1,378 research outputs found
Use of Sand Compaction Piles for Improvement of a Coal Ash Pond
Effects of sand compaction piles on ground improvement of a coal ash pond and axial performance on four drilled shafts through improved coal ash layer at a power plant in southern Taiwan is studied in this paper. Effects of the sand compaction piles improvement is evaluated by comparing the SPT-N values before and after ground improvement. The load versus displacement relation at head, the axial force along the shaft, the t-z curves and/or the toe q-z curve, which are the main concerns of shaft load test results, are presented and discussed in the paper
Design and evaluation of acceleration strategies for speeding up the development of dialog applications
In this paper, we describe a complete development platform that features different innovative acceleration strategies, not included in any other current platform, that simplify and speed up the definition of the different elements required to design a spoken dialog service. The proposed accelerations are mainly based on using the information from the backend database schema and contents, as well as cumulative information produced throughout the different steps in the design. Thanks to these accelerations, the interaction between the designer and the platform is improved, and in most cases the design is reduced to simple confirmations of the âproposalsâ that the platform dynamically provides at each step.
In addition, the platform provides several other accelerations such as configurable templates that can be used to define the different tasks in the service or the dialogs to obtain or show information to the user, automatic proposals for the best way to request slot contents from the user (i.e. using mixed-initiative forms or directed forms), an assistant that offers the set of more probable actions required to complete the definition of the different tasks in the application, or another assistant for solving specific modality details such as confirmations of user answers or how to present them the lists of retrieved results after querying the backend database. Additionally, the platform also allows the creation of speech grammars and prompts, database access functions, and the possibility of using mixed initiative and over-answering dialogs. In the paper we also describe in detail each assistant in the platform, emphasizing the different kind of methodologies followed to facilitate the design process at each one.
Finally, we describe the results obtained in both a subjective and an objective evaluation with different designers that confirm the viability, usefulness, and functionality of the proposed accelerations. Thanks to the accelerations, the design time is reduced in more than 56% and the number of keystrokes by 84%
Stochastic Resonance in an Extended FitzHugh-Nagumo System: the Role of Selective Coupling
Here we present a study of stochastic resonance in an extended
FitzHugh-Nagumo system with a field dependent activator diffusion. We show that
the system response (here measured through the output signal-to-noise ratio) is
enhanced due to the particular form of the non-homogeneous coupling. Such a
result supports previous ones obtained in a simpler scalar reaction-diffusion
system and shows that such an enhancement, induced by the field dependent
diffusion -or selective coupling-, is a robust phenomenon.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figure
Structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering
Zinc sulfide [ZnS] thin films were deposited on glass substrates using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The substrate temperature was varied in the range of 100°C to 400°C. The structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films were characterized with X-ray diffraction [XRD], field emission scanning electron microscopy [FESEM], energy dispersive analysis of X-rays and UV-visible transmission spectra. The XRD analyses indicate that ZnS films have zinc blende structures with (111) preferential orientation, whereas the diffraction patterns sharpen with the increase in substrate temperatures. The FESEM data also reveal that the films have nano-size grains with a grain size of approximately 69 nm. The films grown at 350°C exhibit a relatively high transmittance of 80% in the visible region, with an energy band gap of 3.79 eV. These results show that ZnS films are suitable for use as the buffer layer of the Cu(In, Ga)Se2 solar cells
Entanglement and teleportation via chaotic system
The dynamics of entangled state interacting with a single cavity mode is
investigated in the presence of a random parameter. We have shown that degree
of entanglement decays with time and rate of decay is defined by features of
random parameter. Quantum teleportation through dissipative channal and
teleportation fidelity as a function of damping rates has been studied. The
sensitivity of the fidelity with respect to random parameter is discussed. We
have evaluated the time interval during which one can perform the quantum
teleportation and send the information with reasonable fidelity, for a given
values of correlation length of random parameter.Comment: Accepted in Physica
Surf and turf: predation by egg-eating snakes has led to the evolution of parental care in a terrestrial lizard
Animals display a great diversity of parental care tactics that ultimately enhance offspring survival, but how such behaviors evolve remains unknown for most systems. Here, we studied the evolution of maternal care, in the form of nest guarding, in a single population of long-tailed sun skink (Eutropis longicaudata) living on Orchid Island (Taiwan). This species typically does not provide protection to its offspring. Using a common garden experiment, we show that maternal care is genetically determined in this population. Through field manipulations, we demonstrate that care provides a significant increase in egg survival on Orchid Island by reducing predation from egg-eating snakes (Oligodon formosanus); this predator is not abundant in other populations of the lizard, which do not display parental care. Finally, using extensive field surveys, we show that the seasonal availability of green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) nests is the cause for the high abundance of snake predators on Orchid Island, with the snakes consuming lizard eggs when green turtle eggs are not available. Together, these lines of evidence provide the first full demonstration of how predation can trigger the evolution of parental care in a species derived from a non-caring ancestor
Traditional Chinese Medicine ZHENG Identification Provides a Novel Stratification Approach in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis
Background. We aimed to apply the ZHENG identification to provide an easy and useful tool to stratify the patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) through exploring the correlation between the quantified scores of AR symptoms and the TCM ZHENGs. Methods. A total of 114 AR patients were enrolled in this observational study. All participants received the examinations of anterior rhinoscopy and acoustic rhinometry. Their blood samples were collected for measurement of total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), blood eosinophil count (Eos), and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). They also received two questionnaire to assess the severity scores of AR symptoms and quantified TCM ZHENG scores. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine explanatory factors for the score of AR manifestations. Results. IgE and ECP level, duration of AR, the 2 derived TCMZHENG scores of âYin-Xu â Yang-Xuâ, and âQi-Xu + Blood-Xuâ were 5 explanatory variables to predict the severity scores of AR symptoms. The patients who had higher scores of âYin-Xu â Yang-Xuâ or âQi-Xu + Blood-Xuâ tended to manifest as âsneezer and runnerâ or âblockers,â respectively. Conclusions. The TCM ZHENG scores correlated with the severity scores of AR symptoms and provided an easy and useful tool to stratify the AR patients
Toward Data-Driven Digital Therapeutics Analytics: Literature Review and Research Directions
With the advent of Digital Therapeutics (DTx), the development of software as
a medical device (SaMD) for mobile and wearable devices has gained significant
attention in recent years. Existing DTx evaluations, such as randomized
clinical trials, mostly focus on verifying the effectiveness of DTx products.
To acquire a deeper understanding of DTx engagement and behavioral adherence,
beyond efficacy, a large amount of contextual and interaction data from mobile
and wearable devices during field deployment would be required for analysis. In
this work, the overall flow of the data-driven DTx analytics is reviewed to
help researchers and practitioners to explore DTx datasets, to investigate
contextual patterns associated with DTx usage, and to establish the (causal)
relationship of DTx engagement and behavioral adherence. This review of the key
components of data-driven analytics provides novel research directions in the
analysis of mobile sensor and interaction datasets, which helps to iteratively
improve the receptivity of existing DTx.Comment: This paper has been accepted by the IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica
Sinic
- âŠ