Power adaptation for joint switched diversity and adaptive modulation schemes in spectrum sharing systems

KAUST Repository

Bouida, Zied; Tourki, Kamel; Ghrayeb, Ali A.; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

Under the scenario of an underlay cognitive radio network, we propose in this paper an adaptive scheme using transmit power adaptation, switched transmit diversity, and adaptive modulation in order to improve the performance of existing switching efficient schemes (SES) and bandwidth efficient schemes (BES). Taking advantage of the channel reciprocity principle, we assume that the channel state information (CSI) of the interference link is available to the secondary transmitter. This information is then used by the secondary transmitter to adapt its transmit power, modulation constellation size, and used transmit branch. The goal of this joint adaptation is to minimize the average number of switched branches and the average system delay given the fading channel conditions, the required error rate performance, and a peak interference constraint to the primary receiver. We analyze the proposed scheme in terms of the average number of branch switching, average delay, and we provide a closed-form expression of the average bit error rate (BER). We demonstrate through numerical examples that the proposed scheme provides a compromise between the SES and the BES schemes. © 2012 IEEE.

Taking Competitive Advantage By Business Model Innovation(İş Modeli İnovasyonu ile Rekabetçi Bir Avantaj Yakalamak

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa BEKMEZCİ

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the world and Turkey there are many companies that both survive and increase their market shares and profits by changing business models. Business model innovation is one of the best and prevailing methods to tackle with the difficulties emerged in crisis and recession periods and the other endangering factors that should be reacted at once as well as to increase market share and to make profit. In this study, some significant points that companies have to consider for taking competitive advantage by business model innovation are indicated. Taking these findings into consideration will help managers to cope with the crises caused by environmental and/or organizational factors.

Energy harvesting schemes for building interior environment monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zylka, Pawel; Pociecha, Dominik

2016-11-01

A vision to supply microelectronic devices without batteries making them perpetual or extending time of service in battery-oriented mobile supply schemes is the driving force of the research related to ambient energy harvesting. Energy harnessing aims thus at extracting energy from various ambient energy "pools", which generally are cost- or powerineffective to be scaled up for full-size, power-plant energy generation schemes supplying energy in electric form. These include - but are not limited to - waste heat, electromagnetic hum, vibrations, or human-generated power in addition to traditional renewable energy resources like water flow, tidal and wind energy or sun radiation which can also be exploited at the miniature scale by energy scavengers. However, in case of taking advantage of energy harvesting strategies to power up sensors monitoring environment inside buildings adaptable energy sources are restrained to only some which additionally are limited in spatial and temporal accessibility as well as available power. The paper explores experimentally an energy harvesting scheme exploiting human kinesis applicable in indoor environment for supplying a wireless indoor micro-system, monitoring ambient air properties (pressure, humidity and temperature).

Efficient JPEG 2000 Image Compression Scheme for Multihop Wireless Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Halim Sghaier

2011-08-01

Full Text Available When using wireless sensor networks for real-time data transmission, some critical points should be considered. Restricted computational power, reduced memory, narrow bandwidth and energy supplied present strong limits in sensor nodes. Therefore, maximizing network lifetime and minimizing energy consumption are always optimization goals. To overcome the computation and energy limitation of individual sensor nodes during image transmission, an energy efficient image transport scheme is proposed, taking advantage of JPEG2000 still image compression standard using MATLAB and C from Jasper. JPEG2000 provides a practical set of features, not necessarily available in the previous standards. These features were achieved using techniques: the discrete wavelet transform (DWT, and embedded block coding with optimized truncation (EBCOT. Performance of the proposed image transport scheme is investigated with respect to image quality and energy consumption. Simulation results are presented and show that the proposed scheme optimizes network lifetime and reduces significantly the amount of required memory by analyzing the functional influence of each parameter of this distributed image compression algorithm.

Feedback scheme for kink instability in ERL based electron ion collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Y.; Litvinenko, V.N.; Ptitsyn, V.

2011-01-01

Kink instability presents one of the limiting factors from achieving higher luminosity in ERL based electron ion collider (EIC). However, we can take advantage of the flexibility of the linac and design a feedback system to cure the instability. This scheme raises the threshold of kink instability dramatically and provides opportunity for higher luminosity. We studied the effectiveness of this system and its dependence on the amplitude and phase of the feedback. In this paper we present results of theses studies of this scheme and describe its theoretical and practical limitations. The main advantage of an energy recovery linac (ERL) based electron ion collider (EIC) over a ring-ring type counterpart is the higher achievable luminosity. In ERL-based version, one electron beam collides with the opposing ion beam only once so that the beam-beam parameter can largely exceed the usual limitation in an electron collider ring, while the beam-beam parameter for the ion beam remains small values. The resulting luminosity may be enhanced by one order of magnitude. The beam dynamics related challenges also arise as the luminosity boost in ERL based EIC due to the significant beam-beam effect on the electron beam. The effects on the electron beam include the additional large beam-beam tune shift and nonlinear emittance growth, which are discussed. The ion beam may develop a head-tail type instability, referred as 'kink instability', through the interaction with the electron beam. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of an active feedback system to mitigate the kink instability, by taking advantage of the flexibility of ERL. Throughout the paper, we will discuss the collision between proton and electron beam. Any other ion species can be scaled by its charge Z and ion mass A.

Efficient decoupling schemes with bounded controls based on Eulerian orthogonal arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wocjan, Pawel

2006-01-01

The task of decoupling, i.e., removing unwanted internal couplings of a quantum system and its couplings to an environment, plays an important role in quantum control theory. There are many efficient decoupling schemes based on combinatorial concepts such as orthogonal arrays, difference schemes, and Hadamard matrices. So far these combinatorial decoupling schemes have relied on the ability to effect sequences of instantaneous, arbitrarily strong control Hamiltonians (bang-bang controls). To overcome the shortcomings of bang-bang control, Viola and Knill proposed a method called 'Eulerian decoupling' that allows the use of bounded-strength controls for decoupling. However, their method was not directly designed to take advantage of the local structure of internal couplings and couplings to an environment that typically occur in multipartite quantum systems. In this paper we define a combinatorial structure called Eulerian orthogonal array. It merges the desirable properties of orthogonal arrays and Eulerian cycles in Cayley graphs (that are the basis of Eulerian decoupling). We show that this structure gives rise to decoupling schemes with bounded-strength control Hamiltonians that can be used to remove both internal couplings and couplings to an environment of a multipartite quantum system. Furthermore, we show how to construct Eulerian orthogonal arrays having good parameters in order to obtain efficient decoupling schemes

Solar Wear Tattoo – Combining Functional Materials Taking Advantage of Different UPF of Textiles, to Create Healthier Tattooing Alternatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mendes Vanessa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Tattooing process can be a painful experience whether achieving a permanent or temporary body art on skin, and there can be horrible consequences. By taking advantage of UV protection factor variables of fashion clothing materials, it is possible to create this kind of body art in a much healthier way. The material performance is key, besides UPF materials that relies on the material behaviour when combined, layer sequence of these materials used for the desired function is equally as important, if not, even more important so. When properly combined in the correct order, making use of the right technology it may be possible to test different combinations. The advantages are, besides creating a temporary tattoo, that the user can benefit from moderate sun bathing advantages, that can provide the desired body art design on skin and the sunbathing health benefits. All of this can only be possible with a deep understanding of the UV protection factor of fashion materials, and how it can be tested and used in the manufacturing process for the desired function.

A novel quantum group signature scheme without using entangled states

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Guang-Bao; Zhang, Ke-Jia

2015-07-01

In this paper, we propose a novel quantum group signature scheme. It can make the signer sign a message on behalf of the group without the help of group manager (the arbitrator), which is different from the previous schemes. In addition, a signature can be verified again when its signer disavows she has ever generated it. We analyze the validity and the security of the proposed signature scheme. Moreover, we discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the new scheme and the existing ones. The results show that our scheme satisfies all the characteristics of a group signature and has more advantages than the previous ones. Like its classic counterpart, our scheme can be used in many application scenarios, such as e-government and e-business.

On doublet composite schemes of leptons and quarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirogov, Yu.F.

1981-01-01

All simplest doublet composite schemes are classified. Four different doublet schemes are shown to be available. A new scheme with charge doublet Q=(2/3, -1/3) rather advantageous as compared with the previous ones is being considered. Some difficulties in interpreting the colour as an effective symmetry are pointed out [ru

Vectorization of a Monte Carlo simulation scheme for nonequilibrium gas dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Iain D.

1991-01-01

Significant improvement has been obtained in the numerical performance of a Monte Carlo scheme for the analysis of nonequilibrium gas dynamics through an implementation of the algorithm which takes advantage of vector hardware, as presently demonstrated through application to three different problems. These are (1) a 1D standing-shock wave; (2) the flow of an expanding gas through an axisymmetric nozzle; and (3) the hypersonic flow of Ar gas over a 3D wedge. Problem (3) is illustrative of the greatly increased number of molecules which the simulation may involve, thanks to improved algorithm performance.

Secure RAID Schemes for Distributed Storage

OpenAIRE

Huang, Wentao; Bruck, Jehoshua

2016-01-01

We propose secure RAID, i.e., low-complexity schemes to store information in a distributed manner that is resilient to node failures and resistant to node eavesdropping. We generalize the concept of systematic encoding to secure RAID and show that systematic schemes have significant advantages in the efficiencies of encoding, decoding and random access. For the practical high rate regime, we construct three XOR-based systematic secure RAID schemes with optimal or almost optimal encoding and ...

Implications for Firms with Limited Information to Take Advantage of Reference Price Effect in Competitive Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junhai Ma

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper studies internal reference price effects when competitive firms face reference price effects and make decisions based on partial information, where their decision-making mechanism is modeled by a dynamic adjustment process. It is shown that the evolution of this dynamic adjustment goes to stabilization if both adjustment speeds are small and the complexity of this evolution increases in adjustment speeds. It is proved that the necessary condition for flip bifurcation or Neimark-Sacker bifurcation will occur with the increase of adjustment speed in two special cases. What is more, numerical simulations show that these bifurcations do occur. Then, the impacts of parameters on stability and profits are investigated and some management insights for firms with limited information to take advantage of reference price effects are provided.

Effective Scheme of Channel Tracking and Estimation for Mobile WiMAX DL-PUSC System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phuong Thi Thu Pham

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces an effective joint scheme of channel estimation and tracking for downlink partial usage of subchannel (DL-PUSC mode of mobile WiMAX system. Based on the pilot pattern of this particular system, some channel estimation methods including conventional interpolations and a more favorable least-squares line fitting (LSLF technique are comparatively studied. Besides, channel estimation performance can be remarkably improved by taking advantage of channel tracking derived from the preamble symbol. System performances in terms of packet error rate (PER and user link throughput are investigated in various channels adopted from the well-known ITU models for mobile environments. Simulation results show a significant performance enhancement when the proposed joint scheme is utilized, at least 5 dB, compared to only commonly used channel estimation approaches.

Optimization of Compton-suppression and summing schemes for the TIGRESS HPGe detector array

Science.gov (United States)

Schumaker, M. A.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Andreyev, A.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Boston, A. J.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Churchman, R.; Drake, T. E.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Hyland, B.; Jones, B.; Maharaj, R.; Morton, A. C.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Sarazin, F.; Scraggs, H. C.; Smith, M. B.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Waddington, J. C.; Watters, L. M.

2007-04-01

Methods of optimizing the performance of an array of Compton-suppressed, segmented HPGe clover detectors have been developed which rely on the physical position sensitivity of both the HPGe crystals and the Compton-suppression shields. These relatively simple analysis procedures promise to improve the precision of experiments with the TRIUMF-ISAC Gamma-Ray Escape-Suppressed Spectrometer (TIGRESS). Suppression schemes will improve the efficiency and peak-to-total ratio of TIGRESS for high γ-ray multiplicity events by taking advantage of the 20-fold segmentation of the Compton-suppression shields, while the use of different summing schemes will improve results for a wide range of experimental conditions. The benefits of these methods are compared for many γ-ray energies and multiplicities using a GEANT4 simulation, and the optimal physical configuration of the TIGRESS array under each set of conditions is determined.

Investigation of factors determining risk-taking strategies in Pension fund investment of Defined Benefit schemes in the UK corporate pension system

OpenAIRE

Hu, Chunan

2014-01-01

This paper investigates various incentives determining risk taking strategies of the corporate pension fund investment from the perspective of sponsors. In the United Kingdom, occupational pension plans especially defined benefit (DB) pension schemes play important roles in the financial market. Comparing with the conventional framework managing pension risk as a contained part of the whole firm risk, recent studies start to focus on pension risk especially investment risk as an individual to...

Size and shape of Brain may be such as to take advantage of two Dimensions of Time

Science.gov (United States)

Kriske, Richard

2014-03-01

This author had previously Theorized that there are two non-commuting Dimensions of time. One is Clock Time and the other is Information Time (which we generally refer to as Information, like Spin Up or Spin Down). When time does not commute with another Dimension of Time, one takes the Clock Time at one point in space and the Information time is not known; that is different than if one takes the Information time at that point and the Clock time is not known--This is not explicitly about time but rather space. An example of this non-commutation is that if one knows the Spin at one point and the Time at one point of space then simultaneosly, one knows the Spin at another point of Space and the Time there (It is the same time), it is a restatement of the EPR paradox. As a matter of fact two Dimensions of Time would prove the EPR paradox. It is obvious from that argument that if one needed to take advantage of Information, then a fairly large space needs to be used, a large amount of Energy needs to be Generated and a symmetry needs to be established in Space-like the lobes of a Brain in order to detect the fact that the Tclock and Tinfo are not Commuting. This Non-Commuting deposits a large amount of Information simultaneously in that space, and synchronizes the time there.

Schemes for Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and cluster state preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Jie; Xia Yan; Song Heshan

2008-01-01

Schemes to generate Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) and cluster states of three atoms are proposed in a two-mode cavity. The advantages of the schemes are their robustness against decoherence due to spontaneous emission of the excited states and decay of the cavity modes. Moreover, the schemes can be generalized to generate N-atom entangled states

Improved QRD-M Detection Algorithm for Generalized Spatial Modulation Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaorong Jing

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Generalized spatial modulation (GSM is a spectral and energy efficient multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO transmission scheme. It will lead to imperfect detection performance with relatively high computational complexity by directly applying the original QR-decomposition with M algorithm (QRD-M to the GSM scheme. In this paper an improved QRD-M algorithm is proposed for GSM signal detection, which achieves near-optimal performance but with relatively low complexity. Based on the QRD, the improved algorithm firstly transforms the maximum likelihood (ML detection of the GSM signals into searching an inverted tree structure. Then, in the searching process of the M branches, the branches corresponding to the illegitimate transmit antenna combinations (TACs and related to invalid number of active antennas are cut in order to improve the validity of the resultant branches at each level by taking advantage of characteristics of GSM signals. Simulation results show that the improved QRD-M detection algorithm provides similar performance to maximum likelihood (ML with the reduced computational complexity compared to the original QRD-M algorithm, and the optimal value of parameter M of the improved QRD-M algorithm for detection of the GSM scheme is equal to modulation order plus one.

Evolution system study of a generalized scheme of relativistic magnetohydrodynamic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahjoub, Bechir.

1977-01-01

A generalized scheme of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics is studied with a thermodynamical differential relation proposed by Fokker; this scheme takes account of interaction between the fluid and the magnetic field. Taking account of an integrability condition of this relation, the evolution system corresponding to this scheme is identical to the one corresponding to the usual scheme; it has the same characteristics; it is non-strictly hyperbolic with the same hypothesis of compressibility and it has, with respect to the Cauchy problem, an unique solution in a Gevrey class of index α=3/2 [fr

A Study on the Security Levels of Spread-Spectrum Embedding Schemes in the WOA Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuan-Gen; Zhu, Guopu; Kwong, Sam; Shi, Yun-Qing

2017-08-23

Security analysis is a very important issue for digital watermarking. Several years ago, according to Kerckhoffs' principle, the famous four security levels, namely insecurity, key security, subspace security, and stego-security, were defined for spread-spectrum (SS) embedding schemes in the framework of watermarked-only attack. However, up to now there has been little application of the definition of these security levels to the theoretical analysis of the security of SS embedding schemes, due to the difficulty of the theoretical analysis. In this paper, based on the security definition, we present a theoretical analysis to evaluate the security levels of five typical SS embedding schemes, which are the classical SS, the improved SS (ISS), the circular extension of ISS, the nonrobust and robust natural watermarking, respectively. The theoretical analysis of these typical SS schemes are successfully performed by taking advantage of the convolution of probability distributions to derive the probabilistic models of watermarked signals. Moreover, simulations are conducted to illustrate and validate our theoretical analysis. We believe that the theoretical and practical analysis presented in this paper can bridge the gap between the definition of the four security levels and its application to the theoretical analysis of SS embedding schemes.

An Arbitrated Quantum Signature Scheme without Entanglement*

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hui-Ran; Luo Ming-Xing; Peng Dai-Yuan; Wang Xiao-Jun

2017-01-01

Several quantum signature schemes are recently proposed to realize secure signatures of quantum or classical messages. Arbitrated quantum signature as one nontrivial scheme has attracted great interests because of its usefulness and efficiency. Unfortunately, previous schemes cannot against Trojan horse attack and DoS attack and lack of the unforgeability and the non-repudiation. In this paper, we propose an improved arbitrated quantum signature to address these secure issues with the honesty arbitrator. Our scheme takes use of qubit states not entanglements. More importantly, the qubit scheme can achieve the unforgeability and the non-repudiation. Our scheme is also secure for other known quantum attacks . (paper)

Publication Of Administrative Circulars: No. 4 (Rev. 4) – Unemployment Insurance Scheme No. 30 (Rev. 2) – Financial Benefits on Taking Up Appointment and on Termination of Contract

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 4) – Unemployment insurance scheme Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 4) – "Unemployment insurance scheme", approved following discussion in the Standing Concertation Committee meetings of 28 August 2007 and 27 February 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 3) – "Unemployment insurance" of October 1993. Copies will shortly be available in Departmental secretariats. Human Resources Department Tel. 78003 Administrative Circular No. 30 (Rev. 2) – Financial benefits on taking up appointment and termination of contract Administrative Circular No. 30 (Rev. 2) – "Financial benefits on taking up appointment and termination of contract", approved following discussion in the Standing Concertation Committee meetings of 28 August 2007 and 27 February 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources De...

Publication Of Administrative Circulars: No. 4 (Rev. 4) – Unemployment Insurance Scheme No. 30 (Rev. 2) – Financial Benefits on Taking Up Appointment and on Termination of Contract

CERN Document Server

HR Department

2008-01-01

Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 4) – Unemployment insurance scheme Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 4) – "Unemployment insurance scheme", approved following discussion at the Standing Concertation Committee meetings of 28 August 2007 and 27 February 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources Department. It cancels and replaces Administrative Circular No. 4 (Rev. 3) – "Unemployment insurance" of October 1993. Copies will shortly be available in Departmental secretariats. Human Resources Department Tel. 78003 Administrative Circular No. 30 (Rev. 2) – Financial benefits on taking up appointment and termination of contract Administrative Circular No. 30 (Rev. 2) – "Financial benefits on taking up appointment and termination of contract", approved following discussion at the Standing Concertation Committee meetings of 28 August 2007 and 27 February 2008, is now available on the intranet site of the Human Resources De...

Optimal Scheme Selection of Agricultural Production Structure Adjustment - Based on DEA Model; Punjab (Pakistan)

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zeeshan Ahmad; Meng Jun; Muhammad Abdullah; Mazhar Nadeem Ishaq; Majid Lateef; Imran Khan

2015-01-01

This paper used the modern evaluation method of DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) to assess the comparative efficiency and then on the basis of this among multiple schemes chose the optimal scheme of agricultural production structure adjustment. Based on the results of DEA model, we dissected scale advantages of each discretionary scheme or plan. We examined scale advantages of each discretionary scheme, tested profoundly a definitive purpose behind not-DEA efficient, which elucidated the system and methodology to enhance these discretionary plans. At the end, another method had been proposed to rank and select the optimal scheme. The research was important to guide the practice if the modification of agricultural production industrial structure was carried on.

An extrapolation scheme for solid-state NMR chemical shift calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Takahito

2017-06-01

Conventional quantum chemical and solid-state physical approaches include several problems to accurately calculate solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties. We propose a reliable computational scheme for solid-state NMR chemical shifts using an extrapolation scheme that retains the advantages of these approaches but reduces their disadvantages. Our scheme can satisfactorily yield solid-state NMR magnetic shielding constants. The estimated values have only a small dependence on the low-level density functional theory calculation with the extrapolation scheme. Thus, our approach is efficient because the rough calculation can be performed in the extrapolation scheme.

Matroids and quantum-secret-sharing schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarvepalli, Pradeep; Raussendorf, Robert

2010-01-01

A secret-sharing scheme is a cryptographic protocol to distribute a secret state in an encoded form among a group of players such that only authorized subsets of the players can reconstruct the secret. Classically, efficient secret-sharing schemes have been shown to be induced by matroids. Furthermore, access structures of such schemes can be characterized by an excluded minor relation. No such relations are known for quantum secret-sharing schemes. In this paper we take the first steps toward a matroidal characterization of quantum-secret-sharing schemes. In addition to providing a new perspective on quantum-secret-sharing schemes, this characterization has important benefits. While previous work has shown how to construct quantum-secret-sharing schemes for general access structures, these schemes are not claimed to be efficient. In this context the present results prove to be useful; they enable us to construct efficient quantum-secret-sharing schemes for many general access structures. More precisely, we show that an identically self-dual matroid that is representable over a finite field induces a pure-state quantum-secret-sharing scheme with information rate 1.

Alternative reprocessing schemes evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-02-01

This paper reviews the parameters which determine the inaccessibility of the plutonium in reprocessing plants. Among the various parameters, the physical and chemical characteristics of the materials, the various processing schemes and the confinement are considered. The emphasis is placed on that latter parameter, and the advantages of an increased confinement in the socalled PIPEX reprocessing plant type are presented

Security analysis and improvements of arbitrated quantum signature schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Xiangfu; Qiu Daowen

2010-01-01

A digital signature is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. For signing quantum messages, some arbitrated quantum signature (AQS) schemes have been proposed. It was claimed that these AQS schemes could guarantee unconditional security. However, we show that they can be repudiated by the receiver Bob. To conquer this shortcoming, we construct an AQS scheme using a public board. The AQS scheme not only avoids being disavowed by the receiver but also preserves all merits in the existing schemes. Furthermore, we discover that entanglement is not necessary while all these existing AQS schemes depend on entanglement. Therefore, we present another AQS scheme without utilizing entangled states in the signing phase and the verifying phase. This scheme has three advantages: it does not utilize entangled states and it preserves all merits in the existing schemes; the signature can avoid being disavowed by the receiver; and it provides a higher efficiency in transmission and reduces the complexity of implementation.

Agent-based power sharing scheme for active hybrid power sources

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhenhua

The active hybridization technique provides an effective approach to combining the best properties of a heterogeneous set of power sources to achieve higher energy density, power density and fuel efficiency. Active hybrid power sources can be used to power hybrid electric vehicles with selected combinations of internal combustion engines, fuel cells, batteries, and/or supercapacitors. They can be deployed in all-electric ships to build a distributed electric power system. They can also be used in a bulk power system to construct an autonomous distributed energy system. An important aspect in designing an active hybrid power source is to find a suitable control strategy that can manage the active power sharing and take advantage of the inherent scalability and robustness benefits of the hybrid system. This paper presents an agent-based power sharing scheme for active hybrid power sources. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed agent-based power sharing scheme, simulation studies are performed for a hybrid power source that can be used in a solar car as the main propulsion power module. Simulation results clearly indicate that the agent-based control framework is effective to coordinate the various energy sources and manage the power/voltage profiles.

Innovating in the teaching of Chemical Equilibrium: Taking effective advantage of Information and Communication Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Susana Cristina Morais da

Chemical Equilibrium (CE) is a good example of the specific nature of chemistry. The understanding of this theme requires the conceptualization of macroscopic events, as well as explanations of sub microscopic nature, application of symbolic language and mathematics. CE is commonly identified as a topic suitable for the pedagogical use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, the growth in the roll of digital resources for the teaching of CE, that took place in the last decades, was not accompanied by a decrease in the signalling of students' difficulties and misconceptions in the subject. This fact, points out the relevance of clarifying the circumstances under which digital resources turn out to be useful in the teaching of CE and develop educative modules that take into account the findings and recommendations from the literature. This project aims to bring a contribution to take advantage form ICT potential in the teaching of CE. The objectives underlying the main purpose of the project were defined according to literature review, which crosses three fundamental dimensions (scientific, pedagogical and technological). The project also benefited from the previous experience of the group and the collaboration with an European project (CROSSNET). The level of abstraction necessary for the understanding of the scientific model is pointed out as the major source of difficulties in the learning of CE, while also referred as a privileged target for the intervention of ICT. In this context, we introduce the expression "facilitating abstraction" to summarize the idea of supporting students' abstract thinking process during the learning of formal concepts. This idea has gained importance throughout the project leading to the development of a pedagogical approach to facilitate abstraction in the learning of CE. Although based on the use of ICT, the main purpose wasn't to introduce new digital resources in the saturated field of CE. Instead, the

An optimal implicit staggered-grid finite-difference scheme based on the modified Taylor-series expansion with minimax approximation method for elastic modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lei; Yan, Hongyong; Liu, Hong

2017-03-01

Implicit staggered-grid finite-difference (ISFD) scheme is competitive for its great accuracy and stability, whereas its coefficients are conventionally determined by the Taylor-series expansion (TE) method, leading to a loss in numerical precision. In this paper, we modify the TE method using the minimax approximation (MA), and propose a new optimal ISFD scheme based on the modified TE (MTE) with MA method. The new ISFD scheme takes the advantage of the TE method that guarantees great accuracy at small wavenumbers, and keeps the property of the MA method that keeps the numerical errors within a limited bound at the same time. Thus, it leads to great accuracy for numerical solution of the wave equations. We derive the optimal ISFD coefficients by applying the new method to the construction of the objective function, and using a Remez algorithm to minimize its maximum. Numerical analysis is made in comparison with the conventional TE-based ISFD scheme, indicating that the MTE-based ISFD scheme with appropriate parameters can widen the wavenumber range with high accuracy, and achieve greater precision than the conventional ISFD scheme. The numerical modeling results also demonstrate that the MTE-based ISFD scheme performs well in elastic wave simulation, and is more efficient than the conventional ISFD scheme for elastic modeling.

Economic scheme for remote preparation of an arbitrary five-qubit ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

advantage of the present scheme is that the entanglement resource can be reduced ... tanglement is also a very important physical resource in quantum information processing. .... on the qubit B3, and thus the state (10) will be transformed into ... Hence, we claim our scheme is feasible according to current technologies, and.

Labelling schemes: From a consumer perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Hans Jørn; Stacey, Julia

2000-01-01

Labelling of food products attracts a lot of political attention these days. As a result of a number of food scandals, most European countries have acknowledged the need for more information and better protection of consumers. Labelling schemes are one way of informing and guiding consumers....... However, initiatives in relation to labelling schemes seldom take their point of departure in consumers' needs and expectations; and in many cases, the schemes are defined by the institutions guaranteeing the label. It is therefore interesting to study how consumers actually value labelling schemes....... A recent MAPP study has investigated the value consumers attach the Government-controlled labels 'Ø-mærket' and 'Den Blå Lup' and the private supermarket label 'Mesterhakket' when they purchase minced meat. The results reveal four consumer segments that use labelling schemes for food products very...

Cancelable remote quantum fingerprint templates protection scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Qin; Guo Ying; Huang Duan

2017-01-01

With the increasing popularity of fingerprint identification technology, its security and privacy have been paid much attention. Only the security and privacy of biological information are insured, the biological technology can be better accepted and used by the public. In this paper, we propose a novel quantum bit (qbit)-based scheme to solve the security and privacy problem existing in the traditional fingerprint identification system. By exploiting the properties of quantm mechanics, our proposed scheme, cancelable remote quantum fingerprint templates protection scheme, can achieve the unconditional security guaranteed in an information-theoretical sense. Moreover, this novel quantum scheme can invalidate most of the attacks aimed at the fingerprint identification system. In addition, the proposed scheme is applicable to the requirement of remote communication with no need to worry about its security and privacy during the transmission. This is an absolute advantage when comparing with other traditional methods. Security analysis shows that the proposed scheme can effectively ensure the communication security and the privacy of users’ information for the fingerprint identification. (paper)

Advantages and disadvantages of franchising as a form of business

OpenAIRE

Kolesova, A. A.

2015-01-01

The article describes the features of the development of franchising in Russia. Franchising has a number of advantages and it is a perspective form of interaction between small and large businesses. However, in taking a decision to contract with the franchise network, in addition to understanding the forms of doing business, the advantages of the system, you should also take into account that the franchise system is associated with some risks.

Autonomous droop scheme with reduced generation cost

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nutkani, Inam Ullah; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

Droop scheme has been widely applied to the control of Distributed Generators (DGs) in microgrids for proportional power sharing based on their ratings. For standalone microgrid, where centralized management system is not viable, the proportional power sharing based droop might not suit well since...... DGs are usually of different types unlike synchronous generators. This paper presents an autonomous droop scheme that takes into consideration the operating cost, efficiency and emission penalty of each DG since all these factors directly or indirectly contributes to the Total Generation Cost (TGC......) of the overall microgrid. Comparing it with the traditional scheme, the proposed scheme has retained its simplicity, which certainly is a feature preferred by the industry. The overall performance of the proposed scheme has been verified through simulation and experiment....

Analysis of Program Obfuscation Schemes with Variable Encoding Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Kazuhide; Kiyomoto, Shinsaku; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Sakurai, Kouichi

Program analysis techniques have improved steadily over the past several decades, and software obfuscation schemes have come to be used in many commercial programs. A software obfuscation scheme transforms an original program or a binary file into an obfuscated program that is more complicated and difficult to analyze, while preserving its functionality. However, the security of obfuscation schemes has not been properly evaluated. In this paper, we analyze obfuscation schemes in order to clarify the advantages of our scheme, the XOR-encoding scheme. First, we more clearly define five types of attack models that we defined previously, and define quantitative resistance to these attacks. Then, we compare the security, functionality and efficiency of three obfuscation schemes with encoding variables: (1) Sato et al.'s scheme with linear transformation, (2) our previous scheme with affine transformation, and (3) the XOR-encoding scheme. We show that the XOR-encoding scheme is superior with regard to the following two points: (1) the XOR-encoding scheme is more secure against a data-dependency attack and a brute force attack than our previous scheme, and is as secure against an information-collecting attack and an inverse transformation attack as our previous scheme, (2) the XOR-encoding scheme does not restrict the calculable ranges of programs and the loss of efficiency is less than in our previous scheme.

A Secure and Efficient Certificateless Short Signature Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Cheng

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Certificateless public key cryptography combines advantage of traditional public key cryptography and identity-based public key cryptography as it avoids usage of certificates and resolves the key escrow problem. In 2007, Huang et al. classified adversaries against certificateless signatures according to their attack power into normal, strong and super adversaries (ordered by their attack power. In this paper, we propose a new certificateless short signature scheme and prove that it is secure against both of the super type I and the super type II adversaries. Our new scheme not only achieves the strongest security level but also has the shortest signature length (one group element. Compared with the other short certificateless signature schemes which have a similar security level, our new scheme has less operation cost.

TVD schemes in one and two space dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leveque, R.J.; Goodman, J.B.; New York Univ., NY)

1985-01-01

The recent development of schemes which are second order accurate in smooth regions has made it possible to overcome certain difficulties which used to arise in numerical computations of discontinuous solutions of conservation laws. The present investigation is concerned with scalar conservation laws, taking into account the employment of total variation diminishing (TVD) schemes. The concept of a TVD scheme was introduced by Harten et al. (1976). Harten et al. first constructed schemes which are simultaneously TVD and second order accurate on smooth solutions. In the present paper, a summary is provided of recently conducted work in this area. Attention is given to TVD schemes in two space dimensions, a second order accurate TVD scheme in one dimension, and the entropy condition and spreading of rarefaction waves. 19 references

Fine-Grained Forward-Secure Signature Schemes without Random Oracles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Camenisch, Jan; Koprowski, Maciej

2006-01-01

We propose the concept of fine-grained forward-secure signature schemes. Such signature schemes not only provide nonrepudiation w.r.t. past time periods the way ordinary forward-secure signature schemes do but, in addition, allow the signer to specify which signatures of the current time period...... remain valid when revoking the public key. This is an important advantage if the signer produces many signatures per time period as otherwise the signer would have to re-issue those signatures (and possibly re-negotiate the respective messages) with a new key.Apart from a formal model for fine......-grained forward-secure signature schemes, we present practical schemes and prove them secure under the strong RSA assumption only, i.e., we do not resort to the random oracle model to prove security. As a side-result, we provide an ordinary forward-secure scheme whose key-update time is significantly smaller than...

Ponzi scheme diffusion in complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Anding; Fu, Peihua; Zhang, Qinghe; Chen, Zhenyue

2017-08-01

Ponzi schemes taking the form of Internet-based financial schemes have been negatively affecting China's economy for the last two years. Because there is currently a lack of modeling research on Ponzi scheme diffusion within social networks yet, we develop a potential-investor-divestor (PID) model to investigate the diffusion dynamics of Ponzi scheme in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous networks. Our simulation study of artificial and real Facebook social networks shows that the structure of investor networks does indeed affect the characteristics of dynamics. Both the average degree of distribution and the power-law degree of distribution will reduce the spreading critical threshold and will speed up the rate of diffusion. A high speed of diffusion is the key to alleviating the interest burden and improving the financial outcomes for the Ponzi scheme operator. The zero-crossing point of fund flux function we introduce proves to be a feasible index for reflecting the fast-worsening situation of fiscal instability and predicting the forthcoming collapse. The faster the scheme diffuses, the higher a peak it will reach and the sooner it will collapse. We should keep a vigilant eye on the harm of Ponzi scheme diffusion through modern social networks.

The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Pam A; Oppenheimer, Daniel M

2014-06-01

Taking notes on laptops rather than in longhand is increasingly common. Many researchers have suggested that laptop note taking is less effective than longhand note taking for learning. Prior studies have primarily focused on students' capacity for multitasking and distraction when using laptops. The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing. In three studies, we found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand. We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers' tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning. © The Author(s) 2014.

Cost-based droop scheme with lower generation costs for microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nutkani, I. U.; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

on the DG kVA ratings. Other operating characteristics like generation costs, efficiencies and emission penalties at different loadings have not been considered. This makes existing droop schemes not too well-suited for standalone microgrids without central management system, where different types of DGs...... usually exist. As an alternative, this paper proposes a cost-based droop scheme, whose objective is to reduce a generation cost realized with various DG operating characteristics taken into consideration. The proposed droop scheme therefore retains all advantages of the traditional droop schemes, while...... at the same time keep its generation cost low. These findings have been validated through simulation and scaled down lab experiment....

High mechanical advantage design of six-bar Stephenson mechanism for servo mechanical presses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianguo Hu

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This article proposed a two-phase design scheme of Stephenson six-bar working mechanisms for servo mechanical presses with high mechanical advantage. In the qualitative design phase, first, a Stephenson six-bar mechanism with a slide was derived from Stephenson six-bar kinematic chains. Second, based on the instant center analysis method, the relationship between mechanical advantage and some special instant centers was founded, and accordingly a primary mechanism configuration with high mechanical advantage was designed qualitatively. Then, a parameterized prototype model was established, and the influences of design parameters toward slide kinematical characteristics were analyzed. In the quantitative design phase, a multi-objective optimization model, aiming at high mechanical advantage and dwelling characteristics, was built, and a case design was done to find optimal dimensions. Finally, simulations based on the software ADAMS were conducted to compare the transmission characteristics of the optimized working mechanism with that of slide-crank mechanism and symmetrical toggle mechanism, and an experimental press was made to validate the design scheme. The simulation and experiment results show that, compared with general working mechanisms, the Stephenson six-bar working mechanism has higher mechanical advantage and better dwelling characteristics, reducing capacities and costs of servo motors effectively.

A New Proxy Electronic Voting Scheme Achieved by Six-Particle Entangled States

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Hai-Jing; Ding, Li-Yuan; Jiang, Xiu-Li; Li, Peng-Fei

2018-03-01

In this paper, we use quantum proxy signature to construct a new secret electronic voting scheme. In our scheme, six particles entangled states function as quantum channels. The voter Alice, the Vote Management Center Bob, the scrutineer Charlie only perform two particles measurements on the Bell bases to realize the electronic voting process. So the scheme reduces the technical difficulty and increases operation efficiency. We use quantum key distribution and one-time pad to guarantee its unconditional security. The significant advantage of our scheme is that transmitted information capacity is twice as much as the capacity of other schemes.

A lightweight target-tracking scheme using wireless sensor network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuang, Xing-hong; Shao, Hui-he; Feng, Rui

2008-01-01

This paper describes a lightweight target-tracking scheme using wireless sensor network, where randomly distributed sensor nodes take responsibility for tracking the moving target based on the acoustic sensing signal. At every localization interval, a backoff timer algorithm is performed to elect the leader node and determine the transmission order of the localization nodes. An adaptive active region size algorithm based on the node density is proposed to select the optimal nodes taking part in localization. An improved particle filter algorithm performed by the leader node estimates the target state based on the selected nodes' acoustic energy measurements. Some refinements such as optimal linear combination algorithm, residual resampling algorithm, Markov chain Monte Carlo method are introduced in the scheme to improve the tracking performance. Simulation results validate the efficiency of the proposed tracking scheme

Decentralized Economic Dispatch Scheme With Online Power Reserve for Microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nutkani, I. U.; Loh, Poh Chiang; Wang, P.

2017-01-01

Decentralized economic operation schemes have several advantages when compared with the traditional centralized management system for microgrids. Specifically, decentralized schemes are more flexible, less computationally intensive, and easier to implement without relying on communication...... costs, their power ratings, and other necessary constraints, before deciding the DG dispatch priorities and droop characteristics. The proposed scheme also allows online power reserve to be set and regulated within the microgrid. This, together with the generation cost saved, has been verified...... infrastructure. Economic operation of existing decentralized schemes is also usually achieved by either tuning the droop characteristics of distributed generators (DGs) or prioritizing their dispatch order. For the latter, an earlier scheme has tried to prioritize the DG dispatch based on their no...

MIMO transmit scheme based on morphological perceptron with competitive learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Valente, Raul Ambrozio; Abrão, Taufik

2016-08-01

This paper proposes a new multi-input multi-output (MIMO) transmit scheme aided by artificial neural network (ANN). The morphological perceptron with competitive learning (MP/CL) concept is deployed as a decision rule in the MIMO detection stage. The proposed MIMO transmission scheme is able to achieve double spectral efficiency; hence, in each time-slot the receiver decodes two symbols at a time instead one as Alamouti scheme. Other advantage of the proposed transmit scheme with MP/CL-aided detector is its polynomial complexity according to modulation order, while it becomes linear when the data stream length is greater than modulation order. The performance of the proposed scheme is compared to the traditional MIMO schemes, namely Alamouti scheme and maximum-likelihood MIMO (ML-MIMO) detector. Also, the proposed scheme is evaluated in a scenario with variable channel information along the frame. Numerical results have shown that the diversity gain under space-time coding Alamouti scheme is partially lost, which slightly reduces the bit-error rate (BER) performance of the proposed MP/CL-NN MIMO scheme. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

REMINDER: Saved Leave Scheme (SLS)

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

Transfer of leave to saved leave accounts Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'* annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No 22B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). We remind you that unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of the leave year accounts is transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. Therefore, staff members have no administrative steps to take. In addition, the transfer, which eliminates the risk of omitting to request leave transfers and rules out calculation errors in transfer requests, will be clearly shown in the list of leave transactions that can be consulted in EDH from October 2003 onwards. Furthermore, this automatic leave transfer optimizes staff members' chances of benefiting from a saved leave bonus provided that they ar...

Quadratically convergent MCSCF scheme using Fock operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, G.

1981-01-01

A quadratically convergent formulation of the MCSCF method using Fock operators is presented. Among its advantages the present formulation is quadratically convergent unlike the earlier ones based on Fock operators. In contrast to other quadratically convergent schemes as well as the one based on generalized Brillouin's theorem, this method leads easily to a hybrid scheme where the weakly coupled orbitals (such as the core) are handled purely by Fock equations, while the rest of the orbitals are treated by a quadratically convergent approach with a truncated virtual space obtained by the use of the corresponding Fock equations

A new hybrid-Lagrangian numerical scheme for gyrokinetic simulation of tokamak edge plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ku, S., E-mail: sku@pppl.gov [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States); Hager, R.; Chang, C.S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States); Kwon, J.M. [National Fusion Research Institute (Korea, Republic of); Parker, S.E. [University of Colorado Boulder (United States)

2016-06-15

In order to enable kinetic simulation of non-thermal edge plasmas at a reduced computational cost, a new hybrid-Lagrangian δf scheme has been developed that utilizes the phase space grid in addition to the usual marker particles, taking advantage of the computational strengths from both sides. The new scheme splits the particle distribution function of a kinetic equation into two parts. Marker particles contain the fast space-time varying, δf, part of the distribution function and the coarse-grained phase-space grid contains the slow space-time varying part. The coarse-grained phase-space grid reduces the memory-requirement and the computing cost, while the marker particles provide scalable computing ability for the fine-grained physics. Weights of the marker particles are determined by a direct weight evolution equation instead of the differential form weight evolution equations that the conventional delta-f schemes use. The particle weight can be slowly transferred to the phase space grid, thereby reducing the growth of the particle weights. The non-Lagrangian part of the kinetic equation – e.g., collision operation, ionization, charge exchange, heat-source, radiative cooling, and others – can be operated directly on the phase space grid. Deviation of the particle distribution function on the velocity grid from a Maxwellian distribution function – driven by ionization, charge exchange and wall loss – is allowed to be arbitrarily large. The numerical scheme is implemented in the gyrokinetic particle code XGC1, which specializes in simulating the tokamak edge plasma that crosses the magnetic separatrix and is in contact with the material wall.

Building Secure Public Key Encryption Scheme from Hidden Field Equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Ping

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Multivariate public key cryptography is a set of cryptographic schemes built from the NP-hardness of solving quadratic equations over finite fields, amongst which the hidden field equations (HFE family of schemes remain the most famous. However, the original HFE scheme was insecure, and the follow-up modifications were shown to be still vulnerable to attacks. In this paper, we propose a new variant of the HFE scheme by considering the special equation x2=x defined over the finite field F3 when x=0,1. We observe that the equation can be used to further destroy the special structure of the underlying central map of the HFE scheme. It is shown that the proposed public key encryption scheme is secure against known attacks including the MinRank attack, the algebraic attacks, and the linearization equations attacks. The proposal gains some advantages over the original HFE scheme with respect to the encryption speed and public key size.

Taking advantage of ground data systems attributes to achieve quality results in testing software

Science.gov (United States)

Sigman, Clayton B.; Koslosky, John T.; Hageman, Barbara H.

1994-01-01

During the software development life cycle process, basic testing starts with the development team. At the end of the development process, an acceptance test is performed for the user to ensure that the deliverable is acceptable. Ideally, the delivery is an operational product with zero defects. However, the goal of zero defects is normally not achieved but is successful to various degrees. With the emphasis on building low cost ground support systems while maintaining a quality product, a key element in the test process is simulator capability. This paper reviews the Transportable Payload Operations Control Center (TPOCC) Advanced Spacecraft Simulator (TASS) test tool that is used in the acceptance test process for unmanned satellite operations control centers. The TASS is designed to support the development, test and operational environments of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) operations control centers. The TASS uses the same basic architecture as the operations control center. This architecture is characterized by its use of distributed processing, industry standards, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software components, and reusable software. The TASS uses much of the same TPOCC architecture and reusable software that the operations control center developer uses. The TASS also makes use of reusable simulator software in the mission specific versions of the TASS. Very little new software needs to be developed, mainly mission specific telemetry communication and command processing software. By taking advantage of the ground data system attributes, successful software reuse for operational systems provides the opportunity to extend the reuse concept into the test area. Consistency in test approach is a major step in achieving quality results.

Interface Adsorption Taking the Most Advantageous Conformation for Electron Transfer Between Graphene and Cytochrome c.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Benfeng; Ge, Zhenpeng; Li, Xiaoyi

2015-07-01

Most designed functions in biomedical nanotechnology are directly influenced by interactions of biological molecules with nano surfaces. Here, we explored and detected the most favorable adsorption conformation of cytochrome c on graphene by measuring the adsorption energy, the number of contact atoms, and the minimal distance between protein and surface. From the root mean square deviation of the protein backbone, the radius of gyration, and the proportion of secondary structure, it is revealed that cytochrome c does not deform significantly and the secondary structures are preserved to a large extent. The residues, Lys, Phe and Thr contribute significantly to the adsorption of cytochrome c to graphene. The long hydrophobic and flexible alkyl tail of Lys, the π-π stacking interaction between Phe and graphene, and the presence of abundant Thr constitute the driving force for the stable adsorption of cytochrome c on graphene. Cytochrome c is adsorbed to graphene with the group heme lying almost perpendicular to the graphene, and the distance between Fe atom and the graphene is 10.15 A, which is shorter than that between electron donor and receptor in many other biosystems. All the results suggest that the most favorable adsorption takes the most advantageous conformation for electron transfer, which promotes significantly the electron transfer between graphene and cytochrome c. The findings might provide new and important information for designs of biomedical devices or products with graphene-based nanomaterials.

An authentication scheme for secure access to healthcare services.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Khurram; Kumari, Saru

2013-08-01

Last few decades have witnessed boom in the development of information and communication technologies. Health-sector has also been benefitted with this advancement. To ensure secure access to healthcare services some user authentication mechanisms have been proposed. In 2012, Wei et al. proposed a user authentication scheme for telecare medical information system (TMIS). Recently, Zhu pointed out offline password guessing attack on Wei et al.'s scheme and proposed an improved scheme. In this article, we analyze both of these schemes for their effectiveness in TMIS. We show that Wei et al.'s scheme and its improvement proposed by Zhu fail to achieve some important characteristics necessary for secure user authentication. We find that security problems of Wei et al.'s scheme stick with Zhu's scheme; like undetectable online password guessing attack, inefficacy of password change phase, traceability of user's stolen/lost smart card and denial-of-service threat. We also identify that Wei et al.'s scheme lacks forward secrecy and Zhu's scheme lacks session key between user and healthcare server. We therefore propose an authentication scheme for TMIS with forward secrecy which preserves the confidentiality of air messages even if master secret key of healthcare server is compromised. Our scheme retains advantages of Wei et al.'s scheme and Zhu's scheme, and offers additional security. The security analysis and comparison results show the enhanced suitability of our scheme for TMIS.

Taking advantage of the Kyoto mechanisms in the natural gas industry; Benefices des mecanismes de Kyoto pour l'industrie du gaz naturel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janssen, J. [Institute for Economy and the environment at the University of St. Gallen, IWOe-HSG (Switzerland)

2000-07-01

The Kyoto Protocol has laid the basis of global markets for greenhouse gas emission reductions. By means of the Kyoto Mechanisms Joint Implementation, the Clean Development Mechanism and International Emissions Trading it will be possible to produce abroad and trade internationally the greenhouse gas emission reductions needed to satisfy cost-efficiently the respective demand of industrialized countries. The paper analyses options available in the natural gas sector for realizing Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism projects. Furthermore, it examines strategies that might be economically viable for companies operating in the natural gas sector for taking advantage of the Kyoto Mechanisms. (author)

A cancelable biometric scheme based on multi-lead ECGs.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng-Tzu Chen; Shun-Chi Wu; Jui-Hsuan Hsieh

2017-07-01

Biometric technologies offer great advantages over other recognition methods, but there are concerns that they may compromise the privacy of individuals. In this paper, an electrocardiogram (ECG)-based cancelable biometric scheme is proposed to relieve such concerns. In this scheme, distinct biometric templates for a given beat bundle are constructed via "subspace collapsing." To determine the identity of any unknown beat bundle, the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, incorporating a "suppression and poll" strategy, is adopted. Unlike the existing cancelable biometric schemes, knowledge of the distortion transform is not required for recognition. Experiments with real ECGs from 285 subjects are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed scheme. The best recognition rate of 97.58 % was achieved under the test condition N train = 10 and N test = 10.

Age-of-Air, Tape Recorder, and Vertical Transport Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, S.-J.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

A numerical-analytic investigation of the impacts of vertical transport schemes on the model simulated age-of-air and the so-called 'tape recorder' will be presented using an idealized 1-D column transport model as well as a more realistic 3-D dynamical model. By comparing to the 'exact' solutions of 'age-of-air' and the 'tape recorder' obtainable in the 1-D setting, useful insight is gained on the impacts of numerical diffusion and dispersion of numerical schemes used in global models. Advantages and disadvantages of Eulerian, semi-Lagrangian, and Lagrangian transport schemes will be discussed. Vertical resolution requirement for numerical schemes as well as observing systems for capturing the fine details of the 'tape recorder' or any upward propagating wave-like structures can potentially be derived from the 1-D analytic model.

The greenhouse advantage of natural gas appliances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coombe, N.

2000-01-01

The life cycle report prepared recently by Energetics for the AGA, Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Natural Gas, demonstrates clearly the greenhouse advantage natural gas has over coal in generating electricity. This study also goes one step further in applying this life cycle approach to the use of space and water heating within the home. The study shows the significant green-house advantage that natural gas appliances have over electric appliances. Findings from other studies also support this claim. The natural gas suppliers are encouraged to take advantage of the marketing opportunity that these studies provide, offering the householders the fuel that will significantly reduce their contribution to greenhouse emission

Dynamic droop scheme considering effect of intermittent renewable energy source

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Yanbo; Chen, Zhe; Deng, Fujin

2016-01-01

This paper presents a dynamic droop control scheme for islanded microgrids dominated by intermittent renewable energy sources, which is able to perform desirable power sharing in the presence of renewable energy source fluctuation. First, allowable maximum power points of wind generator and PV...... flexibility and effectiveness in the presence of the renewable energy sources fluctuation....... controller of each DG unit is activated through local logic variable inferred by wind speed and solar insolation information. Simulation results are given for validating the droop control scheme. The proposed dynamic droop scheme preserves the advantage of conventional droop control method, and provides...

Time-and-ID-Based Proxy Reencryption Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kambombo Mtonga

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Time- and ID-based proxy reencryption scheme is proposed in this paper in which a type-based proxy reencryption enables the delegator to implement fine-grained policies with one key pair without any additional trust on the proxy. However, in some applications, the time within which the data was sampled or collected is very critical. In such applications, for example, healthcare and criminal investigations, the delegatee may be interested in only some of the messages with some types sampled within some time bound instead of the entire subset. Hence, in order to carter for such situations, in this paper, we propose a time-and-identity-based proxy reencryption scheme that takes into account the time within which the data was collected as a factor to consider when categorizing data in addition to its type. Our scheme is based on Boneh and Boyen identity-based scheme (BB-IBE and Matsuo’s proxy reencryption scheme for identity-based encryption (IBE to IBE. We prove that our scheme is semantically secure in the standard model.

Boosting flood warning schemes with fast emulator of detailed hydrodynamic models

Science.gov (United States)

Bellos, V.; Carbajal, J. P.; Leitao, J. P.

