Innovation During the Supplier Selection Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilkington, Alan; Pedraza, Isabel

2014-01-01

Established ideas on supplier selection have not moved much from the original premise of how to choose between bidders. Whilst we have added many different tools and refinements to choose between alternative suppliers, its nature has not evolved. We move the original selection process approach...... observed through an ethnographic embedded researcher study has refined the selection process and has two selection stages one for first supply covering tool/process developed and another later for resupply of mature parts. We report the details of the process, those involved, the criteria employed...... and identify benefits and weaknesses of this enhanced selection process....

IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING THE STRATEGIC PROCESS USING THE CROSS-EFFICIENCY APPROACH BASED ON SATISFACTION LEVEL AND EXTENDDED BALANCED SCORECARD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ardeshir Bazrkar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The strategy is a macro and strategic plan, and will only be implemented when it is defined in the form of various projects. In order to exploit the benefits of lean six sigma projects, these projects should be in line with the strategic goals of the organization. Organizations should select projects which are compatible with the organization overall goals and fulfill the strategic requirements of the organization. The purpose of this study is to identify the strategic process among the bank facility processes to use it in lean six sigma methodology in order to improve process performance and efficiency using a combination of cross-efficiency and extended balanced scorecard methods. In the first step, the criteria for selecting the strategic process were identified using the six measures of the balanced scorecard method. In the second step, after collecting information using the cross-efficiency model based on satisfaction level, the bank facility processes are ranked based on the efficiency score. The results show that the ranking of the processes under consideration is carried out without any interference, and one of the processes (process 3 is considered as the strategic process to use in the six sigma methodology.

Selecting a risk-based tool to aid in decision making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bendure, A.O.

1995-03-01

Selecting a risk-based tool to aid in decision making is as much of a challenge as properly using the tool once it has been selected. Failure to consider customer and stakeholder requirements and the technical bases and differences in risk-based decision making tools will produce confounding and/or politically unacceptable results when the tool is used. Selecting a risk-based decisionmaking tool must therefore be undertaken with the same, if not greater, rigor than the use of the tool once it is selected. This paper presents a process for selecting a risk-based tool appropriate to a set of prioritization or resource allocation tasks, discusses the results of applying the process to four risk-based decision-making tools, and identifies the ``musts`` for successful selection and implementation of a risk-based tool to aid in decision making.

Multiattribute Supplier Selection Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhat Aydin

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Supplier selection is a multiattribute decision making (MADM problem which contains both qualitative and quantitative factors. Supplier selection has vital importance for most companies. The aim of this paper is to provide an AHP based analytical tool for decision support enabling an effective multicriteria supplier selection process in an air conditioner seller firm under fuzziness. In this article, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP under fuzziness is employed for its permissiveness to use an evaluation scale including linguistic expressions, crisp numerical values, fuzzy numbers and range numerical values. This scale provides a more flexible evaluation compared with the other fuzzy AHP methods. In this study, the modified AHP was used in supplier selection in an air conditioner firm. Three experts evaluated the suppliers according to the proposed model and the most appropriate supplier was selected. The proposed model enables decision makers select the best supplier among supplier firms effectively. We confirm that the modified fuzzy AHP is appropriate for group decision making in supplier selection problems.

Physics-based simulation modeling and optimization of microstructural changes induced by machining and selective laser melting processes in titanium and nickel based alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Arisoy, Yigit Muzaffer

Manufacturing processes may significantly affect the quality of resultant surfaces and structural integrity of the metal end products. Controlling manufacturing process induced changes to the product's surface integrity may improve the fatigue life and overall reliability of the end product. The goal of this study is to model the phenomena that result in microstructural alterations and improve the surface integrity of the manufactured parts by utilizing physics-based process simulations and other computational methods. Two different (both conventional and advanced) manufacturing processes; i.e. machining of Titanium and Nickel-based alloys and selective laser melting of Nickel-based powder alloys are studied. 3D Finite Element (FE) process simulations are developed and experimental data that validates these process simulation models are generated to compare against predictions. Computational process modeling and optimization have been performed for machining induced microstructure that includes; i) predicting recrystallization and grain size using FE simulations and the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) model, ii) predicting microhardness using non-linear regression models and the Random Forests method, and iii) multi-objective machining optimization for minimizing microstructural changes. Experimental analysis and computational process modeling of selective laser melting have been also conducted including; i) microstructural analysis of grain sizes and growth directions using SEM imaging and machine learning algorithms, ii) analysis of thermal imaging for spattering, heating/cooling rates and meltpool size, iii) predicting thermal field, meltpool size, and growth directions via thermal gradients using 3D FE simulations, iv) predicting localized solidification using the Phase Field method. These computational process models and predictive models, once utilized by industry to optimize process parameters, have the ultimate potential to improve performance of

Mental health courts and their selection processes: modeling variation for consistency.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, Nancy; Fabrikant, Nicole; Belenko, Steven

2011-10-01

Admission into mental health courts is based on a complicated and often variable decision-making process that involves multiple parties representing different expertise and interests. To the extent that eligibility criteria of mental health courts are more suggestive than deterministic, selection bias can be expected. Very little research has focused on the selection processes underpinning problem-solving courts even though such processes may dominate the performance of these interventions. This article describes a qualitative study designed to deconstruct the selection and admission processes of mental health courts. In this article, we describe a multi-stage, complex process for screening and admitting clients into mental health courts. The selection filtering model that is described has three eligibility screening stages: initial, assessment, and evaluation. The results of this study suggest that clients selected by mental health courts are shaped by the formal and informal selection criteria, as well as by the local treatment system.

Communication activities for NUMO's site selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Mitsuo; Okuyama, Shigeru; Kitayama, Kazumi; Kuba, Michiyoshi

2004-01-01

A siting program for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in Japan has just started and is moving into a new stage of communication with the public. A final repository site will be selected via a stepwise process, as stipulated in the Specified Radioactive Waste Final Disposal Act promulgated in June 2000. Based on the Act, the site selection process of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO, established in October 2000) will be carried out in the three steps: selection of Preliminary Investigation Areas (PIAs), selection of Detailed Investigation Areas (DIAs) and selection of the Repository Site. The Act also defines NUMO's responsibilities in terms of implementing the HLW disposal program in an open and transparent manner. NUMO fully understands the importance of public participation in its activities and is aiming to promote public involvement in the process of site selection based on a fundamental policy, which consists of 'adopting a stepwise approach', 'respecting the initiative of municipalities' and 'ensuring transparency in information disclosure'. This policy is clearly reflected in the adoption of an open solicitation approach for volunteer municipalities for Preliminary Investigation Areas (PIAs). NUMO made the official announcement of the start of its open solicitation program on 19 December 2002. This paper outlines how NUMO's activities are currently carried out with a view to encouraging municipalities to volunteer as PIAs and how public awareness of the safety of the HLW disposal is evaluated at this stage

Continuous process for selective metal extraction with an ionic liquid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Parmentier, D.; Paradis, S.; Metz, S.J.; Wiedmer, S.K.; Kroon, M.C.

2016-01-01

This work describes for the first time a continuous process for selective metal extraction with an ionic liquid (IL) at room temperature. The hydrophobic fatty acid based IL tetraoctylphosphonium oleate ([P8888][oleate]) was specifically chosen for its low viscosity and high selectivity towards

Simulation of the selective oxidation process of semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chahoud, M.

2012-01-01

A new approach to simulate the selective oxidation of semiconductors is presented. This approach is based on the so-called b lack box simulation method . This method is usually used to simulate complex processes. The chemical and physical details within the process are not considered. Only the input and output data of the process are relevant for the simulation. A virtual function linking the input and output data has to be found. In the case of selective oxidation the input data are the mask geometry and the oxidation duration whereas the output data are the oxidation thickness distribution. The virtual function is determined as four virtual diffusion processes between the masked und non-masked areas. Each process delivers one part of the oxidation profile. The method is applied successfully on the oxidation system silicon-silicon nitride (Si-Si 3 N 4 ). The fitting parameters are determined through comparison of experimental and simulation results two-dimensionally.(author)

Efficient Multi-Label Feature Selection Using Entropy-Based Label Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaesung Lee

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Multi-label feature selection is designed to select a subset of features according to their importance to multiple labels. This task can be achieved by ranking the dependencies of features and selecting the features with the highest rankings. In a multi-label feature selection problem, the algorithm may be faced with a dataset containing a large number of labels. Because the computational cost of multi-label feature selection increases according to the number of labels, the algorithm may suffer from a degradation in performance when processing very large datasets. In this study, we propose an efficient multi-label feature selection method based on an information-theoretic label selection strategy. By identifying a subset of labels that significantly influence the importance of features, the proposed method efficiently outputs a feature subset. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can identify a feature subset much faster than conventional multi-label feature selection methods for large multi-label datasets.

Conflict between public perceptions and technical processes in site selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avant, R.V. Jr.; Jacobi, L.R.

1985-01-01

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and guidance on site selection are based on sound technical reasoning. Geology, hydrology, flora and fauna, transportation, demographics, and sociopolitical concerns, to name a few, have been factored into the process. Regardless of the technical objectivity of a site selection process, local opposition groups will challenge technical decisions using technical, nontechnical, and emotional arguments. This paper explores the many conflicts between public perceptions, technical requirements designed to protect the general public, and common arguments against site selection. Ways to deal with opposition are also discussed with emphasis placed on developing effective community relations

Goal selection versus process control while learning to use a brain-computer interface

Science.gov (United States)

Royer, Audrey S.; Rose, Minn L.; He, Bin

2011-06-01

A brain-computer interface (BCI) can be used to accomplish a task without requiring motor output. Two major control strategies used by BCIs during task completion are process control and goal selection. In process control, the user exerts continuous control and independently executes the given task. In goal selection, the user communicates their goal to the BCI and then receives assistance executing the task. A previous study has shown that goal selection is more accurate and faster in use. An unanswered question is, which control strategy is easier to learn? This study directly compares goal selection and process control while learning to use a sensorimotor rhythm-based BCI. Twenty young healthy human subjects were randomly assigned either to a goal selection or a process control-based paradigm for eight sessions. At the end of the study, the best user from each paradigm completed two additional sessions using all paradigms randomly mixed. The results of this study were that goal selection required a shorter training period for increased speed, accuracy, and information transfer over process control. These results held for the best subjects as well as in the general subject population. The demonstrated characteristics of goal selection make it a promising option to increase the utility of BCIs intended for both disabled and able-bodied users.

Statistical test data selection for reliability evalution of process computer software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkmann, K.P.; Hoermann, H.; Ehrenberger, W.

1976-01-01

The paper presents a concept for converting knowledge about the characteristics of process states into practicable procedures for the statistical selection of test cases in testing process computer software. Process states are defined as vectors whose components consist of values of input variables lying in discrete positions or within given limits. Two approaches for test data selection, based on knowledge about cases of demand, are outlined referring to a purely probabilistic method and to the mathematics of stratified sampling. (orig.) [de

Microalgal process-monitoring based on high-selectivity spectroscopy tools: status and future perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Podevin, Michael Paul Ambrose; Fotidis, Ioannis; Angelidaki, Irini

2018-01-01

microalgae production towards process automation through multivariate process control (MVPC) and software sensors trained on “big data”. The paper will also include a comprehensive overview of off-line implementations of vibrational spectroscopy in microalgal research as it pertains to spectral...... contribution of this review is to present current and prospective advances of on-line and in-line process analytical technology (PAT), with high-selectivity – the capability of monitoring several analytes simultaneously – in the interest of improving product quality, productivity, and process automation...... interpretation and process automation to aid and motivate development....

A review of channel selection algorithms for EEG signal processing

Science.gov (United States)

Alotaiby, Turky; El-Samie, Fathi E. Abd; Alshebeili, Saleh A.; Ahmad, Ishtiaq

2015-12-01

Digital processing of electroencephalography (EEG) signals has now been popularly used in a wide variety of applications such as seizure detection/prediction, motor imagery classification, mental task classification, emotion classification, sleep state classification, and drug effects diagnosis. With the large number of EEG channels acquired, it has become apparent that efficient channel selection algorithms are needed with varying importance from one application to another. The main purpose of the channel selection process is threefold: (i) to reduce the computational complexity of any processing task performed on EEG signals by selecting the relevant channels and hence extracting the features of major importance, (ii) to reduce the amount of overfitting that may arise due to the utilization of unnecessary channels, for the purpose of improving the performance, and (iii) to reduce the setup time in some applications. Signal processing tools such as time-domain analysis, power spectral estimation, and wavelet transform have been used for feature extraction and hence for channel selection in most of channel selection algorithms. In addition, different evaluation approaches such as filtering, wrapper, embedded, hybrid, and human-based techniques have been widely used for the evaluation of the selected subset of channels. In this paper, we survey the recent developments in the field of EEG channel selection methods along with their applications and classify these methods according to the evaluation approach.

Explicit attention interferes with selective emotion processing in human extrastriate cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junghöfer Markus

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Brain imaging and event-related potential studies provide strong evidence that emotional stimuli guide selective attention in visual processing. A reflection of the emotional attention capture is the increased Early Posterior Negativity (EPN for pleasant and unpleasant compared to neutral images (~150–300 ms poststimulus. The present study explored whether this early emotion discrimination reflects an automatic phenomenon or is subject to interference by competing processing demands. Thus, emotional processing was assessed while participants performed a concurrent feature-based attention task varying in processing demands. Results Participants successfully performed the primary visual attention task as revealed by behavioral performance and selected event-related potential components (Selection Negativity and P3b. Replicating previous results, emotional modulation of the EPN was observed in a task condition with low processing demands. In contrast, pleasant and unpleasant pictures failed to elicit increased EPN amplitudes compared to neutral images in more difficult explicit attention task conditions. Further analyses determined that even the processing of pleasant and unpleasant pictures high in emotional arousal is subject to interference in experimental conditions with high task demand. Taken together, performing demanding feature-based counting tasks interfered with differential emotion processing indexed by the EPN. Conclusion The present findings demonstrate that taxing processing resources by a competing primary visual attention task markedly attenuated the early discrimination of emotional from neutral picture contents. Thus, these results provide further empirical support for an interference account of the emotion-attention interaction under conditions of competition. Previous studies revealed the interference of selective emotion processing when attentional resources were directed to locations of explicitly task

Explicit attention interferes with selective emotion processing in human extrastriate cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Schupp, Harald T; Stockburger, Jessica; Bublatzky, Florian; Junghöfer, Markus; Weike, Almut I; Hamm, Alfons O

2007-02-22

Brain imaging and event-related potential studies provide strong evidence that emotional stimuli guide selective attention in visual processing. A reflection of the emotional attention capture is the increased Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) for pleasant and unpleasant compared to neutral images (approximately 150-300 ms poststimulus). The present study explored whether this early emotion discrimination reflects an automatic phenomenon or is subject to interference by competing processing demands. Thus, emotional processing was assessed while participants performed a concurrent feature-based attention task varying in processing demands. Participants successfully performed the primary visual attention task as revealed by behavioral performance and selected event-related potential components (Selection Negativity and P3b). Replicating previous results, emotional modulation of the EPN was observed in a task condition with low processing demands. In contrast, pleasant and unpleasant pictures failed to elicit increased EPN amplitudes compared to neutral images in more difficult explicit attention task conditions. Further analyses determined that even the processing of pleasant and unpleasant pictures high in emotional arousal is subject to interference in experimental conditions with high task demand. Taken together, performing demanding feature-based counting tasks interfered with differential emotion processing indexed by the EPN. The present findings demonstrate that taxing processing resources by a competing primary visual attention task markedly attenuated the early discrimination of emotional from neutral picture contents. Thus, these results provide further empirical support for an interference account of the emotion-attention interaction under conditions of competition. Previous studies revealed the interference of selective emotion processing when attentional resources were directed to locations of explicitly task-relevant stimuli. The present data suggest

7 CFR 3570.68 - Selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Selection process. 3570.68 Section 3570.68 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Community Facilities Grant Program § 3570.68 Selection process. Each request...

44 CFR 150.7 - Selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Selection process. 150.7 Section 150.7 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF... Selection process. (a) President's Award. Nominations for the President's Award shall be reviewed, and...

Supplier selection an MCDA-based approach

CERN Document Server

Mukherjee, Krishnendu

2017-01-01

The purpose of this book is to present a comprehensive review of the latest research and development trends at the international level for modeling and optimization of the supplier selection process for different industrial sectors. It is targeted to serve two audiences: the MBA and PhD student interested in procurement, and the practitioner who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of procurement analysis with multi-criteria based decision tools to avoid upstream risks to get better supply chain visibility. The book is expected to serve as a ready reference for supplier selection criteria and various multi-criteria based supplier’s evaluation methods for forward, reverse and mass customized supply chain. This book encompasses several criteria, methods for supplier selection in a systematic way based on extensive literature review from 1998 to 2012. It provides several case studies and some useful links which can serve as a starting point for interested researchers. In the appendix several computer code wri...

Fundamental Aspects of Selective Melting Additive Manufacturing Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

van Swol, Frank B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Miller, James E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-12-01

Certain details of the additive manufacturing process known as selective laser melting (SLM) affect the performance of the final metal part. To unleash the full potential of SLM it is crucial that the process engineer in the field receives guidance about how to select values for a multitude of process variables employed in the building process. These include, for example, the type of powder (e.g., size distribution, shape, type of alloy), orientation of the build axis, the beam scan rate, the beam power density, the scan pattern and scan rate. The science-based selection of these settings con- stitutes an intrinsically challenging multi-physics problem involving heating and melting a metal alloy, reactive, dynamic wetting followed by re-solidification. In addition, inherent to the process is its considerable variability that stems from the powder packing. Each time a limited number of powder particles are placed, the stacking is intrinsically different from the previous, possessing a different geometry, and having a different set of contact areas with the surrounding particles. As a result, even if all other process parameters (scan rate, etc) are exactly the same, the shape and contact geometry and area of the final melt pool will be unique to that particular configuration. This report identifies the most important issues facing SLM, discusses the fundamental physics associated with it and points out how modeling can support the additive manufacturing efforts.

Aplication of AHP method in partner's selection process for supply chain development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barac Nada

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The process of developing a supply chain is long and complex. with many restrictions and obstacles that accompany it. In this paper the authors focus on the first stage in developing the supply chain and the selection process and selection of partners. This phase of the development significantly affect the competitive position of the supply chain and create value for the consumer. Selected partners or 'links' of the supply chain influence the future performance of the chain which points to the necessity of full commitment to this process. The process of selection and choice of partner is conditioned by the key criteria that are used on that occasion. The use of inadequate criteria may endanger the whole process of building a supply chain partner selection through inadequate future supply chain needs. This paper is an analysis of partner selection based on key criteria used by managers in Serbia. For this purpose we used the AHP method. the results show that these are the top ranked criteria in terms of managers.

Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter description report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, M.C.; Morrison, J.L.; Morneau, R.A.; Rudin, M.J.; Richardson, J.G.

1992-05-01

A formal methodology has been developed for identifying technology gaps and assessing innovative or postulated technologies for inclusion in proposed Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) remediation systems. Called the Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter, the methodology provides a formalized selection process where technologies and systems are rated and assessments made based on performance measures, and regulatory and technical requirements. The results are auditable, and can be validated with field data. This analysis methodology will be applied to the remedial action of transuranic contaminated waste pits and trenches buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL)

Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter description report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Brien, M.C.; Morrison, J.L.; Morneau, R.A.; Rudin, M.J.; Richardson, J.G.

1992-05-01

A formal methodology has been developed for identifying technology gaps and assessing innovative or postulated technologies for inclusion in proposed Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) remediation systems. Called the Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter, the methodology provides a formalized selection process where technologies and systems are rated and assessments made based on performance measures, and regulatory and technical requirements. The results are auditable, and can be validated with field data. This analysis methodology will be applied to the remedial action of transuranic contaminated waste pits and trenches buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL).

Risk-based audit selection of dairy farms.

Science.gov (United States)

van Asseldonk, M A P M; Velthuis, A G J

2014-02-01

Dairy farms are audited in the Netherlands on numerous process standards. Each farm is audited once every 2 years. Increasing demands for cost-effectiveness in farm audits can be met by introducing risk-based principles. This implies targeting subpopulations with a higher risk of poor process standards. To select farms for an audit that present higher risks, a statistical analysis was conducted to test the relationship between the outcome of farm audits and bulk milk laboratory results before the audit. The analysis comprised 28,358 farm audits and all conducted laboratory tests of bulk milk samples 12 mo before the audit. The overall outcome of each farm audit was classified as approved or rejected. Laboratory results included somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC), antimicrobial drug residues (ADR), level of butyric acid spores (BAB), freezing point depression (FPD), level of free fatty acids (FFA), and cleanliness of the milk (CLN). The bulk milk laboratory results were significantly related to audit outcomes. Rejected audits are likely to occur on dairy farms with higher mean levels of SCC, TBC, ADR, and BAB. Moreover, in a multivariable model, maxima for TBC, SCC, and FPD as well as standard deviations for TBC and FPD are risk factors for negative audit outcomes. The efficiency curve of a risk-based selection approach, on the basis of the derived regression results, dominated the current random selection approach. To capture 25, 50, or 75% of the population with poor process standards (i.e., audit outcome of rejected), respectively, only 8, 20, or 47% of the population had to be sampled based on a risk-based selection approach. Milk quality information can thus be used to preselect high-risk farms to be audited more frequently. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of safety analyses in site selection. Some personal observations based on the experience from the Swiss site selection process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuidema, Piet [Nagra, Wettingen (Switzerland)

2015-07-01

In Switzerland, the site selection process according to the ''Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories'' (BFE 2008) is underway since 2008. This process takes place in three stages. In stage 1 geological siting regions (six for the L/ILW repository and three for the HLW repository) have been identified, in stage 2 sites for the surface facilities have been identified for all siting regions in close co-operation with the sting regions and a narrowing down of the number of siting regions based on geological criteria will take place. In stage 3 the sites for a general license application are selected and the general license applications will be submitted which eventually will lead to the siting decision for both repository types. In the Swiss site selection process, safety has the highest priority. Many factors affect safety and thus a whole range of safety-related issues are considered in the identification and screening of siting possibilities. Besides dose calculations a range of quantitative and qualitative issues are considered. Dose calculations are performed in all three stages of the site selection process. In stage 1 generic safety calculations were made to develop criteria to be used for the identification of potential siting regions. In stage 2, dose calculations are made for comparing the different siting regions according to a procedure prescribed in detail by the regulator. Combined with qualitative evaluations this will lead to a narrowing down of the number of siting regions to at least two siting regions for each repository type. In stage 3 full safety cases will be prepared as part of the documentation for the general license applications. Besides the dose calculations, many other issues related to safety are analyzed in a quantitative and qualitative manner. These consider the 13 criteria defined in the Sectoral Plan and the corresponding indicators. The features analyzed cover the following broad themes: efficiency of

The role of safety analyses in site selection. Some personal observations based on the experience from the Swiss site selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuidema, Piet

2015-01-01

In Switzerland, the site selection process according to the ''Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories'' (BFE 2008) is underway since 2008. This process takes place in three stages. In stage 1 geological siting regions (six for the L/ILW repository and three for the HLW repository) have been identified, in stage 2 sites for the surface facilities have been identified for all siting regions in close co-operation with the sting regions and a narrowing down of the number of siting regions based on geological criteria will take place. In stage 3 the sites for a general license application are selected and the general license applications will be submitted which eventually will lead to the siting decision for both repository types. In the Swiss site selection process, safety has the highest priority. Many factors affect safety and thus a whole range of safety-related issues are considered in the identification and screening of siting possibilities. Besides dose calculations a range of quantitative and qualitative issues are considered. Dose calculations are performed in all three stages of the site selection process. In stage 1 generic safety calculations were made to develop criteria to be used for the identification of potential siting regions. In stage 2, dose calculations are made for comparing the different siting regions according to a procedure prescribed in detail by the regulator. Combined with qualitative evaluations this will lead to a narrowing down of the number of siting regions to at least two siting regions for each repository type. In stage 3 full safety cases will be prepared as part of the documentation for the general license applications. Besides the dose calculations, many other issues related to safety are analyzed in a quantitative and qualitative manner. These consider the 13 criteria defined in the Sectoral Plan and the corresponding indicators. The features analyzed cover the following broad themes: efficiency of

Microalgal process-monitoring based on high-selectivity spectroscopy tools: status and future perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Podevin, Michael; Fotidis, Ioannis A; Angelidaki, Irini

2018-08-01

Microalgae are well known for their ability to accumulate lipids intracellularly, which can be used for biofuels and mitigate CO 2 emissions. However, due to economic challenges, microalgae bioprocesses have maneuvered towards the simultaneous production of food, feed, fuel, and various high-value chemicals in a biorefinery concept. On-line and in-line monitoring of macromolecules such as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and high-value pigments will be more critical to maintain product quality and consistency for downstream processing in a biorefinery to maintain and valorize these markets. The main contribution of this review is to present current and prospective advances of on-line and in-line process analytical technology (PAT), with high-selectivity - the capability of monitoring several analytes simultaneously - in the interest of improving product quality, productivity, and process automation of a microalgal biorefinery. The high-selectivity PAT under consideration are mid-infrared (MIR), near-infrared (NIR), and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. The current review contains a critical assessment of these technologies in the context of recent advances in software and hardware in order to move microalgae production towards process automation through multivariate process control (MVPC) and software sensors trained on "big data". The paper will also include a comprehensive overview of off-line implementations of vibrational spectroscopy in microalgal research as it pertains to spectral interpretation and process automation to aid and motivate development.

Manufacturing Process Selection of Composite Bicycle’s Crank Arm using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Science.gov (United States)

Luqman, M.; Rosli, M. U.; Khor, C. Y.; Zambree, Shayfull; Jahidi, H.

2018-03-01

Crank arm is one of the important parts in a bicycle that is an expensive product due to the high cost of material and production process. This research is aimed to investigate the potential type of manufacturing process to fabricate composite bicycle crank arm and to describe an approach based on analytical hierarchy process (AHP) that assists decision makers or manufacturing engineers in determining the most suitable process to be employed in manufacturing of composite bicycle crank arm at the early stage of the product development process to reduce the production cost. There are four types of processes were considered, namely resin transfer molding (RTM), compression molding (CM), vacuum bag molding and filament winding (FW). The analysis ranks these four types of process for its suitability in the manufacturing of bicycle crank arm based on five main selection factors and 10 sub factors. Determining the right manufacturing process was performed based on AHP process steps. Consistency test was performed to make sure the judgements are consistent during the comparison. The results indicated that the compression molding was the most appropriate manufacturing process because it has the highest value (33.6%) among the other manufacturing processes.

Selection Process for New Windows | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov (United States)

Foundry Foundry New Construction Windows Window Selection Tool Selection Process Design Guidance Installation Replacement Windows Window Selection Tool Assessing Options Selection Process Design Guidance Installation Understanding Windows Benefits Design Considerations Measuring Performance Performance Standards

Selection Process for Replacement Windows | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov (United States)

Foundry Foundry New Construction Windows Window Selection Tool Selection Process Design Guidance Installation Replacement Windows Window Selection Tool Assessing Options Selection Process Design Guidance Installation Understanding Windows Benefits Design Considerations Measuring Performance Performance Standards

Sexual selection: Another Darwinian process.

Science.gov (United States)

Gayon, Jean

2010-02-01

the Darwin-Wallace controversy was that most Darwinian biologists avoided the subject of sexual selection until at least the 1950s, Ronald Fisher being a major exception. This controversy still deserves attention from modern evolutionary biologists, because the modern approach inherits from both Darwin and Wallace. The modern approach tends to present sexual selection as a special aspect of the theory of natural selection, although it also recognizes the big difficulties resulting from the inevitable interaction between these two natural processes of selection. And contra Wallace, it considers mate choice as a major process that deserves a proper evolutionary treatment. The paper's conclusion explains why sexual selection can be taken as a test case for a proper assessment of "Darwinism" as a scientific tradition. Darwin's and Wallace's attitudes towards sexual selection reveal two different interpretations of the principle of natural selection: Wallace's had an environmentalist conception of natural selection, whereas Darwin was primarily sensitive to the element of competition involved in the intimate mechanism of any natural process of selection. Sexual selection, which can lack adaptive significance, reveals this exemplarily. 2010 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Using AHP for Selecting the Best Wastewater Treatment Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AbdolReza Karimi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method that is based on expert knowledge is used for the selection of the optimal anaerobic wastewater treatment process in industrial estates. This method can be applied for complicated multi-criteria decision making to obtain reasonable results. The different anaerobic processes employed in Iranian industrial estates consist of UASB, UAFB, ABR, Contact process, and Anaerobic Lagoons. Based on the general conditions in wastewater treatment plants in industrial estates and on expert judgments and using technical, economic, environmental, and administrative criteria, the processes are weighted and the results obtained are assessed using the Expert Choice Software. Finally, the five processes investigated are ranked as 1 to 5 in a descending order of UAFB, ABR, UASB, Anaerobic Lagoon, and Contact Process. Sensitivity analysis showing the effects of input parameters on changes in the results was applied for technical, economic, environmental, and administrative criteria.

Fusion strategies for selecting multiple tuning parameters for multivariate calibration and other penalty based processes: A model updating application for pharmaceutical analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tencate, Alister J. [Department of Chemistry, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209 (United States); Kalivas, John H., E-mail: kalijohn@isu.edu [Department of Chemistry, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209 (United States); White, Alexander J. [Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Huate, IN 47803 (United States)

2016-05-19

New multivariate calibration methods and other processes are being developed that require selection of multiple tuning parameter (penalty) values to form the final model. With one or more tuning parameters, using only one measure of model quality to select final tuning parameter values is not sufficient. Optimization of several model quality measures is challenging. Thus, three fusion ranking methods are investigated for simultaneous assessment of multiple measures of model quality for selecting tuning parameter values. One is a supervised learning fusion rule named sum of ranking differences (SRD). The other two are non-supervised learning processes based on the sum and median operations. The effect of the number of models evaluated on the three fusion rules are also evaluated using three procedures. One procedure uses all models from all possible combinations of the tuning parameters. To reduce the number of models evaluated, an iterative process (only applicable to SRD) is applied and thresholding a model quality measure before applying the fusion rules is also used. A near infrared pharmaceutical data set requiring model updating is used to evaluate the three fusion rules. In this case, calibration of the primary conditions is for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of tablets produced in a laboratory. The secondary conditions for calibration updating is for tablets produced in the full batch setting. Two model updating processes requiring selection of two unique tuning parameter values are studied. One is based on Tikhonov regularization (TR) and the other is a variation of partial least squares (PLS). The three fusion methods are shown to provide equivalent and acceptable results allowing automatic selection of the tuning parameter values. Best tuning parameter values are selected when model quality measures used with the fusion rules are for the small secondary sample set used to form the updated models. In this model updating situation, evaluation of

Fusion strategies for selecting multiple tuning parameters for multivariate calibration and other penalty based processes: A model updating application for pharmaceutical analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tencate, Alister J.; Kalivas, John H.; White, Alexander J.

2016-01-01

New multivariate calibration methods and other processes are being developed that require selection of multiple tuning parameter (penalty) values to form the final model. With one or more tuning parameters, using only one measure of model quality to select final tuning parameter values is not sufficient. Optimization of several model quality measures is challenging. Thus, three fusion ranking methods are investigated for simultaneous assessment of multiple measures of model quality for selecting tuning parameter values. One is a supervised learning fusion rule named sum of ranking differences (SRD). The other two are non-supervised learning processes based on the sum and median operations. The effect of the number of models evaluated on the three fusion rules are also evaluated using three procedures. One procedure uses all models from all possible combinations of the tuning parameters. To reduce the number of models evaluated, an iterative process (only applicable to SRD) is applied and thresholding a model quality measure before applying the fusion rules is also used. A near infrared pharmaceutical data set requiring model updating is used to evaluate the three fusion rules. In this case, calibration of the primary conditions is for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of tablets produced in a laboratory. The secondary conditions for calibration updating is for tablets produced in the full batch setting. Two model updating processes requiring selection of two unique tuning parameter values are studied. One is based on Tikhonov regularization (TR) and the other is a variation of partial least squares (PLS). The three fusion methods are shown to provide equivalent and acceptable results allowing automatic selection of the tuning parameter values. Best tuning parameter values are selected when model quality measures used with the fusion rules are for the small secondary sample set used to form the updated models. In this model updating situation, evaluation of

45 CFR 2400.31 - Selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Selection of Fellows § 2400.31 Selection process. (a) An independent Fellow... outstanding applicants from each state for James Madison Fellowships. (b) From among candidates recommended...

Unraveling the sub-processes of selective attention: insights from dynamic modeling and continuous behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Frisch, Simon; Dshemuchadse, Maja; Görner, Max; Goschke, Thomas; Scherbaum, Stefan

2015-11-01

Selective attention biases information processing toward stimuli that are relevant for achieving our goals. However, the nature of this bias is under debate: Does it solely rely on the amplification of goal-relevant information or is there a need for additional inhibitory processes that selectively suppress currently distracting information? Here, we explored the processes underlying selective attention with a dynamic, modeling-based approach that focuses on the continuous evolution of behavior over time. We present two dynamic neural field models incorporating the diverging theoretical assumptions. Simulations with both models showed that they make similar predictions with regard to response times but differ markedly with regard to their continuous behavior. Human data observed via mouse tracking as a continuous measure of performance revealed evidence for the model solely based on amplification but no indication of persisting selective distracter inhibition.

The site selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kittel, J.H.

1989-01-01

One of the most arduous tasks associated with the management of radioactive wastes is the siting of new disposal facilities. Experience has shown that the performance of the disposal facility during and after disposal operations is critically dependent on the characteristics of the site itself. The site selection process consists of defining needs and objectives, identifying geographic regions of interest, screening and selecting candidate sites, collecting data on the candidate sites, and finally selecting the preferred site. Before the site selection procedures can be implemented, however, a formal legal system must be in place that defines broad objectives and, most importantly, clearly establishes responsibilities and accompanying authorities for the decision-making steps in the procedure. Site selection authorities should make every effort to develop trust and credibility with the public, local officials, and the news media. The responsibilities of supporting agencies must also be spelled out. Finally, a stable funding arrangement must be established so that activities such as data collection can proceed without interruption. Several examples, both international and within the US, are given

Additive Manufacturing Processes: Selective Laser Melting, Electron Beam Melting and Binder Jetting-Selection Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Gokuldoss, Prashanth Konda; Kolla, Sri; Eckert, Jürgen

2017-06-19

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing or rapid prototyping, is gaining increasing attention due to its ability to produce parts with added functionality and increased complexities in geometrical design, on top of the fact that it is theoretically possible to produce any shape without limitations. However, most of the research on additive manufacturing techniques are focused on the development of materials/process parameters/products design with different additive manufacturing processes such as selective laser melting, electron beam melting, or binder jetting. However, we do not have any guidelines that discuss the selection of the most suitable additive manufacturing process, depending on the material to be processed, the complexity of the parts to be produced, or the design considerations. Considering the very fact that no reports deal with this process selection, the present manuscript aims to discuss the different selection criteria that are to be considered, in order to select the best AM process (binder jetting/selective laser melting/electron beam melting) for fabricating a specific component with a defined set of material properties.

Additive Manufacturing Processes: Selective Laser Melting, Electron Beam Melting and Binder Jetting—Selection Guidelines

Science.gov (United States)

Konda Gokuldoss, Prashanth; Kolla, Sri; Eckert, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing or rapid prototyping, is gaining increasing attention due to its ability to produce parts with added functionality and increased complexities in geometrical design, on top of the fact that it is theoretically possible to produce any shape without limitations. However, most of the research on additive manufacturing techniques are focused on the development of materials/process parameters/products design with different additive manufacturing processes such as selective laser melting, electron beam melting, or binder jetting. However, we do not have any guidelines that discuss the selection of the most suitable additive manufacturing process, depending on the material to be processed, the complexity of the parts to be produced, or the design considerations. Considering the very fact that no reports deal with this process selection, the present manuscript aims to discuss the different selection criteria that are to be considered, in order to select the best AM process (binder jetting/selective laser melting/electron beam melting) for fabricating a specific component with a defined set of material properties. PMID:28773031

Development of Physics-Based Numerical Models for Uncertainty Quantification of Selective Laser Melting Processes

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The goal of the proposed research is to characterize the influence of process parameter variability inherent to Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and performance effect...

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra Stoilkovska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to examine the problem of the concept of equal employment opportunities in the HR recruitment and selection process. Due to the fact that in these processes, both the HR managers and the applicants are involved, this research is conducted separately among them. Thus, it will be determined if both sides share the same opinion with respect to the existence of this concept in the mentioned processes. Providing equal employment opportunities is crucial for any company and represents a key for selecting the real employees. Therefore, the research includes the existence of prejudices in the recruitment and selection process such as discrimination based on national and social origin, gender and sexual orientation, age, political affiliation etc. As an essential part of this concept, the legislation in the Republic of Macedonia and its impact in the process of generating equal opportunities will be considered.

Selective hydrogenation processes in steam cracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bender, M.; Schroeter, M.K.; Hinrichs, M.; Makarczyk, P. [BASF SE, Ludwigshafen (Germany)

2010-12-30

Hydrogen is the key elixir used to trim the quality of olefinic and aromatic product slates from steam crackers. Being co-produced in excess amounts in the thermal cracking process a small part of the hydrogen is consumed in the ''cold part'' of a steam cracker to selectively hydrogenate unwanted, unsaturated hydrocarbons. The compositions of the various steam cracker product streams are adjusted by these processes to the outlet specifications. This presentation gives an overview over state-of-art selective hydrogenation technologies available from BASF for these processes. (Published in summary form only) (orig.)

Supplier selection based on multi-criterial AHP method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Pócsová

2010-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a case-study of supplier selection based on multi-criterial Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP method.It is demonstrated that using adequate mathematical method can bring us “unprejudiced” conclusion, even if the alternatives (suppliercompanies are very similar in given selection-criteria. The result is the best possible supplier company from the viewpoint of chosen criteriaand the price of the product.

Selective detachment process in column flotation froth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Honaker, R.Q.; Ozsever, A.V.; Parekh, B.K. [University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States). Dept. of Mining Engineering

2006-05-15

The selectivity in flotation columns involving the separation of particles of varying degrees of floatability is based on differential flotation rates in the collection zone, reflux action between the froth and collection zones, and differential detachment rates in the froth zone. Using well-known theoretical models describing the separation process and experimental data, froth zone and overall flotation recovery values were quantified for particles in an anthracite coal that have a wide range of floatability potential. For highly floatable particles, froth recovery had a very minimal impact on overall recovery while the recovery of weakly floatable material was decreased substantially by reductions in froth recovery values. In addition, under carrying-capacity limiting conditions, selectivity was enhanced by the preferential detachment of the weakly floatable material. Based on this concept, highly floatable material was added directly into the froth zone when treating the anthracite coal. The enriched froth phase reduced the product ash content of the anthracite product by five absolute percentage points while maintaining a constant recovery value.

Description of processes for the immobilization of selected transuranic wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Timmerman, C.L.

1980-12-01

Processed sludge and incinerator-ash wastes contaminated with transuranic (TRU) elements may require immobilization to prevent the release of these elements to the environment. As part of the TRU Waste Immobilization Program sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Pacific Northwest Laboratory is developing applicable waste-form and processing technology that may meet this need. This report defines and describes processes that are capable of immobilizing a selected TRU waste-stream consisting of a blend of three parts process sludge and one part incinerator ash. These selected waste streams are based on the compositions and generation rates of the waste processing and incineration facility at the Rocky Flats Plant. The specific waste forms that could be produced by the described processes include: in-can melted borosilicate-glass monolith; joule-heated melter borosilicate-glass monolith or marble; joule-heated melter aluminosilicate-glass monolith or marble; joule-heated melter basaltic-glass monolith or marble; joule-heated melter glass-ceramic monolith; cast-cement monolith; pressed-cement pellet; and cold-pressed sintered-ceramic pellet

Chlorine/chloride based processes for uranium ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-11-01

The CE Lummus Minerals Division was commissioned by The Department of Supply and Services to develop order-of-magnitude capital and operating cost estimates for chlorine/chloride-based processes for uranium ores. The processes are designed to remove substantially all radioactive consituents from the ores to render the waste products harmless. Two processes were selected, one for a typical low grade ore (2 lb. U 3 O 8 /ton ore) and one for a high grade ore (50 lbs U 3 O 8 /ton). For the low grade ore a hydrochloric acid leaching process was chosen. For high grade ore, a more complex process, including gaseous chlorination, was selected. Capital cost estimates were compiled from information obtained from vendors for the specified equipment. Building cost estimates and the piping, electrical and instrumentation costs were developed from the plant layout. Utility diagrams and mass balances were used for estimating utilities and consumables. Detailed descriptions of the bases for capital and operating cost estimates are given

Highly Sensitive and Selective Sensing of Free Bilirubin Using Metal-Organic Frameworks-Based Energy Transfer Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yaran; Li, Xiqian; Lv, Xueju; Jia, Qiong

2017-09-13

Free bilirubin, a key biomarker for jaundice, was detected with a newly designed fluorescent postsynthetically modified metal organic framework (MOF) (UIO-66-PSM) sensor. UiO-66-PSM was prepared based on the aldimine condensation reaction of UiO-66-NH 2 with 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde. The fluorescence of UIO-66-PSM could be effectively quenched by free bilirubin via a fluorescent resonant energy transfer process, thus achieving its recognition of free bilirubin. It was the first attempt to design a MOF-based fluorescent probe for sensing free bilirubin. The probe exhibited fast response time, low detection limit, wide linear range, and high selectivity toward free bilirubin. The sensing system enabled the monitor of free bilirubin in real human serum. Hence, the reported free bilirubin sensing platform has potential applications for clinical diagnosis of jaundice.

