Development Of Evaluation Procedures Research Articles

Perceived rain dynamics on hydrophilic/hydrophobic lens surfaces and their influences on vehicle camera performance

Cameras are increasingly used in modern vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to collect environmental information. Cameras suffer performance degradation when driving in adverse weather conditions, such as rain, as precipitation droplets impact the camera lens and cause obstruction and blurring of the vision. The relationships between image quality, object detection accuracy, and surface wettability of camera lenses are investigated. This paper applies a previously developed evaluation procedure for wind tunnel testing with simulated adverse driving and rain conditions. Realistic rain characteristics perceived by a moving vehicle at different driving speeds are simulated using a novel rain simulation system implemented into a wind tunnel. Moreover, an emphasis is put on comparing the use of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces to provide insights into material selection when designing camera lenses for ADAS. It is found that droplet dynamics, such as size, velocity, shape, and motion can impact the camera image quality and, subsequently, object detection accuracy. This paper demonstrates the use of various materials and evaluation metrics and their implications from a practical perspective when subjected to realistic driving-in-rain scenarios. The results suggest that the use of hydrophobic lenses promotes better performance over hydrophilic lenses in most cases with exceptions.

Selecting statistical indices for calibrating building energy models

A well-known problem in the dynamic simulation of buildings energy consumption are the discrepancies between the simulated and measured data, which call for calibration techniques to obtain more accurate and reliable building models. The most recognized calibration techniques use statistical indices to assess and improve the quality of simulation models. While there are already well known statistical indices available to evaluate the simulation outputs, the combination of indices offers potential for further improvements in this field. To assess the procedure of calibrating building simulation models, we present a ranking of six tested statistical indices and their combinations (63 statistical metrics), produced by an automated evaluation procedure, in the specific case of calibrating to annual heat demand curves. The developed evaluation procedure is also able to account for eventual deterioration of other statistical metrics, which are not tuned during the calibration. We apply the new method in dynamic, hourly simulations to a use case with 200 buildings, for which extensive measurement data are available. Based on the generated ranking, we recommend using combinations of four statistical indices: the Coefficient of Variation of Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)), the Normalized Mean Error (NME), the standardized contingency coefficient (Cχ2) and the coefficient of determination (R2). In our use case, these combinations lead to better results than the commonly used indices CV(RMSE) and Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE). In addition, we could show that it is beneficial to use another index for evaluation than for calibration, because it detects eventual deterioration of the simulation output results.

Professional-Competence-Based Model of Classroom Action Research Training Management for Islam Religion Education Teachers of Senior High School

A number of efforts have been made to improve the quality of teachers, such as providing training on curriculum, methods of learning, and further study for those who have not completed their undergraduate program. However, these efforts do not seem to be maximally successful in improving the quality of the learning process and outcomes. Therefore, training is needed in order to improve the professional competence of the teachers through classroom action research training. This research aimed to yield a product, that is the management model of classroom action research training for Islam Religion Education Teachers of Senior High Schoolof in Semarang City which is packaged in the form of a classroom action research management training manual for teachers as guidebooks for instructors and trainees to improve their professional competence. This study utilized a Research and Development approach which was preceded by a qualitative descriptive method. This method was used as a preliminary to obtain data on how to implement the training that has been running for this. A preliminary study revealed what the problem was with the training. The results show that the development of the management model of classroom action research training was carried out in accordance with the development procedures which include preliminary research, analysis, production/development, and revision, while the product was evaluated in accordance with the development of evaluation procedures.

Error mapping of rotary tables in 4-axis measuring devices using a ball plate artifact

Rotary tables as components of 4-axis measuring devices provide a quick rotary positioning in geometry measurements, but the non-trivial error motions need to be determined and compensated. This paper presents a new solution for the error mapping, which calibrates the rotary table, the 3-axis measuring device and the artifact (circular ball plate) simultaneously. Multi-measuring and approximation techniques are introduced to identify and quantify the error motions based on obtained point clouds. A mathematical model covers all the deviation sources, occurring at the movement of a rotary axis. Simulations and experimental results verify and validate the solution. The simple and flexible calibration setup together with the developed evaluation procedure enable a compensation of rotary table/axis deviations in a wide application field.

