Convergence of repeated quantum nondemolition measurements and wave-function collapse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, Michel; Bernard, Denis

2011-01-01

Motivated by recent experiments on quantum trapped fields, we give a rigorous proof that repeated indirect quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements converge to the collapse of the wave function as predicted by the postulates of quantum mechanics for direct measurements. We also relate the rate of convergence toward the collapsed wave function to the relative entropy of each indirect measurement, a result which makes contact with information theory.

Wired and wireless convergent extended-reach optical access network using direct-detection of all-optical OFDM super-channel signal.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, C W; Yeh, C H; Sung, J Y; Hsu, C W

2014-12-15

We propose and demonstrate the feasibility of using all-optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (AO-OFDM) for the convergent optical wired and wireless access networks. AO-OFDM relies on all-optically generated orthogonal subcarriers; hence, high data rate (> 100 Gb/s) can be easily achieved without hitting the speed limit of electronic digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters (DAC/ADC). A proof-of-concept convergent access network using AO-OFDM super-channel (SC) is demonstrated supporting 40 - 100 Gb/s wired and gigabit/s 100 GHz millimeter-wave (MMW) ROF transmissions.

Convergence of an L2-approach in the coupled-channels optical potential method for e-H scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bray, I.; Konovalov, D.A.; McCarthy, I.E.

1990-08-01

An L 2 approach to the coupled-channels optical method is studied. The investigation is done for electron-hydrogen elastic scattering at projectile energies of 30, 50, 100 and 200 eV. Weak coupling, free-particle Green's function and no exchange in Q-space are appoximations used to calculate the polarization potential. This model problem is solved exactly using actual hydrogen discrete and continuum functions. The convergence of an L 2 approach with the Laguerre basis to the exact result is investigated. It is found that a basis of 10 Laguerre functions is sufficient for convergence of approximately 5% in the polarization potential matrix elements and 2% in the differential cross sections for non-large angles. The convergence is faster for smaller energies. In general, the convergence to the exact result is slow. 12 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs

Radio propagation measurement and channel modelling

CERN Document Server

Salous, Sana

2013-01-01

While there are numerous books describing modern wireless communication systems that contain overviews of radio propagation and radio channel modelling, there are none that contain detailed information on the design, implementation and calibration of radio channel measurement equipment, the planning of experiments and the in depth analysis of measured data. The book would begin with an explanation of the fundamentals of radio wave propagation and progress through a series of topics, including the measurement of radio channel characteristics, radio channel sounders, measurement strategies

Clinical tooth preparations and associated measuring methods: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiu, Janine; Al-Amleh, Basil; Waddell, J Neil; Duncan, Warwick J

2015-03-01

The geometries of tooth preparations are important features that aid in the retention and resistance of cemented complete crowns. The clinically relevant values and the methods used to measure these are not clear. The purpose of this systematic review was to retrieve, organize, and critically appraise studies measuring clinical tooth preparation parameters, specifically the methodology used to measure the preparation geometry. A database search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect with an additional hand search on December 5, 2013. The articles were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria and information regarding the total occlusal convergence (TOC) angle, margin design, and associated measuring methods were extracted. The values and associated measuring methods were tabulated. A total of 1006 publications were initially retrieved. After removing duplicates and filtering by using exclusion and inclusion criteria, 983 articles were excluded. Twenty-three articles reported clinical tooth preparation values. Twenty articles reported the TOC, 4 articles reported margin designs, 4 articles reported margin angles, and 3 articles reported the abutment height of preparations. A variety of methods were used to measure these parameters. TOC values seem to be the most important preparation parameter. Recommended TOC values have increased over the past 4 decades from an unachievable 2- to 5-degree taper to a more realistic 10 to 22 degrees. Recommended values are more likely to be achieved under experimental conditions if crown preparations are performed outside of the mouth. We recommend that a standardized measurement method based on the cross sections of crown preparations and standardized reporting be developed for future studies analyzing preparation geometry. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consumers' convenience orientation towards meal preparation: conceptualization and measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Candel, M

2001-02-01

Consumer researchers consider convenience orientation towards meal preparation to be a relevant construct for understanding consumer behavior towards foods. This study set out to conceptualize this construct and to develop a scale that measures it. As examined in two different samples of meal preparers, the resulting scale is reliable, satisfies a unifactorial structure and has satisfactory convergent validity. The scale's nomological validity is supported in that it conforms to expectations regarding various psychographic constructs and various food-related behaviors. Convenience orientation was found to be negatively related to cooking enjoyment, involvement with food products and variety seeking, and to be positively related to role overload. The analyses also suggest that the lack of relation between the meal preparer's working status and convenience food consumption, as found in many studies, is due to convenience food not offering enough preparation convenience. Consuming take-away meals and eating in restaurants appear to satisfy the consumer's need for convenience more adequately. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Almost all quantum channels are equidistant

Science.gov (United States)

Nechita, Ion; Puchała, Zbigniew; Pawela, Łukasz; Życzkowski, Karol

2018-05-01

In this work, we analyze properties of generic quantum channels in the case of large system size. We use random matrix theory and free probability to show that the distance between two independent random channels converges to a constant value as the dimension of the system grows larger. As a measure of the distance we use the diamond norm. In the case of a flat Hilbert-Schmidt distribution on quantum channels, we obtain that the distance converges to 1/2 +2/π , giving also an estimate for the maximum success probability for distinguishing the channels. We also consider the problem of distinguishing two random unitary rotations.

Indoor MIMO Channel Measurement and Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Andersen, Jørgen Bach

2005-01-01

Forming accurate models of the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel is essential both for simulation as well as understanding of the basic properties of the channel. This paper investigates different known models using measurements obtained with a 16x32 MIMO channel sounder for the 5.8GHz...... band. The measurements were carried out in various indoor scenarios including both temporal and spatial aspects of channel changes. The models considered include the so-called Kronecker model, a model proposed by Weichselberger et. al., and a model involving the full covariance matrix, the most...

Channel box dimension measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshima, Hirotake; Jo, Hiroto.

1994-01-01

The present invention provides a method for measuring the entire length of a channel box of a fuel assembly of a BWR type reactor. Namely, four sensors are used as one set that generate ultrasonic waves from oblique upper portion, oblique lower portion, upper portion and lower portion of the channel box respectively. The distances between the four sensors and each of the portions of the channel box are measured respectively for both of a reference member and a member to be measured. The entire length of the channel box is measured by calculating the measured values and the angles of the obliquely disposed sensors according to a predetermined formula. According to the method of the present invention, the inclination of the channel box to be measured can be corrected. In addition, accuracy of the measurement is improved and the measuring time is saved as well as the measuring device and operation can be simplified. (I.S.)

International Accounting Convergence in the Field of Fair Value Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Cozma Ighian

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The investors’ desire for high-quality, internationally comparable financial information that is useful for decision-making in increasingly global capital markets imposed an international convergence, the ultimate goal of which is a single set of international accounting standards that companies worldwide would use for both domestic and cross-border financial reporting. The guidance, set out in IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement and the update to Topic 820 (formerly referred to as SFAS 157, completes a major project of the boards’ joint work to improve IFRSs and US GAAP and to bring about their convergence. This article describes the controversial history of fair value measurement and the main novelties in the field of fair value measurement, arising from the international convergence process.

Electricity and gas : market and price convergence : fundamentals of restructuring and convergence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heintz, H.; Spragins, R.

2000-07-01

One of the results of the transition from regulation to competition in the Canadian and American natural gas and electricity industries is convergence of the two industries. Convergence is occurring in the areas of corporate structuring activities (mergers and acquisitions), natural gas and electricity prices, products and services, and on a geographic basis. This study examines the restructuring and convergence from the perspective of industry stakeholders, consumers, competitors and regulators. The trend to deregulate to establish competitive markets has been driven by the assumption that lower prices and more choices will result. Deregulation has been made easier by technological developments and innovations in the area of conventional generation, distributed generation, information management and analysis, as well as mass communication channels such as the Internet. These changes have made it possible to measure and monitor energy use in real-time. Technological changes will continue to influence the energy industry. The use of different restructuring rules and regulations in jurisdictions that are implementing change may be one of the primary factors that could limit the extent of convergence. Successful competition by energy service providers in converged retail energy markets will depend on several factors, the first of which is the ability to control the customer interface through retail cycle services such as metering and billing. The second is the successful branding of corporate identities, products and services. These will ensure customer loyalty and facilitate the marketing of new products. Another factor would be the effective management of information regarding natural gas and electricity consumption patterns and the establishment of low cost operations through the use of conventional generation technologies. The final factor for successful competition is the effective use of low cost communication technologies such as the Internet. The transition

Electricity and gas : market and price convergence : fundamentals of restructuring and convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heintz, H.; Spragins, R.

2000-01-01

One of the results of the transition from regulation to competition in the Canadian and American natural gas and electricity industries is convergence of the two industries. Convergence is occurring in the areas of corporate structuring activities (mergers and acquisitions), natural gas and electricity prices, products and services, and on a geographic basis. This study examines the restructuring and convergence from the perspective of industry stakeholders, consumers, competitors and regulators. The trend to deregulate to establish competitive markets has been driven by the assumption that lower prices and more choices will result. Deregulation has been made easier by technological developments and innovations in the area of conventional generation, distributed generation, information management and analysis, as well as mass communication channels such as the Internet. These changes have made it possible to measure and monitor energy use in real-time. Technological changes will continue to influence the energy industry. The use of different restructuring rules and regulations in jurisdictions that are implementing change may be one of the primary factors that could limit the extent of convergence. Successful competition by energy service providers in converged retail energy markets will depend on several factors, the first of which is the ability to control the customer interface through retail cycle services such as metering and billing. The second is the successful branding of corporate identities, products and services. These will ensure customer loyalty and facilitate the marketing of new products. Another factor would be the effective management of information regarding natural gas and electricity consumption patterns and the establishment of low cost operations through the use of conventional generation technologies. The final factor for successful competition is the effective use of low cost communication technologies such as the Internet. The transition

Convergence measurements in a 300 m deep borehole in rock salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heijdra, J.J.; Prij, J.

1992-05-01

An evaluation is presented of convergence measurements in a 300 m deep borehole in rock salt. The measured convergence is compared to the normalized convergence based on an analytical solution. Measurements endorse the assumptions on which the analytical solution has been based. With the aid of this analytical solution the ambient rock pressure at the locations of the measurements is determined. The derived pressures and the corresponding depth below the 750 m level are 20.3 MPa at -300 m, 15.4 MPa at -200 m and 13.3 MPa at -100 m. The measurements, normalized in order to account for the influence of the diameter and for the difference in depth, show good correspondence with former measurements on selected cavities in rock salt. (author). 6 refs.; 17 figs.; 3 tabs

Dimension measuring method for channel box

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Hiroto.

1995-01-01

The device of the present invention concerns detection of a channel box for spent fuel assemblies of a BWR type reactor, which measures a cross sectional shape and dimension of the channel box to check deformation amount such as expansion. That is, a customary fuel exchanger and a dimension measuring device are used. The lower end of the channel box is measured by a distance sensor of the dimension measuring device when it is aligned with a position of the distance sensor. The channel box is lowered at the same time while detecting axial position data of the fuel exchanger. The position of the channel box in an axial direction is detected based on axial position data of the fuel exchanger. The lower end of the channel box can accurately be recognized by the detection of both of them. Subsequent deformation measurement for the channel box at accurate axial positions is enabled. In addition, since the axial position data of the fuel exchanger per se are detected, an axial profile of the channel box can be measured even if a lifting speed of the channel box is varied on every region. (I.S.)

Convergence of calls as animals form social bonds, active compensation for noisy communication channels, and the evolution of vocal learning in mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyack, Peter L

2008-08-01

The classic evidence for vocal production learning involves imitation of novel, often anthropogenic sounds. Among mammals, this has been reported for dolphins, elephants, harbor seals, and humans. A broader taxonomic distribution has been reported for vocal convergence, where the acoustic properties of calls from different individuals converge when they are housed together in captivity or form social bonds in the wild. Vocal convergence has been demonstrated for animals as diverse as songbirds, parakeets, hummingbirds, bats, elephants, cetaceans, and primates. For most species, call convergence is thought to reflect a group-distinctive identifier, with shared calls reflecting and strengthening social bonds. A ubiquitous function for vocal production learning that is starting to receive attention involves modifying signals to improve communication in a noisy channel. Pooling data on vocal imitation, vocal convergence, and compensation for noise suggests a wider taxonomic distribution of vocal production learning among mammals than has been generally appreciated. The wide taxonomic distribution of this evidence for vocal production learning suggests that perhaps more of the neural underpinnings for vocal production learning are in place in mammals than is usually recognized. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

Diapir versus along-channel ascent of crustal material during plate convergence: constrained by the thermal structure of subduction zones

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, M. Q.; Li, Z. H.

2017-12-01

Crustal rocks can be subducted to mantle depths, interact with the mantle wedge, and then exhume to the crustal depth again, which is generally considered as the mechanism for the formation of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in nature. The crustal rocks undergo dehydration and melting at subarc depths, giving rise to fluids that metasomatize and weaken the overlying mantle wedge. There are generally two ways for the material ascent from subarc depths: one is along subduction channel; the other is through the mantle wedge by diapir. In order to study the conditions and dynamics of these contrasting material ascent modes, systematic petrological-thermo-mechanical numerical models are constructed with variable thicknesses of the overriding and subducting continental plates, ages of the subducting oceanic plate, as well as the plate convergence rates. The model results suggest that the thermal structures of subduction zones control the thermal condition and fluid/melt activity at the slab-mantle interface in subcontinental subduction channels, which further strongly affect the material transportation and ascent mode. Thick overriding continental plate and low-angle subduction style induced by young subducting oceanic plate both contribute to the formation of relatively cold subduction channels with strong overriding mantle wedge, where the along-channel exhumation occurs exclusively to result in the exhumation of HP-UHP metamorphic rocks. In contrast, thin overriding lithosphere and steep subduction style induced by old subducting oceanic plate are the favorable conditions for hot subduction channels, which lead to significant hydration and metasomatism, melting and weakening of the overriding mantle wedge and thus cause the ascent of mantle wedge-derived melts by diapir through the mantle wedge. This may corresponds to the origination of continental arc volcanism from mafic to ultramafic metasomatites in the bottom of the mantle wedge. In addition, the plate

Vision therapy in adults with convergence insufficiency: clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, Tara L; Vicci, Vincent R; Alkan, Yelda; Kim, Eun H; Gohel, Suril; Barrett, Anna M; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; Biswal, Bharat B

2010-12-01

This research quantified clinical measurements and functional neural changes associated with vision therapy in subjects with convergence insufficiency (CI). Convergence and divergence 4° step responses were compared between 13 control adult subjects with normal binocular vision and four CI adult subjects. All CI subjects participated in 18 h of vision therapy. Clinical parameters quantified throughout the therapy included: nearpoint of convergence, recovery point of convergence, positive fusional vergence at near, near dissociated phoria, and eye movements that were quantified using peak velocity. Neural correlates of the CI subjects were quantified with functional magnetic resonance imaging scans comparing random vs. predictable vergence movements using a block design before and after vision therapy. Images were quantified by measuring the spatial extent of activation and the average correlation within five regions of interests (ROI). The ROIs were the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a portion of the frontal lobe, part of the parietal lobe, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. All measurements were repeated 4 months to 1 year post-therapy in three of the CI subjects. Convergence average peak velocities to step stimuli were significantly slower (p = 0.016) in CI subjects compared with controls; however, significant differences in average peak velocities were not observed for divergence step responses (p = 0.30). The investigation of CI subjects participating in vision therapy showed that the nearpoint of convergence, recovery point of convergence, and near dissociated phoria significantly decreased. Furthermore, the positive fusional vergence, average peak velocity from 4° convergence steps, and the amount of functional activity within the frontal areas, cerebellum, and brain stem significantly increased. Several clinical and cortical parameters were significantly correlated. Convergence peak velocity was significantly slower in CI subjects compared with controls

Exposure Research Going Mobile: A Smartphone-Based Measurement of Media Exposure to Political Information in a Convergent Media Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohme, J.; Albaek, E.; H. de Vreese, C.

2016-01-01

platform modes. The study furthermore confirms limitations of mere usage time measurements of social media platforms in effects research and explores a range of actual content types that citizens encounter in social networks. It recommends more frequent use of mobile exposure measurements and argues...... for a content-related assessment of social media use in effects research. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.......In today’s convergent media environment, media exposure becomes increasingly channel-independent and social media-bound, and media content is more frequently accessed on mobile devices. This calls for new approaches to measuring media exposure. This study applies an innovative approach to survey (n...

Convergence accommodation to convergence CA/C ratio: convergence versus divergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, Joshua M; Firth, Alison Y

2014-09-01

To determine whether the convergence accommodation to convergence (CA/C) ratio during divergence with base-in (BI) prisms is of a similar or different magnitude to that measured during convergence with base-out (BO) prisms. Eighteen participants with normal binocular single vision were recruited. The participants viewed a pseudo-Gaussian target, which consisted of a light emitting diode (LED) behind a diffusing screen at 40 cm. After 5 minutes of dark adaptation, the refractive status of the eye was measured without any prism using a Shin-Nippon SRW-5000 autorefractor. The participant held the selected prism (5Δ or 10Δ BO or BI, counterbalanced) in front of their right eye and obtained a single, fused image of the target while refractive measures were taken with each. A 30-second rest period was given between measurements. The mean age of the participants was 20.6±3.22 years. The mean CA/C ratios for the 5Δ BO, 10Δ BO, 5Δ BI, and 10Δ BI were 0.108 (±0.074) D/Δ, 0.110 (±0.056) D/Δ, 0.100 (±0.090) D/Δ, and 0.089 (±0.055) D/Δ, respectively. A 2-factor repeated measures ANOVA found that the CA/C ratio did not significantly change with differing levels of prism-induced convergence and divergence (p=0.649). Change in accommodation induced by manipulating vergence is similar whether convergence or divergence are induced. The CA/C ratio did not show any change with differing levels of prism-induced convergence and divergence.

Convergent validity of two decision making style measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berisha, Gentrit

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Decision making research has witnessed a growing number of studies on individual differences and decision making styles, yet the lack of comprehensive frameworks and widely accepted measures has hindered research for a long time. There is an ongoing debate on whether individuals’ styles dynamically change across time and situations according to circumstances. Furthermore, it is an open question whether these styles are mutually exclusive. Decision style measures seek to determine one’s dominant style as well as less used styles. To our knowledge this is the first study of the convergent validity of two widely used decision making style measures: The Decision Style Inventory (DSI and the General Decision Making Style (GDMS. The direction and strength of correlation between directive, analytical, conceptual and behavioral styles as measured by DSI and rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant and spontaneous styles as measured by GDMS have been tested. Results of the current study are compared with previous studies that have used one or both of the instruments. Correlations between styles are consistent with findings from other studies using one of the decision style measures, but the strength of correlations indicates that there is no convergent validity between DSI and GDMS.

Convergence facilitating transdisciplinary integration of life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and beyond

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

Convergence of the life sciences with fields including physical, chemical, mathematical, computational, engineering, and social sciences is a key strategy to tackle complex challenges and achieve new and innovative solutions. However, institutions face a lack of guidance on how to establish effective programs, what challenges they are likely to encounter, and what strategies other organizations have used to address the issues that arise. This advice is needed to harness the excitement generated by the concept of convergence and channel it into the policies, structures, and networks that will enable it to realize its goals. Convergence investigates examples of organizations that have established mechanisms to support convergent research. This report discusses details of current programs, how organizations have chosen to measure success, and what has worked and not worked in varied settings. The report summarizes the lessons learned and provides organizations with strategies to tackle practical needs and imple...

Adaptive recurrence quantum entanglement distillation for two-Kraus-operator channels

Science.gov (United States)

Ruan, Liangzhong; Dai, Wenhan; Win, Moe Z.

2018-05-01

Quantum entanglement serves as a valuable resource for many important quantum operations. A pair of entangled qubits can be shared between two agents by first preparing a maximally entangled qubit pair at one agent, and then sending one of the qubits to the other agent through a quantum channel. In this process, the deterioration of entanglement is inevitable since the noise inherent in the channel contaminates the qubit. To address this challenge, various quantum entanglement distillation (QED) algorithms have been developed. Among them, recurrence algorithms have advantages in terms of implementability and robustness. However, the efficiency of recurrence QED algorithms has not been investigated thoroughly in the literature. This paper puts forth two recurrence QED algorithms that adapt to the quantum channel to tackle the efficiency issue. The proposed algorithms have guaranteed convergence for quantum channels with two Kraus operators, which include phase-damping and amplitude-damping channels. Analytical results show that the convergence speed of these algorithms is improved from linear to quadratic and one of the algorithms achieves the optimal speed. Numerical results confirm that the proposed algorithms significantly improve the efficiency of QED.

Particle image velocimetry measurements of the flow in the converging region of two parallel jets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Huhu, E-mail: huhuwang@tamu.edu; Lee, Saya, E-mail: sayalee@tamu.edu; Hassan, Yassin A., E-mail: y-hassan@tamu.edu

2016-09-15

Highlights: • The flow behaviors in the converging region were non-intrusively investigated using PIV. • The PIV results using two measuring scales and LDV data matched very well. • Significant momentum transfer was observed in the merging region right after the merging point. • Instantaneous vector field revealed characteristic interacting patterns of the jets. - Abstract: The interaction between parallel jets plays a critical role in determining the characteristics of the momentum and heat transfer in the flow. Specifically for next generation VHTR, the output temperature will be about 900 °C, and any thermal oscillations will create safety issues. The mixing variations of the coolants in the reactor core may influence these power oscillations. Numerous numerical tools such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used to support the reactor design. The validation of CFD method is important to ensure the fidelity of the calculations. This requires high-fidelity, qualified benchmark data. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), a non-intrusive measuring technique, was used to provide benchmark data for resolving a simultaneous flow field in the converging region of two submerged parallel jets issued from rectangular channels. The jets studied in this work had an equal discharge velocity at room temperature. The turbulent characteristics including the distributions of mean velocities, turbulence intensities, Reynolds stresses and z-component vorticity were studied. The streamwise mean velocity measured by PIV and LDV were compared, and they agreed very well.

Influence of the elastic deformation of a foam on its mobility in channels of linearly varying width.

Science.gov (United States)

Dollet, Benjamin; Jones, Siân A; Méheust, Yves; Cantat, Isabelle

2014-08-01

We study foam flow in an elementary model porous medium consisting of a convergent and a divergent channel positioned side by side and possessing a fixed joint porosity. Configurations of converging or diverging channels are ubiquitous at the pore scale in porous media, as all channels linking pores possess a converging and diverging part. The resulting flow kinematics imposes asymmetric bubble deformations in the two channels, which modulate foam-wall friction and strongly impact the flux distribution. We measure, as well as quantitatively predict, the ratio of the fluxes in the two channels as a function of the channel widths by modeling pressure drops of both viscous and capillary origins. This study reveals the crucial importance of boundary-induced bubble deformation on the mobility of a flowing foam, resulting in particular in flow irreversibility.

Channel Measurements and Characteristics for Cooperative Positioning Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Wei; Steinböck, Gerhard; Jost, Thomas

2012-01-01

We have conducted an indoor channel measurement campaign to characterize the propagation channel for the development of cooperative positioning algorithms. The campaign focused particularly on the characteristics of multi-link channels with applications to positioning. In this contribution we...... present the measurement campaign and preliminary results on correlation characteristics of the received power. It is observed that the link-pair log power is uncorrelated. Moreover, the received log power can be modeled by realizations of independent Gaussian distributions for each link, based...... on the measured results....

Rigorous approximation of stationary measures and convergence to equilibrium for iterated function systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galatolo, Stefano; Monge, Maurizio; Nisoli, Isaia

2016-01-01

We study the problem of the rigorous computation of the stationary measure and of the rate of convergence to equilibrium of an iterated function system described by a stochastic mixture of two or more dynamical systems that are either all uniformly expanding on the interval, either all contracting. In the expanding case, the associated transfer operators satisfy a Lasota–Yorke inequality, we show how to compute a rigorous approximations of the stationary measure in the L "1 norm and an estimate for the rate of convergence. The rigorous computation requires a computer-aided proof of the contraction of the transfer operators for the maps, and we show that this property propagates to the transfer operators of the IFS. In the contracting case we perform a rigorous approximation of the stationary measure in the Wasserstein–Kantorovich distance and rate of convergence, using the same functional analytic approach. We show that a finite computation can produce a realistic computation of all contraction rates for the whole parameter space. We conclude with a description of the implementation and numerical experiments. (paper)

Effect of quantum noise on deterministic remote state preparation of an arbitrary two-particle state via various quantum entangled channels

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Zhiguo; Wu, Shengyao; Wang, Mingming; Sun, Le; Wang, Xiaojun

2017-12-01

As one of important research branches of quantum communication, deterministic remote state preparation (DRSP) plays a significant role in quantum network. Quantum noises are prevalent in quantum communication, and it can seriously affect the safety and reliability of quantum communication system. In this paper, we study the effect of quantum noise on deterministic remote state preparation of an arbitrary two-particle state via different quantum channels including the χ state, Brown state and GHZ state. Firstly, the output states and fidelities of three DRSP algorithms via different quantum entangled channels in four noisy environments, including amplitude-damping, phase-damping, bit-flip and depolarizing noise, are presented, respectively. And then, the effects of noises on three kinds of preparation algorithms in the same noisy environment are discussed. In final, the theoretical analysis proves that the effect of noise in the process of quantum state preparation is only related to the noise type and the size of noise factor and independent of the different entangled quantum channels. Furthermore, another important conclusion is given that the effect of noise is also independent of how to distribute intermediate particles for implementing DRSP through quantum measurement during the concrete preparation process. These conclusions will be very helpful for improving the efficiency and safety of quantum communication in a noisy environment.

Convergence of EEG and fMRI measures of reward anticipation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorka, Stephanie M; Phan, K Luan; Shankman, Stewart A

2015-12-01

Deficits in reward anticipation are putative mechanisms for multiple psychopathologies. Research indicates that these deficits are characterized by reduced left (relative to right) frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal abnormalities in mesolimbic and prefrontal neural regions during reward anticipation. Although it is often assumed that these two measures capture similar mechanisms, no study to our knowledge has directly examined the convergence between frontal EEG alpha asymmetry and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during reward anticipation in the same sample. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate if and where in the brain frontal EEG alpha asymmetry and fMRI measures were correlated in a sample of 40 adults. All participants completed two analogous reward anticipation tasks--once during EEG data collection and the other during fMRI data collection. Results indicated that the two measures do converge and that during reward anticipation, increased relative left frontal activity is associated with increased left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activation. This suggests that the two measures may similarly capture PFC functioning, which is noteworthy given the role of these regions in reward processing and the pathophysiology of disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of preparation relief and flow channels on seating full coverage castings during cementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, E L; Murray, H V; Holland, G A; Taylor, D F

1983-06-01

Machined steel dies were used to study the effects of three die modifications on seating full coverage castings during cementation. The die modifications consisted of occlusal channels, occlusal surface relief, and axial channels. Fourteen specimens having one or more forms of die modification were compared with two control specimens having no die modifications. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that the addition of four axial channels to the simulated preparation on the steel die produced a significant reduction in the mean marginal discrepancy during cementation. Occlusal modifications alone failed to produce significant reductions in marginal discrepancies when compared with the control specimens. Occlusal modifications in conjunction with axial channels failed to produce further significant reductions in marginal discrepancies when compared with those reductions observed in specimens having only axial channels.

Performance Analysis of Iterative Channel Estimation and Multiuser Detection in Multipath DS-CDMA Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Husheng; Betz, Sharon M.; Poor, H. Vincent

2007-05-01

This paper examines the performance of decision feedback based iterative channel estimation and multiuser detection in channel coded aperiodic DS-CDMA systems operating over multipath fading channels. First, explicit expressions describing the performance of channel estimation and parallel interference cancellation based multiuser detection are developed. These results are then combined to characterize the evolution of the performance of a system that iterates among channel estimation, multiuser detection and channel decoding. Sufficient conditions for convergence of this system to a unique fixed point are developed.

[Comparison study on subjective and objective measurements of the accommodative convergence to accommodation ratio].

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jing-jing; Xu, Dan; Huang, Tao; Jiang, Jian; Lü, Fan

2012-05-01

To detect the accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratios measured respectively by objective and subjective methods. The differences and its relative factors were explored. Forty young volunteers were measured by eye tracker to get the amount of convergence when fixating at the target at 100 cm, 50 cm, 33 cm and 25 cm and were measured by infrared auto-refractor to get corresponding accommodative responses. AC/A ratio based on these two measurements were compared with the calculated and the gradient AC/A ratio from Von Graefe tests. Mean value of stimulated AC/A ratio measured by eye tracker was higher than the calculated and gradient AC/A ratio by Von Graefe method (P = 0.003, 0.001). There are statistic correlation (r = 0.871, P = 0.000) and difference (P = 0.000) between stimulated AC/A ratio and response AC/A ratios both measured by eye tracker, and the difference trends to be greater with the higher AC/A ratio. The objective AC/A ratio is usually higher than the clinical subjective measurement because of more proximal effect. The response AC/A ratio measured objectively may reveal realistically the mutual effect and relationship between accommodation and convergence and it seems to be more credible to be the monitor parameter on progression of myopia in clinics.

Effect of flow field on open channel flow properties using numerical investigation and experimental comparison

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khazaee, I. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Torbat-e-jam branch, Islamic Azad University, Torbat-e-jam (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohammadiun, M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2012-07-01

In this paper a complete three-dimensional and two phase CFD model for flow distribution in an open channel investigated. The finite volume method (FVM) with a dynamic Sub grid-scale was carried out for seven cases of different aspect ratios, different inclination angles or slopes and convergence-divergence condition. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to allow the free-surface to deform freely with the underlying turbulence. The discharge through open channel flow is often evaluated by velocity-area integration method from the measurement of velocity at discrete locations in the measuring section. The variation of velocity along horizontal and vertical directions is thus very important to decide the location of the sensors. The aspect ratio of the channel, slope of the channel and divergence- convergence of the channel have investigated and the results show that the depth of water at the end of the channel is higher at AR=0.8 against the AR=0.4 and AR=1.2. Also it is clear that by increasing the inclination angle or slope of the channel in case1, case4 and case5 the depth of the water increases. Also it is clear that the outlet mass flow rate is at a minimum value at a range of inclination angle of the channel.

Preparation and preclinical evaluation of 68Ga-DOTA-amlodipine for L-type calcium channel imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Firuzyar, Tahereh; Jalilian, Amir Reza; Aboudzadeh, Mohammad Reza; Sadeghpour, Hossein; Shafiee-Ardestani, Mahdi; Khalaj, Ali

2016-01-01

Aim: In order to develop a possible tracer for L-type calcium channel imaging, we here report the development of a Ga-68 amlodipine derivative for possible PET imaging. Materials and Methods: Amlodipine DOTA conjugate was synthesized, characterized and went through calcium channel blockade, toxicity, apoptosis/necrosis tests. [68Ga] DOTA AMLO was prepared at optimized conditions followed by stability tests, partition coefficient determination and biodistribution studies using tissue counting and co incidence imaging up to 2 h. Results: [68Ga] DOTA AMLO was prepared at pH 4–5 in 7–10 min at 95°C in high radiochemical purity (>99%, radio thin layer chromatography; specific activity: 1.9–2.1 GBq/mmol) and was stable up to 4 h with a log P of −0.94. Calcium channel rich tissues including myocardium, and tissues with smooth muscle cells such as colon, intestine, and lungs demonstrated significant uptake. Co incidence images supported the biodistribution data up to 2 h. Conclusions: The complex can be a candidate for further positron emission tomography imaging for L type calcium channels. PMID:27833311

A Meta-Analysis of the Convergent Validity of Self-Control Measures

Science.gov (United States)

Duckworth, Angela Lee; Kern, Margaret L.

2011-01-01

There is extraordinary diversity in how the construct of self-control is operationalized in research studies. We meta-analytically examined evidence of convergent validity among executive function, delay of gratification, and self- and informant-report questionnaire measures of self-control. Overall, measures demonstrated moderate convergence (rrandom = .27 [95% CI = .24, .30]; rfixed = .34 [.33, .35], k = 282 samples, N = 33,564 participants), although there was substantial heterogeneity in the observed correlations. Correlations within and across types of self-control measures were strongest for informant-report questionnaires and weakest for executive function tasks. Questionnaires assessing sensation seeking impulses could be distinguished from questionnaires assessing processes of impulse regulation. We conclude that self-control is a coherent but multidimensional construct best assessed using multiple methods. PMID:21643479

A Fast and Robust Method for Measuring Optical Channel Gain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harbo, Anders La-Cour; Stoustrup, Jakob; Villemoes, L.F.

2000-01-01

We present a numerically stable and computational simple method for fast and robust measurement of optical channel gain. By transmitting adaptively designed signals through the channel, good accuracy is possible even in severe noise conditions......We present a numerically stable and computational simple method for fast and robust measurement of optical channel gain. By transmitting adaptively designed signals through the channel, good accuracy is possible even in severe noise conditions...

Comparison of 2D and 3D Vision Gaze with Simultaneous Measurements of Accommodation and Convergence

OpenAIRE

Hori, Hiroki; Shiomi, Tomoki; Hasegawa, Satoshi; Takada, Hiroki; Omori, Masako; Matsuura, Yasuyuki; Ishio, Hiromu; Miyao, Masaru

2014-01-01

Accommodation and convergence were measured simultaneously while subjects viewed 2D and 3D images. The aim was to compare fixation distances between accommodation and convergence in young subjects while they viewed 2D and 3D images. Measurements were made three times, 40 seconds each, using 2D and 3D images. The result suggests that ocular functions during viewing of 3D images are very similar to those during natural viewing. Previously established and widely used theories, such that within a...

Fuel handling alternatives to prepare for large scale fuel channel replacement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martire, S.; Sandu, I.

2007-01-01

It is desirable to reduce the duration of defuelling the reactor in preparation for retube, as the cost of replacement power is $750K/day. Three fast defuelling concepts are presented. With the Through Flow Defuelling method, the fuel string is hydraulically pushed into the downstream Fuelling Machine (FM) by flow passing through the fuel channel. The Long Stroke C Ram method replaces the FM C Ram with a longer one capable of pushing all fuel bundles into the receiving FM. Defuelling Hardware uses enhanced design of ram extensions that interconnect mechanically to extend the Ram stroke to push fuel bundles into the receiving FM. This paper will present descriptions of each defuelling concept to prepare for Large Scale Fuel Channel Replacement. Advantages and disadvantages of each concept will be discussed and a recommendation will be made for future implementation. (author)

Sensitivity analysis of a new SWIR-channel measuring tropospheric CH 4 and CO from space

Science.gov (United States)

Jongma, Rienk T.; Gloudemans, Annemieke M. S.; Hoogeveen, Ruud W. M.; Aben, Ilse; de Vries, Johan; Escudero-Sanz, Isabel; van den Oord, Gijsbertus; Levelt, Pieternel F.

