GridJet: An underlying data-transporting protocol for accelerating Web communications

The World-Wide Web provides us with a distributed, hyperlinked document repository. Users attempting to access and share these hyperlinked documents via conventional HTTP and FTP often encounter long waits and frustration. To provide “local-like” access, a WAN/Grid-optimized protocol known as “GridJet” was incorporated into the Firefox Web browser that utilizes a wide range of technologies including the one of paralleling the remote file access. No change in the way of using software is required since the multi-streamed GridJet protocol remains fully compatible with existing IP infrastructures. Peer-to-peer clustered Web servers are also constructed to remove the scalability limitations and management problems associated with individual Web servers. Our recent progress includes a real-world test that Web applications over the GridJet protocol beats those over the classic ones by as much as five times where the transfer distance is over 10 000 km.     

Moving beyond the fourth dimension with an IFC-based single project database

4D CAD has been an active research area for many years. The first generation 4D tools simulated construction schedules and demonstrated the potential benefits in several case studies. Researchers tried to improve the functionality of the first generation 4D tools by adding annotations and highlighting the building elements that have problems. The future generation 4D tools are expected to include more than these. It has been envisioned that 4D models would be part of project databases in order to take decisions related with different project dimensions.This paper presents the development and implementation of a new 4D planning tool which is a part of a product model-based project database. This tool brings the 4D simulation and cost estimation together and aims to contribute to what-if analysis in construction projects. The last part of the paper presents a case study in which the proposed prototype is evaluated.     

Global experience curves for wind farms

In order to forecast the technological development and cost of wind turbines and the production costs of wind electricity, frequent use is made of the so-called experience curve concept. Experience curves of wind turbines are generally based on data describing the development of national markets, which cause a number of problems when applied for global assessments. To analyze global wind energy price development more adequately, we compose a global experience curve. First, underlying factors for past and potential future price reductions of wind turbines are analyzed. Also possible implications and pitfalls when applying the experience curve methodology are assessed. Second, we present and discuss a new approach of establishing a global experience curve and thus a global progress ratio for the investment cost of wind farms. Results show that global progress ratios for wind farms may lie between 77% and 85% (with an average of 81%), which is significantly more optimistic than progress ratios applied in most current scenario studies and integrated assessment models. While the findings are based on a limited amount of data, they may indicate faster price reduction opportunities than so far assumed. With this global experience curve we aim to improve the reliability of describing the speed with which global costs of wind power may decline.     

A transaction-based method for allocation of transmission grid cost and losses

The problem of grid cost and losses allocation may be divided into independent subproblems: allocation of branch flow and losses to transactions, definition of these transactions and cost allocation to transactions. From this final allocation, the charges to participants in transactions may be made straightforwardly. A differential, slack-invariant method for the allocation of flow and losses to transactions that makes use of the AC load flow equation is presented here. The definition of transactions must be addressed using a non-discriminatory rule in pool systems. There are many possible options for this definition, and the choice made has great influence on the results. Cost allocation, on the other hand, may be made in different ways, as well. The paper presents an allocation process that addresses all these issues. Results for the IEEE-RTS96 test system are obtained and discussed.     

Papermaking characteristics of three Populus clones grown in the north-central United States

The papermaking properties of 22 pure and hybrid poplars are being evaluated in an on-going investigation. Twenty of the poplars were harvested after 7.5 years from three different sites in the Midwestern and North Central US. The other 2 poplars survived at only two of three sites (64 total samples). The Crandon hybrid had the highest growth rate (t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) and wood density (both averaged across the 3 sites). This poplar had a high cellulose content (compared to the average), a low lignin content and produced bleached kraft fibers at a high yield (wt.% on wood chips). Further, this poplar responded very well to kraft pulping and oxygen delignification and bleached to the highest final brightness ever observed in our laboratory (94.5% Elrepho). It also produced an 18 kappa number unbleached pulp with <0.5% rejects in only two-thirds the time required for sugar maple (Acer saccharum).We also report on clone 220-5 that had the highest area-weighted average microfibril angle. Pulps from this poplar had excellent tensile properties and further improvements are expected with 1–2 years of additional growth that should result in a small, but significant increase in average fiber length. Some results are also presented for clone 313.55 and aspen (Populus tremuloides) to demonstrate the many substantial benefits that can be accrued from proper wood selection.     

The Food Choice Questionnaire: Factorial invariant over western urban populations?

To assess the degree of measurement invariance of the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) across western urban populations, it was filled out by demographically comparable samples in Canada (163 English speaking students, original version), Belgium (Flanders, N = 176, Dutch translation), and Italy (N = 163, Italian translation). Reliability of the FCQ-scales was moderate to good, but sometimes differed from the normative values. Item analysis pinpointed items with skewed distributions and low item-total correlations. Subsequent confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses revealed a suboptimal fit for the FCQ-model in all samples, with small to considerable divergences from the original configuration. The findings do not support the generalizability of the FCQ’s factor structure, but suggest that its items and underlying constructs may have different connotations across western urban populations. Explanations for the lack of convergence in factor structure and implications for research are discussed.     

Analysis of a Novel Flux-Weakening Structure of High-Speed Permanent-Magnet Motors Based on Soft-Magnetic Ferrite

Soft-magnetic ferrite has advantages of high initial magnetic permeability, high electric resistivity, low loss and low cost in the high-frequency alternating field. Considering the characters of soft-magnetic ferrite, this paper uses a soft-magnetic ferrite ring as stator core and presents a novel field-weakening structure of high speed PM motors. Based on this structure, a novel field-weakening method of PM motors can be presented. The equivalent reluctance of permanent magnetic field circuit can be changed by altering saturation degree of soft-magnetic ferrite core in this method. For the convenience of analysis and calculation, considering the magnetic field distribution in the motors, this paper deduces an equivalent two-dimensional finite element model of three-dimensional magnetic field, by which the field-weakening parameters of high speed PM motor can be conveniently analyzed. The simulation results of finite element model prove: the field-weakening structure of high speed PM motor based on soft-magnetic ferrite, presented in this paper, is valid and feasible, offers a valid and applicative method for field-weakening control of high speed PM motor.     

数据挖掘课程案例教学研究

数据挖掘是一门交叉性学科,是情报学专业的重要课程之一。它主要介绍数据挖掘的基本概念、原理、方法和技术,涉及多个学科和算法因而教学难度较大。由于数据挖掘学科交叉性强涉及的挖掘方法和相关算法多并繁杂,造成学生对数据挖掘的整体工作流程缺乏了解形成“不识庐山真面目只缘身在此山中”现象。文中以时间序列服装销售额预测挖掘项目为教学案例让学生首先掌握数据挖掘的标准流程,重点讲解用到的相关挖掘方法和算法及其在实际挖掘环境中的开发方法,达到“会当I临绝顶一览众山小”的教学目标。通过教学实践教学效果良好。