Optimization for software release and crash

Software testing is a process to detect faults in the completeness and quality of developed computer software. Testing is a key process in assuring quality by identifying defects in software, and possibly fixing them, before it is delivered to end-users. A major decision to make during this software testing is, to determine whether to continue testing and eventually releasing the software, or when to stop the test and ‘crash’ it. Such a decision needs to be made to optimally balance the tradeoff between the cost of development and the reliability of the software. In this paper, a new optimal strategy is developed based on a conditional non-homogeneous Poisson process (Conditional-NHPP) on a continuous time horizon to determine when the optimal time is to release or crash the software

EVALUATION, IMPROVEMENT, AND APPLICATION OF MODELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FATE AND TRANSPORT OF ATMOSPHERE-SURFACE EXCHANGEABLE POLLUTANTS (ASEPs)

Certain toxic, semivolatile chemicals, also known as atmosphere-surface exchangeable pollutants (ASEPs) are emitted into the environment from anthropogenic activities and natural sources. This dissertation focused on the (i) evaluation and improvement of dry particle deposition and atmosphere-surface exchange parameterizations of ASEPs for use in chemical transport models (CTMs), and (ii) application of a dynamic multimedia model to examine recovery of Lake Superior from historical inputs of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds (a class of ASEPs) contamination. Current knowledge has been inadequate to propose quantitative measures of the relative performance of available dry particle deposition parameterizations. In Chapter 1 of this dissertation, five dry deposition parameterizations were evaluated against field observations across five land use categories, in terms their ability to reproduce observed deposition velocities, Vd (accuracy), the influence of imprecision in input parameter values on the modeled Vd (uncertainty), identification of the most influential parameter(s) (sensitivity), and complexity. Based on the evaluation, a recommendation for the superior parameterization for use in CTMs is made. In most CTMs, current parameterizations of atmosphere-terrestrial surface exchange of elemental mercury (Hg0) lack critical evaluation against field measurements. In Chapter 2 of this dissertation, an extensive evaluation of most commonly used resistance-based dry gaseous deposition and soil re-emission parameterizations (base model) of Hg0 was performed using a direct comparison to micrometeorological flux measurements from two ecosystems. This evaluation elucidated two major shortcomings of the base model: significant overestimation of leaf Hg uptake in summer month and an inability of capture measured nighttime net depositions. A step-wise model calibration was performed to adjust certain stomatal, non-stomatal, and soil re-emission parameters of the base model, which enabled an improved prediction of measured net exchange fluxes and growing-season leaf Hg accumulation. Based on the evaluation, generic recommendations for improvement in modeling Hg0 exchange for CTMs were made. Despite the U.S. production ban on PCBs in 1979, the measured concentrations in Lake Superior fish exhibited only a slow decline over the last 20 years. Sediment recycling of PCBs is often invoked to explain this slow recovery in fish PCB concentrations. In Chapter 3 of this dissertation, a dynamic multimedia model was applied to investigate the observed leveling-off of fish PCB concentrations in Lake Superior. Using historical to present-day PCB emissions (1930-2013) as the primary input in the multimedia model, the long-term trends in predicted PCB concentrations in different environmental media (water, sediment, and biota) were compared with available measurements for Lake Superior. The model-predicted half-life of total PCBs in fish was not consistent with the observations, suggesting that food web changes in the lake may be affecting trajectories of PCB concentrations in fish

Impact of Social Media Marketing on development of brand awareness among target customers

Masteroppgave International Business and Marketing - Nord universitet 202

Evaluation of five dry particle deposition parameterizations for incorporation into atmospheric transport models

Despite considerable effort to develop mechanistic dry particle deposition parameterizations for atmospheric transport models, current knowledge has been inadequate to propose quantitative measures of the relative performance of available parameterizations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of five dry particle deposition parameterizations developed by Zhang et al. (2001) ( Z01 ), Petroff and Zhang (2010) ( PZ10 ), Kouznetsov and Sofiev (2012) ( KS12 ), Zhang and He (2014) ( ZH14 ), and Zhang and Shao (2014) ( ZS14 ), respectively. The evaluation was performed in three dimensions: model ability to reproduce observed deposition velocities, Vd (accuracy); the influence of imprecision in input parameter values on the modeled Vd (uncertainty); and identification of the most influential parameter( s) (sensitivity). The accuracy of the modeled Vd was evaluated using observations obtained from five land use categories (LUCs): grass, coniferous and deciduous forests, natural water, and ice/snow. To ascertain the uncertainty in modeled Vd, and quantify the influence of imprecision in key model input parameters, a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis was performed. The Sobol\u27 sensitivity analysis was conducted with the objective to determine the parameter ranking from the most to the least influential. Comparing the normalized mean bias factors (indicators of accuracy), we find that the ZH14 parameterization is the most accurate for all LUCs except for coniferous forest, for which it is second most accurate. From Monte Carlo simulations, the estimated mean normalized uncertainties in the modeled Vd obtained for seven particle sizes (ranging from 0.005 to 2.5 μm) for the five LUCs are 17, 12, 13, 16, and 27% for the Z01, PZ10, KS12, ZH14, and ZS14 parameterizations, respectively. From the Sobol\u27 sensitivity results, we suggest that the parameter rankings vary by particle size and LUC for a given parameterization. Overall, for dp D0.001 to 1.0 μm, friction velocity was one of the three most influential parameters in all parameterizations. For giant particles (dp D10 μm), relative humidity was the most influential parameter. Because it is the least complex of the five parameterizations, and it has the greatest accuracy and least uncertainty, we propose that the ZH14 parameterization is currently superior for incorporation into atmospheric transport models