2006-08-01

In preparation for future atmospheric space missions a consortium of Dutch organizations is performing design studies on a nadir viewing grating-based imaging spectrometer using OMI and SCIAMACHY heritage. The spectrometer measures selected species (O 3, NO II, HCHO, H IIO, SO II, aerosols (optical depth, type and absorption index), CO and CH4) with sensitivity down to the Earth's surface, thus addressing science issues on air quality and climate. It includes 3 UV-VIS channels continuously covering the 270-490 nm range, a NIR-channel covering the 710-775 nm range, and a SWIR-channel covering the 2305-2385 nm range. This instrument concept is, named TROPOMI, part of the TRAQ-mission proposal to ESA in response to the Call for Earth Explorer Ideas 2005, and, named TROPI, part of the CAMEO-proposal prepared for the US NRC decadal study-call on Earth science and applications from space. The SWIR-channel is optional in the TROPOMI/TRAQ instrument and included as baseline in the TROPI/CAMEO instrument. This paper focuses on derivation of the instrument requirements of the SWIR-channel by presenting the results of retrieval studies. Synthetic detector spectra are generated by the combination of a forward model and an instrument simulator that includes the properties of state-of-the-art detector technology. The synthetic spectra are input to the CO and CH 4 IMLM retrieval algorithm originally developed for SCIAMACHY. The required accuracy of the Level-2 SWIR data products defines the main instrument parameters like spectral resolution and sampling, telescope aperture, detector temperature, and optical bench temperature. The impact of selected calibration and retrieval errors on the Level-2 products has been characterized. The current status of the SWIR-channel optical design with its demanding requirements on ground-pixel size, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio will be presented.

HANARO core channel flow-rate measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Heon Il; Chae, Hee Tae; Im, Don Soon; Kim, Seon Duk [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-06-01

HANARO core consists of 23 hexagonal flow tubes and 16 cylindrical flow tubes. To get the core flow distribution, we used 6 flow-rate measuring dummy fuel assemblies (instrumented dummy fuel assemblies). The differential pressures were measured and converted to flow-rates using the predetermined relationship between AP and flow-rate for each instrumented dummy fuel assemblies. The flow-rate for the cylindrical flow channels shows +-7% relative errors and that for the hexagonal flow channels shows +-3.5% relative errors. Generally the flow-rates of outer core channels show smaller values compared to those of inner core. The channels near to the core inlet pipe and outlet pipes also show somewhat lower flow-rates. For the lower flow channels, the thermal margin was checked by considering complete linear power histories. From the experimental results, the gap flow-rate was estimated to be 49.4 kg/s (cf. design flow of 50 kg/s). 15 tabs., 9 figs., 10 refs. (Author) .new.

Measuring Organizational Slack: A Note on the Convergence and Divergence of Alternative Operational Definitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Marino, Kenneth E.; Lange, David R.

1983-01-01

Measures for operationalizing organizational slack were organized into two types of operations: relative and absolute. Each was applied to a common group of firms. Relative measures agreed significantly on the classification of firms into high and low slack groups. Absolute measures did not converge. (WAS)

Numerical investigation of non-Newtonian nanofluid flow in a converging microchannel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohsenian, S.; Ramiar, A.; Ranjbar, A. A. [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-01-15

In the present study the flow of non-Newtonian nanofluid through a converging microchannel is investigated numerically. TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with 10 nm diameter are dispersed in an aqueous solution of 0.5 %.wt Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to produce the nanofluid. Both nanofluid and the base fluid show pseudoplastic behavior. The equations have been solved with finite volume approach using collocated grid. It has been found that by increasing the volume fraction and Reynolds number and the convergence angle, the Nusselt number increases. Also, it has been observed that by increasing convergence angle and decreasing aspect ratio of the channel, the velocity of the channel increases.

Convergent preparation and photophysical characterization of dimaleimide dansyl fluorogens: elucidation of the maleimide fluorescence quenching mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Guy, Julia; Caron, Karine; Dufresne, Stéphane; Michnick, Stephen W; Skene, W G; Keillor, Jeffrey W

2007-10-03

Dimaleimide fluorogens are being developed for application to fluorescent protein labeling. In this method, fluorophores bearing two maleimide quenching groups do not fluoresce until both maleimide groups have undergone thiol addition reactions with the Cys residues of the target protein sequence [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 559-566]. In this work, a new convergent synthetic route was developed that would allow any fluorophore to be attached via a linker to a dimaleimide moiety in a modular fashion. Series of dimaleimide and dansyl derivatives were thus prepared conveniently and used to elucidate the mechanism of maleimide quenching. Intersystem crossing was ruled out as a potential quenching pathway, based on the absence of a detectable triplet intermediate by laser flash photolysis. Stern-Volmer rate constants were measured with exogenous dimaleimide quenchers and found to be close to the diffusion-controlled limits, consistent with electron transfer being thermodynamically favorable. The thermodynamic feasibility of the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) quenching mechanism was verified by cyclic voltammetry. The redox potentials measured for dansyl and maleimide confirm that electron transfer from the dansyl excited state to a pendant maleimide group is exergonic and is responsible for fluorescence quenching of the fluorogens studied herein. Taking this PET quenching mechanism into account, future fluorogenic protein labeling agents will be designed with spacers of variable length and rigidity to probe the structure-property PET efficiency relationship.

Do rivers really obey power-laws? Using continuous high resolution measurements to define bankfull channel and evaluate downstream hydraulic-scaling over large changes in drainage area

Science.gov (United States)

Scher, C.; Tennant, C.; Larsen, L.; Bellugi, D. G.

2016-12-01

Advances in remote-sensing technology allow for cost-effective, accurate, high-resolution mapping of river-channel topography and shallow aquatic bathymetry over large spatial scales. A combination of near-infrared and green spectra airborne laser swath mapping was used to map river channel bathymetry and watershed geometry over 90+ river-kilometers (75-1175 km2) of the Greys River in Wyoming. The day of flight wetted channel was identified from green LiDAR returns, and more than 1800 valley-bottom cross-sections were extracted at regular 50-m intervals. The bankfull channel geometry was identified using a "watershed-based" algorithm that incrementally filled local minima to a "spill" point, thereby constraining areas of local convergence and delineating all the potential channels along the cross-section for each distinct "spill stage." Multiple potential channels in alluvial floodplains and lack of clearly defined channel banks in bedrock reaches challenge identification of the bankfull channel based on topology alone. Here we combine a variety of topological measures, geometrical considerations, and stage levels to define a stage-dependent bankfull channel geometry, and compare the results with day of flight wetted channel data. Initial results suggest that channel hydraulic geometry and basin hydrology power-law scaling may not accurately capture downstream channel adjustments for rivers draining complex mountain topography.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS OF CONVERGENCE BETWEEN UKRAINIAN GAAP AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Kuzina

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The objective conditions of Ukraine’s integration into the global business environment the need to strengthen the accounting and financial re-porting. At the stage of attracting investment in the country there is a need in the preparation of financial statements generally accepted basic prin-ciples of which are based on common international financial reporting standards (IFRS . Relevant is the assessment of convergence of national standards and International Financial Reporting Standards. However, before you conduct content analysis necessary to determine compliance with standards of methodological approaches to the selection of key indicators for the assessment of convergence. The article is to define the methodo-logical approaches to the selection and development of indicators IFRSs list of key elements for further evaluation convergence of national and international standards. To assess the convergence was allocated 187 basic key elements measuring the level of convergence to IFRS. Sampling was carried out based on the professional judgment of the author, the key indicators of the standard, based on the evaluation of the usefulness of accounting information. These figures make it possible to calculate the specific level of convergence of international and national standards and determine how statements prepared by domestic standards corresponding to IFRS. In other words, can with some certainty assert that Ukraine has made (“good practices in IFRS implementation” or not? This calculation will assess the regulatory efforts of government agencies (Ministry of Finance on the approximation of Ukrainian standards and IFRS.

Converging effects of Ginkgo biloba extract at the level of transmitter release, NMDA and sodium currents and dendritic spikes.

Science.gov (United States)

Szasz, Bernadett K; Lenkey, Nora; Barth, Albert M; Mike, Arpad; Somogyvari, Zsolt; Farkas, Orsolya; Lendvai, Balazs

2008-08-01

In this study, an attempt was made to integrate the effects of GINKGO BILOBA extract (GBE) in different experimental systems (IN VITRO cochlea, brain slice preparations and cortical cell culture) to elucidate whether these processes converge to promote neuroprotection or interfere with normal neural function. GBE increased the release of dopamine in the cochlea. NMDA-evoked currents were dose-dependently inhibited by rapid GBE application in cultured cortical cells. GBE moderately inhibited Na+ channels at depolarised holding potential in cortical cells. These inhibitory effects by GBE may sufficiently contribute to the prevention of excitotoxic damage in neurons. However, these channels also interact with memory formation at the cellular level. The lack of effect by GBE on dendritic spike initiation in neocortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons indicates that the integrative functions may remain intact during the inhibitory actions of GBE.

Nonlinear Algorithms for Channel Equalization and Map Symbol Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Giridhar, K.

The transfer of information through a communication medium invariably results in various kinds of distortion to the transmitted signal. In this dissertation, a feed -forward neural network-based equalizer, and a family of maximum a posteriori (MAP) symbol detectors are proposed for signal recovery in the presence of intersymbol interference (ISI) and additive white Gaussian noise. The proposed neural network-based equalizer employs a novel bit-mapping strategy to handle multilevel data signals in an equivalent bipolar representation. It uses a training procedure to learn the channel characteristics, and at the end of training, the multilevel symbols are recovered from the corresponding inverse bit-mapping. When the channel characteristics are unknown and no training sequences are available, blind estimation of the channel (or its inverse) and simultaneous data recovery is required. Convergence properties of several existing Bussgang-type blind equalization algorithms are studied through computer simulations, and a unique gain independent approach is used to obtain a fair comparison of their rates of convergence. Although simple to implement, the slow convergence of these Bussgang-type blind equalizers make them unsuitable for many high data-rate applications. Rapidly converging blind algorithms based on the principle of MAP symbol-by -symbol detection are proposed, which adaptively estimate the channel impulse response (CIR) and simultaneously decode the received data sequence. Assuming a linear and Gaussian measurement model, the near-optimal blind MAP symbol detector (MAPSD) consists of a parallel bank of conditional Kalman channel estimators, where the conditioning is done on each possible data subsequence that can convolve with the CIR. This algorithm is also extended to the recovery of convolutionally encoded waveforms in the presence of ISI. Since the complexity of the MAPSD algorithm increases exponentially with the length of the assumed CIR, a suboptimal

Field Investigation of Flow Structure and Channel Morphology at Confluent-Meander Bends

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, J. D.; Rhoads, B. L.

2007-12-01

The movement of water and sediment through drainage networks is inevitably influenced by the convergence of streams and rivers at channel confluences. These focal components of fluvial systems produce a complex hydrodynamic environment, where rapid changes in flow structure and sediment transport occur to accommodate the merging of separate channel flows. The inherent geometric and hydraulic change at confluences also initiates the development of distinct geomorphic features, reflected in the bedform and shape of the channel. An underlying assumption of previous experimental and theoretical models of confluence dynamics has been that converging streams have straight channels with angular configurations. This generalized conceptualization was necessary to establish confluence planform as symmetrical or asymmetrical and to describe subsequent flow structure and geomorphic features at confluences. However, natural channels, particularly those of meandering rivers, curve and bend. This property and observation of channel curvature at natural junctions have led to the hypothesis that natural stream and river confluences tend to occur on the concave outer bank of meander bends. The resulting confluence planform, referred to as a confluent-meander bend, was observed over a century ago but has received little scientific attention. This paper examines preliminary data on three-dimensional flow structure and channel morphology at two natural confluent-meander bends of varying size and with differing tributary entrance locations. The large river confluence of the Vermilion River and Wabash River in west central Indiana and the comparatively small junction of the Little Wabash River and Big Muddy Creek in southeastern Illinois are the location of study sites for field investigation. Measurements of time-averaged three-dimensional velocity components were obtained at these confluences with an acoustic Doppler current profiler for flow events with differing momentum ratios. Bed

Measuring vibrations in fuel channels CNE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martín Ghiselli, A.; Fiori, J.; Sacchi, M.; Villabrille, G.

2013-01-01

This paper present a description of implementation and execution of vibration measurements made at the request of NUCLEOELECTRICA ARGENTINA S.A. on the ends of the reactor fuel channels of Embalse Nuclear Power Plant to explore possible differences between the dynamic behavior of empty fuel channel and with full charge of fuel elements inside. (author)

Smooth Approximation l 0-Norm Constrained Affine Projection Algorithm and Its Applications in Sparse Channel Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

We propose a smooth approximation l 0-norm constrained affine projection algorithm (SL0-APA) to improve the convergence speed and the steady-state error of affine projection algorithm (APA) for sparse channel estimation. The proposed algorithm ensures improved performance in terms of the convergence speed and the steady-state error via the combination of a smooth approximation l 0-norm (SL0) penalty on the coefficients into the standard APA cost function, which gives rise to a zero attractor that promotes the sparsity of the channel taps in the channel estimation and hence accelerates the convergence speed and reduces the steady-state error when the channel is sparse. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed SL0-APA is superior to the standard APA and its sparsity-aware algorithms in terms of both the convergence speed and the steady-state behavior in a designated sparse channel. Furthermore, SL0-APA is shown to have smaller steady-state error than the previously proposed sparsity-aware algorithms when the number of nonzero taps in the sparse channel increases. PMID:24790588

A conceptual framework for measuring airline business model convergence

OpenAIRE

Daft, Jost; Albers, Sascha

2012-01-01

This paper develops a measurement framework that synthesizes the airline and strategy literature to identify relevant dimensions and elements of airline business models. The applicability of this framework for describing airline strategies and structures and, based on this conceptualization, for assessing the potential convergence of airline business models over time is then illustrated using a small sample of five German passenger airlines. For this sample, the perception of a rapprochement ...

Measurement and Modeling of Narrowband Channels for Ultrasonic Underwater Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco J. Cañete

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Underwater acoustic sensor networks are a promising technology that allow real-time data collection in seas and oceans for a wide variety of applications. Smaller size and weight sensors can be achieved with working frequencies shifted from audio to the ultrasonic band. At these frequencies, the fading phenomena has a significant presence in the channel behavior, and the design of a reliable communication link between the network sensors will require a precise characterization of it. Fading in underwater channels has been previously measured and modeled in the audio band. However, there have been few attempts to study it at ultrasonic frequencies. In this paper, a campaign of measurements of ultrasonic underwater acoustic channels in Mediterranean shallow waters conducted by the authors is presented. These measurements are used to determine the parameters of the so-called κ-μ shadowed distribution, a fading model with a direct connection to the underlying physical mechanisms. The model is then used to evaluate the capacity of the measured channels with a closed-form expression.

Self-Tuning Blind Identification and Equalization of IIR Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bose Tamal

2003-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers self-tuning blind identification and equalization of fractionally spaced IIR channels. One recursive estimator is used to generate parameter estimates of the numerators of IIR systems, while the other estimates denominator of IIR channel. Equalizer parameters are calculated by solving Bezout type equation. It is shown that the numerator parameter estimates converge (a.s. toward a scalar multiple of the true coefficients, while the second algorithm provides consistent denominator estimates. It is proved that the equalizer output converges (a.s. to a scalar version of the actual symbol sequence.

The Extended-Window Channel Estimator for Iterative Channel-and-Symbol Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barry John R

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The application of the expectation-maximization (EM algorithm to channel estimation results in a well-known iterative channel-and-symbol estimator (ICSE. The EM-ICSE iterates between a symbol estimator based on the forward-backward recursion (BCJR equalizer and a channel estimator, and may provide approximate maximum-likelihood blind or semiblind channel estimates. Nevertheless, the EM-ICSE has high complexity, and it is prone to misconvergence. In this paper, we propose the extended-window (EW estimator, a novel channel estimator for ICSE that can be used with any soft-output symbol estimator. Therefore, the symbol estimator may be chosen according to performance or complexity specifications. We show that the EW-ICSE, an ICSE that uses the EW estimator and the BCJR equalizer, is less complex and less susceptible to misconvergence than the EM-ICSE. Simulation results reveal that the EW-ICSE may converge faster than the EM-ICSE.

Evaluation of Diversity Antenna Designs Using Ray Tracing, Measured Radiation Patterns, and MIMO Channel Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pal Arindam

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an evaluation of the MIMO performance of three candidate antenna array designs, each embedded within a PDA footprint, using indoor wideband channel measurements at 5.2 GHz alongside channel simulations. A channel model which employs the plane-wave approximation was used to combine the embedded antenna radiation patterns of the candidate devices obtained from far-field pattern measurements and multipath component parameters from an indoor ray-tracer. The 4-element candidate arrays were each constructed using a different type of antenna element, and despite the diverse element directivities, pattern characteristics, and polarization purities, all three devices were constructed to fully exploit diversity in polarization, space, and angle. Thus, low correlation and high information theoretic capacity was observed in each case. A good match between the model and the measurements is also demonstrated, especially for MIMO subsets of identically or orthogonally polarized linear slot antennas. The interdependencies between the channel XPD, directional spread and pathloss, and the respective impact on channel capacity are also discussed in this paper.

Evaluation of Diversity Antenna Designs Using Ray Tracing, Measured Radiation Patterns, and MIMO Channel Measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arindam Pal

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an evaluation of the MIMO performance of three candidate antenna array designs, each embedded within a PDA footprint, using indoor wideband channel measurements at 5.2 GHz alongside channel simulations. A channel model which employs the plane-wave approximation was used to combine the embedded antenna radiation patterns of the candidate devices obtained from far-field pattern measurements and multipath component parameters from an indoor ray-tracer. The 4-element candidate arrays were each constructed using a different type of antenna element, and despite the diverse element directivities, pattern characteristics, and polarization purities, all three devices were constructed to fully exploit diversity in polarization, space, and angle. Thus, low correlation and high information theoretic capacity was observed in each case. A good match between the model and the measurements is also demonstrated, especially for 2×2 MIMO subsets of identically or orthogonally polarized linear slot antennas. The interdependencies between the channel XPD, directional spread and pathloss, and the respective impact on channel capacity are also discussed in this paper.

Stable convergence and stable limit theorems

CERN Document Server

Häusler, Erich

2015-01-01

The authors present a concise but complete exposition of the mathematical theory of stable convergence and give various applications in different areas of probability theory and mathematical statistics to illustrate the usefulness of this concept. Stable convergence holds in many limit theorems of probability theory and statistics – such as the classical central limit theorem – which are usually formulated in terms of convergence in distribution. Originated by Alfred Rényi, the notion of stable convergence is stronger than the classical weak convergence of probability measures. A variety of methods is described which can be used to establish this stronger stable convergence in many limit theorems which were originally formulated only in terms of weak convergence. Naturally, these stronger limit theorems have new and stronger consequences which should not be missed by neglecting the notion of stable convergence. The presentation will be accessible to researchers and advanced students at the master's level...

Competency measurements: testing convergent validity for two measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowin, Leanne S; Hengstberger-Sims, Cecily; Eagar, Sandy C; Gregory, Linda; Andrew, Sharon; Rolley, John

2008-11-01

This paper is a report of a study to investigate whether the Australian National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses demonstrate correlations with the Finnish Nurse Competency Scale. Competency assessment has become popular as a key regulatory requirement and performance indicator. The term competency, however, does not have a globally accepted definition and this has the potential to create controversy, ambiguity and confusion. Variations in meaning and definitions adopted in workplaces and educational settings will affect the interpretation of research findings and have implications for the nursing profession. A non-experimental cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 116 new graduate nurses in 2005. The second version of the Australian National Competency Standards and the Nurse Competency Scale was used to elicit responses to self-assessed competency in the transitional year (first year as a Registered Nurse). Correlational analysis of self-assessed levels of competence revealed a relationship between the Australian National Competency Standards (ANCI) and the Nurse Competency Scale (NCS). The correlational relation between ANCI domains and NCS factors suggests that these scales are indeed used to measure related dimensions. A statistically significant relationship (r = 0.75) was found between the two competency measures. Although the finding of convergent validity is insufficient to establish construct validity for competency as used in both measures in this study, it is an important step towards this goal. Future studies on relationships between competencies must take into account the validity and reliability of the tools.

INTERRELATIONSHIP S BETWEEN HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT QUALITY AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: WHAT CONSEQUENCES FOR ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alassane Drabo

2010-03-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the link between health indicators, environmental variables and economic development, and th e consequences of this relationship on economic convergence for a large sample of rich and poor countries. While in economic literature income and environment are seen to have an inverted-U shaped relationship (Environment Kuznets Curve hypothesis, it is also well established that an improvement in environmental quality is positively related to health. Our study focuses on the implications of this relationship for economic convergence. In the early stage of economic development, the gain from income growth could be cancelled or mitigated by environmental degradation through populations' health (and other channels and create a vicious circle in economic activity unlike in developed countries. This in turn could slow down economic convergence. To empirically assess these issues, we proceeded to an econometric analysis through three equations: a growth equation, a health equation and an environment equation. We found that health is a channel through which environment impacts economic growth. When we take into account the effect of environment quality on economic growth, the speed of convergence tends to increase slightly. This shows that environmental quality could be considered as a constraint for economic convergence.

Convergence of hyperspherical adiabatic expansion for helium-like systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrashkevich, A.G.; Abrashkevich, D.G.; Pojda, V.Yu.; Vinitskij, S.I.; Kaschiev, M.S.; Puzynin, I.V.

1988-01-01

The convergence of hyperspherical adiabatic expansion has been studied numerically. The spectral problems arising after separation of variables are solved by the finite-difference and finite element methods. The energies of the ground and some doubly excited staes of a hydrogen ion are calculated in the six-channel approximation within the 10 -4 a.u. accuracy. Obtained results demonstrate a rapid convergence of the hyperspherical adiabatic expansion. 14 refs.; 5 tabs

Quantitative shearography: error reduction by using more than three measurement channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charrett, Tom O. H.; Francis, Daniel; Tatam, Ralph P.

2011-01-01

Shearography is a noncontact optical technique used to measure surface displacement derivatives. Full surface strain characterization can be achieved using shearography configurations employing at least three measurement channels. Each measurement channel is sensitive to a single displacement gradient component defined by its sensitivity vector. A matrix transformation is then required to convert the measured components to the orthogonal displacement gradients required for quantitative strain measurement. This transformation, conventionally performed using three measurement channels, amplifies any errors present in the measurement. This paper investigates the use of additional measurement channels using the results of a computer model and an experimental shearography system. Results are presented showing that the addition of a fourth channel can reduce the errors in the computed orthogonal components by up to 33% and that, by using 10 channels, reductions of around 45% should be possible.

Frequency Dependence of Measured Massive MIMO Channel Properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oliveras Martínez, Àlex; Carvalho, Elisabeth De; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum

2016-01-01

A multi-user massive MIMO measurement campaign is conducted to study the channel propagation characteristics (e.g. user correlation, sum of eigenvalues and condition number), focusing on the stability over frequencies and the impact of the array aperture. We use 3 arrays with 64 antennas (6m linear...... array, 2m linear array and 25cm by 28cm squared 2D array) serving 8 users holding a handset with 2 antennas. The study of the measurements shows that the propagation characteristics of the channel are stable for all the measured frequencies. We also observe that user proximity and user handgrip...... stabilize the studied properties of the channel across the frequencies, and in such case the larger the aperture of the array the more stable the properties. The number of base station antennas improves the propagation characteristics of the channel and stabilizes the properties in the frequency domain....

Performance Evaluation of Proportional Fair Scheduling Algorithm with Measured Channels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Troels Bundgaard; Pons, Manuel Rubio

2005-01-01

subjected to measured channel traces. Specifically, we applied measured signal fading recorded from GSM cell phone users making calls on an indoor wireless office system. Different from reference channel models, these measured channels have much more irregular fading between users, which as we show...

Fast convergent frequency-domain MIMO equalizer for few-mode fiber communication systems

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xuan; Weng, Yi; Wang, Junyi; Pan, Z.

2018-02-01

Space division multiplexing using few-mode fibers has been extensively explored to sustain the continuous traffic growth. In few-mode fiber optical systems, both spatial and polarization modes are exploited to transmit parallel channels, thus increasing the overall capacity. However, signals on spatial channels inevitably suffer from the intrinsic inter-modal coupling and large accumulated differential mode group delay (DMGD), which causes spatial modes de-multiplex even harder. Many research articles have demonstrated that frequency domain adaptive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) equalizer can effectively compensate the DMGD and demultiplex the spatial channels with digital signal processing (DSP). However, the large accumulated DMGD usually requires a large number of training blocks for the initial convergence of adaptive MIMO equalizers, which will decrease the overall system efficiency and even degrade the equalizer performance in fast-changing optical channels. Least mean square (LMS) algorithm is always used in MIMO equalization to dynamically demultiplex the spatial signals. We have proposed to use signal power spectral density (PSD) dependent method and noise PSD directed method to improve the convergence speed of adaptive frequency domain LMS algorithm. We also proposed frequency domain recursive least square (RLS) algorithm to further increase the convergence speed of MIMO equalizer at cost of greater hardware complexity. In this paper, we will compare the hardware complexity and convergence speed of signal PSD dependent and noise power directed algorithms against the conventional frequency domain LMS algorithm. In our numerical study of a three-mode 112 Gbit/s PDM-QPSK optical system with 3000 km transmission, the noise PSD directed and signal PSD dependent methods could improve the convergence speed by 48.3% and 36.1% respectively, at cost of 17.2% and 10.7% higher hardware complexity. We will also compare the frequency domain RLS algorithm against

Analysis and compensation of synchronous measurement error for multi-channel laser interferometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Shengwu; Hu, Jinchun; Zhu, Yu; Hu, Chuxiong

2017-01-01

Dual-frequency laser interferometer has been widely used in precision motion system as a displacement sensor, to achieve nanoscale positioning or synchronization accuracy. In a multi-channel laser interferometer synchronous measurement system, signal delays are different in the different channels, which will cause asynchronous measurement, and then lead to measurement error, synchronous measurement error (SME). Based on signal delay analysis of the measurement system, this paper presents a multi-channel SME framework for synchronous measurement, and establishes the model between SME and motion velocity. Further, a real-time compensation method for SME is proposed. This method has been verified in a self-developed laser interferometer signal processing board (SPB). The experiment result showed that, using this compensation method, at a motion velocity 0.89 m s −1 , the max SME between two measuring channels in the SPB is 1.1 nm. This method is more easily implemented and applied to engineering than the method of directly testing smaller signal delay. (paper)

Analysis and compensation of synchronous measurement error for multi-channel laser interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Shengwu; Hu, Jinchun; Zhu, Yu; Hu, Chuxiong

2017-05-01

Dual-frequency laser interferometer has been widely used in precision motion system as a displacement sensor, to achieve nanoscale positioning or synchronization accuracy. In a multi-channel laser interferometer synchronous measurement system, signal delays are different in the different channels, which will cause asynchronous measurement, and then lead to measurement error, synchronous measurement error (SME). Based on signal delay analysis of the measurement system, this paper presents a multi-channel SME framework for synchronous measurement, and establishes the model between SME and motion velocity. Further, a real-time compensation method for SME is proposed. This method has been verified in a self-developed laser interferometer signal processing board (SPB). The experiment result showed that, using this compensation method, at a motion velocity 0.89 m s-1, the max SME between two measuring channels in the SPB is 1.1 nm. This method is more easily implemented and applied to engineering than the method of directly testing smaller signal delay.

Measurement channel of neutron flow based on software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivero G, T.; Benitez R, J. S.

2008-01-01

The measurement of the thermal power in nuclear reactors is based mainly on the measurement of the neutron flow. The presence of these in the reactor core is associated to neutrons released by the fission reaction of the uranium-235. Once moderate, these neutrons are precursors of new fissions. This process it is known like chain reaction. Thus, the power to which works a nuclear reactor, he is proportional to the number of produced fissions and as these depend on released neutrons, also the power is proportional to the number of present neutrons. The measurement of the thermal power in a reactor is realized with called instruments nuclear channels. To low power (level source), these channels measure the individual counts of detected neutrons, whereas to a medium and high power, they measure the electrical current or fluctuation of the same one that generate the fission neutrons in ionization chambers especially designed to detect neutrons. For the case of TRIGA reactors, the measurement channels of neutron flow use discreet digital electronic technology makes some decades already. Recently new technological tools have arisen that allow developing new versions of nuclear channels of simple form and compacts. The present work consists of the development of a nuclear channel for TRIGA reactors based on the use of the correlated signal of a fission chamber for ample interval. This new measurement channel uses a data acquisition card of high speed and the data processing by software that to the being installed in a computer is created a virtual instrument, with what spreads in real time, in graphic and understandable form for the operator, the power indication to which it operates the nuclear reactor. This system when being based on software, offers a major versatility to realize changes in the signal processing and power monitoring algorithms. The experimental tests of neutronic power measurement show a reliable performance through seven decades of power, with a

Measurement of the heat transfer coefficient in the dimpled channel: effects of dimple arrangement and channel height

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, So Min; Lee, Ki Seon; Park, Seoung Duck; Kwak, Jae Su

2009-01-01

Heat transfer coefficients were measured in a channel with one side dimpled surface. The sphere type dimples were fabricated, and the diameter (D) and the depth of dimple was 16 mm and 4 mm, respectively. Two channel heights of about 0.6D and 1.2D, two dimple configurations were tested. The Reynolds number based on the channel hydraulic diameter was varied from 30000 to 50000. The improved hue detection based transient liquid crystal technique was used in the heat transfer measurement. Heat transfer measurement results showed that high heat transfer was induced downstream of the dimples due to flow reattachment. Due to the flow recirculation on the upstream side in the dimple, the heat transfer coefficient was very low. As the Reynolds increased, the overall heat transfer coefficients also increased. With the same dimple arrangement, the heat transfer coefficients and the thermal performance factors were higher for the lower channel height. As the distance between the dimples became smaller, the overall heat transfer coefficient and the thermal performance factors increased

Efficiency criterion for teleportation via channel matrix, measurement matrix and collapsed matrix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin-Wei Zha

Full Text Available In this paper, three kinds of coefficient matrixes (channel matrix, measurement matrix, collapsed matrix associated with the pure state for teleportation are presented, the general relation among channel matrix, measurement matrix and collapsed matrix is obtained. In addition, a criterion for judging whether a state can be teleported successfully is given, depending on the relation between the number of parameter of an unknown state and the rank of the collapsed matrix. Keywords: Channel matrix, Measurement matrix, Collapsed matrix, Teleportation

Minimum Probability of Error-Based Equalization Algorithms for Fading Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janos Levendovszky

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Novel channel equalizer algorithms are introduced for wireless communication systems to combat channel distortions resulting from multipath propagation. The novel algorithms are based on newly derived bounds on the probability of error (PE and guarantee better performance than the traditional zero forcing (ZF or minimum mean square error (MMSE algorithms. The new equalization methods require channel state information which is obtained by a fast adaptive channel identification algorithm. As a result, the combined convergence time needed for channel identification and PE minimization still remains smaller than the convergence time of traditional adaptive algorithms, yielding real-time equalization. The performance of the new algorithms is tested by extensive simulations on standard mobile channels.

Measurement of strain and strain relaxation in free-standing Si membranes by convergent beam electron diffraction and finite element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, H.; Ikeda, K.; Hata, S.; Nakashima, H.; Wang, D.; Nakashima, H.

2011-01-01

Bridge-shaped free-standing Si membranes (FSSM), strained by low-pressure (LP) Si x N y , plasma-enhanced (PE) Si x N y and Si x Ge 1-x stressors, were measured by convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) and the finite element method (FEM). The results of CBED show that, while the strain along the length of the FSSM is compressive in an LPSi x N y /Si sample, those along the length of the FSSM are tensile in PESi x N y /Si and Si x Ge 1-x /Si samples. The average absolute values of strains are different in FSSM with LPSi x N y , PESi x N y and Si x Ge 1-x as stressors. The FEM was used to compensate the results of CBED taking into account the strain relaxation in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation. The FEM results give the strain properties in three dimensions, and are in good agreement with the results of CBED. There is approximately no strain relaxation along the length of FSSM, and the elastic strains along the other two axes in FSSM are partially relaxed by thinning down for the preparation of TEM samples.

Anisotropic stress in narrow sGe fin field-effect transistor channels measured using nano-focused Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Nuytten, T.; Bogdanowicz, J.; Witters, L.; Eneman, G.; Hantschel, T.; Schulze, A.; Favia, P.; Bender, H.; De Wolf, I.; Vandervorst, W.

2018-05-01

The continued importance of strain engineering in semiconductor technology demands fast and reliable stress metrology that is non-destructive and process line-compatible. Raman spectroscopy meets these requirements but the diffraction limit prevents its application in current and future technology nodes. We show that nano-focused Raman scattering overcomes these limitations and can be combined with oil-immersion to obtain quantitative anisotropic stress measurements. We demonstrate accurate stress characterization in strained Ge fin field-effect transistor channels without sample preparation or advanced microscopy. The detailed analysis of the enhanced Raman response from a periodic array of 20 nm-wide Ge fins provides direct access to the stress levels inside the nanoscale channel, and the results are validated using nano-beam diffraction measurements.

Convergence of Romanian accounting regulations with IFRS. A longitudinal analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana PĂLĂRIE

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we analyse the evolution in the level of convergence of the Romanian accounting regulations with IFRS in the last decade. We focus our study on the accounting topics covered by IAS16, IAS17, IAS 41 and SIC15. We find that in 2005 the regulations exhibit a good level of convergence for property, plant and equipment, a medium level of convergence for lease accounting and divergence for accounting for the agricultural activity. The overall convergence level improved over time for all the topics analysed. These results indicate that the companies with dual reporting may incur lower costs in applying IFRS. Moreover, the national regulations offer the opportunity for a higher level of comparability in Romania of the financial statements prepared under IFRS with those prepared under national regulations. However, we underline that the institutional factors (such as the tax influence over accounting might negatively affect the convergence of practices.

