Perturbation of an elementary logic system submitted to the effects induced by a perturbing sine wave

Data transmission networks and systems are often subject to perturbations due to the fact that (low level) data signals are surrounded by perturbing electromagnetic fields. This paper presents and analyses information perturbing mechanisms. The authors examine data streams transmitted by an elementary system which represents the basis of any electronic device. We show the influence of technological families of cmos circuits and present a test method and bench to investigate the sensitivity of devices under test by means of statistical parameters.     

A knowledge base model for complex forging die machining

Recent evolutions on forging process induce more complex shape on forging die. These evolutions, combined with High Speed Machining (HSM) process of forging die lead to important increase in time for machining preparation. In this context, an original approach for generating machining process based on machining knowledge is proposed in this paper. The core of this approach is to decompose a CAD model of complex forging die in geometrical features. Technological data and topological relations are aggregated to a geometrical feature in order to create machining features. Technological data, such as material, surface roughness and form tolerance are defined during forging process and dies design. These data are used to choose cutting tools and machining strategies. Topological relations define relative positions between the surfaces of the die CAD model. After machining features identification cutting tools and machining strategies currently used in HSM of forging die, are associated to them in order to generate machining sequences. A machining process model is proposed to formalize the links between information imbedded in the machining features and the parameters of cutting tools and machining strategies. At last machining sequences are grouped and ordered to generate the complete die machining process. In this paper the identification of geometrical features is detailed. Geometrical features identification is based on machining knowledge formalization which is translated in the generation of maps from STL models. A map based on the contact area between cutting tools and die shape gives basic geometrical features which are connected or not according to the continuity maps. The proposed approach is illustrated by an application on an industrial study case which was accomplished as part of collaboration.     

Crusta: A new virtual globe for real-time visualization of sub-meter digital topography at planetary scales

Virtual globes are becoming ubiquitous in the visualization of planetary bodies and Earth specifically. While many of the current virtual globes have proven to be quite useful for remote geologic investigation, they were never designed for the purpose of serving as virtual geologic instruments. Their shortcomings have become more obvious as earth scientists struggle to visualize recently released digital elevation models of very high spatial resolution (0.5-1 m²/sample) and extent (>2000 km²). We developed Crusta as an alternative virtual globe that allows users to easily visualize their custom imagery and more importantly their custom topography. Crusta represents the globe as a 30-sided polyhedron to avoid distortion of the display, in particular the singularities at the poles characteristic of other projections. This polyhedron defines 30 “base patches,” each being a four-sided region that can be subdivided to an arbitrarily fine grid on the surface of the globe to accommodate input data of arbitrary resolution, from global (BlueMarble) to local (tripod LiDAR), all in the same visualization. We designed Crusta to be dynamic with the shading of the terrain surface computed on-the-fly when a user manipulates his point-of-view. In a similarly interactive fashion the globe's surface can be exaggerated vertically. The combination of the two effects greatly improves the perception of shape. A convenient pre-processing tool based on the GDAL library facilitates importing a number of data formats into the Crusta-specific multi-scale hierarchies that enable interactive visualization on a range of platforms from laptops to immersive geowalls and caves. The main scientific user community for Crusta is earth scientists, and their needs have been driving the development.     

Ecotoxicological analysis of glasses obtained from industrial residues using E. coli and S. aureus as bioindicators

This work deals with the study of the effect of coal ashes and industrial residues in the inertness of glasses designed for industrial uses. Five formulations with four factors (residues) and constraints were used according a mixture design. The residues were dried, sieved and mixed according to the design. The formulations were melted at 1450 °C during 2 h for stabilization using 10% wt of Na₂CO₃ (fluxing agent). The melts were cast into a refrigerated water mold and annealed at 600 °C, and thus, the glasses were analyzed regarding their ecotoxicological effect using the Agar Diffusion Test for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as bioindicators, comparing the results with the Artemia sp. Acute Toxicity Test. The results were studied by analysis of variance in order to determine the individual influence of each residue in the inertness of the glass system. As a final result, the ecotoxicological analysis showed that the galvanic residue makes a non-inert glass due to the high iron and zinc content of this waste. The Agar Diffusion Test is a fast and accurate technique to determine the toxicity of glass systems only for high concentration samples.     

Cognitive complexity and appraisal effectiveness: Back to the drawing board?

Tested C. E. Schneier's (see record 1978-11450-001) cognitive compatibility theory. In Exps I and II, 100 undergraduates rated college instructors and professor vignettes, respectively. Results show that rater cognitive complexity was unrelated to rating accuracy, halo error, acceptability of rating format, or confidence in ratings. In Exp III, 31 police sergeants rated patrol officers, and the results show that halo error and acceptability of formats were unrelated to cognitive complexity. In Exp IV, 95 undergraduates' ratings of managerial performance and instructor effectiveness showed no support for the cognitive compatibility theory. However, the data showed that raters' ability to generate dimensions was significantly related to halo error in instructors' ratings. Implications for cognitive compatibility theory and future research with the method of generating performance dimensions are discussed. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability analysis of roadway departure risk using stochastic processes

The work presented here aims to develop a warning device to prevent roadway departure while cornering. Given the random variability arising from the driver, the vehicle and the infrastructure at the entrance of the curve, a probabilistic strategy is adopted to assess the roadway departure risk. Random variables and processes are introduced in a specifically developed vehicle dynamics model. The driver's behaviours are deduced from real traffic measurements. Structural reliability methods are employed to compute a roadway departure risk index, used to take the decision of an alarm triggering. Particular care is brought to the reduction of the computational cost. Refinements made on the standard reliability methods to handle with the model non-linearities and the stochastic dimension are presented.     

Executive functions in multiple sclerosis: An analysis of temporal ordering, semantic encoding, and planning abilities.

Previous studies have consistently demonstrated impairments in conceptual reasoning and set-shifting abilities in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Other executive functions have been less frequently examined. We compared 44 MS patients and 48 demographically matched controls on a temporal-ordering and semantic-encoding task and on a test of planning (Tower of Hanoi). Compared with controls, MS patients experienced deficient semantic encoding and planning but unimpaired temporal-order memory. For both tasks, post hoc analyses indicated that chronic-progressive MS patients contributed most to the group differences. A combination of poor planning and slowed information-processing speed was hypothesized to have contributed to MS patients' impaired Tower of Hanoi performance. Further research is needed to explore the possible relationship between semantic-encoding and planning deficits in MS and social and occupational disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leveraging Blur Information for Plenoptic Camera Calibration

International Journal of Computer Vision - This paper presents a novel calibration algorithm for plenoptic cameras, especially the multi-focus configuration, where several types of micro-lenses are...     

Consistent and stable meshfree Galerkin methods using the virtual element decomposition

Over the past two decades, meshfree methods have undergone significant development as a numerical tool to solve partial differential equations (PDEs). In contrast to finite elements, the basis functions in meshfree methods are smooth (nonpolynomial functions), and they do not rely on an underlying mesh structure for their construction. These features render meshfree methods to be particularly appealing for higher‐order PDEs and for large deformation simulations of solid continua. However, a deficiency that still persists in meshfree Galerkin methods is the inaccuracies in numerical integration, which affects the consistency and stability of the method. Several previous contributions have tackled the issue of integration errors with an eye on consistency, but without explicitly ensuring stability. In this paper, we draw on the recently proposed virtual element method, to present a formulation that guarantees both the consistency and stability of the approximate bilinear form. We adopt maximum‐entropy meshfree basis functions, but other meshfree basis functions can also be used within this framework. Numerical results for several two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional elliptic (Poisson and linear elastostatic) boundary‐value problems that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed formulation are presented. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.