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In order to satisfy the strong demands of learning paper-cut from the public and paper-cut lovers and the needs of art education and training to practical ability for children and teenagers.Taking full use of the advantages and features of 2D interactive animation, we designed and implemented a virtual interactive system based on the classification of paper-cutting technique. Learners without paper-cutting experience can master the basic techniques of paper-cutting, and appreciate the integrity of the production process of paper-cutting through this system, which will promote the inheritance and development of folk paper-cut product techniques.

By using printability tester for printing on ordinary white cardboard and light beam hologram paper, measuring spectral information and chrominance information of the two samples, and then perform spectral fitting by analyses their color characteristics, The aim of this research was to propose one method for color calculation of printing on light beam hologram papers, according to the color information of ordinary white cardboard.

Most paper-based 3D color printers are plagued by the problem of slow printing speed, which is caused by the double-sided coloration for A4 office paper during the printing process. In order to resolve this issue, we propose a new fast and reliable coloration algorithm using geometric information in STL file, given the existing slicing methods. During the entire process, the colored surface is determined by D value that represents the positive or negative slope of layer in the 3D model after slicing. Colored inks with corresponding permeability are used to print single-sided or double-sided to accelerate the printing speed. For the given 3D models, the efficiency of the speedup is discussed and qualitatively analyzed. The results show that the proposed algorithm can increase the printing speed of paper-based 3D color printers, based on the existing materials and apparatus, at a lower cost than the common approaches.

Peer review is a new phenomenon in the process of internationalization of academic journals, but also a worldwide problem. In this paper, the development and practical application of peer review system are sort out, which are based on objective data research of domestic and international academic journals; the problems of network online published papers in practice are analyzed and explored by modern advanced network technology as the application tool, and how scientific orientation are they to play an effective role. The purpose of paper is in order to ensure the impartiality of the academic council, spread rapidly and use information resources, and further promote to enhance the overall level of academic journals.

The contribution deals with the possibilities of the use of existing commercially available vectorization programs for recognition drawing entities in raster graphics format obtained by scanning of the engineering drawing. Drawing entities as a line (solid, dashed, dot-dashed etc.), dimension, hatch, various symbols, text, etc., have specific semantic for the designer defined by standards. Expert knows to interpret this graphic language and he knows to create a mental model of the real object. To be able interpret digital content of the engineering drawing obtained by scanning by the form of 3D computer model often requires to perform many intelligent operations. In the first step it is necessary to obtain such vector representation of the scanned drawing to be able to identify the original drawing entities. Suitability of using the contemporary commercial vectorizing programs for engineering drawings was verified on the test sample of the drawing entities and the results are published in the paper.

Most of the scientific research engines utilize the same way to rank scientific research papers (SRP), this way is highly depend on the citation network. The retrieved results of these engines for any keyword contain old papers with the highest citation value. In this paper, we proposed a new and easy to implement ranking algorithm for scientific research papers known as Paper Time Ranking Algorithm (PTRA). PTRA is a new ranking algorithm that depends on three factors to rank its results; paper age, citation index and publication venue. To construct and prove our ranking algorithm we created a web crawler that crawl different scientific search papers databases in the world to collect the information that PTRA needs. Unfortunately, some of this information was missing, such as, the impact factor of the journals. To collect this information, we created another crawler that search the Internet for these journals impact factors. However, to prove our ranking algorithm results, we have compared PTRA with Google scholar ranking algorithm. We used Google scholar, since it has more than 50 million papers and its own system can gather and collect papers in a faster way. Our comparison results show that, citation index has the highest impact on Google scholars ranking algorithm results. Unlike PTRA that gains the paper age a higher impact on the ranked results. However, PTRA depends on the citation index and publication venue to rank the results but with less impact than the paper age.

This paper presents the research of model-base design and control of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) built in VietNam Automation & Mechatronics Laboratory (VIAMLAB). This is one of the most important types of underwater robots used in water environments for many purposes, especially for navy and marine industries. The design keeps our tethered ROV self-stabilized in the horizontal plane. It is also equipped with thrusters and sensor feedbacks, allowing 6 degrees-of-freedom motion. Moreover, cameras and grabber integrated into ROV support underwater survey tasks. In addition, the paper also simulates controllers with the main task of keeping depth for ROV. The controllers designed and surveyed here include: PID, optimal control (LQR), standard model control (MRAC) and combination controller between LQR and MRAC. The performance of the algorithm will be evaluated through simulation results using Matlab / Simulink.

