Strain analysis of moving objects using a Fourier transform grid method

There is no good method to measure the shape and the strain distributions of a structure changing with time. We have previously proposed the Fourier transform grid method (FTGM) to measure the three-dimensional shape and surface strain distributions of stationary objects by analysing the two-dimensional grating images recorded with two cameras. In the stereoscopic method, it is very important to determine the accurate geometric parameters of the camera system. In this paper, the positions and the directions of cameras are accurately determined using the FTGM applied to images of a reference object on which a two-dimensional grating is drawn. Applications for analysing shape and strain distributions of vibrating rubber plates and a moving human skin are shown.     

Implementing Information Systems: Some Practical Advice and a Richer Model

Recent research suggests that implementing information systems presents considerable difficulties and that many implementations are total or partial failures. This paper argues that what both practitioners and students require are richer and more acceptable models of information systems implementation. Accordingly, case study data concerning the introduction of manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) are used to illustrate five patterns of behaviour (rites) which capture important social actions; and four components of changing psychological orientation. It is argued that appreciation of the rites and psychological developments identified here will support effective change programmes. Guidelines based on our model are provided for practitioners.     

Some kinetic aspects of unsteady-state partial oxidation reactions. Dynamic processes on metal oxide surfaces

It is shown that steady-state kinetic data do not allow the discrimination between the redox and associated mechanisms of the partial oxidation reactions. A discrimination between these mechanisms was performed using transient experiments. The obtained rate expressions are in agreement with experimental kinetic data for catalytic partial oxidation of o-xylene.

An influence of the conjugate oxidation of a catalyst surface on dynamics and kinetics of the heterogeneous catalytic oxidative reactions is considered. Computing simulation of methane oxidative coupling of methane reaction at lowered temperature and elevated pressure has been performed. It showed that the reaction order with respect to oxygen exceeding unity is consistent with the chain branching mechanism of the reaction in the presence of TiSi₂ and TiB₂ and showed the important role of the branching chain cycles in the low-temperature OCM reaction at elevated pressure.     

Neutron Stress Measurement of W‐Fiber Reinforced Cu Composite

Stress measurement methods using neutron and X‐ray diffraction were examined by comparing the surface stresses with internal stresses in the continuous tungsten‐fiber reinforced copper‐matrix composite. Surface stresses were measured by X‐ray stress measurement with the sin²ψ method. Furthermore, the sin²ψ method and the most common triaxal measurement method using Hooke's equation were employed for internal stress measurement by neutron diffraction. On the other hand, microstress distributions developed by the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between these two phases were calculated by FEM. The weighted average strains and stresses were compared with the experimental results. The FEM results agreed with the experimental results qualitatively and confirmed the importance of the triaxial stress analysis in the neutron stress measurement.     

On the design of multiple key hashing files for concurrent orthogonal range retrieval between two disks

This paper concerns the following problem: given a set of multi-attribute records, a fixed number of buckets and a two-disk system, arrange the records into the buckets and then store the buckets between the disks in such a way that, over all possible orthogonal range queries (ORQs), the disk access concurrency is maximized. We shall adopt the multiple key hashing (MKH) method for arranging records into buckets and use the disk modulo (DM) allocation method for storing buckets onto disks. Since the DM allocation method has been shown to be superior to any other allocation methods for allocating an MKH file onto a two-disk system for answering ORQs, the real issue is knowing how to determine an optimal way for organizing the records into buckets based upon the MKH concept.

A performance formula that can be used to evaluate the average response time, over all possible ORQs, of an MKH file in a two-disk system using the DM allocation method is first presented. Based upon this formula, it is shown that our design problem is related to a notoriously difficult problem, namely the Prime Number Problem. Then a performance lower bound and an efficient algorithm for designing optimal MKH files in certain cases are presented. It is pointed out that in some cases the optimal MKH file for ORQs in a two-disk system using the DM allocation method is identical to the optimal MKH file for ORQs in a single-disk system and the optimal average response time in a two-disk system is slightly greater than one half of that in a single-disk system.     

Sampling average approximation method for a class of stochastic Nash equilibrium problems

We consider a class of stochastic Nash equilibrium problems (SNEP). Under some mild conditions, we reformulate the SNEP as a stochastic mixed complementarity problem (SMCP). We apply the well-known sample average approximation (SAA) method to solve the SMCP. We further introduce a semismooth Newton method to solve the SAA problems. The comprehensive convergence analysis is given as well. In addition, we demonstrate the proposed approach on a stochastic Nash equilibrium model in the wholesale gas–oil markets.     

Small sample improvements in the threshold cointegration test using residual-based moving block bootstrap

A residual-based moving block bootstrap procedure for testing the null hypothesis of linear cointegration versus cointegration with threshold effects is proposed. When the regressors and errors of the models are serially and contemporaneously correlated, our test compares favourably with the Sup LM test proposed by Gonzalo and Pitarakis. Indeed, shortcomings of the former motivated the development of our test. The small sample performance of the bootstrap test is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations, and the results show that the test performs better than the Sup LM test.     

Precise identification of moving vehicular parameters based on improved glowworm swarm optimization algorithm

This paper proposes an indirect method for the identification of moving vehicular parameters using the dynamic responses of the vehicle. The moving vehicle is modelled as 2-DOF system with 5 parameters and 4-DOF system with 12 parameters, respectively. Finite element method is used to establish the equation of the coupled bridge–vehicle system. The dynamic responses of the system are calculated by Newmark direct integration method. The parameter identification problem is transformed into an optimization problem by minimizing errors between the calculated dynamic responses of the moving vehicle and those of the simulated measured responses. Glowworm swarm optimization algorithm (GSO) is used to solve the objective function of the optimization problem. A local search method is introduced into the movement phase of GSO to enhance the accuracy and convergence rate of the algorithm. Several test cases are carried out to verify the efficiency of the proposed method and the results show that the vehicular parameters can be identified precisely with the present method and it is not sensitive to artificial measurement noise.