Deployment of a cloud pipeline for real-time visual inspection using fast streaming high-definition images

We investigate the challenges of building an end-to-end cloud pipeline for real-time intelligent visual inspection system for use in automotive manufacturing. Current methods of visual detection in automotive assembly are highly labor intensive, and thus prone to errors. An automated process is sought that can operate within the real-time constraints of the assembly line and can reduce errors. Components of the cloud pipeline include capture of a large set of high-definition images from a camera setup at the assembly location, transfer and storage of the images as needed, execution of object detection, and notification to a human operator when a fault is detected. The end-to-end execution must complete within a fixed time frame before the next car arrives in the assembly line. In this article, we report the design, development, and experimental evaluation of the tradeoffs of performance, accuracy, and scalability for a cloud system.     

Dynamic probe of ZnTe(110) surface by scanning tunneling microscopy

The reconstructed surface structure of the II–VI semiconductor ZnTe (110), which is a promising material in the research field of semiconductor spintronics, was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). First, the surface states formed by reconstruction by the charge transfer of dangling bond electrons from cationic Zn to anionic Te atoms, which are similar to those of IV and III–V semiconductors, were confirmed in real space. Secondly, oscillation in tunneling current between binary states, which is considered to reflect a conformational change in the topmost Zn–Te structure between the reconstructed and bulk-like ideal structures, was directly observed by STM. Third, using the technique of charge injection, a surface atomic structure was successfully fabricated, suggesting the possibility of atomic-scale manipulation of this widely applicable surface of ZnTe.     

OWL‐based acquisition and editing of computer‐interpretable guidelines with the CompGuide editor

Computer‐Interpretable Guidelines (CIGs) are the dominant medium for the delivery of clinical decision support, given the evidence‐based nature of their source material. Therefore, these machine‐readable versions have the ability to improve practitioner performance and conformance to standards, with availability at the point and time of care. The formalisation of Clinical Practice Guideline knowledge in a machine‐readable format is a crucial task to make it suitable for the integration in Clinical Decision Support Systems. However, the current tools for this purpose reveal shortcomings with respect to their ease of use and the support offered during CIG acquisition and editing. In this work, we characterise the current landscape of CIG acquisition tools based on the properties of guideline visualisation, organisation, simplicity, automation, manipulation of knowledge elements, and guideline storage and dissemination. Additionally, we describe the CompGuide Editor, a tool for the acquisition of CIGs in the CompGuide model for Clinical Practice Guidelines that also allows the editing of previously encoded guidelines. The Editor guides the users throughout the process of guideline encoding and does not require proficiency in any programming language. The features of the CIG encoding process are revealed through a comparison with already established tools for CIG acquisition.     

Advances in bio-logging techniques and their application to study navigation in wild seabirds

ABSTRACT

This review summarizes the advances in bio-logging technology that enables us to monitor foraging behavior, movement, behavioral performance, physiological performance, and sociality in a wide range of bird species, as well as their habitat. Subsequently, navigation is discussed, using long-distance movements in streaked shearwaters as a case study. Moreover, challenges and future research directions in bio-logging science are presented, with focus on: multimodal recording, big data analysis, feedback logging, low-power consumption and power generation systems, logger effects, and capture–recapture methods.     

Implicit Motor Learning in Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: This study examined whether disruption of performance is moderated in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who acquire their motor behaviors in an implicit manner. Method: Twenty-seven patients with PD learned a hammering task in errorless (implicit) or errorful (explicit) conditions and were tested for robustness of motor performance under a secondary task load, which required them to continuously count backward as they performed the hammering task. Results: Patients in the errorless (implicit) motor learning condition exhibited robustness to secondary task loading, whereas patients in the errorful (explicit) motor learning condition did not. Conclusions: Implicit motor learning techniques should be considered by PD rehabilitation specialists in cases in which existing disruption to movements is exacerbated by conscious control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding the differences between how novice and experienced designers approach design tasks

Research was undertaken to understand how to provide the most appropriate support for novice designers in engineering design. However, how designers apply their experience and knowledge is not understood and further research in this area is required. This paper describes an observational study to understand how novice and experienced designers approach design tasks. Electronic Publication     

The directional effects of passive eye movement on the directional visual responses of single units in the pigeon optic tectum

We have investigated the visual responses of 184 single units located in the superficial layers of the optic tectum (OT) of the decerebrate, paralysed pigeon. Visual responses were similar to those reported in non-decerebrate preparations; most units responded best to moving visual stimuli, 18% were directionally selective (they had a clear preference for a particular direction of visual stimulus movement), 76% were plane-selective (they responded to movement in either direction in a particular plane). However, we also found that a high proportion of units showed some sensitivity to the orientation of visual stimuli. We examined the effects of extraocular muscle (EOM) afferent signals, induced by passive eye movement (PEM), on the directional visual responses of units. Visual responses were most modified by particular directions of eye movement, although there was no unique relationship between the direction of visual stimulus movement to which an individual unit responded best and the direction of eye movement that caused the greatest modification of that visual response. The results show that EOM afferent signals, carrying information concerning the direction of eye movement, reach the superficial layers of the OT in the pigeon and there modify the visual responses of units in a manner that suggests some role for these signals in the processing of visual information.     

Numerical evaluation of three-dimensional water impact by the displacement potential formulation

The numerical accuracy of the displacement potential approach for a three-dimensional water-impact problem is investigated. An examination of the elliptic paraboloid shows that the boundary-value problem for the displacement potential, as well as the velocity potential, can be solved accurately, even if the panel size of the numerical scheme is no small enough. The numerical accuracy of the position of the contact line is poor. However, the accuracy of the virtual mass is good because of the averaging effect along the contact line. A comparison with Scolan and Korobkin's designed body confirms the accuracy of the drop speed and the penetration displacement. The displacement potential approach is extended to the case of water impact with trapped air. The numerical accuracy of the calculated air pressure in the cavity is confirmed by comparison with an experimental result. With these results, the suitability of the displacement potential approach to the ship-slamming problem is demonstrated.