Distortion Minimization: A Framework for the Design of Plane Geometric Anamorphosis

Anamorphosis, as a drawing, represents shapes on a surface such that they appear in their natural form only under specific viewing conditions. Although anamorphoses are mainly studied in a historical context, they are currently experiencing a revival. Plane geometric anamorphoses are a specific sub-type of anamorphic drawings. Some practical problems may arise during the design and realization of plane geometric anamorphosis causing the 3D illusionistic effect to be impaired. The aim of this paper is to identify and analyze these problems. In the paper we use parametric analysis to quantify the distortion that may appear because the point of view is offset from the preferred point of view, and to simulate the deviations that can appear because of the errors in onsite realization. The analysis leads to a framework for the design of plane geometric anamorphosis that minimizes the impairment of the anamorphic illusion.     

Recommendations for tool-handle material choice based on finite element analysis

Huge areas of work are still done manually and require the usages of different powered and non-powered hand tools. In order to increase the user performance, satisfaction, and lower the risk of acute and cumulative trauma disorders, several researchers have investigated the sizes and shapes of tool-handles. However, only a few authors have investigated tool-handles' materials for further optimising them. Therefore, as presented in this paper, we have utilised a finite-element method for simulating human fingertip whilst grasping tool-handles. We modelled and simulated steel and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber as homogeneous tool-handle materials and two composites consisting of EPDM rubber and EPDM foam, and also EPDM rubber and PU foam. The simulated finger force was set to obtain characteristic contact pressures of 20 kPa, 40 kPa, 80 kPa, and 100 kPa. Numerical tests have shown that EPDM rubber lowers the contact pressure just slightly. On the other hand, both composites showed significant reduction in contact pressure that could lower the risks of acute and cumulative trauma disorders which are pressure-dependent. Based on the results, it is also evident that a composite containing PU foam with a more evident and flat plateau deformed less at lower strain rates and deformed more when the plateau was reached, in comparison to the composite with EPDM foam. It was shown that hyper-elastic foam materials, which take into account the non-linear behaviour of fingertip soft tissue, can lower the contact pressure whilst maintaining low deformation rate of the tool-handle material for maintaining sufficient rate of stability of the hand tool in the hands. Lower contact pressure also lowers the risk of acute and cumulative trauma disorders, and increases comfort whilst maintaining performance.     

Detecting Regular Visit Patterns

We are given a trajectory Tmathcal{T} and an area Amathcal{A} . Tmathcal{T} might intersect Amathcal{A} several times, and our aim is to detect whether Tmathcal{T} visits Amathcal{A} with some regularity, e.g. what is the longest time span that a GPS-GSM equipped elephant visited a specific lake on a daily (weekly or yearly) basis, where the elephant has to visit the lake most of the days (weeks or years), but not necessarily on every day (week or year).     

Crossing Number and Weighted Crossing Number of Near-Planar Graphs

A nonplanar graph G is near-planar if it contains an edge e such that G−e is planar. The problem of determining the crossing number of a near-planar graph is exhibited from different combinatorial viewpoints. On the one hand, we develop min-max formulas involving efficiently computable lower and upper bounds. These min-max results are the first of their kind in the study of crossing numbers and improve the approximation factor for the approximation algorithm given by Hliněny and Salazar (Graph Drawing GD’06). On the other hand, we show that it is NP-hard to compute a weighted version of the crossing number for near-planar graphs.     

Automatic domain modeling for human–robot interaction

Intelligent Service Robotics - This paper introduces an approach to automatic domain modeling for human–robot interaction. The proposed approach is symbolic and intended for semantically...     

A comparative analysis of hardware and software fault tolerance: Impact on software reliability engineering

Today's digital systems are growing increasingly complex, and are being used in increasingly critical functions. The first premise makes them more prone to contain faults, and the second premise makes their failure less tolerable. This widening gap highlights the need for fault tolerant techniques, which make provisions for reliable operation of digital systems despite the presence and occasional manifestation of faults. In this paper we present a brief comparative survey of fault tolerance as it arises in hardware systems and software systems. We discuss logical models as well as statistical models of fault tolerance, and use these models to analyze design tradeoffs of fault tolerant systems. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Anwendung eines Stranggieß-Simulationsmodells bei Štore Steel – II

This paper represents the elements and the use of the upgraded simulation system, developed in the last half decade for ?tore Steel billet caster. The simulation system is used in the context of the state-of-the-art automation and information of the twenty-five year-old three-strand Concast billet continuous caster for dimensions square 140 and 180 mm with the capacity of 160,000 tons/year. The simulation system is used in the off-line and on-line modes. The off-line mode is used in order to set the proper process parameters and to calculate the temperature field, macrosegregation, and grain structure of the strand. It is also used to calculate the changes in the caster design such as the secondary cooling and the position of the SEN. The on-line model is used in automatic casting control system. The paper represents an update of our BHM publication of 2005 (Application of Continous Casting Simulation at ?tore Steel, BHM, Vol. 150, No. 9, 300–306).     

A Picosecond Resolution Time Digitizer for Laser Ranging

The Time Digitizer capable of covering a range of 0.34 sec in 9.76 psec increments is described. The time interval between a pair of start-stop pulses is digitized coarsely in 20 nsec periods by a very accurate 50 MHz reference clock. The residual fractions of a clock period at the start and the stop end of the measured interval are stretched in two interpolators and digitized in 9.76 psec increments. An equivalent digitizing frequency of 102.4 GHz is thus achieved. The digitizer is built in a CAMAC minicrate and communicates via a standard crate controller. It is intended for use in the laser ranging between ground stations and the Laser Geodetic Satellite (LAGEOS). It is shown that the distribution in any two adjacent 9.76 psec channels of a small number of identical test time intervals is essentially binomial. The performance of the digitizer and test results are given.     

Global optimization of the bifunctional catalyst problem

As shown by Luus et al. (1992), determination of the optimum catalyst blend along a tubular reactor to maximize the yield of a particular component is a difficult problem due to the large number of local optima. By using iterative dynamic programming, the effects of the region reduction factor and the choice of the initial region size are analyzed in detail for this problem. Even if a single grid-point for the state is used, the likelihood of obtaining the global optimum is very high if the initial region size is chosen to be sufficiently large.     

Computational study of conjugate heat transfer in T-junctions

In this work we focus on the numerical prediction of temperature fluctuations induced in solid materials through turbulent mixing processes. As test case we use the mixing of two streams of different temperature in a T-junction. Due to the turbulent mixing of the two streams temperature fluctuations occur which are also transferred to the solid walls in contact with the fluid. Such fluctuations in the solid material may lead to thermal fatigue and are therefore relevant for the lifetime management of components used in nuclear power plants (NPP).We investigate the mixing in T-junctions made of different materials and having different pipe wall thicknesses. The temperature difference between the streams in the main and side branch is set to 75 °C and the mass flow rate in the main pipe is three times larger than in the side branch. In a first step we perform a set of simulations by using different formulations of the large-eddy simulation (LES) subgrid scale model, i.e. classical Smagorinsky model and dynamic procedure, to identify the influence of the modeled subgrid scales on the simulation results. The comparison between available experimental data and the numerical results reveals a good agreement when using the dynamic procedure. In a second step we address the temperature fluctuations in the solid wall subject to the wall thickness. The influence of the wall thickness is represented as a damping effect on the temperature fluctuations in radial direction in the pipe material. This study shows the capability of LES to predict thermal fluctuations in turbulent mixing.