Self-Paced Multi-Task Learning

In this paper, we propose a novel multi-task learning (MTL) framework, called Self-Paced Multi-Task Learning (SPMTL). Different from previous works treating all tasks and instances equally when training, SPMTL attempts to jointly learn the tasks by taking into consideration the complexities of both tasks and instances. This is inspired by the cognitive process of human brain that often learns from the easy to the hard. We construct a compact SPMTL formulation by proposing a new task-oriented regularizer that can jointly prioritize the tasks and the instances. Thus it can be interpreted as a self-paced learner for MTL. A simple yet effective algorithm is designed for optimizing the proposed objective function. An error bound for a simplified formulation is also analyzed theoretically. Experimental results on toy and real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, compared to the state-of-the-art methods

The relationship among customer demand, competitive strategy and manufacturing system functional objectives

Purpose: To ascertain the relationship between the operation system function goal decision making and customer demand and competition strategy, can better discover and integrate all available resources (including important capital resources) to achieve business opportunities, the establishment of sustainable competitive ability. Because, to achieve business development lead policymakers take great uncertainty, which led to the investment behavior required for the operational activities of resources also bear the enormous risks. Design/methodology/approach: Through principal component analysis on the data collected by questionnaires, the manuscript obtains dominant factors for customer demand, competitive strategy and manufacturing system functional objectives respectively. By these factors, it tests its three hypotheses with the data from northeast of China and draws some conclusions. Findings: The results show that customer demand have a significant positive effect on competitive strategy; competitive strategy have positive influence on manufacturing system functional objectives; customer demand affect the functional objectives, by competitive strategy. Research limitations/implications: In this research, competitive strategy and manufacturing system functional objectives are influenced by customer demand. The conclusion of the research can provide theoretical guidance for Chinese enterprises which carry out manufacturing system functional objectives. Originality/value: In this research, a new measure questionnaire of competition strategy, customer satisfaction and operating system function goal was used, analyzed the influence factors of time, quality, cost, efficiency, service and environment, on the operation of the system. The study shows that the effect of competition strategy and customer demand has a direct impact on the operating system functions, customer demand through competitive strategy of indirect effects operating system functions.Peer Reviewe

An Evaluation Method of Comprehensive Product Quality for Customer Satisfaction Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Number

How to maximize customer satisfaction is an important research topic in the service quality evaluation. This paper proposes an evaluation method of comprehensive product quality for customer satisfaction based on the intuitionistic fuzzy number. In this method, we design a questionnaire and investigate the customer’s language evaluation information of product quality evaluation, including product expectations and product perception at first. And then, the product quality evaluation model is obtained by Delphi method; that is, the first-level evaluation indexes and the second-level evaluation indexes are obtained and the weight vector of each evaluation index is determined. Next, language evaluation information translates into corresponding fuzzy numbers using intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Therefore, the results of the product quality evaluation of the production system are obtained using the weighted mean method. Finally, an example is used to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method

Progress of the satellite laser ranging system TROS1000

AbstractThe mobile satellite laser ranging system TROS1000, successfully developed in 2010, achieves a high repetition rate and enables daytime laser ranging. Its measurement range has reached up to 36000 km with an accuracy as precise as 1 cm. Using recent observations in Wuhan, Jiufeng, Xianning, and Rongcheng, Shandong, we introduce the progress made using this mobile observation system

Low-Rate Smartphone Videoscopy for Microsecond Luminescence Lifetime Imaging with Machine Learning

Time-resolved techniques have been widely used in time-gated and luminescence lifetime imaging. However, traditional time-resolved systems require expensive lab equipment such as high-speed excitation sources and detectors or complicated mechanical choppers to achieve high repetition rates. Here, we present a cost-effective and miniaturized smartphone lifetime imaging system integrated with a pulsed UV LED for 2D luminescence lifetime imaging using a videoscopy-based virtual chopper (V-chopper) mechanism combined with machine learning. The V-chopper method generates a series of time-delayed images between excitation pulses and smartphone gating so that the luminescence lifetime can be measured at each pixel using a relatively low acquisition frame rate (e.g., 30 fps) without the need for excitation synchronization. Europium (Eu) complex dyes with different luminescent lifetimes ranging from microseconds to seconds were used to demonstrate and evaluate the principle of V-chopper on a 3D-printed smartphone microscopy platform. A convolutional neural network (CNN) model was developed to automatically distinguish the gated images in different decay cycles with an accuracy of >99.5%. The current smartphone V-chopper system can detect lifetime down to ~75 microseconds utilizing the default phase shift between the smartphone video rate and excitation pulses and in principle can detect much shorter lifetimes by accurately programming the time delay. This V-chopper methodology has eliminated the need for the expensive and complicated instruments used in traditional time-resolved detection and can greatly expand the applications of time-resolved lifetime technologies

A service-oriented energy assessment system based on BPMN and machine learning

Increasing energy cost and environmental problems push forward research on energy saving and emission reduction strategy in the manufacturing industry. Energy assessment of machining, as the basis for energy saving and emission reduction, plays an irreplaceable role in engineering service and maintenance for manufacturing enterprises. Due to the complex energy nature and relationships between machine tools, machining parts, and machining processes, there is still a lack of practical energy evaluation methods and tools for manufacturing enterprises. To fill this gap, a serviced-oriented energy assessment system is designed and developed to assist managers in clarifying the energy consumption of machining in this paper. Firstly, the operational requirements of the serviced-oriented energy assessment system are analyzed from the perspective of enterprises. Then, based on the establishment of system architecture, three key technologies, namely data integration, process integration, and energy evaluation, are studied in this paper. In this section, the energy characteristics of machine tools and the energy relationships are studied through the working states of machine tools, machining features of parts and process activities of processes, and the relational database, BPMN 2.0 specification, and machine learning approach are employed to implement the above function respectively. Finally, a case study of machine tool center stand base machining in a manufacturing enterprise was applied to verify the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach and system