Appl. Sci., Volume 7, Issue 10 (October 2017) – 140 articles

Smartphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and ad-hoc wearable devices are being increasingly used to monitor human activities. Data acquired by the hosted sensors are usually processed by machine-learning-based algorithms to classify human activities. The success of those algorithms mostly depends on the availability of training (labeled) data that, if made publicly available, would allow researchers to make objective comparisons between techniques. Nowadays, there are only a few publicly available data sets, which often contain samples from subjects with too similar characteristics, and very often lack specific information so that is not possible to select subsets of samples according to specific criteria. In this article, we present a new dataset of acceleration samples acquired with an Android smartphone designed for human activity recognition and fall detection. The dataset includes 11,771 samples of both human activities and falls performed by 30 subjects of ages ranging from 18 to 60 years. Samples are divided in 17 fine grained classes grouped in two coarse grained classes: one containing samples of 9 types of activities of daily living (ADL) and the other containing samples of 8 types of falls. The dataset has been stored to include all the information useful to select samples according to different criteria, such as the type of ADL performed, the age, the gender, and so on. Finally, the dataset has been benchmarked with four different classifiers and with two different feature vectors. We evaluated four different classification tasks: fall vs. no fall, 9 activities, 8 falls, 17 activities and falls. For each classification task, we performed a 5-fold cross-validation (i.e., including samples from all the subjects in both the training and the test dataset) and a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation (i.e., the test data include the samples of a subject only, and the training data, the samples of all the other subjects). Regarding the classification tasks, the major findings can be summarized as follows: (i) it is quite easy to distinguish between falls and ADLs, regardless of the classifier and the feature vector selected. Indeed, these classes of activities present quite different acceleration shapes that simplify the recognition task; (ii) on average, it is more difficult to distinguish between types of falls than between types of activities, regardless of the classifier and the feature vector selected. This is due to the similarity between the acceleration shapes of different kinds of falls. On the contrary, ADLs acceleration shapes present differences except for a small group. Finally, the evaluation shows that the presence of samples of the same subject both in the training and in the test datasets, increases the performance of the classifiers regardless of the feature vector used. This happens because each human subject differs from other subjects in performing activities even if she shares with them the same physical characteristics. Full article

This paper proposes a stochastic bi-level decision-making model for an electric vehicle (EV) aggregator in a competitive environment. In this approach, the EV aggregator decides to participate in day-ahead (DA) and balancing markets, and provides energy price offers to the EV owners in order to maximize its expected profit. Moreover, from the EV owners’ viewpoint, energy procurement cost of their EVs should be minimized in an uncertain environment. In this study, the sources of uncertainty―including the EVs demand, DA and balancing prices and selling prices offered by rival aggregators―are modeled via stochastic programming. Therefore, a two-level problem is formulated here, in which the aggregator makes decisions in the upper level and the EV clients purchase energy to charge their EVs in the lower level. Then the obtained nonlinear bi-level framework is transformed into a single-level model using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions. Strong duality is also applied to the problem to linearize the bilinear products. To deal with the unwilling effects of uncertain resources, a risk measurement is also applied in the proposed formulation. The performance of the proposed framework is assessed in a realistic case study and the results show that the proposed model would be effective for an EV aggregator decision-making problem in a competitive environment. Full article

The nitrogen-doped amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thinfilm transistors (TFTs) with double-stacked channel layers (DSCL) were prepared and characterized. The DSCL structure was composed of nitrogen-doped amorphous InGaZnO and InZnO films (a-IGZO:N/a-IZO:N or a-IZO:N/a-IGZO:N) and gave the corresponding TFT devices large field-effect mobility due to the presence of double conduction channels. The a-IZO:N/a-IGZO:N TFTs, in particular, showed even better electrical performance (µ_FE = 15.0 cm²・V⁻¹・s⁻¹, SS = 0.5 V/dec, V_TH = 1.5 V, I_ON/I_OFF = 1.1 × 10⁸) and stability (V_TH shift of 1.5, −0.5 and −2.5 V for positive bias-stress, negative bias-stress, and thermal stress tests, respectively) than the a-IGZO:N/a-IZO:N TFTs. Based on the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements and energy band analysis, we assumed that the optimized interface trap states, the less ambient gas adsorption, and the better suppression of oxygen vacancies in the a-IZO:N/a-IGZO:N hetero-structures might explain the better behavior of the corresponding TFTs. Full article

