Precise Inspection Research Articles

Application status and prospect of clinical molecular diagnostics automation

Molecular diagnosis plays more and more important role in disease diagnosis, prognosis evaluation and curative effect monitoring. With the support of relevant national policies and the gradual release of accurate medical needs from society, molecular diagnosis relies on its advantages of accuracy, convenience, sensitivity, non-invasiveness and automation to develop rapidly in the direction of precision inspection. The application of molecular diagnostic automation is undoubtedly the catalyst for the development of molecular diagnostics, but its application status is far from satisfactory. It is necessary to analyze the causes, study countermeasures and look forward to the future. (Chin J Lab Med, 2018, 41: 344-347) Key words: Molecular diagnostic techniques; Automation, laboratory; Precision medicine

Accuracy improvement of the H-drive air-levitating wafer inspection stage based on error analysis and compensation

In order to improve the inspection precision of the H-drive air-bearing stage for wafer inspection, in this paper the geometric error of the stage is analyzed and compensated. The relationship between the positioning errors and error sources are initially modeled, and seven error components are identified that are closely related to the inspection accuracy. The most effective factor that affects the geometric error is identified by error sensitivity analysis. Then, the Spearman rank correlation method is applied to find the correlation between different error components, aiming at guiding the accuracy design and error compensation of the stage. Finally, different compensation methods, including the three-error curve interpolation method, the polynomial interpolation method, the Chebyshev polynomial interpolation method, and the B-spline interpolation method, are employed within the full range of the stage, and their results are compared. Simulation and experiment show that the B-spline interpolation method based on the error model has better compensation results. In addition, the research result is valuable for promoting wafer inspection accuracy and will greatly benefit the semiconductor industry.

A multi-vision-based system for tube inspection

PurposeGeometric errors are common in metallic bent tubular parts. Thus, tubes should be inspected and fixed before welding with the joints first. After welding, the relative position of the joints is also necessary to be inspected to judge whether the tube can be assembled reliably. Therefore, the inspection plays an important role in the tube’s assembly. The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-vision-based system designed to inspect the tube and the relative position of the joints.Design/methodology/approachFor the tube inspection, the small cylinders are taken as the primitives to reconstruct the tube using the multi- vision-based system. Then, any geometric error in the tube can be inspected by comparing the reconstructed models and designed ones. For joints’ inspection, authors designed an adapter with marked points, by which the system can calculate the relative position of the joints.FindingsThe reconstruction idea can recognise the line and arc segments of a tube automatically and resolve the textureless deficiency of the tube’s surface. The joints’ inspection method is simple in operation, and any kinds of joints can be inspected by designing the structure of the adapters accordingly.Originality/valueBy experimental verification, the inspection precision of the proposed system was 0.17 mm; the inspection time was within 2 min. Thus, the system developed can inspect a tube effectively and automatically. Moreover, authors can determine how the springback of the arcs behaves, allowing in-process springback prediction and compensation, which can reduce geometric errors in the tubes given the present bending machine accuracy.

Partnership between screening facilities and precision inspection facility

Partnership between screening facilities and precision inspection facility

A Strategy for Inspection of Cracks in a Thick Structure Using an ECT Probe

Abstract A strategy for enhancing the inspection precision of cracks in a thick structure is proposed. The key problem of inspection of cracks in a thick structure is the penetration depth of eddy currents. Using lower frequency to drive the probe can overcome it, but too low frequency will cause too small signal to noise ratio and inspection sensitivity. To solve these problems, effects of frequency, inspection mode, and probe type on eddy current testing signals were studied. At last, an effective strategy for inspection of cracks in a thick structure was proposed.

High-Resolution Real-Time Visual Inspection System for Micro Assembly

For precise assembly of miniature parts, the precise inspection for parts’ posture and real-time servo control for assembly greatly depend on the performance of visual inspection system. This paper proposed a high-resolution real-time visual inspection system of micro assembly. The CMOS image sensor and high-speed digital signal processing chip were chosen to design the image acquisition module, image processing module and image display module. High-accuracy display on the common display device was implemented with the video encoding chip and FPGA. The test results showed that the processing speed with preprocessing could reach 3.5 frames per second with 5 mega-pixel resolution, and the display accuracy after threshold processing had little loss. Micro parts assembly experiment and high accuracy Peg-in-Hole assembly experiment are done to test the performance of the proposed visual inspection system. This visual inspection system can be used for high-resolution real-time micro assembly and other real-time visual servo control.

