Assessment of Chemical Inhibitor Addition to Improve the Gas Production from Biowaste

The coexistence of sulphate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea in the reactors during the anaerobic digestion from sulphate-containing waste could favor the accumulation of sulfide on the biogas, and therefore reduce its quality. In this study, the effect of sulphate-reducing bacteria inhibitor (MoO−2 4 ) addition in a two phase system from sulphate-containing municipal solid waste to improve the quality of the biogas has been investigated. The results showed that although SRB and sulphide production decreased, the use of inhibitor was not effective to improve the anaerobic digestion in a two phase system from sulphate-containing waste, since a significant decrease on biogas and organic matter removal were observed. Before MoO−2 4 addition the average values of volatile solid were around 12 g/kg, after 5 days of inhibitor use, those values did exceed to 28 g/kg. Molybdate caused acidification in the reactor and it was according to decrease in the pH values. In relation to microbial consortia, the effect of inhibitor was a decrease in Bacteria (44%; 60% in sulphate-reducing bacteria) and Archaea (38%) population

Yield and yield components of six canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars affected by planting date and water deficit stress

In order to study the effect of planting dates and different irrigation regimes on yield and yield components of six canola cultivars, an experiment was conducted in two growing seasons; 2008 to 2009 and 2009 to 2010. Six canola cultivars (Zarfam, GKH1103, GKH1605, GKH2005, GKH305 and GKH3705) were cultivated in two different dates (October 7th and November 6th) with two levels of irrigation regimes (irrigation after 60 mm evaporation from Class A evaporation pan and irrigation interrupting at flowering stage). The experiments were conducted in randomized complete block design arrangement in split factorial with four replications The results demonstrated that late planting date and interrupting of irrigation at flowering stage significantly decreased growth, yield and yield components the of canola cultivars. In addition, oil yield was affected by late planting and water stress and it was dramatically decreased. Also, there was no significant difference among the cultivars with respect to oil percentage. The highest seed yield (5930.4 kg. ha-1) was obtained from GKH1103 cultivars planted on October 7th under the conditions of full irrigation. Seed yield and oil yield in the second year was more than that of the first year; this increase was related to the increase in seed weight and pod number per plant but not to number of seed per pod. In general, canola cultivation on November 6th considerably decreased seed and oil yield and it is an important point to achieve desirable yield to seed sowing not done later than October 7th. Additionally, complementary irrigation was very important to gain high yield in canola under the conditions of this study.Key words: Canola, planting date, water stress, yield and yield components

High temperature optical absorption investigation into the electronic transitions in sol–gel derived C12A7 thin films

Optical absorption into 6 mm thick sol–gel derived films, annealed at 1300 °C of 12CaO·7Al2O3 calcium aluminate binary compound on MgO〈100〉 single crystal substrates was studied at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300 °C. Experimental data were analysed in both Tauc and Urbach regions. The optical band gap decreased from 4.088 eV at 25 °C to 4.051 eV at 300 °C, while Urbach energy increased from 0.191 eV at 25 °C to 0.257 eV at 300 °C. The relationship between the optical band gap and the Urbach energy at different temperatures showed an almost linear relationship from which the theoretical values of 4.156 and 0.065 eV were evaluated for the band gap energy and Urbach energy of a 12CaO·7Al2O3 crystal with zero structural disorder at 0 K

A Theory of Cheap Control in Embodied Systems

We present a framework for designing cheap control architectures for embodied agents. Our derivation is guided by the classical problem of universal approximation, whereby we explore the possibility of exploiting the agent's embodiment for a new and more efficient universal approximation of behaviors generated by sensorimotor control. This embodied universal approximation is compared with the classical non-embodied universal approximation. To exemplify our approach, we present a detailed quantitative case study for policy models defined in terms of conditional restricted Boltzmann machines. In contrast to non-embodied universal approximation, which requires an exponential number of parameters, in the embodied setting we are able to generate all possible behaviors with a drastically smaller model, thus obtaining cheap universal approximation. We test and corroborate the theory experimentally with a six-legged walking machine. The experiments show that the sufficient controller complexity predicted by our theory is tight, which means that the theory has direct practical implications. Keywords: cheap design, embodiment, sensorimotor loop, universal approximation, conditional restricted Boltzmann machineComment: 27 pages, 10 figure

