Non-crossing Quantile Regression Neural Network as a Calibration Tool for Ensemble Weather Forecasts

Despite the maturity of ensemble numerical weather prediction(NWP),the resulting forecasts are still,more often than not,under-dispersed.As such,forecast calibration tools have become popular.Among those tools,quantile regression(QR)is highly competitive in terms of both flexibility and predictive performance.Nevertheless,a long-standing problem of QR is quantile crossing,which greatly limits the interpretability of QR-calibrated forecasts.On this point,this study proposes a non-crossing quantile regression neural network(NCQRNN),for calibrating ensemble NWP forecasts into a set of reliable quantile forecasts without crossing.The overarching design principle of NCQRNN is to add on top of the conventional QRNN structure another hidden layer,which imposes a non-decreasing mapping between the combined output from nodes of the last hidden layer to the nodes of the output layer,through a triangular weight matrix with positive entries.The empirical part of the work considers a solar irradiance case study,in which four years of ensemble irradiance forecasts at seven locations,issued by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,are calibrated via NCQRNN,as well as via an eclectic mix of benchmarking models,ranging from the naïve climatology to the state-of-the-art deep-learning and other non-crossing models.Formal and stringent forecast verification suggests that the forecasts post-processed via NCQRNN attain the maximum sharpness subject to calibration,amongst all competitors.Furthermore,the proposed conception to resolve quantile crossing is remarkably simple yet general,and thus has broad applicability as it can be integrated with many shallow-and deep-learning-based neural networks.

Post processing of additive manufactured Mg alloys:Current status,challenges,and opportunities

Magnesium(Mg)and its alloys are emerging as a structural material for the aerospace,automobile,and electronics industries,driven by the imperative of weight reduction.They are also drawing notable attention in the medical industries owing to their biodegradability and a lower elastic modulus comparable to bone.The ability to manufacture near-net shape products featuring intricate geometries has sparked huge interest in additive manufacturing(AM)of Mg alloys,reflecting a transformation in the manufacturing sectors.However,AM of Mg alloys presents more formidable challenges due to inherent properties,particularly susceptibility to oxidation,gas trapping,high thermal expansion coefficient,and low solidification temperature.This leads to defects such as porosity,lack of fusion,cracking,delamination,residual stresses,and inhomogeneity,ultimately influencing the mechanical,corrosion,and surface properties of AM Mg alloys.To address these issues,post-processing of AM Mg alloys are often needed to make them suitable for application.The present article reviews all post-processing techniques adapted for AM Mg alloys to date,including heat treatment,hot isostatic pressing,friction stir processing,and surface peening.The utilization of these methods within the hybrid AM process,employing interlayer post-processing,is also discussed.Optimal post-processing conditions are reported,and their influence on the microstructure,mechanical,and corrosion properties are detailed.Additionally,future prospects and research directions are proposed.

THAPE: A Tunable Hybrid Associative Predictive Engine Approach for Enhancing Rule Interpretability in Association Rule Learning for the Retail Sector

Association rule learning(ARL)is a widely used technique for discovering relationships within datasets.However,it often generates excessive irrelevant or ambiguous rules.Therefore,post-processing is crucial not only for removing irrelevant or redundant rules but also for uncovering hidden associations that impact other factors.Recently,several post-processing methods have been proposed,each with its own strengths and weaknesses.In this paper,we propose THAPE(Tunable Hybrid Associative Predictive Engine),which combines descriptive and predictive techniques.By leveraging both techniques,our aim is to enhance the quality of analyzing generated rules.This includes removing irrelevant or redundant rules,uncovering interesting and useful rules,exploring hidden association rules that may affect other factors,and providing backtracking ability for a given product.The proposed approach offers a tailored method that suits specific goals for retailers,enabling them to gain a better understanding of customer behavior based on factual transactions in the target market.We applied THAPE to a real dataset as a case study in this paper to demonstrate its effectiveness.Through this application,we successfully mined a concise set of highly interesting and useful association rules.Out of the 11,265 rules generated,we identified 125 rules that are particularly relevant to the business context.These identified rules significantly improve the interpretability and usefulness of association rules for decision-making purposes.

