Results of a User Study on 2D Hurricane Visualization

We present the results from a user study looking at the ability of observers to mentally integrate wind direction and magnitude over a vector field. The data set chosen for the study is an MM5 (PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model) simulation of Hurricane Lili over the Gulf of Mexico as it approaches the southeastern United States. Nine observers participated in the study. This study investigates the effect of layering on the observer's ability to determine the magnitude and direction of a vector field. We found a tendency for observers to underestimate the magnitude of the vectors and a counter‐clockwise bias when determining the average direction of a vector field. We completed an additional study with two observers to try to uncover the source of the counter‐clockwise bias. These results have direct implications to atmospheric scientists, but may also be able to be applied to other fields that use 2D vector fields.     

广义AND／OR图的自底向上的启发式搜索算法BHAO

本文首先根据三角模概念，定义了一类新的更具普遍意义的广义ＡＮＤ／ＯＲ图．根据新定义的启发式函数ｈ（ｎ，ｘ）以及广义ＡＮＤ／ＯＲ图的最佳解树之所有子树亦是最佳子解树的原理，提出了广义ＡＮＤ／ＯＲ图的自底向上的启发式搜索算法ＢＨＡＯ．文中证明了算法ＢＨＡＯ的可采纳性．本文还提出了两类新的启发式函数的单调限制概念，并据此研究了算法ＢＨＡＯ的单调限制性质，研究了两个ＢＨＡＯ算法间的比较性质．     

VLSI并行测试生成系统的一种动态层次框架

随着VLSI技术的发展和计算机性能的提高,并行测试生成系统不仅必需而且可行,本文在总结已有并行技术的基础上,提出了并行测试生成系统的一种动态层次框架,并给出了一种实现方案。     

广义AND/OR图的自底向上的启发式搜索算法BFA0

本文首先根据三角模及其扩张运算概念,定义了一类新的更具普遍意义的模糊广义AND/OR图。根据新定义的启发式函数h(n,x)以及模糊广义AND/OR图的最佳解树之所有子树亦是最佳子解树的原理,提出了自底向上的启发式搜索算法BFAO·。文中证明了算法BFAO·的可采纳性。本文还提出了两类新的启发式函数的单调限制概念,并据此研究了算法BFAO·的单调限制性质,研究了两个BFAO·算法间的比较性质。     

忆阻器状态逻辑中与操作的高效设计与实现

作为电阻、电容、电感之外的第4种基本电路元件,忆阻器自2008年被发现以来受到学术界和产业界的广泛关注.忆阻器的阻值记忆效应和纳米工艺制造方式使其被认为可用于构建未来更大容量和密度的存储器,逐渐替代FLASH等现有存储器件.除存储功能外,HP公司在2010年《Nature》上发表的文章表明,忆阻器还可以通过以蕴含为基础的状态逻辑实现任意逻辑运算.研究了忆阻器状态逻辑的另一种操作——与操作,提出了一种更加高效的与操作实现方法,该方法不需要增加额外的忆阻器,降低了激励电压的复杂性,减小了误差,使运算更加简便高效.最后通过SPICE模拟仿真对提出的方法进行了验证.     

