An Efficient Evolutionary Based Method For Image Segmentation

OpenAIRE

Aslanzadeh, Roohollah; Qazanfari, Kazem; Rahmati, Mohammad

2017-01-01

The goal of this paper is to present a new efficient image segmentation method based on evolutionary computation which is a model inspired from human behavior. Based on this model, a four layer process for image segmentation is proposed using the split/merge approach. In the first layer, an image is split into numerous regions using the watershed algorithm. In the second layer, a co-evolutionary process is applied to form centers of finals segments by merging similar primary regions. In the t...

Surgeons and suture zones: Hybridization among four surgeonfish species in the Indo-Pacific with variable evolutionary outcomes

KAUST Repository

DiBattista, Joseph; Whitney, Jonathan; Craig, Matthew T.; Hobbs, Jean-Paul A.; Rocha, Luiz A.; Feldheim, Kevin A.; Berumen, Michael L.; Bowen, Brian W.

2016-01-01

Closely related species can provide valuable insights into evolutionary processes through comparison of their ecology, geographic distribution and the history recorded in their genomes. In the Indo-Pacific, many reef fishes are divided into sister species that come into secondary contact at biogeographic borders, most prominently where Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean faunas meet. It is unclear whether hybridization in this contact zone represents incomplete speciation, secondary contact, an evolutionary dead-end (for hybrids) or some combination of the above. To address these issues, we conducted comprehensive surveys of two widely-distributed surgeonfish species, Acanthurus leucosternon (N = 141) and A. nigricans (N = 412), with mtDNA cytochrome b sequences and ten microsatellite loci. These surgeonfishes are found primarily in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, respectively, but overlap at the Christmas and Cocos-Keeling Islands hybrid zone in the eastern Indian Ocean. We also sampled the two other Pacific members of this species complex, A. achilles (N = 54) and A. japonicus (N = 49), which are known to hybridize with A. nigricans where their ranges overlap. Our results indicate separation between the four species that range from the recent Pleistocene to late Pliocene (235,000 to 2.25 million years ago). The Pacific A. achilles is the most divergent (and possibly ancestral) species with mtDNA dcorr ≈ 0.04, whereas the other two Pacific species (A. japonicus and A. nigricans) are distinguishable only at a population or subspecies level (ΦST = 0.6533, P < 0.001). Little population structure was observed within species, with evidence of recent population expansion across all four geographic ranges. We detected sharing of mtDNA haplotypes between species and extensive hybridization based on microsatellites, consistent with later generation hybrids but also the effects of allele homoplasy. Despite extensive introgression, 98% of specimens had concordance between mt

Surgeons and suture zones: Hybridization among four surgeonfish species in the Indo-Pacific with variable evolutionary outcomes

KAUST Repository

DiBattista, Joseph

2016-04-30

Closely related species can provide valuable insights into evolutionary processes through comparison of their ecology, geographic distribution and the history recorded in their genomes. In the Indo-Pacific, many reef fishes are divided into sister species that come into secondary contact at biogeographic borders, most prominently where Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean faunas meet. It is unclear whether hybridization in this contact zone represents incomplete speciation, secondary contact, an evolutionary dead-end (for hybrids) or some combination of the above. To address these issues, we conducted comprehensive surveys of two widely-distributed surgeonfish species, Acanthurus leucosternon (N = 141) and A. nigricans (N = 412), with mtDNA cytochrome b sequences and ten microsatellite loci. These surgeonfishes are found primarily in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, respectively, but overlap at the Christmas and Cocos-Keeling Islands hybrid zone in the eastern Indian Ocean. We also sampled the two other Pacific members of this species complex, A. achilles (N = 54) and A. japonicus (N = 49), which are known to hybridize with A. nigricans where their ranges overlap. Our results indicate separation between the four species that range from the recent Pleistocene to late Pliocene (235,000 to 2.25 million years ago). The Pacific A. achilles is the most divergent (and possibly ancestral) species with mtDNA dcorr ≈ 0.04, whereas the other two Pacific species (A. japonicus and A. nigricans) are distinguishable only at a population or subspecies level (ΦST = 0.6533, P < 0.001). Little population structure was observed within species, with evidence of recent population expansion across all four geographic ranges. We detected sharing of mtDNA haplotypes between species and extensive hybridization based on microsatellites, consistent with later generation hybrids but also the effects of allele homoplasy. Despite extensive introgression, 98% of specimens had concordance between mt

Evolutionary Policy Transfer and Search Methods for Boosting Behavior Quality: RoboCup Keep-Away Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoff Nitschke

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates various evolutionary search methods to direct neural controller evolution in company with policy (behavior transfer across increasingly complex collective robotic (RoboCup keep-away tasks. Robot behaviors are first evolved in a source task and then transferred for further evolution to more complex target tasks. Evolutionary search methods tested include objective-based search (fitness function, behavioral and genotypic diversity maintenance, and hybrids of such diversity maintenance and objective-based search. Evolved behavior quality is evaluated according to effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness is the average task performance of transferred and evolved behaviors, where task performance is the average time the ball is controlled by a keeper team. Efficiency is the average number of generations taken for the fittest evolved behaviors to reach a minimum task performance threshold given policy transfer. Results indicate that policy transfer coupled with hybridized evolution (behavioral diversity maintenance and objective-based search addresses the bootstrapping problem for increasingly complex keep-away tasks. That is, this hybrid method (coupled with policy transfer evolves behaviors that could not otherwise be evolved. Also, this hybrid evolutionary search was demonstrated as consistently evolving topologically simple neural controllers that elicited high-quality behaviors.

An Evolutionary Comparison of the Handicap Principle and Hybrid Equilibrium Theories of Signaling

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Patrick; Zollman, Kevin J. S.

2015-01-01

The handicap principle has come under significant challenge both from empirical studies and from theoretical work. As a result, a number of alternative explanations for honest signaling have been proposed. This paper compares the evolutionary plausibility of one such alternative, the “hybrid equilibrium,” to the handicap principle. We utilize computer simulations to compare these two theories as they are instantiated in Maynard Smith’s Sir Philip Sidney game. We conclude that, when both types of communication are possible, evolution is unlikely to lead to handicap signaling and is far more likely to result in the partially honest signaling predicted by hybrid equilibrium theory. PMID:26348617

Surgeons and suture zones: Hybridization among four surgeonfish species in the Indo-Pacific with variable evolutionary outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

DiBattista, Joseph D; Whitney, Jonathan; Craig, Matthew T; Hobbs, Jean-Paul A; Rocha, Luiz A; Feldheim, Kevin A; Berumen, Michael L; Bowen, Brian W

2016-08-01

Closely related species can provide valuable insights into evolutionary processes through comparison of their ecology, geographic distribution and the history recorded in their genomes. In the Indo-Pacific, many reef fishes are divided into sister species that come into secondary contact at biogeographic borders, most prominently where Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean faunas meet. It is unclear whether hybridization in this contact zone represents incomplete speciation, secondary contact, an evolutionary dead-end (for hybrids) or some combination of the above. To address these issues, we conducted comprehensive surveys of two widely-distributed surgeonfish species, Acanthurus leucosternon (N=141) and A. nigricans (N=412), with mtDNA cytochrome b sequences and ten microsatellite loci. These surgeonfishes are found primarily in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, respectively, but overlap at the Christmas and Cocos-Keeling Islands hybrid zone in the eastern Indian Ocean. We also sampled the two other Pacific members of this species complex, A. achilles (N=54) and A. japonicus (N=49), which are known to hybridize with A. nigricans where their ranges overlap. Our results indicate separation between the four species that range from the recent Pleistocene to late Pliocene (235,000-2.25million years ago). The Pacific A. achilles is the most divergent (and possibly ancestral) species with mtDNA dcorr≈0.04, whereas the other two Pacific species (A. japonicus and A. nigricans) are distinguishable only at a population or subspecies level (ΦST=0.6533, P<0.001). Little population structure was observed within species, with evidence of recent population expansion across all four geographic ranges. We detected sharing of mtDNA haplotypes between species and extensive hybridization based on microsatellites, consistent with later generation hybrids but also the effects of allele homoplasy. Despite extensive introgression, 98% of specimens had concordance between mtDNA lineage and

Evolutionary restoration of fertility in an interspecies hybrid yeast, by whole-genome duplication after a failed mating-type switch.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl A Ortiz-Merino

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Many interspecies hybrids have been discovered in yeasts, but most of these hybrids are asexual and can replicate only mitotically. Whole-genome duplication has been proposed as a mechanism by which interspecies hybrids can regain fertility, restoring their ability to perform meiosis and sporulate. Here, we show that this process occurred naturally during the evolution of Zygosaccharomyces parabailii, an interspecies hybrid that was formed by mating between 2 parents that differed by 7% in genome sequence and by many interchromosomal rearrangements. Surprisingly, Z. parabailii has a full sexual cycle and is genetically haploid. It goes through mating-type switching and autodiploidization, followed by immediate sporulation. We identified the key evolutionary event that enabled Z. parabailii to regain fertility, which was breakage of 1 of the 2 homeologous copies of the mating-type (MAT locus in the hybrid, resulting in a chromosomal rearrangement and irreparable damage to 1 MAT locus. This rearrangement was caused by HO endonuclease, which normally functions in mating-type switching. With 1 copy of MAT inactivated, the interspecies hybrid now behaves as a haploid. Our results provide the first demonstration that MAT locus damage is a naturally occurring evolutionary mechanism for whole-genome duplication and restoration of fertility to interspecies hybrids. The events that occurred in Z. parabailii strongly resemble those postulated to have caused ancient whole-genome duplication in an ancestor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Sex ratio meiotic drive as a plausible evolutionary mechanism for hybrid male sterility.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Linbin; Sun, Tianai; Woldesellassie, Fitsum; Xiao, Hailian; Tao, Yun

2015-03-01

Biological diversity on Earth depends on the multiplication of species or speciation, which is the evolution of reproductive isolation such as hybrid sterility between two new species. An unsolved puzzle is the exact mechanism(s) that causes two genomes to diverge from their common ancestor so that some divergent genes no longer function properly in the hybrids. Here we report genetic analyses of divergent genes controlling male fertility and sex ratio in two very young fruitfly species, Drosophila albomicans and D. nasuta. A majority of the genetic divergence for both traits is mapped to the same regions by quantitative trait loci mappings. With introgressions, six major loci are found to contribute to both traits. This genetic colocalization implicates that genes for hybrid male sterility have evolved primarily for controlling sex ratio. We propose that genetic conflicts over sex ratio may operate as a perpetual dynamo for genome divergence. This particular evolutionary mechanism may largely contribute to the rapid evolution of hybrid male sterility and the disproportionate enrichment of its underlying genes on the X chromosome--two patterns widely observed across animals.

Evolutionary algorithms for mobile ad hoc networks

CERN Document Server

Dorronsoro, Bernabé; Danoy, Grégoire; Pigné, Yoann; Bouvry, Pascal

2014-01-01

Describes how evolutionary algorithms (EAs) can be used to identify, model, and minimize day-to-day problems that arise for researchers in optimization and mobile networking. Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), vehicular networks (VANETs), sensor networks (SNs), and hybrid networks—each of these require a designer’s keen sense and knowledge of evolutionary algorithms in order to help with the common issues that plague professionals involved in optimization and mobile networking. This book introduces readers to both mobile ad hoc networks and evolutionary algorithms, presenting basic concepts as well as detailed descriptions of each. It demonstrates how metaheuristics and evolutionary algorithms (EAs) can be used to help provide low-cost operations in the optimization process—allowing designers to put some “intelligence” or sophistication into the design. It also offers efficient and accurate information on dissemination algorithms topology management, and mobility models to address challenges in the ...

Culture belief based multi-objective hybrid differential evolutionary algorithm in short term hydrothermal scheduling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Huifeng; Zhou Jianzhong; Zhang Yongchuan; Lu Youlin; Wang Yongqiang

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Culture belief is integrated into multi-objective differential evolution. ► Chaotic sequence is imported to improve evolutionary population diversity. ► The priority of convergence rate is proved in solving hydrothermal problem. ► The results show the quality and potential of proposed algorithm. - Abstract: A culture belief based multi-objective hybrid differential evolution (CB-MOHDE) is presented to solve short term hydrothermal optimal scheduling with economic emission (SHOSEE) problem. This problem is formulated for compromising thermal cost and emission issue while considering its complicated non-linear constraints with non-smooth and non-convex characteristics. The proposed algorithm integrates a modified multi-objective differential evolutionary algorithm into the computation model of culture algorithm (CA) as well as some communication protocols between population space and belief space, three knowledge structures in belief space are redefined according to these problem-solving characteristics, and in the differential evolution a chaotic factor is embedded into mutation operator for avoiding the premature convergence by enlarging the search scale when the search trajectory reaches local optima. Furthermore, a new heuristic constraint-handling technique is utilized to handle those complex equality and inequality constraints of SHOSEE problem. After the application on hydrothermal scheduling system, the efficiency and stability of the proposed CB-MOHDE is verified by its more desirable results in comparison to other method established recently, and the simulation results also reveal that CB-MOHDE can be a promising alternative for solving SHOSEE.

Cross-species amplification of 41 microsatellites in European cyprinids: A tool for evolutionary, population genetics and hybridization studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilles André

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cyprinids display the most abundant and widespread species among the European freshwater Teleostei and are known to hybridize quite commonly. Nevertheless, a limited number of markers for conducting comparative differentiation, evolutionary and hybridization dynamics studies are available to date. Findings Five multiplex PCR sets were optimized in order to assay 41 cyprinid-specific polymorphic microsatellite loci (including 10 novel loci isolated from Chondrostoma nasus nasus, Chondrostoma toxostoma toxostoma and Leuciscus leuciscus for 503 individuals (440 purebred specimens and 63 hybrids from 15 European cyprinid species. The level of genetic diversity was assessed in Alburnus alburnus, Alburnoides bipunctatus, C. genei, C. n. nasus, C. soetta, C. t. toxostoma, L. idus, L. leuciscus, Pachychilon pictum, Rutilus rutilus, Squalius cephalus and Telestes souffia. The applicability of the markers was also tested on Abramis brama, Blicca bjoerkna and Scardinius erythrophtalmus specimens. Overall, between 24 and 37 of these markers revealed polymorphic for the investigated species and 23 markers amplified for all the 15 European cyprinid species. Conclusions The developed set of markers demonstrated its performance in discriminating European cyprinid species. Furthermore, it allowed detecting and characterizing hybrid individuals. These microsatellites will therefore be useful to perform comparative evolutionary and population genetics studies dealing with European cyprinids, what is of particular interest in conservation issues and constitutes a tool of choice to conduct hybridization studies.

Sex ratio meiotic drive as a plausible evolutionary mechanism for hybrid male sterility.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linbin Zhang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Biological diversity on Earth depends on the multiplication of species or speciation, which is the evolution of reproductive isolation such as hybrid sterility between two new species. An unsolved puzzle is the exact mechanism(s that causes two genomes to diverge from their common ancestor so that some divergent genes no longer function properly in the hybrids. Here we report genetic analyses of divergent genes controlling male fertility and sex ratio in two very young fruitfly species, Drosophila albomicans and D. nasuta. A majority of the genetic divergence for both traits is mapped to the same regions by quantitative trait loci mappings. With introgressions, six major loci are found to contribute to both traits. This genetic colocalization implicates that genes for hybrid male sterility have evolved primarily for controlling sex ratio. We propose that genetic conflicts over sex ratio may operate as a perpetual dynamo for genome divergence. This particular evolutionary mechanism may largely contribute to the rapid evolution of hybrid male sterility and the disproportionate enrichment of its underlying genes on the X chromosome--two patterns widely observed across animals.

Energy Efficiency Comparison between Hydraulic Hybrid and Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia-Shiun Chen

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Conventional vehicles tend to consume considerable amounts of fuel, which generates exhaust gases and environmental pollution during intermittent driving cycles. Therefore, prospective vehicle designs favor improved exhaust emissions and energy consumption without compromising vehicle performance. Although pure electric vehicles feature high performance and low pollution characteristics, their limitations are their short driving range and high battery costs. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs are comparatively environmentally friendly and energy efficient, but cost substantially more compared with conventional vehicles. Hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs are mainly operated using engines, or using alternate combinations of engine and hydraulic power sources while vehicles accelerate. When the hydraulic system accumulator is depleted, the conventional engine reengages; concurrently, brake-regenerated power is recycled and reused by employing hydraulic motor–pump modules in circulation patterns to conserve fuel and recycle brake energy. This study adopted MATLAB Simulink to construct complete HHV and HEV models for backward simulations. New European Driving Cycles were used to determine the changes in fuel economy. The output of power components and the state-of-charge of energy could be retrieved. Varying power component models, energy storage component models, and series or parallel configurations were combined into seven different vehicle configurations: the conventional manual transmission vehicle, series hybrid electric vehicle, series hydraulic hybrid vehicle, parallel hybrid electric vehicle, parallel hydraulic hybrid vehicle, purely electric vehicle, and hydraulic-electric hybrid vehicle. The simulation results show that fuel consumption was 21.80% lower in the series hydraulic hybrid vehicle compared to the series hybrid electric vehicle; additionally, fuel consumption was 3.80% lower in the parallel hybrid electric vehicle compared to the

Energy Efficient Hydraulic Hybrid Drives

OpenAIRE

Rydberg, Karl-Erik

2009-01-01

Energy efficiency of propulsion systems for cars, trucks and construction machineries has become one of the most important topics in today’s mobile system design, mainly because of increased fuel costs and new regulations about engine emissions, which is needed to save the environment. To meet the increased requirements on higher efficiency and better functionality, components and systems have been developed over the years. For the last ten years the development of hybrid systems can be divid...

Analysis of product efficiency of hybrid vehicles and promotion policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyundo; Oh, Inha

2010-01-01

The key aim of this study is to evaluate the product efficiency of current hybrid vehicles and suggest effective policies to promote hybrid vehicles in the Korean automobile market and development trends of hybrid vehicles. The efficiency levels for car models sold in Korea, including hybrid ones, were measured using the recently developed discrete additive data envelopment analysis (DEA) model that reflects consumer preference. The result of the analysis shows that current hybrid vehicles on the market are still at lower competitive advantage than traditional car models with conventional combustion engines and we can suggest a mix of incentive policies to promote the competitiveness of hybrid vehicles. In addition, we also identify two distinctive trends of hybrid vehicle development: environment-oriented hybrid vehicles and performance-oriented hybrid vehicles. It implies that the government should take account of development trends of hybrid vehicles to achieve the policy goals in designing support schemes and automobile companies that are willing to develop hybrid vehicles can also gain some insights for making strategic decisions. (author)

Performance and efficiency of a hydraulic hybrid powertrain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karbaschian, Mohammad Ali [Duisburg-Essen Univ. (Germany). Faculty of Engineering

2012-11-01

Hydraulic hybrid powertrains are considered to be a promising technology to save energy and reduce emission in specific automotive fields because of their high power density, components lifetime, and long lasting experience in industries compared to electric hybrid powertrains. Within the first part of the paper, a very brief literature survey on hydraulic hybrid vehicle systems (HHVS) and the related dynamical behaviour is given. No specific activities to improve the efficiency of these systems were detected. Related literature with respect to optimization mainly deals with the management of the system's energy flows trying to control the engine operation point and the high pressure in the system. In the second part, a small simulation study is presented. Therefore, hybrid systems are generally assumed as a Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) system. The effect of key variables (i.e. accumulator size and pressure, pump/motor displacement and efficiency, valve dynamics) on the system is discussed. The results show that the volume displacement of pump and motor, the performance of the engine, and the state of charge of the accumulator are the most important parameters to specify the efficiency and performance of the hydraulic hybrid powertrain. Additionally, a hybrid hydraulic powertrain with an adjustable state of charge accumulator is compared with one whose state of charge is constant. The result shows the improvement of braking performance and fuel savings. The goal is to optimize the parameters of the system based on the simultaneous consideration of the three (or more) variables for a given load profile with respect to given objectives. (orig.)

Strength Pareto particle swarm optimization and hybrid EA-PSO for multi-objective optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Elhossini, Ahmed; Areibi, Shawki; Dony, Robert

2010-01-01

This paper proposes an efficient particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique that can handle multi-objective optimization problems. It is based on the strength Pareto approach originally used in evolutionary algorithms (EA). The proposed modified particle swarm algorithm is used to build three hybrid EA-PSO algorithms to solve different multi-objective optimization problems. This algorithm and its hybrid forms are tested using seven benchmarks from the literature and the results are compared to the strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm (SPEA2) and a competitive multi-objective PSO using several metrics. The proposed algorithm shows a slower convergence, compared to the other algorithms, but requires less CPU time. Combining PSO and evolutionary algorithms leads to superior hybrid algorithms that outperform SPEA2, the competitive multi-objective PSO (MO-PSO), and the proposed strength Pareto PSO based on different metrics.

The pachytene checkpoint and its relationship to evolutionary patterns of polyploidization and hybrid sterility.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X C; Barringer, B C; Barbash, D A

2009-01-01

Sterility is a commonly observed phenotype in interspecific hybrids. Sterility may result from chromosomal or genic incompatibilities, and much progress has been made toward understanding the genetic basis of hybrid sterility in various taxa. The underlying mechanisms causing hybrid sterility, however, are less well known. The pachytene checkpoint is a meiotic surveillance system that many organisms use to detect aberrant meiotic products, in order to prevent the production of defective gametes. We suggest that activation of the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism contributing to two types of hybrid sterility. First, the pachytene checkpoint may form the mechanistic basis of some gene-based hybrid sterility phenotypes. Second, the pachytene checkpoint may be an important mechanism that mediates chromosomal-based hybrid sterility phenotypes involving gametes with non-haploid (either non-reduced or aneuploid) chromosome sets. Studies in several species suggest that the strength of the pachytene checkpoint is sexually dimorphic, observations that warrant future investigation into whether such variation may contribute to differences in patterns of sterility between male and female interspecific hybrids. In addition, plants seem to lack the pachytene checkpoint, which correlates with increased production of unreduced gametes and a higher incidence of polyploid species in plants versus animals. Although the pachytene checkpoint occurs in many animals and in fungi, at least some of the genes that execute the pachytene checkpoint are different among organisms. This finding suggests that the penetrance of the pachytene checkpoint, and even its presence or absence can evolve rapidly. The surprising degree of evolutionary flexibility in this meiotic surveillance system may contribute to the observed variation in patterns of hybrid sterility and in rates of polyploidization.

High Efficiency Computation of the Variances of Structural Evolutionary Random Responses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.H. Lin

2000-01-01

Full Text Available For structures subjected to stationary or evolutionary white/colored random noise, their various response variances satisfy algebraic or differential Lyapunov equations. The solution of these Lyapunov equations used to be very difficult. A precise integration method is proposed in the present paper, which solves such Lyapunov equations accurately and very efficiently.

Gasoline hybrid pneumatic engine for efficient vehicle powertrain hybridization

OpenAIRE

Dimitrova, Zlatina; Maréchal, François

2015-01-01

The largest applied convertors in passenger cars are the internal combustion engines – gasoline, diesel, adapted also for operating on alternative fuels and hybrid modes. The number of components that are necessary to realize modern future propulsion system is inexorably increasing. The need for efficiency improvement of the vehicle energy system induces the search for an innovative methodology during the design process. In this article the compressed air is investigated as an innovative solu...

Hybrid Nanocomposites for Efficient Aerospace Structures, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles program seeks to improve safety and efficiency through exploration of the value of hybrid composites, guiding utilization of the...

Evolutionary optimization and game strategies for advanced multi-disciplinary design applications to aeronautics and UAV design

CERN Document Server

Periaux, Jacques; Lee, Dong Seop Chris

2015-01-01

Many complex aeronautical design problems can be formulated with efficient multi-objective evolutionary optimization methods and game strategies. This book describes the role of advanced innovative evolution tools in the solution, or the set of solutions of single or multi disciplinary optimization. These tools use the concept of multi-population, asynchronous parallelization and hierarchical topology which allows different models including precise, intermediate and approximate models with each node belonging to the different hierarchical layer handled by a different Evolutionary Algorithm. The efficiency of evolutionary algorithms for both single and multi-objective optimization problems are significantly improved by the coupling of EAs with games and in particular by a new dynamic methodology named “Hybridized Nash-Pareto games”. Multi objective Optimization techniques and robust design problems taking into account uncertainties are introduced and explained in detail. Several applications dealing with c...

The estimation of energy efficiency for hybrid refrigeration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gazda, Wiesław; Kozioł, Joachim

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We present the experimental setup and the model of the hybrid cooling system. ► We examine impact of the operating parameters of the hybrid cooling system on the energy efficiency indicators. ► A comparison of the final and the primary energy use for a combination of the cooling systems is carried out. ► We explain the relationship between the COP and PER values for the analysed cooling systems. -- Abstract: The concept of the air blast-cryogenic freezing method (ABCF) is based on an innovative hybrid refrigeration system with one common cooling space. The hybrid cooling system consists of a vapor compression refrigeration system and a cryogenic refrigeration system. The prototype experimental setup for this method on the laboratory scale is discussed. The application of the results of experimental investigations and the theoretical–empirical model makes it possible to calculate the cooling capacity as well as the final and primary energy use in the hybrid system. The energetic analysis has been carried out for the operating modes of the refrigerating systems for the required temperatures inside the cooling chamber of −5 °C, −10 °C and −15 °C. For the estimation of the energy efficiency the coefficient of performance COP and the primary energy ratio PER for the hybrid refrigeration system are proposed. A comparison of these coefficients for the vapor compression refrigeration and the cryogenic refrigeration system has also been presented.

A high efficiency hybrid stirling-pulse tube cryocooler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaotao Wang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This article presented a hybrid cryocooler which combines the room temperature displacers and the pulse tube in one system. Compared with a traditional pulse tube cryocooler, the system uses the rod-less ambient displacer to recover the expansion work from the pulse tube cold end to improve the efficiency while still keeps the advantage of the pulse tube cryocooler with no moving parts at the cold region. In the meantime, dual-opposed configurations for both the compression pistons and displacers reduce the cooler vibration to a very low level. In the experiments, a lowest no-load temperature of 38.5 K has been obtained and the cooling power at 80K was 26.4 W with an input electric power of 290 W. This leads to an efficiency of 24.2% of Carnot, marginally higher than that of an ordinary pulse tube cryocooler. The hybrid configuration herein provides a very competitive option when a high efficiency, high-reliability and robust cryocooler is desired.

Evolutionary constrained optimization

CERN Document Server

Deb, Kalyanmoy

2015-01-01

This book makes available a self-contained collection of modern research addressing the general constrained optimization problems using evolutionary algorithms. Broadly the topics covered include constraint handling for single and multi-objective optimizations; penalty function based methodology; multi-objective based methodology; new constraint handling mechanism; hybrid methodology; scaling issues in constrained optimization; design of scalable test problems; parameter adaptation in constrained optimization; handling of integer, discrete and mix variables in addition to continuous variables; application of constraint handling techniques to real-world problems; and constrained optimization in dynamic environment. There is also a separate chapter on hybrid optimization, which is gaining lots of popularity nowadays due to its capability of bridging the gap between evolutionary and classical optimization. The material in the book is useful to researchers, novice, and experts alike. The book will also be useful...

Efficient engineering of marker-free synthetic allotetraploids of Saccharomyces.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, William G; Peris, David; Pfannenstiel, Brandon T; Opulente, Dana A; Kuang, Meihua; Hittinger, Chris Todd

2016-04-01

Saccharomyces interspecies hybrids are critical biocatalysts in the fermented beverage industry, including in the production of lager beers, Belgian ales, ciders, and cold-fermented wines. Current methods for making synthetic interspecies hybrids are cumbersome and/or require genome modifications. We have developed a simple, robust, and efficient method for generating allotetraploid strains of prototrophic Saccharomyces without sporulation or nuclear genome manipulation. S. cerevisiae×S. eubayanus, S. cerevisiae×S. kudriavzevii, and S. cerevisiae×S. uvarum designer hybrid strains were created as synthetic lager, Belgian, and cider strains, respectively. The ploidy and hybrid nature of the strains were confirmed using flow cytometry and PCR-RFLP analysis, respectively. This method provides an efficient means for producing novel synthetic hybrids for beverage and biofuel production, as well as for constructing tetraploids to be used for basic research in evolutionary genetics and genome stability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary insights into scleractinian corals using comparative genomic hybridizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Aranda, Manuel; DeSalvo, Michael K; Bayer, Till; Medina, Monica; Voolstra, Christian R

2012-09-21

Coral reefs belong to the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems on our planet. Yet, they are under steady decline worldwide due to rising sea surface temperatures, disease, and pollution. Understanding the molecular impact of these stressors on different coral species is imperative in order to predict how coral populations will respond to this continued disturbance. The use of molecular tools such as microarrays has provided deep insight into the molecular stress response of corals. Here, we have performed comparative genomic hybridizations (CGH) with different coral species to an Acropora palmata microarray platform containing 13,546 cDNA clones in order to identify potentially rapidly evolving genes and to determine the suitability of existing microarray platforms for use in gene expression studies (via heterologous hybridization). Our results showed that the current microarray platform for A. palmata is able to provide biological relevant information for a wide variety of coral species covering both the complex clade as well the robust clade. Analysis of the fraction of highly diverged genes showed a significantly higher amount of genes without annotation corroborating previous findings that point towards a higher rate of divergence for taxonomically restricted genes. Among the genes with annotation, we found many mitochondrial genes to be highly diverged in M. faveolata when compared to A. palmata, while the majority of nuclear encoded genes maintained an average divergence rate. The use of present microarray platforms for transcriptional analyses in different coral species will greatly enhance the understanding of the molecular basis of stress and health and highlight evolutionary differences between scleractinian coral species. On a genomic basis, we show that cDNA arrays can be used to identify patterns of divergence. Mitochondrion-encoded genes seem to have diverged faster than nuclear encoded genes in robust corals. Accordingly, this

Efficiency Characteristics of Low Power Hybrid Switched Reluctance Motor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Uffe; Ahn, Jin-Woo

2009-01-01

Switched reluctance motors (SRM) are usually considered inferior in terms of efficiency as compared to permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) and brushless DC-motors (BLDC), but less costly. This article presents a test of a 70W hybrid switched reluctance motor (HSRM), that archieves a peak...... efficiency for the motor drive of more than 74%, and an efficiency for the motor of almost 80%....

Evolutionary dynamics on graphs: Efficient method for weak selection

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Feng; Wang, Long; Nowak, Martin A.; Hauert, Christoph

2009-04-01

Investigating the evolutionary dynamics of game theoretical interactions in populations where individuals are arranged on a graph can be challenging in terms of computation time. Here, we propose an efficient method to study any type of game on arbitrary graph structures for weak selection. In this limit, evolutionary game dynamics represents a first-order correction to neutral evolution. Spatial correlations can be empirically determined under neutral evolution and provide the basis for formulating the game dynamics as a discrete Markov process by incorporating a detailed description of the microscopic dynamics based on the neutral correlations. This framework is then applied to one of the most intriguing questions in evolutionary biology: the evolution of cooperation. We demonstrate that the degree heterogeneity of a graph impedes cooperation and that the success of tit for tat depends not only on the number of rounds but also on the degree of the graph. Moreover, considering the mutation-selection equilibrium shows that the symmetry of the stationary distribution of states under weak selection is skewed in favor of defectors for larger selection strengths. In particular, degree heterogeneity—a prominent feature of scale-free networks—generally results in a more pronounced increase in the critical benefit-to-cost ratio required for evolution to favor cooperation as compared to regular graphs. This conclusion is corroborated by an analysis of the effects of population structures on the fixation probabilities of strategies in general 2×2 games for different types of graphs. Computer simulations confirm the predictive power of our method and illustrate the improved accuracy as compared to previous studies.

Modeling of hybrid vehicle fuel economy and fuel engine efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Wei

"Near-CV" (i.e., near-conventional vehicle) hybrid vehicles, with an internal combustion engine, and a supplementary storage with low-weight, low-energy but high-power capacity, are analyzed. This design avoids the shortcoming of the "near-EV" and the "dual-mode" hybrid vehicles that need a large energy storage system (in terms of energy capacity and weight). The small storage is used to optimize engine energy management and can provide power when needed. The energy advantage of the "near-CV" design is to reduce reliance on the engine at low power, to enable regenerative braking, and to provide good performance with a small engine. The fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, which might be applied to hybrid vehicles, is analyzed by building simple analytical models that reflect the engines' energy loss characteristics. Both diesel and gasoline engines are modeled. The simple analytical models describe engine fuel consumption at any speed and load point by describing the engine's indicated efficiency and friction. The engine's indicated efficiency and heat loss are described in terms of several easy-to-obtain engine parameters, e.g., compression ratio, displacement, bore and stroke. Engine friction is described in terms of parameters obtained by fitting available fuel measurements on several diesel and spark-ignition engines. The engine models developed are shown to conform closely to experimental fuel consumption and motored friction data. A model of the energy use of "near-CV" hybrid vehicles with different storage mechanism is created, based on simple algebraic description of the components. With powertrain downsizing and hybridization, a "near-CV" hybrid vehicle can obtain a factor of approximately two in overall fuel efficiency (mpg) improvement, without considering reductions in the vehicle load.

Evolutionary Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Solving NP-Hard No-Wait Flow Shop Scheduling Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laxmi A. Bewoor

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The no-wait flow shop is a flowshop in which the scheduling of jobs is continuous and simultaneous through all machines without waiting for any consecutive machines. The scheduling of a no-wait flow shop requires finding an appropriate sequence of jobs for scheduling, which in turn reduces total processing time. The classical brute force method for finding the probabilities of scheduling for improving the utilization of resources may become trapped in local optima, and this problem can hence be observed as a typical NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem that requires finding a near optimal solution with heuristic and metaheuristic techniques. This paper proposes an effective hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO metaheuristic algorithm for solving no-wait flow shop scheduling problems with the objective of minimizing the total flow time of jobs. This Proposed Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization (PHPSO algorithm presents a solution by the random key representation rule for converting the continuous position information values of particles to a discrete job permutation. The proposed algorithm initializes population efficiently with the Nawaz-Enscore-Ham (NEH heuristic technique and uses an evolutionary search guided by the mechanism of PSO, as well as simulated annealing based on a local neighborhood search to avoid getting stuck in local optima and to provide the appropriate balance of global exploration and local exploitation. Extensive computational experiments are carried out based on Taillard’s benchmark suite. Computational results and comparisons with existing metaheuristics show that the PHPSO algorithm outperforms the existing methods in terms of quality search and robustness for the problem considered. The improvement in solution quality is confirmed by statistical tests of significance.

Energy Efficient Hybrid Gas Separation with Ionic Liquids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xinyan; Liang, Xiaodong; Gani, Rafiqul

2017-01-01

Shale gas, like natural gas, contains H2, CO2, CH4 and that light hydrocarbon gases needs processing to separate the gases for conversion to higher value products. Currently, distillation based separation is employed, which is energy intensive. Hybrid gas separation processes, combining absorption...... systems is established for process design-analysis. A strategy for hybrid gas separation process synthesis where distillation and IL-based absorption are employed for energy efficient gas processing is developed and its application is highlighted for a model shale gas processing case study....

Fast Construction of Near Parsimonious Hybridization Networks for Multiple Phylogenetic Trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirzaei, Sajad; Wu, Yufeng

2016-01-01

Hybridization networks represent plausible evolutionary histories of species that are affected by reticulate evolutionary processes. An established computational problem on hybridization networks is constructing the most parsimonious hybridization network such that each of the given phylogenetic trees (called gene trees) is "displayed" in the network. There have been several previous approaches, including an exact method and several heuristics, for this NP-hard problem. However, the exact method is only applicable to a limited range of data, and heuristic methods can be less accurate and also slow sometimes. In this paper, we develop a new algorithm for constructing near parsimonious networks for multiple binary gene trees. This method is more efficient for large numbers of gene trees than previous heuristics. This new method also produces more parsimonious results on many simulated datasets as well as a real biological dataset than a previous method. We also show that our method produces topologically more accurate networks for many datasets.

A hybrid energy efficient building ventilation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calay, Rajnish Kaur; Wang, Wen Chung

2013-01-01

The present paper presents a high performance cooling/heating ventilation system using a rotary heat exchanger (RHE), together with a reverse-cycle heat pump (RCHP) that can be integrated with various heat sources. Energy consumption in the building sector is largely dominated by the energy consumed in maintaining comfortable conditions indoors. For example in many developed countries the building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems consume up to 50% of the total energy consumed in buildings. Therefore energy efficient HVAC solutions in buildings are critical for realising CO 2 targets at local and global level. There are many heating/cooling concepts that rely upon renewable energy sources and/or use natural low temperature heat sources in the winter and heat sinks in the summer. In the proposed system, waste energy from the exhaust air stream is used to precondition the outdoor air before it is supplied into the building. The hybrid system provides heating in the winter and cooling in the summer without any need for additional heating or cooling devices as required in conventional systems. Its performance is better than a typical reheat or air conditioning system in providing the same indoor air quality (IAQ) levels. It is shown that an energy saving up to 60% (heat energy) is achieved by using the proposed hybrid system in building ventilation applications. -- Highlights: • Hybrid ventilation system: the hybrid ventilation system uses a rotating regenerator and a reversible heat pump. • Heat recovery: heat recovery from exhaust air stream by rotary wheel type heat exchanger. • Reversible cycle heat pump (RCHP): additional heating or cooling of the supply air is provided by the RCHP. • Energy efficiency: energy savings of up to 60% using the proposed system are achievable

Efficient gene delivery using chitosan-polyethylenimine hybrid systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Hu-Lin; Kim, Tae-Hee; Kim, You-Kyoung; Park, In-Young; Cho, Chong-Su [Department of Agricultural Bioechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Myung-Haing [Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: chocs@plaza.snu.ac.kr

2008-06-01

Chitosan and chitosan derivatives have been investigated as non-viral vectors because they have several advantages, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cytotoxicity and low immunogenicity. However, low transfection efficiency and low cell specificity must be solved for their use in clinical trials. In this paper, chitosan-polyethylenimine (PEI) hybrid systems such as chitosan/PEI blend and chitosan-graft-PEI are described for efficient gene delivery because the PEI has high transfection efficiency owing to a proton sponge effect and chitosan has biocompatibility. Also, hepatocyte specificity of the galactosylated chitosan is explained after combination with PEI.

Efficient gene delivery using chitosan-polyethylenimine hybrid systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Hu-Lin; Kim, Tae-Hee; Kim, You-Kyoung; Park, In-Young; Cho, Chong-Su; Cho, Myung-Haing

2008-01-01

Chitosan and chitosan derivatives have been investigated as non-viral vectors because they have several advantages, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cytotoxicity and low immunogenicity. However, low transfection efficiency and low cell specificity must be solved for their use in clinical trials. In this paper, chitosan-polyethylenimine (PEI) hybrid systems such as chitosan/PEI blend and chitosan-graft-PEI are described for efficient gene delivery because the PEI has high transfection efficiency owing to a proton sponge effect and chitosan has biocompatibility. Also, hepatocyte specificity of the galactosylated chitosan is explained after combination with PEI

Energy Efficient Hybrid Dual Axis Solar Tracking System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rashid Ahammed Ferdaus

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the design and implementation of an energy efficient solar tracking system from a normal mechanical single axis to a hybrid dual axis. For optimizing the solar tracking mechanism electromechanical systems were evolved through implementation of different evolutional algorithms and methodologies. To present the tracker, a hybrid dual-axis solar tracking system is designed, built, and tested based on both the solar map and light sensor based continuous tracking mechanism. These light sensors also compare the darkness and cloudy and sunny conditions assisting daily tracking. The designed tracker can track sun’s apparent position at different months and seasons; thereby the electrical controlling device requires a real time clock device for guiding the tracking system in seeking solar position for the seasonal motion. So the combination of both of these tracking mechanisms made the designed tracker a hybrid one. The power gain and system power consumption are compared with a static and continuous dual axis solar tracking system. It is found that power gain of hybrid dual axis solar tracking system is almost equal to continuous dual axis solar tracking system, whereas the power saved in system operation by the hybrid tracker is 44.44% compared to the continuous tracking system.

Hybridization affects life-history traits and host specificity in Diorhabda spp

Science.gov (United States)

Hybridization is an influential evolutionary process that has been viewed alternatively as an evolutionary dead-end or as an important creative evolutionary force. In colonizing species, such as introduced biological control agents, hybridization can negate the effects of bottlenecks and genetic dri...

Evolutionary insights into scleractinian corals using comparative genomic hybridizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aranda Manuel

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Coral reefs belong to the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems on our planet. Yet, they are under steady decline worldwide due to rising sea surface temperatures, disease, and pollution. Understanding the molecular impact of these stressors on different coral species is imperative in order to predict how coral populations will respond to this continued disturbance. The use of molecular tools such as microarrays has provided deep insight into the molecular stress response of corals. Here, we have performed comparative genomic hybridizations (CGH with different coral species to an Acropora palmata microarray platform containing 13,546 cDNA clones in order to identify potentially rapidly evolving genes and to determine the suitability of existing microarray platforms for use in gene expression studies (via heterologous hybridization. Results Our results showed that the current microarray platform for A. palmata is able to provide biological relevant information for a wide variety of coral species covering both the complex clade as well the robust clade. Analysis of the fraction of highly diverged genes showed a significantly higher amount of genes without annotation corroborating previous findings that point towards a higher rate of divergence for taxonomically restricted genes. Among the genes with annotation, we found many mitochondrial genes to be highly diverged in M. faveolata when compared to A. palmata, while the majority of nuclear encoded genes maintained an average divergence rate. Conclusions The use of present microarray platforms for transcriptional analyses in different coral species will greatly enhance the understanding of the molecular basis of stress and health and highlight evolutionary differences between scleractinian coral species. On a genomic basis, we show that cDNA arrays can be used to identify patterns of divergence. Mitochondrion-encoded genes seem to have diverged faster than

Design and management of energy-efficient hybrid electrical energy storage systems

CERN Document Server

Kim, Younghyun

2014-01-01

This book covers system-level design optimization and implementation of hybrid energy storage systems. The author introduces various techniques to improve the performance of hybrid energy storage systems, in the context of design optimization and automation. Various energy storage techniques are discussed, each with its own advantages and drawbacks, offering viable, hybrid approaches to building a high performance, low cost energy storage system. Novel design optimization techniques and energy-efficient operation schemes are introduced. The author also describes the technical details of an act

Optical Fiber/Nanowire Hybrid Structures for Efficient Three-Dimensional Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Weintraub, Benjamin

2009-11-09

Wired up: The energy conversion efficiency of three-dimensional dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in a hybrid structure that integrates optical fibers and nanowire arrays is greater than that of a two-dimensional device. Internal axial illumination enhances the energy conversion efficiency of a rectangular fiber-based hybrid structure (see picture) by a factor of up to six compared to light illumination normal to the fiber axis from outside the device.

An efficient method for hybrid density functional calculation with spin-orbit coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Maoyuan; Liu, Gui-Bin; Guo, Hong; Yao, Yugui

2018-03-01

In first-principles calculations, hybrid functional is often used to improve accuracy from local exchange correlation functionals. A drawback is that evaluating the hybrid functional needs significantly more computing effort. When spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is taken into account, the non-collinear spin structure increases computing effort by at least eight times. As a result, hybrid functional calculations with SOC are intractable in most cases. In this paper, we present an approximate solution to this problem by developing an efficient method based on a mixed linear combination of atomic orbital (LCAO) scheme. We demonstrate the power of this method using several examples and we show that the results compare very well with those of direct hybrid functional calculations with SOC, yet the method only requires a computing effort similar to that without SOC. The presented technique provides a good balance between computing efficiency and accuracy, and it can be extended to magnetic materials.

Analysis of the Primary Constraint Conditions of an Efficient Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Hybrid System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guiqiang Li

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Electrical efficiency can be increased by combining photovoltaic (PV and the thermoelectric (TE systems. However, a simple and cursory combination is unsuitable because the negative impact of temperature on PV may be greater than its positive impact on TE. This study analyzed the primary constraint conditions based on the hybrid system model consisting of a PV and a TE generator (TEG, which includes TE material with temperature-dependent properties. The influences of the geometric size, solar irradiation and cold side temperature on the hybrid system performance is discussed based on the simulation. Furthermore, the effective range of parameters is demonstrated using the image area method, and the change trend of the area with different parameters illustrates the constraint conditions of an efficient PV-TE hybrid system. These results provide a benchmark for efficient PV-TEG design.

Effects of hybridization and evolutionary constraints on secondary metabolites: the genetic architecture of phenylpropanoids in European populus species.

Science.gov (United States)

Caseys, Celine; Stritt, Christoph; Glauser, Gaetan; Blanchard, Thierry; Lexer, Christian

2015-01-01

The mechanisms responsible for the origin, maintenance and evolution of plant secondary metabolite diversity remain largely unknown. Decades of phenotypic studies suggest hybridization as a key player in generating chemical diversity in plants. Knowledge of the genetic architecture and selective constraints of phytochemical traits is key to understanding the effects of hybridization on plant chemical diversity and ecological interactions. Using the European Populus species P. alba (White poplar) and P. tremula (European aspen) and their hybrids as a model, we examined levels of inter- and intraspecific variation, heritabilities, phenotypic correlations, and the genetic architecture of 38 compounds of the phenylpropanoid pathway measured by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). We detected 41 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for chlorogenic acids, salicinoids and flavonoids by genetic mapping in natural hybrid crosses. We show that these three branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway exhibit different geographic patterns of variation, heritabilities, and genetic architectures, and that they are affected differently by hybridization and evolutionary constraints. Flavonoid abundances present high species specificity, clear geographic structure, and strong genetic determination, contrary to salicinoids and chlorogenic acids. Salicinoids, which represent important defence compounds in Salicaceae, exhibited pronounced genetic correlations on the QTL map. Our results suggest that interspecific phytochemical differentiation is concentrated in downstream sections of the phenylpropanoid pathway. In particular, our data point to glycosyltransferase enzymes as likely targets of rapid evolution and interspecific differentiation in the 'model forest tree' Populus.

Effects of hybridization and evolutionary constraints on secondary metabolites: the genetic architecture of phenylpropanoids in European populus species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celine Caseys

Full Text Available The mechanisms responsible for the origin, maintenance and evolution of plant secondary metabolite diversity remain largely unknown. Decades of phenotypic studies suggest hybridization as a key player in generating chemical diversity in plants. Knowledge of the genetic architecture and selective constraints of phytochemical traits is key to understanding the effects of hybridization on plant chemical diversity and ecological interactions. Using the European Populus species P. alba (White poplar and P. tremula (European aspen and their hybrids as a model, we examined levels of inter- and intraspecific variation, heritabilities, phenotypic correlations, and the genetic architecture of 38 compounds of the phenylpropanoid pathway measured by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS. We detected 41 quantitative trait loci (QTL for chlorogenic acids, salicinoids and flavonoids by genetic mapping in natural hybrid crosses. We show that these three branches of the phenylpropanoid pathway exhibit different geographic patterns of variation, heritabilities, and genetic architectures, and that they are affected differently by hybridization and evolutionary constraints. Flavonoid abundances present high species specificity, clear geographic structure, and strong genetic determination, contrary to salicinoids and chlorogenic acids. Salicinoids, which represent important defence compounds in Salicaceae, exhibited pronounced genetic correlations on the QTL map. Our results suggest that interspecific phytochemical differentiation is concentrated in downstream sections of the phenylpropanoid pathway. In particular, our data point to glycosyltransferase enzymes as likely targets of rapid evolution and interspecific differentiation in the 'model forest tree' Populus.

Chaotic Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Decomposition for Test Task Scheduling Problem

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Hui Lu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Test task scheduling problem (TTSP is a complex optimization problem and has many local optima. In this paper, a hybrid chaotic multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (CMOEA/D is presented to avoid becoming trapped in local optima and to obtain high quality solutions. First, we propose an improving integrated encoding scheme (IES to increase the efficiency. Then ten chaotic maps are applied into the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D in three phases, that is, initial population and crossover and mutation operators. To identify a good approach for hybrid MOEA/D and chaos and indicate the effectiveness of the improving IES several experiments are performed. The Pareto front and the statistical results demonstrate that different chaotic maps in different phases have different effects for solving the TTSP especially the circle map and ICMIC map. The similarity degree of distribution between chaotic maps and the problem is a very essential factor for the application of chaotic maps. In addition, the experiments of comparisons of CMOEA/D and variable neighborhood MOEA/D (VNM indicate that our algorithm has the best performance in solving the TTSP.

Energy efficiency in hybrid mobile and wireless networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abbas, Ziaul Haq

2012-07-01

Wireless Internet access is almost pervasive nowadays, and many types of wireless networks can be used to access the Internet. However, along with this growth, there is an even greater concern about the energy consumption and efficiency of mobile devices as well as of the supporting networks, triggering the appearance of the concept of green communication. While some efforts have been made towards this direction, challenges still exist and need to be tackled from diverse perspectives. Cellular networks, WLANs, and ad hoc networks in the form of wireless mesh networks are the most popular technologies for wireless Internet access. The availability of such a variety of access networks has also paved the way to explore synergistic approaches for Internet access, leading to the concept of hybrid networks and relay communications. In addition, many mobile devices are being equipped with multiple interfaces, enabling them to operate in hybrid networks. In contrast, the improvements in the battery technology itself have not matched the pace of the emerging mobile applications. The situation becomes more sophisticated when a mobile device functions also as a relay node to forward other station's data. In the literature, energy efficiency of mobile devices has been addressed from various perspectives such as protocol-level efforts, battery management efforts, etc. However, there is little work on energy efficiency in hybrid mobile and wireless networks and devices with heterogeneous connections. For example, when there are multiple networks available to a mobile device, how to achieve optimum long-term energy consumption of such a device is an open question. Furthermore, in today's cellular networks, micro-, pico-, and femto-cells are the most popular network topologies in order to support high data rate services and high user density. With the growth of such small-cell solutions, the energy consumption of these networks is also becoming an important concern for operators

ALTERNATIVES TO IMPROVE HYBRIDIZATION EFFICIENCY IN Eucalyptus BREEDING PROGRAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roselaine Cristina Pereira

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Simple and quick hybridization procedures and ways to keep pollen grains viable for long periods are sought in plant breeding programs to provide greater work flexibility. The presentstudy was carried out to assess the efficiency of pollinations made shortly after flower emasculationand the viability of stored pollen from Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus urophylla clones cultivated in Northwestern Minas Gerais State. Controlled pollinations were carried out at zero, one,three, five and seven days after emasculation. Hybridization efficiency was assessed by thepercentage of viable fruits, number of seeds produced per fruit, percentage of viable seeds and also bycytological observation of the pollen development along the style. Flower buds from clones of the twospecies were collected close to anthesis to assess the viability of pollen grain storage. Pollen was thencollected and stored in a freezer (-18oC for 1, 2 and 3 months. Pollen assessed was carried out by invitro and in vivo germination tests. The efficiency of the pollinations varied with their delay and alsobetween species. The greatest pollination efficiency was obtained when they were carried out on thethird and fifth day after emasculation, but those performed simultaneously with emasculationproduced enough seeds to allow this practice in breeding programs. The decrease in pollen viabilitywith storage was not sufficiently significant to preclude the use of this procedure in artificialhybridization.

A Novel Handwritten Letter Recognizer Using Enhanced Evolutionary Neural Network

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoudi, Fariborz; Mirzashaeri, Mohsen; Shahamatnia, Ehsan; Faridnia, Saed

This paper introduces a novel design for handwritten letter recognition by employing a hybrid back-propagation neural network with an enhanced evolutionary algorithm. Feeding the neural network consists of a new approach which is invariant to translation, rotation, and scaling of input letters. Evolutionary algorithm is used for the global search of the search space and the back-propagation algorithm is used for the local search. The results have been computed by implementing this approach for recognizing 26 English capital letters in the handwritings of different people. The computational results show that the neural network reaches very satisfying results with relatively scarce input data and a promising performance improvement in convergence of the hybrid evolutionary back-propagation algorithms is exhibited.

Hybridizing Evolutionary Algorithms with Opportunistic Local Search

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gießen, Christian

2013-01-01

There is empirical evidence that memetic algorithms (MAs) can outperform plain evolutionary algorithms (EAs). Recently the first runtime analyses have been presented proving the aforementioned conjecture rigorously by investigating Variable-Depth Search, VDS for short (Sudholt, 2008). Sudholt...

Efficient fluorescent deep-blue and hybrid white emitting devices based on carbazole/benzimidazole compound

KAUST Repository

Yang, Xiaohui

2011-07-28

We report the synthesis, photophysics, and electrochemical characterization of carbazole/benzimidazole-based compound (Cz-2pbb) and efficient fluorescent deep-blue light emitting devices based on Cz-2pbb with the peak external quantum efficiency of 4.1% and Commission Internationale dÉnclairage coordinates of (0.16, 0.05). Efficient deep-blue emission as well as high triplet state energy of Cz-2pbb enables fabrication of hybrid white organic light emitting diodes with a single emissive layer. Hybrid white emitting devices based on Cz-2pbb show the peak external quantum efficiency exceeding 10% and power efficiency of 14.8 lm/W at a luminance of 500 cd/m2. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Analysis of the efficiency of a hybrid foil tunnel heating system

Science.gov (United States)

Kurpaska, Sławomir; Pedryc, Norbert

2017-10-01

The paper analyzes the efficiency of the hybrid system used to heat the foil tunnel. The tested system was built on the basis of heat gain in a cascade manner. The first step is to heat the water in the storage tank using the solar collectors. The second stage is the use of a heat pump (HP) in order to heat the diaphragm exchangers. The lower HP heat source is a cascade first stage buffer. In the storage tank, diaphragm exchangers used for solar collectors and heat pumps are installed. The research was carried out at a research station located in the University of Agriculture in Cracow. The aim was to perform an analysis of the efficiency of a hybrid system for the heating of a foil tunnel in the months from May to September. The efficiency of the entire hybrid system was calculated as the relation of the effect obtained in reference to the electrical power used to drive the heat pump components (compressor drive, circulation pump), circulation pumps and fans installed in the diaphragm heaters. The resulting effect was the amount of heat supplied to the interior of the object as a result of the internal air being forced through the diaphragm exchangers.

An Efficient Hybrid DSMC/MD Algorithm for Accurate Modeling of Micro Gas Flows

KAUST Repository

Liang, Tengfei

2013-01-01

Aiming at simulating micro gas flows with accurate boundary conditions, an efficient hybrid algorithmis developed by combining themolecular dynamics (MD) method with the direct simulationMonte Carlo (DSMC)method. The efficiency comes from the fact that theMD method is applied only within the gas-wall interaction layer, characterized by the cut-off distance of the gas-solid interaction potential, to resolve accurately the gas-wall interaction process, while the DSMC method is employed in the remaining portion of the flow field to efficiently simulate rarefied gas transport outside the gas-wall interaction layer. A unique feature about the present scheme is that the coupling between the two methods is realized by matching the molecular velocity distribution function at the DSMC/MD interface, hence there is no need for one-toone mapping between a MD gas molecule and a DSMC simulation particle. Further improvement in efficiency is achieved by taking advantage of gas rarefaction inside the gas-wall interaction layer and by employing the "smart-wall model" proposed by Barisik et al. The developed hybrid algorithm is validated on two classical benchmarks namely 1-D Fourier thermal problem and Couette shear flow problem. Both the accuracy and efficiency of the hybrid algorithm are discussed. As an application, the hybrid algorithm is employed to simulate thermal transpiration coefficient in the free-molecule regime for a system with atomically smooth surface. Result is utilized to validate the coefficients calculated from the pure DSMC simulation with Maxwell and Cercignani-Lampis gas-wall interaction models. ©c 2014 Global-Science Press.

