathematically proved only this year, together with the suggested control algorithm share several analogies with the biological caterpillar. It provides each triad with an adjustable structural softness. Therefore, the proposed robot has a fault-tolerance and can adjust itself to the terrain roughness. This algorithm also reduces the control demands of the non-liner model of the triad by enabling simple motion control for the linear actuator and one of the cables, while the other cable is force controlled. Keywords: Tensegrity, caterpillar locomotion, shape changing robots D. Alperstein, N. Kornberg and D. Knani, A Study of Fire Retardant Blooming In HIPS By Molecular Modeling, PAT. G. Avigad and A. Moshaiov, Simultaneous Concept-Based EMO, Journal of Applied soft computing. G. Avigad, E. Erella, and A. Goldvard, Pareto Layer: its Formulation and its Search by way of Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization, Engineering Optimization. G. Avigad and C. A. C. Coello, Worst-case Reliable Optimal Solutions to Multi Objective Problems and their Search by Means of Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization, Engineering Optimization. G. Avigad, E. Eisenstadt and B. Shnits, Supporting the Selection of Robust Engineering Concepts under Suppliers Related Uncertainties, Journal of engineering design. I. Harpaz, D. Alperstein and M. Narkis, Experimental and Computational Investigation of Peroxide Crosslinking of a Styrene - Free Unsaturated Polyester Alkyd, Polymer International. REFEREED PAPERS M. Regev, H. Judes and U. Ben-Hanan, Wear Mechanisms of Diamond Coated Dental Burs, Tribology Materials, Surfaces & Interfaces. G. Avigad, E. Eisenstadt and A. Goldvard, Pareto Layer: its Formulation and its Search by way of Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization, Engineering Optimization (accepted for publication), 2009. BOOKS AND CHAPTERS IN BOOKS G. Avigad and A. Moshaiov, Set-based Concept Selection in Multi-objective Problems: Optimality versus Variability Approach, Journal of Engineering Design, 3(20), 2009, 217–242. G. Avigad and A. Moshaiov, Interactive Evolutionary Multi-Objective Search and Optimization of SetBased Concepts, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics -Part B, 4(39), 2009, 1013-1027. G. Avigad, The Multi-Multi-Objective Optimization Problem and its Solution by EMO, in Kay Chen Tan, Chi Keong Goh and Yew Soon eds., on ‘Multi-Objective Memetic Algorithms’, Studies in Computational Intelligence, (171), 2009, 3-26. H. Katz, Rosenson, Z. Koren and M. Regev, Bulk Metallic Glass Formation in the Mg80Cu15Y5 System, 54 55 REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS M. Regev, Z. Koren, H. Rosenson, and Y. Narovni, Microstructure Characterization of Particle Reinforced AZ91D and AM50 Magnesium Alloys, Euromat 2007, Nürnberg, Germany, 2007. G. Avigad, E. Eisenstadt and U. Ben Hanan, Assortment of Solutions for Variable Tasks in MultiObjective Problems (To appear in the proceedings of ICEC 2009) CONFERENCE PROCEEDING AND ABSTRACTS A. Katz, H. Rosenson, Z. Koren and M. Regev, The Influence of the Cooling Rate on Bulk Metallic Glass Formation in Mg80Cu15Y5 and Mg80Cu10Y10”,the 14th Israel Materials Engineering Conference – IMEC14, Tel-Aviv Israel, 2009. S. Offer, I. Tehori, A. Bronfeld, M. Slavutin and U. Ben-Hanan, Adjustable Tensegrity Robot Based on Assur Graph Principle, to appear in the proceedings of International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition IMECE 2009, Orlando, Florida, 2009. M. Regev, A. Katz-Demyanetz, Z. Koren and H. Rosenson, Bulk Metallic Glass Formation in the MgCu-Y System, EUROMAT 2009, Glasgow, UK, 2009. G. Avigad and J. Branke, Embedded EMO for Worst Case Robustness and a related Decision Support, proceedings of GECCO 2008. G. Avigad and C. A. C. Coello, Solving Constrained Multi-Objective Problems by Objective Space Analysis, proceedings of GECCO 2008. U. Ben-Hanan and O. Riechsfeld, Mechatronics as a Learning Platform, proceedings of the 9th Biennial ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Conference on ESDA (Engineering Systems Design and Analysis), Haifa, Israel, 2008 D. Alperstein and D. Knani, Multiscale modeling for polymer science, the state of the art, presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Israeli Polymer and Plastics Society, Tel - Aviv, Israel, 2008. O. Shai, U. Ben-Hanan, Y. Mor, M. Slovotin, L. Ginzburg, A. Bronfeld and I. Tehori, Deployable Tensegrity Robots, ICR (Israeli Conference on Robotics), Herzelia, Israel, 2008. U. Ben-Hanan and O. Riechsfeld, Mechatronics and Meta-Cognitive Skills; Pupils’ Attitude Towards Technology PATT-20, International Design & Technology Education Conference, Tel-Aviv Israel, 2008. D. Alperstein, N. Kornberg and D. Knani, A Study of Fire Retardant Blooming In HIPS By Molecular Modeling, PAT 2009, Jerusalem, Israel, 2009. G. Avigad, The multi-Multi-Objective Trajectory Planning Problem and its Solution by an Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization, proceedings of the 2nd Israeli Robotic Conference, Herzeliya, 2008. G. Avigad and E. Eisenstadt, Concept selection in the presence of uncertainties about supply chains, proceedings of the ORT Braude research symposium, 2008. G. Avigad, Evolving highly reliable solutions to constrained uncertain multi-objective problems by worst-case analysis, proceedings of the ORT Braude research symposium, 2008. M. J. D. Hayes, R. G. Langlois and A. Weiss, Atlas Motion Platform Generalized Kinematic Model, proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Fundamental Issues and Future Research Directions for Parallel Mechanisms and Manipulators, Montpellier, France. 2008. G. Avigad and G. Harpaz, The Multi-Single-Objective Problem (M-SOP) and its solution by evolutionary algorithms, proceedings of the ORT Braude research symposium, 2008. A. Weiss, R. G. Langlois and M. J. D. Hayes, Kinematics of the Atlas Platform with Redundant Contact Points, CSME Symposium on Machines, Mechanisms and Mechatronics, Ottawa, Canada, 2008 (on CD). D. Alperstein, N. Artzi, M. Narkis and A. Siegmann, Computational Investigation of EVOH/Clay Nanocomposites, International Soft Matter Conference, Aachen, Germany, 2007. R. Baavour, M. Fuchs and U. Ben-Hanan, a Slip/Shear Tactile Display Master Unit for High Load Grip Tasks, the 15th Mediterranean Conference on Control and automation MED’07, Athens, Greece, 2007. D. Alperstein, N. Artzi, M. Narkis and A. Siegmann, Computational Study of EVOH/Clay Intercalation. presented at the 1st European Conference on Multi scale modeling, Brno, Czech Republic, 2007. G. Avigad, Multi-Multi Objective Optimization Problem and its Solution by a Multi Objective Evolutionary Algorithm, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, LCNS 4403, pp: 850-861, Springer, 2007, also In the proceedings of EMO 2007, Japan, 2007. D. Knani and D. Alperstein, In Silico studies of DBS as a gelator for Polypropylene, presented at the 1st European Conference on Multi scale modeling, Brno, Czech Republic, 2007. A. Moshaiov and G. Avigad, Concept-Based Multi-Objective Problems and their Solution by EC, proceedings of the user-centered EC Workshop at GECCO (2007). G. Avigad, Solving the Multi-Multi Objective Optimization Problem by a Simultaneous MOEA, proceedings of the Congress on EC, Singapore, 2007. G. Avigad and K. Deb, The Sequential Optimization-Constraint Multi-Objective Problem and its Applications for Robust Planning of Robot Paths, proceedings of the Congress on EC, Singapore, 2007. A. Katz, H. Rosenson, Z. Koren and M. Regev, Bulk Metallic Glass Formation in the Mg-Cu-Y System, the 13th Israel Materials Engineering Conference – IMEC 13, Haifa, Israel, 2007. A. Moshaiov and G. Avigad, The Extended Concept-Based Multi-Objective Path Planning and its A-Life Implications, Proceedings of the 1st IEEE Symposium on A-life, in 2007 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 2007. 