System for measuring the coordinates of tire surfaces in transient conditions when rolling over obstacles: description of the system and performance analysis

This paper describes the development of a system for measuring surface coordinates (commonly known as "shape measurements") which is able to give the temporal evolution of the position of the tire sidewall in transient conditions (such as during braking, when there are potholes or when the road surface is uneven) which may or may not be reproducible. The system is based on the well-known technique of projecting and observing structured light using a digital camera with an optical axis which is slanted with respect to the axis of the projector. The transient nature of the phenomenon has led to the development of specific innovative solutions as regards image processing algorithms. This paper briefly describes the components which make up the measuring system and presents the results of the measurements carried out on the drum bench. It then analyses the performance of the measuring system and the sources of uncertainty which led to the development of the system for a specific dynamic application: impact with an obstacle (cleat test). The measuring system guaranteed a measurement uncertainty of 0.28 mm along the Z axis (the axial direction of the tire) with a measurement range of 250(X) x 80(Y) x 25(Z) mm(3), with the tire rolling at a speed of up to 30 km/h.     

Generation and interpretation of parsimonious predictive models for load forecasting in smart heating networks

Applied Intelligence - Forecasting future heat load in smart district heating networks is a key problem for utility companies that need such predictions for optimizing their operational activities....     

Effect of dietary supplementation of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) on rabbit meat appearance,oxidative stability and fatty acid profile during retail display

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Spirulina and Thyme supplementation on rabbit meat during retail display. At weaning 294 rabbits were allocated to 7 different treatments (42 rabbits/treatment). Rabbits of the control group (C) received a diet without any supplementation throughout the experiment (5–11 weeks of age). The other groups were fed diets containing 5% Spirulina (S), 3% Thyme (T) or both supplements (ST) for the whole trial (5–11 weeks; treatments S, T and ST), or for a part of the growing period (8–11 weeks; treatments C–S, C–T and C–ST). Colour parameters, pH, water holding capacity and drip loss were determined on fresh and stored Longissimus dorsi muscle of 5 rabbits/treatment. Spirulina- and Thyme-supplemented diets had a significant effect on redness and yellowness of Longissimus dorsi. Drip loss was significantly reduced in C–T and T groups that also showed the highest content of α-tocopherol and n − 3 fatty acids content and the lower lipid oxidation.     

Effect of organic production system on broiler carcass and meat quality

The effect of organic production on broiler carcass and meat quality was assessed. Two hundred and fifty Ross male chickens were assigned to two different systems of production: conventional, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m(2)/bird); organic, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m(2)/bird) with access to a grass paddock (4 m(2)/bird). At 56 and 81 days of age, 20 chickens per group were slaughtered to evaluate carcass traits and the characteristics of breast and drumstick muscles (m. pectoralis major and m. peroneus longus). The organic chickens had carcasses with a higher breast and drumstick percentages and lower levels of abdominal fat. The muscles had lower pHu and water holding capacity. Instead cooking loss, lightness values, shear values, Fe, polyunsaturated fatty acids of n-3 series and TBA-RS were higher. The sensory quality of the breast muscle was better. Organic production system seems to be a good alternative method, due to better welfare conditions and good quality of the carcass and meat. A negative aspect was the higher level of TBA-RS in the muscles, probably due to greater physical activity.     

Real-time Doppler analysis of radar signals

Pulse Doppler radar Fourier analysis usually requires bulky and complex circuits to obtain a real-time implementation. The letter suggests the feasibility of a spectral analyser by means of commercial programmable gate array devices (PGAs) using Curtis and Wickenden's prime radix recursive algorithm transform' (PRAT). PRAT leads to simple and regular networks, which can be easily fitted in the proposed devices and then transferred to gate arrays.<>     

Subspace Clustering for Situation Assessment in Aquatic Drones: A Sensitivity Analysis for State-Model Improvement

Abstract

In this paper, we propose the use of subspace clustering to detect the states of dynamical systems from sequences of observations. In particular, we generate sparse and interpretable models that relate the states of aquatic drones involved in autonomous water monitoring to the properties (e.g., statistical distribution) of data collected by drone sensors. The subspace clustering algorithm used is called SubCMedians. A quantitative experimental analysis is performed to investigate the connections between i) learning parameters and performance, ii) noise in the data and performance. The clustering obtained with this analysis outperforms those generated by previous approaches.     

Determining the Characteristics of Cosmic-Radiation Nuclei in the Sileye Experiment on Board the Mir Orbital Station

An algorithm for reconstructing the characteristics (charge, mass, and energy) of cosmic-radiation nuclei with 20- to 200-MeV/nucleon energies is described. The detector is a telescope of three two-coordinate planes with two 1-mm-thick iron filters inserted between them. Each plane is composed of two strip silicon detectors with 3.6-mm-wide orthogonally oriented strips, an effective area of 6 × 6 cm², and a thickness of 380 m. The algorithm for reconstructing the nuclei characteristics is based on the analysis of how the specific ionization losses change as the nuclei pass through the filter material. The results of the Monte Carlo simulation are presented for the energy dependence of the telescope acceptance and the energy deposited in the detectors by different nuclei in view of the detector calibration on the nuclear beams of the accelerator. The mass resolution of the telescope is 30, 12, and 5% for He, N, and Al nuclei, respectively. The energy resolution, which is 20%, is much the same for all nuclei.     

Metabolic P Systems： A Discrete Model for Biological Dynamics

A recent methodology to model biochem- ical systems is here presented. It is based on a concep- tual framework rooted in membrane computing and de- veloped with concepts typical of discrete dynamical sys- tems. According to our approach, from data observed at suitable macroscopic temporal scales, one can deduce, by means of algebraic and algorithmic procedures, a dis- crete model （called Metabolic P system） which accounts for the experimental data, and opens the possibility to under- stand the systemic logic of the investigated phenomenon. The procedures of such a method have been implemented within a computational platform, a Java software called MetaPlab, processing data and simulating behaviors of metabolic models. In the paper, we briefly describe the theory underlying the modeling of biochemical systems by Metabolic P systems, along with its development stages and the related extensive literature.     

Comparison between two procedures for stereospecific analysis of triacylglycerols from vegetable oils—I: Olive oil

Two methods for stereospecific analysis of triacylglycerols are compared. Procedure A, based on stereospecific phosphorylation ofsn-1,2-diacylglycerols to phosphatidic acids, and procedure B, based on separation of the diastereomeric 1,2(2,3)-diacylglycerol urethane derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography on silica, were applied to olive oil triacyl-sn-glycerols. Statistical evaluation of the results showed good reproducibility, and Student'st-test indicates no statistical differences between the two considered procedures, although some small differences were observed and discussed. Fifteen samples of extra-virgin olive oil, produced in the same region (Umbria, Italy), were analyzed with the two considered procedures.