Supervised and weakly supervised counting-by-segmentation: the fluorescent microscopy use case

This thesis focuses on automating the time-consuming task of manually counting activated neurons in fluorescent microscopy images, which is used to study the mechanisms underlying torpor. The traditional method of manual annotation can introduce bias and delay the outcome of experiments, so the author investigates a deep-learning-based procedure to automatize this task. The author explores two of the main convolutional-neural-network (CNNs) state-of-the-art architectures: UNet and ResUnet family model, and uses a counting-by-segmentation strategy to provide a justification of the objects considered during the counting process. The author also explores a weakly-supervised learning strategy that exploits only dot annotations. The author quantifies the advantages in terms of data reduction and counting performance boost obtainable with a transfer-learning approach and, specifically, a fine-tuning procedure. The author released the dataset used for the supervised use case and all the pre-training models, and designed a web application to share both the counting process pipeline developed in this work and the models pre-trained on the dataset analyzed in this work

Technical Reports: Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars

The Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars (LARSS) Program was established by Dr. Samuel E. Massenberg in 1986. The program has increased from 20 participants in 1986 to 114 participants in 1995. The program is LaRC-unique and is administered by Hampton University. The program was established for the benefit of undergraduate juniors and seniors and first-year graduate students who are pursuing degrees in aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, material science, computer science, atmospheric science, astrophysics, physics, and chemistry. Two primary elements of the LARSS Program are: (1) a research project to be completed by each participant under the supervision of a researcher who will assume the role of a mentor for the summer, and (2) technical lectures by prominent engineers and scientists. Additional elements of this program include tours of LARC wind tunnels, computational facilities, and laboratories. Library and computer facilities will be available for use by the participants

Tool flow management in batch manufacturing systems for cylindrical components

The objective of the research is to study the design of and operating strategies for advanced tool flow systems in highly automated turning systems. A prototype workstation has been built to aid this process. The thesis consists of three main parts. In the first part the current flexible manufacturing technology is reviewed with emphasis laid on tool flow and production scheduling problems. The 'State-of-the-Art' turning systems are studied, to highlight the requirement of the computer modelling of tool flow systems. In the second part, the design of a computer model using fast modelling algorithms is reported. The model design has concentrated on the tool flow system performance forecasting and improving. Attention has been given to the full representation of highly automatic features evident in turning systems. A number of contemporary production scheduling rules have been incorporated into the computer model structure, with the objectives of providing a frontend to the tool flow model, and to examine the tool flow problems interactively with the production scheduling rules. The user-interface of the model employs conversational type screens for tool flow network specification and data handling, which enhances its user friendliness greatly. An effective, fast, and easy to handle data base management system for tool, part, machine data entries has been· built up to facilitate the model performance. The third part of the thesis is concerned with the validation and application of the model with industry supplied data to examine system performance, and to evaluate alternative strategies. Conclusions drawn from this research and the recommendations for further work are finally indicated

