False Indications Research Articles

Visualization and classification of hidden defects in triplex composites used in LNG carriers by active thermography

Triplex composite is an epoxy-bonded joint structure, which constitutes the secondary barrier in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier. Defects in the triplex composite weaken its shear strength and may cause leakage of the LNG, thus compromising the structural integrity of the LNG carrier. This paper proposes an autonomous triplex composite inspection (ATCI) system for visualizing and classifying hidden defects in the triplex composite installed inside an LNG carrier. First, heat energy is generated on the surface of the triplex composite using halogen lamps, and the corresponding heat response is measured by an infrared (IR) camera. Next, the region of interest (ROI) is traced and noise components are removed to minimize false indications of defects. After a defect is identified, it is classified as internal void or uncured adhesive and its size and shape are quantified and visualized, respectively. The proposed ATCI system allows the fully automated and contactless detection, classification, and quantification of hidden defects inside the triplex composite. The effectiveness of the proposed ATCI system is validated using the data obtained from actual triplex composite installed in an LNG carrier membrane system.

Starting Current Analysis in Medium Voltage Induction Motors: Detecting Rotor Faults and Reactor Starting Defects

The failure of Medium Voltage (MV) induction motors is a major concern in the steel industry since it can cause an unplanned outage resulting in significant economic consequences. Predictive maintenance based on offline and online testing of the induction motors is critical for maintaining reliable, efficient, and safe plant operations. Many years of experience has indicated that the MV induction motor failure rate can be reduced with periodic motor testing, resulting in improved plant reliability and productivity. It has been observed that false fault indications are commonly produced by commercially available test equipment. Considering that the application of multiple types of tests can improve outcome reliability, the effectiveness of a new test approach based on the analysis of the motor starting current was investigated for detecting defects in the rotor cage and reactor starting. An analysis of the starting data obtained from 614-MV induction motors operating at a steel mill over the past 10+ years showed that these two types of faults were present in 45-MV motors. Five successful case studies of rotor cage and four cases of reactor starting defects are presented in this article to demonstrate the advantages of starting current analysis for induction motor monitoring.

P580Performance evaluation of dual vs. single lead automatic, real-world arrhythmic ECG recordings

Abstract Background Detection of treatment-demanding paroxysmal arrhythmias can be difficult. Use of single lead ECG recordings for detection of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) has shown to lead to high false positive discovery rates, and requirements of additional manual clinical interpretation or 12-lead ECG to reach satisfactory diagnostic precision. Use of sequential, dual-lead ECG recordings for detection of AF has indicated significant clinical improvement in detection yield of AF and reduction of false positive discovery rates as compared to single lead-ECG. Methods The Coala Heart Monitor (Coala Life AB, Stockholm Sweden) system was evaluated by manual interpretation of 1,000 consecutive anonymous printouts of chest- and thumb-ECG waveforms, without any exclusion. The anonymized printouts contained three 10 s. strips of ECG at 25 mm/s, including mean heart rate, RR median and any user-provided annotation but with personal identification and algorithm analysis results blinded. The recordings were derived from actual Coala users with no training, control or influence, under a defined time period. The prevalence of cardiac conditions in the user population was unknown. The blinded recordings were manually interpreted by a trained cardiologist. The interpretation was compared with the automatic analysis performed by an enhanced algorithm in the Coala Cloud to evaluate ECG signal performance and to calculate performance metrics of a combination of sequential dual chest- and thumb-ECG measurements as compared to the clinical performance metrics of singe lead ECG measurements only. Results Metric Result using dual chest- and thumb-ECG and P-wave detection algorithm Result based on single lead thumb-ECG only Prevalence of AF in the recordings 14.4% (143 of 990 recordings) 14.4% (143 of 990 recordings) Percentage of recordings with ECG quality good enough to permit manual interpretation. 99,2% (8 of 998 non-readable) 98,7% (13 of 998 non-readable) Negative predictive value (NPV) for detecting AF 0.992 0.995 Positive predictive value (PPV) for detecting AF 0.872 0.647 False positive discovery rate 12.8% 35,3% Sensitivity for detecting AF 0.951 0.972 Specificity for detecting AF 0.976 0.909 Accuracy 0.973 0.919 Conclusion Based on 1,000 real-world recordings the combination of dual chest- and thumb-ECG with P-wave detection yielded significantly higher Positive Predictive Values as compared to single lead ECG measurements. Dual chest- and thumb-ECG reduced false positive AF indications from 35,3% for single lead-ECG to 12,8% using combined chest- and thumb-ECG with P-wave detection.

