Mixed coordination mechanisms for scheduling games on hierarchical machines

In this paper, we study scheduling games under mixed coordination mechanisms on hierarchical machines. The two scheduling policies involved are ‐ and ‐, where ‐ (resp., ‐) policy sequences jobs in nondecreasing order of their hierarchies, and jobs of the same hierarchy in nonincreasing (resp., nondecreasing) order of their processing times. We first show the existence of a Nash equilibrium. Then we present the price of anarchy and the price of stability for the games with social costs of minimizing the makespan and maximizing the minimum machine load. All the bounds given in this paper are tight.     

Crosslinked quaternized poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer membrane applied in an electric double-layer capacitor for high energy density

The low energy density of supercapacitors, especially supercapacitors based on aqueous electrolytes, is the main factor limiting their application, and the energy density is closely related to the operating potential window of the supercapacitor. The polymer electrolyte is the main contributor to the safe operation and good ion conductivity of the supercapacitor. In this study, a crosslinked quaternized poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PAES) membrane was prepared via crosslinking during membrane formation with a thermal-only treatment and applied in an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The pre-prepared PAES membrane formed a polymer electrolyte with 1 mol/L Li₂SO₄ and was then fabricated into an EDLC single cell. The properties of both the membrane and ELDC were investigated. The preferred cPAES-N-0.2 polymer electrolyte showed an ionic conductivity of 1.18 mS/cm. The optimized EDLC exhibited a single-electrode gravimetric capacitance of 104.92 F/g at a current density of 1.0 A/g and a high operating potential window (1.5 V); it, thereby, achieved a high energy density of 8.20 W h/kg. The EDLC also exhibited excellent cycling properties over 3000 charge–discharge cycles. The crosslinked structures promoted the tensile strength and thermal stability of the PAES membranes; this was accompanied by a slight decrease in the ionic conductivity. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47759.     

Coexistence of three ferroelectric phases and enhanced piezoelectric properties in BaTiO3–CaHfO3 lead-free ceramics

Perovskite ferroelectrics possess the fascinating piezoelectric properties near a morphotropic phase boundary, attributing to a low energy barrier that the results in structural instability and easy polarization rotation. In this work, a new lead-free system of (1-x)BaTiO₃-xCaHfO₃ was designed, and characterized by a coexistence of ferroelectric rhombohedral-orthorhombic-tetragonal (R-O-T) phases. With the increase amount of CaHfO₃ (x), a stable coexistence region of three ferroelectric phases (R-O-T) exists at 0.06 ≤ x ≤ 0.08. Both large piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃～400 pC/N), inverse piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃^*～547 pm/V) and planar electromechanical coupling factor (k_p～58.2%) can be achieved for the composition with x = 0.08 near the coexistence of three ferroelectric phases. Our results show that the materials with the composition located at a region where the three ferroelectric R-O-T phases coexist would have the lowest energy barrier and thus greatly promote the polarization rotation, resulting in a strong piezoelectric response.     

Inducing sustained oscillations in feedback-linearizable single-input nonlinear systems

The present paper concerns the induction of stable sustained oscillation in feedback-linearizable single-input affine nonlinear dynamical systems via continuous-time state feedback control. The proposed application-oriented control approach is based on the conception of a state feedback controller that ensures the tracking of a limit cycle characterized in terms of the feedback-linearized system. Boundedness and convergence of the closed-loop trajectories are established following the Lyapunov theoretical framework and applying LaSalle׳s stability principle. The proposed approach is demonstrated with computer-simulated control experiments, showing that it ensures the convergence of the state trajectories of the controlled system to a designed limit cycle and that the methodology can, in principle, be applied to any single input feedback linearizable system.     

一种军棋机器博弈的多棋子协同博弈方法

针对在军棋博弈不完全信息对弈中，面对棋子不同价值、不同位置、不同搭配所产生的不同棋力，传统的单子意图搜索算法，不能满足棋子之间的协同性与沟通性，同时也缺乏对敌方的引诱与欺骗等高级对抗能力。本文提出一种结合UCT搜索策略的高价值棋子博弈方法，实现高价值棋子协同博弈的策略。实战经验表明:高价值多棋子军棋协同博弈策略优于单棋子军棋博弈策略。     

Research on Circular Area Search algorithm of multi-robot service based on SOA cloud platform

Considering autonomous mobile robots with a variety of specific functions as a kind of service, when there are many types and quantities of services and the density of regional services is large, proposing an algorithm of Circular Area Search (CAS) because of the problem of multi-robot service scheduling in various areas. Firstly, Django is used as the web framework to build the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) multi-robot service cloud platform, which is the basic platform for multi-service combination. Then, the service type, the latitude and longitude and the scoring parameters of the service are selected as the service search metrics to design the CAS algorithm that based on the existing service information registered in MySQL and the Gaode Map for screening optimal service, and then providing the service applicant with the best service. Finally, the service applicant applies for the self-driving tour service as an example to perform performance simulation test on the proposed CAS algorithm. The results show that the CAS algorithm of the multi-robot service cloud platform proposed in this paper is practical compared to the global search. And compared with the Greedy Algorithm experiment, the service search time is reduced about 58% compared with the Greedy Algorithm, which verifies the efficiency of CAS algorithm.     

Owner’s Risk Allocation and Contractor’s Role Behavior in a Project: A Parallel-mediation Model

Risk allocation decisions are of critical importance in project management. The present study proposes an explanation for how risk allocation in a contract motivates a contractor to cooperate with a project owner. Theories of risk allocation and trust were used to motivate the research. Using a survey methodology, we collected data concerning 124 construction projects in China. We found that risk allocation influenced the contractor’s role behavior through the contractor’s feeling of being trusted but not the contractor’s trust in the owner. Feeling of being trusted partially mediated the effect of risk allocation on the contractor’s in-role (i.e., contractual) behavior and fully mediated the effect on extra-role behavior. The study introduces a social and psychological view of the impacts of risk allocation to the project and engineering management literature. We contribute to theory by arguing and demonstrating the mediating effect of trust on the relationship between risk allocation and contractor behavior. From a practical standpoint, we conclude that contractual risk allocation has a significant impact on building a trusting relationship between owners and contractors and that contractors who feel trusted perform both contractually mandated actions and actions external to the contract more diligently, resulting in the likelihood of improved outcomes for both parties.     

Volatile organic compound profiles of yoghurt produced from cow's milk with different somatic cell counts

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of somatic cell count (SCC) of raw cow's milk on the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of yoghurt. Test yoghurt samples were produced from three batches of cow's milk with low, medium and high SCC, respectively. The VOCs were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. A lower diacetyl and acetoin content and a higher content of 2‐heptanone, and butanoic and hexanoic acids were established in the yoghurt samples from batches with high SCC of above 1 000 000 cells/cm³. The increased SCC of cow's milk had a negative effect on the volatile organic compound profiles of yoghurt.     

基于感知评价的Internet语音终端流量控制

分析了影响因特网语音通信质量的主要因素，根据实时传输控制协议计算延迟、丢包率等网络参数，并利用RBF神经网络将参数映射为语音质量评分，根据评分值的变化动态地调整语音终端的编码速率，在保证一定语音质量的同时，缓解网络拥塞。实验证明了该方法的有效性。     

恢复邢台百泉泉水流量可行性研究

通过百泉泉区天然状态与超采状态下的水环境对比分析,并对岩溶水补给量和开采量进行计算,阐述恢复邢台百泉泉水流量的可行性,随着“引朱济邢”和“南水北调”供水工程的实施,邢台百泉水生态环境的恢复将变为现实。