Reliability assessment of stochastic networks with ER connectivity and ER dependency

In stochastic networks, nodes usually function dependently and interact with other nodes through connectivity links or dependency links. In this paper, the model for stochastic networks considering sub-networks with connectivity and dependency links of Erdös-Rényi (ER) topology is proposed, which is defined as networks with arbitrary pair of nodes randomly connected/depended by a constant probability. The reliability evaluation framework for the proposed networks is developed, where both of the extended multi-valued decision diagram (MDD) method and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) are involved. The MDD method is proposed to assess the reliability of deterministic stochastic networks with ER connectivity and dependency, where arbitrary time to failure distributions of nodes are allowed. Based on the reliability evaluation for a stochastic network with a deterministic structure, the MCS is employed to achieve the reliability analysis of corresponding stochastic networks. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed stochastic network model and reliability evaluation framework, where the probability distributions for the reliability of stochastic networks are provided.

Propagation characteristics of hot flow anomalies

<p>Hot flow anomalies (HFAs), characterized by heated plasma and flow deflection, are frequently observed near Earth’s and other planetary bow shocks. There are two kinds of HFAs, classic HFAs formed by the interaction of tangential discontinuities (TD) and the bow shock, and spontaneous HFAs (SHFAs) which are not associated with discontinuties. A statistical study of the propagation characteristics of HFA edges has been performed base on 19 classic HFAs and 23 SHFAs with one-dimensional edges observed by Cluster from 2001 to 2010. The propagation velocity and normal direction of each edge are calculated using the timing method, the minimum directional difference (MDD) method, and the spatial-temporal difference (STD) method. The angle between the leading edge normal and the corresponding TD normal is less than 30 degrees for 93% of the classic HFAs. The angle between the edge normal and background magnetic field is near 90 degrees for 74% of the SHFAs. Observations indicate that the leading edge of the classic HFAs propagates along the same direction as the driving TD and the SHFAs propagate perpendicular to the background magnetic field. Furthermore, we find that all 42 HFAs propagate toward the Earth in the spacecraft frame as expected. However, in the solar wind frame HFAs have different propagation directions (i.e., toward the Earth, the Sun or be stationary in the solar wind frame).</p>

ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN WEBRATIO UNTUK PENGEMBANGAN APLIKASI WEB MENGGUNAKAN INTERACTION FLOW MODELING LANGUAGE (IFML)

The model-driven development (MDD) method is a method that can accelerate the application development process. With this method, the model can be immediately transformed into an executable application. Model-driven architecture is one kind of MDD approaches. MDA has a standard modeling language that is used to facilitate the transformation process. One of the modeling languages in MDA is Interaction Flow Management Language (IFML). IFML models an application based on the interaction flow and interface of the application. This paper explains the capabilities of WebRatio in developing Web applications and their effectiveness. The effectiveness is calculated from the effort required for the development. On the other side, the effort is calculated from the line of code (LOC) generated from the model. The experiment's case study is a simple web-shop application, with some functional and non-functional requirements. The measurement results show that to develop a web-shop, the effort required is quite efficient, only 13% of the total application. However, another study still needs to be done because many variables affect the productivity of application development.

On-Road Bus Emission Comparison for Diverse Locations and Fuel Types in Real-World Operation Conditions

Urban buses have energy and environmental impacts because they are mostly equipped with heavy-duty diesel engines, having higher emission factors and pollution levels. This study proposed a mean distribution deviation (MDD) method to identify bus pollutant emissions including CO, CO2, HC, and NOX at road sections, intersections, and bus stops for different fuel types; and explore the changes in emissions for different locations in the road sections, bus stops, and intersection influence areas. Bus speed, acceleration, and emissions data were collected from four fuel types in China. For different locations and fuel types, the differences in emissions were all statistically significant. MDD values for different locations indicated that there were more obvious differences in emissions between road sections and intersections. In addition, heat maps were applied in this study to better understand changes in bus emissions for different locations in the bus stop influence areas, intersection influence areas, and road sections.

