Assessment Of Different Configurations Research Articles

Analyzing the Temporal Behavior of Noisy Intermediate‐Scale Quantum Nodes and Algorithm Fidelity

AbstractIn the past decade, quantum computing has undergone rapid evolution, capturing the increasing interest of the scientific community, industry, and governments. This enthusiasm has resulted in ambitious growth plans which stimulate the development of more efficient quantum computing devices and programming environments. The easy accessibility of quantum platforms in the cloud has attracted individuals to explore quantum computing, prompting a comprehensive analysis and assessment of quantum device's behavior. The extensive benchmarking presented in this study involved all free available quantum computing devices within the IBM Quantum Platform. These devices are employed to execute tens of thousands of quantum program executions, with the objective of evaluating quantum computer behavior and performance over time and under different optimization options. Special emphasis has been placed on analyzing the transpile operation and the depth of generated quantum circuits. The machine analysis tests are conducted using Quantum Computing Run Assistant (QCRA), a versatile software tool specifically designed to streamline the effortless distribution of quantum programs across a range of quantum computing platforms. This software not only streamlines the optimization of benchmarking processes but also simplifies the assessment of different configurations and result quality through the collection of advanced job metadata.

Cadaveric biomechanical assessment of different configurations for a novel pin and plate fixation method in distal humerus fractures

Use of dual pre-contoured plates has been accepted as the treatment of choice in distal humerus fractures despite challenges especially in very distal or highly fragmented fractures. Aiming to improve results in such instances, our newly proposed method uses several K-wires fixated by a small reconstruction plate. Drawing on the results of previous finite element studies, the current study aims to compare the stiffness of three clinically common variations of this method using biomechanical testing in cadaveric humeri. 24 samples were divided into three groups and fractures were simulated. Groups I and II used 1.5 mm K-wires in differing configurations while 2 mm wires were used in group III. All samples underwent compression, anterior and posterior bending, and torsional testing as well as failure testing. Our results indicated that Group III had significantly higher stiffness in flexion, extension, and torsion (p < 0.05). In failure, group III had the highest mean stiffness in anterior bending and torsion (861.2 N, 30.9 Nm). Based on previous and current results, this new Persian fixation method, especially when implemented using 2 mm K-wires, shows promise in achieving suitable stability and may be useful as an alternative approach in complex distal humerus fractures.

Hydrophobic membranes for ammonia recovery from digestates in microbial electrolysis cells: Assessment of different configurations

The combination of hydrophobic membranes and microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) was assessed in two different configurations in order to recover ammonia from anaerobically digested pig slurry. Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) hydrophobic membranes were inserted both in an H-type three-chamber cell (MEC-H) and a two-chamber sandwich configuration MEC (MEC-S), both fitted with a cationic exchange membrane (CEM) dividing the anode and cathode compartments. The use of electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was applied to monitor the increase of the biofilm on the anode, related to the decrease of the charge transfer resistance. When operated in the higher organic loading rate (28 ± 5kgCODm−3d−1) the current density produced in the MEC-H was 1.40 ± 0.71 A m−2, compared to 0.61 ± 0.28 A m−2 in the MEC-S. The flux of ammonium through the CEM in the MEC-H was of 3.4 ± 1.2 g N m−2 h−1. Regarding the recovery of ammonia through the hydrophobic membrane, the flux of ammonia was of 1.5 and 0.7 g N m−2 h−1 in the MEC-H and MEC-S, respectively, mainly governed by the pH value and the ammonia concentration of the catholyte. The combination of MEC with hydrophobic membranes reveals as a suitable technology for the recovery of ammonia and treatment of high strength wastewater such as livestock manure.

An empirical assessment of deep learning approaches to task-oriented dialog management

Deep learning is providing very positive results in areas related to conversational interfaces, such as speech recognition, but its potential benefit for dialog management has still not been fully studied. In this paper, we perform an assessment of different configurations for deep-learned dialog management with three dialog corpora from different application domains and varying in size, dimensionality and possible system responses. Our results have allowed us to identify several aspects that can have an impact on accuracy, including the approaches used for feature extraction, input representation, context consideration and the hyper-parameters of the deep neural networks employed.

Assessment of different configurations of solar energy driven organic flash cycles (OFCs) via exergy and exergoeconomic methodologies

Different configurations of organic flash cycles (OFCs), including simple OFC, dual flash OFC, improved OFC, expander-OFC and improved expander-OFC, analyzed from the viewpoints of exergy and exergoeconomic. Five appropriate working fluid including Toluene, p-Xylene, m-Xylene, Ethylbenzene and o-Xylene are considered as working fluid. The effect of flashing temperature is investigated on the exergy and exergoeconomic performance of the system. Also, an optimization procedure is carried out to find the most efficient configuration and optimum flashing temperature from the viewpoints of exergy and exergoeconomic. Results show that the minimum and maximum optimal exergy efficiency belongs to the simple OFC and improved expander-OFC, respectively. Also, the lowest and the highest minimum unit cost of produced power refers to the simple OFC and dual flash OFC. Moreover, the results indicate that Toluene as working fluid has the best performance from the viewpoints of both exergy and exergoeconomic. Based on the results, expander-OFC is chosen as the configuration that satisfies both exergy and economic criteria, simultaneously. Finally, an optimal design point for expander-OFC is obtained from Pareto frontier with the exergy efficiency of 49.1% and unit cost of produced power of 31.4 $/GJ which occurs at the flashing temperature of 427.6 K.