显式与或图的一种新的贪心搜索算法

文中提出了一种性能很好的能找出显式含圈与或图的最佳解图的贪心算法，给出了其严格的正确性证明，并简单分析了其复杂性。     

International Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks

Abstract

The International Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (IWGSTSC), gathers multiple organisations from different countries (for US party Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Sandia National Laboratories; for German party Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit and Fraunhofer Institut; for the French party Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire). The goal of the IWGSTSC is to continue cooperation to improve the analytic capabilities, through information sharing and collaborative research and development plus modelling, to understand the potential adverse public health effects and environmental impacts of radiological sabotage directed at or associated with the transport and storage of civilian nuclear material or other civilian radioactive materials. The Parties may also undertake collaborative research and development in other areas of the physical protection of civilian nuclear materials or other radioactive materials. Since 2000, the IWGSTSC has conducted an extensive test programme for the assessment of the aerosol source term produced in the case of spent fuel transport sabotage by a high energy density device, after having examined several scenarios. The major goal of this programme is to produce an accurate estimate of the so called spent fuel ratio in the domain of respirable, aerosol particles produced. All the reports prepared by Sandia National Laboratories have precisely emphasised the important efforts they have made from the beginning and the amount of work already accomplished. In parallel, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), assisted by technical experts from different countries, has provided a draft document promised to become guidance for the security of radioactive or nuclear materials during transport. The IAEA document contains general guidance addressed to anyone who intends to implement or improve the security of material transports, but the text is, as of today, limited to rather general recommendations. Based on all the knowledge accumulated from past experiments and also based on the work carried out in Vienna at the IAEA, the IWGSTSC members have decided to work on the development of a method for the evaluation of the vulnerability and the source term. So for doing that, joint projects for the research, development, testing and evaluation of the consequences of the malevolent actions during transport are being pursued and are described in this paper.     

Tensile and fatigue properties of cold and warm compacted Alumix 431 alloy

Abstract

In this experimental study, tensile and fatigue properties of the Alumix 431 alloy (Al, Zn, Mg and Cu alloys) produced using the conventional press and sinter processes in different pressures and temperatures are investigated. The results clearly showed that the warm compacted specimens can reach the mechanical properties of the cold compacted ones under less pressure. In the fatigue tests it was observed that fracture started from large pores as shown in all scanning electron microscope (SEM) examinations and ductile fracture occurred. 85% of the 180 MPa/80°C and 77% of the 230 MPa/RT specimens fractured at the machined surface. Tensile and fatigue properties of warm compacted (180 MPa/80°C) and cold (230 MPa/RT) compacted specimens are almost equal at these same densities. This result indicates the economic benefit of warm compaction by the much lower applied compaction pressure.     

Internal models of reaching and grasping

One of the most distinguishing features of cognitive systems is the ability to predict the future course of actions and the results of ongoing behaviors, and in general to plan actions well in advance. Neuroscience has started examining the neural basis of these skills with behavioral or animal studies and it is now relatively well understood that the brain builds models of the physical world through learning. These models are sometimes called 'internal models', meaning that they are the internal rehearsal (or simulation) of the world enacted by the brain. In this paper we investigate the possibility of building internal models of human behaviors with a learning machine that has access to information in principle similar to that used by the brain when learning similar tasks. In particular, we concentrate on models of reaching and grasping, and we report on an experiment in which biometric data collected from human users during grasping was used to train a support vector machine. We then assess to what degree the models built by the machine are faithful representations of the actual human behaviors. The results indicate that the machine is able to predict reasonably well human reaching and grasping, and that prior knowledge of the object to be grasped improves the performance of the machine, while keeping the same computational cost.     

Synthesis and wear of Al based,free standing functionally gradient materials: effects of different reinforcements

Abstract

In the present study, three aluminium based functionally gradient materials (FGMs), reinforced with different ceramic particulates (silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, and titanium carbide), were successfully synthesised using the innovative gradient slurry disintegration and deposition (GSDD) technique. The results for Al/SiC and Al/Al₂O₃ revealed, in common, an increase in the weight percentage of reinforcement along the direction of deposition, to result in an increase in porosity and microhardness. However, for Al/TiC, the reverse trend was observed, with porosity and microhardness decreasing with increasing distance from the base of the ingot. The porosity levels for Al/TiC were also found to be significantly lower than those ofthe other two FGMs. Thermomechanical analysis of the FGMs showed thatthe average coefficient of thermal expansion of the high reinforcement end was reduced, as compared to the high aluminium end. Sliding wear test results also revealed that the high reinforcement end was more wear resistant than the high aluminium end, except for the case of Al/Al₂O₃. An attempt is made to interrelate the effects of different types of particulates, with microstructural development, microhardness and wear rate results obtained in the present study.