2017-12-01

Floods are among the most destructive catastrophic events and their frequency has incremented over the last decades. To reduce flood impact and risks, flood warning schemes are installed in flood prone areas. Frequently, these schemes are based on numerical models which quickly provide predictions of water levels and other relevant observables. However, the high complexity of flood wave propagation in the real world and the need of accurate predictions in urban environments or in floodplains hinders the use of detailed simulators. This sets the difficulty, we need fast predictions that meet the accuracy requirements. Most physics based detailed simulators although accurate, will not fulfill the speed demand. Even if High Performance Computing techniques are used (the magnitude of required simulation time is minutes/hours). As a consequence, most flood warning schemes are based in coarse ad-hoc approximations that cannot take advantage a detailed hydrodynamic simulation. In this work, we present a methodology for developing a flood warning scheme using an Gaussian Processes based emulator of a detailed hydrodynamic model. The methodology consists of two main stages: 1) offline stage to build the emulator; 2) online stage using the emulator to predict and generate warnings. The offline stage consists of the following steps: a) definition of the critical sites of the area under study, and the specification of the observables to predict at those sites, e.g. water depth, flow velocity, etc.; b) generation of a detailed simulation dataset to train the emulator; c) calibration of the required parameters (if measurements are available). The online stage is carried on using the emulator to predict the relevant observables quickly, and the detailed simulator is used in parallel to verify key predictions of the emulator. The speed gain given by the emulator allows also to quantify uncertainty in predictions using ensemble methods. The above methodology is applied in real

Error function attack of chaos synchronization based encryption schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xingang; Zhan, Meng; Lai, C-H; Gang, Hu

2004-03-01

Different chaos synchronization based encryption schemes are reviewed and compared from the practical point of view. As an efficient cryptanalysis tool for chaos encryption, a proposal based on the error function attack is presented systematically and used to evaluate system security. We define a quantitative measure (quality factor) of the effective applicability of a chaos encryption scheme, which takes into account the security, the encryption speed, and the robustness against channel noise. A comparison is made of several encryption schemes and it is found that a scheme based on one-way coupled chaotic map lattices performs outstandingly well, as judged from quality factor. Copyright 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Energy-Efficient Broadcasting Scheme for Smart Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuangbin Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In smart Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs, sensor nodes usually adopt a programmable technology. These smart devices can obtain new or special functions by reprogramming: they upgrade their soft systems through receiving new version of program codes. If sensor nodes need to be upgraded, the sink node will propagate program code packets to them through “one-to-many” broadcasting, and therefore new capabilities can be obtained, forming the so-called Software Defined Network (SDN. However, due to the high volume of code packet, the constraint energy of sensor node, and the unreliable link quality of wireless network, rapidly broadcasting the code packets to all nodes in network can be a challenge issue. In this paper, a novel Energy-efficient Broadcast scheme with adjustable broadcasting radius is proposed aiming to improve the performance of network upgrade. In our scheme, the nonhotspots sensor nodes take full advantage of their residual energy caused in data collection period to improve the packet reception probability and reduce the broadcasting delay of code packet transmission by enlarging the broadcasting radius, that is, the transmitting power. The theoretical analyses and experimental results show that, compared with previous work, our approach can averagely reduce the Network Upgrade Delay (NUD by 14.8%–45.2% and simultaneously increase the reliability without harming the lifetime of network.

Truncation scheme of time-dependent density-matrix approach II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tohyama, Mitsuru [Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo (Japan); Schuck, Peter [Institut de Physique Nucleaire, IN2P3-CNRS, Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay (France); Laboratoire de Physique et de Modelisation des Milieux Condenses, CNRS et Universite Joseph Fourier, Grenoble (France)

2017-09-15

A truncation scheme of the Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon hierarchy for reduced density matrices, where a three-body density matrix is approximated by two-body density matrices, is improved to take into account a normalization effect. The truncation scheme is tested for the Lipkin model. It is shown that the obtained results are in good agreement with the exact solutions. (orig.)

Explicit TE/TM scheme for particle beam simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohlus, M.; Zagorodnov, I.

2008-10-01

In this paper we propose an explicit two-level conservative scheme based on a TE/TM like splitting of the field components in time. Its dispersion properties are adjusted to accelerator problems. It is simpler and faster than the implicit version. It does not have dispersion in the longitudinal direction and the dispersion properties in the transversal plane are improved. The explicit character of the new scheme allows a uniformly stable conformal method without iterations and the scheme can be parallelized easily. It assures energy and charge conservation. A version of this explicit scheme for rotationally symmetric structures is free from the progressive time step reducing for higher order azimuthal modes as it takes place for Yee's explicit method used in the most popular electrodynamics codes. (orig.)

Retrofitting of the small hydro electric scheme 'Moulin d'en Bas' in Cronay, Switzerland - Preliminary project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-09-01

This illustrated final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is a feasibility study for the retrofitting of the small hydro electric scheme 'Moulin d'en Bas' located in Cronay on the Mentue river, Switzerland. Two variants are considered. In the first one the existing scheme uses a 4.72 m water fall and its power amounts to about 25 kW. A 4-blades Kaplan turbine is foreseen to generate 160,000 kWh/y. In the second variant, weir and penstock have to be adapted in order to take advantage of the full 6.74 m water fall indicated in the water-use concession granted in 1952. A new fish pass has to be built as well. The resulting electric power is in this case 80 kW and the power generation by the turbo group 353,000 kWh/y, about 60% of which in the wintertime. Electricity production cost is estimated to be 0.282 CHF/kWh in the second variant.

Construction of low dissipative high-order well-balanced filter schemes for non-equilibrium flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Wei; Yee, H.C.; Sjoegreen, Bjoern; Magin, Thierry; Shu, Chi-Wang

2011-01-01

The goal of this paper is to generalize the well-balanced approach for non-equilibrium flow studied by Wang et al. (2009) to a class of low dissipative high-order shock-capturing filter schemes and to explore more advantages of well-balanced schemes in reacting flows. More general 1D and 2D reacting flow models and new examples of shock turbulence interactions are provided to demonstrate the advantage of well-balanced schemes. The class of filter schemes developed by Yee et al. (1999) , Sjoegreen and Yee (2004) and Yee and Sjoegreen (2007) consist of two steps, a full time step of spatially high-order non-dissipative base scheme and an adaptive non-linear filter containing shock-capturing dissipation. A good property of the filter scheme is that the base scheme and the filter are stand-alone modules in designing. Therefore, the idea of designing a well-balanced filter scheme is straightforward, i.e. choosing a well-balanced base scheme with a well-balanced filter (both with high-order accuracy). A typical class of these schemes shown in this paper is the high-order central difference schemes/predictor-corrector (PC) schemes with a high-order well-balanced WENO filter. The new filter scheme with the well-balanced property will gather the features of both filter methods and well-balanced properties: it can preserve certain steady-state solutions exactly; it is able to capture small perturbations, e.g. turbulence fluctuations; and it adaptively controls numerical dissipation. Thus it shows high accuracy, efficiency and stability in shock/turbulence interactions. Numerical examples containing 1D and 2D smooth problems, 1D stationary contact discontinuity problem and 1D turbulence/shock interactions are included to verify the improved accuracy, in addition to the well-balanced behavior.

Taking advantage of an unerupted third molar: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Figueiredo Pereira

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Treatments with dental surgery seek to displace tooth to the correct position within the dental arch. Objective: To report a clinical case that took advantage of an unerupted third molar. Case history: A male patient, 18 years of age, was referred by his dentist to evaluate the third molars. The clinical exam revealed no visible lower third molars. The computed tomography (CT exam showed the presence of a supernumerary tooth in the region of the mandibular ramus, on the left side, and impaction of the third molar, which was causing root resorption on the second molar, thus making it impossible to remain in the buccal cavity. The preferred option, therefore, was to remove both second molar and the supernumerary tooth, in addition to attaching a device to the third molar during surgery for further traction. Results: After 12 months, the third molar reached the proper position. Conclusion: When a mandibular second permanent molar shows an atypical root resorption, an impacted third molar can effectively substitute the tooth by using an appropriate orthodontic-surgical approach.

The investigation of Passive Accident Mitigation Scheme for advanced PWR NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Er-bing; Fang, Cheng-yue; Wang, Chang; Xia, Geng-lei; Zhao, Cui-na

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We put forward a new PAMS and analyze its operation characteristics under SBO. • We conduct comparative analysis between PAMS and Traditional Secondary Side PHRS. • The PAMS could cope with SBO accident and maintain the plant in safe conditions. • PAMS could decrease heat removal capacity of PHRS. • PAMS has advantage in reducing cooling rate and PCCT temperature rising amplitude. - Abstract: To enhance inherent safety features of nuclear power plant, the advanced pressurized water reactors implement a series of passive safety systems. This paper puts forward and designs a new Passive Accident Mitigation Scheme (PAMS) to remove residual heat, which consists of two parts: the first part is Passive Auxiliary Feedwater System (PAFS), and the other part is Passive Heat Removal System (PHRS). This paper takes the Westinghouse-designed Advanced Passive PWR (AP1000) as research object and analyzes the operation characteristics of PAMS to cope with the Station Blackout Accident (SBO) by using RELAP5 code. Moreover, the comparative analysis is also conducted between PAMS and Traditional Secondary Circuit PHRS to derive the advantages of PAMS. The results show that the designed scheme can remove core residual heat significantly and maintain the plant in safe conditions; the first part of PAMS would stop after 120 min and the second part has to come into use simultaneously; the low pressurizer (PZR) pressure signal would be generated 109 min later caused by coolant volume shrinkage, which would actuate the Passive Safety Injection System (PSIS) to recovery the water level of pressurizer; the flow instability phenomenon would occur and last 21 min after the PHRS start-up; according to the comparative analysis, the coolant average temperature gradient and the Passive Condensate Cooling Tank (PCCT) water temperature rising amplitude of PAMS are lower than those of Traditional Secondary Circuit PHRS

Evaluation of the Danish Leave Schemes. Summary of a Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Dines; Appeldorn, Alice; Weise, Hanne

An evaluation examined how the Danish leave schemes, an offer to employed and unemployed persons who qualify for unemployment benefits, were functioning and to what extent the objectives have been achieved. It was found that 60 percent of those taking leave had previously been unemployed; women accounted for two-thirds of those joining the scheme;…

A Generalized Weight-Based Particle-In-Cell Simulation Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.W.; Jenkins, T.G.; Ethier, S.

2010-01-01

A generalized weight-based particle simulation scheme suitable for simulating magnetized plasmas, where the zeroth-order inhomogeneity is important, is presented. The scheme is an extension of the perturbative simulation schemes developed earlier for particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The new scheme is designed to simulate both the perturbed distribution ((delta)f) and the full distribution (full-F) within the same code. The development is based on the concept of multiscale expansion, which separates the scale lengths of the background inhomogeneity from those associated with the perturbed distributions. The potential advantage for such an arrangement is to minimize the particle noise by using (delta)f in the linear stage stage of the simulation, while retaining the flexibility of a full-F capability in the fully nonlinear stage of the development when signals associated with plasma turbulence are at a much higher level than those from the intrinsic particle noise.

New advection schemes for free surface flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavan, Sara

2016-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to build higher order and less diffusive schemes for pollutant transport in shallow water flows or 3D free surface flows. We want robust schemes which respect the main mathematical properties of the advection equation with relatively low numerical diffusion and apply them to environmental industrial applications. Two techniques are tested in this work: a classical finite volume method and a residual distribution technique combined with a finite element method. For both methods we propose a decoupled approach since it is the most advantageous in terms of accuracy and CPU time. Concerning the first technique, a vertex-centred finite volume method is used to solve the augmented shallow water system where the numerical flux is computed through an Harten-Lax-Van Leer-Contact Riemann solver. Starting from this solution, a decoupled approach is formulated and is preferred since it allows to compute with a larger time step the advection of a tracer. This idea was inspired by Audusse, E. and Bristeau, M.O. [13]. The Monotonic Upwind Scheme for Conservation Law, combined with the decoupled approach, is then used for the second order extension in space. The wetting and drying problem is also analysed and a possible solution is presented. In the second case, the shallow water system is entirely solved using the finite element technique and the residual distribution method is applied to the solution of the tracer equation, focusing on the case of time-dependent problems. However, for consistency reasons the resolution of the continuity equation must be considered in the numerical discretization of the tracer. In order to get second order schemes for unsteady cases a predictor-corrector scheme is used in this work. A first order but less diffusive version of the predictor-corrector scheme is also introduced. Moreover, we also present a new locally semi-implicit version of the residual distribution method which, in addition to good properties in

Comparison of renormalization group schemes for sine-Gordon-type models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandori, I.; Nagy, S.; Sailer, K.; Trombettoni, A.

2009-01-01

The scheme dependence of the renormalization group (RG) flow has been investigated in the local potential approximation for two-dimensional periodic, sine-Gordon type field-theoretic models discussing the applicability of various functional RG methods in detail. It was shown that scheme-independent determination of such physical parameters is possible as the critical frequency (temperature) at which Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii type phase transition takes place in the sine-Gordon and the layered sine-Gordon models, and the critical ratio characterizing the Ising-type phase transition of the massive sine-Gordon model. For the latter case, the Maxwell construction represents a strong constraint on the RG flow, which results in a scheme-independent infrared value for the critical ratio. For the massive sine-Gordon model also the shrinking of the domain of the phase with spontaneously broken periodicity is shown to take place due to the quantum fluctuations.

Privacy preserving cloud computation using Domingo-Ferrer scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulatif Alabdulatif

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Homomorphic encryption system (HES schemes are anticipated to play a significant role in cloud-based applications. Moving to cloud-based storage and analytic services securely are two of the most important advantages of HES. Several HES schemes have been recently proposed. However, the majority of them either have limited capabilities or are impractical in real-world applications. Various HES schemes provide the ability to perform computations for statistical analysis (e.g. average, mean and variance on encrypted data. Domingo-Ferrer is one scheme that has privacy homomorphism properties to perform the basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction and multiplication in a convenient and secure way. However, it works only in the positive numbers’ range which is considered as a limitation because several applications require both positive and negative ranges in which to work, especially those that have to implement analytical services in cloud computing. In this paper, we extend Domingo-Ferrer’s scheme to be able to perform arithmetic operations for both positive and negative numbers. We also propose using a lightweight data aggregation function to compute both maximum and minimum values of the aggregated data that works for both positive and negative numbers.

Optimized Explicit Runge--Kutta Schemes for the Spectral Difference Method Applied to Wave Propagation Problems

KAUST Repository

Parsani, Matteo

2013-04-10

Explicit Runge--Kutta schemes with large stable step sizes are developed for integration of high-order spectral difference spatial discretizations on quadrilateral grids. The new schemes permit an effective time step that is substantially larger than the maximum admissible time step of standard explicit Runge--Kutta schemes available in the literature. Furthermore, they have a small principal error norm and admit a low-storage implementation. The advantages of the new schemes are demonstrated through application to the Euler equations and the linearized Euler equations.

Optimized Explicit Runge--Kutta Schemes for the Spectral Difference Method Applied to Wave Propagation Problems

KAUST Repository

Parsani, Matteo; Ketcheson, David I.; Deconinck, W.

2013-01-01

Explicit Runge--Kutta schemes with large stable step sizes are developed for integration of high-order spectral difference spatial discretizations on quadrilateral grids. The new schemes permit an effective time step that is substantially larger than the maximum admissible time step of standard explicit Runge--Kutta schemes available in the literature. Furthermore, they have a small principal error norm and admit a low-storage implementation. The advantages of the new schemes are demonstrated through application to the Euler equations and the linearized Euler equations.

Cost-based droop scheme with lower generation costs for microgrids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nutkani, Inam Ullah; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2014-01-01

-based droop scheme, whose objective is to reduce a generation cost function realised with various DG operating characteristics taken into consideration. Where desired, proportional power sharing based on the DG kVA ratings can also be included, whose disadvantage is a slightly higher generation cost, which...... on the DG kilovolts ampere (kVA) ratings. Other factors like generation costs, efficiencies and emission penalties at different load demands have not been considered. This omission might not be appropriate if different types of DGs are present in the microgrids. As an alternative, this study proposes a cost...... is still lower than that produced by the traditional droop schemes. The proposed droop scheme therefore retains all advantages of the traditional droop schemes, whereas at the same time, keeps its generation cost low. These findings have been validated in experiments....

A 2.5-D Diffraction Tomography Inversion Scheme for Ground Penetrating Radar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meincke, Peter

1999-01-01

A new 2.5-D inversion scheme is derived for ground penetrating radar (GPR) that applies to a monostatic fixed-offset measurement configuration. The inversion scheme, which is based upon the first Born approximation and the pseudo-inverse operator, takes rigorously into account the planar air...

Assessing water quality of rural water supply schemes as a measure ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessing water quality of rural water supply schemes as a measure of service ... drinking water quality parameters were within the World Health Organization ... Besides, disinfection of water at the household level can be an added advantage.

Finite volume schemes with equilibrium type discretization of source terms for scalar conservation laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botchorishvili, Ramaz; Pironneau, Olivier

2003-01-01

We develop here a new class of finite volume schemes on unstructured meshes for scalar conservation laws with stiff source terms. The schemes are of equilibrium type, hence with uniform bounds on approximate solutions, valid in cell entropy inequalities and exact for some equilibrium states. Convergence is investigated in the framework of kinetic schemes. Numerical tests show high computational efficiency and a significant advantage over standard cell centered discretization of source terms. Equilibrium type schemes produce accurate results even on test problems for which the standard approach fails. For some numerical tests they exhibit exponential type convergence rate. In two of our numerical tests an equilibrium type scheme with 441 nodes on a triangular mesh is more accurate than a standard scheme with 5000 2 grid points

IMPLEMENTATION OF OPEN-SOURCE WEB MAPPING TECHNOLOGIES TO SUPPORT MONITORING OF GOVERNMENTAL SCHEMES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. R. Pulsani

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Several schemes are undertaken by the government to uplift social and economic condition of people. The monitoring of these schemes is done through information technology where involvement of Geographic Information System (GIS is lacking. To demonstrate the benefits of thematic mapping as a tool for assisting the officials in making decisions, a web mapping application for three government programs such as Mother and Child Tracking system (MCTS, Telangana State Housing Corporation Limited (TSHCL and Ground Water Quality Mapping (GWQM has been built. Indeed the three applications depicted the distribution of various parameters thematically and helped in identifying the areas with higher and weaker distributions. Based on the three applications, the study tends to find similarities of many government schemes reflecting the nature of thematic mapping and hence deduces to implement this kind of approach for other schemes as well. These applications have been developed using SharpMap Csharp library which is a free and open source mapping library for developing geospatial applications. The study highlights upon the cost benefits of SharpMap and brings out the advantage of this library over proprietary vendors and further discusses its advantages over other open source libraries as well.

The Relationship between Nonconservative Schemes and Initial Values of Nonlinear Evolution Equations

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

林万涛

2004-01-01

For the nonconservative schemes of the nonlinear evolution equations, taking the one-dimensional shallow water wave equation as an example, the necessary conditions of computational stability are given.Based on numerical tests, the relationship between the nonlinear computational stability and the construction of difference schemes, as well as the form of initial values, is further discussed. It is proved through both theoretical analysis and numerical tests that if the construction of difference schemes is definite, the computational stability of nonconservative schemes is decided by the form of initial values.

A Conceptual Mapping Resource Advantage Theory, Competitive Advantage Theory, and Transient Competitive Advantage

OpenAIRE

Jasanta PERANGINANGIN

2015-01-01

Competitive advantage is the main purposed of the business entity focusing on market base view. Resource advantage theorists put their concern to empowering resources development with resources based view, in the other side needs to redefining competitive advantage. All the competitive advantage are transient, concluded the end of competitive advantage. Redefining competitive advantage by selling migration and shrewdness outward. This research to emphasize innovation capability rarely appears...

Additive operator-difference schemes splitting schemes

CERN Document Server

Vabishchevich, Petr N

2013-01-01

Applied mathematical modeling isconcerned with solving unsteady problems. This bookshows how toconstruct additive difference schemes to solve approximately unsteady multi-dimensional problems for PDEs. Two classes of schemes are highlighted: methods of splitting with respect to spatial variables (alternating direction methods) and schemes of splitting into physical processes. Also regionally additive schemes (domain decomposition methods)and unconditionally stable additive schemes of multi-component splitting are considered for evolutionary equations of first and second order as well as for sy

Sources of funding for community schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-11-01

There is an increasing level of interest amongst community groups in the UK to become involved in the development of renewable energy schemes. Often however these community groups have only limited funds of their own, so any additional funds that can be identified to help fund their renewable energy scheme can be very useful. There are a range of funding sources available that provide grants or loans for which community groups are eligible to apply. Few of these funding sources are targeted towards renewable energy specifically, nevertheless the funds may be applicable to renewable energy schemes under appropriate circumstances. To date, however, few of these funds have been accessed by community groups for renewable energy initiatives. One of the reasons for this low take-up of funds on offer could be that the funding sources may be difficult and time-consuming to identify, especially where the energy component of the fund is not readily apparent. This directory draws together details about many of the principal funding sources available in the UK that may consider providing funds to community groups wanting to develop a renewable energy scheme. (author)

Experimental Study on Intelligent Control Scheme for Fan Coil Air-Conditioning System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanfeng Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available An intelligent control scheme for fan coil air-conditioning systems has been put forward in order to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional proportion-integral-derivative (PID control scheme. These shortcomings include the inability of anti-interference and large inertia. An intelligent control test rig of fan coil air-conditioning system has been built, and MATLAB/Simulink dynamics simulation software has been adopted to implement the intelligent control scheme. A software for data exchange has been developed to combine the intelligence control system and the building automation (BA system. Experimental tests have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of different control schemes including the traditional PID control, fuzzy control, and fuzzy-PID control for fan coil air-conditioning system. The effects of control schemes have been compared and analyzed in robustness, static and dynamic character, and economy. The results have shown that the developed data exchange interface software can induce the intelligent control scheme of the BA system more effectively. Among the proposed control strategies, fuzzy-PID control scheme which has the advantages of both traditional PID and fuzzy schemes is the optimal control scheme for the fan coil air-conditioning system.

A hybrid Lagrangian Voronoi-SPH scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Gutierrez, D.; Souto-Iglesias, A.; Zohdi, T. I.

2017-11-01

A hybrid Lagrangian Voronoi-SPH scheme, with an explicit weakly compressible formulation for both the Voronoi and SPH sub-domains, has been developed. The SPH discretization is substituted by Voronoi elements close to solid boundaries, where SPH consistency and boundary conditions implementation become problematic. A buffer zone to couple the dynamics of both sub-domains is used. This zone is formed by a set of particles where fields are interpolated taking into account SPH particles and Voronoi elements. A particle may move in or out of the buffer zone depending on its proximity to a solid boundary. The accuracy of the coupled scheme is discussed by means of a set of well-known verification benchmarks.

Importance biasing scheme implemented in the PRIZMA code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kandiev, I.Z.; Malyshkin, G.N.

1997-01-01

PRIZMA code is intended for Monte Carlo calculations of linear radiation transport problems. The code has wide capabilities to describe geometry, sources, material composition, and to obtain parameters specified by user. There is a capability to calculate path of particle cascade (including neutrons, photons, electrons, positrons and heavy charged particles) taking into account possible transmutations. Importance biasing scheme was implemented to solve the problems which require calculation of functionals related to small probabilities (for example, problems of protection against radiation, problems of detection, etc.). The scheme enables to adapt trajectory building algorithm to problem peculiarities

ADER discontinuous Galerkin schemes for general-relativistic ideal magnetohydrodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Fambri, F.; Dumbser, M.; Köppel, S.; Rezzolla, L.; Zanotti, O.

2018-03-01

We present a new class of high-order accurate numerical algorithms for solving the equations of general-relativistic ideal magnetohydrodynamics in curved spacetimes. In this paper we assume the background spacetime to be given and static, i.e. we make use of the Cowling approximation. The governing partial differential equations are solved via a new family of fully-discrete and arbitrary high-order accurate path-conservative discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite-element methods combined with adaptive mesh refinement and time accurate local timestepping. In order to deal with shock waves and other discontinuities, the high-order DG schemes are supplemented with a novel a-posteriori subcell finite-volume limiter, which makes the new algorithms as robust as classical second-order total-variation diminishing finite-volume methods at shocks and discontinuities, but also as accurate as unlimited high-order DG schemes in smooth regions of the flow. We show the advantages of this new approach by means of various classical two- and three-dimensional benchmark problems on fixed spacetimes. Finally, we present a performance and accuracy comparisons between Runge-Kutta DG schemes and ADER high-order finite-volume schemes, showing the higher efficiency of DG schemes.

Efficient Closed-Loop Schemes for MIMO-OFDM-Based WLANs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Yi

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The single-input single-output (SISO orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM systems for wireless local area networks (WLAN defined by the IEEE 802.11a standard can support data rates up to 54 Mbps. In this paper, we consider deploying two transmit and two receive antennas to increase the data rate up to 108 Mbps. Applying our recent multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO transceiver designs, that is, the geometric mean decomposition (GMD and the uniform channel decomposition (UCD schemes, we propose simple and efficient closed-loop MIMO-OFDM designs for much improved performance, compared to the standard singular value decomposition (SVD based schemes as well as the open-loop V-BLAST (vertical Bell Labs layered space-time based counterparts. In the explicit feedback mode, precoder feedback is needed for the proposed schemes. We show that the overhead of feedback can be made very moderate by using a vector quantization method. In the time-division duplex (TDD mode where the channel reciprocity is exploited, our schemes turn out to be robust against the mismatch between the uplink and downlink channels. The advantages of our schemes are demonstrated via extensive numerical examples.

Distributed Joint Cluster Formation and Resource Allocation Scheme for Cooperative Data Collection in Virtual MIMO-Based M2M Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Luan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient data collection scheme plays an important role for the real-time intelligent monitoring in many machine-to-machine (M2M networks. In this paper, a distributed joint cluster formation and resource allocation scheme for data collection in cluster-based M2M networks is proposed. Specifically, in order to utilize the advantages of cooperation, we first propose a hierarchical transmission model which contains two communication phases. In the first phase, the intracluster information sharing is carried out by all the nodes within the same cluster. Then these nodes transmit the total information to the BS cooperatively with virtual-MIMO (VMIMO protocol in the second phase. To grasp the properties and advantages of this cooperative transmission strategy, the theoretical analysis results are provided. The key issue in this system is to form the clusters and allocate resources efficiently. Since the optimization problem on this issue is an NP-hard problem, a feasible joint scheme for the cluster formation and resource allocation is proposed in this paper, which is carried out via coalition formation game with a distributed algorithm. This scheme can reduce the complexity while keeping an attractive performance. Simulation results show the properties of the proposed scheme and its advantages when comparing with the noncooperative scheme for the data collection in a practical scenario.

DYNSUB: A high fidelity coupled code system for the evaluation of local safety parameters – Part II: Comparison of different temporal schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez-Torres, Armando Miguel; Sanchez-Espinoza, Victor Hugo; Ivanov, Kostadin; Macian-Juan, Rafael

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A fixed point iteration (FPI) is implemented in DYNSUB. ► Comparisons between the explicit scheme and the FPI are done. ► The FPI scheme allows moving from one time step to the other with converged solution. ► FPI allows the use of larger time steps without compromising the accuracy of results. ► FPI results are promising and represent an option in order to optimize calculations. -- Abstract: DYNSUB is a novel two-way pin-based coupling of the simplified transport (SP 3 ) version of DYN3D with the subchannel code SUBCHANFLOW. The new coupled code system allows for a more realistic description of the core behaviour under steady state and transients conditions, and has been widely described in Part I of this paper. Additionally to the explicit coupling developed and described in Part I, a nested loop iteration or fixed point iteration (FPI) is implemented in DYNSUB. A FPI is not an implicit scheme but approximates it by adding an iteration loop to the current explicit scheme. The advantage of the method is that it allows the use of larger time steps; however the nested loop iteration could take much more time in getting a converged solution that could be less efficient than the explicit scheme with small time steps. A comparison of the two temporal schemes is performed. The results using FPI are very promising and represent a very good option in order to optimize computational times without losing accuracy. However it is also shown that a FPI scheme can produce inaccurate results if the time step is not chosen in agreement with the analyzed transient.

Application of 't Hooft's renormalization scheme to two-loop calculations 230

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vladimirov, A.A.

1975-01-01

The advantages of the Hooft scheme for asymptotic calculations in the renormalization group have been demonstrated. Two-loop calculations have been carried out in three renormalized models: in scalar electrodynamics, in a pseudoscalar Yukawa theory and in the Weiss-Zumino supersymmetrical model [ru

Application of a robust and efficient Lagrangian particle scheme to soot transport in turbulent flames

KAUST Repository

Attili, Antonio; Bisetti, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

. The proposed scheme exhibits superior properties with respect to conventional Eulerian schemes in terms of stability, accuracy, and grid convergence. Taking into account the quality of the solution, the Lagrangian approach can be computationally more economical

Image Encryption Scheme Based on Balanced Two-Dimensional Cellular Automata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Cellular automata (CA are simple models of computation which exhibit fascinatingly complex behavior. Due to the universality of CA model, it has been widely applied in traditional cryptography and image processing. The aim of this paper is to present a new image encryption scheme based on balanced two-dimensional cellular automata. In this scheme, a random image with the same size of the plain image to be encrypted is first generated by a pseudo-random number generator with a seed. Then, the random image is evoluted alternately with two balanced two-dimensional CA rules. At last, the cipher image is obtained by operating bitwise XOR on the final evolution image and the plain image. This proposed scheme possesses some advantages such as very large key space, high randomness, complex cryptographic structure, and pretty fast encryption/decryption speed. Simulation results obtained from some classical images at the USC-SIPI database demonstrate the strong performance of the proposed image encryption scheme.

Monitoring mangrove forests: Are we taking full advantage of technology?

Science.gov (United States)

Younes Cárdenas, Nicolás; Joyce, Karen E.; Maier, Stefan W.

2017-12-01

Mangrove forests grow in the estuaries of 124 tropical countries around the world. Because in-situ monitoring of mangroves is difficult and time-consuming, remote sensing technologies are commonly used to monitor these ecosystems. Landsat satellites have provided regular and systematic images of mangrove ecosystems for over 30 years, yet researchers often cite budget and infrastructure constraints to justify the underuse this resource. Since 2001, over 50 studies have used Landsat or ASTER imagery for mangrove monitoring, and most focus on the spatial extent of mangroves, rarely using more than five images. Even after the Landsat archive was made free for public use, few studies used more than five images, despite the clear advantages of using more images (e.g. lower signal-to-noise ratios). The main argument of this paper is that, with freely available imagery and high performance computing facilities around the world, it is up to researchers to acquire the necessary programming skills to use these resources. Programming skills allow researchers to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as image acquisition and processing, consequently reducing up to 60% of the time dedicated to these activities. These skills also help scientists to review and re-use algorithms, hence making mangrove research more agile. This paper contributes to the debate on why scientists need to learn to program, not only to challenge prevailing approaches to mangrove research, but also to expand the temporal and spatial extents that are commonly used for mangrove research.

Diversity-Multiplexing Trade-off for Coordinated Direct and Relay Schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thai, Chan; Popovski, Petar; De Carvalho, Elisabeth

2013-01-01

The recent years have brought a significant body of research on wireless Two-Way Relaying (TWR), where the use of network coding brings an evident advantage in terms of data rates. Yet, TWR scenarios represent only a special case and it is of interest to devise similar techniques in more general...... Direct/Relay (CDR) schemes, which involve two flows, of a direct and a relayed user. In this paper we characterize a CDR scheme by deriving/bounding the Diversity-Multiplexing Trade-off (DMT) function. Two cases are considered. In the first case a transmitter knows the Channel State Information (CSI...

Change in the financing scheme for radioactive waste in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svobodová, Tereza

2018-01-01

Financing radioactive waste management is an issue every country using nuclear power has to deal with. A European directive even makes this binding for Euratom Member States. Germany changed its financing scheme entirely during the past year, thereby moving closer to other states' schemes. Germany replaced the funds put aside by the operators with a public fund to which the companies contribute. Now it is the government that is responsible for radioactive waste. This paper describes the regulation and information collection system on the European level and analyses the former and current German systems, their advantages and potential hazards. (orig.)

Support Schemes and Ownership Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ropenus, Stephanie; Schröder, Sascha Thorsten; Costa, Ana

, Denmark, France and Portugal. Another crucial aspect for the diffusion of the mCHP technology is possible ownership structures. These may range from full consumer ownership to ownership by utilities and energy service companies, which is discussed in Section 6. Finally, a conclusion (Section 7) wraps up......In recent years, fuel cell based micro‐combined heat and power has received increasing attention due to its potential contribution to energy savings, efficiency gains, customer proximity and flexibility in operation and capacity size. The FC4Home project assesses technical and economic aspects...... of support scheme simultaneously affects risk and technological development, which is the focus of Section 4. Subsequent to this conceptual overview, Section 5 takes a glance at the national application of support schemes for mCHP in practice, notably in the three country cases of the FC4Home project...

A unitary ESPRIT scheme of joint angle estimation for MOTS MIMO radar.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Chao; Shi, Guangming

2014-08-07

The transmit array of multi-overlapped-transmit-subarray configured bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MOTS MIMO) radar is partitioned into a number of overlapped subarrays, which is different from the traditional bistatic MIMO radar. In this paper, a new unitary ESPRIT scheme for joint estimation of the direction of departure (DOD) and the direction of arrival (DOA) for MOTS MIMO radar is proposed. In our method, each overlapped-transmit-subarray (OTS) with the identical effective aperture is regarded as a transmit element and the characteristics that the phase delays between the two OTSs is utilized. First, the measurements corresponding to all the OTSs are partitioned into two groups which have a rotational invariance relationship with each other. Then, the properties of centro-Hermitian matrices and real-valued rotational invariance factors are exploited to double the measurement samples and reduce computational complexity. Finally, the close-formed solution of automatically paired DOAs and DODs of targets is derived in a new manner. The proposed scheme provides increased estimation accuracy with the combination of inherent advantages of MOTS MIMO radar with unitary ESPRIT. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of the proposed scheme.

Principal scheme of preventive maintenance support system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiyama, Takuya; Terano, Takao; Yokoo, Takeshi; Shinohara, Yasushi

1985-01-01

It is of great importance to turn lessons learned from abnormal event experiences to advantage as well as taking apriori actions for prevention of abnormal events in nuclear power plants. From this point of view, a consultation system, named as Preventive Maintenance Support System (PMSS), which is to possess accumulated knowledges drawn from the past abnormal events in nuclear power plants infer occurrences, factors and developments of abnormal events and recommend preventive countermeasures on the basis of the knowledges, has been proposed. This report presents the principal scheme of PMSS. To begin with, following to the discussion of the purpose and use of PMSS, the fundamental functions PMSS should perform are specified. They are (1) event factors analyzation, (2) event prediction (event development estimation and analogous event estimation), (3) event significance evaluation and (4) preventive countermeasures presentation. In the next place, it is asserted that such a system should be constructed as a knowledge engineering one. Then, the R and D subjects and related schedule for PMSS are set up. (author)

Unequal error control scheme for dimmable visible light communication systems

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Keyan; Yuan, Lei; Wan, Yi; Li, Huaan

2017-01-01

Visible light communication (VLC), which has the advantages of a very large bandwidth, high security, and freedom from license-related restrictions and electromagnetic-interference, has attracted much interest. Because a VLC system simultaneously performs illumination and communication functions, dimming control, efficiency, and reliable transmission are significant and challenging issues of such systems. In this paper, we propose a novel unequal error control (UEC) scheme in which expanding window fountain (EWF) codes in an on-off keying (OOK)-based VLC system are used to support different dimming target values. To evaluate the performance of the scheme for various dimming target values, we apply it to H.264 scalable video coding bitstreams in a VLC system. The results of the simulations that are performed using additive white Gaussian noises (AWGNs) with different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are used to compare the performance of the proposed scheme for various dimming target values. It is found that the proposed UEC scheme enables earlier base layer recovery compared to the use of the equal error control (EEC) scheme for different dimming target values and therefore afford robust transmission for scalable video multicast over optical wireless channels. This is because of the unequal error protection (UEP) and unequal recovery time (URT) of the EWF code in the proposed scheme.

Compact high order schemes with gradient-direction derivatives for absorbing boundary conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Dan; Gordon, Rachel; Turkel, Eli

2015-09-01

We consider several compact high order absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) for the Helmholtz equation in three dimensions. A technique called "the gradient method" (GM) for ABCs is also introduced and combined with the high order ABCs. GM is based on the principle of using directional derivatives in the direction of the wavefront propagation. The new ABCs are used together with the recently introduced compact sixth order finite difference scheme for variable wave numbers. Experiments on problems with known analytic solutions produced very accurate results, demonstrating the efficacy of the high order schemes, particularly when combined with GM. The new ABCs are then applied to the SEG/EAGE Salt model, showing the advantages of the new schemes.

Novel neural networks-based fault tolerant control scheme with fault alarm.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Qikun; Jiang, Bin; Shi, Peng; Lim, Cheng-Chew

2014-11-01

In this paper, the problem of adaptive active fault-tolerant control for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown actuator fault is investigated. The actuator fault is assumed to have no traditional affine appearance of the system state variables and control input. The useful property of the basis function of the radial basis function neural network (NN), which will be used in the design of the fault tolerant controller, is explored. Based on the analysis of the design of normal and passive fault tolerant controllers, by using the implicit function theorem, a novel NN-based active fault-tolerant control scheme with fault alarm is proposed. Comparing with results in the literature, the fault-tolerant control scheme can minimize the time delay between fault occurrence and accommodation that is called the time delay due to fault diagnosis, and reduce the adverse effect on system performance. In addition, the FTC scheme has the advantages of a passive fault-tolerant control scheme as well as the traditional active fault-tolerant control scheme's properties. Furthermore, the fault-tolerant control scheme requires no additional fault detection and isolation model which is necessary in the traditional active fault-tolerant control scheme. Finally, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed techniques.

2D deblending using the multi-scale shaping scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qun; Ban, Xingan; Gong, Renbin; Li, Jinnuo; Ge, Qiang; Zu, Shaohuan

2018-01-01

Deblending can be posed as an inversion problem, which is ill-posed and requires constraint to obtain unique and stable solution. In blended record, signal is coherent, whereas interference is incoherent in some domains (e.g., common receiver domain and common offset domain). Due to the different sparsity, coefficients of signal and interference locate in different curvelet scale domains and have different amplitudes. Take into account the two differences, we propose a 2D multi-scale shaping scheme to constrain the sparsity to separate the blended record. In the domain where signal concentrates, the multi-scale scheme passes all the coefficients representing signal, while, in the domain where interference focuses, the multi-scale scheme suppresses the coefficients representing interference. Because the interference is suppressed evidently at each iteration, the constraint of multi-scale shaping operator in all scale domains are weak to guarantee the convergence of algorithm. We evaluate the performance of the multi-scale shaping scheme and the traditional global shaping scheme by using two synthetic and one field data examples.

Strong Authentication Scheme Based on Hand Geometry and Smart Card Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali A. Yassin

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In 2009, Xu et al. presented a safe, dynamic, id-based on remote user authentication method that has several advantages such as freely chosen passwords and mutual authentication. In this paper, we review the Xu–Zhu–Feng scheme and indicate many shortcomings in their scheme. Impersonation attacks and insider attacks could be effective. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a secure biometric-based remote authentication scheme using biometric characteristics of hand-geometry, which is aimed at withstanding well-known attacks and achieving good performance. Furthermore, our work contains many crucial merits such as mutual authentication, user anonymity, freely chosen passwords, secure password changes, session key agreements, revocation by using personal biometrics, and does not need extra device or software for hand geometry in the login phase. Additionally, our scheme is highly efficient and withstands existing known attacks like password guessing, server impersonation, insider attacks, denial of service (DOS attacks, replay attacks, and parallel-session attacks. Compared with the other related schemes, our work is powerful both in communications and computation costs.

Features of formation of competitive advantages: a strategic dimension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.Р. Pashchenko

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The article examines the features of formation of competitive advantages, the depth of theoretical and methodological basis for the formation of competitive advantages at an enterprise. The author has reviewed the approaches to the formation of stable and long-term competitive advantages. The author has also overviewed the requirements which are to be met by competitive advantages of a company and the factors that affect the possibility of competitive advantages. The author develops her own approach to the definition of «competitive enterprise strategy», suggests to understand the concept as the perspective of company development, the way of achieving the goals a company sets for itself guided by its policy, using internal and external competitive advantages. The author implements the model of strategic management of enterprise development based on competitive advantage creating. The suggested model will take into account the maximum possible factors that impact on the development and implementation of strategies. Due to the model risks will also be reduced. The paper determines that the important stage of enterprise development strategic management based on competitive advantage creating is the management of changes and the management of resistance to changes caused by the influence of factors of external and internal environment.

Asynchronous schemes for CFD at extreme scales

Science.gov (United States)

Konduri, Aditya; Donzis, Diego

2013-11-01

Recent advances in computing hardware and software have made simulations an indispensable research tool in understanding fluid flow phenomena in complex conditions at great detail. Due to the nonlinear nature of the governing NS equations, simulations of high Re turbulent flows are computationally very expensive and demand for extreme levels of parallelism. Current large simulations are being done on hundreds of thousands of processing elements (PEs). Benchmarks from these simulations show that communication between PEs take a substantial amount of time, overwhelming the compute time, resulting in substantial waste in compute cycles as PEs remain idle. We investigate a novel approach based on widely used finite-difference schemes in which computations are carried out asynchronously, i.e. synchronization of data among PEs is not enforced and computations proceed regardless of the status of messages. This drastically reduces PE idle time and results in much larger computation rates. We show that while these schemes remain stable, their accuracy is significantly affected. We present new schemes that maintain accuracy under asynchronous conditions and provide a viable path towards exascale computing. Performance of these schemes will be shown for simple models like Burgers' equation.

An efficient and secure dynamic ID-based authentication scheme for telecare medical information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hung-Ming; Lo, Jung-Wen; Yeh, Chang-Kuo

2012-12-01

The rapidly increased availability of always-on broadband telecommunication environments and lower-cost vital signs monitoring devices bring the advantages of telemedicine directly into the patient's home. Hence, the control of access to remote medical servers' resources has become a crucial challenge. A secure authentication scheme between the medical server and remote users is therefore needed to safeguard data integrity, confidentiality and to ensure availability. Recently, many authentication schemes that use low-cost mobile devices have been proposed to meet these requirements. In contrast to previous schemes, Khan et al. proposed a dynamic ID-based remote user authentication scheme that reduces computational complexity and includes features such as a provision for the revocation of lost or stolen smart cards and a time expiry check for the authentication process. However, Khan et al.'s scheme has some security drawbacks. To remedy theses, this study proposes an enhanced authentication scheme that overcomes the weaknesses inherent in Khan et al.'s scheme and demonstrated this scheme is more secure and robust for use in a telecare medical information system.

Organization of Concepts Relevant to Emotions and Their Regulation during Test Taking.

Science.gov (United States)

Schutz, Paul A.; Davis, Heather A.; Schwanenflugel, Paula J.

2002-01-01

Studied college students' organization of concepts related to emotions and their regulation during test taking and whether students with test anxiety have a different conceptual organization about test taking. Results with 78 and 76 students show that for students with low and moderate test anxiety, the organizational scheme for the selected…

Deployment technique that takes advantage of the characteristics of Enterprise VRD2: an in vitro study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chihara, Hideo; Ishii, Akira; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Ikeda, Hiroyuki; Arai, Daisuke; Miyamoto, Susumu

2017-10-01

Enterprise VRD, a stent frequently used to assist coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms, has been upgraded to reduce the risk of incomplete stent apposition (ISA), a known risk factor for thromboembolic complications. To compare the performances of Enterprise VRD and Enterprise VRD2 in curved vessels, and to investigate a deployment method that takes advantage of the features of Enterprise VRD2 to achieve better vessel wall apposition. A silicone vascular model connected to a temperature-adjustable perfusion circuit was used. First, Enterprise VRD and Enterprise VRD2 were deployed under fluoroscopy and then ISA was evaluated as the stent cross-sectional area ratio at the curved segment of the vessel. For the measurements, each stent was deployed in vessels with different angles of curvature. Second, the incidence of ISA after insertion of Enterprise VRD2 by the 'pushing over outer curve technique', in which stents are deployed along the outer curve of vessels with continuous wire advancement, was compared with 'Heller's push and pull technique'. For all stents, the cross-sectional area ratio decreased with acute curvature of the vessel. Comparisons of the two stents showed that Enterprise VRD2 was better than Enterprise VRD in maintaining a greater cross-sectional area ratio in curved vessels. In addition, kinking with an acute curvature was also minimized with Enterprise VRD2. Furthermore, ISA was reduced using our technique with Enterprise VRD2. Enterprise VRD2 is superior to Enterprise VRD in reducing ISA in curved vessels and can alter ISA according to the deployment technique used. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Take-or-pay contracts for renewables deployment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, Angus; Kavali, Amalia; Neuhoff, Karsten

2008-01-01

Renewables require support policies to deliver the European 20% target. We discuss the requirements for least-cost development and efficient operation and quantify how different schemes (i) allow for the development of a renewable energy technology portfolio; (ii) reduce rent transfers to infra-marginal technologies or better than marginal resource bases and (iii) minimise regulatory risk and thus capital costs for new projects. Long-term take-or-pay contracts minimise regulatory uncertainty, create appropriate incentives for location and operation, allow for efficient system operation and seem compatible with European state aid. We discuss how property rights legislation protects existing renewables investors, and thus can ensure ongoing investment during a transition towards the new scheme

Secure and Efficient User Authentication Scheme Based on Password and Smart Card for Multiserver Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Zhao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid development of information and network technologies motivates the emergence of various new computing paradigms, such as distributed computing, cloud computing, and edge computing. This also enables more and more network enterprises to provide multiple different services simultaneously. To ensure these services can only be accessed conveniently by authorized users, many password and smart card based authentication schemes for multiserver architecture have been proposed. Recently, Truong et al. introduced an identity based user authentication scheme on elliptic curve cryptography in multiserver environment and claimed that their scheme is secure against popular attacks. However, in this paper, we point out that their scheme suffers from offline password guessing and impersonation attack and fails to achieve security requirements of this kind of authentication scheme. Moreover, we put forward a new scheme to conquer security pitfalls in the above scheme. Security analysis indicates that the proposed scheme can be free from well-known attacks. Performance discussion demonstrates that our scheme has advantages in terms of both security property and computation efficiency and thus is more desirable for practical applications in multiserver environment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Weighted Grading. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Karen

2004-01-01

What are the advantages and disadvantages of weighted grading? The primary purpose of weighted grading has been to encourage high school students to take more rigorous courses. This effort is then acknowledged by more weight being given to the grade for a specified class. There are numerous systems of weighted grading cited in the literature from…

Renewable energy investments under different support schemes: A real options approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boomsma, Trine Krogh; Meade, Nigel; Fleten, Stein-Erik

2012-01-01

-in tariff encourages earlier investment. Nevertheless, as investment has been undertaken, renewable energy certificate trading creates incentives for larger projects. In our baseline scenario and taking the fixed feed-in tariff as a base, the revenue required to trigger investments is 61% higher......This paper adopts a real options approach to analyze investment timing and capacity choice for renewable energy projects under different support schemes. The main purpose is to examine investment behavior under the most extensively employed support schemes, namely, feed-in tariffs and renewable...... energy certificate trading. We consider both multiple sources of uncertainty under each support scheme and uncertainty with respect to any change of support scheme, and we obtain both analytical (when possible) and numerical solutions. In a Nordic case study based on wind power, we find that the feed...

Design of an adaptive overcurrent protection scheme for microgrids ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Microgrid is a new phenomenon regarded to Distributed Generation (DG) penetration in the existing distribution systems. In this paper adaptive over current (OC) protection technique for a distribution system with DG penetration is proposed. This scheme takes into account general protection requirements, impacts of DG on ...

ESS-FH: Enhanced Security Scheme for Fast Handover in Hierarchical Mobile IPv6

Science.gov (United States)

You, Ilsun; Lee, Jong-Hyouk; Sakurai, Kouichi; Hori, Yoshiaki

Fast Handover for Hierarchical Mobile IPv6 (F-HMIPv6) that combines advantages of Fast Handover for Mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6) and Hierarchical Mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6) achieves the superior performance in terms of handover latency and signaling overhead compared with previously developed mobility protocols. However, without being secured, F-HMIPv6 is vulnerable to various security threats. In 2007, Kang and Park proposed a security scheme, which is seamlessly integrated into F-HMIPv6. In this paper, we reveal that Kang-Park's scheme cannot defend against the Denial of Service (DoS) and redirect attacks while largely relying on the group key. Then, we propose an Enhanced Security Scheme for F-HMIPv6 (ESS-FH) that achieves the strong key exchange and the key independence as well as addresses the weaknesses of Kang-Park's scheme. More importantly, it enables fast handover between different MAP domains. The proposed scheme is formally verified based on BAN-logic, and its handover latency is analyzed and compared with that of Kang-Park's scheme.

Incentive schemes in development of socio-economic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Grachev, V. V.; Ivushkin, K. A.; Myshlyaev, L. P.

2018-05-01

The paper is devoted to the study of incentive schemes when developing socio-economic systems. The article analyzes the existing incentive schemes. It is established that the traditional incentive mechanisms do not fully take into account the specifics of the creation of each socio-economic system and, as a rule, are difficult to implement. The incentive schemes based on the full-scale simulation approach, which allow the most complete information from the existing projects of creation of socio-economic systems to be extracted, are proposed. The statement of the problem is given, the method and algorithm of the full-scale simulation study of the efficiency of incentive functions is developed. The results of the study are presented. It is shown that the use of quadratic and piecewise linear functions of incentive allows the time and costs for creating social and economic systems to be reduced by 10%-15%.

The Critical Advantage: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in School

Science.gov (United States)

Gormley, William T., Jr.

2017-01-01

In "The Critical Advantage," noted scholar and early childhood expert William T. Gormley, Jr. takes a wide ranging look at the important role of critical thinking in preparing students for college, careers, and civic life. Drawing on research from psychology, philosophy, business, political science, neuroscience, and other disciplines,…

Numerical Comparison of Optimal Charging Schemes for Electric Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

You, Shi; Hu, Junjie; Pedersen, Anders Bro

2012-01-01

of four different charging schemes, namely night charging, night charging with V2G, 24 hour charging and 24 hour charging with V2G, on the basis of real driving data and electricity price of Denmark in 2003. For all schemes, optimal charging plans with 5 minute resolution are derived through the solving...... of a mixed integer programming problem which aims to minimize the charging cost and meanwhile takes into account the users' driving needs and the practical limitations of the EV battery. In the post processing stage, the rainflow counting algorithm is implemented to assess the lifetime usage of a lithium...

Escalator: An Autonomous Scheduling Scheme for Convergecast in TSCH.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Sukho; Hwang, DongYeop; Kim, Ki-Hyung; Kim, Kangseok

2018-04-16

Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) is widely used in the industrial wireless sensor networks due to its high reliability and energy efficiency. Various timeslot and channel scheduling schemes have been proposed for achieving high reliability and energy efficiency for TSCH networks. Recently proposed autonomous scheduling schemes provide flexible timeslot scheduling based on the routing topology, but do not take into account the network traffic and packet forwarding delays. In this paper, we propose an autonomous scheduling scheme for convergecast in TSCH networks with RPL as a routing protocol, named Escalator. Escalator generates a consecutive timeslot schedule along the packet forwarding path to minimize the packet transmission delay. The schedule is generated autonomously by utilizing only the local routing topology information without any additional signaling with other nodes. The generated schedule is guaranteed to be conflict-free, in that all nodes in the network could transmit packets to the sink in every slotframe cycle. We implement Escalator and evaluate its performance with existing autonomous scheduling schemes through a testbed and simulation. Experimental results show that the proposed Escalator has lower end-to-end delay and higher packet delivery ratio compared to the existing schemes regardless of the network topology.

