Full Operability Research Articles

When transactions turn awry: Infrastructural ambivalence in financial security

AbstractThis article conceptualizes financial transactions as parts of financial infrastructures. Not only do transactions perform services for the economy, mainly in the area of calculation and pricing, but there is also merit in a conceptually infrastructural view on transactions which uncovers their ambivalence for the stability of the financial system. This is based on a conceptualization of infrastructures that distances itself from inherited modernist notions of the completeness, full operability, and functional integration of infrastructures, and instead highlights the constitutive incompleteness, error-proneness, and looming disintegration of infrastructures owing not to external threats but to their very modes of operation. The article analyzes two post-crisis reports that try to sort out this infrastructural ambivalence of transactions, and, in that attempt, mobilize different imaginaries. In the Brady Report following Black Monday of 1987, the imaginary of the efficient competitive market was cited to stabilize the boundary between functional and dysfunctional transactions. In the FCIC Report reflecting on the subprime mortgage crisis, a quasi-sociological diagnosis of mushrooming, and morally problematic transactional relationships were invoked to separate functional from dysfunctional intermediation by financial transactions.

Метрологічне забезпечення та автоматизація випробувань регулятора малорозмірного газотурбінного авіадвигуна

The subject of this research was the possibility of creating a control and verification apparatus (CVA) for ensuring full-scale autonomous tests of the regulator of a small gas turbine aircraft engine developed at the enterprise. The purpose of this study was to develop CVA (a modern small-sized hardware and software complex that allows automating the performance tests, which is carried out as during the production technological cycle of the regulator, as well as in operation) based on information about the aircraft engine characteristics, including refinement of its mathematical model based on experimental data. The tasks faced by the developers were to determine the optimal set of functions of the equipment, which would provide sufficient data for a reliable assessment of the regulator's performance based on the test results while minimizing the time spent and the probability of errors, and the implementation of the function of automated performance of complete regulator measuring channels calibration, including the pressure measurement channel (together with the pressure sensor) and the fuel flow measurement channel (with the sensor of the angle of rotation of the dosing element of the fuel dispenser). The applied methods are follows: at the first stage of design it was the analysis of available data on the processes that need to be automated, after that the experimental method of research the first sample characteristics and its interaction with the aircraft engine was applied at the developer’s test base (JSC “Element”) and at engine test stands of JSC "Motor Sich", and then – a method of statistical data processing, including refinement of the mathematical model of the aircraft engine. The results. The developed CVA consists of a hardware part structurally designed in the form of a CVA block weighing 1.7 kg with built-in software and a software product installed on a personal computer. The mathematical model of the aircraft engine integrated into the built-in software allows you to perform a full-fledged check of the regulator's functioning, in particular, at the start of the engine, at the maintenance of the specified operating mode, while ensuring protection against exceeding the permissible values of the parameters. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is the development of the CVA with an integrated engine mathematical model and a set of functions that provide a full autonomous regulator operability check, which was verified in the process of testing on real engine. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the fact that the production and operation of the newly developed aircraft engine regulator is equipped with a compact and easy-to-use means of full-fledged operational automated control of its performance.

Printed 3D Gesture Recognition Thermoformed Half Sphere Compatible with In‐Mold Electronic Applications

The development of conformable electronic systems’ focuses on the multifunctional smart materials transform areas from the automotive industry to biomedicine, based on improved integration and advanced functionalities. In‐mold electronics (IME) combines thermoforming, injection molding, and printed electronics, resulting in sensing structural parts integrated into smart surfaces, communicating with computer systems, and enabling advanced experiences in terms of human‐machine interaction. Contrary to flexible electronics, designed as bend conductors around a single axis, thermoformed electronics allow deformations in the three‐axial directions for different geometries. Herein, a 2D screen‐printed pattern using conductive silver ink thermoformed into a spherical surface suitable for 3D gesture recognition is reported. The mechanical deformation of the high‐impact polystyrene sheet (HIPS) and polyethylene terephthalate‐glycol (PETG) substrates during the thermoforming process of the electrical circuit is characterized experimentally. The electrical resistance changes through the circuit in the stages of the fabrication process due the thickness decrease and the propagation of the small cracks. Both evaluations contribute to a better understanding of the performance of the materials when subject to the IME process. Validation of the 3D gesture recognition operation is carried out, demonstrating their full operability, as well as the possibilities that the combination of technologies allows.

