An Improved Differential Evolution Algorithm for Maritime Collision Avoidance Route Planning

High accuracy navigation and surveillance systems are pivotal to ensure efficient ship route planning and marine safety. Based on existing ship navigation and maritime collision prevention rules, an improved approach for collision avoidance route planning using a differential evolution algorithm was developed. Simulation results show that the algorithm is capable of significantly enhancing the optimized route over current methods. It has the potential to be used as a tool to generate optimal vessel routing in the presence of conflicts

On the Migration of the Galilean Satellites

Topic 67: Solar System: GeneralPoster PresentationThe migration of the Galilean satellites during formation due to interactions with the circumjovian disk is studied. In the gas-starved disk model proposed by Canup & Ward (2002, 2006), the Galilean satellites are the last generation of satellites formed in the circumjovian disk, and their migration and accretion depend on disk viscosity, opacity and material inflow rate. Relaxing the migration to non-isothermal type I regime (e.g. Paardekooper et al. 2010) allows the satellites to migrate outwards in optically-thick disk regions, and there is a position where the disk torque is zero. This contrasts with 278the results in the isothermal type I regime in which the satellites always migrate inwards. Including the effect of temperature dependence of disk opacity can produce multiple zero-torque positions in the circumjovian disk. As the disk depletes, these zero-torque positions shift towards Jupiter. Under this setting, a satellite at a range of initial locations will eventually converge to near one of these zero-torque positions, but stays at a fixed distance away (with the distance depending on satellite mass), so that it is moving inwards with the zero-torque position. However, if the satellite starts at a large-enough distance from Jupiter, it may move in a trajectory that does not converge to any of these zero-torque positions and survives to the end. The effect of satellite growth and variation of disk parameters on satellite migration will be discussed. The migration in multiple satellite system, and how these settings can possibly result in the Laplace resonance among the Galilean satellites, will be also investigated. This work is supported in part by Hong Kong RGC grant HKU 7030/11Ppublished_or_final_versio

Psychometric properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale in a Hong Kong Chinese community sample

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a widely used self-report anxiety scale-the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the associated parent-report version (PSCAS)-in a Hong Kong Chinese community sample. While good psychometric properties of SCAS and PSCAS had been documented in Western cultural contexts (e.g., Australia), no systematic psychometric evaluation of the Chinese-translated SCAS and PSCAS has been published. In this study, psychometric properties of SCAS and PSCAS were examined with respect to four criteria: (a) factor structure, (b) descriptive statistics, (c) convergent validity with an anxiety cognition measure, and (d) internal consistency. Psychometric properties of SCAS and PSCAS for a Chinese community sample were found to be highly comparable with those published on Australian samples, thus providing a solid conceptual foundation for use of the Chinese version of SCAS and PSCAS. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.postprin

Effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety in community clinics

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety in a community clinic setting in Hong Kong, China. Forty-five clinically-referred children (age 6-11 years) were randomly assigned to either a cognitive-behavioral treatment program or a waitlist-control condition. Children in the treatment condition showed significant reduction in anxiety symptoms-both statistically and clinically-whereas children in the waitlist condition did not. After the waitlist period was over, the control group also received the treatment program and showed a similar reduction in symptoms. For the full sample of 45 children, the effectiveness of the intervention was significant immediately after treatment and in 3- and 6-month follow-ups. In addition, children's anxiety cognition and their ability to cope with anxiety-provoking situations fully mediated the treatment gains. These results offer empirical support for cognitive-behavioral treatment programs in a non-Western cultural context and plausible mediators for how cognitive-behavioral therapy works. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.postprin

A multiple type bike repositioning problem

This paper investigates a new static bicycle repositioning problem in which multiple types of bikes are considered. Some types of bikes that are in short supply at a station can be substituted by other types, whereas some types of bikes can occupy the spaces of other types in the vehicle during repositioning. These activities provide two new strategies, substitution and occupancy, which are examined in this paper. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem to minimize the total cost, which consists of the route travel cost, penalties due to unmet demand, and penalties associated with the substitution and occupancy strategies. A combined hybrid genetic algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. This solution algorithm consists of (i) a modified version of a hybrid genetic search with adaptive diversity control to determine routing decisions and (ii) a proposed greedy heuristic to determine the loading and unloading instructions at each visited station and the substitution and occupancy strategies. The results show that the proposed method can provide high-quality solutions with short computing times. Using small examples, this paper also reveals problem properties and repositioning strategies in bike sharing systems with multiple types of bikes.published_or_final_versio

A multicentre demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of the web-based Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) programme with or without nurse support in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes

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Behaviour of plate anchorage in plate-reinforced composite coupling beams

As a new alternative design, plate-reinforced composite (PRC) coupling beam achieves enhanced strength and ductility by embedding a vertical steel plate into a conventionally reinforced concrete (RC) coupling beam. Based on a non-linear finite element model developed in the authors’ previous study, a parametric study presented in this paper has been carried out to investigate the influence of several key parameters on the overall performance of PRC coupling beams. The effects of steel plate geometry, span-to-depth ratio of beams and steel reinforcement ratios at beam spans and in wall regions are quantified. It is found that the anchorage length of the steel plate is primarily controlled by the span-to-depth ratio of the beam. Based on the numerical results, a design curve is proposed for determining the anchorage length of the steel plate. The load-carrying capacity of short PRC coupling beams with high steel ratio is found to be controlled by the steel ratio of wall piers. The maximum shear stress of PRC coupling beams should be limited to 15 MPa.published_or_final_versio

Modelling urban traffic dynamics based upon the variational formulation of kinematic waves

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The cultivation, bioactive components and pharmacological effects of Armillaria mellea

Armillaria mellea, a symbiotic fungus in the underground tubers of Chinese medicinal orchid Gastrodia elata, is one of the main biological active components and pharmaceutical effects of its host gastrodia. The purpose of this review is to bring attention to the biological properties of this unique A. mellea mushroom and its constituents, as well as to suggest the potential for the development of new drugs related to this fungus. It contains various known and untapped bioactive metabolites such aspolysaccharides, sesquiterpene aryl esters, steroids and fibrinolytic enzymes. It could be exploited as an important source of new biological natural products with anticonvulsant, immunomodulatory andantimicrobial functions. The batch culture is preferred as an alternative means of getting bioactive components from Armellaria fermentation. Challenges in investigations on A. mellea include the optimization of culture parameters, the further elucidation of the molecular pharmacological mechanism and relationship between structure and function of their secondary metabolites