The Topographic Design of River Channels for Form-Process Linkages.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Rocko A; Pasternack, Gregory B; Lin, Tin

2016-04-01

Scientists and engineers design river topography for a wide variety of uses, such as experimentation, site remediation, dam mitigation, flood management, and river restoration. A recent advancement has been the notion of topographical design to yield specific fluvial mechanisms in conjunction with natural or environmental flow releases. For example, the flow convergence routing mechanism, whereby shear stress and spatially convergent flow migrate or jump from the topographic high (riffle) to the low point (pool) from low to high discharge, is thought to be a key process able to maintain undular relief in gravel bedded rivers. This paper develops an approach to creating riffle-pool topography with a form-process linkage to the flow convergence routing mechanism using an adjustable, quasi equilibrium synthetic channel model. The link from form to process is made through conceptualizing form-process relationships for riffle-pool couplets into geomorphic covariance structures (GCSs) that are then quantitatively embedded in a synthetic channel model. Herein, GCSs were used to parameterize a geometric model to create five straight, synthetic river channels with varying combinations of bed and width undulations. Shear stress and flow direction predictions from 2D hydrodynamic modeling were used to determine if scenarios recreated aspects of the flow convergence routing mechanism. Results show that the creation of riffle-pool couplets that experience flow convergence in straight channels requires GCSs with covarying bed and width undulations in their topography as supported in the literature. This shows that GCSs are a useful way to translate conceptualizations of form-process linkages into quantitative models of channel form.

Latency-Based and Psychophysiological Measures of Sexual Interest Show Convergent and Concurrent Validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ó Ciardha, Caoilte; Attard-Johnson, Janice; Bindemann, Markus

2018-04-01

Latency-based measures of sexual interest require additional evidence of validity, as do newer pupil dilation approaches. A total of 102 community men completed six latency-based measures of sexual interest. Pupillary responses were recorded during three of these tasks and in an additional task where no participant response was required. For adult stimuli, there was a high degree of intercorrelation between measures, suggesting that tasks may be measuring the same underlying construct (convergent validity). In addition to being correlated with one another, measures also predicted participants' self-reported sexual interest, demonstrating concurrent validity (i.e., the ability of a task to predict a more validated, simultaneously recorded, measure). Latency-based and pupillometric approaches also showed preliminary evidence of concurrent validity in predicting both self-reported interest in child molestation and viewing pornographic material containing children. Taken together, the study findings build on the evidence base for the validity of latency-based and pupillometric measures of sexual interest.

Convergence and divergence, a concept for explaining drug actions.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Takehiko; Kamisaki, Yoshinori; Timmerman, Henk

2004-10-01

For the teaching and/or learning about drug actions and for the discovery and development of new drugs, it is important to understand how drugs act on living bodies. So far, there has been no clear description on the general principle of drug action in pharmacology textbooks. We propose two principles to depict the action mechanism of drugs. The first is that most, if not all, drugs act on proteins at the molecular level, that is, enzymes, receptors, ion channels, and transporters. The second is that a drug may cause divergent or convergent responses, resulting in changes of a physiological or pathological function of the human body. The concept of divergence and convergence can be used to explain the complex individuality of drug actions.

A Fast, Open EEG Classification Framework Based on Feature Compression and Channel Ranking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiuqi Han

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Superior feature extraction, channel selection and classification methods are essential for designing electroencephalography (EEG classification frameworks. However, the performance of most frameworks is limited by their improper channel selection methods and too specifical design, leading to high computational complexity, non-convergent procedure and narrow expansibility. In this paper, to remedy these drawbacks, we propose a fast, open EEG classification framework centralized by EEG feature compression, low-dimensional representation, and convergent iterative channel ranking. First, to reduce the complexity, we use data clustering to compress the EEG features channel-wise, packing the high-dimensional EEG signal, and endowing them with numerical signatures. Second, to provide easy access to alternative superior methods, we structurally represent each EEG trial in a feature vector with its corresponding numerical signature. Thus, the recorded signals of many trials shrink to a low-dimensional structural matrix compatible with most pattern recognition methods. Third, a series of effective iterative feature selection approaches with theoretical convergence is introduced to rank the EEG channels and remove redundant ones, further accelerating the EEG classification process and ensuring its stability. Finally, a classical linear discriminant analysis (LDA model is employed to classify a single EEG trial with selected channels. Experimental results on two real world brain-computer interface (BCI competition datasets demonstrate the promising performance of the proposed framework over state-of-the-art methods.

Measurement of strain and strain relaxation in free-standing Si membranes by convergent beam electron diffraction and finite element method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, H., E-mail: hongye18@mm.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Ikeda, K.; Hata, S.; Nakashima, H. [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Wang, D.; Nakashima, H. [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2011-04-15

Bridge-shaped free-standing Si membranes (FSSM), strained by low-pressure (LP) Si{sub x}N{sub y}, plasma-enhanced (PE) Si{sub x}N{sub y} and Si{sub x}Ge{sub 1-x} stressors, were measured by convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) and the finite element method (FEM). The results of CBED show that, while the strain along the length of the FSSM is compressive in an LPSi{sub x}N{sub y}/Si sample, those along the length of the FSSM are tensile in PESi{sub x}N{sub y}/Si and Si{sub x}Ge{sub 1-x}/Si samples. The average absolute values of strains are different in FSSM with LPSi{sub x}N{sub y}, PESi{sub x}N{sub y} and Si{sub x}Ge{sub 1-x} as stressors. The FEM was used to compensate the results of CBED taking into account the strain relaxation in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation. The FEM results give the strain properties in three dimensions, and are in good agreement with the results of CBED. There is approximately no strain relaxation along the length of FSSM, and the elastic strains along the other two axes in FSSM are partially relaxed by thinning down for the preparation of TEM samples.

Regret of Multi-Channel Bandit Game in Cognitive Radio Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Jun

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of how to evaluate the rate of convergence to Nash equilibrium solutions in the process of channel selection under incomplete information is studied. In this paper, the definition of regret is used to reflect the convergence rates of online algorithms. The process of selecting an idle channel for each secondary user is modeled as a multi-channel bandit game. The definition of the maximal averaged regret is given. Two existing online learning algorithms are used to obtain the Nash equilibrium for each SU. The maximal averaged regrets are used to evaluate the performances of online algorithms. When there is a pure strategy Nash equilibrium in the multi-channel bandit game, the maximal averaged regrets are finite. A cooperation mechanism is also needed in the process of calculating the maximal averaged regrets. Simulation results show the maximal averaged regrets are finite and the online algorithm with greater convergence rate has less maximal averaged regrets.

Blind channel estimation for MLSE receiver in high speed optical communications: theory and ASIC implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorshtein, Albert; Levy, Omri; Katz, Gilad; Sadot, Dan

2013-09-23

Blind channel estimation is critical for digital signal processing (DSP) compensation of optical fiber communications links. The overall channel consists of deterministic distortions such as chromatic dispersion, as well as random and time varying distortions including polarization mode dispersion and timing jitter. It is critical to obtain robust acquisition and tracking methods for estimating these distortions effects, which, in turn, can be compensated by means of DSP such as Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (MLSE). Here, a novel blind estimation algorithm is developed, accompanied by inclusive mathematical modeling, and followed by extensive set of real time experiments that verify quantitatively its performance and convergence. The developed blind channel estimation is used as the basis of an MLSE receiver. The entire scheme is fully implemented in a 65 nm CMOS Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Experimental measurements and results are presented, including Bit Error Rate (BER) measurements, which demonstrate the successful data recovery by the MLSE ASIC under various channel conditions and distances.

Numerical modelling of channel processes and analysis of possible channel improvement measures on the Lena River near city Yakutsk

Science.gov (United States)

Krylenko, Inna; Belikov, Vitaly; Zavadskii, Aleksander; Borisova, Natalya; Golovlyov, Pavel; Rumyantsev, Alexey

2017-04-01

City Yakutsk (administrative, culture and industrial center of the North East of Russia) situated on the left bank of large Russian river Lena last decades has faced with many problems, concerning intensive channel processes. Most dramatic among them are sediment accumulation near main water intake structure, supplying city Yakutsk by the drinking water, and deterioration in conditions of the navigation roots to the main city ports. Hydrodynamic modelling has been chosen as the main tool for analyses of the modern tendencies in channel processes and for the evaluation of possible channel improvement measures efficiency. STREAM_2D program complex (authors V. Belikov et al.), which is based on the numerical solution of two-dimensional Saint-Venant equations on a hybrid curvilinear quadrangular and rectangular mesh and take into account sediment transport, was used for the simulations. Detailed field data about water regime of the Lena river, bathymetry of the channels and topography of the floodplains was collected for model developing. Model area has covered 75 km of the Lena river valley including branched channels and wide floodplain from Tabaga to Kangalassy gauge cites. Data of these stations were used for model boundary conditions assigning. Data of gauge station city Yakutsk as well as measured during field campaign water levels and flow velocities was taken into account for model calibration and validation. Results of modelling has demonstrated close correspondence with observed water levels and discharges distribution between channel branches for different hydrological situations. Different combinations of hydrographs of 1, 10, 50% exceedance probability was used as input for modelling of channel deformations. Simulation results has shown that in future 10 years aligning of water discharges distribution between main Lena river branches near Yakutsk is possible, that is a positive tendency from the point of view of water supply of the city. More than 15

Multiplier convergent series and uniform convergence of mapping ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

MS received 14 April 2011; revised 17 November 2012. Abstract. In this paper, we introduce the frame property of complex sequence sets and study the uniform convergence of nonlinear mapping series in β-dual of spaces consisting of multiplier convergent series. Keywords. Multiplier convergent series; mapping series. 1.

Top quark mass measurement in dilepton channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lysak, R.

2007-01-01

In this work, we measured the top quark mass in tt'-' events produced in pp'-' interactions at the center-of-mass energy 1.96 TeV using CDF detector. We used dilepton in tt'-' events where both W bosons from top quarks are decaying into leptons. The data sample corresponds to 340 pb -1 . We found there 33 tt'-' candidates while expecting 10.5 ± 1.9 background events. In the measurement, we reconstruct one, representative mass for each event using the assumption about longitudinal momentum of in tt'-' system, in order to be able to kinematically solve the under-constrained system. The mass distributions (templates) are created for simulated signal and background events. Templates are parametrized in order to obtain smooth probability density functions. Likelihood maximization which includes these parametrized templates is then performed on reconstructed masses obtained from data sample in order to obtain final top quark mass estimate. The result of applying this procedure on data events is top quark mass estimate 169.5 +7. 7 - 7.2 (stat.) ± 4.0(syst.) GeV/c 2 for 30 out of 33 candidates, where the solution for top quark mass was found. This measurement was a part of first top quark mass measurement in dilepton channel at CDF in Run II. The top quark mass measured here is consistent with the CDF measurement in dilepton channel from Run I M top = 167.4 ± 10.3(stat.) ± 4.8(syst.) GeV/c 2 . Moreover, the combined result of four top quark mass measurements in dilepton channel from Run II (one of these four measurements is our measurement) M top = 167.9 ± 5.2(stat.) ± 3.7(syst.) GeV/c 2 significantly (by ∼ 40%) improved the precision of top quark mass determination from Run I. It should be also noted, that this combined result is consistent with measurement obtained in 'lepton+jets' channel at CDF in Run II (M top = 173.5 +3.9 -3.8 GeV/c 2 ). So, we don't have yet any indication about new physics beyond the Standard Model. My main contribution in this analysis was

Predictive, Construct, and Convergent Validity of General and Domain-Specific Measures of Hope for College Student Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Cecil; Rose, Sage

2010-01-01

One leading version of hope theory posits hope to be a general disposition for goal-directed agency and pathways thinking. Domain-specific hope theory suggests that hope operates within context and measures of hope should reflect that context. This study examined three measures of hope to test the predictive, construct, and convergent validity…

Whether and How to Select Inertia and Acceleration of Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm: A Study on Channel Assignment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Jin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There is recently a great deal of interest and excitement in understanding the role of inertia and acceleration in the motion equation of discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO algorithms. It still remains unknown whether the inertia section should be abandoned and how to select the appropriate acceleration in order for DPSO to show the best convergence performance. Adopting channel assignment as a case study, this paper systematically conducts experimental filtering research on this issue. Compared with other channel assignment schemes, the proposed scheme and the selection of inertia and acceleration are verified to have the advantage to channel assignment in three respects of convergence rate, convergence speed, and the independency of the quality of initial solution. Furthermore, the experimental result implies that DSPO might have the best convergence performance when its motion equation includes an inertia section in a less medium weight, a bigger acceleration coefficient for global-search optimum, and a smaller acceleration coefficient for individual-search optimum.

Gain and movement time of convergence-accommodation in preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Suryakumar, R; Bobier, W R

2004-11-01

Convergence-accommodation is the synkinetic change in accommodation driven by vergence. A few studies have investigated the static and dynamic properties of this cross-link in adults but little is known about convergence-accommodation in children. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for measuring convergence-accommodation and to study its dynamics (gain and movement time) in a sample of pre-school children. Convergence-accommodation measures were examined on thiry-seven normal pre-school children (mean age = 4.0 +/- 1.31 yrs). Stimulus CA/C (sCA/C) ratios and movement time measures of convergence-accommodation were assessed using a photorefractor while subjects viewed a DOG target. Repeated measures were obtained on eight normal adults (mean age = 23 +/- 0.2 yrs). The mean sCA/C ratios and movement times were not significantly different between adults and children (0.10 D/Delta [0.61 D/M.A.], 743 +/- 70 ms and 0.11 D/Delta [0.50 D/M.A.], 787 +/- 216 ms). Repeated measures on adults showed a non-significant mean difference of 0.001 D/Delta. The results suggest that the possible differences in crystalline lens (plant) characteristics between children and adults do not appear to influence convergence-accommodation gain or duration.

Did capital market convergence lower the effectiveness of monetary policy?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, P.W.

2009-01-01

International capital market convergence reduces the ability for monetary authorities to set domestic monetary conditions. Traditionally, monetary policy transmission is channelled through the short-term interest rate. Savings and investment decisions are effected through the response of the bond

Coherent detection passive optical access network enabling converged delivery of broadcast and dedicated broadband services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Osadchiy, Alexey Vladimirovich; Prince, Kamau; Guerrero Gonzalez, Neil

2011-01-01

We propose a passive optical network architecture based on coherent detection for converged delivery of broadcast services from a dedicated remote broadcast server and user-specific services from a local central office. We experimentally demonstrate this architecture with mixed traffic types....... The broadcast channels were transmitted over 78 km of single mode fiber to a central office where they were multiplexed with the unicast channels for further fiber transmission over 34-km to reach the access network. Successful detection of all channels is demonstrated....

Measuring Nominal and Real Convergence of Selected CEE Countries by the Taylor Rule

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Böing Tobias

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We propose using a simple Taylor rule to evaluate business cycle convergence of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland with the Eurozone. Our findings indicate an ongoing convergence of those CEE countries to the Eurozone, but with instabilities and heterogeneity between the countries. Especially Poland has shown a high degree of convergence in recent years. But there are still relevant differences in Taylor rates of each country to the Eurozone of about two percentage points.

Absolute Hugoniot measurements from a spherically convergent shock using x-ray radiography

Science.gov (United States)

Swift, Damian C.; Kritcher, Andrea L.; Hawreliak, James A.; Lazicki, Amy; MacPhee, Andrew; Bachmann, Benjamin; Döppner, Tilo; Nilsen, Joseph; Collins, Gilbert W.; Glenzer, Siegfried; Rothman, Stephen D.; Kraus, Dominik; Falcone, Roger W.

2018-05-01

The canonical high pressure equation of state measurement is to induce a shock wave in the sample material and measure two mechanical properties of the shocked material or shock wave. For accurate measurements, the experiment is normally designed to generate a planar shock which is as steady as possible in space and time, and a single state is measured. A converging shock strengthens as it propagates, so a range of shock pressures is induced in a single experiment. However, equation of state measurements must then account for spatial and temporal gradients. We have used x-ray radiography of spherically converging shocks to determine states along the shock Hugoniot. The radius-time history of the shock, and thus its speed, was measured by radiographing the position of the shock front as a function of time using an x-ray streak camera. The density profile of the shock was then inferred from the x-ray transmission at each instant of time. Simultaneous measurement of the density at the shock front and the shock speed determines an absolute mechanical Hugoniot state. The density profile was reconstructed using the known, unshocked density which strongly constrains the density jump at the shock front. The radiographic configuration and streak camera behavior were treated in detail to reduce systematic errors. Measurements were performed on the Omega and National Ignition Facility lasers, using a hohlraum to induce a spatially uniform drive over the outside of a solid, spherical sample and a laser-heated thermal plasma as an x-ray source for radiography. Absolute shock Hugoniot measurements were demonstrated for carbon-containing samples of different composition and initial density, up to temperatures at which K-shell ionization reduced the opacity behind the shock. Here we present the experimental method using measurements of polystyrene as an example.

Do convergent developmental mechanisms underlie convergent phenotypes?

Science.gov (United States)

Wray, Gregory A.

2002-01-01

Convergence is a pervasive evolutionary process, affecting many aspects of phenotype and even genotype. Relatively little is known about convergence in developmental processes, however, nor about the degree to which convergence in development underlies convergence in anatomy. A switch in the ecology of sea urchins from feeding to nonfeeding larvae illustrates how convergence in development can be associated with convergence in anatomy. Comparisons to more distantly related taxa, however, suggest that this association may be limited to relatively close phylogenetic comparisons. Similarities in gene expression during development provide another window into the association between convergence in developmental processes and convergence in anatomy. Several well-studied transcription factors exhibit likely cases of convergent gene expression in distantly related animal phyla. Convergence in regulatory gene expression domains is probably more common than generally acknowledged, and can arise for several different reasons. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Blind Channel Equalization Using Constrained Generalized Pattern Search Optimization and Reinitialization Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Tatkeu

2008-12-01

Full Text Available We propose a global convergence baud-spaced blind equalization method in this paper. This method is based on the application of both generalized pattern optimization and channel surfing reinitialization. The potentially used unimodal cost function relies on higher- order statistics, and its optimization is achieved using a pattern search algorithm. Since the convergence to the global minimum is not unconditionally warranted, we make use of channel surfing reinitialization (CSR strategy to find the right global minimum. The proposed algorithm is analyzed, and simulation results using a severe frequency selective propagation channel are given. Detailed comparisons with constant modulus algorithm (CMA are highlighted. The proposed algorithm performances are evaluated in terms of intersymbol interference, normalized received signal constellations, and root mean square error vector magnitude. In case of nonconstant modulus input signals, our algorithm outperforms significantly CMA algorithm with full channel surfing reinitialization strategy. However, comparable performances are obtained for constant modulus signals.

Blind Channel Equalization Using Constrained Generalized Pattern Search Optimization and Reinitialization Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Zaouche, Abdelouahib; Dayoub, Iyad; Rouvaen, Jean Michel; Tatkeu, Charles

2008-12-01

We propose a global convergence baud-spaced blind equalization method in this paper. This method is based on the application of both generalized pattern optimization and channel surfing reinitialization. The potentially used unimodal cost function relies on higher- order statistics, and its optimization is achieved using a pattern search algorithm. Since the convergence to the global minimum is not unconditionally warranted, we make use of channel surfing reinitialization (CSR) strategy to find the right global minimum. The proposed algorithm is analyzed, and simulation results using a severe frequency selective propagation channel are given. Detailed comparisons with constant modulus algorithm (CMA) are highlighted. The proposed algorithm performances are evaluated in terms of intersymbol interference, normalized received signal constellations, and root mean square error vector magnitude. In case of nonconstant modulus input signals, our algorithm outperforms significantly CMA algorithm with full channel surfing reinitialization strategy. However, comparable performances are obtained for constant modulus signals.

Micromolar-Affinity Benzodiazepine Receptors Regulate Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channels in Nerve Terminal Preparations

Science.gov (United States)

Taft, William C.; Delorenzo, Robert J.

1984-05-01

Benzodiazepines in micromolar concentrations significantly inhibit depolarization-sensitive Ca2+ uptake in intact nerve-terminal preparations. Benzodiazepine inhibition of Ca2+ uptake is concentration dependent and stereospecific. Micromolar-affinity benzodiazepine receptors have been identified and characterized in brain membrane and shown to be distinct from nanomolar-affinity benzodiazepine receptors. Evidence is presented that micromolar, and not nanomolar, benzodiazepine binding sites mediate benzodiazepine inhibition of Ca2+ uptake. Irreversible binding to micromolar benzodiazepine binding sites also irreversibly blocked depolarization-dependent Ca2+ uptake in synaptosomes, indicating that these compounds may represent a useful marker for identifying the molecular components of Ca2+ channels in brain. Characterization of benzodiazepine inhibition of Ca2+ uptake demonstrates that these drugs function as Ca2+ channel antagonists, because benzodiazepines effectively blocked voltage-sensitive Ca2+ uptake inhibited by Mn2+, Co2+, verapamil, nitrendipine, and nimodipine. These results indicate that micromolar benzodiazepine binding sites regulate voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in brain membrane and suggest that some of the neuronal stabilizing effects of micromolar benzodiazepine receptors may be mediated by the regulation of Ca2+ conductance.

Measurement of the Top Quark Mass Simultaneously in Dilepton and Lepton + Jets Decay Channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fedorko, Wojciech T. [Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)

2008-12-01

The authors present the first measurement of the top quark mass using simultaneously data from two decay channels. They use a data sample of √s = 1.96 TeV collisions with integrated luminosity of 1.9 fb^-1 collected by the CDF II detector. They select dilepton and lepton + jets channel decays of t$\\bar{t}$ pairs and reconstruct two observables in each topology. They use non-parametric techniques to derive probability density functions from simulated signal and background samples. The observables are the reconstructed top quark mass and the scalar sum of transverse energy of the event in the dilepton topology and the reconstructed top quark mass and the invariant mass of jets from the W boson decay in lepton + jets channel. They perform a simultaneous fit for the top quark mass and the jet energy scale which is constrained in situ by the hadronic W boson resonance from the lepton + jets channel. Using 144 dilepton candidate events and 332 lepton + jets candidate events they measure: M_top = 171.9 ± 1.7 (stat. + JES) ± 1.1 (other sys.) GeV/c² = 171.9 ± 2.0 GeV/c². The measurement features a robust treatment of the systematic uncertainties, correlated between the two channels and develops techniques for a future top quark mass measurement simultaneously in all decay channels. Measurements of the W boson mass and the top quark mass provide a constraint on the mass of the yet unobserved Higgs boson. The Higgs boson mass implied by measurement presented here is higher than Higgs boson mass implied by previously published, most precise CDF measurements of the top quark mass in lepton + jets and dilepton channels separately.

Convergent validity of actigraphy with polysomnography and parent reports when measuring sleep in children with Down syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Esbensen, A J; Hoffman, E K; Stansberry, E; Shaffer, R

2018-04-01

There is a need for rigorous measures of sleep in children with Down syndrome as sleep is a substantial problem in this population and there are barriers to obtaining the gold standard polysomnography (PSG). PSG is cost-prohibitive when measuring treatment effects in some clinical trials, and children with Down syndrome may not cooperate with undergoing a PSG. Minimal information is available on the validity of alternative methods of assessing sleep in children with Down syndrome, such as actigraphy and parent ratings. Our study examined the concurrent and convergent validity of different measures of sleep, including PSG, actigraphy and parent reports of sleep among children with Down syndrome. A clinic (n = 27) and a community (n = 47) sample of children with Down syndrome were examined. In clinic, children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch during a routine PSG. In the community, children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch for a week at home at night as part of a larger study on sleep and behaviour. Their parent completed ratings of the child's sleep during that same week. Actigraph watches demonstrated convergent validity with PSG when measuring a child with Down syndrome's total amount of sleep time, total wake time after sleep onset and sleep period efficiency. In contrast, actigraph watches demonstrated poor correlations with parent reports of sleep, and with PSG when measuring the total time in bed and total wake episodes. Actigraphy, PSG and parent ratings of sleep demonstrated poor concurrent validity with clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. Our current data suggest that actigraph watches demonstrate convergent validity and are sensitive to measuring certain sleep constructs (duration, efficiency) in children with Down syndrome. However, parent reports, such as the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, may be measuring other sleep constructs. These findings highlight the importance of selecting measures of sleep related to

Measuring Convergence using Dynamic Equilibrium Models: Evidence from Chinese Provinces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pan, Lei; Posch, Olaf; van der Wel, Michel

We propose a model to study economic convergence in the tradition of neoclassical growth theory. We employ a novel stochastic set-up of the Solow (1956) model with shocks to both capital and labor. Our novel approach identifies the speed of convergence directly from estimating the parameters which...

Sparse Adaptive Channel Estimation Based on lp-Norm-Penalized Affine Projection Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingsong Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We propose an lp-norm-penalized affine projection algorithm (LP-APA for broadband multipath adaptive channel estimations. The proposed LP-APA is realized by incorporating an lp-norm into the cost function of the conventional affine projection algorithm (APA to exploit the sparsity property of the broadband wireless multipath channel, by which the convergence speed and steady-state performance of the APA are significantly improved. The implementation of the LP-APA is equivalent to adding a zero attractor to its iterations. The simulation results, which are obtained from a sparse channel estimation, demonstrate that the proposed LP-APA can efficiently improve channel estimation performance in terms of both the convergence speed and steady-state performance when the channel is exactly sparse.

Channel Bow in Boiling Water Reactors - Hot Cell Examination Results and Correlation to Measured Bow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmood, S.T.; Lin, Y.P.; Dubecky, M.A.; Edsinger, K.; Mader, E.V.

2007-01-01

An increase in frequency of fuel channel-control blade interference has been observed in Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) in recent years. Many of the channels leading to interference were found to bow towards the control blade in a manner that was inconsistent with the expected bow due to other effects. The pattern of bow appeared to indicate a new channel bow mechanism that differed from the predominant bow mechanism caused by differential growth due to fast-fluence gradients. In order to investigate this new type of channel bow, coupons from several channels with varying degrees of bow were returned to the GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC) for Post-Irradiation Examination (PIE). This paper describes the characteristics of channel corrosion and hydrogen pickup observed, and relates the observations to the channel exposure level, control history, and measured channel bow. The channels selected for PIE had exposures in the range of 36-48 GWd/MTU and covered a wide range of measured bow. The coupons were obtained at 4 elevations from opposing channel sides adjacent and away from the control blade. The PIE performed on these coupons included visual examination, metallography, and hydrogen concentration measurements. A new mechanism of control-blade shadow corrosion-induced channel bow was found to correlate with differences in the extent of corrosion and corresponding differences in the hydrogen concentration between opposite sides of the channels. The increased corrosion on the control blade sides was found to be dependent on the level of control early in the life of the channel. The contributions of other potential factors leading to increased channel bow and channel-control blade interference are also discussed in this paper. (authors)

Convergence of Nelson diffusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dell'Antonio, G.; Posilicano, A.

1991-01-01

Let ψ t , ψ t n , n≥1, be solutions of Schroedinger equations with potentials form-bounded by -1/2 Δ and initial data in H 1 (R d ). Let P, P n , n≥1, be the probability measures on the path space Ω=C(R + , R d ) given by the corresponding Nelson diffusions. We show that if {ψ t n } n≥1 converges to ψ t in H 2 (R d ), uniformly in t over compact intervals, then {P n } n≥1 converges to P in total variation. Moreover, if the potentials are in the Kato class K d , we show that the above result follows from H 1 -convergence of initial data, and K d -convergence of potentials. (orig.)

A 1D-2D coupled SPH-SWE model applied to open channel flow simulations in complicated geometries

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Kao-Hua; Sheu, Tony Wen-Hann; Chang, Tsang-Jung

2018-05-01

In this study, a one- and two-dimensional (1D-2D) coupled model is developed to solve the shallow water equations (SWEs). The solutions are obtained using a Lagrangian meshless method called smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) to simulate shallow water flows in converging, diverging and curved channels. A buffer zone is introduced to exchange information between the 1D and 2D SPH-SWE models. Interpolated water discharge values and water surface levels at the internal boundaries are prescribed as the inflow/outflow boundary conditions in the two SPH-SWE models. In addition, instead of using the SPH summation operator, we directly solve the continuity equation by introducing a diffusive term to suppress oscillations in the predicted water depth. The performance of the two approaches in calculating the water depth is comprehensively compared through a case study of a straight channel. Additionally, three benchmark cases involving converging, diverging and curved channels are adopted to demonstrate the ability of the proposed 1D and 2D coupled SPH-SWE model through comparisons with measured data and predicted mesh-based numerical results. The proposed model provides satisfactory accuracy and guaranteed convergence.

Channel identification machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazar, Aurel A; Slutskiy, Yevgeniy B

2012-01-01

We present a formal methodology for identifying a channel in a system consisting of a communication channel in cascade with an asynchronous sampler. The channel is modeled as a multidimensional filter, while models of asynchronous samplers are taken from neuroscience and communications and include integrate-and-fire neurons, asynchronous sigma/delta modulators and general oscillators in cascade with zero-crossing detectors. We devise channel identification algorithms that recover a projection of the filter(s) onto a space of input signals loss-free for both scalar and vector-valued test signals. The test signals are modeled as elements of a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) with a Dirichlet kernel. Under appropriate limiting conditions on the bandwidth and the order of the test signal space, the filter projection converges to the impulse response of the filter. We show that our results hold for a wide class of RKHSs, including the space of finite-energy bandlimited signals. We also extend our channel identification results to noisy circuits.

Channel Identification Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurel A. Lazar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We present a formal methodology for identifying a channel in a system consisting of a communication channel in cascade with an asynchronous sampler. The channel is modeled as a multidimensional filter, while models of asynchronous samplers are taken from neuroscience and communications and include integrate-and-fire neurons, asynchronous sigma/delta modulators and general oscillators in cascade with zero-crossing detectors. We devise channel identification algorithms that recover a projection of the filter(s onto a space of input signals loss-free for both scalar and vector-valued test signals. The test signals are modeled as elements of a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS with a Dirichlet kernel. Under appropriate limiting conditions on the bandwidth and the order of the test signal space, the filter projection converges to the impulse response of the filter. We show that our results hold for a wide class of RKHSs, including the space of finite-energy bandlimited signals. We also extend our channel identification results to noisy circuits.

Preparing hearts and minds: cardiac slowing and a cortical inhibitory network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, J R; van der Molen, M W; Tanase, C

2009-11-01

Preparing for a cued, speeded response induces a set of physiological changes. A review of the psychophysiology of preparation suggested that inhibition of action was an important process among the constellation of changes constituting attentive preparation. The current experiment combined event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac inter-beat interval measures in an experiment that compared preparing for a response, watching stimuli without responding, and responding in the absence of preparation. Ten college-aged participants were tested in an initial psychophysiological experiment followed by two scanning sessions during which reverse spiral imaging was performed concurrent with inter-beat interval measurement. Two analytic approaches were used to confirm blood oxygenation level dependent responses during preparation, and these converged to show inferior prefrontal and related subthalamic nuclei activity in the context of other known changes related to brain attentional networks. Subthalamic nuclei changes were related to the depth of preparatory cardiac deceleration. This pattern of findings suggests that preparation involves the activation of a complex inhibitory neural network implicating brain and autonomic nervous systems.

A convergent-beam electron diffraction study of strain homogeneity in severely strained aluminum processed by equal-channel angular pressing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alhajeri, Saleh N. [Materials Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Department of Manufacturing Engineering, College of Technological Studies, PAAET, PO Box 42325, Shuwaikh 70654 (Kuwait); Fox, Alan G. [Materials Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Mechanical Engineering Department, Asian University, 89 Moo 12, Highway 331, Banglamung, Chon Buri 20260 (Thailand); Langdon, Terence G., E-mail: langdon@usc.edu [Materials Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1453 (United States)

2011-11-15

Aluminum of commercial purity was processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) through two, four and eight passes at room temperature. A series of [1 1 4] convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) zone axis patterns were obtained using an electron probe with a diameter of 20 nm. Observations were recorded both immediately adjacent to the grain boundaries and in the grain interiors. Symmetry breaking of the higher-order Laue zone (HOLZ) lines was observed adjacent to the boundaries after two and four passes but not in the grain interiors. Pattern simulation of the CBED patterns taken from the two- and four-pass samples adjacent to the boundaries revealed a homogeneous strain with compressive and shear components. The presence of these homogeneous strains demonstrates that the internal stresses associated with the deformation of aluminum at room temperature are localized in the close vicinity, to within {approx}20 nm, of the grain boundaries.

A wireless multi-channel bioimpedance measurement system for personalized healthcare and lifestyle.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Javier; Ausín, José Luis; Lorido, Antonio Manuel; Redondo, Francisco; Duque-Carrillo, Juan Francisco

2013-01-01

Miniaturized, noninvasive, wearable sensors constitute a fundamental prerequisite for pervasive, predictive, and preventive healthcare systems. In this sense, this paper presents the design, realization, and evaluation of a wireless multi-channel measurement system based on a cost-effective high-performance integrated circuit for electrical bioimpedance (EBI) measurements in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. The resulting on-chip spectrometer provides high measuring EBI capabilities and together with a low-cost, commercially available radio frequency transceiver device. It provides reliable wireless communication, constitutes the basic node to build EBI wireless sensor networks (EBI-WSNs). The proposed EBI-WSN behaves as a high-performance wireless multi-channel EBI spectrometer, where the number of channels is completely scalable and independently configurable to satisfy specific measurement requirements of each individual. A prototype of the EBI node leads to a very small printed circuit board of approximately 8 cm2 including chip-antenna, which can operate several years on one 3-V coin cell battery and make it suitable for long-term preventive healthcare monitoring.

Habitat partitioning, habits and convergence among coastal nektonic fish species from the São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Zaniolo Gibran

Full Text Available Based on a fish survey and preliminary underwater observations, 17 "morphotypes" were identified that characterize the morphological diversity found within 27 nektonic fish species sampled at São Sebastião Channel. Such "morphotypes" were studied using an ecomorphological approach, with the intention to investigate similarities and differences in shape and habits. Underwater field observations were also performed, to verify if the lifestyle of these species, such as vertical occupation of the water column and the habitat use, are in accordance with their distribution in the morphospace. The results, complemented with data from scientific literature on the taxonomy and phylogenies of these species, allowed discussing some of the typical cases of convergent and divergent evolution. Some of the ecomorphological clusters had no phylogenetic support although this is probably due to the environmental conditions in which theirs members have evolved. The body shape and fins positions of a fish clearly influence its ecological performance and habitat use, corroborating the ecomorphological hypothesis on the intimate link between phenotype and ecology.

A MIMO-OFDM Testbed, Channel Measurements, and System Considerations for Outdoor-Indoor WiMAX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torres

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The design, implementation, and test of a real-time flexible (Multiple Input Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing MIMO-OFDM IEEE 802.16 prototype are presented. For the design, a channel measurement campaign on the 3.5 GHz band has been carried out, focusing on outdoor-indoor scenarios. The analysis of measured channels showed that higher capacity can be achieved in case of obstructed scenarios and that (Channel Distribution Information at the Transmitter CDIT capacity is close to (Channel State Information at the Transmitter CSIT with much lower complexity and requirements in terms of channel estimation and feedback. The baseband prototype used an (Field Programmable Gate Array FPGA where enhanced signal processing algorithms are implemented in order to improve system performance. We have shown that for MIMO-OFDM systems, extra signal processing such as enhanced joint channel and frequency offset estimation is needed to obtain a good performance and approach in practice the theoretical capacity improvements.

