749 research outputs found
A storage and access architecture for efficient query processing in spatial database systems
Due to the high complexity of objects and queries and also due to extremely
large data volumes, geographic database systems impose stringent requirements on their
storage and access architecture with respect to efficient query processing. Performance
improving concepts such as spatial storage and access structures, approximations, object
decompositions and multi-phase query processing have been suggested and analyzed as
single building blocks. In this paper, we describe a storage and access architecture which
is composed from the above building blocks in a modular fashion. Additionally, we incorporate
into our architecture a new ingredient, the scene organization, for efficiently
supporting set-oriented access of large-area region queries. An experimental performance
comparison demonstrates that the concept of scene organization leads to considerable
performance improvements for large-area region queries by a factor of up to 150
Tuning and Locking the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances of CuS (Covellite) Nanocrystals by an Amorphous CuPdxS Shell
[Image: see text] We demonstrate the stabilization of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a semiconductor-based core–shell heterostructure made of a plasmonic CuS core embedded in an amorphous-like alloyed CuPd(x)S shell. This heterostructure is prepared by reacting the as-synthesized CuS nanocrystals (NCs) with Pd(2+) cations at room temperature in the presence of an electron donor (ascorbic acid). The reaction starts from the surface of the CuS NCs and proceeds toward the center, causing reorganization of the initial lattice and amorphization of the covellite structure. According to density functional calculations, Pd atoms are preferentially accommodated between the bilayer formed by the S–S covalent bonds, which are therefore broken, and this can be understood as the first step leading to amorphization of the particles upon insertion of the Pd(2+) ions. The position and intensity in near-infrared LSPRs can be tuned by altering the thickness of the shell and are in agreement with the theoretical optical simulation based on the Mie–Gans theory and Drude model. Compared to the starting CuS NCs, the amorphous CuPd(x)S shell in the core–shell nanoparticles makes their plasmonic response less sensitive to a harsh oxidation environment (generated, for example, by the presence of I(2))
How Do You Like Me in This: User Embodiment Preferences for Companion Agents
We investigate the relationship between the embodiment of an artificial companion and user perception and interaction with it. In a Wizard of Oz study, 42 users interacted with one of two embodiments: a physical robot or a virtual agent on a screen through a role-play of secretarial tasks in an office, with the companion providing essential assistance. Findings showed that participants in both condition groups when given the choice would prefer to interact with the robot companion, mainly for its greater physical or social presence. Subjects also found the robot less annoying and talked to it more naturally. However, this preference for the robotic embodiment is not reflected in the users’ actual rating of the companion or their interaction with it. We reflect on this contradiction and conclude that in a task-based context a user focuses much more on a companion’s behaviour than its embodiment. This underlines the feasibility of our efforts in creating companions that migrate between embodiments while maintaining a consistent identity from the user’s point of view
Feed-forward Torque Control of Interior Permanent Magnet Brushless AC Drive for Traction Applications
This paper presents a feed-forward torque control
(FTC) technique for interior permanent magnet (IPM) brushless
AC (BLAC) drives in traction applications. It is shown that by
adopting the Newton-Raphson iterative method for solving the
proposed high-order nonlinear relationship between the torque
demand, flux-linkage and desirable dq-axis currents, FTC with
due account of nonlinear machine parameters can be achieved
for IPM BLAC drives. It is also proven that the comparison
between the reference voltage magnitudes under maximum
torque per ampere (MTPA) and field-weakening (FW)
operations together with online base speed determination can be
utilized for FW operation activation to achieve full exploitation
of the available DC-link voltage during the transition between
the constant torque and FW operation regions. Since both the dqaxis
current references and the base speed for FW operation
activation are computed online, the proposed FTC technique
provides flexibility for online parameter update or estimation
and is able to cope with wide DC-link voltage variation. The
proposed FTC strategy is experimentally validated by
measurements on a 10kW wide constant power speed range
(CPSR) IPM BLAC machine drive
Query processing of spatial objects: Complexity versus Redundancy