The process of selecting technology development projects: a practical framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herps, Joost M.J.; van Mal, Herman H.; Halman, Johannes I.M.; Martens, Jack H.M.; Borsboom, Ron H.M.

2003-01-01

In this article a practical framework is proposed, that can be used to organise the activities related to the selection-process of technology development projects. The framework is based upon recent literature and application at DAF Trucks Company. A technology development project has a long way to

The process of selecting technology development projects : a practical framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herps, J.M.J.; Mal, van H.H.; Halman, J.I.M.; Martens, J.H.M.; Borsboom, R.H.M.

2003-01-01

In this article a practical framework is proposed, that can be used to organise the activities related to the selection-process of technology development projects. The framework is based upon recent literature and application at DAF Trucks Company. A technology development project has a long way to

Object width modulates object-based attentional selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nah, Joseph C; Neppi-Modona, Marco; Strother, Lars; Behrmann, Marlene; Shomstein, Sarah

2018-04-24

Visual input typically includes a myriad of objects, some of which are selected for further processing. While these objects vary in shape and size, most evidence supporting object-based guidance of attention is drawn from paradigms employing two identical objects. Importantly, object size is a readily perceived stimulus dimension, and whether it modulates the distribution of attention remains an open question. Across four experiments, the size of the objects in the display was manipulated in a modified version of the two-rectangle paradigm. In Experiment 1, two identical parallel rectangles of two sizes (thin or thick) were presented. Experiments 2-4 employed identical trapezoids (each having a thin and thick end), inverted in orientation. In the experiments, one end of an object was cued and participants performed either a T/L discrimination or a simple target-detection task. Combined results show that, in addition to the standard object-based attentional advantage, there was a further attentional benefit for processing information contained in the thick versus thin end of objects. Additionally, eye-tracking measures demonstrated increased saccade precision towards thick object ends, suggesting that Fitts's Law may play a role in object-based attentional shifts. Taken together, these results suggest that object-based attentional selection is modulated by object width.

The Added Value of the Project Selection Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adel Oueslati

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The project selection process comes in the first stage of the overall project management life cycle. It does have a very important impact on organization success. The present paper provides defi nitions of the basic concepts and tools related to the project selection process. It aims to stress the added value of this process for the entire organization success. The mastery of the project selection process is the right way for any organization to ensure that it will do the right project with the right resources at the right time and within the right priorities

IT vendor selection model by using structural equation model & analytical hierarchy process

Science.gov (United States)

Maitra, Sarit; Dominic, P. D. D.

2012-11-01

Selecting and evaluating the right vendors is imperative for an organization's global marketplace competitiveness. Improper selection and evaluation of potential vendors can dwarf an organization's supply chain performance. Numerous studies have demonstrated that firms consider multiple criteria when selecting key vendors. This research intends to develop a new hybrid model for vendor selection process with better decision making. The new proposed model provides a suitable tool for assisting decision makers and managers to make the right decisions and select the most suitable vendor. This paper proposes a Hybrid model based on Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for long-term strategic vendor selection problems. The five steps framework of the model has been designed after the thorough literature study. The proposed hybrid model will be applied using a real life case study to assess its effectiveness. In addition, What-if analysis technique will be used for model validation purpose.

It Takes Three: Selection, Influence, and De-Selection Processes of Depression in Adolescent Friendship Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Van Zalk, Maarten Herman Walter; Kerr, Margaret; Branje, Susan J. T.; Stattin, Hakan; Meeus, Wim H. J.

2010-01-01

The authors of this study tested a selection-influence-de-selection model of depression. This model explains friendship influence processes (i.e., friends' depressive symptoms increase adolescents' depressive symptoms) while controlling for two processes: friendship selection (i.e., selection of friends with similar levels of depressive symptoms)…

The influence of executive capacity on selective attention and subsequent processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirk R. Daffner

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Recent investigations that suggest selective attention is dependent on top-down control mechanisms lead to the expectation that individuals with high executive capacity would exhibit more robust neural indices of selective attention. This prediction was tested by using event-related potentials (ERPs to examine differences in markers of information processing across 25 subjects divided into 2 groups based on high vs. average executive capacity, as defined by neuropsychological test scores. Subjects performed an experimental task requiring selective attention to a specified color. In contrast to expectation, individuals with high and average executive capacity did not differ in the size of ERP indices of selective attention: the anterior Selection Positivity (SP and posterior Selection Negativity (SN. However, there were substantial differences between groups in markers of subsequent processing, including the anterior N2 (a measure of attentional control and the P3a (an index of the orienting of attention. Executive capacity predicted speed of processing at both early and late attentional stages. Individuals with lower executive capacity exhibited prolonged SN, P3a, and P3b latencies. However, the delays in carrying out selective attention operations did not account for subsequent delays in decision making, or explain excessive orienting and reduced attentional control mechanisms in response to stimuli that should have been ignored. SN latency, P3 latency, and the size of the anterior N2 made independent contributions to the variance of executive capacity. In summary, our findings suggest that current views regarding the relationship between top-down control mechanisms and selective attention may need refinement.

Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract ``Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,`` there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

Green supply chain management strategy selection using analytic network process: case study at PT XYZ

Science.gov (United States)

Adelina, W.; Kusumastuti, R. D.

2017-01-01

This study is about business strategy selection for green supply chain management (GSCM) for PT XYZ by using Analytic Network Process (ANP). GSCM is initiated as a response to reduce environmental impacts from industrial activities. The purposes of this study are identifying criteria and sub criteria in selecting GSCM Strategy, and analysing a suitable GSCM strategy for PT XYZ. This study proposes ANP network with 6 criteria and 29 sub criteria, which are obtained from the literature and experts’ judgements. One of the six criteria contains GSCM strategy options, namely risk-based strategy, efficiency-based strategy, innovation-based strategy, and closed loop strategy. ANP solves complex GSCM strategy-selection by using a more structured process and considering green perspectives from experts. The result indicates that innovation-based strategy is the most suitable green supply chain management strategy for PT XYZ.

Risk calculations in the manufacturing technology selection process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farooq, S.; O'Brien, C.

2010-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present result obtained from a developed technology selection framework and provide a detailed insight into the risk calculations and their implications in manufacturing technology selection process. Design/methodology/approach - The results illustrated...... in the paper are the outcome of an action research study that was conducted in an aerospace company. Findings - The paper highlights the role of risk calculations in manufacturing technology selection process by elaborating the contribution of risk associated with manufacturing technology alternatives...... in the shape of opportunities and threats in different decision-making environments. Practical implications - The research quantifies the risk associated with different available manufacturing technology alternatives. This quantification of risk crystallises the process of technology selection decision making...

Preparatory selection of sterilization regime for canned Natural Atlantic Mackerel with oil based on developed mathematical models of the process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maslov A. A.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Definition of preparatory parameters for sterilization regime of canned "Natural Atlantic Mackerel with Oil" is the aim of current study. PRSC software developed at the department of automation and computer engineering is used for preparatory selection. To determine the parameters of process model, in laboratory autoclave AVK-30M the pre-trial process of sterilization and cooling in water with backpressure of canned "Natural Atlantic Mackerel with Oil" in can N 3 has been performed. Gathering information about the temperature in the autoclave sterilization chamber and the can with product has been carried out using Ellab TrackSense PRO loggers. Due to the obtained information three transfer functions for the product model have been identified: in the least heated area of autoclave, the average heated and the most heated. In PRSC programme temporary temperature dependences in the sterilization chamber have been built using this information. The model of sterilization process of canned "Natural Atlantic Mackerel with Oil" has been received after the pre-trial process. Then in the automatic mode the sterilization regime of canned "Natural Atlantic Mackerel with Oil" has been selected using the value of actual effect close to normative sterilizing effect (5.9 conditional minutes. Furthermore, in this study step-mode sterilization of canned "Natural Atlantic Mackerel with Oil" has been selected. Utilization of step-mode sterilization with the maximum temperature equal to 125 °C in the sterilization chamber allows reduce process duration by 10 %. However, the application of this regime in practice requires additional research. Using the described approach based on the developed mathematical models of the process allows receive optimal step and variable canned food sterilization regimes with high energy efficiency and product quality.

Materials selection for process equipment in the Hanford waste vitrification plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elmore, M R; Jensen, G A

1991-07-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) is being designed to vitrify defense liquid high-level wastes and transuranic wastes stored at Hanford. The HWVP Functional Design Criteria (FDC) requires that materials used for fabrication of remote process equipment and piping in the facility be compatible with the expected waste stream compositions and process conditions. To satisfy FDC requirements, corrosion-resistant materials have been evaluated under simulated HWVP-specific conditions and recommendations have been made for HWVP applications. The materials recommendations provide to the project architect/engineer the best available corrosion rate information for the materials under the expected HWVP process conditions. Existing data and sound engineering judgement must be used and a solid technical basis must be developed to define an approach to selecting suitable construction materials for the HWVP. This report contains the strategy, approach, criteria, and technical basis developed for selecting materials of construction. Based on materials testing specific to HWVP and on related outside testing, this report recommends for constructing specific process equipment and identifies future testing needs to complete verification of the performance of the selected materials. 30 refs., 7 figs., 11 tabs.

SELECTION AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE REDUCTANTS FOR SRAT PROCESSING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stone, M.; Pickenheim, B.; Peeler, D.

2009-06-30

Defense Waste Processing Facility - Engineering (DWPF-E) has requested the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to perform scoping evaluations of alternative flowsheets with the primary focus on alternatives to formic acid during Chemical Process Cell (CPC) processing. The reductants shown below were selected for testing during the evaluation of alternative reductants for Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) processing. The reductants fall into two general categories: reducing acids and non-acidic reducing agents. Reducing acids were selected as direct replacements for formic acid to reduce mercury in the SRAT, to acidify the sludge, and to balance the melter REDuction/OXidation potential (REDOX). Non-acidic reductants were selected as melter reductants and would not be able to reduce mercury in the SRAT. Sugar was not tested during this scoping evaluation as previous work has already been conducted on the use of sugar with DWPF feeds. Based on the testing performed, the only viable short-term path to mitigating hydrogen generation in the CPC is replacement of formic acid with a mixture of glycolic and formic acids. An experiment using glycolic acid blended with formic on an 80:20 molar basis was able to reduce mercury, while also targeting a predicted REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) of 0.2 expressed as Fe{sup 2+}/{Sigma}Fe. Based on this result, SRNL recommends performing a complete CPC demonstration of the glycolic/formic acid flowsheet followed by a design basis development and documentation. Of the options tested recently and in the past, nitric/glycolic/formic blended acids has the potential for near term implementation in the existing CPC equipment providing rapid throughput improvement. Use of a non-acidic reductant is recommended only if the processing constraints to remove mercury and acidify the sludge acidification are eliminated. The non-acidic reductants (e.g. sugar) will not reduce mercury during CPC processing and sludge acidification would

7 CFR 1469.6 - Enrollment criteria and selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Enrollment criteria and selection process. 1469.6... General Provisions § 1469.6 Enrollment criteria and selection process. (a) Selection and funding of... existing natural resource, environmental quality, and agricultural activity data along with other...

A Selection Approach for Optimized Problem-Solving Process by Grey Relational Utility Model and Multicriteria Decision Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Kun Ke

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In business enterprises, especially the manufacturing industry, various problem situations may occur during the production process. A situation denotes an evaluation point to determine the status of a production process. A problem may occur if there is a discrepancy between the actual situation and the desired one. Thus, a problem-solving process is often initiated to achieve the desired situation. In the process, how to determine an action need to be taken to resolve the situation becomes an important issue. Therefore, this work uses a selection approach for optimized problem-solving process to assist workers in taking a reasonable action. A grey relational utility model and a multicriteria decision analysis are used to determine the optimal selection order of candidate actions. The selection order is presented to the worker as an adaptive recommended solution. The worker chooses a reasonable problem-solving action based on the selection order. This work uses a high-tech company’s knowledge base log as the analysis data. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed selection approach is effective.

Probabilistic wind power forecasting with online model selection and warped gaussian process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kou, Peng; Liang, Deliang; Gao, Feng; Gao, Lin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A new online ensemble model for the probabilistic wind power forecasting. • Quantifying the non-Gaussian uncertainties in wind power. • Online model selection that tracks the time-varying characteristic of wind generation. • Dynamically altering the input features. • Recursive update of base models. - Abstract: Based on the online model selection and the warped Gaussian process (WGP), this paper presents an ensemble model for the probabilistic wind power forecasting. This model provides the non-Gaussian predictive distributions, which quantify the non-Gaussian uncertainties associated with wind power. In order to follow the time-varying characteristics of wind generation, multiple time dependent base forecasting models and an online model selection strategy are established, thus adaptively selecting the most probable base model for each prediction. WGP is employed as the base model, which handles the non-Gaussian uncertainties in wind power series. Furthermore, a regime switch strategy is designed to modify the input feature set dynamically, thereby enhancing the adaptiveness of the model. In an online learning framework, the base models should also be time adaptive. To achieve this, a recursive algorithm is introduced, thus permitting the online updating of WGP base models. The proposed model has been tested on the actual data collected from both single and aggregated wind farms

Some fuzzy techniques for staff selection process: A survey

Science.gov (United States)

Md Saad, R.; Ahmad, M. Z.; Abu, M. S.; Jusoh, M. S.

2013-04-01

With high level of business competition, it is vital to have flexible staff that are able to adapt themselves with work circumstances. However, staff selection process is not an easy task to be solved, even when it is tackled in a simplified version containing only a single criterion and a homogeneous skill. When multiple criteria and various skills are involved, the problem becomes much more complicated. In adddition, there are some information that could not be measured precisely. This is patently obvious when dealing with opinions, thoughts, feelings, believes, etc. One possible tool to handle this issue is by using fuzzy set theory. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the existing fuzzy techniques for solving staff selection process. It classifies several existing research methods and identifies areas where there is a gap and need further research. Finally, this paper concludes by suggesting new ideas for future research based on the gaps identified.

Microstructural and mechanical approaches of the selective laser melting process applied to a nickel-base superalloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vilaro, T.; Colin, C.; Bartout, J.D.; Nazé, L.; Sennour, M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We examine the as-fabricated microstructure of the Nimonic 263 processed by selective laser melting. ► We optimized heat treatments to modify the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties. ► We tested through tensile tests the various microstructures in order to compare the effects of the heat treatments. - Abstract: This article aims at presenting the Nimonic 263 as-processed microstructure of the selective laser melting which is an innovative process. Because the melting pool is small and the scanning speed of the laser beam is relatively high, the as-processed microstructure is out-of-equilibrium and very typical to additive manufacturing processes. To match the industrial requirement, the microstructures are modified through heat treatments in order to either produce precipitation hardening or relieve the thermal stresses. Tensile tests at room temperature give rise to high mechanical properties close or above those presented by Wang et al. . However, it is noted a strong anisotropy as a function of the building direction of the samples because of the columnar grain growth.

Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,'' there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

BIM-Based Decision Support System for Material Selection Based on Supplier Rating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abiola Akanmu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Material selection is a delicate process, typically hinged on a number of factors which can be either cost or environmental related. This process becomes more complicated when designers are faced with several material options of building elements and each option can be supplied by different suppliers whose selection criteria may affect the budgetary and environmental requirements of the project. This paper presents the development of a decision support system based on the integration of building information models, a modified harmony search algorithm and supplier performance rating. The system is capable of producing the cost and environmental implications of different material combinations or building designs. A case study is presented to illustrate the functionality of the developed system.

Supplier selection based on improved MOGA and its application in nuclear power equipment procurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Zhaojun; Wang Dezhong; Zhou Lei

2007-01-01

Considering the fact that there are few objective and available methods supporting the supplier selection in nuclear power equipment purchasing process, a supplier selection method based on improved multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) is proposed. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this method for the supplier selection in nuclear power equipment procurement process. (authors)

The partner selection process : Steps, effectiveness, governance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duisters, D.; Duijsters, G.M.; de Man, A.P.

2011-01-01

Selecting the right partner is important for creating value in alliances. Even though prior research suggests that a structured partner selection process increases alliance success, empirical research remains scarce. This paper presents an explorative empirical study that shows that some steps in

The partner selection process : steps, effectiveness, governance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duisters, D.; Duysters, G.M.; Man, de A.P.

2011-01-01

Selecting the right partner is important for creating value in alliances. Even though prior research suggests that a structured partner selection process increases alliance success, empirical research remains scarce. This paper presents an explorative empirical study that shows that some steps in

The Need to Assess Public Values in a Site Selection Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng, Grant; Fortier, Michael

2001-01-01

Siting a nuclear fuel waste disposal facility is highly problematic for both technical and nontechnical reasons. The majority of countries using nuclear energy and many in the scientific community favour burying the spent fuel deep in a stable geological formation. It is our contention that site selection of a disposal facility must consider social, political, spatial and scientific perspectives in a comprehensive and integrated fashion in order to achieve a successful process. Moreover, we submit that people's values must be explicitly recognized and be taken into account through a formalized process during deliberations on the disposal concept, the process of evaluation of the concept, and the site selection process. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to identify the importance of recognizing people's values in the process of determining 'public acceptability', (2) to outline a possible framework by which public acceptability can be gauged through a formalized process of value elicitation, and (3) to introduce a novel method by which a web-based geographic information systems (GIS) application can be used as a tool for value elicitation. In order to assess effectively the public acceptability of Canada's nuclear waste disposal concept, we submit that such a process must examine the underlying values that are held by the public. Moreover, the evaluation process of Canada's concept demonstrates that an acceptable process is a pre-condition for an acceptable result, although such a process does not necessarily guarantee an acceptable result. However, the consequences of a flawed process can be very significant, as shown by Canada's experience. This paper also provides a brief overview of a value elicitation process that, in our opinion, could be used to assess the public acceptability of the Concept. We also describe how a web-based GIS application could be used to infer some of the underlying values held by the public

Vibration and acoustic frequency spectra for industrial process modeling using selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jian; Qiao, Junfei; Wu, ZhiWei; Chai, Tianyou; Zhang, Jian; Yu, Wen

2018-01-01

Frequency spectral data of mechanical vibration and acoustic signals relate to difficult-to-measure production quality and quantity parameters of complex industrial processes. A selective ensemble (SEN) algorithm can be used to build a soft sensor model of these process parameters by fusing valued information selectively from different perspectives. However, a combination of several optimized ensemble sub-models with SEN cannot guarantee the best prediction model. In this study, we use several techniques to construct mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectra of a data-driven industrial process parameter model based on selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features. Multi-layer SEN (MLSEN) strategy is used to simulate the domain expert cognitive process. Genetic algorithm and kernel partial least squares are used to construct the inside-layer SEN sub-model based on each mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectral feature subset. Branch-and-bound and adaptive weighted fusion algorithms are integrated to select and combine outputs of the inside-layer SEN sub-models. Then, the outside-layer SEN is constructed. Thus, "sub-sampling training examples"-based and "manipulating input features"-based ensemble construction methods are integrated, thereby realizing the selective information fusion process based on multi-condition history samples and multi-source input features. This novel approach is applied to a laboratory-scale ball mill grinding process. A comparison with other methods indicates that the proposed MLSEN approach effectively models mechanical vibration and acoustic signals.

Knowledge based expert system approach to instrumentation selection (INSEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Barai

2004-08-01

Full Text Available The selection of appropriate instrumentation for any structural measurement of civil engineering structure is a complex task. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI can help in an organized use of experiential knowledge available on instrumentation for laboratory and in-situ measurement. Usually, the instrumentation decision is based on the experience and judgment of experimentalists. The heuristic knowledge available for different types of measurement is domain dependent and the information is scattered in varied knowledge sources. The knowledge engineering techniques can help in capturing the experiential knowledge. This paper demonstrates a prototype knowledge based system for INstrument SELection (INSEL assistant where the experiential knowledge for various structural domains can be captured and utilized for making instrumentation decision. In particular, this Knowledge Based Expert System (KBES encodes the heuristics on measurement and demonstrates the instrument selection process with reference to steel bridges. INSEL runs on a microcomputer and uses an INSIGHT 2+ environment.

Category-selective attention modulates unconscious processes in the middle occipital gyrus.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Shen; Qiu, Jiang; Martens, Ulla; Zhang, Qinglin

2013-06-01

Many studies have revealed the top-down modulation (spatial attention, attentional load, etc.) on unconscious processing. However, there is little research about how category-selective attention could modulate the unconscious processing. In the present study, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the results showed that category-selective attention modulated unconscious face/tool processing in the middle occipital gyrus (MOG). Interestingly, MOG effects were of opposed direction for face and tool processes. During unconscious face processing, activation in MOG decreased under the face-selective attention compared with tool-selective attention. This result was in line with the predictive coding theory. During unconscious tool processing, however, activation in MOG increased under the tool-selective attention compared with face-selective attention. The different effects might be ascribed to an interaction between top-down category-selective processes and bottom-up processes in the partial awareness level as proposed by Kouider, De Gardelle, Sackur, and Dupoux (2010). Specifically, we suppose an "excessive activation" hypothesis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selection of a reference process for treatment of the West Valley alkaline waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holton, L.K.; Wise, B.M.; Bray, L.A.; Pope, J.M.; Carl, D.E.

1984-08-01

As part of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) the alkaline PUREX supernatant stored in Tank 8D2 will be partially decontaminated by the removal of radiocesium. Four processes for removal of radiocesium from the alkaline supernatant were studied through experimentation and engineering analysis to identify a reference approach for the WVDP. These processes included the use of a zeolite inorganic ion-exchanger (Linde Ionsiv IE-95), an organic ion exchange resin (Duolite CS-100), and two precipitation processes; one using sodium tetraphenylboron (NaTPB) and the other using phosphotungstic acid (PTA). Based upon process performance, safety and environmental considerations, process and equipment complexity and impacts to the waste vitrification system, the zeolite ion-exchange process has been selected by West Valley Nuclear Services, Inc., as the reference supernatant treatment process for the WVDP. This paper will summarize the technical basis for the selection of the zeolite ion-exchange process. 4 figures, 2 tables

Manufacturing plant location selection in logistics network using Analytic Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping-Yu Chang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: In recent years, numerous companies have moved their manufacturing plants to China to capitalize on lower cost and tax. Plant location has such an impact on cost, stocks, and logistics network but location selection in the company is usually based on subjective preference of high ranking managers. Such a decision-making process might result in selecting a location with a lower fixed cost but a higher operational cost. Therefore, this research adapts real data from an electronics company to develop a framework that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative factors for selecting new plant locations. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 high rank managers (7 of them are department manager, 2 of them are vice-president, 1 of them is senior engineer, and 2 of them are plant manager in the departments of construction, finance, planning, production, and warehouse to determine the important factors. A questionnaire survey is then conducted for comparing factors which are analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP. Findings: Results show that the best location chosen by the developed framework coincides well with the company’s primal production base. The results have been presented to the company’s high ranking managers for realizing the accuracy of the framework. Positive responses of the managers indicate usefulness of implementing the proposed model into reality, which adds to the value of this research. Practical implications: The proposed framework can save numerous time-consuming meetings called to compromise opinions and conflictions from different departments in location selection. Originality/value: This paper adapts the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP to incorporate quantitative and qualitative factors which are obtained through in-depth interviews with high rank managers in a company into the location decision.

Informative gene selection using Adaptive Analytic Hierarchy Process (A2HP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Bhola

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Gene expression dataset derived from microarray experiments are marked by large number of genes, which contains the gene expression values at different sample conditions/time-points. Selection of informative genes from these large datasets is an issue of major concern for various researchers and biologists. In this study, we propose a gene selection and dimensionality reduction method called Adaptive Analytic Hierarchy Process (A2HP. Traditional analytic hierarchy process is a multiple-criteria based decision analysis method whose result depends upon the expert knowledge or decision makers. It is mainly used to solve the decision problems in different fields. On the other hand, A2HP is a fused method that combines the outcomes of five individual gene selection ranking methods t-test, chi-square variance test, z-test, wilcoxon test and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR. At first, the preprocessing of gene expression dataset is done and then the reduced number of genes obtained, will be fed as input for A2HP. A2HP utilizes both quantitative and qualitative factors to select the informative genes. Results demonstrate that A2HP selects efficient number of genes as compared to the individual gene selection methods. The percentage of deduction in number of genes and time complexity are taken as the performance measure for the proposed method. And it is shown that A2HP outperforms individual gene selection methods.

Selective catalytic reduction system and process using a pre-sulfated zirconia binder

Science.gov (United States)

Sobolevskiy, Anatoly; Rossin, Joseph A.

2010-06-29

A selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process with a palladium catalyst for reducing NOx in a gas, using hydrogen as a reducing agent is provided. The process comprises contacting the gas stream with a catalyst system, the catalyst system comprising (ZrO.sub.2)SO.sub.4, palladium, and a pre-sulfated zirconia binder. The inclusion of a pre-sulfated zirconia binder substantially increases the durability of a Pd-based SCR catalyst system. A system for implementing the disclosed process is further provided.

Clinical Processes - The Killer Application for Constraint-Based Process Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiménez-Ramírez, Andrés; Barba, Irene; Reichert, Manfred

2018-01-01

. The scenario is subject to complex temporal constraints and entails the need for coordinating the constraint-based interactions among the processes related to a patient treatment process. As demonstrated in this work, the selected real process scenario can be suitably modeled through a declarative approach....... examples. However, to the best of our knowledge, they have not been used to model complex, real-world scenarios that comprise constraints going beyond control-flow. In this paper, we propose the use of a declarative language for modeling a sophisticated healthcare process scenario from the real world......For more than a decade, the interest in aligning information systems in a process-oriented way has been increasing. To enable operational support for business processes, the latter are usually specified in an imperative way. The resulting process models, however, tend to be too rigid to meet...

Toward a formalization of the process to select IMIA Yearbook best papers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamy, J-B; Séroussi, B; Griffon, N; Kerdelhué, G; Jaulent, M-C; Bouaud, J

2015-01-01

Each year, the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook recognizes significant scientific papers, labelled as "best papers", published the previous year in the subfields of biomedical informatics that correspond to the different section topics of the journal. For each section, about fifteen pre-selected "candidate" best papers are externally peer-reviewed to select the actual best papers. Although based on the available literature, little is known about the pre-selection process. To move toward an explicit formalization of the candidate best papers selection process to reduce variability in the literature search across sections and over years. A methodological framework is proposed to build for each section topic specific queries tailored to PubMed and Web of Science citation databases. The two sets of returned papers are merged and reviewed by two independent section editors and citations are tagged as "discarded", "pending", and "kept". A protocolized consolidation step is then jointly conducted to resolve conflicts. A bibliographic software tool, BibReview, was developed to support the whole process. The proposed search strategy was fully applied to the Decision Support section of the 2013 edition of the Yearbook. For this section, 1124 references were returned (689 PubMed-specific, 254 WoS-specific, 181 common to both databases) among which the 15 candidate best papers were selected. The search strategy for determining candidate best papers for an IMIA Yearbook's section is now explicitly specified and allows for reproducibility. However, some aspects of the whole process remain reviewer-dependent, mostly because there is no characterization of a "best paper".

Selection processes in a citrus hybrid population using RAPD markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliveira Roberto Pedroso de

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the processes of selection in a citrus hybrid population using segregation analysis of RAPD markers. The segregation of 123 RAPD markers between 'Cravo' mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco and 'Pêra' sweet orange (C. sinensis (L. Osbeck was analysed in a F1 progeny of 94 hybrids. Genetic composition, diversity, heterozygosity, differences in chromosomal structure and the presence of deleterious recessive genes are discussed based on the segregation ratios obtained. A high percentage of markers had a skeweness of the 1:1 expected segregation ratio in the F1 population. Many markers showed a 3:1 segregation ratio in both varieties and 1:3 in 'Pêra' sweet orange, probably due to directional selection processes. The distribution analysis of the frequencies of the segregant markers in a hybrid population is a simple method which allows a better understanding of the genetics of citrus group.

Analytic Hierarchy Process & Multi Attribute Utility Theory Based Approach for the Selection of Lighting Systems in Residential Buildings: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Othman Alshamrani

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an approach developed for selecting lighting systems in residential buildings using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP and the Multi Criteria Decision Making Technique (MCDMT. The developed approach considers four selection criteria of lighting systems: life-cycle cost, illumination, environmental performance, and life-span. The criteria of selection, along with the most widely used lighting systems in residential buildings, were determined through questionnaire surveys with suppliers, maintenance managers, and lighting experts. The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Multi Attribute Utility Theory were utilized to assess the significant influence of the identified main and sub-criteria on the selection process, from the design point of view. The developed approach was tested on a real case project in selecting the lighting system for aresidential building in Saudi Arabia. The obtained results show that the life-cycle cost and illumination proprieties, followed by the service life were found to be the most influential measures in the selection process. The results also show that Light-Emitting Diode(LED lighting systems prove to bear the highest initial cost while sustaining the best overall performance.

The MCDM Model for Personnel Selection Based on SWARA and ARAS Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darjan Karabasevic

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Competent employees are the key resource in an organization for achieving success and, therefore, competitiveness on the market. The aim of the recruitment and selection process is to acquire personnel with certain competencies required for a particular position, i.e.,a position within the company. Bearing in mind the fact that in the process of decision making decision-makers have underused the methods of making decisions, this paper aims to establish an MCDM model for the evaluation and selection of candidates in the process of the recruitment and selection of personnel based on the SWARA and the ARAS methods. Apart from providing an MCDM model, the paper will additionally provide a set of evaluation criteria for the position of a sales manager (the middle management in the telecommunication industry which will also be used in the numerical example. On the basis of a numerical example, in the process of employment, theproposed MCDMmodel can be successfully usedin selecting candidates.

A proposed selection process in Over-The-Top project portfolio management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jemy Vestius Confido

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an Over-The-Top (OTT initiative selection process for communication service providers (CSPs entering an OTT business. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this objective, a literature review was conducted to comprehend the past and current practices of the project (or initiative selection process as mainly suggested in project portfolio management (PPM. This literature was compared with specific situations and the needs of CSPs when constructing an OTT portfolio. Based on the contrast between the conventional project selection process and specific OTT characteristics, a different selection process is developed and tested using group model-building (GMB, which involved an in-depth interview, a questionnaire and a focus group discussion (FGD. Findings: The paper recommends five distinct steps for CSPs to construct an OTT initiative portfolio: candidate list of OTT initiatives, interdependency diagram, evaluation of all interdependent OTT initiatives, evaluation of all non-interdependent OTT initiatives and optimal portfolio of OTT initiatives. Research limitations/implications: The research is empirical, and various OTT services are implemented; the conclusion is derived only from one CSP, which operates as a group. Generalization of this approach will require further empirical tests on different CSPs, OTT players or any firms performing portfolio selection with a degree of interdependency among the projects. Practical implications: Having considered interdependency, the proposed OTT initiative selection steps can be further implemented by portfolio managers for more effective OTT initiative portfolio construction. Originality/value: While the previous literature and common practices suggest ensuring the benefits (mainly financial of individual projects, this research accords higher priority to the success of the overall OTT initiative portfolio and recommends that an evaluation of the overall

ReliefF-Based EEG Sensor Selection Methods for Emotion Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianhai; Chen, Ming; Zhao, Shaokai; Hu, Sanqing; Shi, Zhiguo; Cao, Yu

2016-09-22

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals recorded from sensor electrodes on the scalp can directly detect the brain dynamics in response to different emotional states. Emotion recognition from EEG signals has attracted broad attention, partly due to the rapid development of wearable computing and the needs of a more immersive human-computer interface (HCI) environment. To improve the recognition performance, multi-channel EEG signals are usually used. A large set of EEG sensor channels will add to the computational complexity and cause users inconvenience. ReliefF-based channel selection methods were systematically investigated for EEG-based emotion recognition on a database for emotion analysis using physiological signals (DEAP). Three strategies were employed to select the best channels in classifying four emotional states (joy, fear, sadness and relaxation). Furthermore, support vector machine (SVM) was used as a classifier to validate the performance of the channel selection results. The experimental results showed the effectiveness of our methods and the comparison with the similar strategies, based on the F-score, was given. Strategies to evaluate a channel as a unity gave better performance in channel reduction with an acceptable loss of accuracy. In the third strategy, after adjusting channels' weights according to their contribution to the classification accuracy, the number of channels was reduced to eight with a slight loss of accuracy (58.51% ± 10.05% versus the best classification accuracy 59.13% ± 11.00% using 19 channels). In addition, the study of selecting subject-independent channels, related to emotion processing, was also implemented. The sensors, selected subject-independently from frontal, parietal lobes, have been identified to provide more discriminative information associated with emotion processing, and are distributed symmetrically over the scalp, which is consistent with the existing literature. The results will make a contribution to the

ReliefF-Based EEG Sensor Selection Methods for Emotion Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianhai Zhang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Electroencephalogram (EEG signals recorded from sensor electrodes on the scalp can directly detect the brain dynamics in response to different emotional states. Emotion recognition from EEG signals has attracted broad attention, partly due to the rapid development of wearable computing and the needs of a more immersive human-computer interface (HCI environment. To improve the recognition performance, multi-channel EEG signals are usually used. A large set of EEG sensor channels will add to the computational complexity and cause users inconvenience. ReliefF-based channel selection methods were systematically investigated for EEG-based emotion recognition on a database for emotion analysis using physiological signals (DEAP. Three strategies were employed to select the best channels in classifying four emotional states (joy, fear, sadness and relaxation. Furthermore, support vector machine (SVM was used as a classifier to validate the performance of the channel selection results. The experimental results showed the effectiveness of our methods and the comparison with the similar strategies, based on the F-score, was given. Strategies to evaluate a channel as a unity gave better performance in channel reduction with an acceptable loss of accuracy. In the third strategy, after adjusting channels’ weights according to their contribution to the classification accuracy, the number of channels was reduced to eight with a slight loss of accuracy (58.51% ± 10.05% versus the best classification accuracy 59.13% ± 11.00% using 19 channels. In addition, the study of selecting subject-independent channels, related to emotion processing, was also implemented. The sensors, selected subject-independently from frontal, parietal lobes, have been identified to provide more discriminative information associated with emotion processing, and are distributed symmetrically over the scalp, which is consistent with the existing literature. The results will make a

Knowledge based decision making method for the selection of mixed refrigerant systems for energy efficient LNG processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Mohd Shariq; Lee, Sanggyu; Rangaiah, G.P.; Lee, Moonyong

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Practical method for finding optimum refrigerant composition is proposed for LNG plant. • Knowledge of boiling point differences in refrigerant component is employed. • Implementation of process knowledge notably makes LNG process energy efficient. • Optimization of LNG plant is more transparent using process knowledge. - Abstract: Mixed refrigerant (MR) systems are used in many industrial applications because of their high energy efficiency, compact design and energy-efficient heat transfer compared to other processes operating with pure refrigerants. The performance of MR systems depends strongly on the optimum refrigerant composition, which is difficult to obtain. This paper proposes a simple and practical method for selecting the appropriate refrigerant composition, which was inspired by (i) knowledge of the boiling point difference in MR components, and (ii) their specific refrigeration effect in bringing a MR system close to reversible operation. A feasibility plot and composite curves were used for full enforcement of the approach temperature. The proposed knowledge-based optimization approach was described and applied to a single MR and a propane precooled MR system for natural gas liquefaction. Maximization of the heat exchanger exergy efficiency was considered as the optimization objective to achieve an energy efficient design goal. Several case studies on single MR and propane precooled MR processes were performed to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. The application of the proposed method is not restricted to liquefiers, and can be applied to any refrigerator and cryogenic cooler where a MR is involved

The Ideal Criteria of Supplier Selection for SMEs Food Processing Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramlan Rohaizan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Selection of good supplier is important to determine the performance and profitability of SMEs food processing industry. The lack of managerial capability on supplier selection in SMEs food processing industry affects the competitiveness of SMEs food processing industry. This research aims to determine the ideal criteria of supplier for food processing industry using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP. The research was carried out in a quantitative method by distributing questionnaires to 50 SMEs food processing industries. The collected data analysed using Expert Choice software to rank the supplier selection criteria. The result shows that criteria for supplier selection are ranked by cost, quality, service, delivery and management and organisation while purchase cost, audit result, defect analysis, transportation cost and fast responsiveness are the first five sub-criteria. The result of this research intends to improve managerial capabilities of SMEs food processing industry in supplier selection.

The Need to Assess Public Values in a Site Selection Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheng, Grant; Fortier, Michael [York Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada). Faculty of Environmental Studies; Collins, Alison [York Centre for Applied Sustainability, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2001-07-01

Siting a nuclear fuel waste disposal facility is highly problematic for both technical and nontechnical reasons. The majority of countries using nuclear energy and many in the scientific community favour burying the spent fuel deep in a stable geological formation. It is our contention that site selection of a disposal facility must consider social, political, spatial and scientific perspectives in a comprehensive and integrated fashion in order to achieve a successful process. Moreover, we submit that people's values must be explicitly recognized and be taken into account through a formalized process during deliberations on the disposal concept, the process of evaluation of the concept, and the site selection process. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to identify the importance of recognizing people's values in the process of determining 'public acceptability', (2) to outline a possible framework by which public acceptability can be gauged through a formalized process of value elicitation, and (3) to introduce a novel method by which a web-based geographic information systems (GIS) application can be used as a tool for value elicitation. In order to assess effectively the public acceptability of Canada's nuclear waste disposal concept, we submit that such a process must examine the underlying values that are held by the public. Moreover, the evaluation process of Canada's concept demonstrates that an acceptable process is a pre-condition for an acceptable result, although such a process does not necessarily guarantee an acceptable result. However, the consequences of a flawed process can be very significant, as shown by Canada's experience. This paper also provides a brief overview of a value elicitation process that, in our opinion, could be used to assess the public acceptability of the Concept. We also describe how a web-based GIS application could be used to infer some of the underlying values held by the public.

Selection of a reference process for treatment of the West Valley alkaline waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bray, L.A.; Holton, L.K.; Wise, B.M.; Carl, D.E.; Pope, J.M.

1984-01-01

As part of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) the alkaline PUREX supernatant stored in Tank 8D2 will be partially decontaminated by the removal of radiocesium. Four processes for removal of radiocesium from the alkaline supernatant were studied through experimentation and engineering analysis to identify a reference approach for the WVDP. These processes included the use of a zeolite inorganic ion-exchanger (Linde Ionsiv IE-95, Ionsiv is a trademark of Union Carbide Company), an organic ion exchange resin (Duolite CS-100, Duolite is a registered trademark of Diamond Shamrock Co) and two precipitation processes; one using sodium tetraphenylboron (NaTPB) and the other using phosphotungsthC acid (PTA). Based upon process performance, safety and environmental considerations, process and equipment complexity and impacts to the waste vitrification system, the zeolite ion-exchange process has been selected by West Valley Nuclear Services, Inc., as the reference supernatant treatment process for the WVDP. This paper summarizes the technical basis for the selection of the zeolite ion-exchange process

Laser dimpling process parameters selection and optimization using surrogate-driven process capability space

Science.gov (United States)

Ozkat, Erkan Caner; Franciosa, Pasquale; Ceglarek, Dariusz

2017-08-01

Remote laser welding technology offers opportunities for high production throughput at a competitive cost. However, the remote laser welding process of zinc-coated sheet metal parts in lap joint configuration poses a challenge due to the difference between the melting temperature of the steel (∼1500 °C) and the vapourizing temperature of the zinc (∼907 °C). In fact, the zinc layer at the faying surface is vapourized and the vapour might be trapped within the melting pool leading to weld defects. Various solutions have been proposed to overcome this problem over the years. Among them, laser dimpling has been adopted by manufacturers because of its flexibility and effectiveness along with its cost advantages. In essence, the dimple works as a spacer between the two sheets in lap joint and allows the zinc vapour escape during welding process, thereby preventing weld defects. However, there is a lack of comprehensive characterization of dimpling process for effective implementation in real manufacturing system taking into consideration inherent changes in variability of process parameters. This paper introduces a methodology to develop (i) surrogate model for dimpling process characterization considering multiple-inputs (i.e. key control characteristics) and multiple-outputs (i.e. key performance indicators) system by conducting physical experimentation and using multivariate adaptive regression splines; (ii) process capability space (Cp-Space) based on the developed surrogate model that allows the estimation of a desired process fallout rate in the case of violation of process requirements in the presence of stochastic variation; and, (iii) selection and optimization of the process parameters based on the process capability space. The proposed methodology provides a unique capability to: (i) simulate the effect of process variation as generated by manufacturing process; (ii) model quality requirements with multiple and coupled quality requirements; and (iii

In situ process monitoring in selective laser sintering using optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Michael R.; Lewis, Adam; Park, Jongwan; McElroy, Austin B.; Estrada, Arnold D.; Fish, Scott; Beaman, Joseph J.; Milner, Thomas E.

