Unified Configuration Research Articles

Benchmarking computer vision models for automated construction waste sorting

Waste sorting is a critical process in construction waste management system. Computer vision (CV) offers waste sorting automation potential by recognizing waste composition and instructing robots or other mechanical devices accordingly. However, how the plethora of CV models developed perform relative to each other remains underexplored, making model selection challenging for researchers and practitioners. This study aims to benchmark existing CV models towards automated construction waste segregation. Seventeen models were selected and trained with unified configuration, and then their performance was evaluated on the aspect of accuracy, efficiency, and robustness, respectively. In experimental results, BEiT attained top accuracy (58.31 % MIoU) while FastFCN had the best efficiency (12.87 ms). SAN displayed the least standard deviation (4.41 %) for robustness evaluation. This research contributes a reliable reference for CV model selection, advancing automated construction waste sorting research and practices, and ultimately promoting efficient recycling while reducing the environmental impact of construction and demolition waste.

A novel one-time unified configuration strategy with L-SHADE optimizer for enhanced power extraction in thermoelectric generator array

The thermoelectric generator (TEG) is a promising green energy source, converting wasted heat into electric power without relying on chemical reactions or emitting harmful substances. However, a significant challenge obstructing its practical deployment is the power losses due to nonuniform temperature distribution (NUTD) within its modules, particularly in applications like solar-TEGs and automotive systems. Studies in the literature have addressed this challenge by proposing dynamic reconfiguration approaches (DRAs) for TEG arrays to mitigate power losses under NUTD conditions. However, the main issue with these DRAs is their reliance on numerous switches and sensors, which increases the system’s cost and complexity and necessitates regular maintenance. To provide a cost-effective solution, this paper introduces an innovative approach to designing a One-time Unified Configuration (OUC) for TEG arrays as an alternative to the standard series–parallel (SP) arrangement. This approach formulates an optimization problem to establish OUC as a unique layout for the TEG array under multiple NUTDs. The L-SHADE optimizer is tailored to determine the OUC layout that fits multiple NUTDs simultaneously. The yielded OUC ensures a consistent temperature distribution among the parallel strings of the TEG arrays, thereby maximizing the overall power output. The proposed OUC is rigorously implemented and tested on both symmetrical (9 × 9) and asymmetrical (10 × 15) TEG arrays and compared with DRA. Additionally, it is validated through a hardware setup involving a (5 × 5) TEG array under varying NUTDs. The results demonstrate a remarkable enhancement in TEG array output power with gains exceeding 10% compared to the standard SP configuration. Furthermore, the OUC eliminates the need for switches and sensors, resulting in cost savings of approximately 1498.5$ and 2775$ for the (9 × 9) and (10 × 15) TEG arrays, respectively, compared to DRA.

Recent Advances in Time-Sensitive Network Configuration Management: A Literature Review

At present, many network applications are seeking to implement Time-Sensitive Network (TSN) technology, which not only furnishes communication transmission services that are deterministic, low-latency, highly dependable, and have ample bandwidth, but also enables unified configuration management, permitting different network types to function under a single management system. These characteristics enable it to be widely used in many fields such as industrial sensor and actuator networks, in-vehicle networks, data center networks, and edge computing. Nonetheless, TSN’s configuration management faces numerous difficulties and challenges related to network deployment, automated operation, and maintenance, as well as real-time and safety assurance, rendering it exceedingly intricate. In recent years, some studies have been conducted on TSN configuration management, encompassing various aspects such as system design, key technologies for configuration management, protocol enhancement, and application development. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of systematic summaries of these studies. Hence, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of TSN configuration management. Drawing upon more than 70 relevant publications and the pertinent standards established by the IEEE 802.1 TSN working group, we first introduce the system architecture of TSN configuration management from a macro perspective and then explore specific technical details. Additionally, we demonstrate its application scenarios through practical cases and finally highlight the challenges and future research directions. We aspire to provide a comprehensive reference for peers and new researchers interested in TSN configuration management.