Forcing scheme analysis for the axisymmetric lattice Boltzmann method under incompressible limit.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liangqi; Yang, Shiliang; Zeng, Zhong; Chen, Jie; Yin, Linmao; Chew, Jia Wei

2017-04-01

Because the standard lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is proposed for Cartesian Navier-Stokes (NS) equations, additional source terms are necessary in the axisymmetric LB method for representing the axisymmetric effects. Therefore, the accuracy and applicability of the axisymmetric LB models depend on the forcing schemes adopted for discretization of the source terms. In this study, three forcing schemes, namely, the trapezium rule based scheme, the direct forcing scheme, and the semi-implicit centered scheme, are analyzed theoretically by investigating their derived macroscopic equations in the diffusive scale. Particularly, the finite difference interpretation of the standard LB method is extended to the LB equations with source terms, and then the accuracy of different forcing schemes is evaluated for the axisymmetric LB method. Theoretical analysis indicates that the discrete lattice effects arising from the direct forcing scheme are part of the truncation error terms and thus would not affect the overall accuracy of the standard LB method with general force term (i.e., only the source terms in the momentum equation are considered), but lead to incorrect macroscopic equations for the axisymmetric LB models. On the other hand, the trapezium rule based scheme and the semi-implicit centered scheme both have the advantage of avoiding the discrete lattice effects and recovering the correct macroscopic equations. Numerical tests applied for validating the theoretical analysis show that both the numerical stability and the accuracy of the axisymmetric LB simulations are affected by the direct forcing scheme, which indicate that forcing schemes free of the discrete lattice effects are necessary for the axisymmetric LB method.

Transumbilical single-site laparoscopy takes the advantage of ultraminilaparotomy in managing an extremely large ovarian cyst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsuan Su

2012-11-01

Conclusion: This application not only provides both advantages of ultraminilaparotomy and laparoscopy but it also overcomes the limitations of both approaches. Therefore, it is the surgical approach of choice for a patient bearing an extremely large ovarian cystic tumor.

Two Schemes for Generation of Entanglement for Vibronic Collective States of Multiple Trapped Ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Wenxing; Li Jiahua; Zheng Anshou

2007-01-01

We propose two schemes to prepare entanglement for the vibronic collective states of multiple trapped ions. The first scheme aims to generating multipartite entanglement for vibrational modes of trapped ions, which only requires a single laser beam tuned to the ionic carrier frequency. Our scheme works in the mediated excitation regime, in which the corresponding Rabi frequency is equal to the trap frequency. Beyond their fundamental importance, these states may be of interest for experimental studies on decoherence since the present scheme operates in a fast way. The second scheme aims to preparing the continuous variable multimode maximally Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. The distinct advantage is that the operation time is only limited by the available laser intensity, not by the inherent mechanisms such as off-resonant excitations. This makes it promising to obtain entanglement of multiple coherent and squeezing states with desired amplitudes in a reasonable time.

Trajectory errors of different numerical integration schemes diagnosed with the MPTRAC advection module driven by ECMWF operational analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Rößler, Thomas; Stein, Olaf; Heng, Yi; Baumeister, Paul; Hoffmann, Lars

2018-02-01

The accuracy of trajectory calculations performed by Lagrangian particle dispersion models (LPDMs) depends on various factors. The optimization of numerical integration schemes used to solve the trajectory equation helps to maximize the computational efficiency of large-scale LPDM simulations. We analyzed global truncation errors of six explicit integration schemes of the Runge-Kutta family, which we implemented in the Massive-Parallel Trajectory Calculations (MPTRAC) advection module. The simulations were driven by wind fields from operational analysis and forecasts of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at T1279L137 spatial resolution and 3 h temporal sampling. We defined separate test cases for 15 distinct regions of the atmosphere, covering the polar regions, the midlatitudes, and the tropics in the free troposphere, in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) region, and in the middle stratosphere. In total, more than 5000 different transport simulations were performed, covering the months of January, April, July, and October for the years 2014 and 2015. We quantified the accuracy of the trajectories by calculating transport deviations with respect to reference simulations using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration scheme with a sufficiently fine time step. Transport deviations were assessed with respect to error limits based on turbulent diffusion. Independent of the numerical scheme, the global truncation errors vary significantly between the different regions. Horizontal transport deviations in the stratosphere are typically an order of magnitude smaller compared with the free troposphere. We found that the truncation errors of the six numerical schemes fall into three distinct groups, which mostly depend on the numerical order of the scheme. Schemes of the same order differ little in accuracy, but some methods need less computational time, which gives them an advantage in efficiency. The selection of the integration

Simplification of a dust emission scheme and comparison with data

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Yaping

2004-05-01

A simplification of a dust emission scheme is proposed, which takes into account of saltation bombardment and aggregates disintegration. The statement of the scheme is that dust emission is proportional to streamwise saltation flux, but the proportionality depends on soil texture and soil plastic pressure p. For small p values (loose soils), dust emission rate is proportional to u*4 (u* is friction velocity) but not necessarily so in general. The dust emission predictions using the scheme are compared with several data sets published in the literature. The comparison enables the estimate of a model parameter and soil plastic pressure for various soils. While more data are needed for further verification, a general guideline for choosing model parameters is recommended.

Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS): operations and achievements 1992-1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-09-01

The Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS) was launched in 1992 under the DTI's Passive Solar Programme to help improve the energy performance of the UK's building stock. It aimed to do this through direct advice and guidance on passive solar design and energy efficient technologies and processes given to the designers of real building projects. Furthermore, the scheme aimed to raise the awareness and take-up of definitive guidance produced under government programmes such as the Passive Solar programme and the Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme. A target energy saving worth Pound 19.3m was set to be achieved by the end of the scheme. This energy saving is equivalent to a reduction in carbon dioxide emission of 220,000 tonnes per year. (author)

The advantages of using photographs and video images in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the advantages of a telephone consultation with a specialist in paediatric surgery after taking photographs and video images by a general practitioner for the diagnosis of some diseases. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study of the reliability of paediatric ...

Taking Advantage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Popularity to Enhance Student/Public Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Dittrich, T. M.

2011-12-01

. Our goal is to expand the use of these modules to a more broad public audience, including at a future campus/public event know as "All Things Water". We have also organized a walking tour/demo with 3rd-5th graders in a small mining town west of Boulder where we hiked to an old historical mine site, measured water quality (pH, dissolved lead, conductivity), and coated the inside of small bottles with silver. Organizing and hosting a conference can also be a great way to facilitate a discussion of ideas within the community. "All Things STEM" organized a broad student research conference related to water quality and water treatment which included research from 22 students from 11 different countries. We worked with 12 local engineering consultants, municipalities, and local businesses to provide 2000 for student awards. Our presentation will focus on lessons we have learned on how to take advantage of student energy, excitement, and time on campus to receive funding opportunities for planning events that engage the public. We will also talk about our experiences in using student energy to develop partnerships with K-12 schools, community groups, and industry professionals.

Institutional advantage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martin, Xavier

Is there such a thing as institutional advantage—and what does it mean for the study of corporate competitive advantage? In this article, I develop the concept of institutional competitive advantage, as distinct from plain competitive advantage and from comparative institutional advantage. I first

The Political Economy of International Emission Trading Scheme Choice: Empirical Evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boom, J.T.; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2000-01-01

The Kyoto Protocol allows emissions trading. It does however not specify how this is to take place and the discussion on the design of an emissions trading scheme is ongoing. In this paper, we give some empirical evidence on the preference of industry and environmental organizations for internati...... for international emissions trading scheme. Since they may have an influence on decision makers, their opinion is important. Our conclusion is that both industry and environmental organizations prefer credit trading, although for widely different reasons....

Taking Advantages of Technologies:Using the Socrative in English Language Teaching Classes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayhan Kaya

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The advantages of technology cannot be ignored and new technological applications come into our life almost every day. In this sense, it is inevitable to use those technological devices in the field of education for efficient teaching and learning. This paper deals with the attitudes of prep school students toward using Socrative in the classroom as a tool of response system in real time. Socrative is a smart student response system that enables instructors to discover or assess what students have learned in their lectures in real time. The study was conducted at the beginning of the second semester of 2014-2015 academic year in a university prep school. The survey was applied after the Socrative being practiced for a five-month period of first semester. The survey instrument which was previously used by Dervan (2014 was used to reveal students’ attitudes toward Socrative. The result of this study indicated that Socrative is a right tool that can help to improve users’ engagement in the classroom. Moreover, statistical analysis showed that there was no difference between the attitudes across gender.

Static and dynamic efficiency of white certificate schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraudet, L.G.; Finon, D.

2011-01-01

White Certificate Schemes mandate energy companies to promote energy efficiency through flexibility mechanisms, including the trading of energy savings. They can be characterized as a quantity-based, baseline-and-credit system for the diffusion of energy efficient technologies. This paper compares experiences with White Certificate Schemes in Great Britain, Italy and France, in order to identify the basic drivers of each, and ultimately offer an original interpretation as an adaptive instrument, in the sense that it can take different forms in response to specific institutional contexts. A first analysis shows that Schemes perform well in terms of static efficiency, i.e. they are cost-effective and generate net social benefits over the period considered, though with large discrepancies rooted in different technological potentials. Regarding dynamic efficiency, i.e. the ability to induce and sustain technological change over the long haul, market transformation occurred in Great Britain, but was poorly incentivized in Italy and France by inadequate compliance cost recovery rules. Substantial organizational change has occurred in every country, mainly by strengthening vertical relationships between obliged parties and upstream businesses. Overall, the obligation (rather than the market component) drives the early phases of the Schemes. (authors)

Adaptive guard channel allocation scheme with buffer for mobile ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The devastating effect congestion has on the quality of service delivery and overall network performance demands an utmost attention. This certainly calls for taking some expedient measures to deal with congestion so as to salvage the network from total collapse. In this paper, an adaptive guard channel allocation scheme ...

The new electricity of France PWR: calculation scheme of neutron leakages from the reactor cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vergnaud, T.; Bourdet, L.; Nimal, J.C.; Brandicourt, G.; Champion, G.

1987-04-01

A new calculation scheme is adapted to evaluate neutron fluxes in the reactor cavity and the containment of next french PWR. In this scheme a large part is given to Monte Carlo method, coupled with SN-method, in order to take into account multiple neutron diffusions and the complexity of the reactor geometry

Economic Droop Scheme for Decentralized Power Management in DC Microgrids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Alizadeh

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an autonomous and economic droop control scheme for DC microgrid application. In this method, a cost-effective power sharing technique among various types of DG units is properly adopted. The droop settings are determined based on an algorithm to individually manage the power management without any complicated optimization methods commonly applied in the centralized control method. In the proposed scheme, the system retains all the advantages of the traditional droop method while minimizes the generation costs of the DC microgrid. In the proposed method, all DGs are classified in a sorting rule based on their total generation cost and the reference voltage of their droop equations is then determined. The proposed scheme is applied to a typical DC microgrid consisting of four different types of DGs and a controllable load. The simulation results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method using MATLAB/SIMULINK software.

A Novel Congestion Detection Scheme in TCP Over OBS Networks

KAUST Repository

Shihada, Basem

2009-02-01

This paper introduces a novel congestion detection scheme for high-bandwidth TCP flows over optical burst switching (OBS) networks, called statistical additive increase multiplicative decrease (SAIMD). SAIMD maintains and analyzes a number of previous round-trip time (RTTs) at the TCP senders in order to identify the confidence with which a packet loss event is due to network congestion. The confidence is derived by positioning short-term RTT in the spectrum of long-term historical RTTs. The derived confidence corresponding to the packet loss is then taken in the developed policy for TCP congestion window adjustment. We will show through extensive simulation that the proposed scheme can effectively solve the false congestion detection problem and significantly outperform the conventional TCP counterparts without losing fairness. The advantages gained in our scheme are at the expense of introducing more overhead in the SAIMD TCP senders. Based on the proposed congestion control algorithm, a throughput model is formulated, and is further verified by simulation results.

A New Scrambling Evaluation Scheme Based on Spatial Distribution Entropy and Centroid Difference of Bit-Plane

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Adhikari, Avishek; Sakurai, Kouichi

Watermarking is one of the most effective techniques for copyright protection and information hiding. It can be applied in many fields of our society. Nowadays, some image scrambling schemes are used as one part of the watermarking algorithm to enhance the security. Therefore, how to select an image scrambling scheme and what kind of the image scrambling scheme may be used for watermarking are the key problems. Evaluation method of the image scrambling schemes can be seen as a useful test tool for showing the property or flaw of the image scrambling method. In this paper, a new scrambling evaluation system based on spatial distribution entropy and centroid difference of bit-plane is presented to obtain the scrambling degree of image scrambling schemes. Our scheme is illustrated and justified through computer simulations. The experimental results show (in Figs. 6 and 7) that for the general gray-scale image, the evaluation degree of the corresponding cipher image for the first 4 significant bit-planes selection is nearly the same as that for the 8 bit-planes selection. That is why, instead of taking 8 bit-planes of a gray-scale image, it is sufficient to take only the first 4 significant bit-planes for the experiment to find the scrambling degree. This 50% reduction in the computational cost makes our scheme efficient.

Urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis in the Tono Irrigation Scheme, Kassena/Nankana District, Upper East Region, Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amankwa, J. A.; Bloch, P.; Meyer-Lassen, J.

1994-01-01

Human- and snail-related aspects of transmission of urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis were studied in the Tono Irrigation Scheme in northern Ghana. The scheme became operational in 1977. In some schools, prevalences and intensities of both Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium infection were...... of S. haematobium takes place in all parts of the irrigation system (lateral canal, night storage dam, main reservoir). Transmission of both S. mansoni and S. haematobium is rather focal and a seasonal pattern of transmission is indicated with peak transmission taking place during the beginning...

Building Models in the Classroom: Taking Advantage of Sophisticated Geomorphic Numerical Tools Using a Simple Graphical User Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, S. G.; Koons, P. O.; Gerbi, C. C.; Capps, D. K.; Tucker, G. E.; Rogers, Z. A.

2014-12-01

Sophisticated numerical tools exist for modeling geomorphic processes and linking them to tectonic and climatic systems, but they are often seen as inaccessible for users with an exploratory level of interest. We have improved the accessibility of landscape evolution models by producing a simple graphics user interface (GUI) that takes advantage of the Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) model. Model access is flexible: the user can edit values for basic geomorphic, tectonic, and climate parameters, or obtain greater control by defining the spatiotemporal distributions of those parameters. Users can make educated predictions by choosing their own parametric values for the governing equations and interpreting the results immediately through model graphics. This method of modeling allows users to iteratively build their understanding through experimentation. Use of this GUI is intended for inquiry and discovery-based learning activities. We discuss a number of examples of how the GUI can be used at the upper high school, introductory university, and advanced university level. Effective teaching modules initially focus on an inquiry-based example guided by the instructor. As students become familiar with the GUI and the CHILD model, the class can shift to more student-centered exploration and experimentation. To make model interpretations more robust, digital elevation models can be imported and direct comparisons can be made between CHILD model results and natural topography. The GUI is available online through the University of Maine's Earth and Climate Sciences website, through the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) model repository, or by contacting the corresponding author.

Accounting for early action in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arto, Inaki; Gallastegui, Carmen; Ansuategi, Alberto

2009-01-01

In the context of emission markets, failure to include early action (EA) as a criterion when sharing out the reduction effort may be unfair. This paper presents (1) a method based on index decomposition that seeks to quantify EA and (2) a method for determining effort sharing considering EA. It is shown that, in the case of European industry (EU-15) and for the period 1995-2005, EA accounted for a reduction of 21% in energy-related CO 2 emissions. Considering two alternative schemes for sharing out the reduction effort in European industry, equal shares (all industries in all countries reduce their emissions by the same percentage) and taking EA into account, we find that Spain, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden would be better off under an equal shares scheme as opposed to one that takes EA into account. The efforts of the remaining countries would be greater than if EA was taken into account. An equal shares scheme would also greatly benefit the textile, non-metallic mineral, paper and 'other' industries, and would be particularly detrimental to the chemical, non-ferrous and other metal, and engineering industries.

Accounting for early action in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arto, Inaki [IEP, Instituto de Economia Publica, University of the Basque Country, Avd. Lehendakari Agirre, 48015 Bilbao (Spain); Departamento de Fundamentos del Analisis Economico I, University of the Basque Country, Avd. Lehendakari Agirre, 48015 Bilbao (Spain); Gallastegui, Carmen [IEP, Instituto de Economia Publica, University of the Basque Country, Avd. Lehendakari Agirre, 48015 Bilbao (Spain); Ansuategi, Alberto [Departamento de Fundamentos del Analisis Economico I, University of the Basque Country, Avd. Lehendakari Agirre, 48015 Bilbao (Spain)

2009-10-15

In the context of emission markets, failure to include early action (EA) as a criterion when sharing out the reduction effort may be unfair. This paper presents (1) a method based on index decomposition that seeks to quantify EA and (2) a method for determining effort sharing considering EA. It is shown that, in the case of European industry (EU-15) and for the period 1995-2005, EA accounted for a reduction of 21% in energy-related CO{sub 2} emissions. Considering two alternative schemes for sharing out the reduction effort in European industry, equal shares (all industries in all countries reduce their emissions by the same percentage) and taking EA into account, we find that Spain, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden would be better off under an equal shares scheme as opposed to one that takes EA into account. The efforts of the remaining countries would be greater than if EA was taken into account. An equal shares scheme would also greatly benefit the textile, non-metallic mineral, paper and 'other' industries, and would be particularly detrimental to the chemical, non-ferrous and other metal, and engineering industries. (author)

Dispersion tolerance enhancement using an improved offset-QAM OFDM scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jian; Townsend, Paul D

2015-06-29

Discrete-Fourier transform (DFT) based offset quadrature amplitude modulation (offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) without cyclic prefix (CP) was shown to offer a dispersion tolerance the same as that of conventional OFDM with ~20% CP overhead. In this paper, we analytically study the fundamental mechanism limiting the dispersion tolerance of this conventional scheme. It is found that the signal and the crosstalk from adjacent subcarriers, which are orthogonal with π/2 phase difference at back to back, can be in-phase when the dispersion increases to a certain value. We propose a novel scheme to overcome this limitation and significantly improve the dispersion tolerance to that of one subcarrier. Simulations show that the proposed scheme can support a 224-Gb/s polarization-division-multiplexed offset-4QAM OFDM signal over 160,000 ps/nm without any CP under 128 subcarriers, and this tolerance scales with the square of the number of subcarriers. It is also shown that this scheme exhibits advantages of greatly enhanced spectral efficiency, larger dispersion tolerance, and/or reduced complexity compared to the conventional CP-OFDM and reduced-guard-interval OFDM using frequency domain equalization.

An Efficient Scheduling Scheme to Enhance the Capacity of VoIP Services in Evolved UTRA Uplink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim Yong-Seok

2008-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient scheduling scheme is proposed to increase the available capacity of VoIP services over evolved UTRA uplink. On top of the advantages of persistent scheduling, the proposed scheme adaptively share the resources of two VoIP users to get early-termination gain of dynamic scheduler. Through system-level simulations, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of the capacity enhancement of VoIP services. Comparisons with the original persistent scheduling and the HSUPA scheduler reveal that the proposed scheme increases the capacity of VoIP services up to 20%.

Exclusion from the Health Insurance Scheme

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

A CERN pensioner, member of the Organization's Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS), recently provided fake documents in support of claims for medical expenses, in order to receive unjustified reimbursement from the CHIS. The Administrator of the CHIS, UNIQA, suspected a case of fraud: Accordingly, an investigation and interview of the person concerned was carried out and brought the Organization to the conclusion that fraud had actually taken place. Consequently and in accordance with Article VIII 3.12 of the CHIS Rules, it was decided to exclude this member permanently from the CHIS. The Organization takes the opportunity to remind Scheme members that any fraud or attempt to fraud established within the framework of the CHIS exposes them to: - disciplinary action, according to the Staff Rules and Regulations, for CERN members of the personnel; - definitive exclusion from the CHIS for members affiliated on a voluntary basis. Human Resources Division Tel. 73635

Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS): operations and achievements 1992-1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-09-01

The Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS) was launched in 1992 under the DTI's Passive Solar Programme to help improve the energy performance of the UK's building stock. It aimed to do this through direct advice and guidance on passive solar design and energy efficient technologies and processes given to the designers of real building projects. Furthermore, the scheme aimed to raise the awareness and take-up of definitive guidance produced under government programmes such as the Passive Solar programme and the Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme. A target energy saving worth Pound 19.3m was set to be achieved by the end of the scheme. This energy saving is equivalent to a reduction in carbon dioxide emission of 220,000 tonnes per year. (author)

Modern foreign language teachers - don't leave those kids alone! Linguistic-cultural "give and take" in an ad-hoc tutoring scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Leroy, Norah

2017-08-01

This paper addresses the theme of social inclusion through language learning. The focus is on an ad-hoc tutoring scheme set up between newly arrived British migrant pupils and French monolingual pupils in a small secondary school in the south-west of France. Though the original objective of this tutoring scheme was to improve the English skills of the younger pupils, feedback reports indicated that it also had a positive impact on the relationship between the British migrant pupils and their French peers. Teachers believed that those involved participated more fully in class, and appeared more self-assured and generally happy thanks to the interpersonal relationships this scheme helped to forge. This study demonstrates the necessity of analysing the socio-cultural context migrants may find themselves in, in order to identify potential challenges. The ad-hoc tutoring scheme described here is an example of how language learning can support the integration and inclusion of "new generation" migrants into everyday school life.

R&D INVESTMENTS AND SPILLOVERS UNDER ENDOGENOUS ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY: COMPETITIVE R&D CANNOT TAKE FULL-ADVANTAGE OF COMPLEMENTARITY IN ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY WHILE COOPERATIVE R&D CAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mário A.P.M. Da Silva

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We show that the setting up of general conditions on complementarity in absorptive capacity gives rise to different, if not opposite Nash equilibrium outcomes to those found when absorptive capacity is assumed to be determined only by the similarity of R&D orientations. Firms that cooperate in R&D can take full-advantage of complementarity in R&D by adopting firm-specific R&D paths, which appears to contradict findings and predictions of existing theoretical literature on R&D and spillovers. Oddly, firms competing in R&D cannot gain the most from the potential of complementarity in knowledge by not choosing firm-specific R&D approaches in equilibrium under even milder conditions, which is contrary to another prediction of existing related models.

A Lattice-Based Identity-Based Proxy Blind Signature Scheme in the Standard Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A proxy blind signature scheme is a special form of blind signature which allowed a designated person called proxy signer to sign on behalf of original signers without knowing the content of the message. It combines the advantages of proxy signature and blind signature. Up to date, most proxy blind signature schemes rely on hard number theory problems, discrete logarithm, and bilinear pairings. Unfortunately, the above underlying number theory problems will be solvable in the postquantum era. Lattice-based cryptography is enjoying great interest these days, due to implementation simplicity and provable security reductions. Moreover, lattice-based cryptography is believed to be hard even for quantum computers. In this paper, we present a new identity-based proxy blind signature scheme from lattices without random oracles. The new scheme is proven to be strongly unforgeable under the standard hardness assumption of the short integer solution problem (SIS and the inhomogeneous small integer solution problem (ISIS. Furthermore, the secret key size and the signature length of our scheme are invariant and much shorter than those of the previous lattice-based proxy blind signature schemes. To the best of our knowledge, our construction is the first short lattice-based identity-based proxy blind signature scheme in the standard model.

Which missing value imputation method to use in expression profiles: a comparative study and two selection schemes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lotz Meredith J

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gene expression data frequently contain missing values, however, most down-stream analyses for microarray experiments require complete data. In the literature many methods have been proposed to estimate missing values via information of the correlation patterns within the gene expression matrix. Each method has its own advantages, but the specific conditions for which each method is preferred remains largely unclear. In this report we describe an extensive evaluation of eight current imputation methods on multiple types of microarray experiments, including time series, multiple exposures, and multiple exposures × time series data. We then introduce two complementary selection schemes for determining the most appropriate imputation method for any given data set. Results We found that the optimal imputation algorithms (LSA, LLS, and BPCA are all highly competitive with each other, and that no method is uniformly superior in all the data sets we examined. The success of each method can also depend on the underlying "complexity" of the expression data, where we take complexity to indicate the difficulty in mapping the gene expression matrix to a lower-dimensional subspace. We developed an entropy measure to quantify the complexity of expression matrixes and found that, by incorporating this information, the entropy-based selection (EBS scheme is useful for selecting an appropriate imputation algorithm. We further propose a simulation-based self-training selection (STS scheme. This technique has been used previously for microarray data imputation, but for different purposes. The scheme selects the optimal or near-optimal method with high accuracy but at an increased computational cost. Conclusion Our findings provide insight into the problem of which imputation method is optimal for a given data set. Three top-performing methods (LSA, LLS and BPCA are competitive with each other. Global-based imputation methods (PLS, SVD, BPCA

Which missing value imputation method to use in expression profiles: a comparative study and two selection schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, Guy N; Shaffer, John R; Blakesley, Richard E; Lotz, Meredith J; Tseng, George C

2008-01-10

Gene expression data frequently contain missing values, however, most down-stream analyses for microarray experiments require complete data. In the literature many methods have been proposed to estimate missing values via information of the correlation patterns within the gene expression matrix. Each method has its own advantages, but the specific conditions for which each method is preferred remains largely unclear. In this report we describe an extensive evaluation of eight current imputation methods on multiple types of microarray experiments, including time series, multiple exposures, and multiple exposures x time series data. We then introduce two complementary selection schemes for determining the most appropriate imputation method for any given data set. We found that the optimal imputation algorithms (LSA, LLS, and BPCA) are all highly competitive with each other, and that no method is uniformly superior in all the data sets we examined. The success of each method can also depend on the underlying "complexity" of the expression data, where we take complexity to indicate the difficulty in mapping the gene expression matrix to a lower-dimensional subspace. We developed an entropy measure to quantify the complexity of expression matrixes and found that, by incorporating this information, the entropy-based selection (EBS) scheme is useful for selecting an appropriate imputation algorithm. We further propose a simulation-based self-training selection (STS) scheme. This technique has been used previously for microarray data imputation, but for different purposes. The scheme selects the optimal or near-optimal method with high accuracy but at an increased computational cost. Our findings provide insight into the problem of which imputation method is optimal for a given data set. Three top-performing methods (LSA, LLS and BPCA) are competitive with each other. Global-based imputation methods (PLS, SVD, BPCA) performed better on mcroarray data with lower complexity

Escalator: An Autonomous Scheduling Scheme for Convergecast in TSCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukho Oh

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH is widely used in the industrial wireless sensor networks due to its high reliability and energy efficiency. Various timeslot and channel scheduling schemes have been proposed for achieving high reliability and energy efficiency for TSCH networks. Recently proposed autonomous scheduling schemes provide flexible timeslot scheduling based on the routing topology, but do not take into account the network traffic and packet forwarding delays. In this paper, we propose an autonomous scheduling scheme for convergecast in TSCH networks with RPL as a routing protocol, named Escalator. Escalator generates a consecutive timeslot schedule along the packet forwarding path to minimize the packet transmission delay. The schedule is generated autonomously by utilizing only the local routing topology information without any additional signaling with other nodes. The generated schedule is guaranteed to be conflict-free, in that all nodes in the network could transmit packets to the sink in every slotframe cycle. We implement Escalator and evaluate its performance with existing autonomous scheduling schemes through a testbed and simulation. Experimental results show that the proposed Escalator has lower end-to-end delay and higher packet delivery ratio compared to the existing schemes regardless of the network topology.

A semi-symmetric image encryption scheme based on the function projective synchronization of two hyperchaotic systems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqiang Di

Full Text Available Both symmetric and asymmetric color image encryption have advantages and disadvantages. In order to combine their advantages and try to overcome their disadvantages, chaos synchronization is used to avoid the key transmission for the proposed semi-symmetric image encryption scheme. Our scheme is a hybrid chaotic encryption algorithm, and it consists of a scrambling stage and a diffusion stage. The control law and the update rule of function projective synchronization between the 3-cell quantum cellular neural networks (QCNN response system and the 6th-order cellular neural network (CNN drive system are formulated. Since the function projective synchronization is used to synchronize the response system and drive system, Alice and Bob got the key by two different chaotic systems independently and avoid the key transmission by some extra security links, which prevents security key leakage during the transmission. Both numerical simulations and security analyses such as information entropy analysis, differential attack are conducted to verify the feasibility, security, and efficiency of the proposed scheme.

Multi-Hierarchical Gray Correlation Analysis Applied in the Selection of Green Building Design Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Li, Chuanghong

2018-02-01

As a sustainable form of ecological structure, green building is widespread concerned and advocated in society increasingly nowadays. In the survey and design phase of preliminary project construction, carrying out the evaluation and selection of green building design scheme, which is in accordance with the scientific and reasonable evaluation index system, can improve the ecological benefits of green building projects largely and effectively. Based on the new Green Building Evaluation Standard which came into effect on January 1, 2015, the evaluation index system of green building design scheme is constructed taking into account the evaluation contents related to the green building design scheme. We organized experts who are experienced in construction scheme optimization to mark and determine the weight of each evaluation index through the AHP method. The correlation degree was calculated between each evaluation scheme and ideal scheme by using multilevel gray relational analysis model and then the optimal scheme was determined. The feasibility and practicability of the evaluation method are verified by introducing examples.

Quantum noise in laser-interferometer gravitational-wave detectors with a heterodyne readout scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonanno, Alessandra; Chen Yanbei; Mavalvala, Nergis

2003-01-01

We analyze and discuss the quantum noise in signal-recycled laser interferometer gravitational-wave detectors, such as Advanced LIGO, using a heterodyne readout scheme and taking into account the optomechanical dynamics. Contrary to homodyne detection, a heterodyne readout scheme can simultaneously measure more than one quadrature of the output field, providing an additional way of optimizing the interferometer sensitivity, but at the price of additional noise. Our analysis provides the framework needed to evaluate whether a homodyne or heterodyne readout scheme is more optimal for second generation interferometers from an astrophysical point of view. As a more theoretical outcome of our analysis, we show that as a consequence of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle the heterodyne scheme cannot convert conventional interferometers into (broadband) quantum non-demolition interferometers

Large Scale Skill in Regional Climate Modeling and the Lateral Boundary Condition Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Veljović, K.; Rajković, B.; Mesinger, F.

2009-04-01

limited in view of the integrations having being done only for 10-day forecasts. Even so, one should note that they are among very few done using forecast as opposed to reanalysis or analysis global driving data. Our results suggest that (1) running the Eta as an RCM no significant loss of large-scale kinetic energy with time seems to be taking place; (2) no disadvantage from using the Eta LBC scheme compared to the relaxation scheme is seen, while enjoying the advantage of the scheme being significantly less demanding than the relaxation given that it needs driver model fields at the outermost domain boundary only; and (3) the Eta RCM skill in forecasting large scales, with no large scale nudging, seems to be just about the same as that of the driver model, or, in the terminology of Castro et al., the Eta RCM does not lose "value of the large scale" which exists in the larger global analyses used for the initial condition and for verification.

Iterative scheme for electronic systems: using one-electron Green's functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyslop, J.; Rees, D.

1976-01-01

An iterative generalization of the minimum principle proposed for electronic systems by Hall, Hyslop, and Rees is investigated. It is shown that this generalization still retains the advantage of using members of a larger class of trial wave functions, for example those with discontinuities, as initial approximations to the wave functions. This scheme has the advantage that, at each stage of iteration, an upper bound is obtained which is at least as good as that obtained previously. The theory is first applied to the hydrogen atom. It is then adapted to estimate the Hartree--Fock energy of the helium atom, the Hartree--Fock limit being obtained after a relatively small number of iterations

Power adaptive multi-filter carrierless amplitude and phase access scheme for visible light communication network

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Huang, Zhitong; Li, Haoyue; Ji, Yuefeng

2018-04-01

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising candidate for short-range broadband access due to its integration of advantages for both optical communication and wireless communication, whereas multi-user access is a key problem because of the intra-cell and inter-cell interferences. In addition, the non-flat channel effect results in higher losses for users in high frequency bands, which leads to unfair qualities. To solve those issues, we propose a power adaptive multi-filter carrierless amplitude and phase access (PA-MF-CAPA) scheme, and in the first step of this scheme, the MF-CAPA scheme utilizing multiple filters as different CAP dimensions is used to realize multi-user access. The character of orthogonality among the filters in different dimensions can mitigate the effect of intra-cell and inter-cell interferences. Moreover, the MF-CAPA scheme provides different channels modulated on the same frequency bands, which further increases the transmission rate. Then, the power adaptive procedure based on MF-CAPA scheme is presented to realize quality fairness. As demonstrated in our experiments, the MF-CAPA scheme yields an improved throughput compared with multi-band CAP access scheme, and the PA-MF-CAPA scheme enhances the quality fairness and further improves the throughput compared with the MF-CAPA scheme.

Efficient coding schemes with power allocation using space-time-frequency spreading

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jiang Haining; Luo Hanwen; Tian Jifeng; Song Wentao; Liu Xingzhao

2006-01-01

An efficient space-time-frequency (STF) coding strategy for multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems is presented for high bit rate data transmission over frequency selective fading channels. The proposed scheme is a new approach to space-time-frequency coded OFDM (COFDM) that combines OFDM with space-time coding, linear precoding and adaptive power allocation to provide higher quality of transmission in terms of the bit error rate performance and power efficiency. In addition to exploiting the maximum diversity gain in frequency, time and space, the proposed scheme enjoys high coding advantages and low-complexity decoding. The significant performance improvement of our design is confirmed by corroborating numerical simulations.

Construction of Low Dissipative High Order Well-Balanced Filter Schemes for Non-Equilibrium Flows

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Yee, H. C.; Sjogreen, Bjorn; Magin, Thierry; Shu, Chi-Wang

2009-01-01

The goal of this paper is to generalize the well-balanced approach for non-equilibrium flow studied by Wang et al. [26] to a class of low dissipative high order shock-capturing filter schemes and to explore more advantages of well-balanced schemes in reacting flows. The class of filter schemes developed by Yee et al. [30], Sjoegreen & Yee [24] and Yee & Sjoegreen [35] consist of two steps, a full time step of spatially high order non-dissipative base scheme and an adaptive nonlinear filter containing shock-capturing dissipation. A good property of the filter scheme is that the base scheme and the filter are stand alone modules in designing. Therefore, the idea of designing a well-balanced filter scheme is straightforward, i.e., choosing a well-balanced base scheme with a well-balanced filter (both with high order). A typical class of these schemes shown in this paper is the high order central difference schemes/predictor-corrector (PC) schemes with a high order well-balanced WENO filter. The new filter scheme with the well-balanced property will gather the features of both filter methods and well-balanced properties: it can preserve certain steady state solutions exactly; it is able to capture small perturbations, e.g., turbulence fluctuations; it adaptively controls numerical dissipation. Thus it shows high accuracy, efficiency and stability in shock/turbulence interactions. Numerical examples containing 1D and 2D smooth problems, 1D stationary contact discontinuity problem and 1D turbulence/shock interactions are included to verify the improved accuracy, in addition to the well-balanced behavior.

Advantages and disadvantages of a risk - based regulatory requirement (the experience in Argentina)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Jorge

2006-01-01

Argentina has its own nuclear regulations, which include a risk-based criterion curve for the licensing of nuclear installations. This requirement, established in the early '70s, must be fulfilled with a PSA study. It has been applied to several installations, and the advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed in the paper through several examples. The main disadvantage is a somehow large amount of PSA work that needs to be performed for the licensing of a nuclear installation. The main advantage is the effective risk reduction that can be achieved by retrofitting the risk-based lessons learned into the design teams (not only for design of systems and components, but also for design of operation, testing and maintenance schemes). (author)

Modern Paradigm of Ensuring Competitive Advantages of an Enterprise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klymchuk Alyona O.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers evolution of development of the paradigm of ensuring competitive advantages of an enterprise. Foreign and domestic scientists focus on individual directions of development of competitive advantages and pay insufficient attention to new management concepts – development of the information society, knowledge economy and dynamism of integration processes. The goal of the study is formation of the modern paradigm of ensuring competitive advantages of an enterprise with consideration of tendencies of development of the knowledge economy, information society and integration processes. Enterprise competitiveness is a synergetic characteristic, which reflects enterprise capability of dynamic response to changes of the market situation with the aim of keeping predominance over other economic subjects. Management of the future, on the basis of the management 2.0 concept, should take into account interests not only of top management and shareholders but also employees, local communities and territories and meet requirements of the society in general, individual groups of consumers and tendencies of development of managerial and information technologies. The paradigm of the modern theory of ensuring competitive advantages should include models of keeping competitive advantages in the existing markets and models of development of future markets; strategy of development of enterprise competitiveness, human capital development and efficient enterprise management.

An efficient numerical progressive diagonalization scheme for the quantum Rabi model revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Feng; Bao, Lina; Dai, Lianrong; Draayer, Jerry P

2017-01-01

An efficient numerical progressive diagonalization scheme for the quantum Rabi model is revisited. The advantage of the scheme lies in the fact that the quantum Rabi model can be solved almost exactly by using the scheme that only involves a finite set of one variable polynomial equations. The scheme is especially efficient for a specified eigenstate of the model, for example, the ground state. Some low-lying level energies of the model for several sets of parameters are calculated, of which one set of the results is compared to that obtained from the Braak’s exact solution proposed recently. It is shown that the derivative of the entanglement measure defined in terms of the reduced von Neumann entropy with respect to the coupling parameter does reach the maximum near the critical point deduced from the classical limit of the Dicke model, which may provide a probe of the critical point of the crossover in finite quantum many-body systems, such as that in the quantum Rabi model. (paper)

Linear and nonlinear schemes applied to pitch control of wind turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Hua; Yang, Geng

2014-01-01

Linear controllers have been employed in industrial applications for many years, but sometimes they are noneffective on the system with nonlinear characteristics. This paper discusses the structure, performance, implementation cost, advantages, and disadvantages of different linear and nonlinear schemes applied to the pitch control of the wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). The linear controller has the simplest structure and is easily understood by the engineers and thus is widely accepted by the industry. In contrast, nonlinear schemes are more complicated, but they can provide better performance. Although nonlinear algorithms can be implemented in a powerful digital processor nowadays, they need time to be accepted by the industry and their reliability needs to be verified in the commercial products. More information about the system nonlinear feature is helpful to simplify the controller design. However, nonlinear schemes independent of the system model are more robust to the uncertainties or deviations of the system parameters.

A scheme for racquet sports video analysis with the combination of audio-visual information

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Liyuan; Ye, Qixiang; Zhang, Weigang; Huang, Qingming; Yu, Hua

2005-07-01

As a very important category in sports video, racquet sports video, e.g. table tennis, tennis and badminton, has been paid little attention in the past years. Considering the characteristics of this kind of sports video, we propose a new scheme for structure indexing and highlight generating based on the combination of audio and visual information. Firstly, a supervised classification method is employed to detect important audio symbols including impact (ball hit), audience cheers, commentator speech, etc. Meanwhile an unsupervised algorithm is proposed to group video shots into various clusters. Then, by taking advantage of temporal relationship between audio and visual signals, we can specify the scene clusters with semantic labels including rally scenes and break scenes. Thirdly, a refinement procedure is developed to reduce false rally scenes by further audio analysis. Finally, an exciting model is proposed to rank the detected rally scenes from which many exciting video clips such as game (match) points can be correctly retrieved. Experiments on two types of representative racquet sports video, table tennis video and tennis video, demonstrate encouraging results.

A VR Based Interactive Genetic Algorithm Framework For Design of Support Schemes to Deep Excavations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Riyu; Wu, Heng

2002-01-01

An interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) framework for the design of support schemes to deep excavations is proposed in this paper, in which virtual reality (VR) is used as an aid to the evaluation of design schemes that is performed interactively. The fitness of a scheme individual is evaluated by two steps. Firstly a fitness value is automatically assigned to a scheme individual according to the the estimated construction cost of the individual. And the human evaluation is introduced to modify the fitness value by taking into account other factors, such as the feasibility factor. The design scheme is composed of four basic categories, i. e., cantilever walls, reinforced soil walls, tieback systems and bracing systems, each of which is encoded by a binary string. To assist human evaluation, 3D models of design schemes are created and visualized in a virtual reality environment, providing designers with a reality sense of various schemes

Threshold behaviors of social dynamics and financial outcomes of Ponzi scheme diffusion in complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Peihua; Zhu, Anding; Ni, He; Zhao, Xin; Li, Xiulin

2018-01-01

Ponzi schemes always lead to mass disasters after collapse. It is important to study the critical behaviors of both social dynamics and financial outcomes for Ponzi scheme diffusion in complex networks. We develop the potential-investor-divestor-investor (PIDI) model by considering the individual behavior of direct reinvestment. We find that only the spreading rate relates to the epidemic outbreak while the reinvestment rate relates to the zero and non-zero final states for social dynamics of both homo- and inhomogeneous networks. Financially, we find that there is a critical spreading threshold, above which the scheme needs not to use its own initial capital for taking off, i.e. the starting cost is covered by the rapidly inflowing funds. However, the higher the cost per recruit, the larger the critical spreading threshold and the worse the financial outcomes. Theoretical and simulation results also reveal that schemes are easier to take off in inhomogeneous networks. The reinvestment rate does not affect the starting. However, it improves the financial outcome in the early stages and postpones the outbreak of financial collapse. Some policy suggestions for the regulator from the perspective of social physics are proposed in the end of the paper.

Designing Structure-Dependent MPC-Based AGC Schemes Considering Network Topology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Sik Jang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the important features of structure-dependent model predictive control (MPC-based approaches for automatic generation control (AGC considering network topology. Since power systems have various generators under different topologies, it is necessary to reflect the characteristics of generators in power networks and the control system structures in order to improve the dynamic performance of AGC. Specifically, considering control system structures is very important because not only can the topological problems be reduced, but also a computing system for AGC in a bulk-power system can be realized. Based on these considerations, we propose new schemes in the proposed controller for minimizing inadvertent line flows and computational burden, which strengthen the advantages of MPC-based approach for AGC. Analysis and simulation results in the IEEE 39-bus model system show different dynamic behaviors among structure-dependent control schemes and possible improvements in computational burden via the proposed control scheme while system operators in each balancing area consider physical load reference ramp constraints among generators.

Fault tolerant control schemes using integral sliding modes

CERN Document Server

Hamayun, Mirza Tariq; Alwi, Halim

2016-01-01

The key attribute of a Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) system is its ability to maintain overall system stability and acceptable performance in the face of faults and failures within the feedback system. In this book Integral Sliding Mode (ISM) Control Allocation (CA) schemes for FTC are described, which have the potential to maintain close to nominal fault-free performance (for the entire system response), in the face of actuator faults and even complete failures of certain actuators. Broadly an ISM controller based around a model of the plant with the aim of creating a nonlinear fault tolerant feedback controller whose closed-loop performance is established during the design process. The second approach involves retro-fitting an ISM scheme to an existing feedback controller to introduce fault tolerance. This may be advantageous from an industrial perspective, because fault tolerance can be introduced without changing the existing control loops. A high fidelity benchmark model of a large transport aircraft is u...

Upwind differencing scheme for the equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brio, M.; Wu, C.C.

1988-01-01

Recently, upwind differencing schemes have become very popular for solving hyperbolic partial differential equations, especially when discontinuities exist in the solutions. Among many upwind schemes successfully applied to the problems in gas dynamics, Roe's method stands out for its relative simplicity and clarity of the underlying physical model. In this paper, an upwind differencing scheme of Roe-type for the MHD equations is constructed. In each computational cell, the problem is first linearized around some averaged state which preserves the flux differences. Then the solution is advanced in time by computing the wave contributions to the flux at the cell interfaces. One crucial task of the linearization procedure is the construction of a Roe matrix. For the special case γ = 2, a Roe matrix in the form of a mean value Jacobian is found, and for the general case, a simple averaging procedure is introduced. All other necessary ingredients of the construction, which include eigenvalues, and a complete set of right eigenvectors of the Roe matrix and decomposition coefficients are presented. As a numerical example, we chose a coplanar MHD Riemann problem. The problem is solved by the newly constructed second-order upwind scheme as well as by the Lax-Friedrichs, the Lax-Wendroff, and the flux-corrected transport schemes. The results demonstrate several advantages of the upwind scheme. In this paper, we also show that the MHD equations are nonconvex. This is a contrast to the general belief that the fast and slow waves are like sound waves in the Euler equations. As a consequence, the wave structure becomes more complicated; for example, compound waves consisting of a shock and attached to it a rarefaction wave of the same family can exist in MHD. copyright 1988 Academic Press, Inc

Hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Hong; Zhang, Jun; Luo, Ming-Xing; Pan, Lei; Pieprzyk, Josef; Xiao, Fuyuan; Orgun, Mehmet A

2016-08-12

With prevalent attacks in communication, sharing a secret between communicating parties is an ongoing challenge. Moreover, it is important to integrate quantum solutions with classical secret sharing schemes with low computational cost for the real world use. This paper proposes a novel hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme, using an m-bonacci orbital angular momentum (OAM) pump, Lagrange interpolation polynomials, and reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. To be exact, we employ entangled states prepared by m-bonacci sequences to detect eavesdropping. Meanwhile, we encode m-bonacci sequences in Lagrange interpolation polynomials to generate the shares of a secret with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. The advantages of the proposed scheme is that it can detect eavesdropping without joint quantum operations, and permits secret sharing for an arbitrary but no less than threshold-value number of classical participants with much lower bandwidth. Also, in comparison with existing quantum secret sharing schemes, it still works when there are dynamic changes, such as the unavailability of some quantum channel, the arrival of new participants and the departure of participants. Finally, we provide security analysis of the new hybrid quantum secret sharing scheme and discuss its useful features for modern applications.

The European Parliament's Rejection of the Take-over Directive Proposal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steen Knudsen, Jette

2003-01-01

national characteristics: labour marketlegislation (national schemes to protect employees against dismissals) and corporategovernance issues. Labour market legislation can explain the UK and German MEP votesbut not the Swedish and French MEPs votes. These votes can be explained byemphasising measures...... against take-overs such as a high level of market capitalisation andunequal voting rights....

Application of the implicit MacCormack scheme to the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, J. L.; Tannehill, J. C.; Chaussee, D. S.

1984-01-01

MacCormack's implicit finite-difference scheme was used to solve the two-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations. This method for solving the PNS equations does not require the inversion of block tridiagonal systems of algebraic equations and permits the original explicit MacCormack scheme to be employed in those regions where implicit treatment is not needed. The advantages and disadvantages of the present adaptation are discussed in relation to those of the conventional Beam-Warming scheme for a flat plate boundary layer test case. Comparisons are made for accuracy, stability, computer time, computer storage, and ease of implementation. The present method was also applied to a second test case of hypersonic laminar flow over a 15% compression corner. The computed results compare favorably with experiment and a numerical solution of the complete Navier-Stokes equations.

Teachable Moment: Google Earth Takes Us There

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Ann; Davinroy, Thomas C.

2015-01-01

In the current educational climate, where clearly articulated learning objectives are required, it is clear that the spontaneous teachable moment still has its place. Authors Ann Williams and Thomas Davinroy think that instructors from almost any discipline can employ Google Earth as a tool to take advantage of teachable moments through the…

Information-Aided Smart Schemes for Vehicle Flow Detection Enhancements of Traffic Microwave Radar Detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan-Jan Ho

2016-07-01

Full Text Available For satisfactory traffic management of an intelligent transport system, it is vital that traffic microwave radar detectors (TMRDs can provide real-time traffic information with high accuracy. In this study, we develop several information-aided smart schemes for traffic detection improvements of TMRDs in multiple-lane environments. Specifically, we select appropriate thresholds not only for removing noise from fast Fourier transforms (FFTs of regional lane contexts but also for reducing FFT side lobes within each lane. The resulting FFTs of reflected vehicle signals and those of clutter are distinguishable. We exploit FFT and lane-/or time stamp-related information for developing smart schemes, which mitigate adverse effects of lane-crossing FFT side lobes of a vehicle signal. As such, the proposed schemes can enhance the detection accuracy of both lane vehicle flow and directional traffic volume. On-site experimental results demonstrate the advantages and feasibility of the proposed methods, and suggest the best smart scheme.

Improvement of the mining technology with the ring movement scheme of the haul trucks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slobodyanyuk R.V.

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The article describes the designed technology that allows to expand the use of the haul truck ring movement scheme and to reduce the share of an empty run time in the transportation cycle. A preliminary calculation of the efficiency of its usage has allowed to confirm the main advantages of this scheme over the existing one as follows: reducing the required number of transport for the needs of open-pit mine operation by increasing the productivity of mining trucks; decreasing the transport operating costs (some part of an empty truck movement occurs when the engine is switched off; dropping the probability of accidents (reduced a number of the counter transport maneuvers. The calculation showed the regularity of changes in the efficiency using the alternative scheme in relation to the basic one, which reflecting significantly higher effectiveness in situations with a smaller distance between the empty run sites of the ring scheme.

Presentation of the information report on the greenhouse gas emission trading scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This document reports the hearing during which the results of an investigation on European Union Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) have been commented. The author of this investigation briefly describes the scheme, how it has been implemented. He outlines some of its weaknesses and discusses how it could be improved, notably by extending it to different sectors, for example the air transport sector. He also outlines how this European Union scheme could be an example for the rest of the world. The author and the Commission members then discuss several aspects: the origins of CO 2 emissions and how to take them into account, the international negotiations and the positions of China or India, the taxing possibilities, and the fact that the nuclear energy does not award credits

Novel transmission pricing scheme based on point-to-point tariff and transaction pair matching for pool market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Qixin; Xia, Qing; Kang, Chongqing

2010-01-01

Transmission pricing scheme is a key component in the infrastructure of power market, and pool is an indispensable pattern of market organization; meanwhile, pay-as-bid (PAB) serves as a main option to determine market prices in pool. In this paper, a novel transmission pricing scheme is proposed for pool power market based on PAB. The new scheme is developed by utilizing point-to-point (PTP) tariff and introducing an approach of transaction pair matching (TPM). The model and procedure of the new scheme are presented in detail. Apart from the advantages of existing transmission pricing schemes, such as ensuing open, fair and non-discriminatory access, proper recovery for investment as well as transparency, the new scheme provides economic signals to promote the maximum use of the existing transmission network, encourages appropriate bidding behaviors in pool, and helps to reduce the possibility of the enforcement of market power and the appearing of price spikes; thus improves market operation efficiency and trading effects. In order to testify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, a case based on IEEE 30-bus system is studied. (author)

Novel transmission pricing scheme based on point-to-point tariff and transaction pair matching for pool market

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Qixin; Xia, Qing; Kang, Chongqing [State Key Lab. of Power System, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-04-15

Transmission pricing scheme is a key component in the infrastructure of power market, and pool is an indispensable pattern of market organization; meanwhile, pay-as-bid (PAB) serves as a main option to determine market prices in pool. In this paper, a novel transmission pricing scheme is proposed for pool power market based on PAB. The new scheme is developed by utilizing point-to-point (PTP) tariff and introducing an approach of transaction pair matching (TPM). The model and procedure of the new scheme are presented in detail. Apart from the advantages of existing transmission pricing schemes, such as ensuing open, fair and non-discriminatory access, proper recovery for investment as well as transparency, the new scheme provides economic signals to promote the maximum use of the existing transmission network, encourages appropriate bidding behaviors in pool, and helps to reduce the possibility of the enforcement of market power and the appearing of price spikes; thus improves market operation efficiency and trading effects. In order to testify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, a case based on IEEE 30-bus system is studied. (author)

Doppler Shift Compensation Schemes in VANETs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Nyongesa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Over the last decade vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V communication has received a lot of attention as it is a crucial issue in intravehicle communication as well as in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS. In ITS the focus is placed on integration of communication between mobile and fixed infrastructure to execute road safety as well as nonsafety information dissemination. The safety application such as emergence alerts lays emphasis on low-latency packet delivery rate (PDR, whereas multimedia and infotainment call for high data rates at low bit error rate (BER. The nonsafety information includes multimedia streaming for traffic information and infotainment applications such as playing audio content, utilizing navigation for driving, and accessing Internet. A lot of vehicular ad hoc network (VANET research has focused on specific areas including channel multiplexing, antenna diversity, and Doppler shift compensation schemes in an attempt to optimize BER performance. Despite this effort few surveys have been conducted to highlight the state-of-the-art collection on Doppler shift compensation schemes. Driven by this cause we survey some of the recent research activities in Doppler shift compensation schemes and highlight challenges and solutions as a stock-taking exercise. Moreover, we present open issues to be further investigated in order to address the challenges of Doppler shift in VANETs.