56 PATENTS Gedanken et al, Method for Preparation of Silver-Polymer Composites by Sonochemical Deposition, PTC/WO2007/032001, 2007 (patent pending). S. Gazit. 57 QUANTUM OPTICS DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS Ari Gero Multiple scattering of photons in disordered atomic media while taking into account cooperative effects such as superradiance and subradiance study how these effects, which originate from the interaction between atoms through the radiation field, modify the transport properties of light, e.g. the photon mean free path and its group velocity. Keywords: propagation, cooperative effects, disordered media, superradiance CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS WORKSHOP IN SUPERCONDUCTIVITY The research workshop of the Israel Science Foundation “Fluctuations and Phase Transitions in Superconductors” was held in Nazareth Ilit during June 10-14, 2007, with leading scientists from eleven countries. > Prof. Jorge Berger Ph.D., Department Head RESEARCH AREAS SUPERCONDUCTIVITY (EXPERIMENTAL) The workshop was organized by OBC, Bar-Ilan University, and the Weizmann Institute. The OBC representative in the organizing committee was Prof. J. Berger. Among the members of the advisory committee was the editor in chief of the leading Russian scientific journal JETP Letters, Prof. V. Gantmakher, and also the Nobel Laureate, Prof. A. Leggett. The poster session of the workshop was held at OBC. All the lectures and posters raised considerable interest. The proceedings were published in Physica C, vol. 468. REFEREED PAPERS Menachem Shay Our research focuses on the problem of the coupling mechanism in high-Tc-superconductors (HTSC). Single crystals of various HTSC’s are grown in an image zone furnace and the energy spectrum of these crystals is studied using several methods, mainly by Raman Scattering. An analogue to the isotope effect is searched for by means of careful comparison of the energy of the phonons and magnons of different HTSC. J. Berger, Consistent Langevin Terms in the Numeric Treatment of Superconducting Wires, Physica C 468, 2008, 268-271. J. Berger, Confinement into a Metastable State with Persistent Current by Thermal Quenching of Loop of Josephson Junctions, Physica C 468, 2008, 294-298. Keywords: HTSC, Raman scattering, isotope effect J. Berger, A. Kanda, R. Furugen, and Y. Ootuka, Location of Flux-Induced Vortex, Physica C 468 pp 848–851, 2008. SUPERCONDUCTIVITY (THEORETICAL) E. Akkermans, A. Gero, and R. Kaiser, Photon Localization and Dicke Superradiance in Atomic Gases, Phys. Rev. Lett., 103602 (101), 2008. Jorge Berger We study geometric effects on mesoscopic superconducting samples, mainly rings, by means of the Ginzbug-Landau model and generalizations of it. Special attention is given to thermal fluctuations, which are studied by means of appropriate Langevin functions. Keywords: Superconducting rings, Ginzburg-Landau, Kramer Watts-Tobin, Langevin J. Berger, Ginzburg-Landau Equations with Consistent Langevin Terms for Nonuniform Wires, Phys. Rev. B 75 pp. 184522 (1-18), 2007. A. Gero and E. Akkermans, Superradiance and multiple scattering of photons in atomic gases, Phys. Rev. A 75, 053413, 2007. A. Gero and E. Akkermans, Superradiance and multiple scattering of photons in atomic gases, Virtual 58 59 Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology, 2007. BOOKS AND CHAPTERS IN BOOKS A. Kanda, B. J. Baelus, D. Y. Vodolazov, J. Berger, R. Furugen, Y. Ootuka, and F. M. Peeters, Evidence for a different type of vortex that mediates a continuous fluxoid-state transition in a mesoscopic superconducting ring, Phys. Rev. B 76, pp. 094519 (1-8), 2007 N. Netzer, Dynamics of Stellar Outflows, Baltic Astronomy 16, 120-122 N. Netzer, The Role of Emission Lines in Quasi-Stellar Objects, in Redshifts of Quasi-Stellar Objects, editor: D. Basu, Published by Research Signpost (in Press) J. Berger, Y. Oreg, D. Shahar and B. Shapiro (eds.), Superconductivity and its Applications, Physica C, (468) 2008 FLUCTUATIONS & PHASE TRANSITIONS IN SUPERCONDUCTORS June 10-14, 2007 Bar-Ilan University (Ramat-Gan, Israel) ORT Braude College (Karmiel, Israel) The Weizmann Institute of Science (Rehovot, Israel) announce the Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation FLUCTUATIONS & PHASE TRANSITIONS IN SUPERCONDUCTORS which will be held on June 10-14, 2007 at Hotel Plaza, Nazareth Ilit, Israel Topics: • Superconductor-insulator transition • Superconductivity in low dimensions • Fluctuations and non-equilibrium phenomena in superconductors • Mesoscopic and nanoscopic structures International Advisory Committee V. Gantmakher (Chernogolovka) J. Kirtley (IBM) A. Leggett (Illinois) Z. Tesanovic (Johns Hopkins) Local Organizing Committee J. Berger (Braude) Y. Oreg (Weizmann) D. Shahar (Weizmann) B. Shapiro (Bar Ilan) Additional Information: fl[email protected] Supported by: The Israel Science Foundation, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Bar-Ilan University, ORT Braude College, Ricor Systems 60 61 DEPARTMENT OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING & INFORMATION SYSTEMS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING, SYSTEM SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN METHODOLOGIES Zeev Barzily, Mati Golani, Eliezer Kantorovich and Avi Soffer Software engineering is concerned with the study and application of a systematic, disciplined and quantifiable approach to development; operation and maintenance of software. It involves both computer science and engineering principles and practices towards improved handling of requirements, specification, design, implementation and verification of software systems. It is also incorporates database design and optimization, as well as architecture design methodologies. Software Engineering research involves developing applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, engineering application domains, interface design, digital asset management and other such fields. Keywords: Software engineering, Requirements