Soft tissue human thigh and buttock finite element model to simulate vehicle seat cushion indentation

Accurate modelling of automotive occupant posture is strongly related to the mechanical interaction between human body soft tissue and flexible seat components. This paper presents a finite-element study simulating the deflection of seat cushion foam and supportive seat structures, as well as human buttock and thigh soft tissue when seated. The thigh-buttock surface shell model was based on 95th percentile male subject scan data and made of two layers, covering thin to moderate thigh and buttock proportions. To replicate the effects of skin and fat, the neoprene rubber layer was modelled as a hyperelastic material with viscoelastic behaviour. The analytical seat model is based on a Ford production seat. The result of the finite-element indentation simulation is compared to a previous simulation of an indentation with a hard shell human model of equal geometry, and to the physical indentation result. We conclude that SAE composite buttock form and human-seat indentation of a suspended seat cushion can be validly simulated.

Plasmid DNA purification via the use of a dual affinity protein

Methods are presented for the production, affinity purification and analysis of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Batch fermentation is used for the production of the pDNA, and expanded bed chromatography, via the use of a dual affinity glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein, is used for the capture and purification of the pDNA. The protein is composed of GST, which displays affinity for glutathione immobilized to a solid-phase adsorbent, fused to a zinc finger transcription factor, which displays affinity for a target 9-base pair sequence contained within the target pDNA. A Picogreen™ fluorescence assay and/or anx ethidium bromide agarose gel electrophoresis assay can be used to analyze the eluted pDNA.

DS-VBF : dual sink vector-based routing protocol for underwater wireless sensor network

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) have become the seat of researchers' attention recently due to their proficiency to explore underwater areas and design different applications for marine discovery and oceanic surveillance. One of the main objectives of each deployed underwater network is discovering the optimized path over sensor nodes to transmit the monitored data to onshore station. The process of transmitting data consumes energy of each node, while energy is limited in UWSNs. So energy efficiency is a challenge in underwater wireless sensor network. Dual sinks vector based forwarding (DS-VBF) takes both residual energy and location information into consideration as priority factors to discover an optimized routing path to save energy in underwater networks. The modified routing protocol employs dual sinks on the water surface which improves network lifetime. According to deployment of dual sinks, packet delivery ratio and the average end to end delay are enhanced. Based on our simulation results in comparison with VBF, average end to end delay reduced more than 80%, remaining energy increased 10%, and the increment of packet reception ratio was about 70%.

Investigation of fiducial marker and soft-tissue image guidance techniques in prostate radiation therapy

This thesis examines and compares imaging methods used during the radiotherapy treatment of prostate cancer. The studies found that radiation therapists were able to localise and target the prostate consistently with planar imaging techniques and that the use of small gold markers in the prostate reduced the variation in prostate localisation when using volumetric imaging. It was concluded that larger safety margins are required when using volumetric imaging without gold markers.

Soft-switching single inductor current-fed push-pull converter for PV applications

A switching control strategy is proposed for single inductor current-fed push-pull converter with a secondary side active voltage doubler rectifier or a voltage rectifier used in photovoltaic (PV) grid interfacing. The proposed switching control strategy helps to turn-on and turn-off the primary side power switches with zero-voltage and zero-current switching. The operation of the push-pull converter is analyzed for two modes of operation. The feasibility of the proposed switching control strategy is validated using simulation and experimental results.

Dual compressible hybrid quantum secret sharing schemes based on extended unitary operations

A crucial issue with hybrid quantum secret sharing schemes is the amount of data that is allocated to the participants. The smaller the amount of allocated data, the better the performance of a scheme. Moreover, quantum data is very hard and expensive to deal with, therefore, it is desirable to use as little quantum data as possible. To achieve this goal, we first construct extended unitary operations by the tensor product of n, n ≥ 2, basic unitary operations, and then by using those extended operations, we design two quantum secret sharing schemes. The resulting dual compressible hybrid quantum secret sharing schemes, in which classical data play a complementary role to quantum data, range from threshold to access structure. Compared with the existing hybrid quantum secret sharing schemes, our proposed schemes not only reduce the number of quantum participants, but also the number of particles and the size of classical shares. To be exact, the number of particles that are used to carry quantum data is reduced to 1 while the size of classical secret shares also is also reduced to l−2 m−1 based on ((m+1, n′)) threshold and to l−2 r2 (where r2 is the number of maximal unqualified sets) based on adversary structure. Consequently, our proposed schemes can greatly reduce the cost and difficulty of generating and storing EPR pairs and lower the risk of transmitting encoded particles.

The dual nature of information systems in enabling a new wave of hardware ventures: Towards a theory

Hardware ventures are emerging entrepreneurial firms that create new market offerings based on development of digital devices. These ventures are important elements in the global economy but have not yet received much attention in the literature. Our interest in examining hardware ventures is specifically in the role that information system (IS) resources play in enabling them. We ask how the role of IS resources for hardware ventures can be conceptualized and develop a framework for assessment. Our framework builds on the distinction of operand and operant resources and distinguishes between two key lifecycle stages of hardware ventures: start-up and growth. We show how this framework can be used to discuss the role, nature, and use of IS for hardware ventures and outline empirical research strategies that flow from it. Our work contributes to broadening and enriching the IS field by drawing attention to its role in significant and novel phenomena.