Non-Preferential Origin and ‘Made in Italy’

This article examines the rules on non-preferential origin under international law, the European Union (EU) law and Italian law. In particular, the article explains that while the Union Customs Code (UCC) provides rules on non-preferential origin in EU level, the EU Member States may adopt national laws that are in full compliance with the EU Treaties and regulations. The article then examines the Italian legal framework providing rules on non-preferential origin. In addition, the article highlights the difference between ‘intellectual property rights’ (where the trademarks are found), the ‘made in’ regulation and the provisions on ‘product labelling’. The article further analyses the problems that have emerged over time in relation to the ‘false indication of origin’ and the ‘fallacious indication of origin’ under the Italian legislation, and how the regulatory provisions have developed over time. The article emphasizes the importance of the discipline of ‘made in’ for Italy due to the ‘manufacturing’ vocation of the country. Finally, the evolution of the jurisprudential orientation is represented by an address of ‘legal origin’ (understood as traceability of an asset to a particular producer, without detecting the connection of the asset to the territory), to the recognition of a ‘customs origin’ which, on the other hand, takes the territory into consideration.

Collaborative cross-layer framework for handover decision in overlay networks

Up to date the vertical handover (VHO) management across heterogeneous wireless networks has received large attention in recent researches. Independent decisions on different protocol layers responding to the same event may lead to un-optimal operation during VHO over heterogeneous wireless networks. There is demand for solutions capable of managing handovers while ensuring sufficient Quality of Experience for running applications with low signaling overhead. However, user perception has not been handled intensively in context-aware decision algorithms when the Mobile Node undergoes handover. The proposed cross-layer decision framework integrates a set of Quality of Experience based decision-making modules to provide the ability for upper layers to adapt dynamically to fluctuating environmental conditions and optimize the access selection process using a unified signaling messages. This middleware solution manage the signaling coordination actions based on feedback triggers and various policies to reduce false handover indications, compensate for link-layer fluctuations and minimize the impact of mobility. Numerical results highlight enhancements brought by the proposed framework over reference frameworks in terms of perceived quality, handover initiation time and delay constraints.

Limits of special material detectability fundamental to idealized dual-energy radiographic systems

Abstract Analysis of dual-energy radiographic approaches to the detection of “special” material, i.e. contraband, in otherwise innocuous scenes, such as maritime cargo containers encountered at ports of entry, reveals fundamental limitations of data obtained along a single line-of-sight. The basic equations that describe idealized systems are presented and analyzed so as to identify challenges that are only exacerbated by scatter, noise, and measurement uncertainty. In the mono-energetic limit, the instrumentation and measurement techniques reduce to a system of linear equations that are simple to treat: it is shown that there exists a threshold for the minimum amount of high-Z material that can be detected unambiguously (without the risk of false positive or false negative indications), even when the background materials are of finite and of well-known variety. The threshold depends on the quality of prior information about the cargo and the selection of probing energies, and can therefore be minimized by good system design practices and measurement procedures, but persists as a general challenge to security operations. In discussion of this result, it is noted that techniques incorporating other prior information, such as the geometry of cargo and potential contraband, along with data from 2D imaging, have far greater potential. As an example, a simple data analysis method capable of differentiating high-Z spheres from those of more common material is presented. This simple example demonstrates that, although simple line-of-sight transmission radiography may suffer fundamental limitations, there remains good cause to be optimistic about the potential for image analysis in radiographic material identification.