Line Patterns Segmentation in Blurred Images Using Contrast Enhancement and Local Entropy Thresholding

Finger vein extraction and recognition hold significance in various applications due to the unique and reliable nature of finger vein patterns. While recently finger vein recognition has gained popularity, there are still challenges associated with extracting and processing finger vein patterns related to image quality, positioning and alignment, skin conditions, security concerns and processing techniques applied. In this paper, a method for robust segmentation of line patterns in strongly blurred images is presented and evaluated in vessel network extraction from infrared images of human fingers. In a four-step process: local normalization of brightness, image enhancement, segmentation and cleaning were involved. A novel image enhancement method was used to re-establish the line patterns from the brightness sum of the independent close-form solutions of the adopted optimization criterion derived in small windows. In the proposed method, the computational resources were reduced significantly compared to the solution derived when the whole image was processed. In the enhanced image, where the concave structures have been sufficiently emphasized, accurate detection of line patterns was obtained by local entropy thresholding. Typical segmentation errors appearing in the binary image were removed using morphological dilation with a line structuring element and morphological filtering with a majority filter to eliminate isolated blobs. The proposed method performs accurate detection of the vessel network in human finger infrared images, as the experimental results show, applied both in real and artificial images and can readily be applied in many image enhancement and segmentation applications.

Post-processing Free Quantum Random Number Generator Based on Avalanche Photodiode Array

Quantum random number generators adopting single negligible dead time of avalanche photodiodes （APDs） photon detection have been restricted due to the non- We propose a new approach based on an APD array to improve the generation rate of random numbers significantly. This method compares the detectors＇ responses to consecutive optical pulses and generates the random sequence. We implement a demonstration experiment to show its simplicity, compactness and scalability. The generated numbers are proved to be unbiased, post-processing free, ready to use, and their randomness is verified by using the national institute of standard technology statistical test suite. The random bit generation efficiency is as high as 32.8% and the potential generation rate adopting the 32× 32 APD array is up to tens of Gbits/s.

Development of a Post-Processing Automation Procedure for the GPS-Based Travel Time Data Collection Technique

The travel time data collection method is used to assist the congestion management. The use of traditional sensors (e.g. inductive loops, AVI sensors) or more recent Bluetooth sensors installed on major roads for collecting data is not sufficient because of their limited coverage and expensive costs for installation and maintenance. Application of the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in travel time and delay data collections is proven to be efficient in terms of accuracy, level of details for the data and required data collection of man-power. While data collection automation is improved by the GPS technique, human errors can easily find their way through the post-processing phase, and therefore data post-processing remains a challenge especially in case of big projects with high amount of data. This paper introduces a stand-alone post-processing tool called GPS Calculator, which provides an easy-to-use environment to carry out data post-processing. This is a Visual Basic application that processes the data files obtained in the field and integrates them into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for analysis and representation. The results show that this tool obtains similar results to the currently used data post-processing method, reduces the post-processing effort, and also eliminates the need for the second person during the data collection.

Pre-processing and post-processing method for geostress simulation using seismic interpretation results

In order to carry out numerical simulation using geologic structural data obtained from Landmark(seismic interpretation system), underground geological structures are abstracted into mechanical models which can reflect actual situations and facilitate their computation and analyses.Given the importance of model building, further processing methods about traditional seismic interpretation results from Landmark should be studied and the processed result can then be directly used in numerical simulation computations.Through this data conversion procedure, Landmark and FLAC(the international general stress software) are seamlessly connected.Thus, the format conversion between the two systems and the pre-and post-processing in simulation computation is realized.A practical application indicates that this method has many advantages such as simple operation, high accuracy of the element subdivision and high speed, which may definitely satisfy the actual needs of floor grid cutting.