engineering, Specification and design GENERALIZED CONVOLUTION THEORY Renata Avros, Dvora Toledano-Kitai and Zeev Volkovich > Prof. Zeev Volkovich Ph.D., Department Head Generalized convolution theory is a notable area of modern probability theory. A new analytical approach in this field has been offered by Volkovich. Apparently, one of the most known realizations of this construction is named “Volkovich Convolution”. Recent research studies are focused on the search for new analytical tools that will provide a solution of the convolutions embedding problem. Keywords: Generalized convolution, general integral transforms, stochastic modeling RESEARCH AREAS INFORMATION THEORY AND CODING THEORY Biniamin Mounits, Zeev Volkovich and Orly Yahalom DATA MINING, TEXT MINING Renata Avros, Zeev Barzily, Mati Golani, Katerina Korenblat, Dvora Toledano-Kitai, and Zeev Volkovich Data mining deals with data understanding and data interpretation presented as usual in large datasets. The main research topic in this area is the cluster validation problem. Resting upon modern statistical and computational tools, several new cluster stability criteria have been offered together with applications to text mining problems, like authorship recognition and themes selection. Keywords: clustering, feature selection, cluster validation, unsupervised learning The research in this area is concerned with finding upper bounds for the maximal cardinality of codes of given block length with respect to the minimum hamming distance over finite fields. We search for bounds for the minimum average distance for subsets in metric association schemes. In addition, we wish to develop construction methods for constant weight codes and algebraic geometry codes with improved parameters. Keywords: Information theory, coding theory, bounds on codes, association schemes APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING, MODEL-DRIVEN SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Zeev Barzily, Mati Golani, Eliezer Kantorovich and Avi Soffer BIOINFORMATICS Alex Bolshoy, Katerina Korenblat and Zeev Volkovich The research in this area is mainly concentrated on two directions. The first concerning the organisms’ classification using properties of DNA sequences. The second deals with feature selection in the microarray data arrangement. Particularly, the problem of active genes selection in Leukemia diagnoses is considered. Keywords: genomes classification, microarray analysis, features selection 62 Knowledge Engineering is an engineering discipline that involves integrating knowledge into computer systems in order to solve complex problems, normally requiring a high level of human expertise by building, maintaining and development of knowledge-based systems. Knowledge engineering has a great deal in common with software engineering, and it is related to many computer science domains such as artificial intelligence, database systems, data mining, expert systems, decision support systems and management information systems. Model-driven engineering (MDE) is a software development methodology which focuses on creating models, or abstractions, related to particular domain concepts. It is meant to increase productivity 63 by maximizing compatibility between systems, simplifying the process of system development and maintenance, and promoting communication between individuals and teams working on the system. COMPILER OPTIMIZATIONS Keywords: Knowledge Engineering, Model-driven Engineering New hardware architectures (such as VLIW, FPGA, PIPELINE etc.) require new code optimizations for parallelizing the compiled code. This research involves developing algorithms to exploit the new architectures’ parallel components efficiently. TRAJECTORY PLANNING FOR MULTI AGENT SYSTEMS Miri Weiss-Cohen, Gidon Avigad (Department of Mech. Engineering) and Erela Eisenstadt (Department of Mech. Engineering) Esti Stein and Yosi Ben-Asher (Haifa University) Keywords: Parallel architectures, FPGA, VLIW, parallelized code, compiler optimizations Planning free collision trajectories for cooperating multi agent systems, by using different evolutionary approaches. The research involves the optimization of agents’ trajectories, which are subjected to reciprocal constraints, such as: distance between the agents lesser than a predefined distance, keeping the distance between the agents greater than a predefined distance (avoiding collisions); always allow an eye of sight contact between the agents; always occupy one agent at each sub-workspace. The research includes developing new tools of combining B- Splines, NURBS curves and genetic algorithms. Keywords: Multi agents, path planning, evolutionary algorithms > Ms. E. Stein presenting a paper SCULPTURED SURFACES COVERAGE OF 3D SOLIDS USING GA Miri Weiss-Cohen NURBS Surfaces for 3D solids, as the solid is arranged on a flat surface. The research aims to optimize the residue of non covered surface, and the gap between the covering 3D solid and the sculptured surface. This optimization involves using Genetic Algorithms for defining the optimal mesh for the surface. Keywords: NURBS Surfaces, Surface coverage WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS Peter Soreanu and Zeev Volkovich Wireless sensor networks-related research is a hot topic, due to technological advances that allow for new and complex applications. Performance improvements, mostly energy, efficiency and security related, are of outmost importance in this field. The main research topic concentrates on energy-efficient routing, sensing, data fusion and communication algorithms. Other related topics in which we currently actively research are: efficient clustering, mobile sensors, and security and tracking issues. Keywords: WSN, wireless sensor networks, energy efficient, sensing models, sensing coverage, wsn jamming, malicious node, object tracking RECONFIGURABLE ARCHITECTURES 64 CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS STABILITY PROBLEMS FOR STOCHASTIC MODELS October 2007 DATA MINING AND DATA BASES April 2008 REFEREED PAPERS Z. Barzily, Z. Volkovich, B. Akteke-Ozturk and G. W. Weber, On a Minimal Spanning Tree Approach in the Cluster Validation Problem, Informatica 2, (20), 2009. A. Bolshoy and Z. Volkovich, Whole-Genome Prokaryotic Clustering Based on Gene Lengths, The Journal of Combinatorial Algorithms, Informatics and Computational Sciences, 10, (157), 2009, 2378 2387. Esti Stein and Yosi Ben-Asher (Haifa University) A. Grusho, E. Timonina, Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, Consistent Criteria for Sequences on Finite Spaces, Informatica, 2009 The research mainly involves developing algorithms for existing architectures such as FPGA, and future architecture models such as Reconfigurable Mesh. These architectures have parallel components, and are mostly used to accelerate the execution time of programs or algorithms. L. Kozobay-Avraham, S. Hosid, Z. Volkovich and A. Bolshoy, Prokaryote Clustering Based on DNA Curvature Distributions, The Journal of Combinatorial Algorithms, Informatics and Computational Sciences, (157), 2009, 2370-2377. Keywords: Reconfigurable mesh, FPGA, parallel algorithms, parallel processing E. Pancheva, I. Mitov and Z. Volkovich, Relationship between Extremer and Sum Processes Generated by yhe Same Point Process, Serdica Mathematical Journal, no. 2, 2009. 