Identifying Brand Consistency by Product Differentiation Using CNN

This paper presents a new method of using a convolutional neural network(CNN)in machine learning to identify brand consistency by product appearance variation.In Experiment 1,we collected fifty mouse devices from the past thirty-five years from a renowned company to build a dataset consisting of product pictures with pre-defined design features of their appearance and functions.Results show that it is a challenge to distinguish periods for the subtle evolution of themouse devices with such traditionalmethods as time series analysis and principal component analysis(PCA).In Experiment 2,we applied deep learning to predict the extent to which the product appearance variation ofmouse devices of various brands.The investigation collected 6,042 images ofmouse devices and divided theminto the Early Stage and the Late Stage.Results show the highest accuracy of 81.4%with the CNNmodel,and the evaluation score of brand style consistency is 0.36,implying that the brand consistency score converted by the CNN accuracy rate is not always perfect in the real world.The relationship between product appearance variation,brand style consistency,and evaluation score is beneficial for predicting new product styles and future product style roadmaps.In addition,the CNN heat maps highlight the critical areas of design features of different styles,providing alternative clues related to the blurred boundary.The study provides insights into practical problems for designers,manufacturers,and marketers in product design.It not only contributes to the scientific understanding of design development,but also provides industry professionals with practical tools and methods to improve the design process and maintain brand consistency.Designers can use these techniques to find features that influence brand style.Then,capture these features as innovative design elements and maintain core brand values.

Data Envelopment Analysis in Estimation of Technical Efficiency Change of Regional Agriculture Production EU, 1989-2007

Assessment of production efficiency in economic activity is a major issue focused on by economists since the middle of the 20th century. One of the methods suitable in this respect is data envelopment analysis （DEA） facilitating the estimation of technical efficiency based on results obtained by a specified set of producers. Dynamics of changes in efficiency in agricultural production may be assessed on the basis of time series of several years. In the study, one of the variants of DEA was applied to economic results recorded in the years 1989-2007 by average farms representing selected regions of the European Union. The resulting individual dynamics of technical efficiency changes were divided into four homogeneous groups to facilitate identification of differences in production technology. These differences were then explained by classical analysis of basic factors use in agricultural production.

Interfacial characterization of resistance spot welded joint of steel and aluminum alloy

The dissimilar material resistance spot welding of galvanized high strength steel and aluminum alloy had been conducted. The welded joint exhibited a thin reaction layer composed of Fe2Al5 and Fe4Al13 phases at steel/aluminum interface. The welded joint presented a tensile shear load of 3.3 kN with an aluminum alloy nugget diameter of 5.7 mm. The interfacial failure mode was observed for the tensile shear specimen and fracture occurred at reaction layer and aluminum alloy fusion zone beside the interface. The reaction layer with compounds was the main reason for reduction of the welded joint mechanical property.

Injection molding of micro patterned PMMA plate

A plastic plate with surface micro features was injection molded to investigate the effect of pressure rise of melt on the replication of the micro structures. Prism pattern, which is used in many optical applications, was selected as a model pattern. The prism pattern is 50 μm in pitch and 108° in the vertical angle. The overall size of the plate was 335 minx213 mm and the thickness of the plate varied linearly from 2.6 mm to 0.7 ram. The prism pattern was firstly machined on the nickel plated core block using micro diamond tool and this machined pattern core was installed in a mold for injection molding of prism patterned plate. Polymethyl methacrylate （PMMA） was used as a molding material. The pressure and temperature of the melt in the cavity were measured at different positions in the cavity and the replication of the pattern was also measured at the same positions. The results show that the pressure or temperature profile through the process depends on the shape and the size of the plate. The replication is affected by the temperature and pressure profiles at the early stage of filling, which is right after the melt reaches the position to be measured.

Revisiting acute liver injury associated with herbalife products

In the November 27,2010 issue of the World Journal of Hepatology (WJH),three case reports were published which involved patients who had consumed various dietary supplements and conventional foods generally marketed as weight loss products.The reference to Herbalife products as contaminated and generally com-parable to all dietary supplements or weight loss prod-ucts is not scientifically supported.The authors provided an insufficient amount of information regarding patient histories,concomitant medications and other com-pounds,dechallenge results,and product specifications and usage.This information is necessary to fully assess the association of Herbalife products in the WJH case reports.Therefore,the article does not objectively sup-port a causal relationship between the reported cases of liver injury and Herbalife products or ingredients.

