Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for a Stationary Navier–Stokes Problem with a Nonlinear Slip Boundary Condition of Friction Type

In this work, several discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods are introduced and analyzed to solve a variational inequality from the stationary Navier–Stokes equations with a nonlinear slip boundary condition of friction type. Existence, uniqueness and stability of numerical solutions are shown for the DG methods. Error estimates are derived for the velocity in a broken \(H^1\)-norm and for the pressure in an \(L^2\)-norm, with the optimal convergence order when linear elements for the velocity and piecewise constants for the pressure are used. Numerical results are reported to demonstrate the theoretically predicted convergence orders, as well as the capability in capturing the discontinuity, the ability in handling the shear layers, the capacity in dealing with the advection-dominated problem, and the application to the general polygonal mesh of the DG methods.     

An Efficient Algorithm for Haplotype Inference on?Pedigrees with a Small Number of Recombinants

Combinatorial (or rule-based) methods for inferring haplotypes from genotypes on a pedigree have been studied extensively in the recent literature. These methods generally try to reconstruct the haplotypes of each individual so that the total number of recombinants is minimized in the pedigree. The problem is NP-hard, although it is known that the number of recombinants in a practical dataset is usually very small. In this paper, we consider the question of how to efficiently infer haplotypes on a large pedigree when the number of recombinants is bounded by a small constant, i.e. the so called k-recombinant haplotype configuration (k-RHC) problem. We introduce a simple probabilistic model for k-RHC where the prior haplotype probability of a founder and the haplotype transmission probability from a parent to a child are all assumed to follow the uniform distribution and k random recombination events are assumed to have taken place uniformly and independently in the pedigree. We present an O(mnlog? ^k+1 n) time algorithm for k-RHC on tree pedigrees without mating loops, where m is the number of loci and n is the size of the input pedigree, and prove that when 90log?n<m<n ³, the algorithm can correctly find a feasible haplotype configuration that obeys the Mendelian law of inheritance and requires no more than k recombinants with probability $1 -O(k^{2}\frac{\log^{2}n}{mn}+\frac{1}{n^{2}})$ . The algorithm is efficient when k is of a moderate value and could thus be used to infer haplotypes from genotypes on large tree pedigrees efficiently in practice. We have implemented the algorithm as a C++ program named Tree-k-RHC. The implementation incorporates several ideas for dealing with missing data and data with a large number of recombinants effectively. Our experimental results on both simulated and real datasets show that Tree-k-RHC can reconstruct haplotypes with a high accuracy and is much faster than the best combinatorial method in the literature.     

Principles of adjustable autonomy: a framework for resilient human–machine cooperation

Unmanned ground vehicles tend to be more and more autonomous, but both complete teleoperation and full autonomy are not efficient enough to deal with all possible situations. To be efficient, the human–robot system must be able to anticipate, react and recover from errors of different kinds, i.e., to be resilient. From this observation, this paper proposes a survey on the resilience of a human–machine system and the means to control the resilience. The resilience of a system can be defined as the ability to maintain or recover a stable state when subject to disturbance. Adjustable autonomy and human–machine cooperation are considered as means of resilience for the system. This paper then proposes three indicators to assess different meanings of resilience of the system: foresight and avoidance of events, reaction to events and recovery from occurrence of events. The third of these metrics takes into consideration the concept of affordances that allows a common representation for the opportunities of action between the automated system and its environment.     

Numerical Solution of Convection–Diffusion Equations Using a Nonlinear Method of Upwind Type

This paper is devoted to the numerical solution of convection–diffusion equations using the Mizukami–Hughes method which is a nonlinear method of upwind type using conforming piecewise linear triangular finite elements. We extend this method to the whole range of the diffusion parameter whereas the original method was introduced for the convection-dominated regime only. We prove that the extended method satisfies the discrete maximum principle and illustrate its properties by means of numerical results.     

Development of a functional model for a master–slave combined manipulator for laparoscopic surgery

Minimally invasive surgery helps patients by accelerating postoperative recovery. However, its application is impeded because it is necessary for the surgeons performing such surgery to possess surgical skills of a high order. Therefore, a master-slave combined manipulator (MCM) has been proposed as a robotic tool that enhances the surgeon's skill in laparoscopic surgery. The master grip and the slave hand are combined through the manipulator body, and a surgeon can operate the tool near the patient. The slave hand is controlled electrically by the master grip and its position is directly controlled by the surgeon. A prototype model of the MCM has been developed. The functions of the MCM have been verified by basic evaluation tests and the MCM has been used in a preliminary animal experiment. This paper describes the concept, the basic performance and the validation of the MCM.     

