Asset management with reverse product flows and environmental considerations

Today many business enterprises employ capital assets in the form of electronic equipment, such as personal computers, workstations and peripherals, in large quantities. Due to rapid technological progress (leading to a short life cycle for these products), and hazardous material content in electronic products (which is an environmental problem and a disposal challenge), leasing or procurement contracts with take-back considerations can be attractive. For a large electronic equipment leasing company, optimal management of assets supported by good logistics and end-of-life processing decisions is crucial, and may provide a significant competitive advantage. There is currently no analytic approach for making these decisions in an integrated fashion.     

A wavelet-based multiresolution approach to solve the stereo correspondence problem using mutual information.

In this correspondence, we propose a wavelet-based hierarchical approach using mutual information (MI) to solve the correspondence problem in stereo vision. The correspondence problem involves identifying corresponding pixels between images of a given stereo pair. This results in a disparity map, which is required to extract depth information of the relevant scene. Until recently, mostly correlation-based methods have been used to solve the correspondence problem. However, the performance of correlation-based methods degrades significantly when there is a change in illumination between the two images of the stereo pair. Recent studies indicate MI to be a more robust stereo matching metric for images affected by such radiometric distortions. In this short correspondence paper, we compare the performances of MI and correlation-based metrics for different types of illumination changes between stereo images. MI, as a statistical metric, is computationally more expensive. We propose a wavelet-based hierarchical technique to counter the increase in computational cost and show its effectiveness in stereo matching.     

PML: Toward a High-Level Formal Language for Biological Systems

Documentation of knowledge about biological pathways is often informal and vague, making it difficult to efficiently synthesize the work of others into a holistic understanding of a system. Several researchers have proposed solving this problem by modeling pathways using formal languages, which have a precise and consistent semantics. While precise, many of these languages may be too low-level to model feasibly complex pathways. We have developed the Pathway Modeling Language (PML), a high-level language for modeling pathways. PML is based on a biological metaphor of molecules with binding sites and has special constructs for handling compartment changes in pathways. Our preliminary work has shown that PML's language constructs serve as a promising basis for modeling complex pathways in a readable and composable manner.     

On the sensitivity of open-circuit voltage and fill factor on dangling bond density and Fermi level position in amorphous silicon p–i–n solar cell

A simple method for calculation of current–voltage characteristics of an amorphous silicon solar cell is described in terms of excitation current, J_G, and excitation voltage, V_G, the latter being defined in terms of separation of quasi-Fermi levels. Contrary to the usual method of calculating the short-circuit current and dark current separately and assuming a linear superposition, in the present method the calculations are done first in the open circuit where the neutrality of space charge can be assumed and then the current has been calculated in terms of a gradient in the quasi-Fermi levels. We find that depending on other parameters, the open-circuit voltage is a weak function of dangling bond density except in cases of very large degradation. The sensitivity of open-circuit voltage, V_oc, to light-induced degradation can further be reduced by moving the thermal equilibrium Fermi level above the upper dangling bond level. Fill factor deterioration is found to be mainly due to conductivity modulation and is higher for the lower values of thermal equilibrium Fermi level.     

Stress-intensity factor computation in three dimensions with quarter-point elements

A consistent method for computing stress-intensity factors from three-dimensional quarter-point element nodal displacements is presented. The method is generalized to permit functional evaluation of stress-intensity factors along the crack front. Embedded, surface, and corner crack problems are solved using the proposed technique. Results are compared to previous finite element and boundary element solutions. The comparison shows that use of the functional evaluation technique allows a dramatic decrease in problem size while still maintaining engineering accuracy. Next, a three-dimensional stress-intensity factor calibration of an unusual specimen configuration is presented. By taking advantage of the proposed technique, the calibration was performed with little difference in cost over the more usual two-dimensional approach. Moreover, the three-dimensional solution revealed intersting behaviour that would have been undetected by a two-dimensional solution. Finally, the results of a study on optimum size of the quarter-point element are presented. Surprisingly, Poisson ratio is shown to have marked effect on optimum element size.     