A Novel Multiparty Quantum Secret Sharing Scheme of Secure Direct Communication Based on Bell States and Bell Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Run-Hua; Huang Liu-Sheng; Yang Wei; Zhong Hong

2011-01-01

We present a novel quantum secret sharing scheme of secure direct communication and analyze its security. This scheme takes Einstein—Podolsky—Rosen (EPR) pairs in Bell states as quantum resources. In order to obtain the direct communication message, all agents only need to perform Bell measurements, not to perform any local unitary operation. The total efficiency in this scheme approaches 100% as the classical information exchanged is unnecessary except for the eavesdropping checks. (general)

A New UK 2006 National Kidney Allocation Scheme for deceased heart-beating donor kidneys.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Rachel J; Fuggle, Susan V; Mumford, Lisa; Bradley, J Andrew; Forsythe, John L R; Rudge, Chris J

2010-02-27

In 2004, it was agreed that a new allocation scheme for kidneys from deceased heart-beating donors was required in the United Kingdom to address observed inequities in access to transplant. The 2006 National Kidney Allocation Scheme (2006 NKAS) was developed to meet agreed objectives and preparatory work included a review of the criteria for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching and simulation evidence about the effectiveness of alternative schemes. ALGORITHM FOR 2006 NKAS: The 2006 NKAS gives absolute priority to all 000 HLA-A, -B, -DR-mismatched patients and well-matched pediatric patients (inequity of access will take a number of years to address fully.

Analysis of floor technology scheme in open-top construction of nuclear power project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Shuxia; Lu Qinwu; Han Xiaoping

2014-01-01

Open-top construction is general technology in Ⅲ generation in nuclear power project. Because traditional floor structure and its form board upholding doesn't meet open-top construction, four floor scheme are presented, whose characters, advantages and disadvantages, and its application are summarized. The research results will help to the application of open-top construction. (authors)

Extended pattern recognition scheme for self-learning kinetic Monte Carlo simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Syed Islamuddin; Nandipati, Giridhar; Kara, Abdelkader; Rahman, Talat S

2012-01-01

We report the development of a pattern recognition scheme that takes into account both fcc and hcp adsorption sites in performing self-learning kinetic Monte Carlo (SLKMC-II) simulations on the fcc(111) surface. In this scheme, the local environment of every under-coordinated atom in an island is uniquely identified by grouping fcc sites, hcp sites and top-layer substrate atoms around it into hexagonal rings. As the simulation progresses, all possible processes, including those such as shearing, reptation and concerted gliding, which may involve fcc-fcc, hcp-hcp and fcc-hcp moves are automatically found, and their energetics calculated on the fly. In this article we present the results of applying this new pattern recognition scheme to the self-diffusion of 9-atom islands (M 9 ) on M(111), where M = Cu, Ag or Ni.

Influence of parameters detuning on induction motor NFO shaft-sensorless scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KULIC, F.

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the parameter sensitivity analysis of shaft-sensorless induction motor drive with natural field orientation (NFO scheme is performed. NFO scheme calculates rotor flux position using the rotor flux vector reference only, does not require significant processor power and therefore it is suitable for low cost shaft sensorless drives. This concept also eliminates the need for sensitive stator voltage vector integration and it is usable in low rotor speed range. However, low speeds are coupled with low stator voltage amplitudes, which inflate the NFO scheme sensitivity to an error in stator resistance parameter. Similar problems can also take place if mutual inductance parameter is detuned, but this time in whole speed range. This paper investigates the influence of each parameter error on the NFO control steady state characteristics and dynamic performance.

Know the risk, take the win: how executive functions and probability processing influence advantageous decision making under risk conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Matthias; Schiebener, Johannes; Pertl, Marie-Theres; Delazer, Margarete

2014-01-01

Recent models on decision making under risk conditions have suggested that numerical abilities are important ingredients of advantageous decision-making performance, but empirical evidence is still limited. The results of our first study show that logical reasoning and basic mental calculation capacities predict ratio processing and that ratio processing predicts decision making under risk. In the second study, logical reasoning together with executive functions predicted probability processing (numeracy and probability knowledge), and probability processing predicted decision making under risk. These findings suggest that increasing an individual's understanding of ratios and probabilities should lead to more advantageous decisions under risk conditions.

Acceleration and higher order schemes of a characteristic solver for the solution of the neutron transport equation in 3D axial geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sciannandrone, Daniele

2015-01-01

The topic of our research is the application of the Method of Long Characteristics (MOC) to solve the Neutron Transport Equation in three-dimensional axial geometries. The strength of the MOC is in its precision and versatility. As a drawback, it requires a large amount of computational resources. This problem is even more severe in three dimensional geometries, for which unknowns reach the order of tens of billions for assembly-level calculations. The first part of the research has dealt with the development of optimized tracking and reconstruction techniques which take advantage of the regularities of three-dimensional axial geometries. These methods have allowed a strong reduction of the memory requirements and a reduction of the execution time of the MOC calculation. The convergence of the iterative scheme has been accelerated with a lower order transport operator (DPN) which is used for the initialization of the solution and for solving the synthetic problem during MOC iterations. The algorithms for the construction and solution of the MOC and DPN operators have been accelerated by using shared-memory parallel paradigms which are more suitable for standard desktop working stations. An important part of this research has been devoted to the implementation of scheduling techniques to improve the parallel efficiency. The convergence of the angular quadrature formula for three-dimensional cases is also studied. Some of these formulas take advantage of the reduced computational costs of the treatment of planar directions and the vertical direction to speed up the algorithm. The verification of the MOC solver has been done by comparing results with continuous-in-energy Monte Carlo calculations. For this purpose a coupling of the 3D MOC solver with the Subgroup method is proposed to take into account the effects of cross sections resonances. The full calculation of a FBR assembly requires about 2 h of execution time with differences of few pcm with respect to the

Cascade self-seeding scheme with wake monochromator for narrow-bandwidth X-ray FELs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geloni, Gianluca [European XFEL GmbH, Hamburg (Germany); Kocharyan, Vitali; Saldin, Evgeni [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2010-06-15

Three different approaches have been proposed so far for production of highly monochromatic X-rays from a baseline XFEL undulator: (i) single-bunch selfseeding scheme with a four crystal monochromator in Bragg reflection geometry; (ii) double-bunch self-seeding scheme with a four-crystal monochromator in Bragg reflection geometry; (iii) single-bunch self-seeding scheme with a wake monochromator. A unique element of the X-ray optical design of the last scheme is the monochromatization of X-rays using a single crystal in Bragg-transmission geometry. A great advantage of this method is that the monochromator introduces no path delay of X-rays. This fact eliminates the need for a long electron beam bypass, or for the creation of two precisely separated, identical electron bunches, as required in the other two self-seeding schemes. In its simplest configuration, the self-seeded XFEL consists of an input undulator and an output undulator separated by a monochromator. In some experimental situations this simplest two-undulator configuration is not optimal. The obvious and technically possible extension is to use a setup with three or more undulators separated by monochromators. This amplification-monochromatization cascade scheme is distinguished, in performance, by a small heat-loading of crystals and a high spectral purity of the output radiation. This paper describes such cascade self-seeding scheme with wake monochromators.We present feasibility study and exemplifications for the SASE2 line of the European XFEL. (orig.)

Evaluation of a Stereo Music Preprocessing Scheme for Cochlear Implant Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Buyens, Wim; van Dijk, Bas; Moonen, Marc; Wouters, Jan

2018-01-01

Although for most cochlear implant (CI) users good speech understanding is reached (at least in quiet environments), the perception and the appraisal of music are generally unsatisfactory. The improvement in music appraisal was evaluated in CI participants by using a stereo music preprocessing scheme implemented on a take-home device, in a comfortable listening environment. The preprocessing allowed adjusting the balance among vocals/bass/drums and other instruments, and was evaluated for different genres of music. The correlation between the preferred settings and the participants' speech and pitch detection performance was investigated. During the initial visit preceding the take-home test, the participants' speech-in-noise perception and pitch detection performance were measured, and a questionnaire about their music involvement was completed. The take-home device was provided, including the stereo music preprocessing scheme and seven playlists with six songs each. The participants were asked to adjust the balance by means of a turning wheel to make the music sound most enjoyable, and to repeat this three times for all songs. Twelve postlingually deafened CI users participated in the study. The data were collected by means of a take-home device, which preserved all the preferred settings for the different songs. Statistical analysis was done with a Friedman test (with post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test) to check the effect of "Genre." The correlations were investigated with Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients. All participants preferred a balance significantly different from the original balance. Differences across participants were observed which could not be explained by perceptual abilities. An effect of "Genre" was found, showing significantly smaller preferred deviation from the original balance for Golden Oldies compared to the other genres. The stereo music preprocessing scheme showed an improvement in music appraisal with complex music and

The evaluation of interblock mobility using a modified midpoint weighting scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ito, Y

1981-01-01

A modified midpoint weighting scheme is a technique which can be used for increasing the accuracy and stability of finite difference numerical simulations. Generally, if midpoint weighting is used to evaluate the transmissibility at an interface between adjacent blocks in an oil reservoir, explicit methods may not produce the correct solution and implicit methods may lead to an oscillatory behavior. Reasons for this behavior have been investigated and it has been found that these problems occur because of numerical limitations during accumulation of the displacing fluid within the upstream block. A proposed modified version of midpoint weighting appears to eliminate this problem and several linear displacement test runs have indicated that the local truncation errors are comparable to those in the two-point upsteam scheme the use of which is constrained due to its assymetric charcter. The results were also compared to the single-point upsteam scheme the use of which is constrained due to its assymetric character. The results were also compared to the singlepoint upstream weighting method and it was found that the modified midpoint weighting scheme allowed the use of a coarser grid while maintaining similar accuracy. An additional advantage to this new technique is that it can also be used in an implicit formulation. 8 refs., 11 figs.

The new Exponential Directional Iterative (EDI) 3-D Sn scheme for parallel adaptive differencing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoden, G.E.

2005-01-01

The new Exponential Directional Iterative (EDI) discrete ordinates (Sn) scheme for 3-D Cartesian Coordinates is presented. The EDI scheme is a logical extension of the positive, efficient Exponential Directional Weighted (EDW) Sn scheme currently used as the third level of the adaptive spatial differencing algorithm in the PENTRAN parallel discrete ordinates solver. Here, the derivation and advantages of the EDI scheme are presented; EDI uses EDW-rendered exponential coefficients as initial starting values to begin a fixed point iteration of the exponential coefficients. One issue that required evaluation was an iterative cutoff criterion to prevent the application of an unstable fixed point iteration; although this was needed in some cases, it was readily treated with a default to EDW. Iterative refinement of the exponential coefficients in EDI typically converged in fewer than four fixed point iterations. Moreover, EDI yielded more accurate angular fluxes compared to the other schemes tested, particularly in streaming conditions. Overall, it was found that the EDI scheme was up to an order of magnitude more accurate than the EDW scheme on a given mesh interval in streaming cases, and is potentially a good candidate as a fourth-level differencing scheme in the PENTRAN adaptive differencing sequence. The 3-D Cartesian computational cost of EDI was only about 20% more than the EDW scheme, and about 40% more than Diamond Zero (DZ). More evaluation and testing are required to determine suitable upgrade metrics for EDI to be fully integrated into the current adaptive spatial differencing sequence in PENTRAN. (author)

A Secure and Privacy-Preserving Navigation Scheme Using Spatial Crowdsourcing in Fog-Based VANETs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lingling; Liu, Guozhu; Sun, Lijun

2017-01-01

Fog-based VANETs (Vehicular ad hoc networks) is a new paradigm of vehicular ad hoc networks with the advantages of both vehicular cloud and fog computing. Real-time navigation schemes based on fog-based VANETs can promote the scheme performance efficiently. In this paper, we propose a secure and privacy-preserving navigation scheme by using vehicular spatial crowdsourcing based on fog-based VANETs. Fog nodes are used to generate and release the crowdsourcing tasks, and cooperatively find the optimal route according to the real-time traffic information collected by vehicles in their coverage areas. Meanwhile, the vehicle performing the crowdsourcing task can get a reasonable reward. The querying vehicle can retrieve the navigation results from each fog node successively when entering its coverage area, and follow the optimal route to the next fog node until it reaches the desired destination. Our scheme fulfills the security and privacy requirements of authentication, confidentiality and conditional privacy preservation. Some cryptographic primitives, including the Elgamal encryption algorithm, AES, randomized anonymous credentials and group signatures, are adopted to achieve this goal. Finally, we analyze the security and the efficiency of the proposed scheme. PMID:28338620

Optimal placement of combined heat and power scheme (cogeneration): application to an ethylbenzene plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zainuddin Abd Manan; Lim Fang Yee

2001-01-01

Combined heat and power (CHP) scheme, also known as cogeneration is widely accepted as a highly efficient energy saving measure, particularly in medium to large scale chemical process plants. To date, CHP application is well established in the developed countries. The advantage of a CHP scheme for a chemical plant is two-fold: (i) drastically cut down on the electricity bill from on-site power generation (ii) to save the fuel bills through recovery of the quality waste heat from power generation for process heating. In order to be effective, a CHP scheme must be placed at the right temperature level in the context of the overall process. Failure to do so might render a CHP venture worthless. This paper discusses the procedure for an effective implementation of a CHP scheme. An ethylbenzene process is used as a case study. A key visualization tool known as the grand composite curves is used to provide an overall picture of the process heat source and heat sink profiles. The grand composite curve, which is generated based on the first principles of Pinch Analysis enables the CHP scheme to be optimally placed within the overall process scenario. (Author)

Entanglement distribution schemes employing coherent photon-to-spin conversion in semiconductor quantum dot circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudreau, Louis; Bogan, Alex; Korkusinski, Marek; Studenikin, Sergei; Austing, D. Guy; Sachrajda, Andrew S.

2017-09-01

Long distance entanglement distribution is an important problem for quantum information technologies to solve. Current optical schemes are known to have fundamental limitations. A coherent photon-to-spin interface built with quantum dots (QDs) in a direct bandgap semiconductor can provide a solution for efficient entanglement distribution. QD circuits offer integrated spin processing for full Bell state measurement (BSM) analysis and spin quantum memory. Crucially the photo-generated spins can be heralded by non-destructive charge detection techniques. We review current schemes to transfer a polarization-encoded state or a time-bin-encoded state of a photon to the state of a spin in a QD. The spin may be that of an electron or that of a hole. We describe adaptations of the original schemes to employ heavy holes which have a number of attractive properties including a g-factor that is tunable to zero for QDs in an appropriately oriented external magnetic field. We also introduce simple throughput scaling models to demonstrate the potential performance advantage of full BSM capability in a QD scheme, even when the quantum memory is imperfect, over optical schemes relying on linear optical elements and ensemble quantum memories.

A Secure and Privacy-Preserving Navigation Scheme Using Spatial Crowdsourcing in Fog-Based VANETs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lingling; Liu, Guozhu; Sun, Lijun

2017-03-24

Fog-based VANETs (Vehicular ad hoc networks) is a new paradigm of vehicular ad hoc networks with the advantages of both vehicular cloud and fog computing. Real-time navigation schemes based on fog-based VANETs can promote the scheme performance efficiently. In this paper, we propose a secure and privacy-preserving navigation scheme by using vehicular spatial crowdsourcing based on fog-based VANETs. Fog nodes are used to generate and release the crowdsourcing tasks, and cooperatively find the optimal route according to the real-time traffic information collected by vehicles in their coverage areas. Meanwhile, the vehicle performing the crowdsourcing task can get a reasonable reward. The querying vehicle can retrieve the navigation results from each fog node successively when entering its coverage area, and follow the optimal route to the next fog node until it reaches the desired destination. Our scheme fulfills the security and privacy requirements of authentication, confidentiality and conditional privacy preservation. Some cryptographic primitives, including the Elgamal encryption algorithm, AES, randomized anonymous credentials and group signatures, are adopted to achieve this goal. Finally, we analyze the security and the efficiency of the proposed scheme.

Optimization study on multiple train formation scheme of urban rail transit

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Xiaomei; Ding, Yong; Wen, Xin

2018-05-01

The new organization method, represented by the mixed operation of multi-marshalling trains, can adapt to the characteristics of the uneven distribution of passenger flow, but the research on this aspect is still not perfect enough. This paper introduced the passenger sharing rate and congestion penalty coefficient with different train formations. On this basis, this paper established an optimization model with the minimum passenger cost and operation cost as objective, and operation frequency and passenger demand as constraint. The ideal point method is used to solve this model. Compared with the fixed marshalling operation model, the overall cost of this scheme saves 9.24% and 4.43% respectively. This result not only validates the validity of the model, but also illustrate the advantages of the multiple train formations scheme.

REMINDER Saved Leave Scheme (SLS) : Transfer of leave to saved leave accounts

CERN Multimedia

HR Division

2002-01-01

Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'*) annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No. 22B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). We remind you that, since last year, unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of the leave-year accounts is transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. Therefore, staff members have no administrative steps to take. In addition, the transfer, which eliminates the risk of omitting to request leave transfers and rules out calculation errors in transfer requests, will be clearly shown in the list of leave transactions that can be consulted in EDH from October 2002 onwards. Furthermore, this automatic leave transfer optimizes staff members' chances of benefiting from a saved leave bonus provided that they are still participants in the schem...

A novel power swing blocking scheme using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zadeh, Hassan Khorashadi; Li, Zuyi [Illinois Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 3301 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States)

2008-07-15

A power swing may be caused by any sudden change in the configuration or the loading of an electrical network. During a power swing, the impedance locus moves along an impedance circle with possible encroachment into the distance relay zone, which may cause an unnecessary tripping. In order to prevent the distance relay from tripping under such condition, a novel power swing blocking (PSB) scheme is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme uses an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) for preventing distance relay from tripping during power swings. The input signals to ANFIS, include the change of positive sequence impedance, positive and negative sequence currents, and power swing center voltage. Extensive tests show that the proposed PSB has two distinct features that are advantageous over existing schemes. The first is that the proposed scheme is able to detect various kinds of power swings thus block distance relays during power swings, even if the power swings are fast or the power swings occur during single pole open conditions. The second distinct feature is that the proposed scheme is able to clear the blocking if faults occur within the relay trip zone during power swings, even if the faults are high resistance faults, or the faults occur at the power swing center, or the faults occur when the power angle is close to 180 . (author)

Building fast well-balanced two-stage numerical schemes for a model of two-phase flows

Science.gov (United States)

Thanh, Mai Duc

2014-06-01

We present a set of well-balanced two-stage schemes for an isentropic model of two-phase flows arisen from the modeling of deflagration-to-detonation transition in granular materials. The first stage is to absorb the source term in nonconservative form into equilibria. Then in the second stage, these equilibria will be composed into a numerical flux formed by using a convex combination of the numerical flux of a stable Lax-Friedrichs-type scheme and the one of a higher-order Richtmyer-type scheme. Numerical schemes constructed in such a way are expected to get the interesting property: they are fast and stable. Tests show that the method works out until the parameter takes on the value CFL, and so any value of the parameter between zero and this value is expected to work as well. All the schemes in this family are shown to capture stationary waves and preserves the positivity of the volume fractions. The special values of the parameter 0,1/2,1/(1+CFL), and CFL in this family define the Lax-Friedrichs-type, FAST1, FAST2, and FAST3 schemes, respectively. These schemes are shown to give a desirable accuracy. The errors and the CPU time of these schemes and the Roe-type scheme are calculated and compared. The constructed schemes are shown to be well-balanced and faster than the Roe-type scheme.

Efficiency of coherent-state quantum cryptography in the presence of loss: Influence of realistic error correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heid, Matthias; Luetkenhaus, Norbert

2006-01-01

We investigate the performance of a continuous-variable quantum key distribution scheme in a practical setting. More specifically, we take a nonideal error reconciliation procedure into account. The quantum channel connecting the two honest parties is assumed to be lossy but noiseless. Secret key rates are given for the case that the measurement outcomes are postselected or a reverse reconciliation scheme is applied. The reverse reconciliation scheme loses its initial advantage in the practical setting. If one combines postselection with reverse reconciliation, however, much of this advantage can be recovered

Saved Leave Scheme (SLS) : Simplified procedure for the transfer of leave to saved leave accounts

CERN Multimedia

HR Division

2001-01-01

As part of the process of streamlining procedures, the HR and AS Divisions have jointly developed a system whereby annual and compensatory leave will henceforth be automatically transferred1) to saved leave accounts. Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'2) annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No. 22 B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). Previously, every person taking part in the scheme has been individually issued with a form for the purposes of requesting the transfer of leave to the leave account and the transfer has then had to be done manually by HR Division. To streamline the procedure, unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of of the leave-year accounts will henceforth be transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. This simplification is in the ...

A meshless scheme for partial differential equations based on multiquadric trigonometric B-spline quasi-interpolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Wen-Wu; Wang Zhi-Gang

2014-01-01

Based on the multiquadric trigonometric B-spline quasi-interpolant, this paper proposes a meshless scheme for some partial differential equations whose solutions are periodic with respect to the spatial variable. This scheme takes into account the periodicity of the analytic solution by using derivatives of a periodic quasi-interpolant (multiquadric trigonometric B-spline quasi-interpolant) to approximate the spatial derivatives of the equations. Thus, it overcomes the difficulties of the previous schemes based on quasi-interpolation (requiring some additional boundary conditions and yielding unwanted high-order discontinuous points at the boundaries in the spatial domain). Moreover, the scheme also overcomes the difficulty of the meshless collocation methods (i.e., yielding a notorious ill-conditioned linear system of equations for large collocation points). The numerical examples that are presented at the end of the paper show that the scheme provides excellent approximations to the analytic solutions. (general)

A novel image authentication scheme based on hyper-chaotic cell neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Tiegang; Gu Qiaolun; Emmanuel, Sabu

2009-01-01

This paper presents a new image authentication scheme based on cell neural network with hyper-chaos characteristics (HCCNN). In the scheme, the authentication code, which is used as secret key and the pixel values of image are used for the input of HCCNN. The secret information that HCCNN produces is transmitted to the receiving end through secret channel. The receiver can then use the received secret information to authenticate the suspect image by comparing the original authentication code with that calculated from the suspect image. Simulations show that the suggested image authentication algorithm has the advantages of large key space and high security, and moreover, it can detect and locate the position of any slightly tampered parts of a suspect image.

Exact analysis of Packet Reversed Packet Combining Scheme and Modified Packet Combining Scheme; and a combined scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhunia, C.T.

2007-07-01

Packet combining scheme is a well defined simple error correction scheme for the detection and correction of errors at the receiver. Although it permits a higher throughput when compared to other basic ARQ protocols, packet combining (PC) scheme fails to correct errors when errors occur in the same bit locations of copies. In a previous work, a scheme known as Packet Reversed Packet Combining (PRPC) Scheme that will correct errors which occur at the same bit location of erroneous copies, was studied however PRPC does not handle a situation where a packet has more than 1 error bit. The Modified Packet Combining (MPC) Scheme that can correct double or higher bit errors was studied elsewhere. Both PRPC and MPC schemes are believed to offer higher throughput in previous studies, however neither adequate investigation nor exact analysis was done to substantiate this claim of higher throughput. In this work, an exact analysis of both PRPC and MPC is carried out and the results reported. A combined protocol (PRPC and MPC) is proposed and the analysis shows that it is capable of offering even higher throughput and better error correction capability at high bit error rate (BER) and larger packet size. (author)

Threshold-Based Multiple Optical Signal Selection Scheme for Free-Space Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing Systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik

2017-11-13

We propose a threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical wavelength division multiplexing systems. With this scheme, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the possible complexity of implementation caused by the beam-selection scheme and without a considerable performance loss. To characterize the performance of our scheme, we statistically analyze the operation characteristics under conventional detection conditions (i.e., heterodyne detection and intensity modulation/direct detection techniques) with log-normal turbulence while taking into consideration the impact of pointing error. More specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability, the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency while adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results show that TMOS increases the average spectral efficiency while maintaining a minimum average bit error rate requirement.

Sliding-MOMP Based Channel Estimation Scheme for ISDB-T Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziji Ma

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Compressive sensing based channel estimation has shown its advantage of accurate reconstruction for sparse signal with less pilots for OFDM systems. However, high computational cost requirement of CS method, due to linear programming, significantly restricts its implementation in practical applications. In this paper, we propose a reduced complexity channel estimation scheme of modified orthogonal matching pursuit with sliding windows for ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting for Terrestrial system. The proposed scheme can reduce the computational cost by limiting the searching region as well as making effective use of the last estimation result. In addition, adaptive tracking strategy with sliding sampling window can improve the robustness of CS based methods to guarantee its accuracy of channel matrix reconstruction, even for fast time-variant channels. The computer simulation demonstrates its impact on improving bit error rate and computational complexity for ISDB-T system.

Modern radiosurgical and endovascular classification schemes for brain arteriovenous malformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Tayebi Meybodi, Ali; Lawton, Michael T

2018-05-04

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and endovascular techniques are commonly used for treating brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs). They are usually used as ancillary techniques to microsurgery but may also be used as solitary treatment options. Careful patient selection requires a clear estimate of the treatment efficacy and complication rates for the individual patient. As such, classification schemes are an essential part of patient selection paradigm for each treatment modality. While the Spetzler-Martin grading system and its subsequent modifications are commonly used for microsurgical outcome prediction for bAVMs, the same system(s) may not be easily applicable to SRS and endovascular therapy. Several radiosurgical- and endovascular-based grading scales have been proposed for bAVMs. However, a comprehensive review of these systems including a discussion on their relative advantages and disadvantages is missing. This paper is dedicated to modern classification schemes designed for SRS and endovascular techniques.

An entropy-variables-based formulation of residual distribution schemes for non-equilibrium flows

Science.gov (United States)

Garicano-Mena, Jesús; Lani, Andrea; Degrez, Gérard

2018-06-01

In this paper we present an extension of Residual Distribution techniques for the simulation of compressible flows in non-equilibrium conditions. The latter are modeled by means of a state-of-the-art multi-species and two-temperature model. An entropy-based variable transformation that symmetrizes the projected advective Jacobian for such a thermophysical model is introduced. Moreover, the transformed advection Jacobian matrix presents a block diagonal structure, with mass-species and electronic-vibrational energy being completely decoupled from the momentum and total energy sub-system. The advantageous structure of the transformed advective Jacobian can be exploited by contour-integration-based Residual Distribution techniques: established schemes that operate on dense matrices can be substituted by the same scheme operating on the momentum-energy subsystem matrix and repeated application of scalar scheme to the mass-species and electronic-vibrational energy terms. Finally, the performance gain of the symmetrizing-variables formulation is quantified on a selection of representative testcases, ranging from subsonic to hypersonic, in inviscid or viscous conditions.

Cooperative resources lead to sustainable competitive advantage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Vieira

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research is to analyze how organizational resources contribute to cooperatives achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. The theoretical approach of this study is the Resource Based View and VRIO model advocated by Barney and Hesterly (2007. The research was characterized as descriptive and quantitative, through data collection from secondary sources and a survey. The data collection tool was a questionnaire devised by Peacock, Sehnem and Hoffmann (2011. Data collection took place between the months of September 2014 and March 2015. The study sample was composed of a total of 215 cooperatives from across the country, divided into 13 segments. Secondary data was subjected to content analysis. The primary data was analyzed using statistical inference, namely: descriptive statistics, mean, Pearson correlation, Varimax rotation and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The main results showed that human resources are seen as important to achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. This research contributed to and enables new studies concerning the growth of cooperatives taking into account the use of internal resources.

MARKET ORIENTATION IN DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES IN A WEB 2.0 NETWORKED WORLD

OpenAIRE

NEIL HAIR; LYLE R. WETSCH; CLYDE EIRÍKUR HULL; VICTOR PEROTTI; YU-TING CAISY HUNG

2012-01-01

Strong market orientation is essential to firm success. In the diverse and dynamic digital environment, a strong market orientation philosophy is even more important to the digital entrepreneur. We explore the advantages and challenges that the networked world offers the market-oriented digital entrepreneur. In particular, we examine the role of electronic community and communication and how successful digital entrepreneurs takes advantage of electronic community technologies to facilitate mo...

New hybrid reverse differential pulse position width modulation scheme for wireless optical communication

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Renbo; Liu, Hongzhan; Qiao, Yaojun

2014-05-01

In order to improve the power efficiency and reduce the packet error rate of reverse differential pulse position modulation (RDPPM) for wireless optical communication (WOC), a hybrid reverse differential pulse position width modulation (RDPPWM) scheme is proposed, based on RDPPM and reverse pulse width modulation. Subsequently, the symbol structure of RDPPWM is briefly analyzed, and its performance is compared with that of other modulation schemes in terms of average transmitted power, bandwidth requirement, and packet error rate over ideal additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. Based on the given model, the simulation results show that the proposed modulation scheme has the advantages of improving the power efficiency and reducing the bandwidth requirement. Moreover, in terms of error probability performance, RDPPWM can achieve a much lower packet error rate than that of RDPPM. For example, at the same received signal power of -28 dBm, the packet error rate of RDPPWM can decrease to 2.6×10-12, while that of RDPPM is 2.2×10. Furthermore, RDPPWM does not need symbol synchronization at the receiving end. These considerations make RDPPWM a favorable candidate to select as the modulation scheme in the WOC systems.

Advantages of high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy in treatment of prostate cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Molokov, A. A.; Vanina, E. A.; Tseluyko, S. S.

2017-09-01

One of the modern methods of preserving organs radiation treatment is brachytherapy. This article analyzes the results of prostate brachytherapy. These studies of the advantages of high dose brachytherapy lead to the conclusion that this method of radiation treatment for prostate cancer has a favorable advantage in comparison with remote sensing methods, and is competitive, preserving organs in comparison to surgical methods of treatment. The use of the method of polyfocal transperineal biopsy during the brachytherapy session provides information on the volumetric spread of prostate cancer and adjust the dosimetry plan taking into account the obtained data.

Prediction of the enthalpies of vaporization for room-temperature ionic liquids: Correlations and a substitution-based additive scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabo, Gennady J.; Paulechka, Yauheni U.; Zaitsau, Dzmitry H.; Firaha, Alena S.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The available literature data on Δ l g H for ionic liquids were analyzed. • Correlation equations for Δ l g H were derived using symbolic regression. • A substitution-based incremental scheme for Δ l g H was developed. • The proposed scheme has an advantage over the existing predictive procedures. - Abstract: The literature data on the enthalpies of vaporization for aprotic ionic liquids (ILs) published by the end of May 2014 were analyzed and the most reliable Δ l g H m values were derived for 68 ILs. The selected enthalpies of vaporization were correlated with density and surface tension using symbolic regression and a number of effective correlation equations were proposed. The substitution-based incremental scheme for prediction of the enthalpies of vaporization of imidazolium, pyridinium and pyrrolidinium ILs was developed. The standard error of the regression for the developed scheme is significantly lower than that for the atom-based group-contribution schemes proposed earlier

Application of Knowledge in Advergaming as a Possible Source of Competitive Advantage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mráček Pavel

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on the question of the utilization of knowledge in advergaming (an original tool of the marketing communication as a possible source of competitive advantage. Related terms are briefly described and the research was conducted within a group of young people in the Czech Republic. The research confirms that, just advergaming might have the potential for acquiring “consumers of the advertising message” and, consequently, the possible broadening of the knowledge of the company. The output then becomes the scheme for displaying the links and the utilization of the knowledge in the advergame itself.

Application of a robust and efficient Lagrangian particle scheme to soot transport in turbulent flames

KAUST Repository

Attili, Antonio

2013-09-01

A Lagrangian particle scheme is applied to the solution of soot dynamics in turbulent nonpremixed flames. Soot particulate is described using a method of moments and the resulting set of continuum advection-reaction equations is solved using the Lagrangian particle scheme. The key property of the approach is the independence between advection, described by the movement of Lagrangian notional particles along pathlines, and internal aerosol processes, evolving on each notional particle via source terms. Consequently, the method overcomes the issues in Eulerian grid-based schemes for the advection of moments: errors in the advective fluxes pollute the moments compromising their realizability and the stiffness of source terms weakens the stability of the method. The proposed scheme exhibits superior properties with respect to conventional Eulerian schemes in terms of stability, accuracy, and grid convergence. Taking into account the quality of the solution, the Lagrangian approach can be computationally more economical than commonly used Eulerian schemes as it allows the resolution requirements dictated by the different physical phenomena to be independently optimized. Finally, the scheme posseses excellent scalability on massively parallel computers. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Performance comparison of control schemes for variable-speed wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Bottasso, C. L.; Croce, A.; Savini, B.

2007-07-01

We analyze the performance of different control schemes when applied to the regulation problem of a variable-speed representative wind turbine. In particular, we formulate and compare a wind-scheduled PID, a LQR controller and a novel adaptive non-linear model predictive controller, equipped with observers of the tower states and wind. The simulations include gusts and turbulent winds of varying intensity in nominal as well as off-design operating conditions. The experiments highlight the possible advantages of model-based non-linear control strategies.

Performance comparison of control schemes for variable-speed wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bottasso, C L; Croce, A; Savini, B

2007-01-01

We analyze the performance of different control schemes when applied to the regulation problem of a variable-speed representative wind turbine. In particular, we formulate and compare a wind-scheduled PID, a LQR controller and a novel adaptive non-linear model predictive controller, equipped with observers of the tower states and wind. The simulations include gusts and turbulent winds of varying intensity in nominal as well as off-design operating conditions. The experiments highlight the possible advantages of model-based non-linear control strategies

Finite Boltzmann schemes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sman, van der R.G.M.

2006-01-01

In the special case of relaxation parameter = 1 lattice Boltzmann schemes for (convection) diffusion and fluid flow are equivalent to finite difference/volume (FD) schemes, and are thus coined finite Boltzmann (FB) schemes. We show that the equivalence is inherent to the homology of the

Complexity, Competitive Intelligence and the "First Mover" Advantage

Science.gov (United States)

Fellman, Philip Vos; Post, Jonathan Vos

In the following paper we explore some of the ways in which competitive intelligence and game theory can be employed to assist firms in deciding whether or not to undertake international market diversification and whether or not there is an advantage to being a market leader or a market follower overseas. In attempting to answer these questions, we take a somewhat unconventional approach. We first examine how some of the most recent advances in the physical and biological sciences can contribute to the ways in which we understand how firms behave. Subsequently, we propose a formal methodology for competitive intelligence. While space considerations here do not allow for a complete game-theoretic treatment of competitive intelligence and its use with respect to understanding first and second mover advantage in firm internationalization, that treatment can be found in its entirety in the on-line proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Complex Systems at http://knowledgetoday.org/wiki/indec.php/ICCS06/89

Design and evaluation of sparse quantization index modulation watermarking schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Cornelis, Bruno; Barbarien, Joeri; Dooms, Ann; Munteanu, Adrian; Cornelis, Jan; Schelkens, Peter

2008-08-01

In the past decade the use of digital data has increased significantly. The advantages of digital data are, amongst others, easy editing, fast, cheap and cross-platform distribution and compact storage. The most crucial disadvantages are the unauthorized copying and copyright issues, by which authors and license holders can suffer considerable financial losses. Many inexpensive methods are readily available for editing digital data and, unlike analog information, the reproduction in the digital case is simple and robust. Hence, there is great interest in developing technology that helps to protect the integrity of a digital work and the copyrights of its owners. Watermarking, which is the embedding of a signal (known as the watermark) into the original digital data, is one method that has been proposed for the protection of digital media elements such as audio, video and images. In this article, we examine watermarking schemes for still images, based on selective quantization of the coefficients of a wavelet transformed image, i.e. sparse quantization-index modulation (QIM) watermarking. Different grouping schemes for the wavelet coefficients are evaluated and experimentally verified for robustness against several attacks. Wavelet tree-based grouping schemes yield a slightly improved performance over block-based grouping schemes. Additionally, the impact of the deployment of error correction codes on the most promising configurations is examined. The utilization of BCH-codes (Bose, Ray-Chaudhuri, Hocquenghem) results in an improved robustness as long as the capacity of the error codes is not exceeded (cliff-effect).

Tree compression with top trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bille, Philip; Gørtz, Inge Li; Landau, Gad M.

2013-01-01

We introduce a new compression scheme for labeled trees based on top trees [3]. Our compression scheme is the first to simultaneously take advantage of internal repeats in the tree (as opposed to the classical DAG compression that only exploits rooted subtree repeats) while also supporting fast...

Tree compression with top trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bille, Philip; Gørtz, Inge Li; Landau, Gad M.

2015-01-01

We introduce a new compression scheme for labeled trees based on top trees. Our compression scheme is the first to simultaneously take advantage of internal repeats in the tree (as opposed to the classical DAG compression that only exploits rooted subtree repeats) while also supporting fast...

A Study on an Energy Conservation and Interconnection Scheme between WSN and Internet Based on the 6LoWPAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Runtong Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor network (WSN, which has broad application prospects, consists of small nodes with sensing, computation, and communications capabilities. IPv6 is used over low power WPAN (wireless personal area network which is run by 6LoWPAN technology on the LoWPAN devices. In order to establish seamless connection of two heterogeneous networks, that is, WSN and IPv6 network, this paper proposes an improved energy conservation and interconnection scheme (ECIS based on the analysis of the current schemes. Detailed design of each functional component in the new scheme is proposed, and an expansion of the SSCS module in NS2 802.15.4 simulator is examined. Comprehensive experiments on the simulation platform show that the newly proposed scheme is advantageous over existing results.

A Novel Friendly Jamming Scheme in Industrial Crowdsensing Networks against Eavesdropping Attack.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xuran; Wang, Qiu; Dai, Hong-Ning; Wang, Hao

2018-06-14

Eavesdropping attack is one of the most serious threats in industrial crowdsensing networks. In this paper, we propose a novel anti-eavesdropping scheme by introducing friendly jammers to an industrial crowdsensing network. In particular, we establish a theoretical framework considering both the probability of eavesdropping attacks and the probability of successful transmission to evaluate the effectiveness of our scheme. Our framework takes into account various channel conditions such as path loss, Rayleigh fading, and the antenna type of friendly jammers. Our results show that using jammers in industrial crowdsensing networks can effectively reduce the eavesdropping risk while having no significant influence on legitimate communications.

Hierarchical Markov Model in Life Insurance and Social Benefit Schemes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiwook Jang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available We explored the effect of the jump-diffusion process on a social benefit scheme consisting of life insurance, unemployment/disability benefits, and retirement benefits. To do so, we used a four-state Markov chain with multiple decrements. Assuming independent state-wise intensities taking the form of a jump-diffusion process and deterministic interest rates, we evaluated the prospective reserves for this scheme in which the individual is employed at inception. We then numerically demonstrated the state of the reserves for the scheme under jump-diffusion and non-jump-diffusion settings. By decomposing the reserve equation into five components, our numerical illustration indicated that an extension of the retirement age has a spillover effect that would increase government expenses for other social insurance programs. We also conducted sensitivity analyses and examined the total-reserves components by changing the relevant parameters of the transition intensities, which are the average jump-size parameter, average jump frequency, and diffusion parameters of the chosen states, with figures provided. Our computation revealed that the total reserve is most sensitive to changes in average jump frequency.

A new parallelization algorithm of ocean model with explicit scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, X. D.

2017-08-01

This paper will focus on the parallelization of ocean model with explicit scheme which is one of the most commonly used schemes in the discretization of governing equation of ocean model. The characteristic of explicit schema is that calculation is simple, and that the value of the given grid point of ocean model depends on the grid point at the previous time step, which means that one doesn’t need to solve sparse linear equations in the process of solving the governing equation of the ocean model. Aiming at characteristics of the explicit scheme, this paper designs a parallel algorithm named halo cells update with tiny modification of original ocean model and little change of space step and time step of the original ocean model, which can parallelize ocean model by designing transmission module between sub-domains. This paper takes the GRGO for an example to implement the parallelization of GRGO (Global Reduced Gravity Ocean model) with halo update. The result demonstrates that the higher speedup can be achieved at different problem size.

Insights on different participation schemes to meet climate goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russ, Peter; Ierland, Tom van

2009-01-01

Models and scenarios to assess greenhouse gas mitigation action have become more diversified and detailed, allowing the simulation of more realistic global climate policy set-ups. In this paper, different participation schemes to meet different levels of radiative forcing are analysed. The focus is on scenarios that are in line with the 2 deg. C target. Typical stylised participation schemes are based either on a perfect global carbon market or delayed participation with targets only for developed countries, no actions by developing countries and no access to credits from offsetting mechanisms in developing countries. This paper adds an intermediate policy scenario assuming a gradual incorporation of all countries, including a gradually developing carbon market, and taking into account the ability to contribute of different parties. Perfect participation by all parties would be optimal, but it is shown that participation schemes involving a gradual and differentiated participation by all parties can substantially decrease global costs and still meet the 2 deg. C target. Carbon markets can compensate in part for those costs incurred by developing countries' own, autonomous mitigation actions that do not generate tradable emission credits.

Absolute advantage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.G.M. van Marrewijk (Charles)

2008-01-01

textabstractA country is said to have an absolute advantage over another country in the production of a good or service if it can produce that good or service using fewer real resources. Equivalently, using the same inputs, the country can produce more output. The concept of absolute advantage can

Instability of the time splitting scheme for the one-dimensional and relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system

CERN Document Server

Huot, F; Bertrand, P; Sonnendrücker, E; Coulaud, O

2003-01-01

The Time Splitting Scheme (TSS) has been examined within the context of the one-dimensional (1D) relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell model. In the strongly relativistic regime of the laser-plasma interaction, the TSS cannot be applied to solve the Vlasov equation. We propose a new semi-Lagrangian scheme based on a full 2D advection and study its advantages over the classical Splitting procedure. Details of the underlying integration of the Vlasov equation appear to be important in achieving accurate plasma simulations. Examples are given which are related to the relativistic modulational instability and the self-induced transparency of an ultra-intense electromagnetic pulse in the relativistic regime.

Investment in intellectual capital and achievement of the competitive advantage in hotel sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qasim Mohammed Dahash

2018-07-01

Full Text Available The primary objective of the research paper is to provide some insights on the concepts of intellec-tual capital and its important dimensions alongside to investigate the possible association between intellectual capital and attainment of competitive advantage. This study focuses on Iraqi hotel industry which is an under-research area in the context of intellectual capital and its relationship with competitive advantage. An adapted questionnaire was utilized to collect the responses from top and middle level managers of four and five-star hotels in Iraq. The reliability and validity of data collec-tion instrument were measured through Cronbach’s alpha, Composite Reliability and Average Var-iance Extracted respectively. The competitive advantage was then regressed against Human, Rela-tional and Structural capital by application of Partial Least Square methodology. Results of the study showed a positive and strong connotation among intellectual capital and attainment of competitive advantage. The human capital had the highest contribution for competitive advantage in hotel sector of Iraq. The top management of hotels should take interest to develop, maintain and retain human capital to attain competitive advantage over competitors.

An hybrid methodology for RL-based behavior coordination in a target following mission with an AUV

OpenAIRE

Carreras Pérez, Marc; Yuh, Junku; Batlle i Grabulosa, Joan

2001-01-01

Proposes a behavior-based scheme for high-level control of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Two main characteristics can be highlighted in the control scheme. Behavior coordination is done through a hybrid methodology, which takes in advantages of the robustness and modularity in competitive approaches, as well as optimized trajectories

The half-truth of first-mover advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Suarez, Fernando; Lanzolla, Gianvito

2005-04-01

Many executives take for granted that the first company in a new product category gets an unbeatable head start and reaps long-lasting benefits. But that doesn't always happen. The authors of this article discovered that much depends on the pace at which the category's technology is changing and the speed at which the market is evolving. By analyzing these two factors, companies can improve their odds of succeeding as first movers with the resources they possess. Gradual evolution in both the technology and the market provides a first mover with the best conditions for creating a dominant position that is long lasting (Hoover in the vacuum cleaner industry is a good example). In such calm waters, a company can defend its advantages even without exceptional skills or extensive financial resources. When the market is changing rapidly and the product isn't, a first entrant with extensive resources can obtain a long-lasting advantage (as Sony did with its Walkman personal stereo); a company with only limited resources probably must settle for a short-term benefit. When the market is static but the product is changing constantly, first-mover advantages of either kind--durable or short-lived--are unlikely. Only companies with very deep pockets can survive (think of Sony and the digital cameras it pioneered). Rapid churn in both the technology and the market creates the worst conditions. But if companies have an acute sense of when to exit-as Netscape demonstrated when it agreed to be acquired by AOL-a worthwhile short-term gain is possible. Before venturing into a newly forming market, you need to analyze the environment, assess your resources, then determine which type offirst-mover advantage is most achievable. Once you've gone into the water, you have no choice but to swim.

Competitive versus comparative advantage

OpenAIRE

Neary, J. Peter

2002-01-01

I explore the interactions between comparative, competitive and absolute advantage in a two-country model of oligopoly in general equilibrium. Comparative advantage always determines the direction of trade, but both competitive and absolute advantage affect resource allocation, trade patterns and trade volumes. Competitive advantage in the sense of more home firms drives foreign firms out of marginal sectors but also makes some marginal home sectors uncompetitive. Absolute advantage in the se...

Optimal Consumer Electronics Product Take-Back Time with Consideration of Consumer Value

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Tse Fang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Rapid economic growth in recent years has transformed our lifestyle to massively produce, consume, and dispose of products, especially for consumer electronics. This change has put great threat to our environment and caused natural resource depletion. Moreover, short product life cycles and quick replacements of consumer electronics create enormous electronic wastes (e-wastes. Without proper waste management, immense environmental damage is expected. In this empirical study, we notice that lots of valuable materials that can still be recycled from these used consumer electronics are left unused at home instead of being recycled at the appropriate time, which causes a low collection rate and a decrease in residual value for the used products. Therefore, it is important for the government and the recyclers to handle them efficiently by increasing the used product take-back rate. Our study develops an assessment model for customer value based on the idea of value engineering and the perspective of product life cycle. We also explore the relationship between product value and the total cost of ownership with an evaluation of their time variation, considering different usage modes for various consumer groups and different recycling award schemes (fixed and variable recycling awards. Proper take-back management is likely to create a win-win situation both for consumers and environmental protection. This study regards the notebook computer as an example to determine the optimal time for recycling laptops based on usage patterns and provides consumers a reference for when to replace their used product. The results from our modeling firstly clearly indicate that consumers with higher frequency of usage have shorter take back times and higher maximum consumer value. Secondly, a variable recycling award scheme with higher maximum consumer value is more practical than a fixed recycling award scheme.

Outage Performance Analysis of Relay Selection Schemes in Wireless Energy Harvesting Cooperative Networks over Non-Identical Rayleigh Fading Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Nhu Tri; Bao, Vo Nguyen Quoc; An, Beongku

2016-02-26

In this paper, we study relay selection in decode-and-forward wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks. In contrast to conventional cooperative networks, the relays harvest energy from the source's radio-frequency radiation and then use that energy to forward the source information. Considering power splitting receiver architecture used at relays to harvest energy, we are concerned with the performance of two popular relay selection schemes, namely, partial relay selection (PRS) scheme and optimal relay selection (ORS) scheme. In particular, we analyze the system performance in terms of outage probability (OP) over independent and non-identical (i.n.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. We derive the closed-form approximations for the system outage probabilities of both schemes and validate the analysis by the Monte-Carlo simulation. The numerical results provide comprehensive performance comparison between the PRS and ORS schemes and reveal the effect of wireless energy harvesting on the outage performances of both schemes. Additionally, we also show the advantages and drawbacks of the wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks and compare to the conventional cooperative networks.

State of the art of control schemes for smart systems featuring magneto-rheological materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Seung-Bok; Do, Phu Xuan; Li, Weihua; Yu, Miao; Fu, Jie; Du, Haiping

2016-01-01

This review presents various control strategies for application systems utilizing smart magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) and magneto-rheological elastomers (MRE). It is well known that both MRF and MRE are actively studied and applied to many practical systems such as vehicle dampers. The mandatory requirements for successful applications of MRF and MRE include several factors: advanced material properties, optimal mechanisms, suitable modeling, and appropriate control schemes. Among these requirements, the use of an appropriate control scheme is a crucial factor since it is the final action stage of the application systems to achieve the desired output responses. There are numerous different control strategies which have been applied to many different application systems of MRF and MRE, summarized in this review. In the literature review, advantages and disadvantages of each control scheme are discussed so that potential researchers can develop more effective strategies to achieve higher control performance of many application systems utilizing magneto-rheological materials. (topical review)

Social customer relationship management: taking advantage of Web 2.0 and Big Data technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Orenga-Roglá, Sergio; Chalmeta, Ricardo

2016-01-01

The emergence of Web 2.0 and Big Data technologies has allowed a new customer relationship strategy based on interactivity and collaboration called Social Customer Relationship Management (Social CRM) to be created. This enhances customer engagement and satisfaction. The implementation of Social CRM is a complex task that involves different organisational, human and technological aspects. However, there is a lack of methodologies to assist companies in these processes. This paper shows a novel methodology that helps companies to implement Social CRM, taking into account different aspects such as social customer strategy, the Social CRM performance measurement system, the Social CRM business processes, or the Social CRM computer system. The methodology was applied to one company in order to validate and refine it.

The peculiarities of particle dynamics in the Fermi acceleration scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buts, V.A.

2015-01-01

With examples of discrete and distributed mathematical models of the Fermi acceleration mechanism, a usefulness, or even necessity, of taking into account of singular solutions is demonstrated. Also the role is shown of those parts of phase space where the uniqueness theorem conditions to form the dynamics of physical systems are broken. It was found that the dynamics of particles in discrete and distributed mathematical schemes of Fermi acceleration can be significantly different. The difference is due to the fact that the distributed model takes into account the effects of phase space where conditions do not correspond to those necessary for application of the uniqueness theorem. The role of singular solutions is under discussion as well.

Power take-off analysis for diagonally connected MHD channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Y.C.; Doss, E.D.

1980-01-01

The electrical loading of the power take-off region of diagonally connected MHD channels is investigated by a two-dimensional model. The study examines the loading schemes typical of those proposed for the U-25 and U-25 Bypass channels. The model is applicable for the following four cases: (1) connection with diodes only, (2) connection with diodes and equal resistors, (3) connection with diodes and variable resistances to obtain a given current distribution, and (4) connection with diodes and variable resistors under changing load. The analysis is applicable for the power take-off regions of single or multiple-output systems. The general behaviors of the current and the potential distributions in all four cases are discussed. The analytical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. It is found possible to design the electrical circuit of the channel in the take-off region so as to achieve a fairly even load current output under changing total load current

GPU-Accelerated Stony-Brook University 5-class Microphysics Scheme in WRF

Science.gov (United States)

Mielikainen, J.; Huang, B.; Huang, A.

