Reliability analysis of mobile agent control system with multiple alternative plans

With the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies, mobile agents are becoming more commonly used in a variety of industries that require high reliability from their control systems. In an uncertain environment, if the mobile agent control system’s state transition includes only one plan, the system will enter the fault state immediately after the plan fails. Therefore, multiple alternative plans can be provided during the system design process to improve system reliability. First, this paper studies and describes the factors associated with the proposed multiple alternative plans, namely the success rate and plan implementation cost. Second, a Policy Generation Algorithm for identifying an appropriate execution sequence of those alternative plans is proposed. Furthermore, we propose a formal method-based pipeline framework for verifying the reliability of a mobile agent control system equipped with multiple alternative plans: we invoke the probabilistic model checking technique to create a Discrete-Time Markov Chain formal model of the mobile agent control system, convert the required properties into Probabilistic Computation Tree Logic formulae, and verify the model using the advanced probabilistic model checker PRISM. A case study is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested methodological framework. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed mobile agent control system with multiple alternative plans can improve system reliability while also meeting the least expected operational cost under the alternative plan set

Effect of directional solidification rate on the microstructure and properties of deformation-processed Cu-7Cr-0.1Ag in situ composites

The influence of directional solidification rate on the microstructure, mechanical properties and conductivity of deformation-processed Cu-7Cr-0.1Ag in situ composites produced by thermo-mechanical processing was systematically investigated. The microstructure was analyzed by optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy. The mechanical properties and conductivity were evaluated by tensile-testing machine and micro-ohmmeter, respectively. The results indicate that the size, shape and distribution of second-phase Cr grains are significantly different in the Cu-7Cr-0.1Ag alloys with different growth rates. At a growth rate of 200 μm s-1, the Cr grains transform into fine Cr fiber-like grains parallel to the pulling direction from the Cr dendrites. The tensile strength of the Cu-7Cr-0.1Ag in situ composites from the directional solidification (DS) alloys is significantly higher than that from the as-cast alloy, while the conductivity of the in situ composites from the DS alloys is slightly lower than that from the as-cast alloy. The following combinations of tensile strength, elongation to fracture and conductivity of the Cu-7Cr-0.1Ag in situ composites from the DS alloy with a growth rate of 200 μm s-1 and a cumulative cold deformation strain of 8 after isochronic aging treatment for 1 h can be obtained respectively as: (i) 1067 MPa, 2.9% and 74.9% IACS; or (ii) 1018 MPa, 3.0%, and 76.0% IACS or (iii) 906 MPa, 3.3% and 77.6% IACS

Stability of Ni3P and its effect on the interfacial reaction between electroless Ni-P and molten tin

The stability of Ni3P and its effect on the reaction with molten tin were evaluated in the present study by comparing the reaction behaviour of Ni-P coatings in the as-plated and heat-treated conditions. It was found that after the solder reaction a dark layer of Ni3P was formed at the interface on Ni-P coatings in both conditions, but its thickness was thinner on heat-treated coatings than on as-plated coatings. From the compositional analysis on the cross-sections, it was found that not all the P ejected from the interfacial reaction between Sn and Ni-P was consumed by the formation of Ni3P, as P was detected in a second layer of interfacial phase which also contained Ni and Sn. The formation of Ni3P was found to be characteristic of a diffusion process, whilst the thickness of Ni-P coating consumed during the reaction was found to be linearly proportional to the reaction time. It is concluded that the Ni3P phase formed during the solder reaction is not stable and therefore cannot act as an effective barrier to reactions with liquid solders

Influence of Ag micro-alloying on the thermal stability and ageing characteristics of a Cu–14Fe in-situ composite

This paper studied the influence of Ag micro-alloying on the thermal stability and ageing characteristics of a deformation-processed Cu–14Fe in-situ composite prepared by thermo-mechanical processing. Heat treatment caused (i) edge recession, longitudinal splitting, cylinderization, break-up and spheroidisation of the Fe fibres in the Ag micro-alloyed Cu–14Fe in-situ composite, and (ii) recovery, recrystallisation and precipitation in the Cu matrix. Ag micro-alloying caused these processes to occur at lower temperatures. The index Z (a combination figure of merit that assesses the service performance) reached the peak value of 3.3×10 MPa·% IACS after isothermal heat treatment at 500 °C for 1 h, where IACS is the International Annealed Copper Standard, a measure of conductivity. The optimum combinations of tensile strength and conductivity were 1033 MPa and 56.6% IACS; 931 MPa and 58.9% IACS; or 851 MPa and 60.6% IACS. The tensile strength and conductivity of Ag micro-alloyed Cu–14Fe in-situ composite at η=7.8 after isochronal heat treatments were higher than those of the Cu–14Fe in-situ composite at each temperature

Do maternal health problems influence child's worrying status? Evidence from the British Cohort Study

Conventional methods apply symmetric prior distributions such as a normal distribution or a Laplace distribution for regression coefficients, which may be suitable for median regression and exhibit no robustness to outliers. This work develops a quantile regression on linear panel data model without heterogeneity from a Bayesian point of view, i.e. upon a location-scale mixture representation of the asymmetric Laplace error distribution, and provides how the posterior distribution is summarized using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Applying this approach to the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS) data, it finds that a different maternal health problem has different influence on child's worrying status at different quantiles. In addition, applying stochastic search variable selection for maternal health problems to the 1970 BCS data, it finds that maternal nervous breakdown, among the 25 maternal health problems, contributes most to influence the child's worrying status

