An open-source R-package and web application for high-quality probabilistic predictions in hydrology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Hunter ◽  
Mark Thyer ◽  
Dmitri Kavetski ◽  
David McInerney
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Web Application ◽  
R Package ◽  
Error Model ◽  
Objective Functions ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Probabilistic Error

<p>Probabilistic predictions provide crucial information regarding the uncertainty of hydrological predictions, which are a key input for risk-based decision-making. However, they are often excluded from hydrological modelling applications because suitable probabilistic error models can be both challenging to construct and interpret, and the quality of results are often reliant on the objective function used to calibrate the hydrological model.</p><p>We present an open-source R-package and an online web application that achieves the following two aims. Firstly, these resources are easy-to-use and accessible, so that users need not have specialised knowledge in probabilistic modelling to apply them. Secondly, the probabilistic error model that we describe provides high-quality probabilistic predictions for a wide range of commonly-used hydrological objective functions, which it is only able to do by including a new innovation that resolves a long-standing issue relating to model assumptions that previously prevented this broad application.  </p><p>We demonstrate our methods by comparing our new probabilistic error model with an existing reference error model in an empirical case study that uses 54 perennial Australian catchments, the hydrological model GR4J, 8 common objective functions and 4 performance metrics (reliability, precision, volumetric bias and errors in the flow duration curve). The existing reference error model introduces additional flow dependencies into the residual error structure when it is used with most of the study objective functions, which in turn leads to poor-quality probabilistic predictions. In contrast, the new probabilistic error model achieves high-quality probabilistic predictions for all objective functions used in this case study.</p><p>The new probabilistic error model and the open-source software and web application aims to facilitate the adoption of probabilistic predictions in the hydrological modelling community, and to improve the quality of predictions and decisions that are made using those predictions. In particular, our methods can be used to achieve high-quality probabilistic predictions from hydrological models that are calibrated with a wide range of common objective functions.</p>

scholarly journals Using the Google™ Search Engine for Health Information: Is There a Problem? Case Study: Supplements for Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah C Cai ◽  
Leanne E King ◽  
Johanna T Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engine ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Search Results ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Quality Rating

ABSTRACT We assessed the quality of online health and nutrition information using a Google™ search on “supplements for cancer”. Search results were scored using the Health Information Quality Index (HIQI), a quality-rating tool consisting of 12 objective criteria related to website domain, lack of commercial aspects, and authoritative nature of the health and nutrition information provided. Possible scores ranged from 0 (lowest) to 12 (“perfect” or highest quality). After eliminating irrelevant results, the remaining 160 search results had median and mean scores of 8. One-quarter of the results were of high quality (score of 10–12). There was no correlation between high-quality scores and early appearance in the sequence of search results, where results are presumably more visible. Also, 496 advertisements, over twice the number of search results, appeared. We conclude that the Google™ search engine may have shortcomings when used to obtain information on dietary supplements and cancer.

scholarly journals An Adaptive Bitrate Switching Algorithm for Speech Applications in Context of WebRTC

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Mohannad Alahmadi ◽  
Peter Pocta ◽  
Hugh Melvin
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Quality Of Experience ◽  
End User ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Switching Algorithm ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) combines a set of standards and technologies to enable high-quality audio, video, and auxiliary data exchange in web browsers and mobile applications. It enables peer-to-peer multimedia sessions over IP networks without the need for additional plugins. The Opus codec, which is deployed as the default audio codec for speech and music streaming in WebRTC, supports a wide range of bitrates. This range of bitrates covers narrowband, wideband, and super-wideband up to fullband bandwidths. Users of IP-based telephony always demand high-quality audio. In addition to users’ expectation, their emotional state, content type, and many other psychological factors; network quality of service; and distortions introduced at the end terminals could determine their quality of experience. To measure the quality experienced by the end user for voice transmission service, the E-model standardized in the ITU-T Rec. G.107 (a narrowband version), ITU-T Rec. G.107.1 (a wideband version), and the most recent ITU-T Rec. G.107.2 extension for the super-wideband E-model can be used. In this work, we present a quality of experience model built on the E-model to measure the impact of coding and packet loss to assess the quality perceived by the end user in WebRTC speech applications. Based on the computed Mean Opinion Score, a real-time adaptive codec parameter switching mechanism is used to switch to the most optimum codec bitrate under the present network conditions. We present the evaluation results to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach when compared with the default codec configuration in WebRTC.

scholarly journals Enhancement of Satellite Imagesusing Image Sharpening Technique

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S2) ◽  
pp. 351-354
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Color Image ◽  
Histogram Equalization ◽  
Grayscale Image ◽  
Original Image ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Equalization Technique ◽  
The Difference

In many image processing applications, a wide range of image enhancement techniques are being proposed. Many of these techniques demanda lot of critical and advance steps, but the resultingimage perception is not satisfactory. This paper proposes a novel sharpening method which is being experimented with additional steps. In the first step, the color image is transformed into grayscale image, then edge detection process is applied using Laplacian technique. Then deduct this image from the original image. The resulting image is as expected; After performing the enhancement process,the high quality of the image can be indicated using the Tenengrad criterion. The resulting image manifested the difference in certain areas, the dimension and the depth as well. Histogram equalization technique can also be applied to change the images color.