This paper proposes a method of using the B-spline mathematical model to plan high smoothness curve trajectories with heading condition through given waypoints for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in particular and ships with rudder systems in general. In addition, this paper examines some of the physical limitations of this vehicle, which lead to some binding conditions of the trajectory. Besides, the paper applies B-spline approximation method to reduce the curvature of the trajectory, when waypoints are too close and we do not need to go through exactly these waypoints in the 2D plane. Finally, this paper also proposes the genetic algorithm application with some modifications to solve the optimization of B-spline path length with constraint in turning radius of the vehicle.

According to recent research, quite a large part of the buses have exceeded the loading standards, which causes road damage. In order to reduce weight, the use of lighter materials such as aluminum was used. Moreover, the cost of maintenance decreases and the fuel consumption is reduced. In this paper we summarize the study of the dynamic and vibrational behavior of the chassis, including the rolling system. In the paper [2], several models have been elaborated necessary for this study. In the present paper we proposed the integration and, implicitly, the finding of the dynamic response, as a result of the behavior of the chassis in operation, in the form of time functions that we represented graphically according to a real numerical application, these representations better suggesting this behavior.

Poor heat treatment of the generator may cause cracks during operation. The presence ofcracks on the rotor causes the rotor to vibrate. The paper establishes a finite element modeling of aunit. The model is used to study the vibration response characteristics of the shafting system when thesupport characteristics of the generator are similar and the difference is significant. When thedifference in support characteristics between the two ends of the generator is large, the first-orderunbalance of the generator not only causes a large in-phase vibration at the first-order critical speed ofthe generator, but also causes a large reverse component. Finally, the reliability of the conclusion isfurther verified by combining the abnormal vibration diagnosis and processing cases of a generator.The innovation of the paper is to diagnose the possible cracks in the generator through the vibration ofthe generator, and then look at the original data in the generator manufacturing process to find that theheat treatment process of the generator rotor is poor.

This paper presents an evaluation of double-rate Tomlinson-Harashima precoding in multi-valued PAM-N data transmission. In order to eliminate an intersymbol interference of interconnections in VLS system, Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) is very useful for limiting the peak and average power of the transmitter. To expand the eye-opening at a receiver in multi-valued data transmission, we proposed a new equalization technique by using double-rate THP. In this paper, to evaluate the performance of the double-rate THP, we show the simulation results of the double-rate THP in various PAM-N data transmission on a micro-strip line.

Organisations are becoming more intensively conscious about energy related-topics. The overall societal recognition, changing legal requirements and cost reduction pressure results in increasing interests in holistic energy management activities well embedded into the overall facilities and asset management context.This paper aims to specify the information requirements for setting-up energy management system. Such a system aims to ensure that owners, tenants and operators of buildings can deliver facility and energy management services in compliance to the relevant legislative, technical and environmental standards. Initial information requirements for such a system were developed over the past nine months and are presented in this paper.

The aim of the paper is to explore and establish a base for a possible development of a more holistic and spatially-inclusive method for evaluating energy performance of buildings. This is to be achieved by envisioning building envelopes as arrangements of spatial zones, which could improve the overall energy balance of buildings but at the same time reduce the usage of construction materials and thus consumption of production energy and built-up space. The wall deconstructed in spatial zones, as shown e.g. in Antivilla by Brandlhuber-+, opens a series of questions about the future of existing building codes and certification tools. The potentials are discussed based on the aspects of flexibility, responsiveness, adaptability, replaceability and affordability. The analysis outlines the benefits of the inclusion of those paradigms in the definition of sustainable architecture, and at the same time exposes the lack of possibility to reflect their potential by the established certification criteria. The paper aims at opening the discussion about the limits and traps of quantifying architecture and calls for rethinking of established schemes of sustainability in building sector.

This paper addresses the model validation challenges relevant to representation of inhabitants' presence and behavior in buildings. Motivated by the lack of general guidelines for the evaluation of user-related behavioural models in building performance simulation, the paper underlines the need for rigorous processes toward quality assurance while integrating behavioural representations in building performance simulation applications and processes.

With the development of the concept of Industry 4.0, research relating to robots is being paid more and more attention, among which the humanoid robot is a very important research topic. The humanoid robot is a robot with a bipedal mechanism. Due to the physical mechanism, humanoid robots can maneuver more easily in complex terrains, such as going up and down the stairs. However, humanoid robots often fall from imbalance. Whether or not the robot can stand up on its own after a fall is a key research issue. However, the often used method of hand tuning to allow robots to stand on its own is very inefficient. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes an automatic learning system based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). This system allows the robot to learn how to achieve the motion of rebalancing after a fall. To allow the robot to have the capability of object recognition, this paper also applies the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to let the robot perform image recognition and successfully distinguish between 10 types of objects. The effectiveness and feasibility of the motion learning algorithm and the CNN based image classification for vision system proposed in this paper has been confirmed in the experimental results.

