Is floating photovoltaic better than conventional photovoltaic? Assessing environmental impacts

Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy installations are growing all over the world as a promising renewable alternative to generate electricity. However, many studies have highlighted some drawbacks associated with the installation and operation of conventional solar energy power plants. Thus, floating photovoltaic (FPV) systems have been emerging as a new concept in solar energy to lessen negative environmental impacts caused by allocation of conventional PV facilities. This paper is an overview of the potential negative and positive environmental impacts caused by photovoltaic systems with particular interest on large-scale conventional and floating photovoltaic. This study addresses and compares the impacts at all phases of project implementation, which covers planning, construction, and operation and decommissioning, focusing on ambient located in the tropics. The overall impacts associated with project allocation such as deforestation (for the project implementation and site accessing), bird mortality, erosion, runoff, and change in microclimate are expected to have higher magnitudes for the implementation of conventional PV facilities. The results highlight advantages of FPV over conventional PV during the operational and decommissioning phases as well. Though, further studies are required to assess both qualitative and quantitative aspects of installations in similar areas.     

在城市化进程中漫谈城建与环境问题

本文从介绍“自然回归论”和“城市化威胁论”引述到重视解决好城市化进程中出现的环境问题的重要性及其所涉及的方方面面的问题。     

SoundRiver: Semantically‐Rich Sound Illustration

Sound is an integral part of most movies and videos. In many situations, viewers of a video are unable to hear the sound track, for example, when watching it in a fast forward mode, viewing it by hearing‐impaired viewers or when the plot is given as a storyboard. In this paper, we present an automated visualization solution to such problems. The system first detects the common components (such as music, speech, rain, explosions, and so on) from a sound track, then maps them to a collection of programmable visual metaphors, and generates a composite visualization. This form of sound visualization, which is referred to as SoundRiver, can be also used to augment various forms of video abstraction and annotated key frames and to enhance graphical user interfaces for video handling software. The SoundRiver conveys more semantic information to the viewer than traditional graphical representations of sound illustration, such as phonoautographs, spectrograms or artistic audiovisual animations.     

一种基于数据挖掘的量化新增需求代码量的分析方法

需求演化频繁发生于软件项目中,并且在很大程度上影响着软件项目的成败。对需求演化的影响进行准确的估算,将有效地帮助项目管理者降低软件项目失败的风险。其中,如何量化新增需求对软件项目的影响,是一个尤其难以解决的问题。提出一种基于数据挖掘的需求演化影响的量化分析方法,将新增需求与软件项目已有需求进行聚类,对于聚类结果进行分析,能够相对准确地量化新增需求将要产生的代码量。     

一种新的双足机器人模型设计与相关研究

针对双足机器人最简模型在行走过程中出现摆动腿足部擦地的问题,提出了一种通过摆动腿膝关节弯曲达到摆动腿缩短的新模型。当摆动腿开始摆动时,摆动腿膝关节弯曲锁定,摆动腿缩短;当摆动腿摆动到最大位置时,膝关节解锁,摆动腿伸直再锁定,此后摆动腿回摆,系统变为直腿模型。采用脚后跟冲击控制,在摆动腿落地前,拖后的支撑腿与地面接触处施加一指向髋关节的瞬时冲击力,冲击力可以减小摆动腿着地时能量的损耗,同时驱动被动机器人向前行走。设计了迭代学习控制算法,找到极限环与不动点,实现不同给定期望步长跟踪的冲击力的计算。仿真结果表明,迭代学习控制可以有效的实现不同期望步长的跟踪,可以很快的找到机器人系统的不动点,通过收敛的相平面,得到稳定的极限环,保证了机器人行走过程稳定。     

软件脆弱性危险程度量化评估模型研究

软件脆弱性的危险程度是对软件脆弱性被利用来攻击系统的潜在危险的度量。在分析目前已知的相关评价方法及其局限性的基础上,提出了根据脆弱性影响的严重程度和脆弱性可利用性来评佑脆弱性危险程度的分析框架,并基于模糊理论,提出了软件脆弱性危险程度评估的量化模型,建立了模糊测评因素关联隶属关系的递阶层次结构,并重点分析了基于模糊集的指标量化、基于模糊关系矩阵的指标权重的确定和软件脆弱性危险程度的综合评价方法。最后,给出了模型的应用与实现。     

Stereo audio source separation based on time–frequency masking and multilevel thresholding

Source separation and up-mixing in real commercial music recordings is a challenging problem. In the last few years, some algorithms have provided interesting results, but the problem remains unsolved. In this paper we describe a method for separating the sources present in a two channel mixture based on the panning coefficients used in the stereo mixdown. The sources are separated by estimating time–frequency masks using the multilevel extension of the Otsu thresholding algorithm used in image segmentation. A refinement step is also carried out for extraction and reassignment of inter-source residuals. Examples of application and performance evaluation are also discussed.     

