4,305 research outputs found
Using imprecise continuous time Markov chains for assessing the reliability of power networks with common cause failure and non-immediate repair.
We explore how imprecise continuous time Markov
chains can improve traditional reliability models based
on precise continuous time Markov chains. Specifically,
we analyse the reliability of power networks under very
weak statistical assumptions, explicitly accounting for
non-stationary failure and repair rates and the limited
accuracy by which common cause failure rates can be
estimated. Bounds on typical quantities of interest
are derived, namely the expected time spent in system
failure state, as well as the expected number of
transitions to that state. A worked numerical example
demonstrates the theoretical techniques described.
Interestingly, the number of iterations required for
convergence is observed to be much lower than current
theoretical bounds
SURFACE TREATMENT FOR THE MITIGATION OF WHEY PROTEIN FOULING
Heat transfer fouling experiments were carried out in a temperature controlled stirred vessel using aqueous solutions of whey protein concentrate in the concentration range of 3 to 3.5 wt-% at a bulk temperature of 50 °C and pH of 6. Heat transfer data were obtained from thermocouples embedded in an immersed electrical heating rod with various metal plates attached with-and-without surface treatments. Measurements included solution temperature, heating element surface temperature, and heat duty. Results are presented as fouling resistance versus time for aluminum, copper, stainless steel, electro-polished stainless steel, and surfaces coated with DLC and doped with Si , SiO, as well as DLC-coating of an electro-polished stainless steel. Reducing surface roughness was found to mitigate fouling but the combination of both surface treatments, DLC coatings, and electro-polishing gave the best performance. The experimental results demonstrate the potential and value for reducing the adhesive behavior of whey protein fouling layers using modified surfaces. Also a comparison of these results with those for crystallization fouling show the same effects of the surface modification on nucleation and crystal growth. Of particular importance is the influence on the cleaning performance where the main potential can be expected
Testing of the LSST's photometric calibration strategy at the CTIO 0.9 meter telescope
The calibration hardware system of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
is designed to measure two quantities: a telescope's instrumental response and
atmospheric transmission, both as a function of wavelength. First of all, a
"collimated beam projector" is designed to measure the instrumental response
function by projecting monochromatic light through a mask and a collimating
optic onto the telescope. During the measurement, the light level is monitored
with a NIST-traceable photodiode. This method does not suffer from stray light
effects or the reflections (known as ghosting) present when using a flat-field
screen illumination, which has a systematic source of uncertainty from
uncontrolled reflections. It allows for an independent measurement of the
throughput of the telescope's optical train as well as each filter's
transmission as a function of position on the primary mirror. Second, CALSPEC
stars can be used as calibrated light sources to illuminate the atmosphere and
measure its transmission. To measure the atmosphere's transfer function, we use
the telescope's imager with a Ronchi grating in place of a filter to configure
it as a low resolution slitless spectrograph. In this paper, we describe this
calibration strategy, focusing on results from a prototype system at the Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) 0.9 meter telescope. We compare the
instrumental throughput measurements to nominal values measured using a
laboratory spectrophotometer, and we describe measurements of the atmosphere
made via CALSPEC standard stars during the same run
Schistosoma haematobium infection and Buruli ulcer
No abstract available
Sets of Priors Reflecting Prior-Data Conflict and Agreement
In Bayesian statistics, the choice of prior distribution is often debatable,
especially if prior knowledge is limited or data are scarce. In imprecise
probability, sets of priors are used to accurately model and reflect prior
knowledge. This has the advantage that prior-data conflict sensitivity can be
modelled: Ranges of posterior inferences should be larger when prior and data
are in conflict. We propose a new method for generating prior sets which, in
addition to prior-data conflict sensitivity, allows to reflect strong
prior-data agreement by decreased posterior imprecision.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, In: Paulo Joao Carvalho et al. (eds.), IPMU
2016: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information
Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems,
Eindhoven, The Netherland
A robust Bayesian analysis of the impact of policy decisions on crop rotations.
We analyse the impact of a policy decision on crop rotations, using the imprecise land use model that was developed by the authors in earlier work. A specific challenge in crop rotation models is that farmer’s crop choices are driven by both policy changes and external non-stationary factors, such as rainfall, temperature and agricultural input and output prices. Such dynamics can be modelled by a non-stationary stochastic process, where crop transition probabilities are multinomial logistic functions of such external factors. We use a robust Bayesian approach to estimate the parameters of our model, and validate it by comparing the model response with a non-parametric estimate, as well as by cross validation. Finally, we use the resulting predictions to solve a hypothetical yet realistic policy problem
Lattice gauge theory: A retrospective
I discuss some of the historical circumstances that drove us to use the
lattice as a non-perturbative regulator. This approach has had immense success,
convincingly demonstrating quark confinement and obtaining crucial properties
of the strong interactions from first principles. I wrap up with some
challenges for the future.Comment: Lattice 2000 (Plenary), 9 pages, 7 figure
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