2018-04-01

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an efficient process in additive manufacturing that enables rapid part production from computer-based designs. However, SLS is limited by its notable lack of in situ process monitoring when compared with other manufacturing processes. We report the incorporation of optical coherence tomography (OCT) into an SLS system in detail and demonstrate access to surface and subsurface features. Video frame rate cross-sectional imaging reveals areas of sintering uniformity and areas of excessive heat error with high temporal resolution. We propose a set of image processing techniques for SLS process monitoring with OCT and report the limitations and obstacles for further OCT integration with SLS systems.

Selection for Surgical Training: An Evidence-Based Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaverien, Mark V

2016-01-01

The predictive relationship between candidate selection criteria for surgical training programs and future performance during and at the completion of training has been investigated for several surgical specialties, however there is no interspecialty agreement regarding which selection criteria should be used. Better understanding the predictive reliability between factors at selection and future performance may help to optimize the process and lead to greater standardization of the surgical selection process. PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched. Over 560 potentially relevant publications were identified using the search strategy and screened using the Cochrane Collaboration Data Extraction and Assessment Template. 57 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several selection criteria used in the traditional selection demonstrated inconsistent correlation with subsequent performance during and at the end of surgical training. The following selection criteria, however, demonstrated good predictive relationships with subsequent resident performance: USMLE examination scores, Letters of Recommendation (LOR) including the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), academic performance during clinical clerkships, the interview process, displaying excellence in extracurricular activities, and the use of unadjusted rank lists. This systematic review supports that the current selection process needs to be further evaluated and improved. Multicenter studies using standardized outcome measures of success are now required to improve the reliability of the selection process to select the best trainees. Published by Elsevier Inc.

How Important Are Student-Selected versus Instructor-Selected Literature Resources for Students' Learning and Motivation in Problem-Based Learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Wijnia, Lisette; Loyens, Sofie M.; Derous, Eva; Schmidt, Henk G.

2015-01-01

In problem-based learning students are responsible for their own learning process, which becomes evident when they must act independently, for example, when selecting literature resources for individual study. It is a matter of debate whether it is better to have students select their own literature resources or to present them with a list of…

Dissociating action-effect activation and effect-based response selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Katharina A; Pfister, Roland; Wirth, Robert; Kunde, Wilfried

2018-05-25

Anticipated action effects have been shown to govern action selection and initiation, as described in ideomotor theory, and they have also been demonstrated to determine crosstalk between different tasks in multitasking studies. Such effect-based crosstalk was observed not only in a forward manner (with a first task influencing performance in a following second task) but also in a backward manner (the second task influencing the preceding first task), suggesting that action effect codes can become activated prior to a capacity-limited processing stage often denoted as response selection. The process of effect-based response production, by contrast, has been proposed to be capacity-limited. These observations jointly suggest that effect code activation can occur independently of effect-based response production, though this theoretical implication has not been tested directly at present. We tested this hypothesis by employing a dual-task set-up in which we manipulated the ease of effect-based response production (via response-effect compatibility) in an experimental design that allows for observing forward and backward crosstalk. We observed robust crosstalk effects and response-effect compatibility effects alike, but no interaction between both effects. These results indicate that effect activation can occur in parallel for several tasks, independently of effect-based response production, which is confined to one task at a time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pyrochemical and Dry Processing Methods Program. A selected bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDuffie, H.F.; Smith, D.H.; Owen, P.T.

1979-03-01

This selected bibliography with abstracts was compiled to provide information support to the Pyrochemical and Dry Processing Methods (PDPM) Program sponsored by DOE and administered by the Argonne National Laboratory. Objectives of the PDPM Program are to evaluate nonaqueous methods of reprocessing spent fuel as a route to the development of proliferation-resistant and diversion-resistant methods for widespread use in the nuclear industry. Emphasis was placed on the literature indexed in the ERDA--DOE Energy Data Base (EDB). The bibliography includes indexes to authors, subject descriptors, EDB subject categories, and titles.

Pyrochemical and Dry Processing Methods Program. A selected bibliography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDuffie, H.F.; Smith, D.H.; Owen, P.T.

1979-03-01

This selected bibliography with abstracts was compiled to provide information support to the Pyrochemical and Dry Processing Methods (PDPM) Program sponsored by DOE and administered by the Argonne National Laboratory. Objectives of the PDPM Program are to evaluate nonaqueous methods of reprocessing spent fuel as a route to the development of proliferation-resistant and diversion-resistant methods for widespread use in the nuclear industry. Emphasis was placed on the literature indexed in the ERDA--DOE Energy Data Base (EDB). The bibliography includes indexes to authors, subject descriptors, EDB subject categories, and titles

Consumer Decision Process in Restaurant Selection: An Application of the Stylized EKB Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenia Wickens

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose – The aim of this paper is to propose a framework based on empirical work for understanding the consumer decision processes involved in the selection of a restaurant for leisure meals. Design/Methodology/Approach – An interpretive approach is taken in order to understand the intricacies of the process and the various stages in the process. Six focus group interviews with consumers of various ages and occupations in the South East of the United Kingdom were conducted. Findings and implications – The stylized EKB model of the consumer decision process (Tuan-Pham & Higgins, 2005 was used as a framework for developing different stages of the process. Two distinct parts of the process were identified. Occasion was found to be critical to the stage of problem recognition. In terms of evaluation of alternatives and, in particular, sensitivity to evaluative content, the research indicates that the regulatory focus theory of Tuan-Pham and Higgins (2005 applies to the decision of selecting a restaurant. Limitations – It is acknowledged that this exploratory study is based on a small sample in a single geographical area. Originality – The paper is the first application of the stylized EKB model, which takes into account the motivational dimensions of consumer decision making, missing in other models. It concludes that it may have broader applications to other research contexts.

Measuring process performance within healthcare logistics - a decision tool for selecting measuring technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feibert, Diana Cordes; Jacobsen, Peter

2015-01-01

Performance measurement can support the organization in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of logistical healthcare processes. Selecting the most suitable technologies is important to ensure data validity. A case study of the hospital cleaning process at a public Danish hospital...... was conducted. Monitoring tasks and ascertaining quality of work is difficult in such a process. Based on principal-agent theory, a set of decision indicator has been developed, and a decision framework for assessing technologies to enable performance measurement has been proposed....

Managing the Public Sector Research and Development Portfolio Selection Process: A Case Study of Quantitative Selection and Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION by Jason A. Schwartz...PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6...describing how public sector organizations can implement a research and development (R&D) portfolio optimization strategy to maximize the cost

Characteristics of products generated by selective sintering and stereolithography rapid prototyping processes

Science.gov (United States)

Cariapa, Vikram

1993-01-01

The trend in the modern global economy towards free market policies has motivated companies to use rapid prototyping technologies to not only reduce product development cycle time but also to maintain their competitive edge. A rapid prototyping technology is one which combines computer aided design with computer controlled tracking of focussed high energy source (eg. lasers, heat) on modern ceramic powders, metallic powders, plastics or photosensitive liquid resins in order to produce prototypes or models. At present, except for the process of shape melting, most rapid prototyping processes generate products that are only dimensionally similar to those of the desired end product. There is an urgent need, therefore, to enhance the understanding of the characteristics of these processes in order to realize their potential for production. Currently, the commercial market is dominated by four rapid prototyping processes, namely selective laser sintering, stereolithography, fused deposition modelling and laminated object manufacturing. This phase of the research has focussed on the selective laser sintering and stereolithography rapid prototyping processes. A theoretical model for these processes is under development. Different rapid prototyping sites supplied test specimens (based on ASTM 638-84, Type I) that have been measured and tested to provide a data base on surface finish, dimensional variation and ultimate tensile strength. Further plans call for developing and verifying the theoretical models by carefully designed experiments. This will be a joint effort between NASA and other prototyping centers to generate a larger database, thus encouraging more widespread usage by product designers.

Material and process selection using product examples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenau, Torben Anker

2001-01-01

The objective of the paper is to suggest a different procedure for selecting materials and processes within the product development work. The procedure includes using product examples in order to increase the number of alternative materials and processes that is considered. Product examples can c...... a search engine, and through hyperlinks can relevant materials and processes be explored. Realising that designers are very sensitive to user interfaces do all descriptions of materials, processes and products include graphical descriptions, i.e. pictures or computer graphics....

Material and process selection using product examples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenau, Torben Anker

2002-01-01

The objective of the paper is to suggest a different procedure for selecting materials and processes within the product development work. The procedure includes using product examples in order to increase the number of alternative materials and processes that is considered. Product examples can c...... a search engine, and through hyperlinks can relevant materials and processes be explored. Realising that designers are very sensitive to user interfaces do all descriptions of materials, processes and products include graphical descriptions, i.e. pictures or computer graphics....

Evaluation and selection of open-source EMR software packages based on integrated AHP and TOPSIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidan, A A; Zaidan, B B; Al-Haiqi, Ahmed; Kiah, M L M; Hussain, Muzammil; Abdulnabi, Mohamed

2015-02-01

Evaluating and selecting software packages that meet the requirements of an organization are difficult aspects of software engineering process. Selecting the wrong open-source EMR software package can be costly and may adversely affect business processes and functioning of the organization. This study aims to evaluate and select open-source EMR software packages based on multi-criteria decision-making. A hands-on study was performed and a set of open-source EMR software packages were implemented locally on separate virtual machines to examine the systems more closely. Several measures as evaluation basis were specified, and the systems were selected based a set of metric outcomes using Integrated Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS. The experimental results showed that GNUmed and OpenEMR software can provide better basis on ranking score records than other open-source EMR software packages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Supplier Assessment and Selection Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process in a Steel Manufacturing Company

OpenAIRE

Tahriri, Farzad; Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Dabbagh, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Every organization needs suppliers and no organization can exist without suppliers. Therefore, the organizations approach to suppliers and the selection of the appropriate supplier, its acquisition processes and policies, and its relationships with suppliers, is of vital importance, both to organizations and suppliers alike. No organization can be successful without the support of its supplier base, operationally and strategically, short or long-term.To select the best supplier, it is essenti...

Influence of Process Parameters on the Quality of Aluminium Alloy EN AW 7075 Using Selective Laser Melting (SLM)

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufmann, N.; Imran, M.; Wischeropp, T. M.; Emmelmann, C.; Siddique, S.; Walther, F.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing process, forming the desired geometry by selective layer fusion of powder material. Unlike conventional manufacturing processes, highly complex parts can be manufactured with high accuracy and little post processing. Currently, different steel, aluminium, titanium and nickel-based alloys have been successfully processed; however, high strength aluminium alloy EN AW 7075 has not been processed with satisfying quality. The main focus of the investigation is to develop the SLM process for the wide used aluminium alloy EN AW 7075. Before process development, the gas-atomized powder material was characterized in terms of statistical distribution: size and shape. A wide range of process parameters were selected to optimize the process in terms of optimum volume density. The investigations resulted in a relative density of over 99%. However, all laser-melted parts exhibit hot cracks which typically appear in aluminium alloy EN AW 7075 during the welding process. Furthermore the influence of processing parameters on the chemical composition of the selected alloy was determined.

Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization Approach for Cost-Based Feature Selection in Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong; Gong, Dun-Wei; Cheng, Jian

2017-01-01

Feature selection is an important data-preprocessing technique in classification problems such as bioinformatics and signal processing. Generally, there are some situations where a user is interested in not only maximizing the classification performance but also minimizing the cost that may be associated with features. This kind of problem is called cost-based feature selection. However, most existing feature selection approaches treat this task as a single-objective optimization problem. This paper presents the first study of multi-objective particle swarm optimization (PSO) for cost-based feature selection problems. The task of this paper is to generate a Pareto front of nondominated solutions, that is, feature subsets, to meet different requirements of decision-makers in real-world applications. In order to enhance the search capability of the proposed algorithm, a probability-based encoding technology and an effective hybrid operator, together with the ideas of the crowding distance, the external archive, and the Pareto domination relationship, are applied to PSO. The proposed PSO-based multi-objective feature selection algorithm is compared with several multi-objective feature selection algorithms on five benchmark datasets. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can automatically evolve a set of nondominated solutions, and it is a highly competitive feature selection method for solving cost-based feature selection problems.

Age-related decline in bottom-up processing and selective attention in the very old.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuravleva, Tatyana Y; Alperin, Brittany R; Haring, Anna E; Rentz, Dorene M; Holcomb, Philip J; Daffner, Kirk R

2014-06-01

Previous research demonstrating age-related deficits in selective attention have not included old-old adults, an increasingly important group to study. The current investigation compared event-related potentials in 15 young-old (65-79 years old) and 23 old-old (80-99 years old) subjects during a color-selective attention task. Subjects responded to target letters in a specified color (Attend) while ignoring letters in a different color (Ignore) under both low and high loads. There were no group differences in visual acuity, accuracy, reaction time, or latency of early event-related potential components. The old-old group showed a disruption in bottom-up processing, indexed by a substantially diminished posterior N1 (smaller amplitude). They also demonstrated markedly decreased modulation of bottom-up processing based on selected visual features, indexed by the posterior selection negativity (SN), with similar attenuation under both loads. In contrast, there were no group differences in frontally mediated attentional selection, measured by the anterior selection positivity (SP). There was a robust inverse relationship between the size of the SN and SP (the smaller the SN, the larger the SP), which may represent an anteriorly supported compensatory mechanism. In the absence of a decline in top-down modulation indexed by the SP, the diminished SN may reflect age-related degradation of early bottom-up visual processing in old-old adults.

Natural Selection as an Emergent Process: Instructional Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Robert A.

2017-01-01

Student reasoning about cases of natural selection is often plagued by errors that stem from miscategorising selection as a direct, causal process, misunderstanding the role of randomness, and from the intuitive ideas of intentionality, teleology and essentialism. The common thread throughout many of these reasoning errors is a failure to apply…

Selection of inorganic-based fertilizers in forward osmosis for water desalination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tripti Mishra

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The current study aims at the selection of an appropriate draw solute for forward osmosis process. Separation and recovery of the draw solute are the major criteria for the selection of draw solute for forward osmosis process. Therefore in this investigation six inorganic fertilizers draws solute were selected. The selections of inorganic fertilizers as draw solute eliminate the need of removal and recovery of draw solute from the final product. The final product water of forward osmosis process has direct application in agricultural as nutrient rich water for irrigation. These inorganic fertilizers were tested based on their water extraction (water flux capacity. This experimental water flux was compared with the observed water flux. It was noted that the observed water flux is much higher than the attained experimental water flux. The difference of these two fluxes was used to calculate the performance ratio of each selected fertilizer. Highest performance ratio was shown by low molecular weight compound ammonium nitrate (22.73 and potassium chloride (21.03 at 1 M concentration, whereas diammonium phosphate (DAP which has highest molecular weight among all the selected fertilizer show the lowest performance ratio (10.02 at 2 M concentration. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v4i2.12660 International Journal of Environment Vol.4(2 2015: 319-329

Fuzzy-based HAZOP study for process industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Junkeon; Chang, Daejun, E-mail: djchang@kaist.edu

2016-11-05

Highlights: • HAZOP is the important technique to evaluate system safety and its risks while process operations. • Fuzzy theory can handle the inherent uncertainties of process systems for the HAZOP. • Fuzzy-based HAZOP considers the aleatory and epistemic uncertainties and provides the risk level with less uncertainty. • Risk acceptance criteria should be considered regarding the transition region for each risk. - Abstract: This study proposed a fuzzy-based HAZOP for analyzing process hazards. Fuzzy theory was used to express uncertain states. This theory was found to be a useful approach to overcome the inherent uncertainty in HAZOP analyses. Fuzzy logic sharply contrasted with classical logic and provided diverse risk values according to its membership degree. Appropriate process parameters and guidewords were selected to describe the frequency and consequence of an accident. Fuzzy modeling calculated risks based on the relationship between the variables of an accident. The modeling was based on the mean expected value, trapezoidal fuzzy number, IF-THEN rules, and the center of gravity method. A cryogenic LNG (liquefied natural gas) testing facility was the objective process for the fuzzy-based and conventional HAZOPs. The most significant index is the frequency to determine risks. The comparison results showed that the fuzzy-based HAZOP provides better sophisticated risks than the conventional HAZOP. The fuzzy risk matrix presents the significance of risks, negligible risks, and necessity of risk reduction.

Evaluation and selection of in-situ leaching mining method using analytic hierarchy process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Heyong; Tan Kaixuan; Liu Huizhen

2007-01-01

According to the complicated conditions and main influence factors of in-situ leaching min- ing, a model and processes of analytic hierarchy are established for evaluation and selection of in-situ leaching mining methods based on analytic hierarchy process. Taking a uranium mine in Xinjiang of China for example, the application of this model is presented. The results of analyses and calculation indicate that the acid leaching is the optimum project. (authors)

Selection Process of ERP Systems

OpenAIRE

Molnár, Bálint; Szabó, Gyula; Benczúr, András

2013-01-01

Background: The application and introduction of ERP systems have become a central issue for management and operation of enterprises. The competition on market enforces the improvement and optimization of business processes of enterprises to increase their efficiency, effectiveness, and to manage better the resources outside the company. The primary task of ERP systems is to achieve the before-mentioned objectives. Objective: The selection of a particular ERP system has a decisive effect on th...

Ranking and selection of commercial off-the-shelf using fuzzy distance based approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rakesh Garg

2015-06-01

Full Text Available There is a tremendous growth of the use of the component based software engineering (CBSE approach for the development of software systems. The selection of the best suited COTS components which fulfils the necessary requirement for the development of software(s has become a major challenge for the software developers. The complexity of the optimal selection problem increases with an increase in alternative potential COTS components and the corresponding selection criteria. In this research paper, the problem of ranking and selection of Data Base Management Systems (DBMS components is modeled as a multi-criteria decision making problem. A ‘Fuzzy Distance Based Approach (FDBA’ method is proposed for the optimal ranking and selection of DBMS COTS components of an e-payment system based on 14 selection criteria grouped under three major categories i.e. ‘Vendor Capabilities’, ‘Business Issues’ and ‘Cost’. The results of this method are compared with other Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP which is termed as a typical multi-criteria decision making approach. The proposed methodology is explained with an illustrated example.

Method for Business Process Management System Selection

OpenAIRE

Westelaken, van de, Thijs; Terwee, Bas; Ravesteijn, Pascal

2013-01-01

In recent years business process management (BPM) and specifically information systems that support the analysis, design and execution of processes (also called business process management systems (BPMS)) are getting more attention. This has lead to an increase in research on BPM and BPMS. However the research on BPMS is mostly focused on the architecture of the system and how to implement such systems. How to select a BPM system that fits the strategy and goals of a specific organization is ...

An opinion formation based binary optimization approach for feature selection

Science.gov (United States)

Hamedmoghadam, Homayoun; Jalili, Mahdi; Yu, Xinghuo

2018-02-01

This paper proposed a novel optimization method based on opinion formation in complex network systems. The proposed optimization technique mimics human-human interaction mechanism based on a mathematical model derived from social sciences. Our method encodes a subset of selected features to the opinion of an artificial agent and simulates the opinion formation process among a population of agents to solve the feature selection problem. The agents interact using an underlying interaction network structure and get into consensus in their opinions, while finding better solutions to the problem. A number of mechanisms are employed to avoid getting trapped in local minima. We compare the performance of the proposed method with a number of classical population-based optimization methods and a state-of-the-art opinion formation based method. Our experiments on a number of high dimensional datasets reveal outperformance of the proposed algorithm over others.

Product and process effectiveness using performance-based auditing techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horseman, M.L.

1995-01-01

Focus is the backbone of genius. Focus is the lifeblood of adequate products and effective processes. Focus is the theme of Performance-Based Audits (PBA). The Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (CRWM) Program is using the PBA tool extensively to focus on the evaluation of product adequacy and process effectiveness. The term Performance-Based Audit has been around for several years. however, the approach presented here for the systematic end-product selection, planning, and measurement of adequacy and effectiveness is new and innovative

Computer-aided tool for solvent selection in pharmaceutical processes: Solvent swap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Papadakis, Emmanouil; K. Tula, Anjan; Gernaey, Krist V.

-liquid equilibria). The application of the developed model-based framework is highlighted through several cases studies published in the literature. In the current state, the framework is suitable for problems where the original solvent is exchanged by distillation. A solvent selection guide for fast of suitable......-aided framework with the objective to assist the pharmaceutical industry in gaining better process understanding. A software interface to improve the usability of the tool has been created also....

Application of PROMETHEE-GAIA method for non-traditional machining processes selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasad Karande

2012-10-01

Full Text Available With ever increasing demand for manufactured products of hard alloys and metals with high surface finish and complex shape geometry, more interest is now being paid to non-traditional machining (NTM processes, where energy in its direct form is used to remove material from workpiece surface. Compared to conventional machining processes, NTM processes possess almost unlimited capabilities and there is a strong believe that use of NTM processes would go on increasing in diverse range of applications. Presence of a large number of NTM processes along with complex characteristics and capabilities, and lack of experts in NTM process selection domain compel for development of a structured approach for NTM process selection for a given machining application. Past researchers have already attempted to solve NTM process selection problems using various complex mathematical approaches which often require a profound knowledge in mathematics/artificial intelligence from the part of process engineers. In this paper, four NTM process selection problems are solved using an integrated PROMETHEE (preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation and GAIA (geometrical analysis for interactive aid method which would act as a visual decision aid to the process engineers. The observed results are quite satisfactory and exactly match with the expected solutions.

The Ideal Criteria of Supplier Selection for SMEs Food Processing Industry

OpenAIRE

Ramlan Rohaizan; Engku Abu Bakar Engku Muhammad Nazri; Mahmud Fatimah; Ng Hooi Keng

2016-01-01

Selection of good supplier is important to determine the performance and profitability of SMEs food processing industry. The lack of managerial capability on supplier selection in SMEs food processing industry affects the competitiveness of SMEs food processing industry. This research aims to determine the ideal criteria of supplier for food processing industry using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The research was carried out in a quantitative method by distributing questionnaires to 50 ...

Reliable selection of earthquake ground motions for performance-based design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katsanos, Evangelos; Sextos, A.G.

2016-01-01

A decision support process is presented to accommodate selecting and scaling of earthquake motions as required for the time domain analysis of structures. Prequalified code-compatible suites of seismic motions are provided through a multi-criterion approach to satisfy prescribed reduced variability...... of the method, by being subjected to numerous suites of motions that were highly ranked according to both the proposed approach (δsv-sc) and the conventional index (δconv), already used by most existing code-based earthquake records selection and scaling procedures. The findings reveal the superiority...

The role of interviewers in job effective recruitment and selection processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kola O. Odeku

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Interview processes are dynamic and sometimes very sensitive and as such, they need to be managed effectively and efficiently by evaluating applicants equally without showing favour or prejudice prior, during and until all processes have been completed. A lot of interview processes for purposes of appointment selections have been tainted with unethical practices where the panellists, who took part in the processes, displayed various forms of partisanship, prejudices and so on. Sometimes, a selector may have premeditated negative mind set towards an applicant which may be evidenced during the interview. This may impact on the reasoning and judgements of the selector and the panellists, thus influencing the decisions of the selector. A brilliant and well performed applicant may be found unqualified Ineffective selection and recruitment processes are increasingly affecting employers by denting their cooperate image and sometimes being subjected to vicious legal battles in courts. This article examines the problems associated with prejudices and unethical practices during selection processes particularly by the recruiters and selectors. It points out that panellists must be properly scrutinised before they are appointed to be part of any selection process and that they should disclose any interest, prejudices, bias and so on that could affect the outcome of the process. It is argued that any member of the panel who is found to have compromised his or her position in any selection processes should be punitively sanctioned.

Development of Electrically Switched Ion Exchange Process for Selective Ion Separations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rassat, Scot D.; Sukamto, Johanes H.; Orth, Rick J.; Lilga, Michael A.; Hallen, Richard T.

1999-01-01

The electrically switched ion exchange (ESIX) process, being developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, provides an alternative separation method to selectively remove ions from process and waste streams. In the ESIX process, in which an electroactive ion exchange film is deposited onto a high surface area electrode, uptake and elution are controlled directly by modulating the electrochemical potential of the film. This paper addresses engineering issues necessary to fully develop ESIX for specific industrial alkali cation separation challenges. The cycling and chemical stability and alkali cation selectivity of nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) electroactive films were investigated. The selectivity of NiHCF was determined using cyclic voltammetry and a quartz crystal microbalance to quantify ion uptake in the film. Separation factors indicated a high selectivity for cesium and a moderate selectivity for potassium in high sodium content solutions. A NiHCF film with improved redox cycling and chemical stability in a simulated pulp mill process stream, a targeted application for ESIX, was also prepared and tested

Titanium-based spectrally selective surfaces for solar thermal systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilson, A D; Holmes, J P

1983-10-01

A study of spectrally selective surfaces based on anodic oxide films on titanium is presented. These surfaces have low values of solar absorptance, 0.77, due to the nonideal optical properties of the anodic TiO2 for antireflection of titanium. A simple chemical etching process is described which gives a textured surface with dimensions similar to the wavelengths of solar radiation, leading to spectral selectivity. The performance of this dark-etched surface can be further improved by anodising, and optimum absorbers have been produced with alpha(s) 0.935 and hemispherical emittances (400 K) 0.23. The surface texturing effects a significant improvement in alpha(s) at oblique incidence.

On a Robust MaxEnt Process Regression Model with Sample-Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hea-Jung Kim

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In a regression analysis, a sample-selection bias arises when a dependent variable is partially observed as a result of the sample selection. This study introduces a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt process regression model that assumes a MaxEnt prior distribution for its nonparametric regression function and finds that the MaxEnt process regression model includes the well-known Gaussian process regression (GPR model as a special case. Then, this special MaxEnt process regression model, i.e., the GPR model, is generalized to obtain a robust sample-selection Gaussian process regression (RSGPR model that deals with non-normal data in the sample selection. Various properties of the RSGPR model are established, including the stochastic representation, distributional hierarchy, and magnitude of the sample-selection bias. These properties are used in the paper to develop a hierarchical Bayesian methodology to estimate the model. This involves a simple and computationally feasible Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm that avoids analytical or numerical derivatives of the log-likelihood function of the model. The performance of the RSGPR model in terms of the sample-selection bias correction, robustness to non-normality, and prediction, is demonstrated through results in simulations that attest to its good finite-sample performance.

Divided versus selective attention: evidence for common processing mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Britta; Wolkenberg, Frank A; Ross, Thomas J; Myers, Carol S; Heishman, Stephen J; Stein, Dan J; Kurup, Pradeep K; Stein, Elliot A

2008-06-18

The current study revisited the question of whether there are brain mechanisms specific to divided attention that differ from those used in selective attention. Increased neuronal activity required to simultaneously process two stimulus dimensions as compared with each separate dimension has often been observed, but rarely has activity induced by a divided attention condition exceeded the sum of activity induced by the component tasks. Healthy participants performed a selective-divided attention paradigm while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The task required participants to make a same-different judgment about either one of two simultaneously presented stimulus dimensions, or about both dimensions. Performance accuracy was equated between tasks by dynamically adjusting the stimulus display time. Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal differences between tasks were identified by whole-brain voxel-wise comparisons and by region-specific analyses of all areas modulated by the divided attention task (DIV). No region displayed greater activation or deactivation by DIV than the sum of signal change by the two selective attention tasks. Instead, regional activity followed the tasks' processing demands as reflected by reaction time. Only a left cerebellar region displayed a correlation between participants' BOLD signal intensity and reaction time that was selective for DIV. The correlation was positive, reflecting slower responding with greater activation. Overall, the findings do not support the existence of functional brain activity specific to DIV. Increased activity appears to reflect additional processing demands by introducing a secondary task, but those demands do not appear to qualitatively differ from processes of selective attention.

Selection of site specific vibration equation by using analytic hierarchy process in a quarry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalayci, Ulku, E-mail: ukalayci@istanbul.edu.tr; Ozer, Umit, E-mail: uozer@istanbul.edu.tr

2016-01-15

This paper presents a new approach for the selection of the most accurate SSVA (Site Specific Vibration Attenuation) equation for blasting processes in a quarry located near settlements in Istanbul, Turkey. In this context, the SSVA equations obtained from the same study area in the literature were considered in terms of distance between the shot points and buildings and the amount of explosive charge. In this purpose, 11 different SSVA equations obtained from the study area in the past 12 years, forecasting capabilities according to designated new conditions, using 102 vibration records as test data obtained from the study area was investigated. In this study, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was selected as an analysis method in order to determine the most accurate equation among 11 SSAV equations, and the parameters such as year, distance, charge, and r{sup 2} of the equations were used as criteria for AHP. Finally, the most appropriate equation was selected among the existing ones, and the process of selecting according to different target criteria was presented. Furthermore, it was noted that the forecasting results of the selected equation is more accurate than that formed using the test results. - Highlights: • The optimum Site Specific Vibration Attenuation equation for blasting in a quarry located near settlements was determined. • It is indicated that SSVA equations changing over the years don’t give always accurate estimates at changing conditions. • Selection of the blast induced SSVA equation was made using AHP. • Equation selection method was highlighted based on parameters such as charge, distance, and quarry geometry changes (year).

Selection of site specific vibration equation by using analytic hierarchy process in a quarry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalayci, Ulku; Ozer, Umit

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new approach for the selection of the most accurate SSVA (Site Specific Vibration Attenuation) equation for blasting processes in a quarry located near settlements in Istanbul, Turkey. In this context, the SSVA equations obtained from the same study area in the literature were considered in terms of distance between the shot points and buildings and the amount of explosive charge. In this purpose, 11 different SSVA equations obtained from the study area in the past 12 years, forecasting capabilities according to designated new conditions, using 102 vibration records as test data obtained from the study area was investigated. In this study, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was selected as an analysis method in order to determine the most accurate equation among 11 SSAV equations, and the parameters such as year, distance, charge, and r"2 of the equations were used as criteria for AHP. Finally, the most appropriate equation was selected among the existing ones, and the process of selecting according to different target criteria was presented. Furthermore, it was noted that the forecasting results of the selected equation is more accurate than that formed using the test results. - Highlights: • The optimum Site Specific Vibration Attenuation equation for blasting in a quarry located near settlements was determined. • It is indicated that SSVA equations changing over the years don’t give always accurate estimates at changing conditions. • Selection of the blast induced SSVA equation was made using AHP. • Equation selection method was highlighted based on parameters such as charge, distance, and quarry geometry changes (year).

Techno-economic analysis and comparison of coal based olefins processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, Dong; Yang, Siyu; Qian, Yu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The coal based Fischer–Tropsch-to-olefins (CFTO) process is proposed and analyzed. • The CFTO suffers from lower energy efficiency and serious CO 2 emissions. • Approaches for improving techno-economic performance of the CFTO are obtained. - Abstract: Traditional olefins production is heavily dependent on oil. In the background of the scarcity of oil and richness of coal in China, olefins production from coal has been attracting more attention of the chemical process industry. The first coal based methanol-to-olefins (CMTO) plant has been commercialized in China. For shorter process route and lower capital cost, Fischer–Fropsch has been put forward in the last few years. The coal based Fischer–Tropsch-to-olefins (CFTO) process is designed in this paper and then its techno-economic and environmental performance was detailed studied in this paper, in comparison with the CMTO. Results show that at the present olefins selectivity, the CFTO suffers from relative lower energy efficiency and higher CO 2 emissions. In economic aspect, the capital investment and product cost of the CFTO are roughly equivalent to that of the CMTO. Although the conversion route of the CFTO is shorter, its techno-economic performance is still inferior to that of the CMTO. It is also found that increase of olefins selectivity by cracking oil or decrease of CO 2 selectivity by improving catalyst could significantly improve the performance of the CFTO.

Learning-based controller for biotechnology processing, and method of using

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, John A.; Stoner, Daphne L.; Larsen, Eric D.; Miller, Karen S.; Tolle, Charles R.

2004-09-14

The present invention relates to process control where some of the controllable parameters are difficult or impossible to characterize. The present invention relates to process control in biotechnology of such systems, but not limited to. Additionally, the present invention relates to process control in biotechnology minerals processing. In the inventive method, an application of the present invention manipulates a minerals bioprocess to find local exterma (maxima or minima) for selected output variables/process goals by using a learning-based controller for bioprocess oxidation of minerals during hydrometallurgical processing. The learning-based controller operates with or without human supervision and works to find processor optima without previously defined optima due to the non-characterized nature of the process being manipulated.

Selecting public relations personnel of hospitals by analytic network process.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Sen-Kuei; Chang, Kuei-Lun

2009-01-01

This study describes the use of analytic network process (ANP) in the Taiwanese hospital public relations personnel selection process. Starting with interviewing 48 practitioners and executives in north Taiwan, we collected selection criteria. Then, we retained the 12 critical criteria that were mentioned above 40 times by theses respondents, including: interpersonal skill, experience, negotiation, language, ability to follow orders, cognitive ability, adaptation to environment, adaptation to company, emotion, loyalty, attitude, and Response. Finally, we discussed with the 20 executives to take these important criteria into three perspectives to structure the hierarchy for hospital public relations personnel selection. After discussing with practitioners and executives, we find that selecting criteria are interrelated. The ANP, which incorporates interdependence relationships, is a new approach for multi-criteria decision-making. Thus, we apply ANP to select the most optimal public relations personnel of hospitals. An empirical study of public relations personnel selection problems in Taiwan hospitals is conducted to illustrate how the selection procedure works.

Exploring maintenance policy selection using the Analytic Hierarchy Process; An application for naval ships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goossens, Adriaan J.M.; Basten, Rob J.I.

2015-01-01

In this paper we investigate maintenance policy selection (MPS) through the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A maintenance policy is a policy that dictates which parameter triggers a maintenance action. In practice, selecting the right maintenance policy appears to be a difficult decision. We investigate MPS for naval ships, but our results have wider applicability. For our study we cooperate with the owner and operator of the ships, as well as with a shipbuilder and an original equipment manufacturer of naval ships. We apply a structured five step approach to obtain the relevant criteria that may make one policy preferable over another. The criteria are drawn from both literature and a series of interviews at several navy related companies and are structured into a hierarchy of criteria usable with the AHP. Additionally, we organize three workshops at the three different companies to test the AHP-based MPS approach in practice. We conclude that the AHP is well suited for maintenance policy selection in this broad setting, and that it provides a structured and detailed approach for MPS. Adding to that, it facilitates discussions during and after the sessions, creating a better understanding of the policy selection process. - Highlights: • We use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for maintenance policy selection (MPS). • Using both interviews and case studies from the literature, we construct a hierarchy. • In sessions at 3 companies, we find that 1 hierarchy can be used for multiple assets. • The AHP creates a better understanding of the maintenance policy selection process. • Our work is on naval ships, but our approach and findings have wider applicability

Intermediate product selection and blending in the food processing industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kilic, Onur A.; Akkerman, Renzo; van Donk, Dirk Pieter

2013-01-01

This study addresses a capacitated intermediate product selection and blending problem typical for two-stage production systems in the food processing industry. The problem involves the selection of a set of intermediates and end-product recipes characterising how those selected intermediates...

Supercritical boiler material selection using fuzzy analytic network process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saikat Ranjan Maity

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The recent development of world is being adversely affected by the scarcity of power and energy. To survive in the next generation, it is thus necessary to explore the non-conventional energy sources and efficiently consume the available sources. For efficient exploitation of the existing energy sources, a great scope lies in the use of Rankin cycle-based thermal power plants. Today, the gross efficiency of Rankin cycle-based thermal power plants is less than 28% which has been increased up to 40% with reheating and regenerative cycles. But, it can be further improved up to 47% by using supercritical power plant technology. Supercritical power plants use supercritical boilers which are able to withstand a very high temperature (650-720˚C and pressure (22.1 MPa while producing superheated steam. The thermal efficiency of a supercritical boiler greatly depends on the material of its different components. The supercritical boiler material should possess high creep rupture strength, high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, high specific heat and very high temperature withstandability. This paper considers a list of seven supercritical boiler materials whose performance is evaluated based on seven pivotal criteria. Given the intricacy and difficulty of this supercritical boiler material selection problem having interactions and interdependencies between different criteria, this paper applies fuzzy analytic network process to select the most appropriate material for a supercritical boiler. Rene 41 is the best supercritical boiler material, whereas, Haynes 230 is the worst preferred choice.

Red Queen Processes Drive Positive Selection on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC Genes.

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Maciej Jan Ejsmond

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC genes code for proteins involved in the incitation of the adaptive immune response in vertebrates, which is achieved through binding oligopeptides (antigens of pathogenic origin. Across vertebrate species, substitutions of amino acids at sites responsible for the specificity of antigen binding (ABS are positively selected. This is attributed to pathogen-driven balancing selection, which is also thought to maintain the high polymorphism of MHC genes, and to cause the sharing of allelic lineages between species. However, the nature of this selection remains controversial. We used individual-based computer simulations to investigate the roles of two phenomena capable of maintaining MHC polymorphism: heterozygote advantage and host-pathogen arms race (Red Queen process. Our simulations revealed that levels of MHC polymorphism were high and driven mostly by the Red Queen process at a high pathogen mutation rate, but were low and driven mostly by heterozygote advantage when the pathogen mutation rate was low. We found that novel mutations at ABSs are strongly favored by the Red Queen process, but not by heterozygote advantage, regardless of the pathogen mutation rate. However, while the strong advantage of novel alleles increased the allele turnover rate, under a high pathogen mutation rate, allelic lineages persisted for a comparable length of time under Red Queen and under heterozygote advantage. Thus, when pathogens evolve quickly, the Red Queen is capable of explaining both positive selection and long coalescence times, but the tension between the novel allele advantage and persistence of alleles deserves further investigation.

Automatic learning-based beam angle selection for thoracic IMRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amit, Guy; Marshall, Andrea; Purdie, Thomas G.; Jaffray, David A.; Levinshtein, Alex; Hope, Andrew J.; Lindsay, Patricia; Pekar, Vladimir

2015-01-01

Purpose: The treatment of thoracic cancer using external beam radiation requires an optimal selection of the radiation beam directions to ensure effective coverage of the target volume and to avoid unnecessary treatment of normal healthy tissues. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning is a lengthy process, which requires the planner to iterate between choosing beam angles, specifying dose–volume objectives and executing IMRT optimization. In thorax treatment planning, where there are no class solutions for beam placement, beam angle selection is performed manually, based on the planner’s clinical experience. The purpose of this work is to propose and study a computationally efficient framework that utilizes machine learning to automatically select treatment beam angles. Such a framework may be helpful for reducing the overall planning workload. Methods: The authors introduce an automated beam selection method, based on learning the relationships between beam angles and anatomical features. Using a large set of clinically approved IMRT plans, a random forest regression algorithm is trained to map a multitude of anatomical features into an individual beam score. An optimization scheme is then built to select and adjust the beam angles, considering the learned interbeam dependencies. The validity and quality of the automatically selected beams evaluated using the manually selected beams from the corresponding clinical plans as the ground truth. Results: The analysis included 149 clinically approved thoracic IMRT plans. For a randomly selected test subset of 27 plans, IMRT plans were generated using automatically selected beams and compared to the clinical plans. The comparison of the predicted and the clinical beam angles demonstrated a good average correspondence between the two (angular distance 16.8° ± 10°, correlation 0.75 ± 0.2). The dose distributions of the semiautomatic and clinical plans were equivalent in terms of primary target volume

Intermediate product selection and blending in the food processing industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kilic, Onur A.; Akkerman, Renzo; van Donk, Dirk Pieter; Grunow, Martin

2013-01-01

This study addresses a capacitated intermediate product selection and blending problem typical for two-stage production systems in the food processing industry. The problem involves the selection of a set of intermediates and end-product recipes characterising how those selected intermediates are

In silico tools used for compound selection during target-based drug discovery and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, Gary W

2015-01-01

The target-based drug discovery process, including target selection, screening, hit-to-lead (H2L) and lead optimization stage gates, is the most common approach used in drug development. The full integration of in vitro and/or in vivo data with in silico tools across the entire process would be beneficial to R&D productivity by developing effective selection criteria and drug-design optimization strategies. This review focuses on understanding the impact and extent in the past 5 years of in silico tools on the various stage gates of the target-based drug discovery approach. There are a large number of in silico tools available for establishing selection criteria and drug-design optimization strategies in the target-based approach. However, the inconsistent use of in vitro and/or in vivo data integrated with predictive in silico multiparameter models throughout the process is contributing to R&D productivity issues. In particular, the lack of reliable in silico tools at the H2L stage gate is contributing to the suboptimal selection of viable lead compounds. It is suggested that further development of in silico multiparameter models and organizing biologists, medicinal and computational chemists into one team with a single accountable objective to expand the utilization of in silico tools in all phases of drug discovery would improve R&D productivity.

