Item-level RFID for enhancement of customer shopping experience in apparel retail

In the customer-oriented apparel retail industry, providing satisfactory shopping experience for customers is a vital differentiator. However, traditional stores generally cannot fully satisfy customer needs because of difficulties in locating target products, out-of-stocks, a lack of professional assistance for product selection, and long waiting for payments. Therefore, this paper proposes an item-level RFID-enabled retail store management system for relatively high-end apparel products to provide customers with more leisure, interaction for product information, and automatic apparel collocation to promote sales during shopping. In this system, RFID hardware devices are installed to capture customer shopping behaviour and preferences, which would be especially useful for business decision-making and proactive individual marketing to enhance retail business. Intelligent fuzzy screening algorithms are then developed to promote apparel collocation based on the customer preferences, the design features of products, and the sales history accumulated in the database. It is expected that the proposed system, when fully implemented, can help promote retail business by enriching customers with intelligent and personalized services, and thus enhance the overall shopping experience. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.postprin

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the students’ perceptions to the use of 3D electronic models in problem-based learning

Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong has introduced innovative blended problem-based learning (PBL) with the aid of 3D electronic models (e-models) to Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) curriculum. Statistical results of pre- and post-semester questionnaire surveys illustrated compatibility of e-models in PBL settings. The students’ importance ratings of two objectives “Complete assigned tasks on time” and “Active listener”, and twenty-two facilitator evaluation items including critical thinking and group problem-solving skills had increased significantly. The students’ PBL preparation behavior, attentions to problem understanding, problem analysis, and learning resource quality were also found to be related to online support of e-models and its software. Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions with visual text analytic software “Leximancer” improved validity of statistical results. Using e-model functions in treatment planning, problem analysis and giving instructions provided a method of informative communication. Therefore, it is critical for the faculty to continuously provide facilitator training and quality online e-model resources to the students.published_or_final_versio

Uptake of Retrograde Tracers by Intact Optic Nerve Axons: A New Way to Label Retinal Ganglion Cells

Retrograde labelling of retinal ganglion cells with optic nerve transection often leads to degeneration of ganglion cells in prolonged experiments. Here we report that an intact optic nerve could uptake retrograde tracers applied onto the surface of the nerve, leading to high efficiency labelling of ganglion cells in the retina with long-term survival of cells. This method labelled a similar number of ganglion cells (2289 +/- 174 at 2 days) as the retrograde labeling technique from the superior colliculus (2250 +/- 94) or optic nerve stump (2279 +/- 114) after transection. This finding provides an alternative way to label retinal ganglion cells without damaging the optic tract. This will facilitate anatomical studies in identifying the morphology and connectivity of retinal ganglion cells, allowing secondary or triple labelling manipulations for long-term investigations.published_or_final_versio

A novel radial basis function neural network for fault section estimation in transmission network

In this paper, the application of Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBF NN) to fault section estimation in power systems is addressed. The orthogonal least square algorithm has been extended to optimize the parameters of RBF NN. In order to assess the effectiveness of RBF NN, a classical Back-Propagation Neural Network (BP NN) has been developed to solve the same problem for comparison. Computer test is conducted on a 4-bus test system and the test results show that the RBF NN is quite effective and superior to BP NN in fault section estimation.published_or_final_versio

How well can the parents, dentists or dental surgery assistants assess children's dental anxiety level?

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Enhanced Coagulation of Titanium Tetrachloride Aided by the Modified Compound Bioflocculant

© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers. The compound bioflocculant (CBF) was modified by graft copolymerization of acrylic amide and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride, and the novel copolymer was denoted as MCBF. The effect of MCBF used as coagulant aid with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) was investigated for both high and low molecule weight natural organic matter (NOM) removal. Floc characteristics were studied using a laser diffraction particle-sizing device. Results indicated that the monomers were successfully grafted onto the CBF, and the molecule weight and zeta potential of CBF were greatly improved. The MCBF with TiCl4 exhibited synergistic effect by promoting NOM removal, especially at low TiCl4 doses. Additionally, using MCBF as a coagulant aid with TiCl4 can significantly increase the floc growth rate, size, strength, and broken-floc recoverability. The effect of MCBF on fractal dimension of flocs generated by TiCl4 depended on NOM properties. Both coagulation performance and floc properties were significantly affected by dosing sequence

Decentralized P2P power trading mechanism for dynamic multi-energy microgrid groups based on priority matching

In order to promote the interaction among interconnected microgrids (MGs) with multiply distributed energy resources (DERs) to local energy utilization, a decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) power trading mechanism based on priority matching is proposed. The priority indices are calculated based on scheduling results and quotations by an independent MG operator (IMO), which protect effectively the privacy and represent the bargaining willingness of MGs. According to the supply-demand ratio within a matching pair, each MG is permitted to update its quotation multi-times until the convergence or updated number limitation is reached. The clearing price of each pair is calculated by the mid-market rate (MMR) method. Because the imbalanced power is different with the autonomous scheduling in a MG at different dispatching time, the different power requirements of MGs results in the formation of the dynamic MG groups. The simulation results in an interconnected multi-microgrid system (IMMGS) with 4 MGs show the proposed decentralized P2P mechanism is reasonable and effective. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Image processing methods to elucidate spatial characteristics of retinal microglia after optic nerve transection

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Radial Growth of Qilian Juniper on the Northeast Tibetan Plateau and Potential Climate Associations

There is controversy regarding the limiting climatic factor for tree radial growth at the alpine treeline on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we collected 594 increment cores from 331 trees, grouped within four altitude belts spanning the range 3550 to 4020 m.a.s.l. on a single hillside. We have developed four equivalent ring-width chronologies and shown that there are no significant differences in their growth-climate responses during 1956 to 2011 or in their longer-term growth patterns during the period AD 1110–2011. The main climate influence on radial growth is shown to be precipitation variability. Missing ring analysis shows that tree radial growth at the uppermost treeline location is more sensitive to climate variation than that at other elevations, and poor tree radial growth is particularly linked to the occurrence of serious drought events. Hence water limitation, rather than temperature stress, plays the pivotal role in controlling the radial growth of Sabina przewalskii Kom. at the treeline in this region. This finding contradicts any generalisation that tree-ring chronologies from high-elevation treeline environments are mostly indicators of temperature changes