Image vusion : image and video fusion

It is not uncommon in many image acquisition solutions to balance a trade off between obtaining high resolution images at very low frame rates or acquiring a burst of low resolution images at higher frame rates. This paper introduces a novel image fusion framework for producing a high resolution video by augmenting analysed motion in a low resolution video to a single high resolution image. Many application domains such as remote sensing, low radiation medical imaging and battlefield automation will benefit from this novel fusion framework. The results show that a captured high resolution 30 frames per second video can be produced with 95% cost reduction while maintaining 94% structural similarity.

Investigating key decision problems to optimize the operation and maintenance strategy of offshore wind farms

This paper investigates three decision problems with potential to optimize operation and maintenance and logistics strategies for offshore wind farms: the timing of pre-determined jack-up vessel campaigns; selection of crew transfer vessel fleet; and timing of annual services. These problems are compared both in terms of potential cost reduction and the stochastic variability and associated uncertainty of the outcome. Pre-determined jack-up vessel campaigns appear to have a high cost reduction potential but also a higher stochastic variability than the other decision problems. The paper also demonstrates the benefits and difficulties of considering problems together rather than solving them in isolation.

Café opita, un negocio para catar: análisis organizacional de productores, comerciantes y multinacionales de café en Neiva, Huila

Varias investigaciones sobre el café han enfatizado la dimensión económica e histórica para analizarlo. La estructura económica, los precios, la organización de las empresas de acuerdo a la reducción de costos, los procesos políticos y culturales en fin, han sido los articuladores de estos análisis. Sin embargo, el presente trabajo se enfatizó en el análisis de las organizaciones a partir de la antropología empresarial de Bourdieu para abordar el café en Neiva. Cómo las diferentes organizaciones de intermediación interactúan para establecer, garantizar y perpetuar su posición en el mercado del café.

Desórdenes muscoloesqueléticos en el trabajador avícola – intervenciones en salud

Introducción: El trabajador avícola presenta un alto riesgo de sufrir de Desórdenes Musculo esqueléticos, debido a la realización de trabajos manuales repetitivos; posición bípeda prolongada, posturas por fuera de ángulos de confort de miembros superiores Objetivo: Establecer las recomendaciones basadas en la evidencia de las intervenciones en salud para los Desórdenes Musculoesqueléticos (DME) en el trabajador avícola. Metodología: Se realizó una revisión de la literatura de los estudios primarios publicados en las bases de datos Medline, Scient Direct y Scielo desde 1990. Los artículos se clasificaron de acuerdo con: el tipo de estudio, la calidad de éste y el nivel de evidencia que aportaba. Resultados: Dentro de las recomendaciones de la evidencia disponible para el manejo integral de los pacientes de la industria avícola con riesgos o eventos asociados a DME se encuentran las siguientes: 1) incorporar un enfoque sistémico en la atención a dichos trabajadores, 2) incluir aspectos psicosociales en la identificación y explicación de los riesgos y eventos en salud, 3) permitir los descansos, microrupturas y pautas para el ejercicio, 4) facilitar la rotación y ampliación de puestos de trabajo, 5) mejorar las herramientas de trabajo - especialmente el corte de los cuchillos. Conclusiones: Las intervenciones descritas en la presente revisión, apuntan hacia el mejoramiento de la incidencia y la prevalencia de los DMS, la disminución de incapacidad temporal y definitiva por los DMS, el mejoramiento en la producción industrial y la reducción de costos tanto económicos como humanos. Sin embargo, se debe plantear la necesidad de continuar impulsando el desarrollo de investigaciones y estudios que permitan tener mayores elementos de juicio para poder realizar recomendaciones a los tipos de intervenciones propuestas. A pesar de lo anterior, las intervenciones en salud para los trabajadores de la industria avícola deben ser enfocadas desde la prestación integral de los servicios de salud.

A study on the cost sharing model for supply lead time reduction with component commonality

This paper studies a two-level supply chain consisting of components supplier and product assembly manufacturer, while the manufacturer shares the investment on shortening supply lead time. The objective of this research is to investigate the benefits of cost sharing strategy and adopting component commonality. The result of numerical analysis demonstrates that using component commonality can help reduce the total cost, especially when the manufacture shares a higher fraction of the cost of investment in shortening supply lead time.

