Оптимизация аппаратурного оформления процесса дегидрирования высших алканов с использованием метода математического моделирования

Предложен новый способ повышения эффективности работы реакторного блока дегидрирования парафинов с использованием математической модели, учитывающей взаимное влияние процессов, протекающих в аппаратах химико-технологической системы. Проведена численная оценка влияния химического состава сырья, технологических режимов и степени дезактивации катализатора на эффективность работы аппаратов химико-технологической схемы промышленной установки дегидрирования

Extended Longevity of Reproductives Appears to be Common in Fukomys Mole-Rats (Rodentia, Bathyergidae)

African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) contain several social, cooperatively breeding species with low extrinsic mortality and unusually high longevity. All social bathyergids live in multigenerational families where reproduction is skewed towards a few breeding individuals. Most of their offspring remain as reproductively inactive “helpers” in their natal families, often for several years. This “reproductive subdivision” of mole-rat societies might be of interest for ageing research, as in at least one social bathyergid (Ansell's mole-rats Fukomys anselli), breeders have been shown to age significantly slower than non-breeders. These animals thus provide excellent conditions for studying the epigenetics of senescence by comparing divergent longevities within the same genotypes without the inescapable short-comings of inter-species comparisons. It has been claimed that many if not all social mole-rat species may have evolved similar ageing patterns, too. However, this remains unclear on account of the scarcity of reliable datasets on the subject. We therefore analyzed a 20-year breeding record of Giant mole-rats Fukomys mechowii, another social bathyergid species. We found that breeders indeed lived significantly longer than helpers (ca. 1.5–2.2fold depending on the sex), irrespective of social rank or other potentially confounding factors. Considering the phylogenetic positions of F. mechowii and F. anselli and unpublished data on a third Fukomys-species (F. damarensis) showing essentially the same pattern, it seems probable that the reversal of the classic trade-off between somatic maintenance and sexual reproduction is characteristic of the whole genus and hence of the vast majority of social mole-rats

Collaborative Research Centre "Situated Artificial Communicators" at the University of Bielefeld, Germany

Rickheit G, Wachsmuth I. Collaborative Research Centre "Situated Artificial Communicators" at the University of Bielefeld, Germany. Artificial Intelligence Review. 1996;10(3-4):165-170.The Collaborative Research Centre “Situated Artificial Communicators” (SFB 360) is employed in modelling that which a person performs when, with a partner, he cooperatively solves a simple assembly task in a certain situation. Acoustic perception of the spoken word, visual perception of the partner and the objects and processes involved in the situation, understanding of that perceived, the formulation of own utterances, e.g. instructions to the partner, and the planning and performance of actions belong to these intelligence abilities. The theme of the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 360, in which Linguistics, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence are closely entwined, is unique in this form. The scientific headquarters at the University of Bielefeld, in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, has succeeded in entering a field of research which, in the trend of the growing importance of intelligent information systems, is a decisive factor for technical innovation

Combining Contour and Region Information for Perceptual Grouping

Both contour and region segmentation have their own advantages and drawbacks. In this work we propose to combine contour approximation and contour-based groupings with region segmentation to enhance both contour- and region-based interpretation of the image data. Contour segments and regions are matched based on the distance between contours and region boundary. This information is used to hypothesise alternative regions and to generate additional closed contours within the contour-based grouping process. Initial results for real images are presented