Evolutionary optimization and game strategies for advanced multi-disciplinary design : applications to aeronautics and UAV design

Many complex aeronautical design problems can be formulated with efficient multi-objective evolutionary optimization methods and game strategies. This book describes the role of advanced innovative evolution tools in the solution, or the set of solutions of single or multi disciplinary optimization. These tools use the concept of multi-population, asynchronous parallelization and hierarchical topology which allows different models including precise, intermediate and approximate models with each node belonging to the different hierarchical layer handled by a different Evolutionary Algorithm. The efficiency of evolutionary algorithms for both single and multi-objective optimization problems are significantly improved by the coupling of EAs with games and in particular by a new dynamic methodology named “Hybridized Nash-Pareto games”. Multi objective Optimization techniques and robust design problems taking into account uncertainties are introduced and explained in detail. Several applications dealing with civil aircraft and UAV, UCAV systems are implemented numerically and discussed. Applications of increasing optimization complexity are presented as well as two hands-on test cases problems. These examples focus on aeronautical applications and will be useful to the practitioner in the laboratory or in industrial design environments. The evolutionary methods coupled with games presented in this volume can be applied to other areas including surface and marine transport, structures, biomedical engineering, renewable energy and environmental problems.

Information Security and Privacy : Proceedings of the 9th Australasian Conference, ACISP 2004, Sydney, Australia, July 13-15, 2004.

Preface The 9th Australasian Conference on Information Security and Privacy (ACISP 2004) was held in Sydney, 13–15 July, 2004. The conference was sponsored by the Centre for Advanced Computing – Algorithms and Cryptography (ACAC), Information and Networked Security Systems Research (INSS), Macquarie University and the Australian Computer Society. The aims of the conference are to bring together researchers and practitioners working in areas of information security and privacy from universities, industry and government sectors. The conference program covered a range of aspects including cryptography, cryptanalysis, systems and network security. The program committee accepted 41 papers from 195 submissions. The reviewing process took six weeks and each paper was carefully evaluated by at least three members of the program committee. We appreciate the hard work of the members of the program committee and external referees who gave many hours of their valuable time. Of the accepted papers, there were nine from Korea, six from Australia, five each from Japan and the USA, three each from China and Singapore, two each from Canada and Switzerland, and one each from Belgium, France, Germany, Taiwan, The Netherlands and the UK. All the authors, whether or not their papers were accepted, made valued contributions to the conference. In addition to the contributed papers, Dr Arjen Lenstra gave an invited talk, entitled Likely and Unlikely Progress in Factoring. This year the program committee introduced the Best Student Paper Award. The winner of the prize for the Best Student Paper was Yan-Cheng Chang from Harvard University for his paper Single Database Private Information Retrieval with Logarithmic Communication. We would like to thank all the people involved in organizing this conference. In particular we would like to thank members of the organizing committee for their time and efforts, Andrina Brennan, Vijayakrishnan Pasupathinathan, Hartono Kurnio, Cecily Lenton, and members from ACAC and INSS.

Multi-rotor with suspended load: System dynamics and control toolbox

There is an increasing demand for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to carry suspended loads as this can provide significant benefits to several applications in agriculture, law enforcement and construction. The load impact on the underlying system dynamics should not be neglected as significant feedback forces may be induced on the vehicle during certain flight manoeuvres. The constant variation in operating point induced by the slung load also causes conventional controllers to demand increased control effort. Much research has focused on standard multi-rotor position and attitude control with and without a slung load. However, predictive control schemes, such as Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC), have not yet been fully explored. To this end, we present a novel controller for safe and precise operation of multi-rotors with heavy slung load in three dimensions. The paper describes a System Dynamics and Control Simulation Toolbox for use with MATLAB/SIMULINK which includes a detailed simulation of the multi-rotor and slung load as well as a predictive controller to manage the nonlinear dynamics whilst accounting for system constraints. It is demonstrated that the controller simultaneously tracks specified waypoints and actively damps large slung load oscillations. A linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) is derived and control performance is compared. Results show the improved performance of the predictive controller for a larger flight envelope, including aggressive manoeuvres and large slung load displacements. The computational cost remains relatively small, amenable to practical implementations.

The role of innovation intermediaries in collaborative networks of small and medium-sized enterprises

The major challenge of European Union’s agricultural industry is to ensure sustainable supply of quality food that meets the demands of a rapidly growing population, changing dietary patterns, increased competition for land use, and environmental concerns. Investments in research and innovation, which facilitate integration of external knowledge in food chain operations, are crucial to undertaking such challenges. This paper addresses how SMEs successfully innovate within collaborative networks with the assistance of innovation intermediaries. In particular, we explore the roles of innovation intermediaries in knowledge acquisition, knowledge assimilation, knowledge, transformation, and knowledge exploitation in open innovation initiatives from the wine industry through the theoretical lens of absorptive capacity. Based on two case studies from the wine industry, we identified seven key activities performed by innovation intermediaries that complement SMEs’ ability to successfully leverage external sources of knowledge for innovation purposes. These activities are articulation of knowledge needs and innovation capabilities, facilitation of social interactions, establishment of complementary links, implementation of governance structures, conflict management, enhancement of transparency, and mediation of communication. Our in-depth qualitative study of two innovation intermediaries in the wine industry has several important implications that contribute to research and practice.

