An operational-level multi-stage mine production timetabling model for optimally synchronising drilling, blasting and excavating operations

This paper proposes a new multi-stage mine production timetabling (MMPT) model to optimise open-pit mine production operations including drilling, blasting and excavating under real-time mining constraints. The MMPT problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming model and can be optimally solved for small-size MMPT instances by IBM ILOG-CPLEX. Due to NP-hardness, an improved shifting-bottleneck-procedure algorithm based on the extended disjunctive graph is developed to solve large-size MMPT instances in an effective and efficient way. Extensive computational experiments are presented to validate the proposed algorithm that is able to efficiently obtain the near-optimal operational timetable of mining equipment units. The advantages are indicated by sensitivity analysis under various real-life scenarios. The proposed MMPT methodology is promising to be implemented as a tool for mining industry because it is straightforwardly modelled as a standard scheduling model, efficiently solved by the heuristic algorithm, and flexibly expanded by adopting additional industrial constraints.

A review on exploring the behavior of multi-layer composite structures under dynamic loading

This paper reviews the recent research progress on multi-layer composite structures composed of variety of materials. The utilization of multi-layer composite system is found to be common in metal structures and pavement systems. The layer of composite structure designed to encounter heavy dynamic energy should have sufficient ductility to counteract the intensity of energy. Therefore, the selection of materials and enhancement of interface bonding become crucial and both are discussed in this paper. The failure modes have also been explored in conjunction with stresses at failures and inferred solutions are also revealed. The paper attempts to reveal all technical facts on multi-layer composite structure in a broad field.

Positional Consensus in Multi-Agent Systems using a Broadcast Control Mechanism

In this paper a strategy for controlling a group of agents to achieve positional consensus is presented. The proposed technique is based on the constraint that every agents must be given the same control input through a broadcast communication mechanism. Although the control command is computed using state information in a global framework, the control input is implemented by the agents in a local coordinate frame. We propose a novel linear programming formulation that is computationally less intensive than earlier proposed methods. Moreover, we introduce a random perturbation input in the control command that helps us to achieve perfect consensus even for a large number of agents, which was not possible with the existing strategy in the literature. Moreover, we extend the method to achieve positional consensus at a pre-specified location. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated through simulation results.

Planning neighbourhoods for all ages and abilities: A multi-generational perspective

Taking a more integrated approach to planning our neighbourhoods for the continuum of inhabitants’ ages and abilities makes sense given our current and future population composition. Seldom are the built environment requirements of diverse groups (e.g. children, seniors, and people with disability) synthesised, resulting in often unfriendly and exclusionary neighbourhoods. This often means people experience barriers or restriction on their freedom to move about and interact within their neighbourhood. Applying universal design to neighbourhoods may provide a bridging link. By presenting two cases from South-East Queensland (SEQ), Australia, through the lenses of different ages and abilities - older children with physical disabilities and their families (Stafford 2013, 2014) and seniors (Baldwin et al. 2012), we intend to increase recognition of users' needs and stimulate the translation of knowledge to the practice of planning inclusive neighbourhoods.

Korteweg-de Vries equation for the propagation of fast ion-acoustic waves in multi-dimensions

Abstract is not available.

Theory of Non-linear Waves in Multi-dimensions: with Special Reference to Surface Water Waves

The surface water waves are "modal" waves in which the "physical space" (t, x, y, z) is the product of a propagation space (t, x, y) and a cross space, the z-axis in the vertical direction. We have derived a new set of equations for the long waves in shallow water in the propagation space. When the ratio of the amplitude of the disturbance to the depth of the water is small, these equations reduce to the equations derived by Whitham (1967) by the variational principle. Then we have derived a single equation in (t, x, y)-space which is a generalization of the fourth order Boussinesq equation for one-dimensional waves. In the neighbourhood of a wave froat, this equation reduces to the multidimensional generalization of the KdV equation derived by Shen & Keller (1973). We have also included a systematic discussion of the orders of the various non-dimensional parameters. This is followed by a presentation of a general theory of approximating a system of quasi-linear equations following one of the modes. When we apply this general method to the surface water wave equations in the propagation space, we get the Shen-Keller equation.

