Automated control of a dragline using machine vision

The research described in this paper is directed toward increasing productivity of draglines through automation. In particular, it focuses on the swing-to-dump, dump, and return-to-dig phases of the dragline operational cycle by developing a swing automation system. In typical operation the dragline boom can be in motion for up to 80% of the total cycle time. This provides considerable scope for improving cycle time through automated or partially automated boom motion control. This paper describes machine vision based sensor technology and control algorithms under development to solve the problem of continuous real time bucket location and control. Incorporation of this capability into existing dragline control systems will then enable true automation of dragline swing and dump operations.

Interrogating statistical models of music perception

We have developed a new experimental method for interrogating statistical theories of music perception by implementing these theories as generative music algorithms. We call this method Generation in Context. This method differs from most experimental techniques in music perception in that it incorporates aesthetic judgments. Generation In Context is designed to measure percepts for which the musical context is suspected to play an important role. In particular the method is suitable for the study of perceptual parameters which are temporally dynamic. We outline a use of this approach to investigate David Temperley’s (2007) probabilistic melody model, and provide some provisional insights as to what is revealed about the model. We suggest that Temperley’s model could be improved by dynamically modulating the probability distributions according to the changing musical context.

Performance study of two different compensating devices in a custom power park

Simulation study of a custom power park (CPP) is presented. It is assumed that the park contains unbalanced and nonlinear loads in addition to a sensitive load. Two different types of compensators are used separately to protect the sensitive load against unbalance and distortion caused by the other loads. It has been shown that a shunt compensator can regulate the voltage of the CPP bus, whereas the series compensator can only regulate the sensitive load terminal voltage. Additional issues such as the load transfer through a static transfer switch, detection of sag/fault etc. are also discussed. The concepts are validated through PSCAD/EMTDC simulation studies on a sample distribution system.

Didiman: Australian agricultural extension officers in the territory of Papua and New Guinea, 1945-1975

Historically, the development philosophy for the two Territories of Papua and New Guinea (known as TPNG, formerly two territories, Papua and New Guinea) was equated with economic development, with a focus on agricultural development. To achieve the modification or complete change in indigenous farming systems the Australian Government’s Department of External Territories adopted and utilised a programme based on agricultural extension. Prior to World War II, under Australian administration, the economic development of these two territories, as in many colonies of the time, was based on the institution of the plantation. Little was initiated in agriculture development for indigenous people. This changed after World War II to a rationale based on the promotion and advancement of primary industry, but also came to include indigenous farmers. To develop agriculture within a colony it was thought that a modification to, or in some cases the complete transformation of, existing farming systems was necessary to improve the material welfare of the population. It was also seen to be a guarantee for the future national interest of the sovereign state after independence was granted. The Didiman and Didimisis became the frontline, field operatives of this theoretical model of development. This thesis examines the Didiman’s field operations, the structural organisation of agricultural administration and the application of policy in the two territories.

Reliability evaluations of railway power supplies by fault-tree analysis

High reliability of railway power systems is one of the essential criteria to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness of railway services. Evaluation of reliability at system level is essential for not only scheduling maintenance activities, but also identifying reliability-critical components. Various methods to compute reliability on individual components or regularly structured systems have been developed and proven to be effective. However, they are not adequate for evaluating complicated systems with numerous interconnected components, such as railway power systems, and locating the reliability critical components. Fault tree analysis (FTA) integrates the reliability of individual components into the overall system reliability through quantitative evaluation and identifies the critical components by minimum cut sets and sensitivity analysis. The paper presents the reliability evaluation of railway power systems by FTA and investigates the impact of maintenance activities on overall reliability. The applicability of the proposed methods is illustrated by case studies in AC railways.

An investigation of rail condition monitoring by Fibre Bragg Grating sensors

Condition monitoring on rails and train wheels is vitally important to the railway asset management and the rail-wheel interactions provide the crucial information of the health state of both rails and wheels. Continuous and remote monitoring is always a preference for operators. With a new generation of strain sensing devices in Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors, this study explores the possibility of continuous monitoring of the health state of the rails; and investigates the required signal processing techniques and their limitations.

Monitoring of the vertical movements of rail sleepers with the passage of trains

Due to an ever increasing demand for more frequent and higher volume of train service, the physical conditions of tracks in modem railways are deteriorating more quickly when compared to tracks built decades ago. There are incidences in both the UK and Hong Kong indicating there are needs for a more stringent checks on the rail conditions using suitable and effective non-invasive and nondestructive condition monitoring system.