Change visualisation: Analysing the resource and timing differences between two event logs

With organisations facing significant challenges to remain competitive, Business Process Improvement (BPI) initiatives are often conducted to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their business processes, focussing on time, cost, and quality improvements. Event logs which contain a detailed record of business operations over a certain time period, recorded by an organisation's information systems, are the first step towards initiating evidence-based BPI activities. Given an (original) event log as a starting point, an approach to explore better ways to execute a business process was developed, resulting in an improved (perturbed) event log. Identifying the differences between the original event log and the perturbed event log can provide valuable insights, helping organisations to improve their processes. However, there is a lack of automated techniques to detect the differences between two event logs. Therefore, this research aims to develop visualisation techniques to provide targeted analysis of resource reallocation and activity rescheduling. The differences between two event logs are first identified. The changes between the two event logs are conceptualised and realised with a number of visualisations. With the proposed visualisations, analysts will then be able to identify the changes related to resource and time, resulting in a more efficient business process. Ultimately, analysts can make use of this comparative information to initiate evidence-based BPI activities.

Pull-through strength of high tensile steel cladding systems

The profiled steel roof and wall cladding systems in Australia are commonly made of very thin high tensile steels, and are crest-fixed with screw fasteners. A review of current literature and design standards indicated the need to improve the understanding of the behaviour of crest-fixed steel cladding systems under wind uplift/suction loading, in particular, the local failures. Therefore a detailed experimental study using a series of small scale tests and some two-span cladding tests was conducted to investigate the local pull-through and dimpling failures in the commonly used steel cladding systems. The applicability of the current design formulae for the pull-through strength of crest-fixed steel classing systems was investigated first. An improved design formula was then developed in terms of the thickness and ultimate tensile strenth of steel cladding material and diameter of screw head or washer. This paper presents the details of this investigation and its results. A review of current design and test methods is also included.

Comparison of visual inspection and structural-health monitoring as bridge condition assessment methods

This paper presents the results of a research project aimed at examining the capabilities and challenges of two distinct but not mutually exclusive approaches to in-service bridge assessment: visual inspection and installed monitoring systems. In this study, the intended functionality of both approaches was evaluated on its ability to identify potential structural damage and to provide decision-making support. Inspection and monitoring are compared in terms of their functional performance, cost, and barriers (real and perceived) to implementation. Both methods have strengths and weaknesses across the metrics analyzed, and it is likely that a hybrid evaluation technique that adopts both approaches will optimize efficiency of condition assessment and ultimately lead to better decision making.

Latinos and political advocacy for cancer control in a United States-Mexico border community

Health policy interventions provide powerful tools for addressing health disparities. The Latino community is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States yet is largely underrepresented in government and advocacy efforts. This study includes 42 Latino adults (M age 5 45 years) who participated in focus group discussions and completed a brief questionnaire assessing their experiences with political health advocacy. Qualitative analyses revealed participants considered cancer a concern for the Latino community, but there was a lack of familiarity with political advocacy and its role in cancer control. Participants identified structural, practical, cultural, and contextual barriers to engaging in political health advocacy. This article presents a summary of the findings that suggest alternative ways to engage Latinos in cancer control advocacy.

QoE modelling for VP9 and H.265 videos on mobile devices

Current mobile devices and streaming video services support high definition (HD) video, increasing expectation for more contents. HD video streaming generally requires large bandwidth, exerting pressures on existing networks. New generation of video compression codecs, such as VP9 and H.265/HEVC, are expected to be more effective for reducing bandwidth. Existing studies to measure the impact of its compression on users’ perceived quality have not been focused on mobile devices. Here we propose new Quality of Experience (QoE) models that consider both subjective and objective assessments of mobile video quality. We introduce novel predictors, such as the correlations between video resolution and size of coding unit, and achieve a high goodness-of-fit to the collected subjective assessment data (adjusted R-square >83%). The performance analysis shows that H.265 can potentially achieve 44% to 59% bit rate saving compared to H.264/AVC, slightly better than VP9 at 33% to 53%, depending on video content and resolution.

