In this paper, we consider field service in which service providers are responsible for maintaining equipment performance. To do so, preventive maintenance work is usually required in addition to repairs. Field service managers are often faced with the conflicting objectives of maintaining a high level of equipment availability and keeping a low service cost. A condition-based maintenance (CBM)...

We give a new integrable boundary condition in affine Toda theory which is soliton-preserving in the sense that a soliton hitting the boundary is reflected as a soliton. All previously known integrable boundary conditions forced a soliton to be converted into an antisoliton upon reflection. We prove integrability of our boundary condition using a generalization of Sklyanin’s formalism.

We show how to use two existing methods of integration of a normal field in the absence of boundary condition, which makes them more realistic. Moreover, we show how perspective can be taken into account, in order to render the 3D-reconstruction more accurate. Finally, the joint use of both these methods of integration allows us to obtain very satisfactory results, from the point of view of CPU...

Ballast degradation can cause poor drainage, settlement and reduced lateral stability, which adversely affect railroad track safety and performance. Two indices are commonly used in the North American railroad industry to quantify the level of ballast degradation. These are (i) Fouling Index (FI) and (ii) Percentage Fouling (PF). Identifying these two traditional indices involve ballast samplin...