A Non-Destructive Testing Based on Electromagnetic Measurements and Neural Networks for the Inspection of Concrete Structures

This paper presents a new non-destructive testing (NDT) for reinforced concrete structures, in order to identify the components of their reinforcement. A time varying electromagnetic field is generated close to the structure by electromagnetic devices specially designed for this purpose. The presence of ferromagnetic materials (the steel bars of the reinforcement) immersed in the concrete disturbs the magnetic field at the surface of the structure. These field alterations are detected by sensors coils placed on the concrete surface. Variations in position and cross section (the size) of steel bars immersed in concrete originate slightly different values for the induced voltages at the coils.. The values for the induced voltages were obtained in laboratory tests, and multi-layer perceptron artificial neural networks with Levemberg-Marquardt training algorithm were used to identify the location and size of the bar. Preliminary results can be considered very good.

DIAGNOSIS of REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW ABNORMALITIES USING SPECT: AGREEMENT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALIZED STATISTICAL PARAMETRIC MAPS and VISUAL INSPECTION BY NUCLEAR MEDICINE PHYSICIANS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS of EXPERTISE IN NUCLEAR NEUROLOGY

INTRODUCTION: Visual analysis is widely used to interpret regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT images in clinical practice despite its limitations. Automated methods are employed to investigate between-group rCBF differences in research Studies but have rarely been explored in individual analyses.OBJECTIVES: To compare visual inspection by nuclear physicians with the automated statistical parametric mapping program using a SPECT dataset of patients with neurological disorders and normal control images.METHODS: Using statistical parametric mapping, 14 SPECT images from patients with various neurological disorders were compared individually with a databank of 32 normal images using a statistical threshold of p<0.05 (corrected for multiple comparisons at the level of individual voxels or clusters). Statistical parametric mapping results were compared with Visual analyses by a nuclear physician highly experienced in neurology (A) as well as a nuclear physician with a general background of experience (B) who independently classified images as normal or altered, and determined the location of changes and the severity.RESULTS: of the 32 images of the normal databank, 4 generated maps showing rCBF abnormalities (p<0.05, corrected). Among the 14 images from patients with neurological disorders, 13 showed rCBF alterations. Statistical parametric mapping and physician A completely agreed on 84.37% and 64.28% of cases from the normal databank and neurological disorders, respectively. The agreement between statistical parametric mapping and ratings of physician B were lower (71.18% and 35.71%, respectively).CONCLUSION: Statistical parametric mapping replicated the findings described by the more experienced nuclear physician. This finding suggests that automated methods for individually analyzing rCBF SPECT images may be a valuable resource to complement visual inspection in clinical practice.

An evolutionary algorithm for the one-dimensional cutting stock problem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A Lagrangian relaxation approach to a coupled lot-sizing and cutting stock problem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Advanced ceramics: Evaluation of the mechanism of stock removal and ground surface quality

The aim of this work is to evaluate the mechanism of stock removal and the ground surface quality of advanced ceramics grounded by a plane tangential grinding process with diamond grinding wheels. The analysis of the grinding performance was done regarding the cutting surface wear behavior of the grinding wheel for ceramic workpieces. The discussion about the results emphasized the wear mechanism of the grinding wheel cutting surface and the cutting phenomenology of the grinding process. The grounded surface was evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). © 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Advanced ceramics: Evaluation of the mechanism of stock removal and ground surface quality

The aim of this work is to evaluate the mechanism of stock removal and the ground surface quality of advanced ceramics machined by a surface grinding process using diamond grinding wheels. The analysis of the grinding performance was done regarding the cutting surface wear behavior of the grinding wheel for ceramic workpieces. The ground surface was evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). As a result it can be said that the mechanism of material removal in the grinding of ceramic is largely one of brittle fracture. The increase of the hmax can reduce the tangential force required by the process. Although, it results in an increase in the surface damage, reducing the mechanical properties of the ground component.

Fish stock assessment of piraputanga Brycon microlepis in the Cuiabá River Basin, Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Fork length measurements of individuals of Brycon microlepis landed and commercialized at the Porto Market in Cuiabá, MT, from May-October 1996 to May-October 1997 were used to estimate growth and mortality parameters for this species. The average estimated populational parameters were: L∞_ = 705 mm, k = 0.275 year -1, C = 0.775, WP = 0.465, Lc = 164 mm, M = 0.585 year -1, Z = 0.822 year -1, with F = 0.237 year -1. Yield per recruit analysis suggests that the stock is not yet overexploited.