The study of ultrasound contrast agent imaging (USCAI) based on plane waves has recently attracted increasing attention. A series of USCAI techniques have been developed to improve the imaging quality. Most of the existing methods enhance the contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) using the time-frequency spectrum differences between the tissue and ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) region. In this paper, a new USCAI method based on bubble region detection was proposed, in which the frequency difference as well as the dissimilarity of tissue and UCA in the spatial domain was taken into account. A bubble wavelet based on the Doinikov model was firstly constructed. Bubble wavelet transformation (BWT) was then applied to strengthen the UCA region and weaken the tissue region. The bubble region was thereafter detected by using the combination of eigenvalue and eigenspace-based coherence factor (ESBCF). The phantom and rabbit in vivo experiment results suggested that our method was capable of suppressing the background interference and strengthening the information of UCA. For the phantom experiment, the imaging CTR was improved by 10.1 dB compared with plane wave imaging based on delay-and-sum (DAS) and by 4.2 dB over imaging based on BWT on average. Furthermore, for the rabbit kidney experiment, the corresponding improvements were 18.0 dB and 3.4 dB, respectively. Full article

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a technology developed to inspect the whole gastrointestinal tract (especially the small bowel area that is unreachable using the traditional endoscopy procedure) for various abnormalities in a non-invasive manner. However, visualization of a massive number of images is a very time-consuming and tedious task for physicians (prone to human error). Thus, an automatic scheme for lesion detection in WCE videos is a potential solution to alleviate this problem. In this work, a novel statistical approach was chosen for differentiating ulcer and non-ulcer pixels using various color spaces (or more specifically using relevant color bands). The chosen feature vector was used to compute the performance metrics using SVM with grid search method for maximum efficiency. The experimental results and analysis showed that the proposed algorithm was robust in detecting ulcers. The performance in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity are 97.89%, 96.22%, and 95.09%, respectively, which is promising. Full article

The aim of this study is a transparent tool for analysis of voice (sustained phonation /a/) and query data capable of providing support in screening for laryngeal disorders. In this work, screening is concerned with identification of potentially pathological cases by classifying subject’s data into ’healthy’ and ’pathological’ classes as well as visual exploration of data and automatic decisions. A set of association rules and a decision tree, techniques lending themselves for exploration, were generated for pathology detection. Data pairwise similarities, estimated in a novel way, were mapped onto a 2D metric space for visual inspection and analysis. Accurate identification of pathological cases was observed on unseen subjects using the most discriminative query parameter and six audio parameters routinely used by otolaryngologists in a clinical practice: equal error rate (EER) of 11.1% was achieved using association rules and 10.2% using the decision tree. The EER was further reduced to 9.5% by combining results from these two classifiers. The developed solution can be a useful tool for Otolaryngology departments in diagnostics, education and exploratory tasks. Full article

In the military field, multi-agent simulation (MAS) plays an important role in studying wars statistically. For a military simulation system, which involves large-scale entities and generates a very large number of interactions during the runtime, the issue of how to improve the running efficiency is of great concern for researchers. Current solutions mainly use hybrid simulation to gain fewer updates and synchronizations, where some important continuous models are maintained implicitly to keep the system dynamics, and partial resynchronization (PR) is chosen as the preferable state update mechanism. However, problems, such as resynchronization interval selection and cyclic dependency, remain unsolved in PR, which easily lead to low update efficiency and infinite looping of the state update process. To address these problems, this paper proposes a lookahead behavior model (LBM) to implement a PR-based hybrid simulation. In LBM, a minimal safe time window is used to predict the interactions between implicit models, upon which the resynchronization interval can be efficiently determined. Moreover, the LBM gives an estimated state value in the lookahead process so as to break the state-dependent cycle. The simulation results show that, compared with traditional mechanisms, LBM requires fewer updates and synchronizations. Full article

New Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ codoped phosphate glasses with the (98-x) (0.50P₂O₅-0.40SrO-0.10Na₂O) -0.5Er₂O₃-1.5Yb₂O₃-xZnO (in mol %) composition were prepared by melting process with up to 10 mol % of ZnO. The impact of the changes in the glass composition on the thermal, optical, structural properties was investigated. Using IR and Raman spectroscopies, we confirmed that the addition of ZnO up to 10 mol % leads to a depolymerization of the network without having a significant impact on the Er³⁺ and Yb³⁺ sites. We also discuss the effect of alpha particles irradiation. The glass with 2.5 mol % of ZnO was irradiated with 3 MeV alpha particles and a total fluence of 10¹² α/cm². After irradiation, this glass exhibits surface expansion (measured at ~200 nm, 1.5 months after the irradiation) and an increase in the surface roughness. The alpha particles irradiation is suspected to lead to changes in the spectroscopic properties of the glass. Finally, the photo-response of the glass was found to be reversible. Full article

Due to the advantages of good fracture performance and the application of carbon capture and storage (CCS), supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) is considered a promising alternative for hydraulic fracturing. However, the fracture initiation mechanism and its propagation under pressurized SC-CO₂ jet are still unknown. To address these problems, a fluid–structure interaction (FSI)-based numerical simulation model along with a user-defined code was used to investigate the fracture initiation in an inhomogeneous shale rock. The mechanism of fracturing under the effect of SC-CO₂ jet was explored, and the effects of various influencing factors were analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that higher velocity jets of SC-CO₂ not only caused hydraulic-fracturing ring, but also resulted in the increase of stress in the shale rock. It was found that, with the increase of perforation pressure, more cracks initiated at the tip. In contrast, the length of cracks at the root decreased. The length-to-diameter ratio and the aperture ratio distinctly affected the pressurization of SC-CO₂ jet, and contributed to the non-linear distribution and various maximum values of the stress in shale rock. The results proved that Weibull probability distribution was appropriate for analysis of the fracture initiation. The studied parameters explain the distribution of weak elements, and they affect the stress field in shale rock. Full article

With the development of the modern manufacturing industry, the free-form surface is widely used in various fields, and the automatic detection of a free-form surface is an important function of future intelligent three-coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). To improve the intelligence of CMMs, a new visual system is designed based on the characteristics of CMMs. A unified model of the free-form surface is proposed based on T-splines. A discretization method of the T-spline surface formula model is proposed. Under this discretization, the position and orientation of the workpiece would be recognized by point cloud registration. A high accuracy evaluation method is proposed between the measured point cloud and the T-spline surface formula. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has the potential to realize the automatic detection of different free-form surfaces and improve the intelligence of CMMs. Full article

A new compact left-handed meta-atom for S-, C- and Ku-band applications is presented in this paper. The proposed structure provides a wide bandwidth and exhibits left-handed characteristics at 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° (xy-axes) rotations. Besides, the left-handed characteristics and wide bandwidth of 1 × 2, 2 × 2, 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 arrays are also investigated at the above-mentioned rotation angles. In this study, the meta-atom is designed by creating splits at the outer and inner square-shaped ring resonators, and a metal arm is placed at the middle of the inner ring resonator. The arm is also connected to the upper and lower portions of the inner ring resonator, and later, the design appears as an I-shaped split ring resonator. The commercially available, finite integration technique (FIT)-based electromagnetic simulator CST Microwave Studio is used for design and simulation purposes. The measured data comply well with the simulated data of the unit cell for 1 × 2, 2 × 2, 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 arrays at every rotation angle. Owing to the effective medium ratio (EMR) of 8.50 at 0° and 180° rotations, the proposed meta-atom structure is compact in size. Moreover, due to the quality factor of 82, the designed meta-atom is flexible for high-performance antenna, filter and sensor applications. Therefore, the meta-atom integrated antenna shows multi frequency bands with the highest peak gain of 5 dBi, which is used as the long distance radio communication frequency. Full article

