The NEID Precision Radial Velocity Spectrometer: Port Adapter Overview, Requirements, and Test Plan

The NEID spectrometer is an optical (380-930 nm), fiber-fed, precision Doppler spectrometer currently in development for the WIYN 3.5 m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory as part of the NN-EXPLORE partnership. Designed to achieve a radial velocity precision of < 30 cm/s, NEID will be sensitive enough to detect terrestrial-mass exoplanets around low-mass stars. Light from the target stars is focused by the telescope to a bent Cassegrain port at the edge of the primary mirror mechanical support. The specialized NEID "Port Adapter" system is mounted at this bent Cassegrain port and is responsible for delivering the incident light from the telescope to the NEID fibers. In order to provide stable, high-quality images to the science instrument, the Port Adapter houses several sub-components designed to acquire the target stars, correct for atmospheric dispersion, stabilize the light onto the science fibers, and calibrate the spectrometer by injecting known wavelength sources such as a laser frequency comb. Here we provide an overview of the overall opto-mechanical design and system requirements of the Port Adapter. We also describe the development of system error budgets and testplans to meet those requirements

Collaboration modes and advantages in supply chain

This research aims to address supply chain collaboration with a perspective of broader three-dimensional relationship, not a linear two-dimensional relationship discussed broadly in previous research. Case study was adopted for this research, and data collection was mainly conducted via interview. The research results highlighted that supply chain collaborations are common practice across all levels of the pharmaceutical supply chain. The results also indicated that the different strengthen levels of barging power among collaborative partners will influence the achieved advantages at different supply chain levels, including strategic, operational and political levels

Smart manufacturing and supply chain management

In the fourth industrial revolution, smart manufacturing will be characterized by adaptability, resource efficiency and ergonomics as well as the integration of customers and business partners in business and value processes. Business model, operations management, workforce and manufacturing process all face substantial transformations to reasoning the manufacturing process. This paper explores the impacts of smart manufacturing on supply chain management, and develops several propositions to improve supply chain performance under the context of smart manufacturing

Public sector pricing policies : a review of Bank policy and practice

Nearly a decade has passed since the Bank codified its position on cost recovery policies (OMS 2.25) for public sector projects. In a review of 13 sectors, the authors find that the Bank guidelines are followed fairly closely in seven sectors: coal, irrigation, oil/gas, power, roads, telecommunications, and water/sewerage. In the other six sectors the focus is heavily on either distributional (health, education, housing) or financial (fertilizer, ports, railways) concerns - with little attempt to incorporate economic pricing principles. Efficiency pricing is not irrelevant or impossible in these sectors, and - even if used only as a benchmark - could improve sector management and project selection and design.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform

Exploiting Soft Computing for Real time performance

The classic approach to the design of real time systems is to determine worst-case scenarios for the system statically and manually and then build the system with sufficient resources to meet deadlines and goals. This approach has worked well for traditional real time systems which operate in relatively simple, well-characterized environments. However the emerging generation of complex, dynamic and uncertain real time application domains accentuates the growing need for flexible, adaptable design approaches for real time systems. With the increasing complexity of real time systems, it is becoming infeasible to build systems with sufficient resources to meet the functional and timing requirements of all application tasks at all times. What is becoming increasingly important in the new paradigm of real time computing is the need to meet deadlines with sufficient system solution quality without having to design the system to support worst case program execution. In this thesis, we explore the possibility of exploiting "soft computing" properties of kernels to meet this objective. The chief characteristic of "soft computations" is the fact that they are able to provide cruder results before they complete, or they may execute for a long time refining an already adequate result. In other words, such computations are able to provide useful/incremental results before fully completing execution. More specifically they provide a trade-off between computation time and algorithm solution quality. This thesis addresses the design issues involved in building a system that exploits the "soft computing" properties of kernels to optimize real time performance. In this context, we make the following contributions. Firstly we build a system prototype of a real time situational assessment scenario. We thereafter identify "soft computations" in the system and characterize the computation time/solution quality trade-off opportunities provided by them using performance profiles. Thirdly, we introduce a method to use performance profile based models at run time to determine the optimal composition of different "soft computations" in order to meet real time deadlines with sufficient system solution quality. We quantify the gains from our method both in terms of functional correctness of the system as well as CPU utilization as compared to conventional real time scheduling techniques. We observe that our dynamic scheduling scheme on an average is able to meet the system goals with 39% more accuracy with no missed deadlines as compared to conventional real time scheduling techniques for various design points that do not support worst case behavior. In addition, our method is able to meet the system objective while being highly utilized. Most importantly, our scheme exploits the soft computing properties of kernels to facilitate the design of the system at less aggressive design points while meeting deadlines and system goals at the same level as conventional real time design methodology. Finally, we perform an experimental study to understand the sensitivity of performance profiles to various input data parameters and identify the potential for online learning of performance profiles

Rehabilitation of lower limb amputees

Rehabilitation of amputees represents a complex process during the course of which an amputee receives professional aid and support, so as to adapt to the use of prosthesis, i.e. an artificial supplement for the lost body part. The process aims at achieving an independent performance of the amputee in all areas of everyday life and as high quality of life as possible. The rehabilitation encompasses not only the pre-amputation, postoperative, pre-prosthetic and prosthetic stage, within which an amputee is provided with a prosthetic aiding device, but also the subsequent long-term monitoring and follow-up. The implementation of the rehabilitation process runs in line with the biopsychosocial model and requires a multidisciplinary and an interdisciplinary approach, so as to achieve a successful reintegration of an amputee and allow for a lifestyle resembling the pre-amputation one as much as possible. The article brings the causes and types of amputation, the principles underpinning contemporary amputation surgery, prosthetics and rehabilitation during preoperative, postoperative, pre-prosthetic and prosthetic stages, as well as the stage goals and MOs of their attainment. Principles of evaluation of prosthetic rehabilitation outcomes in limb amputees, which make use of appraisal questionnaires, have been discussed as well