Fix-and-Relax-Coordination for a multi-period location–allocation problem under uncertainty

A multi-period discrete facility location problem is introduced for a risk neutral strategy with uncertainty in the costs and some of the requirements along the planning horizon. A compact 0–1 formulation for the Deterministic Equivalent Model of the problem under two alternative strategies for the location decisions is presented. Furthermore, a new algorithmic matheuristic, Fix-and-Relax-Coordination, is introduced. This solution scheme is based on a specialization of the Branch-and-Fix Coordination methodology, which exploits the Nonanticipativity Constraints and uses the Twin Node Family concept. The results of an extensive computational experience allow to compare the alternative modeling strategies and assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach versus the plain use of a state-of-the-art MIP solver.     

General Framework for Rotation Invariant Texture Classification Through Co-occurrence of Patterns

The use of co-occurrences of patterns in image analysis has been recently suggested as one of the possible strategies to improve on the bag-of-features model. The intrinsically high number of features of the method, however, is a potential limit to its widespread application. Its extension into rotation invariant versions also requires careful consideration. In this paper we present a general, rotation invariant framework for co-occurrences of patterns and investigate possible solutions to the dimensionality problem. Using local binary patterns as bag-of-features model, we experimentally evaluate the potential advantages that co-occurrences can provide in comparison with bag-of-features. The results show that co-occurrences remarkably improve classification accuracy in some datasets, but in others the gain is negligible, or even negative. We found that this surprising outcome has an interesting explanation in terms of the degree of association between pairs of patterns in an image, and, in particular, that the higher the degree of association, the lower the gain provided by co-occurrences in comparison with bag-of-features.     

Safety-enhanced Collaborative Framework for Tele-operated Minimally Invasive Surgery Using a 7-DoF Torque-controlled Robot

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - In this paper, a safety-enhanced collaborative control framework is proposed for tele-operated minimally invasive surgery (MIS) using a...     

Guidelines and recommendations for indoor use of fuel cells and hydrogen systems

Hydrogen energy applications often require that systems are used indoors (e.g., industrial trucks for materials handling in a warehouse facility, fuel cells located in a room, or hydrogen stored and distributed from a gas cabinet). It may also be necessary or desirable to locate some hydrogen system components/equipment inside indoor or outdoor enclosures for security or safety reasons, to isolate them from the end-user and the public, or from weather conditions.Using of hydrogen in confined environments requires detailed assessments of hazards and associated risks, including potential risk prevention and mitigation features. The release of hydrogen can potentially lead to the accumulation of hydrogen and the formation of a flammable hydrogen-air mixture, or can result in jet-fires. Within Hyindoor European Project, carried out for the EU Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking safety design guidelines and engineering tools have been developed to prevent and mitigate hazardous consequences of hydrogen release in confined environments. Three main areas are considered: Hydrogen release conditions and accumulation, vented deflagrations, jet fires and including under-ventilated flame regimes (e.g., extinguishment or oscillating flames and steady burns). Potential RCS recommendations are also identified.