A MIMO-OFDM Testbed, Channel Measurements, and System Considerations for Outdoor-Indoor WiMAX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Víctor P. Gil Jiménez

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The design, implementation, and test of a real-time flexible 2×2 (Multiple Input Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing MIMO-OFDM IEEE 802.16 prototype are presented. For the design, a channel measurement campaign on the 3.5 GHz band has been carried out, focusing on outdoor-indoor scenarios. The analysis of measured channels showed that higher capacity can be achieved in case of obstructed scenarios and that (Channel Distribution Information at the Transmitter CDIT capacity is close to (Channel State Information at the Transmitter CSIT with much lower complexity and requirements in terms of channel estimation and feedback. The baseband prototype used an (Field Programmable Gate Array FPGA where enhanced signal processing algorithms are implemented in order to improve system performance. We have shown that for MIMO-OFDM systems, extra signal processing such as enhanced joint channel and frequency offset estimation is needed to obtain a good performance and approach in practice the theoretical capacity improvements.

ANALYSIS OF CONVERGENCE WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION SIGMA AND BETA CONVERGENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Begu Liviu-Stelian

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Real convergence study began with the development of neoclassical models of growth and especially with the passage of econometric applications of these models. In this paper we present applications of indicators and patterns of convergence on the example of European Union member countries and some current economic impact assessments on European convergence process. This analysis is based on the estimated a- and b convergence and on Markov chains. The study deals with the economic convergence of the European countries and especially the convergence of the EU countries, including Romania. In the end of the study presents several economic scenarios for a faster and easier exit from the current crisis in Romania.

Convergent j-matrix calculation of electron-helium resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konovalov, D.A.; McCarthy, I.E.

1994-12-01

Resonance structures in n=2 and n=3 electron-helium excitation cross sections are calculated using the J-matrix method. The number of close-coupled helium bound and continuum states is taken to convergence, e.g. about 100 channels are coupled for each total spin and angular momentum. It is found that the present J-matrix results are in good shape agreement with recent 29-state R-matrix calculations. However the J-matrix absolute cross sections are slightly lower due to the influence of continuum channels included in the present method. Experiment and theory agree on the positions of n=2 and n=3 resonances. 22 refs., 1 tab.; 3 figs

Channel capacities versus entanglement measures in multiparty quantum states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2010-01-01

For quantum states of two subsystems, highly entangled states have a higher capacity of transmitting classical as well as quantum information, and vice versa. We show that this is no more the case in general: Quantum capacities of multiaccess channels, motivated by communication in quantum networks, do not have any relation with genuine multiparty entanglement measures. Importantly, the statement is demonstrated for arbitrary multipartite entanglement measures. Along with revealing the structural richness of multiaccess channels, this gives us a tool to classify multiparty quantum states from the perspective of its usefulness in quantum networks, which cannot be visualized by any genuine multiparty entanglement measure.

Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired convergence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bainbridge, William S.; Roco, Mihail C., E-mail: mroco@nsf.gov [National Science Foundation (United States)

2016-07-15

Convergence offers a new universe of discovery, innovation, and application opportunities through specific theories, principles, and methods to be implemented in research, education, production, and other societal activities. Using a holistic approach with shared goals, convergence seeks to transcend existing human limitations to achieve improved conditions for work, learning, aging, physical, and cognitive wellness. This paper outlines ten key theories that offer complementary perspectives on this complex dynamic. Principles and methods are proposed to facilitate and enhance science and technology convergence. Several convergence success stories in the first part of the 21st century—including nanotechnology and other emerging technologies—are discussed in parallel with case studies focused on the future. The formulation of relevant theories, principles, and methods aims at establishing the convergence science.

Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bainbridge, William S.; Roco, Mihail C.

2016-01-01

Convergence offers a new universe of discovery, innovation, and application opportunities through specific theories, principles, and methods to be implemented in research, education, production, and other societal activities. Using a holistic approach with shared goals, convergence seeks to transcend existing human limitations to achieve improved conditions for work, learning, aging, physical, and cognitive wellness. This paper outlines ten key theories that offer complementary perspectives on this complex dynamic. Principles and methods are proposed to facilitate and enhance science and technology convergence. Several convergence success stories in the first part of the 21st century—including nanotechnology and other emerging technologies—are discussed in parallel with case studies focused on the future. The formulation of relevant theories, principles, and methods aims at establishing the convergence science.

Experimental Investigation of Extensional Deformation of Immiscible Droplets in a Laminar, Converging Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Sangli, Aditya; Arispe-Guzman, Marcelo; Armstrong, Connor; Bigio, David

2017-11-01

The deformation of an immiscible droplet in an extensional flow has been widely studied by researchers using experimental four-roll mills where the bulk liquid imposes a stagnation extensional deformation on the droplet. However, it is of vital interest to study the behavior of an immiscible droplet in a non-stagnant extensional flow which can be produced using a converging channel. A hyperbolic converging channel was built, which could produce a constant extensional rate in the center of the channel, and deformation of droplets of Castor oil injected in a matrix of Silicone oil was observed. Droplets injected in the center of the channel experienced a pure extensional deformation while the droplets injected at an offset position attained the affine state. The nature of the droplet deformation and the critical Capillary numbers are compared with the four-roll mill experiments. Additional experiments were performed with the initial position of the droplet being vertically off center. Higher strain rates were exhibited compared to the pure extensional flow condition. An analysis of the flow field helps explaining the phenomenon and provides insight into the droplet behavior.

Study of a large scale neutron measurement channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amarouayache, Anissa; Ben Hadid, Hayet.

1982-12-01

A large scale measurement channel allows the processing of the signal coming from an unique neutronic sensor, during three different running modes: impulses, fluctuations and current. The study described in this note includes three parts: - A theoretical study of the large scale channel and its brief description are given. The results obtained till now in that domain are presented. - The fluctuation mode is thoroughly studied and the improvements to be done are defined. The study of a fluctuation linear channel with an automatic commutation of scales is described and the results of the tests are given. In this large scale channel, the method of data processing is analogical. - To become independent of the problems generated by the use of a an analogical processing of the fluctuation signal, a digital method of data processing is tested. The validity of that method is improved. The results obtained on a test system realized according to this method are given and a preliminary plan for further research is defined [fr

MIMO channel measurements using optical links on small mobile terminals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yanakiev, Boyan; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Pedersen, Gert Frølund

2010-01-01

This paper looks at a novel measurement device for propagation channel measurements using a fiber optic link. Although the idea of using optical links is not new, most of the developments in the area are either too big [5], short range [6] or suitable for anechoic chamber only [7]. The device...... presented here is specifically designed to fit in a very small volume and is optimized for low power consumption (runs on small battery), thus imitating the phone electronics. It can be used for anechoic chamber measurements, however it is designed for long range channel sounding measurements....

Detection-Guided Fast Affine Projection Channel Estimator for Speech Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Wu Jennifer

2007-04-01

Full Text Available In various adaptive estimation applications, such as acoustic echo cancellation within teleconferencing systems, the input signal is a highly correlated speech. This, in general, leads to extremely slow convergence of the NLMS adaptive FIR estimator. As a result, for such applications, the affine projection algorithm (APA or the low-complexity version, the fast affine projection (FAP algorithm, is commonly employed instead of the NLMS algorithm. In such applications, the signal propagation channel may have a relatively low-dimensional impulse response structure, that is, the number m of active or significant taps within the (discrete-time modelled channel impulse response is much less than the overall tap length n of the channel impulse response. For such cases, we investigate the inclusion of an active-parameter detection-guided concept within the fast affine projection FIR channel estimator. Simulation results indicate that the proposed detection-guided fast affine projection channel estimator has improved convergence speed and has lead to better steady-state performance than the standard fast affine projection channel estimator, especially in the important case of highly correlated speech input signals.

Convergence of the Distorted Wave Born series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacMillan, D.S.

1981-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to begin to understand the idea of reaction mechanisms in nonrelativistic scattering systems. If we have a complete reaction theory of a particular scattering system, then we claim that the theory itself must contain information about important reaction mechanisms in the system. This information can be used to decide what reaction mechanisms should be included in an approximate calculation. To investigate this claim, we studied several solvable models. The primary concept employed in studying our models is the convergence of the multistep series generated by iterating the corresponding scattering integral equation. We known that the eigenvalues of the kernel of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation for potential scattering determine the rate of convergence of the Born series. The Born series will converge only if these eigenvalues all life within the unit circle. We extend these results to a study of the distorted wave Born series for inelastic scattering. The convergence criterion tells us when approximations are valid. We learn how the convergence of the distorted wave series depends upon energy, coupling constants, angular momentum, and angular momentum transfer. In one of our models, we look at several possible distorting potentials to see which one gives the best convergence. We have also applied our results to several actual DWBA or coupled channel calculations in the literature. In addition to the study of models of two-body scattering systems, we have considered the case of rearrangement scattering. We have discussed the formulation of (N greater than or equal to 3)-body distorted wave equations in which the interior dynamics have been redistributed by introducing compact N-body distortion potentials

Channel flow structure measurements using particle image velocimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norazizi Mohamed; Noraeini Mokhtar; Aziz Ibrahim; Ramli Abu Hassan

1996-01-01

Two different flow structures in a laboratory channel were examined using a flow visualization technique, known as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The first channel flow structure was that of a steady flow over a horizontal channel bottom. Photographs of particle displacements were taken in the boundary layer in a plane parallel to the flow. These photographs were analyzed to give simultaneous measurements of two components of the velocity at hundreds of points in the plane. Averaging these photographs gave the velocity profile a few millimeters from the bottom of the channel to the water surface. The results gave good agreement with the known boundary layer theory. This technique is extended to the study of the structure under a progressive wave in the channel. A wavelength of the propagating wave is divided into sections by photographing it continously for a number of frames. Each frame is analyzed and a velocity field under this wave at various phase points were produced with their respective directions. The results show that velocity vectors in a plane under the wave could be achieved instantaneously and in good agreement with the small amplitude wave theory

Microstructural information from channeling measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quere, Y.

1984-09-01

Channeling is sensitive to nearly all structural changes in solids. One briefly recalls how particles are dechanneled by lattice defects and describes the main applications of channeling to materials science: detection of radiation damage, location of impurity atoms, precipitations in alloys... Channeling being a phenomenon characteristic of perfect crystals, any type of lattice imperfection (phonons, crystal defects, precipitation etc.) is expected to produce dechanneling. Consequently channeling and its opposite, dechanneling, have both been used to study structure and structural changes of materials

Convergence in Global Food Demand and Delivery

OpenAIRE

Regmi, Anita; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Unnevehr, Laurian J.

2008-01-01

Using food expenditures and food sales data over 1990-2004, this report examines whether food consumption and delivery trends are converging across 47 high- and middle-income countries. Middle-income countries, such as China and Mexico, appear to be following trends in high-income countries, measured across several dimensions of food system growth and change. Convergence is apparent in most important food expenditure categories and in indicators of food system modernization such as supermarke...

Automatable lipid bilayer formation and ion channel measurement using sessile droplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poulos, J L [Librede Inc., Sherman Oaks, CA (United States); Portonovo, S A; Schmidt, J J [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles (United States); Bang, H, E-mail: schmidt@seas.ucla.ed [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University (Korea, Republic of)

2010-11-17

Artificial lipid bilayer membranes have been used to reconstitute ion channels for scientific and technological applications. Membrane formation has traditionally involved slow, labor intensive processes best suited to small scale laboratory experimentation. We have recently demonstrated a high throughput method of membrane formation using automated liquid-handling robotics. We describe here the integration of membrane formation and measurement with two methods compatible with automation and high throughput liquid-handling robotics. Both of these methods create artificial lipid bilayers by joining lipid monolayers self-assembled at the interface of aqueous and organic phases using sessile aqueous droplets in contact with a measurement electrode; one using a pin tool, commonly employed in high throughput fluid handling assays, and the other using a positive displacement pipette. Membranes formed with both methods were high quality and supported measurement of ion channels at the single molecule level. Full automation of bilayer production and measurement with the positive displacement pipette was demonstrated by integrating it with a motion control platform.

Measurement of single top production in the tW channel and search for s channel in pp collisions

CERN Document Server

Merola, Mario

2015-01-01

Measurements of single top quark production in the tW and s channels in pp collisions are presented, based on data collected in 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. In the tW channel a top quark is produced in association with a W boson. The experimental signature is similar to top pair production, and there is interference at higher orders between the two processes. The measurement is perfomed using final states in which the associated W boson as well as the one originating from the top quark decay leptonically. Multivariate methods are used to extract the cross section and the result is compared with current standard model theory predictions. Multivariatetechniques are also adopted in the search for s-channel single top quark production inorder to discriminate the very small signal from the huge contribution of background processes. In both analyses the signal contribution is determined together with the background estimation by performing a maximum-likelihood fit to the Boosted Decision Trees discrimi...

Note: A dual-channel sensor for dew point measurement based on quartz crystal microbalance

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ning; Meng, Xiaofeng; Nie, Jing

2017-05-01

A new sensor with dual-channel was designed for eliminating the temperature effect on the frequency measurement of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in dew point detection. The sensor uses active temperature control, produces condensation on the surface of QCM, and then detects the dew point. Both the single-channel and the dual-channel methods were conducted based on the device. The measurement error of the single-channel method was less than 0.5 °C at the dew point range of -2 °C-10 °C while the dual-channel was 0.3 °C. The results showed that the dual-channel method was able to eliminate the temperature effect and yield better measurement accuracy.

The Large Office Environment - Measurement and Modeling of the Wideband Radio Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jørgen Bach; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Bauch, Gerhard

2006-01-01

In a future 4G or WLAN wideband application we can imagine multiple users in a large office environment con-sisting of a single room with partitions. Up to now, indoor radio channel measurement and modelling has mainly concentrated on scenarios with several office rooms and corridors. We present...... here measurements at 5.8GHz for 100 MHz bandwidth and a novel modelling approach for the wideband radio channel in a large office room envi-ronment. An acoustic like reverberation theory is pro-posed that allows to specify a tapped delay line model just from the room dimensions and an average...... calculated from the measurements. The pro-posed model can likely also be applied to indoor hot spot scenarios....

Broadband Mm-Wave OFDM Communications in Doubly Selective Channel: Performance Evaluation Using Measured Mm-Wave Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Xiaoming; Fan, Wei; Pedersen, Gert F.

2018-01-01

In this work, we evaluate the performance of the broadband millimeter-wave (mm-wave) OFDM system in the presence of phase noise (PN) of phase-locked loop based oscillator and delay spread of measured mm-wave channel. It is shown, using Akaike's information criterion, that the channel tap...... coefficients of the broadband mm-wave channel do not follow Gaussian distribution due to the broad bandwidth. It is also shown that, given a cyclic prefix (CP) length for a certain delay spread, an effective PN mitigation scheme enables a PN corrupted OFDM system to function with small subcarrier spacing and...

A rapid and convergent synthesis of the integrastatin core

KAUST Repository

Tadross, Pamela M.; Bugga, Pradeep; Stoltz, Brian M.

2011-01-01

The tetracyclic core of the integrastatin natural products has been prepared in a convergent and rapid manner. Our strategy relies upon a palladium(ii)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization to form the central [3.3.1]-dioxabicycle of the natural product core. Overall, the core has been completed in only 4 linear steps from known compounds. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Pentacene Active Channel Layers Prepared by Spin-Coating and Vacuum Evaporation Using Soluble Precursors for OFET Applications

OpenAIRE

Ochiai, Shizuyasu; Palanisamy, Kumar; Kannappan, Santhakumar; Shin, Paik-Kyun

2012-01-01

Pentacene OFETs of bottom-gate/bottom-contact were fabricated with three types of pentacene organic semiconductors and cross linked Poly(4-vinylphenol) or polycarbonate as gate dielectric layer. Two different processes were used to prepare the pentacene active channel layers: (1) spin-coating on dielectric layer using two different soluble pentacene precursors of SAP and DMP; (2) vacuum evaporation on PC insulator. X-ray diffraction studies revealed coexistence of thin film and bulk phase of ...

CFO and channel estimation for MISO-OFDM systems

KAUST Repository

Ladaycia, Abdelhamid

2017-11-02

This study deals with the joint channel and carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation in a Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) communications system. This problem arises in OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) based multi-relay transmission protocols such that the geo-routing one proposed by A. Bader et al in 2012. Indeed, the outstanding performance of this multi-hop relaying scheme relies heavily on the channel and CFO estimation quality at the PHY layer. In this work, two approaches are considered: The first is based on estimating the overall channel (including the CFO) as a time-varying one using an adaptive scheme under the assumption of small or moderate CFOs while the second one performs separately, the channel and CFO parameters estimation based on the considered data model. The two solutions are analyzed and compared in terms of performance, cost and convergence rate.

IT Convergence and Security 2012

CERN Document Server

Chung, Kyung-Yong

2013-01-01

The proceedings approaches the subject matter with problems in technical convergence and convergences of security technology. This approach is new because we look at new issues that arise from techniques converging. The general scope of the proceedings content is convergence security and the latest information technology. The intended readership are societies, enterprises, and research institutes, and intended content level is mid- to highly educated personals. The most important features and benefits of the proceedings are the introduction of the most recent information technology and its related ideas, applications and problems related to technology convergence, and its case studies and finally an introduction of converging existing security techniques through convergence security. Overall, through the proceedings, authors will be able to understand the most state of the art information strategies and technologies of convergence security.

Measurements of void fraction by an improved multi-channel conductance void meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Chul-Hwa; Chung, Moon Ki; No, Hee Cheon

1998-01-01

An improved multi-channel Conductance Void Meter (CVM) was developed to measure a void fraction. Its measuring principle is basically based upon the differences of electrical conductance of a two-phase mixture due to the variation of void fraction around a sensor. The sensor is designed to be flush-mounted to the inner wall of the test section to avoid the flow disturbances. The signal processor with three channels is specially designed so as to minimize the inherent error due to the phase difference between channels. It is emphasized that the guard electrodes are electrically shielded in order not to affect the measurements of two-phase mixture conductance, but to make the electric fields evenly distributed in a measuring volume. Void fraction is measured for bubbly and slug flow regimes in a vertical air-water loop, and statistical signal processing techniques are applied to show that CVM has a good dynamic resolution which is required to investigate the structural developments of bubbly flow and the propagation of void waves in a flow channel. (author)

Multi-channel temperature measurement system for automotive battery stack

Science.gov (United States)

Lewczuk, Radoslaw; Wojtkowski, Wojciech

2017-08-01

A multi-channel temperature measurement system for monitoring of automotive battery stack is presented in the paper. The presented system is a complete battery temperature measuring system for hybrid / electric vehicles that incorporates multi-channel temperature measurements with digital temperature sensors communicating through 1-Wire buses, individual 1-Wire bus for each sensor for parallel computing (parallel measurements instead of sequential), FPGA device which collects data from sensors and translates it for CAN bus frames. CAN bus is incorporated for communication with car Battery Management System and uses additional CAN bus controller which communicates with FPGA device through SPI bus. The described system can parallel measure up to 12 temperatures but can be easily extended in the future in case of additional needs. The structure of the system as well as particular devices are described in the paper. Selected results of experimental investigations which show proper operation of the system are presented as well.

Manipulation of heat-diffusion channel in laser thermal lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Jingsong; Wang, Yang; Wu, Yiqun

2014-12-29

Laser thermal lithography is a good alternative method for forming small pattern feature size by taking advantage of the structural-change threshold effect of thermal lithography materials. In this work, the heat-diffusion channels of laser thermal lithography are first analyzed, and then we propose to manipulate the heat-diffusion channels by inserting thermal conduction layers in between channels. Heat-flow direction can be changed from the in-plane to the out-of-plane of the thermal lithography layer, which causes the size of the structural-change threshold region to become much smaller than the focused laser spot itself; thus, nanoscale marks can be obtained. Samples designated as "glass substrate/thermal conduction layer/thermal lithography layer (100 nm)/thermal conduction layer" are designed and prepared. Chalcogenide phase-change materials are used as thermal lithography layer, and Si is used as thermal conduction layer to manipulate heat-diffusion channels. Laser thermal lithography experiments are conducted on a home-made high-speed rotation direct laser writing setup with 488 nm laser wavelength and 0.90 numerical aperture of converging lens. The writing marks with 50-60 nm size are successfully obtained. The mark size is only about 1/13 of the focused laser spot, which is far smaller than that of the light diffraction limit spot of the direct laser writing setup. This work is useful for nanoscale fabrication and lithography by exploiting the far-field focusing light system.

A new adaptive blind channel identification algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Dezhong; Xiang Yong; Yi Zhang

2009-01-01

This paper addresses the blind identification of single-input multiple-output (SIMO) finite-impulse-response (FIR) systems. We first propose a new adaptive algorithm for the blind identification of SIMO FIR systems. Then, its convergence property is analyzed systematically. It is shown that under some mild conditions, the proposed algorithm is guaranteed to converge in the mean to the true channel impulse responses in both noisy and noiseless cases. Simulations are carried out to demonstrate the theoretical results.

Convergent ablation measurements with gas-filled rugby hohlraum on OMEGA

Science.gov (United States)

Casner, A.; Jalinaud, T.; Galmiche, D.

2016-03-01

Convergent ablation experiments with gas-filled rugby hohlraum were performed for the first time on the OMEGA laser facility. A time resolved 1D streaked radiography of capsule implosion is acquired in the direction perpendicular to hohlraum axis, whereas a 2D gated radiography is acquired at the same time along the hohlraum axis on a x-ray framing camera. The implosion trajectory has been measured for various kinds of uniformly doped ablators, including germanium-doped and silicon-doped polymers (CH), at two different doping fraction (2% and 4% at.). Our experiments aimed also at measuring the implosion performance of laminated capsules. A laminated ablator is constituted by thin alternate layers of un-doped and doped CH. It has been previously shown in planar geometry that laminated ablators could mitigate Rayleigh Taylor growth at ablation front. Our results confirm that the implosion of a capsule constituted with a uniform or laminated ablator behaves similarly, in accordance with post-shot simulations performed with the CEA hydrocode FCI2.

The transverse dynamics of flow in a tidal channel within a greater strait

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Maziar; Siadatmousavi, Seyed Mostafa; Vennell, Ross; Chegini, Vahid

2018-02-01

Vessel-mounted ADCP measurements were conducted to describe the transverse structure of flow between the two headland tips in Khuran Channel, south of Iran (26° 45' N), where the highest tidal velocities in spring tides were 1.8 m/s. Current profiles were obtained using a 614.4 kHz TRDI WorkHorse Broadband ADCP over nine repetitions of three cross-channel transects during one semidiurnal tidal cycle. The 2.2-km-long transects ran north/south across the channel. A least-square fit to semidiurnal, quarter-diurnal, and sixth diurnal harmonics was used to separate the tidal signals from the observed flow. Spatial gradients showed that the greatest lateral shears and convergences were found over the northern channel and near the northern headland tip due to very sharp bathymetric changes in this area. Contrary to the historical assumption, the across-channel momentum balance in the Khuran Channel was ageostrophic. The current study represents one of the few examples reported where the lateral friction influences the across-channel momentum balance.

Flow over convergent and divergent wall riblets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koeltzsch, K.; Dinkelacker, A.; Grundmann, R. [Institut fuer Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 36460 Merkers (Germany)

2002-08-01

Fast swimming sharks have small riblets on their skin, which are assumed to improve the swimming performance of the fish. Fluid dynamic experiments in water as well as in air confirm this assumption. With riblet surfaces as compared to smooth surfaces, drag reductions up to about 10% were measured. The overall riblet pattern on sharks shows parallel riblets directed from head to tail, but besides this overall pattern fast swimming sharks have also small areas with converging riblets and others with diverging riblets. In the present study the velocity field over convergent and divergent riblet patterns is investigated by hot-wire measurements in turbulent pipe flow. Significant changes in the near wall velocity field were found. (orig.)

Plurality or convergence in sustainability reporting standards?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Albu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Over the last years an increasing number of companies issued Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR or Sustainability Reports to complement their traditional financial reporting. Companies use various sustainability reporting standards or develop their own reporting frameworks starting from the existing ones. This variation of practices pointed out by empirical research raises questions about the quality and comparability of sustainability reporting, its role in the sustainable development, and also about the suitability of accepting the plurality of reporting frameworks or the need for convergence. This study aims to investigate the issues of plurality and convergence in sustainability reporting standards, by mobilizing the discourses on regulation and the case of a group of companies in the IT industry in order to shed some light on the current challenges in this area. We frame a discussion on the opportunities and pitfalls of convergence in sustainability reporting regulations and contribute to a better understanding of this issue by academics, preparers, users and standard setters

Four-channel high speed synchronized acquisition multiple trigger storage measurement system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Jian; Wang Wenlian; Zhang Zhijie

2010-01-01

A new storage measurement system based on the CPLD, MCU and FLASH (large-capacity flash memory) is proposed. The large capacity storage characteristic of the FLASH MEMORY is used to realize multi channel synchronized acquisition and the function of multiple records and read once. The function of multi channel synchronization, high speed data acquisition, the triggering several times, and the adjustability of working parameters expands the application of storage measurement system. The storage measurement system can be used in a variety of pressure and temperature test in explosion field. (authors)

Multiple and Periodic Measurement of RBC Aggregation and ESR in Parallel Microfluidic Channels under On-Off Blood Flow Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Jun Kang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Red blood cell (RBC aggregation causes to alter hemodynamic behaviors at low flow-rate regions of post-capillary venules. Additionally, it is significantly elevated in inflammatory or pathophysiological conditions. In this study, multiple and periodic measurements of RBC aggregation and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR are suggested by sucking blood from a pipette tip into parallel microfluidic channels, and quantifying image intensity, especially through single experiment. Here, a microfluidic device was prepared from a master mold using the xurography technique rather than micro-electro-mechanical-system fabrication techniques. In order to consider variations of RBC aggregation in microfluidic channels due to continuous ESR in the conical pipette tip, two indices (aggregation index (AI and erythrocyte-sedimentation-rate aggregation index (EAI are evaluated by using temporal variations of microscopic, image-based intensity. The proposed method is employed to evaluate the effect of hematocrit and dextran solution on RBC aggregation under continuous ESR in the conical pipette tip. As a result, EAI displays a significantly linear relationship with modified conventional ESR measurement obtained by quantifying time constants. In addition, EAI varies linearly within a specific concentration of dextran solution. In conclusion, the proposed method is able to measure RBC aggregation under continuous ESR in the conical pipette tip. Furthermore, the method provides multiple data of RBC aggregation and ESR through a single experiment. A future study will involve employing the proposed method to evaluate biophysical properties of blood samples collected from cardiovascular diseases.

Broadband Mm-Wave OFDM Communications in Doubly Selective Channel: Performance Evaluation Using Measured Mm-Wave Channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Xiaoming; Fan, Wei; Pedersen, Gert F.

2018-01-01

coefficients of the broadband mm-wave channel do not follow Gaussian distribution due to the broad bandwidth. It is also shown that, given a cyclic prefix (CP) length for a certain delay spread, an effective PN mitigation scheme enables a PN corrupted OFDM system to function with small subcarrier spacing and......In this work, we evaluate the performance of the broadband millimeter-wave (mm-wave) OFDM system in the presence of phase noise (PN) of phase-locked loop based oscillator and delay spread of measured mm-wave channel. It is shown, using Akaike's information criterion, that the channel tap......, therefore, small CP overhead, with only slight degradation of the error rate performance....

Galvanically Decoupled Current Source Modules for Multi-Channel Bioimpedance Measurement Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roman Kusche

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Bioimpedance measurements have become a useful technique in the past several years in biomedical engineering. Especially, multi-channel measurements facilitate new imaging and patient monitoring techniques. While most instrumentation research has focused on signal acquisition and signal processing, this work proposes the design of an excitation current source module that can be easily implemented in existing or upcoming bioimpedance measurement systems. It is galvanically isolated to enable simultaneous multi-channel bioimpedance measurements with a very low channel-coupling. The system is based on a microcontroller in combination with a voltage-controlled current source circuit. It generates selectable sinusoidal excitation signals between 0.12 and 1.5 mA in a frequency range from 12 to 250 kHz, whereas the voltage compliance range is ±3.2 V. The coupling factor between two current sources, experimentally galvanically connected with each other, is measured to be less than −48 dB over the entire intended frequency range. Finally, suggestions for developments in the future are made.

On an extension of the method of two-scale convergence and its applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhikov, V V

2000-01-01

The concept of two-scale convergence associated with a fixed periodic Borel measure μ is introduced. In the case when dμ=dx is Lebesgue measure on the torus convergence in the sense of Nguetseng-Allaire is obtained. The main properties of two-scale convergence are revealed by the simultaneous consideration of a sequence of functions and a sequence of their gradients. An application of two-scale convergence to the homogenization of some problems in the theory of porous media (the double-porosity model) is presented. A mathematical notion of 'softly or weakly coupled parallel flows' is worked out. A homogenized operator is constructed and the convergence result itself is interpreted as a 'strong two-scale resolvent convergence'. Problems concerning the behaviour of the spectrum under homogenization are touched upon in this connection

Convergence theorems for Banach space valued integrable multifunctions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolaos S. Papageorgiou

1987-01-01

Full Text Available In this work we generalize a result of Kato on the pointwise behavior of a weakly convergent sequence in the Lebesgue-Bochner spaces LXP(Ω (1≤p≤∞. Then we use that result to prove Fatou's type lemmata and dominated convergence theorems for the Aumann integral of Banach space valued measurable multifunctions. Analogous convergence results are also proved for the sets of integrable selectors of those multifunctions. In the process of proving those convergence theorems we make some useful observations concerning the Kuratowski-Mosco convergence of sets.

Sigma and beta convergence in regional mortality: A case study of the Netherlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanny Janssen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: For allocation of health budgets it is important to know whether regional mortality differences tend to decline or to increase. Sigma convergence tests can measure whether the dispersion of the regional distribution of mortality has declined. Beta convergence tests can examine whether regions with a low level of life expectancy have experienced a stronger increase than regions with a high level. In demographic research, however, sigma and beta convergence have not been formally assessed simultaneously. Objective: We demonstrate the application of both sigma and beta convergence tests to the study of trends in regional mortality differences for the Netherlands. Methods: Using all-cause mortality and population data for 40 Dutch NUTS-3 regions, by year (1988‒2009, age group, and sex, we assess both sigma and beta convergence, and ist significance. Results: Beta convergence proved statistically significant. The regions with the lowest life expectancy in 1988 generally exhibited the highest increase from 1988 to 2009, and vice versa. However, dispersion measures displayed no statistically significant sigma convergence. Conclusions: Whereas the absence of sigma convergence shows that regional mortality differences have not declined, beta convergence indicates that the disadvantage of regions with low life expectancy is not persistent. Contribution: We demonstrated the added value of simultaneously studying sigma convergence, beta convergence, and trajectories of regions in the tails of the distribution. Where absence of sigma convergence does not imply that disadvantaged regions did not improve, beta convergence does not always indicate complete convergence due to structural differences across regions.

Single-photon two-qubit entangled states: Preparation and measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yoon-Ho

2003-01-01

We implement experimentally a deterministic method to prepare and measure the so-called single-photon two-qubit entangled states or single-photon Bell states, in which the polarization and the spatial modes of a single photon each represent a quantum bit. All four single-photon Bell states can be easily prepared and measured deterministically using linear optical elements alone. We also discuss how this method can be used for the recently proposed single-photon two-qubit quantum cryptography scheme

Convergence of Dynamics and the Perron-Frobenius Operator

OpenAIRE

Gerlach, Moritz

2016-01-01

We complete the picture how the asymptotic behavior of a dynamical system is reflected by properties of the associated Perron-Frobenius operator. Our main result states that strong convergence of the powers of the Perron-Frobenius operator is equivalent to setwise convergence of the underlying dynamic in the measure algebra. This situation is furthermore characterized by a uniform mixing-like property of the system.

Local Convergence and Radius of Convergence for Modified Newton Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Măruşter Ştefan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available We investigate the local convergence of modified Newton method, i.e., the classical Newton method in which the derivative is periodically re-evaluated. Based on the convergence properties of Picard iteration for demicontractive mappings, we give an algorithm to estimate the local radius of convergence for considered method. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm gives estimated radii which are very close to or even equal with the best ones.

Surface meshing with curvature convergence

KAUST Repository

Li, Huibin; Zeng, Wei; Morvan, Jean-Marie; Chen, Liming; Gu, Xianfengdavid

2014-01-01

Surface meshing plays a fundamental role in graphics and visualization. Many geometric processing tasks involve solving geometric PDEs on meshes. The numerical stability, convergence rates and approximation errors are largely determined by the mesh qualities. In practice, Delaunay refinement algorithms offer satisfactory solutions to high quality mesh generations. The theoretical proofs for volume based and surface based Delaunay refinement algorithms have been established, but those for conformal parameterization based ones remain wide open. This work focuses on the curvature measure convergence for the conformal parameterization based Delaunay refinement algorithms. Given a metric surface, the proposed approach triangulates its conformal uniformization domain by the planar Delaunay refinement algorithms, and produces a high quality mesh. We give explicit estimates for the Hausdorff distance, the normal deviation, and the differences in curvature measures between the surface and the mesh. In contrast to the conventional results based on volumetric Delaunay refinement, our stronger estimates are independent of the mesh structure and directly guarantee the convergence of curvature measures. Meanwhile, our result on Gaussian curvature measure is intrinsic to the Riemannian metric and independent of the embedding. In practice, our meshing algorithm is much easier to implement and much more efficient. The experimental results verified our theoretical results and demonstrated the efficiency of the meshing algorithm. © 2014 IEEE.

Surface meshing with curvature convergence

KAUST Repository

Li, Huibin

2014-06-01

Surface meshing plays a fundamental role in graphics and visualization. Many geometric processing tasks involve solving geometric PDEs on meshes. The numerical stability, convergence rates and approximation errors are largely determined by the mesh qualities. In practice, Delaunay refinement algorithms offer satisfactory solutions to high quality mesh generations. The theoretical proofs for volume based and surface based Delaunay refinement algorithms have been established, but those for conformal parameterization based ones remain wide open. This work focuses on the curvature measure convergence for the conformal parameterization based Delaunay refinement algorithms. Given a metric surface, the proposed approach triangulates its conformal uniformization domain by the planar Delaunay refinement algorithms, and produces a high quality mesh. We give explicit estimates for the Hausdorff distance, the normal deviation, and the differences in curvature measures between the surface and the mesh. In contrast to the conventional results based on volumetric Delaunay refinement, our stronger estimates are independent of the mesh structure and directly guarantee the convergence of curvature measures. Meanwhile, our result on Gaussian curvature measure is intrinsic to the Riemannian metric and independent of the embedding. In practice, our meshing algorithm is much easier to implement and much more efficient. The experimental results verified our theoretical results and demonstrated the efficiency of the meshing algorithm. © 2014 IEEE.

