Introduction of a nonlinearity measure for principal component models

Although principal component analysis (PCA) is an important tool in standard multivariate data analysis, little interest has been devoted to assessing whether the underlying relationship within a given variable set can be described by a linear PCA model or whether nonlinear PCA must be utilized. This paper addresses this deficiency by introducing a nonlinearity measure for principal component models. The measure is based on the following two principles: (i) the range of recorded process operation is divided into smaller regions; and (ii) accuracy bounds are determined for the sum of the discarded eigenvalues. If this sum is within the accuracy bounds for each region, the process is assumed to be linear and vice versa. This procedure is automated through the use of cross-validation. Finally, the paper shows the utility of the new nonlinearity measure using two simulation studies and with data from an industrial melter process.     

Drying Kinetics of a Porous Spherical Particle and the Inversion Temperature

A model is presented for drying of a single porous particle with superheated steam and humid air. Experimental data for spherical porous ceramic particle reported in the literature were used for the validation of the model. An inversion temperature at which the evaporation rates within superheated steam and humid air are equal was predicted. The effect of thermophysical properties of the particle (permeability 10^-14 - 10^-17 m², diameter 3 × 10^-3 - 10 × 10^-3 m) and operating variables (gas mass flux 0.26 - 0.78 kg m^-2 s^-1, drying agent temperature 120-200°C) is tested. The inversion temperature is shown to be affected by the thermophysical properties of the porous particle and of the drying agent.     

西北地区节水灌溉市场与技术需求

西部开发需要大量的生态用水，从节水灌溉设备市场分析，节水灌溉专用泵阀、新型输水管材、高效低能喷微灌设备及材料的需求量很大，技术需求与亟待研究开发的关键技术和设备也很多。从西北地区水资源状况与需求看，节水灌溉市场有很大潜力。     

形状记忆聚氨酯的结构与性能研究

以 2 ,4 -甲苯二异氰酸酯 (2 ,4 -TDI)、不同分子量的聚己二酸丁二醇酯 (PBAG)和 1,4-丁二醇 (BDO)为原料合成了具有形状记忆功能的聚氨酯材料。通过DSC、弯曲实验和力学实验 ,研究了形状记忆聚氨酯的性能 ,发现软段高度结晶和硬段聚集形成硬段微区是其具有较好形状记忆性能的必要条件。     

地理环境与先秦南北饮食文化

先秦时期是我国饮食文化的形成时期，受地理环境的强烈影响，逐渐形成了以秦岭-淮河一线为界的南北两个主要的饮食文化区域：黄河中下游地区为中心的北方饮食文化区，是以旱地粮食作物黍、稷、粟等为主食，陆地动物为辅食，烧、烤、炸为主要烹饪方法的北方饮食风味；长江中下游地区为中心的南方饮食文化区，是以水田粮食作物稻米为主食，陆地动物和水产动植物为辅食，蒸、炖、煎为主要烹饪方法的南方饮食风味。     

GIS中实时建立区域拓扑关系的快速算法

针对GIS中建立区域拓扑关系的实时性要求,论文提出一个结合基于图的拓扑信息和基于几何的左转算法的区域拓扑关系生成算法。利用区域的连通性提高了算法效率,左转算法保证了算法的可靠性。     

一种基于偏最小二乘法的室外光照估计算法

针对固定视点下的室外场景在线视频光照求解问题,提出一种基于偏最小二乘室外场景实时光照估计算法.在离线阶段提取场景中对光照变化较为敏感的区域,并将这些区域像素值的均值与方差的无偏估计作为场景图像的统计参数,再利用偏最小二乘回归分析建立场景的光照参数与图像统计参数之间的模型;在在线阶段使用所建立的模型实时估计视频每一帧的光照条件.实验结果表明,使用该算法所求解的光照参数对虚拟物体进行绘制并将其融入视频中后,合成场景真实感很强.     