Up to 10-Year Incidence of Complications in Fixed vs Removable Implant-Supported Restorations for Edentulous Arches.

To retrospectively compare the incidence of biologic and prosthetic complications in implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDP) and removable dental prostheses (RDP) in edentulous patients after up to 10 years. A total of 13 patients (mean age: 58.8 years, women = 9, men = 4) who had received 14 implant-supported FDPs and a total of 43 patients (mean age: 64.4 years, 22 women, 21 men) who were provided with 50 implant-supported RDPs were included in the study. The RDPs were fixed using locator attachments, ball heads, bars, or double-crowns. Technical, biologic, and prosthetic complications were assessed over a 73.3-month (± 37.7) follow-up period, and the collected data covered the period between 2000 and 2016. Using Kaplan-Meier curve and Breslow tests, the data were statistically analyzed. The level of peri-implant bone margins was determined at least every 2 years. Of the 328 implants placed, 2 had to be removed during the follow-up period. All implant superstructures were still in situ at the end of the observation period. The mean overall complication rate was 0.24 per restoration per year for FDPs and 0.37 per year for RDPs. Reasonable therapeutic interventions allowed for preserving and reestablishing the integrity of all implants and full operability of all superstructures. Prosthetic complications occurred about four to five times more frequently than biologic ones; however, according to Breslow test, the distribution of biologic and prosthetic complications was not significantly different (P > .05) when comparing FDPs and RDPs over 10 years. Implant-supported FDPs were not significantly more prone to complications than implant-supported RDPs over time. Prosthetic intervention was required more often than biologic interventions in both approaches.

Experimental Verification of Contactless Heating Method in Railway Turnouts Heating System

In winter conditions, railroad turnouts are an element of railway infrastructure that is particularly vulnerable to weather conditions such as snowfall, blowing of freezing rainfall, low temperatures. To maintain them in full operability during un-favorable weather conditions turnouts heating systems are used. The basic system used for decades on European railways is the electric heating of turnouts (ETH). This system uses resistance heaters, is characterized by high energy consumption and low efficiency. Railway authorities, in many European countries, look for new solutions in the field of electric turnouts heating. In this paper experimental verification of a new ETH concept is presented. The new methodology uses contactless heaters instead of the classic ones and is based on an innovative way of heat distribution. As a reference object for the con-tactless heater, the classic ETH was used. Experimental research in real conditions were carried out at turnouts exploited in the Polish State Railways (PKP) network. The research was carried out in various weather conditions. As a part of the test, thermo-vision measurements were done, as well as measurements by thermo-couples and a melting rate was observed. In each case, comparative tests were carried out. The results were gathered, analyzed, concluded and presented in the paper. Keywords: electric turnouts heating ETH, optimization of ETH system, contactless electric turnout heating

Human resources management and leadership in surgery

Das deutsche Gesundheitswesen und insbesondere chirurgische Kliniken stehen aufgrund eines zunehmenden Fachkräftemangels vor erheblichen Herausforderungen. Dieser Mangel an qualifiziertem Personal führt nicht nur zu Einschränkungen in der Patientenversorgung, sondern wirkt sich auch negativ auf die Mitarbeitergesundheit aus, da das vorhandene Personal den Ausfall entsprechend kompensieren muss. Verstärkt wird diese Situation durch die Ansprüche und Erwartungen neuer Mitarbeitergenerationen, die vor allem Bereiche wie Führung, Arbeitszeit sowie Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf betreffen. Diese Veränderungen werden zwangsläufig zu einem Umdenken von Klinikleitung und Geschäftsführung führen müssen, um zukünftig die Funktionsfähigkeit und Qualität der medizinischen Versorgung durch Kliniken aufrechterhalten zu können. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist eine persönliche Einschätzung der aktuellen und zukünftigen Situation chirurgischer Kliniken in Deutschland mit einem Fokus auf Personalmanagement und Leadership.

