THE NORMALIZATION OF FINANCIAL DATA EXCHANGE OVER THE INTERNET: ADOPTING INTERNATIONAL STANDARD XBRL

The development of a common syntax for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), XML (eXtensible Markup Language), opened new formalization perspectives for interorganizational data exchanges over the Internet. Many of the organizations involved in the normalizaEDI, IAS/IFRS norms, financial reporting, XBRL, taxonomies specifications, document instance, strategic alignment, XBRL platform.

Intelligent X-ray imaging inspection system for the food industry.

The inspection process of a product is an important stage of a modern production factory. This research presents a generic X-ray imaging inspection system with application for the detection of foreign bodies in a meat product for the food industry. The most important modules in the system are the image processing module and the high-level detection system. This research discusses the use of neural networks for image processing and fuzzy-logic for the detection of potential foreign bodies found in x-ray images of chicken breast meat after the de-boning process. The meat product is passed under a solid-state x-ray sensor that acquires a dual-band two-dimensional image of the meat (a low- and a high energy image). A series of image processing operations are applied to the acquired image (pre-processing, noise removal, contrast enhancement). The most important step of the image processing is the segmentation of the image into meaningful objects. The segmentation task is a difficult one due to the lack of clarity of the acquired X-ray images and the resulting segmented image represents not only correctly identified foreign bodies but also areas caused by overlapping muscle regions in the meat which appear very similar to foreign bodies in the resulting x-ray image. A Hopfield neural network architecture was proposed for the segmentation of a X-ray dual-band image. A number of image processing measurements were made on each object (geometrical and grey-level based statistical features) and these features were used as the input into a fuzzy logic based high-level detection system whose function was to differentiate between bones and non-bone segmented regions. The results show that system's performance is considerably improved over non-fuzzy or crisp methods. Possible noise affecting the system is also investigated. The proposed system proved to be robust and flexible while achieving a high level of performance. Furthermore, it is possible to use the same approach when analysing images from other applications areas from the automotive industry to medicine

Intelligent X-ray imaging inspection system for the food industry.

The inspection process of a product is an important stage of a modern production factory. This research presents a generic X-ray imaging inspection system with application for the detection of foreign bodies in a meat product for the food industry. The most important modules in the system are the image processing module and the high-level detection system. This research discusses the use of neural networks for image processing and fuzzy-logic for the detection of potential foreign bodies found in x-ray images of chicken breast meat after the de-boning process. The meat product is passed under a solid-state x-ray sensor that acquires a dual-band two-dimensional image of the meat (a low- and a high energy image). A series of image processing operations are applied to the acquired image (pre-processing, noise removal, contrast enhancement). The most important step of the image processing is the segmentation of the image into meaningful objects. The segmentation task is a difficult one due to the lack of clarity of the acquired X-ray images and the resulting segmented image represents not only correctly identified foreign bodies but also areas caused by overlapping muscle regions in the meat which appear very similar to foreign bodies in the resulting x-ray image. A Hopfield neural network architecture was proposed for the segmentation of a X-ray dual-band image. A number of image processing measurements were made on each object (geometrical and grey-level based statistical features) and these features were used as the input into a fuzzy logic based high-level detection system whose function was to differentiate between bones and non-bone segmented regions. The results show that system's performance is considerably improved over non-fuzzy or crisp methods. Possible noise affecting the system is also investigated. The proposed system proved to be robust and flexible while achieving a high level of performance. Furthermore, it is possible to use the same approach when analysing images from other applications areas from the automotive industry to medicine

Embedding ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fibers in 3D-printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) parts

This study aims to assess whether ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers can be successfully embedded in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix in a material extrusion 3D printing (ME3DP) process, despite the apparent thermal incompatibility between the two materials. The work started with assessing the maximum PLA extrusion temperatures at which UHMWPE fibers withstand the 3D printing process without melting or severe degradation. After testing various fiber orientations and extrusion temperatures, it has been found that the maximum extrusion temperature depends on fiber orientation relative to extrusion pathing and varies between 175 C and 185 C at an ambient temperature of 25 C. Multiple specimens with embedded strands of UHMWPE fibers have been 3D printed and following tensile strength tests on the fabricated specimens, it has been found that adding even a small number of fiber strands laid in the same direction as the load increased tensile strength by 12% to 23% depending on the raster angle, even when taking into account the decrease in tensile strength due to reduced performance of the PLA substrate caused by lower extrusion temperatures.EEA Grants/Norway GrantsPeer reviewe

Specifications for a digital training toolbox for industry 4.0.