Deep reinforcement learning and 3D physical environments applied to crowd evacuation in congested scenarios

ABSTRACT To avoid crowd evacuation simulations depending on 2D environments and real data, we propose a framework for crowd evacuation modeling and simulation by applying deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and 3D physical environments (3DPEs). In 3DPEs, we construct simulation scenarios from the aspects of geometry, semantics and physics, which include the environment, the agents and their interactions, and provide training samples for DRL. In DRL, we design a double branch feature extraction combined actor and critic network as the DRL policy and value function and use a clipped surrogate objective with polynomial decay to update the policy. With a unified configuration, we conduct evacuation simulations. In scenarios with one exit, we reproduce and verify the bottleneck effect of congested crowds and explore the impact of exit width and agent characteristics (number, mass and height) on evacuation. In scenarios with two exits and a uniform (nonuniform) distribution of agents, we explore the impact of exit characteristics (width and relative position) and agent characteristics (height, initial location and distribution) on agent exit selection and evacuation. Overall, interactive 3DPEs and unified DRL enable agents to adapt to different evacuation scenarios to simulate crowd evacuation and explore the laws of crowd evacuation.

Frequency diverse array radar with non-uniform array spacing based on sigmoid function

Abstract As a widely recognized electronic beam steering concept, frequency diverse array (FDA) radar is an effective and feasible solution to provide beam scanning ability in both angle as well as range dimension as a function of time. However, the conventional FDA radar employing progressive incremental frequency offsets across the array elements generates an S-shaped and range-angle coupled beampattern. As such, the FDA beampattern can be decoupled into range-angle dimensions by employing non-linear frequency offsets or using non-uniform arrays. Frequency offsets design has been extensively researched in recent years, whereas non-uniform arrays were given little attention so far. In this paper, we propose a novel FDA radar with a unified configuration of non-uniform linear array, and non-linear frequency offsets to achieve a high-resolution dot-shaped range-angle dependent beampattern. More specifically, the non-uniform inter-element spacing is calculated using the sigmoid function, and non-linear frequency offsets are generated by logistic map, and triangular window function. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the performance advantages of the proposed FDA radar in terms of beam width and side lobe levels.

Financial Data Center Configuration Management System Based on Random Forest Algorithm and Few-Shot Learning.

To form a unified configuration and information management platform, FCCMS (financial center configuration management system) will integrate and sort information based on various configuration data and relationships as well as integrate processes and permissions. However, the most serious issue that data centers are currently facing is how to effectively manage these infrastructures. For various infrastructures, the data center currently uses a decentralized operation and maintenance management model. When an infrastructure fails due to inexperienced configuration management, this mode is not conducive to quickly locating and resolving the problem. A detection method of RFCO (random forest algorithm based on clustering optimization) is proposed, and an appropriate tree is selected from RF to integrate, so as to achieve the best effect. In this paper, the target matching algorithm based on FSL (few-shot learning) is deeply studied, and the target detection model is applied to the target matching and positioning task by using the ML method. The performance of the algorithm is tested by experiments on relevant datasets to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm in various scenarios.

Grid integration of multiple wind turbines using a multi-port converter—A novel simultaneous space vector modulation

In this paper, an innovative approach of integrating multiple doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind turbines using a single multi-port converter unit, named as a unified expandable power converter (UEPC) is presented. A novel partial simultaneous space vector modulation (PSSVM) scheme, adopted to the unified structure, is proposed to enhance the operational efficiency and DC-link utilization. The unified configuration can integrate two or more DFIGs through a multi-port converter in a cost-effective and efficient way. The unified structure enjoys compactness, plug & play capability, fewer switches, and a lower installation cost. Comparing with the conventional sequential space vector modulation (SSVM), which only uses the individual active vectors, the proposed PSSVM can utilize common active vectors between different ports, which is the main salient feature of this method. The performance of PSSVM is also validated via an OPAL-RT real-time simulator. The real-time outcomes prove that the proposed PSSVM can improve the DC-link voltage utilization and switching loss compared with the SSVM. The effectiveness of the proposed PSSVM based unified configuration in both normal and faulty conditions are evaluated and compared with the conventional structure using MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results endorse the finding that regardless of the shared switches in the unified expandable power converter, the independent control and maximum power extraction from the wind are guaranteed using the proposed PSSVM.

Design of distributed timing task scheduling system for smart grid

With the rapid development of information technology and the growing scale of enterprise development, more and more enterprise application systems appear due to business scenarios, requiring the system to execute the specified business operations at the planned time, which is the demand of “timed tasks”. The rapid growth of business volume makes the number of timed tasks also increase massively, and the importance of timed task application scenarios requires more and more strict guarantee of reliable triggering of tasks. In this paper, to address these problems, we design and implement a distributed system providing timed task scheduling service based on Quartz, an open source lightweight job scheduling framework, and realize business modules such as timed task control service, trigger execution, lock grabbing trigger, unified configuration management, task load balancing and log management. The system has been tested and put into operation, and has completed the requirements well and achieved the design goals.

