Feasibility studies of an on-line identification technique

This thesis is concerned with the study of a non-sequential identification technique, so that it may be applied to the identification of process plant mathematical models from process measurements with the greatest degree of accuracy and reliability. In order to study the accuracy of the technique under differing conditions, simple mathematical models were set up on a parallel hybrid. computer and these models identified from input/output measurements by a small on-line digital computer. Initially, the simulated models were identified on-line. However, this method of operation was found not suitable for a thorough study of the technique due to equipment limitations. Further analysis was carried out in a large off-line computer using data generated by the small on-line computer. Hence identification was not strictly on-line. Results of the work have shovm that the identification technique may be successfully applied in practice. An optimum sampling period is suggested, together with noise level limitations for maximum accuracy. A description of a double-effect evaporator is included in this thesis. It is proposed that the next stage in the work will be the identification of a mathematical model of this evaporator using the teclmique described.

Discovery of active proteins directly from combinatorial randomized protein libraries without display, purification or sequencing:identification of novel zinc finger proteins.

We have successfully linked protein library screening directly with the identification of active proteins, without the need for individual purification, display technologies or physical linkage between the protein and its encoding sequence. By using 'MAX' randomization we have rapidly constructed 60 overlapping gene libraries that encode zinc finger proteins, randomized variously at the three principal DNA-contacting residues. Expression and screening of the libraries against five possible target DNA sequences generated data points covering a potential 40,000 individual interactions. Comparative analysis of the resulting data enabled direct identification of active proteins. Accuracy of this library analysis methodology was confirmed by both in vitro and in vivo analyses of identified proteins to yield novel zinc finger proteins that bind to their target sequences with high affinity, as indicated by low nanomolar apparent dissociation constants.

Implementation challenges of application of radio frequency identification (RFID) in warehouse

Warehouse is an essential component in the supply chain, linking the chain partners and providing them with functions of product storage, inbound and outbound operations along with value-added processes. Allocation of warehouse resources should be efficient and effective to achieve optimum productivity and reduce operational costs. Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology capable of providing real-time information about supply chain operations. It has been used by warehousing and logistic enterprises to achieve reduced shrinkage, improved material handling and tracking as well as increased accuracy of data collection. However, both academics and practitioners express concerns about challenges to RFID adoption in the supply chain. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the problems encountered in RFID implementation at warehouses, discussing the theoretical and practical adoption barriers and causes of not achieving full potential of the technology. Lack of foreseeable return on investment (ROI) and high costs are the most commonly reported obstacles. Variety of standards and radio wave frequencies are identified as source of concern for decision makers. Inaccurate performance of the RFID within the warehouse environment is examined. Description of integration challenges between warehouse management system and RFID technology is given. The paper discusses the existing solutions to technological, investment and performance RFID adoption barriers. Factors to consider when implementing the RFID technology are given to help alleviate implementation problems. By illustrating the challenges of RFID in the warehouse environment and discussing possible solutions the paper aims to help both academics and practitioners to focus on key areas constituting an obstacle to the technology growth. As more studies will address these challenges, the realisation of RFID benefits for warehouses and supply chain will become a reality.

Recognition accuracy and response bias to happy and sad facial expressions in patients with major depression

Impaired facial expression recognition has been associated with features of major depression, which could underlie some of the difficulties in social interactions in these patients. Patients with major depressive disorder and age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers judged the emotion of 100 facial stimuli displaying different intensities of sadness and happiness and neutral expressions presented for short (100 ms) and long (2,000 ms) durations. Compared with healthy volunteers, depressed patients demonstrated subtle impairments in discrimination accuracy and a predominant bias away from the identification as happy of mildly happy expressions. The authors suggest that, in depressed patients, the inability to accurately identify subtle changes in facial expression displayed by others in social situations may underlie the impaired interpersonal functioning.

Individual identification via electrocardiogram analysis

Background: During last decade the use of ECG recordings in biometric recognition studies has increased. ECG characteristics made it suitable for subject identification: it is unique, present in all living individuals, and hard to forge. However, in spite of the great number of approaches found in literature, no agreement exists on the most appropriate methodology. This study aimed at providing a survey of the techniques used so far in ECG-based human identification. Specifically, a pattern recognition perspective is here proposed providing a unifying framework to appreciate previous studies and, hopefully, guide future research. Methods: We searched for papers on the subject from the earliest available date using relevant electronic databases (Medline, IEEEXplore, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge). The following terms were used in different combinations: electrocardiogram, ECG, human identification, biometric, authentication and individual variability. The electronic sources were last searched on 1st March 2015. In our selection we included published research on peer-reviewed journals, books chapters and conferences proceedings. The search was performed for English language documents. Results: 100 pertinent papers were found. Number of subjects involved in the journal studies ranges from 10 to 502, age from 16 to 86, male and female subjects are generally present. Number of analysed leads varies as well as the recording conditions. Identification performance differs widely as well as verification rate. Many studies refer to publicly available databases (Physionet ECG databases repository) while others rely on proprietary recordings making difficult them to compare. As a measure of overall accuracy we computed a weighted average of the identification rate and equal error rate in authentication scenarios. Identification rate resulted equal to 94.95 % while the equal error rate equal to 0.92 %. Conclusions: Biometric recognition is a mature field of research. Nevertheless, the use of physiological signals features, such as the ECG traits, needs further improvements. ECG features have the potential to be used in daily activities such as access control and patient handling as well as in wearable electronics applications. However, some barriers still limit its growth. Further analysis should be addressed on the use of single lead recordings and the study of features which are not dependent on the recording sites (e.g. fingers, hand palms). Moreover, it is expected that new techniques will be developed using fiducials and non-fiducial based features in order to catch the best of both approaches. ECG recognition in pathological subjects is also worth of additional investigations.

Identification of key temperature measurement technologies for the enhancement of product and equipment integrity in the light controlled factory

Thermal effects in uncontrolled factory environments are often the largest source of uncertainty in large volume dimensional metrology. As the standard temperature for metrology of 20°C cannot be achieved practically or economically in many manufacturing facilities, the characterisation and modelling of temperature offers a solution for improving the uncertainty of dimensional measurement and quantifying thermal variability in large assemblies. Technologies that currently exist for temperature measurement in the range of 0-50°C have been presented alongside discussion of these temperature measurement technologies' usefulness for monitoring temperatures in a manufacturing context. Particular aspects of production where the technology could play a role are highlighted as well as practical considerations for deployment. Contact sensors such as platinum resistance thermometers can produce accuracy closest to the desired accuracy given the most challenging measurement conditions calculated to be ∼0.02°C. Non-contact solutions would be most practical in the light controlled factory (LCF) and semi-invasive appear least useful but all technologies can play some role during the initial development of thermal variability models.

Identification of a time-dependent bio-heat blood perfusion coefficient

In the paper the identification of the time-dependent blood perfusion coefficient is formulated as an inverse problem. The bio-heat conduction problem is transformed into the classical heat conduction problem. Then the transformed inverse problem is solved using the method of fundamental solutions together with the Tikhonov regularization. Some numerical results are presented in order to demonstrate the accuracy and the stability of the proposed meshless numerical algorithm.