Topology optimization of trusses using genetic algorithm,force method and graph theory

In this article size/topology optimization of trusses is performed using a genetic algorithm (GA), the force method and some concepts of graph theory. One of the main difficulties with optimization with a GA is that the parameters involved are not completely known and the number of operations needed is often quite high. Application of some concepts of the force method, together with theory of graphs, make the generation of a suitable initial population well‐matched with critical paths for the transformation of internal forces feasible. In the process of optimization generated topologically unstable trusses are identified without any matrix manipulation and highly penalized. Identifying a suitable range for the cross‐section of each member for the ground structure in the list of profiles, the length of the substrings representing the cross‐sectional design variables are reduced. Using a contraction algorithm, the length of the strings is further reduced and a GA is performed in a smaller domain of design space. The above process is accompanied by efficient methods for selection, and by using a suitable penalty function in order to reduce the number of numerical operations and to increase the speed of the optimization toward a global optimum. The efficiency of the present method is illustrated using some examples, and compared to those of previous studies. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quality Control for Scalable Media Processing Applications

Many media processing applications create a load that varies significantly over time. Hence, if such an application is assigned a lower processing-time budget than needed in its worst-case load situation, deadline misses are likely to occur. This problem can be dealt with by designing media processing applications in a scalable fashion. A scalable media processing application can run in multiple qualities, leading to correspondingly different resource demands. The problem we consider is to find an accompanying quality control strategy, which minimizes both the number of deadline misses and the number of quality changes, while maximizing the quality of processing. We present an initial approach to the above problem by modeling it as a Markov decision process (MDP). Our model is based on measuring relative progress at milestones. Solving the MDP results in a quality control strategy that can be applied during runtime with only little overhead. We evaluate our approach by means of a practical example, which concerns a scalable MPEG-2 decoder.     

Requirements engineering in health care: the example of chemotherapy planning in paediatric oncology

Health care is characterized by highly complex processes of patient care that require unusual amount of communication between different health care professionals of different institutions. Sub-optimal processes can significantly impact on the patient’s health, increase the consumption of services and resources and in severe cases can lead to the patient death. For these reasons, requirements engineering for the development of information technology in health care is a complex process as well: without constant and rigorous evaluation, the impact of new systems on the quality of care is unknown and it is possible that badly designed systems significantly harm patients. To overcome these limitations, we present and discuss an approach to requirements engineering that we applied for the development of applications for chemotherapy planning in paediatric oncology. Chemotherapy planning in paediatric oncology is complex and time-consuming and errors must be avoided by all means. In the multi-hospital/multi-trial-centre environment of paediatric oncology, it is especially difficult and time-consuming to analyse requirements. Our approach combines a grounded theory approach with evolutionary prototyping based on the constant development and refinement of a generic domain model, in this case a domain model for chemotherapy planning in paediatric oncology. The prototypes were introduced in medical centres and final results show that the developed generic domain model is adequate.     

现役水工钢闸门结构可靠性鉴定时荷载取值分析

采用类比法确定现役水工钢闸门结构的荷载评估基准期。以静水压力为例，得了其在荷载评估基准期内的统计参数，讨论了闸门主梁受弯碱坏时可靠指标随继续使用期的变化。     

挤扩支盘桩在湿陷性黄土地基中的应用

湿陷性黄土具有遇水发生湿陷、承载力大幅度降低的性质,这种性质直接影响到基础的承载力。为了研究支盘桩在湿陷性黄土地基中的承载性状,对湿陷性黄土中的3根支盘桩进行预浸水静载荷试验,结果表明,支盘桩荷载—沉降曲线为缓变型,具有较好的承载性能,荷载传递规律与在非湿陷性黄土地基中具有相似的性质,桩身各段承载力的发挥具有明显的顺序性,其结果为挤扩支盘桩在湿陷性黄土地基中的应用提供了依据。     

Study on the Complexity of the Bullwhip Effect

Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth of interest in the study of the dynamic behavior of replenishment rules of bullwhip effect. We prove that bullwhip effect and butterfly effect share a same the self-oscillation amplifying mechanism that is the ordering decisions the supplier self-oscillation amplify the perturbations brought by the errors in the processing of retailers' demand information. This results as an explicit self-similar structure of the sensitivity of the system to the initial values duty to the nonlinear mechanism. In this paper, the causes process of the bullwhip effect is described as the internal nonlinear mechanism and study on the complexity of bullwhip effect for order-up-to policy under demand signal processing. The methodology is based on fractal and chaotic theory and allows important insights to be gained about the complexity behavior of bullwhip effect.     

Review of Alterations of Consciousness: An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists.

Reviews the book by Baruss (see record 2003-02669-000), which reviews the experimental and phenomenological research on alterations of consciousness, ranging from sleep and dreaming to mystical and near-death experience. The reviewer suggests there is a clear agenda announced by the book's subtitle, "An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists." In the view of Baruss, all too often in states of consciousness research a preoccupation with theory has kept investigators from full engagement with the actual data. The book provides readable and at times appropriately controversial discussions of empirical literature on dreaming and lucid dreams, daydreaming and fantasy proneness, hypnosis, dissociative identity disorder, shamanism and possession states, psychedelic drug research, parapsychology, trance-chanelling and mediumship, the alien abduction syndrome, classical mystical experience, out-of-body and near-death experiences, and recent attempts by MacDonald and others to assess individual differences in spirituality through multifactor questionnaires. However, the reviewer believes that the breadth of coverage of both recent and past research is too often highly selective, and that the author's rejection of theory is both questionable in itself and more illusion than reality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

火工品压药机装配误差的研究

针对军用雷管生产线中压药机结构,分别用极值法和概率法对压药机冲子和雷管的配合精度,进行了装配尺寸链的描述和计算,并对所得的结果进行了比较。     

在广西全面开展悬移质泥沙简测的可行性和重要性

通过对百色等水文站泥沙资料分析 ,并结合广西河流及泥沙特性和社会对泥沙资料的精度要求 ,得出了在广西实行悬移质泥沙简测的可行性。为满足广西国民经济可持续发展需要 ,提出了在广西改革悬移质泥沙测验方式的必要性和紧迫性     

Kinetics of two-step anionic polymerization

This article deals with the kinetics of two-step anionic polymerization by way of a non-steady state method. Several molecular parameters can be evaluated using the formulae developed. A bimodal molecular weight distribution function for the resulting polymer is derived from the set of kinetic differential equations, which is in agreement with the experimental data reported.