UK psychodermatology services in 2019: service provision has improved but is still very poor nationally.

Psychodermatology is an emerging subspeciality of dermatology. Psychodermatology clinics use a multidisciplinary approach to deal with psychological or psychiatric elements related to skin disease. Two previous studies in 2004 and 2012 highlighted the deficiency of psychodermatology services in the UK, despite the evidence that these services have high demand and are cost-effective. To reassess psychodermatology service provision in the UK and outline the developments that have been made. In conjunction with BBC Radio 5 Live, a survey questionnaire was distributed via email to the UK membership of the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) and Psychodermatology UK. The survey consisted of 13 questions asking about the availability of psychodermatology services. Basic percentages were used to analyse quantitative data, and content analysis was used for qualitative data. Our results showed that less than a quarter of the respondents (24%) have access to a nearby dedicated psychodermatology service. Additionally, the psychodermatology units do not have a unified configuration and clinical provision model differs nationally. Only around 5% of the clinicians have access to a clinic that provides psychology-dermatology-oncology service, and even fewer have access to a paediatric psychodermatology (4.8%). Engagement in psychodermatology research was reported by around 12% of the participants. The psychocutaneous services in the UK have improved to some extent over the past decade; the service has become more widely available nationally, and the investment in research is promising. However, it is still insufficient and unable to fulfil patient demand, especially for vulnerable individuals such as children and dermato-oncology patients.

Understanding the single-file dynamics of bicycle traffic from the perspective of car-following models

Follow-the-leader is one of the fundamental behaviors in bicycle traffic that describes the longitudinal interactions between two consecutive bicycles. It plays a predominant role in the development of micro-simulation models, safety evaluation and the capacity estimation of bicycle infrastructure. To understand bicycle-following movements, previous studies have either adopted car-following models or developed specialized bicycle-following models. However, these models have not been calibrated and validated in a unified configuration using empirical data consisting of realistic cycling behaviors. This study aims to understand the single-file dynamics of bicycle-following behavior from the perspective of car-following models. Two typical behavioral assumptions derived from two simple car-following models are investigated and compared with three complicated models with more behavioral assumptions. Using the empirical datasets from a series of bicycle experiments, all the five models were calibrated and validated. The results demonstrated that the assumption, i.e. keeping a velocity-based distance from the leader, was a robust behavioral mechanism across all the empirical datasets in the two simple models. Meanwhile, the complicated models with more behavioral assumptions and parameters did not significantly improve the accuracy of the prediction of the simple model. In addition, the flow–density relationship obtained by the simple model agreed well with the experimental results and the stop-and-go pattern that was observed in the experiments could be well reproduced by the simple model when introducing a simple slow-to-start mechanism. Findings from this study could enhance the understanding of the behavioral dynamics of bicycle traffic, meanwhile providing deeper insights into the mechanisms of developing bicycle simulation models.

Application of IEC61850 in Intelligent Distributed Network Automation

The safe and stable operation of the power grid system is conducive to ensuring the orderly development of China’s economy. Therefore, we must firmly grasp the development trend of the power distribution automation power system, comprehensively grasp and understand its existing problems, and formulate targeted solutions. This paper mainly studies the application of IEC61850 in intelligent distributed network automation. The communication application IEC 61850 of the master station and the terminal in the distribution network automation is the current development direction. The use of object-oriented modeling technology and a unified configuration language can improve interoperability between devices, reduce communication configuration, and reduce the workload of installation and commissioning. The communication service mapping defined by IEC 61850 is completely suitable for distribution network automation communication. Adopt distribution Intelligent control technology and design based on the IEC61850 standard are the development trends of intelligent power distribution terminals. This paper gives the structure of a distributed intelligent distribution automation system. The control mode studied in this paper has an impact on the system’s annual outage time indicators, and the indicator SAIDI is correspondingly increased, and the corresponding proportions are 52.1% and 43.2%. ENS and ASAI are proportional to the optimization level of this indicator, so it can be shown that the construction of distribution network automation can effectively reduce the power outage duration of the entire system, which has a significant effect on improving the reliability of distribution network power supply.