Device discovery for D2D communication in in-band cellular networks using sphere decoder like (SDL) algorithm

In the fifth generation (5G), it is anticipated that device-to-device (D2D) operation will be locally incorporated as a part without any bounds. In D2D network, multiple devices coexisting is a challenging subject of device discovery. The device discovery is performed under a visually impaired situation such as channel information, location, and the number of devices. In this paper, centralized device discovery is chosen due to power consumption and signaling overhead of the distributed system. A distinctive approach for device discovery in an in-band cellular network, based on the device’s power, is suggested with an efficient technique which enhances the implementation of D2D communication and improves the accomplishment by alleviating the discovery issues. The group of devices forms a lattice structure, and it is positioned in the coverage area. The hypersphere is constructed based on the power knowledge of a discoverer device which helps for accurate and fast device discovery in a lattice structure. Besides, sphere decoder like (SDL) algorithm is applied for quick and precise discovery in the lattice structure. Simulation results present the performance of the proposed QR factorized lattice structure scheme regarding device power, enhanced in the number of discovered devices and controlled signaling overhead

Prognostic value of mean platelet volume in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention

Objective: We sought to determine the role of mean platelet volume (MPV) for predicting long-term outcomes of elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: On the basis of retrospective cohort study, we collected characteristics of 680 patients undergoing elective PCI from October 2005 to August 2010. The patients who had preoperative MPV were assessed for developing major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during 1-year follow- up. They were categorized into two groups including MPV <9.6 fL (n=89) and MPV �9.6 fL (n=92). Data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square test, Pearson correlation, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression. Results: One-hundred eighty one patients (26.6) met inclusion criteria. The MACE was observed in 29 patients (16); and its rate in low- and high-MPV groups was 11.2 and 20.7, respectively (p=0.084). MPV was significantly higher in the patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40 compared with that of �40 (p<0.001). There were a significant and negative correlation between MPV and platelet count (r=-0.305, p<0.001), and significant and positive correlations between MPV and platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet large cell ratio (P-LCR) (r=0.615, p<0.001 and r=0.913, p<0.001; respectively). The best MPV cut-off point was 9.25 fL; the sensitivity and specificity were 79 and 38, respectively. Elevated MPV was the best predictor of MACE at 1-year follow-up (OR=11.359, 95 CI 2.481-51.994, p=0.002). Conclusion: The results indicate that preoperative MPV is an independent predictor of the MACE at 1-year follow-up in the patients undergoing elective PCI. Moreover, it may be useful for risk stratification in such cases. © 2015 by Turkish Society of Cardiology

RoboCup 2D Soccer Simulation League: Evaluation Challenges

We summarise the results of RoboCup 2D Soccer Simulation League in 2016 (Leipzig), including the main competition and the evaluation round. The evaluation round held in Leipzig confirmed the strength of RoboCup-2015 champion (WrightEagle, i.e. WE2015) in the League, with only eventual finalists of 2016 competition capable of defeating WE2015. An extended, post-Leipzig, round-robin tournament which included the top 8 teams of 2016, as well as WE2015, with over 1000 games played for each pair, placed WE2015 third behind the champion team (Gliders2016) and the runner-up (HELIOS2016). This establishes WE2015 as a stable benchmark for the 2D Simulation League. We then contrast two ranking methods and suggest two options for future evaluation challenges. The first one, "The Champions Simulation League", is proposed to include 6 previous champions, directly competing against each other in a round-robin tournament, with the view to systematically trace the advancements in the League. The second proposal, "The Global Challenge", is aimed to increase the realism of the environmental conditions during the simulated games, by simulating specific features of different participating countries.Comment: 12 pages, RoboCup-2017, Nagoya, Japan, July 201

Social media metrics for new research evaluation

This chapter approaches, both from a theoretical and practical perspective, the most important principles and conceptual frameworks that can be considered in the application of social media metrics for scientific evaluation. We propose conceptually valid uses for social media metrics in research evaluation. The chapter discusses frameworks and uses of these metrics as well as principles and recommendations for the consideration and application of current (and potentially new) metrics in research evaluation.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springe