In this research a new system identification algorithm is presented for obtaining an optimal set of mathematical models for system with perturbed coefficients, then this algorithm is applied practically by an “On Line System Identification Circuit”, based on real time speed response data of a permanent magnet DC motor. Such set of mathematical models represents the physical plant against all variation which may exist in its parameters, and forms a strong mathematical foundation for stability and performance analysis in control theory problems.

This paper proposes a novel meta-heuristic optimization algorithm called the fine-tuning meta-heuristic algorithm (FTMA) for solving global optimization problems. In this algorithm, the solutions are fine-tuned using the fundamental steps in meta-heuristic optimization, namely, exploration, exploitation, and randomization, in such a way that if one step improves the solution, then it is unnecessary to execute the remaining steps. The performance of the proposed FTMA has been compared with that of five other optimization algorithms over ten benchmark test functions. Nine of them are well-known and already exist in the literature, while the tenth one is proposed by the authors and introduced in this article. One test trial was shown t

Huge yearly investments were made by organizations for the development and maintenance. However, it has been reported that most of the IT projects fails as it is delayed, over budget and discontinued quality. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for the IT projects. Nine (9) CSFs was identified from the SLR. An online survey was conducted among 103 respondents from developers and IT managers. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 22). The findings showed that the highest CSFs of IT projects is commitment and motivation. Project monitoring was found the lowest score ranked by respondents.

Alongside the development of high-speed rail, rail flaw detection is of great importance to ensure railway safety, especially for improving the speed and load of the train. Several conventional inspection methods such as visual, acoustic, and electromagnetic inspection have been introduced in the past. However, these methods have several challenges in terms of detection speed and accuracy. Combined inspection methods have emerged as a promising approach to overcome these limitations. Nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques in conjunction with artificial intelligence approaches have tremendous potential and viability because it is highly possible to improve the detection accuracy which has been proven in various conventional nondestr