USE of Railway Analysis Tools from an Australian Perspective

The functions of Australia’s railways are divided between the delivery of suburban passenger railway services, long distance general and intermodal freight services and regional bulk commodity haulage. There is a national interest in the efficient carriage of export freight flows because Australia is a major trading nation. Australia’s railways are expected play their part in hauling export commodities. Unsurprisingly, there are conflicting demands on these railways. Hence, universities, and the industry itself, are directing research and investigation effort into policy, planning, engineering, operational and human factors matters. A question which then arises is what means could be used to analyse the problems identified during this research and investigation. This paper is thus concerned with the inter-relationships between the planning, engineering and operations of railways in Australia. It identifies four areas of analysis associated with the planning and development of railway infrastructure and operations. It then discusses a range of analytical tools which could be applied to different components of these analytical areas and critiques their appropriateness from an Australian perspective. Having made this assessment, the paper uses a recent Australian case study to show how analytical tools could be used and what lessons might be learnt from the process. Figure Use of Railway Analysis Tools from an Australian Perspective

Certification of software for real-time safety-critical systems: state of the art

This paper presents an overview and discusses the role of certification in safety-critical computer systems focusing on software, and partially hardware, used in the civil aviation domain. It discusses certification activities according to RTCA DO-178B “Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification” and touches on tool qualification according to RTCA DO-254 “Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware.” Specifically, certification issues as related to real-time operating systems and programming languages are reviewed, as well as software development tools and complex electronic hardware tool qualification processes are discussed. Results of an independent industry survey done by the authors are also presented.     

Web系统性能测试研究

Web系统的性能测试是Web应用开发过程中的一个关键环节,然而Web站点的复杂性及其用户行为的不可预见性使得对其性能测试极其困难,而且测试环境和用户使用环境的差异性使得Web系统性能测试数据不精确或不可靠。分析了Web系统结构和Web系统的性能特点,深入讨论了Web系统性能测试的内容和性能测试的原理,并比较了目前常用的性能测试工具,通过一个测试项目介绍了自动化测试的实施过程,总结出一套切实可行的Web系统性能测试流程。     

Error compensation in machine tools: a neural network approach

For a non-idealized machine tool, each point in the workspace is associated with a tool point positioning error vector. If this error map can be determined, then it is possible to substantially improve the positioning performance of the machine by introducing suitable compensation into the control loop. This paper explores the possibility of using an artifical neural network (ANN) to compute this mapping. The training set for the ANN is obtained by mounting a physical artifact whose dimensions are precisely known in the machine's workspace. The machine, equipped with a touch trigger probe, measures the positions of features on the artifact. The difference between the machine reading and the known dimension is the machine error at that point in the workspace. Using standard modeling techniques, the kinematic error model for a CNC turning center was developed. This model was parameterized by measurement of the parametric error functions using a laser interferometer, electronic levels and a precision square. The kinematic model was then used to simulate the artifact-measuring process and develop the ANN training set. The effect of changing artifact geometry was explored and a machining operation was simulated using the ANN output to provide compensation. The results show that the ANN is capable of learning the error map of a real machine, and that ANN-based compensation can significantly reduce part-dimensional errors.     

Effects of the handle diameter and tip angle of chopsticks on the food-serving performance of male subjects

The effects of chopsticks handle diameter and tip angle on the food-serving performance of pinching food, pulling food, shearing food and thrusting food, were investigated in this study. A total of 24 male subjects was tested using 12 pairs of experimental chopsticks, consisting of three types of different handle diameters and four types of different tip angles. These results indicated that chopstick handle diameter and tip angle have a significant influence on eating efficiency, and that these two variables have a significant interaction. In addition, chopstick tip diameter also had significant effects on performance at the four tasks and subjective ratings. Generally, according to the results, when the chopsticks design is presented in terms of handle diameter, tip angle and tip diameter, a pair of chopsticks with 6 mm handle diameter × 2 ° tip angle × 4 mm tip diameter would be optimum.     