Study on hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm for inverse treatment planning of radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Guoli; Song Gang; Wu Yican

2007-01-01

Inverse treatment planning for radiation therapy is a multi-objective optimization process. The hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm is studied by combining the simulated annealing(SA) and genetic algorithm(GA). Test functions are used to analyze the efficiency of algorithms. The hybrid multi-objective optimization SA algorithm, which displacement is based on the evolutionary strategy of GA: crossover and mutation, is implemented in inverse planning of external beam radiation therapy by using two kinds of objective functions, namely the average dose distribution based and the hybrid dose-volume constraints based objective functions. The test calculations demonstrate that excellent converge speed can be achieved. (authors)

Hybrid Robust Multi-Objective Evolutionary Optimization Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-10

xfar by xint. Else, generate a new individual, using the Sobol pseudo- random sequence generator within the upper and lower bounds of the variables...12. Deb, K., Multi-Objective Optimization Using Evolutionary Algorithms, John Wiley & Sons. 2002. 13. Sobol , I. M., "Uniformly Distributed Sequences

Vitis phylogenomics: hybridization intensities from a SNP array outperform genotype calls.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allison J Miller

Full Text Available Understanding relationships among species is a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs identified through next generation sequencing and related technologies enable phylogeny reconstruction by providing unprecedented numbers of characters for analysis. One approach to SNP-based phylogeny reconstruction is to identify SNPs in a subset of individuals, and then to compile SNPs on an array that can be used to genotype additional samples at hundreds or thousands of sites simultaneously. Although powerful and efficient, this method is subject to ascertainment bias because applying variation discovered in a representative subset to a larger sample favors identification of SNPs with high minor allele frequencies and introduces bias against rare alleles. Here, we demonstrate that the use of hybridization intensity data, rather than genotype calls, reduces the effects of ascertainment bias. Whereas traditional SNP calls assess known variants based on diversity housed in the discovery panel, hybridization intensity data survey variation in the broader sample pool, regardless of whether those variants are present in the initial SNP discovery process. We apply SNP genotype and hybridization intensity data derived from the Vitis9kSNP array developed for grape to show the effects of ascertainment bias and to reconstruct evolutionary relationships among Vitis species. We demonstrate that phylogenies constructed using hybridization intensities suffer less from the distorting effects of ascertainment bias, and are thus more accurate than phylogenies based on genotype calls. Moreover, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the genus Vitis using hybridization data, show that North American subgenus Vitis species are monophyletic, and resolve several previously poorly known relationships among North American species. This study builds on earlier work that applied the Vitis9kSNP array to evolutionary questions within Vitis vinifera

Hybrid plasmonic bullseye antennas for efficient photon collection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Sebastian Kim Hjælm; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.; Shalaev, Vladimir M.

2018-01-01

We propose highly efficient hybrid plasmonic bullseye antennas for collecting photon emission from nm sized quantum emitters. In our approach, the emitter radiation is coupled to surface plasmon polaritons that are consequently converted into highly directional out-of-plane emission. The proposed...... configuration consists of a high-index titania bullseye grating separated from a planar silver film by a thin low-index silica spacer layer. Such hybrid systems are theoretically capable of directing 85% of the dipole emission into a 0.9 NA objective, while featuring a spectrally narrow-band tunable decay rate...... stable operation. For experimental characterization of the antenna properties, a fluorescent nanodiamond containing multiple nitrogen vacancy centers (NV-center) was deterministically placed in the bullseye center, using an atomic force microscope. Probing the NV-center fluorescence we demonstrate...

A Distributed Dynamic Super Peer Selection Method Based on Evolutionary Game for Heterogeneous P2P Streaming Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Due to high efficiency and good scalability, hierarchical hybrid P2P architecture has drawn more and more attention in P2P streaming research and application fields recently. The problem about super peer selection, which is the key problem in hybrid heterogeneous P2P architecture, is becoming highly challenging because super peers must be selected from a huge and dynamically changing network. A distributed super peer selection (SPS algorithm for hybrid heterogeneous P2P streaming system based on evolutionary game is proposed in this paper. The super peer selection procedure is modeled based on evolutionary game framework firstly, and its evolutionarily stable strategies are analyzed. Then a distributed Q-learning algorithm (ESS-SPS according to the mixed strategies by analysis is proposed for the peers to converge to the ESSs based on its own payoff history. Compared to the traditional randomly super peer selection scheme, experiments results show that the proposed ESS-SPS algorithm achieves better performance in terms of social welfare and average upload rate of super peers and keeps the upload capacity of the P2P streaming system increasing steadily with the number of peers increasing.

Transgressive Hybrids as Hopeful Monsters.

Science.gov (United States)

Dittrich-Reed, Dylan R; Fitzpatrick, Benjamin M

2013-06-01

The origin of novelty is a critical subject for evolutionary biologists. Early geneticists speculated about the sudden appearance of new species via special macromutations, epitomized by Goldschmidt's infamous "hopeful monster". Although these ideas were easily dismissed by the insights of the Modern Synthesis, a lingering fascination with the possibility of sudden, dramatic change has persisted. Recent work on hybridization and gene exchange suggests an underappreciated mechanism for the sudden appearance of evolutionary novelty that is entirely consistent with the principles of modern population genetics. Genetic recombination in hybrids can produce transgressive phenotypes, "monstrous" phenotypes beyond the range of parental populations. Transgressive phenotypes can be products of epistatic interactions or additive effects of multiple recombined loci. We compare several epistatic and additive models of transgressive segregation in hybrids and find that they are special cases of a general, classic quantitative genetic model. The Dobzhansky-Muller model predicts "hopeless" monsters, sterile and inviable transgressive phenotypes. The Bateson model predicts "hopeful" monsters with fitness greater than either parental population. The complementation model predicts both. Transgressive segregation after hybridization can rapidly produce novel phenotypes by recombining multiple loci simultaneously. Admixed populations will also produce many similar recombinant phenotypes at the same time, increasing the probability that recombinant "hopeful monsters" will establish true-breeding evolutionary lineages. Recombination is not the only (or even most common) process generating evolutionary novelty, but might be the most credible mechanism for sudden appearance of new forms.

Organic Removal Efficiency of the Nanofiltration and Adsorption Hybrid System in High Strength Wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hessam Hassani

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Surface and groundwater resources are increasingly jeopardized by discharges from pharmaceutical, chemical, and detergent plants. The high pollutant load of the effluents from these industries requires specific treatments. The objective of this research was to study and compare the nanofiltration and adsorption hybrid system with the plain nanofiltration system in wastewater treatment.For this purpose, a pilot nanofiltration system with a capacity of 7.6 m3/d using 1 and 5 micron filters and a FILMTEC NF90-4040 membrane was used in the first phase of the study. In the second phase, granular activated carbon cartridges were used. Inluent and effluent discharges as well as the COD removal were measured in both systems under variable times and organic load conditions. The results showed that COD removal efficiency was higher in the hybrid system than in the plain naonofiltration one. In the hybrid system, the Maximum in the hybrid system, the COD removal efficiencies achieved for organic loads of 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/L were 99%, 95.86%, and 92.93%, respectively. The same values for the plain nanofiltration system were 87.34%, 50%, and 29.41%, respectively. It was found that polarization and membrane fouling decreased both the effluent flow and the COD removal efficiency with time. Fouling of the membrane was, however, lower in the hybrid system compared to the plain nanofiltration; thus, the hybrid system was associated with higher values of COD removal and delayed membrane fouling.

Hybrid Perovskites for Photovoltaics: Charge-Carrier Recombination, Diffusion, and Radiative Efficiencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Michael B; Herz, Laura M

2016-01-19

Photovoltaic (PV) devices that harvest the energy provided by the sun have great potential as renewable energy sources, yet uptake has been hampered by the increased cost of solar electricity compared with fossil fuels. Hybrid metal halide perovskites have recently emerged as low-cost active materials in PV cells with power conversion efficiencies now exceeding 20%. Rapid progress has been achieved over only a few years through improvements in materials processing and device design. In addition, hybrid perovskites appear to be good light emitters under certain conditions, raising the prospect of applications in low-cost light-emitting diodes and lasers. Further optimization of such hybrid perovskite devices now needs to be supported by a better understanding of how light is converted into electrical currents and vice versa. This Account provides an overview of charge-carrier recombination and mobility mechanisms encountered in such materials. Optical-pump-terahertz-probe (OPTP) photoconductivity spectroscopy is an ideal tool here, because it allows the dynamics of mobile charge carriers inside the perovskite to be monitored following excitation with a short laser pulse whose photon energy falls into the range of the solar spectrum. We first review our insights gained from transient OPTP and photoluminescence spectroscopy on the mechanisms dominating charge-carrier recombination in these materials. We discuss that mono-molecular charge-recombination predominantly originates from trapping of charges, with trap depths being relatively shallow (tens of millielectronvolts) for hybrid lead iodide perovskites. Bimolecular recombination arises from direct band-to-band electron-hole recombination and is found to be in significant violation of the simple Langevin model. Auger recombination exhibits links with electronic band structure, in accordance with its requirement for energy and momentum conservation for all charges involved. We further discuss charge-carrier mobility

Efficient photovoltaic conversion of graphene–carbon nanotube hybrid films grown from solid precursors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, Xin; Lv, Ruitao; Bai, Junfei; Zhang, Zexia; Wei, Jinquan; Huang, Zheng-Hong; Zhu, Hongwei; Kang, Feiyu; Terrones, Mauricio

2015-01-01

Large-area (e.g. centimeter size) graphene sheets are usually synthesized via pyrolysis of gaseous carbon precursors (e.g. methane) on metal substrates like Cu using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), but the presence of grain boundaries and the residual polymers during transfer deteriorates significantly the properties of the CVD graphene. If carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be covalently bonded to graphene, the hybrid system could possess excellent electrical conductivity, transparency and mechanical strength. In this work, conducting and transparent CNT–graphene hybrid films were synthesized by a facile solid precursor pyrolysis method. Furthermore, the synthesized CNT–graphene hybrid films display enhanced photovoltaic conversion efficiency when compared to devices based on CNT membranes or graphene sheets. Upon chemical doping, the graphene–CNT/Si solar cells reveal power conversion efficiencies up to 8.50%. (paper)

Mate Choice Drives Evolutionary Stability in a Hybrid Complex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Morgado-Santos

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that assortative mating acts as a driver of speciation by countering hybridization between two populations of the same species (pre-zygotic isolation or through mate choice among the hybrids (hybrid speciation. In both speciation types, assortative mating promotes speciation over a transient hybridization stage. We studied mate choice in a hybrid vertebrate complex, the allopolyploid fish Squalius alburnoides. This complex is composed by several genomotypes connected by an intricate reproductive dynamics. We developed a model that predicts the hybrid complex can persist when females exhibit particular mate choice patterns. Our model is able to reproduce the diversity of population dynamic outcomes found in nature, namely the dominance of the triploids and the dominance of the tetraploids, depending on female mate choice patterns and frequency of the parental species. Experimental mate choice trials showed that females exhibit the preferences predicted by the model. Thus, despite the known role of assortative mating in driving speciation, our findings suggest that certain mate choice patterns can instead hinder speciation and support the persistence of hybrids over time without speciation or extinction.

A rapid and efficient branched DNA hybridization assay to titer lentiviral vectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Ayyappan; Xie, Jinger; Joshi, Sarasijam; Harden, Paul; Davies, Joan; Hermiston, Terry

2008-11-01

A robust assay to titer lentiviral vectors is imperative to qualifying their use in drug discovery, target validation and clinical applications. In this study, a novel branched DNA based hybridization assay was developed to titer lentiviral vectors by quantifying viral RNA genome copy numbers from viral lysates without having to purify viral RNA, and this approach was compared with other non-functional (p24 protein ELISA and viral RT-qPCR) and a functional method (reporter gene expression) used commonly. The RT-qPCR method requires purification of viral RNA and the accuracy of titration therefore depends on the efficiency of purification; this requirement is ameliorated in the hybridization assay as RNA is measured directly in viral lysates. The present study indicates that the hybridization based titration assay performed on viral lysates was more accurate and has additional advantages of being rapid, robust and not dependent on transduction efficiency in different cell types.

Regulatory divergence of X-linked genes and hybrid male sterility in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Oka, Ayako; Shiroishi, Toshihiko

2014-01-01

Postzygotic reproductive isolation is the reduction of fertility or viability in hybrids between genetically diverged populations. One example of reproductive isolation, hybrid male sterility, may be caused by genetic incompatibility between diverged genetic factors in two distinct populations. Genetic factors involved in hybrid male sterility are disproportionately located on the X chromosome. Recent studies showing the evolutionary divergence in gene regulatory networks or epigenetic effects suggest that the genetic incompatibilities occur at much broader levels than had previously been thought (e.g., incompatibility of protein-protein interactions). The latest studies suggest that evolutionary divergence of transcriptional regulation causes genetic incompatibilities in hybrid animals, and that such incompatibilities preferentially involve X-linked genes. In this review, we focus on recent progress in understanding hybrid sterility in mice, including our studies, and we discuss the evolutionary significance of regulatory divergence for speciation.

Bandwidth Efficient Hybrid Synchronization for Wireless Sensor Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dnyaneshwar, Mantri; Prasad, Neeli R.; Prasad, Ramjee

2015-01-01

Data collection and transmission are the fundamental operations of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). A key challenge in effective data collection and transmission is to schedule and synchronize the activities of the nodes with the global clock. This paper proposes the Bandwidth Efficient Hybrid...... in the network and then perform the pair-wise synchronization. With the mobility of node, the structure frequently changes causing an increase in energy consumption. To mitigate the problem BESDA aggregate data with the notion of a global timescale throughout the network and schedule based time-division multiple...... accesses (TDMA) techniques as MAC layer protocol. It reduces the collision of packets. Simulation results show that BESDA is energy efficient, with increased throughput, and has less delay as compared with state-of-the-art....

Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles (Spanish Version); Clean Cities, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-08-01

This is a Spanish-language brochure about hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, which use electricity as their primary fuel or to improve the efficiency of conventional vehicle designs. These vehicles can be divided into three categories: hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), all-electric vehicles (EVs). Together, they have great potential to cut U.S. petroleum use and vehicle emissions.

High Efficiency and Long Life Hybrid Photovoltaic Research for Space Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Su, Wei-Fang

2007-01-01

...)/metal oxide hybrid materials by solution processes at low temperature. An array of large ZnO nanorods with a larger size of 50 nm in diameter and 150 nm in length are grown to act as tree trunks for efficient charge collection...

An efficient non-dominated sorting method for evolutionary algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hongbing; Wang, Qian; Tu, Yi-Cheng; Horstemeyer, Mark F

2008-01-01

We present a new non-dominated sorting algorithm to generate the non-dominated fronts in multi-objective optimization with evolutionary algorithms, particularly the NSGA-II. The non-dominated sorting algorithm used by NSGA-II has a time complexity of O(MN(2)) in generating non-dominated fronts in one generation (iteration) for a population size N and M objective functions. Since generating non-dominated fronts takes the majority of total computational time (excluding the cost of fitness evaluations) of NSGA-II, making this algorithm faster will significantly improve the overall efficiency of NSGA-II and other genetic algorithms using non-dominated sorting. The new non-dominated sorting algorithm proposed in this study reduces the number of redundant comparisons existing in the algorithm of NSGA-II by recording the dominance information among solutions from their first comparisons. By utilizing a new data structure called the dominance tree and the divide-and-conquer mechanism, the new algorithm is faster than NSGA-II for different numbers of objective functions. Although the number of solution comparisons by the proposed algorithm is close to that of NSGA-II when the number of objectives becomes large, the total computational time shows that the proposed algorithm still has better efficiency because of the adoption of the dominance tree structure and the divide-and-conquer mechanism.

Tools for Accurate and Efficient Analysis of Complex Evolutionary Mechanisms in Microbial Genomes. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakhleh, Luay

2014-03-12

I proposed to develop computationally efficient tools for accurate detection and reconstruction of microbes' complex evolutionary mechanisms, thus enabling rapid and accurate annotation, analysis and understanding of their genomes. To achieve this goal, I proposed to address three aspects. (1) Mathematical modeling. A major challenge facing the accurate detection of HGT is that of distinguishing between these two events on the one hand and other events that have similar "effects." I proposed to develop a novel mathematical approach for distinguishing among these events. Further, I proposed to develop a set of novel optimization criteria for the evolutionary analysis of microbial genomes in the presence of these complex evolutionary events. (2) Algorithm design. In this aspect of the project, I proposed to develop an array of e cient and accurate algorithms for analyzing microbial genomes based on the formulated optimization criteria. Further, I proposed to test the viability of the criteria and the accuracy of the algorithms in an experimental setting using both synthetic as well as biological data. (3) Software development. I proposed the nal outcome to be a suite of software tools which implements the mathematical models as well as the algorithms developed.

HRSSA – Efficient hybrid stochastic simulation for spatially homogeneous biochemical reaction networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, Luca; Priami, Corrado; Thanh, Vo Hong

2016-01-01

This paper introduces HRSSA (Hybrid Rejection-based Stochastic Simulation Algorithm), a new efficient hybrid stochastic simulation algorithm for spatially homogeneous biochemical reaction networks. HRSSA is built on top of RSSA, an exact stochastic simulation algorithm which relies on propensity bounds to select next reaction firings and to reduce the average number of reaction propensity updates needed during the simulation. HRSSA exploits the computational advantage of propensity bounds to manage time-varying transition propensities and to apply dynamic partitioning of reactions, which constitute the two most significant bottlenecks of hybrid simulation. A comprehensive set of simulation benchmarks is provided for evaluating performance and accuracy of HRSSA against other state of the art algorithms.

HRSSA – Efficient hybrid stochastic simulation for spatially homogeneous biochemical reaction networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchetti, Luca, E-mail: marchetti@cosbi.eu [The Microsoft Research – University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (COSBI), Piazza Manifattura, 1, 38068 Rovereto (Italy); Priami, Corrado, E-mail: priami@cosbi.eu [The Microsoft Research – University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (COSBI), Piazza Manifattura, 1, 38068 Rovereto (Italy); University of Trento, Department of Mathematics (Italy); Thanh, Vo Hong, E-mail: vo@cosbi.eu [The Microsoft Research – University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (COSBI), Piazza Manifattura, 1, 38068 Rovereto (Italy)

2016-07-15

This paper introduces HRSSA (Hybrid Rejection-based Stochastic Simulation Algorithm), a new efficient hybrid stochastic simulation algorithm for spatially homogeneous biochemical reaction networks. HRSSA is built on top of RSSA, an exact stochastic simulation algorithm which relies on propensity bounds to select next reaction firings and to reduce the average number of reaction propensity updates needed during the simulation. HRSSA exploits the computational advantage of propensity bounds to manage time-varying transition propensities and to apply dynamic partitioning of reactions, which constitute the two most significant bottlenecks of hybrid simulation. A comprehensive set of simulation benchmarks is provided for evaluating performance and accuracy of HRSSA against other state of the art algorithms.

Quantum Efficiency of Hybrid Photon Detectors for the LHCb RICH

CERN Document Server

Lambert, R W

2008-01-01

The production of Hybrid Photon Detectors to be used as the single-photon sensors for the RICH detectors of the LHCb experiment has recently finished. We present the quantum efficiency measurements of the entire sample of 550 tubes. The manufacturer has succeeded in consistently improving the quantum efficiency of the employed S20-type multi-alkali photocathode above our expectations, by a relative 27 % integrated over the energy spectrum. We also report measurements of the vacuum quality using the photocurrent of the device as a monitor for possible vacuum degradation.

A new ARMAX model based on evolutionary algorithm and particle swarm optimization for short-term load forecasting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Bo; Tai, Neng-ling; Zhai, Hai-qing; Ye, Jian; Zhu, Jia-dong; Qi, Liang-bo

2008-01-01

In this paper, a new ARMAX model based on evolutionary algorithm and particle swarm optimization for short-term load forecasting is proposed. Auto-regressive (AR) and moving average (MA) with exogenous variables (ARMAX) has been widely applied in the load forecasting area. Because of the nonlinear characteristics of the power system loads, the forecasting function has many local optimal points. The traditional method based on gradient searching may be trapped in local optimal points and lead to high error. While, the hybrid method based on evolutionary algorithm and particle swarm optimization can solve this problem more efficiently than the traditional ways. It takes advantage of evolutionary strategy to speed up the convergence of particle swarm optimization (PSO), and applies the crossover operation of genetic algorithm to enhance the global search ability. The new ARMAX model for short-term load forecasting has been tested based on the load data of Eastern China location market, and the results indicate that the proposed approach has achieved good accuracy. (author)

Periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolith for high-efficiency capillary liquid chromatography with enhanced selectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Xiaoqiang; Zhang, Niu; Han, Manman; Li, Xueyun; Qin, Xinying; Shen, Shigang

2017-03-01

A novel periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column was developed. With diene imidazolium ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide as both cross-linker and organic functionalized reagent, a new periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column was facilely prepared in capillary with homogeneously distributed cationic imidazolium by a one-step free-radical polymerization with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane methacryl substituted. The successful preparation of the new column was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and surface area analysis. Most interestingly, the bonded amount of 1-allyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide of the new column is three times higher than that of the conventional imidazolium-embedded hybrid monolithic column and the specific surface area of the column reached 478 m 2 /g. The new column exhibited high stability, excellent separation efficiency, and enhanced separation selectivity. The column efficiency reached 151 000 plates/m for alkylbenzenes. Furthermore, the new column was successfully used for separation of highly polar nucleosides and nucleic acid bases with pure water as mobile phase and even bovine serum albumin tryptic digest. All these results demonstrate the periodic imidazolium-bridged hybrid monolithic column is a good separation media and can be used for chromatographic separation of small molecules and complex biological samples with high efficiency. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Functional efficiency comparison between split- and parallel-hybrid using advanced energy flow analysis methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guttenberg, Philipp; Lin, Mengyan [Romax Technology, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

The following paper presents a comparative efficiency analysis of the Toyota Prius versus the Honda Insight using advanced Energy Flow Analysis methods. The sample study shows that even very different hybrid concepts like a split- and a parallel-hybrid can be compared in a high level of detail and demonstrates the benefit showing exemplary results. (orig.)

EvoluCode: Evolutionary Barcodes as a Unifying Framework for Multilevel Evolutionary Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Linard, Benjamin; Nguyen, Ngoc Hoan; Prosdocimi, Francisco; Poch, Olivier; Thompson, Julie D

2012-01-01

Evolutionary systems biology aims to uncover the general trends and principles governing the evolution of biological networks. An essential part of this process is the reconstruction and analysis of the evolutionary histories of these complex, dynamic networks. Unfortunately, the methodologies for representing and exploiting such complex evolutionary histories in large scale studies are currently limited. Here, we propose a new formalism, called EvoluCode (Evolutionary barCode), which allows the integration of different evolutionary parameters (eg, sequence conservation, orthology, synteny …) in a unifying format and facilitates the multilevel analysis and visualization of complex evolutionary histories at the genome scale. The advantages of the approach are demonstrated by constructing barcodes representing the evolution of the complete human proteome. Two large-scale studies are then described: (i) the mapping and visualization of the barcodes on the human chromosomes and (ii) automatic clustering of the barcodes to highlight protein subsets sharing similar evolutionary histories and their functional analysis. The methodologies developed here open the way to the efficient application of other data mining and knowledge extraction techniques in evolutionary systems biology studies. A database containing all EvoluCode data is available at: http://lbgi.igbmc.fr/barcodes.

LHCb: Quantum Efficiency of Hybrid Photon Detectors for the LHCb RICH

CERN Multimedia

Lambert, Robert W

2007-01-01

The production of 550 hybrid photon detectors to be used within the LHCb RICH detectors has recently finished. Photonis-DEP have succeeded in consistently improving the tube quantum efficiency, by a relative 27,% with respect to preseries and prototype tubes, when integrated over the energy spectrum.

Hybrid bilayer plasmonic metasurface efficiently manipulates visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Fei; Ding, Lu; Zhang, Lei; Monticone, Francesco; Chum, Chan Choy; Deng, Jie; Mei, Shengtao; Li, Ying; Teng, Jinghua; Hong, Minghui; Zhang, Shuang; Alù, Andrea; Qiu, Cheng-Wei

2016-01-01

Metasurfaces operating in the cross-polarization scheme have shown an interesting degree of control over the wavefront of transmitted light. Nevertheless, their inherently low efficiency in visible light raises certain concerns for practical applications. Without sacrificing the ultrathin flat design, we propose a bilayer plasmonic metasurface operating at visible frequencies, obtained by coupling a nanoantenna-based metasurface with its complementary Babinet-inverted copy. By breaking the radiation symmetry because of the finite, yet small, thickness of the proposed structure and benefitting from properly tailored intra- and interlayer couplings, such coupled bilayer metasurface experimentally yields a conversion efficiency of 17%, significantly larger than that of earlier single-layer designs, as well as an extinction ratio larger than 0 dB, meaning that anomalous refraction dominates the transmission response. Our finding shows that metallic metasurface can counterintuitively manipulate the visible light as efficiently as dielectric metasurface (~20% in conversion efficiency in Lin et al.’s study), although the metal’s ohmic loss is much higher than dielectrics. Our hybrid bilayer design, still being ultrathin (~λ/6), is found to obey generalized Snell’s law even in the presence of strong couplings. It is capable of efficiently manipulating visible light over a broad bandwidth and can be realized with a facile one-step nanofabrication process. PMID:26767195

Post-silking Factor Consequences for N Efficiency Changes Over 38 Years of Commercial Maize Hybrids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keru Chen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Hybrid selection in maize (Zea mays L. over the decades has increased post-silking dry matter (PostDM and nitrogen (PostN accumulation, often with an accompanying increase in one or more N use efficiency (NUE metrics such as partial factor productivity (PFP, N conversion efficiency (NCE, and N internal efficiency (NIE. More certainty on the underlying mechanisms of how PostDM and PostN changes over time have contributed to NUE gains or losses in modern-era hybrids can only be realized by directly comparing hybrids of different eras in the context of production-system-relevant management systems. A two-year and two-location field study was conducted in Indiana with two N rates (55 and 220 kg N ha−1, three plant densities (54,000, 79,000, and 104,000 plants ha−1 and eight commercial hybrids that were released by a single seed company from 1967 to 2005. The main treatment effects of N rate, density, and hybrid dominated the PostDM and PostN responses, and there were no significant two-way or three-way interactions. Total dry matter at maturity gains averaged 80 kg ha−1 year−1 of hybrid release when averaged over locations, plant densities and N rates. Total N contents at maturity increased 0.68 kg ha−1 year−1, primarily due to annual increases in grain N content (0.8 kg ha−1 year−1. Post-silking N uptake rate increased 0.44 kg ha−1 year−1 for these era hybrids in more favorable production site-years. Slopes of grain N concentration increases per unit PostN gain were similar for all hybrids. Gains in average PFP over time were considerably higher at the low N rate (0.9 kg ha−1 year−1 than at the high N rate (0.3 kg kg−1 year−1. Hybrid gains in NIE were evident from 1967 to 1994, but not thereafter. The low N rate and higher plant densities also increased relative NIE and NCE values, but without hybrid interactions. There was no consistent trend of NIE or NCE gains in these hybrids primarily because grain and whole-plant N

An efficient enzyme-powered micromotor device fabricated by cyclic alternate hybridization assembly for DNA detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Shizhe; Zhang, Xueqing; Xie, Yuzhe; Wu, Jie; Ju, Huangxian

2017-07-06

An efficient enzyme-powered micromotor device was fabricated by assembling multiple layers of catalase on the inner surface of a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)/Au microtube (PEDOT-PSS/Au). The catalase assembly was achieved by programmed DNA hybridization, which was performed by immobilizing a designed sandwich DNA structure as the sensing unit on the PEDOT-PSS/Au, and then alternately hybridizing with two assisting DNA to bind the enzyme for efficient motor motion. The micromotor device showed unique features of good reproducibility, stability and motion performance. Under optimal conditions, it showed a speed of 420 μm s -1 in 2% H 2 O 2 and even 51 μm s -1 in 0.25% H 2 O 2 . In the presence of target DNA, the sensing unit hybridized with target DNA to release the multi-layer DNA as well as the multi-catalase, resulting in a decrease of the motion speed. By using the speed as a signal, the micromotor device could detect DNA from 10 nM to 1 μM. The proposed micromotor device along with the cyclic alternate DNA hybridization assembly technique provided a new path to fabricate efficient and versatile micromotors, which would be an exceptional tool for rapid and simple detection of biomolecules.

Hybridization in East African swarm-raiding army ants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kronauer, Daniel Jc; Peters, Marcell K; Schöning, Caspar

2011-01-01

Hybridization can have complex effects on evolutionary dynamics in ants because of the combination of haplodiploid sex-determination and eusociality. While hybrid non-reproductive workers have been found in a range of species, examples of gene-flow via hybrid queens and males are rare. We studied...... hybridization in East African army ants (Dorylus subgenus Anomma) using morphology, mitochondrial DNA sequences, and nuclear microsatellites....

Highly Reproducible Sn-Based Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells with 9% Efficiency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shao, Shuyan; Liu, Jian; Portale, Giuseppe; Fang, Hong-Hua; Blake, Graeme R.; ten Brink, Gert H.; Koster, L. Jan Anton; Loi, Maria Antonietta

2018-01-01

The low power conversion efficiency (PCE) of tin-based hybrid perovskite solar cells (HPSCs) is mainly attributed to the high background carrier density due to a high density of intrinsic defects such as Sn vacancies and oxidized species (Sn4+) that characterize Sn-based HPSCs. Herein, this study

Efficient Generation of Long-Lived Triplet Excitons in 2D Hybrid Perovskite.

Science.gov (United States)

Younts, Robert; Duan, Hsin-Sheng; Gautam, Bhoj; Saparov, Bayrammurad; Liu, Jie; Mongin, Cedric; Castellano, Felix N; Mitzi, David B; Gundogdu, Kenan

2017-03-01

Triplet excitons form in quasi-2D hybrid inorganic-organic perovskites and diffuse over 100 nm before radiating with >11% photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) at low temperatures. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Artificial root foraging optimizer algorithm with hybrid strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Liu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this work, a new plant-inspired optimization algorithm namely the hybrid artificial root foraging optimizion (HARFO is proposed, which mimics the iterative root foraging behaviors for complex optimization. In HARFO model, two innovative strategies were developed: one is the root-to-root communication strategy, which enables the individual exchange information with each other in different efficient topologies that can essentially improve the exploration ability; the other is co-evolution strategy, which can structure the hierarchical spatial population driven by evolutionary pressure of multiple sub-populations that ensure the diversity of root population to be well maintained. The proposed algorithm is benchmarked against four classical evolutionary algorithms on well-designed test function suites including both classical and composition test functions. Through the rigorous performance analysis that of all these tests highlight the significant performance improvement, and the comparative results show the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Double positive effect of adding hexaethyelene glycol when optimizing the hybridization efficiency of a microring DNA detection assay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Eeghem, Anabelle, E-mail: anabelle.vaneeghem@gmail.com [Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Research Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University (Belgium); Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium); Werquin, Sam [Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium); Photonics Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University – IMEC (Belgium); Hoste, Jan-Willem, E-mail: janwillem.hoste@ugent.be [Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium); Photonics Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University – IMEC (Belgium); Goes, Arne [Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Research Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University (Belgium); Agrosavfe NV, Technologiepark 4 (Bio-incubator), Zwijnaarde (Belgium); Vanderleyden, Els [Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Research Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University (Belgium); Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium); Bienstman, Peter [Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium); Photonics Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University – IMEC (Belgium); Dubruel, Peter [Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Research Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University (Belgium); Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, Ghent University (Belgium)

2017-05-31

Highlights: • The hybridization efficiency of a DNA assay was investigated based on SOI microring resonators. • A 4-fold increase in efficiency was obtained by using HEG as backfilling agent, as well as improving robustness. • The dual polarization microring technique shows that HEG reorients the DNA in an upright position. • Hybridizing at 35 °C and with a buffer containing 50 v/v% of formamide greatly improves the robustness. - Abstract: In this paper, a method for detection of DNA molecules using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microring resonators is described. The influence of temperature and the use of formamide on the hybridization efficiency were studied. It was shown that 50 v/v% of formamide in the hybridization buffer can ensure hybridization when working close to physiological temperature. Furthermore, the use of hexaethylene glycol (HEG) as backfilling agent was studied in order to resolve issues of non-specific adsorption to the surface. The results indicated that not only non-specific binding was reduced significantly but also that HEG improves the orientation of the DNA probes on the surface. This led to a 4-fold increase in hybridization efficiency and thus in an equal decrease in the detection limit, compared to hybridization without the use of HEG. An improvement in robustness of the assay was also observed. This DNA reorientation hypothesis was confirmed by studying the thickness and density of the layers by using dual polarization microring sensing. Finally, the different steps in the sensing experiment were characterized in more detail by static contact angle (SCA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The results showed quantitatively that the surface modifications were successful.

Hybrid female mate choice as a species isolating mechanism: environment matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, E M; Pfennig, K S

2016-04-01

A fundamental goal of biology is to understand how new species arise and are maintained. Female mate choice is potentially critical to the speciation process: mate choice can prevent hybridization and thereby generate reproductive isolation between potentially interbreeding groups. Yet, in systems where hybridization occurs, mate choice by hybrid females might also play a key role in reproductive isolation by affecting hybrid fitness and contributing to patterns of gene flow between species. We evaluated whether hybrid mate choice behaviour could serve as such an isolating mechanism using spadefoot toad hybrids of Spea multiplicata and Spea bombifrons. We assessed the mate preferences of female hybrid spadefoot toads for sterile hybrid males vs. pure-species males in two alternative habitat types in which spadefoots breed: deep or shallow water. We found that, in deep water, hybrid females preferred the calls of sterile hybrid males to those of S. multiplicata males. Thus, maladaptive hybrid mate preferences could serve as an isolating mechanism. However, in shallow water, the preference for hybrid male calls was not expressed. Moreover, hybrid females did not prefer hybrid calls to those of S. bombifrons in either environment. Because hybrid female mate choice was context-dependent, its efficacy as a reproductive isolating mechanism will depend on both the environment in which females choose their mates as well as the relative frequencies of males in a given population. Thus, reproductive isolation between species, as well as habitat specific patterns of gene flow between species, might depend critically on the nature of hybrid mate preferences and the way in which they vary across environments. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Hybrid photonic-plasmonic near-field probe for efficient light conversion into the nanoscale hot spot.

Science.gov (United States)

Koshelev, Alexander; Munechika, Keiko; Cabrini, Stefano

2017-11-01

In this Letter, we present a design and simulations of the novel hybrid photonic-plasmonic near-field probe. Near-field optics is a unique imaging tool that provides optical images with resolution down to tens of nanometers. One of the main limitations of this technology is its low light sensitivity. The presented hybrid probe solves this problem by combining a campanile plasmonic probe with the photonic layer, consisting of the diffractive optic element (DOE). The DOE is designed to match the plasmonic field at the broad side of the campanile probe with the fiber mode. This makes it possible to optimize the size of the campanile tip to convert light efficiently into the hot spot. The simulations show that the hybrid probe is ∼540 times more efficient compared with the conventional campanile on average in the 600-900 nm spectral range.

Energy efficient hybrid nanocomposite-based cool thermal storage air conditioning system for sustainable buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parameshwaran, R.; Kalaiselvam, S.

2013-01-01

The quest towards energy conservative building design is increasingly popular in recent years, which has triggered greater interests in developing energy efficient systems for space cooling in buildings. In this work, energy efficient silver–titania HiTES (hybrid nanocomposites-based cool thermal energy storage) system combined with building A/C (air conditioning) system was experimentally investigated for summer and winter design conditions. HiNPCM (hybrid nanocomposite particles embedded PCM) used as the heat storage material has exhibited 7.3–58.4% of improved thermal conductivity than at its purest state. The complete freezing time for HiNPCM was reduced by 15% which was attributed to its improved thermophysical characteristics. Experimental results suggest that the effective energy redistribution capability of HiTES system has contributed for reduction in the chiller nominal cooling capacity by 46.3% and 39.6% respectively, under part load and on-peak load operating conditions. The HiTES A/C system achieved 27.3% and 32.5% of on-peak energy savings potential in summer and winter respectively compared to the conventional A/C system. For the same operating conditions, this system yield 8.3%, 12.2% and 7.2% and 10.2% of per day average and yearly energy conservation respectively. This system can be applied for year-round space conditioning application without sacrificing energy efficiency in buildings. - Highlights: • Energy storage is acquired by HiTES (hybrid nanocomposites-thermal storage) system. • Thermal conductivity of HiNPCM (hybrid nanocomposites-PCM) was improved by 58.4%. • Freezing time of HiNPCM was reduced by 15% that enabled improved energy efficiency. • Chiller nominal capacity was reduced by 46.3% and 39.6% in on-peak and part load respectively. • HiTES A/C system achieved appreciable energy savings in the range of 8.3–12.2%

Rotating-Sleeve Triboelectric-Electromagnetic Hybrid Nanogenerator for High Efficiency of Harvesting Mechanical Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Ran; Zhou, Tao; Wang, Bin; Yin, Yingying; Yuan, Zuqing; Li, Congju; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-08-22

Currently, a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) have been hybridized to effectively scavenge mechanical energy. However, one critical issue of the hybrid device is the limited output power due to the mismatched output impedance between the two generators. In this work, impedance matching between the TENG and EMG is achieved facilely through commercial transformers, and we put forward a highly integrated hybrid device. The rotating-sleeve triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (RSHG) is designed by simulating the structure of a common EMG, which ensures a high efficiency in transferring ambient mechanical energy into electric power. The RSHG presents an excellent performance with a short-circuit current of 1 mA and open-circuit voltage of 48 V at a rotation speed of 250 rpm. Systematic measurements demonstrate that the hybrid nanogenerator can deliver the largest output power of 13 mW at a loading resistance of 8 kΩ. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a wind-driven RSHG can light dozens of light-emitting diodes and power an electric watch. The distinctive structure and high output performance promise the practical application of this rotating-sleeve structured hybrid nanogenerator for large-scale energy conversion.

An efficient chaos embedded hybrid approach for hydro-thermal unit commitment problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Xiaohui; Ji, Bin; Yuan, Yanbin; Ikram, Rana M.; Zhang, Xiaopan; Huang, Yuehua

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal unit commitment is considered in hydrothermal generation scheduling (SHTGS). • Two newly proposed promising optimization algorithms are combined to solving SHTGS. • The proposed method is enhanced by integrating a chaotic local search strategy. • Heuristic search strategies are applied to handle the constraints of the SHTGS. • The results verify the proposed method is feasible and efficient for handling SHTGS. - Abstract: This paper establishes a model to deal with the short-term hydrothermal generation scheduling (SHTGS) problem. The problem is composed of three interconnected parts: short-term hydrothermal coordination, thermal unit commitment and economic load dispatch. An efficient hybrid method composed of chaotic backtracking search optimization algorithm and binary charged system search algorithm (CBSA–BCSS) is proposed to solve this problem. In order to analyze the effect of the chaotic map on the performance of the method, three different chaotic maps are adopted to integrate into the proposed method and the corresponding consequences are achieved. Furthermore, efficient heuristic search strategies are adopted to handle with the complicated constraints of the SHTGS system. Finally, a hydrothermal unit commitment system is utilized to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the hybrid optimization method and the appropriation of the constraint handling strategies. The comparison of the solutions achieved by different methods shows that the proposed method has higher efficiency in terms of solving SHTGS problem

Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO) algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO)-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC) technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site. PMID:29370230

Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hazlee Azil Illias

Full Text Available Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site.

Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Illias, Hazlee Azil; Zhao Liang, Wee

2018-01-01

Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO) algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO)-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC) technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site.

Using Protein Dimers to Maximize the Protein Hybridization Efficiency with Multisite DNA Origami Scaffolds

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Vikash; Mallik, Leena; Hariadi, Rizal F.; Sivaramakrishnan, Sivaraj; Skiniotis, Georgios; Joglekar, Ajit P.

2015-01-01

DNA origami provides a versatile platform for conducting ‘architecture-function’ analysis to determine how the nanoscale organization of multiple copies of a protein component within a multi-protein machine affects its overall function. Such analysis requires that the copy number of protein molecules bound to the origami scaffold exactly matches the desired number, and that it is uniform over an entire scaffold population. This requirement is challenging to satisfy for origami scaffolds with many protein hybridization sites, because it requires the successful completion of multiple, independent hybridization reactions. Here, we show that a cleavable dimerization domain on the hybridizing protein can be used to multiplex hybridization reactions on an origami scaffold. This strategy yields nearly 100% hybridization efficiency on a 6-site scaffold even when using low protein concentration and short incubation time. It can also be developed further to enable reliable patterning of a large number of molecules on DNA origami for architecture-function analysis. PMID:26348722

Using Protein Dimers to Maximize the Protein Hybridization Efficiency with Multisite DNA Origami Scaffolds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vikash Verma

Full Text Available DNA origami provides a versatile platform for conducting 'architecture-function' analysis to determine how the nanoscale organization of multiple copies of a protein component within a multi-protein machine affects its overall function. Such analysis requires that the copy number of protein molecules bound to the origami scaffold exactly matches the desired number, and that it is uniform over an entire scaffold population. This requirement is challenging to satisfy for origami scaffolds with many protein hybridization sites, because it requires the successful completion of multiple, independent hybridization reactions. Here, we show that a cleavable dimerization domain on the hybridizing protein can be used to multiplex hybridization reactions on an origami scaffold. This strategy yields nearly 100% hybridization efficiency on a 6-site scaffold even when using low protein concentration and short incubation time. It can also be developed further to enable reliable patterning of a large number of molecules on DNA origami for architecture-function analysis.

Efficient light emission from inorganic and organic semiconductor hybrid structures by energy-level tuning.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlesinger, R; Bianchi, F; Blumstengel, S; Christodoulou, C; Ovsyannikov, R; Kobin, B; Moudgil, K; Barlow, S; Hecht, S; Marder, S R; Henneberger, F; Koch, N

2015-04-15

The fundamental limits of inorganic semiconductors for light emitting applications, such as holographic displays, biomedical imaging and ultrafast data processing and communication, might be overcome by hybridization with their organic counterparts, which feature enhanced frequency response and colour range. Innovative hybrid inorganic/organic structures exploit efficient electrical injection and high excitation density of inorganic semiconductors and subsequent energy transfer to the organic semiconductor, provided that the radiative emission yield is high. An inherent obstacle to that end is the unfavourable energy level offset at hybrid inorganic/organic structures, which rather facilitates charge transfer that quenches light emission. Here, we introduce a technologically relevant method to optimize the hybrid structure's energy levels, here comprising ZnO and a tailored ladder-type oligophenylene. The ZnO work function is substantially lowered with an organometallic donor monolayer, aligning the frontier levels of the inorganic and organic semiconductors. This increases the hybrid structure's radiative emission yield sevenfold, validating the relevance of our approach.

Efficient light emission from inorganic and organic semiconductor hybrid structures by energy-level tuning

Science.gov (United States)

Schlesinger, R.; Bianchi, F.; Blumstengel, S.; Christodoulou, C.; Ovsyannikov, R.; Kobin, B.; Moudgil, K.; Barlow, S.; Hecht, S.; Marder, S.R.; Henneberger, F.; Koch, N.

2015-01-01

The fundamental limits of inorganic semiconductors for light emitting applications, such as holographic displays, biomedical imaging and ultrafast data processing and communication, might be overcome by hybridization with their organic counterparts, which feature enhanced frequency response and colour range. Innovative hybrid inorganic/organic structures exploit efficient electrical injection and high excitation density of inorganic semiconductors and subsequent energy transfer to the organic semiconductor, provided that the radiative emission yield is high. An inherent obstacle to that end is the unfavourable energy level offset at hybrid inorganic/organic structures, which rather facilitates charge transfer that quenches light emission. Here, we introduce a technologically relevant method to optimize the hybrid structure's energy levels, here comprising ZnO and a tailored ladder-type oligophenylene. The ZnO work function is substantially lowered with an organometallic donor monolayer, aligning the frontier levels of the inorganic and organic semiconductors. This increases the hybrid structure's radiative emission yield sevenfold, validating the relevance of our approach. PMID:25872919

A Hybrid Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm with Improved Decoding Scheme for a Robotic Flow Shop Scheduling Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weidong Lei

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We aim at solving the cyclic scheduling problem with a single robot and flexible processing times in a robotic flow shop, which is a well-known optimization problem in advanced manufacturing systems. The objective of the problem is to find an optimal robot move sequence such that the throughput rate is maximized. We propose a hybrid algorithm based on the Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm (QEA and genetic operators for solving the problem. The algorithm integrates three different decoding strategies to convert quantum individuals into robot move sequences. The Q-gate is applied to update the states of Q-bits in each individual. Besides, crossover and mutation operators with adaptive probabilities are used to increase the population diversity. A repairing procedure is proposed to deal with infeasible individuals. Comparison results on both benchmark and randomly generated instances demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more effective in solving the studied problem in terms of solution quality and computational time.

Efficient and Anisotropic Fog Harvesting on a Hybrid and Directional Surface

KAUST Repository

Wu, Jinbo

2016-12-05

A straight throughout superhydrophilic track that contains high contrast and directional wettability on a superhydrophobic surface is designed. Despite droplets that tend to slide more easily along a direction parallel to the track, it is found that such hybrid strip-pattern surfaces have higher fog harvesting efficiency along a direction perpendicular to the tracks due to the larger accumulation area for droplet removal.

Hybrid engineered materials with high water-collecting efficiency inspired by Namib Desert beetles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hai; Guo, Zhiguang

2016-05-21

Inspired by Namib Desert beetles, a hybrid superhydrophobic surface was fabricated, showing highly efficient fog harvesting with a water collection rate (WCR) of 1309.9 mg h(-1) cm(-2). And, the surface possessed an excellent robustness and self-cleaning property.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Hybrid Renewable Energy System Using an Enhanced Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mengjun Ming

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Due to the scarcity of conventional energy resources and the greenhouse effect, renewable energies have gained more attention. This paper proposes methods for multi-objective optimal design of hybrid renewable energy system (HRES in both isolated-island and grid-connected modes. In each mode, the optimal design aims to find suitable configurations of photovoltaic (PV panels, wind turbines, batteries and diesel generators in HRES such that the system cost and the fuel emission are minimized, and the system reliability/renewable ability (corresponding to different modes is maximized. To effectively solve this multi-objective problem (MOP, the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D using localized penalty-based boundary intersection (LPBI method is proposed. The algorithm denoted as MOEA/D-LPBI is demonstrated to outperform its competitors on the HRES model as well as a set of benchmarks. Moreover, it effectively obtains a good approximation of Pareto optimal HRES configurations. By further considering a decision maker’s preference, the most satisfied configuration of the HRES can be identified.

Energy Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Hybrid Conversion of Inland Passenger Vessel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Litwin Wojciech

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The development and growing availability of modern technologies, along with more and more severe environment protection standards which frequently take a form of legal regulations, are the reason why attempts are made to find a quiet and economical propulsion system not only for newly built watercraft units, but also for modernised ones. Correct selection of the propulsion and supply system for a given vessel affects significantly not only the energy efficiency of the propulsions system but also the environment - as this selection is crucial for the noise and exhaust emission levels. The paper presents results of experimental examination of ship power demand performed on a historic passenger ship of 25 m in length. Two variants, referred to as serial and parallel hybrid propulsion systems, were examined with respect to the maximum length of the single-day route covered by the ship. The recorded power demands and environmental impact were compared with those characteristic for the already installed conventional propulsion system. Taking into account a high safety level expected to be ensured on a passenger ship, the serial hybrid system was based on two electric motors working in parallel and supplied from two separate sets of batteries. This solution ensures higher reliability, along with relatively high energy efficiency. The results of the performed examination have revealed that the serial propulsion system is the least harmful to the environment, but its investment cost is the highest. In this context, the optimum solution for the ship owner seems to be a parallel hybrid system of diesel-electric type

Secure and Efficient Regression Analysis Using a Hybrid Cryptographic Framework: Development and Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadat, Md Nazmus; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Aziz, Md Momin Al; Wang, Shuang; Mohammed, Noman

2018-03-05

Machine learning is an effective data-driven tool that is being widely used to extract valuable patterns and insights from data. Specifically, predictive machine learning models are very important in health care for clinical data analysis. The machine learning algorithms that generate predictive models often require pooling data from different sources to discover statistical patterns or correlations among different attributes of the input data. The primary challenge is to fulfill one major objective: preserving the privacy of individuals while discovering knowledge from data. Our objective was to develop a hybrid cryptographic framework for performing regression analysis over distributed data in a secure and efficient way. Existing secure computation schemes are not suitable for processing the large-scale data that are used in cutting-edge machine learning applications. We designed, developed, and evaluated a hybrid cryptographic framework, which can securely perform regression analysis, a fundamental machine learning algorithm using somewhat homomorphic encryption and a newly introduced secure hardware component of Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) to ensure both privacy and efficiency at the same time. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method provides a better trade-off in terms of security and efficiency than solely secure hardware-based methods. Besides, there is no approximation error. Computed model parameters are exactly similar to plaintext results. To the best of our knowledge, this kind of secure computation model using a hybrid cryptographic framework, which leverages both somewhat homomorphic encryption and Intel SGX, is not proposed or evaluated to this date. Our proposed framework ensures data security and computational efficiency at the same time. ©Md Nazmus Sadat, Xiaoqian Jiang, Md Momin Al Aziz, Shuang Wang, Noman Mohammed. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 05.03.2018.

New Method of Selecting Efficient Project Portfolios in the Presence of Hybrid Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan Rębiasz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A new methods of selecting efficient project portfolios in the presence of hybrid uncertainty has been presented. Pareto optimal solutions have been defined by an algorithm for generating project portfolios. The method presented allows us to select efficient project portfolios taking into account statistical and economic dependencies between projects when some of the parameters used in the calculation of effectiveness can be expressed in the form of an interactive possibility distribution and some in the form of a probability distribution. The procedure for processing such hybrid data combines stochastic simulation with nonlinear programming. The interaction between data are modeled by correlation matrices and the interval regression. Economic dependences are taken into account by the equations balancing the production capacity of the company. The practical example presented indicates that an interaction between projects has a significant impact on the results of calculations. (original abstract

Si Hybrid Solar Cells with 13% Efficiency via Concurrent Improvement in Optical and Electrical Properties by Employing Graphene Quantum Dots

KAUST Repository

Tsai, Meng Lin

2015-12-18

By employing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in PEDOT:PSS, we have achieved an efficiency of 13.22% in Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The efficiency enhancement is based on concurrent improvement in optical and electrical properties by the photon downconversion process and the improved conductivity of PEDOT:PSS via appropriate incorporation of GQDs. After introducing GQDs into PEDOT:PSS, the short circuit current and the fill factor of rear-contact optimized hybrid cells are increased from 32.11 to 36.26 mA/cm and 62.85% to 63.87%, respectively. The organic-inorganic hybrid solar cell obtained herein holds the promise for developing photon-managing, low-cost, and highly efficient photovoltaic devices.

Si Hybrid Solar Cells with 13% Efficiency via Concurrent Improvement in Optical and Electrical Properties by Employing Graphene Quantum Dots

KAUST Repository

Tsai, Meng Lin; Wei, Wan-Rou; Tang, Libin; Chang, Hung Chih; Tai, Shih Hsiang; Yang, Po Kang; Lau, Shu Ping; Chen, Lih Juann; He, Jr-Hau

2015-01-01

By employing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in PEDOT:PSS, we have achieved an efficiency of 13.22% in Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The efficiency enhancement is based on concurrent improvement in optical and electrical properties by the photon downconversion process and the improved conductivity of PEDOT:PSS via appropriate incorporation of GQDs. After introducing GQDs into PEDOT:PSS, the short circuit current and the fill factor of rear-contact optimized hybrid cells are increased from 32.11 to 36.26 mA/cm and 62.85% to 63.87%, respectively. The organic-inorganic hybrid solar cell obtained herein holds the promise for developing photon-managing, low-cost, and highly efficient photovoltaic devices.

Increasing water use efficiency along the C3 to C4 evolutionary pathway: a stomatal optimization perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Way, Danielle A; Katul, Gabriel G; Manzoni, Stefano; Vico, Giulia

2014-07-01

C4 photosynthesis evolved independently numerous times, probably in response to declining atmospheric CO2 concentrations, but also to high temperatures and aridity, which enhance water losses through transpiration. Here, the environmental factors controlling stomatal behaviour of leaf-level carbon and water exchange were examined across the evolutionary continuum from C3 to C4 photosynthesis at current (400 μmol mol(-1)) and low (280 μmol mol(-1)) atmospheric CO2 conditions. To this aim, a stomatal optimization model was further developed to describe the evolutionary continuum from C3 to C4 species within a unified framework. Data on C3, three categories of C3-C4 intermediates, and C4 Flaveria species were used to parameterize the stomatal model, including parameters for the marginal water use efficiency and the efficiency of the CO2-concentrating mechanism (or C4 pump); these two parameters are interpreted as traits reflecting the stomatal and photosynthetic adjustments during the C3 to C4 transformation. Neither the marginal water use efficiency nor the C4 pump strength changed significantly from C3 to early C3-C4 intermediate stages, but both traits significantly increased between early C3-C4 intermediates and the C4-like intermediates with an operational C4 cycle. At low CO2, net photosynthetic rates showed continuous increases from a C3 state, across the intermediates and towards C4 photosynthesis, but only C4-like intermediates and C4 species (with an operational C4 cycle) had higher water use efficiencies than C3 Flaveria. The results demonstrate that both the marginal water use efficiency and the C4 pump strength increase in C4 Flaveria to improve their photosynthesis and water use efficiency compared with C3 species. These findings emphasize that the advantage of the early intermediate stages is predominantly carbon based, not water related. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Parallel and Efficient Sensitivity Analysis of Microscopy Image Segmentation Workflows in Hybrid Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Barreiros, Willian; Teodoro, George; Kurc, Tahsin; Kong, Jun; Melo, Alba C M A; Saltz, Joel

2017-09-01

We investigate efficient sensitivity analysis (SA) of algorithms that segment and classify image features in a large dataset of high-resolution images. Algorithm SA is the process of evaluating variations of methods and parameter values to quantify differences in the output. A SA can be very compute demanding because it requires re-processing the input dataset several times with different parameters to assess variations in output. In this work, we introduce strategies to efficiently speed up SA via runtime optimizations targeting distributed hybrid systems and reuse of computations from runs with different parameters. We evaluate our approach using a cancer image analysis workflow on a hybrid cluster with 256 nodes, each with an Intel Phi and a dual socket CPU. The SA attained a parallel efficiency of over 90% on 256 nodes. The cooperative execution using the CPUs and the Phi available in each node with smart task assignment strategies resulted in an additional speedup of about 2×. Finally, multi-level computation reuse lead to an additional speedup of up to 2.46× on the parallel version. The level of performance attained with the proposed optimizations will allow the use of SA in large-scale studies.