Comparison of Low and High Frequency Partial Discharge Measurements on Stator Windings

Partial discharge (PD) testing has been used for over 60 years primarily as a method to assess condition of the stator winding insulation in motors and generators rated 6 kV and above. More recently it has also been used by some machine manufacturers as a means of assuring the quality of the insulation on single winding elements (coils and bars). Although both on-line and off-line tests mainly use a high voltage capacitor to detect the PD, the PD measuring systems in use work either in the low frequency (LF) regime (less than about 1 MHz) or in the very high frequency (VHF) (30-300 MHz) range. By reference to several international standards, published work as well as some experiments described in this contribution, the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches are compared. Based on this work, it is now clear that off-line PD tests should be done in the LF range. For on-line tests, either method may be used, but use of the VHF method has become more widespread with machine end users, since the owners themselves can perform and interpret the results with a relatively low risk of false indications.

Elimination of broken rotor bars false indications in induction machines

This work illustrates a method to detect and separate the broken rotor bars (BRBs) from load torque oscillations (LTOs) in motor’s line current signature. The LTOs (due to mechanical load condition abnormalities, load fluctuations like speed reduction couplings or a defective transmission) can introduce similar symptoms as the rotor cage breaks do. The proposed policy is based on the set of two rotating coordinates (same and inverse angular velocity as the current’s fundamental frequency ω) for the stator current vector, and its decomposition into positive and negative components. The extracted components of the positive sequence allow to separate the similar effects produced by rotor defects and the oscillating load . The detection and separation process is performed through the demodulation of the amplitude modulating signal due to BRBs and the phase modulating signal due to LTOs. An experimental test bench has been conducted to validate the simulation results and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Online Detection and Classification of Rotor and Load Defects in PMSMs Based on Hall Sensor Measurements

Online monitoring and diagnostics of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) is becoming important with the increasing demand in PMSM applications. Most of the research effort focuses on motor current signature analysis (MCSA) as it can provide remote, online monitoring at low cost. However, all types of defects that produce asymmetries in the PMSM rotor or load produce identical rotor rotational frequency components. This is a serious limitation when applying MCSA since it can produce false indications and degrade the sensitivity of fault detection. The requirement of complex time-frequency analysis techniques is another limitation of MCSA for applications with speed variations. In this paper, the feasibility of using analog Hall sensor signals to complement MCSA for detection and classification of rotor- and load-related defects is investigated. It is shown that Hall sensors installed in machines for initial rotor position estimation can be used with minimal hardware modifications to detect and classify signatures produced by the rotor and load for cases where MCSA fails, even during transient conditions. Experimental testing performed on an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) under eccentricity, local demagnetization, and load unbalance conditions shows that the reliability and sensitivity of fault detection in PMSM systems can be improved at low added cost.

Fuzzy-Based Statistical Feature Extraction for Detecting Broken Rotor Bars in Line-Fed and Inverter-Fed Induction Motors

This paper presents the use of a fuzzy-based statistical feature extraction from the air gap disturbances for diagnosing broken rotor bars in large induction motors fed by line or an inverter. The method is based on the analysis of the magnetic flux density variation in a Hall Effect Sensor, installed between two stator slots of the motor. The proposed method combines a fuzzy inference system and a support vector machine technique for time-domain assessment of the magnetic flux density, in order to detect a single fault or multiple broken bars in the rotor. In this approach, it is possible to detect not only the existence of failures, but also its severity. Moreover, it is not necessary to estimate the slip of the motor, usually required by other methods and the damaged rotor detection was also evaluated for oscillating load conditions. Thus, the present approach can overcome some drawbacks of the traditional MCSA method, particularly in operational cases where false positive and false negative indications are more frequently. The efficiency of this approach has been proven using some computational simulation results and experimental tests to detect fully broken rotor bars in a 7.5 kW squirrel cage induction machine fed by line and an inverter.

