Narrow Surfaces Research Articles

Lightweight hashing with contrastive self-cross XLNet and combinational similarity matching for content-based video retrieval

ABSTRACT Text-to-video retrieval systems enable simple and natural video searches, but existing methods often employ single queries with noisy annotation and low-quality descriptions. A novel lightweight hashing with Contrastive self-cross XLNet and Combinational similarity matching is proposed to provide high-quality descriptions and clarity in annotation. Issues in existing text and video processing approaches, such as redundancy in keyword generation and extracting frames without considering optical flow estimation of keyframes, are solved using a novel Textual Labelling and Automated key frame segmentation. The 3D Cuboid Net with Lightweight Hashing is proposed, which selects features and converts them into hash codes using Lightweight LSS-Net based hashing, reducing memory utilization. Additionally, a novel Combinational Attentive Text-Video Retrieval is proposed, which eliminates multiple narrow extrema matching error surfaces and increases retrieval validity. The model efficiently solves video retrieval problems with high accuracy, recall, and sensitivity. This novel approach addresses the limitations of existing text-to-video retrieval methods and improves the overall quality of the retrieval process.

Germination of bean seeds (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) in strong electric fields

This paper presents a tutorial for the germination of bean seeds (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) in strong electrostatic fields up to 1240 V/cm. The seeds were allowed to germinate under different electric field strengths for 48 h. Although most of such germination experiments did not show any visible effect, the field strength of 945 V/cm strongly increased the seedling's vigor during the early growth stage. In the end, 30 % more yield was obtained from stimulated seeds when compared to the control group. This article postulates for the first time a hypothesis of the mechanism of action of the electric field during germination. In biological cells of any species, water confined between narrow surfaces can undergo a phase transition that shifts its melting point to higher temperatures when an external electric field is applied. This effect has already been known as electrofreezing, and has been confirmed by several experimental and molecular modeling studies. As a consequence, the transport kinetics of molecules across cell organelle membranes might be altered, which in turn leads to different plant properties.With emphasis on the presented method, this work reports:•An inexpensive electric circuit for the generation of strong electric fields•Instructions regarding the setup and operation of an adequate germination chamber

Cooling Capacity Evolution of Steel Strip during Oscillatory Feeding Process in Slab Continuous Casting

To comprehensively understand the effect of oscillation on cooling capacity of steel strip, a mathematical model is proposed to investigate the distribution of temperature fields in continuous cast slabs, taking into account the oscillatory feeding process. Strip oscillation results in a periodic variation of nearby molten steel flow. It intensifies the turbulence of surrounding molten steel and enhances the interfacial heat transfer. During the feeding process, the morphology of strip undergoes three stages: upheaval, fluctuation, and disappearance. As the strip oscillation frequency increases, the maximum cross‐sectional area of the strip gradually decreases during the upheaval stage, the fluctuation stage gradually disappears, and the strip disappearance speed gradually increases during the disappearance stage. These observations suggest that an increase in the oscillation frequency accelerates the melting of the strip, which is caused by the enhanced heat transfer between the strip and molten steel. This results in a gradual growth of strip's cooling capacity and a decrement in the liquid fraction of molten steel surrounding the strip. In addition, feeding strip is advantageous in preventing the jet from impinging onto narrow surfaces of slab. The blocking effect initially increases and then remains almost unchanged as the strip oscillation frequency increases.

A fast optical proximity sensor skin that contains an analog computing circuit and can cover an entire link

This paper proposes a novel optical proximity sensor skin that can cover entire robot links and has high responsiveness, wire-saving properties, and suitability for covering narrow surfaces. Moreover, it can extract information that can help to control robots. Although implementing these characteristics simultaneously has been problematic for sensor skins covering links, the proposed sensor skin achieves this using a newly developed analog computing circuit. This analog computing circuit only consists of several resistors and diodes and is based on the splitting ratio of photocurrents variation based on the design of the resistance values. If the output from the proximity sensing element is interpreted as a virtual force, the processed output denotes its magnitude and the location of the point of action. Even if multiple objects are detected, the outputs are associated with the resultant virtual force because photocurrents are merged. Therefore, the characteristics such as high responsiveness are maintained. This work fabricated a prototype to evaluate the proposed sensor skin. Then, collision avoidance experiments against human hands were conducted to validate the efficiency of the proposed sensor skin for generating robot motions. These results verified that the proposed sensor skin is suitable for robots reacting quickly to unknown environments.