The thermal characteristics of a motorized spindle are the main determinants of its performance, and influence the machining accuracy of computer numerical control machine tools. It is important to accurately predict the thermal field of a motorized spindle during its operation to improve its thermal characteristics. This paper proposes a model to predict the temperature field of a high-speed and high-precision motorized spindle under different working conditions using a finite element model and test data. The finite element model considers the influence of the parameters of the cooling system and the lubrication system, and that of environmental conditions on the coefficient of heat transfer based on test data for the surface temperature of the motorized spindle. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the coefficient of heat transfer of the spindle, and its temperature field is predicted using a three-dimensional model that employs this optimal coefficient. A prediction model of the 170MD30 temperature field of the motorized spindle is created and simulation data for the temperature field are compared with the test data. The results show that when the speed of the spindle is 10,000 rpm, the relative mean prediction error is 1.5%, and when its speed is 15,000 rpm, the prediction error is 3.6%. Therefore, the proposed prediction model can predict the temperature field of the motorized spindle with high accuracy. Full article

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the use of construction and demolition waste (CDW) from the Passo Fundo region of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, in the development of aerated foamed concrete. This waste had not yet been characterized or even reused. CDW was processed (sieved only), characterized, and used as an aggregate, completely substituting natural sand. The influence of CDW granulometry and the amount of foam upon compressive strength, wet and dry bulk density, water absorption, and the air voids of concrete blocks were determined. Results showed that CDW has regular characteristics for the development of aerated foamed concrete. Compressive strength and density decreased as the amount of foam increased, while water absorption and air voids also increased. Also, CDW that was classified as coarse showed higher compressive strength. On average, CDW medium-sized particles had a higher air void content, while water absorption showed little variation with respect to granulometry. CDW residue from the region of study can be used as aggregate for the development of aerated foamed concrete. However, it must characterized before being used to guarantee the quality of the final product. Full article

The digital time delay integration (digital TDI) technology of the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor has been widely adopted and developed in the optical remote sensing field. However, the details of targets that have low illumination or low contrast in scenarios of high contrast are often drowned out because of the superposition of multi-stage images in digital domain multiplies the read noise and the dark noise, thus limiting the imaging dynamic range. Through an in-depth analysis of the information transfer model of digital TDI, this paper attempts to explore effective ways to overcome this issue. Based on the evaluation and analysis of multi-stage images, the entropy-maximized adaptive histogram equalization (EMAHE) algorithm is proposed to improve the ability of images to express the details of dark or low-contrast targets. Furthermore, in this paper, an image fusion method is utilized based on gradient pyramid decomposition and entropy weighting of different TDI stage images, which can improve the detection ability of the digital TDI CMOS for complex scenes with high contrast, and obtain images that are suitable for recognition by the human eye. The experimental results show that the proposed methods can effectively improve the high-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI) capability of the digital TDI CMOS. The obtained images have greater entropy and average gradients. Full article

In this paper, steel slag/steel fiber composite asphalt mixture were prepared. The effects of the addition of steel slag and/or steel fibers on the mechanical, thermal, induction heating and healing properties of asphalt mixture were investigated. The results showed that adding steel slag and/or steel fibers improves the water stability, particle loss resistance and fracture energy of asphalt mixtures. The addition of steel fibers increased the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusion of the asphalt mixture, and steel slag showed a reverse effect. Steel slag asphalt mixture cooled more slowly than steel fiber asphalt mixture, which is beneficial to crack healing of asphalt mixture. The composite of steel fibers and steel slag can enhance the induction heating speed, heating homogeneity and thus enhance the induction healing ratio of asphalt mixture. It is concluded that steel slag/steel fibers composite asphalt mixture achieves good mechanical and induction healing properties. Full article

Metakaolin (MK) is a highly active pozzolanic material and MK is increasingly used in producing high performance concrete. This study presents an integrated hydration-mechanical-durability model for evaluating various properties of metakaolin blended concrete. First, a blended hydration model is proposed for simulating the hydration of composite binders containing MK that considers the dilution effect and pozzolanic reaction due to metakaolin addition. The interactions between the metakaolin reaction and cement hydration were taken into account by means of the contents of calcium hydroxide and capillary water in hydrating the composite binder. The reaction degrees of cement and metakaolin were calculated using the hydration model. Second, the gel-space ratio of the MK blended concrete was determined based on the reaction degrees of the composite binders and proportions of concrete mix. Moreover, concrete compressive strength was calculated using the gel-space ratio. Third, the volumetric phase fractions were calculated based on the reaction degrees of the binders. Chloride penetrability of metakaolin blended concrete was analyzed through the capillary porosity of concrete. The proposed integrated hydration-mechanical-durability model is valuable for the material design of metakaolin blended concrete. Full article