Evaluation of Empowerment in Health Promotion Interventions: A Systematic Review

Although empowerment is one of the core principles of the World Health Organization's approach to health promotion, there are no standards, best practice recommendations, or guidelines for evaluating empowerment within interventions. For the development of effective empowerment promoting interventions, adequate study designs, methods, and indicators for assessing empowerment are essential. In order to better understand which evaluation procedures have been used so far, and which advantages and disadvantages are connected to them, we systematically reviewed empowerment-based health promotion interventions. We included 26 studies, which use a broad variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs and various data collection methods; qualitative and mixed-methods designs predominated. The quantitative measurement instruments are heterogeneous: Mainly self-designed or modified scales are applied. All studies consider indicators reflecting individual competencies and motivations, whereas indicators capturing the organizational and political components of empowerment are less common. Involving target group members in the development of evaluation procedures and combining different data sources are mentioned as specific steps to improve the quality of data collection. Given the flexible and context-dependent nature of empowerment approaches, the development of a "gold standard" for its evaluation seems unrealistic. However, the analyzed studies can be used to deduce recommendations that may help to conduct high-quality evaluations of empowerment, for example, mixed-methods designs, participation of target groups, and reflective loops within the research team.

Residual Stress State and Fracture Mechanical Properties of Al/Mg Compounds

In this paper, the analyses of the residual stress state and the fracture mechanical properties of the interface of Al/Mg compounds which were produced by hydrostatic coextrusion are presented. Residual stress investigations were performed using the hole drilling method and a new developed evaluation procedure based on numerical simulation. The results of the analyses show low residual stress values. For the fracture mechanical analyses it was required to develop a special geometry of the specimen. The absolute value of the stress intensity factor and the energy release rate were determined. Concluding, the fracture mechanical characteristic of the interface can be classified as brittle.

The Bolivarian University of Venezuela: A radical alternative in the global field of higher education?

This article discusses paradoxes in the emergent global field of higher education as reflected in an alternative model of the university – the Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UBV) and the related higher education policy, Misión Sucre. With its credo in the applied social sciences, its commitment to popular pedagogy and its dependence on extensive fieldwork with communities, UBV offers an alternative model of science and research at the service of society. Drawing on my ongoing research on this university (since 2008), I present the difficulties which the homogenising standards of a global field of higher education pose to a rapidly developing mass public university in a semiperipheral country. I focus on the difficulty of developing evaluation procedures for UBV as this exposes contradictions which are both unique to this new university model and common for a world system of higher education.

Experimental identification of mobile particles in suffusible non cohesive soils

ABSTRACT The suffusion processes could be generated by internal seepage flows within dams and dikes. Grain size distribution and porosity change during suffusion processes in negative aspect. Recently the failure of many dams and dikes has been observed and it shows unavoidable necessity of getting more knowledge of this phenomena. With this intention, an experimental device has been developed that can apply hydraulic impact to reconstituted gap- graded non cohesive soils. With a new developed evaluation procedure we were capable to identify the mobile and suffusive particles. It was concluded that the degree of suffusion of a soil is closely related to the local segregation of the particles inside the soil body. The extent of suffusion was dependent on the homogeneity of the soil. The study emphasizes the complexity of effects ofparticle arrangement on the degree of suffusibility.

Infrastrutture e compensazioni: considerazioni a partire dalle evidenze lombarde

Infrastructure and compensation: considerations from the Lombard context evidence The infrastructure planning is a controversial subject and difficult to deal with, in terms of institutional responsibilities and technical choices. The development of evaluation procedures and the recruitment of environmental compensation measures show an increase in attention around the contextualization of local infrastructure. This contribution, through the experience of Lombardy in place, puts to the fore the search for forms of integration of planning with the planning of infrastructural area, assuming the infrastructure project which array of geographies of voluntary co-planning.

CCD camera image analysis for mapping solute concentrations in saturated porous media

This paper presents an optical approach, based on the use of a low-cost charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, for the quantitative determination of solute concentrations in saturated porous media. The method is applied to evaluate tracer experiments carried out in a laboratory model tank. The CCD photos deliver RGB values which are transferred into concentrations for the evaluation of vertical concentration profiles over the whole tank area. A specially developed evaluation procedure, including internal referencing for noise reduction, considers the colour of the adjacencies of the evaluated spots and scattering effects. The CCD data evaluation technique is accompanied by conventional sampling and absorption measurements and by numerical flow and transport simulations. This non-invasive technique allows a direct mapping of the concentration distribution without any disturbance of the solute plume. Therefore, it turns out to be an important tool for a detailed investigation of fundamental processes (e.g. transverse dispersion) determining the solute (e.g. contaminant) transport in porous media.