Tracking the fin trade: Genetic stock identification in western Atlantic scalloped hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewini

Location or stock-specific landing data are necessary to improve management of shark stocks, especially those imperiled by overexploitation as a result of the international shark fin trade. In the current absence of catch monitoring directly at extraction sites, genetic stock identification of fins collected from major market supply chain endpoints offers an overlooked but potentially useful approach for tracing the fins back to their geographical, or stock of, origin. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, we used mitochondrial control region (mtCR) sequences to trace the broad geographical origin of 62 Hong Kong market-derived Sphyrna lewini fins. Of these fins 21% were derived from the western Atlantic, where this species is listed as 'Endangered' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We also show that S. lewini mtCR sequences are geographically segregated in the western Atlantic (overall ΦST = 0.74, n = 177 sharks), indicating that breeding females either remain close to, or home back to, their natal region for parturition. Mixed stock analysis simulations showed that it is possible to estimate the relative contributions of these mitochondrial stocks to fin mixtures in globally sourced trade hubs. These findings underscore the feasibility of using genetic stock identification to source market-derived shark fins to obtain essential and otherwise unavailable data on exploitation levels, and thus to productively inform stock assessment and management of S. lewini and potentially also of other fished shark species. © Inter-Research 2009.

Digital radiography for the inspection of weld seams of pipelines - better sensitivity

Conventional radiography, using industrial radiographic films, has its days numbered. Digital radiography, recently, has taken its place in various segments of products and services, such as medicine, aerospace, security, automotive, etc. As well as the technological trend, the digital technique has brought proven benefits in terms of productivity, sensitivity, the environment, tools for image treatment, cost reductions, etc. If the weld to be inspected is on a serried product, such as, for example, a pipe, the best option for the use of digital radiography is the plane detector, since its use can reduce the length of the inspection cycle due to its high degree of automation. This work tested welded joints produced with the submerged arc process, which were specially prepared in such a way that it shows small artificial cracks, which served as the basis forcomparing the sensitivity levels of the techniques involved. After carrying out the various experiments, the digital meth odshowed the highest sensitivity for the image quality indicator (IQI) of the wire and also in terms of detecting small discontinuities, indicating that the use of digital radiography using the plane detector had advantages over the conventional technique (Moreira et al. Digital radiography, the use of plane detectors for the inspection of welds in oil pipes and gas pipes.9th COTEQ and XXV National Testing Congress for Non Destructive Testing and Inspection; Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and Bavendiek et al. New digital radiography procedure exceeds film sensitivity considerably in aerospace applications. ECNDT; 2006; Berlin). The works were carried out on the basis of the specifications for oil and gas pipelines, API 5L 2004 edition (American Petroleum Institute. API 5L: specification for line pipe. 4th ed. p. 155; 2004) and ISO 3183 2007 edition (International Organization for Standardization, ISO 3183. Petroleum and gas industries - steel pipes for pi pelines transportation systems. p. 143; 2007). © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Balance of payments constrained growth within a consistent stock-flow framework: an application to the economies of CARICOM

Includes bibliography

The infuence of production systems in postponement make-to-stock compagny in the graphic industry

The supply chain management, postponement and demand management operations are of strategic importance to the economic success of organizations because they directly influence the production process. The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of the postponement in an enterprise production system with make-to-stock and with seasonal demand. The research method used was a case study, the instruments of data collection were semi-structured interviews, document analysis and site visits. The research is based on the following issues: Demand Management which can be understood as a practice that allows you to manage and coordinate the supply chain in reverse, in which consumers trigger actions for the delivery of products. The Supply Chain Management is able to allow the addition of value, exceeding the expectations of consumers, developing a relationship with suppliers and customer's win-win. The Postponement strategy must fit the characteristics of markets that require variety of customized products and services, lower cost and higher quality, aiming to support decision making. The production system make-to-stock shows enough interest to organizations that are operating in markets with high demand variability. © 2011 IEEE.

The usable leftover one-dimensional cutting stock problem-a priority-in-use heuristic

We consider a one-dimensional cutting stock problem in which the material not used in the cutting patterns, if large enough, is kept for use in the future. Moreover, it is assumed that leftovers should not remain in stock for a long time, hence, such leftovers have priority-in-use compared to standard objects (objects bought by the industry) in stock. A heuristic procedure is proposed for this problem, and its performance is analyzed by solving randomly generated dynamic instances where successive problems are solved in a time horizon. For each period, new demands arise and a new problem is solved on the basis of the information about the stock of the previous periods (remaining standard objects in the stock) and usable leftovers generated during those previous periods. The computational experiments show that the solutions presented by the proposed heuristic are better than the solutions obtained by other heuristics from the literature. © 2012 The Authors. International Transactions in Operational Research © 2012 International Federation of Operational Research Societies.