Dynamics of interdependent critical infrastructures - a prioritised distribution model

Previous research articles about interdependent critical infrastructures developed different mathematical models describing the dynamic direct and indirect interactions of these infrastructures. Many of these models use discrete time steps to show how a reduced operability of one infrastructure C at time t will lead at time t + 1 to reductions in all infrastructures to which C distributes its output; and many of them use a standard mode of distribution which will be called proportional. According to a recent result, with this proportional distribution a reduced operability in only one infrastructure will lead to an enduring reduction of all operabilities even after full repairs of all damages. This research replaces this proportional mode by a newly defined prioritised one. It shows that a system with prioritised distribution mode leads in nearly all practical cases to an increased behaviour of the whole system: after repair of all damages, all infrastructures will return automatically to full operability.

TanDEM-X Long-Term System Performance After 10 Years of Operation

The TanDEM-X mission, formed by the TanDEM-X satellite in cooperation with its almost identical twin TerraSAR-X (TSX), has mainly been designed to acquire bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the Earth. Initiated in 2010, the primary mission objectives were to generate a global digital elevation model (DEM) to perform scientific measurements and to explore novel SAR techniques. Up to the present day, all these objectives have been completed with outstanding results. In addition, the satellites maintained a stable image quality from the start throughout their entire lifetime. The ground segment, which was tailored to the capabilities of the space segment, as well as an excellent design and manufacturing of the satellites were the key elements to achieve such a performance. In addition, the elaborate calibration concept and a careful treatment of the on-board resources enabled full operability up to the present day and allowed additional mission objectives such as the generation of a Change-DEM layer as an update to the global DEM. The stable bus and SAR payload performance as revealed by long-term system monitoring provide the basis for further extension of the TanDEM-X mission for several more years. In the following paper, these long-term system monitoring results are presented to provide an overview of the evolution of the radar system. The results and experience gained with more than a decade of TanDEM-X mission operation are a great value for both the scientific and commercial community and serve as a forerunner for the development of future SAR missions.

Operational Resilience of Hospital Power Systems in the Digital Age

An advanced guideline is required to support the design of power supply systems for the performances of service continuity and power outage resilience, which are vital for hospital power systems and strategic operational structures (SOSs). The supply sources, the power system topology, and its management are fundamental in guaranteeing the electrical resilience of the power system. There is still no standard to evaluate the adequacy of hospital power systems for natural calamities and human-made disasters and, subsequently, for the ordinary operation. The World Health Organization recognizes it as a basic problem and at this aim has to claim clearly the status of SOSs for the hospitals, recommending to safeguard and plan the full operability. The hospital power systems need a local fortified electrical structure, designed for service continuity during fault events and managed to ensure an adequate dynamic response to any emergency and maintenance needs. The importance of the business continuity management is highlighted; it has to be qualified for a permanent design with both the in-op approaches for the initial installation of the system and its life cycle operation.

Tunable Orbital Angular Momentum Converter Based on Integrated Multiplexers

A four-orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes converter consisting of the cascade of an OAM demultiplexer and an OAM multiplexer is implemented and characterized. The OAM multiplexer is realized with an integrated photonic circuit based on four tunable OAM emitters, i.e. the order of the emitted OAM mode can be selected by thermal tuning. It works on linearly polarized signals. The OAM demultiplexer, completely passive, consists of the cascade of two patterned refractive elements followed by a lens and can work independently of the polarization of the input signals. The proposed OAM converter can receive at its input a bundle of spatially multiplexed beams mapped on different OAM modes, each one carrying a set of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) channels. Each WDM channel can be independently converted to a different OAM mode and all the OAM beams are multiplexed at the converter output. The performance of the proposed scheme is assessed as a function of the order of the OAM beam before and after the conversion, as well as of the wavelength of the input signal. The measurements show a power penalty on the bit error-rate (BER) curves of less than 1 dB in all the considered cases. The scheme is tested also with 100 Gb/s real data-traffic generated with commercial network cards, showing full operability. The cascading ability of the proposed scheme is also investigated in an experiment where the signal to be converted is generated by an OAM multiplexer, i.e. the output stage of the OAM converter, showing a penalty of less than 2 dB. Moreover, considerations on scalability, bandwidth and power consumption are also included along with a possible application of OAM conversion within add/drop nodes in an OAM-wavelength multiplexed transmission scenario.