Electroless Ni-W-P alloys as barrier coatings for liquid solder interconnects

The control of the interfacial reaction rate is of great importance for liquid solder interconnects for high temperature electronic assemblies. Conventional electroless Ni-P barrier metallizations have been found to be inadequate for providing long term protection of the underlying metallization from the attack of molten solders. In this paper, binary Ni-P was modified with the co-deposition of a refractory alloying element, tungsten (W), from its soluble metal salt added to the plating bath. Critical parameters for the deposition of ternary Ni-W-P were identified. The long term reaction between Ni-W-P and molten Sn-Bi solder at 200 degC was studied. The results indicated that Ni-W-P barrier coatings with higher W contents have much longer service lifetime as a barrier than normal Ni-P coatings. A mechanism for the reaction between Ni-W-P and molten Sn-Bi solder, and a failure mechanism for the Ni-W-P layer, are also propose

A comparative study of the interfacial reaction between electroless Ni-P coatings and molten tin

A comparative study of the reaction characteristics between molten tin and both as-plated and heat-treated Ni-P coatings was carried out, with a specific focus on the stability of the Ni3P intermetallic layer and its effects on the subsequent reaction. It was found that a continuous layer of Ni3P may be formed on both types of Ni-P during the interfacial reaction, despite the fact that heat-treated Ni-P is a two-phase mixture of Ni3P and Ni. The Ni3P formed on the heat-treated Ni-P was thinner than that on as-plated Ni-P. A mass conservation analysis of P revealed that no or limited P was lost into the molten tin when the Ni3P layer was thin, whereas a significant loss of P took place as the Ni3P thickness increased. It is proposed that the Ni3P phase is stable and it may not undergo chemical decomposition during the interfacial reaction. The loss of P to the molten tin observed in the present study is most likely due to the crumbling of Ni3P particles into the liquid phase, as a result of the enhanced mass transport due to use of thin copper wire substrates rather than a planar surface. Finally, the results show that the Ni3P phase cannot act 2 as an effective barrier layer to the attack of molten tin toward the substrate. Defects in the Ni3P were found to allow localised penetration of molten tin

Exploring the key factors affecting the seasonal variation of phytoplankton in the coastal Yellow Sea

Marine phytoplankton play crucial roles in the ocean’s biological pump and have great impacts on global biogeochemical cycles, yet the knowledge of environmental variables controlling their seasonal dynamics needs to be improved further, especially in the coastal ecosystems. In order to explore the determinants affecting the seasonal variation of phytoplankton, here we conducted three surveys during spring, summer and autumn along the coastal Yellow Sea. Among the phytoplankton community, 49 species of diatoms and 9 species of dinoflagellates were observed in spring, 63 species of diatoms and 10 species of dinoflagellates in summer, and 62 species of diatoms and 11 species of dinoflagellates in autumn. These results thus suggested that there were obvious differences in the number of species across the three seasons, of which diatoms were the most diverse group, followed by dinoflagellates. Additionally, diatoms were the most dominant species of the phytoplankton community and varied largely during different seasons. According to the redundancy analysis, the abundance of phytoplankton community was mainly related to water temperature and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) during the three seasons, indicating that water temperature and DIN could be the key factors controlling the seasonal variability of phytoplankton community along the coastal Yellow Sea. Also, significant correlations were observed between phytoplankton abundance and heavy metals Zn, As, and Hg during the three seasons, suggesting that these metals also had potential influences on the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton community in the coastal Yellow Sea

Identification and classification of the genomes of novel microviruses in poultry slaughterhouse

Microviridae is a family of phages with circular ssDNA genomes and they are widely found in various environments and organisms. In this study, virome techniques were employed to explore potential members of Microviridae in a poultry slaughterhouse, leading to the identification of 98 novel and complete microvirus genomes. Using a similarity clustering network classification approach, these viruses were found to belong to at least 6 new subfamilies within Microviridae and 3 higher-level taxonomic units. Genome size, GC content and genome structure of these new taxa showed evident regularities, validating the rationality of our classification method. Our method can divide microviruses into about 45 additional detailed clusters, which may serve as a new standard for classifying Microviridae members. Furthermore, by addressing the scarcity of host information for microviruses, the current study significantly broadened their host range and discovered over 20 possible new hosts, including important pathogenic bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and Vibrio cholerae, as well as different taxa demonstrated different host specificities. The findings of this study effectively expand the diversity of the Microviridae family, providing new insights for their classification and identification. Additionally, it offers a novel perspective for monitoring and controlling pathogenic microorganisms in poultry slaughterhouse environments

Statistical methods for body mass index: a selective review

Obesity rates have been increasing over recent decades, causing significant concern among policy makers. Excess body fat, commonly measured by body mass index, is a major risk factor for several common disorders including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, placing a substantial burden on health care systems. To guide effective public health action, we need to understand the complex system of intercorrelated influences on body mass index. This paper, based on all eligible articles searched from Global health, Medline and Web of Science databases, reviews both classical and modern statistical methods for body mass index analysis. We give a description of each of these methods, exploring the classification, links and differences between them and the reasons for choosing one over the others in different settings. We aim to provide a key resource and statistical library for researchers in public health and medicine to deal with obesity and body mass index data analysis.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work has been supported in part by the National Institute for Health Research Method Grant (NIHR RMOFS-2013-03-09) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71490725, 11261048, 11371322)