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Abstract: The paper studies the effects of foreign (the US, the UK and the Chinese) and domestic economic policy uncertainty (EPU) shocks on unemployment in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The analysis is run separately for the rates of adult and youth unemployment. Impulse responses derived from vector autoregressive models show that the magnitudes of the responses of the adult and youth segments of the labour market are quite different. Following an uncertainty shock, the youth unemployment rate increases significantly more than the adult unemployment rate. This is the case for France, Italy and Spain. The German labour market seems to be resistant to foreign (except Chinese) and domestic EPU shocks, while the remaining labour markets, foremost the Spanish and Italian ones, are susceptible to uncertainty shocks, especially to the US EPU shocks.
Keywords: economic policy uncertainty, youth unemployment, adult unemployment, spillover effects, impulse responses
Published in DKUM: 26.09.2023; Views: 370; Downloads: 22
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Abstract: The aim of this doctoral dissertation was to develop a general methodology for sustainable integration of company's supply networks into nearby regional networks by i) integrating renewables, thereby increasing company's energy self-sufficiency, ii) by performing multi-objective synthesis in order to obtain economically efficient and yet environmentally benign or even unburdening solutions, and iii) to perform dynamic and stochastic synthesis under uncertainties in dynamically changing market conditions in order to obtain more reliable and realistic solutions. The research work is directly interlinked with a large-scale European meat producing company Perutnina Ptuj d.d., which is located in the heart of Slovenia. The aim of the first part was to integrate renewables into companies’ supply-networks at regional level in order to maximize the self-sufficiencies of their energy supplies. This concerns companies’ activities from the use of natural resources to supplying their final products to the customers being interlinked with their regional networks. A Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model has been developed for the integration of both the companies’ and surrounding regional supply-networks and the utilization of different types of renewables as sources for the companies’ energy supplies. The potential renewable energy sources, which are located within companies surrounding region are solar, biomass, organic and animal wastes. The result indicates that by sufficient integration of renewables into companies’ supply networks, profitable and yet energy self-sufficient solutions can be obtained. The second part presents the multi-objective synthesis of a company’s supply-network by integrating renewables and accounting for several environmental footprints. A previously developed model for achieving energy self-sufficiency by integrating renewables into companies’ supply-networks has been extended for the evaluation of environmental impacts, such as energy, carbon, nitrogen, and water footprints. The achievement of an energy self-sufficient supply-network has been considered whilst significantly reducing environmental impacts. Direct (burdening) and indirect (unburdening) effects that form total effects on the environment are considered for the evaluation of environmental footprints. This approach identifies those alternative energy production technologies that are more profitable and environmentally more benign with significant unburdening capabilities. The results showed significant unburdening of the environment in terms of carbon and nitrogen footprints; however, higher burdening in terms of the water footprint. The third part presents a multi-objective MILP synthesis of a dynamic supply-network under uncertainty applied to the company. The previously-developed multi-objective model for achieving energy self-sufficiency by integrating renewables into companies’ supply-networks has now been extended to account for the dynamic consideration of variable supply and demand over the year, for uncertainties related to products’ demand and sun radiation, and for multi-objective optimisation, in order to obtain the most sustainable company’s supply-network. The sustainable synthesis of a company’s network is performed regarding the integration of the renewables such as biomass and other wastes, and solar energy. The obtained solutions are those reflecting maximal profit, reflecting constantly-changing dynamic market conditions, accounting for several uncertain parameters, and protecting the environment.
Keywords: Company's supply network, Renewables, Environmental Impacts, Dynamic synthesis, Flexibility, Multi-objective optimisation, Uncertainty
Published in DKUM: 21.07.2017; Views: 1694; Downloads: 171
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Abstract: This paper describes the use of a multi-objective genetic algorithm for robust motion controller design. Motion controller structure is based on a disturbance observer in an RIC framework. The RIC approach is presented in the form with internal and external feedback loops, in which an internal disturbance rejection controller and an external performance controller must be synthesised. This paper involves novel objectives for robustness and performance assessments for such an approach. Objective functions for the robustness property of RIC are based on simple even polynomials with non-negativity conditions. Regional pole placement method is presented with the aims of controllers% structures simplification and their additional arbitrary selection. Regional pole placement involves arbitrary selection of central polynomials for both loops, with additional admissible region of the optimized pole location. Polynomial deviation between selected and optimized polynomials is measured with derived performance objective functions. A multi-objective function is composed of different unrelated criteria such as, robust stability, controllers' stability and time performance indexes of closed loops. The design of controllers and multi-objective optimization procedure involve a set of the objectives, which are optimized simultaneously with a genetic algorithm - Differential evolution.