A study on fast post-processing massive data of casting numerical simulation on personal computers

When castings become complicated and the demands for precision of numerical simulation become higher,the numerical data of casting numerical simulation become more massive.On a general personal computer,these massive numerical data may probably exceed the capacity of available memory,resulting in failure of rendering.Based on the out-of-core technique,this paper proposes a method to effectively utilize external storage and reduce memory usage dramatically,so as to solve the problem of insufficient memory for massive data rendering on general personal computers.Based on this method,a new postprocessor is developed.It is capable to illustrate filling and solidification processes of casting,as well as thermal stess.The new post-processor also provides fast interaction to simulation results.Theoretical analysis as well as several practical examples prove that the memory usage and loading time of the post-processor are independent of the size of the relevant files,but the proportion of the number of cells on surface.Meanwhile,the speed of rendering and fetching of value from the mouse is appreciable,and the demands of real-time and interaction are satisfied.

A method of line spectrum extraction based on target radiated spectrum feature and its post-processing

To improve the ability of detecting underwater targets under strong wideband interference environment,an efficient method of line spectrum extraction is proposed,which fully utilizes the feature of the target spectrum that the high intense and stable line spectrum is superimposed on the wide continuous spectrum.This method modifies the traditional beam forming algorithm by calculating and fusing the beam forming results at multi-frequency band and multi-azimuth interval,showing an excellent way to extract the line spectrum when the interference and the target are not in the same azimuth interval simultaneously.Statistical efficiency of the estimated azimuth variance and corresponding power of the line spectrum band depends on the line spectra ratio(LSR)of the line spectrum.The change laws of the output signal to noise ratio(SNR)with the LSR,the input SNR,the integration time and the filtering bandwidth of different algorithms bring the selection principle of the critical LSR.As the basis,the detection gain of wideband energy integration and the narrowband line spectrum algorithm are theoretically analyzed.The simulation detection gain demonstrates a good match with the theoretical model.The application conditions of all methods are verified by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and experimental data from Qiandao Lake.In fact,combining the two methods for target detection reduces the missed detection rate.The proposed post-processing method in2-dimension with the Kalman filter in the time dimension and the background equalization algorithm in the azimuth dimension makes use of the strong correlation between adjacent frames,could further remove background fluctuation and improve the display effect.

A Post-Processing Algorithm for Boosting Contrast of MRI Images

Low contrast of Magnetic Resonance(MR)images limits the visibility of subtle structures and adversely affects the outcome of both subjective and automated diagnosis.State-of-the-art contrast boosting techniques intolerably alter inherent features of MR images.Drastic changes in brightness features,induced by post-processing are not appreciated in medical imaging as the grey level values have certain diagnostic meanings.To overcome these issues this paper proposes an algorithm that enhance the contrast of MR images while preserving the underlying features as well.This method termed as Power-law and Logarithmic Modification-based Histogram Equalization(PLMHE)partitions the histogram of the image into two sub histograms after a power-law transformation and a log compression.After a modification intended for improving the dispersion of the sub-histograms and subsequent normalization,cumulative histograms are computed.Enhanced grey level values are computed from the resultant cumulative histograms.The performance of the PLMHE algorithm is comparedwith traditional histogram equalization based algorithms and it has been observed from the results that PLMHE can boost the image contrast without causing dynamic range compression,a significant change in mean brightness,and contrast-overshoot.

Improved Sinusoid Analysis and Post-Processing in Parametric Audio Coding

This paper proposed improvements to the low bit rate parametric audio coder with sinusoid model as its kernel. Firstly, we propose a new method to effectively order and select the perceptually most important sinusoids. The sinusoid which contributes most to the reduction of overall NMR is chosen. Combined with our improved parametric psychoacoustic model and advanced peak riddling techniques, the number of sinusoids required can be greatly reduced and the coding efficiency can be greatly enhanced. A lightweight version is also given to reduce the amount of computation with only little sacrifice of performance. Secondly, we propose two enhancement techniques for sinusoid synthesis: bandwidth enhancement and line enhancement. With little overhead, the effective bandwidth can be extended one more octave; the timbre tends to sound much brighter, thicker and more beautiful.

