A circuit-breaker restrike diagnostic algorithm using ATP and wavelet transforms

Circuit breaker restrikes are unwanted occurrence, which can ultimately lead to breaker. Before 2008, there was little evidence in the literature of monitoring techniques based on restrike measurement and interpretation produced during switching of capacitor banks and shunt reactor banks. In 2008 a non-intrusive radiometric restrike measurement method, as well a restrike hardware detection algorithm was developed. The limitations of the radiometric measurement method are a band limited frequency response as well as limitations in amplitude determination. Current detection methods and algorithms required the use of wide bandwidth current transformers and voltage dividers. A novel non-intrusive restrike diagnostic algorithm using ATP (Alternative Transient Program) and wavelet transforms is proposed. Wavelet transforms are the most common use in signal processing, which is divided into two tests, i.e. restrike detection and energy level based on deteriorated waveforms in different types of restrike. A ‘db5’ wavelet was selected in the tests as it gave a 97% correct diagnostic rate evaluated using a database of diagnostic signatures. This was also tested using restrike waveforms simulated under different network parameters which gave a 92% correct diagnostic responses. The diagnostic technique and methodology developed in this research can be applied to any power monitoring system with slight modification for restrike detection.

Frame-rate stereopsis using non-parametric transforms and programmable logic

A frame-rate stereo vision system, based on non-parametric matching metrics, is described. Traditional metrics, such as normalized cross-correlation, are expensive in terms of logic. Non-parametric measures require only simple, parallelizable, functions such as comparators, counters and exclusive-or, and are thus very well suited to implementation in reprogrammable logic.

Möbius transforms, coincident Boolean functions and non-coincidence property of Boolean functions

Boolean functions and their Möbius transforms are involved in logical calculation, digital communications, coding theory and modern cryptography. So far, little is known about the relations of Boolean functions and their Möbius transforms. This work is composed of three parts. In the first part, we present relations between a Boolean function and its Möbius transform so as to convert the truth table/algebraic normal form (ANF) to the ANF/truth table of a function in different conditions. In the second part, we focus on the special case when a Boolean function is identical to its Möbius transform. We call such functions coincident. In the third part, we generalize the concept of coincident functions and indicate that any Boolean function has the coincidence property even it is not coincident.

Business process modeling : current issues and future challenges

Business process modeling has undoubtedly emerged as a popular and relevant practice in Information Systems. Despite being an actively researched field, anecdotal evidence and experiences suggest that the focus of the research community is not always well aligned with the needs of industry. The main aim of this paper is, accordingly, to explore the current issues and the future challenges in business process modeling, as perceived by three key stakeholder groups (academics, practitioners, and tool vendors). We present the results of a global Delphi study with these three groups of stakeholders, and discuss the findings and their implications for research and practice. Our findings suggest that the critical areas of concern are standardization of modeling approaches, identification of the value proposition of business process modeling, and model-driven process execution. These areas are also expected to persist as business process modeling roadblocks in the future.

Creative urban regions : harnessing urban technologies to support knowledge city initiatives

In the rapidly growing knowledge economy, the talent and creativity of those around us will be increasingly decisive in shaping economic opportunity. Creativity can be described as the ability to produce new and original ideas and things. In other words, it is any act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain or transforms an existing domain into a new one. From an economic perspective, creativity can be considered as the generation of new ideas that is the major source of innovation and new economic activities. As urban regions have become the localities of key knowledge precincts and knowledge clusters across the globe, the link between a range of new technologies and the development of ‘creative urban regions’ (CURs) has come to the fore. In this sense, creativity has become a buzz concept in knowledge-economy research and policy circles. It has spawned ‘creative milieus,’ ‘creative industries,’ ‘creative cities,’ ‘creative class,’ and ‘creative capital.’ Hence, creativity has become a key concept on the agenda of city managers, development agents, and planners as they search for new forms of urban and economic development. CURs provide vast opportunities for knowledge production and spillover, which lead to the formation of knowledge cities. Urban information and communication technology (ICT) developments support the transformation of cities into knowledge cities. This book, which is a companion volume to Knowledge-Based Urban Development: Planning and Applications in the Information Era (also published by IGI Global) focuses on some of these developments. The Forward and Afterword are written by senior respected academic researchers Robert Stimson of the University of Queensland, Australia, and Zorica Nedovic-Budic of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. The book is divided into four sections, each one dealing with selected aspects of information and communication technologies and creative urban regions.

The role of extreme sports in lifestyle enhancement and wellness

Alternative sports are fast becoming the physical activity of choice. Participation rates are even outstripping more traditional activities such as golf. At their most extreme there is no second chance, the most likely outcome of a mismanaged error or accident is death. At this level participants enjoy activities such as B.A.S.E. (Buildings, Antennae, Space, Earth) jumping, big wave surfing, waterfall kayaking, extreme skiing, rope-free climbing and extreme mountaineering. Probably the most common explanation for participation in extreme sports is the notion that participation is just a matter of some people‟s need to take unnecessary risks. This study reports on findings that indicate a more positive experience. A phenomenological method was used via unstructured interviews with 15 extreme sports participants (ages 30 – 72 years) and other firsthand accounts. Extreme sport participants directly related their experience to personal transformations that spill over to life in general. Athletes report feelings of deep psychological wellbeing and meaningfulness. The extreme sport experience enables a participant to break through personal barriers and develop an understanding of their own resourcefulness and emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual capabilities. Furthermore such a breakthrough also seems to trigger a change in personal philosophy or view on life. The extreme sport experience transforms a participant though not in terms of working towards an external (social or cultural) perception of identity or towards some constructed perception of an ideal self, but by touching something within.