Электромагнитный и тепловой анализ электрических машин из композитных материалов

The progress in improvement of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of composite materials opens new possibilities for replacing metal components in constructing electrical machines. Owing to low density of the majority of these materials in comparison with conventional materials, it becomes possible to decrease the specific weight and achieve better processability due to minimal machining and the possibility of making parts having the finished shape. Studies of using composite materials in individual units of electrical machines show the possibility of minimizing material intensity, increasing energy density, and achieving better energy efficiency. One of possible ways to increase energy density and energy efficiency is to construct high-speed electrical machines that are able to generate maximum power with the minimum amount of active and structural materials. The characteristics of electrical machines are determined by losses, which in turn depend on the electromagnetic and thermal properties of the applied materials. In this respect, composite materials differ favorably from conventional materials. Thus, composite materials consist of plastic bases reinforced with fillers. By combining dissimilar materials, a new material is obtained, the properties of which may differ significantly from the properties of its individual components. The results from a comparative analysis carried out for three designs of electrical machines with different contents of composite materials are presented. Full electromagnetic and thermal analyses of these designs carried out using the finite element methods are given, their specific characteristics are determined, and their efficiencies are estimated. It has been found that the weight of an electrical machine that consists completely of composite materials is by 73% smaller than that of an electrical machine made of conventional materials. The efficiency of an electrical machine made fully of composite materials is 92%, a conclusion that confirms good prospects of applying composite materials in electrical machine components. The thermal analysis results confirm that an electrical machine made completely of composite materials will have full operability.

On Some Applications of Isometricity of Functional Spaces in Applied Mathematics

Problems of computational mathematics are directly connected with an implementation of mathematical models in conditions of limited initial information. This is especially evident when, during modeling, one encounters various idealizations of real processes which in turn forces one to apply discretization for functions of continuous variables, as well as replacing all infinitesimal and infinitely large quantities with some finite quantities. That is why the search for a mathematical description of the model or the choice between several possible ones is the most difficult and crucial moment in modeling, since the model may contain a sufficiently large number of connections, parts, variables and choosing the wrong mathematical description for any of them can yield a full or partial operability of the model as a whole. To describe the interactions one selects a priory known functional dependencies. One of the most interesting problems of computational mathematics that require a delicate approach to choosing both the space in which the problem is solved and its capability to scale up quickly the results from a small number of parameters to a much larger number of them, are exactly the problems of approach-evasion differential games, the problems of escape or evasion from a meeting, the problems of escape from a group of pursuers. In solving these problems and in applying the results to minimize redundancy of calculations, it is certainly important to select appropriately a functional space with possible inherent isometry properties. The choice of such space is a separate task requiring a deep comprehensive study. The spaces of real functions of n + k variables that are isometric to the spaces of real functions defined on the n-dimensional Euclidean space are already studied in detail. In this paper, isometric mappings are considered of the spaces of real functions of n + m variables into the spaces of real functions of n variables that are 2π-periodic in each variable, which in turn will contribute to the study of complex controlled systems, as well as finding an optimal mathematical models for such systems.