Efficient Flexible Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Graphene Anode.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Hobeom; Lee, Jaeho; Park, Min-Ho; Jeong, Su-Hun; Kim, Young-Hoon; Kwon, Sung-Joo; Han, Tae-Hee; Yoo, Seunghyup; Lee, Tae-Woo

2017-03-01

Highly efficient organic/inorganic hybrid perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on graphene anode are developed for the first time. Chemically inert graphene avoids quenching of excitons by diffused metal atom species from indium tin oxide. The flexible PeLEDs with graphene anode on plastic substrate show good bending stability; they provide an alternative and reliable flexible electrode for highly efficient flexible PeLEDs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Calculating evolutionary dynamics in structured populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles G Nathanson

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Evolution is shaping the world around us. At the core of every evolutionary process is a population of reproducing individuals. The outcome of an evolutionary process depends on population structure. Here we provide a general formula for calculating evolutionary dynamics in a wide class of structured populations. This class includes the recently introduced "games in phenotype space" and "evolutionary set theory." There can be local interactions for determining the relative fitness of individuals, but we require global updating, which means all individuals compete uniformly for reproduction. We study the competition of two strategies in the context of an evolutionary game and determine which strategy is favored in the limit of weak selection. We derive an intuitive formula for the structure coefficient, sigma, and provide a method for efficient numerical calculation.

Approach to Hybrid Energy Storage Systems Dimensioning for Urban Electric Buses Regarding Efficiency and Battery Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Nájera

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESS, consisting of a combination of batteries and Electric Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC, for electric urban busses. The aim of the paper is to develop a methodology to determine the hybridization percentage that allows the electric bus to work with the highest efficiency while reducing battery aging, depending on the chosen topology, control strategy, and driving cycle. Three power electronic topologies are qualitatively analyzed based on different criteria, with the topology selected as the favorite being analyzed in detail. The whole system under study is comprised of the following elements: a battery pack (LiFePO4 batteries, an EDLC pack, up to two DC-DC converters (depending on the topology, and an equivalent load, which behaves as an electric bus drive (including motion resistances and inertia. Mathematical models for the battery, EDLCs, DC-DC converter, and the vehicle itself are developed for this analysis. The methodology presented in this work, as the main scientific contribution, considers performance variation (energy efficiency and battery aging and hybridization percentage (ratio between batteries and EDLCs, defined in terms of mass, using a power load profile based on standard driving cycles. The results state that there is a hybridization percentage that increases energy efficiency and reduces battery aging, maximizing the economic benefits of the vehicle, for every combination of topology, type of storage device, control strategy, and driving cycle.

Improving the Efficiency of DASC by Adding CeO2/CuO Hybrid Nanoparticles in Water

Science.gov (United States)

Midhun Mohan, V.; Sajeeb, A. M.

Solar energy is the abundantly available source of renewable energy with least impact on environment. Direct absorption solar collector (DASC) is the commonly used device to absorb heat directly from sun and make use of it for different heating applications. In the past, many experiments have been done to increase the efficiency of DASC using nanofluids. In this paper, an examination of solar collector efficiency for hybrid CeO2/CuO-water (0.1% by volume) nanofluid under various flow rates and proportions of CeO2/CuO nanoparticles is investigated. The experiments were conducted at flow rates spanning from 20cc/min to 100cc/min and with CeO2/CuO nanoparticles proportions of 1:0, 1:0.5, 1:1, 0.5:1 and 0:1. The efficiency increases from 16.5% to 51.6% when the flow rate is increased from 20cc/min to 100cc/min for hybrid CeO2/CuO (1:1)-water nanofluid. The results also showed an increase in efficiency of 13.8%, 18.1%, 24.3%, 24.9% and 26.1% with hybrid combination of CeO2/CuO at ratios 1:0, 1:0.5, 1:1, 0.5:1 and 0:1, respectively, in comparison with water at a flow rate of 100cc/min.

An efficient algorithm for the stochastic simulation of the hybridization of DNA to microarrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurenzi Ian J

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although oligonucleotide microarray technology is ubiquitous in genomic research, reproducibility and standardization of expression measurements still concern many researchers. Cross-hybridization between microarray probes and non-target ssDNA has been implicated as a primary factor in sensitivity and selectivity loss. Since hybridization is a chemical process, it may be modeled at a population-level using a combination of material balance equations and thermodynamics. However, the hybridization reaction network may be exceptionally large for commercial arrays, which often possess at least one reporter per transcript. Quantification of the kinetics and equilibrium of exceptionally large chemical systems of this type is numerically infeasible with customary approaches. Results In this paper, we present a robust and computationally efficient algorithm for the simulation of hybridization processes underlying microarray assays. Our method may be utilized to identify the extent to which nucleic acid targets (e.g. cDNA will cross-hybridize with probes, and by extension, characterize probe robustnessusing the information specified by MAGE-TAB. Using this algorithm, we characterize cross-hybridization in a modified commercial microarray assay. Conclusions By integrating stochastic simulation with thermodynamic prediction tools for DNA hybridization, one may robustly and rapidly characterize of the selectivity of a proposed microarray design at the probe and "system" levels. Our code is available at http://www.laurenzi.net.

Analysis of the Fuel Efficiency of a Hybrid Electric Drive with an Electric Power Splitter

OpenAIRE

D. Čundev

2008-01-01

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the fuel efficiency of a hybrid electric car drive, with an electric power splitter based on a double rotor synchronous permanent magnet generator. The results have been obtained through a precisely determined mathematical model and by simulating the characteristics of all essential values for the entire drive. This work is related to the experimental working stand for electric and hybrid car drive research, which has been developed at the Fac...

Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Using Hybridized Differential Evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Madavan, Nateri K.

2003-01-01

An aerodynamic shape optimization method that uses an evolutionary algorithm known at Differential Evolution (DE) in conjunction with various hybridization strategies is described. DE is a simple and robust evolutionary strategy that has been proven effective in determining the global optimum for several difficult optimization problems. Various hybridization strategies for DE are explored, including the use of neural networks as well as traditional local search methods. A Navier-Stokes solver is used to evaluate the various intermediate designs and provide inputs to the hybrid DE optimizer. The method is implemented on distributed parallel computers so that new designs can be obtained within reasonable turnaround times. Results are presented for the inverse design of a turbine airfoil from a modern jet engine. (The final paper will include at least one other aerodynamic design application). The capability of the method to search large design spaces and obtain the optimal airfoils in an automatic fashion is demonstrated.

Investigating the Multi-memetic Mind Evolutionary Computation Algorithm Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. K. Sakharov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In solving practically significant problems of global optimization, the objective function is often of high dimensionality and computational complexity and of nontrivial landscape as well. Studies show that often one optimization method is not enough for solving such problems efficiently - hybridization of several optimization methods is necessary.One of the most promising contemporary trends in this field are memetic algorithms (MA, which can be viewed as a combination of the population-based search for a global optimum and the procedures for a local refinement of solutions (memes, provided by a synergy. Since there are relatively few theoretical studies concerning the MA configuration, which is advisable for use to solve the black-box optimization problems, many researchers tend just to adaptive algorithms, which for search select the most efficient methods of local optimization for the certain domains of the search space.The article proposes a multi-memetic modification of a simple SMEC algorithm, using random hyper-heuristics. Presents the software algorithm and memes used (Nelder-Mead method, method of random hyper-sphere surface search, Hooke-Jeeves method. Conducts a comparative study of the efficiency of the proposed algorithm depending on the set and the number of memes. The study has been carried out using Rastrigin, Rosenbrock, and Zakharov multidimensional test functions. Computational experiments have been carried out for all possible combinations of memes and for each meme individually.According to results of study, conducted by the multi-start method, the combinations of memes, comprising the Hooke-Jeeves method, were successful. These results prove a rapid convergence of the method to a local optimum in comparison with other memes, since all methods perform the fixed number of iterations at the most.The analysis of the average number of iterations shows that using the most efficient sets of memes allows us to find the optimal

Space and power efficient hybrid counters array

Science.gov (United States)

Gara, Alan G [Mount Kisco, NY; Salapura, Valentina [Chappaqua, NY

2009-05-12

A hybrid counter array device for counting events. The hybrid counter array includes a first counter portion comprising N counter devices, each counter device for receiving signals representing occurrences of events from an event source and providing a first count value corresponding to a lower order bits of the hybrid counter array. The hybrid counter array includes a second counter portion comprising a memory array device having N addressable memory locations in correspondence with the N counter devices, each addressable memory location for storing a second count value representing higher order bits of the hybrid counter array. A control device monitors each of the N counter devices of the first counter portion and initiates updating a value of a corresponding second count value stored at the corresponding addressable memory location in the second counter portion. Thus, a combination of the first and second count values provide an instantaneous measure of number of events received.

Efficient hybrid non-equilibrium molecular dynamics--Monte Carlo simulations with symmetric momentum reversal.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yunjie; Roux, Benoît

2014-09-21

Hybrid schemes combining the strength of molecular dynamics (MD) and Metropolis Monte Carlo (MC) offer a promising avenue to improve the sampling efficiency of computer simulations of complex systems. A number of recently proposed hybrid methods consider new configurations generated by driving the system via a non-equilibrium MD (neMD) trajectory, which are subsequently treated as putative candidates for Metropolis MC acceptance or rejection. To obey microscopic detailed balance, it is necessary to alter the momentum of the system at the beginning and/or the end of the neMD trajectory. This strict rule then guarantees that the random walk in configurational space generated by such hybrid neMD-MC algorithm will yield the proper equilibrium Boltzmann distribution. While a number of different constructs are possible, the most commonly used prescription has been to simply reverse the momenta of all the particles at the end of the neMD trajectory ("one-end momentum reversal"). Surprisingly, it is shown here that the choice of momentum reversal prescription can have a considerable effect on the rate of convergence of the hybrid neMD-MC algorithm, with the simple one-end momentum reversal encountering particularly acute problems. In these neMD-MC simulations, different regions of configurational space end up being essentially isolated from one another due to a very small transition rate between regions. In the worst-case scenario, it is almost as if the configurational space does not constitute a single communicating class that can be sampled efficiently by the algorithm, and extremely long neMD-MC simulations are needed to obtain proper equilibrium probability distributions. To address this issue, a novel momentum reversal prescription, symmetrized with respect to both the beginning and the end of the neMD trajectory ("symmetric two-ends momentum reversal"), is introduced. Illustrative simulations demonstrate that the hybrid neMD-MC algorithm robustly yields a correct

Efficient hybrid non-equilibrium molecular dynamics - Monte Carlo simulations with symmetric momentum reversal

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yunjie; Roux, Benoît

2014-09-01

Hybrid schemes combining the strength of molecular dynamics (MD) and Metropolis Monte Carlo (MC) offer a promising avenue to improve the sampling efficiency of computer simulations of complex systems. A number of recently proposed hybrid methods consider new configurations generated by driving the system via a non-equilibrium MD (neMD) trajectory, which are subsequently treated as putative candidates for Metropolis MC acceptance or rejection. To obey microscopic detailed balance, it is necessary to alter the momentum of the system at the beginning and/or the end of the neMD trajectory. This strict rule then guarantees that the random walk in configurational space generated by such hybrid neMD-MC algorithm will yield the proper equilibrium Boltzmann distribution. While a number of different constructs are possible, the most commonly used prescription has been to simply reverse the momenta of all the particles at the end of the neMD trajectory ("one-end momentum reversal"). Surprisingly, it is shown here that the choice of momentum reversal prescription can have a considerable effect on the rate of convergence of the hybrid neMD-MC algorithm, with the simple one-end momentum reversal encountering particularly acute problems. In these neMD-MC simulations, different regions of configurational space end up being essentially isolated from one another due to a very small transition rate between regions. In the worst-case scenario, it is almost as if the configurational space does not constitute a single communicating class that can be sampled efficiently by the algorithm, and extremely long neMD-MC simulations are needed to obtain proper equilibrium probability distributions. To address this issue, a novel momentum reversal prescription, symmetrized with respect to both the beginning and the end of the neMD trajectory ("symmetric two-ends momentum reversal"), is introduced. Illustrative simulations demonstrate that the hybrid neMD-MC algorithm robustly yields a correct

Detecting Android Malwares with High-Efficient Hybrid Analyzing Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to tackle the security issues caused by malwares of Android OS, we proposed a high-efficient hybrid-detecting scheme for Android malwares. Our scheme employed different analyzing methods (static and dynamic methods to construct a flexible detecting scheme. In this paper, we proposed some detecting techniques such as Com+ feature based on traditional Permission and API call features to improve the performance of static detection. The collapsing issue of traditional function call graph-based malware detection was also avoided, as we adopted feature selection and clustering method to unify function call graph features of various dimensions into same dimension. In order to verify the performance of our scheme, we built an open-access malware dataset in our experiments. The experimental results showed that the suggested scheme achieved high malware-detecting accuracy, and the scheme could be used to establish Android malware-detecting cloud services, which can automatically adopt high-efficiency analyzing methods according to the properties of the Android applications.

A Hybrid Backtracking Search Optimization Algorithm with Differential Evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lijin Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The backtracking search optimization algorithm (BSA is a new nature-inspired method which possesses a memory to take advantage of experiences gained from previous generation to guide the population to the global optimum. BSA is capable of solving multimodal problems, but it slowly converges and poorly exploits solution. The differential evolution (DE algorithm is a robust evolutionary algorithm and has a fast convergence speed in the case of exploitive mutation strategies that utilize the information of the best solution found so far. In this paper, we propose a hybrid backtracking search optimization algorithm with differential evolution, called HBD. In HBD, DE with exploitive strategy is used to accelerate the convergence by optimizing one worse individual according to its probability at each iteration process. A suit of 28 benchmark functions are employed to verify the performance of HBD, and the results show the improvement in effectiveness and efficiency of hybridization of BSA and DE.

Comparative efficiency evaluation of buck and hybrid buck DC-DC converters for automotive applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pelan, Ovidiu; Cornea, Octavian; Muntean, Nicolae

2014-01-01

This paper presents and discusses design considerations and efficiency investigation of a conventional step-down and a hybrid switched-capacitor DC-DC converter. Three MOSFETs with low on-resistance have been tested for each converter in order to find the most adequate switch for this application....... The experimental results and comparative efficiency graphs were obtained with a 1kW laboratory prototype dedicated for a 42/14V dual voltage automotive system....

Evolutionary Algorithms Application Analysis in Biometric Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Goranin

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Wide usage of biometric information for person identity verification purposes, terrorist acts prevention measures and authenticationprocess simplification in computer systems has raised significant attention to reliability and efficiency of biometricsystems. Modern biometric systems still face many reliability and efficiency related issues such as reference databasesearch speed, errors while recognizing of biometric information or automating biometric feature extraction. Current scientificinvestigations show that application of evolutionary algorithms may significantly improve biometric systems. In thisarticle we provide a comprehensive review of main scientific research done in sphere of evolutionary algorithm applicationfor biometric system parameter improvement.

Efficiency of the hybrid solar-wind systems for electricity supply to the stand-alone sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullaev, D.A.; Isaev, R.I.

2000-01-01

The features of stand-alone sites and principles of their electricity supply is described there is going observation of the works about conditions of production and efficiency of using autonomy wind turbines and photovoltaics. Their unsufficiency is estimated. The advantages of hybrid systems and their realization schemes is described. The advantage of hybrid solar-wind Battery system (HSWBS) on the basis of own researches and the facts of other authors are given. The conception overall discounting cost is developed on HSWBS case. (Author)

Hybrid centralized-distributed power conditioning system for thermoelectric generator with high energy efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Hongfei; Sun, Kai; Chen, Min

2013-01-01

the proposed system, which benefits for implementing high MPPT efficiency and high conversion efficiency simultaneously. A hybrid MPPT control strategy is proposed for this HCD power conditioning system. The characteristics, circuit implementation and operation principles of the proposed system are presented......-distributed (HCD) power conditioning system for TEG and its control strategy are proposed in this paper. The HCD power conditioning system is composed by a centralized power conversion stage and multiple distributed power conversion stages. Most of the power is processed by the centralized power conversion stage...

Multiobjective evolutionary optimization of the number of beams, their orientations and weights for intensity-modulated radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreibmann, Eduard; Lahanas, Michael; Xing, Lei; Baltas, Dimos

2004-01-01

We propose a hybrid multiobjective (MO) evolutionary optimization algorithm (MOEA) for intensity-modulated radiotherapy inverse planning and apply it to optimize the number of incident beams, their orientations and intensity profiles. The algorithm produces a set of efficient solutions, which represent different clinical trade-offs and contains information such as variety of dose distributions and dose-volume histograms. No importance factors are required and solutions can be obtained in regions not accessible by conventional weighted sum approaches. The application of the algorithm using a test case, a prostate and a head and neck tumour case is shown. The results are compared with MO inverse planning using a gradient-based optimization algorithm

Optimization of ultrasonic array inspections using an efficient hybrid model and real crack shapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felice, Maria V., E-mail: maria.felice@bristol.ac.uk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K. and NDE Laboratory, Rolls-Royce plc., Bristol (United Kingdom); Velichko, Alexander, E-mail: p.wilcox@bristol.ac.uk; Wilcox, Paul D., E-mail: p.wilcox@bristol.ac.uk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol (United Kingdom); Barden, Tim; Dunhill, Tony [NDE Laboratory, Rolls-Royce plc., Bristol (United Kingdom)

2015-03-31

Models which simulate the interaction of ultrasound with cracks can be used to optimize ultrasonic array inspections, but this approach can be time-consuming. To overcome this issue an efficient hybrid model is implemented which includes a finite element method that requires only a single layer of elements around the crack shape. Scattering Matrices are used to capture the scattering behavior of the individual cracks and a discussion on the angular degrees of freedom of elastodynamic scatterers is included. Real crack shapes are obtained from X-ray Computed Tomography images of cracked parts and these shapes are inputted into the hybrid model. The effect of using real crack shapes instead of straight notch shapes is demonstrated. An array optimization methodology which incorporates the hybrid model, an approximate single-scattering relative noise model and the real crack shapes is then described.

Algorithmic Mechanism Design of Evolutionary Computation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Yan

2015-01-01

We consider algorithmic design, enhancement, and improvement of evolutionary computation as a mechanism design problem. All individuals or several groups of individuals can be considered as self-interested agents. The individuals in evolutionary computation can manipulate parameter settings and operations by satisfying their own preferences, which are defined by an evolutionary computation algorithm designer, rather than by following a fixed algorithm rule. Evolutionary computation algorithm designers or self-adaptive methods should construct proper rules and mechanisms for all agents (individuals) to conduct their evolution behaviour correctly in order to definitely achieve the desired and preset objective(s). As a case study, we propose a formal framework on parameter setting, strategy selection, and algorithmic design of evolutionary computation by considering the Nash strategy equilibrium of a mechanism design in the search process. The evaluation results present the efficiency of the framework. This primary principle can be implemented in any evolutionary computation algorithm that needs to consider strategy selection issues in its optimization process. The final objective of our work is to solve evolutionary computation design as an algorithmic mechanism design problem and establish its fundamental aspect by taking this perspective. This paper is the first step towards achieving this objective by implementing a strategy equilibrium solution (such as Nash equilibrium) in evolutionary computation algorithm.

Hybridization and the evolution of reef coral diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vollmer, Steven V; Palumbi, Stephen R

2002-06-14

Hundreds of coral species coexist sympatrically on reefs, reproducing in mass-spawning events where hybridization appears common. In the Caribbean, DNA sequence data from all three sympatric Acropora corals show that mass spawning does not erode species barriers. Species A. cervicornis and A. palmata are distinct at two nuclear loci or share ancestral alleles. Morphotypes historically given the name Acropora prolifera are entirely F(1) hybrids of these two species, showing morphologies that depend on which species provides the egg for hybridization. Although selection limits the evolutionary potential of hybrids, F(1) individuals can reproduce asexually and form long-lived, potentially immortal hybrids with unique morphologies.

Widespread hybridization and bidirectional introgression in sympatric species of coral reef fish

KAUST Repository

Harrison, Hugo B.; Berumen, Michael L.; Saenz-Agudelo, Pablo; Salas, Eva; Williamson, David H.; Jones, Geoffrey P.

2017-01-01

interspecific hybrids from a collection of 2,991 coral trout sampled in inshore and mid-shelf reefs of the southern Great Barrier Reef. Hybrids were ubiquitous among reefs, fertile and spanned multiple generations suggesting both ecological and evolutionary

Fine-scale genetic mapping of a hybrid sterility factor between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana: the varied and elusive functions of "speciation genes".

Science.gov (United States)

Araripe, Luciana O; Montenegro, Horácio; Lemos, Bernardo; Hartl, Daniel L

2010-12-14

Hybrid male sterility (HMS) is a usual outcome of hybridization between closely related animal species. It arises because interactions between alleles that are functional within one species may be disrupted in hybrids. The identification of genes leading to hybrid sterility is of great interest for understanding the evolutionary process of speciation. In the current work we used marked P-element insertions as dominant markers to efficiently locate one genetic factor causing a severe reduction in fertility in hybrid males of Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. Our mapping effort identified a region of 9 kb on chromosome 3, containing three complete and one partial coding sequences. Within this region, two annotated genes are suggested as candidates for the HMS factor, based on the comparative molecular characterization and public-source information. Gene Taf1 is partially contained in the region, but yet shows high polymorphism with four fixed non-synonymous substitutions between the two species. Its molecular functions involve sequence-specific DNA binding and transcription factor activity. Gene agt is a small, intronless gene, whose molecular function is annotated as methylated-DNA-protein-cysteine S-methyltransferase activity. High polymorphism and one fixed non-synonymous substitution suggest this is a fast evolving gene. The gene trees of both genes perfectly separate D. simulans and D. mauritiana into monophyletic groups. Analysis of gene expression using microarray revealed trends that were similar to those previously found in comparisons between whole-genome hybrids and parental species. The identification following confirmation of the HMS candidate gene will add another case study leading to understanding the evolutionary process of hybrid incompatibility.

Evolutionary relevance facilitates visual information processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Russell E; Calvillo, Dusti P

2013-11-03

Visual search of the environment is a fundamental human behavior that perceptual load affects powerfully. Previously investigated means for overcoming the inhibitions of high perceptual load, however, generalize poorly to real-world human behavior. We hypothesized that humans would process evolutionarily relevant stimuli more efficiently than evolutionarily novel stimuli, and evolutionary relevance would mitigate the repercussions of high perceptual load during visual search. Animacy is a significant component to evolutionary relevance of visual stimuli because perceiving animate entities is time-sensitive in ways that pose significant evolutionary consequences. Participants completing a visual search task located evolutionarily relevant and animate objects fastest and with the least impact of high perceptual load. Evolutionarily novel and inanimate objects were located slowest and with the highest impact of perceptual load. Evolutionary relevance may importantly affect everyday visual information processing.

Evolutionary insights into scleractinian corals using comparative genomic hybridizations.

KAUST Repository

Aranda, Manuel

2012-09-21

Coral reefs belong to the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems on our planet. Yet, they are under steady decline worldwide due to rising sea surface temperatures, disease, and pollution. Understanding the molecular impact of these stressors on different coral species is imperative in order to predict how coral populations will respond to this continued disturbance. The use of molecular tools such as microarrays has provided deep insight into the molecular stress response of corals. Here, we have performed comparative genomic hybridizations (CGH) with different coral species to an Acropora palmata microarray platform containing 13,546 cDNA clones in order to identify potentially rapidly evolving genes and to determine the suitability of existing microarray platforms for use in gene expression studies (via heterologous hybridization).

Evolutionary insights into scleractinian corals using comparative genomic hybridizations.

KAUST Repository

Aranda, Manuel; DeSalvo, Michael K; Bayer, Till; Medina, Monica; Voolstra, Christian R.

2012-01-01

Coral reefs belong to the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems on our planet. Yet, they are under steady decline worldwide due to rising sea surface temperatures, disease, and pollution. Understanding the molecular impact of these stressors on different coral species is imperative in order to predict how coral populations will respond to this continued disturbance. The use of molecular tools such as microarrays has provided deep insight into the molecular stress response of corals. Here, we have performed comparative genomic hybridizations (CGH) with different coral species to an Acropora palmata microarray platform containing 13,546 cDNA clones in order to identify potentially rapidly evolving genes and to determine the suitability of existing microarray platforms for use in gene expression studies (via heterologous hybridization).

Analysis of the Fuel Efficiency of a Hybrid Electric Drive with an Electric Power Splitter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Čundev

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an analysis of the fuel efficiency of a hybrid electric car drive, with an electric power splitter based on a double rotor synchronous permanent magnet generator. The results have been obtained through a precisely determined mathematical model and by simulating the characteristics of all essential values for the entire drive. This work is related to the experimental working stand for electric and hybrid car drive research, which has been developed at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEE at CTU in Prague. 

High-efficiency and conveniently recyclable photo-catalysts for dye degradation based on urchin-like CuO microparticle/polymer hybrid composites

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiong; Cheng, Yuming; Li, Xuefeng; Dong, Jinfeng

2018-05-01

In this work, we developed a new type of photo-catalysts composed of the urchin-like cupric oxide (CuO) microparticle and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hybrid composites by the convenient organic-inorganic hybrid strategy, which show high-efficiency and conveniently recyclable for dye degradation including methylene blue (MB), Congo red (CR), and malachite green (MG) by visible light irradiation. The micro-structural characteristics of urchin-like CuO microparticles are crucial and dominant over the photo-degrading efficiency of hybrid catalyst because of their highly exposed {0 0 2} facet and larger specific surface area. Simultaneously, the intrinsic porous framework of PVDF membrane not only remains the excellent photo-catalytic activity of urchin-like CuO microparticles but also facilitates the enrichment of dyes on the membrane, and thereby synergistically contributing to the photo-catalytic efficiency. The microstructures of both urchin-like CuO microparticles and hybrid catalysts are systematically characterized by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, which evidently support the mentioned mechanism.

Control strategy of an autonomous desalination unit fed by PV-Wind hybrid system without battery storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Turki

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel approach to economic dispatch problems with valve point effects and multiple fuel options using a hybrid evolutionary programming method. Determination of global optimum solution for the practical economic dispatch problem having non smooth cost functions is difficult by using conventional mathematical approaches. Hence several evolutionary algorithm methods were proposed to solve this problem. In this paper, EP-LMO (Evolutionary Programming with Levenberg-Marquardt Optimization technique is proposed to solve economic dispatch problems with valve point effects and multiple fuel options. The EP-LMO is developed in such a way that a simple evolutionary programming (EP is applied as a base level search to find the direction of the optimal global region. And Levenberg-Marquardt Optimization (LMO method is used as a fine tuning to determine the optimal solution. To illustrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approach, two bench mark problems are considered. First test problem considers multiple fuel options and next problem addresses both valve-point effects and multi-fuel options. To validate the obtained results, the proposed method is compared with the results of conventional numerical methods, Modified Hop-field Neural network, Evolutionary Programming approaches, Modified PSO, Improved PSO and Improved Genetic Algorithm with multiplier updating (IGA_MUmethod.

A New Hybrid Proton-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cells-Battery Power System with Efficiencies Considered

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Chung-Hsing; Shieh, Jenn-Jong

Hybrid systems, based on lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries and proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), give the possibility of combining the benefit of both technologies. The merits of high energy density and power density for different applications are discussed in this paper in recognition of the practical realization of such hybrid power systems. Furthermore, experimental data for such a hybrid system is described and the results are shown and discussed. The results show that the combination of lead-acid batteries or lithium-ion batteries and PEMFCs shows advantages in cases of applications with high peak power requirements, such as electric scooters and applications where the fuel cell (FC) is used as an auxiliary power-supply to recharge the battery. The high efficiency of FCs operating with a partial load results in a good fuel economy for the purpose of recharging batteries within a FC system.

Highly efficient solid-state neutron scintillators based on hybrid sol-gel nanocomposite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kesanli, Banu; Hong, Kunlun; Meyer, Kent; Im, Hee-Jung; Dai, Sheng

2006-01-01

This research highlights opportunities in the formulation of neutron scintillators that not only have high scintillation efficiencies but also can be readily cast into two-dimensional detectors. Series of transparent, crack-free monoliths were prepared from hybrid polystyrene-silica nanocomposites in the presence of arene-containing alkoxide precursor through room temperature sol-gel processing. The monoliths also contain lithium-6 salicylate as a target material for neutron-capture reactions and amphiphilic scintillator solution as a fluorescent sensitizer. Polystyrene was functionalized by trimethoxysilyl group in order to enable the covalent incorporation of aromatic functional groups into the inorganic sol-gel matrices for minimizing macroscopic phase segregation and facilitating lithium-6 doping in the sol-gel samples. Neutron and alpha responses of these hybrid polystyrene-silica monoliths were explored

Correlation between ultraviolet survival and DNA repair efficiency in mouse cell hybrids and their parent lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Limbosch, S.

1982-01-01

Three hybrid cell lines formed between mouse lymphoma (LS) and mouse fibroblasts (A9) have been tested for their capacity to perform unscheduled DNA synthesis; their recovery characteristics after uv irradiation have also been studied to determine if DNA repair is implicated in the high survival observed in one hybrid (clone 3). The results of these investigations indicate that hybrid clone 3 was distinguishable from the more uv sensitive parental and other hybrid cell lines by its higher uv-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis, its greater clonogenic survival in plateau phase, and its faster recovery when maintained in conditioned medium after irradiation. The simultaneous increase of these three properties in hybrid clone 3 suggest that, by three different approaches, we have evidenced the same molecular process, a process involved in the elimination of potentially lethal damage, most probably the excision repair pathway. This report also shows that the low efficiency in excision repair in the parent line A9 is probably not due to deletion but rather to repression of the relevant gene(s) and that somatic cell hybridization can result in a stimulation of a previously poorly expressed repair process

The effect of Nitrogen on Radiation Use Efficiency and Growth indices of Maize Hybrids (Zea mays L. under Kermanshah Condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Ahmadi

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction Dry matter produced by crops is a function of absorbed radiation and radiation use efficiency. Radiation use efficiency is an effective approach to quantify total dry matter accumulation. It is defined as biomass produced by plant for solar radiation absorbed during growing season. Radiation use efficiency is often calculated from the linear regression slope between total dry matter accumulation and cumulative solar radiation absorbed. It is affected by species, weather conditions, crop management, plant development stages, and the production of photosynthesis compounds. Among the factors of agronomic management, nitrogen fertilizer and crop species are the most important aspects that affect the radiation use efficiency. Therefore, by considering the fact that Kermanshah province has favorable condition in terms of more natural resources such as solar radiation, the aims of the present study were evaluation of nitrogen effect on radiation use efficiency, growth indices and yield of some current maize hybrids. Materials and Methods A split plot experiment was done based on randomized complete block design with 4 replications at 2014. Treatments were 4 levels of nitrogen fertilizer application (40%, 70%, 100% and 140% of the maize demand to nitrogen which based on the amount recommended by soil experiment equivalent to 138, 238, 350 and 483 kg.ha-1 of urea as main plots and 3 maize hybrids KSC-704, BC-678 and Simon as sub plots. Leaf area index and total dry matter yield measured during growing season. Crop growth rate and relative growth ratio calculated by differentiation from fitted equation on total dry matter yield data. In order to calculate radiation use efficiency, sunny hours for Kermanshah latitude obtained from the nearest weather station. Daily solar radiation simulated by the method cited by Goudriaan and Van Laar (1993 for growing season. The absorbed radiation in each stage obtained through the multiplication simulated

Evolutionary Relevance Facilitates Visual Information Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell E. Jackson

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Visual search of the environment is a fundamental human behavior that perceptual load affects powerfully. Previously investigated means for overcoming the inhibitions of high perceptual load, however, generalize poorly to real-world human behavior. We hypothesized that humans would process evolutionarily relevant stimuli more efficiently than evolutionarily novel stimuli, and evolutionary relevance would mitigate the repercussions of high perceptual load during visual search. Animacy is a significant component to evolutionary relevance of visual stimuli because perceiving animate entities is time-sensitive in ways that pose significant evolutionary consequences. Participants completing a visual search task located evolutionarily relevant and animate objects fastest and with the least impact of high perceptual load. Evolutionarily novel and inanimate objects were located slowest and with the highest impact of perceptual load. Evolutionary relevance may importantly affect everyday visual information processing.

Molecular data highlight hybridization in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri, Cebidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeferson Carneiro

Full Text Available Abstract Hybridization has been reported increasingly frequently in recent years, fueling the debate on its role in the evolutionary history of species. Some studies have shown that hybridization is very common in captive New World primates, and hybrid offspring have phenotypes and physiological responses distinct from those of the "pure" parents, due to gene introgression. Here we used the TA15 Alu insertion to investigate hybridization in the genus Saimiri. Our results indicate the hybridization of Saimiri boliviensis peruviensis with S. sciureus macrodon, and S. b. boliviensis with S. ustus. Unexpectedly, some hybrids of both S. boliviensis peruviensis and S. b. boliviensis were homozygous for the absence of the insertion, which indicates that the hybrids were fertile.

Optical and electrical effects of plasmonic nanoparticles in high-efficiency hybrid solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Wei-Fei; Chen, Xiaoqiang; Yang, Xi; Wang, Ling; Shi, Ye; Shi, Minmin; Li, Han-Ying; Jen, Alex K-Y; Chen, Jun-Wu; Cao, Yong; Chen, Hong-Zheng

2013-10-28

Plasmonics have been proven to be an effective way to harness more incident light to achieve high efficiency in photovoltaic devices. Herein, we explore the possibility that plasmonics can be utilized to enhance light trapping and power conversion efficiency (PCE) for polymer-quantum dot (QD) hybrid solar cells (HSCs). Based on a low band-gap polymer poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']-dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) and a CdSe QD bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) system, gold nanoparticles were doped at different locations of the devices. Successfully, an improved PCE of 3.20 ± 0.22% and 3.16 ± 0.15% was achieved by doping the hole transporting layer and the active layer, respectively, which are among the highest values reported for CdSe QD based HSCs. A detailed study of processing, characterization, microscopy, and device fabrication is conducted to understand the underlying mechanism for the enhanced device performance. The success of this work provides a simple and generally applicable approach to enhance light harnessing of polymer-QD hybrid solar cells.

A hybrid fuzzy logic and extreme learning machine for improving efficiency of circulating water systems in power generation plant

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Nur Liyana Afiqah Abdul; Siah Yap, Keem; Afif Bunyamin, Muhammad

2013-06-01

This paper presents a new approach of the fault detection for improving efficiency of circulating water system (CWS) in a power generation plant using a hybrid Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) neural network. The FLS is a mathematical tool for calculating the uncertainties where precision and significance are applied in the real world. It is based on natural language which has the ability of "computing the word". The ELM is an extremely fast learning algorithm for neural network that can completed the training cycle in a very short time. By combining the FLS and ELM, new hybrid model, i.e., FLS-ELM is developed. The applicability of this proposed hybrid model is validated in fault detection in CWS which may help to improve overall efficiency of power generation plant, hence, consuming less natural recourses and producing less pollutions.

A hybrid fuzzy logic and extreme learning machine for improving efficiency of circulating water systems in power generation plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, Nur Liyana Afiqah Abdul; Yap, Keem Siah; Bunyamin, Muhammad Afif

2013-01-01

This paper presents a new approach of the fault detection for improving efficiency of circulating water system (CWS) in a power generation plant using a hybrid Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) neural network. The FLS is a mathematical tool for calculating the uncertainties where precision and significance are applied in the real world. It is based on natural language which has the ability of c omputing the word . The ELM is an extremely fast learning algorithm for neural network that can completed the training cycle in a very short time. By combining the FLS and ELM, new hybrid model, i.e., FLS-ELM is developed. The applicability of this proposed hybrid model is validated in fault detection in CWS which may help to improve overall efficiency of power generation plant, hence, consuming less natural recourses and producing less pollutions.

Graphene-cobaltite-Pd hybrid materials for use as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Chandra Shekhar; Awasthi, Rahul; Singh, Ravindra Nath; Sinha, Akhoury Sudhir Kumar

2013-12-14

Hybrid materials comprising of Pd, MCo2O4 (where M = Mn, Co or Ni) and graphene have been prepared for use as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. Structural and electrochemical characterizations were carried out using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, chronoamperometry and cyclic, CO stripping, and linear sweep voltammetries. The study revealed that all the three hybrid materials are active for both methanol oxidation (MOR) and oxygen reduction (ORR) reactions in 1 M KOH. However, the Pd-MnCo2O4/GNS hybrid electrode exhibited the greatest MOR and ORR activities. This active hybrid electrode has also outstanding stability under both MOR and ORR conditions, while Pt- and other Pd-based catalysts undergo degradation under similar experimental conditions. The Pd-MnCo2O4/GNS hybrid catalyst exhibited superior ORR activity and stability compared to even Pt in alkaline solutions.

Increasing the sampling efficiency of protein conformational transition using velocity-scaling optimized hybrid explicit/implicit solvent REMD simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Yuqi; Wang, Jinan; Shao, Qiang, E-mail: qshao@mail.shcnc.ac.cn, E-mail: Jiye.Shi@ucb.com, E-mail: wlzhu@mail.shcnc.ac.cn; Zhu, Weiliang, E-mail: qshao@mail.shcnc.ac.cn, E-mail: Jiye.Shi@ucb.com, E-mail: wlzhu@mail.shcnc.ac.cn [ACS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Drug Discovery and Design Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203 (China); Shi, Jiye, E-mail: qshao@mail.shcnc.ac.cn, E-mail: Jiye.Shi@ucb.com, E-mail: wlzhu@mail.shcnc.ac.cn [UCB Pharma, 216 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4EN (United Kingdom)

2015-03-28

The application of temperature replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulation on protein motion is limited by its huge requirement of computational resource, particularly when explicit solvent model is implemented. In the previous study, we developed a velocity-scaling optimized hybrid explicit/implicit solvent REMD method with the hope to reduce the temperature (replica) number on the premise of maintaining high sampling efficiency. In this study, we utilized this method to characterize and energetically identify the conformational transition pathway of a protein model, the N-terminal domain of calmodulin. In comparison to the standard explicit solvent REMD simulation, the hybrid REMD is much less computationally expensive but, meanwhile, gives accurate evaluation of the structural and thermodynamic properties of the conformational transition which are in well agreement with the standard REMD simulation. Therefore, the hybrid REMD could highly increase the computational efficiency and thus expand the application of REMD simulation to larger-size protein systems.

Hybrid Multi-objective Forecasting of Solar Photovoltaic Output Using Kalman Filter based Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassan, Saima; Ahmadieh Khanesar, Mojtaba; Hajizadeh, Amin

2017-01-01

Learning of fuzzy parameters for system modeling using evolutionary algorithms is an interesting topic. In this paper, two optimal design and tuning of Interval type-2 fuzzy logic system are proposed using hybrid learning algorithms. The consequent parameters of the interval type-2 fuzzy logic...... system in both the hybrid algorithms are tuned using Kalman filter. Whereas the antecedent parameters of the system in the first hybrid algorithm is optimized using the multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) and using the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm Based on Decomposition (MOEA...

Highly efficient hybrid photovoltaics based on hyperbranched three-dimensional TiO2 electron transporting materials

KAUST Repository

Mahmood, Khalid; Swain, Bhabani Sankar; Amassian, Aram

2015-01-01

A 3D hyperbranched TiO2 electron transporting material is demonstrated, which exhibits superior carrier transport and lifetime, as well as excellent infiltration, leading to highly efficient mesostructured hybrid solar cells, such as lead-halide perovskites (15.5%) and dye-sensitized solar cells (11.2%).

Highly efficient hybrid photovoltaics based on hyperbranched three-dimensional TiO2 electron transporting materials

KAUST Repository

Mahmood, Khalid

2015-03-23

A 3D hyperbranched TiO2 electron transporting material is demonstrated, which exhibits superior carrier transport and lifetime, as well as excellent infiltration, leading to highly efficient mesostructured hybrid solar cells, such as lead-halide perovskites (15.5%) and dye-sensitized solar cells (11.2%).

From hybrid swarms to swarms of hybrids

Science.gov (United States)

Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Szalanski, Allen L; Gaskin, John F.; Young, Nicholas E.; West, Amanda; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Tripodi, Amber

2014-01-01

Science has shown that the introgression or hybridization of modern humans (Homo sapiens) with Neanderthals up to 40,000 YBP may have led to the swarm of modern humans on earth. However, there is little doubt that modern trade and transportation in support of the humans has continued to introduce additional species, genotypes, and hybrids to every country on the globe. We assessed the utility of species distributions modeling of genotypes to assess the risk of current and future invaders. We evaluated 93 locations of the genus Tamarix for which genetic data were available. Maxent models of habitat suitability showed that the hybrid, T. ramosissima x T. chinensis, was slightly greater than the parent taxa (AUCs > 0.83). General linear models of Africanized honey bees, a hybrid cross of Tanzanian Apis mellifera scutellata and a variety of European honey bee including A. m. ligustica, showed that the Africanized bees (AUC = 0.81) may be displacing European honey bees (AUC > 0.76) over large areas of the southwestern U.S. More important, Maxent modeling of sub-populations (A1 and A26 mitotypes based on mDNA) could be accurately modeled (AUC > 0.9), and they responded differently to environmental drivers. This suggests that rapid evolutionary change may be underway in the Africanized bees, allowing the bees to spread into new areas and extending their total range. Protecting native species and ecosystems may benefit from risk maps of harmful invasive species, hybrids, and genotypes.

A brief introduction to continuous evolutionary optimization

CERN Document Server

Kramer, Oliver

2014-01-01

Practical optimization problems are often hard to solve, in particular when they are black boxes and no further information about the problem is available except via function evaluations. This work introduces a collection of heuristics and algorithms for black box optimization with evolutionary algorithms in continuous solution spaces. The book gives an introduction to evolution strategies and parameter control. Heuristic extensions are presented that allow optimization in constrained, multimodal, and multi-objective solution spaces. An adaptive penalty function is introduced for constrained optimization. Meta-models reduce the number of fitness and constraint function calls in expensive optimization problems. The hybridization of evolution strategies with local search allows fast optimization in solution spaces with many local optima. A selection operator based on reference lines in objective space is introduced to optimize multiple conflictive objectives. Evolutionary search is employed for learning kernel ...

A Game Theoretic Optimization Method for Energy Efficient Global Connectivity in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JongHyup Lee

2016-08-01

Full Text Available For practical deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSN, WSNs construct clusters, where a sensor node communicates with other nodes in its cluster, and a cluster head support connectivity between the sensor nodes and a sink node. In hybrid WSNs, cluster heads have cellular network interfaces for global connectivity. However, when WSNs are active and the load of cellular networks is high, the optimal assignment of cluster heads to base stations becomes critical. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a game theoretic model to find the optimal assignment of base stations for hybrid WSNs. Since the communication and energy cost is different according to cellular systems, we devise two game models for TDMA/FDMA and CDMA systems employing power prices to adapt to the varying efficiency of recent wireless technologies. The proposed model is defined on the assumptions of the ideal sensing field, but our evaluation shows that the proposed model is more adaptive and energy efficient than local selections.

A Game Theoretic Optimization Method for Energy Efficient Global Connectivity in Hybrid Wireless Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, JongHyup; Pak, Dohyun

2016-01-01

For practical deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSN), WSNs construct clusters, where a sensor node communicates with other nodes in its cluster, and a cluster head support connectivity between the sensor nodes and a sink node. In hybrid WSNs, cluster heads have cellular network interfaces for global connectivity. However, when WSNs are active and the load of cellular networks is high, the optimal assignment of cluster heads to base stations becomes critical. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a game theoretic model to find the optimal assignment of base stations for hybrid WSNs. Since the communication and energy cost is different according to cellular systems, we devise two game models for TDMA/FDMA and CDMA systems employing power prices to adapt to the varying efficiency of recent wireless technologies. The proposed model is defined on the assumptions of the ideal sensing field, but our evaluation shows that the proposed model is more adaptive and energy efficient than local selections. PMID:27589743

Fine-scale genetic mapping of a hybrid sterility factor between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana: the varied and elusive functions of "speciation genes"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lemos Bernardo

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hybrid male sterility (HMS is a usual outcome of hybridization between closely related animal species. It arises because interactions between alleles that are functional within one species may be disrupted in hybrids. The identification of genes leading to hybrid sterility is of great interest for understanding the evolutionary process of speciation. In the current work we used marked P-element insertions as dominant markers to efficiently locate one genetic factor causing a severe reduction in fertility in hybrid males of Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. Results Our mapping effort identified a region of 9 kb on chromosome 3, containing three complete and one partial coding sequences. Within this region, two annotated genes are suggested as candidates for the HMS factor, based on the comparative molecular characterization and public-source information. Gene Taf1 is partially contained in the region, but yet shows high polymorphism with four fixed non-synonymous substitutions between the two species. Its molecular functions involve sequence-specific DNA binding and transcription factor activity. Gene agt is a small, intronless gene, whose molecular function is annotated as methylated-DNA-protein-cysteine S-methyltransferase activity. High polymorphism and one fixed non-synonymous substitution suggest this is a fast evolving gene. The gene trees of both genes perfectly separate D. simulans and D. mauritiana into monophyletic groups. Analysis of gene expression using microarray revealed trends that were similar to those previously found in comparisons between whole-genome hybrids and parental species. Conclusions The identification following confirmation of the HMS candidate gene will add another case study leading to understanding the evolutionary process of hybrid incompatibility.

Broadband and high-efficiency vortex beam generator based on a hybrid helix array.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Chaoqun; Wu, Chao; Gong, Zhijie; Zhao, Song; Sun, Anqi; Wei, Zeyong; Li, Hongqiang

2018-04-01

The vortex beam which carries the orbital angular momentum has versatile applications, such as high-resolution imaging, optical communications, and particle manipulation. Generating vortex beams with the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase has drawn considerable attention for its unique spin-to-orbital conversion features. Despite the PB phase being frequency independent, an optical element with broadband high-efficiency circular polarization conversion feature is still needed for the broadband high-efficiency vortex beam generation. In this work, a broadband and high-efficiency vortex beam generator based on the PB phase is built with a hybrid helix array. Such devices can generate vortex beams with arbitrary topological charge. Moreover, vortex beams with opposite topological charge can be generated with an opposite handedness incident beam that propagates backward. The measured efficiency of our device is above 65% for a wide frequency range, with the relative bandwidth of 46.5%.

Cloned polynucleotide and synthetic oligonucleotide probes used in colony hybridization are equally efficient in the identification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sommerfelt, H.; Kalland, K.H.; Raj, P.; Moseley, S.L.; Bhan, M.K.; Bjorvatn, B.

1988-01-01

Restriction endonuclease-generated polynucleotide and synthetically produced oligonucleotide gene probes used in colony hybridization assays proved to be efficient for the detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. To compare their relative efficiencies, these two sets of probes were radiolabeled with 32 P and were applied to 74 strains of E. coli with known enterotoxin profiles and to 156 previously unexamined E. coli isolates. The enterotoxigenic bacteria Vibrio cholerae O1, Vibrio cholerae non-O1 (NAG), Yersinia enterocolitica, and E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were examined for further evaluation of probe specificity. The two classes of probes showed a perfect concordance in their specific detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic E. coli. In the analysis of six strains, the signal strength on autoradiography after hybridization with oligonucleotides was weaker than that obtained after hybridization with polynucleotide probes. The probes did not hybridize with DNA from V. cholerae O1, V. cholerae non-O1 (NAG), or Y. enterocolitica. The strains of E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were, likewise, negative in the hybridization assays

Cloned polynucleotide and synthetic oligonucleotide probes used in colony hybridization are equally efficient in the identification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sommerfelt, H.; Kalland, K.H.; Raj, P.; Moseley, S.L.; Bhan, M.K.; Bjorvatn, B.

1988-11-01

Restriction endonuclease-generated polynucleotide and synthetically produced oligonucleotide gene probes used in colony hybridization assays proved to be efficient for the detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. To compare their relative efficiencies, these two sets of probes were radiolabeled with /sup 32/P and were applied to 74 strains of E. coli with known enterotoxin profiles and to 156 previously unexamined E. coli isolates. The enterotoxigenic bacteria Vibrio cholerae O1, Vibrio cholerae non-O1 (NAG), Yersinia enterocolitica, and E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were examined for further evaluation of probe specificity. The two classes of probes showed a perfect concordance in their specific detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic E. coli. In the analysis of six strains, the signal strength on autoradiography after hybridization with oligonucleotides was weaker than that obtained after hybridization with polynucleotide probes. The probes did not hybridize with DNA from V. cholerae O1, V. cholerae non-O1 (NAG), or Y. enterocolitica. The strains of E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were, likewise, negative in the hybridization assays.

AN EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM FOR FAST INTENSITY BASED IMAGE MATCHING BETWEEN OPTICAL AND SAR SATELLITE IMAGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Fischer

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a hybrid evolutionary algorithm for fast intensity based matching between satellite imagery from SAR and very high-resolution (VHR optical sensor systems. The precise and accurate co-registration of image time series and images of different sensors is a key task in multi-sensor image processing scenarios. The necessary preprocessing step of image matching and tie-point detection is divided into a search problem and a similarity measurement. Within this paper we evaluate the use of an evolutionary search strategy for establishing the spatial correspondence between satellite imagery of optical and radar sensors. The aim of the proposed algorithm is to decrease the computational costs during the search process by formulating the search as an optimization problem. Based upon the canonical evolutionary algorithm, the proposed algorithm is adapted for SAR/optical imagery intensity based matching. Extensions are drawn using techniques like hybridization (e.g. local search and others to lower the number of objective function calls and refine the result. The algorithm significantely decreases the computational costs whilst finding the optimal solution in a reliable way.

MIROS: a hybrid real-time energy-efficient operating system for the resource-constrained wireless sensor nodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xing; Hou, Kun Mean; de Vaulx, Christophe; Shi, Hongling; El Gholami, Khalid

2014-09-22

Operating system (OS) technology is significant for the proliferation of the wireless sensor network (WSN). With an outstanding OS; the constrained WSN resources (processor; memory and energy) can be utilized efficiently. Moreover; the user application development can be served soundly. In this article; a new hybrid; real-time; memory-efficient; energy-efficient; user-friendly and fault-tolerant WSN OS MIROS is designed and implemented. MIROS implements the hybrid scheduler and the dynamic memory allocator. Real-time scheduling can thus be achieved with low memory consumption. In addition; it implements a mid-layer software EMIDE (Efficient Mid-layer Software for User-Friendly Application Development Environment) to decouple the WSN application from the low-level system. The application programming process can consequently be simplified and the application reprogramming performance improved. Moreover; it combines both the software and the multi-core hardware techniques to conserve the energy resources; improve the node reliability; as well as achieve a new debugging method. To evaluate the performance of MIROS; it is compared with the other WSN OSes (TinyOS; Contiki; SOS; openWSN and mantisOS) from different OS concerns. The final evaluation results prove that MIROS is suitable to be used even on the tight resource-constrained WSN nodes. It can support the real-time WSN applications. Furthermore; it is energy efficient; user friendly and fault tolerant.

MIROS: A Hybrid Real-Time Energy-Efficient Operating System for the Resource-Constrained Wireless Sensor Nodes

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xing; Hou, Kun Mean; de Vaulx, Christophe; Shi, Hongling; Gholami, Khalid El

2014-01-01

Operating system (OS) technology is significant for the proliferation of the wireless sensor network (WSN). With an outstanding OS; the constrained WSN resources (processor; memory and energy) can be utilized efficiently. Moreover; the user application development can be served soundly. In this article; a new hybrid; real-time; memory-efficient; energy-efficient; user-friendly and fault-tolerant WSN OS MIROS is designed and implemented. MIROS implements the hybrid scheduler and the dynamic memory allocator. Real-time scheduling can thus be achieved with low memory consumption. In addition; it implements a mid-layer software EMIDE (Efficient Mid-layer Software for User-Friendly Application Development Environment) to decouple the WSN application from the low-level system. The application programming process can consequently be simplified and the application reprogramming performance improved. Moreover; it combines both the software and the multi-core hardware techniques to conserve the energy resources; improve the node reliability; as well as achieve a new debugging method. To evaluate the performance of MIROS; it is compared with the other WSN OSes (TinyOS; Contiki; SOS; openWSN and mantisOS) from different OS concerns. The final evaluation results prove that MIROS is suitable to be used even on the tight resource-constrained WSN nodes. It can support the real-time WSN applications. Furthermore; it is energy efficient; user friendly and fault tolerant. PMID:25248069

Optimized efficiency of all-electric ships by dc hybrid power systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zahedi, Bijan; Norum, Lars E.; Ludvigsen, Kristine B.

2014-06-01

Hybrid power systems with dc distribution are being considered for commercial marine vessels to comply with new stringent environmental regulations, and to achieve higher fuel economy. In this paper, detailed efficiency analysis of a shipboard dc hybrid power system is carried out. An optimization algorithm is proposed to minimize fuel consumption under various loading conditions. The studied system includes diesel engines, synchronous generator-rectifier units, a full-bridge bidirectional converter, and a Li-Ion battery bank as energy storage. In order to evaluate potential fuel saving provided by such a system, an online optimization strategy for fuel consumption is implemented. An Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) is simulated over different operating modes using the online control strategy. The resulted consumed fuel in the simulation is compared to that of a conventional ac power system, and also a dc power system without energy storage. The results show that while the dc system without energy storage provides noticeable fuel saving compared to the conventional ac system, optimal utilization of the energy storage in the dc system results in twice as much fuel saving.

Analysis Platform for Energy Efficiency Enhancement in Hybrid and Full Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NICOLAICA, M.-O.

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The current paper presents a new virtual analysis method that is applied both on hybrid and electric vehicle architectures with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of energy efficiency. The study is based on Matlab modeling and simulation. A set of parameters are considered in order to assess the system performance. The benefit is given by the comparative overview obtained after the completed analysis. The effectiveness of the analysis method is confirmed by a sequence of simulation results combined in several case studies. The impulse of the research is given by the fact that the automotive market is focusing on wider simulation techniques and better control strategies that lead to more efficient vehicles. Applying the proposed method during design would improve the battery management and controls strategy. The advantage of this method is that the system behavior with regards to energy efficiency can be evaluated from an early concept phase. The results contribute to the actual necessity of driving more efficient and more environmental friendly vehicles.

An Entropy-Based Adaptive Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Disassembly Line Balancing Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shanli Xiao

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In order to improve the product disassembly efficiency, the disassembly line balancing problem (DLBP is transformed into a problem of searching for the optimum path in the directed and weighted graph by constructing the disassembly hierarchy information graph (DHIG. Then, combining the characteristic of the disassembly sequence, an entropy-based adaptive hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm (AHPSO is presented. In this algorithm, entropy is introduced to measure the changing tendency of population diversity, and the dimension learning, crossover and mutation operator are used to increase the probability of producing feasible disassembly solutions (FDS. Performance of the proposed methodology is tested on the primary problem instances available in the literature, and the results are compared with other evolutionary algorithms. The results show that the proposed algorithm is efficient to solve the complex DLBP.