Advanced computational methods are needed both for the design of large systems and to compute high accuracy solutions. Such methods are efficient in computation, but the validation of results is very complex, and highly skilled auditors are needed to verify them. We investigate legal questions concerning obligations in the development phase, especially for technical systems developed using advanced methods. In particular, we consider methods of resilient and robust optimization. With these techniques, high performance solutions can be found, despite a high variety of input parameters. However, given the novelty of these methods, it is uncertain whether legal obligations are being met. The aim of this paper is to discuss if and how the choice of a specific computational method affects the developer’s product liability. The review of legal obligations in this paper is based on German law and focuses on the requirements that must be met during the design and development process.

The demand for high accuracy on automated harvesters is getting higher. While system accuracy is lowered by vibration resulted when a robot with sensors and arms is running on the field. Applying suspension system onto these automated harvesters is a solution to reduce the vibration effects and assure required accuracy. This paper presents a model of the suspension system for a robotic asparagus harvester. The simulation results showed that the peak value of vibration was reduced to an acceptable level. Most importantly, the peak deflection of a vibrated platform was decreased to a required range as well. At the end of this paper, a conclusion is drawn. A suspension system is suggested to reduce vibration effects and improve the accuracy of both sensors and picking arms for mobile manipulators. In the future, this suspension system will be fabricated and installed onto a robotic asparagus harvester to validate this proposed model.

An important part of increasing the energy and resource efficiency in companies is the reduction of energy consumption of production plants. In order to achieve this, suitable energy management concepts have to be developed. Energy management concepts involve collecting all required information and making decisions based on the evaluated data. This paper focuses on the approach of shutting down individual plant components in unproductive phases. Because manually shutting down and starting up plants is risky and time-consuming, plants are often left in a state in which they consume a lot of energy, despite not producing any parts, due to both scheduled and unexpected stops. For this reason, adequate energy management concepts are needed that automatically shut down unneeded plant components and restart them in time for the next productive phase. Multiple dependencies between plant components in the context of production and process flow lead to a massive increase in complexity. Subsequently, such concepts are rarely programmed in the control software. In this paper, we provide an approach that implements the energy management concepts as a superordinate entity at the process control level, which enables a holistic plant overview. Using flexible algorithms, the system should be able to make autonomous decisions about the ideal energetic state of the individual plant components. In order to minimize the effort of adding new plants, the developed algorithms should self-adapt to the respective plant configuration autonomously. In addition to machine learning algorithms, the functional analysis of production plants and knowledge concerning the structure of the plants gained from engineering tools are used.

Assembly lines consist of chained or unchained stations, yet usually only single stations are regarded individually for process and quality analytics. Since the quality of the final product depends on interactions of process parameters along the assembly flow, it is insufficient to analyze process parameters of each station separately. Therefore, data of every single assembly station along the assembly line has to be collected and stored. To explore such a big amount of multidimensional data and their correlations, different techniques are established. In this paper, assembly flows and their respective data are visualized using a parallel coordinates plot (PCP). Here, this technique visualizes process parameter combinations along the whole assembly chain. The contribution of this paper is to prove that the presented approach enables a fast detection of stations with malicious impacts on the product quality, when it comes to complex assembly lines. The goal is to help users to detect global problems in those lines, not only single station problems. Furthermore, the relevance of various processes to the quality (good or defective) of the final good shall be revealed.

Due to the reasons of manufacture cost and mechanical efficiency, the gear transmissions for electric vehicles are helical gear reducers. For electric vehicles, the reduction ratios are required to be 11~30 and their gear reducers are helical gear reducer with two gear pairs. This paper focused on the design and prototype manufacture of helical gear reducers with two gear pairs. First, according to the kinematic requirements of electric vehicles, their reduction ratios were derived. Then, based on the involute theorem, the gear data of helical spur gear pairs we obtained. Finally, according to the gear data, its corresponding engineering drawings were accomplished and its corresponding prototype was manufactured. The results of this paper can be used as reference for engineers to design the gear reducers for electric vehicles.