UAVS ENHANCED NAVIGATION IN OUTDOOR GNSS DENIED ENVIRONMENT USING UWB AND MONOCULAR CAMERA SYSTEMS

Abstract. The demand for small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is massively increasing these days, due to the wide variety of applications utilizing such vehicles to perform tasks that may be dangerous or just to save time, effort, or cost. Small UAVs navigation system mainly depends on the integration between Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Inertial Measurement Unit (INS) to estimate the Positions, Velocities, and Attitudes (PVT) of the vehicle. Without GNSS such UAVs cannot navigate for long periods of time depending on INS alone, as the low-cost INS typically exhibits massive accumulation of errors during GNSS absence. Given the importance of ensuring full operability of the UAVs even during GNSS signals unavailability, other sensors must be used to bound the INS errors and enhance the navigation system performance. This paper proposes an enhanced UAV navigation system based on integration between monocular camera, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) system, and INS. In addition to using variable EKF weighting scheme. The paper also investigates this integration in the case of low density of UWB anchors, to reduce the cost required for such UWB system infrastructure. A GoPro Camera and UWB rover were attached to the belly of a quadcopter, an on the shelf commercial drone (3DR Solo), during the experimental flight. The velocity of the vehicle is estimated with Optical Flow (OF) from camera successive images, while the range measurements between the UWB rover and the stationary UWB anchors, which were distributed on the field, were used to estimate UAV position.

An Overview and Assessment of Performance of the Central American Presidential Summit

This article evaluates the performance of the Central American Presidential Summit, based on a political sociology approach of regionalism, and the concepts of political authority and rules compliance. The trajectory of the Presidential Summits since 1986, is examined through a theoretical approximation inspired by international relations sociologists and by applying an inductive methodology. The results indicate that almost since its creation, the Central American Presidential Summit did not achieve full operability according to its institutional design and diplomatic practices. The evidence suggests that presidential summits do not act as the driver of Central American regionalism. The article affirms that the weak political will from the member states explains the limited institutional performance of the Central American Integration System.

Performance of the South American Defense Council Under Autonomy Pressures

This article evaluates the performance of the South American Defense Council, based on the rational institutional design and the concept of the operability of alliances. The trajectory of the Council between 2009 and 2018, is examined through a theoretical approximation inspired by neoclassical realism and by applying the descriptive inference method of process tracing. The results indicate that in almost a decade, the Defense Council of the Union of South American Nations did not achieve full operability according to its institutional design. The evidence suggests that aspirations of national autonomy undermined the regional security autonomy project. The article affirms that the presence of a South American security regionalism problem resulting from national and regional autonomy tensions generated a paradox of autonomy.

Validation of the Accuracy and Convergence Time of Real Time Kinematic Results Using a Single Galileo Navigation System

For the last two decades, the American GPS and Russian GLONASS were the basic systems used in global positioning and navigation. In recent years, there has been significant progress in the development of positioning systems. New regional systems have been created, i.e., the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS). A plan to build its own regional navigation system named Korean Positioning System (KPS) was announced South Korea on 5 February 2018. Currently, two new global navigation systems are under development: the European Galileo and the Chinese BeiDou. The full operability of both systems by 2020 is planned. The paper deals with a possibility of determination of the user’s position from individual and independent global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The article is a broader concept aimed at independent determination of precise position from individual GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo systems. It presents real time positioning results (Real Time Kinematic-RTK) using signals from Galileo satellites only. During the test, 14 Galileo satellites were used and the number of simultaneously observed Galileo satellites varied from five to seven. Real-time measurements were only possible in certain 24-h observation windows. However, their number was completed within 6 days at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, so there was possible to infer about the current availability, continuity, convergence time and accuracy of the RTK measurements. In addition, the systematic errors were demonstrated for the Galileo system.

On-Body Long-Range Wireless Backscattering Sensing System Using Inkjet-/3-D-Printed Flexible Ambient RF Energy Harvesters Capable of Simultaneous DC and Harmonics Generation