65 A. Soffer and D. Dori, Bridging the Requirements-Implementation Modeling Gap with ObjectProcess Methodology. Journal on Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering, 1, (5), 2009. P. Soreanu, Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily and M. Golani, Mitigating Jamming Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks: an Energy-Efficient Method in a Mobile Jammer Environment, International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (UJPAM), 2009 Z. Volkovich, V. Kirzhner, Z. Barzily, S. Hosid and K. Korenblat, A Linguistic Approach to Classification of Bacterial Genomes, Pattern Recognition, 2009 M. Weiss-Cohen, A. Bondarenko and Y. Halevi, Reconstruction of 3D Models from Measurements Obtained by a Moving Sensor, Computer-Aided Design and Application (CAD&A), (47), 2009, 103-114. M. Golani, Workflow Search Space Reduction – a Model Driven Approach. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IJPAM), (44/2), 2008, 265-280. B. Mounits, Lower Bounds on the Minimum Average Distance of Binary Codes, Discrete Mathematics, 24(308), 2008, 6241-6253. ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION E. Fischer, O. Lachish, A. Matsliah, I. Newman and O. Yahalom, On the Query Complexity of Testing Orientations for being Eulerian, ACM Transactions on Algorithms. E. Fischer and O. Yahalom, Testing Convexity Properties of Tree Colorings, Algorithmica, doi 10.1007/ s00453-009-9368-2, 2009. Z. Volkovich, D. Toledano-Kitai, and R. Avros, On Analytical Properties of Generalized Convolutions, Banach Center Publications, Institute of Mathematics, Polish Academy of Sciences Warszawa, (invited paper, to appear) PUBLISHED BOOKS O. Muller and B. Haberman, Supporting Abstraction Processes in Problem-Solving through PatternOriented-Instruction, Computer Science Education, 18(3), 2008, 187-212. A. L. Rukhin and Z. Volkovich, Testing Randomness via a Periodic Words, the Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, 12(78), 2008, 1–12. Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily, and L. Morozensky, A statistical Model of Cluster Stability, Pattern Recognition, 7(41), 2008, 2174 2188. M. Weiss-Cohen, A. Bondarenko and Y. Halevi, Experimentally Obtained Measurements for Reconstruction of ORThographic Views, SMI Special Issue:Mathematical and Computer Modeling in Applied Problems, 2008, 112-125. M. Weiss-Cohen, I. Sirotin and E. Rave, GrasSmart, An Intelligent Robotic System for Continuous Area Coverage, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, (5177), 2008, 650-657. E. Pancheva, Z. Volkovich, and L. Morozensky, Upper and Lower Bounds for Ruin Probability, Pliska Studia Mathematica Bulgarica, 18, 2007, 315-326. Z. Volkovich, J. Kogan and C. Nicholas, Building initial partitions through sampling techniques, European Journal of Operational Research 3(183), 2007, 1097-1105. A. Grusho, E. Timonina, Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, On a Probabilistic Model of Intrusion Detection, International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IJPAM), 1(34), 2007, 39-50. V. Kirzhner, A. Paz, Z. Volkovich, E. Nevo and A. Korol, Different Clustering of Genomes Across Life Using the A-T-C-G and Degenerate R-Y Alphabets: Early and late Signaling on Genome Evolution?, Journal of Molecular Evolution 4(64), 2007, 448-456. B. Mounits, T. Etzion and S. Litsyn, Upper Bounds on Codes via Association Schemes and Linear Programming, Advances in Mathematics of Communications, 2(1), 2007, 173-195. S. Litsyn and B. Mounits, Improved Lower Bounds on Sizes of Single-Error Correcting Codes, Designs, Codes and Cryptography, 1(42), 2007, 67 – 72. M. Weiss-Cohen, Reconstruction of Solids Models from ORThographic Views using Knowledge Retrieval and Composite Graphs, Computer-Aided Design and Application (CAD&A), (45), 2007, 159-167. 66 M. Golani, Adaptive and Flexible Exception Management in Uncertain Environments. Handbook of Research on Complex Dynamic Process Management, IGI global, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-60566669-3 Z. Barzily, M. Golani and Z. Volkovich, On a Simulation Approach to Cluster Stability Validation, special issue, Mathematical and Computer Modeling in Applied Problems, Institute Informatics Problems, RAS, 86-112, 2008. S. Shorgin and Z. Volkovich, Systems and Means of Informatics, special issue, Mathematical and Computer Modeling in Applied Problems, Institute Informatics Problems, RAS, 2008. D. Toledano-Kitai, F. Yacobzon and D. Shoikhet, Differential Calculus in One Variable, Magness Press, 2008. Z. Volkovich, V. Kirzhner and Z. Barzily, On a Linguistic Classification of the Bacterial Genome, Systems and Means of Informatics, special issue, Mathematical and Computer Modeling in Applied Problems, Institute Informatics Problems, RAS, 6-15, 2008. REFERRED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS A. Grusho, E. Timonina and Z. Volkovich, On Consistent Criteria for Non-Consistent Alternatives, The XIII International Conference Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis (ASMDA 2009), Vilnius, 2009. A. Grusho, E. Timonina, Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, On Asymptotical Equivalence of Statistical Criteria in Discrete Problems, The 23rd European Conference on Operational Research, Bonn, 2009. S. Hosid, Z. Volkovich and A. Bolshoy, Genomic Clustering Based on Linguistic Complexity Profiles, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Genome Informatics Conference, 2009. 67 K. Korenblat, Z. Volkovich and A. Bolshoy, Whole-Genome Prokaryotic Clustering Based on Gene Lengths, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Genome Informatics Conference, 2009. Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, On Application of Probability Metrics in the Cluster Stability Problem, 1st European Conference on Data Mining (ECDM’07), Lisbon, 2007. Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily, R. Avros and D. Toledano-Kitai, K-Nearest Neighbors’ Stochastic Models in the Cluster Stability Problem, The 23rd European conference on Operational Research, Bonn, 2009. Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily, B. Akteke-Ozturk and G. W. Weber, Cluster Stability using Minimal Spanning Trees, 22nd European on Operational Research Conference EURO XXII, Prague, Czech Republic, 2007. Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily, R. Avros and D. Toledano-Kitai, On Application of the K-Nearest Neighbors Approach for Cluster Validation, The XIII International Conference Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis (ASMDA 2009), Vilnius, 2009. M. Weiss-Cohen, 3D Reconstruction of Solid Models from Engineering ORThographic Views using Variational Geometry and Composite Graphs,IAENG International Conference on Image EngineeringICIE’07, Hong Kong, 2007. Z. Volkovich, Z. Barzily, G.