Tungsten transport in the plasma edge at ASDEX upgrade

The Plasma Facing Components (PFC) will play a crucial role in future deuterium-tritium magnetically confined fusion power plants, since they will be subject to high energy and particle loads, but at the same time have to ensure long lifetimes and a low tritium retention. These requirements will most probably necessitate the use of high-Z materials such as tungsten for the wall materials, since their erosion properties are very benign and, unlike carbon, capture only little tritium. The drawback with high-Z materials is, that they emit strong line radiation in the core plasma, which acts as a powerful energy loss mechanism. Thus, the concentration of these high-Z materials has to be controlled and kept at low levels in order to achieve a burning plasma. Understanding the transport processes in the plasma edge is essential for applying the proper impurity control mechanisms. This control can be exerted either by enhancing the outflux, e.g. by Edge Localized Modes (ELM), since they are known to expell impurities from the main plasma, or by reducing the influx, e.g. minimizing the tungsten erosion or increasing the shielding effect of the Scrape Off Layer (SOL). ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) has been successfully operating with a full tungsten wall for several years now and offers the possibility to investigate these edge transport processes for tungsten. This study focused on the disentanglement of the frequency of type-I ELMs and the main chamber gas injection rate, two parameters which are usually linked in H-mode discharges. Such a separation allowed for the first time the direct assessment of the impact of each parameter on the tungsten concentration. The control of the ELM frequency was performed by adjusting the shape of the plasma, i.e. the upper triangularity. The radial tungsten transport was investigated by implementing a modulated tungsten source. To create this modulated source, the linear dependence of the tungsten erosion rate at the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) limiters on the injected ICRH power was used. The phase and amplitude of the inwardly propagating tungsten signal was then observed at the erosion site and at three radial positions in the main plasma, from which two were identified in the course of this work by a thorough investigation of the tungsten radiation features in the Vacuum Ultra-Violet (VUV) spectral range . The newly found observation sites are located right in the steep gradient region, close to the Edge Transport Barrier (ETB) and slightly further inside at the pedestal top of AUG H-mode discharges. Futhermore, the parallel flows in the SOL have been monitored by spectroscopical means and Langmuir probes. The experimental results were quite unexpected, since the ELM frequency had no influence on the tungsten concentration, and the sole actuator on this quantity was the gas injection rate. The evaluation of the modulated tungsten signal revealed that neither gas puffing nor plasma shape had an measureable influence on the radial tungsten transport processes. In addition, the tungsten erosion sources were only partially responsible for the observed tungsten behavior. These observations inspired a simple model, which balanced the tungsten outflux with the tungsten influx. In this model the impurity exauhst by ELMs is not diffusive, but turbulent and linked to the ELM size. The model predicted a linear dependence between the tungsten concentration and the parallel velocity in the SOL. This linear dependence was confirmed by the spectroscopical evaluation of the SOL parallel flows.Die dem Plasma ausgesetzten Wandkomponenten werden eine entscheidende Rolle in einem zukünftigen Fusionskraftwerk, das Deuterium- und Tritium-Ionen magnetisch einschließt, spielen, da sie enormen Teilchen- und Energieflüssen widerstehen und gleichzeitig ein geringes Tritium Rückhalteverm ögen aufweisen müssen. Diese Anforderungen werden höchstwahrscheinlich den Einsatz von hoch-Z Materialien wie z.B. Wolfram notwendig machen, denn sie weisen sehr gute Erosionseigenschaften auf und speichern nur wenig Tritium. Allerdings emittieren diese Materialien starke Linienstrahlung im Plasmazentrum, welche als effizienter Energieverlustmechanismus wirkt. Daher muss die Konzentration dieser Elemente kontrolliert und auf niedrigem Nieveau gehalten werden, um ein selbständig brennendes Plasma zu erreichen. Dabei ist es essentiell die Transportphänomene im Plasmarand zu verstehen, um die richtigen Kontrollmechanismen einzusetzen. Diese Kontrollmechanismen umfassen zum einen die Erhöhung des Verunreinigungsausflusses, z.B. durch randlokalisierte Moden (ELM), da diese Verunreinigungen aus dem Hauptplasma ausstossen, zum anderen eine Reduktion der Erosionsflüsse oder eine Erhöhung des Abschirmeffekts der Abschälschicht (SOL). ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) ist seit mehreren Jahren erfolgreich mit einer Wandverkleidung aus Wolfram in Betrieb und bietet die Möglichkeit diese Randtransportprozesse zu untersuchen. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die Entflechtung von Typ-I ELMs und der Gasinjektionsrate im Hauptraum, zwei Parametern, die normalerweise in “H-mode” Entladungen gekoppelt sind. Solch eine Trennung erlaubte zum ersten Mal eine direkte Untersuchung des Einflusses jedes einzelnen Parameters auf die Wolframkonzentration. Die ELM-Frequenz wurde kontrolliert, indem die obere Triangularit¨at, also die Plasmaform angepasst wurde. Der radiale Wolframtransport wurde untersucht, indem man eine modulierte Wolframquelle implementierte. Um diese zu erzeugen wurde die lineare Abhängigkeit der Erosionsrate an den Limitern der Ionen-Zyklotron-Resonanz-Heizung (ICRH) von der eingespeisten ICRH-Leistung benutzt. Die Phase und Amplitude des sich ausbreitenden Wolframsignals wurde dann an der Erosionsstelle und an drei radialen Positionen im Hauptplasma beobachtet. Zwei dieser Positionen wurden im Verlauf dieser Arbeit durch eine genaue Untersuchung des Wolframspektrums im Vakuum-Ultra-Violett (VUV)-Spektralbereichs identifiziert. Diese liegen genau im Bereich der steilen Gradienten nahe der Randbarriere und etwas weiter innen im AUG-Plasma. Darüberhinaus wurden die parallelen Flüsse in der SOL mit spektroskopischen Mitteln als auch mit Langmuir-Sonden gemessen. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse waren überraschend, da die ELM-Frequenz keinen Einfluss auf die Wolframkonzentration ausübte und nur die Gasinjektionsrate diese Grösse beeinflusste. Die Auswertung des modulierten Wolframsignals ergab, dass weder das Gasblasen noch die Plasmaform einen messbaren Einfluss auf radialen Transportprozesse von Wolfram hatte. Ausserdem waren die Wolframquellen nur zu einem kleinen Teil für das beobachtete Wolframverhalten verantwortlich. Diese Beobachtungen führten zu einem simplen Modell, welches den Wolframausfluss mit dem Wolframzufluss ausgleicht. In diesem Modell ist der Wolframausstoss durch ELMs nicht diffusiv sondern turbulent und an die Grösse der ELMs gekoppelt. Aus diesem Modell folgte eine lineare Abhängigkeit zwischen der Wolframkonzentration und der parallelen Geschwindigkeit in der SOL. Diese lineare Abhängigkeit wurde durch die spektroskopischen Untersuchungen der SOL-Flüsse bestätigt