Temporality matters: Advancing a method for analyzing problem-solving processes in a computer-supported collaborative environment

This paper argues for a need to develop methods for examining temporal patterns in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) groups. It advances one such quantitative method—Lag-sequential Analysis (LsA)—and instantiates it in a study of problem-solving interactions of collaborative groups in an online, synchronous environment. LsA revealed significant temporal patterns in CSCL group discussions that the commonly used “coding and counting” method could not reveal. More importantly, analysis demonstrated how variation in temporal patterns was significantly related to variation in group performance, thereby bolstering the case for developing and testing temporal methods and measures in CSCL research. Findings are discussed, including issues of reliability, validity, and limitations of the proposed method.     

Experimental evaluation of 3D electrical impedance tomography with total variation prior

In electrical impedance tomography (EIT), two- or three-dimensional (2D or 3D) distribution of the electrical conductivity is reconstructed based on potential measurements from the surface of the object. In many industrial and medical applications of EIT, the conductivity distribution is discontinuous – due to, e.g. phase or tissue boundaries. Previous studies have shown that such features in the conductivity can be preserved by using total variation (TV) prior model in the EIT image reconstruction. Recently, both 2D and 3D TV models have been utilized in EIT simulation studies. This far, however, EIT reconstructions with TV models have been evaluated experimentally only in 2D cases or translationally invariant 3D cases. In this paper, an experimental study of EIT with a TV prior in a 3D geometry is presented. In addition, we propose the selection of the prior parameters in the TV model based on the prior information of materials in the target, and their conductivity ranges. The results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed parameter selection strategy, and verify that the use of the TV prior yields sharp reconstructions in 3D EIT.     

Co-scheduling algorithms for high-throughput workload execution

This paper investigates co-scheduling algorithms for processing a set of parallel applications. Instead of executing each application one by one, using a maximum degree of parallelism for each of them, we aim at scheduling several applications concurrently. We partition the original application set into a series of packs, which are executed one by one. A pack comprises several applications, each of them with an assigned number of processors, with the constraint that the total number of processors assigned within a pack does not exceed the maximum number of available processors. The objective is to determine a partition into packs, and an assignment of processors to applications, that minimize the sum of the execution times of the packs. We thoroughly study the complexity of this optimization problem, and propose several heuristics that exhibit very good performance on a variety of workloads, whose application execution times model profiles of parallel scientific codes. We show that co-scheduling leads to faster workload completion time (40 % improvement on average over traditional scheduling) and to faster response times (50 % improvement). Hence, co-scheduling increases system throughput and saves energy, leading to significant benefits from both the user and system perspectives.     

On jet instability modes of a subsonic Hartmann whistle

Numerical experiments to understand the resonant acoustic response of a subsonic jet impinging on the mouth of a tube, known as the Hartmann whistle configuration, were performed as large-eddy simulations. The tube length was chosen so that its fundamental duct mode, for one end closed and one end open, would match the dominant mode in the exciting jet. When the tube mouth was placed in the path of a regular stream of vortex rings, formed by the instability of the jet’s bounding shear layer, a strong resonant, tonal response (whistling) was obtained. At three diameters from the jet, OASPL was 150–160 dB. A tube with a thicker lip generated a louder response. When the tube was held closer to the nozzle exit, the impinging unsteady shear layer could not provoke any significant resonance. The simulations reveal that the tonal response of a Hartmann whistle operating in subsonic mode is significant.     

Optimisation of electronic device coupled LiBr–H2O absorption heat pump system working at ambient temperature using Taguchi approach

The study attempts to optimise the parameters of a lithium bromide–water (LiBr–H₂O) miniature absorption refrigeration system using Taguchi approach for electronic cooling working at ambient conditions. Thermodynamic optimisation was performed to obtain the optimum coefficient of performance (COP) for heat removal of 100?W by using the Taguchi approach. Three factors were considered: generator temperature (T_g), condenser temperature (T_c) and absorber temperature (T_a), at three different levels. The result showed that the percentage contribution of generator temperature is more on COP. Optimisation of three significant heat exchangers: evaporator, condenser and absorber, was performed by using the Taguchi approach. The study was carried out individually for all the components by varying the hydraulic diameter and aspect ratio at three different levels. The results showed that the hydraulic diameter contributes more than the aspect ratio.