Pattern recognition neural classifier for fall detection in rock climbing

From an athlete’s perspective, the identification of falls during rock climbing is of major importance. It constitutes a solid performance indicator, but more importantly, it could be used to trigger an instantaneous alarm to rescue teams, thus reducing the negative health consequences for the climber. In this context, an artificial neural network–based technique for fall detection during rock climbing is presented in this study. The output of this tool could be used for safety and performance monitoring purposes. The proposed method exploits a neural network for binary pattern recognition. This network is fed with a set of features extracted in real time from the acceleration and altitude signals acquired by means of a wearable device. The classifier is trained and validated with experimental datasets recorded during real climbing sessions of eight athletes through different route grades and conditions. This article illustrates the architecture of the proposed algorithm, feature extraction process, and evaluation of its accuracy. In addition, an analysis of the severity level of the detected falls is conducted. The method is able to identify real fall events with a high success rate, while yielding very few false positive indications of a fall.

Features of Qualification of Failure to Report a Crime

The topic of the article is relevant due to the need for developing rules and recommendations for application of the revived norm concerning liability for failure to report a crime (Art. 205.6 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The purpose of the study is to give explanations on the key issues of characterization of such an act. The topical issues of criminal characterization of the crime under Art. 205.6 are revealed and recommenda-tions on the problem have been developed. Clarifications on the distinction between failure to report a crime and complicity in the crime are formulated. The rules of criminal characterization of failure to report a crime in case of necessity of its differentiation with obviously false indications, refusal of giving indications, concealment of crimes are given. By using the method of systematic interpretation of legislation, the author concludes that there are some exceptions to the range of potential subjects of the crime. It is proved that regardless of the promise not to report a crime, the offense is subject to characterization under Art. 205.6. Also, a failure to report a crime can develop into its concealment. In such a case, only the norm of responsibility for concealment of crimes shall be applied.

Modern principles of surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis

We reviewed the charts of 752 patients, who have undergone surgery for various forms of chronic pancreatitis at “Shalimov’s National Institute of Surgery and Transplantation of the NAMS of Ukraine” in the years from 2007 to 2017. The average age of the 591 males (78,6 %) and 161 females (22,4 %) was 43,0 ± 3,2 years. Out of these, 446 (62,4 %) patients with pseudocysts and pancreatic fistula and also with isolated main pancreatic duct lithiasis underwent drainage procedures. The 269 (37.6%) patients were subjected to different types of resection, including the Frey operation, pancreatoenterostomy with artificial pancreatic duct formation, the Berne technique, the Beger procedure, pancreatoduodenectomy, distal-pancreatic resection and other procedures. After pancreatic resections, the patients did not require repeated surgical interventions for chronic pancreatitis. In some cases of chronic pancreatitis, there was an isolated lesion of the pancreas: in such cases (13 patients), we performed distal resection of the pancreas. Among the observed patients here were no fatal cases. Satisfactory results were obtained in 92.6 % of cases at longterm follow-up. Post-operative complications occurred in 27 patients (4.6 %), in 6 (1.03 %) patients there was a need for repeated surgery. Progression of the disease in patients previously operated in our clinic was observed in 32 (5.5 %), and 72 patients, initially operated in other medical institutions. Patients after direct resection of the pancreas did not require repeated surgery for chronic pancreatitis. The main causes of unsatisfactory results of the surgical treatment for chronic pancreatitis have been found to be: false indications for initial surgery, improper primary surgical techniques, insufficient use of drainage procedures, as well as, performing a drainage procedure instead of a resection. Key words: chronic pancreatitis, surgical treatment, resection and drainage procedures. For citation: Usenko OY, Kopchak VM, Nychytailo MY, Duvalko OV, Khanenko VV, Trachuk VI, Khomiak AI. Modern principles of surgical treatment of chronic pancreatitis. Journal of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. 2019;25(3):306–12

Iterative two-stage approach for identifying structural damage by combining the modal strain energy decomposition method with the multiobjective particle swarm optimization algorithm

An iterative two-stage structural damage identification approach that combines the modal strain energy decomposition (MSED) method with the multiobjective particle swarm optimization algorithm is presented. The proposed scheme is inspired by the general noniterative two-stage approach, which attempts to locate damage in the first stage and estimate the severity of damage in the second stage; however, the present approach differs by constructing an iterative MSED indicator to perform damage localization and severity estimation in a cyclic manner. Consequently, false positive indications of damage are gradually suppressed, and the precision of the damage severity estimation is improved as the iteration continues. In addition, a new element activation operation is embedded into the iterative process; in this step, possible false negative indications of damage excluded in the first stage can be activated and subsequently retested to identify damage, thereby reducing the false negative rate. Furthermore, a comparative study is conducted between the iterative two-stage approach and the general noniterative approach by contemplating a 3-D structure, and the effects of measurement noise and spatial incompleteness are considered.