A comprehensive condition monitoring of modern railway

The demand for high quality rail services in the twenty-first century has put an ever increasing demand on all rail operators. In order to meet the expectation of their patrons, the maintenance regime of railway systems has to be tightened up, the track conditions have to be well looked after, the rolling stock must be designed to withstand heavy duty. In short, in an ideal world where resources are unlimited, one needs to implement a very rigorous inspection regime in order to take care of the modem needs of a railway system [1]. If cost were not an issue, the maintenance engineers could inspect the train body by the most up-to-date techniques such as ultra-sound examination, x-ray inspection, magnetic particle inspection, etc. on a regular basis. However it is inconceivable to have such a perfect maintenance regime in any commercial railway. Likewise, it is impossible to have a perfect rolling stock which can weather all the heavy duties experienced in a modem railway. Hence it is essential that some condition monitoring schemes are devised to pick up potential defects which could manifest into safety hazards. This paper introduces an innovative condition monitoring system for track profile and, together with an instrumented car to carry out surveillance of the track, will provide a comprehensive railway condition monitoring system which is free from the usual difficulty of electromagnetic compatibility issues in a typical railway environment

Inclusion of PMU current phasor measurements in a power system state estimator

Three different methods of inclusion of current measurements by phasor measurement units (PMUs) in a power sysetm state estimator is investigated. A comprehensive formulation of the hybrid state estimator incorporating conventional, as well as PMU measurements, is presented for each of the three methods. The behaviour of the elements because of the current measurements in the measurement Jacobian matrix is examined for any possible ill-conditioning of the state estimator gain matrix. The performance of the state estimators are compared in terms of the convergence properties and the varian in the estimated states. The IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 300-bus systems are used as test beds for the study.

Immunohistochemical analysis of structural changes in collagen for the assessment of osteoarthritis

Collagen fibrillation within articular cartilage (AC) plays a key role in joint osteoarthritis (OA) progression and, therefore, studying collagen synthesis changes could be an indicator for use in the assessment of OA. Various staining techniques have been developed and used to determine the collagen network transformation under microscopy. However, because collagen and proteoglycan coexist and have the same index of refraction, conventional methods for specific visualization of collagen tissue is difficult. This study aimed to develop an advanced staining technique to distinguish collagen from proteoglycan and to determine its evolution in relation to OA progression using optical and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). A number of AC samples were obtained from sheep joints, including both healthy and abnormal joints with OA grades 1 to 3. The samples were stained using two different trichrome methods and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to stain both colourimetrically and with fluorescence. Using optical microscopy and LSCM, the present authors demonstrated that the IHC technique stains collagens only, allowing the collagen network to be separated and directly investigated. Fluorescently-stained IHC samples were also subjected to LSCM to obtain three-dimensional images of the collagen fibres. Changes in the collagen fibres were then correlated with the grade of OA in tissue. This study is the first to successfully utilize the IHC staining technique in conjunction with laser scanning confocal microscopy. This is a valuable tool for assessing changes to articular cartilage in OA.

Flexural and torsional rigidity of colonoscope at room and body temperatures

A series of experiments have been conducted to determine the flexural, EI, and torsional, GJ, rigidity of an Olympus colonoscope CF‐140S and torsional rigidity of a Pentax colonoscope EC‐3870 and the dependency of these properties on temperature and on the presence of loops. Along the length of the colonoscope, the Olympus colonoscope flexural rigidity varied between 260 and 400 Ncm2 and torsional rigidity varied between 68 and 88 Ncm2/deg, with an average of 76 Ncm2/deg for tests involving 0.86 Nm of anti‐clockwise torque. Results show a significant decrease of 10% in torsional rigidity between clockwise and anti‐clockwise torque. For the Pentax colonoscope flexural rigidity was not tested; its torsional rigidity varied between 34 and 76 Ncm2/deg, with an average of 46 Ncm2/deg for tests involving 0.43 Nm of anti‐clockwise torque. An increase in temperature of the Olympus colonoscope from 24°C to 37°C reduces EI by an average of 17% and GJ by an average of 7%. A right‐handed loop caused a significant increase in flexural rigidity, but other looping configurations had no significant influence.

A comparative analysis of business analysis (BA) and business process management (BPM) capabilities

Many initiatives to improve Business processes are emerging. The essential roles and contributions of Business Analyst (BA) and Business Process Management (BPM) professionals to such initiatives have been recognized in literature and practice. The roles and responsibilities of a BA or BPM practitioner typically require different skill-sets; however these differences are often vague. This vagueness creates much confusion in practice and academia. While both the BA and BPM communities have made attempts to describe their domains through capability defining empirical research and developments of Bodies of knowledge, there has not yet been any attempt to identify the commonality of skills required and points of uniqueness between the two professions. This study aims to address this gap and presents the findings of a detailed content mapping exercise (using NVivo as a qualitative data analysis tool) of the International Institution of Business Analysis (IIBA®) Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) against core BPM competency and capability frameworks.