Combining HPLC-DAD and ICP-MS data for improved analysis of complex samples: Classification of the root samples from Cortex moutan

A combined data matrix consisting of high performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements of samples from the plant roots of the Cortex moutan (CM), produced much better classification and prediction results in comparison with those obtained from either of the individual data sets. The HPLC peaks (organic components) of the CM samples, and the ICP-MS measurements (trace metal elements) were investigated with the use of principal component analysis (PCA) and the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) methods of data analysis; essentially, qualitative results suggested that discrimination of the CM samples from three different provinces was possible with the combined matrix producing best results. Another three methods, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) and least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) were applied for the classification and prediction of the samples. Again, the combined data matrix analyzed by the KNN method produced best results (100% correct; prediction set data). Additionally, multiple linear regression (MLR) was utilized to explore any relationship between the organic constituents and the metal elements of the CM samples; the extracted linear regression equations showed that the essential metals as well as some metallic pollutants were related to the organic compounds on the basis of their concentrations

Authorisation management in business process environments: An authorisation model and a policy model

This thesis provides two main contributions. The first one is BP-TRBAC, a unified authorisation model that can support legacy systems as well as business process systems. BP-TRBAC supports specific features that are required by business process environments. BP-TRBAC is designed to be used as an independent enterprise-wide authorisation model, rather than having it as part of the workflow system. It is designed to be the main authorisation model for an organisation. The second contribution is BP-XACML, an authorisation policy language that is designed to represent BPM authorisation policies for business processes. The contribution also includes a policy model for BP-XACML. Using BP-TRBAC as an authorisation model together with BP-XACML as an authorisation policy language will allow an organisation to manage and control authorisation requests from workflow systems and other legacy systems.

Application of power electronics in improving power quality and supply efficiency of AC traction networks

Major advances in power electronics during recent years have prompted considerable interest within the traction community. The capability of new technologies to reduce the AC railway networks' effect on power quality and improve their supply efficiency is expected to significantly decrease the cost of electric rail supply systems. Of particular interest are Static Frequency Converter (SFC), Rail Power Conditioner (RPC), High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) solutions. Substantial impacts on future feasibility of railway electrification are anticipated. Aurizon, Australia's largest heavy haul railway operator, has recently commissioned the world's first 50Hz/50Hz SFC installation and is currently investigating SFC, RPC, HVDC and ESS solutions. This paper presents a summary of current and emerging technologies with a particular focus on the potential techno-economic benefits.

On the relationship between finger width, velocity, and fluxes in thermohaline convection

Double-diffusive finger convection occurs in many natural processes.The theories for double-diffusive phenomena that exist at present consider systems with linear stratification in temperature and salinity. The double-diffusive systems with step change in salinity and temperature are, however, not amenable to simple stability analysis. Hence factors that control the width of the finger, velocity, and fluxes in systems that have step change in temperature and salinity have not been understood so far. In this paper we provide new physical insight regarding factors that influence finger convection in two-layer double-diffusive system through two-dimensional numerical simulations. Simulations have been carried out for density stability ratios (R-rho) from 1.5 to 10. For each density stability ratio, the thermal Rayleigh number (Ra-T) has been systematically varied from 7x10(3) to 7x10(8). Results from these simulations show how finger width, velocity, and flux ratios in finger convection are interrelated and the influence of governing parameters such as density stability ratio and the thermal Rayleigh number. The width of the incipient fingers at the time of onset of instability has been shown to vary as Ra-T-1/3. Velocity in the finger varies as Ra(T)1/3/R-rho. Results from simulation agree with the scale analysis presented in the paper. Our results demonstrate that wide fingers have lower velocities and flux ratios compared to those in narrow fingers. This result contradicts present notions about the relation between finger width and flux ratio. A counterflow heat-exchanger analogy is used in understanding the dependence of flux ratio on finger width and velocity.

Dashboards in performance management: The foundations and research opportunities for their effective use

When designed effectively dashboards are expected to reduce information overload and improve performance management. Hence, interest in dashboards has increased recently,which is also evident from the proliferation of dashboard solution providers in the market. Despite dashboards popularity, little is known about the extent of their effectiveness in organizations. Dashboards draw from multiple disciplines but ultimately use visualization to communicate important information to stakeholders. Thus,a better understanding of visualization can improve the design and use of dashboards. This paper reviews the foundations and roles of dashboards in performance management and proposes a framework for future research, which can enhance dashboard design and perceived usefulness depending on the fit between the features of the dashboard and the characteristics of the users.

Higher-Order Nonlinearity In Accretion Disks: Quasi-Periodic Oscillations Of Black Hole And Neutron Star Sources And Their Spin

We propose a unified model to explain Quasi-Periodic Oscillation (QPO), particularly of high frequency, observed from black hole and neutron star systems globally. We consider accreting systems to be damped harmonic oscillators exhibiting epicyclic oscillations with higher-order nonlinear resonance to explain QPO. The resonance is expected to be driven by the disturbance from the compact object at its spin frequency. The model explains various properties parallelly for both types of the compact object. It describes QPOs successfully for ten different compact sources. Based on this, we predict the spin frequency of the neutron star Sco X-1 and specific angular momentum of black holes GRO J1655–40, XTE J1550–564, H1743–322, and GRS 1915+105.