Higher-resolution structure of the human insulin receptor ectodomain: Multi-modal inclusion of the insert domain

Insulin receptor (IR) signaling is critical to controlling nutrient uptake and metabolism. However, only a low-resolution (3.8 Å) structure currently exists for the IR ectodomain, with some segments ill-defined or unmodeled due to disorder. Here, we revise this structure using new diffraction data to 3.3 Å resolution that allow improved modeling of the N-linked glycans, the first and third fibronectin type III domains, and the insert domain. A novel haptic interactive molecular dynamics strategy was used to aid fitting to low-resolution electron density maps. The resulting model provides a foundation for investigation of structural transitions in IR upon ligand binding.

What are the driving factors influencing the size distribution of airborne synthetic clay particles emitted from a jet milling process?

In the field of workplace air quality, measuring and analyzing the size distribution of airborne particles to identify their sources and apportion their contribution has become widely accepted, however, the driving factors that influence this parameter, particularly for nanoparticles (< 100 nm), have not been thoroughly determined. Identification of driving factors, and in turn, general trends in size distribution of emitted particles would facilitate the prediction of nanoparticles’ emission behavior and significantly contribute to their exposure assessment. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the particle number size distribution data, with a particular focus on the ultrafine size range of synthetic clay particles emitted from a jet milling machine was conducted using the multi-lognormal fitting method. The results showed relatively high contribution of nanoparticles to the emissions in many of the tested cases, and also, that both surface treatment and feed rate of the machine are significant factors influencing the size distribution of the emitted particles of this size. In particular, applying surface treatments and increasing the machine feed rate have the similar effect of reducing the size of the particles, however, no general trend was found in variations of size distribution across different surface treatments and feed rates. The findings of our study demonstrate that for this process and other activities, where no general trend is found in the size distribution of the emitted airborne particles due to dissimilar effects of the driving factors, each case must be treated separately in terms of workplace exposure assessment and regulations.

A cyclostationary multi-domain analysis of fluid instability in Kaplan turbines

Hydraulic instabilities represent a critical problem for Francis and Kaplan turbines, reducing their useful life due to increase of fatigue on the components and cavitation phenomena. Whereas an exhaustive list of publications on computational fluid-dynamic models of hydraulic instability is available, the possibility of applying diagnostic techniques based on vibration measurements has not been investigated sufficiently, also because the appropriate sensors seldom equip hydro turbine units. The aim of this study is to fill this knowledge gap and to exploit fully, for this purpose, the potentiality of combining cyclostationary analysis tools, able to describe complex dynamics such as those of fluid-structure interactions, with order tracking procedures, allowing domain transformations and consequently the separation of synchronous and non-synchronous components. This paper will focus on experimental data obtained on a full-scale Kaplan turbine unit, operating in a real power plant, tackling the issues of adapting such diagnostic tools for the analysis of hydraulic instabilities and proposing techniques and methodologies for a highly automated condition monitoring system. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

Flow Studies in Non Circular Tubes with Wall Injection

An analysis of inviscid incompressible flow in a tube of sinusoidally perturbed circular cross section with wall injection has been made. The velocity and pressure fields have been obtained. Measurements of axial velocity profiles and pressure distribution have been made in a simulated star shaped tube with wall injection. The static pressure at the star recess is found to be more than that at the star point, this feature being in conformity with the analytical result. Flow visualisation by photography of injected smoke seems to show simple diffusion rather than strong vortices in the recess.