Nondestructive Inspection System for Special Nuclear Material Using Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion Neutrons and Laser Compton Scattering Gamma-Rays

A Neutron/Gamma-ray combined inspection system for hidden special nuclear materials (SNMs) in cargo containers has been developed under a program of Japan Science and Technology Agency in Japan. This inspection system consists of an active neutron-detection system for fast screening and a laser Compton backscattering gamma-ray source in coupling with nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) method for precise inspection. The inertial electrostatic confinement fusion device has been adopted as a neutron source and two neutron-detection methods, delayed neutron noise analysis method and high-energy neutron-detection method, have been developed to realize the fast screening system. The prototype system has been constructed and tested in the Reactor Research Institute, Kyoto University. For the generation of the laser Compton backscattering gamma-ray beam, a race track microtron accelerator has been used to reduce the size of the system. For the NRF measurement, an array of LaBr3(Ce) scintillation detectors has been adopted to realize a low-cost detection system. The prototype of the gamma-ray system has been demonstrated in the Kansai Photon Science Institute, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology. By using numerical simulations based on the data taken from these prototype systems and the inspection-flow, the system designed by this program can detect 1 kg of highly enriched 235U (HEU) hidden in an empty 20-ft container within several minutes.

Optimizational Analysis of Double Acting Hydraulic Actuator with Fuzzy Inference System

Growing trends of industrial applications involve majority of mechanical/ hydraulic actuators as their prime movers. Hence for the technological innovations, it is a prime requirement to evaluate and calibrate the hydraulic actuator for any application. The evaluation tests were performed to determine Proof Test pressure (kgf/cm2), Static friction bar (kg/cm2), Internal Leakages (cm3/min), Cushioning Test and Endurance Test. The Industrial hydraulic actuator driven by a reciprocating compressor with humidified-air is tested. A set of sample pressures are used in identifying the different properties of the actuator to simulate the model. The experimental results were simulated in Solid works for precision inspection within a range of 0 – 40 kg/cm2. In Accordingly, the test data is fuzzified using FIS in MATLAB 10 for obtaining the optimized working condition to develop an appropriate Metric Machine Hydraulic Actuator. In real practice for HMV applications it varies between 18 – 38 kg/cm2 as a reference. The fuzzification resulted with a unique crisp output condition at 23.9 kgf/cm2, which is safe working condition for metric machine hydraulic actuator.

On-Site Non-Destructive Inspection of Bridges Using the 950 keV X-Band Electron Linac X-ray Source

Regular diagnosis of the structural health of infrastructure, such as bridges, is indispensable to ensure safety and reliable operation of the society. Non-destructive tests based on X-ray imaging are powerful tools to inspect the inside of a concrete structure in detail. Establishing a diagnostic method of bridges based on X-ray visualization is required to examine the internal conditions and helps in the rationalization of maintenances. We demonstrated our 950 keV X-band electron linac based X-ray source for on-site actual bridge inspection and visualized the inner structure of a bottom floor slab. For the more precise inspection of the conditions of wires and rods, we applied three-dimensional image reconstruction methods for bridge mock-up samples. Partial angle computed tomography and tomosynthesis gave cross section images of the samples with 1 mm resolution. We are planning to investigate another part of the bridge, with the 950 keV X-ray system in the near future.

A posture adjustment optimization method of the laser inspection device for large complex surface parts

The blank of large complex surface parts such as aircraft skin parts is formed by roll–bending process, which always introduces a big shape deviation between actual blanks and the desired ones. The cutting tool path for the blank machining planned based on the nominal digital model of the part may scrap the part due to the shape deviation. In order to address this issue, laser inspection method is used to inspect the blank before machining to obtain the actual shape of the blank which can be used as a reference for cutting tool path generation in addition to the nominal digital model of the part. While the laser inspection device posture adjustment is an important factor for inspection precision, it should be intensively focused. The difficulty of the laser inspection device posture adjustment optimization is that it can only be performed based on the nominal digital model of the part, while the real inspection object is the actual blank whose real shape is unknown, which may lead to the inspection precision disqualification. In order to address the above difficulty, the actual blank profile is first constructed with a few of laser inspection points obtained by rough inspecting. An inspection path planning method is proposed based on the actual blank profile. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the pendulum angles of the laser inspection device based on the inspection path and the actual blank profile, and the optimized postures of the actual blank can be calculated based on the pendulum angles. The proposed method of this article is verified by the inspection of an aircraft skin part, and the experiment results show that this method can ensure the final inspection precision.