Human DDX3X Unwinds Japanese Encephalitis and Zika Viral 5′ Terminal Regions

Flavivirus genus includes many deadly viruses such as the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Zika virus (ZIKV). The 5′ terminal regions (TR) of flaviviruses interact with human proteins and such interactions are critical for viral replication. One of the human proteins identified to interact with the 5′ TR of JEV is the DEAD-box helicase, DDX3X. In this study, we in vitro transcribed the 5′ TR of JEV and demonstrated its direct interaction with recombinant DDX3X (K_d of 1.66 ± 0.21 µM) using microscale thermophoresis (MST). Due to the proposed structural similarities of 5′ and 3′ TRs of flaviviruses, we investigated if the ZIKV 5′ TR could also interact with human DDX3X. Our MST studies suggested that DDX3X recognizes ZIKV 5′ TR with a K_d of 7.05 ± 0.75 µM. Next, we performed helicase assays that suggested that the binding of DDX3X leads to the unwinding of JEV and ZIKV 5′ TRs. Overall, our data indicate, for the first time, that DDX3X can directly bind and unwind in vitro transcribed flaviviral TRs. In summary, our work indicates that DDX3X could be further explored as a therapeutic target to inhibit Flaviviral replication     

Dewatering behaviour of water treatment sludges associated with contaminated site remediation in Antarctica

Sludge reduction and dewatering is an important aspect of water and waste water treatment. This is especially true in the case of Australia's Antarctic contaminated site remediation program, where the reduction in volume of wastes to be returned to Australia can lead to significant transport and handling cost savings. The dewatering characterisation of water treatment sludges from an Antarctic contaminated site was conducted using a theory of suspension dewatering developed by Buscall, Landman and White. This theory uses fundamental material properties of compressibility and permeability to determine the diffusivity of a suspension. Diffusivity is a useful property that can be used to directly compare the dewaterability of various sludges. In this investigation, several water treatment sludges were collected and characterised in the field to determine the impact of temperature and additives on compressibility, permeability and diffusivity. The Antarctic sludges were found to be less compressible and less permeable than materials such as mineral suspensions and alum water treatment sludges. Compressibility was found to decrease with the addition of powdered coagulation aids such as bentonite and chitosan.     

The effect of grazing intensity and the presence of a forage legume on nitrogen dynamics in Brachiaria pastures in the Atlantic forest region of the south of Bahia, Brazil

It has been shown that with careful grazing management and addition of Pand K, but not N, fertilisers Brachiaria pastures are ableto maintain sustainable live weight gains over many years. However, standardon-farm practice, which generally involves high stocking rates, leads after afew years to pasture decline due mainly to N deficiency for grass regrowth. Togenerate an understanding of the mechanism of pasture decline and possiblemanagement options to mitigate this process, a study was performed in theAtlantic forest region of the south of Bahia state to study the N dynamics inpastures of Brachiaria humidicola subject to threedifferent stocking rates of beef cattle, with and without the presence of theforage legume Desmodium ovalifolium. Despite the fact thatthe C:N ratio of the deposited litter was high (60 to 70) the rate ofdecomposition was very rapid (k –0.07 gg^–1 day^–1) and annual rates of Nturnover through the litter pathway were between 105 and 170 kg Nha^–1 year^–1. In the grass-onlypasturesas stocking rate increased from 2 to 3 head ha^–1, N recycledinthe litter decreased by 11%, but a further increase to 4 headha^–1 decreased N recycling by 30% suggesting thatbeyonda certain critical level higher grazing stocking rates would lead to pasturedecline if there was no N addition. High stocking rates decreased theproportionof the legume in the sward, but at all rates the concentration of N in both thegreen and dead grass in the forage on offer and in the litter was higher in themixed sward. The presence of the legume caused a decrease in the C:N ratio ofthe microbial biomass while both soil N mineralisation and nitrificationincreased. This increased rate of turnover of the microbial biomass and thecontribution of N₂ fixation to the legume resulted in largeincreasesin the N recycled via litter deposition ranging from 42 to 155 kg Nha^–1 year^–1.