2011-12-01

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is a next-generation mesoscale numerical weather prediction system. Microphysics plays an important role in weather and climate prediction. Several bulk water microphysics schemes are available within the WRF, with different numbers of simulated hydrometeor classes and methods for estimating their size fall speeds, distributions and densities. Stony-Brook University scheme (SBU-YLIN) is a 5-class scheme with riming intensity predicted to account for mixed-phase processes. In the past few years, co-processing on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) has been a disruptive technology in High Performance Computing (HPC). GPUs use the ever increasing transistor count for adding more processor cores. Therefore, GPUs are well suited for massively data parallel processing with high floating point arithmetic intensity. Thus, it is imperative to update legacy scientific applications to take advantage of this unprecedented increase in computing power. CUDA is an extension to the C programming language offering programming GPU's directly. It is designed so that its constructs allow for natural expression of data-level parallelism. A CUDA program is organized into two parts: a serial program running on the CPU and a CUDA kernel running on the GPU. The CUDA code consists of three computational phases: transmission of data into the global memory of the GPU, execution of the CUDA kernel, and transmission of results from the GPU into the memory of CPU. CUDA takes a bottom-up point of view of parallelism is which thread is an atomic unit of parallelism. Individual threads are part of groups called warps, within which every thread executes exactly the same sequence of instructions. To test SBU-YLIN, we used a CONtinental United States (CONUS) benchmark data set for 12 km resolution domain for October 24, 2001. A WRF domain is a geographic region of interest discretized into a 2-dimensional grid parallel to the ground. Each grid point has

A space-time lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel scheme for the time-spectral method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Lei; Xiong, Juntao; Liu, Feng

2016-05-01

The time-spectral method (TSM) offers the advantage of increased order of accuracy compared to methods using finite-difference in time for periodic unsteady flow problems. Explicit Runge-Kutta pseudo-time marching and implicit schemes have been developed to solve iteratively the space-time coupled nonlinear equations resulting from TSM. Convergence of the explicit schemes is slow because of the stringent time-step limit. Many implicit methods have been developed for TSM. Their computational efficiency is, however, still limited in practice because of delayed implicit temporal coupling, multiple iterative loops, costly matrix operations, or lack of strong diagonal dominance of the implicit operator matrix. To overcome these shortcomings, an efficient space-time lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel (ST-LU-SGS) implicit scheme with multigrid acceleration is presented. In this scheme, the implicit temporal coupling term is split as one additional dimension of space in the LU-SGS sweeps. To improve numerical stability for periodic flows with high frequency, a modification to the ST-LU-SGS scheme is proposed. Numerical results show that fast convergence is achieved using large or even infinite Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) numbers for unsteady flow problems with moderately high frequency and with the use of moderately high numbers of time intervals. The ST-LU-SGS implicit scheme is also found to work well in calculating periodic flow problems where the frequency is not known a priori and needed to be determined by using a combined Fourier analysis and gradient-based search algorithm.

Key Management Scheme Based on Route Planning of Mobile Sink in Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In many wireless sensor network application scenarios the key management scheme with a Mobile Sink (MS should be fully investigated. This paper proposes a key management scheme based on dynamic clustering and optimal-routing choice of MS. The concept of Traveling Salesman Problem with Neighbor areas (TSPN in dynamic clustering for data exchange is proposed, and the selection probability is used in MS route planning. The proposed scheme extends static key management to dynamic key management by considering the dynamic clustering and mobility of MSs, which can effectively balance the total energy consumption during the activities. Considering the different resources available to the member nodes and sink node, the session key between cluster head and MS is established by modified an ECC encryption with Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH algorithm and the session key between member node and cluster head is built with a binary symmetric polynomial. By analyzing the security of data storage, data transfer and the mechanism of dynamic key management, the proposed scheme has more advantages to help improve the resilience of the key management system of the network on the premise of satisfying higher connectivity and storage efficiency.

Key Management Scheme Based on Route Planning of Mobile Sink in Wireless Sensor Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Liang, Jixing; Zheng, Bingxin; Jiang, Shengming; Chen, Wei

2016-01-29

In many wireless sensor network application scenarios the key management scheme with a Mobile Sink (MS) should be fully investigated. This paper proposes a key management scheme based on dynamic clustering and optimal-routing choice of MS. The concept of Traveling Salesman Problem with Neighbor areas (TSPN) in dynamic clustering for data exchange is proposed, and the selection probability is used in MS route planning. The proposed scheme extends static key management to dynamic key management by considering the dynamic clustering and mobility of MSs, which can effectively balance the total energy consumption during the activities. Considering the different resources available to the member nodes and sink node, the session key between cluster head and MS is established by modified an ECC encryption with Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH) algorithm and the session key between member node and cluster head is built with a binary symmetric polynomial. By analyzing the security of data storage, data transfer and the mechanism of dynamic key management, the proposed scheme has more advantages to help improve the resilience of the key management system of the network on the premise of satisfying higher connectivity and storage efficiency.

The Competitive Advantages of Retail Enterprises: the Factor and the Result of Competitive Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chorna Maryna V.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at systematization and development of a conceptual-categorical apparatus of the essence of competitive advantages. The approaches to their interpretation have been allocated. The essential characteristics and stages of the life cycle of competitive advantages are considered. As active stages it is suggested to consider the following: formation, implementation, and development. The basic properties of competitive advantages such as dual character have been substantiated and supplemented. Both the factor and the effective nature of competitive advantages are characterized. On the basis of the mentioned approaches together with the identified features, a definition of the concept of «competitive advantages» as economic category has been proposed. Its use as a base along with taking into consideration the functional specificity of trade enterprises has allowed: clarifying the essence of competitive advantages of retail enterprises; suggesting their definition as a factor and as a result of competitive relations. The identification of dual character will increase the possibilities to assess competitive advantages. Prospects for further researches in this direction are connected with allocating of peculiarities and kinds of competitive advantages of retail trade enterprises with the purpose of increasing the of validity of decisions on their formation, implementation, and development.

Analysis and performance assessment of a fragment retransmission scheme for energy efficient IEEE 802.11 WLANs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mafole, Prosper; Aritsugi, Masayoshi

2016-01-01

Backoff-free fragment retransmission (BFFR) scheme enhances the performance of legacy MAC layer fragmentation by eliminating contention overhead. The eliminated overhead is the result of backoff executed before a retransmission attempt is made when fragment transmission failure occurs within a fragment burst. This paper provides a mathematical analysis of BFFR energy efficiency and further assesses, by means of simulations, the energy efficiency, throughput and delay obtained when BFFR is used. The validity of the new scheme is evaluated in different scenarios namely, constant bit rate traffic, realistic bursty internet traffic, node mobility, rigid and elastic flows and their combinations at different traffic loads. We also evaluate and discuss the impact of BFFR on MAC fairness when the number of nodes is varied from 4 to 10. It is shown that BFFR has advantages over legacy MAC fragmentation scheme in all the scenarios.

On the two weighting scheme for δf collisional transport simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamoto, M.; Nakajima, N.; Wang, W.

1999-08-01

The validity is given to the newly proposed two weighting δf scheme (Wang et al., Research Report of National Institute for Fusion Science NIFS-588, 1999) for collisional or neoclassical transport calculations, which can solve the drift kinetic equation taking account of effects of steep plasma gradients, large radial electric field, finite banana width, and the non-standard orbit topology near the axis. The marker density functions in weight equations are successively solved by using the idea of δf method and a hierarchy of equations for weight and marker density functions is obtained. These hierarchy equations are solved by choosing an appropriate source function for each marker density. Thus the validity of the two weighting δf scheme is mathematically proved. (author)

Adaptive protection scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sitharthan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at modelling an electronically coupled distributed energy resource with an adaptive protection scheme. The electronically coupled distributed energy resource is a microgrid framework formed by coupling the renewable energy source electronically. Further, the proposed adaptive protection scheme provides a suitable protection to the microgrid for various fault conditions irrespective of the operating mode of the microgrid: namely, grid connected mode and islanded mode. The outstanding aspect of the developed adaptive protection scheme is that it monitors the microgrid and instantly updates relay fault current according to the variations that occur in the system. The proposed adaptive protection scheme also employs auto reclosures, through which the proposed adaptive protection scheme recovers faster from the fault and thereby increases the consistency of the microgrid. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive protection is studied through the time domain simulations carried out in the PSCAD⧹EMTDC software environment.

Emission trading schemes: potential revenue effects, compliance costs and overall tax policy issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pope, Jeff; Owen, Anthony D.

2009-01-01

The case for the imposition of carbon (emission) taxes or tradable carbon permits in important tax jurisdictions is arguably strong, based upon the polluter pays principle first proposed by Pigou almost a century ago. This paper briefly reviews the arguments for and against these market-based instruments, and discusses their relative advantages and disadvantages in a practical context. In the case of Australia, the revenue effect of the proposed tradable carbon permits scheme is estimated to be A$11.5 billion in 2010-11. For comparison, this is roughly equivalent to a quarter of the revenue from the Goods and Services Tax. The paper focuses on three neglected aspects of climate change taxation discussion to date: how much tax revenue is likely to be raised, and the administrative and compliance costs of an emissions trading scheme, with particular reference to Australia. In discussing these issues, the paper draws upon selected and relevant international experience, particularly the European Union emissions trading scheme. The challenges of an emissions trading scheme, including integration with the existing tax system, particularly in an Australian context, are also discussed. The paper concludes by emphasising the key challenges and issues facing this 'ultimate externality' debate, particularly from a taxation policy perspective.

Effective scheme of photolysis of GFP in live cell as revealed with confocal fluorescence microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Glazachev, Yu I.; Orlova, D. Y.; Řezníčková, P.; Bártová, E.

2018-05-01

We proposed an effective kinetics scheme of photolysis of green fluorescent protein (GFP) observed in live cells with a commercial confocal fluorescence microscope. We investigated the photolysis of GFP-tagged heterochromatin protein, HP1β-GFP, in live nucleus with the pulse position modulation approach, which has several advantages over the classical pump-and-probe method. At the basis of the proposed scheme lies a process of photoswitching from the native fluorescence state to the intermediate fluorescence state, which has a lower fluorescence yield and recovers back to native state in the dark. This kinetics scheme includes four effective parameters (photoswitching, reverse switching, photodegradation rate constants, and relative brightness of the intermediate state) and covers the time scale from dozens of milliseconds to minutes of the experimental fluorescence kinetics. Additionally, the applicability of the scheme was demonstrated in the cases of continuous irradiation and the classical pump-and-probe approach using numerical calculations and analytical solutions. An interesting finding of experimental data analysis was that the overall photodegradation of GFP proceeds dominantly from the intermediate state, and demonstrated approximately the second-order reaction versus irradiation power. As a practical example, the proposed scheme elucidates the artifacts of fluorescence recovery after the photobleaching method, and allows us to propose some suggestions on how to diminish them.

Comparative study of numerical schemes of TVD3, UNO3-ACM and optimized compact scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Duck-Joo; Hwang, Chang-Jeon; Ko, Duck-Kon; Kim, Jae-Wook

1995-01-01

Three different schemes are employed to solve the benchmark problem. The first one is a conventional TVD-MUSCL (Monotone Upwind Schemes for Conservation Laws) scheme. The second scheme is a UNO3-ACM (Uniformly Non-Oscillatory Artificial Compression Method) scheme. The third scheme is an optimized compact finite difference scheme modified by us: the 4th order Runge Kutta time stepping, the 4th order pentadiagonal compact spatial discretization with the maximum resolution characteristics. The problems of category 1 are solved by using the second (UNO3-ACM) and third (Optimized Compact) schemes. The problems of category 2 are solved by using the first (TVD3) and second (UNO3-ACM) schemes. The problem of category 5 is solved by using the first (TVD3) scheme. It can be concluded from the present calculations that the Optimized Compact scheme and the UN03-ACM show good resolutions for category 1 and category 2 respectively.

Different-Level Simultaneous Minimization Scheme for Fault Tolerance of Redundant Manipulator Aided with Discrete-Time Recurrent Neural Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Long; Liao, Bolin; Liu, Mei; Xiao, Lin; Guo, Dongsheng; Yan, Xiaogang

2017-01-01

By incorporating the physical constraints in joint space, a different-level simultaneous minimization scheme, which takes both the robot kinematics and robot dynamics into account, is presented and investigated for fault-tolerant motion planning of redundant manipulator in this paper. The scheme is reformulated as a quadratic program (QP) with equality and bound constraints, which is then solved by a discrete-time recurrent neural network. Simulative verifications based on a six-link planar redundant robot manipulator substantiate the efficacy and accuracy of the presented acceleration fault-tolerant scheme, the resultant QP and the corresponding discrete-time recurrent neural network.

Improved Secret Image Sharing Scheme in Embedding Capacity without Underflow and Overflow.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Liaojun; Miao, Deyu; Li, Huixian; Wang, Qiong

2015-01-01

Computational secret image sharing (CSIS) is an effective way to protect a secret image during its transmission and storage, and thus it has attracted lots of attentions since its appearance. Nowadays, it has become a hot topic for researchers to improve the embedding capacity and eliminate the underflow and overflow situations, which is embarrassing and difficult to deal with. The scheme, which has the highest embedding capacity among the existing schemes, has the underflow and overflow problems. Although the underflow and overflow situations have been well dealt with by different methods, the embedding capacities of these methods are reduced more or less. Motivated by these concerns, we propose a novel scheme, in which we take the differential coding, Huffman coding, and data converting to compress the secret image before embedding it to further improve the embedding capacity, and the pixel mapping matrix embedding method with a newly designed matrix is used to embed secret image data into the cover image to avoid the underflow and overflow situations. Experiment results show that our scheme can improve the embedding capacity further and eliminate the underflow and overflow situations at the same time.

An Image Compression Scheme in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks Based on NMF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shikang Kong

2017-02-01

Full Text Available With the goal of addressing the issue of image compression in wireless multimedia sensor networks with high recovered quality and low energy consumption, an image compression and transmission scheme based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF is proposed in this paper. First, the NMF algorithm theory is studied. Then, a collaborative mechanism of image capture, block, compression and transmission is completed. Camera nodes capture images and send them to ordinary nodes which use an NMF algorithm for image compression. Compressed images are transmitted to the station by the cluster head node and received from ordinary nodes. The station takes on the image restoration. Simulation results show that, compared with the JPEG2000 and singular value decomposition (SVD compression schemes, the proposed scheme has a higher quality of recovered images and lower total node energy consumption. It is beneficial to reduce the burden of energy consumption and prolong the life of the whole network system, which has great significance for practical applications of WMSNs.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály; Ferenczy, György G.

2016-01-01

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

Science.gov (United States)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Ferenczy, György G.; Kállay, Mihály

2016-08-01

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Exact density functional and wave function embedding schemes based on orbital localization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hégely, Bence; Nagy, Péter R.; Kállay, Mihály, E-mail: kallay@mail.bme.hu [MTA-BME Lendület Quantum Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, P.O. Box 91, H-1521 Budapest (Hungary); Ferenczy, György G. [Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, H-1094 Budapest (Hungary)

2016-08-14

Exact schemes for the embedding of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods into lower-level DFT or WFT approaches are introduced utilizing orbital localization. First, a simple modification of the projector-based embedding scheme of Manby and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A507 (2014)] is proposed. We also use localized orbitals to partition the system, but instead of augmenting the Fock operator with a somewhat arbitrary level-shift projector we solve the Huzinaga-equation, which strictly enforces the Pauli exclusion principle. Second, the embedding of WFT methods in local correlation approaches is studied. Since the latter methods split up the system into local domains, very simple embedding theories can be defined if the domains of the active subsystem and the environment are treated at a different level. The considered embedding schemes are benchmarked for reaction energies and compared to quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) and vacuum embedding. We conclude that for DFT-in-DFT embedding, the Huzinaga-equation-based scheme is more efficient than the other approaches, but QM/MM or even simple vacuum embedding is still competitive in particular cases. Concerning the embedding of wave function methods, the clear winner is the embedding of WFT into low-level local correlation approaches, and WFT-in-DFT embedding can only be more advantageous if a non-hybrid density functional is employed.

Steps to discern sustainability criteria for a certification scheme of bioethanol in Brazil: Approach and difficulties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delzeit, R.; Holm-Mueller, K.

2009-01-01

Taking Brazilian bioethanol as an example, this paper presents possible sustainability criteria for a certification scheme aimed to minimize negative socio-ecological impacts and to increase the sustainable production of biomass. We describe the methods that have led us to the identification of a first set of feasible sustainability criteria for Brazilian bioethanol and discuss issues to be considered when developing certification schemes for sustainability. General problems of a certification scheme lie in the inherent danger of introducing new non-tariff trade barriers and in the problems of including important higher scale issues like land conversion and food security. A certification system cannot replace a thorough analysis of policy impacts on sustainability issues. (author)

Efficient solar light harvesting CdS/Co{sub 9}S{sub 8} hollow cubes for Z-scheme photocatalytic water splitting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, Bocheng; Zhu, Qiaohong; Du, Mengmeng; Fan, Linggang; Xing, Mingyang; Zhang, Jinlong [Key Lab. for Advanced Materials and Inst. of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Univ. of Science and Technology, Shanghai (China)

2017-03-01

Hollow structures with an efficient light harvesting and tunable interior component offer great advantages for constructing a Z-scheme system. Controlled design of hollow cobalt sulfide (Co{sub 9}S{sub 8}) cubes embedded with cadmium sulfide quantum dots (QDs) is described, using hollow Co(OH){sub 2} as the template and a one-pot hydrothermal strategy. The hollow CdS/Co{sub 9}S{sub 8} cubes utilize multiple reflections of light in the cubic structure to achieve enhanced photocatalytic activity. Importantly, the photoexcited charge carriers can be effectively separated by the construction of a redox-mediator-free Z-scheme system. The hydrogen evolution rate over hollow CdS/Co{sub 9}S{sub 8} is 134 and 9.1 times higher than that of pure hollow Co{sub 9}S{sub 8} and CdS QDs under simulated solar light irradiation, respectively. Moreover, this is the first report describing construction of a hollow Co{sub 9}S{sub 8} based Z-scheme system for photocatalytic water splitting, which gives full play to the advantages of light-harvesting and charges separation. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

An authenticated image encryption scheme based on chaotic maps and memory cellular automata

Science.gov (United States)

Bakhshandeh, Atieh; Eslami, Ziba

2013-06-01

This paper introduces a new image encryption scheme based on chaotic maps, cellular automata and permutation-diffusion architecture. In the permutation phase, a piecewise linear chaotic map is utilized to confuse the plain-image and in the diffusion phase, we employ the Logistic map as well as a reversible memory cellular automata to obtain an efficient and secure cryptosystem. The proposed method admits advantages such as highly secure diffusion mechanism, computational efficiency and ease of implementation. A novel property of the proposed scheme is its authentication ability which can detect whether the image is tampered during the transmission or not. This is particularly important in applications where image data or part of it contains highly sensitive information. Results of various analyses manifest high security of this new method and its capability for practical image encryption.

Smart Cities are Big Cities - Comparative Advantage in Chinese Cities

OpenAIRE

Shiwei Hu; Steven Brakman; Charles van Marrewijk

2014-01-01

The literature on China indicates that the concentration of economic activities in China is less than in other industrialized countries. Institutional limits are largely held responsible for this finding (e.g. the Hukou system); firms and workers are not able to take full advantage of the benefits from agglomeration economies. China is changing rapidly, however, also in this respect. We show that, by using the methodology developed by Davis and Dingel (2013), high-skilled workers in high-skil...

The Exposure Advantage: Early Exposure to a Multilingual Environment Promotes Effective Communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Samantha P; Liberman, Zoe; Keysar, Boaz; Kinzler, Katherine D

2015-07-01

Early language exposure is essential to developing a formal language system, but may not be sufficient for communicating effectively. To understand a speaker's intention, one must take the speaker's perspective. Multilingual exposure may promote effective communication by enhancing perspective taking. We tested children on a task that required perspective taking to interpret a speaker's intended meaning. Monolingual children failed to interpret the speaker's meaning dramatically more often than both bilingual children and children who were exposed to a multilingual environment but were not bilingual themselves. Children who were merely exposed to a second language performed as well as bilingual children, despite having lower executive-function scores. Thus, the communicative advantages demonstrated by the bilinguals may be social in origin, and not due to enhanced executive control. For millennia, multilingual exposure has been the norm. Our study shows that such an environment may facilitate the development of perspective-taking tools that are critical for effective communication. © The Author(s) 2015.

New organization scheme for the energy supply in the not interconnected zones of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapata, Josue; Bayona Lugdy

2001-01-01

The paper shows a new scheme of solutions in the financial institutional environment and regulatory, in this sense it thinks about the creation from a support unit to the rural energy administration that takes charge of to identify energy solutions and the technical and organizational support of the service of a foundation that manage the obtained resources and a interconnected scheme to the current conditions of the NIZ. In Colombia the not interconnected zones NIZ corresponds those of the country that don't receive electric power service through the national interconnected system, and who interconnection is not economically feasible

Secure searching of biomarkers through hybrid homomorphic encryption scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Miran; Song, Yongsoo; Cheon, Jung Hee

2017-07-26

As genome sequencing technology develops rapidly, there has lately been an increasing need to keep genomic data secure even when stored in the cloud and still used for research. We are interested in designing a protocol for the secure outsourcing matching problem on encrypted data. We propose an efficient method to securely search a matching position with the query data and extract some information at the position. After decryption, only a small amount of comparisons with the query information should be performed in plaintext state. We apply this method to find a set of biomarkers in encrypted genomes. The important feature of our method is to encode a genomic database as a single element of polynomial ring. Since our method requires a single homomorphic multiplication of hybrid scheme for query computation, it has the advantage over the previous methods in parameter size, computation complexity, and communication cost. In particular, the extraction procedure not only prevents leakage of database information that has not been queried by user but also reduces the communication cost by half. We evaluate the performance of our method and verify that the computation on large-scale personal data can be securely and practically outsourced to a cloud environment during data analysis. It takes about 3.9 s to search-and-extract the reference and alternate sequences at the queried position in a database of size 4M. Our solution for finding a set of biomarkers in DNA sequences shows the progress of cryptographic techniques in terms of their capability can support real-world genome data analysis in a cloud environment.

Outage Performance Analysis of Relay Selection Schemes in Wireless Energy Harvesting Cooperative Networks over Non-Identical Rayleigh Fading Channels †

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Nhu Tri; Bao, Vo Nguyen Quoc; An, Beongku

2016-01-01

In this paper, we study relay selection in decode-and-forward wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks. In contrast to conventional cooperative networks, the relays harvest energy from the source’s radio-frequency radiation and then use that energy to forward the source information. Considering power splitting receiver architecture used at relays to harvest energy, we are concerned with the performance of two popular relay selection schemes, namely, partial relay selection (PRS) scheme and optimal relay selection (ORS) scheme. In particular, we analyze the system performance in terms of outage probability (OP) over independent and non-identical (i.n.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. We derive the closed-form approximations for the system outage probabilities of both schemes and validate the analysis by the Monte-Carlo simulation. The numerical results provide comprehensive performance comparison between the PRS and ORS schemes and reveal the effect of wireless energy harvesting on the outage performances of both schemes. Additionally, we also show the advantages and drawbacks of the wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks and compare to the conventional cooperative networks. PMID:26927119

Retrofitting of the small hydro electric scheme 'Moulin d'en Bas' in Cronay, Switzerland - Preliminary project; Rehabilitation du Moulin d'en Bas, commune de Cronay. Etude d'avant-projet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-09-15

This illustrated final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is a feasibility study for the retrofitting of the small hydro electric scheme 'Moulin d'en Bas' located in Cronay on the Mentue river, Switzerland. Two variants are considered. In the first one the existing scheme uses a 4.72 m water fall and its power amounts to about 25 kW. A 4-blades Kaplan turbine is foreseen to generate 160,000 kWh/y. In the second variant, weir and penstock have to be adapted in order to take advantage of the full 6.74 m water fall indicated in the water-use concession granted in 1952. A new fish pass has to be built as well. The resulting electric power is in this case 80 kW and the power generation by the turbo group 353,000 kWh/y, about 60% of which in the wintertime. Electricity production cost is estimated to be 0.282 CHF/kWh in the second variant.

Constant envelope OFDM scheme for 6PolSK-QPSK

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yupeng; Ding, Ding

2018-03-01

A constant envelope OFDM scheme with phase modulator (PM-CE-OFDM) for 6PolSK-QPSK modulation was demonstrated. Performance under large fiber launch power is measured to check its advantages in counteracting fiber nonlinear impairments. In our simulation, PM-CE-OFDM, RF-assisted constant envelope OFDM (RF-CE-OFDM) and conventional OFDM (Con-OFDM) are transmitted through 80 km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) single channel and WDM system. Simulation results confirm that PM-CE-OFDM has best performance in resisting fiber nonlinearity. In addition, benefiting from the simple system structure, the complexity and cost of PM-CE-OFDM system could be reduced effectively.

East Asian winter monsoon forecasting schemes based on the NCEP's climate forecast system

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Baoqiang; Fan, Ke; Yang, Hongqing

2017-12-01

The East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) is the major climate system in the Northern Hemisphere during boreal winter. In this study, we developed two schemes to improve the forecasting skill of the interannual variability of the EAWM index (EAWMI) using the interannual increment prediction method, also known as the DY method. First, we found that version 2 of the NCEP's Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) showed higher skill in predicting the EAWMI in DY form than not. So, based on the advantage of the DY method, Scheme-I was obtained by adding the EAWMI DY predicted by CFSv2 to the observed EAWMI in the previous year. This scheme showed higher forecasting skill than CFSv2. Specifically, during 1983-2016, the temporal correlation coefficient between the Scheme-I-predicted and observed EAWMI was 0.47, exceeding the 99% significance level, with the root-mean-square error (RMSE) decreased by 12%. The autumn Arctic sea ice and North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) are two important external forcing factors for the interannual variability of the EAWM. Therefore, a second (hybrid) prediction scheme, Scheme-II, was also developed. This scheme not only involved the EAWMI DY of CFSv2, but also the sea-ice concentration (SIC) observed the previous autumn in the Laptev and East Siberian seas and the temporal coefficients of the third mode of the North Pacific SST in DY form. We found that a negative SIC anomaly in the preceding autumn over the Laptev and the East Siberian seas could lead to a significant enhancement of the Aleutian low and East Asian westerly jet in the following winter. However, the intensity of the winter Siberian high was mainly affected by the third mode of the North Pacific autumn SST. Scheme-I and Scheme-II also showed higher predictive ability for the EAWMI in negative anomaly years compared to CFSv2. More importantly, the improvement in the prediction skill of the EAWMI by the new schemes, especially for Scheme-II, could enhance the forecasting skill of

Current experience with support schemes for RES-E in Europe. A regulatory point of view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lackner, Ursula

2006-01-01

The need to reduce the dependence of the European economy on imported primary energy and the impact of fossil fuels on the environment has encouraged countries to increase the share of renewable energy sources (RES) for electricity supply. EU Directive 2001/77/EC requires EU Member States to take appropriate steps to introduce new incentive mechanisms in order to reach the target of generating 21 % of the electricity in the EU from RES. At the same time EU Directive 2003/54/EC takes significant steps towards establishing a single market in electricity across the EU. Under this directive, European energy regulators have a number of responsibilities. These include the avoidance of discrimination and the promotion of effective competition along with an efficient functioning of the market. One of their main tasks is to ensure that European consumers pay a final electricity price that is as cost reflective as possible. The final price shall also reflect the social and the environmental costs. At the current stage it is not unlikely that the promotion of renewable energy sources will create significant barriers and distortions on the liberalized electricity market. Several issues arising from the implementation of renewable incentive schemes and policies can be identified and are analysed below; - Conflicting targets on EU-Level; - The variation in the level of incentives may be greater among Member States than is justified by the real level of technology costs, or other factors; - Unbalanced burden sharing for final consumers, due to different allocation mechanisms and designs of support schemes; -The regulation and charges for relevant items of the electricity chain, such as connection and balancing costs, vary significantly among Member States and may introduce competitive advantages. The contents of the paper is as follows: 1 Background; 2 Conflicting targets on EU-Level; 3 Different support levels; 4 Unbalanced burden sharing of final customers; 5 Allocation of

A secure data outsourcing scheme based on Asmuth-Bloom secret sharing

Science.gov (United States)

Idris Muhammad, Yusuf; Kaiiali, Mustafa; Habbal, Adib; Wazan, A. S.; Sani Ilyasu, Auwal

2016-11-01

Data outsourcing is an emerging paradigm for data management in which a database is provided as a service by third-party service providers. One of the major benefits of offering database as a service is to provide organisations, which are unable to purchase expensive hardware and software to host their databases, with efficient data storage accessible online at a cheap rate. Despite that, several issues of data confidentiality, integrity, availability and efficient indexing of users' queries at the server side have to be addressed in the data outsourcing paradigm. Service providers have to guarantee that their clients' data are secured against internal (insider) and external attacks. This paper briefly analyses the existing indexing schemes in data outsourcing and highlights their advantages and disadvantages. Then, this paper proposes a secure data outsourcing scheme based on Asmuth-Bloom secret sharing which tries to address the issues in data outsourcing such as data confidentiality, availability and order preservation for efficient indexing.

GGA+U study of uranium mononitride: A comparison of the U-ramping and occupation matrix schemes and incorporation energies of fission products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Claisse, Antoine, E-mail: claisse@kth.se [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Reactor Physics, AlbaNova University Centre, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Klipfel, Marco [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, P.O. Box 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Lindbom, Niclas [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Reactor Physics, AlbaNova University Centre, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Freyss, Michel [CEA, DEN, DEC, Centre de Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Olsson, Pär [KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Reactor Physics, AlbaNova University Centre, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)

2016-09-15

Uranium mononitride is studied in the DFT + U framework. Its ground state is investigated and a study of the incorporation of diverse fission products in the crystal is conducted. The U-ramping and occupation matrix control (OMC) schemes are used to eliminate metastable states. Beyond a certain amount of introduced correlation, the OMC scheme starts to find a lower total energy. The OMC scheme is chosen for the second part of this study. Furthermore, the influence of the magnetic ordering is studied using the U-ramping method, showing that antiferromagnetic order is the most stable one when the U parameter is larger than 1.75 eV. The effect on the density of states is investigated and elastic constants are provided for comparison with other methods and experiments. The incorporation energies of fission products in different defect configurations are calculated and these energies are corrected to take into account the limited size of the supercell. - Highlights: • We studied bulk uranium nitride with means of DFT+U with the U-ramping scheme and the OMC scheme. • We produces a density of states plot and calculated the elastic constants of UN. • We calculated the incorporation energy of many fission products in UN, and corrected them to take into account the elastic interactions. • The OMC scheme should be used over the U-ramping scheme. • Fission products go to larger crystal sites.

Applications of high-resolution spatial discretization scheme and Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method in two-phase flow problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou, Ling; Zhao, Haihua; Zhang, Hongbin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Using high-resolution spatial scheme in solving two-phase flow problems. • Fully implicit time integrations scheme. • Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method. • Analytical solution for two-phase water faucet problem. - Abstract: The majority of the existing reactor system analysis codes were developed using low-order numerical schemes in both space and time. In many nuclear thermal–hydraulics applications, it is desirable to use higher-order numerical schemes to reduce numerical errors. High-resolution spatial discretization schemes provide high order spatial accuracy in smooth regions and capture sharp spatial discontinuity without nonphysical spatial oscillations. In this work, we adapted an existing high-resolution spatial discretization scheme on staggered grids in two-phase flow applications. Fully implicit time integration schemes were also implemented to reduce numerical errors from operator-splitting types of time integration schemes. The resulting nonlinear system has been successfully solved using the Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method. The high-resolution spatial discretization and high-order fully implicit time integration numerical schemes were tested and numerically verified for several two-phase test problems, including a two-phase advection problem, a two-phase advection with phase appearance/disappearance problem, and the water faucet problem. Numerical results clearly demonstrated the advantages of using such high-resolution spatial and high-order temporal numerical schemes to significantly reduce numerical diffusion and therefore improve accuracy. Our study also demonstrated that the JFNK method is stable and robust in solving two-phase flow problems, even when phase appearance/disappearance exists

A New Framework to Compare Mass-Flux Schemes Within the AROME Numerical Weather Prediction Model

Science.gov (United States)

Riette, Sébastien; Lac, Christine

2016-08-01

In the Application of Research to Operations at Mesoscale (AROME) numerical weather forecast model used in operations at Météo-France, five mass-flux schemes are available to parametrize shallow convection at kilometre resolution. All but one are based on the eddy-diffusivity-mass-flux approach, and differ in entrainment/detrainment, the updraft vertical velocity equation and the closure assumption. The fifth is based on a more classical mass-flux approach. Screen-level scores obtained with these schemes show few discrepancies and are not sufficient to highlight behaviour differences. Here, we describe and use a new experimental framework, able to compare and discriminate among different schemes. For a year, daily forecast experiments were conducted over small domains centred on the five French metropolitan radio-sounding locations. Cloud base, planetary boundary-layer height and normalized vertical profiles of specific humidity, potential temperature, wind speed and cloud condensate were compared with observations, and with each other. The framework allowed the behaviour of the different schemes in and above the boundary layer to be characterized. In particular, the impact of the entrainment/detrainment formulation, closure assumption and cloud scheme were clearly visible. Differences mainly concerned the transport intensity thus allowing schemes to be separated into two groups, with stronger or weaker updrafts. In the AROME model (with all interactions and the possible existence of compensating errors), evaluation diagnostics gave the advantage to the first group.

Hospital financing: calculating inpatient capital costs in Germany with a comparative view on operating costs and the English costing scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogl, Matthias

2014-04-01

The paper analyzes the German inpatient capital costing scheme by assessing its cost module calculation. The costing scheme represents the first separated national calculation of performance-oriented capital cost lump sums per DRG. The three steps in the costing scheme are reviewed and assessed: (1) accrual of capital costs; (2) cost-center and cost category accounting; (3) data processing for capital cost modules. The assessment of each step is based on its level of transparency and efficiency. A comparative view on operating costing and the English costing scheme is given. Advantages of the scheme are low participation hurdles, low calculation effort for G-DRG calculation participants, highly differentiated cost-center/cost category separation, and advanced patient-based resource allocation. The exclusion of relevant capital costs, nontransparent resource allocation, and unclear capital cost modules, limit the managerial relevance and transparency of the capital costing scheme. The scheme generates the technical premises for a change from dual financing by insurances (operating costs) and state (capital costs) to a single financing source. The new capital costing scheme will intensify the discussion on how to solve the current investment backlog in Germany and can assist regulators in other countries with the introduction of accurate capital costing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why and how to compensate living organ donors: ethical implications of the new Australian scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Giubilini, Alberto

2015-05-01

The Australian Federal Government has announced a two-year trial scheme to compensate living organ donors. The compensation will be the equivalent of six weeks paid leave at the rate of the national minimum wage. In this article I analyse the ethics of compensating living organ donors taking the Australian scheme as a reference point. Considering the long waiting lists for organ transplantations and the related costs on the healthcare system of treating patients waiting for an organ, the 1.3 million AUD the Australian Government has committed might represent a very worthwhile investment. I argue that a scheme like the Australian one is sufficiently well designed to avoid all the ethical problems traditionally associated with attaching a monetary value to the human body or to parts of it, namely commodification, inducement, exploitation, and equality issues. Therefore, I suggest that the Australian scheme, if cost-effective, should represent a model for other countries to follow. Nonetheless, although I endorse this scheme, I will also argue that this kind of scheme raises issues of justice in regard to the distribution of organs. Thus, I propose that other policies would be needed to supplement the scheme in order to guarantee not only a higher number of organs available, but also a fair distribution. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Does being female provide a neuroprotective advantage following spinal cord injury?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey P Datto

2015-01-01

Full Text Available It has been controversial whether gender has any effect on recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI. Past experimental and clinical research aimed at addressing this subject has led to constrasting findings on whether females hold any advantage in locomotor recovery. Additionally, for studies supporting the notion of a female gender related advantage, a definite cause has not been explained. In a recent study, using large sample sizes for comparative male and female spinal cord injury cohorts, we reported that a significant gender advantage favoring females existed in both tissue preservation and functional recovery after taking into consideration discrepancies in age and weight of the animals across sexes. Prior animal research frequently used sample sizes that were too small to determine significance with certainty and also did not account for two other factors that influence locomotor performance: age and weight. Our finding is important in light of controversy surrounding the effect of gender on outcome and the fact that SCI affects more than ten thousand new individuals annually, a population that is disproportionately male. By deepening our understanding of why a gender advantage exists, potential new therapeutics can be designed to improve recovery for the male population following the initial trauma or putatively augment the neuroprotective privilege in females for enhanced outcomes.

Performance analyses and improvements for the IEEE 802.15.4 CSMA/CA scheme with heterogeneous buffered conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jianping; Tao, Zhengsu; Lv, Chunfeng

2012-01-01

Studies of the IEEE 802.15.4 Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme have been received considerable attention recently, with most of these studies focusing on homogeneous or saturated traffic. Two novel transmission schemes-OSTS/BSTS (One Service a Time Scheme/Bulk Service a Time Scheme)-are proposed in this paper to improve the behaviors of time-critical buffered networks with heterogeneous unsaturated traffic. First, we propose a model which contains two modified semi-Markov chains and a macro-Markov chain combined with the theory of M/G/1/K queues to evaluate the characteristics of these two improved CSMA/CA schemes, in which traffic arrivals and accessing packets are bestowed with non-preemptive priority over each other, instead of prioritization. Then, throughput, packet delay and energy consumption of unsaturated, unacknowledged IEEE 802.15.4 beacon-enabled networks are predicted based on the overall point of view which takes the dependent interactions of different types of nodes into account. Moreover, performance comparisons of these two schemes with other non-priority schemes are also proposed. Analysis and simulation results show that delay and fairness of our schemes are superior to those of other schemes, while throughput and energy efficiency are superior to others in more heterogeneous situations. Comprehensive simulations demonstrate that the analysis results of these models match well with the simulation results.

Scandinavian Cooperative Advantage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strand, Robert; Freeman, R. Edward

2015-01-01

. We conclude by endorsing the expression “Scandinavian cooperative advantage” in an effort to draw attention to the Scandinavian context and encourage the field of strategic management to shift its focus from achieving a competitive advantage toward achieving a cooperative advantage....

Accessing offshoring advantages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mykhaylenko, Alona; Motika, Agnes; Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum

2015-01-01

. Assuming that different levels of synergy may exist between particular offshoring strategic decisions (choosing offshore outsourcing or captive offshoring and the type of function) and different offshoring advantages, this work advocates that the actual fact of realization of certain offshoring advantages...

The impact of financing schemes and income taxes on electricity generation costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertel, E.; Plante, J.

2007-01-01

Electricity generation cost estimates reported in many national and international studies provide a wealth of data to support economic assessments, and eventually to guide choices on generation sources and technologies. However, although the electricity generating cost is the criterion generally selected to present results, it is calculated by various means in different studies because the chosen approach must be relevant to the context of the specific project (private vs. stated-owned investor, regional differences...). The traditional constant-money levelized generation cost methodology is widely used by utilities, government agencies and international organisations to provide economic assessments of alternative generation options. It gives transparent and robust results, especially suitable for screening studies and international comparisons. However, the method, which is strictly economic, does not take into account all the factors influencing the choice of investors in liberalized electricity markets. In particular, it does not take into account financing schemes and income taxes which may hate a significant impact on the capital cost to be supported by the investor. The approach described below is based on the overall framework of average levelized lifetime cost evaluation, but it takes into account the financing scheme adopted by the investor and the income taxes supported by the plant operator/utility. It is similar to models which are used to analyse the economics of competing electricity generation sources in liberalized electricity markets, such as the merchant plant cash flow model adopted in the MIT study. (authors)

Rethinking Marketing for Sustainable Competitive Advantages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akın KOÇAK

2012-12-01

Full Text Available When formal marketing thought developed in the early 1900s, dominant perspective of marketing was about taking things “to market”. After 1950 marketing thought moved to a “market to” orientation. This orientation reflects “product dominant logic”. After radical changes in information technology, knowledge asymmetry between firm and customer is decreased and customer becomes operant resource instead of a resource to be acted on. Therefore, new marketing paradigm has been emerged and main focus moved from “value in exchange” to “value in use” and customer becomes collaborative partner. Firm can only provide value proposition. New definition of marketing comprises “customer relationship”, “share holders”, and “value creation”. Apart from evolving of marketing thought, theories of competitive advantages have been also change form industry perspective to internal resource and dynamic capabilities.

Colour schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Leeuwen, Theo

2013-01-01

This chapter presents a framework for analysing colour schemes based on a parametric approach that includes not only hue, value and saturation, but also purity, transparency, luminosity, luminescence, lustre, modulation and differentiation.......This chapter presents a framework for analysing colour schemes based on a parametric approach that includes not only hue, value and saturation, but also purity, transparency, luminosity, luminescence, lustre, modulation and differentiation....

Anomaly Detection for Internet of Vehicles: A Trust Management Scheme with Affinity Propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Anomaly detection is critical for intelligent vehicle (IV collaboration. Forming clusters/platoons, IVs can work together to accomplish complex jobs that they are unable to perform individually. To improve security and efficiency of Internet of Vehicles, IVs’ anomaly detection has been extensively studied and a number of trust-based approaches have been proposed. However, most of these proposals either pay little attention to leader-based detection algorithm or ignore the utility of networked Roadside-Units (RSUs. In this paper, we introduce a trust-based anomaly detection scheme for IVs, where some malicious or incapable vehicles are existing on roads. The proposed scheme works by allowing IVs to detect abnormal vehicles, communicate with each other, and finally converge to some trustworthy cluster heads (CHs. Periodically, the CHs take responsibility for intracluster trust management. Moreover, the scheme is enhanced with a distributed supervising mechanism and a central reputation arbitrator to assure robustness and fairness in detecting process. The simulation results show that our scheme can achieve a low detection failure rate below 1%, demonstrating its ability to detect and filter the abnormal vehicles.

A high performance long-reach passive optical network with a novel excess bandwidth distribution scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, I.-Fen; Zhang, Tsung-Min

2015-06-01

Long-reach passive optical networks (LR-PONs) have been considered to be promising solutions for future access networks. In this paper, we propose a distributed medium access control (MAC) scheme over an advantageous LR-PON network architecture that reroutes the control information from and back to all ONUs through an (N + 1) × (N + 1) star coupler (SC) deployed near the ONUs, thereby overwhelming the extremely long propagation delay problem in LR-PONs. In the network, the control slot is designed to contain all bandwidth requirements of all ONUs and is in-band time-division-multiplexed with a number of data slots within a cycle. In the proposed MAC scheme, a novel profit-weight-based dynamic bandwidth allocation (P-DBA) scheme is presented. The algorithm is designed to efficiently and fairly distribute the amount of excess bandwidth based on a profit value derived from the excess bandwidth usage of each ONU, which resolves the problems of previously reported DBA schemes that are either unfair or inefficient. The simulation results show that the proposed decentralized algorithms exhibit a nearly three-order-of-magnitude improvement in delay performance compared to the centralized algorithms over LR-PONs. Moreover, the newly proposed P-DBA scheme guarantees low delay performance and fairness even when under attack by the malevolent ONU irrespective of traffic loads and burstiness.

CALCULATION OF OPERATING PARAMETERS OF HIGH-VOLTAGE POWER TAKE-OFF SYSTEM FOR THE PHOTOVOLTAIC FACILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.V. Zaitsev

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To ensure maximum production of electric power by photovoltaic vacilities, in addition to using highly efficient photovoltaic modules equipped with solar radiation concentrators must use a highly effective power take-off system. This paper is inscribed to solving the problem of a highly efficient and economic power take-off system development. Methodology. To solving the problem, we implemented three stages. On the first stage examines the dependence of electrical power from the intensity of the incident solar radiation. Based on this, the second stage is calculated the DC-DC converter resonant circuit and its working parameters, and developed circuit diagram of DC-DC converter. On the third stage, we carry out an analysis of power take-off system with step up DC-DC converter working. Results. In this paper, we carry out the analysis of working efficiency for photovoltaic facility power take-off system with step-up boost converter. The result of such analysis show that the efficiency of such system in a wide range of photovoltaic energy module illumination power is at 0.92, whereas the efficiency of classic power take-off systems does not exceed 0.70. Achieved results allow designing a circuit scheme of a controlled bridge resonant step-up converter with digital control. Proposed scheme will ensure reliable operation, fast and accurate location point of maximum power and conversion efficiency up to 0.96. Originality. Novelty of proposed power take-off system solution constitute in implementation of circuit with DC-DC converters, which as it shown by results of carrying out modeling is the most effective. Practical value. Practical implementation of proposed power take-off system design will allow reducing losses in connective wires and increasing the efficiency of such a system up to 92.5% in wide range of photovoltaic energy modules illumination.

Revealed Comparative Advantage of Services in Cariforum Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Freckleton

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A pesar de la importancia de las exportaciones de servicios a los países del CARIFORUM no hay muchos estudios sobre de la competitividad de las exportaciones. Este artículo examina la ventaja comparativa revelada de las exportaciones de servicios de los países del CARIFORUM. El análisis muestra que la mayoría de los países del CARIFORUM han puesto de manifiesto las ventajas comparativas en el turismo, pero también hay casos de ventaja comparativa revelada en otros servicios como transporte, seguros y servicios empresariales, servicios personales, culturales y recreativos. Los resultados sugieren que existe un potencial de CARIFORUM para diversificar las exportaciones de servicios con el fin de pro-mover el crecimiento económico y reducir la vulnerabilidad. Sin embargo, en la medida en que los países del CARIFORUM pueden tomar ventaja de las oportunidades existentes de acceso al Mercado de los servicios depende de su capacidad de mejorar la capacidad de oferta de servicios y promover la competitividad de los servicios. English: Despite the importance of services ex-ports to CARIFORUM countries there is limited research on the competitiveness of such exports. This article examines the revealed comparative advantage of services exports in CARIFORUM countries. The analysis shows that most CARIFORUM countries have revealed comparative advantage in tourism but there are also cases of revealed comparative advantage in other services including transport, insurance, business services and personal, cultural and recreational services. The results suggest that there is potential for CARIFORUM to diversify exports of services in order to promote economic growth and reduce vulnerability. However, the extent to which CARIFORUM countries can take advantage of existing market access opportunities for services depends on their ability to improve the capacity to supply services and to promote the competitiveness of services.

Password Authentication Based on Fractal Coding Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia M. G. Al-Saidi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Password authentication is a mechanism used to authenticate user identity over insecure communication channel. In this paper, a new method to improve the security of password authentication is proposed. It is based on the compression capability of the fractal image coding to provide an authorized user a secure access to registration and login process. In the proposed scheme, a hashed password string is generated and encrypted to be captured together with the user identity using text to image mechanisms. The advantage of fractal image coding is to be used to securely send the compressed image data through a nonsecured communication channel to the server. The verification of client information with the database system is achieved in the server to authenticate the legal user. The encrypted hashed password in the decoded fractal image is recognized using optical character recognition. The authentication process is performed after a successful verification of the client identity by comparing the decrypted hashed password with those which was stored in the database system. The system is analyzed and discussed from the attacker’s viewpoint. A security comparison is performed to show that the proposed scheme provides an essential security requirement, while their efficiency makes it easier to be applied alone or in hybrid with other security methods. Computer simulation and statistical analysis are presented.

Speed control of switched reluctance motors taking into account mutual inductances and magnetic saturation effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alrifai, M.; Zribi, M.; Rayan, M.; Krishnan, R.

2010-01-01

This paper deals with the speed control of switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives taking into account the effects of the mutual inductances between two adjacent phases and the effects of the magnetic saturation of the core. To overcome the problems commonly associated with single-phase excitation, a nonlinear SRM model, which is suitable for two-phase excitation and which takes into account the effects of mutual inductances between two adjacent phases and the magnetic saturation effects, is considered in the design of the proposed controllers. A feedback linearization control scheme and a sliding mode control scheme are designed for this motor drive. The proposed controllers guarantee the convergence of the phase currents and the rotor speed of the motor to their desired values. Simulation results indicate that the proposed controllers work well and that they are robust to changes in the parameters of the system and to changes in the load torque.

Speed control of switched reluctance motors taking into account mutual inductances and magnetic saturation effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alrifai, M., E-mail: alrifm@eng.kuniv.edu.k [Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060 (Kuwait); Zribi, M.; Rayan, M. [Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060 (Kuwait); Krishnan, R. [Center for Rapid Transit Systems, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Virginia Tech University, 461 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-011 (United States)

2010-06-15

This paper deals with the speed control of switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives taking into account the effects of the mutual inductances between two adjacent phases and the effects of the magnetic saturation of the core. To overcome the problems commonly associated with single-phase excitation, a nonlinear SRM model, which is suitable for two-phase excitation and which takes into account the effects of mutual inductances between two adjacent phases and the magnetic saturation effects, is considered in the design of the proposed controllers. A feedback linearization control scheme and a sliding mode control scheme are designed for this motor drive. The proposed controllers guarantee the convergence of the phase currents and the rotor speed of the motor to their desired values. Simulation results indicate that the proposed controllers work well and that they are robust to changes in the parameters of the system and to changes in the load torque.

COMPETITIVE PRODUCT ADVANTAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian MICU

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Cost advantages may be either internal or external. Internal economics of scope, scale, or experience, and external economies of focus or logistical integration, enable a company to produce some products at a lower cost than the competition. The coordination of pricing with suppliers, although not actually economizing resources, can improve the efficiency of pricing by avoiding the incrementalization of a supplier's nonincremental fixed costs and profit. Any of these strategies can generate cost advantages that are, at least in the short run, sustainable. Even cost advantages that are not sustainable, however, can generate temporary savings that are often the key to building more sustainable cost or product advantages later.. Even when a product's physical attributes are not readily differentiable, opportunities to develop product advantages remain. The augmented product that customers buy is more than the particular product or service exchanged. It includes all sorts of ancillary services and intangible relationships that make buying thesame product from one company less difficult, less risky, or more pleasant than buying from a competitor. Superior augmentation of the same basic product can add substantial value in the eyes of consumers, leading them to pay willingly what are often considerable price premiums.

A Classification Scheme for Glaciological AVA Responses

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, A.; Emir, E.

2014-12-01

A classification scheme is proposed for amplitude vs. angle (AVA) responses as an aid to the interpretation of seismic reflectivity in glaciological research campaigns. AVA responses are a powerful tool in characterising the material properties of glacier ice and its substrate. However, before interpreting AVA data, careful true amplitude processing is required to constrain basal reflectivity and compensate amplitude decay mechanisms, including anelastic attenuation and spherical divergence. These fundamental processing steps can be difficult to design in cases of noisy data, e.g. where a target reflection is contaminated by surface wave energy (in the case of shallow glaciers) or by energy reflected from out of the survey plane. AVA methods have equally powerful usage in estimating the fluid fill of potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. However, such applications seldom use true amplitude data and instead consider qualitative AVA responses using a well-defined classification scheme. Such schemes are often defined in terms of the characteristics of best-fit responses to the observed reflectivity, e.g. the intercept (I) and gradient (G) of a linear approximation to the AVA data. The position of the response on a cross-plot of I and G then offers a diagnostic attribute for certain fluid types. We investigate the advantages in glaciology of emulating this practice, and develop a cross-plot based on the 3-term Shuey AVA approximation (using I, G, and a curvature term C). Model AVA curves define a clear lithification trend: AVA responses to stiff (lithified) substrates fall discretely into one quadrant of the cross-plot, with positive I and negative G, whereas those to fluid-rich substrates plot diagonally opposite (in the negative I and positive G quadrant). The remaining quadrants are unoccupied by plausible single-layer responses and may therefore be diagnostic of complex thin-layer reflectivity, and the magnitude and polarity of the C term serves as a further indicator

PAPR reduction based on tone reservation scheme for DCO-OFDM indoor visible light communications.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jurong; Li, Yong; Yi, Yang; Cheng, Wei; Du, Huimin

2017-10-02

High peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) leads to out-of-band power and in-band distortion in the direct current-biased optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DCO-OFDM) systems. In order to effectively reduce the PAPR with faster convergence and lower complexity, this paper proposes a tone reservation based scheme, which is the combination of the signal-to-clipping noise ratio (SCR) procedure and the least squares approximation (LSA) procedure. In the proposed scheme, the transmitter of the DCO-OFDM indoor visible light communication (VLC) system is designed to transform the PAPR reduced signal into real-valued positive OFDM signal without doubling the transmission bandwidth. Moreover, the communication distance and the light emitting diode (LED) irradiance angle are taking into consideration in the evaluation of the system bit error rate (BER). The PAPR reduction efficiency of the proposed scheme is remarkable for DCO-OFDM indoor VLC systems.