Hybrid Post-Processing Procedure for Displacement-Based Plane Elements

In the analysis of high-rise building, traditional displacement-based plane elements are often used to get the in-plane internal forces of the shear walls by stress integration. Limited by the singular problem produced by wall holes and the loss of precision induced by using differential method to derive strains, the displacement-based elements cannot always present accuracy enough for design. In this paper, the hybrid post-processing procedure based on the Hellinger-Reissner variational principle is used for improving the stress precision of two quadrilateral plane elements. In order to find the best stress field, three different forms are assumed for the displacement-based plane elements and with drilling DOF. Numerical results show that by using the proposed method, the accuracy of stress solutions of these two displacement-based plane elements can be improved.

Image Representations of Numerical Simulations for Training Neural Networks

A large amount of data can partly assure good fitting quality for the trained neural networks.When the quantity of experimental or on-site monitoring data is commonly insufficient and the quality is difficult to control in engineering practice,numerical simulations can provide a large amount of controlled high quality data.Once the neural networks are trained by such data,they can be used for predicting the properties/responses of the engineering objects instantly,saving the further computing efforts of simulation tools.Correspondingly,a strategy for efficiently transferring the input and output data used and obtained in numerical simulations to neural networks is desirable for engineers and programmers.In this work,we proposed a simple image representation strategy of numerical simulations,where the input and output data are all represented by images.The temporal and spatial information is kept and the data are greatly compressed.In addition,the results are readable for not only computers but also human resources.Some examples are given,indicating the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Application of the quadrilateral area coordinate method:a new element for laminated composite plate bending problems

Recently, some new quadrilateral finite elements were successfully developed by the Quadrilateral Area Coordinate （QAC） method. Compared with those traditional models using isoparametric coordinates, these new models are less sensitive to mesh distortion. In this paper, a new displacement-based, 4-node 20-DOF （5-DOF per node） quadrilateral bending element based on the first-order shear deformation theory for analysis of arbitrary laminated composite plates is presented. Its bending part is based on the element AC-MQ4, a recent-developed high-performance Mindlin-Reissner plate element formulated by QAC method and the generalized conforming condition method; and its in-plane displacement fields are interpolated by bilinear shape functions in isoparametric coordinates. Furthermore, the hybrid post-rocessing procedure, which was firstly proposed by the authors, is employed again to improve the stress solutions, especially for the transverse shear stresses. The resulting element, denoted as AC-MQ4-LC, exhibits excellent performance in all linear static and dynamic numerical examples. It demonstrates again that the QAC method, the generalized conforming condition method, and the hybrid post-processing procedure are efficient tools for developing simple, effective and reliable finite element models.

Super spectral viscosity method for nonlinear conservation laws

In this paper, the super spectral viscosity （SSV） method is developed by introducing a spectrally small amount of high order regularization which is only activated on high frequencies. The resulting SSV approximation is stable and convergent to the exact entropy solution. A Gegenbauer-Chebyshev post-processing for the SSV solution is proposed to remove the spurious oscillations at the disconti-nuities and recover accuracy from the spectral approximation. The ssv method is applied to the scahr periodic Burgers equation and the one-dimensional system of Euler equations of gas dynamics. The numerical results exhibit high accuracy and resolution to the exact entropy solution,

An Innovative Bias-Correction Approach to CMA-GD Hourly Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts

This paper proposes a simple and powerful optimal integration(OPI)method for improving hourly quantitative precipitation forecasts(QPFs,0-24 h)of a single-model by integrating the benefits of different biascorrected methods using the high-resolution CMA-GD model from the Guangzhou Institute of Tropical and Marine Meteorology of China Meteorological Administration(CMA).Three techniques are used to generate multi-method calibrated members for OPI:deep neural network(DNN),frequency-matching(FM),and optimal threat score(OTS).The results are as follows:(1)The QPF using DNN follows the basic physical patterns of CMA-GD.Despite providing superior improvements for clear-rainy and weak precipitation,DNN cannot improve the predictions for severe precipitation,while OTS can significantly strengthen these predictions.As a result,DNN and OTS are the optimal members to be incorporated into OPI.(2)Our new approach achieves state-of-the-art performances on a single model for all magnitudes of precipitation.Compared with the CMA-GD,OPI improves the TS by 2.5%,5.4%,7.8%,8.3%,and 6.1%for QPFs from clear-rainy to rainstorms in the verification dataset.Moreover,OPI shows good stability in the test dataset.(3)It is also noted that the rainstorm pattern of OPI relies heavily on the original model and that OPI cannot correct for deviations in the location of severe precipitation.Therefore,improvements in predicting severe precipitation using this method should be further realized by improving the numerical model's forecasting capability.