Direct Patterning of a Carbon Nanotube Thin Layer on a Stretchable Substrate

Solution-based direct patterning on an elastomer substrate with meniscus-dragging deposition (MDD) enables fabrication of very thin carbon nanotube (CNT) layers in the nanometer scale (80–330 nm). To fabricate the CNT pattern with CNT solution, contact angle, electrical variation, mechanical stress, and surface cracks of elastomer substrate were analyzed to identify the optimal conditions of O2 treatment (treatment for 30 s with RF power of 50 W in O2 atmosphere of 50 sccm) and mixture ratio between Ecoflex and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (Ecoflex:PDMS = 5:1). The type of mask for patterning of the CNT layer was determined through quantitative analysis for sharpness and uniformity of the fabricated CNT pattern. Through these optimization processes, the CNT pattern was produced on the elastomer substrate with selected mask (30 μm thick oriented polypropylene). The thickness of CNT pattern was also controlled to have hundreds nanometer and 500 μm wide rectangular and circular shapes were demonstrated. Furthermore, the change in the current and resistance of the CNT layer according to the applied strain on the elastomer substrate was analyzed. Our results demonstrated the potential of the MDD method for direct CNT patterning with high uniformity and the possibility to fabricate a stretchable sensor.

Source-receiver Marchenko redatuming on field data using an adaptive double-focusing method

We have developed an adaptive double-focusing method that is specifically designed for the field-data application of source-receiver Marchenko redatuming. Typically, the single-focusing Marchenko method is combined with a multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) to achieve redatuming. Our method replaces the MDD step by a second focusing step that naturally complements the single-focusing Marchenko method. Instead of performing the MDD method with the directionally decomposed Green’s functions that result from single-focusing, we now use the retrieved upgoing Green’s function and the retrieved downgoing focusing function to obtain a redatumed reflection response in the physical medium. Consequently, we only remove the strongest overburden effects instead of removing all of the overburden effects. However, the gain is a robust method that is less sensitive to imperfections in the data and a sparse acquisition geometry than the MDD method. In addition, it is computationally much cheaper, more straightforward to implement, and it can be parallelized over pairs of focal points, which makes it suitable for application to large data volumes. We evaluate the successful application of our method to 2D field data of the Santos Basin.

Synergy of β-Lactams with Vancomycin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Correlation of Disk Diffusion and Checkerboard Methods

Modified disk diffusion (MDD) and checkerboard tests were employed to assess the synergy of combinations of vancomycin and β-lactam antibiotics for 59 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and Mu50 (ATCC 700699). Bacterial inocula equivalent to 0.5 and 2.0 McFarland standard were inoculated on agar plates containing 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 μg/ml of vancomycin. Oxacillin-, cefazolin-, and cefoxitin-impregnated disks were applied to the surface, and the zones of inhibition were measured at 24 h. The CLSI-recommended checkerboard method was used as a reference to detect synergy. The MICs for vancomycin were determined using the Etest method, broth microdilution, and the Vitek 2 automated system. Synergy was observed with the checkerboard method in 51% to 60% of the isolates when vancomycin was combined with any β-lactam. The fractional inhibitory concentration indices were significantly lower in MRSA isolates with higher vancomycin MIC combinations (P< 0.05). The overall agreement between the MDD and checkerboard methods to detect synergy in MRSA isolates with bacterial inocula equivalent to McFarland standard 0.5 were 33.0% and 62.5% for oxacillin, 45.1% and 52.4% for cefazolin, and 43.1% and 52.4% for cefoxitin when combined with 0.5 and 2 μg/ml of vancomycin, respectively. Based on our study, the simple MDD method is not recommended as a replacement for the checkerboard method to detect synergy. However, it may serve as an initial screening method for the detection of potential synergy when it is not feasible to perform other labor-intensive synergy tests.