The development in the past decade of Industry 4.0 technologies has brought many new opportunities to manufacturers. The increased digitization of manufacturing operations has led to new modes of production and product development. This digitization has also increased the quantity of sensorial data which is easily available and which can be used to support real-time decision making. That said, with the oppor– tunities come as well a number of challenges. Principally amongst these is a skills gap within the workforce. Without the required knowledge organisations will find it difficult and complex not only to employ these technologies, but also to develop the new manufacturing paradigms of tomorrow. Hence an innovative and effective training methodology is required to address this skills and knowledge gap. As part of the development of this methodology, this paper presents the finding of a study carried out to analyse the knowledge and skills gap, preferred learning methods and styles of trainers, current and past students in engineering Higher Education Institutions. This requirements analysis has led to the specifications for a Digital Training Toolbox, which can be utilised to support the implementation of Inudstry 4.0 technologies and organisational concepts.peer-reviewe

Accelerated Aging Effect on Mechanical Properties of Common 3D-Printing Polymers

In outdoor environments, the action of the Sun through its ultraviolet radiation has a degrading effect on most materials, with polymers being among those affected. In the past few years, 3D printing has seen an increased usage in fabricating parts for functional applications, including parts destined for outdoor use. This paper analyzes the effect of accelerated aging through prolonged exposure to UV-B on the mechanical properties of parts 3D printed from the commonly used polymers polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene terephthalate–glycol (PETG). Samples 3D printed from these materials went through a dry 24 h UV-B exposure aging treatment and were then tested against a control group for changes in mechanical properties. Both the tensile and compressive strengths were determined, as well as changes in material creep characteristics. After irradiation, PLA and PETG parts saw significant decreases in both tensile strength (PLA: −5.3%; PETG: −36%) and compression strength (PLA: −6.3%; PETG: −38.3%). Part stiffness did not change significantly following the UV-B exposure and creep behavior was closely connected to the decrease in mechanical properties. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fractographic analysis was carried out to better understand the failure mechanism and material structural changes in tensile loaded, accelerated aged parts

A Notation for Component-Based Design of Java Applications

In this paper we present JTN2 (Java Targeted Notation 2) a notation for component-based design of Java applications. JTN2 defines a component model based on the fundamental object-oriented principles: abstraction, encapsulation, modularization and typing. Indeed, JTN2 is an extension of JTN, an object-oriented, formal, visual notation for designing concurrent Java applications. JTN2 component model aims to deal with three issues of Java based component development: component definition, component interconnection and component implementation in Java. JTN2 allows a component to be described, understood and analyzed independently from other components. Pre-designed components are interconnected to form complete systems. JTN2 provides a static type system that checks if two components can be interconnected. Java code can be, then, generated automatically by taking advantage of multiple Java technologies, e.g., JavaBeans, Enterprise JavaBeans and J1NI

-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of DAAAM International Vienna ScienceDirect Industrial Image Processing Using Fuzzy-Logic

Abstract This paper concerns with the utilization of artificial intelligence borrowed techniques such as fuzzy logic for the automatic analysis of X-ray images of industrial products for defect detection. An original two stages algorithm is presented based on the feature analysis of the radiographic images obtained from the inspected product. Each object in the image is analyzed using fuzzy logic techniques. The first stage takes an automatic decision whether the current object can be classified as a defect from the geometrical point of view and the second stage takes the final decision by using "logical" criteria that is dependent on the product at hand and its quality requirements

Paste Extruder—Hardware Add-On for Desktop 3D Printers

This paper presents the design, development and testing of a paste/clay extrusion device intended to be used as a drop-in replacement for the conventional thermoplastic extruder of a desktop filament-based 3D printer. A plastic cylinder loaded with gel, paste or clay material is placed into the device. Feedstock is pressed through an extrusion nozzle by a piston driven by an electrically actuated drive-screw and nut mechanism. The device allows the build material to heat up to 80 °C. Forced air cooling is used to assist the cooling or hardening process of the freshly-printed material during fabrication. The feedstock container, nozzle, and material-loading process are all suitable for use in a sterile environment. The device is designed for seamless integration with existing 3D printing firmware and slicing software. After designing the device, a prototype was produced and installed on a 3D printer. Silicone and acrylic polymers, as well as dental gel, were used to fabricate 3D printed sample objects