Sensor network design based on system-wide reliability criteria. Part I: Objectives

Reliability based criteria are quite popular for optimal sensor network design. We present a modified definition of system reliability for sensor network design for two applications: reliable estimation of variables in a steady state linear flow process, and reliable fault detection and diagnosis for any process. Unlike the weakest-link based definition of system reliability in the literature, the proposed definition considers the entire system and is consistent with the reliability concept used in classical reliability literature. For each application, dual approaches for defining system reliability are proposed, and their analogy with the reliability problem in the classical reliability literature is established. Using examples and stochastic simulations, the advantage of using the proposed system reliability in contrast to the existing definition is illustrated. Part II of this series of articles presents methods for efficient generation of the system reliability function and its use in optimization-based approaches for designing optimal sensor networks.     

教师修正性反馈对高职理科学生写作中冠词使用的影响

本研究检测了直接和间接两种修正性反馈与国内高职理科学生写作水平的关系。本实验持续五周,将150名学习者分为直接反馈组、间接反馈组及控制组,共安排了一次预先测试,,一次即时后测和一次延时后测,并分别对各组进行考察,结果显示两个实验组进步显著,且直接反馈效果最明显。     

Facial expression recognition of intercepted video sequences based on feature point movement trend and feature block texture variation

Facial Expression Recognition (FER) is an important subject of human–computer interaction and has long been a research area of great interest. Accurate Facial Expression Sequence Interception (FESI) and discriminative expression feature extraction are two enormous challenges for the video-based FER. This paper proposes a framework of FER for the intercepted video sequences by using feature point movement trend and feature block texture variation. Firstly, the feature points are marked by Active Appearance Model (AAM) and the most representative 24 of them are selected. Secondly, facial expression sequence is intercepted from the face video by determining two key frames whose emotional intensities are minimum and maximum, respectively. Thirdly, the trend curve which represents the Euclidean distance variations between any two selected feature points is fitted, and the slopes of specific points on the trend curve are calculated. Finally, combining Slope Set which is composed by the calculated slopes with the proposed Feature Block Texture Difference (FBTD) which refers to the texture variation of facial patch, the final expressional feature are formed and inputted to One-dimensional Convolution Neural Network (1DCNN) for FER. Five experiments are conducted in this research, and three average FER rates 95.2%, 96.5%, and 97% for Beihang University (BHU) facial expression database, MMI facial expression database, and the combination of two databases, respectively, have shown the significant advantages of the proposed method over the existing ones.     

Estimation of the Stress-Strength Reliability for Exponentiated Pareto Distribution Using Median and Ranked Set Sampling Methods

In reliability analysis, the stress-strength model is often used to describe the life of a component which has a random strength (X) and is subjected to a random stress (Y). In this paper, we considered the problem of estimating the reliability R=P [Y<X] when the distributions of both stress and strength are independent and follow exponentiated Pareto distribution. The maximum likelihood estimator of the stress strength reliability is calculated under simple random sample, ranked set sampling and median ranked set sampling methods. Four different reliability estimators under median ranked set sampling are derived. Two estimators are obtained when both strength and stress have an odd or an even set size. The two other estimators are obtained when the strength has an odd size and the stress has an even set size and vice versa. The performances of the suggested estimators are compared with their competitors under simple random sample via a simulation study. The simulation study revealed that the stress strength reliability estimates based on ranked set sampling and median ranked set sampling are more efficient than their competitors via simple random sample. In general, the stress strength reliability estimates based on median ranked set sampling are smaller than the corresponding estimates under ranked set sampling and simple random sample methods.     

Type II fuzzy set-based data analytics to explore amino acid associations in protein sequences of Swine Influenza Virus

The veracity present in molecular data available in biological databases possesses new challenges for data analytics. The analysis of molecular data of various diseases can provide vital information for developing better understanding of the molecular mechanism of a disease. In this paper, an attempt has been made to propose a model that addresses the issue of veracity in data analytics for amino acid association patterns in protein sequences of Swine Influenza Virus. The veracity is caused by intra-sequential and inter-sequential biases present in the sequences due to varying degrees of relationships among amino acids. A complete dataset of 63,682 protein sequences is downloaded from NCBI and is refined. The refined dataset consists of 26,594 sequences which are employed in the present study. The type I fuzzy set is employed to explore amino acid association patterns in the dataset. The type I fuzzy support is refined to partially remove the inter-sequential biases causing veracity in data. The remaining inter-sequential biases present in refined fuzzy support are evaluated and eliminated using type II fuzzy set. Hence, it is concluded that a combination of type II fuzzy & refined fuzzy approach is the optimal approach for extracting a better picture of amino acid association patterns in the molecular dataset.     