Parameters in selective laser melting for processing metallic powders

Science.gov (United States)

Kurzynowski, Tomasz; Chlebus, Edward; Kuźnicka, Bogumiła; Reiner, Jacek

2012-03-01

The paper presents results of studies on Selective Laser Melting. SLM is an additive manufacturing technology which may be used to process almost all metallic materials in the form of powder. Types of energy emission sources, mainly fiber lasers and/or Nd:YAG laser with similar characteristics and the wavelength of 1,06 - 1,08 microns, are provided primarily for processing metallic powder materials with high absorption of laser radiation. The paper presents results of selected variable parameters (laser power, scanning time, scanning strategy) and fixed parameters such as the protective atmosphere (argon, nitrogen, helium), temperature, type and shape of the powder material. The thematic scope is very broad, so the work was focused on optimizing the process of selective laser micrometallurgy for producing fully dense parts. The density is closely linked with other two conditions: discontinuity of the microstructure (microcracks) and stability (repeatability) of the process. Materials used for the research were stainless steel 316L (AISI), tool steel H13 (AISI), and titanium alloy Ti6Al7Nb (ISO 5832-11). Studies were performed with a scanning electron microscope, a light microscopes, a confocal microscope and a μCT scanner.

SELECTION OF NON-CONVENTIONAL MACHINING PROCESSES USING THE OCRA METHOD

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Miloš Madić

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Selection of the most suitable nonconventional machining process (NCMP for a given machining application can be viewed as multi-criteria decision making (MCDM problem with many conflicting and diverse criteria. To aid these selection processes, different MCDM methods have been proposed. This paper introduces the use of an almost unexplored MCDM method, i.e. operational competitiveness ratings analysis (OCRA method for solving the NCMP selection problems. Applicability, suitability and computational procedure of OCRA method have been demonstrated while solving three case studies dealing with selection of the most suitable NCMP. In each case study the obtained rankings were compared with those derived by the past researchers using different MCDM methods. The results obtained using the OCRA method have good correlation with those derived by the past researchers which validate the usefulness of this method while solving complex NCMP selection problems.

Selecting concepts for a concept-based curriculum: application of a benchmark approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Giddens, Jean Foret; Wright, Mary; Gray, Irene

2012-09-01

In response to a transformational movement in nursing education, faculty across the country are considering changes to curricula and approaches to teaching. As a result, an emerging trend in many nursing programs is the adoption of a concept-based curriculum. As part of the curriculum development process, the selection of concepts, competencies, and exemplars on which to build courses and base content is needed. This article presents a benchmark approach used to validate and finalize concept selection among educators developing a concept-based curriculum for a statewide nursing consortium. These findings are intended to inform other nurse educators who are currently involved with or are considering this curriculum approach. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

The medicine selection process in four large university hospitals in Brazil: Does the DTC have a role?

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Elisangela da Costa Lima-Dellamora

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Knowledge about evidence-based medicine selection and the role of the Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC is an important topic in the literature but is scarcely discussed in Brazil. Our objective, using a qualitative design, was to analyze the medicine selection process performed in four large university hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Information was collected from documents, interviews with key informants and direct observations. Two dimensions were analyzed: the structural and organizational aspects of the selection process and the criteria and methods used in medicine selection. The findings showed that the DTC was active in two hospitals. The structure for decision-making was weak. DTC members had little experience in evidence-based selection, and their everyday functions did not influence their participation in DTC activities. The methods used to evaluate evidence were inadequate. The uncritical adoption of new medicines in these complex hospital facilities may be hampering pharmaceutical services, with consequences for the entire health system. Although the qualitative approach considerably limits the extent to which the results can be extrapolated, we believe that our findings may be relevant to other university hospitals in the country.

Structuring AHP-based maintenance policy selection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goossens, Adriaan; Basten, Robertus Johannes Ida; Hummel, J. Marjan; van der Wegen, Leonardus L.M.

2015-01-01

We aim to structure the maintenance policy selection process for ships, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Maintenance is an important contributor to reach the intended life-time of capital technical assets, and it is gaining increasing interest and relevance. A maintenance policy is a

FiGS: a filter-based gene selection workbench for microarray data

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Yun Taegyun

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The selection of genes that discriminate disease classes from microarray data is widely used for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers. Although various gene selection methods are currently available and some of them have shown excellent performance, no single method can retain the best performance for all types of microarray datasets. It is desirable to use a comparative approach to find the best gene selection result after rigorous test of different methodological strategies for a given microarray dataset. Results FiGS is a web-based workbench that automatically compares various gene selection procedures and provides the optimal gene selection result for an input microarray dataset. FiGS builds up diverse gene selection procedures by aligning different feature selection techniques and classifiers. In addition to the highly reputed techniques, FiGS diversifies the gene selection procedures by incorporating gene clustering options in the feature selection step and different data pre-processing options in classifier training step. All candidate gene selection procedures are evaluated by the .632+ bootstrap errors and listed with their classification accuracies and selected gene sets. FiGS runs on parallelized computing nodes that capacitate heavy computations. FiGS is freely accessible at http://gexp.kaist.ac.kr/figs. Conclusion FiGS is an web-based application that automates an extensive search for the optimized gene selection analysis for a microarray dataset in a parallel computing environment. FiGS will provide both an efficient and comprehensive means of acquiring optimal gene sets that discriminate disease states from microarray datasets.

Tax Havens: Toward An Optimal Selection Approach Based On Multicriteria Analysis

OpenAIRE

Tov Assogbavi; Sébastien Azondékon Azondékon

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to demystify the concept of tax havens. After defining tax havens in a tax-planning framework, the paper introduces a tax haven selection methodology based on a variant of Gibson and Black multicriteria analysis to identify the most suitable tax haven for a given entity. The study shows the importance of subjective variables and how to incorporate them into a tax haven selection process. While tax advantages remain the key factor when searching for a tax haven sol...

Multivariate fault isolation of batch processes via variable selection in partial least squares discriminant analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhengbing; Kuang, Te-Hui; Yao, Yuan

2017-09-01

In recent years, multivariate statistical monitoring of batch processes has become a popular research topic, wherein multivariate fault isolation is an important step aiming at the identification of the faulty variables contributing most to the detected process abnormality. Although contribution plots have been commonly used in statistical fault isolation, such methods suffer from the smearing effect between correlated variables. In particular, in batch process monitoring, the high autocorrelations and cross-correlations that exist in variable trajectories make the smearing effect unavoidable. To address such a problem, a variable selection-based fault isolation method is proposed in this research, which transforms the fault isolation problem into a variable selection problem in partial least squares discriminant analysis and solves it by calculating a sparse partial least squares model. As different from the traditional methods, the proposed method emphasizes the relative importance of each process variable. Such information may help process engineers in conducting root-cause diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective extraction of cesium: from compound to process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, N.; Eymard, S.; Tournois, B.; Dozol, J.F.

2000-01-01

Under the French law of 30 December 1991 on nuclear waste management, research is conducted to recover long-lived fission products from high-level radioactive effluents generated by spent fuel reprocessing, in order to destroy them by transmutation or encapsulate them in specific matrices. Cesium extraction with mono and bis-crown calix(4)arenes (Frame 1) is a candidate for process development. These extractants remove cesium from highly acidic or basic pH media even with high salinity. A real raffinate was treated in 1994 in a hot cell to extract cesium with a calix-crown extractant. The success of this one batch experiment confirmed the feasibility of cesium decontamination from high-level liquid waste. It was then decided to develop a process flowchart to extract cesium selectively from high-level raffinate, to be included in the general scheme of long-lived radionuclide partitioning. It was accordingly decided to develop a process based on liquid-liquid extraction and hence optimize a calixarene/diluent solvent according to: - hydraulic properties: density, viscosity, interfacial tension, - chemical criteria: sufficient cesium extraction (depending on the diluent), kinetics, third phase elimination... New mono-crown-calixarenes branched with long aliphatic groups (Frame 2) were designed to be soluble in aliphatic diluents. To prevent third phase formation associated with nitric acid extraction, the addition of modifiers (alcohol, phosphate and amide) in the organic phase was tested (Frame 3). Table 1 shows examples of calixarene/diluent systems suitable for a process flowchart, and Figure 2 provides data on cesium extraction with these new systems. Alongside these improvements, a system based on a modified 1,3-di(n-octyl-oxy)2,4-calix[4]arene crown and a modified diluent was also developed, considering a mixed TPH/NPHE system as the diluent, where TPH (hydrogenated tetra propylene) is a common aliphatic industrial solvent and NPHE is nitrophenyl

Stability-based sorting: The forgotten process behind (not only) biological evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Toman, Jan; Flegr, Jaroslav

2017-12-21

Natural selection is considered to be the main process that drives biological evolution. It requires selected entities to originate dependent upon one another by the means of reproduction or copying, and for the progeny to inherit the qualities of their ancestors. However, natural selection is a manifestation of a more general persistence principle, whose temporal consequences we propose to name "stability-based sorting" (SBS). Sorting based on static stability, i.e., SBS in its strict sense and usual conception, favours characters that increase the persistence of their holders and act on all material and immaterial entities. Sorted entities could originate independently from each other, are not required to propagate and need not exhibit heredity. Natural selection is a specific form of SBS-sorting based on dynamic stability. It requires some form of heredity and is based on competition for the largest difference between the speed of generating its own copies and their expiration. SBS in its strict sense and selection thus have markedly different evolutionary consequences that are stressed in this paper. In contrast to selection, which is opportunistic, SBS is able to accumulate even momentarily detrimental characters that are advantageous for the long-term persistence of sorted entities. However, it lacks the amplification effect based on the preferential propagation of holders of advantageous characters. Thus, it works slower than selection and normally is unable to create complex adaptations. From a long-term perspective, SBS is a decisive force in evolution-especially macroevolution. SBS offers a new explanation for numerous evolutionary phenomena, including broad distribution and persistence of sexuality, altruistic behaviour, horizontal gene transfer, patterns of evolutionary stasis, planetary homeostasis, increasing ecosystem resistance to disturbances, and the universal decline of disparity in the evolution of metazoan lineages. SBS acts on all levels in

Selecting a summation base in diffraction transformation of seismic recordings (in an example of Northern Sakhalin)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulatov, M.G.; Telegin, A.N.

1984-01-01

The effect of the dimensions of a processing base on the results of diffraction transformation of seismic recordings is examined. A formula is cited for rating the optimal summation base on the basis of a proposed range of slant angles of the reflecting boundaries. The recommendations for selecting a processing base are confirmed by factual material.

Refining processes of selected copper alloys

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S. Rzadkosz

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the refining effectiveness of the liquid copper and selected copper alloys by various micro additions and special refiningsubstances – was performed. Examinations of an influence of purifying, modifying and deoxidation operations performed in a metal bath on the properties of certain selected alloys based on copper matrix - were made. Refining substances, protecting-purifying slag, deoxidation and modifying substances containing micro additions of such elements as: zirconium, boron, phosphor, sodium, lithium, or their compounds introduced in order to change micro structures and properties of alloys, were applied in examinations. A special attention was directed to macro and micro structures of alloys, their tensile and elongation strength and hot-cracks sensitivity. Refining effects were estimated by comparing the effectiveness of micro structure changes with property changes of copper and its selected alloys from the group of tin bronzes.

Process Design and Evaluation for Chemicals Based on Renewable Resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fu, Wenjing

. In addition, another characteristic of chemicals based on renewable feedstocks is that many alternative technologies and possible routes exist, resulting in many possible process flowsheets. The challenge for process engineers is then to choose between possible process routes and alternative technologies...... development of chemicals based on renewable feedstocks. As an example, this thesis especially focuses on applying the methodology in process design and evaluation of the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from the renewable feedstock glucose/fructose. The selected example is part of the chemoenzymatic......One of the key steps in process design is choosing between alternative technologies, especially for processes producing bulk and commodity chemicals. Recently, driven by the increasing oil prices and diminishing reserves, the production of bulk and commodity chemicals from renewable feedstocks has...

AHP-Based Optimal Selection of Garment Sizes for Online Shopping

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

Garment online shopping has been accepted by more and more consumers in recent years. In online shopping, a buyer only chooses the garment size judged by his own experience without trying-on, so the selected garment may not be the fittest one for the buyer due to the variety of body's figures. Thus, we propose a method of optimal selection of garment sizes for online shopping based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The hierarchical structure model for optimal selection of garment sizes is structured and the fittest garment for a buyer is found by calculating the matching degrees between individual's measurements and the corresponding key-part values of ready-to-wear clothing sizes. In order to demonstrate its feasibility, we provide an example of selecting the fittest sizes of men's bottom. The result shows that the proposed method is useful in online clothing sales application.

Process of establishing design requirements and selecting alternative configurations for conceptual design of a VLA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo-Young Bae

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, a process for establishing design requirements and selecting alternative configurations for the conceptual phase of aircraft design has been proposed. The proposed process uses system-engineering-based requirement-analysis techniques such as objective tree, analytic hierarchy process, and quality function deployment to establish logical and quantitative standards. Moreover, in order to perform a logical selection of alternative aircraft configurations, it uses advanced decision-making methods such as morphological matrix and technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution. In addition, a preliminary sizing tool has been developed to check the feasibility of the established performance requirements and to evaluate the flight performance of the selected configurations. The present process has been applied for a two-seater very light aircraft (VLA, resulting in a set of tentative design requirements and two families of VLA configurations: a high-wing configuration and a low-wing configuration. The resulting set of design requirements consists of three categories: customer requirements, certification requirements, and performance requirements. The performance requirements include two mission requirements for the flight range and the endurance by reflecting the customer requirements. The flight performances of the two configuration families were evaluated using the sizing tool developed and the low-wing configuration with conventional tails was selected as the best baseline configuration for the VLA.

Using Card Games to Simulate the Process of Natural Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Grilliot, Matthew E.; Harden, Siegfried

2014-01-01

In 1858, Darwin published "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection." His explanation of evolution by natural selection has become the unifying theme of biology. We have found that many students do not fully comprehend the process of evolution by natural selection. We discuss a few simple games that incorporate hands-on…

GoDisco: Selective Gossip Based Dissemination of Information in Social Community Based Overlays

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Anwitaman; Sharma, Rajesh

We propose and investigate a gossip based, social principles and behavior inspired decentralized mechanism (GoDisco) to disseminate information in online social community networks, using exclusively social links and exploiting semantic context to keep the dissemination process selective to relevant nodes. Such a designed dissemination scheme using gossiping over a egocentric social network is unique and is arguably a concept whose time has arrived, emulating word of mouth behavior and can have interesting applications like probabilistic publish/subscribe, decentralized recommendation and contextual advertisement systems, to name a few. Simulation based experiments show that despite using only local knowledge and contacts, the system has good global coverage and behavior.

Traditional versus commercial food processing techniques - A comparative study based on chemical analysis of selected foods consumed in rural Zimbabwe.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abraham I. C. Mwadiwa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available With the advent of industrialisation, food processors are constantly looking for ways to cut costs, increase production and maximise profits at the expense of quality. Commercial food processors have since shifted their focus from endogenous ways of processing food to more profitable commercial food processing techniques. The aim of this study was to investigate the holistic impact of commercial food processing techniques on nutrition by comparing commercially (industrially processed food products and endogenously processed food products through chemical analysis of selected foods. Eight food samples which included commercially processed peanut butter, mealie-meal, dried vegetables (mufushwa and rice and endogenously processed peanut butter, mealie-meal, dried vegetables (mufushwa and rice were randomly sampled from rural communities in the south-eastern and central provinces of Zimbabwe. They were analysed for ash, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, energy, crude fibre, vitamin C and moisture contents. The results of chemical analysis indicate that endogenously processed mealie-meal, dried vegetables and rice contained higher ash values of 2.00g/100g, 17.83g/100g, and 3.28g/100g respectively than commercially processed mealie-meal, dried vegetables and rice, which had ash values of 1.56g/100g, 15.25g/100g and 1.46g/100g respectively. The results also show that endogenously processed foods have correspondingly higher iron, zinc and magnesium contents and, on the whole, a higher protein content. The results also indicate that commercially processed foods have higher fat and energy contents. The result led to the conclusion that the foods are likely to pose a higher risk of causing adverse conditions to health, such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases to susceptible individuals. Based on these findings, it can, therefore, be concluded that endogenously processed foods have a better nutrient value and health implications

A Quality Function Deployment-Based Expert System for Cotton Fibre Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Shankar; Prasad, Kanika

2018-06-01

The textile industries have seen resurgence in customers' demand for quality products during the preceding few years. This product range is extremely varied, with hand-spun and hand-woven products at one end of the spectrum, while products manufactured from the capital intensive sophisticated machineries at the other end. Since, cotton fibres are predominantly employed as the raw material for manufacturing these products, their proper selection is crucial for sustainable development of the textile/spinning industries. However, availability of numerous cotton fibre alternatives with various physical properties makes this selection process unwieldy and time consuming. Thus, there is need for a structured approach that can incorporate customers' demand into the selection process. This paper demonstrates the application of a structured and logical procedure of selecting the best cotton fibre type to fulfill a set of specified end product requirements through design and development of a quality function deployment (QFD)-based expert system. The QFD technique is employed here to provide due importance to the customers' spoken and unspoken needs, and subsequently calculate the priority weights of the considered cotton fibre properties. Two real time illustrative examples are presented to explicate the applicability and potentiality of the developed expert system to resolve cotton fibre selection problems.

A Quality Function Deployment-Based Expert System for Cotton Fibre Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Shankar; Prasad, Kanika

2018-01-01

The textile industries have seen resurgence in customers' demand for quality products during the preceding few years. This product range is extremely varied, with hand-spun and hand-woven products at one end of the spectrum, while products manufactured from the capital intensive sophisticated machineries at the other end. Since, cotton fibres are predominantly employed as the raw material for manufacturing these products, their proper selection is crucial for sustainable development of the textile/spinning industries. However, availability of numerous cotton fibre alternatives with various physical properties makes this selection process unwieldy and time consuming. Thus, there is need for a structured approach that can incorporate customers' demand into the selection process. This paper demonstrates the application of a structured and logical procedure of selecting the best cotton fibre type to fulfill a set of specified end product requirements through design and development of a quality function deployment (QFD)-based expert system. The QFD technique is employed here to provide due importance to the customers' spoken and unspoken needs, and subsequently calculate the priority weights of the considered cotton fibre properties. Two real time illustrative examples are presented to explicate the applicability and potentiality of the developed expert system to resolve cotton fibre selection problems.

Process for selecting a site for Canada's deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Facella, J.; Belfadhel, M.B.

2011-01-01

Canadians concerning key principles and elements of a fair and acceptable site selection process, and the experiences and lessons learned in siting large projects internationally. The paper will highlight the requirements identified by citizens, and outline the goals and principles associated with the site selection process that emerged from this process of collaboration. NWMO will share its observations based on the lessons learned to date as the organization implements this community-driven site selection process. NWMO will reflect on challenges and opportunities encountered as the journey unfolds. (author)

Concepts of radiation processes selection for industrial realization. Chapter 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

For selection of radiation processes in industry the processes usually are analyzing by technological and social effects, power-insensitivity, common efficiency. Technological effect is generally conditioned with uniqueness of radiation technologies which allow to obtain new material or certain one but with new properties. Social effect first of all concerns with influence of radiation technologies on consumer's psychology. Implementation of equipment for radiation technological process for both the new material production and natural materials radiation treatment is related with decision of three tasks: 1) Choice of radiation source; 2). Creation of special equipment for radiation and untraditional stages of the process; 3) Selection of radiation and other conditions ensuring of achievement of optimal technological and economical indexes

An Empirical Study of Wrappers for Feature Subset Selection based on a Parallel Genetic Algorithm: The Multi-Wrapper Model

KAUST Repository

Soufan, Othman

2012-09-01

Feature selection is the first task of any learning approach that is applied in major fields of biomedical, bioinformatics, robotics, natural language processing and social networking. In feature subset selection problem, a search methodology with a proper criterion seeks to find the best subset of features describing data (relevance) and achieving better performance (optimality). Wrapper approaches are feature selection methods which are wrapped around a classification algorithm and use a performance measure to select the best subset of features. We analyze the proper design of the objective function for the wrapper approach and highlight an objective based on several classification algorithms. We compare the wrapper approaches to different feature selection methods based on distance and information based criteria. Significant improvement in performance, computational time, and selection of minimally sized feature subsets is achieved by combining different objectives for the wrapper model. In addition, considering various classification methods in the feature selection process could lead to a global solution of desirable characteristics.

Use of strategic environmental assessment in the site selection process for a radioactive waste disposal facility in Slovenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Dermol, Urška; Kontić, Branko

2011-01-01

The benefits of strategic environmental considerations in the process of siting a repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) are presented. The benefits have been explored by analyzing differences between the two site selection processes. One is a so-called official site selection process, which is implemented by the Agency for radwaste management (ARAO); the other is an optimization process suggested by experts working in the area of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and land-use (spatial) planning. The criteria on which the comparison of the results of the two site selection processes has been based are spatial organization, environmental impact, safety in terms of potential exposure of the population to radioactivity released from the repository, and feasibility of the repository from the technical, financial/economic and social point of view (the latter relates to consent by the local community for siting the repository). The site selection processes have been compared with the support of the decision expert system named DEX. The results of the comparison indicate that the sites selected by ARAO meet fewer suitability criteria than those identified by applying strategic environmental considerations in the framework of the optimization process. This result stands when taking into account spatial, environmental, safety and technical feasibility points of view. Acceptability of a site by a local community could not have been tested, since the formal site selection process has not yet been concluded; this remains as an uncertain and open point of the comparison. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel heterogeneous training sample selection method on space-time adaptive processing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiang; Zhang, Yongshun; Guo, Yiduo

2018-04-01

The performance of ground target detection about space-time adaptive processing (STAP) decreases when non-homogeneity of clutter power is caused because of training samples contaminated by target-like signals. In order to solve this problem, a novel nonhomogeneous training sample selection method based on sample similarity is proposed, which converts the training sample selection into a convex optimization problem. Firstly, the existing deficiencies on the sample selection using generalized inner product (GIP) are analyzed. Secondly, the similarities of different training samples are obtained by calculating mean-hausdorff distance so as to reject the contaminated training samples. Thirdly, cell under test (CUT) and the residual training samples are projected into the orthogonal subspace of the target in the CUT, and mean-hausdorff distances between the projected CUT and training samples are calculated. Fourthly, the distances are sorted in order of value and the training samples which have the bigger value are selective preference to realize the reduced-dimension. Finally, simulation results with Mountain-Top data verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Investigation of the site selection examples adopted local participation. The site selection processes in Belgium, UK and Switzerland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kageyama, Hitoshi; Suzuki, Shinji; Hirose, Ikuro; Yoshioka, Tatsuji

2014-06-01

In late years, local participation policies are being adopted in foreign countries at site selection for the disposal of the radioactive waste. We performed documents investigation about the examples of the site selection processes of Belgium, the U.K., and Switzerland to establish the site selection policy in Japan. In Belgium, after the failure of the site selection for the disposal of short-lived low and intermediate level radioactive waste (LILW) in an early stage, the idea of the local partnership (LP) was developed and three independent LPs were established between the implementing body and each municipality. About 7 years later, one site was decided as the disposal site in the cabinet meeting of the federal government. In the U.K., after the failure of the site selection for the rock characterization facility, the government policy was changed and the consultation process comprised of six phases was started. Though the process had been carried out for over 4 years since one combined partnership was established between the implementing body and the municipalities involved, they had to withdraw from the consulting process because a county council had not accepted that the process would step forward to the 4th phase. In Switzerland, the implementing body selected one site for LILW disposal at an early stage, but the project was denied by the referendum in the Canton having jurisdiction over the site area. After that the Federal Parliament established new Nuclear Energy Act and Nuclear Energy Ordinance precluding the veto of Canton. Now the site selection project is being carried out according to the process comprised of three phases with local participation policy. Reviewing the merits and demerits of each example through this investigation, we confirmed if we are to adopt local participation policy in our country in future, further prudent study would be necessary, considering current and future social conditions in Japan. (author)

Supplier Selection for Food Industry: A Combination of Taguchi Loss Function and Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renna Magdalena

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Supplier selection is an important part of supply chain management process by which firms identify, evaluate, and establish contracts with suppliers. Deciding the right supplier can be a complex task. As such, various criteria must be taken into account to choose the best supplier. This study focused on the supply in the packaging division of a food industry in Denpasar-Bali. A combination of Taguchi Loss Function and fuzzy-AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process Fuzzy Linear Programming was used to determine the best supplier. In this analysis, several suppliers’ criteria were considered, namely quality, delivery, completeness, quality loss and environmental management. By maximizing the suppliers’ performances based on each criterion and aggregating the suppliers’ performances based on the overall criteria, the best supplier was determined. Keywords: supplier selection, taguchi loss function, AHP, fuzzy linear programming,environment

A Feature Selection Method for Large-Scale Network Traffic Classification Based on Spark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Wang

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Currently, with the rapid increasing of data scales in network traffic classifications, how to select traffic features efficiently is becoming a big challenge. Although a number of traditional feature selection methods using the Hadoop-MapReduce framework have been proposed, the execution time was still unsatisfactory with numeral iterative computations during the processing. To address this issue, an efficient feature selection method for network traffic based on a new parallel computing framework called Spark is proposed in this paper. In our approach, the complete feature set is firstly preprocessed based on Fisher score, and a sequential forward search strategy is employed for subsets. The optimal feature subset is then selected using the continuous iterations of the Spark computing framework. The implementation demonstrates that, on the precondition of keeping the classification accuracy, our method reduces the time cost of modeling and classification, and improves the execution efficiency of feature selection significantly.

Content-based image retrieval: Color-selection exploited

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broek, E.L. van den; Vuurpijl, L.G.; Kisters, P. M. F.; Schmid, J.C.M. von; Moens, M.F.; Busser, R. de; Hiemstra, D.; Kraaij, W.

2002-01-01

This research presents a new color selection interface that facilitates query-by-color in Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR). Existing CBIR color selection interfaces, are being judged as non-intuitive and difficult to use. Our interface copes with these problems of usability. It is based on 11

Content-Based Image Retrieval: Color-selection exploited

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moens, Marie-Francine; van den Broek, Egon; Vuurpijl, L.G.; de Brusser, Rik; Kisters, P.M.F.; Hiemstra, Djoerd; Kraaij, Wessel; von Schmid, J.C.M.

2002-01-01

This research presents a new color selection interface that facilitates query-by-color in Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR). Existing CBIR color selection interfaces, are being judged as non-intuitive and difficult to use. Our interface copes with these problems of usability. It is based on 11

Selective sensation based brain-computer interface via mechanical vibrotactile stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects' left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement ([Formula: see text]) from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system.

Selective Sensation Based Brain-Computer Interface via Mechanical Vibrotactile Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects’ left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement () from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system. PMID:23762253

Attentional selection of relative SF mediates global versus local processing: evidence from EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Flevaris, Anastasia V; Bentin, Shlomo; Robertson, Lynn C

2011-06-13

Previous research on functional hemispheric differences in visual processing has associated global perception with low spatial frequency (LSF) processing biases of the right hemisphere (RH) and local perception with high spatial frequency (HSF) processing biases of the left hemisphere (LH). The Double Filtering by Frequency (DFF) theory expanded this hypothesis by proposing that visual attention selects and is directed to relatively LSFs by the RH and relatively HSFs by the LH, suggesting a direct causal relationship between SF selection and global versus local perception. We tested this idea in the current experiment by comparing activity in the EEG recorded at posterior right and posterior left hemisphere sites while participants' attention was directed to global or local levels of processing after selection of relatively LSFs versus HSFs in a previous stimulus. Hemispheric asymmetry in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) during preparation for global versus local processing was modulated by the selected SF. In contrast, preparatory activity associated with selection of SF was not modulated by the previously attended level (global/local). These results support the DFF theory that top-down attentional selection of SF mediates global and local processing.

Binding Mechanisms in Selective Laser Sintering and Selective Laser Melting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kruth, J.P.; Mercelis, P.; Van Vaerenbergh, J.; van Vaerenbergh, J.; Froyen, L.; Rombouts, M.

2005-01-01

Purpose – This paper provides an overview of the different binding mechanisms in selective laser sintering (SLS) and selective laser melting (SLM), thus improving the understanding of these processes. Design/methodology/approach – A classification of SLS/SLM processes was developed, based on the

Traditional and robust vector selection methods for use with similarity based models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hines, J. W.; Garvey, D. R.

2006-01-01

Vector selection, or instance selection as it is often called in the data mining literature, performs a critical task in the development of nonparametric, similarity based models. Nonparametric, similarity based modeling (SBM) is a form of 'lazy learning' which constructs a local model 'on the fly' by comparing a query vector to historical, training vectors. For large training sets the creation of local models may become cumbersome, since each training vector must be compared to the query vector. To alleviate this computational burden, varying forms of training vector sampling may be employed with the goal of selecting a subset of the training data such that the samples are representative of the underlying process. This paper describes one such SBM, namely auto-associative kernel regression (AAKR), and presents five traditional vector selection methods and one robust vector selection method that may be used to select prototype vectors from a larger data set in model training. The five traditional vector selection methods considered are min-max, vector ordering, combination min-max and vector ordering, fuzzy c-means clustering, and Adeli-Hung clustering. Each method is described in detail and compared using artificially generated data and data collected from the steam system of an operating nuclear power plant. (authors)

Chemical Composition of Selected Beetroot Juices in Relation to Beetroot Production System and Processing Technology

OpenAIRE

Renata KAZIMIERCZAK; Agata SIŁAKIEWICZ; Ewelina HALLMANN; Dominika ŚREDNICKA-TOBER; Ewa REMBIAŁKOWSKA

2016-01-01

Market offer of vegetable juices in Europe is growing, and the vegetable species and processing technologies used become more diversified resulting in a large range of juice types. At the same time consumers look for natural and safe products with pro-health properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional composition of selected juices based on beetroots coming from different agricultural systems and processed according to different technologies. Research material consisted ...

Performance Measurement Model for the Supplier Selection Based on AHP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio De Felice

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The performance of the supplier is a crucial factor for the success or failure of any company. Rational and effective decision making in terms of the supplier selection process can help the organization to optimize cost and quality functions. The nature of supplier selection processes is generally complex, especially when the company has a large variety of products and vendors. Over the years, several solutions and methods have emerged for addressing the supplier selection problem (SSP. Experience and studies have shown that there is no best way for evaluating and selecting a specific supplier process, but that it varies from one organization to another. The aim of this research is to demonstrate how a multiple attribute decision making approach can be effectively applied for the supplier selection process.

The effect of individually-induced processes on image-based overlay and diffraction-based overlay

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, SeungHwa; Lee, Jeongjin; Lee, Seungyoon; Hwang, Chan; Choi, Gilheyun; Kang, Ho-Kyu; Jung, EunSeung

2014-04-01

In this paper, set of wafers with separated processes was prepared and overlay measurement result was compared in two methods; IBO and DBO. Based on the experimental result, theoretical approach of relationship between overlay mark deformation and overlay variation is presented. Moreover, overlay reading simulation was used in verification and prediction of overlay variation due to deformation of overlay mark caused by induced processes. Through this study, understanding of individual process effects on overlay measurement error is given. Additionally, guideline of selecting proper overlay measurement scheme for specific layer is presented.

Sex differences in sensorimotor mu rhythms during selective attentional processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Popovich, C; Dockstader, C; Cheyne, D; Tannock, R

2010-12-01

We used magnetoencephalography to investigate the effect of directed attention on sensorimotor mu (8-12 Hz) response (mu reactivity) to non-painful electrical stimulation of the median nerve in healthy adults. Mu desynchronization in the 10-12 Hz bandwidth is typically observed during higher-order cognitive functions including selective attentional processing of sensorimotor information (Pfurtscheller, Neuper, & Krauz, 2000). We found attention-related sex differences in mu reactivity, with females showing (i) prolonged mu desynchrony when attending to somatosensory stimuli, (ii) attentional modulation of the mu response based on whether attention was directed towards or away from somatosensory stimuli, which was absent in males, and (iii) a trend for greater neuronal excitability of the primary somatosensory region suggesting greater physiological responsiveness to sensory stimulation overall. Our findings suggest sex differences in attentional control strategies when processing somatosensory stimuli, whose salience may be greater for females. These sex differences in attention to somatosensory stimuli may help elucidate the well-documented sex biases in pain processing wherein females typically report greater sensitivity to experimental and clinical pain. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HOSPITAL SITE SELECTION USING TWO-STAGE FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Soltani

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Site selection for sitting of urban activities/facilities is one of the crucial policy-related decisions taken by urban planners and policy makers. The process of site selection is inherently complicated. A careless site imposes exorbitant costs on city budget and damages the environment inevitably. Nowadays, multi-attributes decision making approaches are suggested to use to improve precision of decision making and reduce surplus side effects. Two well-known techniques, analytical hierarchal process and analytical network process are among multi-criteria decision making systems which can easily be consistent with both quantitative and qualitative criteria. These are also developed to be fuzzy analytical hierarchal process and fuzzy analytical network process systems which are capable of accommodating inherent uncertainty and vagueness in multi-criteria decision-making. This paper reports the process and results of a hospital site selection within the Region 5 of Shiraz metropolitan area, Iran using integrated fuzzy analytical network process systems with Geographic Information System (GIS. The weights of the alternatives were calculated using fuzzy analytical network process. Then a sensitivity analysis was conducted to measure the elasticity of a decision in regards to different criteria. This study contributes to planning practice by suggesting a more comprehensive decision making tool for site selection.

HOSPITAL SITE SELECTION USING TWO-STAGE FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Soltani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Site selection for sitting of urban activities/facilities is one of the crucial policy-related decisions taken by urban planners and policy makers. The process of site selection is inherently complicated. A careless site imposes exorbitant costs on city budget and damages the environment inevitably. Nowadays, multi-attributes decision making approaches are suggested to use to improve precision of decision making and reduce surplus side effects. Two well-known techniques, analytical hierarchal process and analytical network process are among multi-criteria decision making systems which can easily be consistent with both quantitative and qualitative criteria. These are also developed to be fuzzy analytical hierarchal process and fuzzy analytical network process systems which are capable of accommodating inherent uncertainty and vagueness in multi-criteria decision-making. This paper reports the process and results of a hospital site selection within the Region 5 of Shiraz metropolitan area, Iran using integrated fuzzy analytical network process systems with Geographic Information System (GIS. The weights of the alternatives were calculated using fuzzy analytical network process. Then a sensitivity analysis was conducted to measure the elasticity of a decision in regards to different criteria. This study contributes to planning practice by suggesting a more comprehensive decision making tool for site selection.

Tensor-based Multi-view Feature Selection with Applications to Brain Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Bokai; He, Lifang; Kong, Xiangnan; Yu, Philip S.; Hao, Zhifeng; Ragin, Ann B.

2015-01-01

In the era of big data, we can easily access information from multiple views which may be obtained from different sources or feature subsets. Generally, different views provide complementary information for learning tasks. Thus, multi-view learning can facilitate the learning process and is prevalent in a wide range of application domains. For example, in medical science, measurements from a series of medical examinations are documented for each subject, including clinical, imaging, immunologic, serologic and cognitive measures which are obtained from multiple sources. Specifically, for brain diagnosis, we can have different quantitative analysis which can be seen as different feature subsets of a subject. It is desirable to combine all these features in an effective way for disease diagnosis. However, some measurements from less relevant medical examinations can introduce irrelevant information which can even be exaggerated after view combinations. Feature selection should therefore be incorporated in the process of multi-view learning. In this paper, we explore tensor product to bring different views together in a joint space, and present a dual method of tensor-based multi-view feature selection (dual-Tmfs) based on the idea of support vector machine recursive feature elimination. Experiments conducted on datasets derived from neurological disorder demonstrate the features selected by our proposed method yield better classification performance and are relevant to disease diagnosis. PMID:25937823

An International Perspective on Pharmacy Student Selection Policies and Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, John; Kennedy, Julia; Jensen, Maree; Sheridan, Janie

2015-10-25

Objective. To reflect on selection policies and procedures for programs at pharmacy schools that are members of an international alliance of universities (Universitas 21). Methods. A questionnaire on selection policies and procedures was distributed to admissions directors at participating schools. Results. Completed questionnaires were received from 7 schools in 6 countries. Although marked differences were noted in the programs in different countries, there were commonalities in the selection processes. There was an emphasis on previous academic performance, especially in science subjects. With one exception, all schools had some form of interview, with several having moved to multiple mini-interviews in recent years. Conclusion. The majority of pharmacy schools in this survey relied on traditional selection processes. While there was increasing use of multiple mini-interviews, the authors suggest that additional new approaches may be required in light of the changing nature of the profession.

Maximum relevance, minimum redundancy band selection based on neighborhood rough set for hyperspectral data classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yao; Chen, Yuehua; Tan, Kezhu; Xie, Hong; Wang, Liguo; Xie, Wu; Yan, Xiaozhen; Xu, Zhen

2016-01-01

Band selection is considered to be an important processing step in handling hyperspectral data. In this work, we selected informative bands according to the maximal relevance minimal redundancy (MRMR) criterion based on neighborhood mutual information. Two measures MRMR difference and MRMR quotient were defined and a forward greedy search for band selection was constructed. The performance of the proposed algorithm, along with a comparison with other methods (neighborhood dependency measure based algorithm, genetic algorithm and uninformative variable elimination algorithm), was studied using the classification accuracy of extreme learning machine (ELM) and random forests (RF) classifiers on soybeans’ hyperspectral datasets. The results show that the proposed MRMR algorithm leads to promising improvement in band selection and classification accuracy. (paper)

The Process of Marketing Segmentation Strategy Selection

OpenAIRE

Ionel Dumitru

2007-01-01

The process of marketing segmentation strategy selection represents the essence of strategical marketing. We present hereinafter the main forms of the marketing statategy segmentation: undifferentiated marketing, differentiated marketing, concentrated marketing and personalized marketing. In practice, the companies use a mix of these marketing segmentation methods in order to maximize the proffit and to satisfy the consumers’ needs.

A Collective Case Study of Secondary Students' Model-Based Inquiry on Natural Selection through Programming in an Agent-Based Modeling Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Lin

This is a collective case study seeking to develop detailed descriptions of how programming an agent-based simulation influences a group of 8 th grade students' model-based inquiry (MBI) by examining students' agent-based programmable modeling (ABPM) processes and the learning outcomes. The context of the present study was a biology unit on natural selection implemented in a charter school of a major California city during spring semester of 2009. Eight 8th grade students, two boys and six girls, participated in this study. All of them were low socioeconomic status (SES). English was a second language for all of them, but they had been identified as fluent English speakers at least a year before the study. None of them had learned either natural selection or programming before the study. The study spanned over 7 weeks and was comprised of two study phases. In phase one the subject students learned natural selection in science classroom and how to do programming in NetLogo, an ABPM tool, in a computer lab; in phase two, the subject students were asked to program a simulation of adaptation based on the natural selection model in NetLogo. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in this study. The data resources included (1) pre and post test questionnaire, (2) student in-class worksheet, (3) programming planning sheet, (4) code-conception matching sheet, (5) student NetLogo projects, (6) videotaped programming processes, (7) final interview, and (8) investigator's field notes. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied to analyze the gathered data. The findings suggested that students made progress on understanding adaptation phenomena and natural selection at the end of ABPM-supported MBI learning but the progress was limited. These students still held some misconceptions in their conceptual models, such as the idea that animals need to "learn" to adapt into the environment. Besides, their models of natural selection appeared to be

The Reputation Driven Interplay of Relationships between Clients and Auditors in an Auditor Selection Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kacanski, Slobodan

2017-01-01

This study investigates the reputation-based interplay between auditor selection and interlocking directorships from a multilevel network perspective. The aim of this article is to explore how and under what conditions reputation influences patterns of social selection processes in an assurance...... to the literature on auditor selection. A total of 774 annual reports were collected from 145 - 165 Danish public listed companies, and the relational data of companies was assembled, as comprised of the members of supervisory boards and partners who signed audit reports during the five-year period from 2010...... to 2014. In this study, mechanisms for auditor selection were controlled by mechanisms for interlocking directorships in order to obtain a broader picture of the conditions under which board members have tendencies to select reputable auditors. The findings suggest that reputation has a significant impact...