Vibration-based numerical identification of effective orthotropic elastic properties for finite element model of cross-laminated timber panel

The influence of non-gluing of narrow surfaces of boards on all effective orthotropic elastic moduli for shell or solid finite element models of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels is investigated. This lack of gluing leads to discontinuous layers and severe meshing difficulties. The objective of this study is to create an equivalent homogeneous layer and equivalent material properties in this case. Two finite element (FE) models were built for comparison. The first model, using solid elements, is the reference without gluing the narrow surfaces. The second considers homogeneous layers and equivalent material properties. Thanks to an identification process, all the elastic moduli of the model with homogeneous layers are adjusted to minimize the difference in vibration frequencies between the two models. A method is proposed to significantly speed-up the calculation of first derivatives, which are necessary for the identification process. The process was applied for 36 configurations of CLT panels with different geometrical properties (number of layers, width and thickness of boards) within the practical range. Metamodels are proposed to quickly calculate the effective moduli based on the vibration properties of CLT panels. The Verification and Validation methodology was applied to evaluate the performance of the two simplified FE models using the effective moduli.

Evolution of Temperature Field of Slabs during the Feeding Strip Process in Continuous Casting

The implementation of a feeding strip is a widely recognized and effective technique to improve the quality of continuous cast slabs. To comprehensively understand the effect of feeding strip on the temperature field of slabs during continuous casting, a mathematical model is developed that considers the breaking and shedding of strip, and, the accuracy of the developed model is verified by the macroscopic structural observations of S32654 steel ingot. During the feeding strip process, changes in the morphology of strip undergo four stages: frozen‐sheath formation, rapid melting, alternation of melting and solidification, and disappearance. Its corresponding cross‐sectional area rapidly increases to a maximum, sharply decreases, oscillates, and eventually reaches zero. The feeding strip effectively mitigates the impingement of jet onto the narrow surfaces of the slab by compressing “lower recirculation” and dividing “upper recirculation” of molten steel near submerged entry nozzle, especially at higher feeding strip velocities. Furthermore, there exists the additional cooling effect region of strip feeding in the temperature field of slab, which is caused by the melting of strip and molten/shedded‐strip flow. As feeding strip velocity increases, the cooling effect region moves correspondingly from the vicinity of the narrow surfaces of the slab to the center of slab.

Primary Knapping Methods in Upper Paleolithic Industries at the Ushbulak Site Based on the Results of Refitting (Layer 5.1)

Purpose. The aim of this study is detailed reconstruction of the reduction sequences of the layer 5.1 lithic industry.Results. Through a comprehensive analysis of the material complex from the layer 5.1 we reconstructed three knapping strategies characterizing the industry. The first strategy is based on the usage of the narrow core working surface to obtain blades and lamellar flakes. The second strategy is the alternating usage of the working surface and striking platform aimed at blank production. The reduction sequence is characterized by the usage of narrow surfaces bounded by natural sides. The third strategy is the bladelets and microblades production using one narrow or two adjacent (narrow and wide) working surfaces. The comparison of the material complex of the layer 5.1 with the complexes of layers 7–6 indicates principal differences in the raw material preferences, primary knapping methods and toolkits.Conclusion. Based on the lack of continuity of the primary knapping and the principles of spatial exploitation of Ushbulak site area, we suggest a complete change in the population of the Shilikta valley at the boundary of MIS 3 and MIS 2.

Morphologic analysis of the 1st and 2nd tarsometatarsal joint articular surfaces

Tarsometatarsal joint arthrodesis is used to treat a variety of injuries and deformities in the midfoot. However, the surgical technique has not been optimized, in part due to limited knowledge of morphologic features and variation in the related joints. Previous research has relied primarily on dissection-based anatomical analysis, but quantitative imaging may allow for a more sophisticated description of this complex. Here, we used quantitative micro-CT imaging to examine dimensions, distance maps, and curvature of the four articular surfaces in the first and second tarsometatarsal joints. Image segmentation, articular surface identification, and anatomic coordinate systems were all done with semi or fully automatic methods, and distance and size measurements were all taken utilizing these anatomic planes. Surface curvature was studied using Gaussian curvature and a newly defined measure of curvature similarity on the whole joint and on four subregions of each surface. These data show larger articular surfaces on the cuneiforms, rather than metatarsals, and define the generally tall and narrow articular surfaces seen in these joints. Curvature analysis shows minimally curved opposing convex surfaces. Our results are valuable for furthering knowledge of surgical anatomy in this poorly understood region of the foot.

