A Knowledge-based Decision Support System for RP&M Process Selection

Due to the large variety of RP&M material/machines and the. strengths/weaknesses associated with different RP&M processes, the decision·to select a suitableRP&M system becomes increasingly difficult. This paper presents a knowledge-based approach for the selection ofsuitable RP&M material/machine to meet specific. requirements ofRP&Mapplications. The system receives input data on the CAD modelandthe user's specifications,andgenerates outputs that provide the most appropriate combination ofRP&Mmaterial/machine.·Optimal orientations, together with estimated manufacturing time and cost, are considered and given in the final outcome to help the user make the choice.Mechanical Engineerin

Two improved methods for testing ADC parametric faults by digital input signals

In this paper, two improved methods are presented extending our previous work. The first one improves the results by adjusting the voltage levels of the input pulse wave stimulus. Compared with the sine wave input stimulus, the four-level pulse wave can detect even more faulty cases with the offset faults. The second one improves the results by calculating the similarity of the output spectra between the golden devices and the DUTs. Compared with the previous method [10], it is less sensitive to the jitter and the change of the rise/fall time of the input pulse wave stimulus. In these two methods, a number of golden devices are tested at first to obtain the fault-free range. At last, a signature result is obtained from both methods. It can filter out the faulty devices in a quick way before testing the specific values of the conventional dynamic and static parameters

Projective geometry of Wachspress coordinates

We show that there is a unique hypersurface of minimal degree passing through the non-faces of a polytope which is defined by a simple hyperplane arrangement. This generalizes the construction of the adjoint curve of a polygon by Wachspress in 1975. The defining polynomial of our adjoint hypersurface is the adjoint polynomial introduced by Warren in 1996. This is a key ingredient for the definition of Wachspress coordinates, which are barycentric coordinates on an arbitrary convex polytope. The adjoint polynomial also appears both in algebraic statistics, when studying the moments of uniform probability distributions on polytopes, and in intersection theory, when computing Segre classes of monomial schemes. We describe the Wachspress map, the rational map defined by the Wachspress coordinates, and the Wachspress variety, the image of this map. The inverse of the Wachspress map is the projection from the linear span of the image of the adjoint hypersurface. To relate adjoints of polytopes to classical adjoints of divisors in algebraic geometry, we study irreducible hypersurfaces that have the same degree and multiplicity along the non-faces of a polytope as its defining hyperplane arrangement. We list all finitely many combinatorial types of polytopes in dimensions two and three for which such irreducible hypersurfaces exist. In the case of polygons, the general such curves< are elliptic. In the three-dimensional case, the general such surfaces are either K3 or elliptic

Fishery biology of Indian mackerel in Sri Lankan coastal waters

The objective of the project was to determine the reproductive biology of Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) using Gonado-Somatic Index (GSI); length at first maturity; spawning season; morphological characteristics; and stomach contents

Systematic study of trace radioactive impurities in candidate construction materials for EXO-200

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) will search for double beta decays of 136Xe. We report the results of a systematic study of trace concentrations of radioactive impurities in a wide range of raw materials and finished parts considered for use in the construction of EXO-200, the first stage of the EXO experimental program. Analysis techniques employed, and described here, include direct gamma counting, alpha counting, neutron activation analysis, and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures. Expanded introduction, added missing table entry. Accepted for publication in Nucl. Instrum. Meth.

A weakly-supervised approach for discovering common objects in airport video surveillance footage

Object detection in video is a relevant task in computer vision. Standard and current detectors are typically trained in a strongly supervised way, what requires a huge amount of labelled data. In contrast, in this paper we focus on object discovery in video sequences by using sets of unlabelled data. Thus, we present an approach based on the use of two region proposal algorithms (a pretrained Region Proposal Network and an Optical Flow Proposal) to produce regions of interest that will be grouped using a clustering algorithm. Therefore, our system does not require the collaboration of a human except for assigning human understandable labels to the discovered clusters. We evaluate our approach in a set of videos recorded at the outdoor area of an airport where the aeroplanes park to load passengers and luggage (apron area). Our experimental results suggest that the use of an unsupervised approach is valid for automatic object discovery in video sequences, obtaining a CorLoc of 86.8 and a mAP of 0.374 compared to a CorLoc of 70.4 and mAP of 0.683 achieved by a supervised Faster R-CNN trained and tested on the same dataset.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Real-Time Unsupervised Object Localization on the Edge for Airport Video Surveillance.