Energy efficiency is a well-known and often implemented energy-related activity with a variety of different characteristics and fields of application. Energy efficient solutions, especially for pneumatic and electric intensive processes, are usually applied to minimise the electric and pneumatic energy consumption in the field of production. Especially in complex machinery it must be avoided that the energy consumption influences the productivity or quality of the product. On the other hand, due to volatile energy supply from renewable sources, there is a growing awareness of energy flexibility, which is mainly implemented on energy-intensive processes such as metal production, foundries, chemical processes and paper industry. An increase of the energy flexibility potential of machines often influences the energy efficiency. In other cases, energy efficiency and energy flexibility actions can be conducted without an interaction. This paper compares the definition and characteristics of energy efficiency as well as energy flexibility actions. An application of energy flexibility as well as efficiency actions can lead to optimised energy consumption behaviour of production machinery.

The paper presents an intralogistics routing-service for autonomous and versatile transport vehicles. An infrastructural sensor digitize the workspace of the vehicle and is the basis for the vehicle-specific routing plan. Nowadays, a central computing unit allocates transportation task to a known number of automated guided vehicles, which are usually of the same type. Furthermore, this device generates a routing appropriate to the dimensions and the kinematic gauge of the vehicle fleet. The pathing for each specific vehicle is calculated and the result is send to the different entities. The approach of this paper bases on the digitization of the workspace with a ceiling camera, which divides the scenery into moving obstacles and an adaptive background picture. A central computing unit receives the background picture of several cameras and stitch them together to an overview of the entire workspace, e.g. a production hall. Furthermore, the approach includes the development of automated guided vehicles to versatile autonomous vehicles, were each entity is able to calculate the pathing on a given routing plan. A fleet of versatile autonomous vehicles consists of vehicles with task-specific dimensions and kinematic gauges. Therefore, each vehicle needs its own routing-plan. The solution is that each vehicles uses a vehicle parameter-server and register itself with these parameters at the routing unit. This unit is calculating a routing-plan for each specific vehicle dimension and gauge and providing it. When getting a new task, the vehicles uses this routing-plan to do the pathing. The routing-algorithm is implemented inside the service-layer of the versatile autonomous vehicle system. This approach lowers the amount of data, which is send between the service layer and the transportation entities by reducing the information of the workspace to the possible routes of each specific vehicle. Furthermore, the calculation time for routing and pathing is lowered, because each vehicle is calculating its task-specific path, but the route-map is calculated once for each vehicle-type by the routing-service.

Despite numerous research activities, guidelines and regulations, the exploitation of energy and resource efficiency potentials at companies in the field of electric drive technology is still lagging behind. Existing catalogues of measures and research results are mostly too generic or too theoretic for companies, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Thus, this paper proposes the development of a user-oriented software system that supports the consideration of sustainability aspects within the product and process development of electric drives. The core component of this concept is a knowledge-based system (KBS), which reveals the wide range of energy and resource efficiency potentials along the whole product life cycle. In particular, correlations that exist between the individual saving potentials are to be mapped. By presenting the general solution concept and current stage of development, this paper provides the basis for future research which should focus on the further elaboration and prototypical implementation of the system proposed here.

In this paper three types of actuation systems of active orthoses used for human gait rehabilitation are presented. This paper analyzes different lower-limb active orthoses used for gait rehabilitation function of actuation system.

In this paper is presented a few models of a robotic snake like unit which can be used in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). In particular, this paper focuses on the flexible unit details. It’s rigid links can be fabricated using selective materials that are light-weight and slim. Thus, this flexible unit can be inserted through one small cavity. Finally, we show that the selected flexible unit may be a very good alternative for Single Port Access (SPA) surgery or this can be used in other environments as well.

Numerous attempts have been made to improve the existing intersection systems to maximize capacity and reduce the delay costs and queues. This paper introduces a simulation method to study the effectiveness of a new technique introduced recently in China – the left-turn waiting area. This has an extended left lane that allows the vehicles to wait before the signal turns green. It is reported that this system can significantly improve intersection performance. This paper introduces the different types of left-turn waiting areas which have been widely implemented in China. The method of using micro-simulation VISSIM to study the effectiveness of left-turn waiting area is proposed in this paper, along with some preliminary results of a case study.

