Modeling asphalt pavement overlay transverse cracks using the genetic operation tree and Levenberg-Marquardt Method

[[abstract]]The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and the nonlinear regression method are commonly used to build models from experimental data. However, the ANN has been criticized for incapable of providing clear relationships and physical meanings, and is usually regarded as a black box. The nonlinear regression method needs predefined and correct formula structures to process parameter search in terms of the minimal sum of square errors. Unfortunately, the formula structures of these models are often unclear and cannot be defined in advance. To overcome these challenges, this study proposes a novel approach, called ââLMGOT,ââ that integrates two optimization techniques: the LevenbergâMarquardt (LM) Method and the genetic operation tree (GOT). The GOT borrows the concept from the genetic algorithm, a famous algorithm for solving discrete optimization problems, to generate operation trees (OTs), which represent the structures of the formulas. Meanwhile, the LM takes advantage of its merit for solving nonlinear continuous optimization problems, and determines the coefficients in the GOTs that best fit the experimental data. This paper uses the LMGOT to investigate the data sets of pavement cracks from a 15-year experiment conducted by the Texas Departments of Transportation. Results show a concise formula for predicting the length of pavement transverse cracking, and indicate that the LMGOT is an efficient approach to building an accurate crack model.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙

Emerging threat of thrips-borne Melon yellow spot virus on melon and watermelon in Taiwan

The thrips-borne Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV) has recently been found infecting cucurbits in Taiwan. However, this virus was indistinguishable from another thrips-borne virus species Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), which has been devastating on cucurbits in Taiwan for decades, when the antisera against their nucleocapsid proteins (NPs) were used for diagnosis. To understand the incidences of WSMoV and MYSV in melon and watermelon fields, a survey was conducted in central and southern Taiwan from July 2007 to December 2009. The samples collected from symptomatic plants were tested by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to the NP of WSMoV or MYSV and the reliability of the results was verified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using species-specific primers. Among a total of 10,480 melon samples collected, 6% and 18.2% of them were found singly infected with WSMoV and MYSV, respectively, and 0.16% infected with both viruses. On the other hand, among 1,811 watermelon samples assayed, 22.4% and 9.2% samples were singly infected with WSMoV and MYSV, respectively, and 0.17% were infected with both viruses. In addition, the aphid-borne viruses Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), Papaya ringspot virus watermelon type (PRSV-W) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were also detected as prevalent viruses. Our results indicated that mixed infection with the two thrips-borne viruses is rare. Moreover, host preference for both viruses is different; WSMoV prevails on watermelon whereas MYSV is more widespread on melon. We conclude that MYSV has become a serious threat for watermelon and melon production in Taiwan and the possible control measures are discussed

Galaxy Clusters Associated with Short GRBs. II. Predictions for the Rate of Short GRBs in Field and Cluster Early-Type Galaxies

We determine the relative rates of short GRBs in cluster and field early-type galaxies as a function of the age probability distribution of their progenitors, P(\tau) \propto \tau^n. This analysis takes advantage of the difference in the growth of stellar mass in clusters and in the field, which arises from the combined effects of the galaxy stellar mass function, the early-type fraction, and the dependence of star formation history on mass and environment. This approach complements the use of the early- to late-type host galaxy ratio, with the added benefit that the star formation histories of early-type galaxies are simpler than those of late-type galaxies, and any systematic differences between progenitors in early- and late-type galaxies are removed. We find that the ratio varies from R(cluster)/R(field) ~ 0.5 for n = -2 to ~ 3 for n = 2. Current observations indicate a ratio of about 2, corresponding to n ~ 0 - 1. This is similar to the value inferred from the ratio of short GRBs in early- and late-type hosts, but it differs from the value of n ~ -1 for NS binaries in the Milky Way. We stress that this general approach can be easily modified with improved knowledge of the effects of environment and mass on the build-up of stellar mass, as well as the effect of globular clusters on the short GRB rate. It can also be used to assess the age distribution of Type Ia supernova progenitors.Comment: ApJ accepted versio

Measurement of Z0 decays to hadrons, and a precise determination of the number of neutrino species

We have made a precise measurement of the cross section for e+e--->Z0-->hadrons with the L3 detector at LEP, covering the range from 88.28 to 95.04 GeV. From a fit to the Z0 mass, total width, and the hadronic cross section to be MZ0=91.160 +/- 0.024 (experiment) +/-0.030(LEP) GeV, [Gamma]Z0=2.539+/-0.054 GeV, and [sigma]h(MZ0)=29.5+/-0.7 nb. We also used the fit to the Z0 peak cross section and the width todetermine [Gamma]invisible=0.548+/-0.029 GeV, which corresponds to 3.29+/-0.17 species of light neutrinos. The possibility of four or more neutrino flavors is thus ruled out at the 4[sigma] confidence level.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28683/3/0000500.pd

A measurement of the Z0 leptonic partial widths and the vector and axial vector coupling constants

We have measured the partial widths of the Z0 into lepton pairs, and the forward-backward charge asymmetry for the process e+e--->[mu]+[mu]- using the L3 detector at LEP. We obtain an average [Gamma]ll of 83.0+/-2.1+/-1.1 MeV.From this result and the asymmetry measurement, we extract the values of the vector and axial vector couplings of the Z0 to leptons: grmv=-0.066-0.027+0.046 and grmA= -0.495-0.007+0.007.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28666/3/0000483.pd

Inclusive-photon production and its dependence on photon isolation in pp collisions at s√ = 13 TeV using 139 fb−1 of ATLAS data

Measurements of differential cross sections are presented for inclusive isolated-photon production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV provided by the LHC and using 139 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment. The cross sections are measured as functions of the photon transverse energy in different regions of photon pseudorapidity. The photons are required to be isolated by means of a fixed-cone method with two different cone radii. The dependence of the inclusive-photon production on the photon isolation is investigated by measuring the fiducial cross sections as functions of the isolation-cone radius and the ratios of the differential cross sections with different radii in different regions of photon pseudorapidity. The results presented in this paper constitute an improvement with respect to those published by ATLAS earlier: the measurements are provided for different isolation radii and with a more granular segmentation in photon pseudorapidity that can be exploited in improving the determination of the proton parton distribution functions. These improvements provide a more in-depth test of the theoretical predictions. Next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from JETPHOX and SHERPA and next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from NNLOJET are compared to the measurements, using several parameterisations of the proton parton distribution functions. The measured cross sections are well described by the fixed-order QCD predictions within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties in most of the investigated phase-space region

Measurements of Zγ+jets differential cross sections in pp collisions at s√ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Differential cross-section measurements of Zγ production in association with hadronic jets are presented, using the full 139 fb−1 dataset of s√ = 13 TeV proton–proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the LHC. Distributions are measured using events in which the Z boson decays leptonically and the photon is usually radiated from an initial-state quark. Measurements are made in both one and two observables, including those sensitive to the hard scattering in the event and others which probe additional soft and collinear radiation. Different Standard Model predictions, from both parton-shower Monte Carlo simulation and fixed-order QCD calculations, are compared with the measurements. In general, good agreement is observed between data and predictions from MATRIX and MiNNLOPS, as well as next-to-leading-order predictions from MADGRAPH5_AMC@NLO and SHERPA