Genomics for greater efficiency in pigeonpea hybrid breeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachit K Saxena

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Cytoplasmic genic male sterility based hybrid technology has demonstrated its immense potential in increasing the productivity of various crops, including pigeonpea. This technology has shown promise for breaking the long-standing yield stagnation in pigeonpea. There are difficulties in commercial hybrid seed production due to non-availability of field-oriented technologies such as time-bound assessment of genetic purity of hybrid seeds. Besides this, there are other routine breeding activities which are labour oriented and need more resources. These include breeding and maintenance of new fertility restorers and maintainer lines, diversification of cytoplasm, and incorporation of biotic and abiotic stress resistances. The recent progress in genomics research could accelerate the existing traditional efforts to strengthen the hybrid breeding technology. Marker based seed purity assessment, identification of heterotic groups; selection of new fertility restorers are few areas which have already been initiated. In this paper efforts have been made to identify critical areas and opportunities where genomics can play a leading role and assist breeders in accelerating various activities related to breeding and commercialization of pigeonpea hybrids.

Recent developments in thermally-driven seawater desalination: Energy efficiency improvement by hybridization of the MED and AD cycles

KAUST Repository

Ng, Kim Choon

2015-01-01

The energy, water and environment nexus is a crucial factor when considering the future development of desalination plants or industry in the water-stressed economies. New generation of desalination processes or plants has to meet the stringent environment discharge requirements and yet the industry remains highly energy efficient and sustainable when producing good potable water. Water sources, either brackish or seawater, have become more contaminated as feed while the demand for desalination capacities increase around the world. One immediate solution for energy efficiency improvement comes from the hybridization of the proven desalination processes to the newer processes of desalination: For example, the integration of the available thermally-driven to adsorption desalination (AD) cycles where significant thermodynamic synergy can be attained when cycles are combined. For these hybrid cycles, a quantum improvement in energy efficiency as well as in increase in water production can be expected. The advent of MED with AD cycles, or simply called the MEDAD cycles, is one such example where seawater desalination can be pursued and operated in cogeneration with the electricity production plants: The hybrid desalination cycles utilize only the low exergy bled-steam at low temperatures, complemented with waste exhaust or renewable solar thermal heat at temperatures between 60 and 80. °C. In this paper, the authors have reported their pioneered research on aspects of AD and related hybrid MEDAD cycles, both at theoretical models and experimental pilots. Using the cogeneration of electricity and desalination concept, the authors examined the cost apportionment of fuel cost by the quality or exergy of working steam for such cogeneration configurations.

Efficient Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Hybrid Poplar Populus davidiana Dode × Populus bollena Lauche

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue Han

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Poplar is a model organism for high in vitro regeneration in woody plants. We have chosen a hybrid poplar Populus davidiana Dode × Populus bollena Lauche. By optimizing the Murashige and Skoog medium with (0.3 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine and (0.08 mg/L naphthaleneacetic acid, we have achieved the highest frequency (90% for shoot regeneration from poplar leaves. It was also important to improve the transformation efficiency of poplar for genetic breeding and other applications. In this study, we found a significant improvement of the transformation frequency by controlling the leaf age. Transformation efficiency was enhanced by optimizing the Agrobacterium concentration (OD600 = 0.8–1.0 and an infection time (20–30 min. According to transmission electron microscopy observations, there were more Agrobacterium invasions in the 30-day-old leaf explants than in 60-day-old and 90-day-old explants. Using the green fluorescent protein (GFP marker, the expression of MD–GFP fusion proteins in the leaf, shoot, and root of hybrid poplar P. davidiana Dode × P. bollena Lauche was visualized for confirmation of transgene integration. Southern and Northern blot analysis also showed the integration of T-DNA into the genome and gene expression of transgenic plants. Our results suggest that younger leaves had higher transformation efficiency (~30% than older leaves (10%.

Design of hybrid nanoheterostructure systems for enhanced quantum and solar conversion efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kılıç, Bayram, E-mail: bkilic@yalova.edu.tr, E-mail: kbayramkilic@gmail.com [Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yalova University, 77100 Yalova (Turkey); Telli, Hakan; Başaran, Ali; Pirge, Gursev [Turkish Air Force Academy, Institute of Aeronautics and Space Technologies, Istanbul (Turkey); Tüzemen, Sebahattin [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum (Turkey)

2015-04-07

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with an innovative design involving controlled-morphology vertically aligned (VA) ZnO nanowires within mesoporous TiO{sub 2} structures with ultrahigh surface area for implementation as photoanodes are herein reported. Although TiO{sub 2} nanostructures exhibit excellent power conversion efficiency, the electron transport rate is low owing to low electron mobility. To overcome this, ZnO nanowires with high electron mobility have been investigated as potential candidates for photoanodes. However, the power conversion efficiency of ZnO nanowires is still lower than that of TiO{sub 2} owing to their low internal surface area. Consequently, in this work, vertical growth of ZnO nanowires within mesoporous TiO{sub 2} structures is carried out to increase their solar power conversion efficiency. The photovoltaic performance of solar cells using ZnO nanowires, mesoporous TiO{sub 2}, and TiO{sub 2}/ZnO hybrid structures are compared. The VA TiO{sub 2}/ZnO hybrid structures are found to provide direct electron transfer compared with the tortuous pathway of zero-dimensional nanostructures, resulting in an increased conversion efficiency. It is demonstrated that the light scattering of the photoanode film is increased and electron recombination is decreased when an appropriate amount of mesoporous TiO{sub 2} is used as a substrate for ZnO nanowires. The DSSC fabricated with the TiO{sub 2}/ZnO hybrid photoanode prepared with 15.8 wt. % TiO{sub 2} showed the highest conversion efficiency of 7.30%, approximately 5%, 18%, and 40% higher than that of DSSCs fabricated with 3.99 wt. % TiO{sub 2}, pure TiO{sub 2}, and pure ZnO photoanodes, respectively.

A simple way to achieve bioinspired hybrid wettability surface with micro/nanopatterns for efficient fog collection.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Kai; Du, Haifeng; Dong, Xinran; Wang, Cong; Duan, Ji-An; He, Jun

2017-10-05

Fog collection is receiving increasing attention for providing water in semi-arid deserts and inland areas. Inspired by the fog harvesting ability of the hydrophobic-hydrophilic surface of Namib desert beetles, we present a simple, low-cost method to prepare a hybrid superhydrophobic-hydrophilic surface. The surface contains micro/nanopatterns, and is prepared by incorporating femtosecond-laser fabricated polytetrafluoroethylene nanoparticles deposited on superhydrophobic copper mesh with a pristine hydrophilic copper sheet. The as-prepared surface exhibits enhanced fog collection efficiency compared with uniform (super)hydrophobic or (super)hydrophilic surfaces. This enhancement can be tuned by controlling the mesh number, inclination angle, and fabrication structure. Moreover, the surface shows excellent anti-corrosion ability after immersing in 1 M HCl, 1 M NaOH, and 10 wt% NaCl solutions for 2 hours. This work may provide insight into fabricating hybrid superhydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces for efficient atmospheric water collection.

A hybrid ensemble-OI Kalman filter for efficient data assimilation into a 3-D biogeochemical model of the Mediterranean

KAUST Repository

Tsiaras, Kostas P.

2017-04-20

A hybrid ensemble data assimilation scheme (HYBRID), combining a flow-dependent with a static background covariance, was developed and implemented for assimilating satellite (SeaWiFS) Chl-a data into a marine ecosystem model of the Mediterranean. The performance of HYBRID was assessed against a model free-run, the ensemble-based singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) and its variant with static covariance (SFEK), with regard to the assimilated variable (Chl-a) and non-assimilated variables (dissolved inorganic nutrients). HYBRID was found more efficient than both SEIK and SFEK, reducing the Chl-a error by more than 40% in most areas, as compared to the free-run. Data assimilation had a positive overall impact on nutrients, except for a deterioration of nitrates simulation by SEIK in the most productive area (Adriatic). This was related to SEIK pronounced update in this area and the phytoplankton limitation on phosphate that lead to a built up of excess nitrates. SEIK was found more efficient in productive and variable areas, where its ensemble exhibited important spread. SFEK had an effect mostly on Chl-a, performing better than SEIK in less dynamic areas, adequately described by the dominant modes of its static covariance. HYBRID performed well in all areas, due to its “blended” covariance. Its flow-dependent component appears to track changes in the system dynamics, while its static covariance helps maintaining sufficient spread in the forecast. HYBRID sensitivity experiments showed that an increased contribution from the flow-dependent covariance results in a deterioration of nitrates, similar to SEIK, while the improvement of HYBRID with increasing flow-dependent ensemble size quickly levels off.

A hybrid ensemble-OI Kalman filter for efficient data assimilation into a 3-D biogeochemical model of the Mediterranean

Science.gov (United States)

Tsiaras, Kostas P.; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Kalaroni, Sofia; Petihakis, George; Triantafyllou, George

2017-06-01

A hybrid ensemble data assimilation scheme (HYBRID), combining a flow-dependent with a static background covariance, was developed and implemented for assimilating satellite (SeaWiFS) Chl-a data into a marine ecosystem model of the Mediterranean. The performance of HYBRID was assessed against a model free-run, the ensemble-based singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) and its variant with static covariance (SFEK), with regard to the assimilated variable (Chl-a) and non-assimilated variables (dissolved inorganic nutrients). HYBRID was found more efficient than both SEIK and SFEK, reducing the Chl-a error by more than 40% in most areas, as compared to the free-run. Data assimilation had a positive overall impact on nutrients, except for a deterioration of nitrates simulation by SEIK in the most productive area (Adriatic). This was related to SEIK pronounced update in this area and the phytoplankton limitation on phosphate that lead to a built up of excess nitrates. SEIK was found more efficient in productive and variable areas, where its ensemble exhibited important spread. SFEK had an effect mostly on Chl-a, performing better than SEIK in less dynamic areas, adequately described by the dominant modes of its static covariance. HYBRID performed well in all areas, due to its "blended" covariance. Its flow-dependent component appears to track changes in the system dynamics, while its static covariance helps maintaining sufficient spread in the forecast. HYBRID sensitivity experiments showed that an increased contribution from the flow-dependent covariance results in a deterioration of nitrates, similar to SEIK, while the improvement of HYBRID with increasing flow-dependent ensemble size quickly levels off.

A hybrid ensemble-OI Kalman filter for efficient data assimilation into a 3-D biogeochemical model of the Mediterranean

KAUST Repository

Tsiaras, Kostas P.; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Kalaroni, Sofia; Petihakis, George; Triantafyllou, George

2017-01-01

A hybrid ensemble data assimilation scheme (HYBRID), combining a flow-dependent with a static background covariance, was developed and implemented for assimilating satellite (SeaWiFS) Chl-a data into a marine ecosystem model of the Mediterranean. The performance of HYBRID was assessed against a model free-run, the ensemble-based singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) and its variant with static covariance (SFEK), with regard to the assimilated variable (Chl-a) and non-assimilated variables (dissolved inorganic nutrients). HYBRID was found more efficient than both SEIK and SFEK, reducing the Chl-a error by more than 40% in most areas, as compared to the free-run. Data assimilation had a positive overall impact on nutrients, except for a deterioration of nitrates simulation by SEIK in the most productive area (Adriatic). This was related to SEIK pronounced update in this area and the phytoplankton limitation on phosphate that lead to a built up of excess nitrates. SEIK was found more efficient in productive and variable areas, where its ensemble exhibited important spread. SFEK had an effect mostly on Chl-a, performing better than SEIK in less dynamic areas, adequately described by the dominant modes of its static covariance. HYBRID performed well in all areas, due to its “blended” covariance. Its flow-dependent component appears to track changes in the system dynamics, while its static covariance helps maintaining sufficient spread in the forecast. HYBRID sensitivity experiments showed that an increased contribution from the flow-dependent covariance results in a deterioration of nitrates, similar to SEIK, while the improvement of HYBRID with increasing flow-dependent ensemble size quickly levels off.

Resource Efficiency Assessment—Comparing a Plug-In Hybrid with a Conventional Combustion Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Henßler

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The strong economic growth in recent years has led to an intensive use of natural resources, which causes environmental stress as well as restrictions on the availability of resources. Therefore, a more efficient use of resources is necessary as an important contribution to sustainable development. The ESSENZ method presented in this article comprehensively assesses a product’s resource efficiency by going beyond existing approaches and considering the pollution of the environment as well as the physical and socio-economic availability of resources. This paper contains a short description of the ESSENZ methodology as well as a case study of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W 205—comparing the conventional C 250 (petrol engine with the C 350 e Plug-In Hybrid (electric motor and petrol engine. By applying the ESSENZ method it can be shown that the use of more and different materials for the Plug-In-Hybrid influences the dimensions physical and socio-economic availability significantly. However, for environmental impacts, especially climate change and summer smog, clear advantages of the C 350 e occur due to lower demand of fossil energy carriers. As shown within the case study, the when applying the ESSENZ method a comprehensive evaluation of the used materials and fossil energy carriers can be achieved.

An efficient hybrid technique in RCS predictions of complex targets at high frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Algar, María-Jesús; Lozano, Lorena; Moreno, Javier; González, Iván; Cátedra, Felipe

2017-09-01

Most computer codes in Radar Cross Section (RCS) prediction use Physical Optics (PO) and Physical theory of Diffraction (PTD) combined with Geometrical Optics (GO) and Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD). The latter approaches are computationally cheaper and much more accurate for curved surfaces, but not applicable for the computation of the RCS of all surfaces of a complex object due to the presence of caustic problems in the analysis of concave surfaces or flat surfaces in the far field. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a hybrid method based on a new combination of two asymptotic techniques: GTD and PO, considering the advantages and avoiding the disadvantages of each of them. A very efficient and accurate method to analyze the RCS of complex structures at high frequencies is obtained with the new combination. The proposed new method has been validated comparing RCS results obtained for some simple cases using the proposed approach and RCS using the rigorous technique of Method of Moments (MoM). Some complex cases have been examined at high frequencies contrasting the results with PO. This study shows the accuracy and the efficiency of the hybrid method and its suitability for the computation of the RCS at really large and complex targets at high frequencies.

Hybrid glowworm swarm optimization for task scheduling in the cloud environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jing; Dong, Shoubin

2018-06-01

In recent years many heuristic algorithms have been proposed to solve task scheduling problems in the cloud environment owing to their optimization capability. This article proposes a hybrid glowworm swarm optimization (HGSO) based on glowworm swarm optimization (GSO), which uses a technique of evolutionary computation, a strategy of quantum behaviour based on the principle of neighbourhood, offspring production and random walk, to achieve more efficient scheduling with reasonable scheduling costs. The proposed HGSO reduces the redundant computation and the dependence on the initialization of GSO, accelerates the convergence and more easily escapes from local optima. The conducted experiments and statistical analysis showed that in most cases the proposed HGSO algorithm outperformed previous heuristic algorithms to deal with independent tasks.

High-efficiency supercapacitor electrodes of CVD-grown graphenes hybridized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalam, Amir Abul; Bae, Joon Ho [Dept. of Nano-physics, Gachon University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of); Park, Soo Bin; Seo, Yong Ho [Nanotechnology and Advanced Material Engineering, HMC, and GRI, Sejong University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-15

We demonstrate, for the first time, high-efficiency supercapacitors by utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown graphenes hybridized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). A single-layer graphene was grown by simple CVD growth method, and transferred to polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The bare graphenes were further hybridized with multiwalled CNTs by drop-coating CNTs on graphenes. The supercapacitors using bare graphenes and graphenes with CNTs revealed that graphenes with CNTs resulted in enhanced supercapacitor performances of 2.2- (the mass-specific capacitance) and 4.4-fold (the area-specific capacitance) of those of bare graphenes. Our strategy to improve electrochemical performance of CVD-grown graphenes is advantageous for large-scale graphene electrodes due to high electrical conductivity of CVD-grown graphenes and cost-effectiveness of using multiwalled CNTs as compared to conventional employment of single-walled CNTs.

High-efficiency supercapacitor electrodes of CVD-grown graphenes hybridized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalam, Amir Abul; Bae, Joon Ho; Park, Soo Bin; Seo, Yong Ho

2015-01-01

We demonstrate, for the first time, high-efficiency supercapacitors by utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown graphenes hybridized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). A single-layer graphene was grown by simple CVD growth method, and transferred to polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The bare graphenes were further hybridized with multiwalled CNTs by drop-coating CNTs on graphenes. The supercapacitors using bare graphenes and graphenes with CNTs revealed that graphenes with CNTs resulted in enhanced supercapacitor performances of 2.2- (the mass-specific capacitance) and 4.4-fold (the area-specific capacitance) of those of bare graphenes. Our strategy to improve electrochemical performance of CVD-grown graphenes is advantageous for large-scale graphene electrodes due to high electrical conductivity of CVD-grown graphenes and cost-effectiveness of using multiwalled CNTs as compared to conventional employment of single-walled CNTs

Evidence of natural selection acting on a polymorphic hybrid incompatibility locus in Mimulus.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweigart, Andrea L; Flagel, Lex E

2015-02-01

As a common cause of reproductive isolation in diverse taxa, hybrid incompatibilities are fundamentally important to speciation. A key question is which evolutionary forces drive the initial substitutions within species that lead to hybrid dysfunction. Previously, we discovered a simple genetic incompatibility that causes nearly complete male sterility and partial female sterility in hybrids between the two closely related yellow monkeyflower species Mimulus guttatus and M. nasutus. In this report, we fine map the two major incompatibility loci-hybrid male sterility 1 (hms1) and hybrid male sterility 2 (hms2)-to small nuclear genomic regions (each <70 kb) that include strong candidate genes. With this improved genetic resolution, we also investigate the evolutionary dynamics of hms1 in a natural population of M. guttatus known to be polymorphic at this locus. Using classical genetic crosses and population genomics, we show that a 320-kb region containing the hms1 incompatibility allele has risen to intermediate frequency in this population by strong natural selection. This finding provides direct evidence that natural selection within plant species can lead to hybrid dysfunction between species. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskites Open a New Era for Low-Cost, High Efficiency Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guiming Peng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The ramping solar energy to electricity conversion efficiencies of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells during the last five years have opened new doors to low-cost solar energy. The record power conversion efficiency has climbed to 19.3% in August 2014 and then jumped to 20.1% in November. In this review, the main achievements for perovskite solar cells categorized from a viewpoint of device structure are overviewed. The challenges and prospects for future development of this field are also briefly presented.

Structure of herbivore communities in two oak (Quercus spp.) hybrid zones.

Science.gov (United States)

Boecklen, William J; Spellenberg, Richard

1990-11-01

We examined patterns of density and species diversity for leaf-mining Lepidopterans and gall-forming Hymenopterans in two oak (Quercus spp.) hybrid zones: Quercus depressipes x Q. rugosa and Q. emoryi x Q. coccolobifolia. In both species complexes, hybrid hosts typically supported significantly lower densities and species diversity of parasites than did parental types. This contradicts the findings of Whitham (1989) that suggested that hybrid hosts may act as parasite sinks both in ecological and evolutionary time. We discuss features of hybrid zones that are likely to influence patterns of herbivory.

Controlling the Morphology and Efficiency of Hybrid ZnO : Polythiophene Solar Cells Via Side Chain Functionalization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oosterhout, Stefan D.; Koster, L. Jan Anton; van Bavel, Svetlana S.; Loos, Joachim; Stenzel, Ole; Thiedmann, Ralf; Schmidt, Volker; Campo, Bert; Cleij, Thomas J.; Lutzen, Laurence; Vanderzande, Dirk; Wienk, Martijn M.; Janssen, Rene A. J.

2011-01-01

The efficiency of polymer - metal oxide hybrid solar cells depends critically on the intimacy of mixing of the two semiconductors. The effect of side chain functionalization on the morphology and performance of conjugated polymer:ZnO solar cells is investigated. Using an ester-functionalized side

Advanced, Energy-Efficient Hybrid Membrane System for Industrial Water Reuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toy, Lora [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Choi, Young Chul [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Hendren, Zachary [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Kim, Gyu Dong [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

2017-03-31

In the U.S. manufacturing sector, current industrial water use practices are energy-intensive and utilize and discharge high volumes of waters, rendering them not sustainable especially in light of the growing scarcity of suitable water supplies. To help address this problem, the goal of this project was to develop an advanced, cost-effective, hybrid membrane-based water treatment system that can improve the energy efficiency of industrial wastewater treatment while allowing at least 50% water reuse efficiency. This hybrid process would combine emerging Forward Osmosis (FO) and Membrane Distillation (MD) technology components into an integrated FO-MD system that can beneficially utilize low-grade waste heat (i.e., T < 450 °F) in industrial facilities to produce distilled-quality product water for reuse. In this project, laboratory-, bench-, and pilot-scale experiments on the hybrid FO-MD system were conducted for industrial wastewater treatment. It was demonstrated at laboratory, bench, and pilot scales that FO-MD membrane technology can concentrate brine to very high total dissolved solids (TDS) levels (>200,000 ppm) that are at least 2.5 times higher than the TDS level to which RO can achieve. In laboratory testing, currently available FO and MD membranes were tested to select for high-performing membranes with high salt rejection and high water flux. Multiple FO membrane/draw-salt solution combinations that gave high water flux with higher than 98% salt rejection were also identified. Reverse draw-salt fluxes were observed to be much lower for divalent salts than for monovalent salts. MD membranes were identified that had 99.9+% salt rejection and water flux as high as 50-90 L/(m²·h) for flat-sheet membranes and >20 L/(m²·h) for hollow fibers. In bench-scale testing, a single unit of commercially available FO and MD membrane modules were evaluated for continuous, integrated operation. Using the laboratory- and bench-scale test data

Natural hybridization and reproductive isolation between two Primula speciesFA

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yanping Xie; Xingfu Zhu; Yongpeng Ma; Jianli Zhao; Li Li; Qingjun Li

2017-01-01

Natural hybridization frequently occurs in plants and can facilitate gene flow between species,possibly resulting in species refusion.However,various reproductive barriers block the formation of hybrids and maintain species integrity.Here,we conducted a field survey to examine natural hybridization and reproductive isolation (RI) between sympatric populations of Primula secundiflora and P.poissonii using ten nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci.Although introgressive hybridization occurred,species boundaries between P.secundiflora and P.poissonii were maintained through nearly complete reproductive isolation.These interfertile species provide an excellent model for studying the RI mechanisms and evolutionary forces that maintain species boundaries.

Hybridization and genome evolution I: The role of contingency during hybrid speciation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrice EROUKHMANOFF, Richard I. BAILEY, Glenn-Peter SæTRE

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Homoploid hybrid speciation (HHS involves the recombination of two differentiated genomes into a novel, functional one without a change in chromosome number. Theoretically, there are numerous ways for two parental genomes to recombine. Hence, chance may play a large role in the formation of a hybrid species. If these genome combinations can evolve rapidly following hybridization and sympatric situations are numerous, recurrent homoploid hybrid speciation is a possibility. We argue that three different, but not mutually exclusive, types of contingencies could influence this process. First, many of these “hopeful monsters” of recombinant parent genotypes would likely have low fitness. Only specific combinations of parental genomic contributions may produce viable, intra-fertile hybrid species able to accommodate potential constraints arising from intragenomic conflict. Second, ecological conditions (competition, geography of the contact zones or the initial frequency of both parent species might favor different outcomes ranging from sympatric coexistence to the formation of hybrid swarms and ultimately hybrid speciation. Finally, history may also play an important role in promoting or constraining recurrent HHS if multiple hybridization events occur sequentially and parental divergence or isolation differs along this continuum. We discuss under which conditions HHS may occur multiple times in parallel and to what extent recombination and selection may fuse the parent genomes in the same or different ways. We conclude by examining different approaches that might help to solve this intriguing evolutionary puzzle [Current Zoology 59 (5: 667-674, 2013].　

Hybridization between invasive Spartina Densiflora (Poaceae) and native S. Foliosa in San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Rapid evolution in contemporary time can result when related species, brought together through human-aided introduction, hybridize. The evolutionary consequences of post introduction hybridization range from allopolyploid speciation to extinction of species through genetic amalg...

An efficient hybrid protection scheme with shared/dedicated backup paths on elastic optical networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nogbou G. Anoh

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Fast recovery and minimum utilization of resources are the two main criteria for determining the protection scheme quality. We address the problem of providing a hybrid protection approach on elastic optical networks under contiguity and continuity of available spectrum constraints. Two main hypotheses are used in this paper for backup paths computation. In the first case, it is assumed that backup paths resources are dedicated. In the second case, the assumption is that backup paths resources are available shared resources. The objective of the study is to minimize spectrum utilization to reduce blocking probability on a network. For this purpose, an efficient survivable Hybrid Protection Lightpath (HybPL algorithm is proposed for providing shared or dedicated backup path protection based on the efficient energy calculation and resource availability. Traditional First-Fit and Best-Fit schemes are employed to search and assign the available spectrum resources. The simulation results show that HybPL presents better performance in terms of blocking probability, compared with the Minimum Resources Utilization Dedicated Protection (MRU-DP algorithm which offers better performance than the Dedicated Protection (DP algorithm.

Advances on research epigenetic change of hybrid and polyploidy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MERCY

2011-09-07

Sep 7, 2011 ... evolution is speculated as a simulation of the evolutionary steps that .... Molecular studies indicate that epigenetic events are important in ...... Patterns of hybrid loss of imprinting reveal tissue- and cluster-specific regulation.

Optimal Solution for VLSI Physical Design Automation Using Hybrid Genetic Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Hameem Shanavas

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In Optimization of VLSI Physical Design, area minimization and interconnect length minimization is an important objective in physical design automation of very large scale integration chips. The objective of minimizing the area and interconnect length would scale down the size of integrated chips. To meet the above objective, it is necessary to find an optimal solution for physical design components like partitioning, floorplanning, placement, and routing. This work helps to perform the optimization of the benchmark circuits with the above said components of physical design using hierarchical approach of evolutionary algorithms. The goal of minimizing the delay in partitioning, minimizing the silicon area in floorplanning, minimizing the layout area in placement, minimizing the wirelength in routing has indefinite influence on other criteria like power, clock, speed, cost, and so forth. Hybrid evolutionary algorithm is applied on each of its phases to achieve the objective. Because evolutionary algorithm that includes one or many local search steps within its evolutionary cycles to obtain the minimization of area and interconnect length. This approach combines a hierarchical design like genetic algorithm and simulated annealing to attain the objective. This hybrid approach can quickly produce optimal solutions for the popular benchmarks.

Controlling the morphology and efficiency of hybrid ZnO: Polythiophene solar cells via side chain functionalization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oosterhout, S.D.; Koster, L.J.A.; Bavel, van S.S.; Loos, J.; Stenzel, O.; Thiedmann, R.; Schmidt, V.; Campo, B.J.; Cleij, T.J.; Lutzen, L.; Vanderzande, D.J.M.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2011-01-01

The efficiency of polymer – metal oxide hybrid solar cells depends critically on the intimacy of mixing of the two semiconductors. The effect of side chain functionalization on the morphology and performance of conjugated polymer:ZnO solar cells is investigated. Using an ester-functionalized side

Modern maize hybrids in Northeast China exhibit increased yield potential and resource use efficiency despite adverse climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaochao; Chen, Fanjun; Chen, Yanling; Gao, Qiang; Yang, Xiaoli; Yuan, Lixing; Zhang, Fusuo; Mi, Guohua

2013-03-01

The impact of global changes on food security is of serious concern. Breeding novel crop cultivars adaptable to climate change is one potential solution, but this approach requires an understanding of complex adaptive traits for climate-change conditions. In this study, plant growth, nitrogen (N) uptake, and yield in relation to climatic resource use efficiency of nine representative maize cultivars released between 1973 and 2000 in China were investigated in a 2-year field experiment under three N applications. The Hybrid-Maize model was used to simulate maize yield potential in the period from 1973 to 2011. During the past four decades, the total thermal time (growing degree days) increased whereas the total precipitation and sunshine hours decreased. This climate change led to a reduction of maize potential yield by an average of 12.9% across different hybrids. However, the potential yield of individual hybrids increased by 118.5 kg ha(-1)  yr(-1) with increasing year of release. From 1973 to 2000, the use efficiency of sunshine hours, thermal time, and precipitation resources increased by 37%, 40%, and 41%, respectively. The late developed hybrids showed less reduction in yield potential in current climate conditions than old cultivars, indicating some adaptation to new conditions. Since the mid-1990s, however, the yield impact of climate change exhibited little change, and even a slight worsening for new cultivars. Modern breeding increased ear fertility and grain-filling rate, and delayed leaf senescence without modification in net photosynthetic rate. The trade-off associated with delayed leaf senescence was decreased grain N concentration rather than increased plant N uptake, therefore N agronomic efficiency increased simultaneously. It is concluded that modern maize hybrids tolerate the climatic changes mainly by constitutively optimizing plant productivity. Maize breeding programs in the future should pay more attention to cope with the limiting

Evolutionary strategy to develop learning-based decision systems. Application to breast cancer and liver fibrosis stadialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorunescu, Florin; Belciug, Smaranda

2014-06-01

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to propose an evolutionary-based method for building a decision model and, second, to assess and validate the model's performance using five different real-world medical datasets (breast cancer and liver fibrosis) by comparing it with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. The evolutionary-inspired approach has been used to develop the learning-based decision model in the following manner: the hybridization of algorithms has been considered as "crossover", while the development of new variants which can be thought of as "mutation". An appropriate hierarchy of the component algorithms was established based on a statistically built fitness measure. A synergetic decision-making process, based on a weighted voting system, involved the collaboration between the selected algorithms in making the final decision. Well-established statistical performance measures and comparison tests have been extensively used to design and implement the model. Finally, the proposed method has been tested on five medical datasets, out of which four publicly available, and contrasted with state-of-the-art techniques, showing its efficiency in supporting the medical decision-making process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficient MAC Protocol for Hybrid Wireless Network with Heterogeneous Sensor Nodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Nasre Alam

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Although several Directional Medium Access Control (DMAC protocols have been designed for use with homogeneous networks, it can take a substantial amount of time to change sensor nodes that are equipped with an omnidirectional antenna for sensor nodes with a directional antenna. Thus, we require a novel MAC protocol for use with an intermediate wireless network that consists of heterogeneous sensor nodes equipped with either an omnidirectional antenna or a directional antenna. The MAC protocols that have been designed for use in homogeneous networks are not suitable for use in a hybrid network due to deaf, hidden, and exposed nodes. Therefore, we propose a MAC protocol that exploits the characteristics of a directional antenna and can also work efficiently with omnidirectional nodes in a hybrid network. In order to address the deaf, hidden, and exposed node problems, we define RTS/CTS for the neighbor (RTSN/CTSN and Neighbor Information (NIP packets. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated through a numerical analysis using a Markov model. In addition, the analytical results of the MAC protocol are verified through an OPNET simulation.

Analysis and optimization of hybrid electric vehicle thermal management systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hamut, H. S.; Dincer, I.; Naterer, G. F.

2014-02-01

In this study, the thermal management system of a hybrid electric vehicle is optimized using single and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms in order to maximize the exergy efficiency and minimize the cost and environmental impact of the system. The objective functions are defined and decision variables, along with their respective system constraints, are selected for the analysis. In the multi-objective optimization, a Pareto frontier is obtained and a single desirable optimal solution is selected based on LINMAP decision-making process. The corresponding solutions are compared against the exergetic, exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental single objective optimization results. The results show that the exergy efficiency, total cost rate and environmental impact rate for the baseline system are determined to be 0.29, ¢28 h-1 and 77.3 mPts h-1 respectively. Moreover, based on the exergoeconomic optimization, 14% higher exergy efficiency and 5% lower cost can be achieved, compared to baseline parameters at an expense of a 14% increase in the environmental impact. Based on the exergoenvironmental optimization, a 13% higher exergy efficiency and 5% lower environmental impact can be achieved at the expense of a 27% increase in the total cost.

Hybridisation among groupers (genus Cephalopholis) at the eastern Indian Ocean suture zone: taxonomic and evolutionary implications

Science.gov (United States)

Payet, Samuel D.; Hobbs, Jean-Paul A.; DiBattista, Joseph D.; Newman, Stephen J.; Sinclair-Taylor, Tane; Berumen, Michael L.; McIlwain, Jennifer L.

2016-12-01

Hybridisation is a significant evolutionary process that until recently was considered rare in the marine environment. A suture zone in the eastern Indian Ocean is home to numerous hybridising sister species, providing an ideal opportunity to determine how hybridisation affects speciation and biodiversity in coral reef fishes. At this location, hybridisation between two grouper (Epinephelidae) species: Cephalopholis urodeta (Pacific Ocean) and C. nigripinnis (Indian Ocean) was investigated to determine the genetic basis of hybridisation and to compare the ecology and life history of hybrids and their parent species. This approach aimed to provide insights into the taxonomic and evolutionary consequences of hybridisation. Despite clear phenotypic differences, multiple molecular markers revealed hybrids, and their parent species were genetically homogenous within and (thousands of kilometres) outside of the hybrid zone. Hybrids were at least as fit as their parent species (in terms of growth, reproduction, and abundance) and were observed in a broad range of intermediate phenotypes. The two species appear to be interbreeding at Christmas Island due to inherent biological and ecological compatibilities, and the lack of genetic structure may be explained by three potential scenarios: (1) hybridisation and introgression; (2) discordance between morphology and genetics; and (3) incomplete lineage sorting. Further molecular analyses are necessary to discriminate these scenarios. Regardless of which applies, C. urodeta and C. nigripinnis are unlikely to evolve in reproductive isolation as they cohabit where they are common (Christmas Island) and will source congeneric mates where they are rare (Cocos Keeling Islands). Our results add to the growing body of evidence that hybridisation among coral reef fishes is a dynamic evolutionary factor.

Hybridisation among groupers (genus Cephalopholis) at the eastern Indian Ocean suture zone: taxonomic and evolutionary implications

KAUST Repository

Payet, Samuel D.

2016-08-05

Hybridisation is a significant evolutionary process that until recently was considered rare in the marine environment. A suture zone in the eastern Indian Ocean is home to numerous hybridising sister species, providing an ideal opportunity to determine how hybridisation affects speciation and biodiversity in coral reef fishes. At this location, hybridisation between two grouper (Epinephelidae) species: Cephalopholis urodeta (Pacific Ocean) and C. nigripinnis (Indian Ocean) was investigated to determine the genetic basis of hybridisation and to compare the ecology and life history of hybrids and their parent species. This approach aimed to provide insights into the taxonomic and evolutionary consequences of hybridisation. Despite clear phenotypic differences, multiple molecular markers revealed hybrids, and their parent species were genetically homogenous within and (thousands of kilometres) outside of the hybrid zone. Hybrids were at least as fit as their parent species (in terms of growth, reproduction, and abundance) and were observed in a broad range of intermediate phenotypes. The two species appear to be interbreeding at Christmas Island due to inherent biological and ecological compatibilities, and the lack of genetic structure may be explained by three potential scenarios: (1) hybridisation and introgression; (2) discordance between morphology and genetics; and (3) incomplete lineage sorting. Further molecular analyses are necessary to discriminate these scenarios. Regardless of which applies, C. urodeta and C. nigripinnis are unlikely to evolve in reproductive isolation as they cohabit where they are common (Christmas Island) and will source congeneric mates where they are rare (Cocos Keeling Islands). Our results add to the growing body of evidence that hybridisation among coral reef fishes is a dynamic evolutionary factor. © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Hybridisation among groupers (genus Cephalopholis) at the eastern Indian Ocean suture zone: taxonomic and evolutionary implications

KAUST Repository

Payet, Samuel D.; Hobbs, Jean-Paul A.; DiBattista, Joseph; Newman, Stephen J.; Sinclair-Taylor, Tane; Berumen, Michael L.; McIlwain, Jennifer L.

2016-01-01

Hybridisation is a significant evolutionary process that until recently was considered rare in the marine environment. A suture zone in the eastern Indian Ocean is home to numerous hybridising sister species, providing an ideal opportunity to determine how hybridisation affects speciation and biodiversity in coral reef fishes. At this location, hybridisation between two grouper (Epinephelidae) species: Cephalopholis urodeta (Pacific Ocean) and C. nigripinnis (Indian Ocean) was investigated to determine the genetic basis of hybridisation and to compare the ecology and life history of hybrids and their parent species. This approach aimed to provide insights into the taxonomic and evolutionary consequences of hybridisation. Despite clear phenotypic differences, multiple molecular markers revealed hybrids, and their parent species were genetically homogenous within and (thousands of kilometres) outside of the hybrid zone. Hybrids were at least as fit as their parent species (in terms of growth, reproduction, and abundance) and were observed in a broad range of intermediate phenotypes. The two species appear to be interbreeding at Christmas Island due to inherent biological and ecological compatibilities, and the lack of genetic structure may be explained by three potential scenarios: (1) hybridisation and introgression; (2) discordance between morphology and genetics; and (3) incomplete lineage sorting. Further molecular analyses are necessary to discriminate these scenarios. Regardless of which applies, C. urodeta and C. nigripinnis are unlikely to evolve in reproductive isolation as they cohabit where they are common (Christmas Island) and will source congeneric mates where they are rare (Cocos Keeling Islands). Our results add to the growing body of evidence that hybridisation among coral reef fishes is a dynamic evolutionary factor. © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Energy efficient non-road hybrid electric vehicles advanced modeling and control

CERN Document Server

Unger, Johannes; Jakubek, Stefan

2016-01-01

Analyzing the main problems in the real-time control of parallel hybrid electric powertrains in non-road applications, which work in continuous high dynamic operation, this book gives practical insight in to how to maximize the energetic efficiency and drivability of such powertrains. The book addresses an energy management control structure, which considers all constraints of the physical powertrain and uses novel methodologies for the prediction of the future load requirements to optimize the controller output in terms of an entire work cycle of a non-road vehicle. The load prediction includes a methodology for short term loads as well as for an entire load cycle by means of a cycle detection. A maximization of the energetic efficiency can so be achieved, which is simultaneously a reduction in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Readers will gain a deep insight into the necessary topics to be considered in designing an energy and battery management system for non-road vehicles and that only a combinatio...

High Strength Concrete Columns under Axial Compression Load: Hybrid Confinement Efficiency of High Strength Transverse Reinforcement and Steel Fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Perceka, Wisena; Liao, Wen-Cheng; Wang, Yo-de

2016-01-01

Addition of steel fibers to high strength concrete (HSC) improves its post-peak behavior and energy absorbing capability, which can be described well in term of toughness. This paper attempts to obtain both analytically and experimentally the efficiency of steel fibers in HSC columns with hybrid confinement of transverse reinforcement and steel fibers. Toughness ratio (TR) to quantify the confinement efficiency of HSC columns with hybrid confinement is proposed through a regression analysis by involving sixty-nine TRs of HSC without steel fibers and twenty-seven TRs of HSC with hybrid of transverse reinforcement and steel fibers. The proposed TR equation was further verified by compression tests of seventeen HSC columns conducted in this study, where twelve specimens were reinforced by high strength rebars in longitudinal and transverse directions. The results show that the efficiency of steel fibers in concrete depends on transverse reinforcement spacing, where the steel fibers are more effective if the spacing transverse reinforcement becomes larger in the range of 0.25–1 effective depth of the section column. Furthermore, the axial load–strain curves were developed by employing finite element software (OpenSees) for simulating the response of the structural system. Comparisons between numerical and experimental axial load–strain curves were carried out. PMID:28773391

Development of a System for Absolute Quantum Efficiency Determination of Hybrid Photo Diodes

CERN Document Server

Hammarstedt, P

2001-01-01

At CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, a new particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is under development. The detectors at LHC require development of highly sophisticated technologies, including Hybrid Photo Diodes (HPD) for high efficiency, high resolution single photon detection with a large area coverage. During the HPD development phase, one of the crucial parameters in the optimization of the photocathode creation process is the quantum efficiency. The aim of this Master Thesis has been to design and implement a system for high precision, high resolution quantum efficiency determination over a large, 200-700 nm photon wavelength range. Commercially available components have been obtained, an optomechanical system has been designed and built, and all the necessary data acquisition, control and analysis software has been implemented. The relative precision of the measurement system has been determined to 2%, with additional possible systematic errors less than 2%. Various qu...

MEGA5: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Using Maximum Likelihood, Evolutionary Distance, and Maximum Parsimony Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Tamura, Koichiro; Peterson, Daniel; Peterson, Nicholas; Stecher, Glen; Nei, Masatoshi; Kumar, Sudhir

2011-01-01

Comparative analysis of molecular sequence data is essential for reconstructing the evolutionary histories of species and inferring the nature and extent of selective forces shaping the evolution of genes and species. Here, we announce the release of Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 5 (MEGA5), which is a user-friendly software for mining online databases, building sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees, and using methods of evolutionary bioinformatics in basic biology, biomedicine, and evolution. The newest addition in MEGA5 is a collection of maximum likelihood (ML) analyses for inferring evolutionary trees, selecting best-fit substitution models (nucleotide or amino acid), inferring ancestral states and sequences (along with probabilities), and estimating evolutionary rates site-by-site. In computer simulation analyses, ML tree inference algorithms in MEGA5 compared favorably with other software packages in terms of computational efficiency and the accuracy of the estimates of phylogenetic trees, substitution parameters, and rate variation among sites. The MEGA user interface has now been enhanced to be activity driven to make it easier for the use of both beginners and experienced scientists. This version of MEGA is intended for the Windows platform, and it has been configured for effective use on Mac OS X and Linux desktops. It is available free of charge from http://www.megasoftware.net. PMID:21546353

Silicon Nanowire/Polymer Hybrid Solar Cell-Supercapacitor: A Self-Charging Power Unit with a Total Efficiency of 10.5.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruiyuan; Wang, Jie; Sun, Teng; Wang, Mingjun; Wu, Changsheng; Zou, Haiyang; Song, Tao; Zhang, Xiaohong; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Wang, Zhong Lin; Sun, Baoquan

2017-07-12

An integrated self-charging power unit, combining a hybrid silicon nanowire/polymer heterojunction solar cell with a polypyrrole-based supercapacitor, has been demonstrated to simultaneously harvest solar energy and store it. By efficiency enhancement of the hybrid nanowire solar cells and a dual-functional titanium film serving as conjunct electrode of the solar cell and supercapacitor, the integrated system is able to yield a total photoelectric conversion to storage efficiency of 10.5%, which is the record value in all the integrated solar energy conversion and storage system. This system may not only serve as a buffer that diminishes the solar power fluctuations from light intensity, but also pave its way toward cost-effective high efficiency self-charging power unit. Finally, an integrated device based on ultrathin Si substrate is demonstrated to expand its feasibility and potential application in flexible energy conversion and storage devices.

Efficient Hybrid-Spectral Model for Fully Nonlinear Numerical Wave Tank

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Torben; Bingham, Harry B.; Engsig-Karup, Allan Peter

2013-01-01

A new hybrid-spectral solution strategy is proposed for the simulation of the fully nonlinear free surface equations based on potential flow theory. A Fourier collocation method is adopted horisontally for the discretization of the free surface equations. This is combined with a modal Chebyshev Tau...... method in the vertical for the discretization of the Laplace equation in the fluid domain, which yields a sparse and spectrally accurate Dirichletto-Neumann operator. The Laplace problem is solved with an efficient Defect Correction method preconditioned with a spectral discretization of the linearised...... wave problem, ensuring fast convergence and optimal scaling with the problem size. Preliminary results for very nonlinear waves show expected convergence rates and a clear advantage of using spectral schemes....

Genetic architecture of hybrid male sterility in Drosophila: analysis of intraspecies variation for interspecies isolation.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Laura K; LaFlamme, Brooke A; Markow, Therese A

2008-08-27

The genetic basis of postzygotic isolation is a central puzzle in evolutionary biology. Evolutionary forces causing hybrid sterility or inviability act on the responsible genes while they still are polymorphic, thus we have to study these traits as they arise, before isolation is complete. Isofemale strains of D. mojavensis vary significantly in their production of sterile F(1) sons when females are crossed to D. arizonae males. We took advantage of the intraspecific polymorphism, in a novel design, to perform quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses directly on F(1) hybrid male sterility itself. We found that the genetic architecture of the polymorphism for hybrid male sterility (HMS) in the F(1) is complex, involving multiple QTL, epistasis, and cytoplasmic effects. The role of extensive intraspecific polymorphism, multiple QTL, and epistatic interactions in HMS in this young species pair shows that HMS is arising as a complex trait in this system. Directional selection alone would be unlikely to maintain polymorphism at multiple loci, thus we hypothesize that directional selection is unlikely to be the only evolutionary force influencing postzygotic isolation.

Hybrid VAR compensator with improved efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Burlaka

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In modern electrical networks thyristor-switched capacitors (TSC are most used devices for VAR compensation. These devices don’t contain rotating parts and mechanical contacts, provide a stepwise control of reactive power and no generation of harmonics to the network. However, with the help of TSC it’s not possible to ensure smooth control of reactive power and capacitor banks (CB are exposed to the negative impact of higher harmonic components of the network voltage. Hybrid VAR compensator don’t have such drawbacks. It consists of active filter (AF and capacitor bank with discrete regulation. The main drawback of such systems is the necessity of accessing all six terminals of CB, while most of them are manufactured with three terminals, internally delta-connected. In the article, the topology and control system of hybrid VAR compensator free from beforementioned drawback, is proposed. The control system provides operating modes of overcompensation or undercompensation reactive power. VAR distribution regulator performs redistribution of reactive power between active filter and capacitor banks with the condition to minimize active filter’s power. Scheme of the hybrid VAR compensator, which includes a three-phase three-terminal delta-connected capacitor banks, is shown. Proposed approach allows to provide smooth control of reactive power, isolate the capacitor bank from harmonic currents and use a more effective low-voltage power components

A hybrid model for the computationally-efficient simulation of the cerebellar granular layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna eCattani

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present paper is to efficiently describe the membrane potential dynamics of neural populations formed by species having a high density difference in specific brain areas. We propose a hybrid model whose main ingredients are a conductance-based model (ODE system and its continuous counterpart (PDE system obtained through a limit process in which the number of neurons confined in a bounded region of the brain tissue is sent to infinity. Specifically, in the discrete model, each cell is described by a set of time-dependent variables, whereas in the continuum model, cells are grouped into populations that are described by a set of continuous variables.Communications between populations, which translate into interactions among the discrete and the continuous models, are the essence of the hybrid model we present here. The cerebellum and cerebellum-like structures show in their granular layer a large difference in the relative density of neuronal species making them a natural testing ground for our hybrid model. By reconstructing the ensemble activity of the cerebellar granular layer network and by comparing our results to a more realistic computational network, we demonstrate that our description of the network activity, even though it is not biophysically detailed, is still capable of reproducing salient features of neural network dynamics. Our modeling approach yields a significant computational cost reduction by increasing the simulation speed at least $270$ times. The hybrid model reproduces interesting dynamics such as local microcircuit synchronization, traveling waves, center-surround and time-windowing.

Energy efficient hybrid computing systems using spin devices

Science.gov (United States)

Sharad, Mrigank

Emerging spin-devices like magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ's), spin-valves and domain wall magnets (DWM) have opened new avenues for spin-based logic design. This work explored potential computing applications which can exploit such devices for higher energy-efficiency and performance. The proposed applications involve hybrid design schemes, where charge-based devices supplement the spin-devices, to gain large benefits at the system level. As an example, lateral spin valves (LSV) involve switching of nanomagnets using spin-polarized current injection through a metallic channel such as Cu. Such spin-torque based devices possess several interesting properties that can be exploited for ultra-low power computation. Analog characteristic of spin current facilitate non-Boolean computation like majority evaluation that can be used to model a neuron. The magneto-metallic neurons can operate at ultra-low terminal voltage of ˜20mV, thereby resulting in small computation power. Moreover, since nano-magnets inherently act as memory elements, these devices can facilitate integration of logic and memory in interesting ways. The spin based neurons can be integrated with CMOS and other emerging devices leading to different classes of neuromorphic/non-Von-Neumann architectures. The spin-based designs involve `mixed-mode' processing and hence can provide very compact and ultra-low energy solutions for complex computation blocks, both digital as well as analog. Such low-power, hybrid designs can be suitable for various data processing applications like cognitive computing, associative memory, and currentmode on-chip global interconnects. Simulation results for these applications based on device-circuit co-simulation framework predict more than ˜100x improvement in computation energy as compared to state of the art CMOS design, for optimal spin-device parameters.

Recent Advances on Hybrid Intelligent Systems

CERN Document Server

Melin, Patricia; Kacprzyk, Janusz

2013-01-01

This book presents recent advances on hybrid intelligent systems using soft computing techniques for intelligent control and robotics, pattern recognition, time series prediction and optimization of complex problems. Soft Computing (SC) consists of several intelligent computing paradigms, including fuzzy logic, neural networks, and bio-inspired optimization algorithms, which can be used to produce powerful hybrid intelligent systems. The book is organized in five main parts, which contain groups of papers around a similar subject. The first part consists of papers with the main theme of hybrid intelligent systems for control and robotics, which are basically state of the art papers that propose new models and concepts, which can be the basis for achieving intelligent control and mobile robotics. The second part contains papers with the main theme of hybrid intelligent systems for pattern recognition and time series prediction, which are basically papers using nature-inspired techniques, like evolutionary algo...

Energy Management Strategies based on efficiency map for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feroldi, Diego; Serra, Maria; Riera, Jordi [Institut de Robotica i Informatica Industrial (CSIC-UPC), C. Llorens i Artigas 4, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

2009-05-15

The addition of a fast auxiliary power source like a supercapacitor bank in fuel cell-based vehicles has a great potential because permits a significant reduction of the hydrogen consumption and an improvement of the vehicle efficiency. The Energy Management Strategies, commanding the power split between the power sources in the hybrid arrangement to fulfil the power requirement, perform a fundamental role to achieve this objective. In this work, three strategies based on the knowledge of the fuel cell efficiency map are proposed. These strategies are attractive due to the relative simplicity of the real time implementation and the good performance. The strategies are tested both in a simulation environment and in an experimental setup using a 1.2-kW PEM fuel cell. The results, in terms of hydrogen consumption, are compared with an optimal case, which is assessed trough an advantageous technique also introduced in this work and with a pure fuel cell vehicle as well. This comparative reveals high efficiency and good performance, allowing to save up to 26% of hydrogen in urban scenarios. (author)

Multiobjective Multifactorial Optimization in Evolutionary Multitasking.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Abhishek; Ong, Yew-Soon; Feng, Liang; Tan, Kay Chen

2016-05-03

In recent decades, the field of multiobjective optimization has attracted considerable interest among evolutionary computation researchers. One of the main features that makes evolutionary methods particularly appealing for multiobjective problems is the implicit parallelism offered by a population, which enables simultaneous convergence toward the entire Pareto front. While a plethora of related algorithms have been proposed till date, a common attribute among them is that they focus on efficiently solving only a single optimization problem at a time. Despite the known power of implicit parallelism, seldom has an attempt been made to multitask, i.e., to solve multiple optimization problems simultaneously. It is contended that the notion of evolutionary multitasking leads to the possibility of automated transfer of information across different optimization exercises that may share underlying similarities, thereby facilitating improved convergence characteristics. In particular, the potential for automated transfer is deemed invaluable from the standpoint of engineering design exercises where manual knowledge adaptation and reuse are routine. Accordingly, in this paper, we present a realization of the evolutionary multitasking paradigm within the domain of multiobjective optimization. The efficacy of the associated evolutionary algorithm is demonstrated on some benchmark test functions as well as on a real-world manufacturing process design problem from the composites industry.

Efficient parsimony-based methods for phylogenetic network reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Guohua; Nakhleh, Luay; Snir, Sagi; Tuller, Tamir

2007-01-15

Phylogenies--the evolutionary histories of groups of organisms-play a major role in representing relationships among biological entities. Although many biological processes can be effectively modeled as tree-like relationships, others, such as hybrid speciation and horizontal gene transfer (HGT), result in networks, rather than trees, of relationships. Hybrid speciation is a significant evolutionary mechanism in plants, fish and other groups of species. HGT plays a major role in bacterial genome diversification and is a significant mechanism by which bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. Maximum parsimony is one of the most commonly used criteria for phylogenetic tree inference. Roughly speaking, inference based on this criterion seeks the tree that minimizes the amount of evolution. In 1990, Jotun Hein proposed using this criterion for inferring the evolution of sequences subject to recombination. Preliminary results on small synthetic datasets. Nakhleh et al. (2005) demonstrated the criterion's application to phylogenetic network reconstruction in general and HGT detection in particular. However, the naive algorithms used by the authors are inapplicable to large datasets due to their demanding computational requirements. Further, no rigorous theoretical analysis of computing the criterion was given, nor was it tested on biological data. In the present work we prove that the problem of scoring the parsimony of a phylogenetic network is NP-hard and provide an improved fixed parameter tractable algorithm for it. Further, we devise efficient heuristics for parsimony-based reconstruction of phylogenetic networks. We test our methods on both synthetic and biological data (rbcL gene in bacteria) and obtain very promising results.

A facile route to porous beta-gallium oxide nanowires-reduced graphene oxide hybrids with enhanced photocatalytic efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, X.; Lei, M.; Huang, K.; Liang, C.; Xu, J.C.; Shangguan, Z.C.; Yuan, Q.X.; Ma, L.H.; Du, Y.X.; Fan, D.Y.; Yang, H.J.; Wang, Y.G.; Tang, W.H.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A facile route was developed to fabricate porous β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs-rGO hybrids. • Supercritical water can act as an efficient reductant to situ-reduce GO into RGO. • The Ga 2 O 3 NWs attach on the surface of RGO through a strong coupling forces. • The photocatalytic performance of the hybrids can be obviously improved. - Abstract: A facile route was developed to fabricate porous beta-gallium oxide nanowires (β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrids using β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs and graphene oxide (GO) as raw materials. The characterization results indicate that supercritical water can act as an efficient reductant to situ-reduce GO into rGO, and porous β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs can further attach on the surface of as-reduced rGO through a strong coupling forces between the β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs and rGO. The photocatalytic performance of the hybrids can be obviously improved (about 74%) for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) solution after coupling with 1 wt% rGO compared with the pure β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic effect of extended optical absorption band, the enrichment of MB molecular on the rGO and the valid inhibition of recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs induced by the strong coupling interaction between rGO nanosheets and porous β-Ga 2 O 3 NWs

Influence of Li conditioning on Lower Hybrid Current Drive efficiency in H-mode and L- mode plasmas on EAST

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goniche Marc

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The lower hybrid current drive efficiency on the EAST tokamak is estimated on a large database of low loop voltage discharges (VL of these discharges, can account for the high efficiency according to the expected scaling with Zeff and . Modelling with a ray-tracing code coupled to a Fokker-Planck solver supports this result, assuming that the fast electron transport is reduced in the zero loop voltage discharge with high efficiency.