Currently available foot prosthesis model are more than 50 in number. In order to perform some extraordinary errands, for example, strolling, moving, cycling, golfing, swimming, snow skiing or running they are employed. Many are waterproof and made of lightweight materials, for example, plastic, metal combinations and carbon-fiber composites. Prosthetic feet can be essential (unmoving), explained (moving in at least one bearings), or element reaction (putting away and returning vitality when strolling, giving a feeling of "pushing off," much like the human foot). However there are certain problems which are not completely tackled by the currently available prosthesis for which the walking pattern remains strongly disturbed. Today's prosthetic feet may have toe and heel springs to permit more lower leg development and movable heel statures, and to assimilate stun but the load distribution is not proper which leads to fatigue. In this paper, a powered ankle-foot prosthesis mechanism that aims at the equal distribution of the load using a hydraulic system in order to store the energy in the spring over the movement of prosthetic ankle was presented. Although the prosthetic foot presented in this paper is driven by an electric-motor it is made lighter and robust than the currently available ones. Some primary experiments were conducted by taking the forces acting to account. A 3-D model of the proposed design was made using piston cylinder arrangement in order to get a real ankle like movement, thereafter the stress analysis of the same was done and results were discussed.

This paper is written as one of the records of MOP model developments. MOP model is a new creation model for re-analyzing accidents in maritime traffic system (MTS). MOP is an abbreviation from 4M Overturned Pyramid, where 4M is Man, Machine, Media, and Management. The MOP Model is a 3D view model, looks like thee sided inverted pyramid that has 4 corners representing 4M and 6 edges as line relation for corners. At this paper, MOP model has been developed until the last steps. There are 2 steps utilizing MOP model when re-analyzing accidents, namely Corner Analysis (CA) that resulting causative factors (CFs) as the first step, and Line Relation Analysis (LRA) that resulting causative chains (CCs) as the second step. To see how this step works, 20 ship collisions in Japanese MTS have been re-analyzed. In this research, MOP Model has been upgraded until the second step, namely Line Relation Analysis (LRA). The outcome of this step is causative chain (CC). The results is there is core causative chain that has several heads and tails. However, most of the causative factor (CF) that perform CC are classified in Man Factor, especially improper look-out.

There is one project related to high resolution aeronautic camera, which is used in the Military aircraft. In the project, the task requires that the camera's field angle is ±20 degrees. Besides, we there need a window glass for the camera, and the distance between the window-glass and the platform is limited not more than 30mm. That is to say, the aerial camera is required to have a large field of view and small optical window order. To solve this problem, we designed a four-section-type optical window. This paper mainly describes the possible kinds of joining of the glasses used in this four-section-type optical window. There are three kinds of joining mentioned in this paper, such as mechanical connection, joining with adhesive and welding connection. Every kind has its own advantages and disadvantages. After the comprehensive consideration, the paper will use the method of mechanical connection. And this paper will give some guiding significance for the subsequent progress of the project.

This paper presents the Least Energy Demand as an independent reference value for evaluating energy efficiency of additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Nowadays an essential challenge is represented by a proper evaluation and calculation of the energy efficiency of production processes. The reason for this is the lack of appropriate reference values. A comprehensive comparison of the energy efficiency is not possible without consistent reference values. However, this comparison serves as a first step towards the goal in order to reveal the actual energy savings potential of additive manufacturing procedures and to take actions on this basis. Therefore, as a first step the basic concept of the additive manufacturing principle is introduced. Subsequent the scope of the current research regarding the considered additive manufacturing techniques is illustrated. Afterwards the general system of the Least Energy Demand is presented, which serves the needs in terms of evaluating the energy efficiency of additive manufacturing processes. To sustain the comparability of the Least Energy Demand between the presented AM-procedures a solid basis for further calculations is established. Finally this paper concludes with the results of the calculated Least Energy Demands for the individual additive manufacturing processes and a comprehensive energetic comparison.

Due to sensor accuracy and noise interference and other reasons, the measured data may be inaccurate or even wrong. This will reduce the accuracy of the filter and the reliability and response speed of the Kalman filter, and even make the Kalman filter lose the stability. In this paper, a new INS initial alignment error model and observation model are derived for the errors in INS initial alignment. The adaptive Kalman filter is built to improve the stability and the accuracy of filter. The specific method is to make the adaptive Kalman filter manage to correct the filter online by getting the observed data. The simulation results show the proposed algorithm improves the accuracy of initial alignment in SINS, and prove the adaptive Kalman filter is effective. The main innovation in this paper is to manage to build the adaptive Kalman filter to modify the filter online by using the observed data. The adaptive Kalman filter algorithm improves the accuracy of the filter.

In this paper, the reliability and reliability sensitivity of the main shaft device of a hoist system is studied. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a modeling method for the joint probability distribution of main shaft device with coupling faults based on the system reliability theory and copula function theory. The stochastic response of the main shaft device is obtained using design of experiment. The reliability of the main shaft device is calculated based on the fourth moment method. The reliability sensitivity is then deduced based on the reliability results. The joint probability of failure between correlated failure modes is estimated based on the Gumbel copula. The system reliability evaluation of the main shaft device is then calculated. A numerical example of a main shaft device is illustrated to validate the application of the proposed method. The method proposed in this study can be provided for the analysis and design of the main shaft device of deep well hoist as a necessary theoretical basis.

