Numerical solution of the inverse problem of heat conduction by using regularized difference schemes

The stability of difference schemes is investigated for the approximate solution of a multidimensional incorrect heat-conduction problem with inverse time.Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 49, No. 6, pp. 963–965, December, 1985.     

Fuzzy financial decision-making: load management programs case study

This paper derives two fuzzy financial profitability models, namely, a least cost solution model and a cost-benefit analysis model, to evaluate the fuzzy financial profitability of load management alternatives. A straightforward vertex parameters' fuzzy mathematics operation using the function principle is derived as an alternative to the traditional extension principle and is applied to evaluate a number of different financial decision indexes. Compared to the extension principle, the function principle is simple to implement and is conceptually straightforward. The geometric moments of the fuzzy financial indexes are established in order to determine their relative ranking as part of a decision-making process. The performances of the proposed fuzzy financial models are verified by considering their application to two practical load management programs in Taiwan, namely, a cooling energy storage air conditioner and a cogeneration project. These investigations not only confirm that the results of the fuzzy financial models are consistent with those of the conventional crisp models but also demonstrate that the proposed models are more flexible, intelligent, and computationally efficient compared to the extension principle fuzzy mathematics approach. The developed models represent readily implemented possibility analysis tools for use in the arena of uncertain financial decision-making.     

Response to Zenz and Altiner

Ordered mixes were produced using a fructose-based excipient as a coarse carrier component and fine-particle pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B₆) as the adherent component. Prior to mixing, the fructose agglomerates were conditioned for 48 h at either 0% RH or 55% RH at 20 °C. Under these conditions, one lot of fructose had a moisture content of 0.24 wt.% and the other lot had a moisture content of 0.74 wt.%. Following mixing, the powders were subjected to vibration at various frequencies in the range 25 to 200 Hz and accelerations in the range 9.81 to 39.24 m/s². It was found that whilst ordered mixes produced using fructose at 0.24 wt.% moisture content were unstable, those produced using 0.74 wt.% moisture content fructose were extremely stable and segregation resistant.The formation of ordered units with increased adhesion in carriers with higher moisture content suggested that these ordered mixes could be considered as spontaneous granulations.     

Individual differences in extended practice functions and solution strategies for basic addition facts.

Practice on addition basic facts and changes in solution strategies were examined in 3rd- and 4th-grade students, practicing over 3 months. Response latencies decreased, indicating positive practice effects. Each of 3 student groups demonstrated different solution–strategy mixtures. Different mixtures led to different practice effects, indexed by shifts to more efficient counting strategies and more direct retrieval. Expectations about effects of practice and instructional strategies for optimizing practice must be sensitive to a child's actual strategy pattern. Most students had decreasing latency practice functions. However, quantitative functions fit to the practice session data indicated a high proportion of cases where the latency pattern over sessions was nonmonotonic. Trends over a small number of practice sessions may be inadequate for decisions about the utility of further practice, because such data may poorly represent long-term, cumulative effects on modifying strategy usage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new technique for on-line and off-line high speed computation

A novel technique for both online and offline computation is presented. With this technique, a reconstruction analysis in elementary particle physics, otherwise prohibitively long, has been accomplished. It will be used online in an upcoming Fermilab experiment to reconstruct more than 100000 events per second and to trigger on the basis of that information. The technique delivers 40 gigaoperations per second, has a bandwidth on the order of gigabytes per second, and has a modest cost. An overview of the program, details of the system, and performance measurements are presented     

Scatter reduction with energy-weighted acquisition

The theory of energy-weighted acquisition (EWA) in nuclear medicine imaging is outlined, and a system that implements EWA is described. EWA reduces the effects of scattered radiation by allowing events of all energies to contribute to image formation, processing each energy with its own short-range spatial filter. This approach implements short-range energy-dependent filtering with an image buffer called a weighted acquisition module, providing scatter reduction with controllable noise and resolution properties. The system's response to point sources and planar distributions of radioactivity embedded in radiation-scattering media have been measured. EWA is compared to conventional energy-window acquisition, showing that the EWA approach provides improved image contrast