Comparative study on wheel-rail dynamic interactions of side-frame cross-bracing bogie and sub-frame radial bogie

Improving freight axle load is the most effective method to improve railway freight capability; based on the imported technologies of railway freight bogie, the 27 t axle load side-frame cross-bracing bogie and sub-frame radial bogie are developed in China. In order to analyze and compare dynamic interactions of the two newly developed heavy-haul freight bogies, we establish a vehi- cle-track coupling dynamic model and use numerical calculation methods for computer simulation. The dynamic performances of the two bogies are simulated separately at various conditions. The results show that at the dipped joint and straight line running conditions, the wheel-rail dynamic interactions of both bogies are basically the same, but at the curve negotiation condition, the wear and the lateral force of the side-frame cross-bracing bogie are much higher than that of the sub-frame radial bogie, and the advantages become more obvious when the curve radius is smaller. The results also indicate that the sub- frame radial bogie has better low-wheel-rail interaction characteristics.

Investigation of a Pressure Sensor with Temperature Compensation Using Two Concentric Wheatstone-Bridge Circuits

This study presents a silicon-based pressure sensor with temperature compensation. The eight piezoresistors were designed on the polycrystalline silicon membrane and constructed by two concentric Wheatstone-bridge circuits to perform two sets of sensors. The sensor in the central circuit measures the membrane deflection caused by the combined effects of pressure and temperature, while the outer one measures only the deflection caused by the working temperature. From this arrangement, it is reliable and accurate to measure the pressure by comparing the output signals from the two concentric Wheatstone-bridge circuits. The optimal positions of the eight piezoresistors were simulated by simulation software ANSYS. The investigated pressure sensor was fabricated by the micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques. The measuring performance and an indication of the conventional single Wheatstone-bridge pressure sensor is easily affected under variation of different working temperature and causes a maximum absolute error up to 45.5%, while the double Wheatstone-bridge pressure sensor is able to compensate the error, and reduces it down to 1.13%. The results in this paper demonstrate an effective temperature compensation performance, and have a great performance and stability in the pressure measuring system as well.

Influences of Diamines on the Morphologies and the Chemical, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane-Imide Elastomers

Polyurethane-imide elastomers (PUIEs) are formed from isocyanate, polyol, acid anhydride, and diamine by liquid polymerization. Unfortunately, many of the diamines have rarely been applied to the formation of PUIEs. Hence, investigating the effect of diamines on PUIEs remains a challenge in polymer chemistry. Herein, PUIEs prepared from 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), polytetramethylene glycol (Mw: 1000), pyromellitic dianhydride, and aromatic diamines (such as p-phenylene diamine, 4,4'-oxydianiline, and 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene), and aliphatic diamines (such as 1,2-ethylene diamine, 1,6-hexamethylene diamine, and 1,12-dodecamethylene diamine) were synthesized by liquid polymerization. The morphologies and the chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the various PUIEs were investigated. The obtained elastomeric sheets were characterized in terms of the following tests and methods: solubility and swelling tests, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis, tensile tests, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle microscopy, and scanning electron

Pasting properties by near-infrared re flectance analysis of whole grain paddy rice samples

A rapid predictive method based on near-infrared re flectance spectroscopy(NIRS)of paddy rice was developed to measure the pasting properties of rice.The paddy rice samples were scanned by a near-infrared re flectance spectrometer in the wavelength region of 1400–2400 nm and preprocessed by mathematical pretreatments prior to pasting properties analysis using a rapid visco-analyzer(RVA).The results indicated that the developed models of setback(SB),peak viscosity(PV),breakdown(BD)and consistency(CS)provided good prediction results with relatively high correlation coe±cients(0.81–0.96).In addition,the validity of the calibration models was statistically tested.Standard error of prediction(SEPT) and bias were small enough without any significance at 95% confidence interval.Nonetheless,this study proved that the use of NIRS for predicting pasting properties was feasible in paddy rice and could be applied in commercial trade and research.

Effect of transformation pH on performance of nano-scale β-Ni(OH)_2

The influence of transformation pH value on the performance of nano-scale Ni(OH)2 was analyzed. The measurement results of XRD and TEM indicate that the samples are composed of β-Ni(OH)2 with crystal size of 20-50 nm, and the crystal lattice parameters of nano-scale Ni(OH)2 prepared at different transformation pH values are different. With the increase of transformation pH value, the agglomeration of nano-scale Ni(OH)2 becomes obvious. Cyclic voltammograms(CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) measurement results show that transformation pH value affects the proton diffusion coefficient(D) and charge-transfer resistance(Rct) of the material. The specific capacity is up to 327.8 mA·h/g, and the discharge performance of electrodes depends on both D and Rct, so the kinetic characteristics that electrodes reaction is controlled by both mass-transfer step and charge-transfer step was put forward.