This paper is concerned with the design and implementation of closed-loop controller with current sensors for brushless DC motor drives to yield good speed regulation, low current harmonic and stable output speed. The design of controller is conducted by digitizing the mathematical model of brushless DC motors. The regulation and limitation of control parameters are also studied. The saliency of brushless DC motor yields larger quadrature-axis inductance than that of the direct-axis. This results in reluctance torque accordingly. By appropriately adjusting the direct-axis current, the reluctance torque can be controlled to achieve high-efficiency operation. The proposed control strategy will not only yield optimal efficiency but also result in the immunity of performance to the variation of machine parameters. A predicted current estimator is proposed to function under stationary frame for harmonic current suppression. In this paper, the mathematical models of the brushless DC motor is built and simulated by Matlab/Simulink. Then, a high-performance and low-cost digital signal processor (DSP, TMS320F28335) is used to control the system for reducing the circuit complexity. A digital control system for 750 W brushless DC motor is realized. Experimental results indicate that the total harmonic distortion of current is reduced by the proposed closed-loop controller with current sensor.

Much progress has been made in the field of digital imaging technology with the widespread use of CMOS and CCD devices and the high computing power of IC chips. However, there still are many technological problems to overcome to achieve lightweight and affordable high density 3D lossless imaging for both industrial and scientific applications. This paper will focus on the latest development of freeform optical technology and powerful image analysis techniques to develop a compound eye camera system so as to extract the 3D relative position coordinates of the sub-object in the field of view, and to compensate the shadow effect in the images caused by the non-uniform illumination to obtain high quality lossless images. Such a novel compound eye system will find applications in delivering 3D image of digital camera, increasing capability of scientific profiling measuring instrument, and lowering cost and enhancing resolution of wide-field, video-rate, gigapixel cameras such as the AWARE designed by Duke University.The main objective of this paper is to design a novel compound eye system from high definition 3D lossless digital imaging technology to achieve the realistic three-dimensional positional information of the object in both near and far fields. In the imaging process, the ultimate imaging quality is affected and limited by the resolution of the detector, the field of view, wavefront aberration, resolution of the optical imaging system and the ambient light.The novel compound eye imaging system includes two modules: one is the optical imaging module with compound eye optical elements with other secondary optical lenses, while the other one is the image analysis module. By combining the above optical hardware with the image analysis software, the relative position information of the sub-objects in the picture and the lighting condition of the environment can be deduced accurately.

Reinforced concrete (RC) is the most popular building material in the construction industry. It is a composite material in which low tensile strength and ductility of concrete are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength and ductility. The RC based structures are required to be replaced after their life time. Complete replacement will be a huge financial burden and might certainly be a waste of natural resources when upgrading or strengthening is an adoptable alternative. Strengthening can be achieved through retrofitting. The meaning of retrofitting is addition of new technology, components, accessories or features to older systems. Retrofitting may be required when the structure needs to be used for a purpose dealing with more load compared to design loads. It may also be used where old structures are needed to be upgraded. This paper is focused on the retrofitting of simply supported RC beams. Various materials like polymers, cementitious composites, steel sections etc. are used for retrofitting of RC beams. For the addition of these new materials to the existing ones, various techniques are used. This paper is a review of the materials and techniques used in retrofitting process of RC beams in existing buildings. The effectiveness of each material and technique is also reviewed.

Robotics and automation are playing very imperative role in the modern construction practice to meet the challenges and expectation specifically in the infrastructural projects. Automation is a tool for operating or controlling different stages of construction process using mechanized and electronic devices or control systems to reduce the human intervention to a minimum. The design and implementation of these automation technologies has shown progressive outcomes compared to conventional methods. Moreover, considerable improvement in working condition, reduction in accidents and significant increase in production have been evidently observed in the recent construction projects as well as in the earlier research studies. Although several countries have adopted automation in their construction projects, application of these techniques in India is limited to a greater extent due to lack of proper guidelines and specifications. It is important to develop appropriate standards and guidelines for Indian construction sector. This paper reviews different automation techniques that are currently used in many parts of the world and suggestions for their application in the Indian construction scenario are discussed in detail. Moreover, guidelines for efficient design and implementation of automation techniques in India are highlighted in this paper.