Convergent and invariant object representations for sight, sound, and touch.

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Kingson; Damasio, Antonio; Meyer, Kaspar; Kaplan, Jonas T

2015-09-01

We continuously perceive objects in the world through multiple sensory channels. In this study, we investigated the convergence of information from different sensory streams within the cerebral cortex. We presented volunteers with three common objects via three different modalities-sight, sound, and touch-and used multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to map the cortical regions containing information about the identity of the objects. We could reliably predict which of the three stimuli a subject had seen, heard, or touched from the pattern of neural activity in the corresponding early sensory cortices. Intramodal classification was also successful in large portions of the cerebral cortex beyond the primary areas, with multiple regions showing convergence of information from two or all three modalities. Using crossmodal classification, we also searched for brain regions that would represent objects in a similar fashion across different modalities of presentation. We trained a classifier to distinguish objects presented in one modality and then tested it on the same objects presented in a different modality. We detected audiovisual invariance in the right temporo-occipital junction, audiotactile invariance in the left postcentral gyrus and parietal operculum, and visuotactile invariance in the right postcentral and supramarginal gyri. Our maps of multisensory convergence and crossmodal generalization reveal the underlying organization of the association cortices, and may be related to the neural basis for mental concepts. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Long-Range Channel Measurements on Small Terminal Antennas Using Optics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yanakiev, Boyan; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Christensen, Morten

2012-01-01

In this paper, details are given on a novel measurement device for radio propagation-channel measurements. To avoid measurement errors due to the conductive cables on small terminal antennas, as well as to improve the handling of the prototypes under investigation, an optical measurement device has...

Summable series and convergence factors

CERN Document Server

Moore, Charles N

1938-01-01

Fairly early in the development of the theory of summability of divergent series, the concept of convergence factors was recognized as of fundamental importance in the subject. One of the pioneers in this field was C. N. Moore, the author of the book under review.... Moore classifies convergence factors into two types. In type I he places the factors which have only the property that they preserve convergence for a convergent series or produce convergence for a summable series. In type II he places the factors which not only maintain or produce convergence but have the additional property that

Fault tolerance with noisy and slow measurements and preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Paz-Silva, Gerardo A; Brennen, Gavin K; Twamley, Jason

2010-09-03

It is not so well known that measurement-free quantum error correction protocols can be designed to achieve fault-tolerant quantum computing. Despite their potential advantages in terms of the relaxation of accuracy, speed, and addressing requirements, they have usually been overlooked since they are expected to yield a very bad threshold. We show that this is not the case. We design fault-tolerant circuits for the 9-qubit Bacon-Shor code and find an error threshold for unitary gates and preparation of p((p,g)thresh)=3.76×10(-5) (30% of the best known result for the same code using measurement) while admitting up to 1/3 error rates for measurements and allocating no constraints on measurement speed. We further show that demanding gate error rates sufficiently below the threshold pushes the preparation threshold up to p((p)thresh)=1/3.

The convergent close-coupling method for a Coulomb three-body problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bray, I.; Stelbovics, A.T.

1994-09-01

The close-coupling method relies on the reformulation of the Schroedinger equation into an infinite set of coupled-channel equations by expanding over the complete set of target states. The difficulty in applying this approach is that the continuum channels are known to be very important in the intermediate-energy region and coupling to them must be included with little approximation. The application of the Convergent Close-Coupling (CCC) method is discussed which allows the continuum to be treated in a systematic manner via the use of square-integrable states. The CCC method utilizes an expansion of the target in a complete set of orthogonal L 2 functions which form a basis for the underlying Hilbert space. The utility of the method relies on being able to demonstrate convergence in the scattering amplitudes of interest as the basis size is increased. Numerical examples for the well known Temkin-Poet problem are used to illustrate the method. It is estimated the methods may be readily applied to full electron-atom scattering problem. 17 refs., 4 figs

The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch Newsmedia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tameling, Klaske; Broersma, Marcel

2012-01-01

KLASKE TAMELING & MARCEL BROERSMA The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch Newsmedia Since the end of the twentieth century, convergence and cross-media journalism are concepts that are widely used to guide the future of journalism world wide. This study

Convergent ablation measurements with gas-filled rugby hohlraum on OMEGA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casner, A.; Jalinaud, T.; Galmiche, D.

2016-01-01

Convergent ablation experiments with gas-filled rugby hohlraum were performed for the first time on the OMEGA laser facility. A time resolved 1D streaked radiography of capsule implosion is acquired in the direction perpendicular to hohlraum axis, whereas a 2D gated radiography is acquired at the same time along the hohlraum axis on a x-ray framing camera. The implosion trajectory has been measured for various kinds of uniformly doped ablators, including germanium-doped and silicon-doped polymers (CH), at two different doping fraction (2% and 4% at.). Our experiments aimed also at measuring the implosion performance of laminated capsules. A laminated ablator is constituted by thin alternate layers of un-doped and doped CH. It has been previously shown in planar geometry that laminated ablators could mitigate Rayleigh Taylor growth at ablation front. Our results confirm that the implosion of a capsule constituted with a uniform or laminated ablator behaves similarly, in accordance with post-shot simulations performed with the CEA hydrocode FCI2. (paper)

Moisture convergence using satellite-derived wind fields - A severe local storm case study

Science.gov (United States)

Negri, A. J.; Vonder Haar, T. H.

1980-01-01

Five-minute interval 1-km resolution SMS visible channel data were used to derive low-level wind fields by tracking small cumulus clouds on NASA's Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System. The satellite-derived wind fields were combined with surface mixing ratios to derive horizontal moisture convergence in the prestorm environment of April 24, 1975. Storms began developing in an area extending from southwest Oklahoma to eastern Tennessee 2 h subsequent to the time of the derived fields. The maximum moisture convergence was computed to be 0.0022 g/kg per sec and areas of low-level convergence of moisture were in general indicative of regions of severe storm genesis. The resultant moisture convergence fields derived from two wind sets 20 min apart were spatially consistent and reflected the mesoscale forcing of ensuing storm development. Results are discussed with regard to possible limitations in quantifying the relationship between low-level flow and between low-level flow and satellite-derived cumulus motion in an antecedent storm environment.

Modelling larval transport in a axial convergence front

Science.gov (United States)

Robins, P.

2010-12-01

Marine larvae exhibit different vertical swimming behaviours, synchronised by factors such as tidal currents and daylight, in order to aid retention near the parent populations and hence promote production, avoid predation, or to stimulate digestion. This paper explores two types of larval migration in an estuarine axial convergent front which is an important circulatory mechanism in many coastal regions where larvae are concentrated. A parallelised, three-dimensional, ocean model was applied to an idealised estuarine channel which was parameterised from observations of an axial convergent front which occurs in the Conwy Estuary, U.K. (Nunes and Simpson, 1985). The model successfully simulates the bilateral cross-sectional recirculation of an axial convergent front, which has been attributed to lateral density gradients established by the interaction of the lateral shear of the longitudinal currents with the axial salinity gradients. On the flood tide, there is surface axial convergence whereas on the ebb tide, there is (weaker) surface divergence. Further simulations with increased/decreased tidal velocities and with stronger/weaker axial salinity gradients are planned so that the effects of a changing climate on the secondary flow can be understood. Three-dimensional Lagrangian Particle Tracking Models (PTMs) have been developed which use the simulated velocity fields to track larvae in the estuarine channel. The PTMs take into account the vertical migrations of two shellfish species that are commonly found in the Conwy Estuary: (i) tidal migration of the common shore crab (Carcinus maenas) and (ii), diel (daily) migration of the Great scallop (Pecten maximus). These migration behaviours are perhaps the most widespread amongst shellfish larvae and have been compared with passive (drifting) particles in order to assess their relative importance in terms of larval transport. Preliminary results suggest that the net along-estuary dispersal over a typical larval

Multinational Enterprises and New Trade Theory: Evidence for the Convergence Hypothesis

OpenAIRE

Barrios, Salvador; Görg, Holger; Strobl, Eric

2001-01-01

According to the ‘convergence hypothesis’ multinational companies will tend to displace national firms and trade as total market size increases and as countries converge in relative size, factor endowments, and production costs. Using a recent model developed by Markusen and Venables (1998) as a theoretical framework, we explicitly develop empirical measures to proxy bilateral FDI between two countries and address their properties with regard to the convergence hypothesis. Using a panel of da...

Validation of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale: factor, convergent, and divergent validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Levinson, Cheri A; Rodebaugh, Thomas L

2011-09-01

The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) was created to assess fear of overall appearance evaluation. Initial psychometric work indicated that the measure had a single-factor structure and exhibited excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity. In the current study, the authors further examined the factor, convergent, and divergent validity of the SAAS in two samples of undergraduates. In Study 1 (N = 323), the authors tested the factor structure, convergent, and divergent validity of the SAAS with measures of the Big Five personality traits, negative affect, fear of negative evaluation, and social interaction anxiety. In Study 2 (N = 118), participants completed a body evaluation that included measurements of height, weight, and body fat content. The SAAS exhibited excellent convergent and divergent validity with self-report measures (i.e., self-esteem, trait anxiety, ethnic identity, and sympathy), predicted state anxiety experienced during the body evaluation, and predicted body fat content. In both studies, results confirmed a single-factor structure as the best fit to the data. These results lend additional support for the use of the SAAS as a valid measure of social appearance anxiety.

Slip flow through a converging microchannel: experiments and 3D simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varade, Vijay; Agrawal, Amit; Pradeep, A M

2015-01-01

An experimental and 3D numerical study of gaseous slip flow through a converging microchannel is presented in this paper. The measurements reported are with nitrogen gas flowing through the microchannel with convergence angles (4°, 8° and 12°), hydraulic diameters (118, 147 and 177 µm) and lengths (10, 20 and 30 mm). The measurements cover the entire slip flow regime and a part of the continuum and transition regimes (the Knudsen number is between 0.0004 and 0.14); the flow is laminar (the Reynolds number is between 0.5 and 1015). The static pressure drop is measured for various mass flow rates. The overall pressure drop increases with a decrease in the convergence angle and has a relatively large contribution of the viscous component. The numerical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations with Maxwell’s slip boundary condition explore two different flow behaviors: uniform centerline velocity with linear pressure variation in the initial and the middle part of the microchannel and flow acceleration with nonlinear pressure variation in the last part of the microchannel. The centerline velocity and the wall shear stress increase with a decrease in the convergence angle. The concept of a characteristic length scale for a converging microchannel is also explored. The location of the characteristic length is a function of the Knudsen number and approaches the microchannel outlet with rarefaction. These results on gaseous slip flow through converging microchannels are observed to be considerably different than continuum flow. (paper)

Optimizer convergence and local minima errors and their clinical importance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeraj, Robert; Wu, Chuan; Mackie, Thomas R

2003-01-01

Two of the errors common in the inverse treatment planning optimization have been investigated. The first error is the optimizer convergence error, which appears because of non-perfect convergence to the global or local solution, usually caused by a non-zero stopping criterion. The second error is the local minima error, which occurs when the objective function is not convex and/or the feasible solution space is not convex. The magnitude of the errors, their relative importance in comparison to other errors as well as their clinical significance in terms of tumour control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were investigated. Two inherently different optimizers, a stochastic simulated annealing and deterministic gradient method were compared on a clinical example. It was found that for typical optimization the optimizer convergence errors are rather small, especially compared to other convergence errors, e.g., convergence errors due to inaccuracy of the current dose calculation algorithms. This indicates that stopping criteria could often be relaxed leading into optimization speed-ups. The local minima errors were also found to be relatively small and typically in the range of the dose calculation convergence errors. Even for the cases where significantly higher objective function scores were obtained the local minima errors were not significantly higher. Clinical evaluation of the optimizer convergence error showed good correlation between the convergence of the clinical TCP or NTCP measures and convergence of the physical dose distribution. On the other hand, the local minima errors resulted in significantly different TCP or NTCP values (up to a factor of 2) indicating clinical importance of the local minima produced by physical optimization

Development of concentration measurement system in a mini-channel using a local NMR sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, Kuniyasu; Haishi, Tomoyuki

2008-01-01

A local NMR sensor to measure methanol concentration of fluid flowing in a mini-channel was developed. The principle of the methanol sensor is based on the chemical shift of CH and OH species under high magnetic field. The sensor consists of a planar surface coil of 0.60 mm inside diameter. Using the sensors, local methanol concentration of water-methanol mixture in the mini-channel of 3.0 mm width and 1.5 mm depth was measured. The effects of flow velocity in the channel and the gravity direction on the methanol concentration distribution in the channel were investigated experimentally. (author)

AULA virtual reality test as an attention measure: convergent validity with Conners' Continuous Performance Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Orueta, Unai; Garcia-López, Cristina; Crespo-Eguílaz, Nerea; Sánchez-Carpintero, Rocío; Climent, Gema; Narbona, Juan

2014-01-01

The majority of neuropsychological tests used to evaluate attention processes in children lack ecological validity. The AULA Nesplora (AULA) is a continuous performance test, developed in a virtual setting, very similar to a school classroom. The aim of the present study is to analyze the convergent validity between the AULA and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of Conners. The AULA and CPT were administered correlatively to 57 children, aged 6-16 years (26.3% female) with average cognitive ability (IQ mean = 100.56, SD = 10.38) who had a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Spearman correlations analyses were conducted among the different variables. Significant correlations were observed between both tests in all the analyzed variables (omissions, commissions, reaction time, and variability of reaction time), including for those measures of the AULA based on different sensorial modalities, presentation of distractors, and task paradigms. Hence, convergent validity between both tests was confirmed. Moreover, the AULA showed differences by gender and correlation to Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory indexes of the WISC-IV, supporting the relevance of IQ measures in the understanding of cognitive performance in ADHD. In addition, the AULA (but not Conners' CPT) was able to differentiate between ADHD children with and without pharmacological treatment for a wide range of measures related to inattention, impulsivity, processing speed, motor activity, and quality of attention focus. Additional measures and advantages of the AULA versus Conners' CPT are discussed.

Procedure for field axes measurement, beam indication adjustment, and figure of convergence determination within performance tests for radiation therapy equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quast, U; Krause, K; Rassow, J [Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany, F.R.). Abt. fuer Klinische Strahlenphysik

1976-09-01

A routine measuring procedure for the verification of radiation field axes and figure of convergence within a spatial resolution of +- 0.5 mm is described. Measurements are done in two parallel planes in a certain distance before and behind the presumed isocentre. The used test arrangement permits rapid check and controlled adjustment of the alignment of beam or isocentre indicating devices for all isocentric radiation therapy equipment.

Analysis of systematic error deviation of water temperature measurement at the fuel channel outlet of the reactor Maria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bykowski, W.

2000-01-01

The reactor Maria has two primary cooling circuits; fuel channels cooling circuit and reactor pool cooling circuit. Fuel elements are placed inside the fuel channels which are parallely linked in parallel, between the collectors. In the course of reactor operation the following measurements are performed: continuous measurement of water temperature at the fuel channels inlet, continuous measurement of water temperature at the outlet of each fuel channel and continuous measurement of water flow rate through each fuel channel. Based on those thermal-hydraulic parameters the instantaneous thermal power generated in each fuel channel is determined and by use of that value the thermal balance and the degree of fuel burnup is assessed. The work contains an analysis concerning estimate of the systematic error of temperature measurement at outlet of each fuel channel and so the erroneous assessment of thermal power extracted in each fuel channel and the burnup degree for the individual fuel element. The results of measurements of separate factors of deviations for the fuel channels are enclosed. (author)

Multiuser MIMO Channel Measurements and Performance in a Large Office Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bauch, Gerhard; Andersen, Jørgen Bach; Guthy, Christian

2007-01-01

We consider a multiuser MIMO-OFDMA scheme which exploits multiuser diversity in all dimensions: time, frequency and space. The main contribution of this paper is the evaluation and explanation of multiuser MIMO in a real world scenario, i.e. a large office room, based on measured channels. We rep...

Research on measurement of neutron flux in irradiation channels of research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Zhitao; Lv Zheng; Wang Yulin; Zheng Wuqin

2014-01-01

Relative distribution of thermal neutron flux in the irradiation channel is measured by classical activation foil method. After that, on a representative point in the irradiation channel, neutron temperature and absolute neutron flux are also measured. Cadmium ratio correction method is used to check the experiment result in the end. Comparative analysis shows that the results from two different methods are agreed pretty well, which adds the credibility of experiment results. (authors)

Measurement of Single-top t-channel Production Using ATLAS Data

CERN Document Server

Holzbauer, Jenny; Schwienhorst, R; Repko, W; Lapidus, L; Pratt, S

2012-01-01

This document reports the measurement of the single-top t-channel cross-section using data from the ATLAS detector, located at the Large Hadron Collider on the border of France and Switzerland. The data used were collected during the first half of 2011, from proton-proton collisions with a 7 TeV center-of-mass collision energy. Single-top is electroweak top-quark production and t-channel is one of the standard model production modes. To isolate this production, selections are applied to find events with a similar final state. A cut-based analysis is used to further isolate the signal using a series of selections in several orthogonal kinematic regions. Finally, a statistical analysis is performed to determine the measured cross-section and the CKM matrix element |Vtb|. The cross-section for top and anti-top production is considered separately and the resulting cross-sections are σ t+ = 59 +18 -16 pb for the positive charge channel and σ t- = 33 +13 -12 pb for the negative charge chan...

Co-channel and Adjacent Channel Interference Measurement of UMTS and GSM/EDGE Systems in 900 MHz Radio Band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Hanus

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with inter-system and intra-system interference measurements of 2.5G and 3G mobile communication systems. The both systems UMTS and GSM/EDGE are assumed to operate in a common radio band of 900 MHz. The main system parameters are briefly introduced as well as the measurement scenario. Several simulations and key measurements were performed. Important results are described and commented along with a graphical representation, namely bit error ratio (BER dependence on carrier to noise ratio (CNR in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN, the measurement of adjacent channel interference ratio of each system, the coexistence of both systems in same band and the impact of a carrier offset on BER.

Metrological Array of Cyber-Physical Systems. Part 11. Remote Error Correction of Measuring Channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuriy YATSUK

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The multi-channel measuring instruments with both the classical structure and the isolated one is identified their errors major factors basing on general it metrological properties analysis. Limiting possibilities of the remote automatic method for additive and multiplicative errors correction of measuring instruments with help of code-control measures are studied. For on-site calibration of multi- channel measuring instruments, the portable voltage calibrators structures are suggested and their metrological properties while automatic errors adjusting are analysed. It was experimentally envisaged that unadjusted error value does not exceed ± 1 mV that satisfies most industrial applications. This has confirmed the main approval concerning the possibilities of remote errors self-adjustment as well multi- channel measuring instruments as calibration tools for proper verification.

Algorithms for diagnostics of the measuring channels and technological equipment at NPP with WWER-1000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vysotskij, V.G.

1997-01-01

An algorithm for diagnostics of the state of measuring channels of an information computer system with usage of analysis of statistical channel characteristics is presented. An algorithm for testing the generalized state of the NPP technological equipment is proposed

Preparation and preliminary biological evaluation of radiogallium-labeled DTPA-amlodipine complex for possible L-type calcium channel imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firuzyar, Tahereh; Shafiee-Ardestani, Mehdi; Khalaj, Ali [Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Faculty of Pharmacy; Jalilian, Amir R.; Fazaeli, Yousef; Aboudzadeh, Mohammad Reza [Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Radiopharmacy Research Group

2014-07-01

A DTPA-conjugated amlodipine analog (DTPA-AMLO) 3, was prepared for possible voltage gated calcium channel imaging after radiolabeling with Ga-67. [{sup 67}Ga]-DTPA-AMLO complex was prepared starting [{sup 67}Ga]gallium chloride and DTPA-AMLO in 60-90 min at 50-60 C in phosphate buffer. The partition co-efficient and stability of the tracer was determined in final solution (25 C) and presence of human serum (37 C) up to 24 h. The biodistribution of the labeled compound in wild-type rats were determined up to 72 h using organ counting and SPECT. The radiolabled complex was prepared in high radiochemical purity (>96%, RTLC and >98% HPLC) and significant specific activity (7-10 GBq/mmol). The log P for the complex was calculated as -0.594, consistent with a water soluble complex. The tracer is mostly washed out through kidneys which were in full compliance with the amlodipine metabolism and imaging studies demonstrated the same behavior. The tracer uptake in organs with smooth muscles was observed in stomach, colon as well as intestine.

Highlights in radiation measuring technique's - Serial Micro Channel SMC 2100

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kandler, M.; Hoffmann, Ch.

2002-01-01

The Serial Micro Channel SMC 2100 offers an ''intelligent stand alone'' electronics for the radiation measuring technique's. First it is designed of being connected to a serial interface RS232 of a PC. With a RS485 serial interface on a PC, a network structure can be generated. It has all functional modules which are necessary for the measurement of detector signals. Hence it is possible to directly connect any detector for radiation measurement to a PC, laptop, or notebook. All variations can be operated without PC support too. It has a modular structure and consists of two blocks, the functional modules and the basic modules. The Serial Micro Channel SMC 2100 may be directly coupled to a detector, which therefore makes the realisation of an ''intelligent radiation detector'' with serial link RS232 or RS485. (orig.)

Extraction of Multithread Channel Networks With a Reduced-Complexity Flow Model

Science.gov (United States)

Limaye, Ajay B.

2017-10-01

Quantitative measures of channel network geometry inform diverse applications in hydrology, sediment transport, ecology, hazard assessment, and stratigraphic prediction. These uses require a clear, objectively defined channel network. Automated techniques for extracting channels from topography are well developed for convergent channel networks and identify flow paths based on land-surface gradients. These techniques—even when they allow multiple flow paths—do not consistently capture channel networks with frequent bifurcations (e.g., in rivers, deltas, and alluvial fans). This paper uses multithread rivers as a template to develop a new approach for channel extraction suitable for channel networks with divergences. Multithread channels are commonly mapped using observed inundation extent, and I generalize this approach using a depth-resolving, reduced-complexity flow model to map inundation patterns for fixed topography across an arbitrary range of discharge. A case study for the Platte River, Nebraska, reveals that (1) the number of bars exposed above the water surface, bar area, and the number of wetted channel threads (i.e., braiding index) peak at intermediate discharge; (2) the anisotropic scaling of bar dimensions occurs for a range of discharge; and (3) the maximum braiding index occurs at a corresponding reference discharge that provides an objective basis for comparing the planform geometry of multithread rivers. Mapping by flow depth overestimates braiding index by a factor of 2. The new approach extends channel network extraction from topography to the full spectrum of channel patterns, with the potential for comparing diverse channel patterns at scales from laboratory experiments to natural landscapes.

Economic Growth, Convergence and Innovation in the EU Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiiu Paas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on quantitative assessment of the innovation’s role in explaining regional disparities and convergence in Europe. The empirical part of the study bases on the regional GDP pc and innovation indicators on the EU-27 NUTS2 level regions. Based on the selected set of initial regional innovation indicators and using the principal components factor analysis method, three composite indicators of regional innovation capacity are extracted. Estimating convergence equations, we noticed that regional innovations tend to increase inter-regional differences, at least during the short-run period. Thus, if regional income convergence is a policy target, additional policy measures beside innovation activities should be effectively implemented.

Measurement-based Channel Characterization for 5G Wireless Communications on Campus Scenario

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mi, Yang; He, Ruisi; Ai, Bo

2017-01-01

The fifth generation (5G) communication has been a hotspot of research in recent years, and both research institutions and industrial enterprises put a lot of interests for 5G communication at some new frequency bands. In this paper, we investigate the radio channels of 5G communications below 6...... GHz according to the requirements and scenarios of 5G communication. Channel measurements were conducted on campus of Beijing Jiaotong University, China at two key optional frequency bands below 6 GHz. By using the measured data, we analyzed key channel parameters at 460MHz and 3.5GHz, such as power...... delay profile, path loss exponent, shadow fading, and delay spread. The results are helpful for the 5G communication system design....

Convergence accommodation to convergence (CA/C) ratio in patients with intermittent exotropia and decompensated exophoria.

Science.gov (United States)

Nonaka, Fumitaka; Hasebe, Satoshi; Ohtsuki, Hiroshi

2004-01-01

To evaluate the convergence accommodation to convergence (CA/C) ratio in strabismic patients and to clarify its clinical implications. Seventy-eight consecutive patients (mean age: 12.9 +/- 6.0 years) with intermittent exotropia and decompensated exophoria who showed binocular fusion at least at near viewing were recruited. The CA/C ratio was estimated by measuring accommodative responses induced by horizontal prisms with different magnitudes under accommodation feedback open-loop conditions. The CA/C ratios were compared with accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratios and other clinical parameters. A linear regression analysis indicated that the mean (+/-SD) CA/C ratio was 0.080 +/- 0.043 D/prism diopter or 0.48 +/- 0.26 D/meter angle. There was no inverse or reciprocal relationship between CA/C and AC/A ratios. The patients with lower CA/C ratios tended to have smaller tonic accommodation under binocular viewing conditions and larger exodeviation at near viewing. The CA/C ratio, like the AC/A ratio, is an independent parameter that characterizes clinical features. A lower CA/C may be beneficial for the vergence control system to compensate for ocular misalignment with minimum degradation of accommodation accuracy.

Fluid and solute transport in a network of channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno, L.; Neretnieks, I.

1991-09-01

A three-dimensional channel network model is presented. The fluid flow and solute transport are assumed to take place through a network of connected channels. The channels are generated assuming that the conductances are lognormally distributed. The flow is calculated resolving the pressure distribution and the sole transport is calculated by using a particle tracking technique. The model includes diffusion into the rock matrix and sorption within the matrix in addition to advection along the channel network. Different approaches are used to describe the channel volume and its relation to the conductivity. To quantify the diffusion into the rock matrix the size of the flow wetted surface (contact surface between the channel and the rock) is needed in addition to the diffusion properties and the sorption capacity of the rock. Two different geometries were simulated: regional parallel flow and convergent flow toward a tunnel. In the generation of the channel network, it is found that its connectivity is reduced when the standard deviation in conductances is increased. For large standard deviations, the water conducting channels are found to be few. Standard deviations for the distribution of the effluent channel flowrates were calculated. Comparisons were made with experimental data from drifts and tunnels as well as boreholes as a means to validate the model. (au) (31 refs.)

Psychological Capital: Convergent and discriminant validity of a reconfigured measure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton Grobler

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Although attention has been given to the importance of positivity in the workplace, it has only recently been proposed as a new way in which to focus on organisational behaviour. The psychological resources which meet the criteria for positive organisational behaviour best are hope, self-efficacy, optimism and resilience.   Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ, with specific reference to its psychometric properties.   Setting: The sample included a total of 1749 respondents, 60 each from 30 organisations in South Africa.   Methods: A multi-factorial model was statistically explored and confirmed (with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively.   Results: The results support the original conceptualisation and empirically-confirmed factorial composition of Psychological Capital (PsyCap by four elements, namely Hope, Optimism, Resilience and Self-efficacy. However, the study yielded a three-factor solution, with Hope and Optimism as a combined factor and Resilience and Self-efficacy made up of a reconfigured set of substantively justifiable items (three of the original 24 items were found not to be suitable. The three reconfigured factors showed good psychometric properties, good fit (in support of construct validity and acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity. Recommendations were made for further studies.   Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it seems that the PCQ is a suitable (valid and reliable instrument for measuring PsyCap. This study could thus serve as a reference for the accurate measurement of PsyCap.

Free-Tropospheric Moisture Convergence and Tropical Convective Regimes

Science.gov (United States)

Masunaga, H.

2014-12-01

It is known that quiescent periods with only shallow cumuli prevalent are frequently observed even in the deep Tropics, which is considered from the climatological perspectives as an area harboring vigorous deep convection. It is argued in this work that the free-tropospheric (FT) moisture convergence is a crucial factor for separating the stable maintenance of isolated shallow cumuli in the quiescent periods from the self-sustaining growth of organized convective systems in the dynamic periods over tropical oceans. The analysis is based on a variety of satellite measurements including Aqua AIRS T and q soundings and QuikSCAT surface wind, composited with reference to the time before or after the occurrence of precipitating clouds detected by TRMM PR. The FT moisture convergence and updraft moisture flux at cloud base are then derived from this dataset under large-scale moisture budget constraint (see Figure). Free-tropospheric precipitation efficiency (FTPE), or the ratio of precipitation to updraft moisture flux at cloud base, is introduced as a measure of convective intensity (rather than the population) over the large-scale domain. The following hypothesis is discussed in light of the analysis results. Isolated shallow cumuli would stay shallow when large-scale FT moisture is diverging (although moisture is weakly converging when integrated over the whole troposphere) since an increase in cumulus population would be counteracted by an additional moisture divergence in the FT. When large-scale FT convergence is positive, in contrast, developing clouds would induce a more moisture input and allow an unstable growth to a highly organized convective system. Zero FT moisture convergence may serve as the neutrality separating the negative feedback acting in the quiescent regime from the positive feedback instrumental for the dynamic regime.

Possibility of convergence measurement of gates in coal mining using terrestrial 3D laser scanner

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kukutsch, Radovan; Kajzar, Vlastimil; Koníček, Petr; Ptáček, Jiří; Waclawik, Petr

2015-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 1 (2015), s. 1-8 ISSN 2300-3960 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED2.1.00/03.0082; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1406 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : 3D laser scanning * point clouds * mining * geotechnical monitoring * convergence measurement Subject RIV: DH - Mining, incl. Coal Mining http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2300396015000063

Convergent ablation measurements of plastic ablators in gas-filled rugby hohlraums on OMEGA

Science.gov (United States)

Casner, A.; Jalinaud, T.; Masse, L.; Galmiche, D.

2015-10-01

Indirect-drive implosions experiments were conducted on the Omega Laser Facility to test the performance of uniformly doped plastic ablators for Inertial Confinement Fusion. The first convergent ablation measurements in gas-filled rugby hohlraums are reported. Ignition relevant limb velocities in the range from 150 to 300 μm .n s-1 have been reached by varying the laser drive energy and the initial capsule aspect ratio. The measured capsule trajectory and implosion velocity are in good agreement with 2D integrated simulations and a zero-dimensional modeling of the implosions. We demonstrate experimentally the scaling law for the maximum implosion velocity predicted by the improved rocket model [Y. Saillard, Nucl. Fusion 46, 1017 (2006)] in the high-ablation regime case.

Semiconductor analysis with a channeled helium microbeam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingarfield, S.A.; McKenzie, C.D.; Short, K.T.; Williams, J.S.

1981-01-01

This paper describes the use of a channeled helium microbeam for analysis of damage and dopant distributions in semiconductors. Practical difficulties and potential problems associated with the channeling of microbeams in semiconductors have been examined. In particular, the following factors have been characterised: i) the effect of both convergence of focused beam and beam scanning on the quality of channeling; ii) damage produced by the probe ions; and iii) local beam heating effects arising from high current densities. Acceptable channeling has been obtained (minimum yield approaching 4%) under a variety of focusing and scanning conditions which are suitable for analysis of device structures. The capabilities of the technique are demonstrated by monitoring variations in local damage and impurity depth distributions across a narrow (<2mm) region of an ion implanted silicon wafer

LDPC Code Design for Nonuniform Power-Line Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanaei Ali

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate low-density parity-check code design for discrete multitone channels over power lines. Discrete multitone channels are well modeled as nonuniform channels, that is, different bits experience various channel parameters. We propose a coding system for discrete multitone channels that allows for using a single code over a nonuniform channel. The number of code parameters for the proposed system is much greater than the number of code parameters in conventional channel. Therefore, search-based optimization methods are impractical. We first formulate the problem of optimizing the rate of an irregular low-density parity-check code, with guaranteed convergence over a general nonuniform channel, as an iterative linear programming which is significantly more efficient than search-based methods. Then we use this technique for a typical power-line channel. The methodology of this paper is directly applicable to all decoding algorithms for which a density evolution analysis is possible.

Granite ascent and emplacement during contractional deformation in convergent orogens

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Michael; Solar, Gary S.

1998-09-01

Based on a case study in the Central Maine Belt of west-central Maine, U.S.A., it is proposed that crustal-scale shear zone systems provide an effective focussing mechanism for transfer of granite melt through the crust in convergent orogens. During contractional deformation, flow of melt in crustal materials at depths below the brittle-plastic transition is coupled with plastic deformation of these materials. The flow is driven by pressure gradients generated by buoyancy forces and tectonic stresses. Within the oblique-reverse Central Maine Belt shear zone system, stromatic migmatite and concordant to weakly discordant irregular granite sheets occur in zones of higher strain, which suggests percolative flow of melt to form the migmatite leucosomes and viscous flow of melt channelized in sheet-like bodies, possibly along fractures. Cyclic fluctuations of melt pressure may cause instantaneous changes in the effective permeability of the flow network if self-propagating melt-filled tensile and/or dilatant shear fractures are produced due to melt-enhanced embrittlement. Inhomogeneous migmatite and schlieric granite occur in zones of lower strain, which suggests migration of partially-molten material through these zones en masse by granular flow, and channelized flow of melt carrying entrained residue. Founded on the Central Maine Belt case study, we develop a model of melt extraction and ascent using the driving forces, stress conditions and crustal rheologies in convergent, especially transpressive orogens. Ascent of melt becomes inhibited with decreasing depth as the solidus is approached. For intermediate a(H 2O) muscovite-dehydration melting, the water-saturated solidus occurs between 400 and 200 MPa, near the brittle-plastic transition during high- T-low- P metamorphism, where the balance of forces favors (sub-) horizontal fracture propagation. Emplacement of melt may be accommodated by ductile flow and/or stoping of wall rock, and inflation may be accommodated

Effects of slope smoothing in river channel modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyungmin; Liu, Frank; Hodges, Ben R.

