Quantifying Substitutability

<p>In this thesis, we will tackle the problem of how keyphrase extraction systems can be evaluated to reveal their true efficacy. The aim is to develop a new semantically-oriented approximate string matching criteria, one that is comparable to human judgements, but without the cost and energy associated with manual evaluation. This matching criteria can also be adapted for any information retrieval (IR) system where the evaluation process involves comparing candidate strings (produced by the IR system) to a gold standard (created by humans). Our contributions are threefold. First, we define a new semantic relationship called substitutability – how suitable a phrase is when used in place of another – and then design a generic system which measures/quantifies this relationship by exploiting the interlinking structure of external knowledge sources. Second, we develop two concrete substitutability systems based on our generic design: WordSub, which is backed by WordNet; and WikiSub, which is backed by Wikipedia. Third, we construct a dataset, with the help of human volunteers, that isolates the task of measuring substitutability. This dataset is then used to evaluate the performance of our substitutability systems, along with existing approximate string matching techniques, by comparing them using a set of agreement metrics. Our results clearly demonstrate that WordSub and WikiSub comfortably outperform current approaches to approximate string matching, including both lexical-based methods, such as R-precision; and semantically-oriented techniques, such as METEOR. In fact, WikiSub’s performance comes sensibly close to that of an average human volunteer, when comparing it to the optimistic (best-case) interhuman agreement.</p>

Quantifying Substitutability

<p>In this thesis, we will tackle the problem of how keyphrase extraction systems can be evaluated to reveal their true efficacy. The aim is to develop a new semantically-oriented approximate string matching criteria, one that is comparable to human judgements, but without the cost and energy associated with manual evaluation. This matching criteria can also be adapted for any information retrieval (IR) system where the evaluation process involves comparing candidate strings (produced by the IR system) to a gold standard (created by humans). Our contributions are threefold. First, we define a new semantic relationship called substitutability – how suitable a phrase is when used in place of another – and then design a generic system which measures/quantifies this relationship by exploiting the interlinking structure of external knowledge sources. Second, we develop two concrete substitutability systems based on our generic design: WordSub, which is backed by WordNet; and WikiSub, which is backed by Wikipedia. Third, we construct a dataset, with the help of human volunteers, that isolates the task of measuring substitutability. This dataset is then used to evaluate the performance of our substitutability systems, along with existing approximate string matching techniques, by comparing them using a set of agreement metrics. Our results clearly demonstrate that WordSub and WikiSub comfortably outperform current approaches to approximate string matching, including both lexical-based methods, such as R-precision; and semantically-oriented techniques, such as METEOR. In fact, WikiSub’s performance comes sensibly close to that of an average human volunteer, when comparing it to the optimistic (best-case) interhuman agreement.</p>

THE FINITE ELEMENT EVALUATION OF SUPPORT BRACKET USING THE APPLICATION OF TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION

The demand for customized products has increased to suite various needs which could be easily developed using 3D printing technology. Most of the products require optimization for weight minimization which could be done using topological optimization tool. Topology optimization offers conceptual design for lighter and stiffer structures and helps to reach to efficient and aesthetic designs in lesser time. Topological optimization has shown its effectiveness is in improving design of structures with the help of high configuration and fast computing processors. With the use of FEA, the topologically optimized design can be tested which enables to determine design feasibility for different loads and boundary conditions. The current research investigates the application of topological optimization tool in weight minimization of support bracket. The generic design of supporting bracket is developed in Creo design software and structural analysis is conducted using techniques of Finite Element Method. The topological optimization tool enabled to reduce nearly 32% mass without much increase in deformation and stresses. The increase in deformation was found to be 5.6% and is profound in the regions of cylindrical support structure.

Generic Design Methodology for Smart Manufacturing Systems from a Practical Perspective, Part I—Digital Triad Concept and Its Application as a System Reference Model

Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems and accelerated the evolution of manufacturing system paradigms, and smart manufacturing (SM) has become one of the most promising paradigms. The study of SM has attracted a great deal of attention for researchers in academia and practitioners in industry. However, an obvious fact is that people with different backgrounds have different expectations for SM, and this has led to high diversity, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terms of definitions, reference models, performance matrices, and system design methodologies. It has been found that the state of the art SM research is limited in two aspects: (1) the highly diversified understandings of SM may lead to overlapped, missed, and non-systematic research efforts in advancing the theory and methodologies in the field of SM; (2) few works have been found that focus on the development of generic design methodologies for smart manufacturing systems from the practice perspective. The novelty of this paper consists of two main aspects which are reported in two parts respectively. In the first part, a simplified definition of SM is proposed to unify the existing diversified expectations, and a newly developed concept named digital triad (DT-II) is adopted to define a reference model for SM. The common features of smart manufacturing systems in various applications are identified as functional requirements (FRs) in systems design. To model a system that is capable of reconfiguring itself to adapt to changes, the concept of IoDTT is proposed as a reference model for smart manufacturing systems. In the second part, these two concepts are used to formulate a system design problem, and a generic methodology, based on axiomatic design theory (ADT), is proposed for the design of smart manufacturing systems.