A battery-fuel cell hybrid auxiliary power unit for trucks: Analysis of direct and indirect hybrid configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samsun, Remzi Can; Krupp, Carsten; Baltzer, Sidney; Gnörich, Bruno; Peters, Ralf; Stolten, Detlef

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A battery-fuel cell hybrid auxiliary power unit for heavy duty vehicles is reported. • Comparison of direct and indirect hybrids using representative load profiles. • Evaluation based on validated fuel cell system and battery models. • Indirect hybrid with constant fuel cell load yields 29.3% hybrid system efficiency. • Fuel cell should be pre-heated using waste heat from the diesel engine during drive. - Abstract: The idling operation of engines in heavy duty vehicles to cover electricity demand during layovers entails significant fuel consumption and corresponding emissions. Indeed, this mode of operation is highly inefficient and a noteworthy contributor to the transportation sector’s aggregate carbon dioxide emissions. Here, a potential solution to this wasteful practice is outlined in the form of a hybrid battery-fuel cell system for application as an auxiliary power unit for trucks. Drawing on experimentally-validated fuel cell and battery models, several possible hybrid concepts are evaluated and direct and indirect hybrid configurations analyzed using a representative load profile. The results indicate that a direct hybrid configuration is only applicable if the load demand profile does not deviate strongly from the assumed profile. Operation of an indirect hybrid with a constant fuel cell load yields the greatest hybrid system efficiency, at 29.3%, while battery size could be reduced by 87% if the fuel cell is operated at the highest dynamics. Maximum efficiency in truck applications can be achieved by pre-heating the system prior to operation using exhaust heat from the motor, which increased system efficiency from 25.3% to 28.1%, including start-up. These findings confirm that hybrid systems could offer enormous fuel savings and constitute a sizeable step on the path toward energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly heavy duty vehicles that does not necessitate a fuel switch.

A Hybrid Node Scheduling Approach Based on Energy Efficient Chain Routing for WSN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yimei Kang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Energy efficiency is usually a significant goal in wireless sensor networks (WSNs. In this work, an energy efficient chain (EEC data routing approach is first presented. The coverage and connectivity of WSNs are discussed based on EEC. A hybrid node scheduling approach is then proposed. It includes sleep scheduling for cyclically monitoring regions of interest in time-driven modes and wakeup scheduling for tracking emergency events in event-driven modes. A failure rate is introduced to the sleep scheduling to improve the reliability of the system. A wakeup sensor threshold and a sleep time threshold are introduced in the wakeup scheduling to reduce the consumption of energy to the possible extent. The results of the simulation show that the proposed algorithm can extend the effective lifetime of the network to twice that of PEAS. In addition, the proposed methods are computing efficient because they are very simple to implement.

New lager yeast strains generated by interspecific hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Krogerus, Kristoffer; Magalhães, Frederico; Vidgren, Virve; Gibson, Brian

2015-05-01

The interspecific hybrid Saccharomyces pastorianus is the most commonly used yeast in brewery fermentations worldwide. Here, we generated de novo lager yeast hybrids by mating a domesticated and strongly flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae ale strain with the Saccharomyces eubayanus type strain. The hybrids were characterized with respect to the parent strains in a wort fermentation performed at temperatures typical for lager brewing (12 °C). The resulting beers were analysed for sugar and aroma compounds, while the yeasts were tested for their flocculation ability and α-glucoside transport capability. These hybrids inherited beneficial properties from both parent strains (cryotolerance, maltotriose utilization and strong flocculation) and showed apparent hybrid vigour, fermenting faster and producing beer with higher alcohol content (5.6 vs 4.5 % ABV) than the parents. Results suggest that interspecific hybridization is suitable for production of novel non-GM lager yeast strains with unique properties and will help in elucidating the evolutionary history of industrial lager yeast.

Hierarchically porous silicon–carbon–nitrogen hybrid materials towards highly efficient and selective adsorption of organic dyes

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Lala; Zhang, Xiaofei; Tang, Yusheng; Su, Kehe; Kong, Jie

2015-01-01

The hierarchically macro/micro-porous silicon–carbon–nitrogen (Si–C–N) hybrid material was presented with novel functionalities of totally selective and highly efficient adsorption for organic dyes. The hybrid material was conveniently generated by the pyrolysis of commercial polysilazane precursors using polydivinylbenzene microspheres as sacrificial templates. Owing to the Van der Waals force between sp2-hybridized carbon domains and triphenyl structure of dyes, and electrostatic interaction between dyes and Si-C-N matrix, it exhibites high adsorption capacity and good regeneration and recycling ability for the dyes with triphenyl structure, such as methyl blue (MB), acid fuchsin (AF), basic fuchsin and malachite green. The adsorption process is determined by both surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion. According to the Langmuir model, the adsorption capacity is 1327.7 mg·g−1 and 1084.5 mg·g−1 for MB and AF, respectively, which is much higher than that of many other adsorbents. On the contrary, the hybrid materials do not adsorb the dyes with azo benzene structures, such as methyl orange, methyl red and congro red. Thus, the hierarchically porous Si–C–N hybrid material from a facile and low cost polymer-derived strategy provides a new perspective and possesses a significant potential in the treatment of wastewater with complex organic pollutants. PMID:25604334

Investigation on energy absorption efficiency of each layer in ballistic armour panel for applications in hybrid design

OpenAIRE

Yang, Yanfei; Chen, Xiaogang

2017-01-01

This study aims to reveal different energy absorption efficiency of each layer when armour panel is under ballistic impact. Through Finite Element (FE) modelling and ballistic tests, it is found that when fabrics are layered up in a panel, energy absorption efficiency is only 30%–60% of an individual fabric layer with free boundary condition. In addition, fabric layers in front, middle, and back exhibit different ballistic characteristics. Therefore, a new hybrid design principle has been pro...

An Evolutionary Efficiency Alternative to the Notion of Pareto Efficiency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.P. van Staveren (Irene)

2012-01-01

textabstractThe paper argues that the notion of Pareto efficiency builds on two normative assumptions: the more general consequentialist norm of any efficiency criterion, and the strong no-harm principle of the prohibition of any redistribution during the economic process that hurts at least one

A hybrid approach to designing inbound-resupply strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dullaert, Wout; Vernimmen, Bert; Raa, Birger; Witlox, Frank

A new hybrid approach was developed to determine the optimal inbound-resupply strategy when suppliers ship goods to receivers. The optimal reorder level was calculated on the basis of a simulation of the distribution of demand and the lead time of the various sourcing alternatives. An evolutionary

Recent advances in swarm intelligence and evolutionary computation

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

This timely review volume summarizes the state-of-the-art developments in nature-inspired algorithms and applications with the emphasis on swarm intelligence and bio-inspired computation. Topics include the analysis and overview of swarm intelligence and evolutionary computation, hybrid metaheuristic algorithms, bat algorithm, discrete cuckoo search, firefly algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and harmony search as well as convergent hybridization. Application case studies have focused on the dehydration of fruits and vegetables by the firefly algorithm and goal programming, feature selection by the binary flower pollination algorithm, job shop scheduling, single row facility layout optimization, training of feed-forward neural networks, damage and stiffness identification, synthesis of cross-ambiguity functions by the bat algorithm, web document clustering, truss analysis, water distribution networks, sustainable building designs and others. As a timely review, this book can serve as an ideal reference f...

Widespread over-expression of the X chromosome in sterile F₁hybrid mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey M Good

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The X chromosome often plays a central role in hybrid male sterility between species, but it is unclear if this reflects underlying regulatory incompatibilities. Here we combine phenotypic data with genome-wide expression data to directly associate aberrant expression patterns with hybrid male sterility between two species of mice. We used a reciprocal cross in which F₁ males are sterile in one direction and fertile in the other direction, allowing us to associate expression differences with sterility rather than with other hybrid phenotypes. We found evidence of extensive over-expression of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis in sterile but not in fertile F₁ hybrid males. Over-expression was most pronounced in genes that are normally expressed after meiosis, consistent with an X chromosome-wide disruption of expression during the later stages of spermatogenesis. This pattern was not a simple consequence of faster evolutionary divergence on the X chromosome, because X-linked expression was highly conserved between the two species. Thus, transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis appears particularly sensitive to evolutionary divergence between species. Overall, these data provide evidence for an underlying regulatory basis to reproductive isolation in house mice and underscore the importance of transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome to the evolution of hybrid male sterility.

Widespread over-expression of the X chromosome in sterile F₁hybrid mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Jeffrey M; Giger, Thomas; Dean, Matthew D; Nachman, Michael W

2010-09-30

The X chromosome often plays a central role in hybrid male sterility between species, but it is unclear if this reflects underlying regulatory incompatibilities. Here we combine phenotypic data with genome-wide expression data to directly associate aberrant expression patterns with hybrid male sterility between two species of mice. We used a reciprocal cross in which F₁ males are sterile in one direction and fertile in the other direction, allowing us to associate expression differences with sterility rather than with other hybrid phenotypes. We found evidence of extensive over-expression of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis in sterile but not in fertile F₁ hybrid males. Over-expression was most pronounced in genes that are normally expressed after meiosis, consistent with an X chromosome-wide disruption of expression during the later stages of spermatogenesis. This pattern was not a simple consequence of faster evolutionary divergence on the X chromosome, because X-linked expression was highly conserved between the two species. Thus, transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis appears particularly sensitive to evolutionary divergence between species. Overall, these data provide evidence for an underlying regulatory basis to reproductive isolation in house mice and underscore the importance of transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome to the evolution of hybrid male sterility.

The removal efficiency of constructed wetlands filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate for the rural landfill leachate treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Hailing; Duan, Zhiwei; Wang, Zhenqing; Yue, Bo

2017-07-01

The removal efficiencies of two horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF CWs, down-flow (F1) and up-flow (F2)) filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate for the rural landfill leachate treatment were investigated. The adsorption experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of zeolite and slag as the wetland substrate. The effects of distance variations along the longitudinal profile of wetland bed on pollutant removal were assessed by sampling at four locations (inlet, outlet, 0.55 m, and 1.10 m from the inlet). During the operation time, the influent and effluent concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), total nitrogen (TN), heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were measured. The results showed that the constructed wetlands were capable of removing COD, 20.5-48.2% (F1) and 18.6-61.2% (F2); NH 3 -N, 84.0-99.9% (F1) and 93.5-99.2% (F2); TN, 80.3-92.1% (F1) and 80.3-91.2% (F2); and heavy metals, about 90% (F1 and F2). The zeolite-slag hybrid substrate performed excellent removal efficiency for the nitrogen and heavy metals. The inlet area was the most active region of leachate removal. The up-flow constructed wetland (F2) has a higher removal efficiency for the PAH compounds. The significant removal efficiency illustrated that the rural landfill leachate can be treated using the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland filled with the zeolite-slag hybrid substrate.

Improved efficiency in organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells by interfacial modification of ZnO nanowires with small molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Sehoon; Park, Hyesung; Cheng, Jayce J; Rekemeyer, Paul H; Gradečak, Silvija

2014-01-01

We demonstrate improved photovoltaic performance of ZnO nanowire/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofiber hybrid devices using an interfacial modification of ZnO nanowires. Formation of cascade energy levels between the ZnO nanowire and P3HT nanofiber was achieved by interfacial modification of ZnO nanowires using small molecules tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP) and 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic bisbenzimidazole (PTCBI). The successful demonstration of improved device performance owing to the cascade energy levels by small molecule modification is a promising approach toward highly efficient organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. (paper)

Tangled trios? Characterizing a hybrid zone in Castilleja (Orobanchaceae)

Science.gov (United States)

Erika l. Hersch-Green; Richard. Cronn

2009-01-01

Hybridization and polyploidization are exceedingly important processes because both influence the ecological envelope and evolutionary trajectory of land plants. These processes are frequently invoked for Castilleja (Indian paintbrushes) as contributors to morphological and genetic novelty and as complicating factors in species delimitations. Here...

Hybrid soft computing systems for electromyographic signals analysis: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hong-Bo; Guo, Tianruo; Bai, Siwei; Dokos, Socrates

2014-02-03

Electromyographic (EMG) is a bio-signal collected on human skeletal muscle. Analysis of EMG signals has been widely used to detect human movement intent, control various human-machine interfaces, diagnose neuromuscular diseases, and model neuromusculoskeletal system. With the advances of artificial intelligence and soft computing, many sophisticated techniques have been proposed for such purpose. Hybrid soft computing system (HSCS), the integration of these different techniques, aims to further improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy of EMG analysis. This paper reviews and compares key combinations of neural network, support vector machine, fuzzy logic, evolutionary computing, and swarm intelligence for EMG analysis. Our suggestions on the possible future development of HSCS in EMG analysis are also given in terms of basic soft computing techniques, further combination of these techniques, and their other applications in EMG analysis.

Recent developments in thermally-driven seawater desalination: Energy efficiency improvement by hybridization of the MED and AD cycles

KAUST Repository

Ng, Kim Choon; Thu, Kyaw; Oh, Seungjin; Ang, Li; Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil; Ismail, Azhar Bin

2015-01-01

-driven to adsorption desalination (AD) cycles where significant thermodynamic synergy can be attained when cycles are combined. For these hybrid cycles, a quantum improvement in energy efficiency as well as in increase in water production can be expected. The advent

Nature vs. Nurture: The Role of Environmental Resources in Evolutionary Deep Intelligence

OpenAIRE

Chung, Audrey G.; Fieguth, Paul; Wong, Alexander

2018-01-01

Evolutionary deep intelligence synthesizes highly efficient deep neural networks architectures over successive generations. Inspired by the nature versus nurture debate, we propose a study to examine the role of external factors on the network synthesis process by varying the availability of simulated environmental resources. Experimental results were obtained for networks synthesized via asexual evolutionary synthesis (1-parent) and sexual evolutionary synthesis (2-parent, 3-parent, and 5-pa...

AgI/Ag3PO4 hybrids with highly efficient visible-light driven photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsumata, Hideyuki; Hayashi, Takahiro; Taniguchi, Masanao; Suzuki, Tohru; Kaneco, Satoshi

2015-01-01

Highlights: • AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 hybrid was prepared via an in situ anion-exchange method. • AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 displays the excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light. • AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 readily transforms to be Ag@AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 system. • h + and O 2 ·− play the major role in the AO 7 decolorization over AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 . • The activity enhancement is ascribed to a Z-scheme system composed of Ag 3 PO 4 , Ag and AgI. - Abstract: Highly efficient visible-light-driven AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 hybrid photocatalysts with different mole ratios of AgI were prepared via an in situ anion-exchange method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) technique. Under visible light irradiation (>420 nm), the AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalysts displayed the higher photocatalytic activity than pure Ag 3 PO 4 and AgI for the decolorization of acid orange 7 (AO 7). Among the hybrid photocatalysts, AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 with 80% of AgI exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of AO 7. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results revealed that AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 readily transformed to be Ag@AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 system while the photocatalytic activity of AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 remained after 5 recycling runs. In addition, the quenching effects of different scavengers displayed that the reactive h + and O 2 ·− play the major role in the AO 7 decolorization. The photocatalytic activity enhancement of AgI/Ag 3 PO 4 hybrids can be ascribed to the efficient separation of electron–hole pairs through a Z-scheme system composed of Ag 3 PO 4 , Ag and AgI, in which Ag nanoparticles act as the charge separation center

Development of a Highly Efficient Hybrid White Organic-Light-Emitting Diode with a Single Emission Layer by Solution Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jun-Yi; Chen, Show-An

2018-02-07

We use a mixed host, 2,6-bis[3-(carbazol-9-yl)phenyl]pyridine blended with 20 wt % tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine, to lower the hole-injection barrier, along with the bipolar and high-photoluminescence-quantum-yield (Φ p = 84%), blue thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) material of 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine-2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (DMAC-TRZ) as a blue dopant to compose the emission layer for the fabrication of a TADF blue organic-light-emitting diode (BOLED). The device is highly efficient with the following performance parameters: maximum brightness (B max ) = 57586 cd/m 2 , maximum current efficiency (CE max ) = 35.3 cd/A, maximum power efficiency (PE max ) = 21.4 lm/W, maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE max ) = 14.1%, and CIE coordinates (0.18, 0.42). This device has the best performance recorded among the reported solution-processed TADF BOLEDs and has a low efficiency roll-off: at brightness values of 1000 and 5000 cd/m 2 , its CEs are close, being 35.1 and 30.1 cd/A, respectively. Upon further doping of the red phosphor Ir(dpm)PQ 2 (emission peak λ max = 595 nm) into the blue emission layer, we obtained a TADF-phosphor hybrid white organic-light-emitting diode (T-P hybrid WOLED) with high performance: B max = 43594 cd/m 2 , CE max = 28.8 cd/A, PE max = 18.1 lm/W, and CIE coordinates (0.38, 0.44). This B max = 43594 cd/m 2 is better than that of the vacuum-deposited WOLED with a blue TADF emitter, 10000 cd/m 2 . This is also the first report on a T-P hybrid WOLED with a solution-processed emitting layer.

EFFICIENT MULTI-OBJECTIVE EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM FOR JOB SHOP SCHEDULING

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lei Deming; Wu Zhiming

2005-01-01

A new representation method is first presented based on priority rules. According to this method, each entry in the chromosome indicates that in the procedure of the Giffler and Thompson (GT) algorithm, the conflict occurring in the corresponding machine is resolved by the corresponding priority rule. Then crowding-measure multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (CMOEA) is designed,in which both archive maintenance and fitness assignment use crowding measure. Finally the comparisons between CMOEA and SPEA in solving 15 scheduling problems demonstrate that CMOEA is suitable to job shop scheduling.

Efficient fractal-based mutation in evolutionary algorithms from iterated function systems

Science.gov (United States)

Salcedo-Sanz, S.; Aybar-Ruíz, A.; Camacho-Gómez, C.; Pereira, E.

2018-03-01

In this paper we present a new mutation procedure for Evolutionary Programming (EP) approaches, based on Iterated Function Systems (IFSs). The new mutation procedure proposed consists of considering a set of IFS which are able to generate fractal structures in a two-dimensional phase space, and use them to modify a current individual of the EP algorithm, instead of using random numbers from different probability density functions. We test this new proposal in a set of benchmark functions for continuous optimization problems. In this case, we compare the proposed mutation against classical Evolutionary Programming approaches, with mutations based on Gaussian, Cauchy and chaotic maps. We also include a discussion on the IFS-based mutation in a real application of Tuned Mass Dumper (TMD) location and optimization for vibration cancellation in buildings. In both practical cases, the proposed EP with the IFS-based mutation obtained extremely competitive results compared to alternative classical mutation operators.

ADAPTIVE SELECTION OF AUXILIARY OBJECTIVES IN MULTIOBJECTIVE EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. A. Petrova

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Subject of Research.We propose to modify the EA+RL method, which increases efficiency of evolutionary algorithms by means of auxiliary objectives. The proposed modification is compared to the existing objective selection methods on the example of travelling salesman problem. Method. In the EA+RL method a reinforcement learning algorithm is used to select an objective – the target objective or one of the auxiliary objectives – at each iteration of the single-objective evolutionary algorithm.The proposed modification of the EA+RL method adopts this approach for the usage with a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. As opposed to theEA+RL method, in this modification one of the auxiliary objectives is selected by reinforcement learning and optimized together with the target objective at each step of the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. Main Results.The proposed modification of the EA+RL method was compared to the existing objective selection methods on the example of travelling salesman problem. In the EA+RL method and its proposed modification reinforcement learning algorithms for stationary and non-stationary environment were used. The proposed modification of the EA+RL method applied with reinforcement learning for non-stationary environment outperformed the considered objective selection algorithms on the most problem instances. Practical Significance. The proposed approach increases efficiency of evolutionary algorithms, which may be used for solving discrete NP-hard optimization problems. They are, in particular, combinatorial path search problems and scheduling problems.

A facile route to porous beta-gallium oxide nanowires-reduced graphene oxide hybrids with enhanced photocatalytic efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, X. [State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Lei, M., E-mail: minglei@bupt.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Huang, K.; Liang, C.; Xu, J.C.; Shangguan, Z.C. [School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Yuan, Q.X. [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Zhengzhou Institute of Aeronautical Industry Management, Zhengzhou 450015 (China); Ma, L.H. [School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China); Du, Y.X., E-mail: duyinxiao@zzia.edu.cn [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Zhengzhou Institute of Aeronautical Industry Management, Zhengzhou 450015 (China); Fan, D.Y.; Yang, H.J.; Wang, Y.G.; Tang, W.H. [School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876 (China)

2015-02-25

Highlights: • A facile route was developed to fabricate porous β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs-rGO hybrids. • Supercritical water can act as an efficient reductant to situ-reduce GO into RGO. • The Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs attach on the surface of RGO through a strong coupling forces. • The photocatalytic performance of the hybrids can be obviously improved. - Abstract: A facile route was developed to fabricate porous beta-gallium oxide nanowires (β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrids using β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs and graphene oxide (GO) as raw materials. The characterization results indicate that supercritical water can act as an efficient reductant to situ-reduce GO into rGO, and porous β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs can further attach on the surface of as-reduced rGO through a strong coupling forces between the β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs and rGO. The photocatalytic performance of the hybrids can be obviously improved (about 74%) for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) solution after coupling with 1 wt% rGO compared with the pure β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic effect of extended optical absorption band, the enrichment of MB molecular on the rGO and the valid inhibition of recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs induced by the strong coupling interaction between rGO nanosheets and porous β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} NWs.

ON THE STABILIZATION OF THE LINEAR HYBRID SYSTEM STRUCTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirillov

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The linear control hybrid system, consisting of a fi- nite set of subsystems (modes having different dimensions, is considered. The moments of reset time are determined by some complementary function – evolutionary time. This function satisfies the special complementary ordinary differential equation. The mode stabilization problem is solved for some class of piecewise linear controls. The method of stabilization relies on the set of invariant planes, the existence of which is due to the special form of the hybrid system.

Early events in speciation: Polymorphism for hybrid male sterility in Drosophila

OpenAIRE

Reed, Laura K.; Markow, Therese A.

2004-01-01

Capturing the process of speciation early enough to determine the initial genetic causes of reproductive isolation remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. We have found, to our knowledge, the first example of substantial intraspecific polymorphism for genetic factors contributing to hybrid male sterility. Specifically, we show that the occurrence of hybrid male sterility in crosses between Drosophila mojavensis and its sister species, Drosophila arizonae, is controlled by factors p...

Simple model to explain the temperature dependence of the lower hybrid current drive efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ushigusa, K.

1996-01-01

Dissipated power in the spectral gap is taken into account in deriving analytically the lower hybrid current drive efficiency. The efficiency is determined by a minimum down-shifted phase velocity υ L and the quasi-linear velocity diffusion coefficient at the spectral gap D' W in addition to the original wave spectrum. To explain present experimental results in both JT-60 and ASDEX, υ L must be close to the Landau damping limit (υ L ∼ 2.7υ te ) and D' W must be the same order of magnitude as the collisional friction at υ L . With the suggested values of these two parameters from experimental results, the driven current is mainly determined by the launched wave spectrum, while most of the wave power is dissipated at the spectral gap. This characteristic can explain both the temperature and the N || dependence of the current drive efficiency. (author)

Genetic architecture of hybrid male sterility in Drosophila: analysis of intraspecies variation for interspecies isolation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura K Reed

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The genetic basis of postzygotic isolation is a central puzzle in evolutionary biology. Evolutionary forces causing hybrid sterility or inviability act on the responsible genes while they still are polymorphic, thus we have to study these traits as they arise, before isolation is complete. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Isofemale strains of D. mojavensis vary significantly in their production of sterile F(1 sons when females are crossed to D. arizonae males. We took advantage of the intraspecific polymorphism, in a novel design, to perform quantitative trait locus (QTL mapping analyses directly on F(1 hybrid male sterility itself. We found that the genetic architecture of the polymorphism for hybrid male sterility (HMS in the F(1 is complex, involving multiple QTL, epistasis, and cytoplasmic effects. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The role of extensive intraspecific polymorphism, multiple QTL, and epistatic interactions in HMS in this young species pair shows that HMS is arising as a complex trait in this system. Directional selection alone would be unlikely to maintain polymorphism at multiple loci, thus we hypothesize that directional selection is unlikely to be the only evolutionary force influencing postzygotic isolation.

An energy efficient hybrid interference-resilient frame fragmentation for wireless sensor networks

KAUST Repository

Meer, Ammar M.; Daghistani, Anas; Shihada, Basem

2015-01-01

Frame fragmentation into small blocks with dedicated error detection codes per block can reduce the unnecessary retransmission of the correctly received blocks. However, the optimal block size varies based on the wireless channel conditions. Further, blocks within a single frame may have different optimal sizes based on variations in interference patterns. This paper proposes a hybrid interference-resilient frame fragmentation (Hi-Frag) link-layer scheme for wireless sensor networks. It effectively addresses the challenges associated with dynamic partitioning of blocks while accounting for the observed error patterns. Hi-Frag is the first work to introduce an adaptive frame fragmentation scheme with hybrid block sizing, implemented and evaluated on a real WSN testbed. Hi-Frag shows substantial enhancements over fixed-size partial packet recovery protocols, achieving up to 2.5× improvement in throughput when the channel condition is noisy, while reducing network delays by up to 14% of the observed delay. On average, Hi-Frag shows 35% gain in throughput compared to static fragmentation approaches across all channel conditions used in our experiments. Also, Hi-Frag lowers the energy consumed per useful bit by 66% on average compared to conventional protocols, which increases the energy efficiency.

An energy efficient hybrid interference-resilient frame fragmentation for wireless sensor networks

KAUST Repository

Meer, Ammar M.

2015-08-30

Frame fragmentation into small blocks with dedicated error detection codes per block can reduce the unnecessary retransmission of the correctly received blocks. However, the optimal block size varies based on the wireless channel conditions. Further, blocks within a single frame may have different optimal sizes based on variations in interference patterns. This paper proposes a hybrid interference-resilient frame fragmentation (Hi-Frag) link-layer scheme for wireless sensor networks. It effectively addresses the challenges associated with dynamic partitioning of blocks while accounting for the observed error patterns. Hi-Frag is the first work to introduce an adaptive frame fragmentation scheme with hybrid block sizing, implemented and evaluated on a real WSN testbed. Hi-Frag shows substantial enhancements over fixed-size partial packet recovery protocols, achieving up to 2.5× improvement in throughput when the channel condition is noisy, while reducing network delays by up to 14% of the observed delay. On average, Hi-Frag shows 35% gain in throughput compared to static fragmentation approaches across all channel conditions used in our experiments. Also, Hi-Frag lowers the energy consumed per useful bit by 66% on average compared to conventional protocols, which increases the energy efficiency.

Efficient Hybrid Watermarking Scheme for Security and Transmission Bit Rate Enhancement of 3D Color-Plus-Depth Video Communication

Science.gov (United States)

El-Shafai, W.; El-Rabaie, S.; El-Halawany, M.; Abd El-Samie, F. E.

2018-03-01

Three-Dimensional Video-plus-Depth (3DV + D) comprises diverse video streams captured by different cameras around an object. Therefore, there is a great need to fulfill efficient compression to transmit and store the 3DV + D content in compressed form to attain future resource bounds whilst preserving a decisive reception quality. Also, the security of the transmitted 3DV + D is a critical issue for protecting its copyright content. This paper proposes an efficient hybrid watermarking scheme for securing the 3DV + D transmission, which is the homomorphic transform based Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) in Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) domain. The objective of the proposed watermarking scheme is to increase the immunity of the watermarked 3DV + D to attacks and achieve adequate perceptual quality. Moreover, the proposed watermarking scheme reduces the transmission-bandwidth requirements for transmitting the color-plus-depth 3DV over limited-bandwidth wireless networks through embedding the depth frames into the color frames of the transmitted 3DV + D. Thus, it saves the transmission bit rate and subsequently it enhances the channel bandwidth-efficiency. The performance of the proposed watermarking scheme is compared with those of the state-of-the-art hybrid watermarking schemes. The comparisons depend on both the subjective visual results and the objective results; the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) of the watermarked frames and the Normalized Correlation (NC) of the extracted watermark frames. Extensive simulation results on standard 3DV + D sequences have been conducted in the presence of attacks. The obtained results confirm that the proposed hybrid watermarking scheme is robust in the presence of attacks. It achieves not only very good perceptual quality with appreciated PSNR values and saving in the transmission bit rate, but also high correlation coefficient values in the presence of attacks compared to the existing hybrid watermarking schemes.

Physical Mapping Using Simulated Annealing and Evolutionary Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vesterstrøm, Jacob Svaneborg

2003-01-01

optimization method when searching for an ordering of the fragments in PM. In this paper, we applied an evolutionary algorithm to the problem, and compared its performance to that of SA and local search on simulated PM data, in order to determine the important factors in finding a good ordering of the segments....... The analysis highlights the importance of a good PM model, a well-correlated fitness function, and high quality hybridization data. We suggest that future work in PM should focus on design of more reliable fitness functions and on developing error-screening algorithms....

Widespread Over-Expression of the X Chromosome in Sterile F1 Hybrid Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Jeffrey M.; Giger, Thomas; Dean, Matthew D.; Nachman, Michael W.

2010-01-01

The X chromosome often plays a central role in hybrid male sterility between species, but it is unclear if this reflects underlying regulatory incompatibilities. Here we combine phenotypic data with genome-wide expression data to directly associate aberrant expression patterns with hybrid male sterility between two species of mice. We used a reciprocal cross in which F1 males are sterile in one direction and fertile in the other direction, allowing us to associate expression differences with sterility rather than with other hybrid phenotypes. We found evidence of extensive over-expression of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis in sterile but not in fertile F1 hybrid males. Over-expression was most pronounced in genes that are normally expressed after meiosis, consistent with an X chromosome-wide disruption of expression during the later stages of spermatogenesis. This pattern was not a simple consequence of faster evolutionary divergence on the X chromosome, because X-linked expression was highly conserved between the two species. Thus, transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome during spermatogenesis appears particularly sensitive to evolutionary divergence between species. Overall, these data provide evidence for an underlying regulatory basis to reproductive isolation in house mice and underscore the importance of transcriptional regulation of the X chromosome to the evolution of hybrid male sterility. PMID:20941395

Comparative genetics of hybrid incompatibility: sterility in two Solanum species crosses.

Science.gov (United States)

Moyle, Leonie C; Nakazato, Takuya

2008-07-01

The genetic basis of hybrid sterility can provide insight into the genetic and evolutionary origins of species barriers. We examine the genetics of hybrid incompatibility between two diploid plant species in the plant clade Solanum sect. Lycopersicon. Using a set of near-isogenic lines (NILs) representing the wild species Solanum pennellii (formerly Lycopersicon pennellii) in the genetic background of the cultivated tomato S. lycopersicum (formerly L. esculentum), we found that hybrid pollen and seed infertility are each based on a modest number of loci, male (pollen) and other (seed) incompatibility factors are roughly comparable in number, and seed-infertility QTL act additively or recessively. These findings are remarkably consistent with our previous analysis in a different species pair, S. lycopersicum x S. habrochaites. Data from both studies contrast strongly with data from Drosophila. Finally, QTL for pollen and seed sterility from the two Solanum studies were chromosomally colocalized, indicating a shared evolutionary history for these QTL, a nonrandom genomic distribution of loci causing sterility, and/or a proclivity of certain genes to be involved in hybrid sterility. We show that comparative mapping data can delimit the probable timing of evolution of detected QTL and discern which sterility loci likely evolved earliest among species.

Efficiency maximization and performance evaluation of hybrid dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal module using fuzzyfied genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Sonveer; Agrawal, Sanjay

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal modeling of novel dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal hybrid module. • Efficiency maximization and performance evaluation of dual channel photovoltaic thermal module. • Annual performance has been evaluated for Srinagar, Jodhpur, Bangalore and New Delhi (India). • There are improvements in results for optimized system as compared to un-optimized system. - Abstract: The work has been carried out in two steps; firstly the parameters of hybrid dual channel semitransparent photovoltaic thermal module has been optimized using a fuzzyfied genetic algorithm. During the course of optimization, overall exergy efficiency is considered as an objective function and different design parameters of the proposed module have been optimized. Fuzzy controller is used to improve the performance of genetic algorithms and the approach is called as a fuzzyfied genetic algorithm. In the second step, the performance of the module has been analyzed for four cities of India such as Srinagar, Bangalore, Jodhpur and New Delhi. The performance of the module has been evaluated for daytime 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM and annually from January to December. It is to be noted that, an average improvement occurs in electrical efficiency of the optimized module, simultaneously there is also a reduction in solar cell temperature as compared to un-optimized module.

Techno-economic comparison of series hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell and regular cars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vliet, O.P.R.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/288519361; Kruithof, T.; Turkenburg, W.C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073416355; Faaij, A.P.C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/10685903X

2010-01-01

We examine the competitiveness of series hybrid compared to fuel cell, parallel hybrid, and regular cars. We use public domain data to determine efficiency, fuel consumption, total costs of ownership and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from drivetrain choices. The series hybrid drivetrain can be

Face Alignment Using Boosting and Evolutionary Search

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Hua; Liu, Duanduan; Poel, Mannes; Nijholt, Antinus; Zha, H.; Taniguchi, R.-I.; Maybank, S.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present a face alignment approach using granular features, boosting, and an evolutionary search algorithm. Active Appearance Models (AAM) integrate a shape-texture-combined morphable face model into an efficient fitting strategy, then Boosting Appearance Models (BAM) consider the

Invisible hand effect in an evolutionary minority game model

Science.gov (United States)

Sysi-Aho, Marko; Saramäki, Jari; Kaski, Kimmo

2005-03-01

In this paper, we study the properties of a minority game with evolution realized by using genetic crossover to modify fixed-length decision-making strategies of agents. Although the agents in this evolutionary game act selfishly by trying to maximize their own performances only, it turns out that the whole society will eventually be rewarded optimally. This “invisible hand” effect is what Adam Smith over two centuries ago expected to take place in the context of free market mechanism. However, this behaviour of the society of agents is realized only under idealized conditions, where all agents are utilizing the same efficient evolutionary mechanism. If on the other hand part of the agents are adaptive, but not evolutionary, the system does not reach optimum performance, which is also the case if part of the evolutionary agents form a uniformly acting “cartel”.

Special Issue: New trends and applications on hybrid artificial intelligence systems

OpenAIRE

Corchado Rodríguez, Emilio; Graña Romay, Manuel; Woźniak, MichaŁ

2017-01-01

This Special Issue is an outgrowth of the HAIS'10, the 5th International Conference on Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Systems, which was held in San Sebastián, Spain, 23–25 June 2010. The HAIS conference series is devoted to the presentation of innovative techniques involving the hybridization of emerging and active topics in data mining and decision support systems, information fusion, evolutionary computation, visualization techniques, ensemble models, intelligent agent-based systems (compl...

Hybrid Shipboard Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Othman @ Marzuki, Muzaidi Bin; Anvari-Moghaddam, Amjad; Guerrero, Josep M.

2017-01-01

Strict regulation on emissions of air pollutants imposed by the maritime authorities has led to the introduction of hybrid microgrids to the shipboard power systems (SPSs) which acts toward energy efficient ships with less pollution. A hybrid energy system can include different means of generation...

Real-time control strategy to maximize hybrid electric vehicle powertrain efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shabbir, Wassif; Evangelou, Simos A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • An off-line local control is proposed for real-time HEV energy management. • Powertrain efficiencies are studied to produce a unified objective function. • Penalty function is designed to ensure charge sustaining operation. • Implementation by storing optimal power share in a two-dimensional control map. • Proposed control improved fuel economy by up to 20% compared to conventional control. - Abstract: The proposed supervisory control system (SCS) uses a control map to maximize the powertrain efficiency of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in real-time. The paper presents the methodology and structure of the control, including a novel, comprehensive and unified expression for the overall powertrain efficiency that considers the engine-generator set and the battery in depth as well as the power electronics. A control map is then produced with instructions for the optimal power share between the engine branch and battery branch of the vehicle such that the powertrain efficiency is maximized. This map is computed off-line and can thereafter be operated in real-time at very low computational cost. A charge sustaining factor is also developed and introduced to ensure the SCS operates the vehicle within desired SOC bounds. This SCS is then tested and benchmarked against two conventional control strategies in a high-fidelity vehicle model, representing a series HEV. Extensive simulation results are presented for repeated cycles of a diverse range of standard driving cycles, showing significant improvements in fuel economy (up to 20%) and less aggressive use of the battery

Hybrid Tandem Quantum Dot/Organic Solar Cells with Enhanced Photocurrent and Efficiency via Ink and Interlayer Engineering

KAUST Repository

Kim, Taesoo

2018-05-03

Realization of colloidal quantum dot (CQD)/organic photovoltaic (OPV) tandem solar cells that integrate the strong infrared absorption of CQDs with large photovoltages of OPVs is an attractive option toward high-performing, low-cost thin film solar cells. To date, monolithic hybrid tandem integration of CQD/OPV solar cells has been restricted due to the CQD ink’s catastrophic damage to the organic subcell, thus forcing the low bandgap CQD to be used as front cell. This sub-optimal configuration limits the maximum achievable photocurrent in CQD/OPV hybrid tandem solar cells. In this work, we demonstrate hybrid tandem solar cells employing a low-bandgap CQD back cell on top of an organic front cell thanks to a modified CQD ink formulation and a robust interconnection layer (ICL) which together overcome the long-standing integration challenges for CQD and organic subcells. The resulting tandem architecture surpasses previously reported current densities by ~20-25% and yields a state-of-the-art power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.4%.

Eco-efficiency optimization of Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on response surface method and genetic algorithm

OpenAIRE

Nzisabira, Jonathan; Louvigny, Yannick; Duysinx, Pierre

2008-01-01

The electric vehicles (EV) and sometimes the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technologies are environmentally very efficient but can not succeed on the market because of a smaller ability to satisfy customer’s requirements. Comparison of clean technologies in automotive and transportation systems has been measured using different analysis tools such as LCA (life cycle analysis). However, these instruments never account for the user’s satisfaction which partly explains the market acceptance prob...

Efficient 3D porous microstructure reconstruction via Gaussian random field and hybrid optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Z; Chen, W; Burkhart, C

2013-11-01

Obtaining an accurate three-dimensional (3D) structure of a porous microstructure is important for assessing the material properties based on finite element analysis. Whereas directly obtaining 3D images of the microstructure is impractical under many circumstances, two sets of methods have been developed in literature to generate (reconstruct) 3D microstructure from its 2D images: one characterizes the microstructure based on certain statistical descriptors, typically two-point correlation function and cluster correlation function, and then performs an optimization process to build a 3D structure that matches those statistical descriptors; the other method models the microstructure using stochastic models like a Gaussian random field and generates a 3D structure directly from the function. The former obtains a relatively accurate 3D microstructure, but computationally the optimization process can be very intensive, especially for problems with large image size; the latter generates a 3D microstructure quickly but sacrifices the accuracy due to issues in numerical implementations. A hybrid optimization approach of modelling the 3D porous microstructure of random isotropic two-phase materials is proposed in this paper, which combines the two sets of methods and hence maintains the accuracy of the correlation-based method with improved efficiency. The proposed technique is verified for 3D reconstructions based on silica polymer composite images with different volume fractions. A comparison of the reconstructed microstructures and the optimization histories for both the original correlation-based method and our hybrid approach demonstrates the improved efficiency of the approach. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2013 Royal Microscopical Society.

Hybridization promotes color polymorphism in the aposematic harlequin poison frog, Oophaga histrionica

OpenAIRE

Medina, Iliana; Wang, Ian J; Salazar, Camilo; Amézquita, Adolfo

2013-01-01

Whether hybridization can be a mechanism that drives phenotypic diversity is a widely debated topic in evolutionary biology. In poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), assortative mating has been invoked to explain how new color morphs persist despite the expected homogenizing effects of natural selection. Here, we tested the complementary hypothesis that new morphs arise through hybridization between different color morphs. Specifically, we (1) reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among the st...

Altruism, egoism, or neither: A cognitive-efficiency-based evolutionary biological perspective on helping behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Armin W

2016-04-01

I argue for differences in the cognitive efficiency of different psychologies underlying helping behavior, and present an account of the adaptive pressures that result from these differences. Specifically, I argue that organisms often face pressure to move away from only being egoistically motivated to help: non-egoistic organisms are often able to determine how to help other organisms more quickly and with less recourse to costly cognitive resources like concentration and attention. Furthermore, I also argue that, while these pressures away from pure egoism can lead to the evolution of altruists, they can also lead to the evolution of reciprocation-focused behaviorist helpers or even of reflex-driven helpers (who are neither altruists nor egoists). In this way, I seek to broaden the set of considerations typically taken into account when assessing the evolution of the psychology of helping behavior-which tend to be restricted to matters of reliability-and also try to make clearer the role of evolutionary biological considerations in the discussion of this apparently straightforwardly psychological phenomenon. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient Vaccine Distribution Based on a Hybrid Compartmental Model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiwen Yu

Full Text Available To effectively and efficiently reduce the morbidity and mortality that may be caused by outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, it is very important for public health agencies to make informed decisions for controlling the spread of the disease. Such decisions must incorporate various kinds of intervention strategies, such as vaccinations, school closures and border restrictions. Recently, researchers have paid increased attention to searching for effective vaccine distribution strategies for reducing the effects of pandemic outbreaks when resources are limited. Most of the existing research work has been focused on how to design an effective age-structured epidemic model and to select a suitable vaccine distribution strategy to prevent the propagation of an infectious virus. Models that evaluate age structure effects are common, but models that additionally evaluate geographical effects are less common. In this paper, we propose a new SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious šC recovered model, named the hybrid SEIR-V model (HSEIR-V, which considers not only the dynamics of infection prevalence in several age-specific host populations, but also seeks to characterize the dynamics by which a virus spreads in various geographic districts. Several vaccination strategies such as different kinds of vaccine coverage, different vaccine releasing times and different vaccine deployment methods are incorporated into the HSEIR-V compartmental model. We also design four hybrid vaccination distribution strategies (based on population size, contact pattern matrix, infection rate and infectious risk for controlling the spread of viral infections. Based on data from the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza epidemic, we evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed HSEIR-V model and study the effects of different types of human behaviour in responding to epidemics.

Parallel Evolutionary Optimization Algorithms for Peptide-Protein Docking

Science.gov (United States)

Poluyan, Sergey; Ershov, Nikolay

2018-02-01

In this study we examine the possibility of using evolutionary optimization algorithms in protein-peptide docking. We present the main assumptions that reduce the docking problem to a continuous global optimization problem and provide a way of using evolutionary optimization algorithms. The Rosetta all-atom force field was used for structural representation and energy scoring. We describe the parallelization scheme and MPI/OpenMP realization of the considered algorithms. We demonstrate the efficiency and the performance for some algorithms which were applied to a set of benchmark tests.

Hybrid soft computing systems for electromyographic signals analysis: a review

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Electromyographic (EMG) is a bio-signal collected on human skeletal muscle. Analysis of EMG signals has been widely used to detect human movement intent, control various human-machine interfaces, diagnose neuromuscular diseases, and model neuromusculoskeletal system. With the advances of artificial intelligence and soft computing, many sophisticated techniques have been proposed for such purpose. Hybrid soft computing system (HSCS), the integration of these different techniques, aims to further improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy of EMG analysis. This paper reviews and compares key combinations of neural network, support vector machine, fuzzy logic, evolutionary computing, and swarm intelligence for EMG analysis. Our suggestions on the possible future development of HSCS in EMG analysis are also given in terms of basic soft computing techniques, further combination of these techniques, and their other applications in EMG analysis. PMID:24490979

Increase in the Acceleration Efficiency of Solids in a Hybrid Coaxial Magnetoplasma Accelerator

Science.gov (United States)

Gerasimov, D. Yu.; Sivkov, A. A.

2018-01-01

It is shown that in a hybrid coaxial magnetoplasma accelerator with a channel length of 350 mm and a diameter of 23 mm, the acceleration velocity and the energy conversion efficiency increase as the length of the plasma structure formation channel filled with a gas-generating material decreases from 17 to 9 mm. It is found that it is reasonable to use paraffin as the gas-generating material as it has a less significant deionizing effect on the high-current arc discharge and hence causes a less significant decrease in the discharge current intensity and an increase in conductive and inductive electrodynamic forces.

Colored ultra-thin hybrid photovoltaics with high quantum efficiency for decorative PV applications (Presentation Recording)

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, L. Jay

2015-10-01

This talk will describe an approach to create architecturally compatible and decorative thin-film-based hybrid photovoltaics [1]. Most current solar panels are fabricated via complex processes using expensive semiconductor materials, and they are rigid and heavy with a dull, black appearance. As a result of their non-aesthetic appearance and weight, they are primarily installed on rooftops to minimize their negative impact on building appearance. Recently we introduced dual-function solar cells based on ultra-thin dopant-free amorphous silicon embedded in an optical cavity that not only efficiently extract the photogenerated carriers but also display distinctive colors with the desired angle-insensitive appearances [1,2]. The angle-insensitive behavior is the result of an interesting phase cancellation effect in the optical cavity with respect to angle of light propagation [3]. In order to produce the desired optical effect, the semiconductor layer should be ultra-thin and the traditional doped layers need to be eliminated. We adopted the approach of employing charge transport/blocking layers used in organic solar cells to meet this demand. We showed that the ultra-thin (6 to 31 nm) undoped amorphous silicon/organic hybrid solar cell can transmit desired wavelength of light and that most of the absorbed photons in the undoped a-Si layer contributed to the extracted electric charges. This is because the a-Si layer thickness is smaller than the charge diffusion length, therefore the electron-hole recombination is strongly suppressed in such ultra-thin layer. Reflective colored PVs can be made in a similar fashion. Light-energy-harvesting colored signage was demonstrated. Furthermore, a cascaded photovoltaics scheme based on tunable spectrum splitting can be employed to increase power efficiency by absorbing a broader band of light energy. Our work provides a guideline for optimizing a photoactive layer thickness in high efficiency hybrid PV design, which can be

Hybrid reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.

1980-01-01

The rationale for hybrid fusion-fission reactors is the production of fissile fuel for fission reactors. A new class of reactor, the fission-suppressed hybrid promises unusually good safety features as well as the ability to support 25 light-water reactors of the same nuclear power rating, or even more high-conversion-ratio reactors such as the heavy-water type. One 4000-MW nuclear hybrid can produce 7200 kg of 233 U per year. To obtain good economics, injector efficiency times plasma gain (eta/sub i/Q) should be greater than 2, the wall load should be greater than 1 MW.m -2 , and the hybrid should cost less than 6 times the cost of a light-water reactor. Introduction rates for the fission-suppressed hybrid are usually rapid

Design of Energy Efficient Hybrid Ventilation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heiselberg, Per

The focus in the development has for both systems been to minimise energy consumption while maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. The natural next step in this development is to develop ventilation concepts that utilises and combines the best features from each system......[Mechanical and natural ventilation] into a new type of ventilation system- Hybrid Ventilation....

Early events in speciation: polymorphism for hybrid male sterility in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Laura K; Markow, Therese A

2004-06-15

Capturing the process of speciation early enough to determine the initial genetic causes of reproductive isolation remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. We have found, to our knowledge, the first example of substantial intraspecific polymorphism for genetic factors contributing to hybrid male sterility. Specifically, we show that the occurrence of hybrid male sterility in crosses between Drosophila mojavensis and its sister species, Drosophila arizonae, is controlled by factors present at different frequencies in different populations of D. mojavensis. In addition, we show that hybrid male sterility is a complex phenotype; some hybrid males with motile sperm still cannot sire offspring. Because male sterility factors in hybrids between these species are not yet fixed within D. mojavensis, this system provides an invaluable opportunity to characterize the genetics of reproductive isolation at an early stage.

A hybrid MAC protocol design for energy-efficient very-high-throughput millimeter wave, wireless sensor communication networks

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Jian, Wei; Estevez, Claudio; Chowdhury, Arshad; Jia, Zhensheng; Wang, Jianxin; Yu, Jianguo; Chang, Gee-Kung

2010-12-01

This paper presents an energy-efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for very-high-throughput millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless sensor communication networks (VHT-MSCNs) based on hybrid multiple access techniques of frequency division multiplexing access (FDMA) and time division multiplexing access (TDMA). An energy-efficient Superframe for wireless sensor communication network employing directional mm-wave wireless access technologies is proposed for systems that require very high throughput, such as high definition video signals, for sensing, processing, transmitting, and actuating functions. Energy consumption modeling for each network element and comparisons among various multi-access technologies in term of power and MAC layer operations are investigated for evaluating the energy-efficient improvement of proposed MAC protocol.

An Efficient ABC_DE_Based Hybrid Algorithm for Protein–Ligand Docking

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Boxin Guan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Protein–ligand docking is a process of searching for the optimal binding conformation between the receptor and the ligand. Automated docking plays an important role in drug design, and an efficient search algorithm is needed to tackle the docking problem. To tackle the protein–ligand docking problem more efficiently, An ABC_DE_based hybrid algorithm (ADHDOCK, integrating artificial bee colony (ABC algorithm and differential evolution (DE algorithm, is proposed in the article. ADHDOCK applies an adaptive population partition (APP mechanism to reasonably allocate the computational resources of the population in each iteration process, which helps the novel method make better use of the advantages of ABC and DE. The experiment tested fifty protein–ligand docking problems to compare the performance of ADHDOCK, ABC, DE, Lamarckian genetic algorithm (LGA, running history information guided genetic algorithm (HIGA, and swarm optimization for highly flexible protein–ligand docking (SODOCK. The results clearly exhibit the capability of ADHDOCK toward finding the lowest energy and the smallest root-mean-square deviation (RMSD on most of the protein–ligand docking problems with respect to the other five algorithms.

Novel brewing yeast hybrids: creation and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Krogerus, Kristoffer; Magalhães, Frederico; Vidgren, Virve; Gibson, Brian

2017-01-01

The natural interspecies Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces eubayanus hybrid yeast is responsible for global lager beer production and is one of the most important industrial microorganisms. Its success in the lager brewing environment is due to a combination of traits not commonly found in pure yeast species, principally low-temperature tolerance, and maltotriose utilization. Parental transgression is typical of hybrid organisms and has been exploited previously for, e.g., the production of wine yeast with beneficial properties. The parental strain S. eubayanus has only been discovered recently and newly created lager yeast strains have not yet been applied industrially. A number of reports attest to the feasibility of this approach and artificially created hybrids are likely to have a significant impact on the future of lager brewing. De novo S. cerevisiae × S. eubayanus hybrids outperform their parent strains in a number of respects, including, but not restricted to, fermentation rate, sugar utilization, stress tolerance, and aroma formation. Hybrid genome function and stability, as well as different techniques for generating hybrids and their relative merits are discussed. Hybridization not only offers the possibility of generating novel non-GM brewing yeast strains with unique properties, but is expected to aid in unraveling the complex evolutionary history of industrial lager yeast.

Hybrid Arrangements as a Form of Ecological Modernization: The Case of the US Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anya M. Galli

2016-01-01

Full Text Available How are environmental policy goals implemented and sustained in the context of political stagnation surrounding national climate policies in the United States? In this paper, we discuss Ecological Modernization Theory as a tool for understanding the complexity of climate governance at the sub-national level. In particular, we explore the emergence of hybrid governance arrangements during the local implementation of federal energy efficiency programs in US cities. We analyze the formation and advancement of programs associated with one effort to establish a sub-national low carbon energy policy: the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG program administered by the US Department of Energy. Our findings highlight the diverse range of partnerships between state, private, and civil society actors that emerged through this program and point to some of the challenges associated with collaborative climate governance initiatives at the city level. Although some programs reflected ecologically modern outcomes, other cities were constrained in their ability to move beyond the status quo due to the demands of state bureaucracies and the challenges associated with inconsistent funding. We find that these programs cultivated hybrid arrangements in an effort to sustain the projects following the termination of federal grant funding. Overall, hybrid governance plays an important role in the implementation and long-term sustainability of climate-related policies.

Applications of evolutionary computation in image processing and pattern recognition

CERN Document Server

Cuevas, Erik; Perez-Cisneros, Marco

2016-01-01

This book presents the use of efficient Evolutionary Computation (EC) algorithms for solving diverse real-world image processing and pattern recognition problems. It provides an overview of the different aspects of evolutionary methods in order to enable the reader in reaching a global understanding of the field and, in conducting studies on specific evolutionary techniques that are related to applications in image processing and pattern recognition. It explains the basic ideas of the proposed applications in a way that can also be understood by readers outside of the field. Image processing and pattern recognition practitioners who are not evolutionary computation researchers will appreciate the discussed techniques beyond simple theoretical tools since they have been adapted to solve significant problems that commonly arise on such areas. On the other hand, members of the evolutionary computation community can learn the way in which image processing and pattern recognition problems can be translated into an...

Simulation-optimization framework for multi-site multi-season hybrid stochastic streamflow modeling

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Srivastav, Roshan; Srinivasan, K.; Sudheer, K. P.

2016-11-01

A simulation-optimization (S-O) framework is developed for the hybrid stochastic modeling of multi-site multi-season streamflows. The multi-objective optimization model formulated is the driver and the multi-site, multi-season hybrid matched block bootstrap model (MHMABB) is the simulation engine within this framework. The multi-site multi-season simulation model is the extension of the existing single-site multi-season simulation model. A robust and efficient evolutionary search based technique, namely, non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm (NSGA - II) is employed as the solution technique for the multi-objective optimization within the S-O framework. The objective functions employed are related to the preservation of the multi-site critical deficit run sum and the constraints introduced are concerned with the hybrid model parameter space, and the preservation of certain statistics (such as inter-annual dependence and/or skewness of aggregated annual flows). The efficacy of the proposed S-O framework is brought out through a case example from the Colorado River basin. The proposed multi-site multi-season model AMHMABB (whose parameters are obtained from the proposed S-O framework) preserves the temporal as well as the spatial statistics of the historical flows. Also, the other multi-site deficit run characteristics namely, the number of runs, the maximum run length, the mean run sum and the mean run length are well preserved by the AMHMABB model. Overall, the proposed AMHMABB model is able to show better streamflow modeling performance when compared with the simulation based SMHMABB model, plausibly due to the significant role played by: (i) the objective functions related to the preservation of multi-site critical deficit run sum; (ii) the huge hybrid model parameter space available for the evolutionary search and (iii) the constraint on the preservation of the inter-annual dependence. Split-sample validation results indicate that the AMHMABB model is

Optimality and stability of symmetric evolutionary games with applications in genetic selection.

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Huang, Yuanyuan; Hao, Yiping; Wang, Min; Zhou, Wen; Wu, Zhijun

2015-06-01

Symmetric evolutionary games, i.e., evolutionary games with symmetric fitness matrices, have important applications in population genetics, where they can be used to model for example the selection and evolution of the genotypes of a given population. In this paper, we review the theory for obtaining optimal and stable strategies for symmetric evolutionary games, and provide some new proofs and computational methods. In particular, we review the relationship between the symmetric evolutionary game and the generalized knapsack problem, and discuss the first and second order necessary and sufficient conditions that can be derived from this relationship for testing the optimality and stability of the strategies. Some of the conditions are given in different forms from those in previous work and can be verified more efficiently. We also derive more efficient computational methods for the evaluation of the conditions than conventional approaches. We demonstrate how these conditions can be applied to justifying the strategies and their stabilities for a special class of genetic selection games including some in the study of genetic disorders.

