Introduction The Venus Express spacecraft – an Orbiter for the study of the atmosphere, plasma environment and surface of Venus – is derived from the Mars Express bus, with some modifications to cope with the hotter thermal environment at Venus (Fig. 1). The scientific payload included in the Venus Express Study comprises six instruments derived from Mars Express or Rosetta flight-spare units. ...

In networking ECUs in heavy-duty vehicles, it is the J1939 protocol that plays a key role. J1939 networks are based on the CAN bus (high-speed CAN per ISO11898); they are primarily used in powertrain and chassis components. The protocol creates a uniform basis for communication between electronic control units, and it supports the plug-and-play principle. Special J1939 tools and software compon...

The block replacement policy with no replacement at failure means that a unit is always replaced at fixed time, but not replaced at failure. In this paper, the lifetime of the unit is assumed to be an uncertain variable, the model of expected cost per unit time following no replacement at failure policy is proposed, and the existence condition of the optimal replacement time is given. Furthermo...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns were examined together with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in serial scans of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The SPARE-AD score, summarizing brain atrophy patterns, was tested as a predictor of short-term conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD). MCI individuals that converted to...

An optimization model is proposed to redesign the supply chain of spare part delivery under demand uncertainty in a specified planning horizon. Long term decisions involve new installations, expansions and elimination of warehouses handling multiple products. It is considered which warehouses should be used as repair work-shops to store, repair and deliver used units to customers. Tactical plan...