A case-study of landfill minimization and material recovery via waste co-gasification in a new waste management scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanigaki, Nobuhiro, E-mail: tanigaki.nobuhiro@eng.nssmc.com [NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTD., (EUROPEAN OFFICE), Am Seestern 8, 40547 Dusseldorf (Germany); Ishida, Yoshihiro [NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTD., 46-59, Nakabaru, Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 804-8505 (Japan); Osada, Morihiro [NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTD., (Head Office), Osaki Center Building 1-5-1, Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8604 (Japan)

2015-03-15

Highlights: • A new waste management scheme and the effects of co-gasification of MSW were assessed. • A co-gasification system was compared with other conventional systems. • The co-gasification system can produce slag and metal with high-quality. • The co-gasification system showed an economic advantage when bottom ash is landfilled. • The sensitive analyses indicate an economic advantage when the landfill cost is high. - Abstract: This study evaluates municipal solid waste co-gasification technology and a new solid waste management scheme, which can minimize final landfill amounts and maximize material recycled from waste. This new scheme is considered for a region where bottom ash and incombustibles are landfilled or not allowed to be recycled due to their toxic heavy metal concentration. Waste is processed with incombustible residues and an incineration bottom ash discharged from existent conventional incinerators, using a gasification and melting technology (the Direct Melting System). The inert materials, contained in municipal solid waste, incombustibles and bottom ash, are recycled as slag and metal in this process as well as energy recovery. Based on this new waste management scheme with a co-gasification system, a case study of municipal solid waste co-gasification was evaluated and compared with other technical solutions, such as conventional incineration, incineration with an ash melting facility under certain boundary conditions. From a technical point of view, co-gasification produced high quality slag with few harmful heavy metals, which was recycled completely without requiring any further post-treatment such as aging. As a consequence, the co-gasification system had an economical advantage over other systems because of its material recovery and minimization of the final landfill amount. Sensitivity analyses of landfill cost, power price and inert materials in waste were also conducted. The higher the landfill costs, the greater the

Barriers to Co-Contribution in Superannuation: a Comparative Assessment of the Financial Benefits of Scheme Participation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron Bruhn

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Voluntary superannuation contributions provide a means for individuals to top-up their savings in a tax advantaged environment. In order to encourage voluntary contributions the government instituted the cocontribution scheme in 2003. Under the existing scheme, within a given financial year the government contributes up to a maximum of $500 when an individual on a low income makes a voluntary contribution of up to $1,000. Despite the apparent financial attractiveness of the scheme, participation among eligible persons is low. Reasons may include competing expenditure needs leading to a lack of sufficient funds for contribution, lack of trust in the system given regular changes to superannuation policy, and behavioural reasons including a short-term rather than long-term focus, procrastination from uncertainty and fear of regret, and loss aversion. In this paper we investigate another possible reason for low participation, namely poor financial opportunity cost. While an immediate 50% investment return may appear to be a ‘no-brainer’, for eligible individuals or families with mortgages, scheme participation may in fact not be optimal. We investigate the relative benefit of scheme participation versus reducing a mortgage, and conclude that while participation is sensible for those with short remaining mortgage terms, for those with longer mortgage terms the decision to participate may not be preferred unless one assumes generous long-term superannuation investment returns, or unless scheme participation is intended year on year for long durations.

Physical renormalization schemes and asymptotic safety in quantum gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Falls, Kevin

2017-12-01

The methods of the renormalization group and the ɛ -expansion are applied to quantum gravity revealing the existence of an asymptotically safe fixed point in spacetime dimensions higher than two. To facilitate this, physical renormalization schemes are exploited where the renormalization group flow equations take a form which is independent of the parameterisation of the physical degrees of freedom (i.e. the gauge fixing condition and the choice of field variables). Instead the flow equation depends on the anomalous dimensions of reference observables. In the presence of spacetime boundaries we find that the required balance between the Einstein-Hilbert action and Gibbons-Hawking-York boundary term is preserved by the beta functions. Exploiting the ɛ -expansion near two dimensions we consider Einstein gravity coupled to matter. Scheme independence is generically obscured by the loop-expansion due to breaking of two-dimensional Weyl invariance. In schemes which preserve two-dimensional Weyl invariance we avoid the loop expansion and find a unique ultraviolet (UV) fixed point. At this fixed point the anomalous dimensions are large and one must resum all loop orders to obtain the critical exponents. Performing the resummation a set of universal scaling dimensions are found. These scaling dimensions show that only a finite number of matter interactions are relevant. This is a strong indication that quantum gravity is renormalizable.

LevelScheme: A level scheme drawing and scientific figure preparation system for Mathematica

Science.gov (United States)

Caprio, M. A.

2005-09-01

LevelScheme is a scientific figure preparation system for Mathematica. The main emphasis is upon the construction of level schemes, or level energy diagrams, as used in nuclear, atomic, molecular, and hadronic physics. LevelScheme also provides a general infrastructure for the preparation of publication-quality figures, including support for multipanel and inset plotting, customizable tick mark generation, and various drawing and labeling tasks. Coupled with Mathematica's plotting functions and powerful programming language, LevelScheme provides a flexible system for the creation of figures combining diagrams, mathematical plots, and data plots. Program summaryTitle of program:LevelScheme Catalogue identifier:ADVZ Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADVZ Operating systems:Any which supports Mathematica; tested under Microsoft Windows XP, Macintosh OS X, and Linux Programming language used:Mathematica 4 Number of bytes in distributed program, including test and documentation:3 051 807 Distribution format:tar.gz Nature of problem:Creation of level scheme diagrams. Creation of publication-quality multipart figures incorporating diagrams and plots. Method of solution:A set of Mathematica packages has been developed, providing a library of level scheme drawing objects, tools for figure construction and labeling, and control code for producing the graphics.

A Tale of Two Types of Perspective Taking: Sex Differences in Spatial Ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarampi, Margaret R; Heydari, Nahal; Hegarty, Mary

2016-11-01

Sex differences in favor of males have been documented in measures of spatial perspective taking. In this research, we examined whether social factors (i.e., stereotype threat and the inclusion of human figures in tasks) account for these differences. In Experiment 1, we evaluated performance when perspective-taking tests were framed as measuring either spatial or social (empathetic) perspective-taking abilities. In the spatial condition, tasks were framed as measures of spatial ability on which males have an advantage. In the social condition, modified tasks contained human figures and were framed as measures of empathy on which females have an advantage. Results showed a sex difference in favor of males in the spatial condition but not the social condition. Experiments 2 and 3 indicated that both stereotype threat and including human figures contributed to these effects. Results suggest that females may underperform on spatial tests in part because of negative performance expectations and the character of the spatial tests rather than because of actual lack of abilities. © The Author(s) 2016.

INVESTIGATION OF DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEMENTS OF AUTOMATICS OF A SMART HOUSE IN PARAMETRICAL STRUCTURAL SCHEMES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrova Irina Yur’evna

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Subject: automation of calculation of dynamic characteristics of the device being designed in the system of conceptual design of sensor equipment, structurally-parametric models of dynamic processes and algorithms for the automated calculation of the qualitative characteristics of elements of the information-measuring and control systems (IMCS. The stage of conceptual design most fully determines the operational characteristics of technical systems. However, none of the information support systems of this stage provides an opportunity to evaluate the performance characteristics of the element being designed taking into account its dynamic characteristics. Research objectives: increasing the effectiveness of the evaluation of dynamic characteristics of sensitive elements of the information-measuring and control systems of a smart house. Materials and methods: when solving the problems posed, the mathematical apparatus of system modeling was used (in particular, the energy-information method of modeling processes of various physical nature that occur in the sensor equipment; the main provisions of the theory of automatic control, the theory of constructing computer-aided design systems, the theory of operational calculus; basics of conceptual design of elements of the information-measuring and control systems. Results: we compared the known automated systems for conceptual design of sensors, highlighted their advantages and disadvantages and we showed that none of these systems allows us to investigate dynamic characteristics of the element being designed in a simple and understandable for engineer form. The authors proposed using energy-information method of modeling for the synthesis of operation principles of sensors and analysis of their dynamic characteristics. We considered elementary dynamic chains and issues of synthesis of parametrical structural schemes that reflect the dynamics of the process with the use of mathematical apparatus of

Cerberus, an Access Control Scheme for Enforcing Least Privilege in Patient Cohort Study Platforms : A Comprehensive Access Control Scheme Applied to the GENIDA Project - Study of Genetic Forms of Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrend, Pierre; Mazzucotelli, Timothée; Colin, Florent; Collet, Pierre; Mandel, Jean-Louis

2017-11-16

Cohort Study Platforms (CSP) are emerging as a key tool for collecting patient information, providing new research data, and supporting family and patient associations. However they pose new ethics and regulatory challenges since they cross the gap between patients and medical practitioners. One of the critical issues for CSP is to enforce a strict control on access privileges whilst allowing the users to take advantage of the breadth of the available data. We propose Cerberus, a new access control scheme spanning the whole life-cycle of access right management: design, implementation, deployment and maintenance, operations. Cerberus enables switching from a dual world, where CSP data can be accessed either from the users who entered it or fully de-identified, to an access-when-required world, where patients, practitioners and researchers can access focused medical data through explicit authorisation by the data owner. Efficient access control requires application-specific access rights, as well as the ability to restrict these rights when they are not used. Cerberus is implemented and evaluated in the context of the GENIDA project, an international CSP for Genetically determined Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders. As a result of this study, the software is made available for the community, and validated specifications for CSPs are given.

Energy Aware Routing Schemes in Solar PoweredWireless Sensor Networks

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Ahmad H.

2016-10-01

Wireless sensor networks enable inexpensive distributed monitoring systems that are the backbone of smart cities. In this dissertation, we are interested in wireless sensor networks for traffic monitoring and an emergency flood detection to improve the safety of future cities. To achieve real-time traffic monitoring and emergency flood detection, the system has to be continually operational. Accordingly, an energy source is needed to ensure energy availability at all times. The sun provides for the most inexpensive source of energy, and therefore the energy is provided here by a solar panel working in conjunction with a rechargeable battery. Unlike batteries, solar energy fluctuates spatially and temporally due to the panel orientation, seasonal variation and node location, particularly in cities where buildings cast shadows. Especially, it becomes scarce whenever floods are likely to occur, as the weather tends to be cloudy at such times when the emergency detection system is most needed. These considerations lead to the need for the optimization of the energy of the sensor network, to maximize its sensing performance. In this dissertation, we address the challenges associated with long term outdoor deployments along with providing some solutions to overcome part of these challenges. We then introduce the energy optimization problem, as a distributed greedy approach. Motivated by the flood sensing application, our objective is to maximize the energy margin in the solar powered network at the onset of the high rain event, to maximize the network lifetime. The decentralized scheme will achieve this by optimizing the energy over a time horizon T, taking into account the available and predicted energy over the entire routing path. Having a good energy forecasting scheme can significantly enhance the energy optimization in WSN. Thus, this dissertation proposes a new energy forecasting scheme that is compatible with the platform’s capabilities. This proposed

APC-PC Combined Scheme in Gilbert Two State Model: Proposal and Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bulo, Yaka; Saring, Yang; Bhunia, Chandan Tilak

2017-04-01

In an automatic repeat request (ARQ) scheme, a packet is retransmitted if it gets corrupted due to transmission errors caused by the channel. However, an erroneous packet may contain both erroneous bits and correct bits and hence it may still contain useful information. The receiver may be able to combine this information from multiple erroneous copies to recover the correct packet. Packet combining (PC) is a simple and elegant scheme of error correction in transmitted packet, in which two received copies are XORed to obtain the bit location of erroneous bits. Thereafter, the packet is corrected by bit inversion of bit located as erroneous. Aggressive packet combining (APC) is a logic extension of PC primarily designed for wireless communication with objective of correcting error with low latency. PC offers higher throughput than APC, but PC does not correct double bit errors if occur in same bit location of erroneous copies of the packet. A hybrid technique is proposed to utilize the advantages of both APC and PC while attempting to remove the limitation of both. In the proposed technique, applications of APC-PC on Gilbert two state model has been studied. The simulation results show that the proposed technique offers better throughput than the conventional APC and lesser packet error rate than PC scheme.

A Reconstruction Approach to High-Order Schemes Including Discontinuous Galerkin for Diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, H. T.

2009-01-01

We introduce a new approach to high-order accuracy for the numerical solution of diffusion problems by solving the equations in differential form using a reconstruction technique. The approach has the advantages of simplicity and economy. It results in several new high-order methods including a simplified version of discontinuous Galerkin (DG). It also leads to new definitions of common value and common gradient quantities at each interface shared by the two adjacent cells. In addition, the new approach clarifies the relations among the various choices of new and existing common quantities. Fourier stability and accuracy analyses are carried out for the resulting schemes. Extensions to the case of quadrilateral meshes are obtained via tensor products. For the two-point boundary value problem (steady state), it is shown that these schemes, which include most popular DG methods, yield exact common interface quantities as well as exact cell average solutions for nearly all cases.

Finite-difference schemes for anisotropic diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Es, Bram van, E-mail: es@cwi.nl [Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, P.O. Box 94079, 1090GB Amsterdam (Netherlands); FOM Institute DIFFER, Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, Association EURATOM-FOM (Netherlands); Koren, Barry [Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands); Blank, Hugo J. de [FOM Institute DIFFER, Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, Association EURATOM-FOM (Netherlands)

2014-09-01

In fusion plasmas diffusion tensors are extremely anisotropic due to the high temperature and large magnetic field strength. This causes diffusion, heat conduction, and viscous momentum loss, to effectively be aligned with the magnetic field lines. This alignment leads to different values for the respective diffusive coefficients in the magnetic field direction and in the perpendicular direction, to the extent that heat diffusion coefficients can be up to 10{sup 12} times larger in the parallel direction than in the perpendicular direction. This anisotropy puts stringent requirements on the numerical methods used to approximate the MHD-equations since any misalignment of the grid may cause the perpendicular diffusion to be polluted by the numerical error in approximating the parallel diffusion. Currently the common approach is to apply magnetic field-aligned coordinates, an approach that automatically takes care of the directionality of the diffusive coefficients. This approach runs into problems at x-points and at points where there is magnetic re-connection, since this causes local non-alignment. It is therefore useful to consider numerical schemes that are tolerant to the misalignment of the grid with the magnetic field lines, both to improve existing methods and to help open the possibility of applying regular non-aligned grids. To investigate this, in this paper several discretization schemes are developed and applied to the anisotropic heat diffusion equation on a non-aligned grid.

Packet reversed packet combining scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhunia, C.T.

2006-07-01

The packet combining scheme is a well defined simple error correction scheme with erroneous copies at the receiver. It offers higher throughput combined with ARQ protocols in networks than that of basic ARQ protocols. But packet combining scheme fails to correct errors when the errors occur in the same bit locations of two erroneous copies. In the present work, we propose a scheme that will correct error if the errors occur at the same bit location of the erroneous copies. The proposed scheme when combined with ARQ protocol will offer higher throughput. (author)

Cryptanalysis of Three Password-Based Remote User Authentication Schemes with Non-Tamper-Resistant Smart Card

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenyu Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Remote user authentication is the first step to guarantee the security of online services. Online services grow rapidly and numerous remote user authentication schemes were proposed with high capability and efficiency. Recently, there are three new improved remote user authentication schemes which claim to be resistant to various attacks. Unfortunately, according to our analysis, these schemes all fail to achieve some critical security goals. This paper demonstrates that they all suffer from offline dictionary attack or fail to achieve forward secrecy and user anonymity. It is worth mentioning that we divide offline dictionary attacks into two categories: (1 the ones using the verification from smart cards and (2 the ones using the verification from the open channel. The second is more complicated and intractable than the first type. Such distinction benefits the exploration of better design principles. We also discuss some practical solutions to the two kinds of attacks, respectively. Furthermore, we proposed a reference model to deal with the first kind of attack and proved its effectiveness by taking one of our cryptanalysis schemes as an example.

Z-Slicer: A Scheme for Shaping the Electron Beam Profile in a Linac

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thangaraj, J. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Crawford, D. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Broemmelsiek, D. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Thurman-Keup, R. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Baffes, C. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Wortley, W. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)

2014-01-01

A train of short bunches ( 100 fs) are at a premium at accelerator facilities and their applications include terahertz (THz) generation, short bunch diagnostics, advanced accelerator R&D, etc. In this work we report on the design and simulation of an experiment involving a 20 MeV electron beam, that will be intercepted by a set of metallic slits inside a bunch compressor. After the mask, some electrons are scattered while other pass through unaffected. After exiting the bunch compressor, those electrons that were not affected by the slits will appear as short electron bunches. The key advantage of our scheme is its simplicity, tunability and low cost. The scheme does not require any additional hardware such as lasers, undulator, or transverse deflecting cavity. The tuning variable is only the RF-chirp. The detection of the bunching requires just a skew quad in the chicane and a transverse screen downstream.

Appraisal of bio-hydrogen production schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bent Sorensen

2006-01-01

Work is ongoing on several schemes of biological hydrogen production. At one end is the genetic modification of biological systems (such as algae or cyanobacteria) to produce hydrogen from photosynthesis, instead of the energy-rich compounds (such as NADPH 2 ) normally constituting the endpoint of the transformations through the photo-systems. A second route is to collect and use the biomass produced by normal plant growth processes in a separate step that produces hydrogen. This may be done similar to biogas production by fermentation, where the endpoint is methane (plus CO 2 and minor constituents). Hydrogen could be the outcome of a secondary process starting from methane, involving any of the conventional methods of hydrogen production from natural gas. An alternative to fermentation is gasification of the biomass, followed by a shift-reaction leading to hydrogen. I compare advantages and disadvantages of these three routes, notably factors such as system efficiency, cost and environmental impacts, and also compare them to liquid biofuels. (author)

Improved simulation of precipitation in the tropics using a modified BMJ scheme in the WRF model

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, R. M.; Zhang, T.; Yong, K.-T.

2015-09-01

The successful modelling of the observed precipitation, a very important variable for a wide range of climate applications, continues to be one of the major challenges that climate scientists face today. When the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to dynamically downscale the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) over the Indo-Pacific region, with analysis (grid-point) nudging, it is found that the cumulus scheme used, Betts-Miller-Janjić (BMJ), produces excessive rainfall suggesting that it has to be modified for this region. Experimentation has shown that the cumulus precipitation is not very sensitive to changes in the cloud efficiency but varies greatly in response to modifications of the temperature and humidity reference profiles. A new version of the scheme, denoted "modified BMJ" scheme, where the humidity reference profile is more moist, was developed. In tropical belt simulations it was found to give a better estimate of the observed precipitation as given by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 data set than the default BMJ scheme for the whole tropics and both monsoon seasons. In fact, in some regions the model even outperforms CFSR. The advantage of modifying the BMJ scheme to produce better rainfall estimates lies in the final dynamical consistency of the rainfall with other dynamical and thermodynamical variables of the atmosphere.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BITCOIN PAYMENTS IN THE NEW ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CARINA-ELENA STEGĂROIU

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In the Internet economy, with the help of cryptography, a branch of mathematics dealing with the security of information, as well as authentication and restriction of access to a computer system, a new digital coin as an alternative to national currencies appeared. In accomplishing this, using both mathematical methods (taking advantage of, for example, the difficulty of factorizing very large numbers, and quantum encryption methods. Throughout the world, information technology companies are focusing on information protection, inventing day-to-day methods with greater durability. In the horizon of Information Security, Quantum Cryptography has emerged, generating new possibilities in that field, hoping that data will be better protected and that the digital currency will resist over time and eventually evolve in the future, although Kurzweil, Bitcoin's pioneering technology is unlikely to be used in this respect. The idea of virtual alternatives to national currencies is not new, with advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this coin are high payment freedom, transparency of information, high security, reduced risks for traders. Among the disadvantages we highlight the risk and volatility, the lack of notification and understanding, with incomplete functions, but which are developing, so Bitcoin is not perfect.

A full quantum network scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Hai-Qiang; Wei Ke-Jin; Yang Jian-Hui; Li Rui-Xue; Zhu Wu

2014-01-01

We present a full quantum network scheme using a modified BB84 protocol. Unlike other quantum network schemes, it allows quantum keys to be distributed between two arbitrary users with the help of an intermediary detecting user. Moreover, it has good expansibility and prevents all potential attacks using loopholes in a detector, so it is more practical to apply. Because the fiber birefringence effects are automatically compensated, the scheme is distinctly stable in principle and in experiment. The simple components for every user make our scheme easier for many applications. The experimental results demonstrate the stability and feasibility of this scheme. (general)

A secure chaotic maps and smart cards based password authentication and key agreement scheme with user anonymity for telecare medicine information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chun-Ta; Lee, Cheng-Chi; Weng, Chi-Yao

2014-09-01

Telecare medicine information system (TMIS) is widely used for providing a convenient and efficient communicating platform between patients at home and physicians at medical centers or home health care (HHC) organizations. To ensure patient privacy, in 2013, Hao et al. proposed a chaotic map based authentication scheme with user anonymity for TMIS. Later, Lee showed that Hao et al.'s scheme is in no provision for providing fairness in session key establishment and gave an efficient user authentication and key agreement scheme using smart cards, in which only few hashing and Chebyshev chaotic map operations are required. In addition, Jiang et al. discussed that Hao et al.'s scheme can not resist stolen smart card attack and they further presented an improved scheme which attempts to repair the security pitfalls found in Hao et al.'s scheme. In this paper, we found that both Lee's and Jiang et al.'s authentication schemes have a serious security problem in that a registered user's secret parameters may be intentionally exposed to many non-registered users and this problem causing the service misuse attack. Therefore, we propose a slight modification on Lee's scheme to prevent the shortcomings. Compared with previous schemes, our improved scheme not only inherits the advantages of Lee's and Jiang et al.'s authentication schemes for TMIS but also remedies the serious security weakness of not being able to withstand service misuse attack.

Transmission usage cost allocation schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou El Ela, A.A.; El-Sehiemy, R.A.

2009-01-01

This paper presents different suggested transmission usage cost allocation (TCA) schemes to the system individuals. Different independent system operator (ISO) visions are presented using the proportional rata and flow-based TCA methods. There are two proposed flow-based TCA schemes (FTCA). The first FTCA scheme generalizes the equivalent bilateral exchanges (EBE) concepts for lossy networks through two-stage procedure. The second FTCA scheme is based on the modified sensitivity factors (MSF). These factors are developed from the actual measurements of power flows in transmission lines and the power injections at different buses. The proposed schemes exhibit desirable apportioning properties and are easy to implement and understand. Case studies for different loading conditions are carried out to show the capability of the proposed schemes for solving the TCA problem. (author)

The European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics Policy Statement No. 6.1: Recommended Guidelines on National Registration Schemes for Medical Physicists.

Science.gov (United States)

Christofides, Stelios; Isidoro, Jorge; Pesznyak, Csilla; Bumbure, Lada; Cremers, Florian; Schmidt, Werner F O

2016-01-01

This EFOMP Policy Statement is an update of Policy Statement No. 6 first published in 1994. The present version takes into account the European Union Parliament and Council Directive 2013/55/EU that amends Directive 2005/36/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications and the European Union Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM laying down the basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. The European Commission Radiation Protection Report No. 174, Guidelines on Medical Physics Expert and the EFOMP Policy Statement No. 12.1, Recommendations on Medical Physics Education and Training in Europe 2014, are also taken into consideration. The EFOMP National Member Organisations are encouraged to update their Medical Physics registration schemes where these exist or to develop registration schemes taking into account the present version of this EFOMP Policy Statement (Policy Statement No. 6.1"Recommended Guidelines on National Registration Schemes for Medical Physicists"). Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Green-Frag: Energy-Efficient Frame Fragmentation Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

KAUST Repository

Daghistani, Anas H.

2013-05-15

Power management is an active area of research in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Efficient power management is necessary because WSNs are battery-operated devices that can be deployed in mission-critical applications. From the communications perspective, one main approach to reduce energy is to maximize throughput so the data can be transmitted in a short amount of time. Frame fragmentation techniques aim to achieve higher throughput by reducing retransmissions. Using experiments on a WSN testbed, we show that frame fragmentation helps to reduce energy consumption. We then study and compare recent frame fragmentation schemes to find the most energy-efficient scheme. Our main contribution is to propose a new frame fragmentation scheme that is optimized to be energy efficient, which is originated from the chosen frame fragmentation scheme. This new energy-efficient frame fragmentation protocol is called (Green-Frag). Green-Frag uses an algorithm that gives sensor nodes the ability to transmit data with optimal transmit power and optimal frame structure based on environmental conditions. Green-Frag takes into consideration the channel conditions, interference patterns and level, as well as the distance between sender and receiver. The thesis discusses various design and implementation considerations for Green-Frag. Also, it shows empirical results of comparing Green-Frag with other frame fragmentation protocols in terms of energy efficiency. Green-Frag performance results shows that it is capable of choosing the best transmit according to the channel conditions. Subsequently, Green-Frag achieves the least energy consumption in all environmental conditions.

A calculational scheme for nonequilibrium quantum field system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanaka, Y.

1991-01-01

A new calculational scheme is presented for interacting nonequi-librium time dependent quantum field systems within the framework of thermo field dynamics (TFD), taking account of the fact that the thermal vacuum should go through many inequivalent state vector spaces. A para-meter parametrizing various state vector spaces has to be introduced and plays a role of new time-variable. Thus we have double-time TFD. The 2 requirements in this double-time TFD are imposed to establish a quasi-particle picture to get an attainable scheme of perturbative calculation : the existence of the spectral representation for the full propagator and the diagonalization of the quasi-particle Hamiltonian. The 1st condition turns out to amount to the existence of local-time tempera-ture. The 2nd condition leads to the master equation for the number density. This formalism is applied to high-energy heavy ion collision process. The very fundamental question is then how the thermodynamical properties such as heat and temperature appear in such an isolated system. This double-time TFD, suitable for isolated thermal systems of quantum fields, can handle the situation from the beginning of the process. (author). 24 refs.; 1 fig

29 CFR 4.11 - Arm's length proceedings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... intent to take advantage of the wage determination scheme provided for in sections 2(a) and 4(c) of the... Administrator determines that extraordinary circumstances exist: (i) For advertised contracts, prior to ten days...

Discrete memory schemes for finite strain thermoplasticity and application to shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favier, D.; Guelin, P.; Pegon, P.; Nowacki, W.K.

1987-01-01

A theory of finite strain plasticity has been proposed: The scheme of pure hysteresis with mixed transport has been extended to the case of non-rotational kinematics. Secondly, the simple shear case has been studied, taking into account Drucker's recent analysis regarding the 'appropriate simple idealizations for finite plasticity'. Illustrations are provided for general stress/strain paths. Also a new theory of isotropic hyperelasticity has been proposed. The 'reversible' relative Cauchy stress tensor (of type (1,1) and weight one) is defined in the dragged along coordinates as a tensorial isotropic function of the Almansi tensor and of its invariants (through the partial derivatives of the actual scalar density of elastic energy per unit extent of dragged along coordinates). The correspondance between strain and stress paths is then defined in a general form which is particularly convenient for the study of first order effects, limit behaviours, coupling and second order effects. Illustrations are provided. The addition of the pure hysteresis stress contribution σ a and of the reversible contribution σ rev leads to a scheme of 'superelasticity' departure to obtain a provisional scheme of shape memory effects. Some remarks are given regarding some of the possible generalizations of the scheme. (orig./GL)

Optimization of the data taking strategy for a high precision τ mass measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.K.; Mo, X.H.; Yuan, C.Z.; Liu, J.P.

2007-01-01

To achieve a high precision τ mass (m τ ) measurement at the forthcoming high luminosity experiment, Monte Carlo simulation and sampling technique are adopted to simulate various data taking cases from which the optimal scheme is determined. The study indicates that when m τ is the sole parameter to be fit, the optimal energy for data taking is located near the τ + τ - production threshold in the vicinity of the largest derivative of the cross-section to energy; one point in the optimal position with luminosity around 63pb -1 is sufficient for getting a statistical precision of 0.1MeV/c 2 or better

A Multigrid NLS-4DVar Data Assimilation Scheme with Advanced Research WRF (ARW)

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H.; Tian, X.

2017-12-01

The motions of the atmosphere have multiscale properties in space and/or time, and the background error covariance matrix (Β) should thus contain error information at different correlation scales. To obtain an optimal analysis, the multigrid three-dimensional variational data assimilation scheme is used widely when sequentially correcting errors from large to small scales. However, introduction of the multigrid technique into four-dimensional variational data assimilation is not easy, due to its strong dependence on the adjoint model, which has extremely high computational costs in data coding, maintenance, and updating. In this study, the multigrid technique was introduced into the nonlinear least-squares four-dimensional variational assimilation (NLS-4DVar) method, which is an advanced four-dimensional ensemble-variational method that can be applied without invoking the adjoint models. The multigrid NLS-4DVar (MG-NLS-4DVar) scheme uses the number of grid points to control the scale, with doubling of this number when moving from a coarse to a finer grid. Furthermore, the MG-NLS-4DVar scheme not only retains the advantages of NLS-4DVar, but also sufficiently corrects multiscale errors to achieve a highly accurate analysis. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed MG-NLS-4DVar scheme were evaluated by several groups of observing system simulation experiments using the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model. MG-NLS-4DVar outperformed NLS-4DVar, with a lower computational cost.

Facilitators and hindrances in the experiences of Ugandans with and without disabilities when seeking access to microcredit schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramm, Jane Murray; Paauwe, Marthe; Finkenflügel, Harry

2012-01-01

This study aimed to identify facilitators and hindrances in the experiences of Ugandans with and without disabilities when seeking access to microcredit schemes. Thirty-five statements were presented to 80 people, 50 of whom were disabled. Q-methodology was used to identify factors influencing access to microcredit schemes. Running a business independently was solely identified by people with disabilities (PWD) as an important facilitator in accessing microcredit schemes, while relying on business skills was largely mentioned by people without disabilities. The disabled identified family-related items to be inhibiting factors. Having a group loan was ranked negatively by the disabled and ambivalently by the non-disabled. PWD experience different facilitators and barriers to access microcredit schemes compared to the non-disabled. PWD prefer individual loans and believe they can more successfully run a business on their own, instead of relying on family or having a group loan. Furthermore, they would benefit from microcredit schemes that take into account disability-specific circumstances. These are important findings to increase access to microcredit schemes and to let PWD benefit to the same extend from these programmes than do their non-disabled peers.

Weighted divergence correction scheme and its fast implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, ChengYue; Gao, Qi; Wei, RunJie; Li, Tian; Wang, JinJun

2017-05-01

Forcing the experimental volumetric velocity fields to satisfy mass conversation principles has been proved beneficial for improving the quality of measured data. A number of correction methods including the divergence correction scheme (DCS) have been proposed to remove divergence errors from measurement velocity fields. For tomographic particle image velocimetry (TPIV) data, the measurement uncertainty for the velocity component along the light thickness direction is typically much larger than for the other two components. Such biased measurement errors would weaken the performance of traditional correction methods. The paper proposes a variant for the existing DCS by adding weighting coefficients to the three velocity components, named as the weighting DCS (WDCS). The generalized cross validation (GCV) method is employed to choose the suitable weighting coefficients. A fast algorithm for DCS or WDCS is developed, making the correction process significantly low-cost to implement. WDCS has strong advantages when correcting velocity components with biased noise levels. Numerical tests validate the accuracy and efficiency of the fast algorithm, the effectiveness of GCV method, and the advantages of WDCS. Lastly, DCS and WDCS are employed to process experimental velocity fields from the TPIV measurement of a turbulent boundary layer. This shows that WDCS achieves a better performance than DCS in improving some flow statistics.

QoE Guarantee Scheme Based on Cooperative Cognitive Cloud and Opportunistic Weight Particle Swarm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weihang Shi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available It is well known that the Internet application of cloud services may be affected by the inefficiency of cloud computing and inaccurate evaluation of quality of experience (QoE seriously. In our paper, based on construction algorithms of cooperative cognitive cloud platform and optimization algorithm of opportunities weight particle swarm clustering, the QoE guarantee mechanism was proposed. The mechanism, through the sending users of requests and the cognitive neighbor users’ cooperation, combined the cooperation of subcloud platforms and constructed the optimal cloud platform with the different service. At the same time, the particle swarm optimization algorithm could be enhanced dynamically according to all kinds of opportunity request weight, which could optimize the cooperative cognitive cloud platform. Finally, the QoE guarantee scheme was proposed with the opportunity weight particle swarm optimization algorithm and collaborative cognitive cloud platform. The experimental results show that the proposed mechanism compared is superior to the QoE guarantee scheme based on cooperative cloud and QoE guarantee scheme based on particle swarm optimization, compared with optimization fitness and high cloud computing service execution efficiency and high throughput performance advantages.

Optimization Route of Food Logistics Distribution Based on Genetic and Graph Cluster Scheme Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Jing Chen

2015-01-01

This study takes the concept of food logistics distribution as the breakthrough point, by means of the aim of optimization of food logistics distribution routes and analysis of the optimization model of food logistics route, as well as the interpretation of the genetic algorithm, it discusses the optimization of food logistics distribution route based on genetic and cluster scheme algorithm.

Scheme Program Documentation Tools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørmark, Kurt

2004-01-01

are separate and intended for different documentation purposes they are related to each other in several ways. Both tools are based on XML languages for tool setup and for documentation authoring. In addition, both tools rely on the LAML framework which---in a systematic way---makes an XML language available...... as named functions in Scheme. Finally, the Scheme Elucidator is able to integrate SchemeDoc resources as part of an internal documentation resource....

Advantages of robotics in benign gynecologic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, Mireille; Kim, Jin Hee; Scheib, Stacey; Patzkowsky, Kristin

2016-08-01

The purpose of this article is to review the literature and discuss the advantages of robotics in benign gynecologic surgery. Minimally invasive surgery has become the preferred route over abdominal surgery. The laparoscopic or robotic approach is recommended when vaginal surgery is not feasible. Thus far, robotic gynecologic surgery data have demonstrated feasibility, safety, and equivalent clinical outcomes in comparison with laparoscopy and better clinical outcomes compared with laparotomy. Robotics was developed to overcome challenges of laparoscopy and has led to technological advantages such as improved ergonomics, visualization with three-dimensional capabilities, dexterity and range of motion with instrument articulation, and tremor filtration. To date, applications of robotics in benign gynecology include hysterectomy, myomectomy, endometriosis surgery, sacrocolpopexy, adnexal surgery, tubal reanastomosis, and cerclage. Though further data are needed, robotics may provide additional benefits over other approaches in the obese patient population and in higher complexity cases. Challenges that arose in the earlier adoption stage such as the steep learning curve, costs, and operative times are becoming more optimized with greater experience, with implementation of robotics in high-volume centers and with improved training of surgeons and robotic teams. Robotic laparoendoscopic single-site surgery, albeit still in its infancy where technical advantages compared with laparoscopic single-site surgery are still unclear, may provide a cost-reducing option compared with multiport robotics. The cost may even approach that of laparoscopy while still conferring similar perioperative outcomes. Advances in robotic technology such as the single-site platform and telesurgery, have the potential to revolutionize the field of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Higher quality evidence is needed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of robotic surgery in benign

The effect of a dynamic background albedo scheme on Sahel/Sahara precipitation during the mid-Holocene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. S. E. Vamborg

2011-02-01

Full Text Available We have implemented a new albedo scheme that takes the dynamic behaviour of the surface below the canopy into account, into the land-surface scheme of the MPI-ESM. The standard (static scheme calculates the seasonal canopy albedo as a function of leaf area index, whereas the background albedo is a gridbox constant derived from satellite measurements. The new (dynamic scheme additionally models the background albedo as a slowly changing function of organic matter in the ground and of litter and standing dead biomass covering the ground. We use the two schemes to investigate the interactions between vegetation, albedo and precipitation in the Sahel/Sahara for two time-slices: pre-industrial and mid-Holocene. The dynamic scheme represents the seasonal cycle of albedo and the correspondence between annual mean albedo and vegetation cover in a more consistent way than the static scheme. It thus gives a better estimate of albedo change between the two time periods. With the introduction of the dynamic scheme, precipitation is increased by 30 mm yr⁻¹ for the pre-industrial simulation and by about 80 mm yr⁻¹ for the mid-Holocene simulation. The present-day dry bias in the Sahel of standard ECHAM5 is thus reduced and the sensitivity of precipitation to mid-Holocene external forcing is increased by around one third. The locations of mid-Holocene lakes, as estimated from reconstructions, lie south of the modelled desert border in both mid-Holocene simulations. The magnitude of simulated rainfall in this area is too low to fully sustain lakes, however it is captured better with the dynamic scheme. The dynamic scheme leads to increased vegetation variability in the remaining desert region, indicating a higher frequency of green spells, thus reaching a better agreement with the vegetation distribution as derived from pollen records.

A Memory Efficient Network Encryption Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

El-Fotouh, Mohamed Abo; Diepold, Klaus

In this paper, we studied the two widely used encryption schemes in network applications. Shortcomings have been found in both schemes, as these schemes consume either more memory to gain high throughput or low memory with low throughput. The need has aroused for a scheme that has low memory requirements and in the same time possesses high speed, as the number of the internet users increases each day. We used the SSM model [1], to construct an encryption scheme based on the AES. The proposed scheme possesses high throughput together with low memory requirements.

A new scheme for solving inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation for electrons in weakly ionised gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoud, M.O.M.; Yousfi, M.

1995-01-01

In the case of weakly ionized gases, the numerical treatment of non-hydrodynamic regime involving spatial variation of distribution function due to boundaries (walls, electrodes, electron source, etc hor-ellipsis) by using direct Boltzmann equation always constitute a challenge if the main collisional processes occurring in non thermal plasmas are to be considered (elastic, inelastic and super-elastic collisions, Penning ionisation, Coulomb interactions, etc hor-ellipsis). In the non-thermal discharge modelling, the inhomogeneous electron Boltzmann equation is needed in order to be coupled for example to a fluid model to take into account the electron non-hydrodynamic effects. This is for example the case of filamentary discharge, in which the space charge electric field due to streamer propagation has a very sharp spatial profile thus leading to important space non-hydrodynamic effects. It is also the case of the cathodic zone of glow discharge where electric field has a rapid spatial decrease until the negative glow. In the present work, a new numerical scheme is proposed to solve the inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation for electrons in the framework of two-term approximation (TTA) taking into account elastic and inelastic processes. Such a method has the usual drawbacks associated with the TTA i.e. not an accurate enough at high E/N values or in presence of high inelastic processes. But the accuracy of this method is considered sufficient because in a next step it is destinated to be coupled to fluid model for charged particles and a chemical kinetic model where the accuracy is of the same order of magnitude or worse. However there are numerous advantages of this method concerning time computing, treatment of non-linear collision processes (Coulomb, Penning, etc hor-ellipsis)

Modified Aggressive Packet Combining Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhunia, C.T.

2010-06-01

In this letter, a few schemes are presented to improve the performance of aggressive packet combining scheme (APC). To combat error in computer/data communication networks, ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) techniques are used. Several modifications to improve the performance of ARQ are suggested by recent research and are found in literature. The important modifications are majority packet combining scheme (MjPC proposed by Wicker), packet combining scheme (PC proposed by Chakraborty), modified packet combining scheme (MPC proposed by Bhunia), and packet reversed packet combining (PRPC proposed by Bhunia) scheme. These modifications are appropriate for improving throughput of conventional ARQ protocols. Leung proposed an idea of APC for error control in wireless networks with the basic objective of error control in uplink wireless data network. We suggest a few modifications of APC to improve its performance in terms of higher throughput, lower delay and higher error correction capability. (author)

A threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme for WDM FSO systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik

2017-07-20

In this paper, we propose a threshold-based-multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical systems based on wavelength division multiplexing. With the proposed TMOS, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the potential increase in complexity of implementation caused by applying a selection-based beam selection scheme without a considerable performance loss. Here, to accurately characterize the performance of the proposed TMOS, we statistically analyze the characteristics with heterodyne detection technique over independent and identically distributed Log-normal turbulence conditions taking into considerations the impact of pointing error. Specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency by adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results shows that the average spectral efficiency can be increased with TMOS while the system requirement is satisfied.

A threshold-based multiple optical signal selection scheme for WDM FSO systems

KAUST Repository

Nam, Sung Sik; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ko, Young-Chai; Cho, Sung Ho

2017-01-01

In this paper, we propose a threshold-based-multiple optical signal selection scheme (TMOS) for free-space optical systems based on wavelength division multiplexing. With the proposed TMOS, we can obtain higher spectral efficiency while reducing the potential increase in complexity of implementation caused by applying a selection-based beam selection scheme without a considerable performance loss. Here, to accurately characterize the performance of the proposed TMOS, we statistically analyze the characteristics with heterodyne detection technique over independent and identically distributed Log-normal turbulence conditions taking into considerations the impact of pointing error. Specifically, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate, and the average spectral efficiency by adopting an adaptive modulation. Some selected results shows that the average spectral efficiency can be increased with TMOS while the system requirement is satisfied.

Inequality and redistribution behavior in a give-or-take game

Science.gov (United States)

Bechtel, Michael M.; Scheve, Kenneth F.

2018-01-01

Political polarization and extremism are widely thought to be driven by the surge in economic inequality in many countries around the world. Understanding why inequality persists depends on knowing the causal effect of inequality on individual behavior. We study how inequality affects redistribution behavior in a randomized “give-or-take” experiment that created equality, advantageous inequality, or disadvantageous inequality between two individuals before offering one of them the opportunity to either take from or give to the other. We estimate the causal effect of inequality in representative samples of German and American citizens (n = 4,966) and establish two main findings. First, individuals imperfectly equalize payoffs: On average, respondents transfer 12% of the available endowments to realize more equal wealth distributions. This means that respondents tolerate a considerable degree of inequality even in a setting in which there are no costs to redistribution. Second, redistribution behavior in response to disadvantageous and advantageous inequality is largely asymmetric: Individuals who take from those who are richer do not also tend to give to those who are poorer, and individuals who give to those who are poorer do not tend to take from those who are richer. These behavioral redistribution types correlate in meaningful ways with support for heavy taxes on the rich and the provision of welfare benefits for the poor. Consequently, it seems difficult to construct a majority coalition willing to back the type of government interventions needed to counter rising inequality. PMID:29555734

Management Methods and Concepts for Building Competitive Advantage in Hospitality Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gierczak Beata

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Competitive advantage determines the success of modern enterprises, such as hospitality companies, on the market. In turn, competitive advantage is gained as the result of skillful management, taking into account the factors that characterize the company environment. In the management process, methods and concepts that, when properly applied, facilitate the company's innovative activities play the key role, thus contributing to building competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to specify and characterize the methods and management concepts most commonly used by hospitality companies in the process of building competitive advantage. The core benefit of these considerations is that they serve to identify those activities of hospitality companies in which the analyzed methods and concepts found practical application. The final part of the article is devoted to an attempt to identify barriers and problems that significantly limit the use of these methods and concepts. Material and methods. In order to achieve this objective, a survey and interviews were carried out in all three- and four-star hotels in the Rzeszów area in the first quarter of 2012. Results. The results revealed that the concept most commonly used by hoteliers was knowledge-based organization (knowledge management, followed by outsourcing, benchmarking and internal competition, respectively. Conclusions. The study also demonstrated that the managers of these hospitality companies significantly lacked substantive knowledge of emerging “market” management methods and concepts.

Brokers and Competitive Advantage

OpenAIRE

Michael D. Ryall; Olav Sorenson

2007-01-01

The broker profits by intermediating between two (or more) parties. Using a biform game, we examine whether such a position can confer a competitive advantage, as well as whether any such advantage could persist if actors formed relations strategically. Our analysis reveals that, if one considers exogenous the relations between actors, brokers can enjoy an advantage but only if (1) they do not face substitutes either for the connections they offer or the value they can create, (2) they interm...

Efficient numerical schemes for viscoplastic avalanches. Part 1: The 1D case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernández-Nieto, Enrique D., E-mail: edofer@us.es [Departamento de Matemática Aplicada I, Universidad de Sevilla, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Avda, Reina Mercedes, s/n, 41012 Sevilla (Spain); Gallardo, José M., E-mail: jmgallardo@uma.es [Departamento de Análisis Matemático, Universidad de Málaga, F. Ciencias, Campus Teatinos S/N (Spain); Vigneaux, Paul, E-mail: Paul.Vigneaux@math.cnrs.fr [Unitée de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d' Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07 (France)

2014-05-01

This paper deals with the numerical resolution of a shallow water viscoplastic flow model. Viscoplastic materials are characterized by the existence of a yield stress: below a certain critical threshold in the imposed stress, there is no deformation and the material behaves like a rigid solid, but when that yield value is exceeded, the material flows like a fluid. In the context of avalanches, it means that after going down a slope, the material can stop and its free surface has a non-trivial shape, as opposed to the case of water (Newtonian fluid). The model involves variational inequalities associated with the yield threshold: finite-volume schemes are used together with duality methods (namely Augmented Lagrangian and Bermúdez–Moreno) to discretize the problem. To be able to accurately simulate the stopping behavior of the avalanche, new schemes need to be designed, involving the classical notion of well-balancing. In the present context, it needs to be extended to take into account the viscoplastic nature of the material as well as general bottoms with wet/dry fronts which are encountered in geophysical geometries. We derived such schemes and numerical experiments are presented to show their performances.

Sensitivity Evaluation of Spectral Nudging Schemes in Historical Dynamical Downscaling for South Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehwish Ramzan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Sensitivity experiments testing two scale-selective bias correction (SSBC methods have been carried out to identify an optimal spectral nudging scheme for historical dynamically downscaled simulations of South Asia, using the coordinated regional climate downscaling experiment (CORDEX protocol and the regional spectral model (RSM. Two time periods were selected under the category of short-term extreme summer and long-term decadal analysis. The new SSBC version applied nudging to full wind components, with an increased relaxation time in the lower model layers, incorporating a vertical weighted damping coefficient. An evaluation of the extraordinary weather conditions experienced in South Asia in the summer of 2005 confirmed the advantages of the new SSBC when modeling monsoon precipitation. Furthermore, the new SSBC scheme was found to predict precipitation and wind patterns more accurately than the older version in decadal analysis, which applies nudging only to the rotational wind field, with a constant strength at all heights.

Hi-tech products marketing and competitive advantage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perović Jelena

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The company today, in causes turbulent environment and intensive integrations must cooperate, accept and develop high technology in order to achieve needs of customers. It's only way that companies replay on challenge global environment, decrease costs of investment per capita, decrease the risk, captivate new market and held competitive in causes of global market. High tech technology marketing function is help that results of new technology transfer on economy. Their function is reach need of customers, too. Positive influence of technology is the highest in area of production costs and productivity. Speed years are in front of our and it demands larger productivity, which primary source must be technology changes. High technology marketing is the most provocative framework for take competitive advantage, answer on global change and way of permanent reach rigorous need of customers.

Generic Advantages

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Generic Advantages. Scalability an incremental coverage. Standardization. Business Plan Flexibility. Lifecycle Flexibility. Reliability. Service Interoperability. Changed Industry dynamics.

Bonus schemes and trading activity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pikulina, E.S.; Renneboog, L.D.R.; ter Horst, J.R.; Tobler, P.N.

2014-01-01

Little is known about how different bonus schemes affect traders' propensity to trade and which bonus schemes improve traders' performance. We study the effects of linear versus threshold bonus schemes on traders' behavior. Traders buy and sell shares in an experimental stock market on the basis of

Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR

Science.gov (United States)

Takegoshi, K.; Miyazawa, Norihiro; Sharma, Kshama; Madhu, P. K.

2015-04-01

We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes with the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order.

Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takegoshi, K.; Miyazawa, Norihiro; Sharma, Kshama; Madhu, P. K.

2015-01-01

We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes with the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order

Comparison among Magnus/Floquet/Fer expansion schemes in solid-state NMR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takegoshi, K., E-mail: takeyan@kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Miyazawa, Norihiro [Division of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Sharma, Kshama [TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, 21 Brundavan Colony, Narsingi, Hyderabad 500 075 (India); Madhu, P. K. [TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, 21 Brundavan Colony, Narsingi, Hyderabad 500 075 (India); Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005 (India)

2015-04-07

We here revisit expansion schemes used in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for the calculation of effective Hamiltonians and propagators, namely, Magnus, Floquet, and Fer expansions. While all the expansion schemes are powerful methods there are subtle differences among them. To understand the differences, we performed explicit calculation for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling, cross-polarization, and rotary-resonance experiments in solid-state NMR. As the propagator from the Fer expansion takes the form of a product of sub-propagators, it enables us to appreciate effects of time-evolution under Hamiltonians with different orders separately. While 0th-order average Hamiltonian is the same for the three expansion schemes with the three cases examined, there is a case that the 2nd-order term for the Magnus/Floquet expansion is different from that obtained with the Fer expansion. The difference arises due to the separation of the 0th-order term in the Fer expansion. The separation enables us to appreciate time-evolution under the 0th-order average Hamiltonian, however, for that purpose, we use a so-called left-running Fer expansion. Comparison between the left-running Fer expansion and the Magnus expansion indicates that the sign of the odd orders in Magnus may better be reversed if one would like to consider its effect in order.

A European-wide harmonised tradable green certificate scheme for renewable electricity: is it really so beneficial?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rio, Pablo del

2005-01-01

Winds of change are blowing in the public promotion of renewable electricity (RES-E) in Europe. On the one hand, a move to allegedly more market-conform instruments for the promotion of RES-E has already taken place in some Member States. On the other hand, a Directive on the promotion of RES-E has recently been approved setting indicative targets for RES-E consumption and opening the possibility that a harmonised framework for support schemes will be implemented in Europe. This harmonised framework (in combination with trade in RES-E between Member States) can be compared to a situation in which Member States continue to apply their current support schemes. This paper analyses the pros and cons of harmonisation. The main conclusion is that if priority is given to the local/regional/national benefits of RES-E, then harmonisation in combination with a tradable green certificate scheme is not so advantageous for countries. Only if the policy priority is the achievement of the RES-E Directive targets at the minimum costs should harmonisation be favoured by national energy authorities

Photon transitions between baryons in a new hadron scheme. [Composite model, Dirac spinor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugimoto, H [Kanazawa Inst. of Tech. (Japan); Toya, M

1976-05-01

Photon transitions from the ground state baryon to the nonstrange excited one with L=0, 1 and 2 are investigated. The discussion is based on a new scheme of hadron composite model which takes account of the lower component of the Dirac spinor of constituent particles even in a hadron rest system. There appear generally four independent model amplitudes. Each process ..gamma..+p..-->..B/sub 8/* is described in terms of an individual model amplitude. This helps us to explain the characteristic features of experiment and solve the troubles found in the nonrelativistic scheme. Both magnitudes and signs of predicted amplitudes are shown to be in good agreement with experimental data. From this comparison the specific features of the model amplitudes are found. Discussion is made for higher excited baryons.

Lightweight SIP/SDP compression scheme (LSSCS)

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian J.; Demetrescu, Cristian

2001-10-01

In UMTS new IP based services with tight delay constraints will be deployed over the W-CDMA air interface such as IP multimedia and interactive services. To integrate the wireline and wireless IP services, 3GPP standard forum adopted the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as the call control protocol for the UMTS Release 5, which will implement next generation, all IP networks for real-time QoS services. In the current form the SIP protocol is not suitable for wireless transmission due to its large message size which will need either a big radio pipe for transmission or it will take far much longer to transmit than the current GSM Call Control (CC) message sequence. In this paper we present a novel compression algorithm called Lightweight SIP/SDP Compression Scheme (LSSCS), which acts at the SIP application layer and therefore removes the information redundancy before it is sent to the network and transport layer. A binary octet-aligned header is added to the compressed SIP/SDP message before sending it to the network layer. The receiver uses this binary header as well as the pre-cached information to regenerate the original SIP/SDP message. The key features of the LSSCS compression scheme are presented in this paper along with implementation examples. It is shown that this compression algorithm makes SIP transmission efficient over the radio interface without losing the SIP generality and flexibility.

A phase angle based diagnostic scheme to planetary gear faults diagnostics under non-stationary operational conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ke; Wang, Kesheng; Ni, Qing; Zuo, Ming J.; Wei, Dongdong

2017-11-01

Planetary gearbox is a critical component for rotating machinery. It is widely used in wind turbines, aerospace and transmission systems in heavy industry. Thus, it is important to monitor planetary gearboxes, especially for fault diagnostics, during its operational conditions. However, in practice, operational conditions of planetary gearbox are often characterized by variations of rotational speeds and loads, which may bring difficulties for fault diagnosis through the measured vibrations. In this paper, phase angle data extracted from measured planetary gearbox vibrations is used for fault detection under non-stationary operational conditions. Together with sample entropy, fault diagnosis on planetary gearbox is implemented. The proposed scheme is explained and demonstrated in both simulation and experimental studies. The scheme proves to be effective and features advantages on fault diagnosis of planetary gearboxes under non-stationary operational conditions.

Determination of Optimal Opening Scheme for Electromagnetic Loop Networks Based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Studying optimization and decision for opening electromagnetic loop networks plays an important role in planning and operation of power grids. First, the basic principle of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP is introduced, and then an improved FAHP-based scheme evaluation method is proposed for decoupling electromagnetic loop networks based on a set of indicators reflecting the performance of the candidate schemes. The proposed method combines the advantages of analytic hierarchy process (AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. On the one hand, AHP effectively combines qualitative and quantitative analysis to ensure the rationality of the evaluation model; on the other hand, the judgment matrix and qualitative indicators are expressed with trapezoidal fuzzy numbers to make decision-making more realistic. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by the application results on the real power system of Liaoning province of China.

Assessment of a magnet system combining the advantages of cable-in-conduit forced-flow and pool-boiling magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slack, D.; Hassenzahl, W.; Felker, B.; Chaplin, M.

1993-01-01

This paper presents an idea for a magnet system that could be used to advantage in tokamaks and other fusion engineering devices. Higher performance designs, specifically newer tokamaks such as those for the international Tokamak Engineering Reactor (ITER) and Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) use Cable in Conduit Conductor (CICC) forced flow coils to advantage to meet field and current density requirements. Pool boiling magnets lack structural integrity to resist high magnetic forces since helium cooling areas must surround each conductor. A second problem is that any leak can threaten the voltage standoff integrity of the magnet system. This is because a leak can result in low-pressure helium gas becoming trapped by limited conductance in the magnet bundle and low-pressure helium has poor dielectric strength. The system proposed here is basically a CICC system, with it's inherent advantages, but bathed in higher pressure supercritical helium to eliminate the leak and voltage break-down problems. Schemes to simplify helium coolant plumbing with the proposed system are discussed. A brief historical review of related magnet systems is included. The advantages and disadvantages of using higher pressure, supercritical helium in combination with solid electrical insulation in a CICC system are discussed. Related electrical data from some previous works are compiled and discussed

Scheme for ab initio calculation of the Green function in large disordered systems with application to transport properties

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hiroshi

1998-01-01

A real-space scheme is developed to calculate matrix elements of the Green function from first principles for large disordered systems. The scheme is an extension of the particle source method, combined with the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbitals and has the following advantages: (i) It is possible to evaluate both the diagonal and off-diagonal parts of the Green function and also their products with other quantum operators, (ii) it allows for an explicit control of the numerical accuracy and clear-cut physical interpretations of the results on the basis of the definition of the Green function, and (iii) the scheme is suitable for both vector and parallel processing and requires CPU time and memory size proportional only to the system size. The method is applied to the densities of states of bcc and amorphous Fe. The dc conductivity is also evaluated for the latter from the Kubo-Greenwood formula.

Information systems supported organizational learning as a competitive advantage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Manuel Arias

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics that make information systems useful in gathering and processing information with the aim of organizational learning and subsequent structural adaptation for better fitting to market requirements. Design/methodology/approach: Adaptation is a must when turning to foster the competitiveness and sustainability of the organization. Findings and Originality/value: It is clear that information systems can really create a difference in the way an organization acquires information from its environment and from itself in order to achieve a high-quality decision taking process. Research limitations/implications: Organizations have to look inside themselves in order to ensure the comprehension of their core competencies and the way they carry them out. Practical implications: Organizational learning is one of the means employed by organizations to get adapted to their surrounding environment. Social implications: Systems engineering techniques can be applied in order to leverage these core competencies and make organizations adaptable to the organizational environment requirements through the use of information systems. Originality/value: To obtain competitive advantages in the market. Keywords: competitive advantage, information systems, knowledge management, & the learning organization.

Strategic objectives and the usage possibility of competitive advantages of the grain crops complex of Chelyabinsk region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ol'ga Dmitrievna Rubaeva

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the logical scheme of strategy of the grain complex competitive advantages usage. The results of evaluation of financial and economic situation of agricultural enterprises engaged into production of grain are presented. Determination of the level of competitiveness of the agro-grain industry was established on the basis of obtaining an integral point-weighting factor of competitiveness. Evaluation and confirmation of this technique allowed identifying key factors of competitiveness of agricultural enterprises in the grain corns industry. The main conclusion of the study is the following: the use of resource-saving technologies for the cultivation of crops greatly influences the development of competitive advantages. Calculations showed that the application of resource-saving technology increases productivity, reduces labour requirements and the cost of equipment maintenance and repair, fuel costs, improves basic economic indicators of activity: gross revenues from sales is increasing.

Computational electrodynamics in material media with constraint-preservation, multidimensional Riemann solvers and sub-cell resolution - Part II, higher order FVTD schemes

Science.gov (United States)

Balsara, Dinshaw S.; Garain, Sudip; Taflove, Allen; Montecinos, Gino

2018-02-01

The Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) scheme has served the computational electrodynamics community very well and part of its success stems from its ability to satisfy the constraints in Maxwell's equations. Even so, in the previous paper of this series we were able to present a second order accurate Godunov scheme for computational electrodynamics (CED) which satisfied all the same constraints and simultaneously retained all the traditional advantages of Godunov schemes. In this paper we extend the Finite Volume Time Domain (FVTD) schemes for CED in material media to better than second order of accuracy. From the FDTD method, we retain a somewhat modified staggering strategy of primal variables which enables a very beneficial constraint-preservation for the electric displacement and magnetic induction vector fields. This is accomplished with constraint-preserving reconstruction methods which are extended in this paper to third and fourth orders of accuracy. The idea of one-dimensional upwinding from Godunov schemes has to be significantly modified to use the multidimensionally upwinded Riemann solvers developed by the first author. In this paper, we show how they can be used within the context of a higher order scheme for CED. We also report on advances in timestepping. We show how Runge-Kutta IMEX schemes can be adapted to CED even in the presence of stiff source terms brought on by large conductivities as well as strong spatial variations in permittivity and permeability. We also formulate very efficient ADER timestepping strategies to endow our method with sub-cell resolving capabilities. As a result, our method can be stiffly-stable and resolve significant sub-cell variation in the material properties within a zone. Moreover, we present ADER schemes that are applicable to all hyperbolic PDEs with stiff source terms and at all orders of accuracy. Our new ADER formulation offers a treatment of stiff source terms that is much more efficient than previous ADER

Home advantage in professional tennis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koning, Ruud H.

2011-01-01

Home advantage is a pervasive phenomenon in sport. It has been established in team sports such as basketball, baseball, American football, and European soccer. Attention to home advantage in individual sports has so far been limited. The aim of this study was to examine home advantage in

Luminosity optimization schemes in Compton experiments based on Fabry-Perot optical resonators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Variola

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The luminosity of Compton x-ray and γ sources depends on the average current in electron bunches, the energy of the laser pulses, and the geometry of the particle bunch to laser pulse collisions. To obtain high power photon pulses, these can be stacked in a passive optical resonator (Fabry-Perot cavity especially when a high average flux is required. But, in this case, owing to the presence of the optical cavity mirrors, the electron bunches have to collide at an angle with the laser pulses with a consequent luminosity decrease. In this article a crab-crossing scheme is proposed for Compton sources, based on a laser amplified in a Fabry-Perot resonator, to eliminate the luminosity losses given by the crossing angle, taking into account that in laser-electron collisions only the electron bunches can be tilted at the collision point. We report the analytical study on the crab-crossing scheme for Compton gamma sources. The analytical expression for the total yield of photons generated in Compton sources with the crab-crossing scheme of collision is derived. The optimal collision angle of the bunch was found to be equal to half of the collision angle. At this crabbing angle, the maximal yield of scattered off laser photons is attained thanks to the maximization, in the collision process, of the time spent by the laser pulse in the electron bunch. Estimations for some Compton source projects are presented. Furthermore, some schemes of the optical cavities configuration are analyzed and the luminosity calculated. As illustrated, the four-mirror two- or three-dimensional scheme is the most appropriate for Compton sources.

A Comparison of Angular Difference Schemes for One-Dimensional Spherical Geometry SN Equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lathrop, K.D.

2000-01-01

To investigate errors caused by angular differencing in approximating the streaming terms of the transport equation, five different approximations are evaluated for three test problems in one-dimensional spherical geometry. The following schemes are compared: diamond, special truncation error minimizing weighted diamond, linear continuous (the original S N scheme), linear discontinuous, and new quadratic continuous. To isolate errors caused by angular differencing, the approximations are derived from the transport equation without spatial differencing, and the resulting coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are solved with an ODE solver. Results from the approximations are compared with analytic solutions derived for two-region purely absorbing spheres. Most of the approximations are derived by taking moments of the conservation form of the transport equation. The quadratic continuous approximation is derived taking the zeroth moment of both the transport equation and the first angular derivative of the transport equation. The advantages of this approach are described. In all of the approximations, the desirability is shown of using an initializing computation of the μ = -1 angular flux to correctly compute the central flux and of having a difference approximation that ensures this central flux is the same for all directions. The behavior of the standard discrete ordinates equations in the diffusion limit is reviewed, and the linear and quadratic continuous approximations are shown to have the correct diffusion limit if an equal interval discrete quadrature is used.In all three test problems, the weighted diamond difference approximation has smaller maximum and average relative flux errors than the diamond or the linear continuous difference approximations. The quadratic continuous approximation and the linear discontinuous approximation are both more accurate than the other approximations, and the quadratic continuous approximation has a decided edge

A comparison of angular difference schemes for one-dimensional spherical geometry SN equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lathrop, K.D.

2000-01-01

To investigate errors caused by angular differencing in approximating the streaming terms of the transport equation, five different approximations are evaluated for three test problems in one-dimensional spherical geometry. The following schemes are compared: diamond, special truncation error minimizing weighted diamond, linear continuous (the original S N scheme), linear discontinuous, and new quadratic continuous. To isolate errors caused by angular differencing, the approximations are derived from the transport equation without spatial differencing, and the resulting coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are solved with an ODE solver. Results from the approximations are compared with analytic solutions derived for two-region purely absorbing spheres. Most of the approximations are derived by taking moments of the conservation form of the transport equation. The quadratic continuous approximation is derived taking the zeroth moment of both the transport equation and the first angular derivative of the transport equation. The advantages of this approach are described, In all of the approximations, the desirability is shown of using an initializing computation of the μ = -1 angular flux to correctly compute the central flux and of having a difference approximation that ensures this central flux is the same for all directions. The behavior of the standard discrete ordinates equations in the diffusion limit is reviewed, and the linear and quadratic continuous approximations are shown to have the correct diffusion limit if an equal interval discrete quadrature is used. In all three test problems, the weighted diamond difference approximation has smaller maximum and average relative flux errors than the diamond or the linear continuous difference approximations. The quadratic continuous approximation and the linear discontinuous approximation are both more accurate than the other approximations, and the quadratic continuous approximation has a decided edge

An Energy-Efficient Scheme for Multirelay Cooperative Networks with Energy Harvesting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dingcheng Yang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates an energy-efficient scheme in multirelay cooperative networks with energy harvesting where multiple sessions need to communicate with each other via the relay node. A two-step optimal method is proposed which maximizes the system energy efficiency, while taking into account the receiver circuit energy consumption. Firstly, the optimal power allocation for relay nodes is determined to maximize the system throughput; this is based on directional water-filling algorithm. Secondly, using quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO, a joint relay node selection and session grouping optimization is proposed. With this algorithm, sessions can be classified into multiple groups that are assisted by the specific relay node with the maximum energy efficiency. This approach leads to a better global optimization in searching ability and efficiency. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can improve the energy efficiency effectively compared with direct transmission and opportunistic relay-selected cooperative transmission.

On Performance Analysis of Protective Jamming Schemes in Wireless Sensor Networks

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Xuran Li

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks (WSNs play an important role in Cyber Physical Social Sensing (CPSS systems. An eavesdropping attack is one of the most serious threats to WSNs since it is a prerequisite for other malicious attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel anti-eavesdropping mechanism by introducing friendly jammers to wireless sensor networks (WSNs. In particular, we establish a theoretical framework to evaluate the eavesdropping risk of WSNs with friendly jammers and that of WSNs without jammers. Our theoretical model takes into account various channel conditions such as the path loss and Rayleigh fading, the placement schemes of jammers and the power controlling schemes of jammers. Extensive results show that using jammers in WSNs can effectively reduce the eavesdropping risk. Besides, our results also show that the appropriate placement of jammers and the proper assignment of emitting power of jammers can not only mitigate the eavesdropping risk but also may have no significant impairment to the legitimate communications.

A gas kinetic scheme for hybrid simulation of partially rarefied flows

Science.gov (United States)

Colonia, S.; Steijl, R.; Barakos, G.

2017-06-01

Approaches to predict flow fields that display rarefaction effects incur a cost in computational time and memory considerably higher than methods commonly employed for continuum flows. For this reason, to simulate flow fields where continuum and rarefied regimes coexist, hybrid techniques have been introduced. In the present work, analytically defined gas-kinetic schemes based on the Shakhov and Rykov models for monoatomic and diatomic gas flows, respectively, are proposed and evaluated with the aim to be used in the context of hybrid simulations. This should reduce the region where more expensive methods are needed by extending the validity of the continuum formulation. Moreover, since for high-speed rare¦ed gas flows it is necessary to take into account the nonequilibrium among the internal degrees of freedom, the extension of the approach to employ diatomic gas models including rotational relaxation process is a mandatory first step towards realistic simulations. Compared to previous works of Xu and coworkers, the presented scheme is de¦ned directly on the basis of kinetic models which involve a Prandtl number correction. Moreover, the methods are defined fully analytically instead of making use of Taylor expansion for the evaluation of the required derivatives. The scheme has been tested for various test cases and Mach numbers proving to produce reliable predictions in agreement with other approaches for near-continuum flows. Finally, the performance of the scheme, in terms of memory and computational time, compared to discrete velocity methods makes it a compelling alternative in place of more complex methods for hybrid simulations of weakly rarefied flows.

The Cannabis Infringement Notice scheme in Western Australia: a review of policy, police and judicial perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, Adam; Hawks, David

2005-07-01

Western Australia (WA) became the fourth Australian jurisdiction to adopt a 'prohibition with civil penalties scheme' for minor cannabis offences when its Cannabis Infringement Notice (CIN) scheme became law on 22 March 2004. This study examined the attitudes and practices of policy makers, members of the law enforcement and magistracy and other judicial sectors involved in enforcing the new scheme, and their views as to its likely impact on the drug market. As part of the pre--post evaluation of the legislative reforms a sample of 30 police, other criminal justice personnel and policy makers have been qualitatively interviewed. Data were collected both at the pre-implementation stage (March and June 2003) and shortly after the Act became operational (mid-June 2004). The Western Australia Police Service's implementation of the CIN scheme has been extremely professional. However, these early results suggest that while the CIN scheme has been designed to take into account problems with similar schemes elsewhere in Australia, possible problems include: some operational police being unsure about the operation of the scheme; expected savings in police resources will probably be reduced by procedures which require offenders to be taken back to the station rather than issue notices on the spot as intended by the scheme's architects; probable net widening; problems with exercise of police discretion to issue a CIN; and public misunderstanding of the scheme. In the early months of the scheme understanding of the new laws among both police and members of the public was far from perfect. For the system to achieve the outcomes intended by legislators, it is essential that levels of understanding improve. Media and other campaigns to inform the public that cannabis cultivation and use remain illegal, and to warn about risks associated with cannabis use, should be extended. As it will be at least 18 months before the scheme is operationally settled in, the media and others

CSR schemes in agribusiness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pötz, Katharina Anna; Haas, Rainer; Balzarova, Michaela

2013-01-01

of schemes that can be categorized on focus areas, scales, mechanisms, origins, types and commitment levels. Research limitations/implications – The findings contribute to conceptual and empirical research on existing models to compare and analyse CSR standards. Sampling technique and depth of analysis limit......Purpose – The rise of CSR followed a demand for CSR standards and guidelines. In a sector already characterized by a large number of standards, the authors seek to ask what CSR schemes apply to agribusiness, and how they can be systematically compared and analysed. Design....../methodology/approach – Following a deductive-inductive approach the authors develop a model to compare and analyse CSR schemes based on existing studies and on coding qualitative data on 216 CSR schemes. Findings – The authors confirm that CSR standards and guidelines have entered agribusiness and identify a complex landscape...

Deterministic multivalued logic scheme for information processing and routing in the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezrukov, Sergey M.; Kish, Laszlo B.

2009-01-01

Driven by analogies with state vectors of quantum informatics and noise-based logic, we propose a general scheme and elements of neural circuitry for processing and addressing information in the brain. Specifically, we consider random (e.g., Poissonian) trains of finite-duration spikes, and, using the idealized concepts of excitatory and inhibitory synapses, offer a procedure for generating 2 N -1 orthogonal vectors out of N partially overlapping trains ('neuro-bits'). We then show that these vectors can be used to construct 2 2 N -1 -1 different superpositions which represent the same number of logic values when carrying or routing information. In quantum informatics the above numbers are the same, however, the present logic scheme is more advantageous because it is deterministic in the sense that the presence of a vector in the spike train is detected by an appropriate coincidence circuit. For this reason it does not require time averaging or repeated measurements of the kind used in standard cross-correlation analysis or in quantum computing.

Deterministic multivalued logic scheme for information processing and routing in the brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bezrukov, Sergey M. [Laboratory of Physical and Structural Biology, Program in Physical Biology, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Kish, Laszlo B., E-mail: laszlo.kish@ece.tamu.ed [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A and M University, Mailstop 3128, College Station, 77843-3128 TX (United States)

2009-06-22

Driven by analogies with state vectors of quantum informatics and noise-based logic, we propose a general scheme and elements of neural circuitry for processing and addressing information in the brain. Specifically, we consider random (e.g., Poissonian) trains of finite-duration spikes, and, using the idealized concepts of excitatory and inhibitory synapses, offer a procedure for generating 2{sup N}-1 orthogonal vectors out of N partially overlapping trains ('neuro-bits'). We then show that these vectors can be used to construct 2{sup 2N-1}-1 different superpositions which represent the same number of logic values when carrying or routing information. In quantum informatics the above numbers are the same, however, the present logic scheme is more advantageous because it is deterministic in the sense that the presence of a vector in the spike train is detected by an appropriate coincidence circuit. For this reason it does not require time averaging or repeated measurements of the kind used in standard cross-correlation analysis or in quantum computing.

Threshold Signature Schemes Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasiya Victorovna Beresneva

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This work is devoted to an investigation of threshold signature schemes. The systematization of the threshold signature schemes was done, cryptographic constructions based on interpolation Lagrange polynomial, elliptic curves and bilinear pairings were examined. Different methods of generation and verification of threshold signatures were explored, the availability of practical usage of threshold schemes in mobile agents, Internet banking and e-currency was shown. The topics of further investigation were given and it could reduce a level of counterfeit electronic documents signed by a group of users.

A Spatial Domain Quantum Watermarking Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Zhan-Hong; Chen Xiu-Bo; Niu Xin-Xin; Yang Yi-Xian; Xu Shu-Jiang

2016-01-01

This paper presents a spatial domain quantum watermarking scheme. For a quantum watermarking scheme, a feasible quantum circuit is a key to achieve it. This paper gives a feasible quantum circuit for the presented scheme. In order to give the quantum circuit, a new quantum multi-control rotation gate, which can be achieved with quantum basic gates, is designed. With this quantum circuit, our scheme can arbitrarily control the embedding position of watermark images on carrier images with the aid of auxiliary qubits. Besides reversely acting the given quantum circuit, the paper gives another watermark extracting algorithm based on quantum measurements. Moreover, this paper also gives a new quantum image scrambling method and its quantum circuit. Differ from other quantum watermarking schemes, all given quantum circuits can be implemented with basic quantum gates. Moreover, the scheme is a spatial domain watermarking scheme, and is not based on any transform algorithm on quantum images. Meanwhile, it can make sure the watermark be secure even though the watermark has been found. With the given quantum circuit, this paper implements simulation experiments for the presented scheme. The experimental result shows that the scheme does well in the visual quality and the embedding capacity. (paper)

Performance Analyses and Improvements for the IEEE 802.15.4 CSMA/CA Scheme with Heterogeneous Buffered Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunfeng Lv

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Studies of the IEEE 802.15.4 Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA scheme have been received considerable attention recently, with most of these studies focusing on homogeneous or saturated traffic. Two novel transmission schemes—OSTS/BSTS (One Service a Time Scheme/Bulk Service a Time Scheme—are proposed in this paper to improve the behaviors of time-critical buffered networks with heterogeneous unsaturated traffic. First, we propose a model which contains two modified semi-Markov chains and a macro-Markov chain combined with the theory of M/G/1/K queues to evaluate the characteristics of these two improved CSMA/CA schemes, in which traffic arrivals and accessing packets are bestowed with non-preemptive priority over each other, instead of prioritization. Then, throughput, packet delay and energy consumption of unsaturated, unacknowledged IEEE 802.15.4 beacon-enabled networks are predicted based on the overall point of view which takes the dependent interactions of different types of nodes into account. Moreover, performance comparisons of these two schemes with other non-priority schemes are also proposed. Analysis and simulation results show that delay and fairness of our schemes are superior to those of other schemes, while throughput and energy efficiency are superior to others in more heterogeneous situations. Comprehensive simulations demonstrate that the analysis results of these models match well with the simulation results.

Comparison of different interpolation operators including nonlinear subdivision schemes in the simulation of particle trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bensiali, Bouchra; Bodi, Kowsik; Ciraolo, Guido; Ghendrih, Philippe; Liandrat, Jacques

2013-01-01

In this work, we compare different interpolation operators in the context of particle tracking with an emphasis on situations involving velocity field with steep gradients. Since, in this case, most classical methods give rise to the Gibbs phenomenon (generation of oscillations near discontinuities), we present new methods for particle tracking based on subdivision schemes and especially on the Piecewise Parabolic Harmonic (PPH) scheme which has shown its advantage in image processing in presence of strong contrasts. First an analytic univariate case with a discontinuous velocity field is considered in order to highlight the effect of the Gibbs phenomenon on trajectory calculation. Theoretical results are provided. Then, we show, regardless of the interpolation method, the need to use a conservative approach when integrating a conservative problem with a velocity field deriving from a potential. Finally, the PPH scheme is applied in a more realistic case of a time-dependent potential encountered in the edge turbulence of magnetically confined plasmas, to compare the propagation of density structures (turbulence bursts) with the dynamics of test particles. This study highlights the difference between particle transport and density transport in turbulent fields

Competitive advantage and corporate communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitić Sanja

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Strategic importance of corporate communications and its role in the development of competitive advantage has attracted interest of numerous researchers in the fields of organization, management, marketing and public relations. Recent studies particularly emphasise the growing importance of soft factors, such as reputation in the development of competitive advantage. Concept of reputation is strongly connected with stakeholder theory, which stresses the importance of corporate communications for competitive advantage of firms. The paper focuses on competitive advantage and the link among strategy, reputation and corporate communications.

Blind cooperative diversity using distributed space-time coding in block fading channels

KAUST Repository

Tourki, Kamel; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Deneire, Luc

2010-01-01

Mobile users with single antennas can still take advantage of spatial diversity through cooperative space-time encoded transmission. In this paper, we consider a scheme in which a relay chooses to cooperate only if its source-relay channel

Energy Aware Cluster Based Routing Scheme For Wireless Sensor Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy Sohini

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Network (WSN has emerged as an important supplement to the modern wireless communication systems due to its wide range of applications. The recent researches are facing the various challenges of the sensor network more gracefully. However, energy efficiency has still remained a matter of concern for the researches. Meeting the countless security needs, timely data delivery and taking a quick action, efficient route selection and multi-path routing etc. can only be achieved at the cost of energy. Hierarchical routing is more useful in this regard. The proposed algorithm Energy Aware Cluster Based Routing Scheme (EACBRS aims at conserving energy with the help of hierarchical routing by calculating the optimum number of cluster heads for the network, selecting energy-efficient route to the sink and by offering congestion control. Simulation results prove that EACBRS performs better than existing hierarchical routing algorithms like Distributed Energy-Efficient Clustering (DEEC algorithm for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and Energy Efficient Heterogeneous Clustered scheme for Wireless Sensor Network (EEHC.

Study on Noise Prediction Model and Control Schemes for Substation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Liu, Songtao

2014-01-01

With the government's emphasis on environmental issues of power transmission and transformation project, noise pollution has become a prominent problem now. The noise from the working transformer, reactor, and other electrical equipment in the substation will bring negative effect to the ambient environment. This paper focuses on using acoustic software for the simulation and calculation method to control substation noise. According to the characteristics of the substation noise and the techniques of noise reduction, a substation's acoustic field model was established with the SoundPLAN software to predict the scope of substation noise. On this basis, 4 reasonable noise control schemes were advanced to provide some helpful references for noise control during the new substation's design and construction process. And the feasibility and application effect of these control schemes can be verified by using the method of simulation modeling. The simulation results show that the substation always has the problem of excessive noise at boundary under the conventional measures. The excess noise can be efficiently reduced by taking the corresponding noise reduction methods. PMID:24672356

Labeling schemes for bounded degree graphs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adjiashvili, David; Rotbart, Noy Galil

2014-01-01

We investigate adjacency labeling schemes for graphs of bounded degree Δ = O(1). In particular, we present an optimal (up to an additive constant) log n + O(1) adjacency labeling scheme for bounded degree trees. The latter scheme is derived from a labeling scheme for bounded degree outerplanar...... graphs. Our results complement a similar bound recently obtained for bounded depth trees [Fraigniaud and Korman, SODA 2010], and may provide new insights for closing the long standing gap for adjacency in trees [Alstrup and Rauhe, FOCS 2002]. We also provide improved labeling schemes for bounded degree...

Redundancy scheme for multi-layered accelerator control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauhan, Amit; Fatnani, Pravin

2009-01-01

The control system for SRS Indus-2 has three-layered architecture. There are VMEbus based stations at the lower two layers that are controlled by their respective CPU board. The 'Profibus' fieldbus standard is used for communication between these VME stations distributed in the field. There is a Profibus controller board at each station to implement the communication protocol. The mode of communication is master-slave (command-response) type. This paper proposes a scheme to implement redundancy at the lower two layers namely Layer-2 (Supervisory Layer / Profibus-master) and Layer-3 (Equipment Unit Interface Layer / Profibus-slave). The redundancy is for both the CPU and the communication board. The scheme uses two CPU boards and two Profi controller boards at each L-3 station. This helps in decreasing any downtime resulting either from CPU faults or communication board faults that are placed in the field area. Redundancy of Profi boards provides two active communication channels between the stations that can be used in different ways thereby increasing the availability on a communication link. Redundancy of CPU boards provides certain level of auto fault-recovery as one CPU remains active and the other CPU remains in standby mode, which takes over the control of VMEbus in case of any fault in the main CPU. (author)

An Adaptive Ship Detection Scheme for Spaceborne SAR Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangguang Leng

2016-08-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR and the increasing need of ship detection, research on adaptive ship detection in spaceborne SAR imagery is of great importance. Focusing on practical problems of ship detection, this paper presents a highly adaptive ship detection scheme for spaceborne SAR imagery. It is able to process a wide range of sensors, imaging modes and resolutions. Two main stages are identified in this paper, namely: ship candidate detection and ship discrimination. Firstly, this paper proposes an adaptive land masking method using ship size and pixel size. Secondly, taking into account the imaging mode, incidence angle, and polarization channel of SAR imagery, it implements adaptive ship candidate detection in spaceborne SAR imagery by applying different strategies to different resolution SAR images. Finally, aiming at different types of typical false alarms, this paper proposes a comprehensive ship discrimination method in spaceborne SAR imagery based on confidence level and complexity analysis. Experimental results based on RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, TerraSAR-X, RS-1, and RS-3 images demonstrate that the adaptive scheme proposed in this paper is able to detect ship targets in a fast, efficient and robust way.

Multiresolution signal decomposition schemes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Goutsias (John); H.J.A.M. Heijmans (Henk)

1998-01-01

textabstract[PNA-R9810] Interest in multiresolution techniques for signal processing and analysis is increasing steadily. An important instance of such a technique is the so-called pyramid decomposition scheme. This report proposes a general axiomatic pyramid decomposition scheme for signal analysis

A family of high-order gas-kinetic schemes and its comparison with Riemann solver based high-order methods

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Xing; Zhao, Fengxiang; Shyy, Wei; Xu, Kun

2018-03-01

Most high order computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for compressible flows are based on Riemann solver for the flux evaluation and Runge-Kutta (RK) time stepping technique for temporal accuracy. The advantage of this kind of space-time separation approach is the easy implementation and stability enhancement by introducing more middle stages. However, the nth-order time accuracy needs no less than n stages for the RK method, which can be very time and memory consuming due to the reconstruction at each stage for a high order method. On the other hand, the multi-stage multi-derivative (MSMD) method can be used to achieve the same order of time accuracy using less middle stages with the use of the time derivatives of the flux function. For traditional Riemann solver based CFD methods, the lack of time derivatives in the flux function prevents its direct implementation of the MSMD method. However, the gas kinetic scheme (GKS) provides such a time accurate evolution model. By combining the second-order or third-order GKS flux functions with the MSMD technique, a family of high order gas kinetic methods can be constructed. As an extension of the previous 2-stage 4th-order GKS, the 5th-order schemes with 2 and 3 stages will be developed in this paper. Based on the same 5th-order WENO reconstruction, the performance of gas kinetic schemes from the 2nd- to the 5th-order time accurate methods will be evaluated. The results show that the 5th-order scheme can achieve the theoretical order of accuracy for the Euler equations, and present accurate Navier-Stokes solutions as well due to the coupling of inviscid and viscous terms in the GKS formulation. In comparison with Riemann solver based 5th-order RK method, the high order GKS has advantages in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and robustness, for all test cases. The 4th- and 5th-order GKS have the same robustness as the 2nd-order scheme for the capturing of discontinuous solutions. The current high order MSMD GKS is a

The environmental advantage in the competitive equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horst, T.J.; Blake, E.T.

1992-01-01

The role of environmental issues in the utility business has undergone a dramatic transition in the past few years and this new role is the basis for new definitions and new responses. Policies or products that protect the environment are now an advantage to those companies that properly capture environmental issues in their strategic planning process. This paper will focus on the underpinnings of this shift in the role of environmental protection in business and go beyond the issues of today to suggest some paradigms for the future. The current status of environmental concern is evident in the time and resources committed to environmental protection. Public officials take more proactive environmental positions; Corporations recognize environmental values in competitive equation; Citizens express willingness to pay for environmentally responsible services and products; Environmental issues tie business to the community; and Environmental planning tradeoffs are becoming more complex

Tabled Execution in Scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Willcock, J J; Lumsdaine, A; Quinlan, D J

2008-08-19

Tabled execution is a generalization of memorization developed by the logic programming community. It not only saves results from tabled predicates, but also stores the set of currently active calls to them; tabled execution can thus provide meaningful semantics for programs that seemingly contain infinite recursions with the same arguments. In logic programming, tabled execution is used for many purposes, both for improving the efficiency of programs, and making tasks simpler and more direct to express than with normal logic programs. However, tabled execution is only infrequently applied in mainstream functional languages such as Scheme. We demonstrate an elegant implementation of tabled execution in Scheme, using a mix of continuation-passing style and mutable data. We also show the use of tabled execution in Scheme for a problem in formal language and automata theory, demonstrating that tabled execution can be a valuable tool for Scheme users.

Optimal Face-Iris Multimodal Fusion Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omid Sharifi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Multimodal biometric systems are considered a way to minimize the limitations raised by single traits. This paper proposes new schemes based on score level, feature level and decision level fusion to efficiently fuse face and iris modalities. Log-Gabor transformation is applied as the feature extraction method on face and iris modalities. At each level of fusion, different schemes are proposed to improve the recognition performance and, finally, a combination of schemes at different fusion levels constructs an optimized and robust scheme. In this study, CASIA Iris Distance database is used to examine the robustness of all unimodal and multimodal schemes. In addition, Backtracking Search Algorithm (BSA, a novel population-based iterative evolutionary algorithm, is applied to improve the recognition accuracy of schemes by reducing the number of features and selecting the optimized weights for feature level and score level fusion, respectively. Experimental results on verification rates demonstrate a significant improvement of proposed fusion schemes over unimodal and multimodal fusion methods.

Design and Implementation of a Chaotic Scheme in Additive White Gaussian Noise Channel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nizar Al Bassam

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A new chaotic scheme named Flipped Chaotic On-Off Keying (FCOOK is proposed for binary transmission. In FCOOK, the low correlation value between the stationary signal and its mirrored version is utilized. Transmitted signal for binary 1 is a chaotic segment added to its time flipped (mirrored version within one bit duration, while in binary 0, no transmission takes place within the same bit duration. The proposed scheme is compared with the standard chaotic systems: Differential Chaos Shift Keying (DCSK and Correlation Delay Shift Keying (CDSK. The Bit Error Rate (BER of FCOOK is studied analytically based on Gaussian approximation method. Results show that the BER performance of FCOOK outperforms DCSK and CDSK in AWGN channel environment and with various Eb/No levels. Additionally, FCOOK offers a double bit rate compared with the standard DCSK.

Spatial filtering velocimetry revisited: exact short-time detecting schemes from arbitrarily small-size reticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, S; Nara, T; Kurihara, T

2014-01-01

Spatial filtering velocimetry was proposed in 1963 by Ator as a velocity-sensing technique for aerial camera-control systems. The total intensity of a moving surface is observed through a set of parallel-slit reticles, resulting in a narrow-band temporal signal whose frequency is directly proportional to the image velocity. However, even despite its historical importance and inherent technical advantages, the mathematical formulation of this technique is only valid when infinite-length observation in both space and time is possible, which causes significant errors in most applications where a small receptive window and high resolution in both axes are desired. In this study, we apply a novel mathematical technique, the weighted integral method, to solve this problem, and obtain exact sensing schemes and algorithms for finite (arbitrarily small but non-zero) size reticles and short-time estimation. Practical considerations for utilizing these schemes are also explored both theoretically and experimentally. (paper)

Financing wind plants, taking leasing into special account

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veltrup, M.

1993-01-01

Leasing cannot be managed without a special sort of external financing of wind power plants. Specifically for wind energy, it was found from an investigation of less than a year that an intended erection of a wind power plant should be carried out in the months of September or October, so that the autumn and winter months rich in energy can be used. For the erection of small wind power plants, it was found that taking advantage of the Investment Cost Grant is more sensible than the Operating Cost Grant. (orig./HW) [de

Sunoco takes energy marketing initiative to the Web

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2000-01-01

Natural gas customers can now take advantage of two new program on Sunoco's Internet site which will deliver package savings on gasoline and heating bills. In addition, when the Ontario power market opens to retail competition, consumers will have the opportunity to save on their electricity requirements. The web site at www.sunoco.ca will offer instant discounts on gasoline and on-line purchases via the new Affinity Card and Web Gas program. Sunoco's web site also gives customers the opportunity to buy natural gas from Sunoco at three-year locked in prices

Gaining Relational Competitive Advantages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Yimei; Zhang, Si; Li, Jizhen

2015-01-01

Establishing strategic technological partnerships (STPs) with foreign partners is an increasingly studied topic within the innovation management literature. Partnering firms can jointly create sources of relational competitive advantage. Chinese firms often lack research and development (R......&D) capabilities but are increasingly becoming preferred technological partners for transnational corporations. We investigate an STP between a Scandinavian and a Chinese firm and try to explore how to gain relational competitive advantage by focusing on its two essential stages: relational rent generation...... and appropriation. Based on an explorative case study, we develop a conceptual framework that consists of process, organizational alliance factors, and coordination modes that we propose lead to relational competitive advantage....

Adaptive Protection Scheme for a Distribution System Considering Grid-Connected and Islanded Modes of Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yavuz Ates

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The renewable energy-based distributed generation (DG implementation in power systems has been an active research area during the last few decades due to several environmental, economic and political factors. Although the integration of DG offers many advantages, several concerns, including protection schemes in systems with the possibility of bi-directional power flow, are raised. Thus, new protection schemes are strongly required in power systems with a significant presence of DG. In this study, an adaptive protection strategy for a distribution system with DG integration is proposed. The proposed strategy considers both grid-connected and islanded operating modes, while the adaptive operation of the protection is dynamically realized considering the availability of DG power production (related to faults or meteorological conditions in each time step. Besides, the modular structure and fast response of the proposed strategy is validated via simulations conducted on the IEEE 13-node test system.

A parallel 3-D discrete wavelet transform architecture using pipelined lifting scheme approach for video coding

Science.gov (United States)

Hegde, Ganapathi; Vaya, Pukhraj

2013-10-01

This article presents a parallel architecture for 3-D discrete wavelet transform (3-DDWT). The proposed design is based on the 1-D pipelined lifting scheme. The architecture is fully scalable beyond the present coherent Daubechies filter bank (9, 7). This 3-DDWT architecture has advantages such as no group of pictures restriction and reduced memory referencing. It offers low power consumption, low latency and high throughput. The computing technique is based on the concept that lifting scheme minimises the storage requirement. The application specific integrated circuit implementation of the proposed architecture is done by synthesising it using 65 nm Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company standard cell library. It offers a speed of 486 MHz with a power consumption of 2.56 mW. This architecture is suitable for real-time video compression even with large frame dimensions.

Autonomy and Financial Sources, Key Factors in the Performance of Health Insurance Scheme: Case of Albania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enkelejda Avdi

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Autonomy of public health insurance scheme comprises political, financial, organizational, normative and contractual aspects. The paper analyses the role and position of a health insurance scheme (HIS within the overall healthcare system in Albania, the relationship to all other institutions, stakeholders and actors. By analyesing published literature and collected data through secondary sources, the paper focuses on financial autonomy, which refers first of all to a certain level of budgetary independence regarding source generation and spending on health services. For assuring effective and efficient performance of the single payer for health care services in Albania, need effective changes in the legislation do take into account the various levels of autonomy mentioned above.

Disease Recording Systems and Herd Health Schemes for Production Diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Østerås O

2001-03-01

Full Text Available Disease recording of cattle is compulsory in Sweden and Norway. Sweden and Denmark also have mandatory disease recording for swine, whereas Finland and Norway only have compulsory recording of infectious diseases. Both compulsory and voluntary systems are databased, the first ones developed in the 1970's. Disease recording at pig slaughtering is somewhat older. The veterinary practitioner, and often also the farmer, can report treated cases as well as fertility disturbances to the systems. Disease recording at slaughter is carried out by veterinarians and inspection officers. The databases are handled by the veterinary authorities or the agricultural organisations in each country. Costs are defrayed by the authorities and/or the agricultural industry. The farmers receive periodic reports. Data are stored for three to ten years, often longer. Affiliation to animal health schemes for cattle or swine is voluntary. In Sweden and Denmark (cattle they are run within the scope of government regulations. Affiliation to animal health programmes may also be demanded by organisations within the agricultural industry. These organisations are also responsible for the administration of the programmes. Costs to take part in herd health schemes are covered by the farmers themselves. In certain cases, grants are received from agricultural organisations, authorities, or the European Union. Recording of diseases and the format of animal health schemes in the Nordic countries are described here in order to illustrate the possibilities to compare data between countries.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PRUNEA Ana Daniela

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Rapid changes in market characteristics and the technological innovations are common and faster challenges, resulting in products, processes and technologies. The competitive advantage is volatile, difficult to obtain and more difficult to maintain and strengthened with consumers who through their individual choices polarization confirms the recognition performance and award competitive advantages, thus causing the competitive ranking of companies present in a particular market. The competitive advantage lies in the focus of the performance of companies in competitive markets and innovation is a source for obtaining and consolidating it. Companies will need to demonstrate the capacity to adapt to changes in the business environment so as to maintain the helded positions. This paper treats this aspect behavior that companies should adopt to get on the account of innovation a sustainable competitive advantage. I started of the work in the elaboration from the theory of developed by Michael Porter in his book "Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance" we applied methods listed thus trying to point out possible ways of creating competitive advantage by companies. We have presented the sources of competitive advantage and the factors on which depends its creation. Walking theoretical research revealed how lack of competitive advantage leads to a lack of competitiveness of companies and the benefits that arise with the creation of this type of asset. Among the most important benefits is to increase performances. Once the competitive advantage is achieved, it must be maintained and updated market conditions and the methods that can be created a sustainable competitive advantage represent the answers to many of the companies questions are fighting for survival in an environment of fierce competition. The implementation of methods for obtaining competitive advantages, but also exist dangers, that every company should know them

Entrapment and Enmeshment Schemes Used by Sex Traffickers.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Joan A

2016-09-01

Emerging research suggests that sex traffickers/pimps control the majority of trafficked girls in the United States. The youthfulness of these victims and their lack of psychosocial maturity severely diminish their ability to detect exploitative motives or withstand manipulation of traffickers. A review of 43 cases of sexually exploited girls involving non-relative traffickers and 10 semi-structured interviews with social service providers revealed numerous scripts and schemes used by sex traffickers to entrap and entangle victims including boyfriend/lover scripts, ruses involving debt bondage, friendship or faux-family scripts, threats of forced abortion or to take away children, and coerced co-offending. These findings inform potential prevention efforts and highlight the need for multi-systemic, victim-centered approaches to intervention. © The Author(s) 2014.

A rainfall disaggregation scheme for sub-hourly time scales: Coupling a Bartlett-Lewis based model with adjusting procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Kossieris, Panagiotis; Makropoulos, Christos; Onof, Christian; Koutsoyiannis, Demetris

2018-01-01

Many hydrological applications, such as flood studies, require the use of long rainfall data at fine time scales varying from daily down to 1 min time step. However, in the real world there is limited availability of data at sub-hourly scales. To cope with this issue, stochastic disaggregation techniques are typically employed to produce possible, statistically consistent, rainfall events that aggregate up to the field data collected at coarser scales. A methodology for the stochastic disaggregation of rainfall at fine time scales was recently introduced, combining the Bartlett-Lewis process to generate rainfall events along with adjusting procedures to modify the lower-level variables (i.e., hourly) so as to be consistent with the higher-level one (i.e., daily). In the present paper, we extend the aforementioned scheme, initially designed and tested for the disaggregation of daily rainfall into hourly depths, for any sub-hourly time scale. In addition, we take advantage of the recent developments in Poisson-cluster processes incorporating in the methodology a Bartlett-Lewis model variant that introduces dependence between cell intensity and duration in order to capture the variability of rainfall at sub-hourly time scales. The disaggregation scheme is implemented in an R package, named HyetosMinute, to support disaggregation from daily down to 1-min time scale. The applicability of the methodology was assessed on a 5-min rainfall records collected in Bochum, Germany, comparing the performance of the above mentioned model variant against the original Bartlett-Lewis process (non-random with 5 parameters). The analysis shows that the disaggregation process reproduces adequately the most important statistical characteristics of rainfall at wide range of time scales, while the introduction of the model with dependent intensity-duration results in a better performance in terms of skewness, rainfall extremes and dry proportions.

Strategic advantages of high-rise construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaskova Natalya

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Traditional methods to assess the competitiveness of different types of real estate in the context of huge changes of new technological way of life don’t provide building solutions that would be correct from a strategic perspective. There are many challenges due to changes in the consumers’ behavior in the housing area. A multiplicity of life models, a variety of opportunities and priorities, traditions and new trends in construction should be assessed in terms of prospective benefits in the environment of the emerging new world order. At the same time, the mane discourse of high-rise construction mainly relates to its design features, technical innovations, and architectural accents. We need to clarify the criteria for economic evaluation of high-rise construction in order to provide decisions with clear and quantifiable contexts. The suggested approach to assessing the strategic advantage of high-rise construction and the prospects for capitalization of high-rise buildings poses new challenges for the economy to identify adequate quantitative assessment methods of the high-rise buildings economic efficiency, taking into account all stages of their life cycle.

Strategic advantages of high-rise construction

Science.gov (United States)

Yaskova, Natalya

2018-03-01

Traditional methods to assess the competitiveness of different types of real estate in the context of huge changes of new technological way of life don't provide building solutions that would be correct from a strategic perspective. There are many challenges due to changes in the consumers' behavior in the housing area. A multiplicity of life models, a variety of opportunities and priorities, traditions and new trends in construction should be assessed in terms of prospective benefits in the environment of the emerging new world order. At the same time, the mane discourse of high-rise construction mainly relates to its design features, technical innovations, and architectural accents. We need to clarify the criteria for economic evaluation of high-rise construction in order to provide decisions with clear and quantifiable contexts. The suggested approach to assessing the strategic advantage of high-rise construction and the prospects for capitalization of high-rise buildings poses new challenges for the economy to identify adequate quantitative assessment methods of the high-rise buildings economic efficiency, taking into account all stages of their life cycle.

Multiuser switched diversity scheduling schemes

KAUST Repository

Shaqfeh, Mohammad; Alnuweiri, Hussein M.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2012-01-01

Multiuser switched-diversity scheduling schemes were recently proposed in order to overcome the heavy feedback requirements of conventional opportunistic scheduling schemes by applying a threshold-based, distributed, and ordered scheduling mechanism. The main idea behind these schemes is that slight reduction in the prospected multiuser diversity gains is an acceptable trade-off for great savings in terms of required channel-state-information feedback messages. In this work, we characterize the achievable rate region of multiuser switched diversity systems and compare it with the rate region of full feedback multiuser diversity systems. We propose also a novel proportional fair multiuser switched-based scheduling scheme and we demonstrate that it can be optimized using a practical and distributed method to obtain the feedback thresholds. We finally demonstrate by numerical examples that switched-diversity scheduling schemes operate within 0.3 bits/sec/Hz from the ultimate network capacity of full feedback systems in Rayleigh fading conditions. © 2012 IEEE.

Short-Term Saved Leave Scheme

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

As announced at the meeting of the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) on 26 June 2007 and in http://Bulletin No. 28/2007, the existing Saved Leave Scheme will be discontinued as of 31 December 2007. Staff participating in the Scheme will shortly receive a contract amendment stipulating the end of financial contributions compensated by save leave. Leave already accumulated on saved leave accounts can continue to be taken in accordance with the rules applicable to the current scheme. A new system of saved leave will enter into force on 1 January 2008 and will be the subject of a new implementation procedure entitled "Short-term saved leave scheme" dated 1 January 2008. At its meeting on 4 December 2007, the SCC agreed to recommend the Director-General to approve this procedure, which can be consulted on the HR Department’s website at the following address: https://cern.ch/hr-services/services-Ben/sls_shortterm.asp All staff wishing to participate in the new scheme a...

Short-Term Saved Leave Scheme

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2007-01-01

As announced at the meeting of the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) on 26 June 2007 and in http://Bulletin No. 28/2007, the existing Saved Leave Scheme will be discontinued as of 31 December 2007. Staff participating in the Scheme will shortly receive a contract amendment stipulating the end of financial contributions compensated by save leave. Leave already accumulated on saved leave accounts can continue to be taken in accordance with the rules applicable to the current scheme. A new system of saved leave will enter into force on 1 January 2008 and will be the subject of a new im-plementation procedure entitled "Short-term saved leave scheme" dated 1 January 2008. At its meeting on 4 December 2007, the SCC agreed to recommend the Director-General to approve this procedure, which can be consulted on the HR Department’s website at the following address: https://cern.ch/hr-services/services-Ben/sls_shortterm.asp All staff wishing to participate in the new scheme ...

Multiuser switched diversity scheduling schemes

KAUST Repository

Shaqfeh, Mohammad

2012-09-01

Multiuser switched-diversity scheduling schemes were recently proposed in order to overcome the heavy feedback requirements of conventional opportunistic scheduling schemes by applying a threshold-based, distributed, and ordered scheduling mechanism. The main idea behind these schemes is that slight reduction in the prospected multiuser diversity gains is an acceptable trade-off for great savings in terms of required channel-state-information feedback messages. In this work, we characterize the achievable rate region of multiuser switched diversity systems and compare it with the rate region of full feedback multiuser diversity systems. We propose also a novel proportional fair multiuser switched-based scheduling scheme and we demonstrate that it can be optimized using a practical and distributed method to obtain the feedback thresholds. We finally demonstrate by numerical examples that switched-diversity scheduling schemes operate within 0.3 bits/sec/Hz from the ultimate network capacity of full feedback systems in Rayleigh fading conditions. © 2012 IEEE.

Analytical scheme for group separation of the lanthanides from biological materials before their determination by Neutron Activation Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danko, B.; Samczynski, Z.; Dybczynski, R.

2006-01-01

The analytical procedure for the selective and quantitative isolation of the lanthanides as a group from biological materials has been developed on the basis of experiments with radio-tracers. Ion exchange and extraction column chromatography were used for the isolation of elements of interest from matrix and the other trace elements prior to irradiation in a nuclear reactor. The method enables quantitative separation of the lanthanide fraction, free from highly activating macro components, as well as from other trace elements including uranium, which can be the source of serious errors due to uranium 235 U fission reaction (n,f). In order to minimize the potential spectrometric interferences lanthanide fraction after neutron irradiation was divided into two sub-fractions, taking advantage of the different anion exchange affinities of individual lanthanide complexes with EDTA to strongly basic anion exchanger. The effective microwave digestion procedures for ca 500 mg biological samples was elaborated and the new, original method for checking the yield of the entire analytical procedure - including mineralization of the sample - was applied. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) of BCR 670 Aquatic Plant ? one of the only two CRMs of biological origin available on the market, which offers the certified values for all lanthanides was used for verification of performance of the proposed analytical scheme. (authors)

Numerical schemes for explosion hazards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Therme, Nicolas

2015-01-01

In nuclear facilities, internal or external explosions can cause confinement breaches and radioactive materials release in the environment. Hence, modeling such phenomena is crucial for safety matters. Blast waves resulting from explosions are modeled by the system of Euler equations for compressible flows, whereas Navier-Stokes equations with reactive source terms and level set techniques are used to simulate the propagation of flame front during the deflagration phase. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the creation of efficient numerical schemes to solve these complex models. The work presented here focuses on two major aspects: first, the development of consistent schemes for the Euler equations, then the buildup of reliable schemes for the front propagation. In both cases, explicit in time schemes are used, but we also introduce a pressure correction scheme for the Euler equations. Staggered discretization is used in space. It is based on the internal energy formulation of the Euler system, which insures its positivity and avoids tedious discretization of the total energy over staggered grids. A discrete kinetic energy balance is derived from the scheme and a source term is added in the discrete internal energy balance equation to preserve the exact total energy balance at the limit. High order methods of MUSCL type are used in the discrete convective operators, based solely on material velocity. They lead to positivity of density and internal energy under CFL conditions. This ensures that the total energy cannot grow and we can furthermore derive a discrete entropy inequality. Under stability assumptions of the discrete L8 and BV norms of the scheme's solutions one can prove that a sequence of converging discrete solutions necessarily converges towards the weak solution of the Euler system. Besides it satisfies a weak entropy inequality at the limit. Concerning the front propagation, we transform the flame front evolution equation (the so called

Compact Spreader Schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Placidi, M.; Jung, J. -Y.; Ratti, A.; Sun, C.