On the Performance of Sentinel-3 Altimetry over High Mountain and Cascade Reservoirs Basins: Case of the Lancang and Nu River Basins

Satellite radar altimetry has been widely utilized in hydrological research, particularly with the advent of Sentinel-3, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) altimeter operating globally and equipped with an innovative onboard tracking system referred to as the open-loop tracking command (OLTC). Utilizing a pseudo-DEM (Digital Elevation Model), controlled through the OLTC, holds significant promise for the reliable observation of inland water bodies. Nevertheless, the complex geographical conditions in high mountain and reservoir river basins pose challenges in defining an appropriate pseudo-DEM for hydrological targets, potentially leading to reduced performance of Sentinel-3. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the performance of Sentinel-3 by selecting the Lancang and Nu River basins in southwest China as a case study. These two rivers have a similar natural environment, but cascade reservoirs distinguish the Lancang River basin. By analyzing waveform energy from echoes of virtual stations (VSs) in both river basins (27 VSs in the Lancang River basin and 39 VSs in the Nu River basin), the performance of Sentinel-3 in different tracking modes and OLTC versions were compared. The results indicated that the detection rate of Sentinel-3A increased when transitioning from the closed-loop mode to the open-loop mode and with the implementation of newer OLTC versions (36.8% increased to 47.4%, 60.5%, and 63.2% in OLTC V5.0, V6.0, and V6.1, respectively). Similarly, the detection rate of Sentinel-3B rose from 64.3% (OLTC V2.0) to 71.4% and 75.0% in OLTC V3.0 and V3.1, respectively. Additionally, the cascade reservoir causing river channel expansion results in a better performance of Sentinel-3A in the Lancang River compared to the Nu River in the closed-loop mode (13.0% and 35.7%, respectively). Nevertheless, the considerable fluctuations in water surface caused by reservoir impoundment led to a wrong pseudo-DEM, resulting in poor performance of Sentinel-3 in reservoir regions before OLTC V6.0 was updated. The detection rate of low altitude, broad water surfaces (>500 m) decreased from 100% in a closed-loop mode to 0% in an open-loop mode, but increased to 100% in OLTC V6.0 and V6.1, respectively. The detection rate of high altitude, narrow water surfaces (<500 m) increased from 0% in a closed-loop mode to 40.9% in OLTC V6.1. Although the detection ability of Sentinel-3 is improving with the implementation of newer OLTC versions, the seasonal variations (usually more than 60 m) of water levels in reservoirs exceeded the size of the range window (60 m), rendering a complete measurement impossible.

Current Status of Oligonucleotide-Based Protein Degraders.

Transcription factors (TFs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have long been considered undruggable, mainly because they lack ligand-binding sites and are equipped with flat and narrow protein surfaces. Protein-specific oligonucleotides have been harnessed to target these proteins with some satisfactory preclinical results. The emerging proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology is no exception, utilizing protein-specific oligonucleotides as warheads to target TFs and RBPs. In addition, proteolysis by proteases is another type of protein degradation. In this review article, we discuss the current status of oligonucleotide-based protein degraders that are dependent either on the ubiquitin-proteasome system or a protease, providing a reference for the future development of degraders.

