A comparison of shear stress estimation methods for a single geobag on a rough bed

There are several methods for estimating bed shear stress in the literature, but comprehensive comparisons among them are limited and under specific conditions. This study compared these methods first on a bare smooth bed, and then for a single geobag on a rough bed in the interest of determining the stability of geobags used in riverbank protection structures. The geobag was filled with cement or sand and tested under different open channel flow conditions. The turbulent kinetic energy method appeared to best represent the local bed shear stress on the geobag when using the newly calibrated proportionality constants. The Reynolds stress method via extrapolation was relatively unaffected by changes to the geobags shape and measurement locations, suggesting this method inadequately represents the local bed shear stress. The Patel method and the universal law of the wall method failed to represent local bed shear stress in the rough bed cases due to instrument limitations and the breakdown of the law of the wall. This study highlights the impact of different methods on the bed shear stress estimation.     

基于改进相干增强扩散与纹理能量测度和高斯混合模型的导光板表面缺陷检测方法

针对液晶屏(LCD)导光板表面缺陷检测方法存在漏检率和误检率较高,对产品表面复杂渐变的纹理结构适应性差的问题,提出一种基于改进相干增强扩散(ICED)与纹理能量测度和高斯混合模型(TEM-GMM)的LCD导光板表面缺陷检测方法。首先,构建ICED模型,基于结构张量引入平均曲率流扩散(MCF)滤波,使得相干增强扩散(CED)模型对缺陷的细线状纹理有良好的边缘保持效果,并利用相干性得到缺陷纹理增强和背景纹理抑制的滤波后图像;然后,根据Laws纹理能量测度(TEM)提取图像纹理特征,将图像的背景纹理特征作为离线阶段高斯混合模型(GMM)的训练数据,使用期望最大化(EM)算法估计GMM参数;最后,计算待检测图像各像素的后验概率,并将其作为在线检测阶段缺陷像素的判断依据。实验结果表明,该检测方法在导光颗粒随机、规则两种分布的缺陷图像测试数据组上的漏检率和误检率分别为3.27%、4.32%和3.59%、4.87%。所提检测方法适用范围广,可有效检测出LCD导光板表面划痕、异物、脏污和压伤等类型的缺陷。     

A values–beliefs–attitude model of local food consumption: An empirical study in China and Denmark

Consumers’ and policy makers’ interest in local foods is growing. Accordingly, researchers are also increasingly paying attention to the consumption of local foods. Studies have identified preference for local foods as an emergent consumer ideology called “locavorism”, but they have not yet addressed its antecedents or put it into a theoretical context. In addition, extant research provides several insights into local food buying behaviour in developed economies (e.g., USA, UK, Germany, or Italy); however, studies simultaneously conducted in developed and emerging economies are lacking. To address these research gaps, this study develops a conceptual framework with proposed relationships among values, beliefs (locavorism and fresh start mindset), and attitudes towards and intentions to purchase local foods in China and Denmark. We conducted an online survey in China and Denmark that evaluated our constructs with pre-developed multiple-item measures. Using structural equation modelling to test the integrated model, we find that values and long-term orientation are antecedents of consumer beliefs but the influences of values on consumer beliefs differ between collectivistic-dominated China and individualistic-dominated Denmark. Specifically, collectivistic values are significantly and positively related to locavorism in both countries, while individualistic values are strongly linked to locavorism only in Denmark; collectivistic values have no effects on fresh start mindset for the two samples, but individualistic values are significantly and positively related to a fresh start mindset in Denmark. In addition, consumer beliefs are significantly and positively associated with attitudes towards and intentions to buy local foods. Local food marketers can use our findings to target their communications more effectively.     

融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割

为了改善谱聚类图像分割的精准性和时效性,文中提出融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割算法.首先,考虑图像数据的流形结构,在数据点的K近邻域内执行局部PCA,得到数据间本征维数的关系.然后,引入流形学习中的局部线性重构技术,通过混合线性分析器得到数据间局部切空间的相似性,结合二者构造含有局部几何特征的相似性矩阵.再利用Nystr m技术逼近待分割图像的特征向量,对构造的k个主特征向量执行谱聚类.最后,在Berkeley数据集上的对比实验验证文中算法的准确性和时效性优势.     

The control of paracetamol particle size and surface morphology through crystallisation in a spray dryer

The parameters governing the crystallisation of paracetamol using various conventional techniques has been extensively studied, however the factors influencing the drug crystallisation using spray drying is not as well understood. The aim of this work was to investigate the crystallisation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient through evaporative crystallisation using a spray dryer to study the physicochemical properties of the drug and to use semi-empirical equations to gain insight into the morphology and particle size of the dried powder. Paracetamol solutions were spray dried at various inlet temperatures ranging from 60 °C to 120 °C and also from a series of inlet feed solvent compositions ranging from 50/50% v/v ethanol/water to 100% ethanol and solid-state characterisation was done. The size and morphology of the dried materials were altered with a change in spray drying parameters, with an increase in inlet temperature leading to an increase in particle Sauter mean diameter (from 3.0 to 4.4 µm) and a decrease in the particle size with an increase in ethanol concentration in the feed (from 4.6 to 4.4 µm) as a result of changes in particle density and atomised droplet size. The morphology of the dried particles consisted of agglomerates of individual crystallites bound together into larger semi-spherical agglomerates with a higher tendency for particles having crystalline ridges to form at higher ethanol concentrations of the feed.     