2014-07-25

This paper describes beam distribution schemes adopting a novel implementation based on low amplitude vertical deflections combined with horizontal ones generated by Lambertson-type septum magnets. This scheme offers substantial compactness in the longitudinal layouts of the beam lines and increased flexibility for beam delivery of multiple beam lines on a shot-to-shot basis. Fast kickers (FK) or transverse electric field RF Deflectors (RFD) provide the low amplitude deflections. Initially proposed at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) as tools for beam diagnostics and more recently adopted for multiline beam pattern schemes, RFDs offer repetition capabilities and a likely better amplitude reproducibility when compared to FKs, which, in turn, offer more modest financial involvements both in construction and operation. Both solutions represent an ideal approach for the design of compact beam distribution systems resulting in space and cost savings while preserving flexibility and beam quality.

Quantum signature scheme for known quantum messages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Taewan; Lee, Hyang-Sook

2015-01-01

When we want to sign a quantum message that we create, we can use arbitrated quantum signature schemes which are possible to sign for not only known quantum messages but also unknown quantum messages. However, since the arbitrated quantum signature schemes need the help of a trusted arbitrator in each verification of the signature, it is known that the schemes are not convenient in practical use. If we consider only known quantum messages such as the above situation, there can exist a quantum signature scheme with more efficient structure. In this paper, we present a new quantum signature scheme for known quantum messages without the help of an arbitrator. Differing from arbitrated quantum signature schemes based on the quantum one-time pad with the symmetric key, since our scheme is based on quantum public-key cryptosystems, the validity of the signature can be verified by a receiver without the help of an arbitrator. Moreover, we show that our scheme provides the functions of quantum message integrity, user authentication and non-repudiation of the origin as in digital signature schemes. (paper)

Two-level schemes for the advection equation

Science.gov (United States)

Vabishchevich, Petr N.

2018-06-01

The advection equation is the basis for mathematical models of continuum mechanics. In the approximate solution of nonstationary problems it is necessary to inherit main properties of the conservatism and monotonicity of the solution. In this paper, the advection equation is written in the symmetric form, where the advection operator is the half-sum of advection operators in conservative (divergent) and non-conservative (characteristic) forms. The advection operator is skew-symmetric. Standard finite element approximations in space are used. The standard explicit two-level scheme for the advection equation is absolutely unstable. New conditionally stable regularized schemes are constructed, on the basis of the general theory of stability (well-posedness) of operator-difference schemes, the stability conditions of the explicit Lax-Wendroff scheme are established. Unconditionally stable and conservative schemes are implicit schemes of the second (Crank-Nicolson scheme) and fourth order. The conditionally stable implicit Lax-Wendroff scheme is constructed. The accuracy of the investigated explicit and implicit two-level schemes for an approximate solution of the advection equation is illustrated by the numerical results of a model two-dimensional problem.

Towards a sustainable community database: taking advantage of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aimed to assess whether the magnitude of possession and retention of RTH cards is adequate to serve as a community database for monitoring and evaluating health interventions targeting under fives. ... database. This paper discusses some of the strategies to increase retention of the cards by caretakers.

TAKING ADVANTAGES OF KAIZEN TO IMPROVE LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Kostenko

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The paper encapsulates the essence of kaizen system, its main elements and the possibility of use it in enhancing labour productivity. The study examines a specific of kaizen implementation in Japan, the U.S. and Europe as well as in Ukraine and Russia. The comparative analysis of traditional and kaizen management is presented.

Optimal Sales Schemes for Network Goods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parakhonyak, Alexei; Vikander, Nick

consumers simultaneously, serve them all sequentially, or employ any intermediate scheme. We show that the optimal sales scheme is purely sequential, where each consumer observes all previous sales before choosing whether to buy himself. A sequential scheme maximizes the amount of information available...

Taking an object-oriented view of accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, H.

1995-01-01

It was almost a decade ago that accelerator experts were introduced to the concept of object-oriented programming. This new methodology was expected to play a key role in solving various software problems. Today, there seems be nothing that prevents us from taking advantage of this new technology. In fact, we are often forced to catch up with the computer industry's new standards. This is especially true for graphics programming. While evaluating the benefits of using this new technology, we must also evaluate whether it is as effective as it was claimed. In this paper, we discuss these issues based on experiences at the Advanced Light Source

A magnet lattice for a tau-charm factory suitable for both standard scheme and monochromatization scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beloshitsky, P.

1992-06-01

A versatile magnet lattice for a tau-charm factory is considered in this report. The main feature of this lattice is the possibility to use it for both standard flat beam scheme and beam monochromatization scheme. The detailed description of the lattice is given. The restrictions following the compatibility of both schemes are discussed

Competitive Advantage in the Service Industry : The Importance of Strategic Congruence, Integrated Control and Coherent Organisational Structure – A Longitudinal Case Study of an Insurance Company

OpenAIRE

Poth, Susanna

2014-01-01

Competitive advantage has received considerable attention. Few studies have however chosen a holistic approach taking multiple aspects and organisational levels into consideration. This research has the goal of filling parts of this void. The aim is to deepen the understanding of competitive advantage in the service industry by analysing how alignment of strategy, control and organisation structure on multiple organisational levels impacts competitive advantage of a service company over a lon...

THROUGHPUT ANALYSIS OF EXTENDED ARQ SCHEMES

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PUBLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT. Various Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) schemes have been used to combat errors that befall in- formation transmitted in digital communication systems. Such schemes include simple ARQ, mixed mode ARQ and Hybrid ARQ (HARQ). In this study we introduce extended ARQ schemes and derive.

Technical and cost advantages of silicon carbide telescopes for small-satellite imaging applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kasunic, Keith J.; Aikens, Dave; Szwabowski, Dean; Ragan, Chip; Tinker, Flemming

2017-09-01

Small satellites ("SmallSats") are a growing segment of the Earth imaging and remote sensing market. Designed to be relatively low cost and with performance tailored to specific end-use applications, they are driving changes in optical telescope assembly (OTA) requirements. OTAs implemented in silicon carbide (SiC) provide performance advantages for space applications but have been predominately limited to large programs. A new generation of lightweight and thermally-stable designs is becoming commercially available, expanding the application of SiC to small satellites. This paper reviews the cost and technical advantages of an OTA designed using SiC for small satellite platforms. Taking into account faceplate fabrication quilting and surface distortion after gravity release, an optimized open-back SiC design with a lightweighting of 70% for a 125-mm SmallSat-class primary mirror has an estimated mass area density of 2.8 kg/m2 and an aspect ratio of 40:1. In addition, the thermally-induced surface error of such optimized designs is estimated at λ/150 RMS per watt of absorbed power. Cost advantages of SiC include reductions in launch mass, thermal-management infrastructure, and manufacturing time based on allowable assembly tolerances.

Extended lattice Boltzmann scheme for droplet combustion.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashna, Mostafa; Rahimian, Mohammad Hassan; Fakhari, Abbas

2017-05-01

The available lattice Boltzmann (LB) models for combustion or phase change are focused on either single-phase flow combustion or two-phase flow with evaporation assuming a constant density for both liquid and gas phases. To pave the way towards simulation of spray combustion, we propose a two-phase LB method for modeling combustion of liquid fuel droplets. We develop an LB scheme to model phase change and combustion by taking into account the density variation in the gas phase and accounting for the chemical reaction based on the Cahn-Hilliard free-energy approach. Evaporation of liquid fuel is modeled by adding a source term, which is due to the divergence of the velocity field being nontrivial, in the continuity equation. The low-Mach-number approximation in the governing Navier-Stokes and energy equations is used to incorporate source terms due to heat release from chemical reactions, density variation, and nonluminous radiative heat loss. Additionally, the conservation equation for chemical species is formulated by including a source term due to chemical reaction. To validate the model, we consider the combustion of n-heptane and n-butanol droplets in stagnant air using overall single-step reactions. The diameter history and flame standoff ratio obtained from the proposed LB method are found to be in good agreement with available numerical and experimental data. The present LB scheme is believed to be a promising approach for modeling spray combustion.

The Performance-based Funding Scheme of Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juha KETTUNEN

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of the performance-based funding scheme of the Finnish universities that was adopted at the beginning of 2013. The political decision-makers expect that the funding scheme will create incentives for the universities to improve performance, but these funding schemes have largely failed in many other countries, primarily because public funding is only a small share of the total funding of universities. This study is interesting because Finnish universities have no tuition fees, unlike in many other countries, and the state allocates funding based on the objectives achieved. The empirical evidence of the graduation rates indicates that graduation rates increased when a new scheme was adopted, especially among male students, who have more room for improvement than female students. The new performance-based funding scheme allocates the funding according to the output-based indicators and limits the scope of strategic planning and the autonomy of the university. The performance-based funding scheme is transformed to the strategy map of the balanced scorecard. The new funding scheme steers universities in many respects but leaves the research and teaching skills to the discretion of the universities. The new scheme has also diminished the importance of the performance agreements between the university and the Ministry. The scheme increases the incentives for universities to improve the processes and structures in order to attain as much public funding as possible. It is optimal for the central administration of the university to allocate resources to faculties and other organisational units following the criteria of the performance-based funding scheme. The new funding scheme has made the universities compete with each other, because the total funding to the universities is allocated to each university according to the funding scheme. There is a tendency that the funding schemes are occasionally

The Implementation of Knowledge Strategy-Based Entrepreneurial Capacity to Achieve Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Widodo

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to develop a model of knowledge strategy-based entrepreneurial capacity to achieve sustainable competitive advantage of rurol banking in Central Java province. The sampling method is ‘‘Purposive sampling’’ by considering the characteristics of the population items, namely: operational experience for at least 5 years and representatives of each area of rurol banking in Semarang, Surakarta and Purwokerto. Then, the sample size is 150 of 251 (59.7% of top managers of rurol banking. To analyze the data in this study, it used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM, of the, AMOS software package. The findings of this study explain that 1. The first step in promoting a sustainable competitive advantage through knowledge sharing is by prioritizing the quality of interaction, willingness and ability. 2. Efforts to improve a sustainable competitive advantage through knowledge exploitation built by knowledge sharing are by prioritizing to actively accept changes and introduction, solve problems together, use and combine new knowledge in operation. 3. Efforts to improve a sustainable competitive advantage through the knowledge exploitation built by risk-taking are by prioritizing a strong tendency for high-risk projects (with the possibility of gaining high-return, a high courage for the actions necessary to achieve the goal, having an aggressive attitude to optimize the possibility of utilizing existing potential opportunities and enjoying the challenge of the risk situation. 4. Efforts to improve a sustainable competitive advantage through knowledge exploitation built by a pro-active are by prioritizing to anticipate problem more quickly than competitors, future oriented, addressed by technology, launching product selectively and systematically search for new ideas. 5. Efforts to improve a sustainable competitive advantage through knowledge exploitation built by the innovativeness are by prioritizing the speed of developing products

A symbiotic gas exchange between bioreactors enhances microalgal biomass and lipid productivities: taking advantage of complementary nutritional modes.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, C A; Ferreira, M E; da Silva, T Lopes; Gouveia, L; Novais, J M; Reis, A

2011-08-01

This paper describes the association of two bioreactors: one photoautotrophic and the other heterotrophic, connected by the gas phase and allowing an exchange of O(2) and CO(2) gases between them, benefiting from a symbiotic effect. The association of two bioreactors was proposed with the aim of improving the microalgae oil productivity for biodiesel production. The outlet gas flow from the autotrophic (O(2) enriched) bioreactor was used as the inlet gas flow for the heterotrophic bioreactor. In parallel, the outlet gas flow from another heterotrophic (CO(2) enriched) bioreactor was used as the inlet gas flow for the autotrophic bioreactor. Aside from using the air supplied from the auto- and hetero-trophic bioreactors as controls, one mixotrophic bioreactor was also studied and used as a model, for its claimed advantage of CO(2) and organic carbon being simultaneously assimilated. The microalga Chlorella protothecoides was chosen as a model due to its ability to grow under different nutritional modes (auto, hetero, and mixotrophic), and its ability to attain a high biomass productivity and lipid content, suitable for biodiesel production. The comparison between heterotrophic, autotrophic, and mixotrophic Chlorella protothecoides growth for lipid production revealed that heterotrophic growth achieved the highest biomass productivity and lipid content (>22%), and furthermore showed that these lipids had the most suitable fatty acid profile in order to produce high quality biodiesel. Both associations showed a higher biomass productivity (10-20%), when comparing the two separately operated bioreactors (controls) which occurred on the fourth day. A more remarkable result would have been seen if in actuality the two bioreactors had been inter-connected in a closed loop. The biomass productivity gain would have been 30% and the lipid productivity gain would have been 100%, as seen by comparing the productivities of the symbiotic assemblage with the sum of the two

A Classification Scheme for Literary Characters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Berry

2017-10-01

Full Text Available There is no established classification scheme for literary characters in narrative theory short of generic categories like protagonist vs. antagonist or round vs. flat. This is so despite the ubiquity of stock characters that recur across media, cultures, and historical time periods. We present here a proposal of a systematic psychological scheme for classifying characters from the literary and dramatic fields based on a modification of the Thomas-Kilmann (TK Conflict Mode Instrument used in applied studies of personality. The TK scheme classifies personality along the two orthogonal dimensions of assertiveness and cooperativeness. To examine the validity of a modified version of this scheme, we had 142 participants provide personality ratings for 40 characters using two of the Big Five personality traits as well as assertiveness and cooperativeness from the TK scheme. The results showed that assertiveness and cooperativeness were orthogonal dimensions, thereby supporting the validity of using a modified version of TK’s two-dimensional scheme for classifying characters.

How can conceptual schemes change teaching?

Science.gov (United States)

Wickman, Per-Olof

2012-03-01

Lundqvist, Almqvist and Östman describe a teacher's manner of teaching and the possible consequences it may have for students' meaning making. In doing this the article examines a teacher's classroom practice by systematizing the teacher's transactions with the students in terms of certain conceptual schemes, namely the epistemological moves, educational philosophies and the selective traditions of this practice. In connection to their study one may ask how conceptual schemes could change teaching. This article examines how the relationship of the conceptual schemes produced by educational researchers to educational praxis has developed from the middle of the last century to today. The relationship is described as having been transformed in three steps: (1) teacher deficit and social engineering, where conceptual schemes are little acknowledged, (2) reflecting practitioners, where conceptual schemes are mangled through teacher practice to aid the choices of already knowledgeable teachers, and (3) the mangling of the conceptual schemes by researchers through practice with the purpose of revising theory.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF APPLYING EVOLVED METHODS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SABOU FELICIA

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The evolved methods of management accounting have been developed with the purpose of removing the disadvantages of the classical methods, they are methods adapted to the new market conditions, which provide much more useful cost-related information so that the management of the company is able to take certain strategic decisions. Out of the category of evolved methods, the most used is the one of standard-costs due to the advantages that it presents, being used widely in calculating the production costs in some developed countries. The main advantages of the standard-cost method are: in-advance knowledge of the production costs and the measures that ensure compliance to these; with the help of the deviations calculated from the standard costs, one manages a systematic control over the costs, thus allowing the making of decision in due time, in as far as the elimination of the deviations and the improvement of the activity are concerned and it is a method of analysis, control and cost forecast; Although the advantages of using standards are significant, there are a few disadvantages to the employment of the standard-cost method: sometimes there can appear difficulties in establishing the deviations from the standard costs, the method does not allow an accurate calculation of the fixed costs. As a result of the study, we can observe the fact that the evolved methods of management accounting, as compared to the classical ones, present a series of advantages linked to a better analysis, control, and foreseeing of costs, whereas the main disadvantage is related to the large amount of work necessary for these methods to be applied.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF APPLYING EVOLVED METHODS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SABOU FELICIA

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The evolved methods of management accounting have been developed with the purpose of removing the disadvantages of the classical methods, they are methods adapted to the new market conditions, which provide much more useful cost-related information so that the management of the company is able to take certain strategic decisions. Out of the category of evolved methods, the most used is the one of standard-costs due to the advantages that it presents, being used widely in calculating the production costs in some developed countries. The main advantages of the standard-cost method are: in-advance knowledge of the production costs and the measures that ensure compliance to these; with the help of the deviations calculated from the standard costs, one manages a systematic control over the costs, thus allowing the making of decision in due time, in as far as the elimination of the deviations and the improvement of the activity are concerned and it is a method of analysis, control and cost forecast; Although the advantages of using standards are significant, there are a few disadvantages to the employment of the standard-cost method: sometimes there can appear difficulties in establishing the deviations from the standard costs, the method does not allow an accurate calculation of the fixed costs. As a result of the study, we can observe the fact that the evolved methods of management accounting, as compared to the classical ones, present a series of advantages linked to a better analysis, control, and foreseeing of costs, whereas the main disadvantage is related to the large amount of work necessary for these methods to be applied

Kinetic advantages of using microwaves in the emulsion polymerization of MMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costa, C. [Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitario, CEP: 88040-900, Florianopolis, SC (Brazil); Santos, A.F.; Fortuny, M. [Programa de Mestrado em Engenharia de Processos, Universidade Tiradentes, Instituto de Tecnologia e Pesquisa, Av. Murilo Dantas, 300, CEP: 49032-490, Aracaju, SE (Brazil); Araujo, P.H.H. [Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitario, CEP: 88040-900, Florianopolis, SC (Brazil); Sayer, C. [Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitario, CEP: 88040-900, Florianopolis, SC (Brazil)], E-mail: csayer@enq.ufsc.br

2009-03-01

Microwave irradiation has been an interesting alternative for heating systems and several chemical reactions. In polymerization processes, microwaves can enhance reaction rates or improve specific characteristics of the formed polymer. In this work, the use of microwave irradiation in emulsion polymerization reactions has been studied, using a commercial microwave reactor, which is able to perform syntheses under controlled conditions of temperature and power. Methyl methacrylate emulsion polymerization reactions were faster, resulting in smaller polymer particles, in comparison to the conventional heating method (reactions in a jacketed reactor). Different effects were observed in the emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate. To study the effect of high power microwave irradiation upon the emulsion polymerization, a pulsed irradiation strategy was developed, in which the samples were repeatedly heated within short intervals of time (about 27 s) at the maximum microwave power. A significant reduction of the total time of irradiation was observed in reactions carried out under the pulsed scheme, showing the kinetic advantages of using microwaves in emulsion polymerization processes.

Comparative Advantage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jie; Jensen, Camilla

2007-01-01

that are typically explained from the supply-side variables, the comparative advantage of the exporting countries. A simple model is proposed and tested. The results render strong support for the relevance of supply-side factors such as natural endowments, technology, and infrastructure in explaining international...

DEMO maintenance scenarios: scheme for time estimations and preliminary estimates for blankets arranged in multi-module-segments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagy, D.

2007-01-01

Previous conceptual studies made clear that the ITER blanket concept and segmentation is not suitable for the environment of a potential fusion power plant (DEMO). One promising concept to be used instead is the so-called Multi-Module-Segment (MMS) concept. Each MMS consists of a number of blankets arranged on a strong back plate thus forming ''banana'' shaped in-board (IB) and out-board (OB) segments. With respect to port size, weight, or other limiting aspects the IB and OB MMS are segmented in toroidal direction. The number of segments to be replaced would be below 100. For this segmentation concept a new maintenance scenario had to be worked out. The aim of this paper is to present a promising MMS maintenance scenario, a flexible scheme for time estimations under varying boundary conditions and preliminary time estimates. According to the proposed scenario two upper, vertical arranged maintenance ports have to be opened for blanket maintenance on opposite sides of the tokamak. Both ports are central to a 180 degree sector and the MMS are removed and inserted through both ports. In-vessel machines are operating to transport the elements in toroidal direction and also to insert and attach the MMS to the shield. Outside the vessel the elements have to be transported between the tokamak and the hot cell to be refurbished. Calculating the maintenance time for such a scenario is rather challenging due to the numerous parallel processes involved. For this reason a flexible, multi-level calculation scheme has been developed in which the operations are organized into three levels: At the lowest level the basic maintenance steps are determined. These are organized into maintenance sequences that take into account parallelisms in the system. Several maintenance sequences constitute the maintenance phases which correspond to a certain logistics scenario. By adding the required times of the maintenance phases the total maintenance time is obtained. The paper presents

EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Investments in the power sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sapienza, M.D.; Stefanoni, S.

2007-07-01

How environmental regulation affects electricity players' investment decisions? Should policy makers look beyond for alternative mechanisms - such as energy efficiency, capture and storage of carbon dioxide, and incentives for renewables - to fulfill the environmental objectives set by Kyoto Protocol? This paper suggests - through a Real Option approach - how the efficacy of the EU Emission Trading Scheme on technological innovation, emissions reduction and energy price dynamics, is strongly affected by the 'hysteresis' emerging from the capital budgeting process of main utilities. As a matter of fact, long-term substitutions between coal-fired units and Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plants production only take place under quite restrictive conditions. (auth)

An Intelligent and Secure Health Monitoring Scheme Using IoT Sensor Based on Cloud Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Xin Hu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Internet of Things (IoT is the network of physical objects where information and communication technology connect multiple embedded devices to the Internet for collecting and exchanging data. An important advancement is the ability to connect such devices to large resource pools such as cloud. The integration of embedded devices and cloud servers offers wide applicability of IoT to many areas of our life. With the aging population increasing every day, embedded devices with cloud server can provide the elderly with more flexible service without the need to visit hospitals. Despite the advantages of the sensor-cloud model, it still has various security threats. Therefore, the design and integration of security issues, like authentication and data confidentiality for ensuring the elderly’s privacy, need to be taken into consideration. In this paper, an intelligent and secure health monitoring scheme using IoT sensor based on cloud computing and cryptography is proposed. The proposed scheme achieves authentication and provides essential security requirements.

Breeding schemes in reindeer husbandry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lars Rönnegård

2003-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of the paper was to investigate annual genetic gain from selection (G, and the influence of selection on the inbreeding effective population size (Ne, for different possible breeding schemes within a reindeer herding district. The breeding schemes were analysed for different proportions of the population within a herding district included in the selection programme. Two different breeding schemes were analysed: an open nucleus scheme where males mix and mate between owner flocks, and a closed nucleus scheme where the males in non-selected owner flocks are culled to maximise G in the whole population. The theory of expected long-term genetic contributions was used and maternal effects were included in the analyses. Realistic parameter values were used for the population, modelled with 5000 reindeer in the population and a sex ratio of 14 adult females per male. The standard deviation of calf weights was 4.1 kg. Four different situations were explored and the results showed: 1. When the population was randomly culled, Ne equalled 2400. 2. When the whole population was selected on calf weights, Ne equalled 1700 and the total annual genetic gain (direct + maternal in calf weight was 0.42 kg. 3. For the open nucleus scheme, G increased monotonically from 0 to 0.42 kg as the proportion of the population included in the selection programme increased from 0 to 1.0, and Ne decreased correspondingly from 2400 to 1700. 4. In the closed nucleus scheme the lowest value of Ne was 1300. For a given proportion of the population included in the selection programme, the difference in G between a closed nucleus scheme and an open one was up to 0.13 kg. We conclude that for mass selection based on calf weights in herding districts with 2000 animals or more, there are no risks of inbreeding effects caused by selection.

A quantum-mechanics molecular-mechanics scheme for extended systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunt, Diego; Scherlis, Damián A; Sanchez, Veronica M

2016-01-01

We introduce and discuss a hybrid quantum-mechanics molecular-mechanics (QM-MM) approach for Car–Parrinello DFT simulations with pseudopotentials and planewaves basis, designed for the treatment of periodic systems. In this implementation the MM atoms are considered as additional QM ions having fractional charges of either sign, which provides conceptual and computational simplicity by exploiting the machinery already existing in planewave codes to deal with electrostatics in periodic boundary conditions. With this strategy, both the QM and MM regions are contained in the same supercell, which determines the periodicity for the whole system. Thus, while this method is not meant to compete with non-periodic QM-MM schemes able to handle extremely large but finite MM regions, it is shown that for periodic systems of a few hundred atoms, our approach provides substantial savings in computational times by treating classically a fraction of the particles. The performance and accuracy of the method is assessed through the study of energetic, structural, and dynamical aspects of the water dimer and of the aqueous bulk phase. Finally, the QM-MM scheme is applied to the computation of the vibrational spectra of water layers adsorbed at the TiO 2 anatase (1 0 1) solid–liquid interface. This investigation suggests that the inclusion of a second monolayer of H 2 O molecules is sufficient to induce on the first adsorbed layer, a vibrational dynamics similar to that taking place in the presence of an aqueous environment. The present QM-MM scheme appears as a very interesting tool to efficiently perform molecular dynamics simulations of complex condensed matter systems, from solutions to nanoconfined fluids to different kind of interfaces. (paper)

A quantum-mechanics molecular-mechanics scheme for extended systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Diego; Sanchez, Veronica M; Scherlis, Damián A

2016-08-24

We introduce and discuss a hybrid quantum-mechanics molecular-mechanics (QM-MM) approach for Car-Parrinello DFT simulations with pseudopotentials and planewaves basis, designed for the treatment of periodic systems. In this implementation the MM atoms are considered as additional QM ions having fractional charges of either sign, which provides conceptual and computational simplicity by exploiting the machinery already existing in planewave codes to deal with electrostatics in periodic boundary conditions. With this strategy, both the QM and MM regions are contained in the same supercell, which determines the periodicity for the whole system. Thus, while this method is not meant to compete with non-periodic QM-MM schemes able to handle extremely large but finite MM regions, it is shown that for periodic systems of a few hundred atoms, our approach provides substantial savings in computational times by treating classically a fraction of the particles. The performance and accuracy of the method is assessed through the study of energetic, structural, and dynamical aspects of the water dimer and of the aqueous bulk phase. Finally, the QM-MM scheme is applied to the computation of the vibrational spectra of water layers adsorbed at the TiO2 anatase (1 0 1) solid-liquid interface. This investigation suggests that the inclusion of a second monolayer of H2O molecules is sufficient to induce on the first adsorbed layer, a vibrational dynamics similar to that taking place in the presence of an aqueous environment. The present QM-MM scheme appears as a very interesting tool to efficiently perform molecular dynamics simulations of complex condensed matter systems, from solutions to nanoconfined fluids to different kind of interfaces.

Quantum Secure Communication Scheme with W State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jian; Zhang Quan; Tang Chaojng

2007-01-01

We present a quantum secure communication scheme using three-qubit W state. It is unnecessary for the present scheme to use alternative measurement or Bell basis measurement. Compared with the quantum secure direct communication scheme proposed by Cao et al. [H.J. Cao and H.S. Song, Chin. Phys. Lett. 23 (2006) 290], in our scheme, the detection probability for an eavesdropper's attack increases from 8.3% to 25%. We also show that our scheme is secure for a noise quantum channel.

Kinetic advantage of controlled intermediate nuclear fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Xiaoming

2012-01-01

The dominated process of controlled fusion is to let nuclei gain enough kinetic energy to overcome Coulomb barrier. As a result, a fusion scheme can consider two factors in its design: to increase kinetic energy of nuclei and to alter the Coulomb barrier. Cold Fusion and Hot fusion are all one-factor schemes while Intermediate Fusion is a twofactors scheme. This made CINF kinetically superior. Cold Fusion reduces deuteron-deuteron distance, addressing Coulomb barrier, and Hot Fusion heat up plasma into extreme high temperature, addressing kinetic energy. Without enough kinetic energy made Cold Fusion skeptical. Extreme high temperature made Hot Fusion very difficult to engineer. Because CIFN addresses both factors, CIFN is a more promising technique to be industrialized.

Advantaged Bidders in Franchise Auctions

OpenAIRE

van den Berg, V.A.C.

2012-01-01

Consider a government that auctions a franchise for, e.g., an airport, telecommunication network, or utility. Consider an 'incumbent bidder' that owns a complement or substitute. With an auction on the transfer (i.e. payment) to the government, the incumbent is advantaged.If the government regulates the market with an auction on the price asked to consumers, it depends who is advantaged. With complements, the incumbent is advantaged: it can set a lower price on the new franchise, as this inc...

Optimum RA reactor fuelling scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strugar, P.; Nikolic, V.

1965-10-01

Ideal reactor refueling scheme can be achieved only by continuous fuel elements movement in the core, which is not possible, and thus approximations are applied. One of the possible approximations is discontinuous movement of fuel elements groups in radial direction. This enables higher burnup especially if axial exchange is possible. Analysis of refueling schemes in the RA reactor core and schemes with mixing the fresh and used fuel elements show that 30% higher burnup can be achieved by applying mixing, and even 40% if reactivity due to decrease in experimental space is taken into account. Up to now, mean burnup of 4400 MWd/t has been achieved, and the proposed fueling scheme with reduction of experimental space could achieve mean burnup of 6300 MWd/t which means about 25 Mwd/t per fuel channel [sr

Sunoco takes energy marketing initiative to the Web

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2000-08-21

Natural gas customers can now take advantage of two new program on Sunoco's Internet site which will deliver package savings on gasoline and heating bills. In addition, when the Ontario power market opens to retail competition, consumers will have the opportunity to save on their electricity requirements. The web site at www.sunoco.ca will offer instant discounts on gasoline and on-line purchases via the new Affinity Card and Web Gas program. Sunoco's web site also gives customers the opportunity to buy natural gas from Sunoco at three-year locked in prices.

Small hydro takes stock of a dozen years of activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leutwiler, H.

2000-01-01

This short article discusses a survey that takes stock of the investments made in small hydro schemes in Switzerland since 1985 and the structural changes in this area that have occurred. Typical figures are given for investments and the increase in energy production that have resulted. The various possibilities for the realisation of small hydro installations are discussed including pressure-reduction turbines, the use of turbines in drinking water and wastewater systems. The importance of the sale of the electricity thus generated as 'green' power is noted. The potential of this form of electricity generation in a liberalised electricity market and the obstacles placed in its way are discuss

Competitive Advantage through Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brem, Alexander; Maier, Maximilian; Wimschneider, Christine

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how Nespresso achieved competitive advantage through innovation by changing the rules of the game in its industry. Design/methodology/approach Nespresso was analyzed based on public available secondary data, in combination with related academic...... concepts on innovation and competitive advantage. Findings The company succeeded by the thorough application of a strategy that, through perfect alignment, allowed the company to reach a unique market position. However, as described in the case, it took a relatively long time and the company came close...... as a source for competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications Especially given the current market situation, the case offers different starting points for discussion about innovation and long-term company success. Practical implications Especially before the current market situation, the case...

Mechanistic Basis of Cocrystal Dissolution Advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Fengjuan; Amidon, Gordon L; Rodríguez-Hornedo, Naír; Amidon, Gregory E

2018-01-01

Current interest in cocrystal development resides in the advantages that the cocrystal may have in solubility and dissolution compared with the parent drug. This work provides a mechanistic analysis and comparison of the dissolution behavior of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its 2 cocrystals, carbamazepine-saccharin (CBZ-SAC) and carbamazepine-salicylic acid (CBZ-SLC) under the influence of pH and micellar solubilization. A simple mathematical equation is derived based on the mass transport analyses to describe the dissolution advantage of cocrystals. The dissolution advantage is the ratio of the cocrystal flux to drug flux and is defined as the solubility advantage (cocrystal to drug solubility ratio) times the diffusivity advantage (cocrystal to drug diffusivity ratio). In this work, the effective diffusivity of CBZ in the presence of surfactant was determined to be different and less than those of the cocrystals. The higher effective diffusivity of drug from the dissolved cocrystals, the diffusivity advantage, can impart a dissolution advantage to cocrystals with lower solubility than the parent drug while still maintaining thermodynamic stability. Dissolution conditions where cocrystals can display both thermodynamic stability and a dissolution advantage can be obtained from the mass transport models, and this information is useful for both cocrystal selection and formulation development. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Student’s scheme in solving mathematics problems

Science.gov (United States)

Setyaningsih, Nining; Juniati, Dwi; Suwarsono

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ scheme in solving mathematics problems. Scheme are data structures for representing the concepts stored in memory. In this study, we used it in solving mathematics problems, especially ratio and proportion topics. Scheme is related to problem solving that assumes that a system is developed in the human mind by acquiring a structure in which problem solving procedures are integrated with some concepts. The data were collected by interview and students’ written works. The results of this study revealed are students’ scheme in solving the problem of ratio and proportion as follows: (1) the content scheme, where students can describe the selected components of the problem according to their prior knowledge, (2) the formal scheme, where students can explain in construct a mental model based on components that have been selected from the problem and can use existing schemes to build planning steps, create something that will be used to solve problems and (3) the language scheme, where students can identify terms, or symbols of the components of the problem.Therefore, by using the different strategies to solve the problems, the students’ scheme in solving the ratio and proportion problems will also differ.

hybrid modulation scheme fo rid modulation scheme fo dulation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

control technique is done through simulations and ex control technique .... HYBRID MODULATION SCHEME FOR CASCADED H-BRIDGE INVERTER CELLS. C. I. Odeh ..... and OR operations. Referring to ... MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.

Towards Symbolic Encryption Schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmed, Naveed; Jensen, Christian D.; Zenner, Erik

2012-01-01

, namely an authenticated encryption scheme that is secure under chosen ciphertext attack. Therefore, many reasonable encryption schemes, such as AES in the CBC or CFB mode, are not among the implementation options. In this paper, we report new attacks on CBC and CFB based implementations of the well......Symbolic encryption, in the style of Dolev-Yao models, is ubiquitous in formal security models. In its common use, encryption on a whole message is specified as a single monolithic block. From a cryptographic perspective, however, this may require a resource-intensive cryptographic algorithm......-known Needham-Schroeder and Denning-Sacco protocols. To avoid such problems, we advocate the use of refined notions of symbolic encryption that have natural correspondence to standard cryptographic encryption schemes....

Modeling of frequency-domain scalar wave equation with the average-derivative optimal scheme based on a multigrid-preconditioned iterative solver

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Jian; Chen, Jing-Bo; Dai, Meng-Xue

2018-01-01

An efficient finite-difference frequency-domain modeling of seismic wave propagation relies on the discrete schemes and appropriate solving methods. The average-derivative optimal scheme for the scalar wave modeling is advantageous in terms of the storage saving for the system of linear equations and the flexibility for arbitrary directional sampling intervals. However, using a LU-decomposition-based direct solver to solve its resulting system of linear equations is very costly for both memory and computational requirements. To address this issue, we consider establishing a multigrid-preconditioned BI-CGSTAB iterative solver fit for the average-derivative optimal scheme. The choice of preconditioning matrix and its corresponding multigrid components is made with the help of Fourier spectral analysis and local mode analysis, respectively, which is important for the convergence. Furthermore, we find that for the computation with unequal directional sampling interval, the anisotropic smoothing in the multigrid precondition may affect the convergence rate of this iterative solver. Successful numerical applications of this iterative solver for the homogenous and heterogeneous models in 2D and 3D are presented where the significant reduction of computer memory and the improvement of computational efficiency are demonstrated by comparison with the direct solver. In the numerical experiments, we also show that the unequal directional sampling interval will weaken the advantage of this multigrid-preconditioned iterative solver in the computing speed or, even worse, could reduce its accuracy in some cases, which implies the need for a reasonable control of directional sampling interval in the discretization.

Optimized spectroscopic scheme for enhanced precision CO measurements with applications to urban source attribution

Science.gov (United States)

Nottrott, A.; Hoffnagle, J.; Farinas, A.; Rella, C.

2014-12-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an urban pollutant generated by internal combustion engines which contributes to the formation of ground level ozone (smog). CO is also an excellent tracer for emissions from mobile combustion sources. In this work we present an optimized spectroscopic sampling scheme that enables enhanced precision CO measurements. The scheme was implemented on the Picarro G2401 Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) analyzer which measures CO2, CO, CH4 and H2O at 0.2 Hz. The optimized scheme improved the raw precision of CO measurements by 40% from 5 ppb to 3 ppb. Correlations of measured CO2, CO, CH4 and H2O from an urban tower were partitioned by wind direction and combined with a concentration footprint model for source attribution. The application of a concentration footprint for source attribution has several advantages. The upwind extent of the concentration footprint for a given sensor is much larger than the flux footprint. Measurements of mean concentration at the sensor location can be used to estimate source strength from a concentration footprint, while measurements of the vertical concentration flux are necessary to determine source strength from the flux footprint. Direct measurement of vertical concentration flux requires high frequency temporal sampling and increases the cost and complexity of the measurement system.

Numerical solution of the 1D kinetics equations using a cubic reduced nodal scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez T, A.M.; Valle G, E. del; Delfin L, A.; Alonso V, G.

2003-01-01

In this work a finite differences technique centered in mesh based on a cubic reduced nodal scheme type finite element to solve the equations of the kinetics 1 D that include the equations corresponding to the concentrations of precursors of delayed neutrons is described. The technique of finite elements used is that of Galerkin where so much the neutron flux as the concentrations of precursors its are spatially approached by means of a three grade polynomial. The matrices of rigidity and of mass that arise during this discretization process are numerically evaluated using the open quadrature non standard of Newton-Cotes and that of Radau respectively. The purpose of the application of these quadratures is the one of to eliminate in the global matrices the couplings among the values of the flow in points of the discretization with the consequent advantages as for the reduction of the order of the matrix associated to the discreet problem that is to solve. As for the time dependent part the classical integration scheme known as Θ scheme is applied. After carrying out the one reordering of unknown and equations it arrives to a reduced system that it can be solved but quickly. With the McKin compute program developed its were solved three benchmark problems and those results are shown for the relative powers. (Author)

Design Of Vertical Take-Off And Landing VTOL Aircraft System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Win Ko Ko Oo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Vertical Take Off and Landing Vehicles VTOL are the ones which can take off and land from the same place without need of long runway. This paper presents the design and implementation of tricopter mode and aircraft mode for VTOL aircraft system. Firstly the aircraft design is considered for VTOL mode. And then the mathematical model of the VTOL aircraft is applied to test stability. In this research the KK 2.1 flight controller is used for VTOL mode and aircraft mode. The first part is to develop the VTOL mode and the next part is the transition of VTOL mode to aircraft mode. This paper gives brief idea about numerous types of VTOLs and their advantages over traditional aircraftsand insight to various types of tricopter and evaluates their configurations.

Setting aside transactions from pyramid schemes as impeachable ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

These schemes, which are often referred to as pyramid or Ponzi schemes, are unsustainable operations and give rise to problems in the law of insolvency. Investors in these schemes are often left empty-handed upon the scheme's eventual collapse and insolvency. Investors who received pay-outs from the scheme find ...

CONSIDERING TRAVEL TIME RELIABILITY AND SAFETY FOR EVALUATION OF CONGESTION RELIEF SCHEMES ON EXPRESSWAY SEGMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Babak MEHRAN

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of the efficiency of congestion relief schemes on expressways has generally been based on average travel time analysis. However, road authorities are much more interested in knowing the possible impacts of improvement schemes on safety and travel time reliability prior to implementing them in real conditions. A methodology is presented to estimate travel time reliability based on modeling travel time variations as a function of demand, capacity and weather conditions. For a subject expressway segment, patterns of demand and capacity were generated for each 5-minute interval over a year by using the Monte-Carlo simulation technique, and accidents were generated randomly according to traffic conditions. A whole year analysis was performed by comparing demand and available capacity for each scenario and shockwave analysis was used to estimate the queue length at each time interval. Travel times were estimated from refined speed-flow relationships and buffer time index was estimated as a measure of travel time reliability. it was shown that the estimated reliability measures and predicted number of accidents are very close to observed values through empirical data. After validation, the methodology was applied to assess the impact of two alternative congestion relief schemes on a subject expressway segment. one alternative was to open the hard shoulder to traffic during the peak period, while the other was to reduce the peak period demand by 15%. The extent of improvements in travel conditions and safety, likewise the reduction in road users' costs after implementing each improvement scheme were estimated. it was shown that both strategies can result in up to 23% reduction in the number of occurred accidents and significant improvements in travel time reliability. Finally, the advantages and challenging issues of selecting each improvement scheme were discussed.

Health insurance take-up by the near-elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchmueller, Thomas C; Ohri, Sabina

2006-12-01

To examine the effect of price on the demand for health insurance by early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. Administrative health plan enrollment data from a medium-sized U.S. employer. The analysis takes advantage of a natural experiment created by the firm's health insurance contribution policy. The amount the firm contributes toward retiree health insurance coverage depends on when a person retired and her years of service at that date. As a result of this policy, there is considerable variation in out-of-pocket premiums faced by individuals in the data. This variation is independent of the nonprice attributes of the health insurance plans offered and is plausibly exogenous to individual characteristics that are likely to affect the demand for insurance. A probit model is used to estimate the decision to take-up employer-sponsored health insurance by early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. Demand for insurance is measured as a function of out-of-pocket premiums and a set of individual characteristics. We find that price has a small but statistically significant effect on the decision to take up coverage. Estimated price elasticities range from -0.10 to -0.16, depending on the sample. The implied elasticities are comparable with results found in previous studies using very different data. Our estimates indicate that policy proposals for a Medicare buy-in or a nongroup tax credit will have a modest impact on take-up rates of near-elderly retirees.

Renormalization scheme-invariant perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhar, A.

1983-01-01

A complete solution to the problem of the renormalization scheme dependence of perturbative approximants to physical quantities is presented. An equation is derived which determines any physical quantity implicitly as a function of only scheme independent variables. (orig.)

Nonlinear secret image sharing scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sang-Ho; Lee, Gil-Je; Yoo, Kee-Young

2014-01-01

Over the past decade, most of secret image sharing schemes have been proposed by using Shamir's technique. It is based on a linear combination polynomial arithmetic. Although Shamir's technique based secret image sharing schemes are efficient and scalable for various environments, there exists a security threat such as Tompa-Woll attack. Renvall and Ding proposed a new secret sharing technique based on nonlinear combination polynomial arithmetic in order to solve this threat. It is hard to apply to the secret image sharing. In this paper, we propose a (t, n)-threshold nonlinear secret image sharing scheme with steganography concept. In order to achieve a suitable and secure secret image sharing scheme, we adapt a modified LSB embedding technique with XOR Boolean algebra operation, define a new variable m, and change a range of prime p in sharing procedure. In order to evaluate efficiency and security of proposed scheme, we use the embedding capacity and PSNR. As a result of it, average value of PSNR and embedding capacity are 44.78 (dB) and 1.74t⌈log2 m⌉ bit-per-pixel (bpp), respectively.

FIELD INVESTIGATION OF BIOLOGICAL TOILET SYSTEMS AND GREY WATER TREATMENT

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of the field program was to determine the operational characteristics and overall acceptability of popular models of biological toilets and a few select grey water systems. A field observation scheme was devised to take advantage of in-use sites throughout the State...

A set-valued approach to FDI and FTC: Theory and implementation issues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosa, Paulo Andre Nobre; Casau, Pedro; Silvestre, Carlos

2012-01-01

A complete methodology to design robust Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) filters and Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) schemes for Linear Time-Varying (LTV) systems is proposed. The paper takes advantage of the recent advances in model invalidation using Set-Valued Observers (SVOs) that led...

Good governance for pension schemes

CERN Document Server

Thornton, Paul

2011-01-01

Regulatory and market developments have transformed the way in which UK private sector pension schemes operate. This has increased demands on trustees and advisors and the trusteeship governance model must evolve in order to remain fit for purpose. This volume brings together leading practitioners to provide an overview of what today constitutes good governance for pension schemes, from both a legal and a practical perspective. It provides the reader with an appreciation of the distinctive characteristics of UK occupational pension schemes, how they sit within the capital markets and their social and fiduciary responsibilities. Providing a holistic analysis of pension risk, both from the trustee and the corporate perspective, the essays cover the crucial role of the employer covenant, financing and investment risk, developments in longevity risk hedging and insurance de-risking, and best practice scheme administration.

An On-Demand Emergency Packet Transmission Scheme for Wireless Body Area Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Ameen, Moshaddique; Hong, Choong Seon

2015-12-04

The rapid developments of sensor devices that can actively monitor human activities have given rise to a new field called wireless body area network (BAN). A BAN can manage devices in, on and around the human body. Major requirements of such a network are energy efficiency, long lifetime, low delay, security, etc. Traffic in a BAN can be scheduled (normal) or event-driven (emergency). Traditional media access control (MAC) protocols use duty cycling to improve performance. A sleep-wake up cycle is employed to save energy. However, this mechanism lacks features to handle emergency traffic in a prompt and immediate manner. To deliver an emergency packet, a node has to wait until the receiver is awake. It also suffers from overheads, such as idle listening, overhearing and control packet handshakes. An external radio-triggered wake up mechanism is proposed to handle prompt communication. It can reduce the overheads and improve the performance through an on-demand scheme. In this work, we present a simple-to-implement on-demand packet transmission scheme by taking into considerations the requirements of a BAN. The major concern is handling the event-based emergency traffic. The performance analysis of the proposed scheme is presented. The results showed significant improvements in the overall performance of a BAN compared to state-of-the-art protocols in terms of energy consumption, delay and lifetime.

An On-Demand Emergency Packet Transmission Scheme for Wireless Body Area Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moshaddique Al Ameen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The rapid developments of sensor devices that can actively monitor human activities have given rise to a new field called wireless body area network (BAN. A BAN can manage devices in, on and around the human body. Major requirements of such a network are energy efficiency, long lifetime, low delay, security, etc. Traffic in a BAN can be scheduled (normal or event-driven (emergency. Traditional media access control (MAC protocols use duty cycling to improve performance. A sleep-wake up cycle is employed to save energy. However, this mechanism lacks features to handle emergency traffic in a prompt and immediate manner. To deliver an emergency packet, a node has to wait until the receiver is awake. It also suffers from overheads, such as idle listening, overhearing and control packet handshakes. An external radio-triggered wake up mechanism is proposed to handle prompt communication. It can reduce the overheads and improve the performance through an on-demand scheme. In this work, we present a simple-to-implement on-demand packet transmission scheme by taking into considerations the requirements of a BAN. The major concern is handling the event-based emergency traffic. The performance analysis of the proposed scheme is presented. The results showed significant improvements in the overall performance of a BAN compared to state-of-the-art protocols in terms of energy consumption, delay and lifetime.

It takes three to tango: Soft budget constraint and cream skimming in the hospital care market

OpenAIRE

Levaggi, Rosella; Montefiori, Marcello

2005-01-01

Cream skimming is an illegal behaviour that consists in choosing to treat patients according to their ability to recover. It arises from the use of prospective payment schemes in an asymmetry of information framework. In this context in fact the provider can observe some relevant information (freely or at a cost) before making its effort which will then be used to its own advantage. The paper studies the scope for these types of behaviour in a mixed market for hospital care where the hospital...

Dynamic clustering scheme based on the coordination of management and control in multi-layer and multi-region intelligent optical network

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Xiaoliang; Yuan, Fen; Huang, Shanguo; Guo, Bingli; Gu, Wanyi

2011-12-01

A Dynamic clustering scheme based on coordination of management and control is proposed to reduce network congestion rate and improve the blocking performance of hierarchical routing in Multi-layer and Multi-region intelligent optical network. Its implement relies on mobile agent (MA) technology, which has the advantages of efficiency, flexibility, functional and scalability. The paper's major contribution is to adjust dynamically domain when the performance of working network isn't in ideal status. And the incorporation of centralized NMS and distributed MA control technology migrate computing process to control plane node which releases the burden of NMS and improves process efficiently. Experiments are conducted on Multi-layer and multi-region Simulation Platform for Optical Network (MSPON) to assess the performance of the scheme.

Transaction costs of Tradable White Certificate schemes: The Energy Efficiency Commitment as case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mundaca, Luis

2007-01-01

This paper analyses the nature and scale of transaction costs (TCs) borne by obliged parties under a 'Tradable White Certificate' (TWC) scheme. Taking the first phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC1) in Great Britain as a case study, several sources of TCs were considered, such as search for information, persuasion of customers, negotiation with business partners, and measurement and verification activities. Information was obtained through interviews and a questionnaire distributed to obliged parties. Results show that the most significant sources of TCs were related to search for information, persuading customers and negotiating with managing agents/contractors to implement energy efficiency measures. Perceived high TCs related to contract negotiation and liability risks slightly reduced the low trading level. The scale of TCs was estimated to be around 10% and 30% of total investments costs for the lighting and insulation segments, respectively. The results indicate that, despite the presence and scale of TCs, the EEC1 scheme generated energy savings that yielded net societal benefits. Estimated financial benefits range from 0.6 to 6 p/kWh for insulation and lighting savings, respectively. When avoided external costs due to electricity savings are included, estimated economic benefits range from 3 to 8 p/kWh. Several lessons from the EEC1 can be drawn for TWC schemes. Among others, it is found that informative policy instruments to raise awareness among end-users are critical if a TWC scheme is to deliver cost-effective energy savings. In all, the nature and scale of TCs under TWC schemes will differ because of a number of endogenous and exogenous determinants

Transaction costs of Tradable White Certificate schemes: The Energy Efficiency Commitment as case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mundaca, Luis [International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University, Lund (Sweden)

2007-08-15

This paper analyses the nature and scale of transaction costs (TCs) borne by obliged parties under a ''Tradable White Certificate'' (TWC) scheme. Taking the first phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC1) in Great Britain as a case study, several sources of TCs were considered, such as search for information, persuasion of customers, negotiation with business partners, and measurement and verification activities. Information was obtained through interviews and a questionnaire distributed to obliged parties. Results show that the most significant sources of TCs were related to search for information, persuading customers and negotiating with managing agents/contractors to implement energy efficiency measures. Perceived high TCs related to contract negotiation and liability risks slightly reduced the low trading level. The scale of TCs was estimated to be around 10% and 30% of total investments costs for the lighting and insulation segments, respectively. The results indicate that, despite the presence and scale of TCs, the EEC1 scheme generated energy savings that yielded net societal benefits. Estimated financial benefits range from 0.6 to 6 p/kWh for insulation and lighting savings, respectively. When avoided external costs due to electricity savings are included, estimated economic benefits range from 3 to 8 p/kWh. Several lessons from the EEC1 can be drawn for TWC schemes. Among others, it is found that informative policy instruments to raise awareness among end-users are critical if a TWC scheme is to deliver cost-effective energy savings. In all, the nature and scale of TCs under TWC schemes will differ because of a number of endogenous and exogenous determinants. (author)

Compositional Advantage and Strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xin

advantage is redefined as the attractiveness of the composition of the producer’s offering in terms of scope and perceived value/price ratio. I identify five ways or basic compositional strategies to improve the value/price ratio. A firm may have an overall compositional strategy that is composed of some......In this paper, I first critique the composition-based view of Yadong Luo and John Child for understanding how resource-poor firms survive and thrive. To remedy the deficiencies in their perspective, I then propose a dynamic theory of compositional advantage and strategy. Here, the compositional...... or all of the five basic compositional strategies. I argue there are three indispensable key success factors for a composition-based competition, i.e., aspiration (ambition-position asymmetry), attitude (being ALERT), and action (turning asymmetry into advantage). I also discuss the particular relevance...

Symmetric weak ternary quantum homomorphic encryption schemes