Do you Prefer Scotch or German Whisky? CJEU Judgment in theScotch WhiskyandGlen BuchenbachDispute

Case C-44/17, Scotch Whisky Association v Michael Klotz, 7 June 2018 (Fifth Chamber)The CJEU issued a preliminary ruling in a dispute between the protected indication of geographical origin Scotch Whisky and the disputed sign Glen Buchenbach over the right to use the designation Glen. The CJEU provided further clarification of the four protection norms for safeguarding protected indications of geographical origin. Commencing with interpreting the phrase “any direct or indirect commercial use”, the CJEU established that the term “use” refers to the visual appearance of a protected indication covering its use in either an identical or similar form in the disputed sign. The terms “direct” and “indirect” refer to the way in which appearance takes place: the former term covers affixing a disputed sign directly on the product (ie labelling); the latter term comprises other forms of use such as advertising or accompanying documents. Further, the CJEU held that “evocation” means evaluating whether an average European consumer thinks directly of a protected indication of geographical origin when confronted with an infringing sign. Finally, the CJEU averred that assessing whether a disputed sign is used either as an evocation or as a “false and misleading indication” does not depend on the context in which the sign is used.Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2008 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89, OJ L - 8, of 13.2.2008, pp 16–54 [Spirits Regulation].

Determination of wild animal sources of fecal indicator bacteria by microbial source tracking (MST) influences regulatory decisions

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are used to assess fecal pollution levels in surface water and are among the criteria used by regulatory agencies to determine water body impairment status. While FIB provide no information about pollution source, microbial source tracking (MST) does, which contributes to more direct and cost effective remediation efforts. We studied a watershed in Florida managed for wildlife conservation that historically exceeded the state regulatory guideline for fecal coliforms. We measured fecal coliforms, enterococci, a marker gene for avian feces (GFD), and a marker gene for human-associated Bacteroides (HF183) in sediment, vegetation, and water samples collected monthly from six sites over two years to: 1) assess the influence of site, temporal factors, and habitat (sediment, vegetation, and water) on FIB and MST marker concentrations, 2) test for correlations among FIB and MST markers, and 3) determine if avian feces and/or human sewage contributed to FIB levels. Sediment and vegetation had significantly higher concentrations of FIB and GFD compared to water and thus may serve as microbial reservoirs, providing unreliable indications of recent contamination. HF183 concentrations were greatest in water samples but were generally near the assay limit of detection. HF183-positive results were attributed to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) feces, which provided a false indication of human sewage in this water body. FIB and GFD were positively correlated while FIB and HF183 were negatively correlated. We demonstrated that birds, not sewage, were the main source of FIB, thus avoiding implementation of a total maximum daily load program (TMDL). Our results demonstrate that the concomitant use of FIB and MST can improve decision-making and provide direction when water bodies are impaired, and provides a strategy for natural source exclusion in water bodies impacted by wild animal feces.

Coherence Weighting Applied to FMC/TFM Data from Austenitic CRA Clad Lined Pipes

Lined pipe girth weld regions are challenging to inspect using ultrasonic techniques due to their anisotropic and inhomogeneous characteristics, which lead to noise and acoustic beam distortion. This paper is focused on the application of coherence weighting methods to decrease the background noise level and false indications on total focusing method (TFM) images, encompassing the triple boundary of mechanically lined pipes. Three coherence weighting approaches were used here; the coherence factor (CF), the sign CF (SCF) and the phase CF (PCF). All three were found capable to improve the TFM images, however, the CF and the SCF performed better due to their exponential sensitivity factors, unlike the PCF which has a linear sensitivity factor.