A hierarchical simple particle swarm optimization with mean dimensional information

To reduce the negative influence of the overemphasis of gbest the dimensional information of particle is introduced to be a new example. This additional information source is incorporated into simple PSO to establish a simpler position model. Another two simpler position updating models, cognition only model and social only model, based on the simple PSO algorithm are presented as well. Time hierarchy strategy is extended from probability hierarchy, both aiming to make full use of advantages of three models. Three models are used with time or probability hierarchy to update each particle’s position. Thus, two proposed algorithms THSPSO and PHSPSO are finally obtained. Experiments are conducted on fifteen benchmark functions. The results demonstrate the two proposed algorithms both have excellent performances for basic functions compared with other popular PSO variants. Probability hierarchy strategy is more effective than time hierarchy strategy in general.     

A comparison of manual handling risks in different domestic waste collection systems using three separate evaluation methods

Arising out of the challenge for Local Authorities (LAs) to operate sustainable systems of work, is to avoid the creation of ill-health including the most significant causes of physical absence, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).The study's aim was to compare the reliability of the manual handling element of the Health and Safety Executives (HSEs) risk comparator tool for different domestic waste collection methods with self-reported pain via body-mapping and MSD ill health absence rates. Participatory body-mapping exercises were carried out in five LAs with one LA resurveyed, six months after the move from 35 and 50 L containers to a wheeled bin recycling service.The lowest levels of self-reported pain were for services designed with 240l wheeled bins excluding glass; the highest levels were for services that included 100l of garden waste sacks and recycling boxes. Industry data supports previous laboratory studies showing wheeled bins to be associated with less MSD outcomes than boxes, baskets and sacks.Triangulation of data established a statistically significant correlation of 0.85 (Pearson) between average pain-count (APC) and the mean MSD absence rates, with a strong correlation of 0.77 (Spearman) between APC and risk rating. The correlation is moderate, 0.49 (Spearman) between MSD absence and risk rating, reflecting possible intervening variables and a low participation rate by LAs.The contribution of this study is to improve the design of sustainable waste collection strategies to minimise MSD associated absence. In the absence of reliable absence data, body mapping should be used as a proxy method of assessing MSD risk.     

加权信息熵与增强局部二值模式结合的人脸识别

针对人脸识别因光照、姿态、表情、遮挡及噪声等多种因素的影响而导致的识别率不高的问题，提出一种加权信息熵（IEw）与自适应阈值环形局部二值模式（ATRLBP）算子相结合的人脸识别方法（IE （w） ATR-LBP）。首先，从原始人脸图像分块提取信息熵，得到每个子块的IEw；然后，利用ATRLBP算子分别对每个人脸子块提取特征从而得到概率直方图；最后，将各个块的IEw与概率直方图相乘，再串联成为原始人脸图像最后的特征直方图，并利用支持向量机（SVM）对人脸进行识别。在AR人脸库的表情、光照、遮挡A和遮挡B四个数据集上，IE （w） ATR-LBP方法分别取得了98.37%、94.17%、98.20%和99.34%的识别率。在ORL人脸库上，IE （w） ATR-LBP方法的最大识别率为99.85%；而且在ORL人脸库5次不同训练样本的实验中，与无噪声时相比，加入高斯和椒盐噪声后的平均识别率分别下降了14.04和2.95个百分点。实验结果表明，IE （w） ATR-LBP方法能够有效提高人脸在受光照、姿态、遮挡等影响时的识别率，尤其是存在表情变化及脉冲类噪声干扰时的识别率。     

An integrated DEMATEL-MMDE-ISM based approach for analysing the barriers of IoT implementation in the manufacturing industry

Incorporation of smart devices within the older framework has brought along significant challenges. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the barriers faced during the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) within the manufacturing sector. In addition, the authors aim to obtain a hierarchical structure, which will help the policymakers to identify the most crucial barriers enabling them to make an informed decision. With the help of databases like Scopus, Web of Science, etc. a comprehensive list of 22 barriers was initially obtained. This list was further narrowed down to 10 critical barriers. The first step of the analysis involved the application of Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique, which quantifies the influence of the barriers amongst one another. Maximum Mean De-Entropy (MMDE) technique is then used to obtain a scientific threshold value, which is later used in the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) technique from which a hierarchical structure of the barriers is obtained. The results of this study are expected to highlight the most crucial barriers wherein the researchers and practitioners can focus their strategic efforts. This will facilitate the addressal of implicit issues while implementing IoT Techniques in the manufacturing industry.     

A brief review of dynamic mechanical metamaterials for mechanical energy manipulation

In the past decades, many mechanical metamaterials with uncommon static properties have been reported. On the other hand, mechanical metamaterials possessing extraordinary dynamic performance, also referred to as acoustic/elastic metamaterials, have gained more and more attractions. Examples include acoustic cloaking metamaterials that can generate an invisible region for acoustic waves, zero-stiffness metamaterials that can isolate vibrating mechanical energy, origami-based metamaterials that can realize the directional transmission of elastic waves and so on. To better understand the mechanisms adopted in dynamic mechanical metamaterials and present a general view about the existing works, we have reviewed some representative works and categorized them based on the ways of how these mechanical metamaterials manipulate the interactions between matters and mechanical energy. To distinguish the different categories of the dynamic mechanical metamaterials, we use a pair of binary numbers to measure the changing states of the magnitude and direction of the energy flow, respectively. A summary of some research works with associated reference numbers is presented in this paper with emphasis on the operating frequency, working bandwidth, and characteristic size of the element.