Selection of power market structure using the analytic hierarchy process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subhes Bhattacharyya; Prasanta Kumar Dey

2003-01-01

Selection of a power market structure from the available alternatives is an important activity within an overall power sector reform program. The evaluation criteria for selection are both subjective as well as objective in nature and the selection of alternatives is characterised by their conflicting nature. This study demonstrates a methodology for power market structure selection using the analytic hierarchy process, a multiple attribute decision- making technique, to model the selection methodology with the active participation of relevant stakeholders in a workshop environment. The methodology is applied to a hypothetical case of a State Electricity Board reform in India. (author)

Change-based test selection : An empirical evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soetens, Quinten; Demeyer, Serge; Zaidman, A.E.; Perez, Javier

2015-01-01

Regression test selection (i.e., selecting a subset of a given regression test suite) is a problem that has been studied intensely over the last decade. However, with the increasing popularity of developer tests as the driver of the test process, more fine-grained solutions that work well within the

Understanding the selection processes of public research projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Materia, V.C.; Pascucci, S.; Kolympiris, C.

2015-01-01

This paper analyses factors that affect the funding of agricultural research projects by regional governments and other regional public authorities. We study the selection process of agricultural research projects funded by the emilia Romagna regional government in Italy, which follows funding

Study on the Decision-Making Process in Selecting Rail Infrastructure Managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dăneci-Pătrau Daniel

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The current economic context led to a significant decline in job vacancies in parallel with the downsizing numerous organizations were forced to make. Some of them ceased the hiring process as in the case of the national company CFR SA, while those with available positions focus on multiple skills and abilities and expertise exhibited in certain fields. In the context of the research concluded by the author, the identified issue circled around the decision to select the most suitable manager possessing the necessary qualities to participate in a scientific activity within the railway sector. To deliver a scientifically based solution also objectively determined, we built a specific multicriterial tree pattern with utility functions for the professional performances assessment and used the DEXi expert system in view of reaching the optimum version and making the selection decision. This method is our own contribution for the assessment of managers' professional.

Integral Public Activities as a Support to the Site Selection Process for LILW Repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeleznik, N.; Kralj, M.

2008-01-01

The first site selection process for low and intermediate level radioactive waste (LILW) repository took place between 1990 and 1993 in Slovenia was stopped unsuccessfully with very strong public opposition at local level, followed by political withdrawal on national level. As one of the consequences ARAO started to develop new approach to the site selection based also on the findings from sociology, psychology and other human sciences. The recommendations on public involvement and transparency were so strong that ARAO started with first limited public relation (PR) activities which later grew to the PR process which supports all technical activities in ARAO. Presently the PR process covers communication, information and research activities and assures careful planning, prompt responds and involvement of the highest responsible persons at ARAO. Integral public relation activities are divided in several parts. Majority of activities support the on-going site selection process where activities are presently focused on functioning of local partnerships developed as a basic communication tool to involve as much citizens and public as possible on local level. Presently two local partnerships are working in Krsko and Brezice community with clear role to enhance public involvement according to Aarchus convention. Each of the partnerships is organized in a specific way adjusted to the local needs. Communication activities are organized also for different other projects and are preparing the necessary basis for the work with different groups of stake holders and in different situations. As a foundation very broad information material, such as books, leaflets, reports, magazines, video cassettes, CD and DVD on the radioactive waste management is prepared and used for different purposes. We also try to be proactive with web pages and have a well organized visitors' center. Improvement of public relation process is achieved through constant survey and feed-back information

Process for Selecting System Level Assessments for Human System Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, James; Park, John

2006-01-01

The integration of many life support systems necessary to construct a stable habitat is difficult. The correct identification of the appropriate technologies and corresponding interfaces is an exhaustive process. Once technologies are selected secondary issues such as mechanical and electrical interfaces must be addressed. The required analytical and testing work must be approached in a piecewise fashion to achieve timely results. A repeatable process has been developed to identify and prioritize system level assessments and testing needs. This Assessment Selection Process has been defined to assess cross cutting integration issues on topics at the system or component levels. Assessments are used to identify risks, encourage future actions to mitigate risks, or spur further studies.

Cross-border shipment route selection utilizing analytic hierarchy process (AHP method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veeris Ammarapala

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Becoming a member of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC, Thailand expects a growth of cross-border trade with neighboring countries, especially the agricultural products shipment. To facilitate this, a number of strategies are set, such as the utilization of single check point, the Asian Highway (AH route development, and the truck lane initiation. However, majority of agricultural products traded through the borders are transported using the rural roads, from growing area to the factory, before continuing to the borders using different highways. It is, therefore, necessary for the Department of Rural Roads (DRR to plan for rural road improvement to accommodate the growth of the cross-border trades in the near future. This research, thus, aims to select potential rural roads to support cross-border shipment utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP method. Seven key factors affecting rural roads selection, with references from transport and other related literatures, are extracted. They include:1 cross-border trade value, 2 distance from border to rural road, 3 agriculture and processed agriculture goods transported across the border, 4 compatibility with national strategies, 5 area characteristics around the rural road, 6 truck volume, and 7 number of rural roads in the radius of 50 kilometers from the border. Interviews are conducted with the experts based on seven key factors to collect data for the AHP analysis. The results identify the weight of each factor with an acceptable consistency ratio. It shows that the cross-border trade value is the most important factor as it achieves the highest weight. The distance from border to rural road and the compatibility with national strategies are also found crucial when making rural road selection decision. The Department of Rural Roads could use the results to select suitable roads, and plan for road improvement to support the crossborder shipment when the AEC is fully implemented.

Selection of Activities in Dynamic Business Process Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toma Rusinaitė

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Maintaining dynamicity of business processes is one of the core issues of today's business as it enables businesses to adapt to constantly changing environment. Upon changing the processes, it is vital to assess possible impact, which is achieved by using simulation of dynamic processes. In order to implement dynamicity in business processes, it is necessary to have an ability to change components of the process (a set of activities, a content of activity, a set of activity sequences, a set of rules, performers and resources or dynamically select them during execution. This problem attracted attention of researches over the past few years; however, there is no proposed solution, which ensures the business process (BP dynamicity. This paper proposes and specifies dynamic business process (DBP simulation model, which satisfies all of the formulated DBP requirements.

Continuous Self-Selection Processes in Teacher Education: The Way for Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Zak, Itai

1981-01-01

Three selection phases were found in a study investigating the selection process of students into the teaching profession: (1) self selection by the potential teacher; (2) admission to the teacher-training program; and (3) election to undergo the course of instruction. Results suggest that personality traits are more important than cognitive…

Laser Process for Selective Emitter Silicon Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Poulain

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Selective emitter solar cells can provide a significant increase in conversion efficiency. However current approaches need many technological steps and alignment procedures. This paper reports on a preliminary attempt to reduce the number of processing steps and therefore the cost of selective emitter cells. In the developed procedure, a phosphorous glass covered with silicon nitride acts as the doping source. A laser is used to open locally the antireflection coating and at the same time achieve local phosphorus diffusion. In this process the standard chemical etching of the phosphorous glass is avoided. Sheet resistance variation from 100 Ω/sq to 40 Ω/sq is demonstrated with a nanosecond UV laser. Numerical simulation of the laser-matter interaction is discussed to understand the dopant diffusion efficiency. Preliminary solar cells results show a 0.5% improvement compared with a homogeneous emitter structure.

Temporally selective processing of communication signals by auditory midbrain neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elliott, Taffeta M; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob; Kelley, Darcy B

2011-01-01

click rates ranged from 4 to 50 Hz, the rate at which the clicks begin to overlap. Frequency selectivity and temporal processing were characterized using response-intensity curves, temporal-discharge patterns, and autocorrelations of reduplicated responses to click trains. Characteristic frequencies...... of the rate of clicks in calls. The majority of neurons (85%) were selective for click rates, and this selectivity remained unchanged over sound levels 10 to 20 dB above threshold. Selective neurons give phasic, tonic, or adapting responses to tone bursts and click trains. Some algorithms that could compute...

Interview from anywhere: feasibility and utility of web-based videoconference interviews in the gastroenterology fellowship selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

Daram, Sumanth R; Wu, Ruonan; Tang, Shou-Jiang

2014-02-01

Traditional personal interviews are subject to limitations imposed by geographic, financial, and scheduling constraints. Web-based videoconferencing (WVC) has the potential to simplify the interview process. This study was intended to evaluate the feasibility and utility of WVC using standard tablets/computers with videoconferencing capability in gastroenterology (GI) fellowship interviews. At a single institution, 16 GI fellowship applicants participated in WVC with one interviewer, who was present at a remote location 750 miles away. In addition, each of the candidates underwent traditional interviews with four faculty members at the program site. All study interviewees used an iPad2 (Apple, iOS 5.1; Apple) with a videoconferencing application (Facetime). The interviewer (SRD) used Facetime on a MacBook Pro (Apple, Mac OS X 10.7.3). Each candidate completed a voluntary paper survey after completion of all assigned faculty interviews. The average age of the candidates was 30 years (range, 27-37 years). Fourteen candidates were native English speakers. Candidates expressed a high level of satisfaction, with 13 candidates (81%) stating that their WVC experience met or exceeded their expectations, and 87% of candidates stating that WVC should be an option in fellowship interviews. In addition, 25% of candidates felt that their WVC experience was equivalent to or better than their traditional interview experience on the same day. WVC can be an effective and useful tool in the fellowship interview process. It affords candidates increased flexibility, cost saving, convenience, and provides an option for participating in the selection process at more programs. For the programs and faculty, WVC has a potential to be an effective screening tool, can help minimize loss of clinical revenue and can also be an acceptable alternative to in-person interviews.

Experimental study of permeation and selectivity of zeolite membranes for tritium processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borisevich, Olga; Antunes, Rodrigo; Demange, David, E-mail: david.demange@kit.edu

2015-10-15

Highlights: • We report about new experimental results on advanced membranes for tritium processing especially for the DEMO breeding blanket. • High permeances are measured on different zeolite MFI membranes made by film deposition or pore plugging. • Selectivity for H{sub 2}/He is limited requiring a multi-stage membrane process. • Selectivity of H{sub 2}O/He seems high enough to operate one single module. - Abstract: Zeolites are known as tritium compatible inorganic materials widely used in packed beds as driers in detritiation systems and are also suggested for tritium removal from helium at cryogenic temperature. The Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) proposed a new fully continuous approach for tritium extraction from the solid breeding blanket of fusion machines that improves the overall tritium management and minimizes both the tritium inventory and processing time. It is based on membrane permeation as a pre-concentration stage upstream of a final tritium recovery stage using a catalytic Pd-based membrane reactor. Zeolite membranes were identified as the most promising candidates for the pre-concentration stage. In the present work the tubular zeolite MFI membrane provided by the Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS, Hermsdorf, Germany) is studied to consolidate the proposed approach. The permeation measurements for single gases hydrogen (replacing radioactive tritium) and helium, for binary mixtures H{sub 2}/He and H{sub 2}O/He at different concentrations and temperatures are presented. The tested membrane demonstrates a high performance, almost independent from the inlet composition in the case of a gaseous mixture, while the transport in the presence of water vapour is strongly related to the temperature of the mixture and component concentrations.

Process for selecting a site for Canada's deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Facella, J.; Ben Belfadhel, M.; Patton, P.

2012-01-01

to develop a socially-acceptable site selection process as a firm foundation for future decisions on siting. Through a two-year collaborative process, NWMO sought to understand the expectations of Canadians concerning key principles and elements of a fair and acceptable site selection process, and the experiences and lessons learned in siting large projects internationally. The interests and concerns of Aboriginal peoples are integral to development and implementation of Canada's plans for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The organization has worked with Aboriginal organizations and individuals to develop long-term engagement and dialogue processes that respect traditional Aboriginal practices, culture, protocols and approaches to decision-making. The presentation will discuss NWMO's approach in engaging Aboriginal peoples and will highlight the requirements identified by citizens, and outline the goals and principles associated with the site selection process that emerged from the process of collaboration. NWMO will share its observations based on the lessons learned to date as the organization implements this community-driven site selection process. NWMO will reflect on challenges and opportunities encountered as the journey unfolds. (author)

Fuzzy linguistic hedges for the selection of manufacturing process for prosthetic sockets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richa Pandey

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a comparison is presented between two prime methods of producing prosthetic sockets by using the fuzzy linguistic hedges approach on the qualitative feedback of Indian prosthetic users. Recent trends indicate that the Indian manufacturers have tried to adopt the newer technologies like reverse engineering (RE approach to achieve the desired goals. However, the satisfaction of the user is of utmost importance for the unique and customized products for rehabilitation. In order to analyze the effectiveness of the manufacturing approaches, user case studies are taken, based on the linguistic feedbacks, and a comparative study is conducted. Thirteen users from four different manufacturing units are taken for study and sockets made by conventional as well as RE are experimented. Fuzzy membership functions are constructed using the linguistic hedges based on the user feedbacks. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP is applied to arrive at a decision to select the manufacturing process for user satisfaction and manufacturing excellence.

The Implementation of Analytical Hierarchy Process Method for Outstanding Achievement Scholarship Reception Selection at Universal University of Batam

Science.gov (United States)

Marfuah; Widiantoro, Suryo

2017-12-01

Universal University of Batam offers outstanding achievement scholarship to the current students to be each year of new academic year, seeing the large number of new Students who are interested to get it then the selection team should be able to filter and choose the eligible ones. The selection process starting with evaluation and judgement made by the experts. There were five criteria as the basic of selection and each had three alternatives that must be considered. Based on the policy of University the maximum number of recipients are five for each of six study programs. Those programs are art of music, dance, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, telecommunication engineering, and software engineering. The expert choice was subjective that AHP method was used to help in making decision consistently by doing pairwise comparison matrix process between criteria based on selected alternatives, by determining the priority order of criteria and alternatives used. The results of these calculations were used as supporting decision-making to determine the eligible students receiving scholarships based on alternatives of selected criteria determined by the final results of AHP method calculation with the priority criterion A (0.37%), C (0.23%), E (0.21%), D (0.14%) and B (0.06%), value of consistency ratio 0.05. Then the alternative priorities 1 (0.63), 2 (0.26) and 3 (0.11) the consistency ratio values 0.03, where each CR ≤ 0.1 or consistent weighting preference.

Selective laser melting of Ni-rich NiTi: selection of process parameters and the superelastic response

Science.gov (United States)

Shayesteh Moghaddam, Narges; Saedi, Soheil; Amerinatanzi, Amirhesam; Saghaian, Ehsan; Jahadakbar, Ahmadreza; Karaca, Haluk; Elahinia, Mohammad

2018-03-01

Material and mechanical properties of NiTi shape memory alloys strongly depend on the fabrication process parameters and the resulting microstructure. In selective laser melting, the combination of parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, and hatch spacing determine the microstructural defects, grain size and texture. Therefore, processing parameters can be adjusted to tailor the microstructure and mechanical response of the alloy. In this work, NiTi samples were fabricated using Ni50.8Ti (at.%) powder via SLM PXM by Phenix/3D Systems and the effects of processing parameters were systematically studied. The relationship between the processing parameters and superelastic properties were investigated thoroughly. It will be shown that energy density is not the only parameter that governs the material response. It will be shown that hatch spacing is the dominant factor to tailor the superelastic response. It will be revealed that with the selection of right process parameters, perfect superelasticity with recoverable strains of up to 5.6% can be observed in the as-fabricated condition.

SELECTION OF BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT USING FUZZY ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasun Das

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Fuzzy linguistic concepts are often used to enhance the traditional analytic hierarchy process (AHP in capturing the fuzziness and subjectiveness of decision makers' judgments. In this paper, fuzzy AHP methodology is adopted for selection of the strategies for business improvement in an Indian industry as a decision making problem. Due to simplicity and effectiveness, triangular fuzzy numbers are adopted as a reference to indicate the influence strength of each element in the hierarchy structure. The confidence level and the optimistic levels of multiple decision makers are captured by using ? -cut based fuzzy number methods. This fuzzy set theory based multi-attribute decision making method is found to be quite useful and effective in industrial environment.

A novel adjuvant to the resident selection process: the hartman value profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Cone, Jeffrey D; Byrum, C Stephen; Payne, Wyatt G; Smith, David J

2012-01-01

The goal of resident selection is twofold: (1) select candidates who will be successful residents and eventually successful practitioners and (2) avoid selecting candidates who will be unsuccessful residents and/or eventually unsuccessful practitioners. Traditional tools used to select residents have well-known limitations. The Hartman Value Profile (HVP) is a proven adjuvant tool to predicting future performance in candidates for advanced positions in the corporate setting. No literature exists to indicate use of the HVP for resident selection. The HVP evaluates the structure and the dynamics of an individual value system. Given the potential impact, we implemented its use beginning in 2007 as an adjuvant tool to the traditional selection process. Experience gained from incorporating the HVP into the residency selection process suggests that it may add objectivity and refinement in predicting resident performance. Further evaluation is warranted with longer follow-up times.

Understanding tradeoffs in the supplier selection process : The role of flexibility, delivery, and value-added services/support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rhee, van der B.; Verma, R.; Plaschka, G.

2009-01-01

In this study, we present, based on econometric choice modeling framework, how manufacturing managers/executives trade-off between cost, delivery, flexibility, and service features in the supplier selection process for commodity raw materials, given acceptable quality. Empirical data for this study

Aplication of AHP method in partner's selection process for supply chain development

OpenAIRE

Barac Nada; Anđelković Aleksandra

2012-01-01

The process of developing a supply chain is long and complex. with many restrictions and obstacles that accompany it. In this paper the authors focus on the first stage in developing the supply chain and the selection process and selection of partners. This phase of the development significantly affect the competitive position of the supply chain and create value for the consumer. Selected partners or 'links' of the supply chain influence the future performance of the chain which points to th...

Residue-based Coordinated Selection and Parameter Design of Multiple Power System Stabilizers (PSSs)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Su, Chi; Hu, Weihao; Fang, Jiakun

2013-01-01

data from time domain simulations. Then a coordinated approach for multiple PSS selection and parameter design based on residue method is proposed and realized in MATLAB m-files. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is adopted in the coordination process. The IEEE 39-bus New England system model...

Pupil Dilation and EEG Alpha Frequency Band Power Reveal Load on Executive Functions for Link-Selection Processes during Text Reading.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Scharinger

Full Text Available Executive working memory functions play a central role in reading comprehension. In the present research we were interested in additional load imposed on executive functions by link-selection processes during computer-based reading. For obtaining process measures, we used a methodology of concurrent electroencephalographic (EEG and eye-tracking data recording that allowed us to compare epochs of pure text reading with epochs of hyperlink-like selection processes in an online reading situation. Furthermore, this methodology allowed us to directly compare the two physiological load-measures EEG alpha frequency band power and pupil dilation. We observed increased load on executive functions during hyperlink-like selection processes on both measures in terms of decreased alpha frequency band power and increased pupil dilation. Surprisingly however, the two measures did not correlate. Two additional experiments were conducted that excluded potential perceptual, motor, or structural confounds. In sum, EEG alpha frequency band power and pupil dilation both turned out to be sensitive measures for increased load during hyperlink-like selection processes in online text reading.

Exploring selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses: a sequential-explanatory mixed-method study.

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Paul; Chandler, Val; Morris-Thomson, Trish; Sayer, Jane; Burke, Linda

2015-01-01

To map current selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses and to explore the advantages and limitations of current selection and recruitment processes. The need to improve current selection and recruitment practices for newly qualified nurses is highlighted in health policy internationally. A cross-sectional, sequential-explanatory mixed-method design with 4 components: (1) Literature review of selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses; and (2) Literature review of a public sector professions' selection and recruitment processes; (3) Survey mapping existing selection and recruitment processes for newly qualified nurses; and (4) Qualitative study about recruiters' selection and recruitment processes. Literature searches on the selection and recruitment of newly qualified candidates in teaching and nursing (2005-2013) were conducted. Cross-sectional, mixed-method data were collected from thirty-one (n = 31) individuals in health providers in London who had responsibility for the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses using a survey instrument. Of these providers who took part, six (n = 6) purposively selected to be interviewed qualitatively. Issues of supply and demand in the workforce, rather than selection and recruitment tools, predominated in the literature reviews. Examples of tools to measure values, attitudes and skills were found in the nursing literature. The mapping exercise found that providers used many selection and recruitment tools, some providers combined tools to streamline process and assure quality of candidates. Most providers had processes which addressed the issue of quality in the selection and recruitment of newly qualified nurses. The 'assessment centre model', which providers were adopting, allowed for multiple levels of assessment and streamlined recruitment. There is a need to validate the efficacy of the selection tools. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Distance based control system for machine vision-based selective spraying

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steward, B.L.; Tian, L.F.; Tang, L.

2002-01-01

For effective operation of a selective sprayer with real-time local weed sensing, herbicides must be delivered, accurately to weed targets in the field. With a machine vision-based selective spraying system, acquiring sequential images and switching nozzles on and off at the correct locations are

Production and 3D printing processing of bio-based thermoplastic filament

OpenAIRE

Gkartzou, Eleni; Koumoulos, Elias P.; Charitidis, Costas A.

2017-01-01

In this work, an extrusion-based 3D printing technique was employed for processing of biobased blends of Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA) with low-cost kraft lignin. In Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing process, objects are built in a layer-by-layer fashion by melting, extruding and selectively depositing thermoplastic fibers on a platform. These fibers are used as building blocks for more complex structures with defined microarchitecture, in an automated, cost-effective process, with minim...

Measuring process performance within healthcare logistics - a decision tool for selecting track and trace technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feibert, Diana Cordes; Jacobsen, Peter

2015-01-01

quality of work. Data validity is essential for enabling performance measurement, and selecting the right technologies is important to achieve this. A case study of the hospital cleaning process was conducted at a public Danish hospital to develop a framework for assessing technologies in healthcare......Monitoring tasks and ascertaining quality of work is difficult in a logistical healthcare process due to cleaning personnel being dispersed throughout the hospital. Performance measurement can support the organization in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of processes and in ensuring...... logistics. A set of decision indicators was identified in the case study to assess technologies based on expected process performance. Two aspects of performance measurement were investigated for the hospital cleaning process: what to measure and how to measure it....

Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter description report. INEL Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration System Analysis project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O`Brien, M.C.; Morrison, J.L.; Morneau, R.A.; Rudin, M.J.; Richardson, J.G.

1992-05-01

A formal methodology has been developed for identifying technology gaps and assessing innovative or postulated technologies for inclusion in proposed Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) remediation systems. Called the Performance-Based Technology Selection Filter, the methodology provides a formalized selection process where technologies and systems are rated and assessments made based on performance measures, and regulatory and technical requirements. The results are auditable, and can be validated with field data. This analysis methodology will be applied to the remedial action of transuranic contaminated waste pits and trenches buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL).

Object-based selection from spatially-invariant representations: evidence from a feature-report task.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsukura, Michi; Vecera, Shaun P

2011-02-01

Attention selects objects as well as locations. When attention selects an object's features, observers identify two features from a single object more accurately than two features from two different objects (object-based effect of attention; e.g., Duncan, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 113, 501-517, 1984). Several studies have demonstrated that object-based attention can operate at a late visual processing stage that is independent of objects' spatial information (Awh, Dhaliwal, Christensen, & Matsukura, Psychological Science, 12, 329-334, 2001; Matsukura & Vecera, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16, 529-536, 2009; Vecera, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 126, 14-18, 1997; Vecera & Farah, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123, 146-160, 1994). In the present study, we asked two questions regarding this late object-based selection mechanism. In Part I, we investigated how observers' foreknowledge of to-be-reported features allows attention to select objects, as opposed to individual features. Using a feature-report task, a significant object-based effect was observed when to-be-reported features were known in advance but not when this advance knowledge was absent. In Part II, we examined what drives attention to select objects rather than individual features in the absence of observers' foreknowledge of to-be-reported features. Results suggested that, when there was no opportunity for observers to direct their attention to objects that possess to-be-reported features at the time of stimulus presentation, these stimuli must retain strong perceptual cues to establish themselves as separate objects.

Process and analytical studies of enhanced low severity co-processing using selective coal pretreatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baldwin, R.M.; Miller, R.L.

1991-12-01

The findings in the first phase were as follows: 1. Both reductive (non-selective) alkylation and selective oxygen alkylation brought about an increase in liquefaction reactivity for both coals. 2. Selective oxygen alkylation is more effective in enhancing the reactivity of low rank coals. In the second phase of studies, the major findings were as follows: 1. Liquefaction reactivity increases with increasing level of alkylation for both hydroliquefaction and co-processing reaction conditions. 2. the increase in reactivity found for O-alkylated Wyodak subbituminous coal is caused by chemical changes at phenolic and carboxylic functional sites. 3. O-methylation of Wyodak subbituminous coal reduced the apparent activation energy for liquefaction of this coal.

Selection of infectious medical waste disposal firms by using the analytic hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, P.-F.; Wu, C.-R.; Li, Y.-T.

2008-01-01

While Taiwanese hospitals dispose of large amounts of medical waste to ensure sanitation and personal hygiene, doing so inefficiently creates potential environmental hazards and increases operational expenses. However, hospitals lack objective criteria to select the most appropriate waste disposal firm and evaluate its performance, instead relying on their own subjective judgment and previous experiences. Therefore, this work presents an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to objectively select medical waste disposal firms based on the results of interviews with experts in the field, thus reducing overhead costs and enhancing medical waste management. An appropriate weight criterion based on AHP is derived to assess the effectiveness of medical waste disposal firms. The proposed AHP-based method offers a more efficient and precise means of selecting medical waste firms than subjective assessment methods do, thus reducing the potential risks for hospitals. Analysis results indicate that the medical sector selects the most appropriate infectious medical waste disposal firm based on the following rank: matching degree, contractor's qualifications, contractor's service capability, contractor's equipment and economic factors. By providing hospitals with an effective means of evaluating medical waste disposal firms, the proposed AHP method can reduce overhead costs and enable medical waste management to understand the market demand in the health sector. Moreover, performed through use of Expert Choice software, sensitivity analysis can survey the criterion weight of the degree of influence with an alternative hierarchy

Yakima tribal perspectives on high level selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jim, R.; Wittman, J.; Tousley, D.R.; Hovis, J.B.

1987-01-01

When Congress went through the arduous process of fashioning a comprehensive plan for resolution of the nation's long-standing nuclear waste problem, it explicitly recognized that past federal efforts in this area had been inadequate. Congress also recognized that the primary reasons for the failure of earlier federal efforts was failure on the part of the federal government to seriously deal with very real technical questions about the geologic adequacy of prospective repository sites, and failure to address the concerns of state, tribal, and local governments in the repository selection and development process

Site selection and characterization processes for deep geologic disposal of high level nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costin, L.S.

1997-10-01

In this paper, the major elements of the site selection and characterization processes used in the US high level waste program are discussed. While much of the evolution of the site selection and characterization processes have been driven by the unique nature of the US program, these processes, which are well defined and documented, could be used as an initial basis for developing site screening, selection, and characterization programs in other countries. Thus, this paper focuses more on the process elements than the specific details of the US program

Evaluation and selection of aqueous-based technology for partitioning radionuclides from ICPP calcine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, A.L.; Schulz, W.W.; Burchfield, L.A.; Carlson, C.D.; Swanson, J.L.; Thompson, M.C.

1993-02-01

Early in 1993 Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO) chartered a Panel of Nuclear Separations Experts. The purpose of this Panel was to assist WINCO scientists and engineers in selecting, evaluating, and ranking candidate aqueous-based processes and technologies for potential use in partitioning selected radionuclides from nitric acid solutions of retrieved Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) calcine. Radionuclides of interest are all transuranium elements, 90 Sr, 99 Tc, 129 I, and 137 Cs. The six man Panel met for 4 days (February 16--19, 1993) on the campus of the Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. Principal topics addressed included: Available radionuclide removal technology; applicability of separations technology and processes to ICPP calcine; and potential integrated radionuclide partitioning schemes. This report, prepared from contributions from all Panel members, presents a comprehensive account of the proceedings and significant findings of the February, 1993 meeting in Pocatello

Process-based costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Robert H; Bott, Marjorie J; Forbes, Sarah; Redford, Linda; Swagerty, Daniel L; Taunton, Roma Lee

2003-01-01

Understanding how quality improvement affects costs is important. Unfortunately, low-cost, reliable ways of measuring direct costs are scarce. This article builds on the principles of process improvement to develop a costing strategy that meets both criteria. Process-based costing has 4 steps: developing a flowchart, estimating resource use, valuing resources, and calculating direct costs. To illustrate the technique, this article uses it to cost the care planning process in 3 long-term care facilities. We conclude that process-based costing is easy to implement; generates reliable, valid data; and allows nursing managers to assess the costs of new or modified processes.

Progressive sample processing of band selection for hyperspectral imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Keng-Hao; Chien, Hung-Chang; Chen, Shih-Yu

2017-10-01

Band selection (BS) is one of the most important topics in hyperspectral image (HSI) processing. The objective of BS is to find a set of representative bands that can represent the whole image with lower inter-band redundancy. Many types of BS algorithms were proposed in the past. However, most of them can be carried on in an off-line manner. It means that they can only be implemented on the pre-collected data. Those off-line based methods are sometime useless for those applications that are timeliness, particular in disaster prevention and target detection. To tackle this issue, a new concept, called progressive sample processing (PSP), was proposed recently. The PSP is an "on-line" framework where the specific type of algorithm can process the currently collected data during the data transmission under band-interleavedby-sample/pixel (BIS/BIP) protocol. This paper proposes an online BS method that integrates a sparse-based BS into PSP framework, called PSP-BS. In PSP-BS, the BS can be carried out by updating BS result recursively pixel by pixel in the same way that a Kalman filter does for updating data information in a recursive fashion. The sparse regression is solved by orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm, and the recursive equations of PSP-BS are derived by using matrix decomposition. The experiments conducted on a real hyperspectral image show that the PSP-BS can progressively output the BS status with very low computing time. The convergence of BS results during the transmission can be quickly achieved by using a rearranged pixel transmission sequence. This significant advantage allows BS to be implemented in a real time manner when the HSI data is transmitted pixel by pixel.

Formulation and development of a methodology for selecting desulfurization processes, applicable to diluted sulfurous emissions from copper. Preparation of the engineering for a draft project using electron beam process, selected with this methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aros M, Patricia.

1997-01-01

A comparative study of clean desulfurization technologies was prepared. Sulfur abatement processes from S O 2 gas streams were analyzed in 21 processes grouped into 8 different types. Since there are a large number of potentially applicable processes, this thesis presents a process selection methodology based on a technical/economic analysis series, which produces a ranking by scores. Visual Basic 3.0 software was used to develop the program, which can be installed in any computer and uses Windows 95. Based on these results in Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission decided to present a draft project for electron beam technology. The full design and calculation for the humidifying and cooling tower was prepared together with the design of the remaining equipment for size, in order to estimate probable costs. The pre-feasibility evaluation determined that the process would generate profits, when the selling price of ammonium sulfate - which is a byproduct of the process that is used as fertilizer - is above US$ 110/ton. The process cost is heavily influenced by the capital cost of storage facilities, since a long term supply for ammonia reagent is needed. This product is imported in Chile and it is currently an expensive reagent. (author). 33 app., 7 tabs

Process for selected gas oxide removal by radiofrequency catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Chang Y.

1993-01-01

This process to remove gas oxides from flue gas utilizes adsorption on a char bed subsequently followed by radiofrequency catalysis enhancing such removal through selected reactions. Common gas oxides include SO.sub.2 and NO.sub.x.

Personnel Selection Based on Fuzzy Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lourdes Cañós

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The decisions of managers regarding the selection of staff strongly determine the success of the company. A correct choice of employees is a source of competitive advantage. We propose a fuzzy method for staff selection, based on competence management and the comparison with the valuation that the company considers the best in each competence (ideal candidate. Our method is based on the Hamming distance and a Matching Level Index. The algorithms, implemented in the software StaffDesigner, allow us to rank the candidates, even when the competences of the ideal candidate have been evaluated only in part. Our approach is applied in a numerical example.

NetProt: Complex-based Feature Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Goh, Wilson Wen Bin; Wong, Limsoon

2017-08-04

Protein complex-based feature selection (PCBFS) provides unparalleled reproducibility with high phenotypic relevance on proteomics data. Currently, there are five PCBFS paradigms, but not all representative methods have been implemented or made readily available. To allow general users to take advantage of these methods, we developed the R-package NetProt, which provides implementations of representative feature-selection methods. NetProt also provides methods for generating simulated differential data and generating pseudocomplexes for complex-based performance benchmarking. The NetProt open source R package is available for download from https://github.com/gohwils/NetProt/releases/ , and online documentation is available at http://rpubs.com/gohwils/204259 .

Materials Selection And Fabrication Practices For Food Processing Equipment Manufacturers In Uganda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Baptist Kirabira

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The food processing industry is one of the fast-growing sub-sectors in Uganda. The industry which is majorly composed of medium and small scale firms depends on the locally developed food processing equipment. Due to lack of effective materials selection practices employed by the equipment manufacturers the materials normally selected for most designs are not the most appropriate ones hence compromising the quality of the equipment produced. This has not only led to poor quality food products due to contamination but could also turn out health hazardous to the consumers of the food products. This study involved the assessment of the current materials selection and fabrication procedures used by the food processing equipment manufacturers with a view of devising best practices that can be used to improve the quality of the food products processed by the locally fabricated equipment. Results of the study show that designers experience biasness and desire to minimize cost compromise the materials selection procedure. In addition to failing to choose the best material for a given application most equipment manufacturers are commonly fabricating equipment with inadequate surface finish and improper weldments. This hinders the equipments ability to meet food hygiene standards.

Deep convolutional neural network based antenna selection in multiple-input multiple-output system

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jiaxin; Li, Yan; Hu, Ying

2018-03-01

Antenna selection of wireless communication system has attracted increasing attention due to the challenge of keeping a balance between communication performance and computational complexity in large-scale Multiple-Input MultipleOutput antenna systems. Recently, deep learning based methods have achieved promising performance for large-scale data processing and analysis in many application fields. This paper is the first attempt to introduce the deep learning technique into the field of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output antenna selection in wireless communications. First, the label of attenuation coefficients channel matrix is generated by minimizing the key performance indicator of training antenna systems. Then, a deep convolutional neural network that explicitly exploits the massive latent cues of attenuation coefficients is learned on the training antenna systems. Finally, we use the adopted deep convolutional neural network to classify the channel matrix labels of test antennas and select the optimal antenna subset. Simulation experimental results demonstrate that our method can achieve better performance than the state-of-the-art baselines for data-driven based wireless antenna selection.

Salts-based size-selective precipitation: toward mass precipitation of aqueous nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chun-Lei; Fang, Min; Xu, Shu-Hong; Cui, Yi-Ping

2010-01-19

Purification is a necessary step before the application of nanocrystals (NCs), since the excess matter in nanoparticles solution usually causes a disadvantage to their subsequent coupling or assembling with other materials. In this work, a novel salts-based precipitation technique is originally developed for the precipitation and size-selective precipitation of aqueous NCs. Simply by addition of salts, NCs can be precipitated from the solution. After decantation of the supernatant solution, the precipitates can be dispersed in water again. By means of adjusting the addition amount of salt, size-selective precipitation of aqueous NCs can be achieved. Namely, the NCs with large size are precipitated preferentially, leaving small NCs in solution. Compared with the traditional nonsolvents-based precipitation technique, the current one is simpler and more rapid due to the avoidance of condensation and heating manipulations used in the traditional precipitation process. Moreover, the salts-based precipitation technique was generally available for the precipitation of aqueous nanoparticles, no matter if there were semiconductor NCs or metal nanoparticles. Simultaneously, the cost of the current method is also much lower than that of the traditional nonsolvents-based precipitation technique, making it applicable for mass purification of aqueous NCs.

Investigation of Laser Welding of Ti Alloys for Cognitive Process Parameters Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizia Caiazzo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Laser welding of titanium alloys is attracting increasing interest as an alternative to traditional joining techniques for industrial applications, with particular reference to the aerospace sector, where welded assemblies allow for the reduction of the buy-to-fly ratio, compared to other traditional mechanical joining techniques. In this research work, an investigation on laser welding of Ti–6Al–4V alloy plates is carried out through an experimental testing campaign, under different process conditions, in order to perform a characterization of the produced weld bead geometry, with the final aim of developing a cognitive methodology able to support decision-making about the selection of the suitable laser welding process parameters. The methodology is based on the employment of artificial neural networks able to identify correlations between the laser welding process parameters, with particular reference to the laser power, welding speed and defocusing distance, and the weld bead geometric features, on the basis of the collected experimental data.

Investigation of Laser Welding of Ti Alloys for Cognitive Process Parameters Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Caiazzo, Fabrizia; Caggiano, Alessandra

2018-04-20

Laser welding of titanium alloys is attracting increasing interest as an alternative to traditional joining techniques for industrial applications, with particular reference to the aerospace sector, where welded assemblies allow for the reduction of the buy-to-fly ratio, compared to other traditional mechanical joining techniques. In this research work, an investigation on laser welding of Ti⁻6Al⁻4V alloy plates is carried out through an experimental testing campaign, under different process conditions, in order to perform a characterization of the produced weld bead geometry, with the final aim of developing a cognitive methodology able to support decision-making about the selection of the suitable laser welding process parameters. The methodology is based on the employment of artificial neural networks able to identify correlations between the laser welding process parameters, with particular reference to the laser power, welding speed and defocusing distance, and the weld bead geometric features, on the basis of the collected experimental data.

Secure relay selection based on learning with negative externality in wireless networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Caidan; Xiao, Liang; Kang, Shan; Chen, Guiquan; Li, Yunzhou; Huang, Lianfen

2013-12-01

In this paper, we formulate relay selection into a Chinese restaurant game. A secure relay selection strategy is proposed for a wireless network, where multiple source nodes send messages to their destination nodes via several relay nodes, which have different processing and transmission capabilities as well as security properties. The relay selection utilizes a learning-based algorithm for the source nodes to reach their best responses in the Chinese restaurant game. In particular, the relay selection takes into account the negative externality of relay sharing among the source nodes, which learn the capabilities and security properties of relay nodes according to the current signals and the signal history. Simulation results show that this strategy improves the user utility and the overall security performance in wireless networks. In addition, the relay strategy is robust against the signal errors and deviations of some user from the desired actions.

Olefins-selective asymmetric carbon molecular sieve hollow fiber membranes for hybrid membrane-distillation processes for olefin/paraffin separations

KAUST Repository

Xu, Liren

2012-12-01

In this paper, the development of asymmetric carbon molecular sieve (CMS) hollow fiber membranes and advanced processes for olefin/paraffin separations based on the CMS membranes are reported. Membrane-based olefin/paraffin separations have been pursued extensively over the past decades. CMS membranes are promising to exceed the performance upper bound of polymer materials and have demonstrated excellent stability for gas separations. Previously, a substructure collapse phenomenon was found in Matrimid ® precursor derived CMS fiber. To overcome the permeance loss due to the increased separation layer thickness, 6FDA-DAM and 6FDA/BPDA-DAM precursors were selected as potential new precursors for carbon membrane formation. Defect-free asymmetric 6FDA-DAM and 6FDA/BPDA-DAM hollow fibers were successfully fabricated from a dry-jet/wet-quench spinning process. Polymer rigidity, glass-rubber transition and asymmetric morphology were correlated. CMS hollow fiber membranes produced from 6FDA-polymer precursors showed significant improvement in permeance for ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separations. Further studies revealed that the CMS membranes are olefins-selective, which means the membranes are able to effectively separate olefins (ethylene and propylene) from paraffins (ethane and propane). This unique feature of CMS materials enables advanced hybrid membrane-distillation process designs. By using the olefins-selective membranes, these new processes may provide advantages over previously proposed retrofitting concepts. Further applications of the membranes are explored for hydrocarbons processes. Significant energy savings and even reduced footprint may be achieved in olefins production units. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

An enhanced PSO-DEFS based feature selection with biometric authentication for identification of diabetic retinopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umarani Balakrishnan

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Recently, automatic diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy (DR from the retinal image is the most significant research topic in the medical applications. Diabetic macular edema (DME is the major reason for the loss of vision in patients suffering from DR. Early identification of the DR enables to prevent the vision loss and encourage diabetic control activities. Many techniques are developed to diagnose the DR. The major drawbacks of the existing techniques are low accuracy and high time complexity. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes an enhanced particle swarm optimization-differential evolution feature selection (PSO-DEFS based feature selection approach with biometric authentication for the identification of DR. Initially, a hybrid median filter (HMF is used for pre-processing the input images. Then, the pre-processed images are embedded with each other by using least significant bit (LSB for authentication purpose. Simultaneously, the image features are extracted using convoluted local tetra pattern (CLTrP and Tamura features. Feature selection is performed using PSO-DEFS and PSO-gravitational search algorithm (PSO-GSA to reduce time complexity. Based on some performance metrics, the PSO-DEFS is chosen as a better choice for feature selection. The feature selection is performed based on the fitness value. A multi-relevance vector machine (M-RVM is introduced to classify the 13 normal and 62 abnormal images among 75 images from 60 patients. Finally, the DR patients are further classified by M-RVM. The experimental results exhibit that the proposed approach achieves better accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity than the existing techniques.