Evaluating the Java Virtual Machine as a Target for Languages Other Than Java

The portability and runtime safety of programs which are executed on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) makes the JVM an attractive target for compilers of languages other than Java. Unfortunately, the JVM was designed with language Java in mind, and lacks many of the primitives required for a straighforward implementation of other languages. Here, we discuss how the JVM may be used to implement other object-oriented languages. As a practical example of the possibilities, we report on a comprehensive case study. The open source Gardens Point Component Pascal compiler compiles the entire Component Pascal language, a dialect of Oberon-2, to JVM bytecodes. This compiler achieves runtime efficiencies which are comparable to native-code implementations of procedural languages.

Implementing languages other than Java on the Java Virtual Machine

The portability and runtime safety of programs which are executed on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) makes the JVM an attractive target for compilers of languages other than Java. Unfortunately, the JVM was designed with language Java in mind, and lacks many of the primitives required for a straight forward implementation of other languages. Here, we discuss how the JVM may be used to implement other object oriented languages. As a practical example of the possibilities, we report on a comprehensive case study. The open source Gardens Point Component Pascal compiler compiles the entire Component Pascal language, a dialect of Oberon 2, to JVM bytecodes. This compiler achieves runtime efficiencies which are comparable to native code implementations of procedural languages.

Leveraging managed frameworks from modular languages

Managed execution frameworks, such as the.NET Common Language Runtime or the Java Virtual Machine, provide a rich environment for the creation of application programs. These execution environments are ideally suited for languages that depend on type-safety and the declarative control of feature access. Furthermore, such frameworks typically provide a rich collection of library primitives specialized for almost every domain of application programming. Thus, when a new language is implemented on one of these frameworks it becomes necessary to provide some kind of mapping from the new language to the libraries of the framework. The design of such mappings is challenging since the type-system of the new language may not span the domain exposed in the library application programming interfaces (APIs). The nature of these design considerations was clarified in the implementation of the Gardens Point Component Pascal (gpcp) compiler. In this paper we describe the issues, and the solutions that we settled on in this case. The problems that were solved have a wider applicability than just our example, since they arise whenever any similar language is hosted in such an environment.

Changes in intraocular pressure and ocular pulse amplitude with accommodation

Aims: To investigate the change that occurs in intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) with accommodation in young adult myopes and emmetropes. Methods: Fifteen progressing myopic and 17 emmetropic young adult subjects had their IOP and OPA measured using the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer. Measurements were taken initially with accommodation relaxed, and then following 2 min of near fixation (accommodative demand 3 D). Baseline measurements of axial length and corneal thickness were also collected prior to the IOP measures. Results: IOP significantly decreased with accommodation in both the myopic and emmetropic subjects (mean change 1.861.1 mm Hg, p<0.0001). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between myopes and emmetropes in terms of baseline IOP or the magnitude of change in IOP with accommodation. OPA also decreased significantly with accommodation (mean change for all subjects 0.560.5, p<0.0001). The myopic subjects (baseline OPA 2.060.7 mm Hg) exhibited a significantly lower baseline OPA (p¼0.004) than the emmetropes (baseline OPA 3.261.3 mm Hg),and a significantly lower magnitude of change in OPA with accommodation. Conclusion: IOP decreases significantly with accommodation, and changes similarly in progressing myopic and emmetropic subjects. However, differences found between progressing myopes and emmetropes in the mean OPA levels and the decrease in OPA associated with accommodation suggested some changes in IOP dynamics associated with myopia.

The absence of form

what was silent will speak, what is closed will open and will take on a voice Paul Virilio The fundamental problem in dealing with the digital is that we are forced to contend with a fundamental deconstruction of form. A deconstruction that renders our content and practice into a single state that can be openly and easily manipulated, reimagined and mashed together in rapid time to create completely unique artefacts and potentially unwranglable jumbles of data. Once our work is essentially broken down into this series of number sequences, (or bytes), our sound, images, movies and documents – our memory files - we are left with nothing but choice….and this is the key concern. This absence of form transforms our work into new collections and poses unique challenges for the artist seeking opportunities to exploit the potential of digital deconstruction. It is through this struggle with the absent form that we are able to thoroughly explore the latent potential of content, exploit modern abstractions of time and devise approaches within our practice that actively deal with the digital as an essential matter of course.

The Federal circuit in Bilski : the machine-or-transformation test

In a much anticipated judgment, the Federal Circuit has sought to clarify the standards applicable in determining whether a claimed method constitutes patent-eligible subject matter. In Bilski, the Federal Circuit identified a test to determine whether a patentee has made claims that pre-empt the use of a fundamental principle or an abstract idea or whether those claims cover only a particular application of a fundamental principle or abstract idea. It held that the sole test for determining subject matter eligibility for a claimed process under § 101 is that: (1) it is tied to a particular machine or apparatus, or (2) it transforms a particular article into a different state or thing. The court termed this the “machine-or-transformation test.” In so doing it overruled its earlier State Street decision to the extent that it deemed its “useful, tangible and concrete result” test as inadequate to determine whether an alleged invention recites patent-eligible subject matter.