The study is based on XISS(XML Indexing and Storage System) of Dietz’s Numbering Schema to determine the ancestor-descendant relationship. According to the results of research, this paper proposes an improved method of node encoding, realizes its indexing structure, and discusses its query path. Finally, the paper analyzes the property of this improved method.

This paper aims to study the prediction of 4G traffic for customer’s demand of Lao Telecommunications Company (LTC) using statistical method called Cubic method. The data used in our paper are the actual number of customers and the actual bandwidth used by the customers in each month. Those actual data used for predicting the future number of customers and bandwidth used by the customers are collected from January 2014 to April 2015. The accuracy of the prediction is evaluated by using the Mean Square Error (MSE). In our paper, the derived average accuracy is 98%, the results may be used to considering for improving the throughput of Evolved Packet Core (EPC) there by providing the better service to the customer.

Creation of the intelligent system for highly structured domain is possible with determining the whole system of concepts included in the ontology of this area. Presentation by means of formal ontology model provides a uniquely interpreted terms. Based on the model of ontology the intelligent system will integrate their knowledge and information components of all sections of the data area. The paper considers the unification of nanomaterials subdomain with other subdomains that are need to be used for intelligent system for nanotechnology. The paper also proposes mathematical ontology model of one of the component - that is ontology model of foams and emulsions class.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate efficiency of different approaches to parallelization ofstiffness matrix assembly operations, that can be found in any finite element software. OpenMP [1, 2]and POSIX Threads (Pthreads) programming models are two considered in this paper. The OpenMPmodel consist of an Application Program Interface (API) for multi-platform shared-memory parallelprogramming in C/C++. POSIX is an acronym for Portable Operating System Interface and Pthreadsstandards [3] defined as a set of C/C++ language [4] programming types and procedure calls forshared-memory parallel programming. The paper shows that parallelization can efficiently exploit thepower of modern available hardware, significantly reducing the needed computation time. Differentapproaches of each programming model are used for parallelization of stiffness matrix assemblycompared and their efficiency is evaluated in this paper.The different parallelization strategies were implemented in OOFEM [5] which is a free finiteelement code with object oriented architecture for solving mechanical, transport and fluid mechanicsproblems that operates on various platforms. The finite element method leads to set of algebraic equa-tions which components are assembled from contributions of individual elements. In this paper wefocus on assembly of sparse matrix contributions, such as stiffness as mass matrices. Domain decom-position paradigm, where the whole domain is decomposed into sub domain, which contributions areevaluated and assembled by individual threads is hard.The paper discuss the differences between approaches based on OpenMP and Pthreads, datascoping specification for correct parallel programming and memory allocation synchronization andscheduling.

In this paper it is developed a location model for the infrastructures dedicated to non-motorized movements by bike in Oradea city, using ArcGIS geographic and information system [3]. They are taken into consideration the movements made by the target people – alternating movements (from home to school) and optional movements (made for recreation), the densities in residential areas, the type of the city arteries and the mobility need of the target people (in this case – young people aged between 15 and 25) in order to design two structures of the transport infrastructure networks (one for the alternating movements and the other for the optional movements), structures which will be realized on the actual frame of the existing transport infrastructure in Oradea city. Using Dijkstra algorithm, the minimal routes for the movements related to the alternating mobility, but also for the movements specific to the optional mobility are determined. Further on the most used arteries in the two structures of urban infrastructure networks are determined. The paper suggests as a solution the structure of the network for the non-motorized movements and also those arteries that must be used for its development, that guarantee gains for the target people (time), for the main operators who exploit the motorized systems, for the local budget of the local municipalities (less funds to sustain the public services) and especially for the environment and people’s health (attenuation of noxious and phonic pollution, reduction of the accidents’ number and health improvement).

The modern tools of today's concurrent engineering (CE) based management are a wide array of instruments, plans, software, technical skills, human capabilities and resources. This paper aims to emphasize the benefits of such a system implementation in a business environment based on case studies retrieved from scientific literature and author's personal experience in a private working environment. Constant team sessions, briefs, workshops and brainstorming sessions proved to be very powerful tools for the management teams subjected to these studies in order for them to develop fully stable concurrent teams. The paper also highlights the fact that even from the implementation phase the workflow within the CE offers excellent opportunities for continuous improvements of the system and fine tunings of tools that are correspondent to it. As result, CE proves to be one of the best systems around in terms of efficiency, scalability and of course, results.

