Search results for " Programming"
showing 10 items of 1616 documents
Using Induced Ordered Weighted Averaging (IOWA) Operators for Aggregation in Cross-Efficiency Evaluations
2014
This paper proposes an enhancement of the cross-efficiency evaluation through the aggregation of cross-efficiencies by using a particular type of induced ordered weighted averaging IOWA operator. The use of a weighted average of cross-efficiencies for the calculation of the cross-efficiency scores, instead of the usual arithmetic mean, allows us to introduce some flexibility into the analysis. In particular, the main purpose of the approach we present is to provide aggregation weights that reflect the decision maker DM preferences regarding the relative importance that should be attached to the cross-efficiencies provided by the different decision-making units. To do it, an ordering is to b…
Field testing of repurposed electric vehicle batteries for price-driven grid balancing
2019
Abstract As electric cars become more widespread, the disposal and recycling of used batteries will become an important challenge. Typically, vehicle batteries are replaced if their capacity drops to 70–80% of initial capacity. However, they may still be useful for stationary applications. In this paper, results from a field test of a molten salt high-temperature electric vehicle battery repurposed as stationary storage for grid balancing are presented. In a previous study, we have shown that a mixed integer linear programming control strategy driven by a spot-market price for electricity is best suited for an implementation on hardware with limited computational resources. A 14-day experim…
Helical Shift Mechanics of Rubber V-Belt Variators
2011
A very common configuration of V-belt variators for motorcycles considers the correction of the belt tensioning depending on the resistant torque by means of suitable helical-shaped tracks allowing the driven half-pulleys to close/open. The theoretical model for belt-pulley coupling is rather complex for this configuration, where one half-pulley may run in advance and the other one behind with respect to the belt, and requires the repeated numerical solution of a strongly nonlinear differential system by a sort of shooting technique, until all the operating conditions are fulfilled (angular contact extent, torque, and axial force). After solving the full equations, the present study develop…
Economic Robustness Analysis of Adaptive Chart Schemes for Monitoring the Total Nonconformities Number in Inspection Units
2015
In recent years, a variety of enhanced schemes for the c chart have been developed aimed at the effectiveness improving of the related statistical process control (SPC) procedures. However, the performance of such chart schemes can be very sensitive to values assumed for some operating and cost parameters, in particular to the considered process shift magnitude arising from out-of-control conditions. In such a circumstance, the effectiveness of such chart schemes can be subjected to substantial reductions when they are implemented in operative contexts given that, in practice, such value is unknown and it can be very difficult to accurately estimate. For this reason, in the present paper i…
Real-time data processing in the ALICE High Level Trigger at the LHC
2019
At the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, atomic nuclei are collided at ultra-relativistic energies. Many final-state particles are produced in each collision and their properties are measured by the ALICE detector. The detector signals induced by the produced particles are digitized leading to data rates that are in excess of 48 GB/$s$. The ALICE High Level Trigger (HLT) system pioneered the use of FPGA- and GPU-based algorithms to reconstruct charged-particle trajectories and reduce the data size in real time. The results of the reconstruction of the collision events, available online, are used for high level data quality and detector-performance monitoring and real-tim…
Ethanol-Based Post-processing of Generator-Derived 68Ga Toward Kit-Type Preparation of 68Ga-Radiopharmaceuticals
2014
Post-processing by means of a cation-exchanger–based protocol is an efficient strategy for purification and concentration of generator-derived 68Ga. It ensures the removal of 68Ge before 68Ga-radiopharmaceutical preparation and high labeling yields of 68Ga-labeled radiopharmaceuticals for routine medical application. Methods: In an effort to overcome the problem associated with acetone in the currently applied method, we have investigated the feasibility of replacing it with ethanol. The purification of 68Ga from coeluted metallic impurities (68Ge4+, Fe3+, Zn2+, and Ti4+) on various cation-exchange columns has been investigated with a variety of post-processing solutions. As a proof of prin…
The Renaissance of the 68Ge/68Ga Radionuclide Generator Initiates New Developments in 68Ga Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry
2010
⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga radionuclide generators have been investigated for almost fifty years now, since the cyclotron-independent availability of positron emitting ⁶⁸Ga via the ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga system had always attracted researches working in basic nuclear chemistry as well as radiopharmaceutical chemistry. However, it took decades and generations of research (and researchers) to finally approach a reliable level of ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga generator designs, adequate to the modern requirements of radiometal labeling chemistry. ⁶⁸Ga radiopharmacy now is awaking from a sort of hibernation. The exciting perspective for the ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga generator, now - more than ever, asks for systematic chemical, radiochemical, technological an…
Improved column-based radiochemical processing of the generator produced 68Ga.
2011
An improved chemical strategy for processing of the generator produced (68)Ga was developed based on processing of the original (68)Ge/(68)Ga generator eluate on a micro-column. Direct pre-concentration and purification of the eluted (68)Ga is performed on a cation-exchange resin in hydrochloric acid/acetone media. A supplementary step based on a second micro-column filled with a second resin allows direct re-adsorption of (68)Ga eluted from the cation exchanger. (68)Ga is finally striped from the second resin with a small volume of pure water. For this purpose a strong anion exchanger and a novel extraction chromatographic resin based on tetraalkyldiglycolamides are characterized. The stra…
Maturation of a Key Resource – The Germanium-68/Gallium-68 Generator: Development and New Insights
2011
(68)Ge/(68)Ga radionuclide generators have been investigated for almost fifty years, since the cyclotron-independent availability of positron emitting (68)Ga via the (68)Ge/(68)Ga system had always attracted researches working in basic nuclear chemistry as well as radiopharmaceutical chemistry. However, it took decades and generations of research (and researchers) to finally reach a level of (68)Ge/(68)Ga radionuclide generator designs adequate to the modern requirements of radiometal labelling chemistry. Nevertheless, most of the existing commercial generator systems address aspects of (68)Ge breakthrough and safe synthesis of (68)Ga radiopharmaceuticals by adopting eluate post-processing …
Indeterminacy Reduction in Agent Communication Using a Semantic Language
2015
In recent years, the importance of vagueness and uncertainty in the messages exchanged between agents has been highlighted, mainly due to the ubiquitous nature of the (artificial or human) agents’ communication. The imprecision in the communication becomes more significant when the autonomy of the agents increases or the number of exchanged messages for a communicative goal is limited. In this paper we conjugate ideas drawn from situation semantics theory, human communication, and the multi-agent systems (MAS) field to reduce the impact of vagueness and uncertainty present in the communication. The main advances are achieved with the help of context information, collaboration and reinforcem…