Biliary Intraepithelial Neoplasia (BilIN) in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: The First Report from Iran.

BackgroundPrimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) as one of the most common chronic cholestatic liver diseases is a main predisposing factor for the development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN) is defined as precancerous bile duct epithelial changes, which can be eventually led to cholangiocarcinoma. There are very few studies about the frequency of BilIN in the patients with PSC and its correlation with paraclinical findings.ObjectivesIn this study, we tried to find the frequency of BilIN in the patients with PSC and correlate its presence with clinicopathologic factors.MethodsDuring two years (2014 - 15) of investigation, 80 explanted livers with the confirmed diagnosis of PSC were studied through precise inspection and thorough sectioning of the explanted livers. These findings were correlated with paraclinical findings to identify any predictor of these neoplastic epithelial changes.ResultsDuring the study period of 2 years, among 80 livers with confirmed diagnosis of PSC, there were 43 cases with different types of metaplasia. The frequency of epithelial changes was as below: 29 (35%) for pyloric metaplasia, 9 (10.8%) for mucinous metaplasia, 3 (3.6%) for intestinal metaplasia, 1 (1.2%) for osteoid metaplasia, and 1 (1.2%) for squamous metaplasia. There was no epithelial dysplasia in the study sample; however, according to the most recent reports, mucinous metaplasia is considered as BilIN 1; therefore, there would be 9 cases of BilIN I. There has been no statistically significant difference between PSC cases and those with BilIN in demographic variables, except for bilirubin and CA19-9 which were higher in the PSC cases with BilIN.ConclusionsThis study showed that the frequency of BilIN was low among Iranian patients with PSC. High bilirubin and CA19-9 can be predictors of the development of bile duct epithelial changes in patients with PSC.

Relationship between Electron Affinity and Half-Wave Reduction Potential: A Theoretical Study on Cyclic Electron-Acceptor Compounds.

A high-level ab initio protocol to compute accurate electron affinities and half-wave reduction potentials is presented and applied for a series of electron-acceptor compounds with potential interest in organic electronics and redox flow batteries. The comprehensive comparison between the theoretical and experimental electron affinities not only proves the reliability of the theoretical G3(MP2) approach employed but also calls into question certain experimental measurements, which need to be revised. By using the thermodynamic cycle for the one-electron attachment reaction A+e- →A- , theoretical estimates for the first half-wave reduction potential have been computed along the series of electron-acceptor systems investigated, with maximum deviations from experiment of only 0.2 V. The precise inspection of the terms contributing to the half-wave reduction potential shows that the difference in the free energy of solvation between the neutral and the anionic species (ΔΔGsolv ) plays a crucial role in accurately estimating the electron-acceptor properties in solution, and thus it cannot be considered constant even in a family of related compounds. This term, which can be used to explain the occasional lack of correlation between electron affinities and reduction potentials, is rationalized by the (de)localization of the additional electron involved in the reduction process along the π-conjugated chemical structure.

Eye centre localisation: an unsupervised modular approach

Purpose This paper aims to introduce an unsupervised modular approach for eye centre localisation in images and videos following a coarse-to-fine, global-to-regional scheme. The design of the algorithm aims at excellent accuracy, robustness and real-time performance for use in real-world applications. Design/methodology/approach A modular approach has been designed that makes use of isophote and gradient features to estimate eye centre locations. This approach embraces two main modalities that progressively reduce global facial features to local levels for more precise inspections. A novel selective oriented gradient (SOG) filter has been specifically designed to remove strong gradients from eyebrows, eye corners and self-shadows, which sabotage most eye centre localisation methods. The proposed algorithm, tested on the BioID database, has shown superior accuracy. Findings The eye centre localisation algorithm has been compared with 11 other methods on the BioID database and six other methods on the GI4E database. The proposed algorithm has outperformed all the other algorithms in comparison in terms of localisation accuracy while exhibiting excellent real-time performance. This method is also inherently robust against head poses, partial eye occlusions and shadows. Originality/value The eye centre localisation method uses two mutually complementary modalities as a novel, fast, accurate and robust approach. In addition, other than assisting eye centre localisation, the SOG filter is able to resolve general tasks regarding the detection of curved shapes. From an applied point of view, the proposed method has great potentials in benefiting a wide range of real-world human-computer interaction (HCI) applications.

