Our current understanding of lake ecosystem response to climate change: What have we really learned from the north temperate deep lakes?

Climatic change is recognized as an important factor capable of influencing the structural properties of aquatic ecosystems. Lake ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change. Several long time-series studies have shown close coupling between climate, lake thermal properties and individual organism physiology, population abundance, community structure, and food-web structure. Understanding the complex interplay between climate, hydrological variability, and ecosystem structure and functioning is essential to inform water resources risk assessment and fisheries management. The purpose of this paper is to present the current understanding of climate-induced changes on lake ecosystem phenology. We first review the ability of climate to modulate the interactions among lake hydrodynamics, chemical factors, and food-web structure in several north temperate deep lakes (e.g., Lake Washington, Lake Tahoe, Lake Constance, Lake Geneva, Lake Baikal, and Lake Zurich). Our aim is to assess long-term trends in the physical (e.g., temperature, timing of stratification, and duration of ice cover), chemical (e.g., nutrient concentrations), and biological (e.g., timing of the spring bloom, phytoplankton composition, and zooplankton abundance) characteristics of the lakes and to examine the signature of local weather conditions (e.g., air temperature and rainfall) and large-scale climatic variability (e.g., ENSO and PDO) on the lake physics, chemistry and biology. We also conducted modeling experiments to quantify the relative effect of climate change and nutrient loading on lake phenology. These modeling experiments focused on the relative changes to the major causal associations underlying plankton dynamics during the spring bloom and the summer stratified period. To further understand the importance of climate change on lakes, we propose two complementary directions of future research. First, additional research is needed to elucidate the wide array of in-lake processes that are likely to be affected by the climate change. Second, it is essential to examine the heterogeneity in responses among different water bodies. The rationale of this approach and its significance for dealing with the uncertainty that the climate signals cascade through lake ecosystems and shape abiotic variability and/or biotic responses have been recently advocated by several other synthesis papers.     

基于有线无线异构网络融合的桥梁健康监测系统

对于大跨度桥梁的健康检测,较为先进并已广泛使用的有线健康监测技术逐渐取代了传统的手工操作,但在实际应用中产生了安装电缆和更新系统带来的麻烦。相比之下,新开发的无线桥梁结构健康监测传感器技术更容易部署和更新,它克服有线系统存在的这些缺陷。然而,在某些情况下,无线网络的通信质量不能保证,导致系统的效率和可靠性受到影响。提出一种新的异构健康监测系统,它拥有有线和无线健康监测技术的优点。     

Limit load and shakedown analysis of plastic structures under stochastic uncertainty

Problems from plastic analysis are based on the convex, linear or linearised yield/strength condition and the linear equilibrium equation for the stress (state) vector. In practice one has to take into account stochastic variations of several model parameters. Hence, in order to get robust maximum load factors, the structural analysis problem with random parameters must be replaced by an appropriate deterministic substitute problem. A direct approach is proposed based on the primary costs for missing carrying capacity and the recourse costs (e.g. costs for repair, compensation for weakness within the structure, damage, failure, etc.). Based on the mechanical survival conditions of plasticity theory, a quadratic error/loss criterion is developed. The minimum recourse costs can be determined then by solving an optimisation problem having a quadratic objective function and linear constraints. For each vector a(·) of model parameters and each design vector x, one obtains then an explicit representation of the “best” internal load distribution F^∗. Moreover, also the expected recourse costs can be determined explicitly. Consequently, an explicit stochastic nonlinear program results for finding a robust maximal load factor μ^∗. The analytical properties and possible solution procedures are discussed.     

Explaining IS continuance in environments where usage is mandatory

Several research efforts over the last decade have attempted to explain user acceptance in mandated environments. This research is an attempt in the same direction. It addresses users’ satisfaction in mandated environments to further contribute to our understanding of how we can manage mandated use of information systems (IS) effectively beyond initial adoption. To better explain users’ IS continuance a revised post-acceptance model is proposed and empirically tested using the structural equation modelling technique. The results demonstrate the reliability and validity of the proposed measurement model and further demonstrate that confirmed expectations and ease of use perceptions explain 61% of the users’ satisfaction in this setting. Our findings have important implications for the management of users in mandated environments as well as for further research in the area of mandated use. To that end, we offer directions for future research.     