The phenomenological significance of dwelling in architecture. The case of Eastern Beka’a Valley - Lebanon

[EN] Phenomenology in recent years has gained throttle in the philosophical domain; more specifically, the phenomenological methodology had its most significant impact on architectural interpretation and understanding. It is unusual how the phenomenological discourse appeared in the architectural prospect on the decays of structuralism and semiotics. On the other hand, in humanities and philosophy, the growth of structuralism happened only after the decline of phenomenology. These paradoxical conditions are explained due to the translation delay of philosophical ideas and their implementation in architecture. In this research, we dig into the essential question of architectural experience by studying architecture through its phenomenological significance as a dwelling attitude to its inhabitants. The study is on dwellings in the eastern Bekaa region -Lebanon, on houses built between two significant eras, a time frame that shows the essential difference between two construction methods and the transitional phase in-between. Showing case the different typologies that generated in the same area, comparing the area's vernacular architecture and sustainable designs, addressing whether these typologies had any effect on the dweller's socio-cultural and socio-economical dynamics. The area of study is still virgin to different phenomenological interpretation, as the drastic change of typologies occurred in the past 50 years. Dwellers just recently overcame the transitional phase, from applying vernacular construction means, to applying new construction technologies with globalized materials. The area permits us to question the primary existential question of being-in-world, and how citizens coped with their environment in order to sustain their existential being through architectural means. We examine the following phenomenon by learning from dwelling theorists and phenomenologists, focusing on phenomenologists such as Martin Heidegger, Merleau-ponty, and Christian Norberg-Schulz in an attempt to correlate phenomenology with sustainability. Additionally, interpreting architecture hermeneutically through the Arabic parables to comprehend it better in concern with its cultural context.[ES] El papel de la fenomenología ha sido clave en el terreno filosófico. La metodología fenomenológica ha tenido un impacto significativo en la interpretación y comprensión arquitectónica. Puede parecer absurdo cómo el discurso fenomenológico aterriza en la arquitectura a partir de la desintegración del estructuralismo y la semiótica, mientras que en el campo de las humanidades, y concretamente en el ámbito filosófico, el estructuralismo se desarrolla, precisamente, a partir del declive de la fenomenología. Esta situación paradójica se explica a raíz de la demora en la traducción de las ideas filosóficas y su implementación en la arquitectura. En esta investigación se pretende profundizar en la cuestión esencial de la experiencia arquitectónica a partir de la comprensión de los modos de habitar. El estudio se desarrolla en el conjunto de viviendas de la región oriental de Bekaa (Líbano), a partir de casas construidas en dos periodos significativos, periodos que permiten distinguir entre dos modos de construir contrastados, con una fase de transición intermedia. Se muestran las diferentes tipologías que proliferaron en una misma área, permitiendo comparar las arquitecturas vernáculas y los diseños sostenibles, planteando a su vez si estas tipologías tuvieron algún efecto en la dinámica sociocultural y socioeconómica de sus habitantes. El interés del área de estudio radica en considerarse un terreno virgen para abordar diferentes interpretaciones fenomenológicas, ya que el cambio drástico de tipologías ocurrió en los últimos 50 años. Los habitantes superaron la fase de transición recientemente, partiendo de la aplicación de medios de construcción vernáculos hasta la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías de construcción con materiales globalizados. El área nos permite cuestionar la cuestión existencial primaria del ser-en-el mundo, y cómo los ciudadanos cooperaron con su entorno para mantener su ser existencial a través de medios arquitectónicos. Examinamos el siguiente fenómeno aprendiendo de los teóricos de la vivienda y los fenomenólogos, centrándonos en fenomenólogos como Martin Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty y Christian Norberg-Schulz. Además, interpretando la arquitectura hermenéuticamente a través de las parábolas árabes para comprenderla mejor en relación con su contexto cultural.[CA] El paper de la fenomenologia ha sigut clau al terreny filosòfic. La metodologia fenomenològica ha tingut un impacte significatiu a la interpretació i comprensió arquitectònica. Pot semblar absurd com el discurs fenomenològic aterra a l'arquitectura arran la desintegració de l'estructuralisme i la semiòtica, mentre que al camp de les humanitats, i concretament a l'àmbit filosòfic, l'estructuralisme es desenvolupa precisament partint del declivi de la fenomenologia. Aquesta situació paradoxal s'explica arran el retard a la traducció de les idees filosòfiques i la seua implementació a l'arquitectura. A aquesta investigació es pretén aprofundir a la qüestió essencial de l'experiència arquitectònica partint de la comprensió de les maneres d'habitar. L'estudi es desenvolupa al conjunt d'habitatges de la regió oriental de Bekaa (Líban), partint de cases construïdes a dos períodes significatius, períodes que permeten distingir entre dos maneres de construir contrastades, amb una fase de transició intermèdia. Es mostren les diferents tipologies que van proliferar a una mateixa àrea, permetent comparar les arquitectures vernacles i els dissenys sostenibles, plantejant a l'hora si aquestes tipologies van tindre cap efecte a la dinàmica sociocultural i socioeconòmica dels seus habitants. L'interès de l'àrea d'estudi radica en considerar-se un terreny verge per enllestir diferents interpretacions fenomenològiques, ja que el canvi dràstic de tipologies va ocórrer als darrers 50 anys. Els habitants van superar la fase de transició recentment, partint de l'aplicació de mitjans de construcció amb materials globalitzats. L'àrea ens permet qüestionar la qüestió essencial primària de l'ésser-al-món i cóm els ciutadans van cooperar amb el seu entorn per mantenir el seu esser existencial per mitjan de mitjans arquitectònics. Examinem el següent fenomen aprenent dels teòrics de l'habitatge i els fenomenòlegs, centrant-nos en fenomenòlegs com Martin Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty y Christian Norberg- Schulz. A més, interpretant l'arquitectura hermenèuticament mitjançant les paràboles àrabs per comprendre-la millor en relació amb el seu context cultural.Elmoussaoui, M. (2020). The phenomenological significance of dwelling in architecture. The case of Eastern Beka’a Valley - Lebanon [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/152487TESI