-W. Weber and D. Toledano-Kitai, Cluster Stability Estimation Based on a Minimal Spanning Trees Approach, the 2nd Global Conference on Power and Optimization (PCO2009), Bali, Indonesia, 2009. M. Weiss-Cohen, A. Bondarenko and Y. Halevi, Reconstruction of 3D Models from Measurements Obtained by a Moving Sensor, CAD ‘09, Reno, Nevada, USA, 2009. Z. Barzily, Z. Volkovich, B. Akteke-Ozturk and G. W. Weber, Cluster, Stability Using Minimal Spanning Trees, Proceedings of 20th Mini Conference, Continuous Optimization and Knowledge-Based Technologies, EurOPT’ 2008, Lithuania, 2008. E. Fischer, O. Lachish, A. Matsliah, I. Newman and O. Yahalom, On the query complexity of testing orientations for being Eulerian, Proc. of APPROX-RANDOM, LNCS 5171, 402-415, 2008. P. Soreanu, Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, Energy-Efficient Predictive Jamming Holes Detection Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks, Sensor Technologies and Applications, SENSORCOMM ‘08, 2nd International Conference, 2008. M. Weiss-Cohen, I. Sirotin and E. Rave, GrasSmart, An Intelligent Robotic System for Continuous Area Coverage, 12th International Conference, KES 2008, Zagreb, Croatia, 2008. S. Cohen and A. Soffer, Scrutinizing UML and OPM Modeling Capabilities with Respect to Systems Engineering. Proccedings of the International Conference on Systems Engineering and Modeling (ICSEM’07), Herzelia, Haifa, Israel, 2007. E. Fischer and O. Yahalom, Testing Convexity Properties of Tree Colorings, Proc. of International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science, STACS 2007, LNCS 4393, 109-120, 2007. M. Golani, A. Gal and E. Toch, Modeling Alternatives in Exception Execution. BPM 2007 International Workshops, BPI, BPD, CBP, ProHealth, RefMod, semantics4ws, Brisbane, Australia, 2007. M. Golani, A. Gal and E. Toch. Modeling Alternatives in Exception Handling. Informal Proceedings of the workshop in Business Process Intelligence BPI 2007. E. Kantorowitz, Estimating the Number of Required Code Inspectors, XXVI International Seminar Stability Problems for Stochastic Models, Israel, 2007. E. Kantorowitz, T. Kuflik and A. Raginsky, Estimating the Required Code Inspection Team Size, IEEE International Conference on Software - Science, Technology and Engineering 2007,(SwSTE 2007). A. Soffer and S. Cohen, Alleviating Complexity of Modeling in System Engineering Tools. Proccedings of the International Conference on Systems Engineering and Modeling (ICSEM’07), Herzelia, Haifa, Israel, 2007. Z. Volkovich and Z. Barzily, On a Statistical Model of Cluster Stability, PASCAL Workshop on stability and resampling methods for clustering, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tubingen, Germany, 2007. 68 69 DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING The research focuses on two aspects: (1) perceptions of student’s participants in the peerlearning workshops (qualitative level) and their achievements (quantitative level); (2) perceptions of students’ leaders. We found that the students who consistently participated in the workshops found them useful and applicable. In all courses, the high and low students’ achievers that participated in the workshops got significantly better scores at the end of the course than the students who didn’t participate in the workshops. Keywords: Peer learning, Team Leaders > Dr. Orna Muller Ph.D., Department Head > Student leader in active workshop DEVELOPING A PROGRAM FOR SUPPORTING UNDERACHIEVER STUDENTS RESEARCH AREAS PROMOTING STUDENTS’ LEARNING AND THINKING SKILLS THE EFFECT OF LEARNING SKILLS’ COURSES ON STUDENTS IN AN ACADEMIC ENGINEERING COLLEGE Orit Herscovitz and S. Israeli (Technion) In order to promote students’ effective learning, several courses that emphasize the development of learning and thinking skills were integrated into the curriculum of the first year studies. The process of integrating the courses was assessed by a follow-up research. The research main objectives were: (a) to learn about students’ perceptions regarding the learning skills’ course and the contributions to their learning process; (b) to learn if and how the students implement the skills. Keywords: Higher education learning, learning skills, orientation courses, students’ perceptions PEER-LEARNING WORKSHOPS FOR SUPPORTING FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS’ LEARNING Orit Herscovitz, Orna Muller and Miri Shacham The Group Leaders’ Project in ORT Braude College is aimed to promote first year students’ learning. The project embodies students leading workshops for developing self-learning in courses with high rates of failures. 70 Arnona Etzion, Orna Muller, Miri Shacham, and Hagit Even-Zur (Support Center for Students with Special Needs) MALAT program in ORTG73 Braude College aims to promote learning abilities in order to lower the drop-out rate among first year students with potential to succeed. The students undergo an interview at the Center for Teaching and Learning and then are recommended to get a suitable support. The formative research accompanying the program focuses on revealing the sources of difficulties and reasons for failure among students who participated in the MALAT program, and following the effectiveness of the various supporting tools that students benefit in this program. Keywords: Academic support, learning abilities “PERSONAL COACHING” AS A TOOL FOR ASSISTING UNDERACHIEVER STUDENTS Orit Herscovitz, Miri Shacham and Ita Donner (Biotechnology Engineering) As a part of MALAT program, some of the students receive personal coaching carried out by a trained lecturer. The main research goal is to explore the process of personal coaching from the student’s and the coacher’s point of view. We have found that the students went through a change of taking a full responsibility for the decision-making concerning their learning process which promotes their success. The trained lecturers who conducted the coaching felt that by the close exposure to different students and learning style, they acquired important tools for their professional development. Keywords: Coaching, under achieving academic status, self regulation 71 DEVELOPING ALGORITHMIC PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS – COURSE EVALUATION Orna Muller and Bruria Haberman (Holon Institute of Technology) Our research goal was the evaluation of one of the courses for improving learning and thinking skills introduced by the Teaching & Learning Center to students from the Departments of Software Engineering. and Industrial Engineering and Management. Course design elaborates on analogical reasoning, prototyping problems, comparison between alternative solutions to a problem and reflection on problem-solving processes. The course