This paper presents a novel method designing an optimized waveform with high spectral efficiency based on minimum out-of-band radiation criterion. Introducing the Pan-function model, Fourier series, and constraints, we achieve the numeric solution of the optimized baseband signals. The optimal waveform provides an excellent bandwidth efficiency, and its bit error rate (BER) performance is improved using the minimum cross-correlation function. To verify the proposed model, we present a simulation of the signal modulation and demodulation schemes using MATLAB software. The results are consistent with expected results, verifying the correctness of this method. Full article

The combustion characteristics of co-firing bio-oil produced from the fast pyrolysis process of coffee bean residue and diesel in a 300-kW_th oil-fired furnace are investigated. Using bio-oil to completely replace fossil fuels has limitations since bio-oil has undesirable properties, such as high water and oxygen contents, high viscosity, and low heating value. However, a low blend ratio of bio-oil used as a substitute for petroleum-derived oil has advantages; i.e., it can be easily combusted in existing furnaces without modifications. Thus, a promising solution is the partial substitution of diesel with bio-oil, rather than completely replacing it. A furnace test is performed for diesel alone and bio-oil/diesel blends with 5 vol % bio-oil. The results show that excellent stable combustion is observed during the co-firing test. Compared with diesel, with 5 vol % bio-oil content in the blends, both the wall temperature and gas temperature drop only slightly and exhibit similar furnace temperature distribution; meanwhile, comparable NO emissions (smaller than 57 ppm) are obtained, and lower CO₂ emissions are achieved because biomass is both carbon neutral and renewable. Moreover, SO₂ and CO emissions under these two burning conditions are very low; SO₂ and CO emissions are smaller than 6 and 35 ppm, respectively. Full article

We present a simple yet effective method, without the need for any additional recording of intensity maps or tremendous iterative computations, to recover reference-wave intensity resulting from the complex hologram acquired by quadrature phase-shifting holography. This is achieved by utilizing a certain area of interest in the complex hologram. We select a particular area in the complex hologram where there is negligible diffraction from the test sample to estimate the reference-wave intensity. The calculated intensity value allows us to extract exact phase distribution of the object in the context of two-step-only quadrature phase-shifting holography (TSO-PSH) without the zeroth-order beam and the twin image noise on the reconstruction plane. Computer simulation and experimental results have been performed to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of our proposed method. Full article

A femtosecond laser can be used for single or multiple writing processes to create sub 10-μm lines or holes directly without the use of masks. In this study, we characterized the depth and width of micro-channels created by femtosecond laser micro-scribing in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) under various energy doses (1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and laser beam passes (5, 10 and 15). Based on a microfluidic simulation in a bio-application, a DNA distributor was designed and fabricated based on an energy dose of 5% and a laser beam pass of 5. The simulated depth and width of the micro-channels was 3.58 and 5.27 μm, respectively. The depth and width of the micro-channels were linearly proportional to the energy dose and the number of laser beam passes. In a DNA distribution experiment, a brighter fluorescent intensity for YOYO-1 Iodide with DNA was observed in the middle channels with longer DNA. In addition, the velocity was the lowest as estimated in the computational simulation. The polymer processability of the femtosecond laser and the bio-applicability of the DNA distributor were successfully confirmed. Therefore, a promising technique for the maskless fabrication of sub 10-μm bio-microfluidic channels was demonstrated. Full article

Any network connected to the Internet is subject to cyber attacks. Strong security measures, forensic tools, and investigators contribute together to detect and mitigate those attacks, reducing the damages and enabling reestablishing the network to its normal operation, thus increasing the cybersecurity of the networked environment. This paper addresses the use of a forensic approach with Deep Packet Inspection to detect anomalies in the network traffic. As cyber attacks may occur on any layer of the TCP/IP networking model, Deep Packet Inspection is an effective way to reveal suspicious content in the headers or the payloads in any packet processing layer, excepting of course situations where the payload is encrypted. Although being efficient, this technique still faces big challenges. The contributions of this paper rely on the association of Deep Packet Inspection with forensics analysis to evaluate different attacks towards a Honeynet operating in a network laboratory at the University of Brasilia. In this perspective, this work could identify and map the content and behavior of attacks such as the Mirai botnet and brute-force attacks targeting various different network services. Obtained results demonstrate the behavior of automated attacks (such as worms and bots) and non-automated attacks (brute-force conducted with different tools). The data collected and analyzed is then used to generate statistics of used usernames and passwords, IP and services distribution, among other elements. This paper also discusses the importance of network forensics and Chain of Custody procedures to conduct investigations and shows the effectiveness of the mentioned techniques in evaluating different attacks in networks. Full article