Application of evolutionary algorithm in performance optimization of embedded network firewall

With the development of the network, the problem of network security is becoming increasingly serious. The importance of a firewall as the "first portal" to network security is obvious. In order to cope with a complex network environment, the firewall must formulate a large number of targeted rules to help it implement network security policies. Based on the characteristics of the cloud environment, this paper makes in-depth research on network security protection technology, and studies the network firewall system. The system implements unified configuration of firewall policy rules on the cloud management end and delivers them to the physical server where the virtual machine is located. Aiming at the characteristics of virtual machines sharing network resources through kernel bridges, a network threat model for virtual machines in a cloud environment is proposed. Through analysis of network security threats, a packet filtering firewall scheme based on kernel bridges is determined. Various conflict relationships between rules are defined, and a conflict detection algorithm is designed. Based on this, a rule order adjustment algorithm that does not destroy the original semantics of the rule table is proposed. Starting from the matching probability of the rules, simple rules are separated from the default rules according to the firewall logs, the relationships between these rules and the original rules are analyzed, and the rules are merged into new rules to evaluate the impact of these rules on the performance of the firewall. New rules are added to the firewall rule base to achieve linear firewall optimization. It can be seen from the experimental results that the optimization strategy proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the average number of matching rules and improve the performance of the firewall.

Research and Application of Unified Configuration Technology for Substation Automation Equipment

At present, there are many substation automation equipment manufacturers and equipment models, and different manufacturers have a great difference in the configurations of the same type of equipment. The operation and maintenance personnel are faced with such problems as the complexity of work, error-prone configuration, strong dependence on manufacturers, etc. It is difficult to standardize the operation process and professional management, and there are certain security risks. From the point of view of the unified operation and maintenance configuration of substation automation equipment, the unified configuration technology and methods of different types of equipment are studied in this paper, and the unification of the operation and maintenance configuration parameters, tools and operation process is realized.

Dynamic model and CPG network generation of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot

In this paper, we use one unified method based on graph theory and path matrix to solve problems of kinematic and dynamic modeling and Central Pattern Generator (CPG) network generation of different configurations of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot. Considering complex and changeable characteristics of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot, we introduce the knowledge of graph theory to solve the problem of the unified configuration description and use a path matrix to describe different configurations. Combining Kane’s equations, we propose a unified modeling method of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot. In view of rhythmic movement characteristics of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot, we introduce CPG as the basic unit. Combining the path matrix, the method of making the CPG network evolving from the configuration is proposed. Taking typical configurations of the underwater self-reconfigurable robot as example, applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified.

The Current Research on Micro-Grid

This article introduces the significance of studying the Micro-grid, the definition, the characteristics ,the basic structure,the architecture and working principle of Micro-grid. Discuss the Micro-grid constitutes, including loads, distributed generation,etc. At last, it points out the disadvantages and the directions of Micro-grid, we should come to a unified definition of Micro-grid and a unified protection program and configuration,in order to get ready for the early Micro-grid research.

Data-driven auto-configuration of the ATLAS reconstruction software

The central data reconstruction of the ATLAS experiment of LHC is a very challenging task, involving large-scale computing and a wide variety of data formats, applications and software versions. To handle all this complexity, we have developed a powerful data-driven auto-configuration mechanism and a unified configuration interface that provides a lot of flexibility: Reco_trf. The auto-configuration mechanism consists of inspecting the meta-data of each job's input file to automatically derive the configuration parameters relevant for the input format and the requested tasks. This also simplifies considerably the configuration of jobs from ordinary users, who can use the same script to run without modification on real or simulated data, on files belonging to different major production, using raw or derived input data of any format. Possible intermediate algorithms are automatically scheduled according to the content of the input file. Reco_trf is a so-called "job transformation" interface used for all centralized production tasks at CERN's TierO and on the Grid, and is also largely used by normal users. Reco_trf adds a lot of flexibility in the Production systems by allowing the execution of arbitrary python commands without building new software releases, while still bookkeeping this information in the production databases.