Development and Dissemination of the kkiumipsa Technique in late Chosŏn, Focusing on Copper Crafts

This paper studies the development of the kkiumipsa technique used on copper crafts, focusing on the types of the technique, materials, and the cultural consumption of the crafted items. The surviving artifacts and Intangible Cultural Heritage also provide information on the history of kkiumipsa in the Chosŏn period. kkiumipsa is a representational example that demonstrate how a traditional craft technique can be transmitted, transformed, and disseminated while reflecting contemporary social environment. This study is significant in understanding how the socio-cultural circumstances affect the way craftworks are consumed, and in appreciating the evolvement of traditional ways that are critical in transmission and improvement of craft techniques. The surviving artifacts show that two types of kkiumipsa technique were used in Chosŏn, one passed down from the Koryŏ period, and the other developed in the late Chosŏn period. The first technique, type I, was mainly employed for silver inlay items that were used by the royal family, private individuals, and Buddhist temples. As not only silver, but different materials of copper alloy such as black copper, nickel copper, and brass were considered precious, they were also used for embellishments. The type II uses heat and soldering to apply the inlay technique on narrow or thin surfaces of copper craftworks, for example, tobacco pipes, acupuncture needle cases, and columns of candlesticks. The use of the inlay technique on these items show that it was a part of the everyday life. The history of copper pipe making artisans (paektong yŏngjuk chang) and the inlay technique that they preserve, show that it was popularly used since the mid- to latenineteenth century at the latest.

Effect of Machining Conditions on Temperature and Vickers Microhardness of Chips during Planing

For the machining of long and narrow surfaces and when processing multiple pieces, planing technology is used, the productivity of which can be higher than that of milling, although it is relatively slow machining. The article aims to study the degree of influence of the geometry of the tool (the angle of cutting-edge inclination and the angle of the tool-orthogonal rake), as well as the cutting conditions (cutting depth and cutting speed) on the chip characteristics (temperature and microhardness) in orthogonal and oblique slow-rate machining of steel 1.0503 (EN C45). The experiments were carried out on specially prepared workpieces designed for immediate stopping of machining. The results of the experiments were statistically processed, and behavioural models were created for temperature and Vickers microhardness of chips for individual combinations of factors. The obtained dependencies revealed how the geometry of the cutting tool and the cutting conditions affect the temperature and microhardness in the cutting area and at the same time allowed the best conditions for both orthogonal and oblique machining to be set up.

Performance of Filter Bags Used in Industrial Pulse-Jet Baghouses in Wood-Based Panels Furniture Factory

The study specifies the value of the dust resistance coefficient in the process of wood dust filtration in a pilot-scale test stand. The experiments were carried out for one type of filter material—polyester with a PP film previously used in different production lines. Filter bags from the filtering installation of the processing line for narrow surfaces of furniture panels of the honeycomb structure with a chipboard frame, HDF, natural veneer cladding, and a line of CNC drilling machines, were taken into account. Before the pilot-scale tests, the bags had been in use in industrial installations from zero to nine months. All tests were performed under identical filtration conditions. The values of the dust resistance coefficient depend on the operating time and the conditions in which filtration is carried out in an industrial plant, and increased from 6507 s−1 to 10,208 s−1 for the bags from the filter of the narrow surfaces processing line and to 29,729 s−1 for the bags from the filter of the drilling line. The most important factor influencing the properties of the filter bag in the process of wood dust filtration in an industrial filter is the cleaning pulses frequency.

Slim RFID Tag Antenna for Metallic Tools With Narrow Footprint

A slim and semi-flexible UHF RFID tag antenna, which has a compact dimension of 40 mm × 5 mm × 3.2 mm ( 0.1221λ×0.0153λ×0.0098λ), is proposed for tagging on metallic industrial tools with a narrow footprint. For a metal-mountable tag antenna, the unwanted electromagnetic antenna-metal interaction can deteriorate the tag read performances and it is particularly pronounced when the tag is attached to a narrow industrial tool. To achieve a size-reduction, the proposed tag is made of an inlay comprising a very compact 3-layer structure with two radiating patches. The currents on the top and middle patches can be made in phase for enhancing the radiated fields. Digital serrations, inductive stubs, and open slots loading have been studied for optimizing the antenna resonant frequency efficiently. With the use of the tuning mechanisms, when being tested on a narrow-body metal tool, the antenna impedance can be fully matched with the RFID microchip impedance, resulting in a good power transmission coefficient of ~ 1. Despite its compactness, the proposed tag antenna is readable from 11.0 m with an EIRP of 4W. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed tag antenna has a much better aspect ratio between its read distance and tag volume than most of the commercially available on-metal tags and it can be used for tagging on narrow metallic surfaces.