Coordinated Control of Energy Storage in Networked Microgrids under Unpredicted Load Demands

In this paper a nonlinear control design for power balancing in networked microgrids using energy storage devices is presented. Each microgrid is considered to be interfaced to the distribution feeder though a solid-state transformer (SST). The internal duty cycle based controllers of each SST ensures stable regulation of power commands during normal operation. But problem arises when a sudden change in load or generation occurs in any microgrid in a completely unpredicted way in between the time instants at which the SSTs receive their power setpoints. In such a case, the energy storage unit in that microgrid must produce or absorb the deficit power. The challenge lies in designing a suitable regulator for this purpose owing to the nonlinearity of the battery model and its coupling with the nonlinear SST dynamics. We design an input-output linearization based controller, and show that it guarantees closed-loop stability via a cascade connection with the SST model. The design is also extended to the case when multiple SSTs must coordinate their individual storage controllers to assist a given SST whose storage capacity is insufficient to serve the unpredicted load. The design is verified using the IEEE 34-bus distribution system with nine SST-driven microgrids.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Periprosthetic femoral fractures in total hip arthoplasty

Introduction Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures (PFF)are a complication of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) which are technically challenging to treat and associated with significant morbidity. There is a lack of epidemiological evidence relating to these common fractures, which are thought to be an increasing problem in orthopaedic practice. This thesis aims to assess the temporal trends, the risk and risk factors as well as the outcome of treatment of PFF in THA. Methods This thesis used a combination of systematic review of existing evidence and analysis of the National Joint Registry(NJR), the world’s largest arthroplasty registry.Temporal trends of revision arthroplasty for PFF were assessed using NJR data to calculate“revision burden” and incidence of first revision in terms of implant-years at risk, by year. The risk and risk factors for PFF were assessed using a systematic review of high volume observational studies followed by analysis of NJR data of primary THAs performed in England and Wales. A novel flexible parametric approach was used to assess risk factors and estimate ‘real-life’ probabilities of revision for PFF in the presence of multiple competing risks (death and revision for indications other than PFF). A systematic review of treatment of PFF in the presence of a loose femoral stem (Vancouver B2 and B3 fractures) was performed to compare outcomes based on treatment modality including implants used and fracture type. Finally, outcomes of first revision surgery for PFF were analysed based on NJR data using flexible parametric competing risk models to determine risk factors for failure and estimate the risk of further revision and death. Thesis Findings The results of the temporal trends study indicated that both revision burden and incidence of first revision for PFF have demonstrated an increase in England and Wales despite showing decreases for other indications for revision. For intra-operative fracture, increasing age, female gender and cementless stem fixation were associated with a higher risk of PFF based on systematic review and NJR data. For post-operative fractures, the NJR data indicated that increasing age, male gender and primary THA for neck of femur fracture were associated with a higher risk of revision for PFF. Implant factors were complex with significant difference in risk between stem designs as well as implant-brand specific differences. The results provide “real-life” estimates of probability of PFF revision for patient-implant groups. The systematic review of treatment of Vancouver B2 and B3 fractures demonstrated overall poor outcomes particularly when revision arthroplasty was not used. A suggested minimum dataset for studies reporting outcomes of periprosthetic fracture was devised to improve comparisons between institutional studies. Analysis of NJR data relating to first revisions for PFF, suggested higher overall mortality compared with other common indications for revision. Risk of further revision was significantly higher after first revision for PFF compared to revision for aseptic loosening

Opinion of fishermen towards their well-being under Agricultural Diversification and Intensification Project (ADIP) in Bangladesh

Agricultural Diversification and intensification Project (ADIP) was the collaborative program of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB ) and donor agencies. The program was implemented in four district of Bangladesh in order to upgrade the living-standard of the poor people who were engaged in agricultural activities. This study took the initiative to assess the impact of microcredit on the living-standard in terms of household expenditure of the borrowers under ADIP’s fishery program. Primary data was collected from landless and marginal borrowers through a simple random sampling technique from the project areas who took loan for the first time for fisheries activities. Weighted Least Square (WLS) technique was used to examine the influence of socioeconomic variables on the dependent variable “household total expenditure”. The study shows that six variables such as household’s income, years of schooling of the borrowers, training, investment on fishery activities, expenditure on food, distance of rural market from borrower’s dwelling place were significantly related to the household’s total expenditure. The study also indicates that the fishery credit did not have any significant influence on borrowers’ living-standard in terms of household’s total expenditure