Tumors of the lacrimal drainage system

The prevalence of tumors affecting the lacrimal drainage system is low, thus generating a risk of late diagnosis and treatment in clinical routine. However, these tumors can be potentially life-threatening, which emphasizes the relevance of early diagnosis and treatment. This review focuses on the symptoms, incidence, management, and prognosis of the different tumor entities affecting the lacrimal drainage system. The study provides aPubMed-based literature review and presents own clinical results. Alongside detailed medical history taking and comprehensive clinical examination, precise inspection during external dacryocystography is important for diagnosis of tumors affecting the lacrimal drainage system. There is awide spectrum of tumor entities located in the lacrimal drainage system. The tumors are classified into three groups: primary epithelial, primary nonepithelial, and inflammatory lesions. The most common primary epithelial tumors include papilloma, squamous cell carcinoma, and transitional cell carcinoma. The most common nonepithelial tumors include fibrous histiocytoma, malignant lymphoma, and malignant melanoma; while the most common inflammatory lesions comprise sarcoidosis, Wegener granulomatosis, and pyogenic granuloma. Treatment depends on the entity and stage of the tumor. In the case of malignancy, amultimodal and interdisciplinary approach is usually indicated. Differential diagnostic signs in favor of amalignancy include along medical history, predisposing conditions in the patient's history, amass above the medial canthal ligament, teleangiectasis above the mass, and serosanguinous secretion.

소방용품 내용연수 관리실태 조사 분석

현재 특정소방대상물의 소방용품 유지관리는 소방점검과 자체점검을 통해 실행되고 있으나, 특정소방대상물 중 3.4%만이 소방시설관리업자가 실시하는 종합정밀점검 대상에 해당되고 대부분의 특정소방대상물 및 가정에 비치된 노후 소방용품의 성능 및 안정성 확인은 사각지대에 노출되어 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 전국 주요시도별 특정소방대상물에 설치된 소방용품의 내용연수 관리 실태를 파악하기 위하여 17개 시도권역, 공공기관 등 총 18개로 그룹 분류 후, 각 그룹별 30개씩 표본을 할당하여 회수된 422개 특정소방대상물을 대상으로 32종의 소방용품의 설치 및 내용연수 관리 실태를 파악하고 이에 대한 문제점을 분석하여 소방용품 내용연수 제도화방안을 찾고자 하였다. Currently, the maintenance of fire products at the site of fire-fighting property are presumably carried out by a fireand/or self. On the other hand, of the special fire-fighting property, only 3.4% of them are the target for a comprehensive precision inspection, which is performed by fire protection management firms. Aging fire products for the rest of special fire-fighting property are absolutely beyond any inspection and reliability verification. This is also true with respect to general households. In this report, the current practice of fire products' useful life management at the site of fire-fighting property were studied. For this study, 32 items of fire products were identified. For the sample data, public institutions and 17 cities and provinces were classified into 18 groups, from which 30 sample targets for each group were determined. Of these targets 422 samples were recovered, based on which this study for establishing a useful 'Management Control System of the Fire Products and its Useful Life' was conducted.

Investigating the measurement of offshore wind turbine blades using coherent laser radar

Large-scale offshore wind turbine blades need careful dimensional inspection at the production stage. This paper aims to establish an accurate measurement technique using Coherent Laser Radar technology combined with B-Spline point generation and alignment. Through varying the Degrees of Freedom (DoF), used for data point transformation, within the Spatial Analyser software package, erroneous inspection results generated by unconstrained blade flexing can be eradicated. The paper concludes that implementing a single B-Spline point generation and alignment method, whilst allowing transformation with DoF in X, Y and Rz, provides confidence to wind turbine blade manufacturers that inspection data is accurate. The experimental procedure described in this paper can also be applied to the precision inspection of other large-scale non-rigid, unconstrained objects. This paper aims to establish an accurate measurement technique using Laser Radar for wind turbine blade inspection.Degrees of Freedom are used for data point transformation.B-Spline curves are constructed to compare with the complex curved surface profiles of the CAD blade.Experimental procedures and data transformations are proposed for future industrial implementation.