Efficient numerical integration of an elastic–plastic damage law within a mixed velocity–pressure formulation

This study focuses on numerical integration of constitutive laws in numerical modeling of cold materials processing that involves large plastic strain together with ductile damage. A mixed velocity–pressure formulation is used to handle the incompressibility of plastic deformation. A Lemaitre damage model where dissipative phenomena are coupled is considered. Numerical aspects of the constitutive equations are addressed in detail. Three integration algorithms with different levels of coupling of damage with elastic–plastic behavior are presented and discussed in terms of accuracy and computational cost. The implicit gradient formulation with a non-local damage variable is used to regularize the localization phenomenon and thus to ensure the objectivity of numerical results for damage prediction problems. A tensile test on a plane plate specimen, where damage and plastic strain tend to localize in well-known shear bands, successfully shows both the objectivity and effectiveness of the developed approach.     

Methods for the combination of kernel matrices within a support vector framework

The problem of combining different sources of information arises in several situations, for instance, the classification of data with asymmetric similarity matrices or the construction of an optimal classifier from a collection of kernels. Often, each source of information can be expressed as a similarity matrix. In this paper we propose a new class of methods in order to produce, for classification purposes, a single kernel matrix from a collection of kernel (similarity) matrices. Then, the constructed kernel matrix is used to train a Support Vector Machine (SVM). The key ideas within the kernel construction are twofold: the quantification, relative to the classification labels, of the difference of information among the similarities; and the extension of the concept of linear combination of similarity matrices to the concept of functional combination of similarity matrices. The proposed methods have been successfully evaluated and compared with other powerful classifiers and kernel combination techniques on a variety of artificial and real classification problems.     

SWGMM: a semi-wrapped Gaussian mixture model for clustering of circular–linear data

Finite mixture models are widely used to perform model-based clustering of multivariate data sets. Most of the existing mixture models work with linear data; whereas, real-life applications may involve multivariate data having both circular and linear characteristics. No existing mixture models can accommodate such correlated circular–linear data. In this paper, we consider designing a mixture model for multivariate data having one circular variable. In order to construct a circular–linear joint distribution with proper inclusion of correlation terms, we use the semi-wrapped Gaussian distribution. Further, we construct a mixture model (termed SWGMM) of such joint distributions. This mixture model is capable of approximating the distribution of multi-modal circular–linear data. An unsupervised learning of the mixture parameters is proposed based on expectation maximization method. Clustering is performed using maximum a posteriori criterion. To evaluate the performance of SWGMM, we choose the task of color image segmentation in LCH space. We present comprehensive results and compare SWGMM with existing methods. Our study reveals that the proposed mixture model outperforms the other methods in most cases.     

In Search of a Narrative for Human–Robot Relationships

Abstract

Fictional robots in literature and film have shaped our cultural image of robots. This paper studies what these images can contribute to our relationship with the real robots that are now entering our everyday lives. A review of science fiction literature and films comes to the conclusion that the predominant theme of the fictional robots – mostly androids and replicants – has been human identity, not robotics itself. Non-humanoid “just-robots” are presented as unproblematic sidekicks. It is argued that this focus has as consequence a tendency toward humanizing even non-humanoid robots in their presentation to the public. This tendency leads to a) breakdowns where technology contradicts the humanoid narrative, and b) a lack of productive narratives about emerging, more complex human-robot relationships.     

Convergence for a family of discrete advection–reaction operators

We define a family of discrete Advection–reaction operators, denoted by $A_{a\lambda }$, which associate to a given scalar sequence $s=\left\{s_n\right\}$ the sequence given by $A_{a\lambda }\left(s\right)\equiv \left\{b_n\right\}$, where $b_n=a_{n?2}{s}_{n?1}+{\lambda }_n{s}_n$ for $n=1,2,\dots$. For $A_{a\lambda }$ we explicitly find their iterates and study their convergence properties. Finally, we show the relationship between the family of discrete operators with the continuous one dimensional advection–reaction equation.     

SERP-test: a taxonomy for supporting industry–academia communication

This paper presents the construction and evaluation of SERP-test, a taxonomy aimed to improve communication between researchers and practitioners in the area of software testing. SERP-test can be utilized for direct communication in industry academia collaborations. It may also facilitate indirect communication between practitioners adopting software engineering research and researchers who are striving for industry relevance. SERP-test was constructed through a systematic and goal-oriented approach which included literature reviews and interviews with practitioners and researchers. SERP-test was evaluated through an online survey and by utilizing it in an industry–academia collaboration project. SERP-test comprises four facets along which both research contributions and practical challenges may be classified: Intervention, Scope, Effect target and Context constraints. This paper explains the available categories for each of these facets (i.e., their definitions and rationales) and presents examples of categorized entities. Several tasks may benefit from SERP-test, such as formulating research goals from a problem perspective, describing practical challenges in a researchable fashion, analyzing primary studies in a literature review, or identifying relevant points of comparison and generalization of research.     