VA + Embeddings STAR: A State-of-the-Art Report on the Use of Embeddings in Visual Analytics

Over the past years, an increasing number of publications in information visualization, especially within the field of visual analytics, have mentioned the term “embedding” when describing the computational approach. Within this context, embeddings are usually (relatively) low-dimensional, distributed representations of various data types (such as texts or graphs), and since they have proven to be extremely useful for a variety of data analysis tasks across various disciplines and fields, they have become widely used. Existing visualization approaches aim to either support exploration and interpretation of the embedding space through visual representation and interaction, or aim to use embeddings as part of the computational pipeline for addressing downstream analytical tasks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey that takes a detailed look at embedding methods through the lens of visual analytics, and the purpose of our survey article is to provide a systematic overview of the state of the art within the emerging field of embedding visualization. We design a categorization scheme for our approach, analyze the current research frontier based on peer-reviewed publications, and discuss existing trends, challenges, and potential research directions for using embeddings in the context of visual analytics. Furthermore, we provide an interactive survey browser for the collected and categorized survey data, which currently includes 122 entries that appeared between 2007 and 2023.     

X‐ray diffraction (XRD)‐studies on the temperature dependent interface reactions on hafnium,zirconium, and nickel coated monocrystalline diamonds used in grinding segments for stone and concrete machining

Diamond impregnated metal matrix composites are the state of the art solution for the machining of mineral materials. The type of interface reactions between the metal matrix and diamond surface has an essential influence on the tool performance and durability. To improve the diamond retention, the diamonds can be coated by physical vapour deposition with metallic materials, which enforce interface reactions. Hence, this paper focuses on the investigation of the interfacial area on metal‐coated monocrystalline diamonds. Hafnium and zirconium, both known as carbide forming elements, are used as coating materials. The third coating, which is used to determine its catalytic influences when applied as a physical vapour deposition (PVD)‐layer, is nickel. Additionally, the coated diamond samples were heat‐treated to investigate the starting point of the formation of new phases. X‐ray diffraction‐analyses revealed the assumed carbide formation on hafnium and zirconium coated samples. The formation temperature was identified between 800 °C and 1000 °C for hafnium and zirconium coatings.     

数控机床操控器人机界面优化设计研究

目的控制器和显示器共同组成数控机床控制面板的整体界面,是机床接受与执行命令的交互平台。从人机交互角度,聚焦于控制器的界面布局进行优化设计。方法基于人机工程学理论的优化流程,采用现场访谈、现场观察等方法,将人机工程学的理论转化为具体考核指标。结论从人机工程学的研究角度出发,结合工业设计、用户体验设计学等内容,从功能区域分区、操纵器色彩设计等方面优化数控机床控制器的界面,提高系统整体效能及使用者满意度,为数控机床系统开发设计提供参考。     

Research Progress of Laminated Composite Ceramic Cutting Tools

The design of the lamination structure based on bionic shell pearl layer is a successful method for toughening ceramics. Lamination with strong bonding interfaces is used to improve the mechanical property and low fracture toughness of ceramic cutting tools. Based on the idea of demand–design–preparation–analysis–failure, the development and research progress of laminated ceramic tools are reviewed herein. The research status of design, interlayer diffusion reaction, residual stress, toughening mechanism, and crack propagation path of the biomimetic laminated ceramic composite tool materials is mainly introduced. The major topics of current research include the creation of material systems, the evolution of microstructure, and the assessment of macroscopic mechanical properties. The entire mechanical properties of laminated ceramic tools are significantly influenced by the multicomposition design of the ceramic material system and the optimization design of structural parameters of layer number and layer thickness ratio. However, the research on the practical cutting application of laminated ceramic tools is limited. Cutting tool wear characteristics vary between laminated and homogeneous ceramic tools. The development of useful laminated ceramic cutting tools can greatly benefit from the study on failure mechanisms of laminated ceramic tools.     

The Origins of the Translator's Workstation

The first proposals for various component tools of what is now called the translator's workstation or translator's workbench are traced back to the 1970s and early 1980s in various, often independent, proposals at different stages in the development of computers and in their use by translators.