2017-04-01

In extending dynamic river modeling with the 1D Saint-Venant equations from a single reach to a large watershed there are critical questions as to how much bathymetric knowledge is necessary and how it should be represented parsimoniously. The ideal model will include the detail necessary to provide realism, but not include extraneous detail that should not exert a control on a 1D (cross-section averaged) solution. In a Saint-Venant model, the overall complexity of the river channel morphometry is typically abstracted into metrics for the channel slope, cross-sectional area, hydraulic radius, and roughness. In stream segments where cross-section surveys are closely spaced, it is not uncommon to have sharp changes in slope or even negative values (where a positive slope is the downstream direction). However, solving river flow with the Saint-Venant equations requires a degree of smoothness in the equation parameters or the equation set with the directly measured channel slopes may not be Lipschitz continuous. The results of non-smoothness are typically extended computational time to converge solutions (or complete failure to converge) and/or numerical instabilities under transient conditions. We have investigated using cubic splines to smooth the bottom slope and ensure always positive reference slopes within a 1D model. This method has been implemented in the Simulation Program for River Networks (SPRNT) and is compared to the standard HEC-RAS river solver. It is shown that the reformulation of the reference slope is both in keeping with the underlying derivation of the Saint-Venant equations and provides practical numerical stability without altering the realism of the simulation. This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant number CCF-1331610.

Convergence of logistics planning and execution in outsourcing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela A. D’amato

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Logistics service providers (LSPs are becoming increasingly involved in their clients’ businesses. Beyond just providing vehicles and buildings, LSPs are now becoming involved with knowledge-related work that is connected to the traditional services provided. Objectives: To investigate the likelihood and potential value of LSPs extending their range of services to their clients by means of a convergence of planning and execution activities. Method: In the research through a literature review and empirical study presented here, attention is given to the practical impact that convergence planning and execution functions have on business success, as well as how selected clients of an LSP (referred to in this article as logistics company A or LCA perceive the impact of increased integration of LCA within its businesses. The results should assist LCA and other LSPs considering the same objective to ascertain the opportunities and key requirements associated with a strategy to converge planning and execution activities for their clients. Results: The study found that the vast majority of respondents see value in the convergence of planning and execution activities. Conclusion: Such convergence will be challenging, owing to the importance of the planning function for clients, as well as key collaborative and measurement requirements that will have to be put in place for successful business integration.

Process and device for controlling the operatability of a measuring channel in safety arrangements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edelmann, M.

1983-01-01

In addition to the neutron - and temperature - measuring channels, the detectors and thermocouples for active functional testing are also included in the safety circuits. The measuring parameter (neutron flux or coolant outlet temperature) is modulated by the output control system or output and/or coolant flow. This modulation is determined using an auxillary parameter (movement of control rods or neutron flux). To represent the actual value of the measuring parameter to be compared with the previously determined reference value, there is a division of the relative change of the neutron flux or the coolant outlet temperature by the change of control rod position or reactor output caused by it. The effect of the auxiliary parameter on the measured parameter is measured by the cross correlation of both of them and of the auxiliary parameter directly or by auto correlation. The coarse and fine monitoring of the measuring channels takes place with different time constants. (orig./PW)

Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-01-01

.p {padding-bottom:6px} Call for Papers: Convergence Guest Editors: Thomas E. Darcie, University of Victoria Robert Doverspike, AT&T Martin Zirngibl, Lucent Technologies Coordinating Associate Editor: Steven K. Korotky, Lucent Technologies The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and

Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Darcie, Thomas E.; Doverspike, Robert; Zirngibl, Martin; Korotky, Steven K.

2005-09-01

Call for Papers: Convergence The Journal of Optical Networking (JON) invites submissions to a special issue on Convergence. Convergence has become a popular theme in telecommunications, one that has broad implications across all segments of the industry. Continual evolution of technology and applications continues to erase lines between traditionally separate lines of business, with dramatic consequences for vendors, service providers, and consumers. Spectacular advances in all layers of optical networking-leading to abundant, dynamic, cost-effective, and reliable wide-area and local-area connections-have been essential drivers of this evolution. As services and networks continue to evolve towards some notion of convergence, the continued role of optical networks must be explored. One vision of convergence renders all information in a common packet (especially IP) format. This vision is driven by the proliferation of data services. For example, time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice becomes VoIP. Analog cable-television signals become MPEG bits streamed to digital set-top boxes. T1 or OC-N private lines migrate to Ethernet virtual private networks (VPNs). All these packets coexist peacefully within a single packet-routing methodology built on an optical transport layer that combines the flexibility and cost of data networks with telecom-grade reliability. While this vision is appealing in its simplicity and shared widely, specifics of implementation raise many challenges and differences of opinion. For example, many seek to expand the role of Ethernet in these transport networks, while massive efforts are underway to make traditional TDM networks more data friendly within an evolved but backward-compatible SDH/SONET (synchronous digital hierarchy and synchronous optical network) multiplexing hierarchy. From this common underlying theme follow many specific instantiations. Examples include the convergence at the physical, logical, and operational levels of voice and

Preparation of Janus Particles and Alternating Current Electrokinetic Measurements with a Rapidly Fabricated Indium Tin Oxide Electrode Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Liang; Jiang, Hong-Ren

2017-06-23

This article provides a simple method to prepare partially or fully coated metallic particles and to perform the rapid fabrication of electrode arrays, which can facilitate electrical experiments in microfluidic devices. Janus particles are asymmetric particles that contain two different surface properties on their two sides. To prepare Janus particles, a monolayer of silica particles is prepared by a drying process. Gold (Au) is deposited on one side of each particle using a sputtering device. The fully coated metallic particles are completed after the second coating process. To analyze the electrical surface properties of Janus particles, alternating current (AC) electrokinetic measurements, such as dielectrophoresis (DEP) and electrorotation (EROT)- which require specifically designed electrode arrays in the experimental device- are performed. However, traditional methods to fabricate electrode arrays, such as the photolithographic technique, require a series of complicated procedures. Here, we introduce a flexible method to fabricate a designed electrode array. An indium tin oxide (ITO) glass is patterned by a fiber laser marking machine (1,064 nm, 20 W, 90 to 120 ns pulse-width, and 20 to 80 kHz pulse repetition frequency) to create a four-phase electrode array. To generate the four-phase electric field, the electrodes are connected to a 2-channel function generator and to two invertors. The phase shift between the adjacent electrodes is set at either 90° (for EROT) or 180° (for DEP). Representative results of AC electrokinetic measurements with a four-phase ITO electrode array are presented.

Quadratic measurement and conditional state preparation in an optomechanical system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A. Brawley, George; Vanner, Michael A.; Bowen, Warwick P.

2014-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, quadratic measurement of mechanical motion in an optomechanical system. We use this nonlinear easurement to conditionally prepare classical non-Gaussian states of motion of a micro-mechanical oscillator.......We experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, quadratic measurement of mechanical motion in an optomechanical system. We use this nonlinear easurement to conditionally prepare classical non-Gaussian states of motion of a micro-mechanical oscillator....

Channel Characteristics and Transmission Performance for Various Channel Configurations at 60 GHz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Haibing

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Extensive measurements are conducted in room environments at 60 GHz to analyze the channel characteristics for various channel configurations. Channel parameters retrieved from measurements are presented and analyzed based on generic channel models. Particularly, a simple single-cluster model is applied for the parameter retrieval and performance evaluation. By this model, power delay profiles are simply described by a -factor, a root-mean-squared delay spread, and a shape parameter. The considered channels are configured with the combination of omnidirectional, fan-beam, and pencil-beam antennas at transmitter and receiver sides. Both line-of-sight (LOS and non-LOS (NLOS channels are considered. Further, to evaluate the transmission performance, we analyze the link budget in the considered environments, then design and simulate an OFDM system with a data rate of 2 Gbps to compare the bit-error-rate (BER performance by using the measured and modeled channels. Both coded and uncoded OFDM systems are simulated. It is observed that the BER performance agrees well for the measured and modeled channels. In addition, directive configurations can provide sufficient link margins and BER performance for high data rate communications. To increase the coverage and performance in the NLOS area, it is preferable to apply directive antennas.

Channel Characteristics and Transmission Performance for Various Channel Configurations at 60 GHz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haibing Yang

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Extensive measurements are conducted in room environments at 60 GHz to analyze the channel characteristics for various channel configurations. Channel parameters retrieved from measurements are presented and analyzed based on generic channel models. Particularly, a simple single-cluster model is applied for the parameter retrieval and performance evaluation. By this model, power delay profiles are simply described by a K-factor, a root-mean-squared delay spread, and a shape parameter. The considered channels are configured with the combination of omnidirectional, fan-beam, and pencil-beam antennas at transmitter and receiver sides. Both line-of-sight (LOS and non-LOS (NLOS channels are considered. Further, to evaluate the transmission performance, we analyze the link budget in the considered environments, then design and simulate an OFDM system with a data rate of 2 Gbps to compare the bit-error-rate (BER performance by using the measured and modeled channels. Both coded and uncoded OFDM systems are simulated. It is observed that the BER performance agrees well for the measured and modeled channels. In addition, directive configurations can provide sufficient link margins and BER performance for high data rate communications. To increase the coverage and performance in the NLOS area, it is preferable to apply directive antennas.

Did capital market convergence lower the effectiveness of the interest rate as a monetary policy tool?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, Pieter W.

2006-01-01

International capital market convergence reduces the ability for monetary authorities to set domestic monetary conditions. Traditionally, monetary policy transmission is channelled through the short-term interest rate. Savings and investment decisions are effected through the response of the bond

Monte Carlo source convergence and the Whitesides problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomquist, R. N.

2000-01-01

The issue of fission source convergence in Monte Carlo eigenvalue calculations is of interest because of the potential consequences of erroneous criticality safety calculations. In this work, the authors compare two different techniques to improve the source convergence behavior of standard Monte Carlo calculations applied to challenging source convergence problems. The first method, super-history powering, attempts to avoid discarding important fission sites between generations by delaying stochastic sampling of the fission site bank until after several generations of multiplication. The second method, stratified sampling of the fission site bank, explicitly keeps the important sites even if conventional sampling would have eliminated them. The test problems are variants of Whitesides' Criticality of the World problem in which the fission site phase space was intentionally undersampled in order to induce marginally intolerable variability in local fission site populations. Three variants of the problem were studied, each with a different degree of coupling between fissionable pieces. Both the superhistory powering method and the stratified sampling method were shown to improve convergence behavior, although stratified sampling is more robust for the extreme case of no coupling. Neither algorithm completely eliminates the loss of the most important fissionable piece, and if coupling is absent, the lost piece cannot be recovered unless its sites from earlier generations have been retained. Finally, criteria for measuring source convergence reliability are proposed and applied to the test problems

Cross-coupling between accommodation and convergence is optimized for a broad range of directions and distances of gaze.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Dorothy; Vedamurthy, Indu; Schor, Clifton

2008-03-01

Accommodation and convergence systems are cross-coupled so that stimulation of one system produces responses by both systems. Ideally, the cross-coupled responses of accommodation and convergence match their respective stimuli. When expressed in diopters and meter angles, respectively, stimuli for accommodation and convergence are equal in the mid-sagittal plane when viewed with symmetrical convergence, where historically, the gains of the cross coupling (AC/A and CA/C ratios) have been quantified. However, targets at non-zero azimuth angles, when viewed with asymmetric convergence, present unequal stimuli for accommodation and convergence. Are the cross-links between the two systems calibrated to compensate for stimulus mismatches that increase with gaze-azimuth? We measured the response AC/A and stimulus CA/C ratios at zero azimuth, 17.5 and 30 deg of rightward gaze eccentricities with a Badal Optometer and Wheatstone-mirror haploscope. AC/A ratios were measured under open-loop convergence conditions along the iso-accommodation circle (locus of points that stimulate approximately equal amounts of accommodation to the two eyes at all azimuth angles). CA/C ratios were measured under open-loop accommodation conditions along the iso-vergence circle (locus of points that stimulate constant convergence at all azimuth angles). Our results show that the gain of accommodative-convergence (AC/A ratio) decreased and the bias of convergence-accommodation increased at the 30 deg gaze eccentricity. These changes are in directions that compensate for stimulus mismatches caused by spatial-viewing geometry during asymmetric convergence.

ARTE: French-German Experiments in Crossing the Borders. 'One Media – Three Screens' Convergence and Interactivity at its Full Potential?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Wiehl

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This contribution aims at discussing policies of convergence as well as at questioning whether the current strategies really exploit the options of digital media to its full potential – especially with regard to transmedia-storytelling, interactivity, participation and networking. By the paradigm of the 'European Culture Channel' ARTE, we draw a sketch of the portfolio of existing and emerging new formats and user practices. In the second part, we examine one specific genre from this context: the web-or trans-media-documentary. Taking Prison Valley as a case study, we consider transformations on both the macro and the micro level. Eventually, we question whether ARTE fulfils its promise to be the first "100% bi-medial channel" (ARTE mission statement, or whether it promotes an 'extended side-by-sideness' of devices and practices – some first steps towards the synergetic potential of media convergence.

Numerical convergence improvements for porflow unsaturated flow simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flach, Greg [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-08-14

Section 3.6 of SRNL (2016) discusses various PORFLOW code improvements to increase modeling efficiency, in preparation for the next E-Area Performance Assessment (WSRC 2008) revision. This memorandum documents interaction with Analytic & Computational Research, Inc. (http://www.acricfd.com/default.htm) to improve numerical convergence efficiency using PORFLOW version 6.42 for unsaturated flow simulations.

(n,p) emission channeling measurements on ion-implanted beryllium

CERN Multimedia

Jakubek, J; Uher, J

2007-01-01

We propose to perform emission-channeling measurements using thermal neutron induced proton emission from ion-implanted $^{7}$Be. The physics questions addressed concern the beryllium doping of III-V and II-VI semiconductors and the host dependence of the electron capture half-life of $^{7}$Be.

Measuring Method for Lightning Channel Temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Zhang, J.; Chen, L.; Xue, Q.; Zhu, R.

2016-09-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the temperature of lightning channel utilizing the theory of lightning spectra and the model of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The impulse current generator platform (ICGS) was used to simulate the lightning discharge channel, and the spectral energy of infrared spectroscopy (930 nm) and the visible spectroscopy (648.2 nm) of the simulated lightning has been calculated. Results indicate that the peaks of luminous intensity of both infrared and visible spectra increase with the lightning current intensity in range of 5-50 kA. Based on the results, the temperature of the lightning channel is derived to be 6140.8-10424 K. Moreover, the temperature of the channel is approximately exponential to the lightning current intensity, which shows good agreement with that of the natural lightning cases.

Density by Moduli and Lacunary Statistical Convergence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod K. Bhardwaj

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We have introduced and studied a new concept of f-lacunary statistical convergence, where f is an unbounded modulus. It is shown that, under certain conditions on a modulus f, the concepts of lacunary strong convergence with respect to a modulus f and f-lacunary statistical convergence are equivalent on bounded sequences. We further characterize those θ for which Sθf=Sf, where Sθf and Sf denote the sets of all f-lacunary statistically convergent sequences and f-statistically convergent sequences, respectively. A general description of inclusion between two arbitrary lacunary methods of f-statistical convergence is given. Finally, we give an Sθf-analog of the Cauchy criterion for convergence and a Tauberian theorem for Sθf-convergence is also proved.

The emergence and policy implications of converging new technologies integrated from the nanoscale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roco, M. C.

2005-01-01

Science based on the unified concepts on matter at the nanoscale provides a new foundation for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. Convergent new technologies refers to the synergistic combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences (NBIC), each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate, experiencing qualitative advancements, and interacting with the more established fields such as mathematics and environmental technologies (Roco and Bainbridge, 2002). It is expected that converging technologies will bring about tremendous improvements in transforming tools, new products and services, enable human personal abilities and social achievements, and reshape societal relationships.After a brief overview of the general implications of converging new technologies, this paper focuses on its effects on R and D policies and business models as part of changing societal relationships. These R and D policies will have implications on investments in research and industry, with the main goal of taking advantage of the transformative development of NBIC. Introduction of converging technologies must be done with respect of immediate concerns (privacy, toxicity of new materials, etc.) and longer-term concerns including human integrity, dignity and welfare. The efficient introduction and development of converging new technologies will require new organizations and business models, as well as solutions for preparing the economy, such as multifunctional research facilities, integrative technology platforms, and global risk governance

The emergence and policy implications of converging new technologies integrated from the nanoscale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roco, M. C. [National Science Foundation (United States)], E-mail: mroco@nsf.gov

2005-06-15

Science based on the unified concepts on matter at the nanoscale provides a new foundation for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. Convergent new technologies refers to the synergistic combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences (NBIC), each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate, experiencing qualitative advancements, and interacting with the more established fields such as mathematics and environmental technologies (Roco and Bainbridge, 2002). It is expected that converging technologies will bring about tremendous improvements in transforming tools, new products and services, enable human personal abilities and social achievements, and reshape societal relationships.After a brief overview of the general implications of converging new technologies, this paper focuses on its effects on R and D policies and business models as part of changing societal relationships. These R and D policies will have implications on investments in research and industry, with the main goal of taking advantage of the transformative development of NBIC. Introduction of converging technologies must be done with respect of immediate concerns (privacy, toxicity of new materials, etc.) and longer-term concerns including human integrity, dignity and welfare. The efficient introduction and development of converging new technologies will require new organizations and business models, as well as solutions for preparing the economy, such as multifunctional research facilities, integrative technology platforms, and global risk governance.

The emergence and policy implications of converging new technologies integrated from the nanoscale

Science.gov (United States)

Roco, M. C.

2005-06-01

Science based on the unified concepts on matter at the nanoscale provides a new foundation for knowledge creation, innovation, and technology integration. Convergent new technologies refers to the synergistic combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive sciences (NBIC), each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate, experiencing qualitative advancements, and interacting with the more established fields such as mathematics and environmental technologies (Roco & Bainbridge, 2002). It is expected that converging technologies will bring about tremendous improvements in transforming tools, new products and services, enable human personal abilities and social achievements, and reshape societal relationships. After a brief overview of the general implications of converging new technologies, this paper focuses on its effects on R&D policies and business models as part of changing societal relationships. These R&D policies will have implications on investments in research and industry, with the main goal of taking advantage of the transformative development of NBIC. Introduction of converging technologies must be done with respect of immediate concerns (privacy, toxicity of new materials, etc.) and longer-term concerns including human integrity, dignity and welfare. The efficient introduction and development of converging new technologies will require new organizations and business models, as well as solutions for preparing the economy, such as multifunctional research facilities, integrative technology platforms, and global risk governance.

Traceability and measurement uncertainty in sample preparation (W5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wegscheider, W.; Walner, U.; Moser, J.

2002-01-01

Full text: Very few chemical measurements are being made directly on the object of interest and sample preparation is thus the rule rather than the exception in daily practice. Unfortunately the operations undertaken in the course of sample preparation are prone to rendering a sample useless for the purpose of interpreting a measurement performed on it, as it might not represent the original and relevant status any longer. Sample preparation along with sampling itself constitutes therefore a procedure that leads to a loss of representation of the original specimen or population. On the other hand it is also not sufficient to confine aspects of traceability and measurement uncertainty to the ultimate measurement, as the key purpose of measuring is to supply adequate data for some kind of decision, be it in production, in health, in the environment, or indeed in any other circumstance. These considerations have led to severe confusion in the community as to what traceability really means in chemistry. CITAC and EURACHEM have only recently issued a preliminary document that clarifies these issues and gives a firm handle on the future development of quality assurance in analytical chemistry. In this talk it will be attempted to outline the general ideas and procedures that lead to traceability of analytical chemical results accompanied by valid statements of their uncertainty. It will be argued that the central element in achieving these goals is a well-designed validation study that frequently goes beyond those requirements currently laid out in official documents. (author)

Genetic variation in Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN channels and its relationship with neuroticism, cognition and risk of depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Mark Mcintosh

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN channels are encoded by four genes (HCN1-4 and, through activation by cyclic AMP (cAMP, represent a point of convergence for several psychosis risk genes. On the basis of positive preliminary data, we sought to test whether genetic variation in HCN1-4 conferred risk of depression or cognitive impairment in the Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study. HCN1, HCN2, HCN3 and HCN4 were genotyped for 43 haplotype-tagging SNPs and tested for association with DSM-IV depression, neuroticism and a battery of cognitive tests assessing cognitive ability, memory, verbal fluency and psychomotor performance. No association was found between any HCN channel gene SNP and risk of depression, neuroticism or on any cognitive measure. The current study does not support a genetic role for HCN channels in conferring risk of depression or cognitive impairment in human subjects within the Scottish population.

Text experiments of disk chopper with supermirror converging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aizawa, K.; Soyama, K.; Matsubayashi, M.; Suzuki, J.; Watanabe, N.

2001-01-01

We measured transportation property of neutron pulsed by disk chopper with three kinds of setting of supermirror guide at JRR-3M, JAERI. We confirmed a gain of supermirror converging system to narrow straight supermirror system. The gain is approximately same as the ratio of entrance width of converging guide to width of narrow straight guide. On the other hand, we did not get a gain of supermirror converging system to wide straight supermirror system which has a same width to entrance width of converging guide and we will plan more precisely experiment. (author)

Fast converging minimum probability of error neural network receivers for DS-CDMA communications.

Science.gov (United States)

Matyjas, John D; Psaromiligkos, Ioannis N; Batalama, Stella N; Medley, Michael J

2004-03-01

We consider a multilayer perceptron neural network (NN) receiver architecture for the recovery of the information bits of a direct-sequence code-division-multiple-access (DS-CDMA) user. We develop a fast converging adaptive training algorithm that minimizes the bit-error rate (BER) at the output of the receiver. The adaptive algorithm has three key features: i) it incorporates the BER, i.e., the ultimate performance evaluation measure, directly into the learning process, ii) it utilizes constraints that are derived from the properties of the optimum single-user decision boundary for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) multiple-access channels, and iii) it embeds importance sampling (IS) principles directly into the receiver optimization process. Simulation studies illustrate the BER performance of the proposed scheme.

The Assessment of Accommodation and Convergence System in the Bank Employees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monireh Mahjoob

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Regarding the high outbreak rate of the eye disorders and problems particularly accommodation disorders and convergence insufficiency in computer users, the study tries to determine the convergence, accommodation system, condition, fusion reserves and vision dimension in bank employees (who work with computers and the control group (who are not computer users and then to compare the mentioned parameters in the two groups. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional and observational study a total of 44 bank employees and 44 people as the control group members were selected randomly. Initially, refractive problems were reformed, and then accommodation, convergence and vision dimension evaluative tests were conducted. The test included measuring the near point of convergence, jump convergence, phoria, accommodation range (one eye, both eyes, ease of accommodation (one eye, both eyes, positive and negative related accommodation, near fusion versions and TNO.Results: Our results showed that there was a not significant difference among the near point of convergence, jump convergence, near phoria, accommodation range (one eye and both eyes, ease of accommodation (one eye, both eyes, positive and negative related accommodation in bank employees and control group.Conclusion: Regarding the studies, the outbreak rate of accommodation and convergence disorders is higher in bank employees than the control group which would be due to over working with computer within a fixed interval.

Security bound of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with noisy coherent states and channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Yong; Yang Jian; Guo Hong

2009-01-01

Security of a continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol based on noisy coherent states and channel is analysed. Assuming that the noise of coherent states is induced by Fred, a neutral party relative to others, we prove that the prepare-and-measurement scheme (P and M) and entanglement-based scheme (E-B) are equivalent. Then, we show that this protocol is secure against Gaussian collective attacks even if the channel is lossy and noisy, and, further, a lower bound to the secure key rate is derived.

Security bound of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with noisy coherent states and channel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen Yong; Yang Jian; Guo Hong, E-mail: hongguo@pku.edu.c [CREAM Group, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks (Peking University) and Institute of Quantum Electronics, School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2009-12-14

Security of a continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol based on noisy coherent states and channel is analysed. Assuming that the noise of coherent states is induced by Fred, a neutral party relative to others, we prove that the prepare-and-measurement scheme (P and M) and entanglement-based scheme (E-B) are equivalent. Then, we show that this protocol is secure against Gaussian collective attacks even if the channel is lossy and noisy, and, further, a lower bound to the secure key rate is derived.

Weak entropy inequalities and entropic convergence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

A criterion for algebraic convergence of the entropy is presented and an algebraic convergence result for the entropy of an exclusion process is improved. A weak entropy inequality is considered and its relationship to entropic convergence is discussed.

IT-BT convergence technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-12-01

This book explains IT-BT convergence technology as the future technology, which includes a prolog, easy IT-BT convergence technology that has infinite potentials for new value, policy of IT-BT convergence technology showing the potential of smart Korea, IT-BT convergence opening happy future, for the new future of IT powerful nation Korea with IT-BT convergence technology and an epilogue. This book reveals the conception, policy, performance and future of IT-BT convergence technology.

CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE IN EUROPEAN UNION: EVIDENCE FOR BETA CONVERGENCE AMONG NEW EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana Sorina Mihuț

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Convergence may be considered a central issue of the current economic literature, and not only, concentrating upon income distribution within different economies, but also focusing on different aspects of polarity and inequality that characterize especially the emerging economies. Testing convergence within economies may serve as a useful instrument for the validation of the economic growth models. While convergence was considered a defining element of the neoclassical growth models, the majority of the new endogenous growth models argue in favour of divergence across different economies. Testing convergence among European Union is even more challenging due to the high degree of heterogeneity that characterizes these economies. The recent accessions with ten new countries in 2004 and with another two in 2007 were considered only the first step towards assuring a sustainable convergence and finally adopting a common currency-the euro. A series of empirical studies concentrated upon testing convergence among EU, using as benchmark the real convergence quantified by the level of GDP/capita as an indicator for the living standards of every economy. The most popular approach rely on Beta and Sigma convergence, the first one being and indicator of the GDP/capita dispersion between different economies, and the later one being an estimator of the reverse relationship between GDP/capita and its initial level. The main purpose of this paper is to test Beta converge among the new EU member states, in order to obtained more information about the fact whether the poor countries are trying to catch-up with the more developed one. Also Beta convergence indicator embodies useful information about conditional and un-conditional convergence, two leading hypothesis within the neoclassical and endogenous growth models. For Beta convergence hypothesis to be valid it should be taken into consideration a ”catch-up” mechanism over a longer period of time

Measuring Balance Across Multiple Radar Receiver Channels.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doerry, Armin W.; Bickel, Douglas L.

2018-03-01

When radar receivers employ multiple channels, the general intent is for the receive channels to be as alike as possible, if not as ideal as possible. This is usually done via prudent hardware design, supplemented by system calibration. Towards this end, we require a quality metric for ascertaining the goodness of a radar channel, and the degree of match to sibling channels. We propose a relevant and useable metric to do just that. Acknowledgements This report was the result of an unfunded research and development activity.

Enhancing heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks using converging flow passages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dehghan, Maziar; Daneshipour, Mahdi; Valipour, Mohammad Sadegh; Rafee, Roohollah; Saedodin, Seyfolah

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The fluid flow and conjugate heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks are studied. • The Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers are presented for width-tapered MCHS. • Converging walls are found to enhance the thermal performance of MCHS. • The optimum performance of MCHS for fixed inlet and outlet pressures is discussed. • For the optimum configuration, the pumping power is reduced up to 75%. - Abstract: Constrained fluid flow and conjugate heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks (MCHS) with converging channels are investigated using the finite volume method (FVM) in the laminar regime. The maximum pressure of the MCHS loop is assumed to be limited due to constructional or operational conditions. Results show that the Poiseuille number increases with increased tapering, while the required pumping power decreases. Meanwhile, the Nusselt number increases with tapering as well as the convection heat transfer coefficient. The MCHS having the optimum heat transfer performance is found to have a width-tapered ratio equal to 0.5. For this tapering configuration and at the maximum pressure constraint of 3000 Pa, the pumping power reduces by a factor of 4 while the overall heat removal rate is kept fixed in comparison with a straight channel

The effect of migration on income growth and convergence: Meta-analytic evidence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ozgen, C.; Nijkamp, P.; Poot, H.J.

2010-01-01

We compare a set of econometric studies that measure the effect of net internal migration in neoclassical models of long-run real income convergence and derive 67 comparable effect sizes. The precision-weighted estimate of beta convergence is about 2.7 per cent. An increase of one percentage point

Global Positioning System Technology (GPS for Psychological Research: A Test of Convergent and Nomological Validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro eWolf

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to examine the convergent and nomological validity of a GPS-based measure of daily activity, operationalized as Number of Places Visited (NPV. Relations among the GPS-based measure and two self-report measures of NPV, as well as relations among NPV and two factors made up of self-reported individual differences were examined. The first factor was composed of variables related to an Active Lifestyle (AL (e.g. positive affect, extraversion… and the second factor was composed of variables related to a Sedentary Lifestyle (SL (e.g. depression, neuroticism…. NPV was measured over a four-day period. This timeframe was made up of two week and two weekend days. A bi-variate analysis established one level of convergent validity and a Split-Plot GLM examined convergent validity, nomological validity, and alternative hypotheses related to constraints on activity throughout the week simultaneously. The first analysis revealed significant correlations among NPV measures- weekday, weekend, and the entire four day blocks, supporting the convergent validity of the Diary-, Google Maps-, and GPS-NPV measures. Results from the second analysis, indicating non-significant mean differences in NPV regardless of method, also support this conclusion. We also found that AL is a statistically significant predictor of NPV no matter how NPV was measured. We did not find a statically significant relation among NPV and SL. These results permit us to infer that the GPS-based NPV measure has convergent and nomological validity.

Interplay between Appearance and Disappearance Channels for Precision Measurements of θ₂₃ and δ

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coloma, Pilar; Minakata, Hisakazu; Parke, Stephen J.

2014-11-01

We discuss how the CP violating phase δ and the mixing angle θ₂₃ can be measured precisely in an environment where there are strong correlations between them. This is achieved by paying special attention to the mutual roles and the interplay between the appearance and the disappearance channels in long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We analyze and clarify the general structure of the θ₂₃ - θ₁₃ - δ degeneracy for both the appearance and disappearance channels in a more complete fashion than what has previously been discussed in the literature. A full understanding of this degeneracy is of vital importance if θ₂₃ is close to maximal mixing. The relative importance between the appearance and disappearance channels depends upon the particular setup and how close to maximal mixing Nature has chosen the value for θ₂₃. For facilities that operate with a narrow band beam or a wide band beam centered on the first oscillation extremum, the contribution of the disappearance channel depends critically on the systematic uncertainties assumed for this channel. Whereas for facilities that operate at energies above the first oscillation extremum or at the second oscillation extremum the appearance channels dominate. On the other hand, for δ we find that the disappearance channel usually improves the sensitivity, modestly for facilities around the first oscillation extremum and more significantly for facilities operating at an energy above the first oscillation extremum, especially near δ ~ ± π/2.

PIV Measurements of Turbulent Flow in a Channel with Solid or Perforated Ribs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Lei; Salewski, Mirko; Sundén, Bengt

2011-01-01

Particle image velocimetry measurements are performed in a channel with periodic ribs on one wall. We investigate the flow around two different rib configurations: solid and perforated ribs with a slit. The ribs obstruct the channel by 20% of its height and are arranged 10 rib heights apart. For ...

Measurements at the RA Reactor related to the VISA-2 project - Part 2, Measurement of neutron flux in VISA-2 channels; Fizicka merenja na reaktoru RA u vezi projekta VISA-2 - II deo, Merenje fluksa neutrona u kanalima VISA - 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markovic, H [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

1962-07-15

This report describes the task concerned with measurements of neutron flux in four experimental channels, called VISA-2 channels. All the channels are made of aluminium tubes, one is sealed to prevent contact of foils with heavy water, and are placed in the regular reactor lattice next to the central experimental channel VK-5. Measuring results, i.e. absolute values of neutron flux and flux distribution are needed for realisation of the VISA-2 project. Measurements of neutron flux are done by activation method. Activation foils are placed in cylindrical aluminium tubes specially prepared for this purpose and placed in VISA-2 channels. Foils are irradiated simultaneously for 5 hours at reactor power of 150 kW. Neutron flux distribution is determined by measuring the relative activity of cobalt foils. [Serbo-Croat] Ovaj izvestaj opisuje merenja neutronskog fluksa u cetiri eksperimentalna kanala VISA-2. Svi VISA-2 kanali nacinjeni su od aluminijuma, jedan je hermeticki zatvoren da folije koje se ozacuju ne dodju ukontakt sa teskom vodom i svi su smesteni neposredno pored centralnog eksperimentalnog kanala VK-5. Rezultati merenja, odnosno apsolutne vrednosti neutronskog fluksa i reposdele fluksa potrebni su za realizaciju projekta VISA-2. Mrerenja neutronskog fluksa izvreseno je aktivacionom tehnikom. Aktivacione folije smestene su u prethodno napravljene aluminijumske cevcice. Folije su ozracivane istovremeno pri snazi od 150 kW pe casova. Raspodela neutronskog fluksa odredjena je merenjem relativne aktivnosti folija od kobalta.

Analysis of uncertainties and convergence of the statistical quantities in turbulent wall-bounded flows by means of a physically based criterion

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, João Rodrigo; Martins, Ramon Silva; Thompson, Roney Leon; Mompean, Gilmar; da Silveira Neto, Aristeu

2018-04-01

The present paper provides an analysis of the statistical uncertainties associated with direct numerical simulation (DNS) results and experimental data for turbulent channel and pipe flows, showing a new physically based quantification of these errors, to improve the determination of the statistical deviations between DNSs and experiments. The analysis is carried out using a recently proposed criterion by Thompson et al. ["A methodology to evaluate statistical errors in DNS data of plane channel flows," Comput. Fluids 130, 1-7 (2016)] for fully turbulent plane channel flows, where the mean velocity error is estimated by considering the Reynolds stress tensor, and using the balance of the mean force equation. It also presents how the residual error evolves in time for a DNS of a plane channel flow, and the influence of the Reynolds number on its convergence rate. The root mean square of the residual error is shown in order to capture a single quantitative value of the error associated with the dimensionless averaging time. The evolution in time of the error norm is compared with the final error provided by DNS data of similar Reynolds numbers available in the literature. A direct consequence of this approach is that it was possible to compare different numerical results and experimental data, providing an improved understanding of the convergence of the statistical quantities in turbulent wall-bounded flows.

Convergence in Multispecies Interactions

OpenAIRE

Bittleston, Leonora Sophia; Pierce, Naomi E.; Ellison, Aaron M.; Pringle, Anne

2016-01-01

The concepts of convergent evolution and community convergence highlight how selective pressures can shape unrelated organisms or communities in similar ways. We propose a related concept, convergent interactions, to describe the independent evolution of multispecies interactions with similar physiological or ecological functions. A focus on convergent interactions clarifies how natural selection repeatedly favors particular kinds of associations among species. Characterizing convergent inter...