A Cost Model for the Effect of Setup Time Reduction in Stainless Steel Strip Production

Setup time reduction facilitate the flexibility needed for just-in-time production. An integrated steel mill with meltshop, continuous caster and hot rolling mill is often operated as decoupled processes. Setup time reduction provides the flexibility needed to reduce buffering, shorten lead times and create an integrated process flow. The interdependency of setup times, process flexibility and integration were analysed through system dynamics simulation. The results showed significant reductions of energy consumption and tied capital. It was concluded that setup time reduction in the hot strip mill can aid process integration and hence improve production economy while reducing environmental impact.

GM X material substitution weight reduction/cost effectiveness study. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Heavy vehicle cost responsibility study. Report of the Secretary of Transportation to the United States Congress pursuant to section 931 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984.

Mode of access: Internet.

Effectiveness of alternative skid reduction measures. Volume II: benefit-cost model. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

A review of the use of chemical sealants for reduction of canal seepage losses, lower-cost canal lining program /

Mode of access: Internet.

Integration of sulphate reduction, autotrophic denitrification and nitrification to achieve low-cost excess sludge minimisation for Hong Kong sewage

An integrated anaerobic-aerobic treatment system of sulphate-laden wastewater was proposed here to achieve low sludge production, low energy consumption and effective sulphide control. Before integrating the whole system, the feasibility of autotrophic denitrification utilising dissolved sulphide produced during anaerobic treatment of sulphate rich wastewater was studied here. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was operated to treat sulphate-rich synthetic wastewater (TOC = 100 mg/L and sulphate = 500 mg/L) and its effluent with dissolved sulphide and external nitrate solution were fed into an anoxic biofilter. The anaerobic reactor was able to remove 77-85% of TOC at HRT of 3 h and produce 70-90 mg S/L sulphide in dissolved form for the subsequent denitrification. The performance of anoxic reactor was stable, and the anoxic reactor could remove 30 mg N/L nitrate at HRT of 2 h through autotrophic denitrification. Furthermore, sulphur balance for the anoxic filter showed that more than 90% of the removed sulphide was actually oxidised into sulphate, thereby there was no accumulation of sulphur particles in the filter bed. The net sludge productions were approximately 0.15 to 0.18 g VSS/g COD in the anaerobic reactor and 0.22 to 0.31 g VSS/g NO3--N in the anoxic reactor. The findings in this study will be helpful in developing the integrated treatment system to achieve low-cost excess sludge minimisation.

Cost-effective upgrade of WDM all-optical networks using overlay fibres and hop reduction links

Fibre overlay is a cost-effective technique to alleviate wavelength blocking in some links of a wavelength-routed optical network by increasing the number of wavelengths in those links. In this letter, we investigate the effects of overlaying fibre in an all-optical network (AON) based on GÉANT2 topology. The constraint-based routing and wavelength assignment (CB-RWA) algorithm locates where cost-efficient upgrades should be implemented. Through numerical examples, we demonstrate that the network capacity improves by 25 per cent by overlaying fibre on 10 per cent of the links, and by 12 per cent by providing hop reduction links comprising 2 per cent of the links. For the upgraded network, we also show the impact of dynamic traffic allocation on the blocking probability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cost-effective upgrade of WDM all-optical networks using overlay fibres and hop reduction links

Fibre overlay is a cost-effective technique to alleviate wavelength blocking in some links of a wavelength-routed optical network by increasing the number of wavelengths in those links. In this letter, we investigate the effects of overlaying fibre in an all-optical network (AON) based on GÉANT2 topology. The constraint-based routing and wavelength assignment (CB-RWA) algorithm locates where cost-efficient upgrades should be implemented. Through numerical examples, we demonstrate that the network capacity improves by 25 per cent by overlaying fibre on 10 per cent of the links, and by 12 per cent by providing hop reduction links comprising 2 per cent of the links. For the upgraded network, we also show the impact of dynamic traffic allocation on the blocking probability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.