Feature selection for splice site prediction: A new method using EDA-based feature ranking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rouzé Pierre

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The identification of relevant biological features in large and complex datasets is an important step towards gaining insight in the processes underlying the data. Other advantages of feature selection include the ability of the classification system to attain good or even better solutions using a restricted subset of features, and a faster classification. Thus, robust methods for fast feature selection are of key importance in extracting knowledge from complex biological data. Results In this paper we present a novel method for feature subset selection applied to splice site prediction, based on estimation of distribution algorithms, a more general framework of genetic algorithms. From the estimated distribution of the algorithm, a feature ranking is derived. Afterwards this ranking is used to iteratively discard features. We apply this technique to the problem of splice site prediction, and show how it can be used to gain insight into the underlying biological process of splicing. Conclusion We show that this technique proves to be more robust than the traditional use of estimation of distribution algorithms for feature selection: instead of returning a single best subset of features (as they normally do this method provides a dynamical view of the feature selection process, like the traditional sequential wrapper methods. However, the method is faster than the traditional techniques, and scales better to datasets described by a large number of features.

The site selection process for a spent fuel repository in Finland. Summary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McEwen, T. [EnvirosQuantiSci (United Kingdom); Aeikaes, T. [Posiva Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

2000-12-01

This Summary Report describes the Finnish programme for the selection and characterisation of potential sites for the deep disposal of spent nuclear fuel and explains the process by which Olkiluoto has been selected as the single site proposed for the development of a spent fuel disposal facility. Its aim is to provide an overview of this process, initiated almost twenty years ago, which has entered its final phase. It provides information in three areas: a review of the early site selection criteria, a description of the site selection process, including all the associated site characterisation work, up to the point at which a single site was selected and an outline of the proposed work, in particular that proposed underground, to characterise further the Olkiluoto site. In 1983 the Finnish Government made a policy decision on the management of nuclear waste in which the main goals and milestones for the site selection programme for the deep disposal of spent fuel were presented. According to this decision several site candidates, whose selection was to be based on careful studies of the whole country, should be characterised and the site for the repository selected by the end of the year 2000. This report describes the process by which this policy decision has been achieved. The report begins with a discussion of the definition of the geological and environmental site selection criteria and how they were applied in order to select a small number of sites, five in all, that were to be the subject of the preliminary investigations. The methods used to investigate these sites and the results of these investigations are described, as is the evaluation of the results of these investigations and the process used to discard two of the sites and continue more detailed investigations at the remaining three. The detailed site investigations that commenced in 1993 are described with respect to the overall strategy followed and the investigation techniques applied. The

Compositional Changes in Selected Minimally Processed Vegetables

OpenAIRE

O'Reilly, Emer, (Thesis)

2000-01-01

Compositional, physiological and microbiological changes in selected minimally processed vegetables packaged under a modified atmosphere of 2% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide were monitored over a ten day storage period at 40 C and 80 C. The analysis targeted specific changes in the nutritional, chemical and physiological make up of the vegetables as well as the changes in the microbial levels. In addition the changes in the gas atmospheres within the packs were monitored. It has been widely acc...

Selection of refractory materials for pyrochemical processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axler, K.M.; DePoorter, G.L.; Bagaasen, L.M.

1991-01-01

Several pyrochemical processing operations require containment materials that exhibit minimal chemical interactions with the system, good thermal shock resistance, and reusability. One example is Direct Oxide Reduction (DOR). DOR involves the conversion of PuO 2 to metal by an oxidation/reduction reaction with Ca metal. The reaction proceeds within a molten salt flux at temperatures above 800C. A combination of thermodynamics, system thermodynamic modeling, and experimental investigations are in use to select and evaluate potential containment materials

Numerical simulation of urea based selective non-catalytic reduction deNOx process for industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baleta, Jakov; Mikulčić, Hrvoje; Vujanović, Milan; Petranović, Zvonimir; Duić, Neven

2016-01-01

Highlights: • SNCR is a simple method for the NOx reduction from large industrial facilities. • Capabilities of the developed mathematical framework for SNCR simulation were shown. • Model was used on the geometry of experimental reactor and municipal incinerator. • Results indicate suitability of the developed model for real industrial cases. - Abstract: Industrial processes emit large amounts of diverse pollutants into the atmosphere, among which NOx takes a significant portion. Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) is a relatively simple method for the NOx reduction in large industrial facilities such as power plants, cement plants and waste incinerator plants. It consists of injecting the urea-water solution in the hot flue gas stream and its reaction with the NOx. During this process flue gas enthalpy is used for the urea-water droplet heating and for the evaporation of water content. After water evaporates, thermolysis of urea occurs, during which ammonia, a known NO_x reductant, and isocyanic acid are generated. In order to cope with the ever stringent environmental norms, equipment manufacturers need to develop energy efficient products that are at the same time benign to environment. This is becoming increasingly complicated and costly, and one way to reduce production costs together with the maintaining the same competitiveness level is to employ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a tool, in a process today commonly known under the term “virtual prototyping”. The aim of this paper is to show capabilities of the developed mathematical framework implemented in the commercial CFD code AVL FIRE®, to simulate physical processes of all relevant phenomena occurring during the SNCR process. First, mathematical models for description of SNCR process are presented and afterwards, models are used on the 3D geometry of an industrial reactor and a real industrial case to predict SNCR efficiency, temperature and velocity field. Influence of the main

Site selection and characterization processes for deep geologic disposal of high level nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costin, L.S.

1997-01-01

In this paper, the major elements of the site selection and characterization processes used in the U. S. high level waste program are discussed. While much of the evolution of the site selection and characterization processes have been driven by the unique nature of the U. S. program, these processes, which are well-defined and documented, could be used as an initial basis for developing site screening, selection, and characterization programs in other countries. Thus, this paper focuses more on the process elements than the specific details of the U. S. program. (author). 3 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs

Site selection and characterization processes for deep geologic disposal of high level nuclear waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costin, L.S. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1997-12-31

In this paper, the major elements of the site selection and characterization processes used in the U. S. high level waste program are discussed. While much of the evolution of the site selection and characterization processes have been driven by the unique nature of the U. S. program, these processes, which are well-defined and documented, could be used as an initial basis for developing site screening, selection, and characterization programs in other countries. Thus, this paper focuses more on the process elements than the specific details of the U. S. program. (author). 3 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs.

Selective Interference on the Holistic Processing of Faces in Working Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Olivia S.; Gauthier, Isabel

2010-01-01

Faces and objects of expertise compete for early perceptual processes and holistic processing resources (Gauthier, Curran, Curby, & Collins, 2003). Here, we examined the nature of interference on holistic face processing in working memory by comparing how various types of loads affect selective attention to parts of face composites. In dual…

DWFS: A Wrapper Feature Selection Tool Based on a Parallel Genetic Algorithm

KAUST Repository

Soufan, Othman

2015-02-26

Many scientific problems can be formulated as classification tasks. Data that harbor relevant information are usually described by a large number of features. Frequently, many of these features are irrelevant for the class prediction. The efficient implementation of classification models requires identification of suitable combinations of features. The smaller number of features reduces the problem\\'s dimensionality and may result in higher classification performance. We developed DWFS, a web-based tool that allows for efficient selection of features for a variety of problems. DWFS follows the wrapper paradigm and applies a search strategy based on Genetic Algorithms (GAs). A parallel GA implementation examines and evaluates simultaneously large number of candidate collections of features. DWFS also integrates various filteringmethods thatmay be applied as a pre-processing step in the feature selection process. Furthermore, weights and parameters in the fitness function of GA can be adjusted according to the application requirements. Experiments using heterogeneous datasets from different biomedical applications demonstrate that DWFS is fast and leads to a significant reduction of the number of features without sacrificing performance as compared to several widely used existing methods. DWFS can be accessed online at www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/dwfs.

DWFS: A Wrapper Feature Selection Tool Based on a Parallel Genetic Algorithm

KAUST Repository

Soufan, Othman; Kleftogiannis, Dimitrios A.; Kalnis, Panos; Bajic, Vladimir B.

2015-01-01

Many scientific problems can be formulated as classification tasks. Data that harbor relevant information are usually described by a large number of features. Frequently, many of these features are irrelevant for the class prediction. The efficient implementation of classification models requires identification of suitable combinations of features. The smaller number of features reduces the problem's dimensionality and may result in higher classification performance. We developed DWFS, a web-based tool that allows for efficient selection of features for a variety of problems. DWFS follows the wrapper paradigm and applies a search strategy based on Genetic Algorithms (GAs). A parallel GA implementation examines and evaluates simultaneously large number of candidate collections of features. DWFS also integrates various filteringmethods thatmay be applied as a pre-processing step in the feature selection process. Furthermore, weights and parameters in the fitness function of GA can be adjusted according to the application requirements. Experiments using heterogeneous datasets from different biomedical applications demonstrate that DWFS is fast and leads to a significant reduction of the number of features without sacrificing performance as compared to several widely used existing methods. DWFS can be accessed online at www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/dwfs.

Efficient Iris Recognition Based on Optimal Subfeature Selection and Weighted Subregion Fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Ning

2014-01-01

In this paper, we propose three discriminative feature selection strategies and weighted subregion matching method to improve the performance of iris recognition system. Firstly, we introduce the process of feature extraction and representation based on scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT) in detail. Secondly, three strategies are described, which are orientation probability distribution function (OPDF) based strategy to delete some redundant feature keypoints, magnitude probability distribution function (MPDF) based strategy to reduce dimensionality of feature element, and compounded strategy combined OPDF and MPDF to further select optimal subfeature. Thirdly, to make matching more effective, this paper proposes a novel matching method based on weighted sub-region matching fusion. Particle swarm optimization is utilized to accelerate achieve different sub-region's weights and then weighted different subregions' matching scores to generate the final decision. The experimental results, on three public and renowned iris databases (CASIA-V3 Interval, Lamp, andMMU-V1), demonstrate that our proposed methods outperform some of the existing methods in terms of correct recognition rate, equal error rate, and computation complexity. PMID:24683317

Efficient Iris Recognition Based on Optimal Subfeature Selection and Weighted Subregion Fusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose three discriminative feature selection strategies and weighted subregion matching method to improve the performance of iris recognition system. Firstly, we introduce the process of feature extraction and representation based on scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT in detail. Secondly, three strategies are described, which are orientation probability distribution function (OPDF based strategy to delete some redundant feature keypoints, magnitude probability distribution function (MPDF based strategy to reduce dimensionality of feature element, and compounded strategy combined OPDF and MPDF to further select optimal subfeature. Thirdly, to make matching more effective, this paper proposes a novel matching method based on weighted sub-region matching fusion. Particle swarm optimization is utilized to accelerate achieve different sub-region’s weights and then weighted different subregions’ matching scores to generate the final decision. The experimental results, on three public and renowned iris databases (CASIA-V3 Interval, Lamp, andMMU-V1, demonstrate that our proposed methods outperform some of the existing methods in terms of correct recognition rate, equal error rate, and computation complexity.

Efficient iris recognition based on optimal subfeature selection and weighted subregion fusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying; Liu, Yuanning; Zhu, Xiaodong; He, Fei; Wang, Hongye; Deng, Ning

2014-01-01

In this paper, we propose three discriminative feature selection strategies and weighted subregion matching method to improve the performance of iris recognition system. Firstly, we introduce the process of feature extraction and representation based on scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT) in detail. Secondly, three strategies are described, which are orientation probability distribution function (OPDF) based strategy to delete some redundant feature keypoints, magnitude probability distribution function (MPDF) based strategy to reduce dimensionality of feature element, and compounded strategy combined OPDF and MPDF to further select optimal subfeature. Thirdly, to make matching more effective, this paper proposes a novel matching method based on weighted sub-region matching fusion. Particle swarm optimization is utilized to accelerate achieve different sub-region's weights and then weighted different subregions' matching scores to generate the final decision. The experimental results, on three public and renowned iris databases (CASIA-V3 Interval, Lamp, and MMU-V1), demonstrate that our proposed methods outperform some of the existing methods in terms of correct recognition rate, equal error rate, and computation complexity.

Harnessing mode-selective nonlinear optics for on-chip multi-channel all-optical signal processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Ma

2016-11-01

Full Text Available All-optical signal processing based on nonlinear optical effects allows for the realization of important functions in telecommunications including wavelength conversion, optical multiplexing/demultiplexing, Fourier transformation, and regeneration, amongst others, on ultrafast time scales to support high data rate transmission. In integrated photonic subsystems, the majority of all-optical signal processing systems demonstrated to date typically process only a single channel at a time or perform a single processing function, which imposes a serious limitation on the functionality of integrated solutions. Here, we demonstrate how nonlinear optical effects can be harnessed in a mode-selective manner to perform simultaneous multi-channel (two and multi-functional optical signal processing (i.e., regenerative wavelength conversion in an integrated silicon photonic device. This approach, which can be scaled to a higher number of channels, opens up a new degree of freedom for performing a broad range of multi-channel nonlinear optical signal processing functions using a single integrated photonic device.

Fuzzy Logic Based Multi-Criteria Wind Turbine Selection Strategy—A Case Study of Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shafiqur Rehman

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The emergence of wind energy as a potential alternative to traditional sources of fuel has prompted notable research in recent years. One primary factor contributing to efficient utilization of wind energy from a wind farm is the type of turbines used. However, selection of a specific wind turbine type is a difficult task due to several criteria involved in the selection process. Important criteria include turbine’s power rating, height of tower, energy output, rotor diameter, cut-in wind speed, and rated wind speed. The complexity of this selection process is further amplified by the presence of conflicts between the decision criteria. Therefore, a decision is desired that provides the best balance between all selection criteria. Considering the complexities involved in the decision-making process, this paper proposes a two-level decision turbine selection strategy based on fuzzy logic and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM approach. More specifically, the fuzzy arithmetic mean operator is used in the decision process. The proposed approach is applied to wind data collected from the site of Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Results indicate that the proposed approach was effective in finding the optimal turbine from a set of 20 turbines of various capacities.

Executive Selection in Government Agencies: An Analysis of the Department of the Navy and Immigration and Naturalization Services Senior Executive Service Selection Processes

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jordan, Mark

2001-01-01

.... The Senior Executive Service (SES) selection process for the Department of the Navy (DON) is analyzed and compared to the SES selection process used by the Immigration and Naturalization Service...

Extraction and reliable determination of acrylamide from thermally processed foods using ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted selective microextraction combined with spectrophotometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Altunay, Nail; Elik, Adil; Gürkan, Ramazan

2018-02-01

Acrylamide (AAm) is a carcinogenic chemical that can form in thermally processed foods by the Maillard reaction of glucose with asparagine. AAm can easily be formed especially in frequently consumed chips and cereal-based foods depending on processing conditions. Considering these properties of AAm, a new, simple and green method is proposed for the extraction of AAm from thermally processed food samples. In this study, an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, [Bmim][BF 4 ]) as extractant was used in the presence of a cationic phenazine group dye, 3,7-diamino-5-phenylphenazinium chloride (PSH + , phenosafranine) at pH 7.5 for the extraction of AAm as an ion-pair complex from selected samples. Under optimum conditions, the analytical features obtained for the proposed method were as follows; linear working range, the limits of detection (LOD, 3S b /m) and quantification (LOQ, 10S b /m), preconcentration factor, sensitivity enhancement factor, sample volume and recovery% were 2.2-350 µg kg -1 , 0.7 µg kg -1 , 2.3 µg kg -1 , 120, 95, 60 mL and 94.1-102.7%, respectively. The validity of the method was tested by analysis of two certified reference materials (CRMs) and intra-day and inter-day precision studies. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of AAm levels in thermally processed foods using the standard addition method.

Selective Distance-Based K+ Quantification on Paper-Based Microfluidics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerold, Chase T; Bakker, Eric; Henry, Charles S

2018-04-03

In this study, paper-based microfluidic devices (μPADs) capable of K + quantification in aqueous samples, as well as in human serum, using both colorimetric and distance-based methods are described. A lipophilic phase containing potassium ionophore I (valinomycin) was utilized to achieve highly selective quantification of K + in the presence of Na + , Li + , and Mg 2+ ions. Successful addition of a suspended lipophilic phase to a wax printed paper-based device is described and offers a solution to current approaches that rely on organic solvents, which damage wax barriers. The approach provides an avenue for future alkali/alkaline quantification utilizing μPADs. Colorimetric spot tests allowed for K + quantification from 0.1-5.0 mM using only 3.00 μL of sample solution. Selective distance-based quantification required small sample volumes (6.00 μL) and gave responses sensitive enough to distinguish between 1.0 and 2.5 mM of sample K + . μPADs using distance-based methods were also capable of differentiating between 4.3 and 6.9 mM K + in human serum samples. Distance-based methods required no digital analysis, electronic hardware, or pumps; any steps required for quantification could be carried out using the naked eye.

Waste package materials selection process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, A.K.; Fish, R.L.; McCright, R.D.

1994-01-01

The office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) of the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) is evaluating a site at Yucca Mountain in Southern Nevada to determine its suitability as a mined geologic disposal system (MGDS) for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). The B ampersand W Fuel Company (BWFC), as a part of the Management and Operating (M ampersand O) team in support of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP), is responsible for designing and developing the waste package for this potential repository. As part of this effort, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is responsible for testing materials and developing models for the materials to be used in the waste package. This paper is aimed at presenting the selection process for materials needed in fabricating the different components of the waste package

Road network selection for small-scale maps using an improved centrality-based algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy Weiss

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The road network is one of the key feature classes in topographic maps and databases. In the task of deriving road networks for products at smaller scales, road network selection forms a prerequisite for all other generalization operators, and is thus a fundamental operation in the overall process of topographic map and database production. The objective of this work was to develop an algorithm for automated road network selection from a large-scale (1:10,000 to a small-scale database (1:200,000. The project was pursued in collaboration with swisstopo, the national mapping agency of Switzerland, with generic mapping requirements in mind. Preliminary experiments suggested that a selection algorithm based on betweenness centrality performed best for this purpose, yet also exposed problems. The main contribution of this paper thus consists of four extensions that address deficiencies of the basic centrality-based algorithm and lead to a significant improvement of the results. The first two extensions improve the formation of strokes concatenating the road segments, which is crucial since strokes provide the foundation upon which the network centrality measure is computed. Thus, the first extension ensures that roundabouts are detected and collapsed, thus avoiding interruptions of strokes by roundabouts, while the second introduces additional semantics in the process of stroke formation, allowing longer and more plausible strokes to built. The third extension detects areas of high road density (i.e., urban areas using density-based clustering and then locally increases the threshold of the centrality measure used to select road segments, such that more thinning takes place in those areas. Finally, since the basic algorithm tends to create dead-ends—which however are not tolerated in small-scale maps—the fourth extension reconnects these dead-ends to the main network, searching for the best path in the main heading of the dead-end.

Analytic hierarchy process-based approach for selecting a Pareto-optimal solution of a multi-objective, multi-site supply-chain planning problem

Science.gov (United States)

Ayadi, Omar; Felfel, Houssem; Masmoudi, Faouzi

2017-07-01

The current manufacturing environment has changed from traditional single-plant to multi-site supply chain where multiple plants are serving customer demands. In this article, a tactical multi-objective, multi-period, multi-product, multi-site supply-chain planning problem is proposed. A corresponding optimization model aiming to simultaneously minimize the total cost, maximize product quality and maximize the customer satisfaction demand level is developed. The proposed solution approach yields to a front of Pareto-optimal solutions that represents the trade-offs among the different objectives. Subsequently, the analytic hierarchy process method is applied to select the best Pareto-optimal solution according to the preferences of the decision maker. The robustness of the solutions and the proposed approach are discussed based on a sensitivity analysis and an application to a real case from the textile and apparel industry.

When congruence breeds preference: the influence of selective attention processes on evaluative conditioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Blask, Katarina; Walther, Eva; Frings, Christian

2017-09-01

We investigated in two experiments whether selective attention processes modulate evaluative conditioning (EC). Based on the fact that the typical stimuli in an EC paradigm involve an affect-laden unconditioned stimulus (US) and a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS), we started from the assumption that learning might depend in part upon selective attention to the US. Attention to the US was manipulated by including a variant of the Eriksen flanker task in the EC paradigm. Similarly to the original Flanker paradigm, we implemented a target-distracter logic by introducing the CS as the task-relevant stimulus (i.e. the target) to which the participants had to respond and the US as a task-irrelevant distracter. Experiment 1 showed that CS-US congruence modulated EC if the CS had to be selected against the US. Specifically, EC was more pronounced for congruent CS-US pairs as compared to incongruent CS-US pairs. Experiment 2 disentangled CS-US congruence and CS-US compatibility and suggested that it is indeed CS-US stimulus congruence rather than CS-US response compatibility that modulates EC.

Selective mutism: a consensus based care pathway of good practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Keen, D V; Fonseca, S; Wintgens, A

2008-10-01

Selective mutism (SM) now acknowledged as an anxiety condition, tends to be a poorly understood, highly complex and vastly under-recognised clinical entity. Children with SM are a vulnerable group as the condition is not the remit of any one professional group. This inevitably leads to delay in formal diagnosis and management. There is a lack of systematic research on which to base guidelines for management. To develop, agree and validate key principles underlying the management of SM through a consensus process involving international experts, in order to create a local care pathway. A local multi-agency consultation process developed 11 statements, which were felt to be the key principles underpinning a potential care pathway for managing SM. Thirteen recognised experts from North America, Europe and Australia participated in a modified Delphi process involving two rounds using a Likert-scale and free commentary. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used in the validation or revision of the statements at each stage. Response rates were 100% for Round 1 and 84.6% for Round 2. Despite the differing professional backgrounds and service contexts, by successive revision and/or revalidation of statements, it was possible to arrive at a consensus about key principles relating to early recognition, assessment and intervention. The agreed key principles are presented together with the resulting local care pathway. Through a Delphi process, agreement was reached by a multidisciplinary group of professionals, on key principles that underpin the timely identification, assessment and management of children with SM. These include the potential for staff in school/preschool settings to identify SM and that intervention programmes should generally be based in these settings. Children with SM should receive assessment for possible coexisting disorders, whether developmental, emotional or behavioural and additional specific intervention given for these. Agreement was

Selected bibliography for the extraction of uranium from seawater: chemical process and plant design feasibility study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Binney, S.E.; Polkinghorne, S.T.; Jante, R.R.; Rodman, M.R.; Chen, A.C.T.; Gordon, L.I.

1979-02-01

A selected annotated bibliography of 521 references was prepared as a part of a feasibility study of the extraction of uranium from seawater. For the most part, these references are related to the chemical processes whereby the uranium is removed from the seawater. A companion docment contains a similar bibliography of 471 references related to oceanographic and uranium extraction plant siting considerations, although some of the references are in common. The bibliography was prepared by computer retrieval from Chemical Abstracts, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Energy Data Base, NTIS, and Oceanic Abstracts. References are listed by author, country of author, and selected keywords.

Selected bibliography for the extraction of uranium from seawater: chemical process and plant design feasibility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binney, S.E.; Polkinghorne, S.T.; Jante, R.R.; Rodman, M.R.; Chen, A.C.T.; Gordon, L.I.

1979-02-01

A selected annotated bibliography of 521 references was prepared as a part of a feasibility study of the extraction of uranium from seawater. For the most part, these references are related to the chemical processes whereby the uranium is removed from the seawater. A companion docment contains a similar bibliography of 471 references related to oceanographic and uranium extraction plant siting considerations, although some of the references are in common. The bibliography was prepared by computer retrieval from Chemical Abstracts, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Energy Data Base, NTIS, and Oceanic Abstracts. References are listed by author, country of author, and selected keywords

Improved targeted immunization strategies based on two rounds of selection

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Ling-Ling; Song, Yu-Rong; Li, Chan-Chan; Jiang, Guo-Ping

2018-04-01

In the case of high degree targeted immunization where the number of vaccine is limited, when more than one node associated with the same degree meets the requirement of high degree centrality, how can we choose a certain number of nodes from those nodes, so that the number of immunized nodes will not exceed the limit? In this paper, we introduce a new idea derived from the selection process of second-round exam to solve this problem and then propose three improved targeted immunization strategies. In these proposed strategies, the immunized nodes are selected through two rounds of selection, where we increase the quotas of first-round selection according the evaluation criterion of degree centrality and then consider another characteristic parameter of node, such as node's clustering coefficient, betweenness and closeness, to help choose targeted nodes in the second-round selection. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, we compare them with the degree immunizations including the high degree targeted and the high degree adaptive immunizations using two metrics: the size of the largest connected component of immunized network and the number of infected nodes. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategies based on two rounds of sorting are effective for heterogeneous networks and their immunization effects are better than that of the degree immunizations.

Cermet based solar selective absorbers : further selectivity improvement and developing new fabrication technique

OpenAIRE

Nejati, Mohammadreza

2008-01-01

Spectral selectivity of cermet based selective absorbers were increased by inducing surface roughness on the surface of the cermet layer using a roughening technique (deposition on hot substrates) or by micro-structuring the metallic substrates before deposition of the absorber coating using laser and imprint structuring techniques. Cu-Al2O3 cermet absorbers with very rough surfaces and excellent selectivity were obtained by employing a roughness template layer under the infrared reflective l...

Feature-selective attention in healthy old age: a selective decline in selective attention?

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, Cliodhna; Müller, Matthias M

2014-02-12

Deficient selection against irrelevant information has been proposed to underlie age-related cognitive decline. We recently reported evidence for maintained early sensory selection when older and younger adults used spatial selective attention to perform a challenging task. Here we explored age-related differences when spatial selection is not possible and feature-selective attention must be deployed. We additionally compared the integrity of feedforward processing by exploiting the well established phenomenon of suppression of visual cortical responses attributable to interstimulus competition. Electroencephalogram was measured while older and younger human adults responded to brief occurrences of coherent motion in an attended stimulus composed of randomly moving, orientation-defined, flickering bars. Attention was directed to horizontal or vertical bars by a pretrial cue, after which two orthogonally oriented, overlapping stimuli or a single stimulus were presented. Horizontal and vertical bars flickered at different frequencies and thereby elicited separable steady-state visual-evoked potentials, which were used to examine the effect of feature-based selection and the competitive influence of a second stimulus on ongoing visual processing. Age differences were found in feature-selective attentional modulation of visual responses: older adults did not show consistent modulation of magnitude or phase. In contrast, the suppressive effect of a second stimulus was robust and comparable in magnitude across age groups, suggesting that bottom-up processing of the current stimuli is essentially unchanged in healthy old age. Thus, it seems that visual processing per se is unchanged, but top-down attentional control is compromised in older adults when space cannot be used to guide selection.

Temporally selective attention supports speech processing in 3- to 5-year-old children.

Science.gov (United States)

Astheimer, Lori B; Sanders, Lisa D

2012-01-01

Recent event-related potential (ERP) evidence demonstrates that adults employ temporally selective attention to preferentially process the initial portions of words in continuous speech. Doing so is an effective listening strategy since word-initial segments are highly informative. Although the development of this process remains unexplored, directing attention to word onsets may be important for speech processing in young children who would otherwise be overwhelmed by the rapidly changing acoustic signals that constitute speech. We examined the use of temporally selective attention in 3- to 5-year-old children listening to stories by comparing ERPs elicited by attention probes presented at four acoustically matched times relative to word onsets: concurrently with a word onset, 100 ms before, 100 ms after, and at random control times. By 80 ms, probes presented at and after word onsets elicited a larger negativity than probes presented before word onsets or at control times. The latency and distribution of this effect is similar to temporally and spatially selective attention effects measured in adults and, despite differences in polarity, spatially selective attention effects measured in children. These results indicate that, like adults, preschool aged children modulate temporally selective attention to preferentially process the initial portions of words in continuous speech. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discrimination against international medical graduates in the United States residency program selection process.

Science.gov (United States)

Desbiens, Norman A; Vidaillet, Humberto J

2010-01-25

Available evidence suggests that international medical graduates have improved the availability of U.S. health care while maintaining academic standards. We wondered whether studies had been conducted to address how international graduates were treated in the post-graduate selection process compared to U.S. graduates. We conducted a Medline search for research on the selection process. Two studies provide strong evidence that psychiatry and family practice programs respond to identical requests for applications at least 80% more often for U.S. medical graduates than for international graduates. In a third study, a survey of surgical program directors, over 70% perceived that there was discrimination against international graduates in the selection process. There is sufficient evidence to support action against discrimination in the selection process. Medical organizations should publish explicit proscriptions of discrimination against international medical graduates (as the American Psychiatric Association has done) and promote them in diversity statements. They should develop uniform and transparent policies for program directors to use to select applicants that minimize the possibility of non-academic discrimination, and the accreditation organization should monitor whether it is occurring. Whether there should be protectionism for U.S. graduates or whether post-graduate medical education should be an unfettered meritocracy needs to be openly discussed by medicine and society.

Discriminative Projection Selection Based Face Image Hashing

Science.gov (United States)

Karabat, Cagatay; Erdogan, Hakan

Face image hashing is an emerging method used in biometric verification systems. In this paper, we propose a novel face image hashing method based on a new technique called discriminative projection selection. We apply the Fisher criterion for selecting the rows of a random projection matrix in a user-dependent fashion. Moreover, another contribution of this paper is to employ a bimodal Gaussian mixture model at the quantization step. Our simulation results on three different databases demonstrate that the proposed method has superior performance in comparison to previously proposed random projection based methods.

Continuous-Time Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection under the CEV Process

OpenAIRE

Ma, Hui-qiang

2014-01-01

We consider a continuous-time mean-variance portfolio selection model when stock price follows the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) process. The aim of this paper is to derive an optimal portfolio strategy and the efficient frontier. The mean-variance portfolio selection problem is formulated as a linearly constrained convex program problem. By employing the Lagrange multiplier method and stochastic optimal control theory, we obtain the optimal portfolio strategy and mean-variance effici...

Chatter detection in milling process based on VMD and energy entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Changfu; Zhu, Lida; Ni, Chenbing

2018-05-01

This paper presents a novel approach to detect the milling chatter based on Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) and energy entropy. VMD has already been employed in feature extraction from non-stationary signals. The parameters like number of modes (K) and the quadratic penalty (α) need to be selected empirically when raw signal is decomposed by VMD. Aimed at solving the problem how to select K and α, the automatic selection method of VMD's based on kurtosis is proposed in this paper. When chatter occurs in the milling process, energy will be absorbed to chatter frequency bands. To detect the chatter frequency bands automatically, the chatter detection method based on energy entropy is presented. The vibration signal containing chatter frequency is simulated and three groups of experiments which represent three cutting conditions are conducted. To verify the effectiveness of method presented by this paper, chatter feather extraction has been successfully employed on simulation signals and experimental signals. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively detect the chatter.

Employee Selection Process: Integrating Employee Needs and Employer Motivators.

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Brian J.

1989-01-01

Offers suggestions for managers relative to the employee selection process, focusing on the identification of a potential employee's needs and the employer's motivators that affect employee productivity. Discusses the use of a preemployment survey and offers a questionnaire that allows matching of the employee's needs with employment…

The application of the FMEA method in the selected production process of a company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Barosz

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to show the use of the analysis of the failure causes and effects as a prevention tool in controlling the quality of a given production process in the company. The scope of the work covers an analysis of a selected process, definition of inconsistencies present in this process, and then the FMEA analysis. In the production company one should implement thinking and actions based on the so-called ‘quality loop’ – it is an interdependence model of the undertaken actions which affect the quality shaping. It is carried out from the possibility for identifying a customer’s requirements through a project, production process, up to the assessment of effective capability for meeting the defined requirements. The application of such an approach enables to take the actions improving the operation of quality management in a systemic way.

Natural Selection Is a Sorting Process: What Does that Mean?

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Rebecca M.

2013-01-01

To learn why natural selection acts only on existing variation, students categorize processes as either creative or sorting. This activity helps students confront the misconception that adaptations evolve because species need them.

Carrier-lifetime-controlled selective etching process for semiconductors using photochemical etching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashby, C.I.H.; Myers, D.R.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a process for selectively photochemically etching a semiconductor material. It comprises introducing at least one impurity into at least one selected region of a semiconductor material to be etched to increase a local impurity concentration in the at least one selected region relative to an impurity concentration in regions of the semiconductor material adjacent thereto, for reducing minority carrier lifetimes within the at least one selected region relative to the adjacent regions for thereby providing a photochemical etch-inhibiting mask at the at least one selected region; and etching the semiconductor material by subjecting the surface of the semiconductor material to a carrier-driven photochemical etching reaction for selectively etching the regions of the semiconductor material adjacent the at least one selected region having the increase impurity concentration; wherein the step of introducing at least one impurity is performed so as not to produce damage to the at least one selected region before any etching is performed

Introduction to gas lasers with emphasis on selective excitation processes

CERN Document Server

Willett, Colin S

1974-01-01

Introduction to Gas Lasers: Population Inversion Mechanisms focuses on important processes in gas discharge lasers and basic atomic collision processes that operate in a gas laser. Organized into six chapters, this book first discusses the historical development and basic principles of gas lasers. Subsequent chapters describe the selective excitation processes in gas discharges and the specific neutral, ionized and molecular laser systems. This book will be a valuable reference on the behavior of gas-discharge lasers to anyone already in the field.

Effect of Thermo-extrusion Process Parameters on Selected Quality ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of Thermo-extrusion Process Parameters on Selected Quality Attributes of Meat Analogue from Mucuna Bean Seed Flour. ... Nigerian Food Journal ... The product functional responses with coefficients of determination (R2) ranging between 0.658 and 0.894 were most affected by changes in barrel temperature and ...

Neural correlates of attentional and mnemonic processing in event-based prospective memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Justin B; Ethridge, Lauren E; Marsh, Richard L; Clementz, Brett A

2010-01-01

Prospective memory (PM), or memory for realizing delayed intentions, was examined with an event-based paradigm while simultaneously measuring neural activity with high-density EEG recordings. Specifically, the neural substrates of monitoring for an event-based cue were examined, as well as those perhaps associated with the cognitive processes supporting detection of cues and fulfillment of intentions. Participants engaged in a baseline lexical decision task (LDT), followed by a LDT with an embedded PM component. Event-based cues were constituted by color and lexicality (red words). Behavioral data provided evidence that monitoring, or preparatory attentional processes, were used to detect cues. Analysis of the event-related potentials (ERP) revealed visual attentional modulations at 140 and 220 ms post-stimulus associated with preparatory attentional processes. In addition, ERP components at 220, 350, and 400 ms post-stimulus were enhanced for intention-related items. Our results suggest preparatory attention may operate by selectively modulating processing of features related to a previously formed event-based intention, as well as provide further evidence for the proposal that dissociable component processes support the fulfillment of delayed intentions.

The selective processing of emotional visual stimuli while detecting auditory targets: an ERP analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schupp, Harald T; Stockburger, Jessica; Bublatzky, Florian; Junghöfer, Markus; Weike, Almut I; Hamm, Alfons O

2008-09-16

Event-related potential studies revealed an early posterior negativity (EPN) for emotional compared to neutral pictures. Exploring the emotion-attention relationship, a previous study observed that a primary visual discrimination task interfered with the emotional modulation of the EPN component. To specify the locus of interference, the present study assessed the fate of selective visual emotion processing while attention is directed towards the auditory modality. While simply viewing a rapid and continuous stream of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures in one experimental condition, processing demands of a concurrent auditory target discrimination task were systematically varied in three further experimental conditions. Participants successfully performed the auditory task as revealed by behavioral performance and selected event-related potential components. Replicating previous results, emotional pictures were associated with a larger posterior negativity compared to neutral pictures. Of main interest, increasing demands of the auditory task did not modulate the selective processing of emotional visual stimuli. With regard to the locus of interference, selective emotion processing as indexed by the EPN does not seem to reflect shared processing resources of visual and auditory modality.

Supplier selection in supply chain management using analytical network process for Indonesian cement industry

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, A. H.; Mahardika, R. Z. Z.

2017-12-01

Supply chain management has increased more significance with the impact of globalization. In the present worldwide market, well-managed supply chain is a standout amongst the most vital requirement to be more competitive in the market. For any organization incorporate cement industry, the most critical decision in initial process of supply chain management is to buy products, materials or services from suppliers. So the role of suppliers is irrefutable important in the global aggressive markets. Appropriate decision of supplier selection can lead to reducing cost in supply chain management. However, it is becoming more complex because of existing various criteria and involving the suitable experts in the company to make valid decision in accordance with its criteria. In this study, the supplier selection of an Indonesia’s leading cement company is analyzed by using one of the popular multi-criteria decision making method, Saaty’s analytical network process (ANP). It is employed for the selection of the best alternative among three suppliers of pasted bag. Supplier with the highest rank comes from several major steps from building the relationship between various criteria to rating the alternatives with the help of experts from the company. The results show that, Communication capability, Flexible payment terms, Ability to meet delivery quantities are the most important criteria in the pasted bag supplier selection in Indonesian cement industry with 0.155, 0.110 and 0.1 ANP coefficient respectively. And based on the ANP coefficient values in limit supermatrix, the A2 or supplier 2 had the highest score with 64.7% or 0.13 ANP coefficient.

Enforcement of entailment constraints in distributed service-based business processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hummer, Waldemar; Gaubatz, Patrick; Strembeck, Mark; Zdun, Uwe; Dustdar, Schahram

2013-11-01

A distributed business process is executed in a distributed computing environment. The service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm is a popular option for the integration of software services and execution of distributed business processes. Entailment constraints, such as mutual exclusion and binding constraints, are important means to control process execution. Mutually exclusive tasks result from the division of powerful rights and responsibilities to prevent fraud and abuse. In contrast, binding constraints define that a subject who performed one task must also perform the corresponding bound task(s). We aim to provide a model-driven approach for the specification and enforcement of task-based entailment constraints in distributed service-based business processes. Based on a generic metamodel, we define a domain-specific language (DSL) that maps the different modeling-level artifacts to the implementation-level. The DSL integrates elements from role-based access control (RBAC) with the tasks that are performed in a business process. Process definitions are annotated using the DSL, and our software platform uses automated model transformations to produce executable WS-BPEL specifications which enforce the entailment constraints. We evaluate the impact of constraint enforcement on runtime performance for five selected service-based processes from existing literature. Our evaluation demonstrates that the approach correctly enforces task-based entailment constraints at runtime. The performance experiments illustrate that the runtime enforcement operates with an overhead that scales well up to the order of several ten thousand logged invocations. Using our DSL annotations, the user-defined process definition remains declarative and clean of security enforcement code. Our approach decouples the concerns of (non-technical) domain experts from technical details of entailment constraint enforcement. The developed framework integrates seamlessly with WS-BPEL and the Web

Handling equipment Selection in open pit mines by using an integrated model based on group decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdolreza Yazdani-Chamzini

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Process of handling equipment selection is one of the most important and basic parts in the project planning, particularly mining projects due to holding a high charge of the total project's cost. Different criteria impact on the handling equipment selection, while these criteria often are in conflicting with each other. Therefore, the process of handling equipment selection is a complex and multi criteria decision making problem. There are a variety of methods for selecting the most appropriate equipment among a set of alternatives. Likewise, according to the sophisticated structure of the problem, imprecise data, less of information, and inherent uncertainty, the usage of the fuzzy sets can be useful. In this study a new integrated model based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS is proposed, which uses group decision making to reduce individual errors. In order to calculate the weights of the evaluation criteria, FAHP is utilized in the process of handling equipment selection, and then these weights are inserted to the FTOPSIS computations to select the most appropriate handling system among a pool of alternatives. The results of this study demonstrate the potential application and effectiveness of the proposed model, which can be applied to different types of sophisticated problems in real problems.