was examined with regard to main skills acquired in the course, its content and structure, and the desirable relationship between this course and the Introduction to Computer Science course. Students reflected on acquiring general problemsolving skills, awareness to distinct abstraction levels, a shift towards mature norms of approaching a problem and the advantages of keeping the two courses separated. Keywords: solving, Instructional design in Hebrew. It was also found that university students are aware of the Internet sites supporting the course textbooks and are assisted by online learning materials far more than college students. Keywords: Textbook reading, Internet sites usage EMPLOYING A MARKETING APPROACH TO CREATE A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE ENGINEERING STUDENT David Pundak and Arie Maharshak (Industrial Engineering and Management) The study investigates the engineering student’s world, special needs and attitudes – during first year academic studies – from a marketing viewpoint. It examines students’ attitudes regarding textbook reading and use of Internet sites as a supportive environment for basic courses. The students participated in research related to: reading habits before and during academic studies, preferred language for textbooks (English or Hebrew), reading skills and use of on-line learning materials. ACTIVE LEARNING AND INNOVATION IN TEACHING INSTRUCTORS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD ACTIVE LEARNING Keywords: students’ needs, reading habits, textbooks, online learning Orit Herscovitz, David Pundak, Miri Shacham and Rivka Wizer-Biton (Biotechnology Engineering) CASE-BASED LEARNING This research aims to recognize and measure the adoption level of innovation in teaching methods. A diagnostic tool for measuring instructors’ beliefs was developed, including 35 valid items in six categories: (a) Large Class - Activation of a large class, (b) Involvement - Student involvement in the course, (c) Independence - Independent learning by students, (d) Development of knowledge - by students, (e) Quantity versus understanding - A tendency to prefer understanding of the material to full completion of the syllabus and (f) Function of instructor - Perception of the role of the instructor. TEACHING AND ASSESSING THINKING SKILLS IN A CONTEXT-BASED LEARNING UNIT Keywords: Active Learning, innovation in teaching Orit Herscovitz, Shirly Avargil (Technion) and Yehudit Judy Dori (Technion) As part of a new curriculum in science education, a new learning unit was developed, emphasizes on context-based learning and developing students’ higher order thinking skills. The study was aimed at (a) determining teachers’ perceptions regarding advantages and difficulties they experience while teaching in context, (b) characterizing ways in which teachers infuse thinking skills into their instruction. Based on interviews and classroom observations over two years of teaching, we found that teachers’ confidence level in teaching the unit evolved from insecurity to a sense of gained experience. Regarding thinking skills and assessment they moved from skepticism to recognition of the importance of implementing adapted methods to suit the needs of this teaching approach. Keywords: Thinking Skills, Context-based Learning PERCEIVED VS. ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION Orit Herscovitz, Shirly Avargil (Technion) and Yehudit Judy Dori (Technion) > Active learning center – groups’ learning CHARACTERISTICS OF TEXTBOOK AND ONLINE SOURCES READING BY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Orit. Herscovitz, David Pundak and Miri Shacham The study investigated engineering students’ attitudes regarding textbook reading and utilization of Internet sites as a supportive environment for basic academic courses. 228 freshmen students from two colleges and one university participated in the research. It was found that both university and college students invest little time in reading textbooks and that they prefer textbooks written 72 Promoting meaningful learning involves a process of self- reflection and self-regulated learning. This is done while learning the Taste of Chemistry learning unit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of studying this unit on students’ perceived and actual knowledge of food chemistry concepts. We found two factors that can help students improve their understanding of food related concepts: (1) Exposure to metacognitive thinking by applying the different levels of chemistry understanding in order to regulate their knowledge and accordingly their answers, and (2) The teacher’s role in promoting efficient application of metacognitive thinking based on the four chemistry understanding levels. Keywords: self- reflection, metacognitive thinking, chemistry understanding 73 TEACHING CASE STUDIES IN BILINGUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Orit Herscovitz and Nihal Naser (Technion) Teaching science through case-studies in bilingual environment raises many difficulties to the teachers as well as for the students. The research aims to explore the characteristics of casebased teaching in bilingual environment from Arab teachers’ point of view. A special teachers’ attitude questionnaire was developed, based on four main categories: (a) promoting students’ thinking skills, (b) contribution to teacher’s professional development, (c) teaching in bilingual environment and, (d) students’ assessment. We also used class observations and interviews’ focused on these four categories. Keywords: case study, bilingual learning environment ALGORITHMIC PROBLEM SOLVING: COGNITIVE AND INSTRUCTIONAL ASPECTS Orna Muller and Bruria Haberman (Holon Institute of Technology) We are conducting ongoing research on various aspects of problem solving in the context of Computer-Science and programming. The research strives to explore problem-solving behavior of novices and experts, mapping and understanding novices’ difficulties, design and evaluation of instruction that promotes the development of problem-solving skills. Problem comprehension and structure identification, generalization and abstraction, analogical reasoning, efficiency and elegancy of solutions and verbalization of ideas, are representative examples. One of the instructional design methods developed and evaluated is Pattern-Oriented Instruction: learning algorithmic patterns (prototypes) for reinforcing the creation of cognitive schemas associated with expertise and knowledge organization. Keywords: Instructional Design, Algorithmic Patterns, Novice-Expert STRESS AND COPING IN TIMES OF WAR INTERVENTION & RESEARCH PROJECT “AVENUES OF RESILIENCE” (SDEROT, 2007-2009) Miri Shacham, Jehudit Spanglet (Ben-Gurion University), and Meirav Tal (Hakibutzim College) The study was conducted in times of massive shelling on Sderot in 2007-2008. The study explores how belief and religion influenced the coping resources of women in Sderot and how did the use of body-oriented psychotherapy aid them in coping with traumatic and continual war situations. The study uses a special model of coping with trauma - ‘Stream Model’ which was developed in Israel (Tal, 2006). Research tools are pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Keywords: Belief and religion, coping resources, body-oriented psychotherapy SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR ENHANCING COPING RESOURCES WITH SHELLING AND EVACUATION TRAUMA Miri Shacham and Carmit Cohen (Ministry of Education) The program was developed in order to enhance resilience of school population – teachers and pupils living in communities which had experienced traumatic stress of genuine threat to their lives in the Second Lebanon War (2006). The program included creative activities like writing, painting, music, dance - in addition to verbal activities. 