Keywords: disturbance observer, DOB, uncertainty systems, optimal robust control, multi-objective optimization, differential evolution
Published in DKUM: 15.06.2017; Views: 1630; Downloads: 359
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Abstract: Brezkontaktno optično zajemanje, merjenje in digitalizacija postajajo vedno bolj razširjeni postopki v sistemih zagotavljanja kakovosti. Prednosti optičnega skeniranja v primerjavi s konvencionalnimi kontaktnimi merilnimi postopki so preprosto zajemanje, visoka gostota pridobljenih podatkov ter povezava med povratnim inženirstvom in preverjanjem oblike. Optični skener se zaradi trirazsežnega zajemanja podatkov pogosto obravnava kot alternativa koordinatni merilni napravi. Prednost optičnega skeniranja je predvsem večja hitrost zajemanja podatkov, medtem ko natančnost še ne dosega ravni koordinatne merilne tehnike. Ta prispevek obravnava možnosti uporabe optičnega skenerja pri preverjanju natančnosti izdelave. Predstavljen je primer, pri katerem je za preverjanje natančnosti izdelka uporabljen optični skener GOM ATOS II. V prvem delu prispevka je predstavljeno specifično področje preverjanja natančnosti medicinskih vsadkov. Predstavljene so prednosti, zaradi katerih je optično skeniranje pri takšnih izdelkih primernejše od koordinatnega merjenja. V drugem delu prispevka so predstavljeni rezultati optičnega zajemanja geometrije merilnih kladic ter merilna negotovost postopka. V zadnjem delu je predstavljena neposredna primerjava rezultatov optičnega skeniranja in koordinatnega merjenja krogle. Glede na rezultate merjenja merilnih kladic in primerjave rezultatov merjenja krogle smo dokazali, da je natančnost optičnega skenerja GOM ATOS II primerna za preverjanje oblike medicinskih vsadkov z ozirom na zahtevano natančnost izdelka pred samim operacijskim posegom. Nadaljnje raziskave na tem področju bodo namenjene predvsem ločevanju in vrednotenju merilnih pogreškov optičnega zajemanja, ki so posledica nenatančnosti same naprave ter pogreškov, ki nastajajo zaradi naknadne poobdelave (poligonizacije) zajetih podatkov. Preizkus natančnosti optičnega sistema je bil omejen na merjenje merilnih kladic in na primerjavo meritve krogle s koordinatno merilno napravo. Prispevek predstavlja izvirno področje preverjanja natančnosti izdelave kompleksnih geometrijskih oblik. Predstavljena sta postopek zajemanja in poobdelave podatkov ter metoda preizkusa natančnosti naprave. Prispevek je namenjen vsem, ki se ukvarjajo s preverjanjem kompleksnih geometrijskih oblik, saj se bo z razvojem novih sistemov za optično zajemanje oblik povečevala tudi njihova natančnost. Te naprave bodo zato postajale vedno pomembnejše na širšem področju zagotavljanja kakovosti in ne samo na specifičnem primeru, predstavljenem v tem članku.
Keywords: 3D optical scanning, uncertainty of measurement, geometry inspection, rapid manufacturing, reverse enginering, quality assurance
Published in DKUM: 10.07.2015; Views: 1807; Downloads: 131
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Abstract: Electronic levels are designated for the precise measurement of inclination angles within the range of +- 3 mm/m. They are very often used for checking the straightness of machine tool guides as well as the flatness of different kindsof machine tool tables and surface plates. Typical resolution of such instruments is 1 m/m. Electronic levels are calibrated by using very precise angle generators. One such generator is a sine bar. Sine bars are cheap and enable fast and simple calibrations. Commercial sine bars however are not precise enough. We, therefore, decided to design a special sine bar, which would be able to generate angles within an uncertainty of 1 mžm. This sine barwas designed by the laboratory staff and manufactured in our workroom. We have also created a calibration procedure, which has already been accredited. Uncertainty analysis, including experimental measurements, shows that the planned uncertainty has been reached. The sine bar design, calibration procedure and uncertainty evaluation are presented in this article.
Keywords: production measurements, measuring uncertainty, calibration, inclination angles, flatness measurements, sine bar, electronic level
Published in DKUM: 01.06.2012; Views: 3099; Downloads: 117
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