Pipeline Bending Strain Measurement and Compensation Technology Based on Wavelet Neural Network

The bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines may lead to instability of the pipeline and failure of materials, which seriously deteriorates the transportation security of oil and gas. To locate the position of the bending strain for maintenance, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is usually adopted in a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG). The attitude data of the IMU is usually acquired to calculate the bending strain in the pipe. However, because of the vibrations in the pipeline and other system noises, the resulting bending strain calculations may be incorrect. To improve the measurement precision, a method, based on wavelet neural network, was proposed. To test the proposed method experimentally, a PIG with the proposed method is used to detect a straight pipeline. It can be obtained that the proposed method has a better repeatability and convergence than the original method. Furthermore, the new method is more accurate than the original method and the accuracy of bending strain is raised by about 23% compared to original method. This paper provides a novel method for precisely inspecting bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines and lays a foundation for improving the precision of inspection of bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines.

OryzaGenome: Genome Diversity Database of Wild Oryza Species.

The species in the genus Oryza, encompassing nine genome types and 23 species, are a rich genetic resource and may have applications in deeper genomic analyses aiming to understand the evolution of plant genomes. With the advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, a flood of Oryza species reference genomes and genomic variation information has become available in recent years. This genomic information, combined with the comprehensive phenotypic information that we are accumulating in our Oryzabase, can serve as an excellent genotype–phenotype association resource for analyzing rice functional and structural evolution, and the associated diversity of the Oryza genus. Here we integrate our previous and future phenotypic/habitat information and newly determined genotype information into a united repository, named OryzaGenome, providing the variant information with hyperlinks to Oryzabase. The current version of OryzaGenome includes genotype information of 446 O. rufipogon accessions derived by imputation and of 17 accessions derived by imputation-free deep sequencing. Two variant viewers are implemented: SNP Viewer as a conventional genome browser interface and Variant Table as a text-based browser for precise inspection of each variant one by one. Portable VCF (variant call format) file or tab-delimited file download is also available. Following these SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) data, reference pseudomolecules/scaffolds/contigs and genome-wide variation information for almost all of the closely and distantly related wild Oryza species from the NIG Wild Rice Collection will be available in future releases. All of the resources can be accessed through http://viewer.shigen.info/oryzagenome/.

Special Issue on Micro-Nano Materials and Processing

Industrial production processes are becoming more difficult and complex because of the need to accept or react to global requirements for ecology, energy saving, downsizing, short lead times, information technology, etc. Metrology and inspection play very important roles in production processes because these must decide the final quality of manufactured industrial goods. Laser/optical metrology is widely used in industry to maintain meter definition traceability because it is, in principle, nondestructive. This makes laser metrology a candidate for use in final industrial inspection. This special issue originated in Laser Metrology for Precision Measurement and Inspection in Industry 2014 (LMPMI2014), also the 11th IMEKO symposium. LMPMI2014 covers a very wide area, including precision engineering, dimensional measurement, shape measurement, micro/meso/nano metrology, interferometry, and standards and calibration technology. This IJAT special issuefeatures papers selected from LMPMI2014. Advanced papers in this issue present the latest achievements in laser metrology ranging from basic research to actual industrial application. These papers should prove useful to readers seeking to share their industrial R&D knowledge and experience. The important contributions of the authors and reviewers are most deeply appreciated and make this issue both fascinating and its ideas far-reaching.

A note on a mixed inspection policy for CSP-T and precise inspection under inspection errors and return cost

CSP-T is a three-level continuous sampling plan (CSP). Yu, Yu, and Wu investigated a mixed policy between precise inspection and CSP-T with inspection errors (Types I and II) and return cost. With respect to non-repairable and repairable products, the following decision variables are determined such that the unit net profit is maximal: (1) the optimal sampling plan for CSP-T and (2) the optimal proportions on which precise inspections should be performed for the non-inspected items, the non-defectives, and the defectives identified in the procedure of CSP-T. For both non-repairable and repairable products, there are two main optimal inspection policies for CSP-T: “Do 100% inspection consecutively” and “Stop inspection after 100% inspection”. This note will extend the work of Yu, Yu, and Wu to a generalized case with an n-level sampling inspection process. Differing from the work of Yu, Yu, and Wu, this note finds that the number of sampling inspection levels is a decision variable, and that for both of non-repairable and repairable products, there are three main optimal inspection policies for the generalized CSP: “Do 100% inspection consecutively”, “Stop inspection after 100% inspection”, and “Set the number of sampling inspection levels to be infinity”.