A low cost, non-individualized surround sound system based upon head related transfer functions: an ergonomics study and prototype development

This paper reports on the types and magnitudes of localization errors of simulated binaural direction cues generated using non-individualized, head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) with different levels of complexity. Four levels of complexity, as represented by the number of non-zero coefficients of the associated HRTF filters (128, 64, 32, 18 non-zero coefficients), were studied. Experiment 1 collected 1728 data runs that were exhaustive combinations of the four levels of complexity, nine simulated directions of sound (no direction (i.e., diotical-mono), 0 degrees , 45 degrees , 90 degrees , 135 degrees , 180 degrees , 225 degrees , 270 degrees , and 315 degrees azimuth angles at 0 degrees elevation), two repetitions, and 24 participants). Binaural cues generated from HRTFs of reduced complexity (from 128 to 18 non-zero coefficients) produced significantly higher localization errors for the directions of 45 degrees , 135 degrees , 225 degrees , and 315 degrees azimuth angles (p<0.01). From the directions of 0 degrees , 90 degrees , and 270 degrees azimuth angles, the cues produced by HRTFs with reduced complexity did not affect the localization error (p>0.2). Surprisingly, cues produced by HRTFs of 128 non-zero coefficients did not have the lowest number of errors. From 45 degrees , 135 degrees , 225 degrees , and 315 degrees , the lowest numbers of errors were obtained from cues produced by HRTFs of 64, 32, 32, and 64 non-zero coefficients, respectively. Based on these findings, a prototype virtual headphone-based surround-sound (VHSS) system was developed. A double-blind usability experiment with 32 participants indicated that the prototype VHSS system received significantly better surround-sound ratings than did a Dolby stereo system (p<0.02). This paper reports results from an original ergonomics study and the application of these results to the design of a consumer product.     

Evaluation of acoustic beacon characteristics for navigation tasks

The goal of the present study was to investigate the human factors issues related to acoustic beacons used for auditory navigation. Specific issues addressed were: (1) the effect of various beacon characteristics on human accuracy in turning toward the direction of the acoustic beacon; (2) the difference between real and virtual environments on human accuracy in turning toward the acoustic beacon; and (3) the perceived sound quality of various acoustic beacons. Three experiments were conducted in which acoustic beacons were presented in a background of 80 dBA pink noise. Results of the localization tasks revealed that (a) presentation mode (continuous versus pulsed beacon sound) did not affect the overall localization accuracy or number of front-back confusion errors; and (b) the type of acoustic beacon affected the size of localization error. Results of the sound quality assessment indicated that listeners had definite preferences regarding the type of sound being used as a beacon, with (a) non-speech beacons preferred over speech beacons, (b) a beacon repetition rate of 1.1 rps preferred over either the 0.7 or 2.5 rps rates, and (c) a continuous operation of a beacon preferred over a pulsed operation. Finally, sound quality ratings and localization errors were highly negatively correlated. This finding demonstrates the usefulness and practical values of sound quality judgements for audio display design and evaluation.     

Acoustic evaluation and adjustment of an open-plan office through architectural design and noise control

Arranging office space into a single open room offers advantages in terms of easy exchange of information and interaction among coworkers, but reduces privacy and acoustic comfort. Thus, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the acoustic quality of a real open-plan office and to propose changes in the room to improve the acoustic conditioning of this office. The computational model of the office under study was calibrated based on RT and STI measurements. Predictions were made of the RT and STI, which generated the radius of distraction r(D), and the rate of spatial decay of sound pressure levels per distance doubling DL(2) in the real conditions of the office and after modifications of the room. The insertion of dividers between work stations and an increase in the ceiling's sound absorption improved the acoustic conditions in the office under study.