FACTORS OF MOTIVATION OF PURCHASE OF DRUGS - THE FOUNDATION OF ART SALES

2021 ◽  
pp. 59-63
Author(s):  
А.Н. Жарылқасын ◽  
А. Жунусов ◽  
К.Д. Шертаева ◽  
Г.Ж. Умурзахова ◽  
Г.И. Утегенова ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Medical Products ◽  
Customer Commitment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Face

В условиях серьезной конкуренции аптеки вынуждены прибегать к различным способам привлечения и удержания покупателей. Приоритетными факторами в плане воспитания и поддержания лояльности покупателей являются традиционный набор приемлемых цен, широкий ассортимент, высокое качество лекарственных средств, космецевтики и изделий медицинского назначения, а также удобное расположение аптеки и выкладка аптечных товаров. Однако сегодня это обязательные, но недостаточные атрибуты приверженности покупателей к конкретной аптеке. В данной статье рассматриваются основные элементы "искусства продаж", которые, по мнению экспертов, являются основополагающими для мотивации покупок в аптеке. In the face of serious competition, pharmacies have to resort to various means of attracting and retaining customers. Priority factors in terms of cultivating and maintaining customer loyalty are the traditional set of acceptable prices, wide range, high quality of pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and medical products, as well as the convenient location of the pharmacy and the display of pharmacy products. However, today these are mandatory, but not sufficient attributes of customer commitment to a particular pharmacy. This article discusses the main elements of the "art of sales", which, according to experts, are fundamental for motivating purchases in a pharmacy.

Elaboration of indices complex and additional criterion of coals and charges quality evaluation for production and prediction of required and high quality coke

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 651-664
Author(s):  
Yu. A. Zolotukhin ◽  
N. S. Andreichikov ◽  
A. Ya. Eremin ◽  
T. F. Kraskovskaya ◽  
V. V. Kuprygin
Keyword(s):  
Coke Quality ◽  
Metallurgical Coke ◽  
Quality Prediction ◽  
Material Base ◽  
Technological Properties ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Petrographic Composition ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
A Charge

Coal raw material base of coking is the main factor characterizing the quality of coke. Therefore, it is very important to know technological properties and peculiarities of coals behavior in a charge during coking process for coals charge batching and coke quality control. One of the priority directions in study coals and charges is petrographic and reflectogram analysis, which enable to obtain data related to evaluation genuine (one-valued) technological properties of coals, coal blends and charges at production of coke of required quality. Using a broad material of study, including the one carried out by the authors of the article, a wide range of application of reflectogram analysis of coals, coals blends and charges in the coking production was shown. It was demonstrated also that application of the analysis enabled to exclude the problem of “twins”, to define the degree of genetic coals recoverability and coals grades or types relation in the mixtures for the coking. Based on the elaborated by the authors reflectogram criteria of charges for coking, a strategy of coals batching was proposed, which ensures production of metallurgical coke of required and high quality and safe running of coke ovens. Based on wide experimental studies of plastic-tough properties of coal charges, porosity of coke, its X-ray structure characteristics, strength and reaction ability, theoretical ideas were formed about mechanism of interaction in a charge of petrographically nonuniform coals comprising it during coking process, by using the proposed by the authors indices of coals nonuniformity. The indices of coals, comprising the charge, nonuniformity, differ by metamorphism degree (σR) and petrographic composition (σСК), explaining regularities of forming of quality of coke from the charge with participation of petrographically nonuniform coals. The package of the factors noted by the authors, revealed in the process of the study of coals, coals blends and charges, as well as quality of coke obtained from them, enabled to elaborate a complex index of charges coking ability (К.п.к.Vo), which enables to considerably simplify the mathematical model of coke quality prediction and to increase its reliability. Mathematical models of coke quality prediction were verified and implemented at several plants of Russia.

scholarly journals Using Multivariate Statistical Methods to Analyze High-Quality Bicycle Path Service Systems: A Case Study of Popular Bicycle Paths in Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7185
Author(s):  
Shinn-Jou Lin ◽  
Guey-Shin Shyu ◽  
Wei-Ta Fang ◽  
Bai-You Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Service Systems ◽  
Image Management ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Quantitative Indicators