Searching for people using semantic soft biometric descriptions

It is not uncommon to hear a person of interest described by their height, build, and clothing (i.e. type and colour). These semantic descriptions are commonly used by people to describe others, as they are quick to communicate and easy to understand. However such queries are not easily utilised within intelligent video surveillance systems, as they are difficult to transform into a representation that can be utilised by computer vision algorithms. In this paper we propose a novel approach that transforms such a semantic query into an avatar in the form of a channel representation that is searchable within a video stream. We show how spatial, colour and prior information (person shape) can be incorporated into the channel representation to locate a target using a particle-filter like approach. We demonstrate state-of-the-art performance for locating a subject in video based on a description, achieving a relative performance improvement of 46.7% over the baseline. We also apply this approach to person re-detection, and show that the approach can be used to re-detect a person in a video steam without the use of person detection.

Active fibers: Matching deformable tract templates to diffusion tensor images

Reliable quantitative analysis of white matter connectivity in the brain is an open problem in neuroimaging, with common solutions requiring tools for fiber tracking, tractography segmentation and estimation of intersubject correspondence. This paper proposes a novel, template matching approach to the problem. In the proposed method, a deformable fiber-bundle model is aligned directly with the subject tensor field, skipping the fiber tracking step. Furthermore, the use of a common template eliminates the need for tractography segmentation and defines intersubject shape correspondence. The method is validated using phantom DTI data and applications are presented, including automatic fiber-bundle reconstruction and tract-based morphometry. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Numerical optimization of soft-mold aided co-curing process of advanced grid-stiffened composite structures

The co-curing process for advanced grid-stiffened (AGS) composite structure is a promising manufacturing process, which could reduce the manufacturing cost, augment the advantages and improve the performance of AGS composite structure. An improved method named soft-mold aided co-curing process which replaces the expansion molds by a whole rubber mold is adopted in this paper. This co-curing process is capable to co-cure a typical AGS composite structure with the manufacturer’s recommended cure cycle (MRCC). Numerical models are developed to evaluate the variation of temperature and the degree of cure in AGS composite structure during the soft-mold aided co-curing process. The simulation results were validated by experimental results obtained from embedded temperature sensors. Based on the validated modeling framework, the cycle of cure can be optimized by reducing more than half the time of MRCC while obtaining a reliable degree of cure. The shape and size effects of AGS composite structure on the distribution of temperature and degree of cure are also investigated to provide insights for the optimization of soft-mold aided co-curing process.

Developments of the total entropy utility function for the dual purpose of model discrimination and parameter estimation in Bayesian design

The total entropy utility function is considered for the dual purpose of Bayesian design for model discrimination and parameter estimation. A sequential design setting is proposed where it is shown how to efficiently estimate the total entropy utility for a wide variety of data types. Utility estimation relies on forming particle approximations to a number of intractable integrals which is afforded by the use of the sequential Monte Carlo algorithm for Bayesian inference. A number of motivating examples are considered for demonstrating the performance of total entropy in comparison to utilities for model discrimination and parameter estimation. The results suggest that the total entropy utility selects designs which are efficient under both experimental goals with little compromise in achieving either goal. As such, the total entropy utility is advocated as a general utility for Bayesian design in the presence of model uncertainty.

Parametric study on cement-based soft-hard-soft (SHS) multi-layer composite pavement against blast load

An innovative cement-based soft-hard-soft (SHS) multi-layer composite has been developed for protective infrastructures. Such composite consists of three layers including asphalt concrete (AC), high strength concrete (HSC), and engineered cementitious composites (ECC). A three dimensional benchmark numerical model for this SHS composite as pavement under blast load was established using LSDYNA and validated by field blast test. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the influence of a few key parameters including thickness and strength of HSC and ECC layers, interface properties, soil conditions on the blast resistance of the composite. The outcomes of this study also enabled the establishment of a damage pattern chart for protective pavement design and rapid repair after blast load. Efficient methods to further improve the blast resistance of the SHS multi-layer pavement system were also recommended.

Curtains and the Soft Architecture of the American Postwar Domestic Environment

This article investigates the role of “soft architecture” and interior effects—including window treatments, textiles, and electric lighting—in the physcial and social construction of the postwar domestic environment in the USA. In this period the American home became an increasingly visual and visible space, defined more by the view out and the view in than by traditional conditions of domestic enclosure. Popular how-to columns and home decoration articles offered homemakers a variety of mechanisms for sustaining the appearance and psychological comfort of the modern domestic setting. Examining a range of popular decorative strategies used to mediate residential picture windows and window walls, this study challenges the deep-seated cultural and disciplinary biases associated with both the design and study of domestic architecture and interiors. Drawing upon historical documents and contemporary theorizations of the interior, this paper argues for the agency of “soft architecture” in the domestication of modern residential architecture.

Performance of soft-hard-soft (SHS) cement based composite subjected to blast loading with consideration of interface properties

This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study on the damage and performance of a soft-hard-soft (SHS) multi-layer cement based composite subjected to blast loading which can be used for protective structures and infrastructures to resist extreme loadings, and the composite consists of three layers of construction materials including asphalt concrete (AC) on the top, high strength concrete (HSC) in the middle, and engineered cementitious composites (ECC) at the bottom. To better characterize the material properties under dynamic loading, interface properties of the composite were investigated through direct shear test and also used to validate the interface model. Strain rate effects of the asphalt concrete were also studied and both compressive and tensile dynamic increase factor (DIF) curves were improved based on split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test. A full-scale field blast test investigated the blast behavior of the composite materials. The numerical model was established by taking into account the strain rate effect of all concrete materials. Furthermore, the interface properties were also considered into the model. The numerical simulation using nonlinear finite element software LS-DYNA agrees closely with the experimental data. Both the numerical and field blast test indicated that the SHS composite exhibited high resistance against blast loading.