Generic Design Methodology for Smart Manufacturing Systems from a Practical Perspective. Part II—Systematic Designs of Smart Manufacturing Systems

In a traditional system paradigm, an enterprise reference model provides the guide for practitioners to select manufacturing elements, configure elements into a manufacturing system, and model system options for evaluation and comparison of system solutions against given performance metrics. However, a smart manufacturing system aims to reconfigure different systems in achieving high-level smartness in its system lifecycle; moreover, each smart system is customized in terms of the constraints of manufacturing resources and the prioritized performance metrics to achieve system smartness. Few works were found on the development of systematic methodologies for the design of smart manufacturing systems. The novel contributions of the presented work are at two aspects: (1) unified definitions of digital functional elements and manufacturing systems have been proposed; they are generalized to have all digitized characteristics and they are customizable to any manufacturing system with specified manufacturing resources and goals of smartness and (2) a systematic design methodology has been proposed; it can serve as the guide for designs of smart manufacturing systems in specified applications. The presented work consists of two separated parts. In the first part of paper, a simplified definition of smart manufacturing (SM) is proposed to unify the diversified expectations and a newly developed concept digital triad (DT-II) is adopted to define a generic reference model to represent essential features of smart manufacturing systems. In the second part of the paper, the axiomatic design theory (ADT) is adopted and expanded as the generic design methodology for design, analysis, and assessment of smart manufacturing systems. Three case studies are reviewed to illustrate the applications of the proposed methodology, and the future research directions towards smart manufacturing are discussed as a summary in the second part.

An Internet of Things Platform Based on Microservices and Cloud Paradigms for Livestock

With the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the agricultural sector, smart devices are becoming more prevalent. The availability of new, timely, and precise data offers a great opportunity to develop advanced analytical models. Therefore, the platform used to deliver new developments to the final user is a key enabler for adopting IoT technology. This work presents a generic design of a software platform based on the cloud and implemented using microservices to facilitate the use of predictive or prescriptive analytics under different IoT scenarios. Several technologies are combined to comply with the essential features—scalability, portability, interoperability, and usability—that the platform must consider to assist decision-making in agricultural 4.0 contexts. The platform is prepared to integrate new sensor devices, perform data operations, integrate several data sources, transfer complex statistical model developments seamlessly, and provide a user-friendly graphical interface. The proposed software architecture is implemented with open-source technologies and validated in a smart farming scenario. The growth of a batch of pigs at the fattening stage is estimated from the data provided by a level sensor installed in the silo that stores the feed from which the animals are fed. With this application, we demonstrate how farmers can monitor the weight distribution and receive alarms when high deviations happen.

Pattern-based solution for architecting cloud-enabled software

Cloud computing exploits the software as a service model with distributed and interoperable services for the composition of software systems. Cloud-enabled systems that demand elasticity, scalability, and composition of services, etc., there is a need to capitalize on reusable solutions exploiting patterns and styles to architect cloud-based software. The objective of this research is to build and exploit a catalog of patterns that support reusable design knowledge to develop cloud-based architectures. We propose a three-step process with (i) pattern discovery, (ii) pattern documentation (building the catalog), and finally, (iii) pattern application (exploiting the catalog) to enable pattern-based architecting of cloud systems. We discovered seven patterns as generic and reusable solutions and demonstrate the pattern-driven architecture of the ECMC case study. Results suggest that pattern-based architecting enables the reuse of generic design decisions but lacks fine-grained architectural design. The solution is the first attempt towards establishing the catalog as a repository of patterns for architecture-based development of cloud systems.

Biomimetic Approach for the Production of 3D Woven Spherical Composite Applied in Apparel Protection and Performance

Current sports bras are typically manufactured via a cut and sew process resulting in a high volume of post-production material waste. Seams derived from this cut and sew process are known to irritate the skin during exercise. This irritant discomfort seriously affects the dynamic comfort during exercise, hindering limb movement and displacement of the female breast. It implies a need for an alternative textile manufacturing process for a seamless sportswear-sports bra to combine the surface aesthetics with biomimetics together with anthropometry and ergonomic data. Tailoring the two yarn interlocking directions (0/90°) within the compound structure of a multilayer multilevel weave architecture provides a construction process to the production, the weaving, of seamless 3D woven spherical forms. Seamlessly shaped wovens in this paper are underpinned by biomimetic anthropometry and real-time data to produce variable spherical forms that mould and support a given set of 3D geometries. Upon completion of the weave generation using specialised weave software, the production parameters are completed upon transfer to the combined weaving technology, Mageba-Staubli Unival 100 (MS-100). The 2D on-loom woven fabric converts to a 3D shape upon removal and by pulling-pushing-unfolding the woven fabric (2D-to-3D). The scope of end applications within the sportswear-sports bra sector (but not limited to) enables a framework for the generic design geometries and production principles.