Taiwan has promoted bicycle tourism for nearly 20 years, and the bicycle paths it has constructed throughout the island are diverse in design. In the present study, an evaluation scale for bicycle path sightseeing potential was devised with a focus on the overall service quality of the paths; 30 popular bicycle paths were analyzed using a field survey, with expert consultation on quantitative indicators, and a qualitative analysis entailing interviews with people regarding the bicycle paths. A multivariate statistical analysis was performed on the quality of the service systems for these paths. The results revealed that the quality of these service systems is influenced by four principal components, namely, landscape attractiveness, image management, bicycle-specific paths, and accessibility, for a total explanatory power of 76.21%; the individual explanatory power of these components was 25.89%, 21.49%, 16.81%, and 12.03%, respectively. Bicycle path conditions, service maintenance, and cleanliness and bicycle specificity are required for future high-quality bicycle paths; diverse bicycle rental services and bicycle types, entrance visibility, and ecological introduction boards along paths are value-added factors to bicycle path quality.

scholarly journals Soil Mapping Based on the Integration of the Similarity-Based Approach and Random Forests

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Desheng Wang ◽  
A-Xing Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Random Forests ◽  
Cross Validation ◽  
Soil Mapping ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Integrated Method ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
Soil Information ◽  
Fold Cross Validation

Digital soil mapping (DSM) is currently the primary framework for predicting the spatial variation of soil information (soil type or soil properties). Random forests and similarity-based methods have been used widely in DSM. However, the accuracy of the similarity-based approach is limited, and the performance of random forests is affected by the quality of the feature set. The objective of this study was to present a method for soil mapping by integrating the similarity-based approach and the random forests method. The Heshan area (Heilongjiang province, China) was selected as the case study for mapping soil subgroups. The results of the regular validation samples showed that the overall accuracy of the integrated method (71.79%) is higher than that of a similarity-based approach (58.97%) and random forests (66.67%). The results of the 5-fold cross-validation showed that the overall accuracy of the integrated method, similarity-based approach, and random forests range from 55% to 72.73%, 43.48% to 69.57%, and 54.17% to 70.83%, with an average accuracy of 66.61%, 57.39%, and 59.62%, respectively. These results suggest that the proposed method can produce a high-quality covariate set and achieve a better performance than either the random forests or similarity-based approach alone.

scholarly journals Monitoring Cropping Systems: From Data Collection to Cloud Database Storage Using Open Source Software

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Ioanna Panagea ◽  
Dangol Anuja ◽  
Marc Olijslagers ◽  
Jan Diels ◽  
Guido Wyseure
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Query Languages ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Raw Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Study Sites

Agricultural cropping systems and experiments include complex interactions of processes and various management practices and/or treatments under a wide range of environmental and climatic conditions. The use of standardized formats to monitor and document these systems and experiments can help researchers and stakeholders to efficiently exchange data, promote interdisciplinary collaborations, and simplify modelling and analysis procedures. In the scope of the SoilCare Horizon 2020 project monitoring and assessment work package, an integrated scheme to collect, validate, store, and access cropping system information and experimental data from 16 study sites, was created. The aim of the scheme is to make the data readily available in a way that the information is useful, easy to access and download, and safe, relying only on open source software. The database design considers data and metadata required to properly and easily monitor, process, and analyse cropping systems and/or agricultural experiments. The scheme allows for the storage of data and metadata regarding the experimental set-up, associated people and institutions, information about field management operations and experimental procedures which are clearly separated for making analysis procedures faster, links between system components, and information about the environmental and climatic conditions. Raw data are entered by the users into a structured spreadsheet. The quality is checked before storing the data into the database. Providing raw data allows processing and analysing as each other user needs. A desktop import application has been created to upload the information from spreadsheet to database, which includes automated error checks of relationship tables, data types, data constraints, etc. The final component of the scheme is the database web application interface, which enables users to access and query the database across the study sites without the knowledge of query languages and to download the required data. For this system design, PostgreSQL is used for storing the data, pgAdmin 4 for database management administration, MongoDB for user management and authentication, Python for the development of the import application, Angular and Node.js/Express for the web application and spreadsheets compatible with LibreOffice Calc. The system is currently tested with data provided by the SoilCare study sites. Preliminary testing indicated that extended quality control of the spreadsheets was required from the system’s administrator to meet the standards and restrictions of the import application. Initial comments from the users indicate that the database scheme, even if it initially seems complicated, includes all the variables and details required for a complete monitoring and modelling of an agricultural cropping system.

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