A novel wearable and flexible energy autonomous on-body sensing network is proposed featuring full operability through energy harvesting from a hand-held 464.5-MHz UHF two-way talk radio. Three different functions are provided utilizing the hand-held two-way talk radio as the only energy source for our proposed system. There are two types of energy harvesters (EHs) proposed for the presented system. The first EH that is mounted on the sensing capable backscattering RFID tags harvests the 464.5-MHz signal energy to drive the tags; the second EH that can be worn on hands harvests the same 464.5-MHz signal to produce both the dc power and the carrier signal. The second EH is more efficient than conventional ambient RF energy harvesting architectures because for the first time, both the dc and the second harmonics generated by the rectifier are utilized to enable two additional functions. The generated second harmonic is used to interrogate backscattering RFID tags for on-body sensing, while the dc power is used to power an RF amplifier in order to enhance the second harmonic to effectively extend the sensing and communication range. For the proof-of-concept demonstration, the measured dc and the second harmonic, 929 MHz, output power from the proposed EH are 17.5 and 1.43 dBm, respectively, while a two-way talk radio is 9 cm away. The measured second harmonic output power is increased to 13 dBm utilizing the harvester-powered RF amplifier, and the reading range of the custom backscattering sensor tag is extended to more than 70 m. Also, the interrogation of multiple sensor tags and the wireless detection of ammonia gas utilizing an inkjet printed flexible ammonia sensor are demonstrated showing the wide range of applications of the proposed approach.

Double-Coupled Systems for IPT Roadway Applications

Dynamic powering of in-motion electric vehicles (EVs) using inductive power transfer (IPT) can potentially solve many of the problems currently faced by EVs: in particular range, cost, and charging rate. However, there is currently limited research focused on suitable IPT primary supply-side infrastructure for such roadway IPT systems, and most proposed systems so far have limitations that affect their usefulness and/or suitability. This paper presents a new roadway IPT system using a double-coupled system that can largely resolve these limitations. The proposed system introduces an intermediary coupler circuit (ICC) with frequency changing capability between the power supply primary track and each ground transmitter pad/coil arrangement. Individual charging sections on the roadway can be controlled independently using the ICCs and only turned ON when required, and as such minimize unwanted magnetic leakage fields. The proposed system provides isolation between the power supply and all of the ground transmitter pads, and allows the power supply to run at a lower frequency while the power transfer takes place at a higher frequency. The system can also potentially reduce the impact of dynamic EV charging on the electrical grid at the times of traffic congestion. A laboratory scale prototype system has been constructed and tested. The intermediary coupler achieved an efficiency of 92.5% at an output power of 5 kW with full system operability.

Detection and Recovery of Coverage Holes in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) consists of distributed low-cost sensing nodes with autonomous network. Several anomalies can occur in wireless sensor networks that may form various coverage holes. These holes may disturb the existing coverage or connectivity, and impair desired functionalities of networks. Hence, it is essential to detect and recovery coverage holes in order to ensure the full operability of a WSN. In the paper, we propose a decentralized, coordinate-free, node-based coverage hole detection algorithm. It is based on boundary critical points, and can be run on a single node with verifying boundary critical points from neighbors. The hole patching algorithm is implemented with the concept of perpendicular bisector and our detection algorithm. The patching sensor nodes are deployed on hole boundary bisectors. Simulation demonstrates that our algorithm can detect and recover coverage hole, and guarantee full coverage in hostile environments with an effective manner.

Unsteadiness in shock-induced separated flow with subsequent reattachment of supersonic annular jet

An axisymmetric truncated optimized contoured nozzle flow operating in overexpanded conditions is simulated in restricted shock separation regime. The numerical strategy adopted aims at computing essentially the largest dynamically active scales of the flow in order to analyze the unsteady mechanisms leading to the low-frequency peak of side loads observed in this case. It relies on an hybrid approach, based on a k–ω model, including realizability corrections and modified in the vein of delayed detached eddy simulation. The full model operability in LES mode is shown to be inhibited by a limited resolution, which admittedly limits the representativity of interactions between intermediate scales. However, the present approach is shown to lead to surprisingly good estimates of the wall-pressure signals and resulting rms of side-loads. A representative large-scale unsteadiness is reproduced and is found to be characterized by an irregular azimuthal asymmetry of the reattached flow, superimposed on large-amplitude axial oscillations. An essential ingredient driving the flow unsteadiness is related to the inhomogenous propagation of pressure disturbances through the subsonic three-dimensional trapped vortex downstream of the cap-shock system.