Stability of scour protection due to earthquake-induced liquefaction: Centrifuge modelling

A key aspect of permanent offshore structures is protection against scour. This is typically in the form of a blanket of coarse gravel or cobbles surrounding the structure. These coarse particles are selected for their high resistance to being displaced by strong currents and thus protect the underlying finer sand particles from scour. However, in the event of an earthquake, the foundation sand may be susceptible to some degree of liquefaction. This research investigates the effects of seismic-induced liquefaction over a scour blanket, and if sinking is inhibited by some combination of the additional effective stress imposed by the gravel together with the interlocking resistance that develops when coarse particles are subjected to relative displacements.In order to evaluate the stability of scour protection blankets, a programme of physical modelling was carried out, involving the assessment of different configurations of stone layers over a liquefiable material, and a monopile-type foundation. Models were subjected to scaled base shaking equivalent to earthquake loading. A mass-balance of particle sinkage showed that a filter layer was critical for maintaining the integrity of the armour stones. Based on displacement and pore water pressure measurements, it was found that the presence of the scour protection blankets improved the response of the liquefiable sand under seismic loading, and even inhibited the occurrence of liquefaction. This implies that a well-designed scour protection blanket can assist in protecting against earthquake effects also.

Rapid simulation of various types of HVAC systems in the early design stage

Considerations on indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency need to be addressed early in the conceptual design stage of low-energy buildings. This paper describes an investigation on how to appropriately expand the hourly method of ISO 13790 to include performance assessment of different configurations of heating and cooling strategies. The implementation of the new thermal simulation procedure works as a plug-in to architectural sketching tool where it can execute an annual simulation within approx. 9 milliseconds. The plug-in may therefore qualify as a suitable tool for rapid and precise performance assessment of various heating and cooling strategies in the early design stage.

Combined use of VUV and UVC photoreactors for the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters: Reduction of load parameters, detoxification and life cycle assessment of different configurations

The present research investigated the treatment of hospital laundry wastewaters by the combined use of photochemical VUV and UVC reactors. Seven different configurations were tested and the performances of each of them were evaluated based on the removal of the load parameters, detoxification and life cycle assessment (LCA). The characterization of studied wastewaters included analysis of the following parameters: COD, BOD5, TKN, total P, pH, turbidity and conductivity. Acute ecotoxicity was evaluated using Daphnia magna. Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy was performed to determine the organic fraction and chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometer (GC–MS) was used for the qualitative characterization of priority pollutants. Characterization parameters showed the presence of drugs like lidocaine and dipyrone and a high organic load with a poor biodegradability. Wastewaters presented an extreme acute toxicity against D. magna (EC50 6.7%). The ozonation process (mainly generated by the VUV reactor) obtained the best results concerning the ratio between the consumed energy and the removed COD and the UVC process presented the lowest environmental impacts for the characterization and normalization parameters of the LCA. Normalization revealed that the highest environmental burdens were associated with human toxicity, ecotoxicity and eutrophication of surface waters as well as to the use of non-renewable resources. VUV/UVC/O3 process presented the best results considering detoxification (EC50 100%).

Assessment of different configurations for combined parabolic-trough (PT) solar power and desalination plants in arid regions

The combination of desalination technology into concentrating solar power (CSP) plants needs to be considered for the planned installation of CSP plants in arid regions. There are interesting synergies between the two technologies, like the possibility of substituting the condenser of the power cycle for a thermal desalination unit. This paper presents a thermodynamic evaluation of different configurations for coupling parabolic-trough (PT) solar power plants and desalination facilities in a dry location representing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The integration of a low-temperature multi-effect distillation (LT-MED) plant fed by the steam at the outlet of the turbine replacing the condenser of the power cycle has been simulated and compared with the combination of CSP with a reverse osmosis (RO) plant. Furthermore, an additional novel concept of concentrating solar power and desalination (CSP+D) has been evaluated: a LT-MED powered by the steam obtained from a thermal vapour compressor (TVC) using the exhaust steam of the CSP plant as entrained vapour and steam extracted from the turbine as the motive vapour of the ejector. This new concept (LT-MED-TVC) has been analyzed and compared with the others, evaluating its optimization for the integration into a CSP plant by considering different extractions of the turbine.