A comparative study on the effect of VUV radiation in plasma SiOx-coated polyimide and polypropylene films

Wettability of polyimide (PI) and polypropylene (PP) films have been improved using SiO_x-like thin layers deposited from a mixture of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and oxygen in a microwave distributed electron cyclotron resonance plasma reactor. The films wettability evolution behaviors were evaluated through the results of contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The plasma depositions of SiO_x thin layers in presence of VUV radiation induce a contact angle decrease to about 7° and 35° for PI and PP films, respectively. XPS data showed that such difference in wettability is attributed to the increase of hydrophilic group's proportion at the surface of coated PI films due to VUV irradiation. AFM images showed that the PI surface topography remains relatively smooth when coated in presence of VUV radiation. However, in the case of PP films, AFM images revealed the growth of irregular structure due to a substrate etching effect supported by VUV radiation. For polymers coated without VUV irradiation, the deconvolution of the C1s peaks showed a significant decrease of CO bonds for both PI and PP substrates.     

Modelling of the filling of micro-cavities of finite geometry by amorphous polymers using hot-embossing

The possibility to fill cavities of finite geometry could be described using an analytical model of the hot-embossing process of viscoelastic polymers. This model is based on the volume conservation during the forming process which allows to predict data concerning the geometrical evolution of the material on one hand, and on the other hand the filling time of cavities in the mould. A particular attention was drawn on the necessary time to fill the cavities depending on their shape or a scale factor for a given cavity shape.     

Local feature selection for multiple instance learning

Journal of Intelligent Information Systems - We propose a local feature selection method for the Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) framework. Unlike conventional feature selection algorithms that...     

A hybrid approach based on SERVQUAL and fuzzy TOPSIS for evaluating transportation service quality

Managing service quality is vital to retain customer satisfaction and augment revenues for any business organization. Often it is difficult to assess service quality due to lack of quantifiable measures and limited data. In this paper, we present a hybrid approach based on SERVQUAL and fuzzy TOPSIS for evaluating service quality of urban transportation systems. The proposed approach consists of three steps. The first step involves development of a SERVQUAL based questionnaire to collect data for measuring transportation service quality. The participants provide linguistic assessments to rate the service quality criteria and the alternatives. In step 2, the linguistic ratings are combined through fuzzy TOPSIS to generate an overall performance score for each alternative. The alternative with the highest score is finally chosen. In step 3, sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the influence of criteria weights on the decision making process.The strength of the proposed approach is its practical applicability and ability to provide solution under partial or lack of quantitative information. An application of the proposed approach for evaluation of service quality of metro in Montreal is provided.     

Experimental analysis and numerical modelling of the forming process of polypropylene replicas of micro-cavities using hot embossing

Numerical modelling of the deformation of a polymer using the finite elements method in axisymetrical mode was performed using the LsDyna^® software to describe the filling of micro-cavities during the forming process of the material using the hot embossing. These simulations firstly allow verifying whether the chosen forming process conditions promote or not an optimized filling of the superficial cavities in order to achieve precise replicas which best reproduce the superficial topography of the mould. The simulations were carried out to evaluate the filling of the cavities taking into account the mechanical behaviour of the selected polymer into the model. Moreover, these models were developed to verify the effect of the distribution of the mould cavities on their filling. The influence of the mobility of non deformable rigid plates on the filling of the cavities represents an auxiliary variable. In the approach presented, the compression plates are assumed to be parallel and non deformable, whereas the polymer disk follows a rubbery behaviour around a temperature equal to 140°C. Globally the modelling results are satisfactory for they are rather close to the experimental observations conducted. In summary, the effect of the normal stress as also the distribution of micro-cavities at the mould surface seem to prevail in the case of the forming process by hot embossing.     

基于多流动态贝叶斯网络的音视频连续语音识别

针对说话时发音和口形的异步问题,提出了一个多流异步动态贝叶斯网络(DynamicBayesian Network,DBN)模型,以实现基于音视频特征的连续语音识别,在这个模型中,音频流和视频流在词节点同步,而在词节点之间,音视频流有各自独立的拓扑结构以及节点变量之间的条件依赖关系,同时词转移节点变量由音视频流共同确定,模型在词级别上体现了音视频流的异步性.采用连续数字音视频数据库的实验结果表明,在信噪比为O～30 dB的测试环境下,比较单流DBN模型和多流隐马尔可夫模型,平均识别率分别提高了8.68%和10.07%.     

基于动态贝叶斯网络的语音识别及音素切分研究

研究了一种基于动态贝叶斯网络(dynamic bayesian networks, DBN)的语音识别建模方法,利用GMTK(graphical model tool kits)工具构建音素级音频流DBN语音训练和识别模型,同时与传统的基于隐马尔可夫的语音识别结果进行比较,并给出词与音素的切分结果.实验表明,在各种信噪比测试条件下,基于DBN的语音识别结果与基于HMM的语音识别结果相当,并表现出一定的抗噪性,音素的切分结果也比较准确.     

Extracting TSK-type Neuro-Fuzzy model using the Hunting search algorithm

This paper proposes a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) type Neuro-Fuzzy model tuned by a novel metaheuristic optimization algorithm called Hunting Search (HuS). The HuS algorithm is derived based on a model of group hunting of animals such as lions, wolves, and dolphins when looking for a prey. In this study, the structure and parameters of the fuzzy model are encoded into a particle. Thus, the optimal structure and parameters are achieved simultaneously. The proposed method was demonstrated through modeling and control problems, and the results have been compared with other optimization techniques. The comparisons indicate that the proposed method represents a powerful search approach and an effective optimization technique as it can extract the accurate TSK fuzzy model with an appropriate number of rules.     

Manufacturing and replication of glass pyramidal micro-structures by using the injection moulding process

The aim of this work is to perform experimental investigations related to the different injection moulding conditions required for the proper replication of glass structures. The paper investigates the thermal and rheological characterisations of the feedstock. This study demonstrates that the structured shapes could be successfully injected in the structured metallic mould with pyramidal shapes, with suitable forming parameters. After sintering, the experiment results confirm that the components exhibit anisotropic shrinkage in range from 10 to 20?%.