74 The study was based upon the Basic Ph Model of Coping and Resiliency (Lahad,2000)which relates to six major coping modalities that are at the core of an individual’s coping style: Beliefs and Values, Affect and Emotion, Social, Imagination and Creativity, Cognition and Thought, Physiology and Activities. Keywords: Resilience,The “Basic Ph” Model, School programme, War trauma STRESS REACTIONS AND COPING RESOURCES OF CITIZENS - JEWS AND ARABS - IN TIMES OF WAR M. Shacham, Mooli Lahad (Tel-Hai College) and Yehuda Shacham (Tel-Hai College) This longitudinal research evaluates the impact of shelling and evacuation on stress reactions, coping resources and future preferences of residents in the north of Israel after the Second Lebanon War in summer 2006. The research focused on the differences between the two main populations in the targeted area: Jews and Arabs. The research population was a representative sample of 170 Jewish adults and of 129 Arab adults in the attacked communities. Keywords: Evacuation, Sress reactions,Coping RESEARCH ON DOCTORAL EDUCATION DOCTORAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND CROSS-CULTURAL SUPERVISION Miri Shacham and Yehudit Od-Cohen (Ohalo College) This is an ongoing action research (1998-2009) on Ph.D. innovative international programme in Anglia Ruskin University in UK. The students and their supervisors are being effectively supported through communities of practice which focus throughout on strategies of meta-learning. The research aim is to explore the experience of cross cultural supervision as it affects the Ph.D. process from the supervisors’ and the graduates’ points of view. The conceptual framework deals with theories of intercultural learning, linguistic and cultural competence and Life Long Learning. Keywords: cross-cultural supervision, PhD programme, Cultural competence RESEARCH ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE GENDERA: GENDER DEBATE IN THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA Judith Abrahami-Einat EC funded a 30 month project with partners from Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Spain and Italy. The GENDERA project collects, systemizes and analyses experiences in gender equity policies and activities on gender balance in different research organizations (from the higher education sector, the government sector and the business enterprise sector). The overall objective is to facilitate the implementation of gender balance in science and create an enabling environment to integrate gender dimension into science policy throughout Europe. Keywords: gender equity, policies and activities, women in science, comparative studies 75 EXTERNAL RESEARCH GRANTS W. Christian, M. Belloni and D. Pundak (2008). Multi-Representational Electro-Magnetism and Waves. Reches, Kadima. 2008-2009 Assessing the Leaders Project, MOFET Institute research committee Grant (36,000 NIS). CONFERENCE PROCEEDING AND ABSTRACTS 2008 The Pedagogical Council in the Ministry of Education funding for developing a course: Development of algorithmic problem solving skills. REFEREED PAPERS J. Abrahami-Einat, Comparative study of measures to recruit, support and promote women in academic studies, in particular those considered non traditional 6th Conference on Gender Equity in Higher Education, Stockholm August 2009. J. Abrahami-Einat, Does Feminist Pedagogy Reach the field? The First Annual Conference “Gender and the Field” the Program of Gender Studies, Bar Ilan University, May 2009 M. Barak, O. Herscoviz, Z. Kaberman and Y. J. Dori (2009). MOSAICA: A web-2.0 based system for the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage. Computers & Education, 53, 841–852. S. Avargil, O. Herscovitz and Y. J. Dori, Teachers’ perceptions toward context-based learning and Thinking Skills. First NARST Summer School Research, Institute for Doctoral Student Researchers, University of Missouri, June, 2009. B. Haberman, O. Muller and H. Averbuch (2008). Multi-faced problem comprehension: utilizing an algorithmic idea in different contexts. R.T. Mittermeir, M.M. Syslo (eds.) Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 5090, 180-191. O. Herscovitz, S. Avargil and Y. J. Dori, Students’ Perceived and Actual Knowledge in the “Taste of Chemistry” Learning Unit. The ESERA conference, Istanbul, Turkey, August, 2009 O. Herscoviz, Z. Kaberman and Y. J. Dori (2007). The “Taste of Chemistry” Unit, Bulletin of Chemistry Teachers- ALCHEMIA, 11, 39-47. O. Muller and B. A. Haberman, Course Dedicated to Developing Algorithmic Problem Solving Skills - Design and Experiment. The 21st annual Psychology of Programming Interest Group (PPIG) Conference, Limerick, Ireland, June, 2009. T. Levy-Nahum, D. Ben-Chaim, I. Azaiza, O. Herscoviz And Y. Zoller (2009). Does STES-Oriented Science Education Promote 10th-grade Students’ Decision Making Capability? International Journal of Science Education, published online: DOI: 10.1080/09500690903042533 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500690903042533 D. Pundak, O. Herscovitz and M. Shacham, Instructors’ Attitudes toward Active Learning. The 4rd Chais Conference – Learning in the Technology Era. Open University, Raanana, Israel, February, 2009. http://telem.openu.ac.il/hp_files/chais/09/articles.html M. Maoz, O. Herscoviz, M. Sacham and O. Muller (2008). Students leading workshops for promoting active learning in multiple failed Courses. Bulletin of Higher Education- AL-HGOVA, 7, 65-66. D. Pundak, O. Herscovitz and M. Shacham. The Development and Implementation of a Tool for Diagnosing Innovation in Academic Teaching. Innovation in Learning communities, EDEN 2009 Annual Conference. Gdansk, Poland, June, 2009. O. Muller and B. Haberman (2008). “Supporting abstraction processes in problem-solving through pattern-oriented-instruction”. Computer Science Education. 