Synthesis of Pt-based alloy nanostructures

SYNOPSIS Optimizing the catalytic performance of multimetallic nanoparticle (NP) catalysts demands a concrete understanding of their design, while preferentially deploying wet chemical synthesis procedures to precisely control surface structural properties. Here we report the influence of reductants such as hydrogen-rich tetrabutylammonium borohydride (TBAB) and carbon monoxide-rich molybdenum carbonyl (Mo(CO)6) on the shape and morphological evolution of Pt-based binary (PtNi and PtCo) and ternary (PtNiAu and PtCoAu) nanostructures derived from a homogeneous solution of amine-based surface active agents (surfactants) in a high boiling point solvent. We successfully synthesized nanostructures exhibiting well-defined and composition-controlled surfaces deploying a one-pot synthetic approach. The development of the surface properties was, however, observed to be alloy-specific. The resultant highly monodisperse alloy NP with narrow size distributions and facet-oriented surfaces are expected to display enhanced functionality as catalysts for utilization in specific chemical reactions. Keywords: catalyst. platinum alloy, nanoparticles, synthesis, mixed-metal nanostructure.

Aeolian Processes in Forest-Steppe Landscapes in the Upper Angara Region in the Holocene

Presented are the results from investigating the aeolian sand massifs in the Belaya river valley. The Belaya, Kholmushino and Usolye massifs with the area of 2, 1.4 and 269 km, respectively, are singled out. They are differentiated by the degree and magnitude of manifestation of aeolian processes, and by the morphology of landforms. The Belaya massif is characterized by narrow gully‒low ridge topography. The initial fluvial relief is moderately modified because of the isolated location of the area in the spur of the incised meander and its boundedness by the slope of the narrow segment of the valley. In the Kholmushino massif located in the zone of contact of the segment of the incised channel and the broadening of the valley, aeolian forms were able to evolve fully but they occur only along narrow terraced surfaces of the rectilinear segment of the valley. The more favorable conditions emerged for the evolution of the Usolye massif. The broad-floodplain type of Belaya channel promoted accumulation of significant volumes of sandy material and its free transport in the process of aeolian morphogenesis. The most intense aeolian accumulation was observed in the lower reaches of the Belaya at the interface of the Late Glacial and Holocene (from 13.1 kyr BP) and was proceeding throughout the Early Holocene until 8.9 kyr BP when there occurred a decrease in activity of the aeolian processes and an intense soil formation began. The landscape-climatic conditions of the Atlantic period were favorable for the attenuation of aeolian activity and for a gradual fixation of sands by vegetation. The intensification phases of the aeolian processes were replaced by stages of a decrease in activity of the aeolian morphogenesis and soil formation in the intervals 9.3‒8.6; 6.7‒6; 3.5‒2.6 and 1.2‒0.9 kyr BP. The pedogenesis stages coincided with an increase in heat and moisture availability. Analysis of the findings suggests the rhythmic behavior in the evolution of the region’s natural environment in the Late Glacial with the manifestation of aeolian phases every 4‒5 ka and phases of intense soil formation every 1.9‒2.5 ka.

A novel deletion variant in TRAPPC2 causes spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda in a five-generation Chinese family

BackgroundSpondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT) is a rare X-linked recessive inherited osteochondrodysplasia caused by mutations in the TRAPPC2 gene. It is clinically characterized by disproportionate short stature and early onset of degenerative osteoarthritis. Clinical diagnosis can be challenging due to the late-onset of the disease and lack of systemic metabolic abnomalites. Genetic diagnosis is critical in both early diagnosis and management of the disease. Here we reported a five-generation Chinese SEDT family and described the novel molecular findings.MethodsDetailed family history and clinical data were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood samples of family members. The exons of genes known to be associated with skeletal disorders were captured and deep sequenced. Variants were annotated by ANNOVAR and associated with multiple databases. Putative variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The identified variant was classified according to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) criteria.ResultsThe proband was a 27-year-old Chinese male who presented with short-trunk short stature and joint pain. His radiographs showed platyspondyly with posterior humping, narrow hip-joint surfaces, and pelvic osteosclerosis. A pedigree analysis of 5 generations with 6 affected males revealed an X-linked recessive mode of inheritance. Affected males were diagnosed as SEDT according to the clinical and radiological features. Next-generation sequencing identified a novel variant of c.216_217del in the exon 4 of TRAPPC2 gene in the proband and other affected males. This variant resulted in the shift of reading frame and early termination of protein translation (p.S73Gfs*15). The mother and maternal female relatives of the proband were heterozygous carriers of the same variant, while no variations were detected in this gene of his father and other unaffected males. Based on the ACMG criteria, the novel c.216_217del variant of the TRAPPC2 gene was the pathogenic variant of this SEDT family.ConclusionIn this study we identified the novel pathogenic variant of of c.216_217del in the gene of TRAPPC2 in this five-generation Chinese SEDT family. Our findings expand the clinical and molecular spectrum of SEDT and helps the genetic diagnosis of SEDT patients.

