Interference-based dynamic pricing for WCDMA networks using neurodynamic programming

Copyright © 2007 IEEEWe study the problem of optimal integrated dynamic pricing and radio resource management, in terms of resource allocation and call admission control, in a WCDMA network. In such interference-limited network, one's resource usage also degrades the utility of others. A new parameter noise rise factor, which indicates the amount of interference generated by a call, is suggested as a basis for setting price to make users accountable for the congestion externality of their usage. The methods of dynamic programming (DP) are unsuitable for problems with large state spaces due to the associated ldquocurse of dimensionality.rdquo To overcome this, we solve the problem using a simulation-based neurodynamic programming (NDP) method with an action-dependent approximation architecture. Our results show that the proposed optimal policy provides significant average reward and congestion improvement over conventional policies that charge users based on their load factor.Siew-Lee Hew and Langford B. Whit

Avoiding inadvertent epidural injection of drugs intended for non-epidural use

Publisher's copy made available with the permission of the publisher © Australian Society of AnaesthetistsInadvertent administration of non-epidural medications into the epidural space has the potential for serious morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to collate reported incidents of this type, describe the potential mechanisms of occurrence and identify possible solutions. We searched medical databases and reviewed reference lists of papers retrieved, covering a period of 35 years, regarding this type of medication incident. The 31 reports of 37 cases found is likely to represent a gross underestimation of the actual number of incidents that occur. 'Syringe swap', 'ampoule error', and epidural/intravenous line confusion were the main sources of error in 36/37 cases (97%). Given that no effective treatment for such errors has been identified, prevention should be the main defence strategy. Despite all the precautions that are currently undertaken, accidents will inevitably occur. We have identified areas for systemwide change that may prevent these types of incidents from occurring in future.http://www.aaic.net.au/Article.asp?D=200213

Observations on the effects of feeding moldy corn to rats

Twenty rats (10 males, 10 females) averaging 35 g were randomly allotted, in groups of 5, to 2 treatments using fresh corn and corn purchased from a feed dealer and suspected to have high mycotoxins. The various organs were compared to determine the effects of the treatment on the development of the specific organs. The analysis of variance showed significant difference (P < 0.001) in average daily gain, average daily feed and feed conversion ratio for the 2 different treatments. There was also a slight treatment .times. sex interaction. Rats fed fresh corn performed better than rats fed purchased corn. Male rats fed fresh corn performed better than female rats whereas the reverse was true for rats fed moldy corn. There was no treatment effect on liver size but liver weight was significantly (P < 0.05) different between sexes. Uterus weight of rats on different treatments were significantly different (P < 0.001) and depressed development of sex organs. Rats given moldy corn had larger kidneys (P < 0.005) than rats fed fresh corn

Growth and proximate composition of tropical marine Chaetoceros calcitrans and Nannochloropsis oculata cultured outdoors and under laboratory conditions

The growth and proximate composition of two marine microalgae, Chaetoceros calcitrans and Nannochloropsis oculata, cultured outdoors under shade (24 to 36°C, 140 μmol/m2/s) and laboratory conditions (environmental chamber, 23°C for C. calcitrans and 20°C for N. oculata, 150 μmol/m2/s) were compared. Outdoor cultures of both C. calcitrans and N. oculata had significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) biomass, cell count, optical density and specific growth rate compared to the cultures grown under laboratory conditions. Lipid content was significantly higher in C. calcitrans grown outdoors, whereas, protein and carbohydrate composition did not show any significant differences (p &gt; 0.05) between the outdoor and laboratory cultures. In the case of N. oculata, no significant differences (p &gt; 0.05) were found in protein and lipid composition, but carbohydrate was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) in the outdoor culture. In addition, the results showed that both C. calcitrans and N. oculata cultures grew faster outdoors, producing more biomass within a shorter period of time. This study illustrated that outdoor culture of microalgae was viable despite the fluctuating environmental conditions.Key words: Growth, proximate composition, Chaetoceros calcitrans, Nannochloropsis oculata, outdoor culture

Data-Driven Analysis of Engagement in Gamified Learning Environments: A Methodology for Real-Time Measurement of MOOCs

Welfare and economic development is directly dependent on the availability of highly skilled and educated individuals in society. In the UK, higher education is accessed by a large percentage of high school graduates (50% in 2017). Still, in Brazil, a limited number of pupils leaving high schools continue their education (up to 20%). Initial pioneering efforts of universities and companies to support pupils from underprivileged backgrounds, to be able to succeed in being accepted by universities include personalised learning solutions. However, initial findings show that typical distance learning problems occur with the pupil population: isolation, demotivation, and lack of engagement. Thus, researchers and companies proposed gamification. However, gamification design is traditionally exclusively based on theory-driven approaches and usually ignore the data itself. This paper takes a different approach, presenting a large-scale study that analysed, statistically and via machine learning (deep and shallow), the first batch of students trained with a Brazilian gamified intelligent learning software (called CamaleOn), to establish, via a grassroots method based on learning analytics, how gamification elements impact on student engagement. The exercise results in a novel proposal for real-time measurement on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), potentially leading to iterative improvements of student support. It also specifically analyses the engagement patterns of an underserved community