Object localization is vital in computer vision to solve object detection or classification problems. Typically, this task is performed on expensive GPU devices, but edge computing is gaining importance in real-time applications. In this work, we propose a real-time implementation for unsupervised object localization using a low-power device for airport video surveillance. We automatically find regions of objects in video using a region proposal network (RPN) together with an optical flow region proposal (OFRP) based on optical flow maps between frames. In addition, we study the deployment of our solution on an embedded architecture, i.e. a Jetson AGX Xavier, using simultaneously CPU, GPU and specific hardware accelerators. Also, three different data representations (FP32, FP16 and INT8) are employed for the RPN. Obtained results show that optimizations can improve up to 4.1× energy consumption and 2.2× execution time while maintaining good accuracy with respect to the baseline model.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Navy Expeditionary Readiness Cost Modeling

NPS NRP Technical ReportOPNAV N834 (Expeditionary Readiness) presently uses an N81 accredited Capability Costing Model (CCM) to inform the annual sustainment requirements for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Enterprise (NECE). The CCM is dated, limited in capability, and lacks adaptability for incorporating measures such as readiness. The lack of a readiness cost model limits proper programmatic assessments on force readiness issues, including costs of readiness achieved and impacts to readiness based on "what-if" drills. The objective of this research is to analyze execution data, phases of Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP), readiness, and other relevant unit and OFRP phase data to identify the cost drivers of the annual sustainment requirements of NECE. We will dissect the existing CCM, assess the importance of factors in accurately predicting sustainment spending, and explore avenues for model enhancement.N8 - Integration of Capabilities & ResourcesThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Shear strengthening of RC beams using carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates

Shear failure is catastrophic and occurs usually without advanced warning, thus it is desirable that the beam fails in flexure rather than in shear. Many existing reinforced concrete (RC) members are found to be deficient in shear strength and need to be repaired. Deficiencies occur due to several reasons such as insufficient shear reinforcement or reduction in steel area due to corrosion, increased service load, and construction defects. Externally bonded reinforcement such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) provides an excellent solution in these situations. In order to investigate the shear behavior of RC beams with externally bonded CFRP shear reinforcement, experimental programs as well as analytical studies were conducted in this research. The research consists of three parts. They are 1). Regular beams with CFRP shear strengthening; 2). Deep beams with CFRP shear strengthening; and 3). Shear damaged beams with CFRP shear strengthening. CFRP laminates of various types and configurations were applied externally to the beams as shear reinforcement. During the present experimental investigation, a total of five 4-foot long and six 6-foot long regular RC beams and sixteen 3-foot long deep RC beams were tested to study the behavior of shear strengthening using CFRP system. All beams were loaded by a 220-kip MTS TestStar 11 testing system. Results of the test demonstrate the feasibility of using externally applied, epoxy-bonded CFRP system to restore or increase the loadcarrying capacity in shear of RC beams. The CFRP system has been found to increase significantly the serviceability, ductility, and ultimate shear strength of a concrete beam. Restoring beam shear strength using CFRP is a highly effective technique. Based on the experiments and analysis carried out at NJIT and the results from other researchers, new analysis and design methods for both regular and deep RC beams with externally bonded CFRP shear strengthening have also been proposed as well

USE OF FLEET AVIATION ELECTRONIC ATTACK SQUADRONS FOR OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION OF NEXT GENERATION JAMMER MID-BAND (ALQ-249) PROGRAM

The purpose of this research is to analyze the potential advantages, disadvantages, and risks to cost, schedule, and performance of shifting the role of operational test and evaluation (OT&E) of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) program from a dedicated OT&E squadron at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (AIRTEVRON NINE; VX-9) to a fleet aviation electronic attack squadron. The operational constraints of the modern Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) squadron to deploy as part of the warfighting force against a peer adversary is examined to identify the risks to the successful OT&E of the NGJ-MB program. My methodology includes examining fleet operational tempo and the Navy’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan scheduling, resourcing, training, proficiency, tactical expertise, and administration. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis, followed by a cost-effective analysis, are used to analyze the risks to test execution and reporting compared to VX-9. In the research conclusion, I recommend the more beneficial, efficient, and effective path to execute OT&E for the NGJ-MB program. The consequences to cost, schedule, and performance to the NGJ-MB program give high confidence that fleet aviation squadrons should not be tasked to perform OT&E. VX-9 should be properly resourced, funded, and supported by the Navy to assess the operational effectiveness and suitability of the NGJ-MB pod.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited