1,035 research outputs found
Noncooperatively Optimized Tolerance: Decentralized Strategic Optimization in Complex Systems
We introduce noncooperatively optimized tolerance (NOT), a generalization of
highly optimized tolerance (HOT) that involves strategic (game theoretic)
interactions between parties in a complex system. We illustrate our model in
the forest fire (percolation) framework. As the number of players increases,
our model retains features of HOT, such as robustness, high yield combined with
high density, and self-dissimilar landscapes, but also develops features of
self-organized criticality (SOC) when the number of players is large enough.
For example, the forest landscape becomes increasingly homogeneous and
protection from adverse events (lightning strikes) becomes less closely
correlated with the spatial distribution of these events. While HOT is a
special case of our model, the resemblance to SOC is only partial; for example,
the distribution of cascades, while becoming increasingly heavy-tailed as the
number of players increases, also deviates more significantly from a power law
in this regime. Surprisingly, the system retains considerable robustness even
as it becomes fractured, due in part to emergent cooperation between
neighboring players. At the same time, increasing homogeneity promotes
resilience against changes in the lightning distribution, giving rise to
intermediate regimes where the system is robust to a particular distribution of
adverse events, yet not very fragile to changes
Enhancement of thrust reverser cascade performance using aerodynamic and structural integration
This paper focuses on the design of a cascade within a cold stream thrust reverser during the early, conceptual stage of the product development process. A reliable procedure is developed for the exchange of geometric and load data between a two dimensional aerodynamic model and a three dimensional structural model. Aerodynamic and structural simulations are carried out using realistic operating conditions, for three different design configurations with a view to minimising weight for equivalent or improved aerodynamic and structural performance. For normal operational conditions the simulations show that total reverse thrust is unaffected when the performance of the deformed vanes is compared to the un-deformed case. This shows that for the conditions tested, the minimal deformation of the cascade vanes has no significant affect on aerodynamic efficiency and that there is scope for reducing the weight of the cascade. The pressure distribution through a two dimensional thrust reverser section is determined for two additional cascade vane configurations and it is shown that with a small decrease in total reverse thrust, it is possible to reduce weight and eliminate supersonic flow regimes through the nacelle section. By increasing vane sections in high pressure areas and decreasing sections in low pressure areas the structural performance of the cascade vanes in the weight reduced designs, is improved with significantly reduced levels of vane displacement and stress
Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable lignin nanoparticles with tunable surface properties
Lignin nanoparticles can serve as biodegradable carriers of biocidal actives with minimal environmental footprint. Here we describe the colloidal synthesis and interfacial design of nanoparticles with tunable surface properties using two different lignin precursors, Kraft (Indulin AT) lignin and Organosolv (high-purity lignin). The green synthesis process is based on flash precipitation of dissolved lignin polymer, which enabled the formation of nanoparticles in the size range of 45–250 nm. The size evolution of the two types of lignin particles is fitted on the basis of modified diffusive growth kinetics and mass balance dependencies. The surface properties of the nanoparticles are fine-tuned by coating them with a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). We analyze how the colloidal stability and dispersion properties of these two types of nanoparticles vary as a function of pH and salinities. The data show that the properties of the nanoparticles are governed by the type of lignin used and the presence of polyelectrolyte surface coating. The coating allows the control of the nanoparticles’ surface charge and the extension of their stability into strongly basic regimes, facilitating their potential application at extreme pH conditions
Indocyanine Green Angiographic Criteria Using Ingress and Ingress Rate to Detect SVS Lower Extremity Threatened Limb Classification (WIfI) Grade 3 Ischemia
Social Capital, Institutional Rules, and Constitutional Amendment Rates
Why are some constitutions amended more frequently than others? The literature provides few clear answers, as some scholars focus on institutional factors, whereas others emphasize amendment culture. We bridge this divide with new theoretical and empirical insights. Using data from democratic constitutions worldwide and U.S. state constitutions, we examine how social capital reduces the transaction costs imposed by amendment rules. The results indicate that constitutional rigidity decreases amendment frequency, but group membership, civic activism, and political trust can offset the effect of amendment rules. Our findings have important implications for scholars in public law, constitutional and democratic theory, and social movements
Relocation and expansion planning for dairy producers
Relocating or expanding a dairy facility requires a tremendous amount of time and planning. Owners or managers of dairies will go through a number of steps including: 1) developing a business plan; 2) choosing a design process; 3) developing specifications; 4) selecting location/site; 5) obtaining permits/ legal; 6) obtaining bids; 7) selecting contractors; 8) buying cattle; 9) purchasing feeds; 10) financing; 11) managing construction; 12) hiring and training employees; 13) developing management protocols for the dairy; and 14) managing information flow. The dairy can be divided into these components: 1) milking parlor; 2) cow housing; 3) special needs facility (e.g., hospital, closeups); 4) replacement heifer housing; 5) manure management system; and 6) feed center. This article will focus on milking parlors, cow housing, grouping strategies, and site selection.; Dairy Day, 1999, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 1999
Double radiative pion capture on hydrogen and deuterium and the nucleon's pion cloud
We report measurements of double radiative capture in pionic hydrogen and
pionic deuterium. The measurements were performed with the RMC spectrometer at
the TRIUMF cyclotron by recording photon pairs from pion stops in liquid
hydrogen and deuterium targets. We obtained absolute branching ratios of for hydrogen and for deuterium, and
relative branching ratios of double radiative capture to single radiative
capture of for hydrogen
and for
deuterium. For hydrogen, the measured branching ratio and photon energy-angle
distributions are in fair agreement with a reaction mechanism involving the
annihilation of the incident on the cloud of the target proton.
For deuterium, the measured branching ratio and energy-angle distributions are
qualitatively consistent with simple arguments for the expected role of the
spectator neutron. A comparison between our hydrogen and deuterium data and
earlier beryllium and carbon data reveals substantial changes in the relative
branching ratios and the energy-angle distributions and is in agreement with
the expected evolution of the reaction dynamics from an annihilation process in
S-state capture to a bremsstrahlung process in P-state capture. Lastly, we
comment on the relevance of the double radiative process to the investigation
of the charged pion polarizability and the in-medium pion field.Comment: 44 pages, 7 tables, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Vitamin A supplementation in Tanzania: the impact of a change in programmatic delivery strategy on coverage.
BACKGROUND\ud
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Efficient delivery strategies for health interventions are essential for high and sustainable coverage. We report impact of a change in programmatic delivery strategy from routine delivery through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI+) approach to twice-yearly mass distribution campaigns on coverage of vitamin A supplementation in Tanzania\ud
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METHODS\ud
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We investigated disparities in age, sex, socio-economic status, nutritional status and maternal education within vitamin A coverage in children between 1 and 2 years of age from two independent household level child health surveys conducted (1) during a continuous universal targeting scheme based on routine EPI contacts for children aged 9, 15 and 21 months (1999); and (2) three years later after the introduction of twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation campaigns for children aged 6 months to 5 years, a 6-monthly universal targeting scheme (2002). A representative cluster sample of approximately 2,400 rural households was obtained from Rufiji, Morogoro Rural, Kilombero and Ulanga districts. A modular questionnaire about the health of all children under the age of five was administered to consenting heads of households and caretakers of children. Information on the use of child health interventions including vitamin A was asked.\ud
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RESULTS\ud
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Coverage of vitamin A supplementation among 1-2 year old children increased from 13% [95% CI 10-18%] in 1999 to 76% [95%CI 72-81%] in 2002. In 2002 knowledge of two or more child health danger signs was negatively associated with vitamin A supplementation coverage (80% versus 70%) (p = 0.04). Nevertheless, we did not find any disparities in coverage of vitamin A by district, gender, socio-economic status and DPT vaccinations.\ud
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CONCLUSION\ud
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Change in programmatic delivery of vitamin A supplementation was associated with a major improvement in coverage in Tanzania that was been sustained by repeated campaigns for at least three years. There is a need to monitor the effect of such campaigns on the routine health system and on equity of coverage. Documentation of vitamin A supplementation campaign contacts on routine maternal and child health cards would be a simple step to facilitate this monitoring
Threshold and linewidth of a mirrorless parametric oscillator
We analyze the above-threshold behavior of a mirrorless parametric oscillator
based on resonantly enhanced four wave mixing in a coherently driven dense
atomic vapor. It is shown that, in the ideal limit, an arbitrary small flux of
pump photons is sufficient to reach the oscillator threshold. We demonstrate
that due to the large group-velocity delays associated with coherent media, an
extremely narrow oscillator linewidth is possible, making a narrow-band source
of non-classical radiation feasible.Comment: revised version to appear in Phys.Rev.Lett., contains discussion on
threshold conditions and operation on few-photon leve
Enhancing Self-Consistency and Performance of Pre-Trained Language Models through Natural Language Inference
While large pre-trained language models are powerful, their predictions often
lack logical consistency across test inputs. For example, a state-of-the-art
Macaw question-answering (QA) model answers 'Yes' to 'Is a sparrow a bird?' and
'Does a bird have feet?' but answers 'No' to 'Does a sparrow have feet?'. To
address this failure mode, we propose a framework, Consistency Correction
through Relation Detection, or ConCoRD, for boosting the consistency and
accuracy of pre-trained NLP models using pre-trained natural language inference
(NLI) models without fine-tuning or re-training. Given a batch of test inputs,
ConCoRD samples several candidate outputs for each input and instantiates a
factor graph that accounts for both the model's belief about the likelihood of
each answer choice in isolation and the NLI model's beliefs about pair-wise
answer choice compatibility. We show that a weighted MaxSAT solver can
efficiently compute high-quality answer choices under this factor graph,
improving over the raw model's predictions. Our experiments demonstrate that
ConCoRD consistently boosts accuracy and consistency of off-the-shelf
closed-book QA and VQA models using off-the-shelf NLI models, notably
increasing accuracy of LXMERT on ConVQA by 5% absolute. See
https://ericmitchell.ai/emnlp-2022-concord/ for code and data.Comment: 16 pages. EMNLP 2022 Camera Ready. See
https://ericmitchell.ai/emnlp-2022-concord/ for code and dat
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