The management of complex spatial objects in applications, such as geography and cartography,
imposes stringent new requirements on spatial database systems, in particular on efficient
query processing. As shown before, the performance of spatial query processing can be improved
by decomposing complex spatial objects into simple components. Up to now, only decomposition
techniques generating a linear number of very simple components, e.g. triangles or trapezoids, have
been considered. In this paper, we will investigate the natural trade-off between the complexity of
the components and the redundancy, i.e. the number of components, with respect to its effect on
efficient query processing. In particular, we present two new decomposition methods generating
a better balance between the complexity and the number of components than previously known
techniques. We compare these new decomposition methods to the traditional undecomposed representation
as well as to the well-known decomposition into convex polygons with respect to their
performance in spatial query processing. This comparison points out that for a wide range of query
selectivity the new decomposition techniques clearly outperform both the undecomposed representation
and the convex decomposition method. More important than the absolute gain in performance
by a factor of up to an order of magnitude is the robust performance of our new decomposition
techniques over the whole range of query selectivity
Numerical Study of the Optical Response of ITO-In2O3 Core-Shell Nanocrystals for Multispectral Electromagnetic Shielding
Nowadays materials to protect equipment from unwanted multispectral electromagnetic waves are needed in a broad range of applications including electronics, medical, military and aerospace. However, the shielding materials currently in use are bulky and work effectively only in a limited frequency range. Therefore, nanostructured materials are under investigation by the relevant scientific community. In this framework, the design of multispectral shielding nanomaterials must be supplemented with proper numerical models that allow dealing with non-linearities and being effective in predicting their absorption spectra. In this study, the electromagnetic response of metal-oxide nanocrystals with multispectral electromagnetic shielding capability has been investigated. A numerical framework was developed to predict energy bands and electron density profiles of a core-shell nanocrystal and to evaluate its optical response at different wavelengths. To this aim, a finite element method software is used to solve a non-linear Poisson's equation. The numerical simulations allowed to model the optical response of ITO-In2O3 core-shell nanocrystals and can be effectively applied to different nanotopologies to support an enhanced design of nanomaterials with multispectral shielding capabilities
On the Whitham hierarchy: dressing scheme, string equations and additional symmetrie
A new description of the universal Whitham hierarchy in terms of a
factorization problem in the Lie group of canonical transformations is
provided. This scheme allows us to give a natural description of dressing
transformations, string equations and additional symmetries for the Whitham
hierarchy. We show how to dress any given solution and prove that any solution
of the hierarchy may be undressed, and therefore comes from a factorization of
a canonical transformation. A particulary important function, related to the
-function, appears as a potential of the hierarchy. We introduce a class
of string equations which extends and contains previous classes of string
equations considered by Krichever and by Takasaki and Takebe. The scheme is
also applied for an convenient derivation of additional symmetries. Moreover,
new functional symmetries of the Zakharov extension of the Benney gas equations
are given and the action of additional symmetries over the potential in terms
of linear PDEs is characterized
On the Whitham hierarchy: dressing scheme, string equations and additional symmetrie
A new description of the universal Whitham hierarchy in terms of a
factorization problem in the Lie group of canonical transformations is
provided. This scheme allows us to give a natural description of dressing
transformations, string equations and additional symmetries for the Whitham
hierarchy. We show how to dress any given solution and prove that any solution
of the hierarchy may be undressed, and therefore comes from a factorization of
a canonical transformation. A particulary important function, related to the
-function, appears as a potential of the hierarchy. We introduce a class
of string equations which extends and contains previous classes of string
equations considered by Krichever and by Takasaki and Takebe. The scheme is
also applied for an convenient derivation of additional symmetries. Moreover,
new functional symmetries of the Zakharov extension of the Benney gas equations
are given and the action of additional symmetries over the potential in terms
of linear PDEs is characterized
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