Chiral Hierarchical Molecular Nanostructures on Two-Dimensional Surface by Controllable Trinary Self-Assembly

The bottom-up fabrication of surface hierarchical nanostructures is of great importance for the development of molecular nanostructures for chiral molecular recognition and enantioselective catalysis. Herein, we report the construction of a series of 2D chiral hierarchical structures by trinary molecular self-assembly with copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), 2,3,7,8,12,13-hexahexyloxy-truxenone (TrO23), and 1,3,5-tris(10-carboxydecyloxy) benzene (TCDB). A series of flower-like chiral hierarchical molecular architectures with increased generations are formed, and the details of these structures are investigated by high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The flower-like hierarchical molecular architectures could be described by a unified configuration in which the lobe of each architecture is composed of a different number of triangular shape building units (TBUs). The off-axis edge-to-edge packing of TBUs confers the organizational chirality of the hierarchical assemblies. On the other hand, the TBUs can tile the surface in a vertex-sharing configuration, resulting in the expansion of chiral unit cells, which thereby further modulate the periodicity of chiral voids in the multilevel hierarchical assemblies. The formation of desired hierarchical structures could be controlled through tuning the molar ratio of each component in liquid phase. The results are significant for the design and fabrication of multicomponent chiral hierarchical molecular nanostructures.

P-161: Brightness Improvement of Transflective LCD in a Unified Configuration

The brightness improvement of a transflective liquid crystal display in a unified configuration, having a single-cell gap and a vertically aligned (VA) liquid crystal (LC) mode, was demonstrated. The photo-patterned retarder was used to compensate the optical path difference between the transmissive and reflective regions. It was made of a UV-polymerizable liquid crystal (LC) through a single patterning process. High reflectance and fast response characteristics were achieved in our unified configuration.

Frameless free-hand maneuvering of a small-diameter rigid-rod neuroendoscope with a working channel used during high-resolution imaging

A newly designed small-diameter rigid-rod neuroendoscope was created to evaluate the applicability of free-hand maneuvering during high-resolution imaging. The neuroendoscope was designed as a light, handheld tool weighing 550 g. A 20-cm-long objective lens, 2 mm in diameter, is placed in the lower two thirds of the single-space lumen of an oval-shaped outer sheath, 16.5 mm long and 3.5 x 2.5 mm at maximum diameter. Included are microinstruments of 1.3-mm diameter for various neuroendoscopic procedures, including microscissors, biopsy forceps, grasping forceps, monopolar coagulator/cutting rod, and bipolar coagulator that can be introduced through the upper one third of the lumen. Because the endoscope is held steady in the surgeon's left hand, with the handle gripped at the base, quick back-and-forth movements can be made along the long axis, via a peel-away sheath inserted to the ventricle, shifting of the endoscope tip to the side of the objective target will be minimal. Given the instrument's unified configuration, the surgeon will never lose orientation during maneuvering. Using the farthest right of three inlet/outlet orifices, the short and handy semiflexible microinstruments can be guided and controlled by the surgeon's right hand. After experience in 66 cases in which various neuroendoscopic procedures yielded excellent operative outcomes (morbidity rate in complications related to the endoscopic procedure 0%; mortality rate 0%), the endoscope prototype was finalized in the ideal form for frameless maneuvering that uses a rigid-rod endoscope. The "gun-butt" holder for use with the operator's left hand provides stability and allows the endoscope to be handled with improved control. These new aspects of the neuroendoscope and surgical technique offer substantial improvement over the flexible-steerable fiberoptic endoscopes.

Design and analysis of power‐CMOS‐gate‐based switched‐capacitor DC–DC converter with step‐down and step‐up modes

AbstractA unified multi‐stage power‐CMOS‐transmission‐gate‐based quasi‐switched‐capacitor (QSC) DC–DC converter is proposed to integrate both step‐down and step‐up modes all in one circuit configuration for low‐power applications. In this paper, by using power‐CMOS‐transmission‐gate as a bi‐directional switch, the various topologies for step‐down and step‐up modes can be integrated in the same circuit configuration, and the configuration does not require any inductive elements, so the IC fabrication is promising for realization. In addition, both large‐signal state‐space equation and small‐signal transfer function are derived by state‐space averaging technique, and expressed all in one unified formulation for both modes. Based on the unified model, it is all presented for control design and theoretical analysis, including steady‐state output and power, power efficiency, maximum voltage conversion ratio, maximum power efficiency, maximum output power, output voltage ripple percentage, capacitance selection, closed‐loop control and stability, etc. Finally, a multi‐stage QSC DC–DC converter with step‐down and step‐up modes is made in circuit layout by PSPICE tool, and some topics are discussed, including (1) voltage conversion, output ripple percentage, and power efficiency, (2) output robustness against source noises and (3) regulation capability of converter with loading variation. The simulated results are illustrated to show the efficacy of the unified configuration proposed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.