Bucking the trend in wolf-dog hybridization: first evidence from europe of hybridization between female dogs and male wolves.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindrikson, Maris; Männil, Peep; Ozolins, Janis; Krzywinski, Andrzej; Saarma, Urmas

2012-01-01

Studies on hybridization have proved critical for understanding key evolutionary processes such as speciation and adaptation. However, from the perspective of conservation, hybridization poses a concern, as it can threaten the integrity and fitness of many wild species, including canids. As a result of habitat fragmentation and extensive hunting pressure, gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations have declined dramatically in Europe and elsewhere during recent centuries. Small and fragmented populations have persisted, but often only in the presence of large numbers of dogs, which increase the potential for hybridization and introgression to deleteriously affect wolf populations. Here, we demonstrate hybridization between wolf and dog populations in Estonia and Latvia, and the role of both genders in the hybridization process, using combined analysis of maternal, paternal and biparental genetic markers. Eight animals exhibiting unusual external characteristics for wolves - six from Estonia and two from Latvia - proved to be wolf-dog hybrids. However, one of the hybridization events was extraordinary. Previous field observations and genetic studies have indicated that mating between wolves and dogs is sexually asymmetrical, occurring predominantly between female wolves and male dogs. While this was also the case among the Estonian hybrids, our data revealed the existence of dog mitochondrial genomes in the Latvian hybrids and, together with Y chromosome and autosomal microsatellite data, thus provided the first evidence from Europe of mating between male wolves and female dogs. We discuss patterns of sexual asymmetry in wolf-dog hybridization.

Discordant introgression in a rapidly expanding hybrid swarm

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Jessica L.; Blum, Mike J.; Walters, David M.; Porter, Brady A.; Burkhead, Noel; Freeman, Byron

2012-01-01

The erosion of species boundaries can involve rapid evolutionary change. Consequently, many aspects of the process remain poorly understood, including the formation, expansion, and evolution of hybrid swarms. Biological invasions involving hybridization present exceptional opportunities to study the erosion of species boundaries because timelines of interactions and outcomes are frequently well known. Here, we examined clinal variation across codominant and maternally inherited genetic markers as well as phenotypic traits to characterize the expansion and evolution of a hybrid swarm between native Cyprinella venusta and invasive Cyprinella lutrensis minnows. Discordant introgression of phenotype, microsatellite multilocus genotype, and mtDNA haplotype indicates that the observable expansion of the C. venusta x C. lutrensis hybrid swarm is a false invasion front. Both parental and hybrid individuals closely resembling C. lutrensis are numerically dominant in the expansion wake, indicating that the non-native parental phenotype may be selectively favored. These findings show that cryptic introgression can extend beyond the phenotypic boundaries of hybrid swarms and that hybrid swarms likely expand more rapidly than can be documented from phenotypic variation alone. Similarly, dominance of a single parental phenotype following an introduction event may lead to instances of species erosion being mistaken for species displacement without hybridization.

Evolutionary Nephrology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chevalier, Robert L

2017-05-01

Progressive kidney disease follows nephron loss, hyperfiltration, and incomplete repair, a process described as "maladaptive." In the past 20 years, a new discipline has emerged that expands research horizons: evolutionary medicine. In contrast to physiologic (homeostatic) adaptation, evolutionary adaptation is the result of reproductive success that reflects natural selection. Evolutionary explanations for physiologically maladaptive responses can emerge from mismatch of the phenotype with environment or evolutionary tradeoffs. Evolutionary adaptation to a terrestrial environment resulted in a vulnerable energy-consuming renal tubule and a hypoxic, hyperosmolar microenvironment. Natural selection favors successful energy investment strategy: energy is allocated to maintenance of nephron integrity through reproductive years, but this declines with increasing senescence after ~40 years of age. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease include restricted fetal growth or preterm birth (life history tradeoff resulting in fewer nephrons), evolutionary selection for APOL1 mutations (that provide resistance to trypanosome infection, a tradeoff), and modern life experience (Western diet mismatch leading to diabetes and hypertension). Current advances in genomics, epigenetics, and developmental biology have revealed proximate causes of kidney disease, but attempts to slow kidney disease remain elusive. Evolutionary medicine provides a complementary approach by addressing ultimate causes of kidney disease. Marked variation in nephron number at birth, nephron heterogeneity, and changing susceptibility to kidney injury throughout life history are the result of evolutionary processes. Combined application of molecular genetics, evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), developmental programming and life history theory may yield new strategies for prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Evolutionary Nephrology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert L. Chevalier

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Progressive kidney disease follows nephron loss, hyperfiltration, and incomplete repair, a process described as “maladaptive.” In the past 20 years, a new discipline has emerged that expands research horizons: evolutionary medicine. In contrast to physiologic (homeostatic adaptation, evolutionary adaptation is the result of reproductive success that reflects natural selection. Evolutionary explanations for physiologically maladaptive responses can emerge from mismatch of the phenotype with environment or from evolutionary tradeoffs. Evolutionary adaptation to a terrestrial environment resulted in a vulnerable energy-consuming renal tubule and a hypoxic, hyperosmolar microenvironment. Natural selection favors successful energy investment strategy: energy is allocated to maintenance of nephron integrity through reproductive years, but this declines with increasing senescence after ∼40 years of age. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease include restricted fetal growth or preterm birth (life history tradeoff resulting in fewer nephrons, evolutionary selection for APOL1 mutations (which provide resistance to trypanosome infection, a tradeoff, and modern life experience (Western diet mismatch leading to diabetes and hypertension. Current advances in genomics, epigenetics, and developmental biology have revealed proximate causes of kidney disease, but attempts to slow kidney disease remain elusive. Evolutionary medicine provides a complementary approach by addressing ultimate causes of kidney disease. Marked variation in nephron number at birth, nephron heterogeneity, and changing susceptibility to kidney injury throughout the life history are the result of evolutionary processes. Combined application of molecular genetics, evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo, developmental programming, and life history theory may yield new strategies for prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Efficiency enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells by optimization of electrospun ZnO nanowire/nanoparticle hybrid photoanode and combined modification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Lixin; Du, Pingfan; Xiong, Jie; Ko, Frank; Cui, Can

2015-01-01

ZnO nanoparticles (ZNPs) and ZnO nanowires (ZNWs) were fabricated via electrospinning and calcination. The ZNPs and ZNWs were blended with different mass ratio by varying ZNWs from 0% to 100% and serviced as photoanodic film of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) via spin coating. The efficiency of these DSSCs reached a maximum of 2.6% at 20 wt% ZNWs. In order to improve the photovoltaic properties of ZNWs/ZNPs hybrid photoanodic film, the ZNWs/ZNPs hybrid film was modified by the incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into ZnO matrix including both ZNPs and ZNWs combined with TiCl 4 post-treatment. As a result, the efficiency of DSSCs increased from 2.6% to 3.8%, which is mainly attributed to the increased dye loading, faster electron transport, and less electron loss

Performance estimation of photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jin; Xuan, Yimin; Yang, Lili

2014-01-01

A theoretical model for evaluating the efficiency of concentrating PV–TE (photovoltaic–thermoelectric) hybrid system is developed in this paper. Hybrid systems with different photovoltaic cells are studied, including crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell, silicon thin-film photovoltaic cell, polymer photovoltaic cell and copper indium gallium selenide photovoltaic cell. The influence of temperature on the efficiency of photovoltaic cell has been taken into account based on the semiconductor equations, which reveals different efficiency temperature characteristic of polymer photovoltaic cells. It is demonstrated that the polycrystalline silicon thin-film photovoltaic cell is suitable for concentrating PV–TE hybrid system through optimization of the convection heat transfer coefficient and concentrating ratio. The polymer photovoltaic cell is proved to be suitable for non-concentrating PV–TE hybrid system. - Highlights: • Performances of four types of photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid systems are studied. • Temperature is one of dominant factors of affecting the conversion efficiency of PV–TE systems. • One can select a proper PV–TE assembly system according to given operating conditions

Study on lower hybrid current drive efficiency at high density towards long-pulse regimes in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, M. H.; Ding, B. J.; Zhang, J. Z.; Gan, K. F.; Wang, H. Q.; Zhang, L.; Wei, W.; Li, Y. C.; Wu, Z. G.; Ma, W. D.; Jia, H.; Chen, M.; Yang, Y.; Feng, J. Q.; Wang, M.; Xu, H. D.; Shan, J. F.; Liu, F. K.; Peysson, Y.

2014-01-01

Significant progress on both L- and H-mode long-pulse discharges has been made recently in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) with lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) [J. Li et al., Nature Phys. 9, 817 (2013) And B. N. Wan et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 104006 (2013).]. In this paper, LHCD experiments at high density in L-mode plasmas have been investigated in order to explore possible methods of improving current drive (CD) efficiency, thus to extend the operational space in long-pulse and high performance plasma regime. It is observed that the normalized bremsstrahlung emission falls much more steeply than 1/n e-av (line-averaged density) above n e-av  = 2.2 × 10 19  m −3 indicating anomalous loss of CD efficiency. A large broadening of the operating line frequency (f = 2.45 GHz), measured by a radio frequency (RF) probe located outside the EAST vacuum vessel, is generally observed during high density cases, which is found to be one of the physical mechanisms resulting in the unfavorable CD efficiency. Collisional absorption of lower hybrid wave in the scrape off layer (SOL) may be another cause, but this assertion needs more experimental evidence and numerical analysis. It is found that plasmas with strong lithiation can improve CD efficiency largely, which should be benefited from the changes of edge parameters. In addition, several possible methods are proposed to recover good efficiency in future experiments for EAST

An Efficient Framework for EEG Analysis with Application to Hybrid Brain Computer Interfaces Based on Motor Imagery and P300

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyi Long

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The hybrid brain computer interface (BCI based on motor imagery (MI and P300 has been a preferred strategy aiming to improve the detection performance through combining the features of each. However, current methods used for combining these two modalities optimize them separately, which does not result in optimal performance. Here, we present an efficient framework to optimize them together by concatenating the features of MI and P300 in a block diagonal form. Then a linear classifier under a dual spectral norm regularizer is applied to the combined features. Under this framework, the hybrid features of MI and P300 can be learned, selected, and combined together directly. Experimental results on the data set of hybrid BCI based on MI and P300 are provided to illustrate competitive performance of the proposed method against other conventional methods. This provides an evidence that the method used here contributes to the discrimination performance of the brain state in hybrid BCI.

Nuclear and plastid markers reveal the persistence of genetic identity: a new perspective on the evolutionary history of Petunia exserta.

Science.gov (United States)

Segatto, Ana Lúcia Anversa; Cazé, Ana Luíza Ramos; Turchetto, Caroline; Klahre, Ulrich; Kuhlemeier, Cris; Bonatto, Sandro Luis; Freitas, Loreta Brandão

2014-01-01

Recently divergent species that can hybridize are ideal models for investigating the genetic exchanges that can occur while preserving the species boundaries. Petunia exserta is an endemic species from a very limited and specific area that grows exclusively in rocky shelters. These shaded spots are an inhospitable habitat for all other Petunia species, including the closely related and widely distributed species P. axillaris. Individuals with intermediate morphologic characteristics have been found near the rocky shelters and were believed to be putative hybrids between P. exserta and P. axillaris, suggesting a situation where Petunia exserta is losing its genetic identity. In the current study, we analyzed the plastid intergenic spacers trnS/trnG and trnH/psbA and six nuclear CAPS markers in a large sampling design of both species to understand the evolutionary process occurring in this biological system. Bayesian clustering methods, cpDNA haplotype networks, genetic diversity statistics, and coalescence-based analyses support a scenario where hybridization occurs while two genetic clusters corresponding to two species are maintained. Our results reinforce the importance of coupling differentially inherited markers with an extensive geographic sample to assess the evolutionary dynamics of recently diverged species that can hybridize. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary molecular medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesse, Randolph M; Ganten, Detlev; Gregory, T Ryan; Omenn, Gilbert S

2012-05-01

Evolution has long provided a foundation for population genetics, but some major advances in evolutionary biology from the twentieth century that provide foundations for evolutionary medicine are only now being applied in molecular medicine. They include the need for both proximate and evolutionary explanations, kin selection, evolutionary models for cooperation, competition between alleles, co-evolution, and new strategies for tracing phylogenies and identifying signals of selection. Recent advances in genomics are transforming evolutionary biology in ways that create even more opportunities for progress at its interfaces with genetics, medicine, and public health. This article reviews 15 evolutionary principles and their applications in molecular medicine in hopes that readers will use them and related principles to speed the development of evolutionary molecular medicine.

Recent hybrid origin of three rare chinese turtles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuart, Bryan L.; Parham, James F.

2006-02-07

Three rare geoemydid turtles described from Chinese tradespecimens in the early 1990s, Ocadia glyphistoma, O. philippeni, andSacalia pseudocellata, are suspected to be hybrids because they are knownonly from their original descriptions and because they have morphologiesintermediate between other, better-known species. We cloned the allelesof a bi-parentally inherited nuclear intron from samples of these threespecies. The two aligned parental alleles of O. glyphistoma, O.philippeni, and S. pseudocellata have 5-11.5 times more heterozygouspositions than do 13 other geoemydid species. Phylogenetic analysis showsthat the two alleles from each turtle are strongly paraphyletic, butcorrectly match sequences of other species that were hypothesized frommorphology to be their parental species. We conclude that these rareturtles represent recent hybrids rather than valid species. Specifically,"O. glyphistoma" is a hybrid of Mauremys sinensis and M. cf. annamensis,"O. philippeni" is a hybrid of M. sinensis and Cuora trifasciata, and "S.pseudocellata" is a hybrid of C. trifasciata and S. quadriocellata.Conservation resources are better directed toward finding and protectingpopulations of other rare Southeast Asian turtles that do representdistinct evolutionary lineages.

Silver nanowire-graphene hybrid transparent conductive electrodes for highly efficient inverted organic solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Neng; Yan, Jielin; Xie, Shuang; Kong, Yuhan; Liang, Tao; Chen, Hongzheng; Xu, Mingsheng

2017-07-01

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) and graphene are both promising candidates as a transparent conductive electrode (TCE) to replace expensive and fragile indium tin oxide (ITO) TCE. A synergistically optimized performance is expected when the advantages of AgNWs and graphene are combined. In this paper, the AgNW-graphene hybrid electrode is constructed by depositing a graphene layer on top of the network of AgNWs. Compared with the pristine AgNWs electrode, the AgNW-graphene TCE exhibits reduced sheet resistance, lower surface roughness, excellent long-term stability, and corrosion resistance in corrosive liquids. The graphene layer covering the AgNWs provides additional conduction pathways for electron transport and collection by the electrode. Benefiting from these advantages of the hybrid electrodes, we achieve a power conversion efficiency of 8.12% of inverted organic solar cells using PTB7:PC71BM as the active layer, which is compared to that of the solar cells based on standard ITO TCE but about 10% higher than that based on AgNWs TCE.

Efficient Management for Hybrid Memory in Managed Language Runtime

OpenAIRE

Wang , Chenxi; Cao , Ting; Zigman , John; Lv , Fang; Zhang , Yunquan; Feng , Xiaobing

2016-01-01

Part 1: Memory: Non-Volatile, Solid State Drives, Hybrid Systems; International audience; Hybrid memory, which leverages the benefits of traditional DRAM and emerging memory technologies, is a promising alternative for future main memory design. However popular management policies through memory-access recording and page migration may invoke non-trivial overhead in execution time and hardware space. Nowadays, managed language applications are increasingly dominant in every kind of platform. M...

Evolved finite state controller for hybrid system in reduced search space

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dupuis, Jean-Francois; Fan, Zhun

2009-01-01

This paper presents an evolutionary methodology to automatically generate finite state automata (FSA) controllers to control hybrid systems. The proposed approach reduces the search space using an invariant analysis of the system. FSA controllers for a case study of two-tank system have been...

Charge separation dynamics in a narrow band gap polymer-PbS nanocrystal blend for efficient hybrid solar cells

OpenAIRE

Piliego, Claudia; Manca, Marianna; Kroon, Renee; Yarema, Maksym; Szendrei, Krisztina; Andersson, Mats R.; Heiss, Wolfgang; Loi, Maria A.

2012-01-01

We have demonstrated efficient hybrid solar cells based on lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals and a narrow band gap polymer, poly[{2,5-bis(2-hexyldecyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-diyl}-alt-{[2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)bis-thiophene]-5,5'-diyl}], (PDPPTPT). An opportune mixing of the two materials led to the formation of an energetically favorable bulk hetero-junction with a broad spectral response. Using a basic device structure, we reached a power conversion efficiency of s...

Adaptation and hybridization in computational intelligence

CERN Document Server

Jr, Iztok

2015-01-01

  This carefully edited book takes a walk through recent advances in adaptation and hybridization in the Computational Intelligence (CI) domain. It consists of ten chapters that are divided into three parts. The first part illustrates background information and provides some theoretical foundation tackling the CI domain, the second part deals with the adaptation in CI algorithms, while the third part focuses on the hybridization in CI. This book can serve as an ideal reference for researchers and students of computer science, electrical and civil engineering, economy, and natural sciences that are confronted with solving the optimization, modeling and simulation problems. It covers the recent advances in CI that encompass Nature-inspired algorithms, like Artificial Neural networks, Evolutionary Algorithms and Swarm Intelligence –based algorithms.  

Radiation, ecology and the invalid LNT model: the evolutionary imperative.

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Peter A

2006-09-27

Metabolic and energetic efficiency, and hence fitness of organisms to survive, should be maximal in their habitats. This tenet of evolutionary biology invalidates the linear-no threshold (LNT) model for the risk consequences of environmental agents. Hormesis in response to selection for maximum metabolic and energetic efficiency, or minimum metabolic imbalance, to adapt to a stressed world dominated by oxidative stress should therefore be universal. Radiation hormetic zones extending substantially beyond common background levels, can be explained by metabolic interactions among multiple abiotic stresses. Demographic and experimental data are mainly in accord with this expectation. Therefore, non-linearity becomes the primary model for assessing risks from low-dose ionizing radiation. This is the evolutionary imperative upon which risk assessment for radiation should be based.

Charge separation dynamics in a narrow band gap polymer-PbS nanocrystal blend for efficient hybrid solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Piliego, Claudia; Manca, Marianna; Kroon, Renee; Yarema, Maksym; Szendrei, Krisztina; Andersson, Mats R.; Heiss, Wolfgang; Loi, Maria A.

2012-01-01

We have demonstrated efficient hybrid solar cells based on lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals and a narrow band gap polymer, poly[{2,5-bis(2-hexyldecyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-3,6-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-diyl}-alt-{[2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)bis-thiophene]-5,5'-diyl}], (PDPPTPT). An opportune mixing of

Species collapse via hybridization in Darwin's tree finches.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleindorfer, Sonia; O'Connor, Jody A; Dudaniec, Rachael Y; Myers, Steven A; Robertson, Jeremy; Sulloway, Frank J

2014-03-01

Species hybridization can lead to fitness costs, species collapse, and novel evolutionary trajectories in changing environments. Hybridization is predicted to be more common when environmental conditions change rapidly. Here, we test patterns of hybridization in three sympatric tree finch species (small tree finch Camarhynchus parvulus, medium tree finch Camarhynchus pauper, and large tree finch: Camarhynchus psittacula) that are currently recognized on Floreana Island, Galápagos Archipelago. Genetic analysis of microsatellite data from contemporary samples showed two genetic populations and one hybrid cluster in both 2005 and 2010; hybrid individuals were derived from genetic population 1 (small morph) and genetic population 2 (large morph). Females of the large and rare species were more likely to pair with males of the small common species. Finch populations differed in morphology in 1852-1906 compared with 2005/2010. An unsupervised clustering method showed (a) support for three morphological clusters in the historical tree finch sample (1852-1906), which is consistent with current species recognition; (b) support for two or three morphological clusters in 2005 with some (19%) hybridization; and (c) support for just two morphological clusters in 2010 with frequent (41%) hybridization. We discuss these findings in relation to species demarcations of Camarhynchus tree finches on Floreana Island.

Hybridization Associated with Cycles of Ecological Succession in a Passerine Bird.

Science.gov (United States)

Duckworth, Renée A; Semenov, Georgy A

2017-10-01

Identifying the diversity of contexts that can lead to hybridization is important for understanding its prevalence and dynamics in natural populations. Despite the potential of ecological succession to dramatically alter species co-occurrence and abundances, it is unknown whether it directly promotes hybridization and, if so, has long-lasting consequences. Here, we summarize 30 years of survey data across 10 populations to show that in western and mountain bluebirds, heterospecific pairing occurs during repeatable and transient colonization events at the early stages of species turnover. Despite mixed pairing occurring only during early succession, genetic data showed presence of hybrids at both early and late successional stages. Moreover, hybrids showed novel patterns of variation in morphology and behavior, emphasizing that even ephemeral contexts for hybridization can have important evolutionary consequences. Our results suggest that because ecological succession often brings together closely related competitors in disparate numbers but lasts for only a brief period of time, it may be a widespread but underappreciated context for hybridization.

Fabrication of Te@Au core-shell hybrids for efficient ethanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Huile; Wang, Demeng; Zhao, Yuewu; Zhou, Huan; Wang, Shun; Wang, Jichang

2012-10-01

Using Au nanoparticles to catalyze the oxidation of alcohols has garnered increasing attention due to its potential application in direct alcohol fuel cells. In this research Te@Au core-shell hybrids were fabricated for the catalytic oxidation of ethanol, where the preparation procedure involved the initial production of Te crystals with different microstructures and the subsequent utilization of the Te crystal as a template and reducing agent for the production of Te@Au hybrids. The as-prepared core-shell hybrids were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Electrochemical measurements illustrate that the hybrids have great electrocatalytic activity and stability toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The enhanced electrocatalytic property may be attributed to the cooperative effects between the metal and semiconductor and the presence of a large number of active sites on the hybrids surface.

Reconstruction of the evolutionary history of Saccharomyces cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii hybrids based on multilocus sequence analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Peris

Full Text Available In recent years, interspecific hybridization and introgression are increasingly recognized as significant events in the evolution of Saccharomyces yeasts. These mechanisms have probably been involved in the origin of novel yeast genotypes and phenotypes, which in due course were to colonize and predominate in the new fermentative environments created by human manipulation. The particular conditions in which hybrids arose are still unknown, as well as the number of possible hybridization events that generated the whole set of natural hybrids described in the literature during recent years. In this study, we could infer at least six different hybridization events that originated a set of 26 S. cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii hybrids isolated from both fermentative and non-fermentative environments. Different wine S. cerevisiae strains and European S. kudriavzevii strains were probably involved in the hybridization events according to gene sequence information, as well as from previous data on their genome composition and ploidy. Finally, we postulate that these hybrids may have originated after the introduction of vine growing and winemaking practices by the Romans to the present Northern vine-growing limits and spread during the expansion of improved viticulture and enology practices that occurred during the Late Middle Ages.

Reconstruction of the Evolutionary History of Saccharomyces cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii Hybrids Based on Multilocus Sequence Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Peris, David; Lopes, Christian A.; Arias, Armando; Barrio, Eladio

2012-01-01

In recent years, interspecific hybridization and introgression are increasingly recognized as significant events in the evolution of Saccharomyces yeasts. These mechanisms have probably been involved in the origin of novel yeast genotypes and phenotypes, which in due course were to colonize and predominate in the new fermentative environments created by human manipulation. The particular conditions in which hybrids arose are still unknown, as well as the number of possible hybridization events that generated the whole set of natural hybrids described in the literature during recent years. In this study, we could infer at least six different hybridization events that originated a set of 26 S. cerevisiae x S. kudriavzevii hybrids isolated from both fermentative and non-fermentative environments. Different wine S. cerevisiae strains and European S. kudriavzevii strains were probably involved in the hybridization events according to gene sequence information, as well as from previous data on their genome composition and ploidy. Finally, we postulate that these hybrids may have originated after the introduction of vine growing and winemaking practices by the Romans to the present Northern vine-growing limits and spread during the expansion of improved viticulture and enology practices that occurred during the Late Middle Ages. PMID:23049811

Evolutionary experimentation through hybridization under laboratory condition in Drosophila: Evidence for Recombinational Speciation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramachandra Nallur B

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Drosophila nasuta nasuta (2n = 8 and Drosophila nasuta albomicans (2n = 6 are a pair of sibling allopatric chromosomal cross-fertile races of the nasuta subgroup of immigrans species group of Drosophila. Interracial hybridization between these two races has given rise to new karyotypic strains called Cytorace 1 and Cytorace 2 (first phase. Further hybridization between Thailand strain of D. n. albomicans and D. n. nasuta of Coorg strain has resulted in the evolution of two more Cytoraces, namely Cytorace 3 and Cytorace 4 (second phase. The third phase Cytoraces (Cytorace 5 to Cytorace 16 have evolved through interracial hybridization among first, second phase Cytoraces along with parental races. Each of these Cytoraces is composed of recombined genomes of the parental races. Here, we have made an attempt to systematically assess the impact of hybridization on karyotypes, morphometric and life history traits in all 16 Cytoraces. Results The results reveal that in most cases, the newly evolved Cytoraces, with different chromosome constitutions, exhibit decreased body size, better fitness and live longer than their parents. Particularly, Cytorace 5, 6 and 8 have evolved with very much higher range values of quantitative traits than the parents and other Cytoraces, which suggests the role of transgressive segregation in the evolution of these Cytoraces. Conclusion Thus, the rapid divergence recorded in the chromosomes, karyotypes, body size and fitness traits of Cytoraces exhibit the early event of recombinational raciation / speciation in the evolution of the Cytoraces under laboratory conditions.

Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruchuan

2014-01-01

Inorganic/organic hybrid solar cells have attracted a lot of interest due to their potential in combining the advantages of both components. To understand the key issues in association with photoinduced charge separation/transportation processes and to improve overall power conversion efficiency, various combinations with nanostructures of hybrid systems have been investigated. Here, we briefly review the structures of hybrid nanocomposites studied so far, and attempt to associate the power conversion efficiency with these nanostructures. Subsequently, we are then able to summarize the factors for optimizing the performance of inorganic/organic hybrid solar cells. PMID:28788591

An adaptive hybrid EnKF-OI scheme for efficient state-parameter estimation of reactive contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad; Valstar, Johan R.; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2014-01-01

Reactive contaminant transport models are used by hydrologists to simulate and study the migration and fate of industrial waste in subsurface aquifers. Accurate transport modeling of such waste requires clear understanding of the system's parameters, such as sorption and biodegradation. In this study, we present an efficient sequential data assimilation scheme that computes accurate estimates of aquifer contamination and spatially variable sorption coefficients. This assimilation scheme is based on a hybrid formulation of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and optimal interpolation (OI) in which solute concentration measurements are assimilated via a recursive dual estimation of sorption coefficients and contaminant state variables. This hybrid EnKF-OI scheme is used to mitigate background covariance limitations due to ensemble under-sampling and neglected model errors. Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic aquifer in which cobalt-60, a radioactive contaminant, is leached in a saturated heterogeneous clayey sandstone zone. Assimilation experiments are investigated under different settings and sources of model and observational errors. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid EnKF-OI scheme successfully recovers both the contaminant and the sorption rate and reduces their uncertainties. Sensitivity analyses also suggest that the adaptive hybrid scheme remains effective with small ensembles, allowing to reduce the ensemble size by up to 80% with respect to the standard EnKF scheme. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

An adaptive hybrid EnKF-OI scheme for efficient state-parameter estimation of reactive contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2014-09-01

Reactive contaminant transport models are used by hydrologists to simulate and study the migration and fate of industrial waste in subsurface aquifers. Accurate transport modeling of such waste requires clear understanding of the system\\'s parameters, such as sorption and biodegradation. In this study, we present an efficient sequential data assimilation scheme that computes accurate estimates of aquifer contamination and spatially variable sorption coefficients. This assimilation scheme is based on a hybrid formulation of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and optimal interpolation (OI) in which solute concentration measurements are assimilated via a recursive dual estimation of sorption coefficients and contaminant state variables. This hybrid EnKF-OI scheme is used to mitigate background covariance limitations due to ensemble under-sampling and neglected model errors. Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic aquifer in which cobalt-60, a radioactive contaminant, is leached in a saturated heterogeneous clayey sandstone zone. Assimilation experiments are investigated under different settings and sources of model and observational errors. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid EnKF-OI scheme successfully recovers both the contaminant and the sorption rate and reduces their uncertainties. Sensitivity analyses also suggest that the adaptive hybrid scheme remains effective with small ensembles, allowing to reduce the ensemble size by up to 80% with respect to the standard EnKF scheme. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Chemical evolutionary games.

Science.gov (United States)

Aristotelous, Andreas C; Durrett, Richard

2014-05-01

Inspired by the use of hybrid cellular automata in modeling cancer, we introduce a generalization of evolutionary games in which cells produce and absorb chemicals, and the chemical concentrations dictate the death rates of cells and their fitnesses. Our long term aim is to understand how the details of the interactions in a system with n species and m chemicals translate into the qualitative behavior of the system. Here, we study two simple 2×2 games with two chemicals and revisit the two and three species versions of the one chemical colicin system studied earlier by Durrett and Levin (1997). We find that in the 2×2 examples, the behavior of our new spatial model can be predicted from that of the mean field differential equation using ideas of Durrett and Levin (1994). However, in the three species colicin model, the system with diffusion does not have the coexistence which occurs in the lattices model in which sites interact with only their nearest neighbors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Highly efficient hybrid energy generator: coupled organic photovoltaic device and randomly oriented electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Boongik; Lee, Kihwan; Park, Jongjin; Kim, Jongmin; Kim, Ohyun

2013-03-01

A hybrid architecture consisting of an inverted organic photovoltaic device and a randomly-oriented electrospun PVDF piezoelectric device was fabricated as a highly-efficient energy generator. It uses the inverted photovoltaic device with coupled electrospun PVDF nanofibers as tandem structure to convert solar and mechanical vibrations energy to electricity simultaneously or individually. The power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic device was also significantly improved up to 4.72% by optimized processes such as intrinsic ZnO, MoO3 and active layer. A simple electrospinning method with the two electrode technique was adopted to achieve a high voltage of - 300 mV in PVDF piezoelectric fibers. Highly-efficient HEG using voltage adder circuit provides the conceptual possibility of realizing multi-functional energy generator whenever and wherever various energy sources are available.

On the complexity of the Saccharomyces bayanus taxon: hybridization and potential hybrid speciation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Pérez-Través

Full Text Available Although the genus Saccharomyces has been thoroughly studied, some species in the genus has not yet been accurately resolved; an example is S. bayanus, a taxon that includes genetically diverse lineages of pure and hybrid strains. This diversity makes the assignation and classification of strains belonging to this species unclear and controversial. They have been subdivided by some authors into two varieties (bayanus and uvarum, which have been raised to the species level by others. In this work, we evaluate the complexity of 46 different strains included in the S. bayanus taxon by means of PCR-RFLP analysis and by sequencing of 34 gene regions and one mitochondrial gene. Using the sequence data, and based on the S. bayanus var. bayanus reference strain NBRC 1948, a hypothetical pure S. bayanus was reconstructed for these genes that showed alleles with similarity values lower than 97% with the S. bayanus var. uvarum strain CBS 7001, and of 99-100% with the non S. cerevisiae portion in S. pastorianus Weihenstephan 34/70 and with the new species S. eubayanus. Among the S. bayanus strains under study, different levels of homozygosity, hybridization and introgression were found; however, no pure S. bayanus var. bayanus strain was identified. These S. bayanus hybrids can be classified into two types: homozygous (type I and heterozygous hybrids (type II, indicating that they have been originated by different hybridization processes. Therefore, a putative evolutionary scenario involving two different hybridization events between a S. bayanus var. uvarum and unknown European S. eubayanus-like strains can be postulated to explain the genomic diversity observed in our S. bayanus var. bayanus strains.

The evolutionary turnover of recombination hot spots contributes to speciation in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Smagulova, Fatima; Brick, Kevin; Pu, Yongmei; Camerini-Otero, R Daniel; Petukhova, Galina V

2016-02-01

Meiotic recombination is required for the segregation of homologous chromosomes and is essential for fertility. In most mammals, the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that initiate meiotic recombination are directed to a subset of genomic loci (hot spots) by sequence-specific binding of the PRDM9 protein. Rapid evolution of the DNA-binding specificity of PRDM9 and gradual erosion of PRDM9-binding sites by gene conversion will alter the recombination landscape over time. To better understand the evolutionary turnover of recombination hot spots and its consequences, we mapped DSB hot spots in four major subspecies of Mus musculus with different Prdm9 alleles and in their F1 hybrids. We found that hot spot erosion governs the preferential usage of some Prdm9 alleles over others in hybrid mice and increases sequence diversity specifically at hot spots that become active in the hybrids. As crossovers are disfavored at such hot spots, we propose that sequence divergence generated by hot spot turnover may create an impediment for recombination in hybrids, potentially leading to reduced fertility and, eventually, speciation. Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Hybridization rates between lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and its wild relative (L. serriola) under field conditions

OpenAIRE

D'Andrea, Luigi; Felber, François; Guadagnuolo, Roberto

2008-01-01

Hybridization and introgression between crops and wild relatives may have important evolutionary and ecological consequences such as gene swamping or increased invasiveness. In the present study, we investigated hybridization under field conditions between crop lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and its wild relative prickly lettuce (L. serriola), two cross-compatible, predominantly autogamous and insect pollinated species. In 2003 and 2004, we estimated the rates of hybridization between L. sativa and...

Evolutionary fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks for classification of semiconductor defects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Shing Chiang; Watada, Junzo; Ibrahim, Zuwairie; Khalid, Marzuki

2015-05-01

Wafer defect detection using an intelligent system is an approach of quality improvement in semiconductor manufacturing that aims to enhance its process stability, increase production capacity, and improve yields. Occasionally, only few records that indicate defective units are available and they are classified as a minority group in a large database. Such a situation leads to an imbalanced data set problem, wherein it engenders a great challenge to deal with by applying machine-learning techniques for obtaining effective solution. In addition, the database may comprise overlapping samples of different classes. This paper introduces two models of evolutionary fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) neural networks to deal with the imbalanced data set problems in a semiconductor manufacturing operations. In particular, both the FAM models and hybrid genetic algorithms are integrated in the proposed evolutionary artificial neural networks (EANNs) to classify an imbalanced data set. In addition, one of the proposed EANNs incorporates a facility to learn overlapping samples of different classes from the imbalanced data environment. The classification results of the proposed evolutionary FAM neural networks are presented, compared, and analyzed using several classification metrics. The outcomes positively indicate the effectiveness of the proposed networks in handling classification problems with imbalanced data sets.

Consumption and efficiency of a passenger car with a hydrogen/oxygen PEFC based hybrid electric drivetrain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buechi, F.N.; Dietrich, P.; Tsukada, A.; Koetz, R.; Freunberger, S.A. [Paul Scherrer Institut, Electrochemistry Laboratory, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Paganelli, G.; Laurent, D.; Varenne, P.; Delfino, A.; Magne, P.A.; Walser, D.; Olsommer, D. [Conception et Developpement Michelin, Route Andre-Piller 30, CH-1762 Givisiez (Switzerland)

2007-08-15

The main factors for reducing the consumption of a vehicle are reduction of curb weight, air drag and increase in the drivetrain efficiency. Highly efficient drivetrains can be developed based on PEFC technology and curb weight may be limited by an innovative vehicle construction. In this paper, data on consumption and efficiency of a four-place passenger vehicle with a curb weight of 850 kg and an H{sub 2}/O{sub 2} fed PEFC/Supercap hybrid electric powertrain are presented. Hydrogen consumption in the New European Driving Cycle is 0.67 kg H{sub 2}/100 km, which corresponds to a gasoline equivalent consumption of 2.5 l/100 km. When including the energy needed to supply pure oxygen, the calculated consumption increases from 0.67 to 0.69-0.79 kg H{sub 2}/100 km, depending on the method of oxygen production. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A solution to energy and environmental problems of electric power system using hybrid harmony search-random search optimization algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vikram Kumar Kamboj

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, global warming and carbon dioxide (CO2 emission reduction have become important issues in India, as CO2 emission levels are continuing to rise in accordance with the increased volume of Indian national energy consumption under the pressure of global warming, it is crucial for Indian government to impose the effective policy to promote CO2 emission reduction. Challenge of supplying the nation with high quality and reliable electrical energy at a reasonable cost, converted government policy into deregulation and restructuring environment. This research paper presents aims to presents an effective solution for energy and environmental problems of electric power using an efficient and powerful hybrid optimization algorithm: Hybrid Harmony search-random search algorithm. The proposed algorithm is tested for standard IEEE-14 bus, -30 bus and -56 bus system. The effectiveness of proposed hybrid algorithm is compared with others well known evolutionary, heuristics and meta-heuristics search algorithms. For multi-objective unit commitment, it is found that as there are conflicting relationship between cost and emission, if the performance in cost criterion is improved, performance in the emission is seen to deteriorate.

Evolutionary thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Tam

2014-01-01

Evolution as an idea has a lengthy history, even though the idea of evolution is generally associated with Darwin today. Rebecca Stott provides an engaging and thoughtful overview of this history of evolutionary thinking in her 2013 book, Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution. Since Darwin, the debate over evolution—both how it takes place and, in a long war of words with religiously-oriented thinkers, whether it takes place—has been sustained and heated. A growing share of this debate is now devoted to examining how evolutionary thinking affects areas outside of biology. How do our lives change when we recognize that all is in flux? What can we learn about life more generally if we study change instead of stasis? Carter Phipps’ book, Evolutionaries: Unlocking the Spiritual and Cultural Potential of Science's Greatest Idea, delves deep into this relatively new development. Phipps generally takes as a given the validity of the Modern Synthesis of evolutionary biology. His story takes us into, as the subtitle suggests, the spiritual and cultural implications of evolutionary thinking. Can religion and evolution be reconciled? Can evolutionary thinking lead to a new type of spirituality? Is our culture already being changed in ways that we don't realize by evolutionary thinking? These are all important questions and Phipps book is a great introduction to this discussion. Phipps is an author, journalist, and contributor to the emerging “integral” or “evolutionary” cultural movement that combines the insights of Integral Philosophy, evolutionary science, developmental psychology, and the social sciences. He has served as the Executive Editor of EnlightenNext magazine (no longer published) and more recently is the co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a public policy think tank addressing the cultural roots of America's political challenges. What follows is an email interview with Phipps. PMID:26478766

The Causes and Evolutionary Consequences of Mixed Singing in Two Hybridizing Songbird Species (Luscinia spp.)

Science.gov (United States)

Vokurková, Jana; Petrusková, Tereza; Reifová, Radka; Kozman, Alexandra; Mořkovský, Libor; Kipper, Silke; Weiss, Michael; Reif, Jiří; Dolata, Paweł T.; Petrusek, Adam

2013-01-01

Bird song plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of prezygotic reproductive barriers. When two closely related species come into secondary contact, song convergence caused by acquisition of heterospecific songs into the birds’ repertoires is often observed. The proximate mechanisms responsible for such mixed singing, and its effect on the speciation process, are poorly understood. We used a combination of genetic and bioacoustic analyses to test whether mixed singing observed in the secondary contact zone of two passerine birds, the Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) and the Common Nightingale (L. megarhynchos), is caused by introgressive hybridization. We analysed song recordings of both species from allopatric and sympatric populations together with genotype data from one mitochondrial and seven nuclear loci. Semi-automated comparisons of our recordings with an extensive catalogue of Common Nightingale song types confirmed that most of the analysed sympatric Thrush Nightingale males were ‘mixed singers’ that use heterospecific song types in their repertoires. None of these ‘mixed singers’ possessed any alleles introgressed from the Common Nightingale, suggesting that they were not backcross hybrids. We also analysed songs of five individuals with intermediate phenotype, which were identified as F1 hybrids between the Thrush Nightingale female and the Common Nightingale male by genetic analysis. Songs of three of these hybrids corresponded to the paternal species (Common Nightingale) but the remaining two sung a mixed song. Our results suggest that although hybridization might increase the tendency for learning songs from both parental species, interspecific cultural transmission is the major proximate mechanism explaining the occurrence of mixed singers among the sympatric Thrush Nightingales. We also provide evidence that mixed singing does not substantially increase the rate of interspecific hybridization and discuss the

Modeling low cost hybrid tandem photovoltaics with the potential for efficiencies exceeding 20%

KAUST Repository

Beiley, Zach M.

2012-01-01

It is estimated that for photovoltaics to reach grid parity around the planet, they must be made with costs under $0.50 per W p and must also achieve power conversion efficiencies above 20% in order to keep installation costs down. In this work we explore a novel solar cell architecture, a hybrid tandem photovoltaic (HTPV), and show that it is capable of meeting these targets. HTPV is composed of an inexpensive and low temperature processed solar cell, such as an organic or dye-sensitized solar cell, that can be printed on top of one of a variety of more traditional inorganic solar cells. Our modeling shows that an organic solar cell may be added on top of a commercial CIGS cell to improve its efficiency from 15.1% to 21.4%, thereby reducing the cost of the modules by ∼15% to 20% and the cost of installation by up to 30%. This suggests that HTPV is a promising option for producing solar power that matches the cost of existing grid energy. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Optimising the operation of hybrid coolers by means of efficient control equipment; Optimierung der Betriebsweise von Hybridkuehlern durch effiziente Steuerungstechnik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Odrich, T.; Koenig, H. [Jaeggi/Guentner (Schweiz) AG, Trimbach (Switzerland)

2007-07-01

Due to its functional principle and design, the hybrid dry cooler holds a high potential for saving water and energy. Purely convective heat discharge during dry operation in the case of a high annual rate of utilisation, evaporative cooling during the wetting cycle at peak load times or high ambient temperatures and infinitely adjustable fan speed in both operating modes permit a very substantial recooling performance at low operating costs and with little space requirement. However, the efficiency of hybrid dry coolers depends to a large degree on how intelligently the cooling functions are controlled and on the control strategy. The present article demonstrates that the control strategy contributes decisively to minimising water and energy consumption and costs. Besides describing the actual functions of a hybrid cooler control system it presents a control strategy for automatic lowering of the setpoint and hence optimisation of the refrigeration process. It discusses the option of operating multiple hybrid coolers by means of a hydraulic network and presents an optimised control concept for this purpose which is based on a master control unit. In conclusion the study shows that hybrid coolers need their own optimised control unit if maximum savings in energy and water are to be achieved.

Nash evolutionary algorithms : Testing problem size in reconstruction problems in frame structures

OpenAIRE

Greiner, D.; Periaux, Jacques; Emperador, J.M.; Galván, B.; Winter, G.

2016-01-01

The use of evolutionary algorithms has been enhanced in recent years for solving real engineering problems, where the requirements of intense computational calculations are needed, especially when computational engineering simulations are involved (use of finite element method, boundary element method, etc). The coupling of game-theory concepts in evolutionary algorithms has been a recent line of research which could enhance the efficiency of the optimum design procedure and th...

Solution-processed highly conductive PEDOT:PSS/AgNW/GO transparent film for efficient organic-Si hybrid solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Qiaojing; Song, Tao; Cui, Wei; Liu, Yuqiang; Xu, Weidong; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Sun, Baoquan

2015-02-11

Hybrid solar cells based on n-Si/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene- sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) heterojunction promise to be a low cost photovoltaic technology by using simple device structure and easy fabrication process. However, due to the low conductivity of PEDOT:PSS, a metal grid deposited by vacuum evaporation method is still required to enhance the charge collection efficiency, which complicates the device fabrication process. Here, a solution-processed graphene oxide (GO)-welded silver nanowires (AgNWs) transparent conductive electrode (TCE) was employed to replace the vacuum deposited metal grid. A unique "sandwich" structure was developed by embedding an AgNW network between PEDOT:PSS and GO with a figure-of-merit of 8.6×10(-3) Ω(-1), which was even higher than that of sputtered indium tin oxide electrode (6.6×10(-3) Ω(-1)). A champion power conversion efficiency of 13.3% was achieved, because of the decreased series resistance of the TCEs as well as the enhanced built-in potential (Vbi) in the hybrid solar cells. The TCEs were obtained by facile low-temperature solution process method, which was compatible with cost-effective mass production technology.

Hybrid surrogate-model-based multi-fidelity efficient global optimization applied to helicopter blade design

Science.gov (United States)

Ariyarit, Atthaphon; Sugiura, Masahiko; Tanabe, Yasutada; Kanazaki, Masahiro

2018-06-01

A multi-fidelity optimization technique by an efficient global optimization process using a hybrid surrogate model is investigated for solving real-world design problems. The model constructs the local deviation using the kriging method and the global model using a radial basis function. The expected improvement is computed to decide additional samples that can improve the model. The approach was first investigated by solving mathematical test problems. The results were compared with optimization results from an ordinary kriging method and a co-kriging method, and the proposed method produced the best solution. The proposed method was also applied to aerodynamic design optimization of helicopter blades to obtain the maximum blade efficiency. The optimal shape obtained by the proposed method achieved performance almost equivalent to that obtained using the high-fidelity, evaluation-based single-fidelity optimization. Comparing all three methods, the proposed method required the lowest total number of high-fidelity evaluation runs to obtain a converged solution.

Hybrid PolyLingual Object Model: An Efficient and Seamless Integration of Java and Native Components on the Dalvik Virtual Machine

OpenAIRE

Yukun Huang; Rong Chen; Jingbo Wei; Xilong Pei; Jing Cao; Prem Prakash Jayaraman; Rajiv Ranjan

2014-01-01

JNI in the Android platform is often observed with low efficiency and high coding complexity. Although many researchers have investigated the JNI mechanism, few of them solve the efficiency and the complexity problems of JNI in the Android platform simultaneously. In this paper, a hybrid polylingual object (HPO) model is proposed to allow a CAR object being accessed as a Java object and as vice in the Dalvik virtual machine. It is an acceptable substitute for JNI to reuse the CAR-compliant co...

Solving advanced multi-objective robust designs by means of multiple objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEA): A reliability application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salazar A, Daniel E. [Division de Computacion Evolutiva (CEANI), Instituto de Sistemas Inteligentes y Aplicaciones Numericas en Ingenieria (IUSIANI), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Canary Islands (Spain)]. E-mail: danielsalazaraponte@gmail.com; Rocco S, Claudio M. [Universidad Central de Venezuela, Facultad de Ingenieria, Caracas (Venezuela)]. E-mail: crocco@reacciun.ve

2007-06-15

This paper extends the approach proposed by the second author in [Rocco et al. Robust design using a hybrid-cellular-evolutionary and interval-arithmetic approach: a reliability application. In: Tarantola S, Saltelli A, editors. SAMO 2001: Methodological advances and useful applications of sensitivity analysis. Reliab Eng Syst Saf 2003;79(2):149-59 [special issue

Hybrid pressure retarded osmosis-membrane distillation system for power generation from low-grade heat: thermodynamic analysis and energy efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shihong; Yip, Ngai Yin; Cath, Tzahi Y; Osuji, Chinedum O; Elimelech, Menachem

2014-05-06

We present a novel hybrid membrane system that operates as a heat engine capable of utilizing low-grade thermal energy, which is not readily recoverable with existing technologies. The closed-loop system combines membrane distillation (MD), which generates concentrated and pure water streams by thermal separation, and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), which converts the energy of mixing to electricity by a hydro-turbine. The PRO-MD system was modeled by coupling the mass and energy flows between the thermal separation (MD) and power generation (PRO) stages for heat source temperatures ranging from 40 to 80 °C and working concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mol/kg NaCl. The factors controlling the energy efficiency of the heat engine were evaluated for both limited and unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics in the thermal separation stage. In both cases, the relative flow rate between the MD permeate (distillate) and feed streams is identified as an important operation parameter. There is an optimal relative flow rate that maximizes the overall energy efficiency of the PRO-MD system for given working temperatures and concentration. In the case of unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics, the energy efficiency of the system can be analytically determined based on thermodynamics. Our assessment indicates that the hybrid PRO-MD system can theoretically achieve an energy efficiency of 9.8% (81.6% of the Carnot efficiency) with hot and cold working temperatures of 60 and 20 °C, respectively, and a working solution of 1.0 M NaCl. When mass and heat transfer kinetics are limited, conditions that more closely represent actual operations, the practical energy efficiency will be lower than the theoretically achievable efficiency. In such practical operations, utilizing a higher working concentration will yield greater energy efficiency. Overall, our study demonstrates the theoretical viability of the PRO-MD system and identifies the key factors for performance

Fast and efficient nanoshear hybrid alkaline pretreatment of corn stover for biofuel and materials production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wei; Ji, Shaowen; Lee, Ilsoon

2013-01-01

We report a fast and efficient nano-scale shear hybrid alkaline (NSHA) pretreatment method of lignocellulosic biomass. In this work, corn stover was pretreated in a modified Taylor–Couette reactor with alkali (sodium hydroxide) at room temperature for two minutes. Up to 82% of high cellulose content in the remaining solids was achieved with the novel NSHA pretreatment process. Compared with untreated corn stover, an approximately 4-fold increase in enzymatic cellulose conversion and a 5-fold increase in hemicellulose conversion were achieved. Compositional analysis proved significant removals of both lignin and hemicellulose after the NSHA pretreatment. SEM images revealed that the synergistic effect of NSHA pretreatment caused the severe disruption of biomass structure and exposure of cellulose microfibril aggregates in NSHA pretreated corn stover. Highlights: ► A fast nanoshear hybrid alkaline (NSHA) pretreatment method is reported. ► A modified Taylor–Couette reactor was applied. ► The retention time of the NSHA method is only 2 min. ► A 100% conversion of glucan was achieved in one day. ► NSHA greatly removed both lignin and xylan

Resource-Efficient, Hierarchical Auto-Tuning of a Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Computation on the Cray XT4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, Samuel; Carter, Jonathan; Oliker, Leonid; Shalf, John; Yelick, Katherine

2009-01-01

We apply auto-tuning to a hybrid MPI-pthreads lattice Boltzmann computation running on the Cray XT4 at National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). Previous work showed that multicore-specific auto-tuning can improve the performance of lattice Boltzmann magnetohydrodynamics (LBMHD) by a factor of 4x when running on dual- and quad-core Opteron dual-socket SMPs. We extend these studies to the distributed memory arena via a hybrid MPI/pthreads implementation. In addition to conventional auto-tuning at the local SMP node, we tune at the message-passing level to determine the optimal aspect ratio as well as the correct balance between MPI tasks and threads per MPI task. Our study presents a detailed performance analysis when moving along an isocurve of constant hardware usage: fixed total memory, total cores, and total nodes. Overall, our work points to approaches for improving intra- and inter-node efficiency on large-scale multicore systems for demanding scientific applications

An Efficient Two-Objective Hybrid Local Search Algorithm for Solving the Fuel Consumption Vehicle Routing Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weizhen Rao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The classical model of vehicle routing problem (VRP generally minimizes either the total vehicle travelling distance or the total number of dispatched vehicles. Due to the increased importance of environmental sustainability, one variant of VRPs that minimizes the total vehicle fuel consumption has gained much attention. The resulting fuel consumption VRP (FCVRP becomes increasingly important yet difficult. We present a mixed integer programming model for the FCVRP, and fuel consumption is measured through the degree of road gradient. Complexity analysis of FCVRP is presented through analogy with the capacitated VRP. To tackle the FCVRP’s computational intractability, we propose an efficient two-objective hybrid local search algorithm (TOHLS. TOHLS is based on a hybrid local search algorithm (HLS that is also used to solve FCVRP. Based on the Golden CVRP benchmarks, 60 FCVRP instances are generated and tested. Finally, the computational results show that the proposed TOHLS significantly outperforms the HLS.

Double-layer evolutionary algorithm for distributed optimization of particle detection on the Grid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padée, Adam; Zaremba, Krzysztof; Kurek, Krzysztof

2013-01-01

Reconstruction of particle tracks from information collected by position-sensitive detectors is an important procedure in HEP experiments. It is usually controlled by a set of numerical parameters which have to be manually optimized. This paper proposes an automatic approach to this task by utilizing evolutionary algorithm (EA) operating on both real-valued and binary representations. Because of computational complexity of the task a special distributed architecture of the algorithm is proposed, designed to be run in grid environment. It is two-level hierarchical hybrid utilizing asynchronous master-slave EA on the level of clusters and island model EA on the level of the grid. The technical aspects of usage of production grid infrastructure are covered, including communication protocols on both levels. The paper deals also with the problem of heterogeneity of the resources, presenting efficiency tests on a benchmark function. These tests confirm that even relatively small islands (clusters) can be beneficial to the optimization process when connected to the larger ones. Finally a real-life usage example is presented, which is an optimization of track reconstruction in Large Angle Spectrometer of NA-58 COMPASS experiment held at CERN, using a sample of Monte Carlo simulated data. The overall reconstruction efficiency gain, achieved by the proposed method, is more than 4%, compared to the manually optimized parameters

Single-step direct fabrication of pillar-on-pore hybrid nanostructures in anodizing aluminum for superior superhydrophobic efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Chanyoung; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2012-02-01

Conventional electrochemical anodizing processes of metals such as aluminum typically produce planar and homogeneous nanopore structures. If hydrophobically treated, such 2D planar and interconnected pore structures typically result in lower contact angle and larger contact angle hysteresis than 3D disconnected pillar structures and, hence, exhibit inferior superhydrophobic efficiency. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that the anodizing parameters can be engineered to design novel pillar-on-pore (POP) hybrid nanostructures directly in a simple one-step fabrication process so that superior surface superhydrophobicity can also be realized effectively from the electrochemical anodization process. On the basis of the characteristic of forming a self-ordered porous morphology in a hexagonal array, the modulation of anodizing voltage and duration enabled the formulation of the hybrid-type nanostructures having controlled pillar morphology on top of a porous layer in both mild and hard anodization modes. The hybrid nanostructures of the anodized metal oxide layer initially enhanced the surface hydrophilicity significantly (i.e., superhydrophilic). However, after a hydrophobic monolayer coating, such hybrid nanostructures then showed superior superhydrophobic nonwetting properties not attainable by the plain nanoporous surfaces produced by conventional anodization conditions. The well-regulated anodization process suggests that electrochemical anodizing can expand its usefulness and efficacy to render various metallic substrates with great superhydrophilicity or -hydrophobicity by directly realizing pillar-like structures on top of a self-ordered nanoporous array through a simple one-step fabrication procedure.

Hybrid Fuel Cell Technology Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None available

2001-05-31

For the purpose of this STI product and unless otherwise stated, hybrid fuel cell systems are power generation systems in which a high temperature fuel cell is combined with another power generating technology. The resulting system exhibits a synergism in which the combination performs with an efficiency far greater than can be provided by either system alone. Hybrid fuel cell designs under development include fuel cell with gas turbine, fuel cell with reciprocating (piston) engine, and designs that combine different fuel cell technologies. Hybrid systems have been extensively analyzed and studied over the past five years by the Department of Energy (DOE), industry, and others. These efforts have revealed that this combination is capable of providing remarkably high efficiencies. This attribute, combined with an inherent low level of pollutant emission, suggests that hybrid systems are likely to serve as the next generation of advanced power generation systems.

Research on efficiency evaluation model of integrated energy system based on hybrid multi-attribute decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan

2017-05-25

The efficiency evaluation model of integrated energy system, involving many influencing factors, and the attribute values are heterogeneous and non-deterministic, usually cannot give specific numerical or accurate probability distribution characteristics, making the final evaluation result deviation. According to the characteristics of the integrated energy system, a hybrid multi-attribute decision-making model is constructed. The evaluation model considers the decision maker's risk preference. In the evaluation of the efficiency of the integrated energy system, the evaluation value of some evaluation indexes is linguistic value, or the evaluation value of the evaluation experts is not consistent. These reasons lead to ambiguity in the decision information, usually in the form of uncertain linguistic values and numerical interval values. In this paper, the risk preference of decision maker is considered when constructing the evaluation model. Interval-valued multiple-attribute decision-making method and fuzzy linguistic multiple-attribute decision-making model are proposed. Finally, the mathematical model of efficiency evaluation of integrated energy system is constructed.