Nonlinear dynamics analysis of cluster-shaped conservative flows generated from a generalized thermostatted system

The thermostatted system is a conservative system different from Hamiltonian systems,and has attracted much attention because of its rich and different nonlinear dynamics.We report and analyze the multiple equilibria and curve axes of the cluster-shaped conservative flows generated from a generalized thermostatted system.It is found that the cluster-shaped structure is reflected in the geometry of the Hamiltonian,such as isosurfaces and local centers,and the shapes of cluster-shaped chaotic flows and invariant tori rely on the isosurfaces determined by initial conditions,while the numbers of clusters are subject to the local centers solved by the Hessian matrix of the Hamiltonian.Moreover,the study shows that the cluster-shaped chaotic flows and invariant tori are chained together by curve axes,which are the segments of equilibrium curves of the generalized thermostatted system.Furthermore,the interesting results are vividly demonstrated by the numerical simulations.

Effect of Salt on the Sensory and Keeping Quality of Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato Crisps

The study was carried out to determine the effect of salt on the sensory, nutritive and keeping quality of OFSP crisps. Crisps were made by deep frying slices of approximately 3.5 mm thickness treated with, 2% and 4% table salt. A control with no salt treatment was prepared alongside the treated ones. Two varieties of OFSP;Ejumula and Kakamega were used in the study. After deep frying, the crisps were cooled to room temperature, packed in paper-lined high density polythene pouches and stored in a dark cupboard at room temperature for three months. During the storage period, the crisps were analyzed for proteins, fat and carotenoid content. Changes in sensory attributes were analyzed using a semi-trained panel. Results indicated that freshly prepared crisps treated with 2% salt had the highest acceptability mean scores for all attributes while there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between crisps made from either Ejumula or Kakamega variety. Carotenoid content decreased with increase in salt concentration in both OFSP varieties. Shelf-life studies showed that the decline in sensory attributes started after 2 months of storage. The study shows that OFSP crisps treated with 2% salt are more acceptable and reasonably stable during storage.

Classification of Thai Honey Origins by Their Mineral Contents and Color Parameters

Honey is a product of the elaboration of flower nectar by bees. The general features and elemental composition of honey depend on its botanical origin. In this study, five color parameters （L＊： lightness, a＊： red color, b＊： yellow color, C＊ab and hab） and five elements （Na, K, Mg, Ca and Zn） were determined and related with 91 Thai honey samples. The origins of four botanic types of （1） longan flower （Dimocarpus sp.）, （2） lynchee flower （Litchi sp.）, （3） sunflower （Helianthus sp.） and （4） wild flower （Eupatorium sp.） using principle component analysis （PCA）. The results showed that five color parameters and five metal contents related with the Thai botanic origins of the honeys using principle component analysis （PCA）. Six major indicators of PC i （variance is 44.33%） from three color parameters are L＊（-0.926）, a＊（0.927） and hue or hab （0.824） and from three metal contents are K（0.833）, Ca（0.816） and Mg（0.595）. Two minor indicators of PC2 （variance is 21.58%） from color parameters are b＊（-0.934） and Chroma or C＊ab （-0.834）. Two indicators of PC3 （%variance is 12.47%） from contents of Na （-0.722） and Zn （0.704）. Thai Lynchee （C） flower honeys classified using both six parameters in PC 1 and two color parameters in PC2. Thai longan flower （G） honeys classified using the contents of Zn and Na in PC3 parameters. Thai sunflower （S） honeys classified using two color parameters in PC2. Thai wild flower （W） honeys classified using the metal contents of K in PC 1 parameter, Zn and Na in PC3 parameters.

Optimization of the Tracking Mechanism for a PV String

The paper presents researches on increasing the energetic ＆ economic efficiency of the photovoltaic （PV） conversion by designing and optimizing a dual-axis tracking mechanism that simultaneously changes the position of the modules using two motor sources. The driving source for the daily motion is a rotary motor, while the elevation motion is performed with a linear actuator. The main task in optimizing the tracking mechanism is to maximize the energetic gain by increasing the solar input and minimizing the energy consumption for tracking. The design strategy aims to identify the optimum angular field for the daily motion, as well as the optimum actuating time in the step-by-step motion. The study is made by developing the virtual prototype of the tracking mechanism, in the mechatronic concept. The virtual prototyping platform includes the following software solutions： CATIA （Computer Aided Tri-Dimensional Interface Application）--to create the solid model, which contains information about the mass ＆ inertia properties of the parts, ADAMS （Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems）/View--to model the mechanical structure of the solar tracker, and EASY5 ＆ ADAMS/Controls-for the control system design.