Transonic centrifugal compressors with high performance are required in the oil and gas industries, modern gas turbine engines, and turbochargers. The sweep of the blades is one of the crucial features that have a significant influence on their performance. This paper numerically investigates mechanisms by which sweep affects the performance of a transonic impeller with twin splitters. Sweep is defined as scaling up or down the shroud chord, and the variation range of the sweep angle has been chosen from −25 to +25°. In the current case, results show that the variation of choke mass flow rate, pressure ratio, and efficiency value is around 1%. If the centrifugal compressor has a higher pressure ratio or a higher front loading, the sweep effect on compressor performance will be even stronger. The essential aerodynamic effect of sweep is the spanwise redistribution of the front loading, resulting in effects on the shock structure, the tip leakage vortex, and the flow separation. On the shroud section, forward sweep restricts the front loading, the shock strength, and the tip leakage vortex, which reduces the loss near the casing. On the hub section, aft sweep suppresses the front loading and the flow separation, which reduces the loss near the hub. It is the delicate balance between controlling the loss near the hub and the loss near the casing that determines the optimal sweep angle design. Full article

This paper presents the application of the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) technique on the constructability problems of site on very soft soil. The main objective of this study was to investigate the constructability and application of two ground improvement methods, such as the forced replacement method and the deep mixing method. The comparison between the results of CEL analyses and field investigations was performed to verify the CEL modelling. The behavior of very soft soil and constructability with methods can be appropriately investigated using the CEL technique, which would be useful tools for comprehensive reviews in preliminary design. Full article

Portfolio management based on mean-variance portfolio optimization is subject to different sources of uncertainty. In addition to those related to the quality of parameter estimates used in the optimization process, investors face a portfolio implementation risk. The potential temporary discrepancy between target and present portfolios, caused by trading strategies, may expose investors to undesired risks. This study proposes an evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithm aiming at regions with solutions more tolerant to these deviations and, therefore, more reliable. The proposed approach incorporates a user’s preference and seeks a fine-grained approximation of the most relevant efficient region. The computational experiments performed in this study are based on a cardinality-constrained problem with investment limits for eight broad-category indexes and 15 years of data. The obtained results show the ability of the proposed approach to address the robustness issue and to support decision making by providing a preferred part of the efficient set. The results reveal that the obtained solutions also exhibit a higher tolerance to prediction errors in asset returns and variance–covariance matrix. Full article

A new class of wide energy gap benzotriimidazole materials have been synthesized by a two-step condensation reaction. All of the benzotriimidazole compounds have π-π* absorption bands in the range of 250–400 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) quantum efficiency of each benzotriimidazole depends strongly on the presence of electron withdrawing groups. PL quantum efficiencies of benzotriimidazoles without electron withdrawing groups were less than desirable (40–43%), while molecules with electron withdrawing groups displayed much stronger PL with efficiencies in the range of 73–75%. The electron withdrawing groups shift the emission to a longer wavelength, towards a more “true blue” color. This new class of benzotriimidazole optical materials could be used as electron-injecting and electron-transporting blue luminescence materials for potential organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications. Full article

This study aims to design and develop the prototype models of the smart photovoltaic system blind (SPSB). To achieve this objective, the study defined the properties in three ways: (i) the photovoltaic (PV) panel; (ii) the tracking system; and (iii) the monitoring system. First, the amorphous silicon PV panel was determined as a PV panel, and the width and length of the PV panel were determined to be 50 mm and 250 mm, respectively. Second, the four tracker types (i.e., fixed type, vertical single-axis tracker, horizontal single-axis tracker, and azimuth-altitude dual-axis tracker) was applied, as well as the direct tracking method based on the amount of electricity generated as a tracking system. Third, the electricity generation and environmental conditions were chosen as factors to be monitored in order to evaluate and manage the technical performance of SPSB as a monitoring system. The prototype model of the SPSB is designed and developed for providing the electricity generated from its PV panel, as well as for reducing the indoor cooling demands through the blind’s function, itself (i.e., blocking out sunlight). Full article

