On scheduling a single machine with resource dependent release times

We consider a single machine scheduling problem with resource dependent release times that can be controlled by a non-increasing convex resource consumption function. The objective is to minimize the weighted total resource consumption and sum of job completion times with an initial release time greater than the total processing times. It is known that the problem is polynomially solvable in O(n⁴) with n the number of jobs.     

Discrete Time Non-Homogeneous Semi-Markov Reliability Transition Credit Risk Models and the Default Distribution Functions

This paper shows how to apply discrete time non-homogeneous semi-Markov processes (DTNHSMP) with an age index to credit risk. The idea is to consider the credit risk problem as a reliability model indexed by the age and in this way, many semi-Markov results could be adapted to describe credit risk problem. The default state is seen as a “non working state”. As the semi-Markov process is a generalization of Markov process, the presented model can be seen as a more general migration model. In fact, in semi-Markov environment the distribution function (d.f.) of the waiting time before a transition can be of any type and without the strong constraints of the Markov model. Furthermore, some results on the asymptotic behavior of the presented model are given. This permits the construction of the d.f. of the default random variable for each “working state”. An example, constructed manipulating some Standard & Poor’s (S&P) data, is presented.     

Linear Image Reconstruction by Sobolev Norms on the Bounded Domain

The reconstruction problem is usually formulated as a variational problem in which one searches for that image that minimizes a so called prior (image model) while insisting on certain image features to be preserved. When the prior can be described by a norm induced by some inner product on a Hilbert space, the exact solution to the variational problem can be found by orthogonal projection. In previous work we considered the image as compactly supported in and we used Sobolev norms on the unbounded domain including a smoothing parameter γ>0 to tune the smoothness of the reconstructed image. Due to the assumption of compact support of the original image, components of the reconstructed image near the image boundary are too much penalized. Therefore, in this work we minimize Sobolev norms only on the actual image domain, yielding much better reconstructions (especially for γ≫0). As an example we apply our method to the reconstruction of singular points that are present in the scale space representation of an image.     

Human-factors engineering for smart transport: design support for car drivers and train traffic controllers

The theme Smart Transport can be described as adequate human-system symbiosis to realize effective, efficient and human-friendly transport of goods and information. This paper addresses how to attune automation to human (cognitive) capacities (e.g. to take care of information uncertainty, operator trust and mutual man-machine adaptations). An introduction to smart transport is presented, including examples of best practice for engineering human factors in the vehicle ergonomics and train traffic control domain. The examples are representative of an ongoing trend in automation and they show how the human role changes from controller to supervisor. Section 2 focuses on the car driver and systems that support, or sometimes even take over, critical parts of the driving task. Due to the diversity of driver ability, driving context and dependence between driver and context factors, there is a need for personalised, adaptive and integrated support. Systematic research is needed to establish sound systems. Section 3 focuses on the train dispatcher support systems that predict train movements, detect potential conflicts and show the dispatcher the possibilities available to solve the detected problems. Via thorough analysis of both the process to be controlled and the dispatcher's tasks and cognitive needs, support functions were developed as part of an already very complex supervision and control system. The two examples, although from a different field, both show the need for further development in cognitive modelling as well as for the value of sound ergonomics task analysis in design practice.     

Relative hazard rate estimation for right censored and left truncated data

In medical research differences among treatment groups are a common focus of study. The concept of relative hazard rate is a tool for comparing two groups in terms of their difference in risk rates. A kernel estimator is proposed in the case where both samples are subject to left truncation and right censoring and an iid representation is obtained in this setup. The asymptotic distribution and the asymptotic mean squared error of the estimator are obtained. An application to the famous Channing House data set illustrates the theory. Research supported in part by MCyT Grants PB98-0182-C02-01 and BFM2002-00265 (ERDF support included) and XUGA Grant PGIDT00PX110501 PN for the first author and by the Ministry of the Flemish Community (Project BIL00/28, International Scientific and Technological Cooperation) and by the IAP research network nr P5/24 of the Belgian State (Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs) for the last two authors.     

双享空间的幽默合辑

Extract荷兰Den Bosh的一怕老建筑,最近迎来自己的新生。那是座建于20世纪的双层Loft,在设计师Roderick Vos的改造下,它的空间一半被用于零售展示,一半用于办公思考。它模糊了设计师与顾客、艺术与生活的界限,令每一位到访者都能在幽默而单纯的氛围中,领略双享空间的专业设计精神。     

Power Handling and Responsivity of Submicron Wide Superconducting Coplanar Waveguide Resonators

The sensitivity of microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) based on coplanar waveguides (CPWs) needs to be improved by at least an order of magnitude to satisfy the requirements for space-based terahertz astronomy. Our aim is to investigate if this can be achieved by reducing the width of the CPW to much below what has typically been made using optical lithography (>1?μm). CPW resonators with a central line width as narrow as 300?nm were made in NbTiN using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. In a systematic study of quarter-wave CPW resonators with varying widths it is shown that the behavior of responsivity, noise and power handling as a function of width continues down to 300?nm. This encourages the development of narrow KIDs using Al in order to improve their sensitivity.     

A Process Pattern Model for Tackling and Improving Big Data Quality

Data seldom create value by themselves. They need to be linked and combined from multiple sources, which can often come with variable data quality. The task of improving data quality is a recurring challenge. In this paper, we use a case study of a large telecom company to develop a generic process pattern model for improving data quality. The process pattern model is defined as a proven series of activities, aimed at improving the data quality given a certain context, a particular objective, and a specific set of initial conditions. Four different patterns are derived to deal with the variations in data quality of datasets. Instead of having to find the way to improve the quality of big data for each situation, the process model provides data users with generic patterns, which can be used as a reference model to improve big data quality.