Dynamic Optimization of a 2-DOF Pseudo-Equatorial Tracking System

The key word for the design process of the photovoltaic tracking systems is the energetic efficiency. Using the tracking system, the photovoltaic panel follows the sun and increases the collected energy, but the driving motors consume a part of this energy. In these terms, the optimization of the tracking systems became an important challenge in the modem research and technology. In this paper, a strategy for the dynamic optimization of the photovoltaic tracking systems is presented. The main task in optimization is to maximize the energetic gain by increasing the incoming solar radiation and minimizing the energy consumption for tracking. This strategy is possible by developing the virtual prototype of the tracking system, which is a control loop composed by the multi-body mechanical model connected with the dynamic model of the actuators and with the controller model. In this way, it is possible to optimize the tracking mechanism, choose the appropriate actuators, and design the optimal controller.

Corrigendum to “The transition from conservative to dissipative flows in class-B laser model with fold-Hopf bifurcation andcoexisting attractors”

Recently, we received a letter from Prof. G. L. Oppo, which indicated that he had doubts about the transformation of the system in the article Chin. Phys. B 31 060503 (2022) and gave other considerations. After inspection, we found that there was a clerical error in the article. Based on this, we have made corrections and supplements to the original article.

An Improved Fuzzy Predictive Control Algorithm and Its Application to an Industrial CSTR Process

A finite horizon predictive control algorithm, which applies a saturated feedback control law as its local control law, is presented for nonlinear systems with time-delay subject to input constraints. In the algorithm, N free control moves, a saturated local control law and the terminal weighting matrices are solved by a minimization problem based on linear matrix inequality （LMI） constraints online. Compared with the algorithm with a nonsaturated local law, the presented algorithm improves the performances of the closed-loop systems such as feasibility and optimality. This model predictive control （MPC） algorithm is applied to an industrial continuous stirred tank reactor （CSTR） with explicit input constraint. The simulation results demonstrate that the presented algorithm is effective.

The transition from conservative to dissipative flows in class-B laser model with fold-Hopf bifurcation and coexisting attractors

Dynamical behaviors of a class-B laser system with dissipative strength are analyzed for a model in which the polarization is adiabatically eliminated. The results show that the injected signal has an important effect on the dynamical behaviors of the system. When the injected signal is zero, the dissipative term of the class-B laser system is balanced with external interference, and the quasi-periodic flows with conservative phase volume appear. And when the injected signal is not zero, the stable state in the system is broken, and the attractors(period, quasi-period, and chaos) with contractive phase volume are generated. The numerical simulation finds that the system has not only one attractor, but also coexisting phenomena(period and period, period and quasi-period) in special cases. When the injected signal passes the critical value,the class-B laser system has a fold-Hopf bifurcation and exists torus “blow-up” phenomenon, which will be proved by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.

Experimental Results Regarding an Anthropomorphic Original Gripper with Two-Finger Tests during Grasping Objects with Varied Shapes

The paper presents theoretical and experimental results on an original anthropomorphic gripping concept. Compared to the existing anthropomorphic grippers, this gripper is very simple, yet it has the advantage of high performance in terms of gripping possibilities and a very low manufacturing cost. Source of inspiration was the human hand, which is able to catch objects by only using two fingers. The analyzed anthropomorphic gripper has two fingers, with two phalanxes each, and is based on a new mechanism with articulated bars. The kinematic analysis performed on the gripping mechanism reveals the optimal displacement in the translational coupling, which was experimentally validated. The gripping possibilities were increased by attaching clamping jaws to each phalanx. The clamping jaws have been attached by means of spherical couplings, thus offering the possibility to catch objects with any type of surface. By carrying out gripping tests with different objects, we underline the importance of a safe use of the two-fingered anthropomorphic grippers in different applications. Due to the innovative mechanical structure, the gripper can insure the minimal gripping conditions, whilst the complexity of the objects that can be gripped make it suitable for the use in robots.

Estimating Clear Sky Solar Radiation Using Linke and Angstrom Turbidity Coefficients in Romania

The renewable systems design software and building energy simulation software for energy efficient buildings, use as a main input the solar radiation. The implementation of such systems in the urban environment requires accurate meteorological data for the interest area. The existence of a small number of weather stations that to offer data with regard to solar radiation as well as the limited access to these, makes necessary the conceiving of some more accurate estimation mathematical models for all climatological parameters. The present paper proposes a study of the Linke and AngstrOm turbidity coefficients, for Brasov urban area, with the purpose of a more accurate solar radiation simulation. Models performance is analyzed using the root mean square error （RMSE）, the mean bias error （MBE）, the mean percentage error （MPE） and the t-statistic.