Handmade sketches of different shapes roof structures, often with openings, are outlined on plain sheet of paper. Then, they are transformed by a 2D mesh generation and applied to FEM calculations. Algorithm where only main coordinates of nodes are used as user input data is studied by the Authors. Shape of the surface, its curvature and openings are detected through the procedures developed in the C++ programming language. A particular emphasis is put to the automation of the process. At a present version the method is used for rectangular shapes, which are quite common in civil engineering structures e.g. building elevations. Detection and processing algorithms are implemented with a usage of a library based on a open code called OpenCV. The computer software is described in this paper and some examples are given

The main reason for the choice of this theme is the extension of use of valve mechanisms and the possibility of using the new simulation program MSC Adams. The aim of this paper is to become familiar with the problems of the valve mechanism, the dynamic analysis and computer simulation. In this paper we described an overview of the problems compiling a mathematical model of the mechanism of the valve timing. After creating a mathematical model was made in the simulation program MSC Adams/View. The equation of motion of a mechanical valve mechanism was compiled Lagrange equations second order. The actual solution procedure that is mentioned in this paper can be applied to solve complex problems and shape of the valve mechanisms.

The paper presents a theme of research through the analysis of flows' modelling and simulation in a flexible manufacturing system. It is studied the simulation with discrete events of a real manufacturing line with the software Delmia Quest. The objectives of this paper are to modelling and simulate the manufacturing system and to choose the properly probability distributions of a cycle time of each machine from this layout. A comparison of three distributions is presented and SCL implemented program will automatically display the values resulting from the manufacturing system simulation.

The paper presents an original solution for the mathematical modeling and simulation of an orthodontic process. The orthodontic process is treated as a distributed parameter, its model being expressed using a partial differential equation, respectively the tooth movement is represented as the approximating analytical solution which verifies the mentioned equation. In order to prove the model usability, some interesting simulations are shown in the paper. The obtained model can be numerically simulated using a software application and the simulation results can be used in order to assist the dentist to establish the orthodontic treatment parameters (at the start of the treatment and during the treatment, too; for example the initial force which has to be applied, respectively its ulterior value adjustments).

Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) is based on a network planning and the Theory of Constraints. The importance of management of uncertainty and deviations that occur during a project is emphasized. The probability of the project completion in a predefined time limit, or even before the time limit is increased. Literature analysis indicates that other types of buffers must be applied (buffer supporting a project, buffer reacting on a critical path, buffer reacting on a non-critical path) apart of feeding, resource and project buffers. Applying the additional buffers keeps the critical path in the same position and maintains the unchanging due date of the project. Methods estimating size of feeding and project buffers are identified: half of the chain method, square root of fault method, modified method of square root of fault, method taking into account due date of the project. In this paper, a new method estimating a size of resource buffer and selecting a location of resource buffer based on the theory of probability is presented. In this paper, the CCPM method is applied to estimate due date of the mining machine production project.

In the paper the concept of using methods and models of the game theory to solve problems in the area of production planning and control is presented. The problems concerning selection of the most favorable routes from given circumstances and for available set of alternative routes in discrete multi-assortment production systems is presented. Considered in this paper the problems related to the allocation of adequate resources to carry out specific production plan of production orders. Combinatorial complexity of those problems is high especially at the operational level. Therefore heuristic or analytical methods are often used in the process of decision support, without indicating the optimum solution. Conducted research in this area are also related to AI methods. The proposed approach in this paper, is based on the game theory in the production planning. The tools of game theory have been used so far mainly in the area of production planning at the levels of strategic and tactical planning. But recently, arises increasingly interest in using game theory in the field of production planning at the operational level. In this case, the player term is replaced with the agent or object term that represents (not the entity or person as it is in the classical approach) production order, production process or package of production orders.

In this paper authors conducted analysis of management features on machine-tools with numerical control using neural network for achieving exactness. Applications of Hopfield networks are discussed in the paper along with application of neuron computers that offer decision making of tasks ticker-coil.

Determination of workspace is one of the main considerations in the design of any robot since the workspace geometry is considered a fundamental issue for robot design. This also plays a crucial role in trajectory planning. Among parallel manipulators, 6-DOF Stewart platforms is the most researched and widely used robot. However, till date there is no closed form expression of workspace volume for Stewart platform. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to find out the workspace volume of Stewart platform. In this paper, individual workspace of each leg of the manipulator (P-U-S) is determined and then translated by a common distance towards their geometrical center thus generating constant orientation workspace. To determine the workspace volume, geometric intersection of the six spheres is computed. This results in workspace of definite shape and size, whose volume is calculated using simple formulae. It is observed that the geometric way of determination of workspace area is computationally less tedious than the algebraic method. This also helps a lot for workspace optimization of such manipulators.