Development of an evidence-based review with recommendations using an online iterative process.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudmik, Luke; Smith, Timothy L

2011-01-01

The practice of modern medicine is governed by evidence-based principles. Due to the plethora of medical literature, clinicians often rely on systematic reviews and clinical guidelines to summarize the evidence and provide best practices. Implementation of an evidence-based clinical approach can minimize variation in health care delivery and optimize the quality of patient care. This article reports a method for developing an "Evidence-based Review with Recommendations" using an online iterative process. The manuscript describes the following steps involved in this process: Clinical topic selection, Evidence-hased review assignment, Literature review and initial manuscript preparation, Iterative review process with author selection, and Manuscript finalization. The goal of this article is to improve efficiency and increase the production of evidence-based reviews while maintaining the high quality and transparency associated with the rigorous methodology utilized for clinical guideline development. With the rise of evidence-based medicine, most medical and surgical specialties have an abundance of clinical topics which would benefit from a formal evidence-based review. Although clinical guideline development is an important methodology, the associated challenges limit development to only the absolute highest priority clinical topics. As outlined in this article, the online iterative approach to the development of an Evidence-based Review with Recommendations may improve productivity without compromising the quality associated with formal guideline development methodology. Copyright © 2011 American Rhinologic Society-American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy, LLC.

Entropy-based gene ranking without selection bias for the predictive classification of microarray data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serafini Maria

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We describe the E-RFE method for gene ranking, which is useful for the identification of markers in the predictive classification of array data. The method supports a practical modeling scheme designed to avoid the construction of classification rules based on the selection of too small gene subsets (an effect known as the selection bias, in which the estimated predictive errors are too optimistic due to testing on samples already considered in the feature selection process. Results With E-RFE, we speed up the recursive feature elimination (RFE with SVM classifiers by eliminating chunks of uninteresting genes using an entropy measure of the SVM weights distribution. An optimal subset of genes is selected according to a two-strata model evaluation procedure: modeling is replicated by an external stratified-partition resampling scheme, and, within each run, an internal K-fold cross-validation is used for E-RFE ranking. Also, the optimal number of genes can be estimated according to the saturation of Zipf's law profiles. Conclusions Without a decrease of classification accuracy, E-RFE allows a speed-up factor of 100 with respect to standard RFE, while improving on alternative parametric RFE reduction strategies. Thus, a process for gene selection and error estimation is made practical, ensuring control of the selection bias, and providing additional diagnostic indicators of gene importance.

Intrusion recognition for optic fiber vibration sensor based on the selective attention mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Haiyan; Xie, Yingjuan; Li, Min; Zhang, Zhuo; Zhang, Xuewu

2017-11-01

Distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors receive extensive investigation and play a significant role in the sensor panorama. A fiber optic perimeter detection system based on all-fiber interferometric sensor is proposed, through the back-end analysis, processing and intelligent identification, which can distinguish effects of different intrusion activities. In this paper, an intrusion recognition based on the auditory selective attention mechanism is proposed. Firstly, considering the time-frequency of vibration, the spectrogram is calculated. Secondly, imitating the selective attention mechanism, the color, direction and brightness map of the spectrogram is computed. Based on these maps, the feature matrix is formed after normalization. The system could recognize the intrusion activities occurred along the perimeter sensors. Experiment results show that the proposed method for the perimeter is able to differentiate intrusion signals from ambient noises. What's more, the recognition rate of the system is improved while deduced the false alarm rate, the approach is proved by large practical experiment and project.

The multi-objective decision making methods based on MULTIMOORA and MOOSRA for the laptop selection problem

Science.gov (United States)

Aytaç Adalı, Esra; Tuş Işık, Ayşegül

2017-06-01

A decision making process requires the values of conflicting objectives for alternatives and the selection of the best alternative according to the needs of decision makers. Multi-objective optimization methods may provide solution for this selection. In this paper it is aimed to present the laptop selection problem based on MOORA plus full multiplicative form (MULTIMOORA) and multi-objective optimization on the basis of simple ratio analysis (MOOSRA) which are relatively new multi-objective optimization methods. The novelty of this paper is solving this problem with the MULTIMOORA and MOOSRA methods for the first time.

The Choice Is Yours: The Role of Cognitive Processes for IT-Supported Idea Selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seeber, Isabella; Weber, Barbara; Maier, Ronald

2018-01-01

of selection direction and selection type. A laboratory experiment using eye-tracking will investigate variations in selection type and selection direction. Moreover, the experiment will test the effects on the decision-making process and the number and quality of ideas in a filtered set. Findings will provide......The selection of good ideas out of hundreds or even thousands has proven to be the next big challenge for organizations that conduct open idea contests for innovation. Cognitive load and attention loss hinder crowds to effectively run their idea selection process. Facilitation techniques...... for the reduction and clarification of ideas could help with such problems, but have not yet been researched in crowd settings that are prevalent in idea contests. This research-in-progress paper aims to contribute to this research gap by investigating IT-supported selection techniques that differ in terms...

LITERATURE REVIEWS TO SUPPORT ION EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY SELECTION FOR MODULAR SALT PROCESSING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, W

2007-11-30

loading, and handling of liquid wash and conditioning solutions. RF processing requires handling and evaporation of cesium eluates, disposal of spent organic resin, and handling of the various liquid wash and regenerate solutions used. In both cases, the DSS will be immobilized in a low activity waste form. It appears that both technologies are mature, well studied, and generally suitable for this application. Technology selection will likely be based on downstream impacts or preferences between the various processing options for the two materials rather than on some unacceptable performance property identified for one material. As a result, the following detailed technical review and summary of the two technologies should be useful to assist in technology selection for SCIX.

LITERATURE REVIEWS TO SUPPORT ION EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY SELECTION FOR MODULAR SALT PROCESSING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, W.

2007-01-01

loading, and handling of liquid wash and conditioning solutions. RF processing requires handling and evaporation of cesium eluates, disposal of spent organic resin, and handling of the various liquid wash and regenerate solutions used. In both cases, the DSS will be immobilized in a low activity waste form. It appears that both technologies are mature, well studied, and generally suitable for this application. Technology selection will likely be based on downstream impacts or preferences between the various processing options for the two materials rather than on some unacceptable performance property identified for one material. As a result, the following detailed technical review and summary of the two technologies should be useful to assist in technology selection for SCIX

An ant colony optimization based feature selection for web page classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Saraç, Esra; Özel, Selma Ayşe

2014-01-01

The increased popularity of the web has caused the inclusion of huge amount of information to the web, and as a result of this explosive information growth, automated web page classification systems are needed to improve search engines' performance. Web pages have a large number of features such as HTML/XML tags, URLs, hyperlinks, and text contents that should be considered during an automated classification process. The aim of this study is to reduce the number of features to be used to improve runtime and accuracy of the classification of web pages. In this study, we used an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm to select the best features, and then we applied the well-known C4.5, naive Bayes, and k nearest neighbor classifiers to assign class labels to web pages. We used the WebKB and Conference datasets in our experiments, and we showed that using the ACO for feature selection improves both accuracy and runtime performance of classification. We also showed that the proposed ACO based algorithm can select better features with respect to the well-known information gain and chi square feature selection methods.

Selective attention supports working memory maintenance by modulating perceptual processing of distractors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreenivasan, Kartik K; Jha, Amishi P

2007-01-01

Selective attention has been shown to bias sensory processing in favor of relevant stimuli and against irrelevant or distracting stimuli in perceptual tasks. Increasing evidence suggests that selective attention plays an important role during working memory maintenance, possibly by biasing sensory processing in favor of to-be-remembered items. In the current study, we investigated whether selective attention may also support working memory by biasing processing against irrelevant and potentially distracting information. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects (n = 22) performed a delayed-recognition task for faces and shoes. The delay period was filled with face or shoe distractors. Behavioral performance was impaired when distractors were congruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during working memory for faces) relative to when distractors were incongruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during shoe working memory). If attentional biasing against distractor processing is indeed functionally relevant in supporting working memory maintenance, perceptual processing of distractors is predicted to be attenuated when distractors are more behaviorally intrusive relative to when they are nonintrusive. As such, we predicted that perceptual processing of distracting faces, as measured by the face-sensitive N170 ERP component, would be reduced in the context of congruent (face) working memory relative to incongruent (shoe) working memory. The N170 elicited by distracting faces demonstrated reduced amplitude during congruent versus incongruent working memory. These results suggest that perceptual processing of distracting faces may be attenuated due to attentional biasing against sensory processing of distractors that are most behaviorally intrusive during working memory maintenance.

Construction Tender Subcontract Selection using Case-based Reasoning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Due Luu

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Obtaining competitive quotations from suitably qualified subcontractors at tender tim n significantly increase the chance of w1nmng a construction project. Amidst an increasingly growing trend to subcontracting in Australia, selecting appropriate subcontractors for a construction project can be a daunting task requiring the analysis of complex and dynamic criteria such as past performance, suitable experience, track record of competitive pricing, financial stability and so on. Subcontractor selection is plagued with uncertainty and vagueness and these conditions are difficul_t o represent in generalised sets of rules. DeciSIOns pertaining to the selection of subcontr:act?s tender time are usually based on the mtu1t1onand past experience of construction estimators. Case-based reasoning (CBR may be an appropriate method of addressing the chal_lenges of selecting subcontractors because CBR 1s able to harness the experiential knowledge of practitioners. This paper reviews the practicality and suitability of a CBR approach for subcontractor tender selection through the development of a prototype CBR procurement advisory system. In this system, subcontractor selection cases are represented by a set of attributes elicited from experienced construction estimators. The results indicate that CBR can enhance the appropriateness of the selection of subcontractors for construction projects.

Model-Based Integrated Process Design and Controller Design of Chemical Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abd Hamid, Mohd Kamaruddin Bin

that is typically formulated as a mathematical programming (optimization with constraints) problem is solved by the so-called reverse approach by decomposing it into four sequential hierarchical sub-problems: (i) pre-analysis, (ii) design analysis, (iii) controller design analysis, and (iv) final selection......This thesis describes the development and application of a new systematic modelbased methodology for performing integrated process design and controller design (IPDC) of chemical processes. The new methodology is simple to apply, easy to visualize and efficient to solve. Here, the IPDC problem...... are ordered according to the defined performance criteria (objective function). The final selected design is then verified through rigorous simulation. In the pre-analysis sub-problem, the concepts of attainable region and driving force are used to locate the optimal process-controller design solution...

The complementariness of the business process reengineering and activity-based management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Violeta DOMANOVIC

2010-05-01

Full Text Available In order to sustain long term growth and development, an enterprise has toenvisage and implement contemporary management innovations altogether. Intransition economies, like Serbia is, it is of great importance to redesign businessprocesses and activities, to analyse activity profitability in order to select value-addedactivities and reduce non-value added ones. This paper considers the possibility forcomplementary implementation of the business process reengineering and activitybased management in the process of long term efficiency improvement. Namely, thebasic postulate of business process reengineering concept might be established in theprocess of activity based management implementation and conversely.

Carbon molecular sieve membrane from a microporous spirobisindane-based polyimide precursor with enhanced ethylene/ethane mixed-gas selectivity

KAUST Repository

Salinas, Octavio

2017-01-13

Ethylene is typically produced by steam cracking of various hydrocarbon feedstocks. The gaseous products are then separated in a demethanizer followed by a deethanizer unit and finally sent to a C splitter for the final purification step. Cryogenic distillation of ethylene from ethane is the most energy-intensive unit operation process in the chemical industry. Therefore, the development of more energy-efficient processes for ethylene purification is highly desirable. Membrane-based separation has been proposed as an alternative option for replacement or debottlenecking of C splitters but current polymer membrane materials exhibit insufficient mixed-gas CH/CH selectivity (<7) to be technically and economically attractive. In this work, a highly selective carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane derived from a novel spirobisindane-based polyimide of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-6FDA) was developed and characterized. PIM-6FDA showed a single-stage degradation process under an inert nitrogen atmosphere which commenced at ∼480 °C. The CMS formed by pyrolysis at 800 °C had a diffusion/size-sieving-controlled morphology with a mixed-gas (50% CH/50% CH) ethylene/ethane selectivity of 15.6 at 20 bar feed pressure at 35 °C. The mixed-gas ethylene/ethane selectivity is the highest reported value for CMS-type membranes to date.

A Comparative Investigation of the Combined Effects of Pre-Processing, Wavelength Selection, and Regression Methods on Near-Infrared Calibration Model Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Jian; Chen, Yi-Chieh; Morris, A Julian; Thennadil, Suresh N

2017-07-01

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is being widely used in various fields ranging from pharmaceutics to the food industry for analyzing chemical and physical properties of the substances concerned. Its advantages over other analytical techniques include available physical interpretation of spectral data, nondestructive nature and high speed of measurements, and little or no need for sample preparation. The successful application of NIR spectroscopy relies on three main aspects: pre-processing of spectral data to eliminate nonlinear variations due to temperature, light scattering effects and many others, selection of those wavelengths that contribute useful information, and identification of suitable calibration models using linear/nonlinear regression . Several methods have been developed for each of these three aspects and many comparative studies of different methods exist for an individual aspect or some combinations. However, there is still a lack of comparative studies for the interactions among these three aspects, which can shed light on what role each aspect plays in the calibration and how to combine various methods of each aspect together to obtain the best calibration model. This paper aims to provide such a comparative study based on four benchmark data sets using three typical pre-processing methods, namely, orthogonal signal correction (OSC), extended multiplicative signal correction (EMSC) and optical path-length estimation and correction (OPLEC); two existing wavelength selection methods, namely, stepwise forward selection (SFS) and genetic algorithm optimization combined with partial least squares regression for spectral data (GAPLSSP); four popular regression methods, namely, partial least squares (PLS), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), and Gaussian process regression (GPR). The comparative study indicates that, in general, pre-processing of spectral data can play a significant

The influence of extrinsic motivation on competition-based selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Sänger, Jessica; Wascher, Edmund

2011-10-10

The biased competition approach to visuo-spatial attention proposes that the selection of competing information is effected by the saliency of the stimulus as well as by an intention-based bias of attention towards behavioural goals. Wascher and Beste (2010) [32] showed that the detection of relevant information depends on its relative saliency compared to irrelevant conflicting stimuli. Furthermore the N1pc, N2pc and N2 of the EEG varied with the strength of the conflict. However, this system could also be modulated by rather global mechanisms like attentional effort. The present study investigates such modulations by testing the influence of extrinsic motivation on the selection of competing stimuli. Participants had to detect a luminance change in various conditions among others against an irrelevant orientation change. Half of the participants were motivated to maximize their performance by the announcement of a monetary reward for correct responses. Participants who were motivated had lower error rates than participants who were not motivated. The event-related lateralizations of the EEG showed no motivation-related effect on the N1pc, which reflects the initial saliency driven orientation of attention towards the more salient stimulus. The subsequent N2pc was enhanced in the motivation condition. Extrinsic motivation was also accompanied by enhanced fronto-central negativities. Thus, the data provide evidence that the improvement of selection performance when participants were extrinsically motivated by announcing a reward was not due to changes in the initial saliency based processing of information but was foremost mediated by improved higher-level mechanisms. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 636.602-5 - Short selection processes for contracts not to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Short selection processes... ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Architect-Engineer Services 636.602-5 Short selection processes for contracts not to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The short selection process described in FAR 36...

Otolaryngology residency selection process. Medical student perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Stringer, S P; Cassisi, N J; Slattery, W H

1992-04-01

In an effort to improve the otolaryngology matching process at the University of Florida, Gainesville, we sought to obtain the medical student's perspective of the current system. All students who interviewed here over a 3-year period were surveyed regarding the application, interview, and ranking process. In addition, suggestions for improving the system were sought from the students. The application and interviewing patterns of the students surveyed were found to be similar to those of the entire otolaryngology residency applicant pool. We were unable to identify any factors that influence a student's rank list that could be prospectively used to help select applicants for interview. A variety of suggestions for improvements in the match were received, several of which could easily be instituted. A uniform interview invitation date as requested by the students could be rapidly implemented and would provide benefits for both the students and the residency programs.

Feature Selection Based on Mutual Correlation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Haindl, Michal; Somol, Petr; Ververidis, D.; Kotropoulos, C.

2006-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 4225 (2006), s. 569-577 ISSN 0302-9743. [Iberoamerican Congress on Pattern Recognition. CIARP 2006 /11./. Cancun, 14.11.2006-17.11.2006] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET400750407; GA MŠk 1M0572; GA AV ČR IAA2075302 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 507752 - MUSCLE Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : feature selection Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information Impact factor: 0.402, year: 2005 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/historie/haindl-feature selection based on mutual correlation.pdf

Information Gain Based Dimensionality Selection for Classifying Text Documents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dumidu Wijayasekara; Milos Manic; Miles McQueen

2013-06-01

Selecting the optimal dimensions for various knowledge extraction applications is an essential component of data mining. Dimensionality selection techniques are utilized in classification applications to increase the classification accuracy and reduce the computational complexity. In text classification, where the dimensionality of the dataset is extremely high, dimensionality selection is even more important. This paper presents a novel, genetic algorithm based methodology, for dimensionality selection in text mining applications that utilizes information gain. The presented methodology uses information gain of each dimension to change the mutation probability of chromosomes dynamically. Since the information gain is calculated a priori, the computational complexity is not affected. The presented method was tested on a specific text classification problem and compared with conventional genetic algorithm based dimensionality selection. The results show an improvement of 3% in the true positives and 1.6% in the true negatives over conventional dimensionality selection methods.

48 CFR 36.602-5 - Short selection process for contracts not to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Short selection process... AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Architect-Engineer Services 36.602-5 Short selection process for... of the short processes described in this subsection may be used to select firms for contracts not...

Rapid prototyping of 2D glass microfluidic devices based on femtosecond laser assisted selective etching process

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung-Il; Kim, Jeongtae; Koo, Chiwan; Joung, Yeun-Ho; Choi, Jiyeon

2018-02-01

Microfluidics technology which deals with small liquid samples and reagents within micro-scale channels has been widely applied in various aspects of biological, chemical, and life-scientific research. For fabricating microfluidic devices, a silicon-based polymer, PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane), is widely used in soft lithography, but it has several drawbacks for microfluidic applications. Glass has many advantages over PDMS due to its excellent optical, chemical, and mechanical properties. However, difficulties in fabrication of glass microfluidic devices that requires multiple skilled steps such as MEMS technology taking several hours to days, impedes broad application of glass based devices. Here, we demonstrate a rapid and optical prototyping of a glass microfluidic device by using femtosecond laser assisted selective etching (LASE) and femtosecond laser welding. A microfluidic droplet generator was fabricated as a demonstration of a microfluidic device using our proposed prototyping. The fabrication time of a single glass chip containing few centimeter long and complex-shaped microfluidic channels was drastically reduced in an hour with the proposed laser based rapid and simple glass micromachining and hermetic packaging technique.

Selected papers on noise and stochastic processes

CERN Document Server

1954-01-01

Six classic papers on stochastic process, selected to meet the needs of physicists, applied mathematicians, and engineers. Contents: 1.Chandrasekhar, S.: Stochastic Problems in Physics and Astronomy. 2. Uhlenbeck, G. E. and Ornstein, L. S.: On the Theory of the Browninan Motion. 3. Ming Chen Wang and Uhlenbeck, G. E.: On the Theory of the Browninan Motion II. 4. Rice, S. O.: Mathematical Analysis of Random Noise. 5. Kac, Mark: Random Walk and the Theory of Brownian Motion. 6. Doob, J. L.: The Brownian Movement and Stochastic Equations. Unabridged republication of the Dover reprint (1954). Pre

Production and 3D printing processing of bio-based thermoplastic filament

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gkartzou Eleni

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, an extrusion-based 3D printing technique was employed for processing of biobased blends of Poly(Lactic Acid (PLA with low-cost kraft lignin. In Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF 3D printing process, objects are built in a layer-by-layer fashion by melting, extruding and selectively depositing thermoplastic fibers on a platform. These fibers are used as building blocks for more complex structures with defined microarchitecture, in an automated, cost-effective process, with minimum material waste. A sustainable material consisting of lignin biopolymer blended with poly(lactic acid was examined for its physical properties and for its melt processability during the FFF process. Samples with different PLA/lignin weight ratios were prepared and their mechanical (tensile testing, thermal (Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis and morphological (optical and scanning electron microscopy, SEM properties were studied. The composition with optimum properties was selected for the production of 3D-printing filament. Three process parameters, which contribute to shear rate and stress imposed on the melt, were examined: extrusion temperature, printing speed and fiber’s width varied and their effect on extrudates’ morphology was evaluated. The mechanical properties of 3D printed specimens were assessed with tensile testing and SEM fractography.

Reduced auditory processing capacity during vocalization in children with Selective Mutism.

Science.gov (United States)

Arie, Miri; Henkin, Yael; Lamy, Dominique; Tetin-Schneider, Simona; Apter, Alan; Sadeh, Avi; Bar-Haim, Yair

2007-02-01

Because abnormal Auditory Efferent Activity (AEA) is associated with auditory distortions during vocalization, we tested whether auditory processing is impaired during vocalization in children with Selective Mutism (SM). Participants were children with SM and abnormal AEA, children with SM and normal AEA, and normally speaking controls, who had to detect aurally presented target words embedded within word lists under two conditions: silence (single task), and while vocalizing (dual task). To ascertain specificity of auditory-vocal deficit, effects of concurrent vocalizing were also examined during a visual task. Children with SM and abnormal AEA showed impaired auditory processing during vocalization relative to children with SM and normal AEA, and relative to control children. This impairment is specific to the auditory modality and does not reflect difficulties in dual task per se. The data extends previous findings suggesting that deficient auditory processing is involved in speech selectivity in SM.

Impact of Menu Sequencing on Internet-Based Educational Module Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Bensley, Robert; Brusk, John J.; Rivas, Jason; Anderson, Judith V.

2006-01-01

Patterns of Internet-based menu item selection can occur for a number of reasons, many of which may not be based on interest in topic. It then becomes important to ensure menu order is devised in a way that ensures the greatest accuracy in matching user need with selection. This study examined the impact of menu rotation on the selection of…

Selective catalyst reduction light-off strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Gonze, Eugene V [Pinckney, MI

2011-10-18

An emissions control system includes a temperature determination module and an emissions control module. The temperature determination module determines a first temperature of a heater element of a diesel particulate filter (DPF) assembly in an exhaust system and determines a second temperature of a catalyst of the DPF assembly. The emissions control module selectively activates the heater element, selectively initiates a predefined combustion process in an engine based upon the first temperature, and selectively starts a reductant injection process based upon the second temperature.

The Selection of Materials for Roller Chains From The Perspective Of Manufacturing Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmat Saptono

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The selection of materials for an engineering component is not only requested by its design function and shape, but also the sequence through which it is manufactured. The manufacturing operation of roller chains involves drawing and trimming processes aimed at producing semi-finished chain drives component with a well-standardized dimension. In addition to final combination of properties required by design constraints, the ability of materials to be formed into a desired shape and geometry without failure is also critical. The objective of materials selection should therefore involve additional attributes that are not typically  accommodated by the standard procedure of materials selection. The present paper deals with the selection of materials for roller chains from the perspective of manufacturing process. Ears and un-uniform wall thickness have been identified as a key problem in the mass production of component. Provided all process parameters were established, the  anisotropy factor of materials is critical. Simulative test can be reasonably used to obtain material performance indices that can be added up to the standard procedure of material selection. Of three commercially available steel grades evaluated with regard to the criteria defined, one grade is more suitable for the present objective.

A Reagentless Amperometric Formaldehyde-Selective Chemosensor Based on Platinized Gold Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Demkiv, Olha; Smutok, Oleh; Gonchar, Mykhailo; Nisnevitch, Marina

2017-05-06

Fabrication and characterization of a new amperometric chemosensor for accurate formaldehyde analysis based on platinized gold electrodes is described. The platinization process was performed electrochemically on the surface of 4 mm gold planar electrodes by both electrolysis and cyclic voltamperometry. The produced electrodes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectral analysis. Using a low working potential (0.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl) enabled an essential increase in the chemosensor's selectivity for the target analyte. The sensitivity of the best chemosensor prototype to formaldehyde is uniquely high (28180 A·M -1 ·m -2 ) with a detection limit of 0.05 mM. The chemosensor remained stable over a one-year storage period. The formaldehye-selective chemosensor was tested on samples of commercial preparations. A high correlation was demonstrated between the results obtained by the proposed chemosensor, chemical and enzymatic methods ( R = 0.998). The developed formaldehyde-selective amperometric chemosensor is very promising for use in industry and research, as well as for environmental control.

Advances in feature selection methods for hyperspectral image processing in food industry applications: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Qiong; Cheng, Jun-Hu; Sun, Da-Wen; Zeng, Xin-An

2015-01-01

There is an increased interest in the applications of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for assessing food quality, safety, and authenticity. HSI provides abundance of spatial and spectral information from foods by combining both spectroscopy and imaging, resulting in hundreds of contiguous wavebands for each spatial position of food samples, also known as the curse of dimensionality. It is desirable to employ feature selection algorithms for decreasing computation burden and increasing predicting accuracy, which are especially relevant in the development of online applications. Recently, a variety of feature selection algorithms have been proposed that can be categorized into three groups based on the searching strategy namely complete search, heuristic search and random search. This review mainly introduced the fundamental of each algorithm, illustrated its applications in hyperspectral data analysis in the food field, and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms. It is hoped that this review should provide a guideline for feature selections and data processing in the future development of hyperspectral imaging technique in foods.

Multi-Stage Feature Selection by Using Genetic Algorithms for Fault Diagnosis in Gearboxes Based on Vibration Signal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariela Cerrada

2015-09-01

Full Text Available There are growing demands for condition-based monitoring of gearboxes, and techniques to improve the reliability, effectiveness and accuracy for fault diagnosis are considered valuable contributions. Feature selection is still an important aspect in machine learning-based diagnosis in order to reach good performance in the diagnosis system. The main aim of this research is to propose a multi-stage feature selection mechanism for selecting the best set of condition parameters on the time, frequency and time-frequency domains, which are extracted from vibration signals for fault diagnosis purposes in gearboxes. The selection is based on genetic algorithms, proposing in each stage a new subset of the best features regarding the classifier performance in a supervised environment. The selected features are augmented at each stage and used as input for a neural network classifier in the next step, while a new subset of feature candidates is treated by the selection process. As a result, the inherent exploration and exploitation of the genetic algorithms for finding the best solutions of the selection problem are locally focused. The Sensors 2015, 15 23904 approach is tested on a dataset from a real test bed with several fault classes under different running conditions of load and velocity. The model performance for diagnosis is over 98%.

Utility-based early modulation of processing distracting stimulus information.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendt, Mike; Luna-Rodriguez, Aquiles; Jacobsen, Thomas

2014-12-10

Humans are selective information processors who efficiently prevent goal-inappropriate stimulus information to gain control over their actions. Nonetheless, stimuli, which are both unnecessary for solving a current task and liable to cue an incorrect response (i.e., "distractors"), frequently modulate task performance, even when consistently paired with a physical feature that makes them easily discernible from target stimuli. Current models of cognitive control assume adjustment of the processing of distractor information based on the overall distractor utility (e.g., predictive value regarding the appropriate response, likelihood to elicit conflict with target processing). Although studies on distractor interference have supported the notion of utility-based processing adjustment, previous evidence is inconclusive regarding the specificity of this adjustment for distractor information and the stage(s) of processing affected. To assess the processing of distractors during sensory-perceptual phases we applied EEG recording in a stimulus identification task, involving successive distractor-target presentation, and manipulated the overall distractor utility. Behavioral measures replicated previously found utility modulations of distractor interference. Crucially, distractor-evoked visual potentials (i.e., posterior N1) were more pronounced in high-utility than low-utility conditions. This effect generalized to distractors unrelated to the utility manipulation, providing evidence for item-unspecific adjustment of early distractor processing to the experienced utility of distractor information. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3416720-06$15.00/0.

Strategy for design NIR calibration sets based on process spectrum and model space: An innovative approach for process analytical technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cárdenas, V; Cordobés, M; Blanco, M; Alcalà, M

2015-10-10

The pharmaceutical industry is under stringent regulations on quality control of their products because is critical for both, productive process and consumer safety. According to the framework of "process analytical technology" (PAT), a complete understanding of the process and a stepwise monitoring of manufacturing are required. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics have lately performed efficient, useful and robust for pharmaceutical analysis. One crucial step in developing effective NIRS-based methodologies is selecting an appropriate calibration set to construct models affording accurate predictions. In this work, we developed calibration models for a pharmaceutical formulation during its three manufacturing stages: blending, compaction and coating. A novel methodology is proposed for selecting the calibration set -"process spectrum"-, into which physical changes in the samples at each stage are algebraically incorporated. Also, we established a "model space" defined by Hotelling's T(2) and Q-residuals statistics for outlier identification - inside/outside the defined space - in order to select objectively the factors to be used in calibration set construction. The results obtained confirm the efficacy of the proposed methodology for stepwise pharmaceutical quality control, and the relevance of the study as a guideline for the implementation of this easy and fast methodology in the pharma industry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional Assessment-Based Intervention for Selective Mutism

Science.gov (United States)

Kern, Lee; Starosta, Kristin M.; Bambara, Linda M.; Cook, Clayton R.; Gresham, Frank R.

2007-01-01

The process of functional assessment has emerged as an essential component for intervention development. Applications across divergent types of problem behavior, however, remain limited. This study evaluated the applicability of this promising approach to students with selective mutism. Two middle school students served as participants. The…

Ship Classification with High Resolution TerraSAR-X Imagery Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi Zhao

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Ship surveillance using space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR, taking advantages of high resolution over wide swaths and all-weather working capability, has attracted worldwide attention. Recent activity in this field has concentrated mainly on the study of ship detection, but the classification is largely still open. In this paper, we propose a novel ship classification scheme based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP in order to achieve better performance. The main idea is to apply AHP on both feature selection and classification decision. On one hand, the AHP based feature selection constructs a selection decision problem based on several feature evaluation measures (e.g., discriminability, stability, and information measure and provides objective criteria to make comprehensive decisions for their combinations quantitatively. On the other hand, we take the selected feature sets as the input of KNN classifiers and fuse the multiple classification results based on AHP, in which the feature sets’ confidence is taken into account when the AHP based classification decision is made. We analyze the proposed classification scheme and demonstrate its results on a ship dataset that comes from TerraSAR-X SAR images.

Neural correlates of attentional and mnemonic processing in event-based prospective memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin B Knight

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Prospective memory, or memory for realizing delayed intentions, was examined with an event-based paradigm while simultaneously measuring neural activity with high-density EEG recordings. Specifically, the neural substrates of monitoring for an event-based cue were examined, as well as those perhaps associated with the cognitive processes supporting detection of cues and fulfillment of intentions. Participants engaged in a baseline lexical decision task (LDT, followed by a LDT with an embedded prospective memory (PM component. Event-based cues were constituted by color and lexicality (red words. Behavioral data provided evidence that monitoring, or preparatory attentional processes, were used to detect cues. Analysis of the event-related potentials (ERP revealed visual attentional modulations at 140 and 220 ms post-stimulus associated with preparatory attentional processes. In addition, ERP components at 220, 350, and 400 ms post-stimulus were enhanced for intention-related items. Our results suggest preparatory attention may operate by selectively modulating processing of features related to a previously formed event-based intention, as well as provide further evidence for the proposal that dissociable component processes support the fulfillment of delayed intentions.

Effect of processing on iodine content of some selected plants food ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of processing on iodine content of some selected plants food was investigated. Results show significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the iodine content of the processed food compared with the raw forms. The iodine value of 658.60 ± 17.2 ìg/100g observed in raw edible portion of Discorea rotundata was significantly higher ...

Semiconductor-based Multilayer Selective Solar Absorber for Unconcentrated Solar Thermal Energy Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Nathan H; Chen, Zhen; Fan, Shanhui; Minnich, Austin J

2017-07-13

Solar thermal energy conversion has attracted substantial renewed interest due to its applications in industrial heating, air conditioning, and electricity generation. Achieving stagnation temperatures exceeding 200 °C, pertinent to these technologies, with unconcentrated sunlight requires spectrally selective absorbers with exceptionally low emissivity in the thermal wavelength range and high visible absorptivity for the solar spectrum. In this Communication, we report a semiconductor-based multilayer selective absorber that exploits the sharp drop in optical absorption at the bandgap energy to achieve a measured absorptance of 76% at solar wavelengths and a low emittance of approximately 5% at thermal wavelengths. In field tests, we obtain a peak temperature of 225 °C, comparable to that achieved with state-of-the-art selective surfaces. With straightforward optimization to improve solar absorption, our work shows the potential for unconcentrated solar thermal systems to reach stagnation temperatures exceeding 300 °C, thereby eliminating the need for solar concentrators for mid-temperature solar applications such as supplying process heat.

Predicting speech intelligibility based on the signal-to-noise envelope power ratio after modulation-frequency selective processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Søren; Dau, Torsten

2011-01-01

A model for predicting the intelligibility of processed noisy speech is proposed. The speech-based envelope power spectrum model has a similar structure as the model of Ewert and Dau [(2000). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1181-1196], developed to account for modulation detection and masking data. The ...... process provides a key measure of speech intelligibility. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America.......A model for predicting the intelligibility of processed noisy speech is proposed. The speech-based envelope power spectrum model has a similar structure as the model of Ewert and Dau [(2000). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1181-1196], developed to account for modulation detection and masking data....... The model estimates the speech-to-noise envelope power ratio, SNR env, at the output of a modulation filterbank and relates this metric to speech intelligibility using the concept of an ideal observer. Predictions were compared to data on the intelligibility of speech presented in stationary speech...

The Mixed Waste Management Facility: Technology selection and implementation plan, Part 2, Support processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streit, R.D.; Couture, S.A.

1995-03-01

The purpose of this document is to establish the foundation for the selection and implementation of technologies to be demonstrated in the Mixed Waste Management Facility, and to select the technologies for initial pilot-scale demonstration. Criteria are defined for judging demonstration technologies, and the framework for future technology selection is established. On the basis of these criteria, an initial suite of technologies was chosen, and the demonstration implementation scheme was developed. Part 1, previously released, addresses the selection of the primary processes. Part II addresses process support systems that are considered ''demonstration technologies.'' Other support technologies, e.g., facility off-gas, receiving and shipping, and water treatment, while part of the integrated demonstration, use best available commercial equipment and are not selected against the demonstration technology criteria

Optimization of submerged arc welding process parameters using quasi-oppositional based Jaya algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, R. Venkata; Rai, Dhiraj P.

2017-01-01

Submerged arc welding (SAW) is characterized as a multi-input process. Selection of optimum combination of process parameters of SAW process is a vital task in order to achieve high quality of weld and productivity. The objective of this work is to optimize the SAW process parameters using a simple optimization algorithm, which is fast, robust and convenient. Therefore, in this work a very recently proposed optimization algorithm named Jaya algorithm is applied to solve the optimization problems in SAW process. In addition, a modified version of Jaya algorithm with oppositional based learning, named “Quasi-oppositional based Jaya algorithm” (QO-Jaya) is proposed in order to improve the performance of the Jaya algorithm. Three optimization case studies are considered and the results obtained by Jaya algorithm and QO-Jaya algorithm are compared with the results obtained by well-known optimization algorithms such as Genetic algorithm (GA), Particle swarm optimization (PSO), Imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) and Teaching learning based optimization (TLBO).

Optimization of submerged arc welding process parameters using quasi-oppositional based Jaya algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rao, R. Venkata; Rai, Dhiraj P. [Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Gujarat (India)

2017-05-15

Submerged arc welding (SAW) is characterized as a multi-input process. Selection of optimum combination of process parameters of SAW process is a vital task in order to achieve high quality of weld and productivity. The objective of this work is to optimize the SAW process parameters using a simple optimization algorithm, which is fast, robust and convenient. Therefore, in this work a very recently proposed optimization algorithm named Jaya algorithm is applied to solve the optimization problems in SAW process. In addition, a modified version of Jaya algorithm with oppositional based learning, named “Quasi-oppositional based Jaya algorithm” (QO-Jaya) is proposed in order to improve the performance of the Jaya algorithm. Three optimization case studies are considered and the results obtained by Jaya algorithm and QO-Jaya algorithm are compared with the results obtained by well-known optimization algorithms such as Genetic algorithm (GA), Particle swarm optimization (PSO), Imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) and Teaching learning based optimization (TLBO).

A hybrid agent-based computational economics and optimization approach for supplier selection problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Pourabdollahi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Supplier evaluation and selection problem is among the most important of logistics decisions that have been addressed extensively in supply chain management. The same logistics decision is also important in freight transportation since it identifies trade relationships between business establishments and determines commodity flows between production and consumption points. The commodity flows are then used as input to freight transportation models to determine cargo movements and their characteristics including mode choice and shipment size. Various approaches have been proposed to explore this latter problem in previous studies. Traditionally, potential suppliers are evaluated and selected using only price/cost as the influential criteria and the state-of-practice methods. This paper introduces a hybrid agent-based computational economics and optimization approach for supplier selection. The proposed model combines an agent-based multi-criteria supplier evaluation approach with a multi-objective optimization model to capture both behavioral and economical aspects of the supplier selection process. The model uses a system of ordered response models to determine importance weights of the different criteria in supplier evaluation from a buyers’ point of view. The estimated weights are then used to calculate a utility for each potential supplier in the market and rank them. The calculated utilities are then entered into a mathematical programming model in which best suppliers are selected by maximizing the total accrued utility for all buyers and minimizing total shipping costs while balancing the capacity of potential suppliers to ensure market clearing mechanisms. The proposed model, herein, was implemented under an operational agent-based supply chain and freight transportation framework for the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

Experience base for Radioactive Waste Thermal Processing Systems: A preliminary survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayberry, J.; Geimer, R.; Gillins, R.; Steverson, E.M.; Dalton, D.; Anderson, G.L.

1992-04-01

In the process of considering thermal technologies for potential treatment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory mixed transuranic contaminated wastes, a preliminary survey of the experience base available from Radioactive Waste Thermal Processing Systems is reported. A list of known commercial radioactive waste facilities in the United States and some international thermal treatment facilities are provided. Survey focus is upon the US Department of Energy thermal treatment facilities. A brief facility description and a preliminary summary of facility status, and problems experienced is provided for a selected subset of the DOE facilities

Dissociating early- and late-selection processes in recall: the mixed blessing of categorized study lists.

Science.gov (United States)

Guzel, Mehmet A; Higham, Philip A

2013-07-01

Two experiments are reported in which we used type-2 signal detection theory to separate the effects of semantic categorization on early- and late-selection processes in free and cued recall. In Experiment 1, participants studied cue-target pairs for which the targets belonged to two, six, or 24 semantic categories, and later the participants were required to recall the targets either with (cued recall) or without (free recall) the studied cues. A confidence rating and a report decision were also required, so that we could compute both forced-report quantity and metacognitive resolution (type-2 discrimination), which served as our estimates of early- and late-selection processes, respectively. Consistent with prior research, having fewer categories enhanced the early-selection process (in performance, two > six > 24 categories). However, in contrast, the late-selection process was impaired (24 > six = two categories). In Experiment 2, encoding of paired associates, for which the targets belonged to either two or 20 semantic categories, was manipulated by having participants either form interactive images or engage in rote repetition. Having fewer categories again was associated with enhanced early selection (two > 20 categories); this effect was greater for rote repetition than for interactive imagery, and greater for free recall than for cued recall. However, late selection again showed the opposite pattern (20 > two categories), even with interactive-imagery encoding, which formed distinctive, individuated memory traces. The results are discussed in terms of early- and late-selection processes in retrieval, as well as overt versus covert recognition.

Customer Order Decoupling Point Selection Model in Mass Customization Based on MAS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

XU Xuanguo; LI Xiangyang

2006-01-01

Mass customization relates to the ability of providing individually designed products or services to customer with high process flexibility or integration. Literatures on mass customization have been focused on mechanism of MC, but little on customer order decoupling point selection. The aim of this paper is to present a model for customer order decoupling point selection of domain knowledge interactions between enterprises and customers in mass customization. Based on the analysis of other researchers' achievements combining the demand problems of customer and enterprise, a model of group decision for customer order decoupling point selection is constructed based on quality function deployment and multi-agent system. Considering relatively the decision makers of independent functional departments as independent decision agents, a decision agent set is added as the third dimensionality to house of quality, the cubic quality function deployment is formed. The decision-making can be consisted of two procedures: the first one is to build each plane house of quality in various functional departments to express each opinions; the other is to evaluate and gather the foregoing sub-decisions by a new plane quality function deployment. Thus, department decision-making can well use its domain knowledge by ontology, and total decision-making can keep simple by avoiding too many customer requirements.