Globalization and Contemporary Fertility Convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendi, Arun S

2017-09-01

The rise of the global network of nation-states has precipitated social transformations throughout the world. This article examines the role of political and economic globalization in driving fertility convergence across countries between 1965 and 2009. While past research has typically conceptualized fertility change as a country-level process, this study instead employs a theoretical and methodological framework that examines differences in fertility between pairs of countries over time. Convergence in fertility between pairs of countries is hypothesized to result from increased cross-country connectedness and cross-national transmission of fertility-related schemas. I investigate the impact of various cross-country ties, including ties through bilateral trade, intergovernmental organizations, and regional trade blocs, on fertility convergence. I find that globalization acts as a form of social interaction to produce fertility convergence. There is significant heterogeneity in the effects of different cross-country ties. In particular, trade with rich model countries, joint participation in the UN and UNESCO, and joining a free trade agreement all contribute to fertility convergence between countries. Whereas the prevailing focus in fertility research has been on factors producing fertility declines, this analysis highlights specific mechanisms-trade and connectedness through organizations-leading to greater similarity in fertility across countries. Globalization is a process that propels the spread of culturally laden goods and schemas impinging on fertility, which in turn produces fertility convergence.

Joint Linear Processing for an Amplify-and-Forward MIMO Relay Channel with Imperfect Channel State Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vandendorpe Luc

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of jointly optimizing the source precoder, relay transceiver, and destination equalizer has been considered in this paper for a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO amplify-and-forward (AF relay channel, where the channel estimates of all links are assumed to be imperfect. The considered joint optimization problem is nonconvex and does not offer closed-form solutions. However, it has been shown that the optimization of one variable when others are fixed is a convex optimization problem which can be efficiently solved using interior-point algorithms. In this context, an iterative technique with the guaranteed convergence has been proposed for the AF MIMO relay channel that includes the direct link. It has been also shown that, for the double-hop relay case without the receive-side antenna correlations in each hop, the global optimality can be confirmed since the structures of the source precoder, relay transceiver, and destination equalizer have closed forms and the remaining joint power allocation can be solved using Geometric Programming (GP technique under high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR approximation. In the latter case, the performance of the iterative technique and the GP method has been compared with simulations to ensure that the iterative approach gives reasonably good solutions with an acceptable complexity. Moreover, simulation results verify the robustness of the proposed design when compared to the nonrobust design that assumes estimated channels as actual channels.

Procedure to determine the two channel timing measurement accuracy and precision of a digital oscilloscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, M.; Matulik, M.

1994-01-01

The digital oscilloscope allows one to make numerous timing measurements, but just how good are those measurements? This document describes a procedure which can be used to determine the accuracy and precision to which a digital oscilloscope can make various two channel timing measurements

Indirectly driven, high convergence inertial confinement fusion implosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cable, M.D.; Hatchett, S.P.; Caird, J.A.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Kornblum, H.N.; Lane, S.M.; Laumann, C.; Lerche, R.A.; Murphy, T.J.; Murray, J.; Nelson, M.B.; Phillion, D.W.; Powell, H.; Ress, D.B.

1994-01-01

A series of high convergence indirectly driven implosions has been done with the Nova Laser Fusion facility. These implosions were well characterized by a variety of measurements; computer models are in good agreement. The imploded fuel areal density was measured using a technique based on secondary neutron spectroscopy. At capsule convergences of 24:1, comparable to what is required for the hot spot of ignition scale capsules, these capsules achieved fuel densities of 19 g/cm 3 . Independent measurements of density, burn duration, and ion temperature gave nτθ=1.7±0.9x10 14 keV s/cm 3

Dual-goniometer system for channeling measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linden, M.; Hellborg, R.

1986-03-01

This paper describes a two-goniometer system for obtaining azimuthally averaged measurements in channeling experiments. The system consists of a tri-axial master goniometer and a bi-axial goniometer. Both goniometers are controlled by stepping motors. The alignment goniometer has a target holder, which permits the beam spot to be placed anywhere in a 6 x 6 mm 2 square on the target crystal without loosing the target orientation. The design, construction and operation of the goniometers as well as stepping motor control units and programs for computer control of the goniometers are described. Two control programs cover orientation of the target crystal and a number of other normal experimental conditions. (author)

Log-binomial models: exploring failed convergence.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Tyler; Eliasziw, Misha; Fick, Gordon Hilton

2013-12-13

Relative risk is a summary metric that is commonly used in epidemiological investigations. Increasingly, epidemiologists are using log-binomial models to study the impact of a set of predictor variables on a single binary outcome, as they naturally offer relative risks. However, standard statistical software may report failed convergence when attempting to fit log-binomial models in certain settings. The methods that have been proposed in the literature for dealing with failed convergence use approximate solutions to avoid the issue. This research looks directly at the log-likelihood function for the simplest log-binomial model where failed convergence has been observed, a model with a single linear predictor with three levels. The possible causes of failed convergence are explored and potential solutions are presented for some cases. Among the principal causes is a failure of the fitting algorithm to converge despite the log-likelihood function having a single finite maximum. Despite these limitations, log-binomial models are a viable option for epidemiologists wishing to describe the relationship between a set of predictors and a binary outcome where relative risk is the desired summary measure. Epidemiologists are encouraged to continue to use log-binomial models and advocate for improvements to the fitting algorithms to promote the widespread use of log-binomial models.

Testing digital recursive filtering method for radiation measurement channel using pin diode detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talpalariu, C. M.; Talpalariu, J.; Popescu, O.; Mocanasu, M.; Lita, I.; Visan, D. A.

2016-01-01

In this work we have studied a software filtering method implemented in a pulse counting computerized measuring channel using PIN diode radiation detector. In case our interest was focalized for low rate decay radiation measurement accuracies improvement and response time optimization. During works for digital mathematical algorithm development, we used a hardware radiation measurement channel configuration based on PIN diode BPW34 detector, preamplifier, filter and programmable counter, computer connected. We report measurement results using two digital recursive methods in statically and dynamically field evolution. Software for graphical input/output real time diagram representation was designed and implemented, facilitating performances evaluation between the response of fixed configuration software recursive filter and dynamically adaptive configuration recursive filter. (authors)

Experimental Characterization of Ultra-Wideband Channel Parameter Measurements in an Underground Mine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Nkakanou

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental results for an ultra-wideband (UWB channel parameters in an underground mining environment over a frequency range of 3 GHz to 10 GHz are reported. The measurements were taken both in LOS and NLOS cases in two different size mine galleries. In the NLOS case, results were acquired for different corridor obstruction angles. The results were obtained during an extensive measurement campaign in the UWB frequency, and the measurement procedure allows both the large- and small-scale parameters such as the path loss exponent, coherence bandwidth, and so forth, to be quantified. The capacity of the UWB channel as a function of the physical depth of the mine gallery has also been recorded for comparison purposes.

An examination of the factorial and convergent validity of four measures of conspiracist ideation, with recommendations for researchers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viren Swami

Full Text Available A number scales have been developed to measure conspiracist ideation, but little attention has been paid to the factorial validity of these scales. We reassessed the psychometric properties of four widely-used scales, namely the Belief in Conspiracy Theories Inventory (BCTI, the Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ, the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS, and the One-Item Conspiracy Measure (OICM. Eight-hundred-and-three U.S. adults completed all measures, along with measures of endorsement of 9/11 and anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. Through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, we found that only the BCTI had acceptable factorial validity. We failed to confirm the factor structures of the CMQ and the GBCS, suggesting these measures had poor factorial validity. Indices of convergent validity were acceptable for the BCTI, but weaker for the other measures. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for the future refinement in the measurement of conspiracist ideation.

Synthesis selective transport properties of cleft-type ionophores having two convergent hydroxamic acid functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Duck Hee; Choi, Mi Jung; Chang, Suk Kyu

2001-01-01

A series of cleft-type ionophores having two convergent hydroxamic acid functions are prepared and their selective ionophoric properties toward heavy metal and transition metal ions have been investigated. Hydroxamic acids 3 exhibited a prominent selectivity toward heavy metal ions of Hg 2+ and Pb 2+ , and transition metal ions of Cu 2+ over other transition metal and alkaline earth metal ions from slightly acidic source phase (pH 6) to an acidic receiving phase (pH 1). Selective ionophoric properties toward Pb 2+ and Cu 2+ ions over other surveyed metal ions are also confirmed by the FAB-MS measurements

Are U-channels measurements appropriate for reversal or excursion records ?

Science.gov (United States)

Philippe, E. G. H.; Valet, J. P.

2017-12-01

Sampling of sediment cores by U-channel plastic tubes is a very successful technique that allows to perform measurements of the magnetic remanence and demagnetization of long sections of sediment. This approach made possible the acquisition of detailed records of paleosecular variation, geomagnetic polarity and relative paleointensity over the past million years and yielded significant advances in our knowledge of the geomagnetic field changes. The major pitfall is that the resolution of the signal which is imposed by the deposition rate of the sediment is also attenuated by the response curve of the magnetic sensors used for measurements. This is not so critical to document the dipole field changes, but may have a significant impact to recover fast field changes typical of the non-dipole field that prevail during reversals and excursions. We have investigated possible consequences by comparing 150 successive individual directions of 1 cm side successive single samples with the measurement of the 1.5m equivalent U-channel obtained by placing the same samples adjacent to each other. We compared different transition lengths and generated transitional directions that produce records with similar characteristics as those derived from volcanic records of reversals with a magnetization intensity dropping to 5% of the full polarity value during the transition. The results show that even with transitional intervals as long as 30 cm and therefore associated with deposition rates as high as 10 cm/ka the U-channels considerably smooth all variations with significant consequences on the VGP paths that become more constrained in longitude. Despite little similarity with the global structure of the transition, the U-channels fail to reproduce the complexity of the transitional period. The transitional VGPs never duplicate the variations of the non-dipole field even within several centimeters and generate artificial clusters or periods of apparent fast changes. We are currently

Role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the piracetam induced blockade of opioid effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehni, Ashish K; Singh, Nirmal; Jindal, Seema

2007-12-01

The present study has been designed to investigate the effect of piracetam on morphine/ buprenorphine-induced antinociception in rats and effect of piracetam on morphine or minoxidil induced relaxation in KCl-precontracted isolated rat aortic ring preparation. Nociceptive threshold was measured by the tail flick test in rats. The cumulative dose responses of morphine or minoxidil were recorded in KCl-precontracted isolated rat aortic ring preparation. Piracetam attenuated buprenorphine-induced antinociception in rats. Piracetam significantly reduced the morphine and minoxidil induced relaxation in KCl precontracted isolated rat aortic ring preparation suggesting that piracetam interferes with opioid receptor and ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) opener mediated responses in vitro. Thus, it may be suggested that piracetam attenuates opioid effects by an opioid receptor-KATP channel linked mechanism.

All framing effects are not created equal: Low convergent validity between two classic measurements of framing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Shanshan; Yu, Rongjun

2016-07-20

Human risk-taking attitudes can be influenced by two logically equivalent but descriptively different frames, termed the framing effect. The classic hypothetical vignette-based task (Asian disease problem) and a recently developed reward-based gambling task have been widely used to assess individual differences in the framing effect. Previous studies treat framing bias as a stable trait that has genetic basis. However, these two paradigms differ in terms of task domain (loss vs. gain) and task context (vignette-based vs. reward-based) and the convergent validity of these measurements remains unknown. Here, we developed a vignette-based task and a gambling task in both gain and loss domains and tested correlations of the framing effect among these tasks in 159 young adults. Our results revealed no significant correlation between the vignette-based task in the loss domain and the gambling task in the gain domain, indicating low convergent validity. The current findings raise the question of how to measure the framing effect precisely, especially in individual difference studies using large samples and expensive neuroscience methods. Our results suggest that the framing effect is influenced by both task domain and task context and future research should be cautious about the operationalization of the framing effect.

Construction and Iterative Decoding of LDPC Codes Over Rings for Phase-Noisy Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karuppasami Sridhar

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper presents the construction and iterative decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC codes for channels affected by phase noise. The LDPC code is based on integer rings and designed to converge under phase-noisy channels. We assume that phase variations are small over short blocks of adjacent symbols. A part of the constructed code is inherently built with this knowledge and hence able to withstand a phase rotation of radians, where " " is the number of phase symmetries in the signal set, that occur at different observation intervals. Another part of the code estimates the phase ambiguity present in every observation interval. The code makes use of simple blind or turbo phase estimators to provide phase estimates over every observation interval. We propose an iterative decoding schedule to apply the sum-product algorithm (SPA on the factor graph of the code for its convergence. To illustrate the new method, we present the performance results of an LDPC code constructed over with quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK modulated signals transmitted over a static channel, but affected by phase noise, which is modeled by the Wiener (random-walk process. The results show that the code can withstand phase noise of standard deviation per symbol with small loss.

Do Direct Foreign Investments Increase Efficiency Convergence at Firm Level? The Case of Vietnam, 2000-2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Khac Minh

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to assess the extent to which  the effect of FDI on firms’  efficiency and efficiency convergence across industries in Vietnam. Dynamic input output tables are used to construct the linkages between domestic and foreign firms. Stochastic production frontier is used to estimate firms ‘efficiency with a large panel dataset covering manufacturing firms in Vietnam from 2000 to 2011. The analysis shows that, the impact of FDI on domestic firms ‘efficiency score and convergence at firms’ level through the horizontal, backward and supply backward channels are negative and different.

Jointly Decoded Raptor Codes: Analysis and Design for the BIAWGN Channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venkiah Auguste

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We are interested in the analysis and optimization of Raptor codes under a joint decoding framework, that is, when the precode and the fountain code exchange soft information iteratively. We develop an analytical asymptotic convergence analysis of the joint decoder, derive an optimization method for the design of efficient output degree distributions, and show that the new optimized distributions outperform the existing ones, both at long and moderate lengths. We also show that jointly decoded Raptor codes are robust to channel variation: they perform reasonably well over a wide range of channel capacities. This robustness property was already known for the erasure channel but not for the Gaussian channel. Finally, we discuss some finite length code design issues. Contrary to what is commonly believed, we show by simulations that using a relatively low rate for the precode , we can improve greatly the error floor performance of the Raptor code.

Phase distribution measurements in narrow rectangular channels using image processing techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentley, C.; Ruggles, A.

1991-01-01

Many high flux research reactor fuel assemblies are cooled by systems of parallel narrow rectangular channels. The HFIR is cooled by single phase forced convection under normal operating conditions. However, two-phase forced convection or two phase mixed convection can occur in the fueled region as a result of some hypothetical accidents. Such flow conditions would occur only at decay power levels. The system pressure would be around 0.15 MPa in such circumstances. Phase distribution of air-water flow in a narrow rectangular channel is examined using image processing techniques. Ink is added to the water and clear channel walls are used to allow high speed still photographs and video tape to be taken of the air-water flow field. Flow field images are digitized and stored in a Macintosh 2ci computer using a frame grabber board. Local grey levels are related to liquid thickness in the flow channel using a calibration fixture. Image processing shareware is used to calculate the spatially averaged liquid thickness from the image of the flow field. Time averaged spatial liquid distributions are calculated using image calculation algorithms. The spatially averaged liquid distribution is calculated from the time averaged spatial liquid distribution to formulate the combined temporally and spatially averaged fraction values. The temporally and spatially averaged liquid fractions measured using this technique compare well to those predicted from pressure gradient measurements at zero superficial liquid velocity

Development of the Scale for "Convergence Thinking" in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sungmi

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of "convergence thinking" as a trading zone for knowledge fusion in the engineering field, and develops its measuring scale. Design/ Methodology/Approach: Based on results from literature review, this study clarifies a theoretical ground for "convergence thinking."…

Capacity estimation and verification of quantum channels with arbitrarily correlated errors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, Corsin; Rol, M Adriaan; Mantri, Atul; Tomamichel, Marco; Wehner, Stephanie

2018-01-02

The central figure of merit for quantum memories and quantum communication devices is their capacity to store and transmit quantum information. Here, we present a protocol that estimates a lower bound on a channel's quantum capacity, even when there are arbitrarily correlated errors. One application of these protocols is to test the performance of quantum repeaters for transmitting quantum information. Our protocol is easy to implement and comes in two versions. The first estimates the one-shot quantum capacity by preparing and measuring in two different bases, where all involved qubits are used as test qubits. The second verifies on-the-fly that a channel's one-shot quantum capacity exceeds a minimal tolerated value while storing or communicating data. We discuss the performance using simple examples, such as the dephasing channel for which our method is asymptotically optimal. Finally, we apply our method to a superconducting qubit in experiment.

Separation followed by direct SERS detection of explosives on a novel black silicon multifunctional nanostructured surface prepared in a microfluidic channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Talian, Ivan; Hübner, Jörg

2013-01-01

The article describes the multifunctionality of a novel black silicon (BS) nanostructured surface covered with a thin layer of noble metal prepared in the a microfluidic channel. It is focused on the separation properties of the BS substrate with direct detection of the separated analytes utilizing...

Information geometry of Gaussian channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monras, Alex; Illuminati, Fabrizio

2010-01-01

We define a local Riemannian metric tensor in the manifold of Gaussian channels and the distance that it induces. We adopt an information-geometric approach and define a metric derived from the Bures-Fisher metric for quantum states. The resulting metric inherits several desirable properties from the Bures-Fisher metric and is operationally motivated by distinguishability considerations: It serves as an upper bound to the attainable quantum Fisher information for the channel parameters using Gaussian states, under generic constraints on the physically available resources. Our approach naturally includes the use of entangled Gaussian probe states. We prove that the metric enjoys some desirable properties like stability and covariance. As a by-product, we also obtain some general results in Gaussian channel estimation that are the continuous-variable analogs of previously known results in finite dimensions. We prove that optimal probe states are always pure and bounded in the number of ancillary modes, even in the presence of constraints on the reduced state input in the channel. This has experimental and computational implications. It limits the complexity of optimal experimental setups for channel estimation and reduces the computational requirements for the evaluation of the metric: Indeed, we construct a converging algorithm for its computation. We provide explicit formulas for computing the multiparametric quantum Fisher information for dissipative channels probed with arbitrary Gaussian states and provide the optimal observables for the estimation of the channel parameters (e.g., bath couplings, squeezing, and temperature).

Contextuality for preparations, transformations, and unsharp measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spekkens, R.W.

2005-01-01

The Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem establishes the impossibility of a noncontextual hidden variable model of quantum theory, or equivalently, that quantum theory is contextual. In this paper, an operational definition of contextuality is introduced which generalizes the standard notion in three ways: (i) it applies to arbitrary operational theories rather than just quantum theory (ii) it applies to arbitrary experimental procedures rather than just sharp measurements, and (iii) it applies to a broad class of ontological models of quantum theory rather than just deterministic hidden variable models. We derive three no-go theorems for ontological models, each based on an assumption of noncontextuality for a different sort of experimental procedure; one for preparation procedures, another for unsharp measurement procedures (that is, measurement procedures associated with positive-operator valued measures), and a third for transformation procedures. All three proofs apply to two-dimensional Hilbert spaces, and are therefore stronger than traditional proofs of contextuality

On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through Γ-convergence

KAUST Repository

Ferreira, Rita C.; Gomes, Diogo A.

2014-01-01

In this study, we consider the long-term convergence (trend toward an equilibrium) of finite state mean-field games using Γ-convergence. Our techniques are based on the observation that an important class of mean-field games can be viewed as the Euler-Lagrange equation of a suitable functional. Therefore, using a scaling argument, one can convert a long-term convergence problem into a Γ-convergence problem. Our results generalize previous results related to long-term convergence for finite state problems. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

On the convergence of finite state mean-field games through Γ-convergence

KAUST Repository

Ferreira, Rita C.

2014-10-01

In this study, we consider the long-term convergence (trend toward an equilibrium) of finite state mean-field games using Γ-convergence. Our techniques are based on the observation that an important class of mean-field games can be viewed as the Euler-Lagrange equation of a suitable functional. Therefore, using a scaling argument, one can convert a long-term convergence problem into a Γ-convergence problem. Our results generalize previous results related to long-term convergence for finite state problems. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

Single-top s channel cross-section measurement with the ATLAS detector

CERN Document Server

Monini, Caterina; Lucotte, Arnaud

The work reported in this thesis is aimed at measuring with the ATLAS detector the only mechanism of top quark electroweak production which has not yet been observed at the Large Hadron Collider: the s-channel. Its interest relies in the confirmation of the Standard Model predictions but, as well, in the possibility of constraining several new physics scenarios when comparing the s-channel cross section with the one of the other single top production modes (the Wt and t-channel). After a general introduction upon top physics and the experimental setup employed for the detection and the reconstruction of the physics objects, we present two analyses realized with proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector at a center of mass energy of 7 and 8 TeV. Since the s-channel production is characterized by a very low purity and, at the same time, is not favoured at the LHC because it proceeds via quark-antiquark annihilation, a multivariate approach is applied in both cases to discriminate the signal. For ...

Accurate and Fast Convergent Initial-Value Belief Propagation for Stereo Matching.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Yiguang

2015-01-01

The belief propagation (BP) algorithm has some limitations, including ambiguous edges and textureless regions, and slow convergence speed. To address these problems, we present a novel algorithm that intrinsically improves both the accuracy and the convergence speed of BP. First, traditional BP generally consumes time due to numerous iterations. To reduce the number of iterations, inspired by the crucial importance of the initial value in nonlinear problems, a novel initial-value belief propagation (IVBP) algorithm is presented, which can greatly improve both convergence speed and accuracy. Second, .the majority of the existing research on BP concentrates on the smoothness term or other energy terms, neglecting the significance of the data term. In this study, a self-adapting dissimilarity data term (SDDT) is presented to improve the accuracy of the data term, which incorporates an additional gradient-based measure into the traditional data term, with the weight determined by the robust measure-based control function. Finally, this study explores the effective combination of local methods and global methods. The experimental results have demonstrated that our method performs well compared with the state-of-the-art BP and simultaneously holds better edge-preserving smoothing effects with fast convergence speed in the Middlebury and new 2014 Middlebury datasets.

Bar dynamics and channel junctions in scale-experiments of estuaries

Science.gov (United States)

Leuven, J.; Braat, L.; van Dijk, W. M.; Haas, T. D.; Kleinhans, M. G.

2017-12-01

The evolution of channels and bars in estuaries has high socio-economic relevance, with strong implications for navigation, dredging and ecology. However, the spatial and temporal evolution of channels and bars in estuaries is poorly understood. Here, we study feedbacks of bar morphodynamics on widening and narrowing of estuaries. Therefore, we conducted an experiment in a 20 m long and 3 m wide tilting flume (the 'Metronome'), in which we monitored the evolution of a self-formed estuary that developed from an intial straight channel into an irregular planform with multiple channels, braided bars and a meandering ebb channel. At locations where the estuary width is confined, major channel junctions occur, while the zones between the junctions are characterised by high braiding indices, periodically migrating channels and a relatively large estuary width. The junction locations were forced by the in- and outflow locations on the sides of the ebb-tidal delta and at the location where the channel pattern transitions from multiple channels into a single channel. In the middle of the estuary, self-confinement occurred by sedimentation on the sides of the estuary, which caused another major junction. The channel orientation at the junctions steers the morphodynamics of channels and bars immediately landward and seaward, because the orientation of inflow from the ebb-tidal delta and landward river perpetually varies. In natural systems major junction locations are mostly forced by inherited geology or human engineering. However, this study concludes that even without external forcing, the estuary planform will not converge to an ideal shape but will self-confine at major junctions and widens in the adjacent zones, resulting in an irregular planform shape.

An investigation of 'sparse channel networks'. Characteristic behaviours and their causes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, J.H.; Barker, J.A.; Woodman, N.D.

2007-09-01

This report represents a third study in a series concerned with groundwater flow in poorly permeable fractured crystalline rocks. The study has brought together three linked, but distinct, elements; a mathematical analysis of the intersection of ellipses, a review of field measurements associated with nuclear waste repository investigations and probabilistic simulations using a lattice network numerical model. We conclude that the model of channels that traverse fracture intersections without necessarily branching is a very likely representation of reality. More generally, assembling all the lines of evidence, it is suggested that groundwater flow systems in fractured crystalline rocks in the environs of underground laboratories have the following characteristics: Groundwater flows within a sparse network of channels just above the percolation limit. The frequency of intersections is low in that individual channels extend considerable distances between significant junctions. Individual channels often extend over many fracture surfaces and the resulting flow system is only weakly related to the density or size of mappable fractures. The sparseness of systems compared to the size of drifts and tunnels means that only a very few flow channels are intersected by drifts and tunnels. Highly convergent flow is required to connect to the rest of the network and this is misinterpreted as a skin of low hydraulic conductivity. Systems are so sparse that they are controlled by a few 'chokes' that give rise to compartments of head, and probably, of groundwater chemistry. Channels occur on all fracture planes, including those within fracture zones, and although the characteristics of the fracture zone channel networks may differ from those in surrounding rocks, they are nonetheless still channel networks. The actively flowing sparse channel network, occurring within any particular rock, is a naturally selected, small sub-set of the available channels. Hence, there are many

Trophic convergence drives morphological convergence in marine tetrapods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Neil P; Motani, Ryosuke

2015-01-01

Marine tetrapod clades (e.g. seals, whales) independently adapted to marine life through the Mesozoic and Caenozoic, and provide iconic examples of convergent evolution. Apparent morphological convergence is often explained as the result of adaptation to similar ecological niches. However, quantitative tests of this hypothesis are uncommon. We use dietary data to classify the feeding ecology of extant marine tetrapods and identify patterns in skull and tooth morphology that discriminate trophic groups across clades. Mapping these patterns onto phylogeny reveals coordinated evolutionary shifts in diet and morphology in different marine tetrapod lineages. Similarities in morphology between species with similar diets-even across large phylogenetic distances-are consistent with previous hypotheses that shared functional constraints drive convergent evolution in marine tetrapods.

Food-pharma convergence in medical nutrition- best of both worlds?

Science.gov (United States)

Weenen, Tamar C; Ramezanpour, Bahar; Pronker, Esther S; Commandeur, Harry; Claassen, Eric

2013-01-01

At present, industries within the health and life science sector are moving towards one another resulting in new industries such as the medical nutrition industry. Medical nutrition products are specific nutritional compositions for intervention in disease progression and symptom alleviation. Industry convergence, described as the blurring of boundaries between industries, plays a crucial role in the shaping of new markets and industries. Assuming that the medical nutrition industry has emerged from the convergence between the food and pharma industries, it is crucial to research how and which distinct industry domains have contributed to establish this relatively new industry. The first two stages of industry convergence (knowledge diffusion and consolidation) are measured by means of patent analysis. First, the extent of knowledge diffusion within the medical nutrition industry is graphed in a patent citation interrelations network. Subsequently the consolidation based on technological convergence is determined by means of patent co-classification. Furthermore, the medical nutrition core domain and technology interrelations are measured by means of a cross impact analysis. This study proves that the medical nutrition industry is a result of food and pharma convergence. It is therefore crucial for medical nutrition companies to effectively monitor technological developments within as well as across industry boundaries. This study further reveals that although the medical nutrition industry's core technology domain is food, technological development is mainly driven by pharmaceutical/pharmacological technologies Additionally, the results indicate that the industry has surpassed the knowledge diffusion stage of convergence, and is currently in the consolidation phase of industry convergence. Nevertheless, while the medical nutrition can be classified as an industry in an advanced phase of convergence, one cannot predict that the pharma and food industry segments

Convergence in Multispecies Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittleston, Leonora S; Pierce, Naomi E; Ellison, Aaron M; Pringle, Anne

2016-04-01

The concepts of convergent evolution and community convergence highlight how selective pressures can shape unrelated organisms or communities in similar ways. We propose a related concept, convergent interactions, to describe the independent evolution of multispecies interactions with similar physiological or ecological functions. A focus on convergent interactions clarifies how natural selection repeatedly favors particular kinds of associations among species. Characterizing convergent interactions in a comparative context is likely to facilitate prediction of the ecological roles of organisms (including microbes) in multispecies interactions and selective pressures acting in poorly understood or newly discovered multispecies systems. We illustrate the concept of convergent interactions with examples: vertebrates and their gut bacteria; ectomycorrhizae; insect-fungal-bacterial interactions; pitcher-plant food webs; and ants and ant-plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a wall-shear-stress sensor and measurements in mini-channels with partial blockages

Science.gov (United States)

Afara, Samer; Medvescek, James; Mydlarski, Laurent; Baliga, Bantwal R.; MacDonald, Mark

2014-05-01

The design, construction, operation and validation of a wall-shear-stress sensor, and measurements obtained using this sensor in air flows downstream of partial blockages in a mini-channel are presented. The sensor consisted of a hot wire mounted over a small rectangular slot and operated using a constant-temperature anemometer. It was used to investigate flows similar to those within the mini-channels inside notebook computers. The overall goal of the present work was to develop a sensor suitable for measurements of the wall-shear stress in such flows, which can be used to validate corresponding numerical simulations, as the latter are known to be often surprisingly inaccurate. To this end, measurements of the wall-shear stress, and the corresponding statistical moments and power spectral densities, were obtained at different distances downstream of the partial blockage, with blockage ratios of 39.7, 59.2, and 76.3 %. The Reynolds number (based on average velocity and hydraulic diameter) ranged from 100 to 900. The results confirmed the presence of unsteadiness, separation, reattachment, and laminar-turbulent transition in the ostensibly laminar flow of air in mini-channels with partial blockages. The present results demonstrate why accurate numerical predictions of cooling air flows in laptop and notebook computers remain a challenging task.

Analysis of Simulated and Measured Indoor Channels for mm-Wave Beamforming Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karstensen, Anders; Fan, Wei; Zhang, Fengchun

2018-01-01

was investigated using both single beam and multiple beams, with two different power allocation schemes applied to multi-beamforming. Channel measurements were performed at 28-30 GHz using a vector network analyzer equipped with a Biconical antenna as the transmit antenna and a rotated horn antenna as the receive...... antenna. 3D ray tracing simulations were carried out in the same replicated propagation environments. Based on measurement and ray tracing simulation data, it is shown that RT-assisted beamforming performs well both for single and multi-beamforming in these two representative indoor propagation...

Convergent mechanism of roadway driven along with strong roof of special thick stratum and its controlled measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhai, X.; Qian, M.; Jing, G.; Li, Y. [China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing (China). College of Resource and Safety Engineering

2004-06-01

The trapezoidal cross-section roadway, driven along with its medium and fine grain sandstone roof in special thick stratum, was situated in shale strata of the Wu{sub 2} coal seam of the Shihhotze Perno-carboniferous group. Rock-lining wall was employed in roadway, which its roof is in the free situation. Under the action of virgin stress, the surrounding rock of roadway was stable. While under the action of fixed abutment pressure arisen from protection pillar of roadway, which if two sides seams were extracted the free strong roof of roadway was stable. But its two sides rock-lining walls was fractured, partially broken into pieces, and its floor heave was obvious. The velocity of floor heave is 0.4 - 0.8 mm/d. The size of the broken zone of surrounding rock of roadway doubled. An effective load coefficient of surrounding rock was quoted to illustrate these phenomena. The main reasons of roadway convergence are that rock property of surrounding rock is inferior, protection pillars affects its stability, and the supporting pattern employed is improper. Effective measures to control roadway convergence should be bolting and grouting lining, which mainly consolidate surrounding rock of roadway. 4 refs., 1 fig.

Measurements of local two-phase flow parameters in a boiling flow channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Byong Jo; Park, Goon-CherI; Chung, Moon Ki; Song, Chul Hwa

1998-01-01

Local two-phase flow parameters were measured lo investigate the internal flow structures of steam-water boiling flow in an annulus channel. Two kinds of measuring methods for local two-phase flow parameters were investigated. These are a two-conductivity probe for local vapor parameters and a Pitot cube for local liquid parameters. Using these probes, the local distribution of phasic velocities, interfacial area concentration (IAC) and void fraction is measured. In this study, the maximum local void fraction in subcooled boiling condition is observed around the heating rod and the local void fraction is smoothly decreased from the surface of a heating rod to the channel center without any wall void peaking, which was observed in air-water experiments. The distributions of local IAC and bubble frequency coincide with those of local void fraction for a given area-averaged void fraction. (author)

Rényi entropy measure of noise-aided information transmission in a binary channel.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapeau-Blondeau, François; Rousseau, David; Delahaies, Agnès

2010-05-01

This paper analyzes a binary channel by means of information measures based on the Rényi entropy. The analysis extends, and contains as a special case, the classic reference model of binary information transmission based on the Shannon entropy measure. The extended model is used to investigate further possibilities and properties of stochastic resonance or noise-aided information transmission. The results demonstrate that stochastic resonance occurs in the information channel and is registered by the Rényi entropy measures at any finite order, including the Shannon order. Furthermore, in definite conditions, when seeking the Rényi information measures that best exploit stochastic resonance, then nontrivial orders differing from the Shannon case usually emerge. In this way, through binary information transmission, stochastic resonance identifies optimal Rényi measures of information differing from the classic Shannon measure. A confrontation of the quantitative information measures with visual perception is also proposed in an experiment of noise-aided binary image transmission.

Capacity of Fading Channels in the Low Power Regime

KAUST Repository

Benkhelifa, Fatma

2013-01-01

The low power regime has attracted various researchers in the information theory and communication communities to understand the performance limits of wireless systems. Indeed, the energy consumption is becoming one of the major limiting factors in wireless systems. As such, energy-efficient wireless systems are of major importance to the next generation wireless systems designers. The capacity is a metric that measures the performance limit of a wireless system. The study of the ergodic capacity of some fading channels in the low power regime is the main subject of this thesis. In our study, we consider that the receiver has always a full knowledge of the channel state information. However, we assume that the transmitter has possibly imperfect knowledge of the channel state information, i.e. he knows either perfectly the channel or only an estimated version of the channel. Both radio frequency and free space optical communication channel models are considered. The main contribution of this work is the explicit characterization of how the capacity scales as function of the signal-to-noise ratio in the low power regime. This allows us to characterize the gain due to the perfect knowledge compared to no knowledge of the channel state information at the transmitter. In particular, we show that the gain increases logarithmically for radio frequency communication. However, the gain increases as log2(Pavg) or log4(Pavg) for free-space optical communication, where Pavg is the average power constraint imposed to the input. Furthermore, we characterize the capacity of cascaded fading channels and we applied the result to Rayleigh-product fading channel and to a free-space optical link over gamma-gamma atmospheric turbulence in the presence of pointing errors. Finally, we study the capacity of Nakagami-m fading channel under quality of service constraints, namely the effective capacity. We have shown that the effective capacity converges to Shannon capacity in the very low

Multi-channel Waveform Sampling ASIC for radiation detection and measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimazoe, K.; Takahashi, H.; Yeom, J.Y.; Furumiya, T.; Ohi, J.