What Defines Different Modes of Snake Locomotion?

SynopsisAnimals move in diverse ways, as indicated in part by the wide variety of gaits and modes that have been described for vertebrate locomotion. Much variation in the gaits of limbed animals is associated with changing speed, whereas different modes of snake locomotion are often associated with moving on different surfaces. For several decades different types of snake locomotion have been categorized as one of four major modes: rectilinear, lateral undulation, sidewinding, and concertina. Recent empirical work shows that the scheme of four modes of snake locomotion is overly conservative. For example, during aquatic lateral undulation, the timing between muscle activity and lateral bending changes along the length of the snake, which is unlike terrestrial lateral undulation. The motor pattern used to prevent sagging while bridging gaps also suggests that arboreal lateral undulation on narrow surfaces or with a few discrete points of support has a different motor pattern than terrestrial lateral undulation when the entire length of the snake is supported. In all types of concertina locomotion, the distance from the head to the tail changes substantially as snakes alternately flex and then extend different portions of their body. However, snakes climbing cylinders with concertina exert forces medially to attain a purchase on the branch, whereas tunnels require pushing laterally to form an anchoring region. Furthermore, different motor patterns are used for these two types of concertina movement. Some snakes climb vertical cylinders with helical wrapping completely around the cylinder, whereas all other forms of concertina bend regions of the body alternately to the left and right. Current data support rectilinear locomotion and sidewinding as being distinct modes, whereas lateral undulation and concertina are best used for defining categories of gaits with some unifying similarities. Partly as a result of different motor patterns, I propose recognizing five and four distinct types of lateral undulation and concertina, respectively, resulting in a total of 11 distinct gaits previously recognized as only four.

Enhanced locomotor performance on familiar surfaces is uncoupled from morphological plasticity in Anolis lizards.

The radiation of Anolis lizards in the Caribbean is associated with a diversification of the functional match between morphology, habitat use, and locomotor performance. It has been hypothesized that the microhabitat a lizard is reared in can achieve a similar fit of form and function within a species. This predicts that plasticity in the locomotor apparatus is accompanied by changes in perching behavior or improved locomotor performance. To test this, we raised juveniles of two species (Anolis sagrei and Anolis carolinensis) on either broad or narrow surfaces and examined perching behavior and locomotor performance as well as the shape of the pectoral and pelvic girdles, limb length, and thickness of the long bones. Perching behavior was not affected by the habitat surface experienced during ontogeny. However, individuals raised on broad surfaces showed better locomotor performance on broad surfaces, and the magnitude of the effect was as large as the difference between the two species. Both species showed modifications of pectoral and pelvic shape, but only A. carolinensis developed longer limbs on broad surfaces. However, these morphological adjustments induced by physical activity did not explain why lizards raised on broad surfaces performed better. Thus, it appears that early-life experiences can affect both the morphology of the locomotor apparatus and locomotor performance in Anolis lizards, without the two being functionally connected.

Target head direction far field radar cross section reduction based on narrow surface element method

To improve the radar scattering characteristics of the target in the head direction, a narrow surface element (NSE) method based on physical optics (PO) and physical theory of diffraction (PTD) is presented. When solving the radar cross section (RCS) of the surface to be optimized, the surface needs to be decomposed into a number of narrow surfaces, each of which has a single column of interlaced triangular face element. Within a given range of variation, the mesh information of the surface could be determined by the NSE method to obtain the required RCS distribution. Taking an asymmetric surface as an example, the NSE method is used to determine the minimum RCS of the surface, thereby improving the head-to-stealth performance of the target. The proposed NSE method is effective and efficient for the fast optimization of the surface RCS.