Corporate-internal vs. national standard – A comparison study of two ergonomics evaluation procedures used in automotive manufacturing

Manufacturing corporations sometimes use corporate-internal procedures to evaluate and monitor the ergonomic status of the workplace. This article describes an industrial case study in the Swedish automotive sector, where an internally developed evaluation procedure was compared with a procedure based on a Swedish national standard provision. It was found that the national standard procedure tended to give more severe ratings and statistical support shows that the two evaluation procedures are not equivalent. The ability of the methods to identify body segments at risk was also compared. The quantitative comparison was followed up with interviews, where the influence of professional tasks and objectives became evident, as well as the fact that evaluation criteria are quantified differently by the two procedures. The main finding is that unforeseen differences in analysis procedure, criteria of acceptability and levels of detail can cause use-related difficulties for different professional groups when methods are used interchangeably. Relevance to industry Industrial corporations wishing to monitor ergonomics consistently are advised by the authors to ensure that ratings from internal evaluations are interpreted the same way by all involved personnel, and that they at least have criteria levels equivalent to those of a national standard.

Evaluation method for structural integrity assessment in core disruptive accident of fast reactor

A procedure to evaluate the structural integrity of a reactor vessel under CDA condition has been developed based on simulative experiments under CDA loading using 1/20- and 1/10-scale steel models of the demonstration FBR in Japan (DFBR). For the experiments, a constant pressure source has been developed using a gas accumulator. Simulation analyses were also conducted using the dynamic analysis program AUTODYN-2D, which can simulate fluid-structure interaction and non-linear material behaviour in two-dimensional geometry. The actual dynamic material properties, whose strain rates were from 0.1 to 10 s −1, were used in the analyses. The pressure history and the dynamic response of structures were compared between experimental results and the analysis, and the appropriateness of the numerical analytical method for the CDA problem was confirmed. In both experimental and numerical approaches, the effect of internal structures has been investigated, and a drastic strain reduction was observed owing to the energy absorption by internal structures. Furthermore, material tests and element tests including weld joint tests and burst tests were carried out to define a rationalised strain limit under multi-axial dynamic loading condition. Using the developed evaluation procedure, a preliminary evaluation for DFBR was carried out and the robustness of the reactor boundary in DFBR against CDA loading was also confirmed.

Determination of enthalpy–temperature curves of phase change materials with thetemperature-history method: improvement to temperature dependentproperties

The temperature-history method, proposed by Yinping et al, is a simple andeconomic way to determine the main thermophysical properties of materialsused in thermal energy storage based on solid–liquid phase change. It isbased on comparing the temperature history of a phase-change materialsample and a sample of a well known material upon cooling down. In thispaper we describe a further developed evaluation procedure to determinecpand has temperature dependent values which was not the case in Yinping’s method,based on the same experimental procedure. Given the suitability of theseproperties to calculate thermal energy storage using these materials, the methodis proposed to present the results obtained in the form of enthalpy–temperaturecurves. A discussion about the errors produced by this method and anexperimental improvement are proposed too.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins: I. Comparison of selectivity

Currently, the selection of a hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) sorbent for protein separation purposes is entirely based on empirical means. An attempt was made to characterize different HIC sorbents from various manufacturers. The selectivity was determined by isocratic pulse experiments of a set of reference proteins and an algorithm was developed to classify the sorbents according to their selectivity and hydrophobicity. The obtained semi-quantitative parameters take into account the dependence of salt on adsorption. The sorbent characteristics evaluated with the model proteins were compared to the separation of a real feedstock. A good agreement was achieved between the developed evaluation procedure and the separation behaviour of the real feed stock.

Additionality of EU framework programmes

This paper draws attention to problems inherent in the routine application of the concept of additionality in evaluation. It exemplifies these problems by expressing them in a typology based on the perceived additionality of public R&D support and the strategic value of the R&D funded. Some categories are considered to represent successes of public R&D support and others to represent failures. The paper questions such routine assumptions, and uses empirical materials from EU framework programmes, a special case of public R&D programmes, to illustrate the problems. The paper ends by suggesting that the present system of evaluation rewards short-term success, and argues that it would be more beneficial to develop evaluation procedures that stretch over a longer period and are therefore able to pick up emerging areas of important technology supported by public programmes.