PARAMETER ESTIMATION AND MODEL SELECTION FOR INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS BASED ON SPARSE OBSERVATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Dehbi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel method for the parameter estimation and model selection for the reconstruction of indoor environments based on sparse observations. While most approaches for the reconstruction of indoor models rely on dense observations, we predict scenes of the interior with high accuracy in the absence of indoor measurements. We use a model-based top-down approach and incorporate strong but profound prior knowledge. The latter includes probability density functions for model parameters and sparse observations such as room areas and the building footprint. The floorplan model is characterized by linear and bi-linear relations with discrete and continuous parameters. We focus on the stochastic estimation of model parameters based on a topological model derived by combinatorial reasoning in a first step. A Gauss-Markov model is applied for estimation and simulation of the model parameters. Symmetries are represented and exploited during the estimation process. Background knowledge as well as observations are incorporated in a maximum likelihood estimation and model selection is performed with AIC/BIC. The likelihood is also used for the detection and correction of potential errors in the topological model. Estimation results are presented and discussed.

Parameter Estimation and Model Selection for Indoor Environments Based on Sparse Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Dehbi, Y.; Loch-Dehbi, S.; Plümer, L.

2017-09-01

This paper presents a novel method for the parameter estimation and model selection for the reconstruction of indoor environments based on sparse observations. While most approaches for the reconstruction of indoor models rely on dense observations, we predict scenes of the interior with high accuracy in the absence of indoor measurements. We use a model-based top-down approach and incorporate strong but profound prior knowledge. The latter includes probability density functions for model parameters and sparse observations such as room areas and the building footprint. The floorplan model is characterized by linear and bi-linear relations with discrete and continuous parameters. We focus on the stochastic estimation of model parameters based on a topological model derived by combinatorial reasoning in a first step. A Gauss-Markov model is applied for estimation and simulation of the model parameters. Symmetries are represented and exploited during the estimation process. Background knowledge as well as observations are incorporated in a maximum likelihood estimation and model selection is performed with AIC/BIC. The likelihood is also used for the detection and correction of potential errors in the topological model. Estimation results are presented and discussed.

Age-related differences in the automatic processing of single letters: implications for selective attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Daffner, Kirk R; Alperin, Brittany R; Mott, Katherine K; Holcomb, Phillip J

2014-01-22

Older adults exhibit diminished ability to inhibit the processing of visual stimuli that are supposed to be ignored. The extent to which age-related changes in early visual processing contribute to impairments in selective attention remains to be determined. Here, 103 adults, 18-85 years of age, completed a color selective attention task in which they were asked to attend to a specified color and respond to designated target letters. An optimal approach would be to initially filter according to color and then process letter forms in the attend color to identify targets. An asymmetric N170 ERP component (larger amplitude over left posterior hemisphere sites) was used as a marker of the early automatic processing of letter forms. Young and middle-aged adults did not generate an asymmetric N170 component. In contrast, young-old and old-old adults produced a larger N170 over the left hemisphere. Furthermore, older adults generated a larger N170 to letter than nonletter stimuli over the left, but not right hemisphere. More asymmetric N170 responses predicted greater allocation of late selection resources to target letters in the ignore color, as indexed by P3b amplitude. These results suggest that unlike their younger counterparts, older adults automatically process stimuli as letters early in the selection process, when it would be more efficient to attend to color only. The inability to ignore letters early in the processing stream helps explain the age-related increase in subsequent processing of target letter forms presented in the ignore color.

Friendship Selection and Influence Processes for Physical Aggression and Prosociality: Differences between Single-Sex and Mixed-Sex Contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis; Berger, Christian

2018-01-01

The present study examined to what extent selection and influence processes for physical aggression and prosociality in friendship networks differed between sex-specific contexts (i.e., all-male, all-female, and mixed-sex classrooms), while controlling for perceived popularity. Whereas selection processes reflect how behaviors shape friendships, influence processes reveal the reversed pattern by indicating how friends affect individual behaviors. Data were derived from a longitudinal sample of early adolescents from Chile. Four all-male classrooms ( n  = 150 male adolescents), four all-female classrooms ( n  = 190 female adolescents), and eight mixed-sex classrooms ( n  = 272 students) were followed one year from grades 5 to 6 ( M age  = 13). Analyses were conducted by means of stochastic-actor-based modeling as implemented in RSIENA. Although it was expected that selection and influence effects for physical aggression and prosociality would vary by context, these effects showed remarkably similar trends across all-male, all-female, and mixed-sex classrooms, with physical aggression reducing and with prosociality increasing the number of nominations received as best friend in all-male and particularly all-female classrooms. Further, perceived popularity increased the number of friendship nominations received in all contexts. Influence processes were only found for perceived popularity, but not for physical aggression and prosociality in any of the three contexts. Together, these findings highlight the importance of both behaviors for friendship selection independent of sex-specific contexts, attenuating the implications of these gendered behaviors for peer relations.

A practical procedure for the selection of time-to-failure models based on the assessment of trends in maintenance data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Louit, D.M.; Pascual, R.; Jardine, A.K.S.

2009-01-01

Many times, reliability studies rely on false premises such as independent and identically distributed time between failures assumption (renewal process). This can lead to erroneous model selection for the time to failure of a particular component or system, which can in turn lead to wrong conclusions and decisions. A strong statistical focus, a lack of a systematic approach and sometimes inadequate theoretical background seem to have made it difficult for maintenance analysts to adopt the necessary stage of data testing before the selection of a suitable model. In this paper, a framework for model selection to represent the failure process for a component or system is presented, based on a review of available trend tests. The paper focuses only on single-time-variable models and is primarily directed to analysts responsible for reliability analyses in an industrial maintenance environment. The model selection framework is directed towards the discrimination between the use of statistical distributions to represent the time to failure ('renewal approach'); and the use of stochastic point processes ('repairable systems approach'), when there may be the presence of system ageing or reliability growth. An illustrative example based on failure data from a fleet of backhoes is included.

Selection of input devices and controls for modern process control consoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasenfuss, O.; Zimmermann, R.

1975-06-01

In modern process control consoles man-machine communication is realized more and more by computer driven CRT displays, the most efficient communication system today. This paper describes the most important input devices and controls for such control consoles. A certain number of facts are given, which should be considered during the selection. The aptitude of the described devices for special tasks is discussed and recommendations are given for carrying out a selection. (orig.) [de

Processes in arithmetic strategy selection: A fMRI study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julien eTaillan

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This neuroimaging (fMRI study investigated neural correlates of strategy selection. Young adults performed an arithmetic task in two different conditions. In both conditions, participants had to provide estimates of two-digit multiplication problems like 54 x 78. In the choice condition, participants had to select the better of two available rounding strategies, rounding-up strategy (RU (i.e., doing 60x80 = 4,800 or rounding-down strategy (RD (i.e., doing 50x70=3,500 to estimate product of 54x78. In the no-choice condition, participants did not have to select strategy on each problem but were told which strategy to use; they executed RU and RD strategies each on a series of problems. Participants also had a control task (i.e., providing correct products of multiplication problems like 40x50. Brain activations and performance were analyzed as a function of these conditions. Participants were able to frequently choose the better strategy in the choice condition; they were also slower when they executed the difficult RU than the easier RD. Neuroimaging data showed greater brain activations in right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC, dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, and angular gyrus (ANG, when selecting (relative to executing the better strategy on each problem. Moreover, RU was associated with more parietal cortex activation than RD. These results suggest an important role of fronto-parietal network in strategy selection and have important implications for our further understanding and modelling cognitive processes underlying strategy selection.

Processes in arithmetic strategy selection: a fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Taillan, Julien; Ardiale, Eléonore; Anton, Jean-Luc; Nazarian, Bruno; Félician, Olivier; Lemaire, Patrick

2015-01-01

This neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) study investigated neural correlates of strategy selection. Young adults performed an arithmetic task in two different conditions. In both conditions, participants had to provide estimates of two-digit multiplication problems like 54 × 78. In the choice condition, participants had to select the better of two available rounding strategies, rounding-up (RU) strategy (i.e., doing 60 × 80 = 4,800) or rounding-down (RD) strategy (i.e., doing 50 × 70 = 3,500 to estimate product of 54 × 78). In the no-choice condition, participants did not have to select strategy on each problem but were told which strategy to use; they executed RU and RD strategies each on a series of problems. Participants also had a control task (i.e., providing correct products of multiplication problems like 40 × 50). Brain activations and performance were analyzed as a function of these conditions. Participants were able to frequently choose the better strategy in the choice condition; they were also slower when they executed the difficult RU than the easier RD. Neuroimaging data showed greater brain activations in right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and angular gyrus (ANG), when selecting (relative to executing) the better strategy on each problem. Moreover, RU was associated with more parietal cortex activation than RD. These results suggest an important role of fronto-parietal network in strategy selection and have important implications for our further understanding and modeling cognitive processes underlying strategy selection.

A Feasibility Assessment of Behavioral-based Interviewing to Improve Candidate Selection for a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatem, Geneva; Kokas, Maria; Smith, Cathy L; DiGiovine, Bruno

2017-04-01

Traditional interviews for residency and fellowship training programs are an important component in the selection process, but can be of variable value due to a nonstandardized approach. We redesigned the candidate interview process for our large pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship program in the United States using a behavioral-based interview (BBI) structure. The primary goal of this approach was to standardize the assessment of candidates within noncognitive domains with the goal of selecting those with the best fit for our institution's fellowship program. Eight faculty members attended two BBI workshops. The first workshop identified our program's "best fit" criteria using the framework of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's six core competencies and additional behaviors that fit within our programs. BBI questions were then selected from a national database and refined based on the attributes deemed most important by our faculty. In the second workshop, faculty practiced the BBI format in mock interviews with third-year fellows. The interview process was further refined based on feedback from the interviewees, and then applied with fellowship candidates for the 2014 recruitment season. The 1-year pilot of behavioral-based interviewing allowed us to achieve consensus on the traits sought for our incoming fellows and to standardize the interview process for our program using the framework of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. Although the effects of this change on the clinical performance of our fellows have not yet been assessed, this description of our development and implementation processes may be helpful for programs seeking to redesign their applicant interviews.

Norm based Threshold Selection for Fault Detectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rank, Mike Lind; Niemann, Henrik

1998-01-01

The design of fault detectors for fault detection and isolation (FDI) in dynamic systems is considered from a norm based point of view. An analysis of norm based threshold selection is given based on different formulations of FDI problems. Both the nominal FDI problem as well as the uncertain FDI...... problem are considered. Based on this analysis, a performance index based on norms of the involved transfer functions is given. The performance index allows us also to optimize the structure of the fault detection filter directly...

Tracking the course of the manufacturing process in selective laser melting

Science.gov (United States)

Thombansen, U.; Gatej, A.; Pereira, M.

2014-02-01

An innovative optical train for a selective laser melting based manufacturing system (SLM) has been designed under the objective to track the course of the SLM process. In this, the thermal emission from the melt pool and the geometric properties of the interaction zone are addressed by applying a pyrometer and a camera system respectively. The optical system is designed such that all three radiations from processing laser, thermal emission and camera image are coupled coaxially and that they propagate on the same optical axis. As standard f-theta lenses for high power applications inevitably lead to aberrations and divergent optical axes for increasing deflection angles in combination with multiple wavelengths, a pre-focus system is used to implement a focusing unit which shapes the beam prior to passing the scanner. The sensor system records synchronously the current position of the laser beam, the current emission from the melt pool and an image of the interaction zone. Acquired data of the thermal emission is being visualized after processing which allows an instant evaluation of the course of the process at any position of each layer. As such, it provides a fully detailed history of the product This basic work realizes a first step towards self-optimization of the manufacturing process by providing information about quality relevant events during manufacture. The deviation from the planned course of the manufacturing process to the actual course of the manufacturing process can be used to adapt the manufacturing strategy from one layer to the next. In the current state, the system can be used to facilitate the setup of the manufacturing system as it allows identification of false machine settings without having to analyze the work piece.

Selection of Yeast Strains for Tequila Fermentation Based on Growth Dynamics in Combined Fructose and Ethanol Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Aldrete-Tapia, J A; Miranda-Castilleja, D E; Arvizu-Medrano, S M; Hernández-Iturriaga, M

2018-02-01

The high concentration of fructose in agave juice has been associated with reduced ethanol tolerance of commercial yeasts used for tequila production and low fermentation yields. The selection of autochthonous strains, which are better adapted to agave juice, could improve the process. In this study, a 2-step selection process of yeasts isolated from spontaneous fermentations for tequila production was carried out based on analysis of the growth dynamics in combined conditions of high fructose and ethanol. First, yeast isolates (605) were screened to identify strains tolerant to high fructose (20%) and to ethanol (10%), yielding 89 isolates able to grow in both conditions. From the 89 isolates, the growth curves under 8 treatments of combined fructose (from 20% to 5%) and ethanol (from 0% to 10%) were obtained, and the kinetic parameters were analyzed with principal component analysis and k-means clustering. The resulting yeast strain groups corresponded to the fast, medium and slow growers. A second clustering of only the fast growers led to the selection of 3 Saccharomyces strains (199, 230, 231) that were able to grow rapidly in 4 out of the 8 conditions evaluated. This methodology differentiated strains phenotypically and could be further used for strain selection in other processes. A method to select yeast strains for fermentation taking into account the natural differences of yeast isolates. This methodology is based on the cell exposition to combinations of sugar and ethanol, which are the most important stress factors in fermentation. This strategy will help to identify the most tolerant strain that could improve ethanol yield and reduce fermentation time. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

A Quality Function Deployment-Based Model for Cutting Fluid Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanika Prasad

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cutting fluid is applied for numerous reasons while machining a workpiece, like increasing tool life, minimizing workpiece thermal deformation, enhancing surface finish, flushing away chips from cutting surface, and so on. Hence, choosing a proper cutting fluid for a specific machining application becomes important for enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of a manufacturing process. Cutting fluid selection is a complex procedure as the decision depends on many complicated interactions, including work material’s machinability, rigorousness of operation, cutting tool material, metallurgical, chemical, and human compatibility, reliability and stability of fluid, and cost. In this paper, a decision making model is developed based on quality function deployment technique with a view to respond to the complex character of cutting fluid selection problem and facilitate judicious selection of cutting fluid from a comprehensive list of available alternatives. In the first example, HD-CUTSOL is recognized as the most suitable cutting fluid for drilling holes in titanium alloy with tungsten carbide tool and in the second example, for performing honing operation on stainless steel alloy with cubic boron nitride tool, CF5 emerges out as the best honing fluid. Implementation of this model would result in cost reduction through decreased manpower requirement, enhanced workforce efficiency, and efficient information exploitation.

Special concrete shield selection using the analytic hierarchy process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abulfaraj, W.H.

1994-01-01

Special types of concrete radiation shields that depend on locally available materials and have improved properties for both neutron and gamma-ray attenuation were developed by using plastic materials and heavy ores. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is implemented to evaluate these types for selecting the best biological radiation shield for nuclear reactors. Factors affecting the selection decision are degree of protection against neutrons, degree of protection against gamma rays, suitability of the concrete as building material, and economic considerations. The seven concrete alternatives are barite-polyethylene concrete, barite-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) concrete, barite-portland cement concrete, pyrite-polyethylene concrete, pyrite-PVC concrete, pyrite-portland cement concrete, and ordinary concrete. The AHP analysis shows the superiority of pyrite-polyethylene concrete over the others

Book Selection, Collection Development, and Bounded Rationality.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Charles A.

1989-01-01

Reviews previously proposed schemes of classical rationality in book selection, describes new approaches to rational choice behavior, and presents a model of book selection based on bounded rationality in a garbage can decision process. The role of tacit knowledge and symbolic content in the selection process are also discussed. (102 references)…

Application of agent-based system for bioprocess description and process improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ying; Kipling, Katie; Glassey, Jarka; Willis, Mark; Montague, Gary; Zhou, Yuhong; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel J

2010-01-01

Modeling plays an important role in bioprocess development for design and scale-up. Predictive models can also be used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing to assist decision-making either to maintain process consistency or to identify optimal operating conditions. To predict the whole bioprocess performance, the strong interactions present in a processing sequence must be adequately modeled. Traditionally, bioprocess modeling considers process units separately, which makes it difficult to capture the interactions between units. In this work, a systematic framework is developed to analyze the bioprocesses based on a whole process understanding and considering the interactions between process operations. An agent-based approach is adopted to provide a flexible infrastructure for the necessary integration of process models. This enables the prediction of overall process behavior, which can then be applied during process development or once manufacturing has commenced, in both cases leading to the capacity for fast evaluation of process improvement options. The multi-agent system comprises a process knowledge base, process models, and a group of functional agents. In this system, agent components co-operate with each other in performing their tasks. These include the description of the whole process behavior, evaluating process operating conditions, monitoring of the operating processes, predicting critical process performance, and providing guidance to decision-making when coping with process deviations. During process development, the system can be used to evaluate the design space for process operation. During manufacture, the system can be applied to identify abnormal process operation events and then to provide suggestions as to how best to cope with the deviations. In all cases, the function of the system is to ensure an efficient manufacturing process. The implementation of the agent-based approach is illustrated via selected application scenarios, which

Process-based models of feeding and prey selection in larval fish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fiksen, O.; MacKenzie, Brian

2002-01-01

believed to be important to prey selectivity and environmental regulation of feeding in fish. We include the sensitivity of prey to the hydrodynamic signal generated by approaching larval fish and a simple model of the potential loss of prey due to turbulence whereby prey is lost if it leaves...... jig dry wt l(-1). The spatio-temporal fluctuation of turbulence (tidal cycle) and light (sun height) over the bank generates complex structure in the patterns of food intake of larval fish, with different patterns emerging for small and large larvae....

Ionic-Liquid-Based CO2 Capture Systems: Structure, Interaction and Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Shaojuan; Zhang, Xiangping; Bai, Lu; Zhang, Xiaochun; Wang, Hui; Wang, Jianji; Bao, Di; Li, Mengdie; Liu, Xinyan; Zhang, Suojiang

2017-07-26

The inherent structure tunability, good affinity with CO 2 , and nonvolatility of ionic liquids (ILs) drive their exploration and exploitation in CO 2 separation field, and has attracted remarkable interest from both industries and academia. The aim of this Review is to give a detailed overview on the recent advances on IL-based materials, including pure ILs, IL-based solvents, and IL-based membranes for CO 2 capture and separation from the viewpoint of molecule to engineering. The effects of anions, cations and functional groups on CO 2 solubility and selectivity of ILs, as well as the studies on degradability of ILs are reviewed, and the recent developments on functionalized ILs, IL-based solvents, and IL-based membranes are also discussed. CO 2 separation mechanism with IL-based solvents and IL-based membranes are explained by combining molecular simulation and experimental characterization. Taking into consideration of the applications and industrialization, the recent achievements and developments on the transport properties of IL fluids and the process design of IL-based processes are highlighted. Finally, the future research challenges and perspectives of the commercialization of CO 2 capture and separation with IL-based materials are posed.

Preferential selection based on degree difference in the spatial prisoner's dilemma games

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Changwei; Dai, Qionglin; Cheng, Hongyan; Li, Haihong

2017-10-01

Strategy evolution in spatial evolutionary games is generally implemented through imitation processes between individuals. In most previous studies, it is assumed that individuals pick up one of their neighbors randomly to learn from. However, by considering the heterogeneity of individuals' influence in the real society, preferential selection is more realistic. Here, we introduce a preferential selection mechanism based on degree difference into spatial prisoner's dilemma games on Erdös-Rényi networks and Barabási-Albert scale-free networks and investigate the effects of the preferential selection on cooperation. The results show that, when the individuals prefer to choose the neighbors who have small degree difference with themselves to imitate, cooperation is hurt by the preferential selection. In contrast, when the individuals prefer to choose those large degree difference neighbors to learn from, there exists optimal preference strength resulting in the maximal cooperation level no matter what the network structure is. In addition, we investigate the robustness of the results against variations of the noise, the average degree and the size of network in the model, and find that the qualitative features of the results are unchanged.

Optimal Selection Method of Process Patents for Technology Transfer Using Fuzzy Linguistic Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gangfeng Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Under the open innovation paradigm, technology transfer of process patents is one of the most important mechanisms for manufacturing companies to implement process innovation and enhance the competitive edge. To achieve promising technology transfers, we need to evaluate the feasibility of process patents and optimally select the most appropriate patent according to the actual manufacturing situation. Hence, this paper proposes an optimal selection method of process patents using multiple criteria decision-making and 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic computing to avoid information loss during the processes of evaluation integration. An evaluation index system for technology transfer feasibility of process patents is designed initially. Then, fuzzy linguistic computing approach is applied to aggregate the evaluations of criteria weights for each criterion and corresponding subcriteria. Furthermore, performance ratings for subcriteria and fuzzy aggregated ratings of criteria are calculated. Thus, we obtain the overall technology transfer feasibility of patent alternatives. Finally, a case study of aeroengine turbine manufacturing is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method.

Cancel and rethink in the Wason selection task: further evidence for the heuristic-analytic dual process theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Kazushige; Nittono, Hiroshi

2004-06-01

The reasoning process in the Wason selection task was examined by measuring card inspection times in the letter-number and drinking-age problems. 24 students were asked to solve the problems presented on a computer screen. Only the card touched with a mouse pointer was visible, and the total exposure time of each card was measured. Participants were allowed to cancel their previous selections at any time. Although rethinking was encouraged, the cards once selected were rarely cancelled (10% of the total selections). Moreover, most of the cancelled cards were reselected (89% of the total cancellations). Consistent with previous findings, inspection times were longer for selected cards than for nonselected cards. These results suggest that card selections are determined largely by initial heuristic processes and rarely reversed by subsequent analytic processes. The present study gives further support for the heuristic-analytic dual process theory.

Phenomena Based Process Intensification of Toluene Methylation for Sustainable Para-xylene Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anantasarn, Nateetorn; Babi, Deenesh Kavi; Suriyapraphadilok, Uthaiporn

2016-01-01

The objective of this work is to generate more sustainable intensified process designs for the production of important chemicals in the petrochemical sector. A 3-stage approach is applied. In stage 1, the base case design is generated or selected from literature. In stage 2, the base case design...... is analysed in terms of economics, sustainability and LCA factors in order to identify process hot-spots that are translated into design targets. In stage 3, intensified flowsheet alternatives are generated that match the targets and thereby eliminate and/or minimize the process hot-spots using a phenomena...... operations to generate more sustainable designs. An overview of the key concepts and framework are presented together with the results from a case study highlighting the application of the framework to the sustainable design of a production process for para-xylene, which is an important chemical utilized...

ARM Mentor Selection Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sisterson, D. L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2015-10-01

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program was created in 1989 with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop several highly instrumented ground stations to study cloud formation processes and their influence on radiative transfer. In 2003, the ARM Program became a national scientific user facility, known as the ARM Climate Research Facility. This scientific infrastructure provides for fixed sites, mobile facilities, an aerial facility, and a data archive available for use by scientists worldwide through the ARM Climate Research Facility—a scientific user facility. The ARM Climate Research Facility currently operates more than 300 instrument systems that provide ground-based observations of the atmospheric column. To keep ARM at the forefront of climate observations, the ARM infrastructure depends heavily on instrument scientists and engineers, also known as lead mentors. Lead mentors must have an excellent understanding of in situ and remote-sensing instrumentation theory and operation and have comprehensive knowledge of critical scale-dependent atmospheric processes. They must also possess the technical and analytical skills to develop new data retrievals that provide innovative approaches for creating research-quality data sets. The ARM Climate Research Facility is seeking the best overall qualified candidate who can fulfill lead mentor requirements in a timely manner.

Dynamic Disturbance Processes Create Dynamic Lek Site Selection in a Prairie Grouse.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torre J Hovick

Full Text Available It is well understood that landscape processes can affect habitat selection patterns, movements, and species persistence. These selection patterns may be altered or even eliminated as a result of changes in disturbance regimes and a concomitant management focus on uniform, moderate disturbance across landscapes. To assess how restored landscape heterogeneity influences habitat selection patterns, we examined 21 years (1991, 1993-2012 of Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido lek location data in tallgrass prairie with restored fire and grazing processes. Our study took place at The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve located at the southern extent of Flint Hills in northeastern Oklahoma. We specifically addressed stability of lek locations in the context of the fire-grazing interaction, and the environmental factors influencing lek locations. We found that lek locations were dynamic in a landscape with interacting fire and grazing. While previous conservation efforts have treated leks as stable with high site fidelity in static landscapes, a majority of lek locations in our study (i.e., 65% moved by nearly one kilometer on an annual basis in this dynamic setting. Lek sites were in elevated areas with low tree cover and low road density. Additionally, lek site selection was influenced by an interaction of fire and patch edge, indicating that in recently burned patches, leks were located near patch edges. These results suggest that dynamic and interactive processes such as fire and grazing that restore heterogeneity to grasslands do influence habitat selection patterns in prairie grouse, a phenomenon that is likely to apply throughout the Greater Prairie-Chicken's distribution when dynamic processes are restored. As conservation moves toward restoring dynamic historic disturbance patterns, it will be important that siting and planning of anthropogenic structures (e.g., wind energy, oil and gas and management plans not view lek

[Electroencephalogram Feature Selection Based on Correlation Coefficient Analysis].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jinzhi; Tang, Xiaofang

2015-08-01

In order to improve the accuracy of classification with small amount of motor imagery training data on the development of brain-computer interface (BCD systems, we proposed an analyzing method to automatically select the characteristic parameters based on correlation coefficient analysis. Throughout the five sample data of dataset IV a from 2005 BCI Competition, we utilized short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and correlation coefficient calculation to reduce the number of primitive electroencephalogram dimension, then introduced feature extraction based on common spatial pattern (CSP) and classified by linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Simulation results showed that the average rate of classification accuracy could be improved by using correlation coefficient feature selection method than those without using this algorithm. Comparing with support vector machine (SVM) optimization features algorithm, the correlation coefficient analysis can lead better selection parameters to improve the accuracy of classification.

Experimental demonstration of selective quantum process tomography on an NMR quantum information processor

Science.gov (United States)

Gaikwad, Akshay; Rehal, Diksha; Singh, Amandeep; Arvind, Dorai, Kavita

2018-02-01

We present the NMR implementation of a scheme for selective and efficient quantum process tomography without ancilla. We generalize this scheme such that it can be implemented efficiently using only a set of measurements involving product operators. The method allows us to estimate any element of the quantum process matrix to a desired precision, provided a set of quantum states can be prepared efficiently. Our modified technique requires fewer experimental resources as compared to the standard implementation of selective and efficient quantum process tomography, as it exploits the special nature of NMR measurements to allow us to compute specific elements of the process matrix by a restrictive set of subsystem measurements. To demonstrate the efficacy of our scheme, we experimentally tomograph the processes corresponding to "no operation," a controlled-NOT (CNOT), and a controlled-Hadamard gate on a two-qubit NMR quantum information processor, with high fidelities.

Smoking-based selection and influence in gender-segregated friendship networks : a social network analysis of adolescent smoking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mercken, Liesbeth; Snijders, Tom A. B.; Steglich, Christian; Vertiainen, Erkki; Vartiainen, E.; De Vries, H.

Aims The main goal of this study was to examine differences between adolescent male and female friendship networks regarding smoking-based selection and influence processes using newly developed social network analysis methods that allow the current state of continuously changing friendship networks

Multispectral iris recognition based on group selection and game theory

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Foysal; Roy, Kaushik

2017-05-01

A commercially available iris recognition system uses only a narrow band of the near infrared spectrum (700-900 nm) while iris images captured in the wide range of 405 nm to 1550 nm offer potential benefits to enhance recognition performance of an iris biometric system. The novelty of this research is that a group selection algorithm based on coalition game theory is explored to select the best patch subsets. In this algorithm, patches are divided into several groups based on their maximum contribution in different groups. Shapley values are used to evaluate the contribution of patches in different groups. Results show that this group selection based iris recognition

Development of Base Transceiver Station Selection Algorithm for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

TEMS) equipment was carried out on the existing BTSs, and a linear algorithm optimization program based on the spectral link efficiency of each BTS was developed, the output of this site optimization gives the selected number of base station sites ...

A Simple K-Map Based Variable Selection Scheme in the Direct ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A multiplexer with (n-l) data select inputs can realise directly a function of n variables. In this paper, a simple k-map based variable selection scheme is proposed such that an n variable logic function can be synthesised using a multiplexer with (n-q) data input variables and q data select variables. The procedure is based on ...

A process for selection and training of super-users for ERP implementation projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danielsen, Peter; Sandfeld Hansen, Kenneth; Helt, Mads

2017-01-01

The concept of super-users as a means to facilitate ERP implementation projects has recently taken a foothold in practice, but is still largely overlooked in research. In particular, little is known about the selection and training processes required to successfully develop skilled super-users in......The concept of super-users as a means to facilitate ERP implementation projects has recently taken a foothold in practice, but is still largely overlooked in research. In particular, little is known about the selection and training processes required to successfully develop skilled super...

Process and analytical studies of enhanced low severity co-processing using selective coal pretreatment. Final technical report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baldwin, R.M.; Miller, R.L.

1991-12-01

The findings in the first phase were as follows: 1. Both reductive (non-selective) alkylation and selective oxygen alkylation brought about an increase in liquefaction reactivity for both coals. 2. Selective oxygen alkylation is more effective in enhancing the reactivity of low rank coals. In the second phase of studies, the major findings were as follows: 1. Liquefaction reactivity increases with increasing level of alkylation for both hydroliquefaction and co-processing reaction conditions. 2. the increase in reactivity found for O-alkylated Wyodak subbituminous coal is caused by chemical changes at phenolic and carboxylic functional sites. 3. O-methylation of Wyodak subbituminous coal reduced the apparent activation energy for liquefaction of this coal.

The PWI [plutonium waste incinerator] expert system: Real time, PC-based process analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, K.G.; Smith, F.G.

1987-01-01

A real time, microcomputer-based expert system is being developed for a prototype plutonium waste incinerator (PWI) process at Du Pont's Savannah River Laboratory. The expert system will diagnose instrumentation problems, assist operator training, serve as a repository for engineering knowledge about the process, and provide continuous operation and performance information. A set of necessary operational criteria was developed from process and engineering constraints; it was used to define hardware and software needs. The most important criterion is operating speed because the analysis operates in real time. TURBO PROLOG by Borland International was selected. The analysis system is divided into three sections: the user-system interface, the inference engine and rule base, and the files representing the blackboard information center

THE PROGRAMMING NEURO-LINGUISTICS AND THEIR APPLICABILITY IN THE PROCESS OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilma Álamo Sánchez

2008-04-01

Full Text Available He/she is carried out a study referred to tools of Programming Neuro-linguistics (PNL for the Selection, Employment and Training that allow choosing the appropriate personnel taking the language and the behavior as a result. For their development theories were revised referred to the PNL and the recruitment process and selection sustained in the process of the interview. The summations are oriented to the importance and convenience for the Management of Human resources of applying the Programming Neuro-linguistics as selection tool of personal. Finally it is recommended to apply the proposal inside the mark of adaptability according to the necessities and demands of each organization.

A practical procedure for the selection of time-to-failure models based on the assessment of trends in maintenance data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Louit, D.M. [Komatsu Chile, Av. Americo Vespucio 0631, Quilicura, Santiago (Chile)], E-mail: rpascual@ing.puc.cl; Pascual, R. [Centro de Mineria, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Av. Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Santiago (Chile); Jardine, A.K.S. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King' s College Road, Toronto, Ont., M5S 3G8 (Canada)

2009-10-15

Many times, reliability studies rely on false premises such as independent and identically distributed time between failures assumption (renewal process). This can lead to erroneous model selection for the time to failure of a particular component or system, which can in turn lead to wrong conclusions and decisions. A strong statistical focus, a lack of a systematic approach and sometimes inadequate theoretical background seem to have made it difficult for maintenance analysts to adopt the necessary stage of data testing before the selection of a suitable model. In this paper, a framework for model selection to represent the failure process for a component or system is presented, based on a review of available trend tests. The paper focuses only on single-time-variable models and is primarily directed to analysts responsible for reliability analyses in an industrial maintenance environment. The model selection framework is directed towards the discrimination between the use of statistical distributions to represent the time to failure ('renewal approach'); and the use of stochastic point processes ('repairable systems approach'), when there may be the presence of system ageing or reliability growth. An illustrative example based on failure data from a fleet of backhoes is included.

A Permutation Importance-Based Feature Selection Method for Short-Term Electricity Load Forecasting Using Random Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nantian Huang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The prediction accuracy of short-term load forecast (STLF depends on prediction model choice and feature selection result. In this paper, a novel random forest (RF-based feature selection method for STLF is proposed. First, 243 related features were extracted from historical load data and the time information of prediction points to form the original feature set. Subsequently, the original feature set was used to train an RF as the original model. After the training process, the prediction error of the original model on the test set was recorded and the permutation importance (PI value of each feature was obtained. Then, an improved sequential backward search method was used to select the optimal forecasting feature subset based on the PI value of each feature. Finally, the optimal forecasting feature subset was used to train a new RF model as the final prediction model. Experiments showed that the prediction accuracy of RF trained by the optimal forecasting feature subset was higher than that of the original model and comparative models based on support vector regression and artificial neural network.

Process for hydroprocessing heavy oils utilizing sepiolite-based catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auden, C.A.; Yan, T.-Y.

1986-04-15

A process is described for demetallizing and desulfurizing a hydrocarbon oil comprising contacting the hydrocarbon oil in the presence of hydrogen and a sepiolite-based catalyst composition under conditions of pressure and temperature sufficient to effect demetallization and desulfurization. The sepiolite-based catalyst composition has been prepared by first contacting the sepiolite with an aqueous solution of a first metal salt, then contacting the resultant metal ion-exchanged sepiolite with an aqueous solution of a compound of a second metal selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten and vanadium, and finally contacting the resultant metal-exchanged sepiolite product with an aqueous solution of a magnesium compound, thereby effecting a magnesium ion-exchange with the metal-exchanged sepiolite product and neutralizing acid sites on the sepiolite product.

Attentional Selection of Feature Conjunctions Is Accomplished by Parallel and Independent Selection of Single Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Søren K; Müller, Matthias M; Hillyard, Steven A

2015-07-08

Experiments that study feature-based attention have often examined situations in which selection is based on a single feature (e.g., the color red). However, in more complex situations relevant stimuli may not be set apart from other stimuli by a single defining property but by a specific combination of features. Here, we examined sustained attentional selection of stimuli defined by conjunctions of color and orientation. Human observers attended to one out of four concurrently presented superimposed fields of randomly moving horizontal or vertical bars of red or blue color to detect brief intervals of coherent motion. Selective stimulus processing in early visual cortex was assessed by recordings of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) elicited by each of the flickering fields of stimuli. We directly contrasted attentional selection of single features and feature conjunctions and found that SSVEP amplitudes on conditions in which selection was based on a single feature only (color or orientation) exactly predicted the magnitude of attentional enhancement of SSVEPs when attending to a conjunction of both features. Furthermore, enhanced SSVEP amplitudes elicited by attended stimuli were accompanied by equivalent reductions of SSVEP amplitudes elicited by unattended stimuli in all cases. We conclude that attentional selection of a feature-conjunction stimulus is accomplished by the parallel and independent facilitation of its constituent feature dimensions in early visual cortex. The ability to perceive the world is limited by the brain's processing capacity. Attention affords adaptive behavior by selectively prioritizing processing of relevant stimuli based on their features (location, color, orientation, etc.). We found that attentional mechanisms for selection of different features belonging to the same object operate independently and in parallel: concurrent attentional selection of two stimulus features is simply the sum of attending to each of those

Selection of controlled variables in bioprocesses. Application to a SHARON-Anammox process for autotrophic nitrogen removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mauricio Iglesias, Miguel; Valverde Perez, Borja; Sin, Gürkan

Selecting the right controlled variables in a bioprocess is challenging since the objectives of the process (yields, product or substrate concentration) are difficult to relate with a given actuator. We apply here process control tools that can be used to assist in the selection of controlled var...... variables to the case of the SHARON-Anammox process for autotrophic nitrogen removal....

Model of the best-of-N nest-site selection process in honeybees

Science.gov (United States)

Reina, Andreagiovanni; Marshall, James A. R.; Trianni, Vito; Bose, Thomas

2017-05-01

The ability of a honeybee swarm to select the best nest site plays a fundamental role in determining the future colony's fitness. To date, the nest-site selection process has mostly been modeled and theoretically analyzed for the case of binary decisions. However, when the number of alternative nests is larger than two, the decision-process dynamics qualitatively change. In this work, we extend previous analyses of a value-sensitive decision-making mechanism to a decision process among N nests. First, we present the decision-making dynamics in the symmetric case of N equal-quality nests. Then, we generalize our findings to a best-of-N decision scenario with one superior nest and N -1 inferior nests, previously studied empirically in bees and ants. Whereas previous binary models highlighted the crucial role of inhibitory stop-signaling, the key parameter in our new analysis is the relative time invested by swarm members in individual discovery and in signaling behaviors. Our new analysis reveals conflicting pressures on this ratio in symmetric and best-of-N decisions, which could be solved through a time-dependent signaling strategy. Additionally, our analysis suggests how ecological factors determining the density of suitable nest sites may have led to selective pressures for an optimal stable signaling ratio.

Reliable Portfolio Selection Problem in Fuzzy Environment: An mλ Measure Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Feng

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a fuzzy portfolio selection problem with guaranteed reliability, in which the fuzzy variables are used to capture the uncertain returns of different securities. To effectively handle the fuzziness in a mathematical way, a new expected value operator and variance of fuzzy variables are defined based on the m λ measure that is a linear combination of the possibility measure and necessity measure to balance the pessimism and optimism in the decision-making process. To formulate the reliable portfolio selection problem, we particularly adopt the expected total return and standard variance of the total return to evaluate the reliability of the investment strategies, producing three risk-guaranteed reliable portfolio selection models. To solve the proposed models, an effective genetic algorithm is designed to generate the approximate optimal solution to the considered problem. Finally, the numerical examples are given to show the performance of the proposed models and algorithm.

Selective production of arenes via direct lignin upgrading over a niobium-based catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Yi; Xia, Qineng; Dong, Lin; Liu, Xiaohui; Han, Xue; Parker, Stewart F.; Cheng, Yongqiang; Daemen, Luke L.; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J.; Yang, Sihai; Wang, Yanqin

2017-07-01

Lignin is the only large-volume renewable source of aromatic chemicals. Efficient depolymerization and deoxygenation of lignin while retaining the aromatic functionality are attractive but extremely challenging. Here we report the selective production of arenes via direct hydrodeoxygenation of organosolv lignin over a porous Ru/Nb2O5 catalyst that enabled the complete removal of the oxygen content from lignin. The conversion of birch lignin to monomer C7-C9 hydrocarbons is nearly quantitative based on its monomer content, with a total mass yield of 35.5 wt% and an exceptional arene selectivity of 71 wt%. Inelastic neutron scattering and DFT calculations confirm that the Nb2O5 support is catalytically unique compared with other traditional oxide supports, and the disassociation energy of Caromatic-OH bonds in phenolics is significantly reduced upon adsorption on Nb2O5, resulting in its distinct selectivity to arenes. This one-pot process provides a promising approach for improved lignin valorization with general applicability.

Computational intelligence-based polymerase chain reaction primer selection based on a novel teaching-learning-based optimisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yu-Huei

2014-12-01

Specific primers play an important role in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments, and therefore it is essential to find specific primers of outstanding quality. Unfortunately, many PCR constraints must be simultaneously inspected which makes specific primer selection difficult and time-consuming. This paper introduces a novel computational intelligence-based method, Teaching-Learning-Based Optimisation, to select the specific and feasible primers. The specified PCR product lengths of 150-300 bp and 500-800 bp with three melting temperature formulae of Wallace's formula, Bolton and McCarthy's formula and SantaLucia's formula were performed. The authors calculate optimal frequency to estimate the quality of primer selection based on a total of 500 runs for 50 random nucleotide sequences of 'Homo species' retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The method was then fairly compared with the genetic algorithm (GA) and memetic algorithm (MA) for primer selection in the literature. The results show that the method easily found suitable primers corresponding with the setting primer constraints and had preferable performance than the GA and the MA. Furthermore, the method was also compared with the common method Primer3 according to their method type, primers presentation, parameters setting, speed and memory usage. In conclusion, it is an interesting primer selection method and a valuable tool for automatic high-throughput analysis. In the future, the usage of the primers in the wet lab needs to be validated carefully to increase the reliability of the method.