Evaluation of TIGGE Ensemble Forecasts of Precipitation in Distinct Climate Regions in Iran

The application of numerical weather prediction （NWP） products is increasing dramatically. Existing reports indicate that ensemble predictions have better skill than deterministic forecasts. In this study, numerical ensemble precipitation forecasts in the TIGGE database were evaluated using deterministic, dichotomous （yes/no）, and probabilistic techniques over Iran for the period 2008-16. Thirteen rain gauges spread over eight homogeneous precipitation regimes were selected for evaluation. The Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging methods were adopted for interpolation of the prediction values, downscaled to the stations at lead times of one to three days. To enhance the forecast quality, NWP values were post-processed via Bayesian Model Averaging. The results showed that ECMWF had better scores than other products. However, products of all centers underestimated precipitation in high precipitation regions while overestimating precipitation in other regions. This points to a systematic bias in forecasts and demands application of bias correction techniques. Based on dichotomous evaluation, NCEP did better at most stations, although all centers overpredicted the number of precipitation events. Compared to those of ECMWF and NCER UKMO yielded higher scores in mountainous regions, but performed poorly at other selected stations. Furthermore, the evaluations showed that all centers had better skill in wet than in dry seasons. The quality of post-processed predictions was better than those of the raw predictions. In conclusion, the accuracy of the NWP predictions made by the selected centers could be classified as medium over Iran, while post-processing of predictions is recommended to improve the quality.

RESEARCH ON THE ALGORITHM OF BINARY IMAGE CROSS-CORRELATION FOR UNSTEADY FLOW FIELD MEASUREMENT

The algorithm of Binary Image Cross-Correlation (BICC) was developed to measure the unsteady flow field. A vortex flow field was used to test the algorithm by numerical simulation. The results show that BICC is an effective algorithm for particle identification from consecutive images, the accurate velocity vector field can be obtained. The real velocity field in a valve chamber was measured by BICC in this study. From the full-field velocity information, the pressure and vorticity fields were also extracted by post-processing. (Edited author abstract) 6 Refs.

Application of an Explicit Upstream FEM in Estuary Study

The Explicit Upstream FEM (EU-FEM) proposed in this paper not only possesses the advantages of saving memory and CPU time for FDM, but also fits boundary easily, arranges nodal points flexibly and makes local grids fine down conveniently. The software package, which consists of EU-FEM models and pre/post-processing skills, has been widely used to estuary, near-shore, bay, lake and complex waters with many islands and channels. In addition to flow field, this model can be used to calculate the distribution fields of pollutants, temperature, salinity, sediment, and oil spill, and can be used to case study of estuary regulation projects. Some practical applications are presented and some problems discussed.

A CONDITIONAL RANDOM FIELDS APPROACH TO BIOMEDICAL NAMED ENTITY RECOGNITION

Named entity recognition is a fundamental task in biomedical data mining. In this letter, a named entity recognition system based on CRFs （Conditional Random Fields） for biomedical texts is presented. The system makes extensive use of a diverse set of features, including local features, full text features and external resource features. All features incorporated in this system are described in detail, and the impacts of different feature sets on the performance of the system are evaluated. In order to improve the performance of system, post-processing modules are exploited to deal with the abbreviation phenomena, cascaded named entity and boundary errors identification. Evaluation on this system proved that the feature selection has important impact on the system performance, and the post-processing explored has an important contribution on system performance to achieve better resuits.