Accurate measurement of high-speed, unsteady temperature fields by holographic interferometry in the presence of periodic pressure variations

This paper expands the applicability of holographic interferometry to measurements of unsteady temperature distributions for physical situations characterized by periodic pressure variations. For this purpose a new analytical model that accounts for pressure variations in the interpretation of the interferometric fringe pattern was elaborated. This model was then implemented into the newly developed evaluation procedure that is based on the measurement of the interference order as a continuous function of two spatial coordinates and time, by employing digital image processing algorithms. To validate the evaluation procedure, the oscillating temperature fields in a model of a thermoacoustic refrigerator were measured. These measurements proved the validity of the approach by indicating very good agreement with existing theory.

Comparison of angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy/Auger electron spectroscopy with depth profile restoration from inelastic background analysis

A comparison between usual angle-dependent x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy/Auger electron spectroscopy and a recently developed evaluation procedure based on analysis of the near peak spectral region is presented. The latter procedure is based on the theoretical description of the energy/angular distribution of an arbitrary sample in which the so-called partial escape distributions play a central role. These quantities describe the probability that a signal electron generated in a certain depth interval escapes from the surface with a direction in a certain angular interval after experiencing a certain number of inelastic scattering processes. Using model data to compare the two approaches it was found that analysis of a rather small energy region in the vicinity of the peak recorded at two emission angles (0° and 60° relative to the surface normal) suffices to restore the entire specimen depth profile. In contrast, the usual angle-resolved techniques, based on peak areas or heights only, need to be recorded at more, and more oblique, emission angles. Since measurements at oblique emission are difficult to perform, and the influence of effects like surface roughness, surface excitations, and the like become more pronounced at oblique emission, application of the present method to experimental data seems highly promising.

Kinetics of melittin induced pore formation in the membrane of lipid vesicles

We have investigated the permeabilization of POPC unilamellar vesicle bilayers upon the addition of melittin. This process was measured in an early time range of a few minutes by means of monitoring the release of an entrapped marker, the self-quenching fluorescent dye car☐yfluorescein. Pore formation is indicated by an apparent ‘all-or-none’ efflux out of individual vesicles and a higher than linear dependence on melittin concentration. Applying a recently developed evaluation procedure, the data are readily converted into the gross number of pores per vesicle formed within the elapsed measuring time t. The results can be generally described in terms of a fast initial rate of pore formation that slows down to a much lower value after a period of about 1 to 2 minutes, following a single exponential time course. The three rate parameters involved are shown to be power functions of the concentration of melittin that is actually associated with the vesicle membrane. These findings are in excellent quantitiative agreement with a proposed scheme of reaction steps where the formation of lipid associated peptide dimers becomes rate determining once an initial fast deposit is exhausted.

BREEDING SOUTHERNPEA AND TOMATO FOR RESISTANCE TO INSECT PESTS

The use of multidisciplinary teams has been the key to making progress in the development of insect resistant southernpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cultivars; both the plant breeder and the entomologist have primary program responsibilities. The basic approach encompasses three separate but interrelated phases: 1) evaluation of germplasm collections to locate needed sources of resistances, 2) genetic studies to determine the inheritance of resistances, and 3) breeding programs to transfer resistance genes into adapted germplasm. The basic approach must usually be supplemented by concurrent research to, determine the nature and value of resistances and to develop evaluation procedures, selection criteria, and plant breeding methodologies. Selected examples from research projects on southernpea (resistances to cowpea curculio, southern green stinkbug, leaf footed bug, leaf miners, and thrips) and tomato (resistances to tomato fruitworm, tobacco hornworm, and Colorado potato beetle) will be used to illustrate approaches and methodologies.

Thermal desorption spectroscopy on silicon

Traced back to the early work on Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) a short introductory survey is given on the experimental method, basic relations and the further development of evaluation procedures. Ad- and desorption of hydrogen on silicon as a seemingly simple system is discussed chiefly in terms of TDS results. Though the main H 2 desorption phase is apparently of 2nd order the expected peak temperature ( T p) shift is often missing and in addition minor phases appear. Ethene adsorption also reveals the main H 2 phase from a monohydride state with a similar T p behaviour and similar desorption energies from Arrhenius plots. For the more complex methanol adsorption, various spectra are given and discussed in view of the aforesaid systems. By means of deuterated methanol adsorption the evolution of the differently bonded “hydrogen” is studied. A simple one-phase hydrogen desorption cannot explain the obtained parameters and features.