Study on the meat isotopic composition for origin identification

Russian consumer and governmental authorities are equally concerned to know where food products come from. This requires more accurate and specialized methods for the evaluation of geographical location. The following methods are used: chemometrics, histological and histochemical, genomic and proteomic, microbiological, immunochemical and mass spectrometric. Method of stable isotope analysis is becoming increasingly promising nowadays for the identification of meat and meat products' place of origin. The isotope ratios of the four elements - carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, are mainly determined. The method is successfully used to identify a country of origin of wines, juices and water. The aim of the research was to study the stable isotope ratios for pork and beef samples purchased in Moscow supermarkets (Russian Federation). The country of production of meat samples was determined according to specifications and/or labels. The geography of countries of meat samples origin includes Europe, both America continents and Australia. Databases collected by the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of the Brewing, Non-Alcoholic and Wine Industrywere used for the analysis and interpretation of the results. Values of 13С/12С, δ13С, 18О/16О, δ18О, 2Н/1Н, δ2Н for 30 pork and beef samples from 13 countries were obtained. Differences in stable isotope ratios were found depending on place of origin. The data correlated with the oxygen isotope characteristics for wine, which were in the range from 2.5 to 4.5 ppm. According to the 13С/12С, δ13С results, the assumption was made about a false indication of the region for the beef sample. Despite the fact that beef was labeled as a product of Lithuania, the region of origin was most probably defined as Germany. The studies carried out showed the possibility to identify the region of raw meat origin by the stable isotope ratio.

Complex differential variance angiography with noise-bias correction for optical coherence tomography of the retina.

Complex differential variance (CDV) provides phase-sensitive angiographic imaging for optical coherence tomography (OCT) with immunity to phase-instabilities of the imaging system and small-scale axial bulk motion. However, like all angiographic methods, measurement noise can result in erroneous indications of blood flow that confuse the interpretation of angiographic images. In this paper, a modified CDV algorithm that corrects for this noise-bias is presented. This is achieved by normalizing the CDV signal by analytically derived upper and lower limits. The noise-bias corrected CDV algorithm was implemented into an experimental 1 μm wavelength OCT system for retinal imaging that used an eye tracking scanner laser ophthalmoscope at 815 nm for compensation of lateral eye motions. The noise-bias correction improved the CDV imaging of the blood flow in tissue layers with a low signal-to-noise ratio and suppressed false indications of blood flow outside the tissue. In addition, the CDV signal normalization suppressed noise induced by galvanometer scanning errors and small-scale lateral motion. High quality cross-section and motion-corrected en face angiograms of the retina and choroid are presented.

Insights into the effects of matrix retention and inert carbon on the petroleum generation potential of Indian Gondwana shales

The Rock-Eval pyrolysis and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis technique is widely used for organic geochemistry screening of source rocks and potential unconventional petroleum reservoirs. The Rock-Eval-derived parameters, the Hydrogen Index (HI), which is the ratio between hydrocarbons released under the S2 curve (hydrocarbon formed by thermal pyrolysis; S2 is an indicator of petroleum generation potential) and total organic carbon (TOC) can be used to infer the type of organic matter present in a rock. However, HI is often under-estimated due to retention of some hydrocarbons included under the S2 curve by the rock matrix, and the presence of inert carbon within the rock. Here we describe and correct the matrix retention and inert carbon effects on hydrocarbon generation from a suite of shale samples from Indian Gondwana shale reservoirs. Removal of the petrographically-identified inert carbon component from the samples tested leads to less scatter in the TOC-S2 relationship obtained. The ratio of volume percentage of organic matter identified through optical microscopy to TOC is calculated, and that ratio was least in the one heat-affected sample, but higher in low-TOC shales (<12.5%) compared to high-TOC shales (>12.5%). With decreasing TOC content in the sample set analyzed, the corrected HI values calculated using the S2-TOC intercept, increase significantly. This correction can therefore lead to false indications about the type of organic matter present. A key novel finding of this work is the need while correcting HI for matrix retention effects, to consider samples with a specific range of TOC contents, and to match them to the kerogen types present (e.g. Types III and IV in the samples analyzed). Filters should also be applied to adjust for the degree of thermal maturity and organic facies.