Synchronized switch harvesting applied to self-powered smart systems: Piezoactive microgenerators for autonomous wireless receivers

This paper introduces the conceptual architecture of a fully integrated, truly self-powered structural health monitoring (SHM) scheme. The challenge here is to power an array of numerous distributed actuators and sensors as well as wireless data transmission modules without recurring to heavy and costly wiring. Based on microgenerators which directly convert ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy, using the synchronized switch harvesting (SSH) method, the proposed solution allows avoiding the periodic replacement or reloading of batteries. This addresses environmental and economic issues at the same time, knowing that such elements are heavy, polluting and might be installed in rather inaccessible locations. Indeed, especially in airborne structures saving weight and maintenance cost is of priority importance.Previous work showed that such microgenerators provide a stand-alone power source, whose performances meet the requirements of autonomous wireless transmitters (AWTs) that comprise an acoustic Lamb wave's actuator and a radio frequency (RF) emitter (D. Guyomar, Y. Jayet, L. Petit, E. Lefeuvre, T. Monnier, C. Richard, M. Lallart, Synchronized switch harvesting applied to self-powered smart systems: Piezoactive microgenerators for autonomous wireless transmitters, Sens Actuators A: Phys. 138 (1) (2007) 151–160, doi:10.1016/j.sna.2007.04.009). Following this work, the present contribution presents a further step towards the integration of the SHM technique. It shows the ability of our microgenerators to provide enough energy to give logical autonomy to each self-powered sensing node, named autonomous wireless receiver (AWR), and thus to provide some local (decentralized) pre-processing ability to the SHM system.A preliminary design of the device using off-the-shelf electronics and surface mounted piezoelectric patches will be presented. Since the existence of a positive energy balance between the harvesting capabilities of the SSH technique and the energy requirements of the proposed device will be proved, the system formed by the combination of the AWR with the previously developed AWT, is a proof of concept of truly self-powered smart systems for damage detection in simple structures, setting apart application-specific optimization or miniaturization concerns that will be addressed in future works.     

Chemical deposition of nanocrystalline nickel oxide from urea containing bath and its use in liquefied petroleum gas sensor

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO) was deposited onto glass substrates using a chemical deposition method from a bath containing nickel (Ni²⁺) ions and urea at 363 K. The deposition process was based on the reaction between Ni²⁺ and hydroxide ions released from the protolysis of ammonia formed in the decomposition of urea heated at 363 K, which caused to form nickel hydroxide. The structural properties of nickel oxide films were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD analyses showed that nanocrystalline nature remained after heating at 523 K for 2 h. Surface morphology of the nickel oxide film showed worm-like mesoporous structure with pore size in a nanometer range. The chemically deposited nickel oxide films were effectively used as a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensor and the maximum response of 36.5% was recorded on exposure to 0.3 vol% of LPG at 698 K.     

Types of structural assurance and their relationships with trusting intentions in business-to-consumer e-commerce

This study examines the effects of different types of structural assurance mechanisms on trusting intention in business-to-consumer electronic commerce. Inconsistent results from prior research on structural assurance motivated the current study to further explore the nature of structural assurance. Based on the Institution-based Trust Theory, this paper proposes that different types of structural assurance mechanisms, specifically: seals of approval, vendor-specific guarantees, protections from credit card companies and transaction protections, may have their unique effects on trusting intentions. The results indicate that customer perceptions about seals of approval and vendor-specific guarantees can significantly influence trusting intentions while perceptions about protections from credit card companies, legal systems and technology infrastructures do not.     

基于Haar小波变换高频特征的图像质量评价算法

在分析人类视觉系统(HVS)特性的基础上,提出一种基于Haar小波变换高频特征的图像质量评价算法(CSSIM)。此方法首先将图像进行小波变换得到不同方向和不同频率的4个频带划分,在3个高频频带比较边缘结构信息上根据人类视觉系统特性,赋予3个频带比较结果相应视觉权重值,最终得到归一化的图像质量评价指标CSSIM。通过非线性回归拟合分析,证明了提出的算法(CSSIM)相对图像结构相似度评价算法(MSSIM)及其改进算法(MGSSIM)更符合人类的主观视觉感受。     

对双亲／孩子结构连接算法的研究与改进

结合区间编码和结点模型映射方法提出一种用于关系数据库的扩展存储模式.通过按广度优先遍历XML树实现对双亲/孩子关系结构连接算法的改进.改进后的算法降低了内存空间的开销,缩小了列表的扫描范围,明显提高了查找匹配速度,达到了查询优化的目的.     

Impact of Intellectual Property Rights on the Governance Mode Decisions of Engineering Managers During the Establishment of Research Alliances With Publicly Funded Entities

Strengthening intellectual property rights for publicly financed research and development (R&D) ensures that research organizations maximize the full national value of the intellectual property that they generate, but potential negative spillover effects on the perceived value of a research alliance might deter an existing alliance partner from continued collaboration or a potential alliance partner from future collaboration. This study, performed in 2010 within the context of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa, aimed to develop a structural equation modeling-based value-mediation governance decision-making model that will enable engineering managers at publicly financed R&D organizations to select optimal governance modes for the research alliances they are establishing to grow their organizations’ R&D capabilities.