An experimental study to develop an engaging multimedia design model for children

Multimedia has enormous potential but there is still much to learn about what works and what does not work for children. The aim of this research was to develop a model for multimedia design that gives user engagement for children . . " A preliminary scoping study showed that children did realise the potential of multimedia but did not like the design of the applications given to them. A search was made for a multimedia application that fitted the 'wish lists' of the children in the scoping study in order to identify a vehicle for. these investigations. The Sims, a popular game about Life Management, where players play a major role in the management of everyday family life (providing a place to stay, managing finance, basic needs, moods and desires), fitted this description and was selected for this purpose. Five experiments were conducted with children (9 to 14 years old) varying the use of The Sims to test what really engaged them. An Engagement Scale was created as a rating scale to measure engagement at five-minute intervals. Other data to establish the degree of engagement was gathered through video recordings and interviews. The experiments obtained high levels of engagement for some conditions, for example, simulation and construct conditions. From this the factors contributing to engagement were identified. As a result a 6-component theory of engagement was formulated as 'An Engaging Multimedia Design Model for Children'. The model proposes that children need to be able to interact with the multimedia at several levels to be engaged to it. The lowest level of interaction needs to give immediate feedback as a result of the child's actions to support physical or motor skills. The higher levels of inte,r action, however, need to support mental model skills and goal achievement. In some cases goals set by the designer are effective. In others the children need to set their own goals and levels of aspirations. If the design features in the multimedia conform to these principles the multimedia application will be engaging for children

Definition of technology development missions for early space station, orbit transfer vehicle servicing, volume 2

Propellant transfer, storage, and reliquefaction TDM; docking and berthing technology development mission; maintenance technology development mission; OTV/payload integration, space station interface/accommodations; combined TDM conceptual design; programmatic analysis; and TDM equipment usage are discussed

Smart Urban Water Networks

This book presents the paper form of the Special Issue (SI) on Smart Urban Water Networks. The number and topics of the papers in the SI confirm the growing interest of operators and researchers for the new paradigm of smart networks, as part of the more general smart city. The SI showed that digital information and communication technology (ICT), with the implementation of smart meters and other digital devices, can significantly improve the modelling and the management of urban water networks, contributing to a radical transformation of the traditional paradigm of water utilities. The paper collection in this SI includes different crucial topics such as the reliability, resilience, and performance of water networks, innovative demand management, and the novel challenge of real-time control and operation, along with their implications for cyber-security. The SI collected fourteen papers that provide a wide perspective of solutions, trends, and challenges in the contest of smart urban water networks. Some solutions have already been implemented in pilot sites (i.e., for water network partitioning, cyber-security, and water demand disaggregation and forecasting), while further investigations are required for other methods, e.g., the data-driven approaches for real time control. In all cases, a new deal between academia, industry, and governments must be embraced to start the new era of smart urban water systems