An efficient ant colony system based on receding horizon control for the aircraft arrival sequencing and scheduling problem

The aircraft arrival sequencing and scheduling (ASS) problem is a salient problem in air traffic control (ATC), which proves to be nondeterministic polynomial (NP) hard. This paper formulates the ASS problem in the form of a permutation problem and proposes a new solution framework that makes the first attempt at using an ant colony system (ACS) algorithm based on the receding horizon control (RHC) to solve it. The resultant RHC-improved ACS algorithm for the ASS problem (termed the RHC-ACS-ASS algorithm) is robust, effective, and efficient, not only due to that the ACS algorithm has a strong global search ability and has been proven to be suitable for these kinds of NP-hard problems but also due to that the RHC technique can divide the problem with receding time windows to reduce the computational burden and enhance the solution's quality. The RHC-ACS-ASS algorithm is extensively tested on the cases from the literatures and the cases randomly generated. Comprehensive investigations are also made for the evaluation of the influences of ACS and RHC parameters on the performance of the algorithm. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is further enhanced by using a two-opt exchange heuristic local search. Experimental results verify that the proposed RHC-ACS-ASS algorithm generally outperforms ordinary ACS without using the RHC technique and genetic algorithms (GAs) in solving the ASS problems and offers high robustness, effectiveness, and efficienc

CO-CULTURES Growing together gives more rice and aquatic food

Allowing aquatic organisms to grow in rice fields - a practice called co-culture - increases rice yields while maintaining soil fertility and reducing weeds

ARCHERY TRAINING IMPROVE POSTURAL CONTROL IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Exercise training might be beneficial for postural control (PC) during exercise and daily activities. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an eight-week archery training program on PC in young children during the standard, aiming, and archery shooting standing posture

Anterior Hippocampus and Goal-Directed Spatial Decision Making

Contains fulltext : 115487.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Solutions of the dispersion equation in the region of overlapping of zero-sound and particle-hole modes

In this paper the solutions of the zero-sound dispersion equation in the random phase approximation (RPA) are considered. The calculation of the damped zero-sound modes \omega_s(k) (complex frequency of excitation) in the nuclear matter is presented. The method is based on the analytical structure of the polarization operators \Pi(\omega,k). The solutions of two dispersion equations with \Pi(\omega,k) and with Re(\Pi(\omega,k)) are compared. It is shown that in the first case we obtain one-valued smooth solutions without "thumb-like" forms. Considering the giant resonances in the nuclei as zero-sound excitations we compare the experimental energy and escape width of the giant dipole resonance (GDR) in the nucleus A with \omega_s(k) taken at a definite wave vector k=k_A.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures; revised versio

The Significance of Calcium-sensing Receptor in Sustaining Photosynthesis and Ameliorating Stress Responses in Plants

Calcium ions (Ca2+) regulate plant growth and development during exposure to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses as the second signaling messenger in cells. The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CAS) is a specific protein spatially located on the thylakoid membrane. It regulates the intracellular Ca2+ responses by sensing changes in extracellular Ca2+ concentration, thereby affecting a series of downstream signal transduction processes and making plants more resilient to respond to stresses. Here, we summarized the discovery process, structure, and location of CAS in plants and the effects of Ca2+ and CAS on stomatal functionality, photosynthesis, and various environmental adaptations. Under changing environmental conditions and global climate, our study enhances the mechanistic understanding of calcium-sensing receptors in sustaining photosynthesis and mediating abiotic stress responses in plants. A better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of Ca2+ and CAS in regulating stress responses in plants may provide novel mitigation strategies for improving crop yield in a world facing more extreme climate-changed linked weather events with multiple stresses during cultivation

Revisiting vertical structure of neutrino-dominated accretion disks: Bernoulli parameter, neutrino trapping and other distributions

We revisit the vertical structure of neutrino dominated accretion flows (NDAFs) in spherical coordinates with a new boundary condition based on the mechanical equilibrium. The solutions show that NDAF is significantly thick. The Bernoulli parameter and neutrino trapping are determined by the mass accretion rate and the viscosity parameter. According to the distribution of the Bernoulli parameter, the possible outflow may appear in the outer region of the disk. The neutrino trapping can essentially affect the neutrino radiation luminosity. The vertical structure of NDAF is like a "sandwich", and the multilayer accretion may account for the flares in gamma-ray bursts.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Pixel size limit in holographic memories

The bandwidth of holographic recording in LiNbO3 (Fe doped) in the 90 degrees geometry is studied theoretically and experimentally. The wide holographic bandwidth of LiNbO3 makes it possible to record submicrometer pixels and reconstruct them by phase conjugation in a holographic memory system. This approach reduces the system cost and increases the system storage density. We demonstrate the recording and the phase-conjugate reconstruction of various pixel sizes down to 1 mu m X 1 mu m. The signal-noise ratio and the bit-error rate are examined. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America