18(3), 187-212. D. Pundak, O. Herscoviz, M. Shacham, and R. Weizer-Biton (2009). Instructors’ Attitudes toward Active Learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5, 215-232. http://ijello.org/Volume5/IJELLOv5p215-232Pundak669.pdf D. Pundak and S. Rozner (2007). Empowering Engineering College Staff to Adopt Active Learning Methods. Journal of Science Education and Technology. http://www.springerlink.com/content/h46m45057240r016/ D. Pundak, S. Rozner, F. Yacobson and D. Toledano-Kitay (2008). How to adopt Active Learning? Al Hagova – Journal on Teaching in Higher Education, Tel-Aviv. 7, 18-21. M. Shacham and Y. Od-Cohen (2009). Rethinking PhD Learning Incorporating Communities of Practice and Lifelong Learning, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, vol 46,no.3,279-293 G. Wisker, G. Robinson and M. Shacham (2007). Postgraduate research success:communities of practice involving cohorts, guardian supervisers and online communities. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, vol.44,no.3,pp 301-320 76 M. Shacham and J. Od-Cohen. Doctoral Learning Communities and Cross Cultural Supervision, EARLI 13th Biennial Conference, Budapest, August 2009. J. Abrahami-Einat, Parenting Girls: Feminist parents and their daughters, a case of mixed messages The 18th Annual Women’s Studies Conference Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven CT October 2008 S. Avargil, O. Herscovitz. and Y. J. Dori, Taste of Chemistry Learning Unit – Chemistry in Context, The 73th Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society, Jerusalem, February, 2008 M. Barak, S. Kozyrev, O. Herscovitz and Y. J. Dori, Web-based Virtual Expeditions: Enhancing OpenMindedness among Students. The 6th MITAL Conference, Haifa, August, 2008 B. Haberman, and O. Muller, Teaching abstraction to novices in the course of pattern-based and ADT-based problem solving processes. Frontiers in Education Conf. Saratoga Springs, New York, October, 2008. O. Herscovitz, Z. Kaberman, M. Barak, and Y. J. Dori, Learning through Exploration of Cultural Heritage via Virtual Expeditions – A Usability Study, The Annual Chais Conference for Research in Learning Technologies, Ranana, February, 2008. 77 T. Levy-Nahum, O. Herscovitz, I. Azaiza, D. Ben-Chaim, and U. Zoller, Science Teaching and Students’ Decision-Making Capability: Are They Compatible? The 73th Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society, Jerusalem, February, 2008. D. Pundak, O. Herscovitz and M. Shacham, Survey of Instructors’ Tendency to Adopt Innovation in Teaching. American Association of Physics Teachers National Meeting. Edmonton Alberta, July, 2008. D. Pundak, O. Herscovitz, D. Toladano-Ktai, R. Wizer-Biton, M. Shacham and F. Yacobson, Lectures’ attitudes towards Active learning. The 6th MITAL Conference, Haifa, August, 2008. M. Shacham and M. Lahad, The impact of 2006 Lebanon War on PTSD,Community Resilience and Future Preferences of Jews and Arabs, The Conference of New Researches in the Galilee, Tel-Hai College,Israel, June 2008. O. Herscovitz, S. Avargil, Z. Kaberman and Y. J. Dori, Principles, thinking skills, and implementation of the Taste of Chemistry module, The 72th Meeting of the Israel Chemical Society, Tel-Aviv, January, 2007. O. Muller, B. Haberman and D. Ginat, Pattern-oriented instruction and its influence on problem decomposition and solution construction. The 12th Annual Conf. on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science - ITiCSE’07, Dundee, Scotland, June 2007. [also appeared in: SIGCSE Bulletin, 39(3), 151-155]. M. Shacham, Stress Reactions, Coping Resources and Future Preferences of Jews And Arabs in times of Shelling and Evacuation, The Europea Conference on Traumatic Stress, Croatia June, 2007. M. Shacham and C. Cohen, School Programme for Enhancing Teachers’ and Pupils’ Coping Resources with the Trauma of Shelling and Evacuation, Teacher Education at a Crossroads, Mofet Institute, Tel Aviv,June, 2007. G. Wisker, G. Robinson and M. Shacham. Sustaining Postgraduate Student Learning: Threshold Concepts Conceptual Thresholds and Communities of Practice, EARLY Conference, Budapest, Hungary, August 2007. 78 79 LIST OF RESEARCHERS 80 FIRST NAME FAMILY NAME E-MAIL Radu Florescu radufl[email protected] Tamar Gadrich [email protected] Shmuel Gazit [email protected] Aharon Gero [email protected] Michael Gladshtein [email protected] Valery Glizer [email protected] FIRST NAME FAMILY NAME E-MAIL Idit Golani [email protected] Judith Abrahami-Einat [email protected] Mati Golani [email protected] Buma Abramovitz [email protected] Alexander Goldvard [email protected] David Alperstein [email protected] Maria Grozovski [email protected] Yohanan Arzi [email protected] Orit Herscovitz [email protected] Gideon Avigad [email protected] Maya Kaner [email protected] Renata Avros [email protected] Eliezer Kantarovich [email protected] Roza Azhari [email protected] Lavi Karp [email protected] Zeev Barzily [email protected] Oleg Kelis [email protected] Emil Bashkansky [email protected] Victor Khatskevich [email protected] Uri Ben-Hanan [email protected] Dafna Knani [email protected] Miryam Berezina [email protected] Peter Konvalina [email protected] Jorge Berger [email protected] Sigal Korem [email protected] Alex Bolshoy [email protected] Samuel Kosolapov [email protected] Eugenia Bubis, [email protected] Ditza Levin [email protected] Vladimir Chechik [email protected] Marina Levenshtein [email protected] Tova Cohen [email protected] Yacov Lutsky [email protected] Ita Donner [email protected] Arie Maharshak [email protected] Suki Dror [email protected] Michal Maoz [email protected] Erella Eisenstadt [email protected] Shmuel Miller [email protected] Mark Elin [email protected] Lea Mor [email protected] Emma Elkind [email protected] Biniamin Mounits [email protected] Hagit Even-Tzur Orna Muller [email protected] Arnona Ezion [email protected] Orna Muller [email protected] Hana Faiger [email protected] Hussein Naseraldin [email protected] Doron Faran [email protected] Nathan Netzer [email protected] 81 82 FIRST NAME FAMILY NAME E-MAIL Victor Ostrovski [email protected] Hilla Peretz [email protected] Elena Pogrevnyak [email protected] David Pundak [email protected] Rachel Ravid [email protected] Eli Raz [email protected] Michael Regev [email protected] Zeev Rubin [email protected] Nissim Sabag [email protected] Isam Sabbah [email protected] Mereì Sammar [email protected] Rona Sarfaty [email protected] Pinchas Schechner [email protected] Menahem Shay [email protected] Boris Shnits [email protected] David Shoikhet [email protected] Ludmila Shvartsman [email protected] Avi Soffer [email protected] Peter Soreanu [email protected] Esti Stein [email protected] Dvora Toledano-Kitai [email protected] Elena Trotskovsky [email protected] Vladimir Turetsky [email protected] Zeev Volkovich [email protected] Rivka Weiser-Biton [email protected] Avraham Weiss [email protected] Miri Weiss-Cohen [email protected] Iris S. Weitz [email protected] Fiana Yacobzon fi[email protected] Orly Yahalom [email protected] Yitzchak Yifrach [email protected] Natalia Zaitsev [email protected] ORT BRAUDE COLLEGE 51 SNUNIT ST., KARMIEL, 21982, ISRAEL | www.braude.ac .il
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