A phosphorylation-induced turn defines the Alzheimer's disease AT8 antibody epitope on the tau protein

Post mortem biochemical staging of Alzheimer’s disease is currently based on immunochemical analysis of brain slices with the AT8 antibody. The epitope of AT8 is described around the pSer202/pThr205 region of the hyperphosphorylated form of the neuronal protein tau. In this study, NMR spectroscopy was used to precisely map the AT8 epitope on phosphorylated tau, and derive its defining structural features by a combination of NMR analyses and molecular dynamics. A particular turn conformation is stabilized by a hydrogen bond of the phosphorylated Thr205 residue to the amide proton of Gly207, and is further stabilized by the two Arg residues opposing the pSer202/pThr205.

A multi-criteria approach for hospital capacity analysis

Hospitals are critical elements of health care systems and analysing their capacity to do work is a very important topic. To perform a system wide analysis of public hospital resources and capacity, a multi-objective optimization (MOO) approach has been proposed. This approach identifies the theoretical capacity of the entire hospital and facilitates a sensitivity analysis, for example of the patient case mix. It is necessary because the competition for hospital resources, for example between different entities, is highly influential on what work can be done. The MOO approach has been extensively tested on a real life case study and significant worth is shown. In this MOO approach, the epsilon constraint method has been utilized. However, for solving real life applications, with a large number of competing objectives, it was necessary to devise new and improved algorithms. In addition, to identify the best solution, a separable programming approach was developed. Multiple optimal solutions are also obtained via the iterative refinement and re-solution of the model.

An efficient and light-weight multi-tasking model to achieve Intra-Agent concurrency for SAGE

Multi-agent systems implicate a high degree of concurrency at both the Inter- and Intra-Agent levels. Scalable, fault tolerant, Agent Grooming Environment (SAGE), the second generation, FIPA compliant MAS requires a built in mechanism to achieve both the Inter- and Intra-Agent concurrency. This paper dilates upon an attempt to provide a reliable, efficient and light-weight solution to provide intra-agent concurrency with-in the internal agent architecture of SAGE. It addresses the issues related to using the JAVA threading model to provide this level of concurrency to the agent and provides an alternative approach that is based on an eventdriven, concurrent and user-scalable multi-tasking model for the agent's internal model. The findings of this paper show that our proposed approach is suitable for providing an efficient and lightweight concurrent task model for SA GE and considerably outweighs the performance of multithreaded tasking model based on JAVA in terms of throughput and efficiency. This has been illustrated using the practical implementation and evaluation of both models. © 2004 IEEE.

A collaborative multi-agent based conference planner application using web and grid services

Distributed Collaborative Computing services have taken over centralized computing platforms allowing the development of distributed collaborative user applications. These applications enable people and computers to work together more productively. Multi-Agent System (MAS) has emerged as a distributed collaborative environment which allows a number of agents to cooperate and interact with each other in a complex environment. We want to place our agents in problems whose solutions require the collation and fusion of information, knowledge or data from distributed and autonomous information sources. In this paper we present the design and implementation of an agent based conference planner application that uses collaborative effort of agents which function continuously and autonomously in a particular environment. The application also enables the collaborative use of services deployed geographically wide in different technologies i.e. Software Agents, Grid computing and Web service. The premise of the application is that it allows autonomous agents interacting with web and grid services to plan a conference as a proxy to their owners (humans). © 2005 IEEE.

Negotiation schemes for multi-agent cooperative search

Because of limited sensor and communication ranges, designing efficient mechanisms for cooperative tasks is difficult. In this article, several negotiation schemes for multiple agents performing a cooperative task are presented. The negotiation schemes provide suboptimal solutions, but have attractive features of fast decision-making, and scalability to large number of agents without increasing the complexity of the algorithm. A software agent architecture of the decision-making process is also presented. The effect of the magnitude of information flow during the negotiation process is studied by using different models of the negotiation scheme. The performance of the various negotiation schemes, using different information structures, is studied based on the uncertainty reduction achieved for a specified number of search steps. The negotiation schemes perform comparable to that of optimal strategy in terms of uncertainty reduction and also require very low computational time, similar to 7 per cent to that of optimal strategy. Finally, analysis on computational and communication requirement for the negotiation schemes is carried out.