FRET two-hybrid assay by linearly fitting FRET efficiency to concentration ratio between acceptor and donor

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Mengyan; Yang, Fangfang; Mai, Zihao; Qu, Wenfeng; Lin, Fangrui; Wei, Lichun; Chen, Tongsheng

2018-04-01

We here introduce a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) two-hybrid assay method to measure the maximal donor(D)- and acceptor(A)-centric FRET efficiency (ED,max and EA,max) of the D-A complex and its stoichiometry by linearly fitting the donor-centric FRET efficiency (ED) to the acceptor-to-donor concentration ratio (RC) and acceptor-centric FRET efficiency (EA) to 1/RC, respectively. We performed this method on a wide-field fluorescence microscope for living HepG2 cells co-expressing FRET tandem constructs and free donor/acceptor and obtained correct ED, EA, and stoichiometry values of those tandem constructs. Evaluation on the binding of Bad with Bcl-XL in Hela cells showed that Bad interacted strongly with Bcl-XL to form a Bad-Bcl-XL complex on mitochondria, and one Bad interacted mainly with one Bcl-XL molecule in healthy cells, while with multiple (maybe 2) Bcl-XL molecules in apoptotic cells.

Hybrid intelligent methodology to design translation invariant morphological operators for Brazilian stock market prediction.

Science.gov (United States)

Araújo, Ricardo de A

2010-12-01

This paper presents a hybrid intelligent methodology to design increasing translation invariant morphological operators applied to Brazilian stock market prediction (overcoming the random walk dilemma). The proposed Translation Invariant Morphological Robust Automatic phase-Adjustment (TIMRAA) method consists of a hybrid intelligent model composed of a Modular Morphological Neural Network (MMNN) with a Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm (QIEA), which searches for the best time lags to reconstruct the phase space of the time series generator phenomenon and determines the initial (sub-optimal) parameters of the MMNN. Each individual of the QIEA population is further trained by the Back Propagation (BP) algorithm to improve the MMNN parameters supplied by the QIEA. Also, for each prediction model generated, it uses a behavioral statistical test and a phase fix procedure to adjust time phase distortions observed in stock market time series. Furthermore, an experimental analysis is conducted with the proposed method through four Brazilian stock market time series, and the achieved results are discussed and compared to results found with random walk models and the previously introduced Time-delay Added Evolutionary Forecasting (TAEF) and Morphological-Rank-Linear Time-lag Added Evolutionary Forecasting (MRLTAEF) methods. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary Stable Strategy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 21; Issue 9. Evolutionary Stable Strategy: Application of Nash Equilibrium in Biology. General Article Volume 21 Issue 9 September 2016 pp 803- ... Keywords. Evolutionary game theory, evolutionary stable state, conflict, cooperation, biological games.

Numerical and Evolutionary Optimization Workshop

CERN Document Server

Trujillo, Leonardo; Legrand, Pierrick; Maldonado, Yazmin

2017-01-01

This volume comprises a selection of works presented at the Numerical and Evolutionary Optimization (NEO) workshop held in September 2015 in Tijuana, Mexico. The development of powerful search and optimization techniques is of great importance in today’s world that requires researchers and practitioners to tackle a growing number of challenging real-world problems. In particular, there are two well-established and widely known fields that are commonly applied in this area: (i) traditional numerical optimization techniques and (ii) comparatively recent bio-inspired heuristics. Both paradigms have their unique strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to solve some challenging problems while still failing in others. The goal of the NEO workshop series is to bring together people from these and related fields to discuss, compare and merge their complimentary perspectives in order to develop fast and reliable hybrid methods that maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the underlying paradigms. Throu...

Optimizing the number and locations of turbines in a wind farm addressing energy-noise trade-off: A hybrid approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mittal, Prateek; Mitra, Kishalay; Kulkarni, Kedar

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Concurrent resolution of turbine number and locations during micro-siting. • Effect of noise on energy-noise multi-objective optimization is demonstrated. • A hybrid algorithm is proposed utilizing probabilistic and deterministic methods. • ∼24% improved performance is achieved over the benchmark case study. • ∼29% enhanced efficiency over real-binary genetic algorithm alone can be observed. - Abstract: Micro-siting is an optimal way of placing turbines inside a wind farm while considering various design objectives and constraints. Using a well-established Jensen wake model and ISO-9613-2 noise calculation, this study performs a wind farm layout optimization based on a multi-objective trade-off between minimization of the noise propagation and maximization of the energy generation. A novel hybrid methodology is developed which is a combination of probabilistic real-binary coded multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and a newly proposed deterministic gradient based non-dominated normalized normal constraint method. Based on the Inverted Generational Distance metric, the performance of the proposed method is found to be better than the conventional normalized normal constraint method or the concerned evolutionary method alone. Moreover, in contrast to the previous studies, the generated non-dominated front is capable of providing a trade-off between various alternative energy-noise solutions, along with an additional information about the corresponding turbine numbers and their optimal location coordinates. As a result, the decision maker can choose from different competing wind turbine layouts based on existing noise and other standard regulations.

Cardiac hybrid imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaemperli, Oliver [University Hospital Zurich, Cardiac Imaging, Zurich (Switzerland); University Hospital Zurich, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Zurich (Switzerland); Kaufmann, Philipp A. [University Hospital Zurich, Cardiac Imaging, Zurich (Switzerland); Alkadhi, Hatem [University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland)

2014-05-15

Hybrid cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging allows combined assessment of anatomical and functional aspects of cardiac disease. In coronary artery disease (CAD), hybrid SPECT/CT imaging allows detection of coronary artery stenosis and myocardial perfusion abnormalities. The clinical value of hybrid imaging has been documented in several subsets of patients. In selected groups of patients, hybrid imaging improves the diagnostic accuracy to detect CAD compared to the single imaging techniques. Additionally, this approach facilitates functional interrogation of coronary stenoses and guidance with regard to revascularization procedures. Moreover, the anatomical information obtained from CT coronary angiography or coronary artery calcium scores (CACS) adds prognostic information over perfusion data from SPECT. The use of cardiac hybrid imaging has been favoured by the dissemination of dedicated hybrid systems and the release of dedicated image fusion software, which allow simple patient throughput for hybrid SPECT/CT studies. Further technological improvements such as more efficient detector technology to allow for low-radiation protocols, ultra-fast image acquisition and improved low-noise image reconstruction algorithms will be instrumental to further promote hybrid SPECT/CT in research and clinical practice. (orig.)

Energy and fuel efficient parallel mild hybrids for urban roads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babu, Ajay; Ashok, S.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Energy and fuel savings depend on battery charge variations and the vehicle speed parameters. • Indian urban conditions provide lot of scope for energy and fuel savings in mild hybrids. • Energy saving strategy has lower payback periods than the fuel saving one in mild hybrids. • Sensitivity to parameter variations is the least for energy saving strategy in a mild hybrid. - Abstract: Fuel economy improvements and battery energy savings can promote the adoption of parallel mild hybrids for urban driving conditions. The aim of this study is to establish these benefits through two operating modes: an energy saving mode and a fuel saving mode. The performances of a typical parallel mild hybrid using these modes were analysed over urban driving cycles, in the US, Europe, and India, with a particular focus on the Indian urban conditions. The energy pack available from the proposed energy-saving operating mode, in addition to the energy already available from the conventional mode, was observed to be the highest for the representative urban driving cycle of the US. The extra energy pack available was found to be approximately 21.9 times that available from the conventional mode. By employing the proposed fuel saving operating mode, the fuel economy improvement achievable in New York City was observed to be approximately 22.69% of the fuel economy with the conventional strategy. The energy saving strategy was found to possess the lowest payback periods and highest immunity to variations in various cost parameters.

Efficient Hybrid Detection of Node Replication Attacks in Mobile Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ze Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The node replication attack is one of the notorious attacks that can be easily launched by adversaries in wireless sensor networks. A lot of literatures have studied mitigating the node replication attack in static wireless sensor networks. However, it is more difficult to detect the replicas in mobile sensor networks because of their node mobility. Considering the limitations of centralized detection schemes for static wireless sensor networks, a few distributed solutions have been recently proposed. Some existing schemes identified replicated attacks by sensing mobile nodes with identical ID but different locations. To facilitate the discovery of contradictory conflicts, we propose a hybrid local and global detection method. The local detection is performed in a local area smaller than the whole deployed area to improve the meeting probability of contradictory nodes, while the distant replicated nodes in larger area can also be efficiently detected by the global detection. The complementary two levels of detection achieve quick discovery by searching of the replicas with reasonable overhead.

Position list word aligned hybrid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deliege, Francois; Pedersen, Torben Bach

2010-01-01

Compressed bitmap indexes are increasingly used for efficiently querying very large and complex databases. The Word Aligned Hybrid (WAH) bitmap compression scheme is commonly recognized as the most efficient compression scheme in terms of CPU efficiency. However, WAH compressed bitmaps use a lot...... of storage space. This paper presents the Position List Word Aligned Hybrid (PLWAH) compression scheme that improves significantly over WAH compression by better utilizing the available bits and new CPU instructions. For typical bit distributions, PLWAH compressed bitmaps are often half the size of WAH...... bitmaps and, at the same time, offer an even better CPU efficiency. The results are verified by theoretical estimates and extensive experiments on large amounts of both synthetic and real-world data....

Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Hybrid Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Maintenance Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jun-qing; Pan, Quan-ke; Mao, Kun

2014-01-01

A hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) and iterated local search (ILS) is proposed for solving the hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS) problem with preventive maintenance (PM) activities. In the proposed algorithm, different crossover operators and mutation operators are investigated. In addition, an efficient multiple insert mutation operator is developed for enhancing the searching ability of the algorithm. Furthermore, an ILS-based local search procedure is embedded in the algorithm to improve the exploitation ability of the proposed algorithm. The detailed experimental parameter for the canonical PSO is tuning. The proposed algorithm is tested on the variation of 77 Carlier and Néron's benchmark problems. Detailed comparisons with the present efficient algorithms, including hGA, ILS, PSO, and IG, verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. PMID:24883414

Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Hybrid Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Maintenance Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-qing Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO and iterated local search (ILS is proposed for solving the hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS problem with preventive maintenance (PM activities. In the proposed algorithm, different crossover operators and mutation operators are investigated. In addition, an efficient multiple insert mutation operator is developed for enhancing the searching ability of the algorithm. Furthermore, an ILS-based local search procedure is embedded in the algorithm to improve the exploitation ability of the proposed algorithm. The detailed experimental parameter for the canonical PSO is tuning. The proposed algorithm is tested on the variation of 77 Carlier and Néron’s benchmark problems. Detailed comparisons with the present efficient algorithms, including hGA, ILS, PSO, and IG, verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Hybrid particle swarm optimization for hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with maintenance activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jun-qing; Pan, Quan-ke; Mao, Kun

2014-01-01

A hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) and iterated local search (ILS) is proposed for solving the hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS) problem with preventive maintenance (PM) activities. In the proposed algorithm, different crossover operators and mutation operators are investigated. In addition, an efficient multiple insert mutation operator is developed for enhancing the searching ability of the algorithm. Furthermore, an ILS-based local search procedure is embedded in the algorithm to improve the exploitation ability of the proposed algorithm. The detailed experimental parameter for the canonical PSO is tuning. The proposed algorithm is tested on the variation of 77 Carlier and Néron's benchmark problems. Detailed comparisons with the present efficient algorithms, including hGA, ILS, PSO, and IG, verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Ontogenetic niche shifts and evolutionary branching in size-structured populations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Claessen, D.; Dieckmann, U.

2002-01-01

There are many examples of size-structured populations where individuals sequentially exploit several niches in the course of their life history. Efficient exploitation of such ontogenetic niches generally requires specific morphological adaptations. Here, we study the evolutionary implications of

Efficient Hybrid Genetic Based Multi Dimensional Host Load Aware Algorithm for Scheduling and Optimization of Virtual Machines

OpenAIRE

Thiruvenkadam, T; Karthikeyani, V

2014-01-01

Mapping the virtual machines to the physical machines cluster is called the VM placement. Placing the VM in the appropriate host is necessary for ensuring the effective resource utilization and minimizing the datacenter cost as well as power. Here we present an efficient hybrid genetic based host load aware algorithm for scheduling and optimization of virtual machines in a cluster of Physical hosts. We developed the algorithm based on two different methods, first initial VM packing is done by...

Distribution of 45S rDNA in Modern Rose Cultivars (Rosa hybrida), Rosa rugosa, and Their Interspecific Hybrids Revealed by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Xiao-Liu; Xu, Ting-Liang; Wang, Jing; Luo, Le; Yu, Chao; Dong, Gui-Min; Pan, Hui-Tang; Zhang, Qi-Xiang

2016-01-01

To elucidate the evolutionary dynamics of the location and number of rDNA loci in the process of polyploidization in the genus Rosa, we examined 45S rDNA sites in the chromosomes of 6 modern rose cultivars (R. hybrida), 5 R. rugosa cultivars, and 20 hybrid progenies by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Variation in the number of rDNA sites in parents and their interspecific hybrids was detected. As expected, 4 rDNA sites were observed in the genomes of 4 modern rose cultivars, while 3 hybridization sites were observed in the 2 others. Two expected rDNA sites were found in 2 R. rugosa cultivars, while in the other 3 R. rugosa cultivars 4 sites were present. Among the 20 R. hybrida × R. rugosa offspring, 13 carried the expected number of rDNA sites, and 1 had 6 hybridization sites, which exceeded the expected number by far. The other 6 offspring had either 2 or 3 hybridization sites, which was less than expected. Differences in the number of rDNA loci were observed in interspecific offspring, indicating that rDNA loci exhibit instability after distant hybridization events. Abnormal chromosome pairing may be the main factor explaining the variation in rDNA sites during polyploidization. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Efficient and colour-stable hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes utilizing electron-hole balanced spacers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leem, Dong-Seok; Kim, Ji Whan; Kim, Jang-Joo; Jung, Sung Ouk; Kim, Seul-Ong; Kwon, Soon-Ki; Kim, Se Hoon; Kim, Kee Young; Kim, Yun-Hi

2010-01-01

High-efficiency two-colour white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) comprising a newly synthesized iridium complex orange phosphor ((impy) 2 Ir(acac)) and a blue fluorophor (BD012) have been realized by placing several kinds of thin spacers between two emitters. Hybrid WOLEDs with a spacer composed of a hole-transporting N,N-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) and an electron-transporting 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) exhibit a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 8.4% and a negligible colour change (the colour coordinate of (0.39, 0.41) at 1000 cd m -2 ) with increasing brightness, whereas the device using a hole-transporting mCP spacer shows a relatively low EQE of 6.2% and a large shift of emitting colour with increasing brightness. Device performance is further characterized based on the charge transport behaviour of the spacers inserted between the two emitters.

Reduced energy offset via substitutional doping for efficient organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xiao; Sun, Weifu; Zhang, Qin; Ruan, Kelian; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Xu, Haijiao; Xu, Zhongyuan; Li, Qinghua

2015-06-01

Charge carrier transport in bulk heterojunction that is central to the device performance of solar cells is sensitively dependent on the energy level alignment of acceptor and donor. However, the effect of energy level regulation induced by nickel ions on the primary photoexcited electron transfer and the performance of P3HT/TiO2 hybrid solar cells remains being poorly understood and rarely studied. Here we demonstrate that the introduction of the versatile nickel ions into TiO2 nanocrystals can significantly elevate the conduction and valence band energy levels of the acceptor, thus resulting in a remarkable reduction of energy level offset between the conduction band of acceptor and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of donor. By applying transient photoluminescence and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopies, we demonstrate that the electron transfer becomes more competitive after incorporating nickel ions. In particular, the electron transfer life time is shortened from 30.2 to 16.7 ps, i.e., more than 44% faster than pure TiO2 acceptor, thus leading to a notable increase of power conversion efficiency in organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. This work underscores the promising virtue of engineering the reduction of 'excess' energy offset to accelerate electron transport and demonstrates the potential of nickel ions in applications of solar energy conversion and photon detectors.

The Hybrid Automobile and the Atkinson Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Bernard J.

2008-01-01

The hybrid automobile is a strikingly new automobile technology with a number of new technological features that dramatically improve energy efficiency. This paper will briefly describe how hybrid automobiles work; what are these new technological features; why the Toyota Prius hybrid internal combustion engine operates on the Atkinson cycle…

Hybrid Propulsion Systems for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mithun Abdul Sathar Eqbal

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The development of more efficient propulsion systems for aerospace vehicles is essential to achieve key objectives. These objectives are to increase efficiency while reducing the amount of carbon-based emissions. Hybrid electric propulsion (HEP is an ideal means to maintain the energy density of hydrocarbon-based fuels and utilize energy-efficient electric machines. A system that integrates different propulsion systems into a single system, with one being electric, is termed an HEP system. HEP systems have been studied previously and introduced into Land, Water, and Aerial Vehicles. This work presents research into the use of HEP systems in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS. The systems discussed in this paper are Internal Combustion Engine (ICE–Electric Hybrid systems, ICE–Photovoltaic (PV Hybrid systems, and Fuel-Cell Hybrid systems. The improved performance characteristics in terms of fuel consumption and endurance are discussed.

Neural and hybrid modeling: an alternative route to efficiently predict the behavior of biotechnological processes aimed at biofuels obtainment.

Science.gov (United States)

Curcio, Stefano; Saraceno, Alessandra; Calabrò, Vincenza; Iorio, Gabriele

2014-01-01

The present paper was aimed at showing that advanced modeling techniques, based either on artificial neural networks or on hybrid systems, might efficiently predict the behavior of two biotechnological processes designed for the obtainment of second-generation biofuels from waste biomasses. In particular, the enzymatic transesterification of waste-oil glycerides, the key step for the obtainment of biodiesel, and the anaerobic digestion of agroindustry wastes to produce biogas were modeled. It was proved that the proposed modeling approaches provided very accurate predictions of systems behavior. Both neural network and hybrid modeling definitely represented a valid alternative to traditional theoretical models, especially when comprehensive knowledge of the metabolic pathways, of the true kinetic mechanisms, and of the transport phenomena involved in biotechnological processes was difficult to be achieved.

Hybridization among distantly related species: Examples from the polyploid genus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Záveská, Eliška; Fér, Tomáš; Šída, Otakar; Marhold, Karol; Leong-Škorničková, Jana

2016-07-01

Discerning relationships among species evolved by reticulate and/or polyploid evolution is not an easy task, although it is widely discussed. The economically important genus Curcuma (ca. 120 spp.; Zingiberaceae), broadly distributed in tropical SE Asia, is a particularly interesting example of a group of palaeopolyploid origin whose evolution is driven mainly by hybridization and polyploidization. Although a phylogeny and a new infrageneric classification of Curcuma, based on commonly used molecular markers (ITS and cpDNA), have recently been proposed, significant evolutionary questions remain unresolved. We applied a multilocus approach and a combination of modern analytical methods to this genus to distinguish causes of gene tree incongruence and to identify hybrids and their parental species. Five independent regions of nuclear DNA (DCS, GAPDH, GLOBOSA3, LEAFY, ITS) and four non-coding cpDNA regions (trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, psbA-trnH and matK), analysed as a single locus, were employed to construct a species tree and hybrid species trees using (*)BEAST and STEM-hy. Detection of hybridogenous species in the dataset was also conducted using the posterior predictive checking approach as implemented in JML. The resulting species tree outlines the relationships among major evolutionary lineages within Curcuma, which were previously unresolved or which conflicted depending upon whether they were based on ITS or cpDNA markers. Moreover, by using the additional markers in tests of plausible topologies of hybrid species trees for C. vamana, C. candida, C. roscoeana and C. myanmarensis suggested by previous molecular and morphological evidence, we found strong evidence that all the species except C. candida are of subgeneric hybrid origin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Restriction endonuclease analysis of chloroplast DNA in interspecies somatic Hybrids of Petunia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, A; Cocking, E C; Bovenberg, W A; Kool, A J

1982-12-01

Restriction endonuclease cleavage pattern analysis of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) of three different interspecific somatic hybrid plants revealed that the cytoplasms of the hybrids contained only cpDNA of P. parodii. The somatic hybrid plants analysed were those between P. parodii (wild type) + P. hybrida (wild type); P. parodii (wild type)+P. inflata (cytoplasmic albino mutant); P. parodii (wild type) + P. parviflora (nuclear albino mutant). The presence of only P. parodii chloroplasts in the somatic hybrid of P. parodii + P. inflata is possibly due to the stringent selection used for somatic hybrid production. However, in the case of the two other somatic hybrids P. parodii + P. hybrida and P. parodii + P. parviflora it was not possible to determine whether the presence of only P. parodii chloroplasts in these somatic hybrid plants was due to the nature of the selection schemes used or simply occurred by chance. The relevance of such somatic hybrid material for the study of genomic-cytoplasmic interaction is discussed, as well as the use of restriction endonuclease fragment patterns for the analysis of taxonomic and evolutionary inter-relationships in the genus Petunia.

Radiation, Ecology and the Invalid LNT Model: The Evolutionary Imperative

OpenAIRE

Parsons, Peter A.

2006-01-01

Metabolic and energetic efficiency, and hence fitness of organisms to survive, should be maximal in their habitats. This tenet of evolutionary biology invalidates the linear-nothreshold (LNT) model for the risk consequences of environmental agents. Hormesis in response to selection for maximum metabolic and energetic efficiency, or minimum metabolic imbalance, to adapt to a stressed world dominated by oxidative stress should therefore be universal. Radiation hormetic zones extending substanti...

The technology gap and efficiency measure in WEC countries: Application of the hybrid meta frontier model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Yung-Ho; Lee, Jen-Hui; Lu, Ching-Cheng; Shyu, Ming-Kuang; Luo, Zhengying

2012-01-01

This study develops the hybrid meta frontier DEA model for which inputs are distinguished into radial inputs that change proportionally and non-radial inputs that change non-proportionally, in order to measure the technical efficiency and technology gap ratios (TGR) of four different regions: Asia, Africa, America, and Europe. This paper selects 87 countries that are members of the World Energy Council from 2005 to 2007. The input variables are industry and population, while the output variances are gross domestic product (GDP) and the amount of fossil-fuel CO 2 emissions. The result shows that countries’ efficiency ranking among their own region presents more implied volatility. In view of the Technology Gap Ratio, Europe is the most efficient of any region, but during the same period, Asia has a lower efficiency than other regions. Finally, regions with higher industry (or GDP) might not have higher efficiency from 2005 to 2007. And higher CO 2 emissions or population also might not mean lower efficiency for other regions. In addition, Brazil is not OECD member, but it is higher efficiency than other OECD members in emerging countries case. OECD countries are better efficiency than non-OECD countries and Europe is higher than Asia to control CO 2 emissions. If non-OECD countries or Asia countries could reach the best efficiency score, they should try to control CO 2 emissions. - Highlights: ► The new meta frontier Model for evaluating the efficiency and technology gap ratios. ► Higher CO 2 emissions might not lower efficiency than any other regions, like Europe. ► Asia’s output and CO 2 emissions simultaneously increased and lower of its efficiency. ► Non-OECD or Asia countries should control CO 2 emissions to reach best efficiency score.

Evolutionary neural networks: a new alternative for neutron spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz R, J. M.; Martinez B, M. R.; Vega C, H. R.; Galleo, E.

2009-10-01

A device used to perform neutron spectroscopy is the system known as a system of Bonner spheres spectrometer, this system has some disadvantages, one of these is the need for reconstruction using a code that is based on an iterative reconstruction algorithm, whose greater inconvenience is the need for a initial spectrum, as close as possible to the spectrum that is desired to avoid this inconvenience has been reported several procedures in reconstruction, combined with various types of experimental methods, based on artificial intelligence technology how genetic algorithms, artificial neural networks and hybrid systems evolved artificial neural networks using genetic algorithms. This paper analyzes the intersection of neural networks and evolutionary algorithms applied in the neutron spectroscopy and dosimetry. Due to this is an emerging technology, there are not tools for doing analysis of the obtained results, by what this paper presents a computing tool to analyze the neutron spectra and the equivalent doses obtained through the hybrid technology of neural networks and genetic algorithms. The toolmaker offers a user graphical environment, friendly and easy to operate. (author)

Genetic interactions underlying hybrid male sterility in the Drosophila bipectinata species complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Paras Kumar; Singh, Bashisth Narayan

2006-06-01

Understanding genetic mechanisms underlying hybrid male sterility is one of the most challenging problems in evolutionary biology especially speciation. By using the interspecific hybridization method roles of Y chromosome, Major Hybrid Sterility (MHS) genes and cytoplasm in sterility of hybrid males have been investigated in a promising group, the Drosophila bipectinata species complex that consists of four closely related species: D. pseudoananassae, D. bipectinata, D. parabipectinata and D. malerkotliana. The interspecific introgression analyses show that neither cytoplasm nor MHS genes are involved but X-Y interactions may be playing major role in hybrid male sterility between D. pseudoananassae and the other three species. The results of interspecific introgression analyses also show considerable decrease in the number of males in the backcross offspring and all males have atrophied testes. There is a significant positive correlation between sex - ratio distortion and severity of sterility in backcross males. These findings provide evidence that D. pseudoananassae is remotely related with other three species of the D. bipectinata species complex.

Evolutionary search for new high-k dielectric materials: methodology and applications to hafnia-based oxides.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Qingfeng; Oganov, Artem R; Lyakhov, Andriy O; Xie, Congwei; Zhang, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jin; Zhu, Qiang; Wei, Bingqing; Grigorenko, Ilya; Zhang, Litong; Cheng, Laifei

2014-02-01

High-k dielectric materials are important as gate oxides in microelectronics and as potential dielectrics for capacitors. In order to enable computational discovery of novel high-k dielectric materials, we propose a fitness model (energy storage density) that includes the dielectric constant, bandgap, and intrinsic breakdown field. This model, used as a fitness function in conjunction with first-principles calculations and the global optimization evolutionary algorithm USPEX, efficiently leads to practically important results. We found a number of high-fitness structures of SiO2 and HfO2, some of which correspond to known phases and some of which are new. The results allow us to propose characteristics (genes) common to high-fitness structures--these are the coordination polyhedra and their degree of distortion. Our variable-composition searches in the HfO2-SiO2 system uncovered several high-fitness states. This hybrid algorithm opens up a new avenue for discovering novel high-k dielectrics with both fixed and variable compositions, and will speed up the process of materials discovery.

New Hybrid Monte Carlo methods for efficient sampling. From physics to biology and statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmatskaya, Elena; Reich, Sebastian

2011-01-01

We introduce a class of novel hybrid methods for detailed simulations of large complex systems in physics, biology, materials science and statistics. These generalized shadow Hybrid Monte Carlo (GSHMC) methods combine the advantages of stochastic and deterministic simulation techniques. They utilize a partial momentum update to retain some of the dynamical information, employ modified Hamiltonians to overcome exponential performance degradation with the system’s size and make use of multi-scale nature of complex systems. Variants of GSHMCs were developed for atomistic simulation, particle simulation and statistics: GSHMC (thermodynamically consistent implementation of constant-temperature molecular dynamics), MTS-GSHMC (multiple-time-stepping GSHMC), meso-GSHMC (Metropolis corrected dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method), and a generalized shadow Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, GSHmMC (a GSHMC for statistical simulations). All of these are compatible with other enhanced sampling techniques and suitable for massively parallel computing allowing for a range of multi-level parallel strategies. A brief description of the GSHMC approach, examples of its application on high performance computers and comparison with other existing techniques are given. Our approach is shown to resolve such problems as resonance instabilities of the MTS methods and non-preservation of thermodynamic equilibrium properties in DPD, and to outperform known methods in sampling efficiency by an order of magnitude. (author)

Resistance and relatedness on an evolutionary graph

Science.gov (United States)

Maciejewski, Wes

2012-01-01

When investigating evolution in structured populations, it is often convenient to consider the population as an evolutionary graph—individuals as nodes, and whom they may act with as edges. There has, in recent years, been a surge of interest in evolutionary graphs, especially in the study of the evolution of social behaviours. An inclusive fitness framework is best suited for this type of study. A central requirement for an inclusive fitness analysis is an expression for the genetic similarity between individuals residing on the graph. This has been a major hindrance for work in this area as highly technical mathematics are often required. Here, I derive a result that links genetic relatedness between haploid individuals on an evolutionary graph to the resistance between vertices on a corresponding electrical network. An example that demonstrates the potential computational advantage of this result over contemporary approaches is provided. This result offers more, however, to the study of population genetics than strictly computationally efficient methods. By establishing a link between gene transfer and electric circuit theory, conceptualizations of the latter can enhance understanding of the former. PMID:21849384

An efficient soil water balance model based on hybrid numerical and statistical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Wei; Yang, Jinzhong; Zhu, Yan; Ye, Ming; Liu, Zhao; Wu, Jingwei

2018-04-01

Most soil water balance models only consider downward soil water movement driven by gravitational potential, and thus cannot simulate upward soil water movement driven by evapotranspiration especially in agricultural areas. In addition, the models cannot be used for simulating soil water movement in heterogeneous soils, and usually require many empirical parameters. To resolve these problems, this study derives a new one-dimensional water balance model for simulating both downward and upward soil water movement in heterogeneous unsaturated zones. The new model is based on a hybrid of numerical and statistical methods, and only requires four physical parameters. The model uses three governing equations to consider three terms that impact soil water movement, including the advective term driven by gravitational potential, the source/sink term driven by external forces (e.g., evapotranspiration), and the diffusive term driven by matric potential. The three governing equations are solved separately by using the hybrid numerical and statistical methods (e.g., linear regression method) that consider soil heterogeneity. The four soil hydraulic parameters required by the new models are as follows: saturated hydraulic conductivity, saturated water content, field capacity, and residual water content. The strength and weakness of the new model are evaluated by using two published studies, three hypothetical examples and a real-world application. The evaluation is performed by comparing the simulation results of the new model with corresponding results presented in the published studies, obtained using HYDRUS-1D and observation data. The evaluation indicates that the new model is accurate and efficient for simulating upward soil water flow in heterogeneous soils with complex boundary conditions. The new model is used for evaluating different drainage functions, and the square drainage function and the power drainage function are recommended. Computational efficiency of the new

Innovative and sustainable cooling with hybrid dry cooling; Innovatief en duurzaam koelen met hybride droge koeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quadflieg, J. [Jaeggi/Guentner Schweiz, Soest (Netherlands)

2010-10-15

The COP value( Coefficiency of Performance) is a measure for the energy efficiency of for example a cooling system or heat pump. The higher the value , the more energy efficient the performance is. Next to energy efficiency, water use should also be addressed in view of the climate and environment. This article addresses the options of hybrid dry cooling. [Dutch] De COP-waarde (Coefficiency of Performance) is een maat voor de energie efficiency van bijvoorbeeld een koelsysteem of een warmtepomp. Hoe hoger de waarde, hoe energie-efficienter de prestatie. Naast de energie-efficientie moet met het oog op het klimaat en milieu ook het watergebruik beoordeeld worden. In dit artikel wordt aandacht besteed aan de mogelijkheden van hybride droge koeling.

Designing interfaces of hydrogenase-nanomaterial hybrids for efficient solar conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Paul W

2013-01-01

The direct conversion of sunlight into biofuels is an intriguing alternative to a continued reliance on fossil fuels. Natural photosynthesis has long been investigated both as a potential solution, and as a model for utilizing solar energy to drive a water-to-fuel cycle. The molecules and organizational structure provide a template to inspire the design of efficient molecular systems for photocatalysis. A clear design strategy is the coordination of molecular interactions that match kinetic rates and energetic levels to control the direction and flow of energy from light harvesting to catalysis. Energy transduction and electron-transfer reactions occur through interfaces formed between complexes of donor-acceptor molecules. Although the structures of several of the key biological complexes have been solved, detailed descriptions of many electron-transfer complexes are lacking, which presents a challenge to designing and engineering biomolecular systems for solar conversion. Alternatively, it is possible to couple the catalytic power of biological enzymes to light harvesting by semiconductor nanomaterials. In these molecules, surface chemistry and structure can be designed using ligands. The passivation effect of the ligand can also dramatically affect the photophysical properties of the semiconductor, and energetics of external charge-transfer. The length, degree of bond saturation (aromaticity), and solvent exposed functional groups of ligands can be manipulated to further tune the interface to control molecular assembly, and complex stability in photocatalytic hybrids. The results of this research show how ligand selection is critical to designing molecular interfaces that promote efficient self-assembly, charge-transfer and photocatalysis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Metals in Bioenergetics and Biomimetics Systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study of driver's route choice behavior based on evolutionary game theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xiaowei; Ji, Yanjie; Du, Muqing; Deng, Wei

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a route choice analytic method that embeds cumulative prospect theory in evolutionary game theory to analyze how the drivers adjust their route choice behaviors under the influence of the traffic information. A simulated network with two alternative routes and one variable message sign is built to illustrate the analytic method. We assume that the drivers in the transportation system are bounded rational, and the traffic information they receive is incomplete. An evolutionary game model is constructed to describe the evolutionary process of the drivers' route choice decision-making behaviors. Here we conclude that the traffic information plays an important role in the route choice behavior. The driver's route decision-making process develops towards different evolutionary stable states in accordance with different transportation situations. The analysis results also demonstrate that employing cumulative prospect theory and evolutionary game theory to study the driver's route choice behavior is effective. This analytic method provides an academic support and suggestion for the traffic guidance system, and may optimize the travel efficiency to a certain extent.

Solution of Fractional Order System of Bagley-Torvik Equation Using Evolutionary Computational Intelligence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Asif Zahoor Raja

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A stochastic technique has been developed for the solution of fractional order system represented by Bagley-Torvik equation. The mathematical model of the equation was developed with the help of feed-forward artificial neural networks. The training of the networks was made with evolutionary computational intelligence based on genetic algorithm hybrid with pattern search technique. Designed scheme was successfully applied to different forms of the equation. Results are compared with standard approximate analytic, stochastic numerical solvers and exact solutions.

An Adaptive Evolutionary Algorithm for Traveling Salesman Problem with Precedence Constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinmo Sung

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Traveling sales man problem with precedence constraints is one of the most notorious problems in terms of the efficiency of its solution approach, even though it has very wide range of industrial applications. We propose a new evolutionary algorithm to efficiently obtain good solutions by improving the search process. Our genetic operators guarantee the feasibility of solutions over the generations of population, which significantly improves the computational efficiency even when it is combined with our flexible adaptive searching strategy. The efficiency of the algorithm is investigated by computational experiments.

A new hybrid genetic algorithm for optimizing the single and multivariate objective functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tumuluru, Jaya Shankar [Idaho National Laboratory; McCulloch, Richard Chet James [Idaho National Laboratory

2015-07-01

In this work a new hybrid genetic algorithm was developed which combines a rudimentary adaptive steepest ascent hill climbing algorithm with a sophisticated evolutionary algorithm in order to optimize complex multivariate design problems. By combining a highly stochastic algorithm (evolutionary) with a simple deterministic optimization algorithm (adaptive steepest ascent) computational resources are conserved and the solution converges rapidly when compared to either algorithm alone. In genetic algorithms natural selection is mimicked by random events such as breeding and mutation. In the adaptive steepest ascent algorithm each variable is perturbed by a small amount and the variable that caused the most improvement is incremented by a small step. If the direction of most benefit is exactly opposite of the previous direction with the most benefit then the step size is reduced by a factor of 2, thus the step size adapts to the terrain. A graphical user interface was created in MATLAB to provide an interface between the hybrid genetic algorithm and the user. Additional features such as bounding the solution space and weighting the objective functions individually are also built into the interface. The algorithm developed was tested to optimize the functions developed for a wood pelleting process. Using process variables (such as feedstock moisture content, die speed, and preheating temperature) pellet properties were appropriately optimized. Specifically, variables were found which maximized unit density, bulk density, tapped density, and durability while minimizing pellet moisture content and specific energy consumption. The time and computational resources required for the optimization were dramatically decreased using the hybrid genetic algorithm when compared to MATLAB's native evolutionary optimization tool.

Efficient and colour-stable hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes utilizing electron-hole balanced spacers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leem, Dong-Seok; Kim, Ji Whan; Kim, Jang-Joo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and OLED Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Sung Ouk; Kim, Seul-Ong; Kwon, Soon-Ki [School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Engineering Research Institute (ERI), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Se Hoon; Kim, Kee Young [Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd, Pyeongtaek 451-822 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yun-Hi, E-mail: jjkim@snu.ac.k, E-mail: skwon@gnu.ac.k [Department of Chemistry and RINS, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 660-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-10-13

High-efficiency two-colour white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) comprising a newly synthesized iridium complex orange phosphor ((impy){sub 2}Ir(acac)) and a blue fluorophor (BD012) have been realized by placing several kinds of thin spacers between two emitters. Hybrid WOLEDs with a spacer composed of a hole-transporting N,N-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) and an electron-transporting 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) exhibit a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 8.4% and a negligible colour change (the colour coordinate of (0.39, 0.41) at 1000 cd m{sup -2}) with increasing brightness, whereas the device using a hole-transporting mCP spacer shows a relatively low EQE of 6.2% and a large shift of emitting colour with increasing brightness. Device performance is further characterized based on the charge transport behaviour of the spacers inserted between the two emitters.

A new hybrid evolutionary algorithm based on new fuzzy adaptive PSO and NM algorithms for Distribution Feeder Reconfiguration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niknam, Taher; Azadfarsani, Ehsan; Jabbari, Masoud

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Network reconfiguration is a very important way to save the electrical energy. ► This paper proposes a new algorithm to solve the DFR. ► The algorithm combines NFAPSO with NM. ► The proposed algorithm is tested on two distribution test feeders. - Abstract: Network reconfiguration for loss reduction in distribution system is a very important way to save the electrical energy. This paper proposes a new hybrid evolutionary algorithm to solve the Distribution Feeder Reconfiguration problem (DFR). The algorithm is based on combination of a New Fuzzy Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization (NFAPSO) and Nelder–Mead simplex search method (NM) called NFAPSO–NM. In the proposed algorithm, a new fuzzy adaptive particle swarm optimization includes two parts. The first part is Fuzzy Adaptive Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (FABPSO) that determines the status of tie switches (open or close) and second part is Fuzzy Adaptive Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (FADPSO) that determines the sectionalizing switch number. In other side, due to the results of binary PSO(BPSO) and discrete PSO(DPSO) algorithms highly depends on the values of their parameters such as the inertia weight and learning factors, a fuzzy system is employed to adaptively adjust the parameters during the search process. Moreover, the Nelder–Mead simplex search method is combined with the NFAPSO algorithm to improve its performance. Finally, the proposed algorithm is tested on two distribution test feeders. The results of simulation show that the proposed method is very powerful and guarantees to obtain the global optimization.

Evolutionary analysis of Pinus densata Masters, a putative Tertiary hybrid : 1. Allozyme variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, X R; Szmidt, A E; Lewandowski, A; Wang, Z R

1990-11-01

Allozyme differentiation at 13 loci was studied in populations of Pinus tabulaeformis, P. densata, and P. yunnanensis from China. It was previously suggested that P. densata represents a Tertiary hybrid between P. tabulaeformis and P. yunnanensis. The observed levels of allozyme variation within and among the investigated species were comparable to those of other conifers. P. tabulaeformis differed markedly from P. yunnanensis with respect to allozyme frequencies, while P. densata was intermediate between the two putative parents. There was evidence of homozygote excess in embryos from all investigated species, as compared to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. The observed allozyme composition of P. densata conformed to earlier morphological and molecular evidence indicating hybrid origin of this taxon. It was proposed that fusion of gene pools from P. tabulaeformis and P. yunnanensis has led to adaptive evolution of a new species, P. densata.

Stable carbon isotope composition (δ{sup 13}C), water use efficiency, and biomass productivity of Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon pennellii, and the F{sub 1} hybrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, B.; Thorstenson, Y. R.

1988-09-01

Three tomatoes, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv UC82B, a droughttolerant wild related species, Lycopersicon pennellii (Cor.) D'Arcy, and their F{sub 1}, hybrid, were grown in containers maintained at three levels of soil moisture. Season-long water use was obtained by summing over the season daily weight losses of each container corrected for soil evaporation. Plant biomass was determined by harvesting and weighing entire dried plants. Season-long water use efficiency (gram dry weight/kilogram H{sub 2}O) was calculated by dividing the dry biomass by the season-long water use. The season-long water use efficiency was greatest in the wild parent, poorest in the domestic parent, and intermediate (but closer to the wild parent) in the F, hybrid. Instantaneous water-use efficiency (micromole CO{sub 2}/millimole H{sub 2}O) determined by gas exchange measurements on individual leaves was poorly correlated with season-long water use efficiency. However, the relative abundance of stable carbon isotopes of leaf tissue samples was strongly correlated with the season-long water use efficiency. Also, the isotopic composition and the season-long water use efficiency of each genotype alone were strongly negatively correlated with plant dry weight when the dry weight varied as a function of soil moisture. (author)

Hybridization between Yellowstone cutthroat trout and rainbow trout alters the expression of muscle growth-related genes and their relationships with growth patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Ostberg, Carl O.; Chase, Dorothy M.; Hauser, Lorenz

2015-01-01

Hybridization creates novel gene combinations that may generate important evolutionary novelty, but may also reduce existing adaptation by interrupting inherent biological processes, such as genotype-environment interactions. Hybridization often causes substantial change in patterns of gene expression, which, in turn, may cause phenotypic change. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and cutthroat trout (O. clarkii) produce viable hybrids in the wild, and introgressive hybridization with introduced rainbow trout is a major conservation concern for native cutthroat trout. The two species differ in body shape, which is likely an evolutionary adaptation to their native environments, and their hybrids tend to show intermediate morphology. The characterization of gene expression patterns may provide insights on the genetic basis of hybrid and parental morphologies, as well as on the ecological performance of hybrids in the wild. Here, we evaluated the expression of eight growth-related genes (MSTN-1a, MSTN-1b, MyoD1a, MyoD1b, MRF-4, IGF-1, IGF-2, and CAST-L) and the relationship of these genes with growth traits (length, weight, and condition factor) in six line crosses: both parental species, both reciprocal F1 hybrids, and both first-generation backcrosses (F1 x rainbow trout and F1 x cutthroat trout). Four of these genes were differentially expressed among rainbow, cutthroat, and their hybrids. Transcript abundance was significantly correlated with growth traits across the parent species, but not across hybrids. Our findings suggest that rainbow and cutthroat trout exhibit differences in muscle growth regulation, that transcriptional networks may be modified by hybridization, and that hybridization disrupts intrinsic relationships between gene expression and growth patterns that may be functionally important for phenotypic adaptations.

Dimensioning and efficiency evaluation of hybrid solar systems for energy production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elia Stefano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays hybrid panels for joint production of thermal and electrical energy are available on the market. The main contribution of this work is to evaluate the performances of hybrid systems and to determine the field of application. Mathematical models of panels are considered to evaluate thermal and electrical behavior of the problem. A software produced by the authors is shown that calculates the energy production of these devices in several operating situations; a comparison to that of photovoltaic and thermal systems is performed. Moreover, the economic validity of a such investment is evaluated. Finally a simplified criterion has been developed to calculate the best subdivision of the available deployment surface among thermal, photovoltaic, and hybrid panels.

Neural and Hybrid Modeling: An Alternative Route to Efficiently Predict the Behavior of Biotechnological Processes Aimed at Biofuels Obtainment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefano Curcio

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper was aimed at showing that advanced modeling techniques, based either on artificial neural networks or on hybrid systems, might efficiently predict the behavior of two biotechnological processes designed for the obtainment of second-generation biofuels from waste biomasses. In particular, the enzymatic transesterification of waste-oil glycerides, the key step for the obtainment of biodiesel, and the anaerobic digestion of agroindustry wastes to produce biogas were modeled. It was proved that the proposed modeling approaches provided very accurate predictions of systems behavior. Both neural network and hybrid modeling definitely represented a valid alternative to traditional theoretical models, especially when comprehensive knowledge of the metabolic pathways, of the true kinetic mechanisms, and of the transport phenomena involved in biotechnological processes was difficult to be achieved.

Hybrid incompatibility arises in a sequence-based bioenergetic model of transcription factor binding.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulchinsky, Alexander Y; Johnson, Norman A; Watt, Ward B; Porter, Adam H

2014-11-01

Postzygotic isolation between incipient species results from the accumulation of incompatibilities that arise as a consequence of genetic divergence. When phenotypes are determined by regulatory interactions, hybrid incompatibility can evolve even as a consequence of parallel adaptation in parental populations because interacting genes can produce the same phenotype through incompatible allelic combinations. We explore the evolutionary conditions that promote and constrain hybrid incompatibility in regulatory networks using a bioenergetic model (combining thermodynamics and kinetics) of transcriptional regulation, considering the bioenergetic basis of molecular interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites. The bioenergetic parameters consider the free energy of formation of the bond between the TF and its binding site and the availability of TFs in the intracellular environment. Together these determine fractional occupancy of the TF on the promoter site, the degree of subsequent gene expression and in diploids, and the degree of dominance among allelic interactions. This results in a sigmoid genotype-phenotype map and fitness landscape, with the details of the shape determining the degree of bioenergetic evolutionary constraint on hybrid incompatibility. Using individual-based simulations, we subjected two allopatric populations to parallel directional or stabilizing selection. Misregulation of hybrid gene expression occurred under either type of selection, although it evolved faster under directional selection. Under directional selection, the extent of hybrid incompatibility increased with the slope of the genotype-phenotype map near the derived parental expression level. Under stabilizing selection, hybrid incompatibility arose from compensatory mutations and was greater when the bioenergetic properties of the interaction caused the space of nearly neutral genotypes around the stable expression level to be wide. F2's showed higher

The effects of fabrication temperature on current-voltage characteristics and energy efficiencies of quantum dot sensitized ZnOH-GO hybrid solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Islam, S. M. Z.; Gayen, Taposh; Tint, Naing; Alfano, Robert; Shi, Lingyan; Seredych, Mykola; Bandosz, Teresa J.

2014-01-01

The effects of fabrication temperature are investigated on the performance of CdSe quantum dot (QD)-sensitized hybrid solar cells of the composite material of zinc (hydr)oxide (ZnOH-GO)with 2 wt. % graphite oxide. The current-voltage (I-V) and photo-current measurements show that higher fabrication temperatures yield greater photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies that essentially indicate more efficient solar cells. Two Photon Fluorescence images show the effects of temperature on the internal morphologies of the solar devices based on such materials. The CdSe-QD sensitized ZnOH-GO hybrid solar cells fabricated at 450 °C showing conversion of ∼10.60% under a tungsten lamp (12.1 mW/cm 2 ) are reported here, while using potassium iodide as an electrolyte. The output photocurrent, I (μA) with input power, P (mW/cm 2 ) is found to be superlinear, showing a relation of I = P n , where n = 1.4.

Principle, function, experiences, hybrid chilled ceilings; Prinzip, Funktion, Erfahrungen. Hybrid-Kuehldecken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulz, Uwe W. [Hochschule Luzern (Switzerland). Technik und Architektur

2010-12-15

Hybrid chilled ceilings combine a radiation chilled ceiling with thermal activations of a concrete ceiling. The activation permits the utilization of alternative and/or small cold generators for the efficient night cooling. The traditional chilled ceiling grants a speedy reaction to load variations as well as a reduction of the reverberation periods. In addition, the combination supplies a draught-free insertion of air. Beside established solutions, MWH Barcol-Air (Staefa, Switzerland) also offers project-specific hybrid chilled ceilings.

Energy conversion efficiency of hybrid electric heavy-duty vehicles operating according to diverse drive cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banjac, Titina [AVL-AST d.o.o., Trg Leona Stuklja 5, SI-2000 Maribor (Slovenia); Trenc, Ferdinand; Katrasnik, Tomaz [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Univ. of Ljubljana, Askerceva 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2009-12-15

Energy consumption and exhaust emissions of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) strongly depend on the HEV topology, power ratios of their components and applied control strategy. Combined analytical and simulation approach was applied to analyze energy conversion efficiency of different HEV topologies. Analytical approach is based on the energy balance equations and considers all energy paths in the HEVs from the energy sources to the wheels and to other energy sinks. Simulation approach is based on a fast forward-facing simulation model for simulating parallel and series HEVs as well as for conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, and considers all components relevant for modeling energy conversion phenomena. Combined approach enables evaluation of energy losses on different energy paths and provides their impact on the fuel economy. It therefore enables identification of most suitable HEV topology and of most suitable power ratios of the components for targeted vehicle application, since it reveals and quantifies the mechanisms that could lead to improved energy conversion efficiency of particular HEV. The paper exposes characteristics of the test cycles that lead to improved energy conversion efficiency of HEVs. Mechanisms leading to improved fuel economy of parallel HEVs through drive-away and vehicle propulsion at low powertrain loads by electric motor are also analyzed. It was also shown that control strategies managing energy flow through electric storage devices significantly influence energy conversion efficiency of series HEVs. (author)

Evolutionary pets: offspring numbers reveal speciation process in domesticated chickens.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inga Tiemann

Full Text Available Since Darwin, the nature of the relationship between evolution and domestication has been debated. Evolution offers different mechanisms of selection that lead to adaptation and may end in the origin of new species as defined by the biological species concept. Domestication has given rise to numerous breeds in almost every domesticated species, including chickens. At the same time, so-called artificial selection seems to exclude mechanisms of sexual selection by the animals themselves. We want to forward the question to the animal itself: With whom do you reproduce successfully? This study focused on the sexual behavior of the domestic chicken Gallus gallus f.dom., particularly the White Crested Polish breed. Experiments on mate choice and the observation of fertilization and hatching rates of mixed-breeding groups revealed breed-specific preferences. In breeding groups containing White Crested Polish and a comparative breed, more purebred chicks hatched than hybrids (number of eggs collected: 1059. Mating was possible in equal shares, but in relation to the number of eggs collected, purebred offspring (62.75% ± 7.10%, M ± SE hatched to a greater extend compared to hybrid offspring (28.75% ± 15.32%, M ± SE. These data demonstrate that the mechanism of sexual selection is still present in domestic chicken breeds, which includes the alteration of gene frequencies typical for domestication and evolutionary speciation. Due to selection and mate choice we state that breeding in principle can generate new species. Therefore, we see domestication as an evolutionary process that integrates human interests of animal breeding with innate mate choice by the animal.

Lignocellulose-derived thin stillage composition and efficient biological treatment with a high-rate hybrid anaerobic bioreactor system

KAUST Repository

Oosterkamp, Margreet J.; Mé ndez-Garcí a, Celia; Kim, Chang-H.; Bauer, Stefan; Ibá ñ ez, Ana B.; Zimmerman, Sabrina; Hong, Pei-Ying; Cann, Isaac K.; Mackie, Roderick I.

2016-01-01

Results showed that thin stillage contains easily degradable compounds suitable for anaerobic digestion and that hybrid reactors can efficiently convert thin stillage to methane under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Furthermore, we found that optimal conditions for biological treatment of thin stillage were similar for both mesophilic and thermophilic reactors. Bar-coded pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene identified different microbial communities in mesophilic and thermophilic reactors and these differences in the microbial communities could be linked to the composition of the thin stillage.

Extensive hybridization and introgression between Melastoma candidum and M. sanguineum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Liu

Full Text Available Natural hybridization can lead to various evolutionary outcomes in plants, including hybrid speciation and interspecific gene transfer. It can also cause taxonomic problems, especially in plant genera containing multiple species. In this study, the hybrid status of Melastoma affine, the most widespread taxon in this genus, and introgression between its putative parental species, M. candidum and M. sanguineum, were assessed on two sites, Hainan and Guangdong, using 13 SSR markers and sequences of a chloroplast intergenic spacer. Bayesian-based STRUCTURE analysis detected two most likely distinct clusters for the three taxa, and 76.0% and 73.9% of the morphologically identified individuals of M. candidum and M. sanguineum were correctly assigned, respectively. 74.5% of the M. affine individuals had a membership coefficient to either parental species between 0.1 and 0.9, suggesting admixture between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. Furthermore, NewHybrids analysis suggested that most individuals of M. affine were F2 hybrids or backcross hybrids to M. candidum, and that there was extensive introgression between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. These SSR data thus provides convincing evidence for hybrid origin of M. affine and extensive introgression between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. Chloroplast DNA results were consistent with this conclusion. Much higher hybrid frequency on the more disturbed Guangdong site suggests that human disturbance might offer suitable habitats for the survival of hybrids, a hypothesis that is in need of further testing.

On the numerical treatment of selected oscillatory evolutionary problems

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Cardone, Angelamaria; Conte, Dajana; D'Ambrosio, Raffaele; Paternoster, Beatrice

2017-07-01

We focus on evolutionary problems whose qualitative behaviour is known a-priori and exploited in order to provide efficient and accurate numerical schemes. For classical numerical methods, depending on constant coefficients, the required computational effort could be quite heavy, due to the necessary employ of very small stepsizes needed to accurately reproduce the qualitative behaviour of the solution. In these situations, it may be convenient to use special purpose formulae, i.e. non-polynomially fitted formulae on basis functions adapted to the problem (see [16, 17] and references therein). We show examples of special purpose strategies to solve two families of evolutionary problems exhibiting periodic solutions, i.e. partial differential equations and Volterra integral equations.

Hybrid white organic light emitting diodes with low efficiency roll-off, stable color and extreme brightness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Baiquan; Zou, Jianhua [Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Su, Yueju; Gao, Dongyu [New Vision Opto-Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Lan, Linfeng [Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Tao, Hong, E-mail: tao.h@scut.edu.cn [Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Peng, Junbiao [Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangzhou 510640 (China)

2014-07-01

Highly efficient and bright hybrid white organic light emitting diodes (WOLEDs) based on simple architectures have been successfully fabricated and characterized. The optimized device can reach a maximum forward-viewing power efficiency (PE) of 20.2 lm/W, a peak forward-viewing current efficiency (CE) of 30.7 cd/A, an extremely high brightness of 95,683 cd/m{sup 2}, and a Commission International de l’E clairage chromaticity coordinates of (0. 436, 0.425) at 12 V. Even at the illumination-relevant brightness of 1000 cd/m{sup 2}, a forward-viewing PE of 17.0 lm/W and CE of 30.7 cd/A are obtained. Moreover, it is found that the device not only suffers slight efficiency roll-off but also exhibits a stable color during a large range of brightness, indicating that the device can satisfy the future commercial requirements. Undoubtedly, the results will be beneficial to the design of both material and device architecture for high-performance WOLEDs and next-generation solid-state lighting sources. - Highlights: • A simple HWOLED with B/O/B structure has been successfully developed. • A extremely high brigthness of 95,683 cd/m{sup 2} is obtained. • A high forward-viewing CE of 30.7 cd/A and PE of 20.2 lm/W are achieved. • Efficiency roll-off is very low and color is relatively stable.

Construction of gateway-compatible yeast two-hybrid vectors for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yeast two-hybrid system combined with the gateway technology will greatly facilitate the cloning of interested DNA fragment into yeast two-hybrid vectors and therefore increase the efficiency of yeast two-hybrid analysis. In this study, we constructed a pair of Gateway-compatible yeast two-hybrid vectors pBTM116GW and ...