Explainable AI for domain experts: a post Hoc analysis of deep learning for defect classification of TFT–LCD panels

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing - The deep learning (DL) model has performed successfully in various fields, including manufacturing. DL models for defect image data analysis in the...     

Methods for computing Nash equilibria of a location–quantity game

A two-stage model is described where firms take decisions on where to locate their facility and on how much to supply to which market. In such models in literature, typically the market price reacts linearly on supply. Often two competing suppliers are assumed or several that are homogeneous, i.e., their cost structure is assumed to be identical. The focus of this paper is on developing methods to compute equilibria of the model where more than two suppliers are competing that each have their own cost structure, i.e., they are heterogeneous. Analytical results are presented with respect to optimality conditions for the Nash equilibria in the two stages. Based on these analytical results, an enumeration algorithm and a local search algorithm are developed to find equilibria. Numerical cases are used to illustrate the results and the viability of the algorithms. The methods find an improvement of a result reported in literature.     

Design of a quadruped robot for human–elephant conflict mitigation

Introduction

Human–elephant conflict is a major problem leading to crop damage, human death by elephants and elephants being killed by people. The surveillance and tracking of elephant herds are difficult due to their size and nature of movement.

Materials

In this article, we propose a four-wheeled quadruped robot to mitigate human–elephant conflict. The robot can detect movement of wild pachyderms in certain pockets along the forest borders through which the elephants enter into the human living areas from the forest. The robot is so designed that it can navigate with wheels on flat terrains and with legs on unfriendly rugged terrains with the help of mounted cameras.

Methods

The images of the wild elephant are captured and transmitted to the base stations and an SMS is sent to the forest officials indicating an elephant is found. We obtain a suitable kinematic model for both legs and wheels with control algorithm for the quadruped robot to move along a predetermined path.

Conclusion

The quadruped robot proposed is a solution to detect elephant movement without affecting the ecological conditions to overcome human–elephant conflict. The unpredictability of time and location of elephant arrival into the villages are considered the major issues that are resolved in this work. The results of our work contribute to elephant conservation issues and are suitable for the detection of elephants in forest border areas.     

Development of a sequential robust–tolerance design model for a destructive quality characteristic

Robust design (RD) and tolerance design (TD) have received much attention from researchers and practitioners for more than two decades, and a number of methodologies for modeling and optimizing the RD and TD processes have been studied. However, there is ample room for improvement. Because most existing research considers RD and TD as separate research fields, the primary objective of this paper is to develop a sequential robust–tolerance design method to jointly determine the best factor settings and the closed-form solutions for the optimal specification limits. We then apply the proposed method to a destructive quality characteristic. Finally, a case study and sensitivity analyses are performed for verification purposes, and further studies are discussed.     

EPSILON: a versatile microcomputer program for the spectrophotometric data analysis of metal–ligand equilibria

We have developed the microcomputer program EPSILON which allows the computation of equilibrium constants and extinction coefficients of several interacting species from spectrophotometric single- and multi-wavelength pH-titration data. Novel features of EPSILON include: easy treatment of the data through a windowed environment, minimization of errors with respect to the read variable (absorbance), simultaneous plotting of both the spectrophotometric titration curve and the species distribution as a function of pH during refinement and estimation of standard deviations for the refined parameters. Several examples of applications are provided and discussed in order to illustrate the use of EPSILON. The results are compared with literature values and with those obtained by BEST from potentiometric data.     

Self-determined nudging: a system concept for human–machine interaction

Humans sometimes struggle when making decisions, because what they want to do in a specific moment can differ from what they feel they should do in general. This phenomenon can also be found in situations of human–machine interaction. In order to support humans in making decisions about their behavior, a new form of support is proposed, which is especially suitable for human–machine interaction: self-determined decision-making with nudging methods (or shortly: self-determined nudging). In this concept, firstly the aspirations of the human are assessed and then supporting mechanisms are offered to guide humans towards their self-set goals. With this procedure, machines can for example support humans in driving safely or economically, help them refraining from scheduling other appointments in their gym-timeslots or push them towards going to bed on time. While originally nudging is based on libertarian paternalism, the concept of self-determined nudging enables the person to decide which goals to get nudged towards. By different examples, it is shown that nudging ideas are already present in numerous technical applications. Then, it is demonstrated how the aspect of self-determination can enrich these approaches. Moreover, already existing as well as potential new implementations of self-determined nudging in the automotive domain are described. As an outlook, the set-up of a study on automated driving is presented.