THE PROTEIN PROFILING OF ASIAN GIANT TOAD SKIN SECRETIONS AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

Objective: The skin secretions of toads are a rich source of bioactive peptides and proteins, which offer a wide range of therapeutic application. The current study was designed to elucidate the antimicrobial activity of Bufo asper skin secretions.Methods: Proteomic analysis of electrically stimulated skin secretions were mapped using SDS-PAGE followed by LC-MS/MS. In total,&gt;50 proteins were identified with a molecular weight ranging from 20 to 250 KDa. The antimicrobial activity was performed by an agar-well diffusion method to measure the diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) as well as microdilution technique to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).Results: Toad's skin secretion (TSS) exhibited broad spectrum growth inhibitory activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; with more pronounce activity towards Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, with MIC 12.25±0.4 and 25±1.3 μg/ml, respectively. Moreover, the proteomic profile of Bufo asper skin secretion has revealed the presence of interesting proteins such as, actin, histone H4 and heat shock proteins (HSP90, HSP70 and HSC70).Conclusion: we anticipate that the collective functions of proteins and peptides with a wide range of diversity may contribute to the TSS antimicrobial activity.Keywords: Bufo asper, Skin secretion, Antimicrobial, Proteomics

A Fault-Tolerant Two-Motor Drive With FCS-MP-Based Flux and Torque Control

Independently controlled multi-motor drives are typically realized by using a common dc link and independent sets of three-phase inverters and motors. In the case of an open-circuit fault in an inverter leg, one motor becomes single-phase. To enable continued controllable operation by eliminating single-phasing, the supply for the motor phase with the faulted inverter leg can be paralleled to a healthy leg of another inverter, using hardware reconfiguration. Hence, the two motors are now supplied from a five-leg inverter, which has inherent voltage and current limitations. Theoretically, violating the voltage limit leads to inverter over-modulation and large torque oscillations. It is shown here that the finite-control-set model predictive control (FCS-MPC), designed to control the machines’ stator flux and torque, can consider the inherent voltage limit dynamically in the control loop. Apart from preserving the independent control of the two machines, the additional constraint consideration significantly widens the operating speed ranges of the machines. In particular, it is shown that whenever the voltage limit is entered, the controller reduces the stator flux level automatically, without requiring external flux reference change. The obtained performance is illustrated using experimental results and is also compared to the conventional two-motor field-oriented control scheme. The control concept is thus fully experimentally verified

A Comparative Study of Synchronous Current Control Schemes Based on FCS-MPC and PI-PWM for a Two-Motor Three-Phase Drive

A two-motor drive, supplied by a five-leg inverter, is considered in this paper. The independent control of machines with full dc-bus voltage utilization is typically achieved using an existing pulsewidth modulation (PWM) technique in conjunction with field-oriented control, based on PI current control. However, model predictive control (MPC), based on a finite number of control inputs [finite-control-set MPC (FCS-MPC)], does not utilize a pulsewidth modulator. This paper introduces three FCS-MPC schemes for synchronous current control in this drive system. The first scheme uses all of the available switching states. The second and third schemes are aimed at reducing the computational burden and utilize a reduced set of voltage vectors and a duty ratio partitioning principle, respectively. Steady-state and transient performances are analyzed and compared both against each other and with respect to the field-oriented control based on PI controllers and PWM. All analyses are experimental and use the same experimental rig and test conditions. Comparison of the predictive schemes leads to the conclusion that the first two schemes have the fastest transient response. The third scheme has a much smaller current ripple while achieving perfect control decoupling between the machines and is of low computational complexity. Nevertheless, at approximately the same switching loss, the PI-PWM control yields the lowest current ripple but with slower electrical transient response. © 1982-2012 IEEE

Fitness and body composition profiling of elite junior South African rugby players

Objective. The aim of this study was to describe the body composition, strength and speed characteristics of elite junior South African rugby players. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Field study. Subjects. Rugby players (16 and 18 years old, N = 174) selected for the South African Rugby Union National Green Squad. Outcome measures. Body composition, 10 m and 40 m speed, agility, 1RM bench press, underhand pull-ups, push-ups, multistage shuttle run. Results. The under-16 players were on average shorter (175.6 ± 5.7 v. 179.2 ± 6.7 cm), weighed less (76.5 ± 8.2 v. 84.8 ± 8.3 kg) had less upper body absolute strength (77.1 ± 11.8 kg v. 95.3 ± 16.7 kg) and muscular endurance (41 ± 12 v. 52 ± 15 push-ups) and aerobic fitness (87.1 ± 19.4 v. 93.5 ± 15.3 shuttles) than the under-18 players. There were no differences in body fat, sprinting speed (10 m and 40 m) or agility between the two age groups. There were differences between playing positions, with the props having the most body fat, strongest upper bodies, slowest sprinting speed, least agility and lowest aerobic capacity compared with players in the other positions. Conclusion. This study provides data for elite junior rugby players and can be used to monitor the progression of players after intervention while also assisting with talent identification for the different playing positions

Fitness and body composition profiling of elite junior South African rugby players

Objective. The aim of this study was to describe the body composition, strength and speed characteristics of elite junior South African rugby players. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Field study. Subjects. Rugby players (16 and 18 years old, N = 174) selected for the South African Rugby Union National Green Squad. Outcome measures. Body composition, 10 m and 40 m speed, agility, 1RM bench press, underhand pull-ups, push-ups, multistage shuttle run. Results. The under-16 players were on average shorter (175.6 ± 5.7 v. 179.2 ± 6.7 cm), weighed less (76.5 ± 8.2 v. 84.8 ± 8.3 kg) had less upper body absolute strength (77.1 ± 11.8 kg v. 95.3 ± 16.7 kg) and muscular endurance (41 ± 12 v. 52 ± 15 push-ups) and aerobic fitness (87.1 ± 19.4 v. 93.5 ± 15.3 shuttles) than the under-18 players. There were no differences in body fat, sprinting speed (10 m and 40 m) or agility between the two age groups. There were differences between playing positions, with the props having the most body fat, strongest upper bodies, slowest sprinting speed, least agility and lowest aerobic capacity compared with players in the other positions. Conclusion. This study provides data for elite junior rugby players and can be used to monitor the progression of players after intervention while also assisting with talent identification for the different playing positions. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 18 (2) 2006: pp. 38-4