This paper aims to evaluate the influence of the microwave heating time on the self-healing properties of fibre-reinforced asphalt mixtures. To this purpose, self-healing properties of dense asphalt mixtures with four different percentages of steel wool fibres were evaluated as the three-point bending strength before and after healing via microwave heating at four different heating times. Furthermore, the thermal behaviour of asphalt mixtures during microwave heating was also evaluated. With the aim of quantifying the efficiency of the repair process, ten damage-healing cycles were done in the test samples. In addition, self-healing results were compared with the fibre spatial distribution inside asphalt samples evaluated by CT-scans. Crack-size change on asphalt samples during healing cycles was also evaluated through optical microscopy. It was found that the heating time is the most influential variable on the healing level reached by the asphalt mixtures tested by microwave radiation. CT-Scans results proved that fibre spatial distribution into the asphalt mixtures play an important role in the asphalt healing level. Finally, it was concluded that 40 s was the optimum heating time to reach the highest healing levels with the lowest damage on the asphalt samples, and that heating times over 30 s can seal the cracks, thus achieving the self-healing of asphalt mixtures via microwave heating. Full article

The present study aims to evaluate whether downdraft can be prevented by applying a radiant floor heating system in glass curtain wall buildings. A radiant floor heating system does not directly supply heat to cold air, but does so via heat exchange with a cold airflow. Assessing whether a downdraft is prevented is, thus, necessary. For this assessment, a radiant floor heating system was applied to perimeter zones with different window types modeled using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The relationship between the radiant floor heating system and the windows was examined via an assessment of the resulting downdraft by considering the radiant heat exchange effect between the window and the floor. The assessment was conducted by utilizing a CFD simulation. The simulation results show that the temperature difference between the air supplied through the radiant floor heating system and the air descending along the cold surface of the window increased when the radiant floor heating system was applied to a narrow area with a high temperature. Furthermore, the airflow velocity increased with the heat exchange. The airflow re-entered the window side, and the downdraft in the occupied area exceeded the strict value specified by the standards. Conversely, if heat were applied according to the indoor thermal output by widening the radiant heat area of the radiant floor heating system, a downdraft could occur as a result of a blocking failure prior to the influx of the cold air into the occupied area caused by low surface temperatures. Therefore, applying a radiant floor heating system is advantageous in a perimeter zone without causing airflow inducement at the window side with acceptable surface temperatures. Full article

Because of its cleanness, safety, explosion proof, and other characteristics, pneumatic technologies have been applied in numerous industrial automation fields. As a key controlling element of a pneumatic system, electric-pneumatic pressure proportional valves have attracted the attention of many scholars in recent years. In this paper, in order to illustrate the research status and the development trend of electric-pneumatic pressure proportional valves, firstly, several related technologies will be introduced, for example, simulation methods and experimental modes. In addition, controlling methods, structural styles, and feedback forms are also compared in several types of pressure proportional valves. Moreover, the controlling strategy, as a significant relevant factor affecting the efficiency of valves, will be discussed in this paper. At the end, the conclusion and worksof electric-pneumatic pressure proportional valves in the future will bediscussed to achieve the electrical integration. Full article

The aim of the paper is to present a heuristic method for decision-making regarding an NP-hard scheduling problem with limitations related to tasks and the resources dependent on the current state of the process. The presented approach is based on the algebraic-logical meta-model (ALMM), which enables making collective decisions in successive process stages, not separately for individual objects or executors. Moreover, taking into account the limitations of the problem, it involves constructing only an acceptable solution and significantly reduces the amount of calculations. A general algorithm based on the presented method is composed of the following elements: preliminary analysis of the problem, techniques for the choice of decision at a given state, the pruning non-perspective trajectory, selection technique of the initial state for the trajectory final part, and the trajectory generation parameters modification. The paper includes applications of the presented approach to scheduling problems on unrelated parallel machines with a deadline and machine setup time dependent on the process state, where the relationship between tasks is defined by the graph. The article also presents the results of computational experiments. Full article