Polymorphic Evolutionary Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Fishman, Michael A

2016-06-07

In this paper, I present an analytical framework for polymorphic evolutionary games suitable for explicitly modeling evolutionary processes in diploid populations with sexual reproduction. The principal aspect of the proposed approach is adding diploid genetics cum sexual recombination to a traditional evolutionary game, and switching from phenotypes to haplotypes as the new game׳s pure strategies. Here, the relevant pure strategy׳s payoffs derived by summing the payoffs of all the phenotypes capable of producing gametes containing that particular haplotype weighted by the pertinent probabilities. The resulting game is structurally identical to the familiar Evolutionary Games with non-linear pure strategy payoffs (Hofbauer and Sigmund, 1998. Cambridge University Press), and can be analyzed in terms of an established analytical framework for such games. And these results can be translated into the terms of genotypic, and whence, phenotypic evolutionary stability pertinent to the original game. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Structural Model Decomposition Framework for Hybrid Systems Diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Daigle, Matthew; Bregon, Anibal; Roychoudhury, Indranil

2015-01-01

Nowadays, a large number of practical systems in aerospace and industrial environments are best represented as hybrid systems that consist of discrete modes of behavior, each defined by a set of continuous dynamics. These hybrid dynamics make the on-line fault diagnosis task very challenging. In this work, we present a new modeling and diagnosis framework for hybrid systems. Models are composed from sets of user-defined components using a compositional modeling approach. Submodels for residual generation are then generated for a given mode, and reconfigured efficiently when the mode changes. Efficient reconfiguration is established by exploiting causality information within the hybrid system models. The submodels can then be used for fault diagnosis based on residual generation and analysis. We demonstrate the efficient causality reassignment, submodel reconfiguration, and residual generation for fault diagnosis using an electrical circuit case study.

Misregulation of spermatogenesis genes in Drosophila hybrids is lineage-specific and driven by the combined effects of sterility and fast male regulatory divergence.

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Gomes, S; Civetta, A

2014-09-01

Hybrid male sterility is a common outcome of crosses between different species. Gene expression studies have found that a number of spermatogenesis genes are differentially expressed in sterile hybrid males, compared with parental species. Late-stage sperm development genes are particularly likely to be misexpressed, with fewer early-stage genes affected. Thus, a link has been posited between misexpression and sterility. A more recent alternative explanation for hybrid gene misexpression has been that it is independent of sterility and driven by divergent evolution of male-specific regulatory elements between species (faster male hypothesis). The faster male hypothesis predicts that misregulation of spermatogenesis genes should be independent of sterility and approximately the same in both hybrids, whereas sterility should only affect gene expression in sterile hybrids. To test the faster male hypothesis vs. the effect of sterility on gene misexpression, we analyse spermatogenesis gene expression in different species pairs of the Drosophila phylogeny, where hybrid male sterility occurs in only one direction of the interspecies cross (i.e. unidirectional sterility). We find significant differences among genes in misexpression with effects that are lineage-specific and caused by sterility or fast male regulatory divergence. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Remembering the evolutionary Freud.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Allan

2006-03-01

Throughout his career as a writer, Sigmund Freud maintained an interest in the evolutionary origins of the human mind and its neurotic and psychotic disorders. In common with many writers then and now, he believed that the evolutionary past is conserved in the mind and the brain. Today the "evolutionary Freud" is nearly forgotten. Even among Freudians, he is regarded to be a red herring, relevant only to the extent that he diverts attention from the enduring achievements of the authentic Freud. There are three ways to explain these attitudes. First, the evolutionary Freud's key work is the "Overview of the Transference Neurosis" (1915). But it was published at an inopportune moment, forty years after the author's death, during the so-called "Freud wars." Second, Freud eventually lost interest in the "Overview" and the prospect of a comprehensive evolutionary theory of psychopathology. The publication of The Ego and the Id (1923), introducing Freud's structural theory of the psyche, marked the point of no return. Finally, Freud's evolutionary theory is simply not credible. It is based on just-so stories and a thoroughly discredited evolutionary mechanism, Lamarckian use-inheritance. Explanations one and two are probably correct but also uninteresting. Explanation number three assumes that there is a fundamental difference between Freud's evolutionary narratives (not credible) and the evolutionary accounts of psychopathology that currently circulate in psychiatry and mainstream journals (credible). The assumption is mistaken but worth investigating.

Optimization of performance and energy efficiency for series hybrid commuter-car; Series hybrid hoshiki no commuter car ni okeru doryoku seino to energy koritsu ni kansuru kosatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayashida, M; Narusawa, K [Traffic Safety and Nuisance Research Institute, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

The purpose of this study is to reveal a proper power system for a miniature vehicle called as `Commuter-car` for short trips in urban areas. Two types of simulated series hybrid commuter-cars were set on bench test systems. In order to have sufficient performance and energy saving, combination of electric motor and reduction gear. regenerative break efficiency and generator power supplying were considered by transient driving experiments. Further, estimation of primary energy consumption of the commuter-car was tried. 7 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs.

Understanding the mind from an evolutionary perspective: an overview of evolutionary psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Shackelford, Todd K; Liddle, James R

2014-05-01

The theory of evolution by natural selection provides the only scientific explanation for the existence of complex adaptations. The design features of the brain, like any organ, are the result of selection pressures operating over deep time. Evolutionary psychology posits that the human brain comprises a multitude of evolved psychological mechanisms, adaptations to specific and recurrent problems of survival and reproduction faced over human evolutionary history. Although some mistakenly view evolutionary psychology as promoting genetic determinism, evolutionary psychologists appreciate and emphasize the interactions between genes and environments. This approach to psychology has led to a richer understanding of a variety of psychological phenomena, and has provided a powerful foundation for generating novel hypotheses. Critics argue that evolutionary psychologists resort to storytelling, but as with any branch of science, empirical testing is a vital component of the field, with hypotheses standing or falling with the weight of the evidence. Evolutionary psychology is uniquely suited to provide a unifying theoretical framework for the disparate subdisciplines of psychology. An evolutionary perspective has provided insights into several subdisciplines of psychology, while simultaneously demonstrating the arbitrary nature of dividing psychological science into such subdisciplines. Evolutionary psychologists have amassed a substantial empirical and theoretical literature, but as a relatively new approach to psychology, many questions remain, with several promising directions for future research. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Efficiency of fluorescence in situ hybridization for bacterial cell identification in temporary river sediments with contrasting water content.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazi, Stefano; Amalfitano, Stefano; Pizzetti, Ilaria; Pernthaler, Jakob

2007-09-01

We studied the efficiency of two hybridization techniques for the analysis of benthic bacterial community composition under varying sediment water content. Microcosms were set up with sediments from four European temporary rivers. Wet sediments were dried, and dry sediments were artificially rewetted. The percentage of bacterial cells detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization with fluorescently monolabeled probes (FISH) significantly increased from dry to wet sediments, showing a positive correlation with the community activity measured via incorporation of (3)H leucine. FISH and signal amplification by catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD-FISH) could significantly better detect cells with low activity in dried sediments. Through the application of an optimized cell permeabilization protocol, the percentage of hybridized cells by CARD-FISH showed comparable values in dry and wet conditions. This approach was unrelated to (3)H leucine incorporation rates. Moreover, the optimized protocol allowed a significantly better visualization of Gram-positive Actinobacteria in the studied samples. CARD-FISH is, therefore, proposed as an effective technique to compare bacterial communities residing in sediments with contrasting water content, irrespective of differences in the activity state of target cells. Considering the increasing frequencies of flood and drought cycles in European temporary rivers, our approach may help to better understand the dynamics of microbial communities in such systems.

Model predictive control-based efficient energy recovery control strategy for regenerative braking system of hybrid electric bus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Liang; Zhang, Yuanbo; Yang, Chao; Yan, Bingjie; Marina Martinez, C.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A 7-degree-of-freedom model of hybrid electric vehicle with regenerative braking system is built. • A modified nonlinear model predictive control strategy is developed. • The particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed to solve the optimization problem. • The proposed control strategy is verified by simulation and hardware-in-loop tests. • Test results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. - Abstract: As one of the main working modes, the energy recovered with regenerative braking system provides an effective approach so as to greatly improve fuel economy of hybrid electric bus. However, it is still a challenging issue to ensure braking stability while maximizing braking energy recovery. To solve this problem, an efficient energy recovery control strategy is proposed based on the modified nonlinear model predictive control method. Firstly, combined with the characteristics of the compound braking process of single-shaft parallel hybrid electric bus, a 7 degrees of freedom model of the vehicle longitudinal dynamics is built. Secondly, considering nonlinear characteristic of the vehicle model and the efficiency of regenerative braking system, the particle swarm optimization algorithm within the modified nonlinear model predictive control is adopted to optimize the torque distribution between regenerative braking system and pneumatic braking system at the wheels. So as to reduce the computational time of modified nonlinear model predictive control, a nearest point method is employed during the braking process. Finally, the simulation and hardware-in-loop test are carried out on road conditions with different tire–road adhesion coefficients, and the proposed control strategy is verified by comparing it with the conventional control method employed in the baseline vehicle controller. The simulation and hardware-in-loop test results show that the proposed strategy can ensure vehicle safety during emergency braking

The situation of hybrid vehicles in Japan; Le point sur les vehicules hybrides au Japon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perran, Th.

2000-01-01

Among the different competitors of the race on hybrid vehicles development, Honda was the fastest with its Insight model presented in November 1, 1999. This mass production hybrid vehicle can reach performances of 35 km/l. This new record could be obtained thanks to the development of more efficient weak mixture internal combustion engines and to the lightening of vehicles thanks to the massive use of aluminium. Today, each Japanese car manufacturer has his own hybrid vehicle prototype and one can expect a wave of performing hybrid vehicles on the automotive market in 2001. Toyota remains at the top with its second model, the future 6 places HV-M4 model which will be the very first four wheel drive mono-space hybrid vehicle. (J.S.)

Hybrid fuel cells technologies for electrical microgrids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

San Martin, Jose Ignacio; Zamora, Inmaculada; San Martin, Jose Javier; Aperribay, Victor; Eguia, Pablo [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of the Basque Country, Alda. de Urquijo, s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain)

2010-09-15

Hybrid systems are characterized by containing two or more electrical generation technologies, in order to optimize the global efficiency of the processes involved. These systems can present different operating modes. Besides, they take into account aspects that not only concern the electrical and thermal efficiencies, but also the reduction of pollutant emissions. There is a wide range of possible configurations to form hybrid systems, including hydrogen, renewable energies, gas cycles, vapour cycles or both. Nowadays, these technologies are mainly used for energy production in electrical microgrids. Some examples of these technologies are: hybridization processes of fuel cells with wind turbines and photovoltaic plants, cogeneration and trigeneration processes that can be configured with fuel cell technologies, etc. This paper reviews and analyses the main characteristics of electrical microgrids and the systems based on fuel cells for polygeneration and hybridization processes. (author)

Analog Circuit Design Optimization Based on Evolutionary Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansour Barari

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates an evolutionary-based designing system for automated sizing of analog integrated circuits (ICs. Two evolutionary algorithms, genetic algorithm and PSO (Parswal particle swarm optimization algorithm, are proposed to design analog ICs with practical user-defined specifications. On the basis of the combination of HSPICE and MATLAB, the system links circuit performances, evaluated through specific electrical simulation, to the optimization system in the MATLAB environment, for the selected topology. The system has been tested by typical and hard-to-design cases, such as complex analog blocks with stringent design requirements. The results show that the design specifications are closely met. Comparisons with available methods like genetic algorithms show that the proposed algorithm offers important advantages in terms of optimization quality and robustness. Moreover, the algorithm is shown to be efficient.

Energy-Efficient Scheduling for Hybrid Tasks in Control Devices for the Internet of Things

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zhigang; Wu, Yifan; Dai, Guojun; Xia, Haixia

2012-01-01

In control devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), energy is one of the critical restriction factors. Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) has been proved to be an effective method for reducing the energy consumption of processors. This paper proposes an energy-efficient scheduling algorithm for IoT control devices with hard real-time control tasks (HRCTs) and soft real-time tasks (SRTs). The main contribution of this paper includes two parts. First, it builds the Hybrid tasks with multi-subtasks of different function Weight (HoW) task model for IoT control devices. HoW describes the structure of HRCTs and SRTs, and their properties, e.g., deadlines, execution time, preemption properties, and energy-saving goals, etc. Second, it presents the Hybrid Tasks' Dynamic Voltage Scaling (HTDVS) algorithm. HTDVS first sets the slowdown factors of subtasks while meeting the different real-time requirements of HRCTs and SRTs, and then dynamically reclaims, reserves, and reuses the slack time of the subtasks to meet their ideal energy-saving goals. Experimental results show HTDVS can reduce energy consumption about 10%–80% while meeting the real-time requirements of HRCTs, HRCTs help to reduce the deadline miss ratio (DMR) of systems, and HTDVS has comparable performance with the greedy algorithm and is more favorable to keep the subtasks' ideal speeds. PMID:23112659

Energy-Efficient Scheduling for Hybrid Tasks in Control Devices for the Internet of Things

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guojun Dai

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In control devices for the Internet of Things (IoT, energy is one of the critical restriction factors. Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS has been proved to be an effective method for reducing the energy consumption of processors. This paper proposes an energy-efficient scheduling algorithm for IoT control devices with hard real-time control tasks (HRCTs and soft real-time tasks (SRTs. The main contribution of this paper includes two parts. First, it builds the Hybrid tasks with multi-subtasks of different function Weight (HoW task model for IoT control devices. HoW describes the structure of HRCTs and SRTs, and their properties, e.g., deadlines, execution time, preemption properties, and energy-saving goals, etc. Second, it presents the Hybrid Tasks’ Dynamic Voltage Scaling (HTDVS algorithm. HTDVS first sets the slowdown factors of subtasks while meeting the different real-time requirements of HRCTs and SRTs, and then dynamically reclaims, reserves, and reuses the slack time of the subtasks to meet their ideal energy-saving goals. Experimental results show HTDVS can reduce energy consumption about 10%–80% while meeting the real-time requirements of HRCTs, HRCTs help to reduce the deadline miss ratio (DMR of systems, and HTDVS has comparable performance with the greedy algorithm and is more favorable to keep the subtasks’ ideal speeds.

Hybrid Intrusion Forecasting Framework for Early Warning System

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sehun; Shin, Seong-Jun; Kim, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Ki Hoon; Han, Younggoo

Recently, cyber attacks have become a serious hindrance to the stability of Internet. These attacks exploit interconnectivity of networks, propagate in an instant, and have become more sophisticated and evolutionary. Traditional Internet security systems such as firewalls, IDS and IPS are limited in terms of detecting recent cyber attacks in advance as these systems respond to Internet attacks only after the attacks inflict serious damage. In this paper, we propose a hybrid intrusion forecasting system framework for an early warning system. The proposed system utilizes three types of forecasting methods: time-series analysis, probabilistic modeling, and data mining method. By combining these methods, it is possible to take advantage of the forecasting technique of each while overcoming their drawbacks. Experimental results show that the hybrid intrusion forecasting method outperforms each of three forecasting methods.

[Evolutionary medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Wjst, M

2013-12-01

Evolutionary medicine allows new insights into long standing medical problems. Are we "really stoneagers on the fast lane"? This insight might have enormous consequences and will allow new answers that could never been provided by traditional anthropology. Only now this is made possible using data from molecular medicine and systems biology. Thereby evolutionary medicine takes a leap from a merely theoretical discipline to practical fields - reproductive, nutritional and preventive medicine, as well as microbiology, immunology and psychiatry. Evolutionary medicine is not another "just so story" but a serious candidate for the medical curriculum providing a universal understanding of health and disease based on our biological origin. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Core principles of evolutionary medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Grunspan, Daniel Z; Nesse, Randolph M; Barnes, M Elizabeth; Brownell, Sara E

2018-01-01

Abstract Background and objectives Evolutionary medicine is a rapidly growing field that uses the principles of evolutionary biology to better understand, prevent and treat disease, and that uses studies of disease to advance basic knowledge in evolutionary biology. Over-arching principles of evolutionary medicine have been described in publications, but our study is the first to systematically elicit core principles from a diverse panel of experts in evolutionary medicine. These principles should be useful to advance recent recommendations made by The Association of American Medical Colleges and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to make evolutionary thinking a core competency for pre-medical education. Methodology The Delphi method was used to elicit and validate a list of core principles for evolutionary medicine. The study included four surveys administered in sequence to 56 expert panelists. The initial open-ended survey created a list of possible core principles; the three subsequent surveys winnowed the list and assessed the accuracy and importance of each principle. Results Fourteen core principles elicited at least 80% of the panelists to agree or strongly agree that they were important core principles for evolutionary medicine. These principles over-lapped with concepts discussed in other articles discussing key concepts in evolutionary medicine. Conclusions and implications This set of core principles will be helpful for researchers and instructors in evolutionary medicine. We recommend that evolutionary medicine instructors use the list of core principles to construct learning goals. Evolutionary medicine is a young field, so this list of core principles will likely change as the field develops further. PMID:29493660

Chitosan gel-embedded moxifloxacin niosomes: An efficient antimicrobial hybrid system for burn infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohrabi, Shohreh; Haeri, Azadeh; Mahboubi, Arash; Mortazavi, Alireza; Dadashzadeh, Simin

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study was to prepare and characterize a hybrid system of moxifloxacin loaded niosomes incorporated into chitosan gel as a potential carrier for topical antimicrobial delivery. The prepared system was characterized regarding entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, in vitro drug release kinetics, morphology, FTIR analysis, bioadhesive strength and rheological behavior. The effect of different formulation parameters (surfactant type, surfactant to drug ratio, cholesterol percentage and loading methodology) on moxifloxacin entrapment and drug release was evaluated. The antibacterial effectiveness of various formulations was also assessed by measuring the minimal inhibitory concentrations, minimal bactericidal concentrations and agar diffusion assay using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus as model pathogens. The optimized niosomal formulation showed 73% drug entrapment, 47% drug release in 8h and was ∼290 nm in particle diameter and negatively charged (ζ∼-23 mV). The gel-embedded niosomes exhibited pseudo-plastic flow behavior and more sustained drug release profile compared to niosomes. The niosomal formulation of moxifloxacin was the most efficient system against P. aeruginosa, while gel based formulations were superior against S. aureus. Taken together, moxifloxacin-in-niosomes-in-gels hold great promise for topical microbial infections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Study of Driver’s Route Choice Behavior Based on Evolutionary Game Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaowei Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a route choice analytic method that embeds cumulative prospect theory in evolutionary game theory to analyze how the drivers adjust their route choice behaviors under the influence of the traffic information. A simulated network with two alternative routes and one variable message sign is built to illustrate the analytic method. We assume that the drivers in the transportation system are bounded rational, and the traffic information they receive is incomplete. An evolutionary game model is constructed to describe the evolutionary process of the drivers’ route choice decision-making behaviors. Here we conclude that the traffic information plays an important role in the route choice behavior. The driver’s route decision-making process develops towards different evolutionary stable states in accordance with different transportation situations. The analysis results also demonstrate that employing cumulative prospect theory and evolutionary game theory to study the driver’s route choice behavior is effective. This analytic method provides an academic support and suggestion for the traffic guidance system, and may optimize the travel efficiency to a certain extent.

An Insight into the Convenience and Efficiency of the Freeze-Drying Route to Construct 3D Graphene-Based Hybrids for Lithium-Ion Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Caihua; Zhao, Yongjie; Yan, Dong; Zhao, Yuzhen; Zhou, Heping; Li, Jingbo; Jin, Haibo

2016-01-01

Constructing hybrids of transition metal oxides with different kinds of carbon based materials has attracted a lot of attention recently. However, scalable synthesis of homogeneous hybrids with active controllable of microstructure remains great challenge. Here, we proposed a convenient and efficient strategy named freeze-drying process for scalable production of 3D NiO/graphene hybrids. With a controllable procedure, NiO microflowers and graphene layers could preserve uniform configuration from fully mixed solvent to final hybrids materials. The mechanical stability and electrical conductivity of NiO microflowers was increased by graphene. NiO microflowers as spacers intercalated into graphene layers and effectively prevented it from aggregation or restacking, leading to a high specific surface area in hybrids. The NiO/graphene exhibited enhanced cycle stability and rate performance when evaluated as an anode for lithium ion batteries. It rendered high specific capacities about 1000 mA h g −1 after 70 cycles, and 770 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles at 300 mA g −1 . Excellent electrochemical properties were probably ascribed to the synergistic effect of NiO microflowers and graphene layers, as a result of smart structure design by a freeze-drying route. This strategy with merits of rational construction and scalable production could establish new aspects for diverse hybrid towards industrialization.

Evolutionary Engineering in Chemostat Cultures for Improved Maltotriose Fermentation Kinetics in Saccharomyces pastorianus Lager Brewing Yeast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anja Brickwedde

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The lager brewing yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus, an interspecies hybrid of S. eubayanus and S. cerevisiae, ferments maltotriose, maltose, sucrose, glucose and fructose in wort to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Complete and timely conversion (“attenuation” of maltotriose by industrial S. pastorianus strains is a key requirement for process intensification. This study explores a new evolutionary engineering strategy for improving maltotriose fermentation kinetics. Prolonged carbon-limited, anaerobic chemostat cultivation of the reference strain S. pastorianus CBS1483 on a maltotriose-enriched sugar mixture was used to select for spontaneous mutants with improved affinity for maltotriose. Evolved populations exhibited an up to 5-fold lower residual maltotriose concentration and a higher ethanol concentration than the parental strain. Uptake studies with 14C-labeled sugars revealed an up to 4.75-fold higher transport capacity for maltotriose in evolved strains. In laboratory batch cultures on wort, evolved strains showed improved attenuation and higher ethanol concentrations. These improvements were also observed in pilot fermentations at 1,000-L scale with high-gravity wort. Although the evolved strain exhibited multiple chromosomal copy number changes, analysis of beer made from pilot fermentations showed no negative effects on flavor compound profiles. These results demonstrate the potential of evolutionary engineering for strain improvement of hybrid, alloploid brewing strains.

Evolutionary Engineering in Chemostat Cultures for Improved Maltotriose Fermentation Kinetics in Saccharomyces pastorianus Lager Brewing Yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Brickwedde, Anja; van den Broek, Marcel; Geertman, Jan-Maarten A; Magalhães, Frederico; Kuijpers, Niels G A; Gibson, Brian; Pronk, Jack T; Daran, Jean-Marc G

2017-01-01

The lager brewing yeast Saccharomyces pastorianus , an interspecies hybrid of S. eubayanus and S. cerevisiae , ferments maltotriose, maltose, sucrose, glucose and fructose in wort to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Complete and timely conversion ("attenuation") of maltotriose by industrial S. pastorianus strains is a key requirement for process intensification. This study explores a new evolutionary engineering strategy for improving maltotriose fermentation kinetics. Prolonged carbon-limited, anaerobic chemostat cultivation of the reference strain S. pastorianus CBS1483 on a maltotriose-enriched sugar mixture was used to select for spontaneous mutants with improved affinity for maltotriose. Evolved populations exhibited an up to 5-fold lower residual maltotriose concentration and a higher ethanol concentration than the parental strain. Uptake studies with 14 C-labeled sugars revealed an up to 4.75-fold higher transport capacity for maltotriose in evolved strains. In laboratory batch cultures on wort, evolved strains showed improved attenuation and higher ethanol concentrations. These improvements were also observed in pilot fermentations at 1,000-L scale with high-gravity wort. Although the evolved strain exhibited multiple chromosomal copy number changes, analysis of beer made from pilot fermentations showed no negative effects on flavor compound profiles. These results demonstrate the potential of evolutionary engineering for strain improvement of hybrid, alloploid brewing strains.

Applying evolutionary anthropology.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Mhairi A; Lawson, David W

2015-01-01

Evolutionary anthropology provides a powerful theoretical framework for understanding how both current environments and legacies of past selection shape human behavioral diversity. This integrative and pluralistic field, combining ethnographic, demographic, and sociological methods, has provided new insights into the ultimate forces and proximate pathways that guide human adaptation and variation. Here, we present the argument that evolutionary anthropological studies of human behavior also hold great, largely untapped, potential to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of social and public health policy. Focusing on the key anthropological themes of reproduction, production, and distribution we highlight classic and recent research demonstrating the value of an evolutionary perspective to improving human well-being. The challenge now comes in transforming relevance into action and, for that, evolutionary behavioral anthropologists will need to forge deeper connections with other applied social scientists and policy-makers. We are hopeful that these developments are underway and that, with the current tide of enthusiasm for evidence-based approaches to policy, evolutionary anthropology is well positioned to make a strong contribution. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applying Evolutionary Anthropology

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Mhairi A; Lawson, David W

2015-01-01

Evolutionary anthropology provides a powerful theoretical framework for understanding how both current environments and legacies of past selection shape human behavioral diversity. This integrative and pluralistic field, combining ethnographic, demographic, and sociological methods, has provided new insights into the ultimate forces and proximate pathways that guide human adaptation and variation. Here, we present the argument that evolutionary anthropological studies of human behavior also hold great, largely untapped, potential to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of social and public health policy. Focusing on the key anthropological themes of reproduction, production, and distribution we highlight classic and recent research demonstrating the value of an evolutionary perspective to improving human well-being. The challenge now comes in transforming relevance into action and, for that, evolutionary behavioral anthropologists will need to forge deeper connections with other applied social scientists and policy-makers. We are hopeful that these developments are underway and that, with the current tide of enthusiasm for evidence-based approaches to policy, evolutionary anthropology is well positioned to make a strong contribution. PMID:25684561

Evolutionary tracks of the terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Takafumi; Abe, Yutaka

1987-01-01

On the basis of the model proposed by Matsui and Abe, the authors show that two major factors - distance from the Sun and the efficiency of retention of accretional energy - control the early evolution of the terrestrial planets. A diagram of accretional energy versus the optical depth of a proto-atmosphere provides a means to follow the evolutionary track of surface temperature of the terrestrial planets and an explanation for why the third planet in our solar system is an 'aqua'-planet. 15 refs; 3 figs

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Economic efficiency and market chances of different business models; Plug-in Hybridfahrzeuge: Wirtschaftlichkeit und Marktchancen verschiedener Geschaeftsmodelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hackbarth, Andre; Schuermann, Gregor [RWTH Aachen (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Wirtschaftswissenschaften insb. Energieoekonomik,; RWTH Aachen (DE). E.ON Energy Research Center, Institut fuer Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN); Madlener, Reinhard [Technische Hochschule Aachen (DE). Lehrstuhl fuer Verbrennungskraftmaschinen (VKA)

2009-07-15

The German traffic sector is strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Electric vehicles could reduce this dependence and also help to keep CO2 emissions low. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are a technology option that may facilitate the transition to electromobility. The authors investigate the economic efficiencies and amortisation periods of PHEV on the basis of two different business models, i.e. passenger cars (compact and medium-sized) and light vans. It is shown that under the assumed boundary conditions PHEV are not economically efficient at present. The influence of various parameters on economic efficiency and amortisation period is investigated by means of a sensitivity analysis. (orig.)

Evolutionary relationships within the Phytophthora cactorum species complex in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Pánek, Matěj; Fér, Tomáš; Mráček, Jaroslav; Tomšovský, Michal

2016-01-01

The Phytophthora cactorum species complex in Europe is composed of P. cactorum, Phytophthora hedraiandra, and a hybrid species Phytophthora × serendipita. Evolutionary analyses using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method were carried out on 133 isolates from 19 countries. The AFLP data were complemented by sequence analysis of three genes (ITS region of ribosomal RNA gene, phenolic acid decarboxylase - Pheca I, and Cytochrome oxidase - Cox I), morphometric analysis and cardinal temperature data. The high proportion of clonal genotypes, low gene flow among groups, which was defined by the structure analysis, and low Nei's gene diversity confirms the homothallic life cycle of the groups. On the other hand, the ITS, Cox I and Pheca I sequence data support occasional hybridization between species. The structure K = 5 grouping revealed two groups of hybrid origin (C2 and F). While the C2 group resembles P. × serendipita, the F group includes Finnish isolates characterized by high oogonial abortion rates and slow growth. The morphological characters routinely used in identification of Phytophthora species are not useful for delimitation of species from the P. cactorum complex. Therefore, we discuss the status of P. hedraiandra as a separate species. The epitypification of P. cactorum is proposed. Copyright © 2016 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design, analysis and modeling of a novel hybrid powertrain system based on hybridized automated manual transmission

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Guang; Dong, Zuomin

2017-09-01

Hybrid electric vehicles are widely accepted as a promising short to mid-term technical solution due to noticeably improved efficiency and lower emissions at competitive costs. In recent years, various hybrid powertrain systems were proposed and implemented based on different types of conventional transmission. Power-split system, including Toyota Hybrid System and Ford Hybrid System, are well-known examples. However, their relatively low torque capacity, and the drive of alternative and more advanced designs encouraged other innovative hybrid system designs. In this work, a new type of hybrid powertrain system based hybridized automated manual transmission (HAMT) is proposed. By using the concept of torque gap filler (TGF), this new hybrid powertrain type has the potential to overcome issue of torque gap during gearshift. The HAMT design (patent pending) is described in details, from gear layout and design of gear ratios (EV mode and HEV mode) to torque paths at different gears. As an analytical tool, mutli-body model of vehicle equipped with this HAMT was built to analyze powertrain dynamics at various steady and transient modes. A gearshift was decomposed and analyzed based basic modes. Furthermore, a Simulink-SimDriveline hybrid vehicle model was built for the new transmission, driveline and vehicle modular. Control strategy has also been built to harmonically coordinate different powertrain components to realize TGF function. A vehicle launch simulation test has been completed under 30% of accelerator pedal position to reveal details during gearshift. Simulation results showed that this HAMT can eliminate most torque gap that has been persistent issue of traditional AMT, improving both drivability and performance. This work demonstrated a new type of transmission that features high torque capacity, high efficiency and improved drivability.

Evolutionary Expectations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nash, Ulrik William

2014-01-01

, they are correlated among people who share environments because these individuals satisfice within their cognitive bounds by using cues in order of validity, as opposed to using cues arbitrarily. Any difference in expectations thereby arise from differences in cognitive ability, because two individuals with identical...... cognitive bounds will perceive business opportunities identically. In addition, because cues provide information about latent causal structures of the environment, changes in causality must be accompanied by changes in cognitive representations if adaptation is to be maintained. The concept of evolutionary......The concept of evolutionary expectations descends from cue learning psychology, synthesizing ideas on rational expectations with ideas on bounded rationality, to provide support for these ideas simultaneously. Evolutionary expectations are rational, but within cognitive bounds. Moreover...

Evolutionary Awareness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregory Gorelik

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In this article, we advance the concept of “evolutionary awareness,” a metacognitive framework that examines human thought and emotion from a naturalistic, evolutionary perspective. We begin by discussing the evolution and current functioning of the moral foundations on which our framework rests. Next, we discuss the possible applications of such an evolutionarily-informed ethical framework to several domains of human behavior, namely: sexual maturation, mate attraction, intrasexual competition, culture, and the separation between various academic disciplines. Finally, we discuss ways in which an evolutionary awareness can inform our cross-generational activities—which we refer to as “intergenerational extended phenotypes”—by helping us to construct a better future for ourselves, for other sentient beings, and for our environment.

Risk and efficacy of human-enabled interspecific hybridization for climate-change adaptation: Response to Hamilton and Miller (2016)

Science.gov (United States)

Kovach, Ryan P.; Luikart, Gordon; Lowe, Winsor H.; Boyer, Matthew C.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.

2016-01-01

Hamilton and Miller (2016) provide an interesting and provocative discussion of how hybridization and introgression can promote evolutionary potential in the face of climate change. They argue that hybridization—mating between individuals from genetically distinct populations—can alleviate inbreeding depression and promote adaptive introgression and evolutionary rescue. We agree that deliberate intraspecific hybridization (mating between individuals of the same species) is an underused management tool for increasing fitness in inbred populations (i.e., genetic rescue; Frankham 2015; Whiteley et al. 2015). The potential risks and benefits of assisted gene flow have been discussed in the literature, and an emerging consensus suggests that mating between populations isolated for approximately 50–100 generations can benefit fitness, often with a minor risk of outbreeding depression (Frankham et al. 2011; Aitken & Whitlock 2013; Allendorf et al. 2013).

Relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy : a fuzzy AHP/DEA hybrid model approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.

2009-01-01

As a provider of national energy security, the Korean Institute of Energy Research is seeking to establish a long term strategic technology roadmap for a hydrogen-based economy. This paper addressed 5 criteria regarding the strategy, notably economic impact, commercial potential, inner capacity, technical spinoff, and development cost. The fuzzy AHP and DEA hybrid model were used in a two-stage multi-criteria decision making approach to evaluate the relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process reflects the uncertainty of human thoughts with interval values instead of clear-cut numbers. It therefore allocates the relative importance of 4 criteria, notably economic impact, commercial potential, inner capacity and technical spin-off. The relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy can be measured via data envelopment analysis. It was concluded that the scientific decision making approach can be used effectively to allocate research and development resources and activities

Relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy : a fuzzy AHP/DEA hybrid model approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S. [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of). Energy Policy Research Division; Mogi, G. [Tokyo Univ., (Japan). Dept. of Technology Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering; Kim, J. [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2009-07-01

As a provider of national energy security, the Korean Institute of Energy Research is seeking to establish a long term strategic technology roadmap for a hydrogen-based economy. This paper addressed 5 criteria regarding the strategy, notably economic impact, commercial potential, inner capacity, technical spinoff, and development cost. The fuzzy AHP and DEA hybrid model were used in a two-stage multi-criteria decision making approach to evaluate the relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process reflects the uncertainty of human thoughts with interval values instead of clear-cut numbers. It therefore allocates the relative importance of 4 criteria, notably economic impact, commercial potential, inner capacity and technical spin-off. The relative efficiency of hydrogen technologies for the hydrogen economy can be measured via data envelopment analysis. It was concluded that the scientific decision making approach can be used effectively to allocate research and development resources and activities.

Evolutionary engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for efficient conversion of red algal biosugars to bioethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hye-Jin; Kim, Soo-Jung; Yoon, Jeong-Jun; Kim, Kyoung Heon; Seo, Jin-Ho; Park, Yong-Cheol

2015-09-01

The aim of this work was to apply the evolutionary engineering to construct a mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae HJ7-14 resistant on 2-deoxy-D-glucose and with an enhanced ability of bioethanol production from galactose, a mono-sugar in red algae. In batch and repeated-batch fermentations, HJ7-14 metabolized 5-fold more galactose and produced ethanol 2.1-fold faster than the parental D452-2 strain. Transcriptional analysis of genes involved in the galactose metabolism revealed that moderate relief from the glucose-mediated repression of the transcription of the GAL genes might enable HJ7-14 to metabolize galactose rapidly. HJ7-14 produced 7.4 g/L ethanol from hydrolysates of the red alga Gelidium amansii within 12 h, which was 1.5-times faster than that observed with D452-2. We demonstrate conclusively that evolutionary engineering is a promising tool to manipulate the complex galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae to produce bioethanol from red alga. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary genomics of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) in Brassica.

Science.gov (United States)

Nouroz, Faisal; Noreen, Shumaila; Heslop-Harrison, J S

2015-12-01

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are truncated derivatives of autonomous DNA transposons, and are dispersed abundantly in most eukaryotic genomes. We aimed to characterize various MITEs families in Brassica in terms of their presence, sequence characteristics and evolutionary activity. Dot plot analyses involving comparison of homoeologous bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences allowed identification of 15 novel families of mobile MITEs. Of which, 5 were Stowaway-like with TA Target Site Duplications (TSDs), 4 Tourist-like with TAA/TTA TSDs, 5 Mutator-like with 9-10 bp TSDs and 1 novel MITE (BoXMITE1) flanked by 3 bp TSDs. Our data suggested that there are about 30,000 MITE-related sequences in Brassica rapa and B. oleracea genomes. In situ hybridization showed one abundant family was dispersed in the A-genome, while another was located near 45S rDNA sites. PCR analysis using primers flanking sequences of MITE elements detected MITE insertion polymorphisms between and within the three Brassica (AA, BB, CC) genomes, with many insertions being specific to single genomes and others showing evidence of more recent evolutionary insertions. Our BAC sequence comparison strategy enables identification of evolutionarily active MITEs with no prior knowledge of MITE sequences. The details of MITE families reported in Brassica enable their identification, characterization and annotation. Insertion polymorphisms of MITEs and their transposition activity indicated important mechanism of genome evolution and diversification. MITE families derived from known Mariner, Harbinger and Mutator DNA transposons were discovered, as well as some novel structures. The identification of Brassica MITEs will have broad applications in Brassica genomics, breeding, hybridization and phylogeny through their use as DNA markers.

Development of a power train for the hybrid automobile - the Civic IMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuki, Masato; Sato, Toshiyuki; Wakashiro, Teruo; Kaku, Toshiaki; Kamiyama, Toshihiro; Kanda, Masahiro [Tochigi R and D Center (Japan); Brachmann, T. [Tochigi Offenbach R und D Center (Germany)

2003-07-01

The Civic Hybrid was developed as a compact passenger hybrid car that achieves both low fuel consumption and cleaner operation from the viewpoints of preserving the global environment and conserving resources. The engine has been improved for Hybrid applications, which were added to the base i-DSI, 4-cylinder, 1.3-liter SOHC, 2-ignition plugs/cylinder engine mounted in the Honda 'Jazz'. In addition, the cylinder idling system has been adopted to increase the regenerated energy during deceleration. The hybrid system is based on the Honda IMA system, and the maximum regenerative torque has been increased by approximately 30% by improving the magnetic circuits of an ultra-thin DC brushless motor and adopting a new rotor manufacturing method. Fuel economy is improved by a new hybrid power train, thus achieving low fuel consumption of 4.9 1/100 km in the European UDC+EUCD combined mode by at the same time meeting EURO IV standards. The power control unit, which is the IMA system control unit, was downsized and located behind the rear seat, thus ensuring comparable trunk capacity to the base vehicle of the Civic 4-Door. Hybrid vehicles have a lot to offer. This paper introduces evolutionary developments of Hybrid vehicles within the Honda Motor Company. (orig.)

Hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT optimization and VMPC

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmadani, R.; Mawengkang, H.; Sutarman

2018-03-01

Hybrid cryptosystem combines symmetric algorithms and asymmetric algorithms. This combination utilizes speeds on encryption/decryption processes of symmetric algorithms and asymmetric algorithms to secure symmetric keys. In this paper we propose hybrid cryptosystem that combine symmetric algorithms VMPC and asymmetric algorithms RSA - CRT optimization. RSA - CRT optimization speeds up the decryption process by obtaining plaintext with dp and p key only, so there is no need to perform CRT processes. The VMPC algorithm is more efficient in software implementation and reduces known weaknesses in RC4 key generation. The results show hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT optimization and VMPC is faster than hybrid cryptosystem RSA - VMPC and hybrid cryptosystem RSA - CRT - VMPC. Keyword : Cryptography, RSA, RSA - CRT, VMPC, Hybrid Cryptosystem.

EVOLUTIONARY FOUNDATIONS FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE

Science.gov (United States)

Nesse, Randolph M.; Ganten, Detlev; Gregory, T. Ryan; Omenn, Gilbert S.

2015-01-01

Evolution has long provided a foundation for population genetics, but many major advances in evolutionary biology from the 20th century are only now being applied in molecular medicine. They include the distinction between proximate and evolutionary explanations, kin selection, evolutionary models for cooperation, and new strategies for tracing phylogenies and identifying signals of selection. Recent advances in genomics are further transforming evolutionary biology and creating yet more opportunities for progress at the interface of evolution with genetics, medicine, and public health. This article reviews 15 evolutionary principles and their applications in molecular medicine in hopes that readers will use them and others to speed the development of evolutionary molecular medicine. PMID:22544168

An evolutionary perspective on drug discovery in the plant genus Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernst, Madeleine

herbivory and physical stresses or to attract pollinators. Consequently, specializedmetabolites, as well as plants used in traditional medicine, are not randomly distributed across phylogenetictrees. Evolutionary approaches to plant-based drug discovery suggest that this informationcan be used to guide...... healthcarethreats, urge for systematic and time-efficient approaches in finding new drug candidates. Manydrugs are derived from plant specialized metabolites, chemical compounds, which are synthesizedby the plants in response to evolutionary adaptation to environmental and ecological factors, for example,to combat...... evolution and diversification. Also, Euphorbia species producean often chemically highly diverse latex exhibiting an exceptional number of biological activities withpharmaceutical interest. In this PhD project, the genus Euphorbia was chosen as a model group forstudying evolutionary approaches to plant...

A Thrust Allocation Method for Efficient Dynamic Positioning of a Semisubmersible Drilling Rig Based on the Hybrid Optimization Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luman Zhao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A thrust allocation method was proposed based on a hybrid optimization algorithm to efficiently and dynamically position a semisubmersible drilling rig. That is, the thrust allocation was optimized to produce the generalized forces and moment required while at the same time minimizing the total power consumption under the premise that forbidden zones should be taken into account. An optimization problem was mathematically formulated to provide the optimal thrust allocation by introducing the corresponding design variables, objective function, and constraints. A hybrid optimization algorithm consisting of a genetic algorithm and a sequential quadratic programming (SQP algorithm was selected and used to solve this problem. The proposed method was evaluated by applying it to a thrust allocation problem for a semisubmersible drilling rig. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used as part of a cost-effective strategy for thrust allocation of the rig.

Attractive evolutionary equilibria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joosten, Reinoud A.M.G.; Roorda, Berend

2011-01-01

We present attractiveness, a refinement criterion for evolutionary equilibria. Equilibria surviving this criterion are robust to small perturbations of the underlying payoff system or the dynamics at hand. Furthermore, certain attractive equilibria are equivalent to others for certain evolutionary

NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrid: A novel oxidase mimetic system for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Bing; He, Yu; Liu, Bingqian; Tang, Dianping, E-mail: dianping.tang@fzu.edu.cn

2014-12-03

Highlights: • We report a new oxidase mimetic system for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay. • NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrids were used as the nanocatalysts. • NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrids were used as the mimic oxidase. - Abstract: NiCoBP-doped multi-walled carbon nanotube (NiCoBP–MWCNT) was first synthesized by using induced electroless-plating method and functionalized with the biomolecules for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay of prostate-specific antigen (PSA, used as a model analyte). We discovered that the as-synthesized NiCoBP–MWCNT had the ability to catalyze the glucose oxidization with a stable and well-defined redox peak. The catalytic current increased with the increment of the immobilized NiCoBP–MWCNT on the electrode. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) were employed to characterize the as-prepared NiCoBP–MWCNT. Using the NiCoBP–MWCNT-conjugated anti-PSA antibody as the signal-transduction tag, a new enzyme-free electrochemical immunoassay protocol could be designed for the detection of target PSA on the capture antibody-functionalized immunosensing interface. Experimental results revealed that the designed immunoassay system could exhibit good electrochemical responses toward target PSA, and allowed the detection of PSA at a concentration as low as 0.035 ng mL{sup −1}. More importantly, the NiCoBP-MWCNT-based oxidase mimetic system could be further extended for the monitoring of other low-abundance proteins or disease-related biomarkers by tuning the target antibody.

Performance assessment of a novel hybrid district energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coskun, C.; Oktay, Z.; Dincer, I.

2012-01-01

In this paper, a new hybrid system for improving the efficiency of geothermal district heating systems (GDHSs) is proposed. This hybrid system consists of biogas based electricity production and a water-to-water geothermal heat pump unit (GHPU), which uses the waste heat for both heating and domestic hot water purposes. Electricity generated by the biogas plant (BP) is utilized to drive the GDHS's pumps, BP systems and the heat pump units. Both the biogas reactor heating unit and the heat pump unit utilize the waste heat from the GDHS and use the system as a heat source. The feasibility of utilizing a hybrid system in order to increase the overall system (GDHS + BP + GHPU) efficiency is then investigated for possible efficiency improvements. The Edremit GDHS in Turkey, which is selected for investigation in this case study, reinjects 16.8 MW of thermal power into the river at a low temperature; namely at 40 °C. Such a temperature is ideal for mesophilic bacterial growth in the digestion process during biogas production. 1.45 MW of biogas based electricity production potential is obtainable from the waste heat output of the Edremit GDHS. The average overall system efficiencies through the utilization of this kind of hybridized system approach are increased by 7.5% energetically and 13% for exergetically. - Highlights: ► A new hybrid system is proposed for improving the efficiency of geothermal district heating systems (GDHSs). ► The average overall system efficiencies are increased by 7.5% for energy and 13% for exergy, respectively. ► Various energetic and exergetic parameters are studied.

Conceptual scheme of a hybrid mesocatalytic fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrov, Yu.V.

1988-01-01

To test the practical realization of the mesocatalytic method for energy production a preliminary engineering analysis and calculation of the separate units of the conceptual scheme of the hybrid mesocatalytic reactor was made. The construction and efficiency of the most characteristic separate blocks of the conceptual scheme for muon-catalyzed fusion are examined. The muon catalysis cycle in a dt mixture was assessed. The kinetics and energetics of muon production through a pion-forming target and a converter were evaluated. Concomitant questions, particularly the removal of helium from hydrogen, are discussed. Fusion chamber requirements were calculated and problems of heat removal were assessed. Blanket construction and efficiency were examined. The efficiency of different methods for power generation were comparatively reviewed including hybrid thermonuclear, electronuclear nuclear, and hybrid mesocatalytic methods. Energy balances and economic restrictions were examined

Laser driven fusion fission hybrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, L.F.; Maniscalco, J.A.

1977-11-01

The role of the fusion-fission hybrid reactor (FFHR) as a fissile fuel and/or power producer is discussed. As long range options to supply the world energy needs, hybrid-fueled thermal-burner reactors are compared to liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR). A discussion of different fuel cycles (thorium, depleted uranium, and spent fuel) is presented in order to compare the energy multiplication, the production of fissile fuel, the laser efficiency and pellet gain requirements of the hybrid reactor. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) has collaborated with Bechtel Corporation and with Westinghouse in two engineering design studies of laser fusion driven hybrid power plants. The hybrid designs which have resulted from these two studies are briefly described and analyzed by considering operational parameters, such as energy multiplication, power density, burn-up and plutonium production as a function time

Invasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Kovach, Ryan P.; Jones, Leslie A.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Boyer, Matthew C.; Leary, Robb F.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Luikart, Gordon; Allendorf, Fred W.

2014-01-01

Climate change will decrease worldwide biodiversity through a number of potential pathways, including invasive hybridization (cross-breeding between invasive and native species). How climate warming influences the spread of hybridization and loss of native genomes poses difficult ecological and evolutionary questions with little empirical information to guide conservation management decisions. Here we combine long-term genetic monitoring data with high-resolution climate and stream temperature predictions to evaluate how recent climate warming has influenced the spatio-temporal spread of human-mediated hybridization between threatened native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the world’s most widely introduced invasive fish. Despite widespread release of millions of rainbow trout over the past century within the Flathead River system, a large relatively pristine watershed in western North America, historical samples revealed that hybridization was prevalent only in one (source) population. During a subsequent 30-year period of accelerated warming, hybridization spread rapidly and was strongly linked to interactions between climatic drivers—precipitation and temperature—and distance to the source population. Specifically, decreases in spring precipitation and increases in summer stream temperature probably promoted upstream expansion of hybridization throughout the system. This study shows that rapid climate warming can exacerbate interactions between native and non-native species through invasive hybridization, which could spell genomic extinction for many species.

Invasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Kovach, Ryan P.; Jones, Leslie A.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert; Boyer, Matthew C.; Leary, Robb F.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Luikart, Gordon; Allendorf, Fred W.

2014-07-01

Climate change will decrease worldwide biodiversity through a number of potential pathways, including invasive hybridization (cross-breeding between invasive and native species). How climate warming influences the spread of hybridization and loss of native genomes poses difficult ecological and evolutionary questions with little empirical information to guide conservation management decisions. Here we combine long-term genetic monitoring data with high-resolution climate and stream temperature predictions to evaluate how recent climate warming has influenced the spatio-temporal spread of human-mediated hybridization between threatened native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the world's most widely introduced invasive fish. Despite widespread release of millions of rainbow trout over the past century within the Flathead River system, a large relatively pristine watershed in western North America, historical samples revealed that hybridization was prevalent only in one (source) population. During a subsequent 30-year period of accelerated warming, hybridization spread rapidly and was strongly linked to interactions between climatic drivers--precipitation and temperature--and distance to the source population. Specifically, decreases in spring precipitation and increases in summer stream temperature probably promoted upstream expansion of hybridization throughout the system. This study shows that rapid climate warming can exacerbate interactions between native and non-native species through invasive hybridization, which could spell genomic extinction for many species.

Segregation distortion causes large-scale differences between male and female genomes in hybrid ants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulmuni, Jonna; Seifert, Bernhard; Pamilo, Pekka

2010-04-20

Hybridization in isolated populations can lead either to hybrid breakdown and extinction or in some cases to speciation. The basis of hybrid breakdown lies in genetic incompatibilities between diverged genomes. In social Hymenoptera, the consequences of hybridization can differ from those in other animals because of haplodiploidy and sociality. Selection pressures differ between sexes because males are haploid and females are diploid. Furthermore, sociality and group living may allow survival of hybrid genotypes. We show that hybridization in Formica ants has resulted in a stable situation in which the males form two highly divergent gene pools whereas all the females are hybrids. This causes an exceptional situation with large-scale differences between male and female genomes. The genotype differences indicate strong transmission ratio distortion depending on offspring sex, whereby the mother transmits some alleles exclusively to her daughters and other alleles exclusively to her sons. The genetic differences between the sexes and the apparent lack of multilocus hybrid genotypes in males can be explained by recessive incompatibilities which cause the elimination of hybrid males because of their haploid genome. Alternatively, differentiation between sexes could be created by prezygotic segregation into male-forming and female-forming gametes in diploid females. Differentiation between sexes is stable and maintained throughout generations. The present study shows a unique outcome of hybridization and demonstrates that hybridization has the potential of generating evolutionary novelties in animals.

New hybrid systems: strategy and research programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.B.

2001-01-01

This short article gives a status of research and experimental programs concerning new hybrid systems. A hybrid system is made up of a subcritical core, a spallation target and of a particle accelerator that delivers a proton beam. The main asset of hybrid systems is to provide a large reactivity margin that would be very valuable to transmute actinide nuclei efficiently. As a consequence hybrid systems could be considered as actinide burner reactors integrated to a large population of classical nuclear reactors dedicated to electricity production. (A.C.)

Real-world environmental performance of hybrid vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winkel, R.G.; Hendriksen, P.; Vermeulen, R.J.; Foster, D.L.

2001-01-01

With the further development and market introduction of hybrid vehicle technologies in recent years we are now at a stage where we can test whether the proclaimed advantages of hybrid propulsion in terms of fuel efficiency and emission reduction are actually realised. An important issue is that

Hybrid perovskites: Approaches towards light-emitting devices

KAUST Repository

Alias, Mohd Sharizal

2016-10-06

The high optical gain and absorption of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted extensive research for photonic device applications. Using the bromide halide as an example, we present key approaches of our work towards realizing efficient perovskites based light-emitters. The approaches involved determination of optical constants for the hybrid perovskites thin films, fabrication of photonic nanostructures in the form of subwavelength grating reflector patterned directly on the hybrid perovskites as light manipulation layer, and enhancing the emission property of the hybrid perovskites by using microcavity structure. Our results provide a platform for realization of hybrid perovskites based light-emitting devices for solid-state lighting and display applications. © 2016 IEEE.

Hybrid perovskites: Approaches towards light-emitting devices

KAUST Repository

Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Dursun, Ibrahim; Priante, Davide; Saidaminov, Makhsud I.; Ng, Tien Khee; Bakr, Osman; Ooi, Boon S.

2016-01-01

The high optical gain and absorption of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have attracted extensive research for photonic device applications. Using the bromide halide as an example, we present key approaches of our work towards realizing efficient perovskites based light-emitters. The approaches involved determination of optical constants for the hybrid perovskites thin films, fabrication of photonic nanostructures in the form of subwavelength grating reflector patterned directly on the hybrid perovskites as light manipulation layer, and enhancing the emission property of the hybrid perovskites by using microcavity structure. Our results provide a platform for realization of hybrid perovskites based light-emitting devices for solid-state lighting and display applications. © 2016 IEEE.

Discovery radiomics via evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery for pathologically proven lung cancer detection.

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Shafiee, Mohammad Javad; Chung, Audrey G; Khalvati, Farzad; Haider, Masoom A; Wong, Alexander

2017-10-01

While lung cancer is the second most diagnosed form of cancer in men and women, a sufficiently early diagnosis can be pivotal in patient survival rates. Imaging-based, or radiomics-driven, detection methods have been developed to aid diagnosticians, but largely rely on hand-crafted features that may not fully encapsulate the differences between cancerous and healthy tissue. Recently, the concept of discovery radiomics was introduced, where custom abstract features are discovered from readily available imaging data. We propose an evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery approach based on evolutionary deep intelligence. Motivated by patient privacy concerns and the idea of operational artificial intelligence, the evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery approach organically evolves increasingly more efficient deep radiomic sequencers that produce significantly more compact yet similarly descriptive radiomic sequences over multiple generations. As a result, this framework improves operational efficiency and enables diagnosis to be run locally at the radiologist's computer while maintaining detection accuracy. We evaluated the evolved deep radiomic sequencer (EDRS) discovered via the proposed evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery framework against state-of-the-art radiomics-driven and discovery radiomics methods using clinical lung CT data with pathologically proven diagnostic data from the LIDC-IDRI dataset. The EDRS shows improved sensitivity (93.42%), specificity (82.39%), and diagnostic accuracy (88.78%) relative to previous radiomics approaches.

Open Issues in Evolutionary Robotics.

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Silva, Fernando; Duarte, Miguel; Correia, Luís; Oliveira, Sancho Moura; Christensen, Anders Lyhne

2016-01-01

One of the long-term goals in evolutionary robotics is to be able to automatically synthesize controllers for real autonomous robots based only on a task specification. While a number of studies have shown the applicability of evolutionary robotics techniques for the synthesis of behavioral control, researchers have consistently been faced with a number of issues preventing the widespread adoption of evolutionary robotics for engineering purposes. In this article, we review and discuss the open issues in evolutionary robotics. First, we analyze the benefits and challenges of simulation-based evolution and subsequent deployment of controllers versus evolution on real robotic hardware. Second, we discuss specific evolutionary computation issues that have plagued evolutionary robotics: (1) the bootstrap problem, (2) deception, and (3) the role of genomic encoding and genotype-phenotype mapping in the evolution of controllers for complex tasks. Finally, we address the absence of standard research practices in the field. We also discuss promising avenues of research. Our underlying motivation is the reduction of the current gap between evolutionary robotics and mainstream robotics, and the establishment of evolutionary robotics as a canonical approach for the engineering of autonomous robots.

Highly efficient orange and warm white phosphorescent OLEDs based on a host material with a carbazole-fluorenyl hybrid.

Science.gov (United States)