A Lattice Approach to Image Segmentation

After a formal definition of segmentation as the largest partition of the space according to a criterion σ and a function f, the notion of a morphological connection is reminded. It is used as an input to a central theorem of the paper (Theorem 8), that identifies segmentation with the connections that are based on connective criteria. Just as connections, the segmentations can then be regrouped by suprema and infima. The generality of the theorem makes it valid for functions from any space to any other one. Two propositions make precise the AND and OR combinations of connective criteria. The soundness of the approach is demonstrated by listing a series of segmentation techniques. One considers first the cases when the segmentation under study does not involve initial seeds. Various modes of regularity are discussed, which all derive from Lipschitz functions. A second category of examples involves the presence of seeds around which the partition of the space is organized. An overall proposition shows that these examples are a matter for the central theorem. Watershed and jump connection based segmentations illustrate this type of situation. The third and last category of examples deals with cases when the segmentation occurs in an indirect space, such as an histogram, and is then projected back on the actual space under study. The relationships between filtering and segmentation are then investigated. A theoretical chapter introduces and studies the two notions of a pulse opening and of a connected operator. The conditions under which a family of pulse openings can yield a connected filter are clarified. The ability of segmentations to generate pyramids, or hierarchies, is analyzed. A distinction is made between weak hierarchies where the partitions increase when going up in the pyramid, and the strong hierarchies where the various levels are structured as semi-groups, and particularly as granulometric semi-groups. The last section is based on one example, and goes back over the controversy about “lattice” versus “functional” optimization. The problem is now tackled via a case of colour segmentation, where the saturation serves as a cursor between luminance and hue. The emphasis is put on the difficulty of grouping the various necessary optimizations into a single one.     

Fatigue crack propagation of multiple coplanar cracks with the coupled extended finite element/fast marching method

A numerical technique for modeling fatigue crack propagation of multiple coplanar cracks is presented. The proposed method couples the extended finite element method (X-FEM) [Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng. 48 (11) (2000) 1549] to the fast marching method (FMM) [Level Set Methods & Fast Marching Methods: Evolving Interfaces in Computational Geometry, Fluid Mechanics, Computer Vision, and Materials Science, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1999]. The entire crack geometry, including one or more cracks, is represented by a single signed distance (level set) function. Merging of distinct cracks is handled naturally by the FMM with no collision detection or mesh reconstruction required. The FMM in conjunction with the Paris crack growth law is used to advance the crack front. In the X-FEM, a discontinuous function and the two-dimensional asymptotic crack-tip displacement fields are added to the finite element approximation to account for the crack using the notion of partition of unity [Comput. Meth. Appl. Mech. Engng. 139 (1996) 289]. This enables the domain to be modeled by a single fixed finite element mesh with no explicit meshing of the crack surfaces. In an earlier study [Engng. Fract. Mech. 70 (1) (2003) 29], the methodology, algorithm, and implementation for three-dimensional crack propagation of single cracks was introduced. In this paper, simulations for multiple planar cracks are presented, with crack merging and fatigue growth carried out without any user-intervention or remeshing.     

利用整合区域特性约束提高孔隙率模拟精度

本文将空间结构变化的要求与动态资料确定的储量共同作为约束,建立了包含两个约束条件的目标函数, 应用模拟退火算法对孔隙率的空间分布进行预测。在实现过程中,通过初始控制参数的给定及目标函数修改提高了运算效率。由于目标函数有效地整合了静、动态信息,从而降低了模拟结果的不确定性．提高了模拟的精度。合成数据及实际数据的模拟试验表明,整合区域特性约束不仅提高了孔隙率模拟精度,而且算法收敛快、稳定性高。     

基于粗糙集信息观的决策表属性约简方法

粗糙集理论是近年来发展起来的一种有效的处理不精确、不确定、含糊信息的数学理论方法，它被广泛应用于相容和不相容决策表的属性约简和核属性计算。利用反例指出目前基于粗糙集信息观[2、6]的决策表属性约简和核属性计算方法的局限性。对决策表的性质作了深入的研究，研究发现文献[2、6]方法的不足原因是：它们没有考虑U／ind（C）中等价类的相客性。给出了基于U／ind（C）中等价类相客性的属性约简定义和核属性定义，并给出了一种新的基于粗糙集信息观的决策表属性约简和核属性计算方法。讨论了该方法同文献[2、6]方法的区别。最后用相同实例验证了该方法的有效性。