2,871 research outputs found
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Public Private Partnership Projects in Asia and Mediterranean Middle East: Trends and Techniques
One of the main reasons for the success of public private partnership (PPP) projects is the creation of a separate commercial venture named “Special Purpose Vehicle” (SPV). SPV provides a good framework for raising funds, linking participants legally and assuring supply, production and marketing of products. SPV brings together various parties like lenders, financial institutions, public sector and export credit agencies, suppliers and off-takers. There is often a lack of precedents to identify attributes of a SPV and the process is further hampered by undeveloped financial and legal structures of a country. Thus, there is a need to establish clear attributes for a SPV to raise the funding options of PPPs. In search of these essential attributes, six PPP projects in Asia and Mediterranean Middle East are examined in this paper. Three are independent power producers (IPP), one each from India, Pakistan and China, and three are desalination Projects, one each from Israel, Singapore and Algeria. The evidence shows that not only are there common trends and techniques that are used for SPV development but also some unique features to overcome financial and legal hurdles. The evidence also gives insights for using SPV to improve financing of PPP projects.- special purpose vehicle, public-private partnership, project finance
Optical Imaging Method for Bridge Painting Maintenance and Inspection
The term quality is defined as the conformance to predetermined requirements or specifications. These requirements may be set in terms of the end result required or as a detailed description of how work should be executed. Recently, there has been increasing interest in quality assurance in the construction industry. Quality assurance includes design and planning, sampling, inspection, testing, and assessment to ensure that end products perform according to specifications. This research proposes a new quality assessment model for highway steel bridges and more specifically for coating rust assessment. The research proposes a hybrid model using image processing and neural networks for defect recognition and measurement. The basic concept of the model is to acquire digital images of the areas to be assessed and analyze those images to recognize and measure defect patterns. Neural networks are incorporated into the model to learn from example and simulate human expertise to automate the process for future use. The model is supplemented with a statistical quality assessment plan to use the model efficiently and obtain consistent and reliable results. The statistical plan will determine the number and locations of assessment images to be taken. Moreover, the plan will address the risks associated with the estimated assessment. Finally, the plan will assist making the final acceptance/rejection decision based on the predefined criteria for acceptance and rejection
EPG2S: Speech Generation and Speech Enhancement based on Electropalatography and Audio Signals using Multimodal Learning
Speech generation and enhancement based on articulatory movements facilitate
communication when the scope of verbal communication is absent, e.g., in
patients who have lost the ability to speak. Although various techniques have
been proposed to this end, electropalatography (EPG), which is a monitoring
technique that records contact between the tongue and hard palate during
speech, has not been adequately explored. Herein, we propose a novel multimodal
EPG-to-speech (EPG2S) system that utilizes EPG and speech signals for speech
generation and enhancement. Different fusion strategies based on multiple
combinations of EPG and noisy speech signals are examined, and the viability of
the proposed method is investigated. Experimental results indicate that EPG2S
achieves desirable speech generation outcomes based solely on EPG signals.
Further, the addition of noisy speech signals is observed to improve quality
and intelligibility. Additionally, EPG2S is observed to achieve high-quality
speech enhancement based solely on audio signals, with the addition of EPG
signals further improving the performance. The late fusion strategy is deemed
to be the most effective approach for simultaneous speech generation and
enhancement.Comment: Accepted By IEEE Signal Processing Lette
Quantum interface for telecom frequency conversion based on diamond-type atomic ensembles
In a fiber-based quantum network, utilizing the telecom band is crucial for
long-distance quantum information (QI) transmission between quantum nodes.
However, the near-infrared wavelength is identified as optimal for processing
and storing QI through alkaline atoms. Efficiently bridging the frequency gap
between atomic quantum devices and telecom fibers while maintaining QI carried
by photons is a challenge addressed by quantum frequency conversion (QFC) as a
pivotal quantum interface. This study explores a telecom-band QFC mechanism
using diamond-type four-wave mixing (FWM) with rubidium energy levels. The
mechanism converts photons between the near-infrared wavelength of 795 nm and
the telecom band of 1367 or 1529 nm. Applying the Heisenberg-Langevin approach,
we optimize conversion efficiency (CE) across varying optical depths while
considering quantum noises and present corresponding experimental parameters.
Unlike previous works neglecting the applied field absorption loss, our results
are more relevant to practical scenarios. Moreover, by employing the
reduced-density-operator theory, we demonstrate that this diamond-type FWM
scheme maintains quantum characteristics with high fidelity, unaffected by
vacuum field noise, enabling high-purity QFC. Another significant contribution
lies in examining how this scheme impacts QI encoded in photon-number, path,
and polarization degrees of freedom. These encoded qubits exhibit remarkable
entanglement retention under sufficiently high CE. In the case of perfect CE,
the scheme can achieve unity fidelity. This comprehensive exploration provides
theoretical support for the application of the diamond-type QFC scheme based on
atomic ensembles in quantum networks, laying the essential groundwork for
advancing the scheme in distributed quantum computing and long-distance quantum
communication.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl
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