2013-01-01

We have designed and fabricated a 16-channel Waveform Sampling ASIC for radiation detection and measurement. Waveform sampling is very important for the pulse shape analysis and discrimination, which is often used in radiation detection to discriminate different radiations such as alpha, beta and gamma rays. One channel of the fabricated ASIC consists of a charge-sensitive preamplifier, a VGA (Variable Gain Amplifier), an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) and digital circuits. The preamplifier converts the current signal to the voltage signal, and the VGA amplifies the signal to appropriate level for the ADC. The ADC was designed to digitize the waveform with a frequency of 100 MHz and a resolution of 6bits. Digital circuits consist of a free-running ADC and a multiplexer which were designed to convert a digitized 100 MHz/6bit signal to a 200 MHz/3bit one, which is effective for the reduction of the number and for the achievement of the high integration in one chip. This chip was designed and fabricated with 0.35 μm CMOS technology by ROHM and the size of the ASIC is 4.9 mm by 4.9 mm. The design concept and some experimental results are shown in this paper. -- Highlights: ► Waveform sampling (WS) ASIC is newly developed for pulse shape discrimination. ► WS ASIC can be used for radiation measurement and discrimination. ► WS ASIC is fabricated by submicron CMOS technology for 5 mm × 5 mm area. ► WS ASIC achieves high integration and can be used in very limited space

PIXE channeling for concentration and location measurements of Zn- and Cd-dopants in InP single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vogt, J.; Krause, H.; Flagmeyer, R.; Otto, G.; Lux, M.

1993-01-01

We present results of the determination of Cd- and Zn-dopants in InP single crystals using the PIXE and RBS spectrometry at our 2 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator. The (100) oriented crystals were doped by thermodiffusion of Cd and Zn atoms. For concentration and localization measurements we used the ion-channeling technique and energy dispersive spectrometry of proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Angular scans of the K-lines of In, Cd and Zn were obtained. The strong In X-rays were attenuated by a rhodium foil in front of the low energy Ge detector. The PIXE-channeling results were compared with SIMS and Hall-effect measurements. (orig.)

Measurement of the radioactivity of the channel DTD before Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bikit, I.; Slivka, J.; Veskovic, M.; Conkic, Lj.; Marinkov, L.

1987-01-01

The activity concentration of long loved fission and corrosion products and natural radionuclides has been measured in a selected part of the Danube-Tisa-Danube channel system which is not receiving liquid effluents from nuclear power plants. The comparison with the activities measured in the river danube did not show statistically significant differences. The results obtained describe the reference level of radioactivity for the evaluation of the contamination of the system caused by the Chernobyl accident. (author)

Measurement of the heavy water level in the fuel channels of the RA reactor - Annex 11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolic, M.

1964-01-01

The objective of measuring the heavy water level in the reactor channels was to verify experimentally the possibilities of reactor cooling with parallel operation of heavy water pumps od 1500 rotations/min at nominal power of 6.5 MW. Measurements were done in 2 periphery and 2 central fuel channels with pumps speed 1500, 1800 and 3000 rotations/min by a contact probe with electric resistance measuring device. precision of the measurement was ±1 cm

Regional Convergence and Sustainable Development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the convergence theory of economic growth, this paper extends this concept to the human development index and carries out an empirical analysis of regional development in China between 1997 and 2006. Our research shows that the conditional convergence has been identified. Investment in fixed assets, government expenditure on education, health and infrastructure construction have positive effects on regional convergence of social development. Population weighted analysis of human development index provides support for weak convergence amongst provinces. Analysis of dynamics of regional distribution reveals the club convergence, which indicate two different convergence states. Central China is in the shade and lags behind, giving rise to the so-called “central downfall”. To solve this problem, the “Rise of Central China” Plan is necessary to promote the connection between coastal and inland regions of China and reduce the regional development gap.

Media Convergence: the Culture Dimensions of Thinking%Media Convergence:the Culture Dimensions of Thinking

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Shen Diao; Lan Ju

2017-01-01

In the process of meida Convergence,many researchers paid excessive attention to media technology,industry and management,and ignored the culture dimensions of media convergence.Therefore,to transcend media convergence technology,industrial thinking and more to the particularity attach importance to cultural media,it is a right way to achieve media convergence.But in the context of China's culture,media convergence should value the cultural uniqueness and the imbalance of the realistic problems,to reach innovation and breakthrough.

Almost convergence of triple sequences

OpenAIRE

Ayhan Esi; M.Necdet Catalbas

2013-01-01

In this paper we introduce and study the concepts of almost convergence and almost Cauchy for triple sequences. Weshow that the set of almost convergent triple sequences of 0's and 1's is of the first category and also almost everytriple sequence of 0's and 1's is not almost convergent.Keywords: almost convergence, P-convergent, triple sequence.

A measuring generator for testing spectrometric channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinh Sy Hien; Kalinkin, A.I.

1984-01-01

A measuring generator for testing and tuning an amplitude spectrometric channel is described. The device consists of a pseudo random pulse generator, constructed on shifters, a sawtooth wave generator and a shaper of stable amplitude pulses with exponential decay times. The device is made as CAMAC unit width modules and has the following specifications: average pulse repetition rate of pseudo random pulses is 3.1; 25; 50; 100; 200 kHz; peak amplitude of 2 Hz pulse repetition of saw tooth pulses is 6 V; peak amplitude of exponential shape pulses is 5 V. The block-diagram and basic circuits of the device are given

Assessing the performance of multi-purpose channel management measures at increasing scales

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Mark; Addy, Steve

2016-04-01

In addition to hydroclimatic drivers, sediment deposition from high energy river systems can reduce channel conveyance capacity and lead to significant increases in flood risk. There is an increasing recognition that we need to work with the interplay of natural hydrological and morphological processes in order to attenuate flood flows and manage sediment (both coarse and fine). This typically includes both catchment (e.g. woodland planting, wetlands) and river (e.g. wood placement, floodplain reconnection) restoration approaches. The aim of this work was to assess at which scales channel management measures (notably wood placement and flood embankment removal) are most appropriate for flood and sediment management in high energy upland river systems. We present research findings from two densely instrumented research sites in Scotland which regularly experience flood events and have associated coarse sediment problems. We assessed the performance of a range of novel trial measures for three different scales: wooded flow restrictors and gully tree planting at the small scale (transport to optimise performance. At the large scale, well designed flood embankment lowering can improve connectivity to the floodplain during low to medium return period events. However, ancillary works to stabilise the bank failed thus emphasising the importance of letting natural processes readjust channel morphology and hydrological connections to the floodplain. Although these trial measures demonstrated limited effects, this may be in part owing to restrictions in the range of hydroclimatological conditions during the study period and further work is needed to assess the performance under more extreme conditions. This work will contribute to refining guidance for managing channel coarse sediment problems in the future which in turn could help mitigate flooding using natural approaches.

Internal Consistency and Convergent Validity of the Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colby D. Taylor

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Klontz Money Behavior Inventory (KMBI is a standalone, multi-scale measure than can screen for the presence of eight distinct money disorders. Given the well-established relationship between mental health and financial behaviors, results from the KMBI can be used to inform both mental health care professionals and financial planners. The present study examined the internal consistency and convergent validity of the KMBI, through comparison with similar measures, among a sample of college students (n = 232. Results indicate that the KMBI demonstrates acceptable internal consistency reliability and some convergence for most subscales when compared to other analogous measures. These findings highlight a need for literature and assessments to identify and describe disordered money behaviors.

Nonstationary heat and mass transfer in the multilayer building construction with ventilation channels

Science.gov (United States)

Kharkov, N. S.

2017-11-01

Results of numerical modeling of the coupled nonstationary heat and mass transfer problem under conditions of a convective flow in facade system of a three-layer concrete panel for two different constructions (with ventilation channels and without) are presented. The positive effect of ventilation channels on the energy and humidity regime over a period of 12 months is shown. Used new method of replacement a solid zone (requiring specification of porosity and material structure, what complicates process of convergence of the solution) on quasi-solid in form of a multicomponent mixture (with restrictions on convection and mass fractions).

Ear-to-Ear On-Body Channel Model for Hearing Aid Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kvist, Søren Helstrup; Thaysen, Jesper; Jakobsen, Kaj Bjarne

2015-01-01

that the head is mod- eled more accurately, and the radiation pattern is sampled in more points. The model is able to take the on-body radiation pattern of the antenna, as well as arbitrary he ad contours into account. The model is validated by the use of measurements and Ansys HFSS simulations on the specific......The deterministic ear-to-ear on-body channel is modeled by the use of a number of elliptically shaped paths. The semi-major axes of the elliptica lly shaped paths are adjusted such that they trace the outline of the head. The path gain converges when the number of paths is increased, su ch...... anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) head. The model is used with a g enetic algorithm in order to synthesize a radiation pattern that is optimal for use with the ear-to-ear on-body channel. The radiation pattern is synthesized in terms of the spherical wave expansion coefficients of the hypothetical small antenna...

Sectoral Energy, and Labour, Productivity Convergence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulder, P.; De Groot, H.L.F.

2007-01-01

This paper empirically investigates the development of cross-country differences in energy- and labour productivity. The analysis is performed at a detailed sectoral level for 14 OECD countries, covering the period 1970-1997. A ρ-convergence analysis reveals that the development over time of the cross-country variation in productivity performance differs across sectors as well as across different levels of aggregation. Both patterns of convergence as well as divergence are found. Cross-country variation of productivity levels is typically larger for energy than for labour. A β-convergence analysis provides support for the hypothesis that in most sectors lagging countries tend to catch up with technological leaders, in particular in terms of energy productivity. Moreover, the results show that convergence is conditional, meaning that productivity levels converge to country-specific steady states. Energy prices and wages are shown to positively affect energy- and labour-productivity growth, respectively. We also find evidence for the importance of economies of scale, whereas the investment share, openness and specialization play only a modest role in explaining cross-country variation in energy- and labour-productivity growth

Proposal of rock mass behavior classification based on convergence measurement in shaft sinking through sedimentary soft rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsusaka, Kimikazu

2010-01-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been excavating deep shafts through sedimentary soft rocks in Horonobe, Hokkaido. From the viewpoint of the observational construction, site engineers need a practical guide to evaluate the field measurements conducted with shaft sinking. The author analyzed the relationship among initial deformation rate, observed deformation, the ratio of the modulus of elasticity of rock mass to the initial stress, and the magnitude of inelastic behavior of rock based on convergence measurements and investigation of rock mass properties on shaft walls. As a result, the rock mass behavior classification for shaft sinking which consists of three classes was proposed. (author)

Image transmission system using adaptive joint source and channel decoding

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Weiliang; Daut, David G.

2005-03-01

In this paper, an adaptive joint source and channel decoding method is designed to accelerate the convergence of the iterative log-dimain sum-product decoding procedure of LDPC codes as well as to improve the reconstructed image quality. Error resilience modes are used in the JPEG2000 source codec, which makes it possible to provide useful source decoded information to the channel decoder. After each iteration, a tentative decoding is made and the channel decoded bits are then sent to the JPEG2000 decoder. Due to the error resilience modes, some bits are known to be either correct or in error. The positions of these bits are then fed back to the channel decoder. The log-likelihood ratios (LLR) of these bits are then modified by a weighting factor for the next iteration. By observing the statistics of the decoding procedure, the weighting factor is designed as a function of the channel condition. That is, for lower channel SNR, a larger factor is assigned, and vice versa. Results show that the proposed joint decoding methods can greatly reduce the number of iterations, and thereby reduce the decoding delay considerably. At the same time, this method always outperforms the non-source controlled decoding method up to 5dB in terms of PSNR for various reconstructed images.

"Nanoselves": NBIC and the Culture of Convergence

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatesan, Priya

2010-01-01

The subject of this essay is NBIC convergence (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science convergence). NBIC convergence is a recurring trope that is dominated by the paradigm of integration of the sciences. It is largely influenced by the considerations of social and economic impact, and it assumes positivism in…

Remote state preparation using positive operator-valued measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Siendong, E-mail: sdhuang@mail.ndhu.edu.tw [Department of Applied Mathematics, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 974, Taiwan (China)

2013-02-04

We consider the process of remote state preparation using a pure state |ψ〉 with the maximal Schmidt number n. For any given state σ, pure or mixed, a construction of a positive operator-valued measure {M_j}{sub j=0}{sup n} is provided. The classical outcome j=0 indicates the failure of a remote preparation of σ. All other classical outcomes j>0 correspond to unitary transformations of the receiver system such that σ can be prepared. The total probability of successful remote preparation depends on the state σ. Our protocol is a variation of conclusive teleportation and the classical bits required for this protocol are given by log{sub 2}(n+1), which is nearly half that of conclusive teleportation.

Convergent close-coupling calculations of low-energy positron-atomic-hydrogen scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bray, I.; Stelbovics, A.T.

1993-07-01

The convergent close coupling approach developed by the authors is applied to positron scattering from atomic hydrogen below the first excitation threshold. In this approach the multi-channel expansion one-electron states are obtained by diagonalizing the target Hamiltonian in a large Laguerre basis. It is demonstrated that this expansion of the scattering wave function is sufficient to reproduce the very accurate low-energy variational results, provided target states with l≤ 15 are included in the expansions. 10 refs., 1 tab

Cross-channel coupling in positron-atom scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McAlinden, M.T.; Kernoghan, A.A.; Walters, H.R.J.

1994-01-01

Coupled-state calculations including positronium channels are reported for positron scattering by atomic hydrogen, lithium and sodium. Integrated cross sections and total cross sections are presented for all three atoms. For lithium differential cross sections are also given. Throughout, comparison is made between results calculated with and without inclusion of the positronium channels. S-wave cross sections for positron scattering by atomic hydrogen in the Ps(1s, 2s, 2p) + H(1s, 2s, 2p) approximation show the high energy resonance first observed by Higgins and Burke in the coupled-static approximation. This resonance has now moved up to 51.05 eV and narrowed in width to 2.92 eV. Other pronounced structure is seen in the S-wave cross sections between 10 and 20 eV; it is tentatively suggested that this structure may be due to the formation of a temporary pseudo-molecular collision complex. Results calculated in the Ps(1s, 2s, anti 3 anti s, anti 4 anti s, 2p, anti 3 anti p, anti 4 anti p, anti 3 anti d, anti 4 anti d) + H(1s, 2s, anti 3 anti s, anti 4 anti s, 2p, anti 3 anti p, anti 4 anti p, anti 3 anti d, anti 4 anti d) approximation show convergence towards accurate values in the energy region below and in the Ore gap. Contrary to previous work on lithium using only an atomic basis, it is found that coupling to the 3d state of lithium is not so important when positronium channels are included; this is because a mixed basis of atom and positronium states gives a more rapidly convergent approximation than an expansion based on atom states alone. The threshold behaviour of the elastic cross section and the Ps(1s) formation cross section for lithium is investigated. Results in the Ps(1s, 2s, 2p) + Na(3s, 3p) approximation for sodium show good agreement with the total cross section measurements of Kwan et al. (orig.)

Biomedical graphite and CaF2 preparation and measurement at PRIME Lab

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, George S.; Einstein, Jane A.; Kubley, Tom; Martin, Berdine; Weaver, Connie M.; Caffee, Marc

2015-10-01

The biomedical program at PRIME Lab has prepared radiocarbon and 41Ca as tracers for a variety of applications. Over the last decade several hundred 14C samples and several thousand 41Ca samples have been measured per year. Biomedical samples pose challenges that are relatively rare in the AMS community. We will discuss how to prepare and compensate for samples that have isotope ratios above the dynamic range of AMS, high interference rates, and small samples sizes. In the case of 41Ca, the trade off in the chromatography between yield and sample cleanliness will be analyzed. Secondary standards that have isotope ratios commonly encountered in our applications are routinely prepared. We use material from the Joint Research Centre's Institute for Reference Materials and Measurement: IRMM-3701/4, 3701/5, and 3701/6 and a standard produced by PRIME Lab for 41Ca. We use International Atomic Energy Agency's IAEA C-3, IAEA C-7, IAEA C-8, and a ∼12.5× modern oxalic acid secondary standard supplied by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 14C. We will discuss our precision, reproducibility, and the relative agreement between our measured and the reported values for these materials.

Characteristics of four-channel Cherenkov-type detector for measurements of runaway electrons in the ISTTOK tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plyusnin, V. V.; Duarte, P.; Fernandes, H.; Silva, C. [Instituto de Plasmas e FuSao Nuclear - Laboratorio Associado, Association Euratom/IST, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Jakubowski, L.; Zebrowski, J.; Malinowski, K.; Rabinski, M.; Sadowski, M. J. [The Andrzej Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies (IPJ), 05-400 Otwock-Swierk (Poland)

2010-10-15

A diagnostics capable of characterizing the runaway and superthermal electrons has been developing on the ISTTOK tokamak. In previous paper, a use of single-channel Cherenkov-type detector with titanium filter for runaway electron studies in ISTTOK was reported. To measure fast electron populations with different energies, a prototype of a four-channel detector with molybdenum filters was designed. Test-stand studies of filters with different thicknesses (1, 3, 7, 10, 20, 50, and 100 {mu}m) have shown that they should allow the detection of electrons with energies higher than 69, 75, 87, 95, 120, 181, and 260 keV, respectively. First results of measurements with the four-channel detector revealed the possibility to measure reliably different fast electrons populations simultaneously.

Real Economic Convergence in Western Europe from 1995 to 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzenita Siljak

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to analyze the economic convergence of real per capita GDP in the Western European countries with two types of measurement methodology. The first is sigma convergence, based on the coefficient of variation of real per capita GDP. The second is beta convergence, absolute/unconditional and conditional, including economic and socio-political variables, based on the neoclassical growth theory. The hypothesis of the paper is that there has been real economic convergence in Western Europe in at least one analyzed sub-period. The relationships between selected macroeconomic variables and the rate of economic growth are econometrically tested. Both sigma and beta convergence are estimated for the period 1995-2013 and four sub-periods: 1995-2003, 2004-2013, pre-crisis sub-period 2004-2008 and the crisis sub-period 2009-2013. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of economic convergence, i.e. that the poorer countries tend to grow faster than the rich ones in per capita terms, for some periods. However, the countries had a tendency to diverge, confiriming the negative effects of the crisis on per capita GDP growth. Sigma convergence is consistent with beta convergence. According to the results, the half-life of real convergence may take from 12 to 1078 years. Significant dissimilarities between the growth patterns among individual countries show the considerable heterogeneity of growth, i.e. the convergence clubs.

Distributed Channel Allocation and Time Slot Optimization for Green Internet of Things

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Kaiqi Ding

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In sustainable smart cities, power saving is a severe challenge in the energy-constrained Internet of Things (IoT. Efficient utilization of limited multiple non-overlap channels and time resources is a promising solution to reduce the network interference and save energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a joint channel allocation and time slot optimization solution for IoT. First, we propose a channel ranking algorithm which enables each node to rank its available channels based on the channel properties. Then, we propose a distributed channel allocation algorithm so that each node can choose a proper channel based on the channel ranking and its own residual energy. Finally, the sleeping duration and spectrum sensing duration are jointly optimized to maximize the normalized throughput and satisfy energy consumption constraints simultaneously. Different from the former approaches, our proposed solution requires no central coordination or any global information that each node can operate based on its own local information in a total distributed manner. Also, theoretical analysis and extensive simulations have validated that when applying our solution in the network of IoT: (i each node can be allocated to a proper channel based on the residual energy to balance the lifetime; (ii the network can rapidly converge to a collision-free transmission through each node’s learning ability in the process of the distributed channel allocation; and (iii the network throughput is further improved via the dynamic time slot optimization.

Distributed Channel Allocation and Time Slot Optimization for Green Internet of Things.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Kaiqi; Zhao, Haitao; Hu, Xiping; Wei, Jibo

2017-10-28

In sustainable smart cities, power saving is a severe challenge in the energy-constrained Internet of Things (IoT). Efficient utilization of limited multiple non-overlap channels and time resources is a promising solution to reduce the network interference and save energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a joint channel allocation and time slot optimization solution for IoT. First, we propose a channel ranking algorithm which enables each node to rank its available channels based on the channel properties. Then, we propose a distributed channel allocation algorithm so that each node can choose a proper channel based on the channel ranking and its own residual energy. Finally, the sleeping duration and spectrum sensing duration are jointly optimized to maximize the normalized throughput and satisfy energy consumption constraints simultaneously. Different from the former approaches, our proposed solution requires no central coordination or any global information that each node can operate based on its own local information in a total distributed manner. Also, theoretical analysis and extensive simulations have validated that when applying our solution in the network of IoT: (i) each node can be allocated to a proper channel based on the residual energy to balance the lifetime; (ii) the network can rapidly converge to a collision-free transmission through each node's learning ability in the process of the distributed channel allocation; and (iii) the network throughput is further improved via the dynamic time slot optimization.

Examining the Level of Convergence among Self-Regulated Learning Microanalytic Processes, Achievement, and a Self-Report Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Cleary, Timothy J.; Callan, Gregory L.; Malatesta, Jaime; Adams, Tanya

2015-01-01

This study examined the convergent and predictive validity of self-regulated learning (SRL) microanalytic measures. Specifically, theoretically based relations among a set of self-reflection processes, self-efficacy, and achievement were examined as was the level of convergence between a microanalytic strategy measure and a SRL self-report…

A simple preparative free-flow electrophoresis joined with gratis gravity: I. Gas cushion injector and self-balance collector instead of multiple channel pump.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Su; Palmer, James F; Zhang, Wei; Shao, Jing; Li, Si; Fan, Liu-Yin; Sun, Ren; Dong, Yu-Chao; Cao, Cheng-Xi

2009-06-01

This paper describes a novel free-flow electrophoresis (FFE), which is joined with gratis gravity, gas cushion injector (GCI) and self-balance collector instead of multiple channel pump, for the purpose of preparative purification. The FFE was evaluated by systemic experiments. The results manifest that (i) even though one-channel peristaltic pump is used for the driving of background buffer, there is still stable flow in the FFE chamber; (ii) the stable flow is induced by the gravity-induced pressure due to the difference of buffer surfaces in the GCI and self-balance collector; (iii) the pulse flow of background buffer induced by the peristaltic pump is greatly reduced by the GCI with good compressibility of included air; (iv) the FFE can be well used for zone electrophoretic separation of amino acids; (v) up to 20 inlets simultaneous sample injection and up to five to tenfold condensation of amino acid can be achieved by combining the FFE device with the method of moving reaction boundary. To the best of authors' knowledge, FFE has not been used for such separation and condensation of amino acids. The relevant results achieved in the paper have evident significance for the development of preparative FFE.

Flow visualization and velocity measurement in a small-scale open channel using an electron microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, K; Sogo, M; Iwamoto, Y

2013-01-01

The present note describes a method for use in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that has been developed to visualize a liquid flow under a high-level vacuum and to measure a velocity field in a small-scale flow through an open channel. In general, liquid cannot be observed via a SEM, because liquid evaporates under the high-vacuum environment of the SEM. As such, ionic liquid and room temperature molten salt having a vapor pressure of nearly zero is used in the present study. We use ionic liquid containing Au-coated tracer particles to visualize a small-scale flow under a SEM. Furthermore, the velocity distribution in the open channel is obtained by particle tracking velocimetry measurement and a parabolic profile is confirmed. (technical design note)

A Study on Diffusion Pattern of Technology Convergence: Patent Analysis for Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae Young Choi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Technology convergence indicates that technologies of different application areas are converted into a new and common unity of technology. Its range spans from inter-field, whereby technologies are converged between heterogeneous fields in homogeneous sector, to a wider inter-sector, whereby technologies belong to heterogeneous technology sector are converged. This paper determined the definition of technology convergence from previous literature and classified patents into technology category depending on patent information. Furthermore, we empirically measure technology convergence degree based on co-classification analysis and estimate its diffusion trend at the entire technology domain level by using overall 1,476,967 of patents filed to the KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office from 1998 to 2010. As a result, potential size and growth rate of technology convergence are varied by both technology and type of technology convergence, i.e., inter-field and inter-sector technology convergence. Diffusion pattern of inter-sector technology convergence appears as the more various form than that of inter-field technology convergence. In a relationship between potential size and growth rate of technology convergence, growth rate of technology convergence is in inverse proportion to potential size of technology convergence in general. That is, the faster the growth rate of technology convergence, the smaller the potential size of technology convergence. In addition, this paper found that technology convergence of the instrument and chemistry sector is actively progressing in both inter-field and inter-sector convergence, while the technologies related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT in electrical engineering sector have relatively mature progress of technology convergence, especially in inter-sector technology convergence.

Accommodation modulates the individual difference between objective and subjective measures of the final convergence step response.

Science.gov (United States)

Jainta, S; Hoormann, J; Jaschinski, W

2009-03-01

Measuring vergence eye movements with dichoptic nonius lines (subjectively) usually leads to an overestimation of the vergence state after a step response: a subjective vergence overestimation (SVO). We tried to reduce this SVO by presenting a vergence stimulus that decoupled vergence and accommodation during the step response, i.e. reduced the degree of 'forced vergence'. In a mirror-stereoscope, we estimated convergence step responses with nonius lines presented at 1000 ms after a disparity step-stimulus and compared it to objective recordings (EyeLink II; n = 6). We presented a vertical line, a cross/rectangle stimulus and a difference-of-gaussians (DOG) pattern. For 180 min arc step stimuli, the subjective measures revealed a larger final vergence response than the objective measure; for the vertical line this SVO was 20 min arc, while it was significantly smaller for the DOG (12 min arc). For 60 min arc step-responses, no overestimation was observed. Additionally, we measured accommodation, which changed more for the DOG-pattern compared with the line-stimulus; this relative increase correlated with the corresponding relative change of SVO (r = 0.77). Both findings (i.e. no overestimation for small steps and a weaker one for the DOG-pattern) reflect lesser conflicting demand on accommodation and vergence under 'forced-vergence' viewing; consequently, sensory compensation is reduced and subjective and objective measures of vergence step responses tend to agree.

Convergent Validity of the PUTS

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Valerie Cathérine Brandt

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Premonitory urges are a cardinal feature in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Severity of premonitory urges can be assessed with the Premonitory Urge for Tic Disorders Scale (PUTS. However, convergent validity of the measure has been difficult to assess due to the lack of other urge measures.We investigated the relationship between average real-time urge intensity assessed by an in-house developed real-time urge monitor, measuring urge intensity continuously for 5mins on a visual analogue scale, and general urge intensity assessed by the PUTS in 22 adult Tourette patients (mean age 29.8+/- 10.3; 19 male. Additionally, underlying factors of premonitory urges assessed by the PUTS were investigated in the adult sample using factor analysis and were replicated in 40 children and adolescents diagnosed with Tourette syndrome (mean age 12.05 +/- 2.83 SD, 31 male.Cronbach’s alpha for the PUTS10 was acceptable (α = .79 in the adult sample. Convergent validity between average real-time urge intensity scores (as assessed with the real-time urge monitor and the 10-item version of the PUTS (r = .64 and the 9-item version of the PUTS (r = .66 was good. A factor analysis including the 10 items of the PUTS and average real-time urge intensity scores revealed three factors. One factor included the average real-time urge intensity score and appeared to measure urge intensity, while the other two factors can be assumed to reflect the (sensory quality of urges and subjective control, respectively. The factor structure of the 10 PUTS items alone was replicated in a sample of children and adolescents.The results indicate that convergent validity between the PUTS and the real-time urge assessment monitor is good. Furthermore, the results suggest that the PUTS might assess more than one dimension of urges and it may be worthwhile developing different sub-scales of the PUTS assessing premonitory urges in terms of intensity and quality, as well as subjectively

Calcium homeostasis modulator (CALHM) ion channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Zhongming; Tanis, Jessica E; Taruno, Akiyuki; Foskett, J Kevin

2016-03-01

Calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), formerly known as FAM26C, was recently identified as a physiologically important plasma membrane ion channel. CALHM1 and its Caenorhabditis elegans homolog, CLHM-1, are regulated by membrane voltage and extracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]o). In the presence of physiological [Ca(2+)]o (∼1.5 mM), CALHM1 and CLHM-1 are closed at resting membrane potentials but can be opened by strong depolarizations. Reducing [Ca(2+)]o increases channel open probability, enabling channel activation at negative membrane potentials. Together, voltage and Ca(2+) o allosterically regulate CALHM channel gating. Through convergent evolution, CALHM has structural features that are reminiscent of connexins and pannexins/innexins/LRRC8 (volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC)) gene families, including four transmembrane helices with cytoplasmic amino and carboxyl termini. A CALHM1 channel is a hexamer of CALHM1 monomers with a functional pore diameter of ∼14 Å. CALHM channels discriminate poorly among cations and anions, with signaling molecules including Ca(2+) and ATP able to permeate through its pore. CALHM1 is expressed in the brain where it plays an important role in cortical neuron excitability induced by low [Ca(2+)]o and in type II taste bud cells in the tongue that sense sweet, bitter, and umami tastes where it functions as an essential ATP release channel to mediate nonsynaptic neurotransmitter release. CLHM-1 is expressed in C. elegans sensory neurons and body wall muscles, and its genetic deletion causes locomotion defects. Thus, CALHM is a voltage- and Ca(2+) o-gated ion channel, permeable to large cations and anions, that plays important roles in physiology.

Societal response to nanotechnology: converging technologies–converging societal response research?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ronteltap, A.; Fischer, A.R.H.; Tobi, H.

2011-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology particularly vulnerable to societal unrest, which may hinder its further development. With the increasing convergence of several technological domains in the field of nanotechnology, so too could convergence of social science methods help to anticipate

‘More Than a Television Channel’: Channel 4, FilmFour and a Failed Convergence Strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andrews, Hannah

2014-01-01

abstractObliged by act of Parliament to ‘innovate and experiment’, Channel 4 has, since its birth in 1982, been the UK’s most pioneering commercial television broadcaster. Its arrival broadened the meaning, function and operations of public service broadcasting in the UK, with a particular focus on

Weak convergence and uniform normalization in infinitary rewriting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Jakob Grue

2010-01-01

the starkly surprising result that for any orthogonal system with finitely many rules, the system is weakly normalizing under weak convergence if{f} it is strongly normalizing under weak convergence if{f} it is weakly normalizing under strong convergence if{f} it is strongly normalizing under strong...... convergence. As further corollaries, we derive a number of new results for weakly convergent rewriting: Systems with finitely many rules enjoy unique normal forms, and acyclic orthogonal systems are confluent. Our results suggest that it may be possible to recover some of the positive results for strongly...

Changes in In Situ Stress Across the Nankai and Cascadia Convergent Margins From Borehole Breakout Measurements During Ocean Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

McNeill, L.; Moore, J. C.; Yamada, Y.; Chang, C.; Tobin, H.; Kinoshita, M.; Gulick, S.; Moore, G.; Iodp Exp. 314/315/316 Science Party, &

2008-12-01

Borehole breakouts are commonly observed in borehole images shortly after drilling of continental margin sites. This study aims to compile and compare these results to determine what in situ shallow stress measurements can tell us about the larger scale tectonic regime. Recent Logging While Drilling resistivity images across the Kumano transect of the Nankai subduction zone, during Expedition 314, Stage 1 of the IODP NanTroSEIZE project, add to this dataset. Expedition 314 site data within the prism (C0001, C0004, C0006, including the megasplay fault system which may overlie the seismogenic updip limit) suggest maximum compressive stress (SHmax) is perpendicular to the margin (not parallel to the convergence vector) but is rotated through 90° at the forearc basin site (C0002). These results may point to changes in stress state of the shallow forearc from east to west: compression in the aseismic active prism (with evidence of strain partitioning of oblique convergence); and extension above the updip seismogenic zone suggesting focus of plate coupling at the plate boundary and not in the shallow forearc. Further south, ODP Leg 196 drilled the prism toe (808) with breakouts indicating SHmax parallel to the convergence vector, in contrast to Exp. 314 results. The stress state in the shallow prism at Site 808 may be affected by nearby seamount subduction or may represent differences in strain partitioning. On the Cascadia margin, two drilling legs have collected LWD borehole images (Leg 204 and Exp. 311). Leg 204 drilled 3 sites at hydrate ridge in the C Cascadia outer prism with breakout orientations variable between closely spaced sites. Prism fold axes are parallel to the margin so we might expect SHmax perpendicular to the margin as in Exp. 314. Deviations from this orientation may reflect local and surface effects (Goldberg and Janik, 2006). Exp. 311, N Cascadia, drilled 5 sites across the prism with breakouts in LWD images. Subduction is not oblique here, in

Convergence analysis of household expenditures using the absolute β-convergence method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anto Domazet

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The paper examines the convergence of household expenditures, in terms of a possible usage of the standardized, rather than consumer-tailored marketing, mainly on a regional level. Objectives: The main goal of this research is to study the existence of consumption expenditure convergence in the EU-27 countries, in the period between 2000 and 2007. Methods/Approach: The analysis used the absolute β-convergence method, in order to investigate the existence of a negative correlation between the growth over time in the overall consumption expenditure in EU member- countries for each individual product and service category and the initial expenditure level. Results: According to the obtained results, in the period between 2000 and 2007, the EU-27 countries reached a high level of consumer expenditure convergence, which provides a basis for developing a regional concept of the standardized international marketing for these countries’ markets. Conclusions: The results provide an empirical contribution to claims on consumer convergence in the countries included into economic integrations. Also, the obtained results can be used to create a basis for defining and applying the regional marketing concept for companies focusing on the EU-27 countries’ market.

Volume of the space of qubit-qubit channels and state transformations under random quantum channels

OpenAIRE

Lovas, Attila; Andai, Attila

2017-01-01

The simplest building blocks for quantum computations are the qubit-qubit quantum channels. In this paper, we analyze the structure of these channels via their Choi representation. The restriction of a quantum channel to the space of classical states (i.e. probability distributions) is called the underlying classical channel. The structure of quantum channels over a fixed classical channel is studied, the volume of general and unital qubit channels with respect to the Lebesgue measure is comp...

Safety assessment of inter-channel / inter-system digital communications: A defensive measures approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thuy, N. N. Q.

2006-01-01

Inappropriately designed inter-channel and inter-system digital communications could initiate common cause failure of multiple channels or multiple systems. Defensive measures were introduced in EPRI report TR-1002835 (Guideline for Performing Defense-in-Depth and Diversity Assessments for Digital Upgrades) to assess, on a deterministic basis, the susceptibility of digital systems architectures to common-cause failures. This paper suggests how this approach could be applied to assess inter-channel and inter-system digital communications from a safety standpoint. The first step of the approach is to systematically identify the so called 'influence factors' that one end of the data communication path can have on the other. Potential factors to be considered would typically include data values, data volumes and data rates. The second step of the approach is to characterize the ways possible failures of a given end of the communication path could affect these influence factors (e.g., incorrect data values, excessive data rates, time-outs, incorrect data volumes). The third step is to analyze the designed-in measures taken to guarantee independence of the other end. In addition to classical error detection and correction codes, typical defensive measures are one-way data communication, fixed-rate data communication, fixed-volume data communication, validation of data values. (authors)

The analysis of Rutherford scattering-channelling measurements of disorder production and annealing in ion irradiated semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)