Comparison Of Techniques Research Articles

Before and after: A visual glimpse into the coking behaviour of coal macerals

Coal petrography as a tool for predicting coke quality has been employed for many decades. This paper first provides a brief review of some of the founding research in this area and secondly proposes and demonstrates a technique for direct optical comparison of a semicoke to its exact piece of precursory coal to observe the pyrolysis behaviour of individual macerals. The technique involves imaging a polished block sample of coal (with the polished face of interest having orientation perpendicular to the bedding layers), pyrolysing the sample in a furnace up to 525°C under conditions attempting to mimic those in a coke oven, embedding the resulting semicoke in resin and lightly re-polishing and re-imaging the surface of interest. Comparison of the optical images of the sample pre- and post-pyrolysis enables a 2-dimensional visual assessment of the coking behaviour of the inherent macerals. This method was applied to two Permian coals: a Mozambican coal with random reflectance of 1.21% and an Australian coal with random reflectance of 1.28%. The main observations were (i) anisotropic swelling, with swelling much greater in the direction perpendicular to the bedding layers compared to that parallel, (ii) noticeably different pore structure arising from the vitrinite macerals collotelinite and collodetrinite, and (iii) visual evidence of semifusinite reactivity. It is intended that application of this technique will enhance the fundamental understanding of maceral specific coking behaviour and thus assist coke-makers with their blend formulations.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation With Intensity Modulated Total Body Irradiation Conditioning for Systemic Sclerosis

Autologous stem cell transplantation (HSCT) using myeloablative total body irradiation (TBI) and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as a conditioning regimen has become a standard treatment option for certain patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Normal organs are more radiosensitive and prone to compromised function in SSc, and therefore lungs and kidneys require dose reduction. We evaluated the role of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) TBI compared to standard anteroposterior (AP)/posteroanterior (PA) TBI technique. Patients with SSc who underwent HSCT with TBI between 2017 and 2022 were eligible. All patients underwent conditioning with equine ATG, cyclophosphamide 120 mg/kg, and IMRT TBI to a total dose of 800 cGy in 200 cGy fractions. Patients were replanned using an AP/PA technique for dosimetric comparison. Patients were evaluated for outcomes including event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-free survival (DMARD-FS), and treatment related mortality (TRM). 14 patients were eligible for our analysis. Median follow-up was 34.6 months (1.0-51.7 months). There was one case of TRM secondary to respiratory failure. The 24-month OS, EFS, and DMARD-FS estimates were 92.9%, 74.3%, and 70.0%, respectively. Three patients experienced adverse events, which included respiratory failure (n=1), renal failure (n=1), and death (n=1). Five patients subsequently initiated DMARDs, but three did so due to worsening skin symptoms without other major organ dysfunction. On dosimetric analysis, the mean dose to the planning target volume (PTV) was significantly higher on the IMRT compared to the AP/PA plans (809.4 cGy versus 728.5 cGy, p<0.001). The mean dose to the lungs (239.5 cGy versus 443.9 cGy, p<0.001) and kidneys (204.9cGy versus 281.2 cGy, p<0.001) was significantly lower. Use of IMRT TBI as part of the conditioning regimen for HSCT for SSc yields improved dosimetry with efficacy and toxicity outcomes comparable with published data.

Exemptions from Compulsory Income Management: A Short “History of the Present”

The historical study of exemptions has focused on escape from protectionist policies designed to control and monitor Aboriginal people in Australia — restricting their freedom of movement, intruding into their family life, and reducing their ability to participate on equal terms in the labour force. In this paper, we consider a contemporary policy — income management — which primarily restricts the freedom to dispose of personal income and has targeted Aboriginal people and communities, both directly and indirectly. Provisions for individual exemptions have been incorporated inconsistently within the many iterations of income management, and Aboriginal people are significantly less likely than others to be granted an exit from this form of financial control. The study reported here is an example of mixed‐methods social research, rather than an historiography. We use techniques of historical comparison to illuminate contemporary practices and identify the ongoing influence of settler‐colonial governance in the lives of Aboriginal people.

Smart Recognition System for High Security Zone

Abstract: In today’s world almost all the big institutions face significant security issues; thus, they need a few uniquely prepared staff to satisfy the necessary security. These work force, as being human, commit errors which might influence the degree of safety. A proposed answer for the previously mentioned problem could likewise be a Face Recognition Security System, which can distinguish gate crashers to confined or high security regions and help in limiting human mistake. So far, we have studied the image comparison techniques and tested the same against our dataset of sample images. Our program can almost accurately separate two similar or dissimilar images. We have further tested our sample images against different backgrounds, angles, size etc. and observed the output. We have also done the facial recognition part, i.e., we are able to detect faces and match it with that face from our database and show the result. Finally, we have done iris recognition by comparing static images of iris which gives us an output by showing whether the iris matches or not. Also, in this report we have discussed about our future plan.

Studi Pemikiran Ibnu Khaldun Terkait Mekanisme Penetapan Harga Pada Pasar Sentral Soppeng

Abstract. Market transactions work based on the price mechanism. However, overall. The effect of the ups and downs of supply on prices depends on the availability of goods. Prices of goods in the Soppeng central market often change or are unstable, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, these changes are not based on demand or supply factors but depend on situation and condition factors. This research was conducted to find out how Ibn Khaldun's thoughts regarding the price mechanism were realized or not in the Soppeng central market.&#x0D; The type of research used in this study was a qualitative descriptive method. The data in this study were obtained from primary data and secondary data. The data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, and documentation, while the technique used to determine informants was purposive sampling. The data is using description and comparison techniques.&#x0D; The results of this study indicate that: 1). The price mechanism in Ibn Khaldun's thought is influenced by supply and demand, labor value, purchasing power, and the government. 2). In setting prices, traders in the Soppeng central market are based on the quantity of goods demanded by consumers, the price of the goods themselves, transportation costs, the quantity of goods available, prices set by other traders, and according to the ability of the buyer. 3). Ibn Khaldun's thoughts regarding the price mechanism are appropriate or realized in the Soppeng central marke&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Price Mechanism, Ibn Khaldun's Thought.

Optical Genome Mapping as an Alternative to FISH-Based Cytogenetic Assessment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique plays an important role in the risk stratification and clinical management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). For genome-wide analysis, FISH needs to be complemented with other cytogenetic methods, including karyotyping and/or chromosomal microarrays. However, this is often not feasible in a diagnostic setup. Optical genome mapping (OGM) is a novel technique for high-resolution genome-wide detection of structural variants (SVs), and previous studies have indicated that OGM could serve as a generic cytogenetic tool for hematological malignancies. Herein, we report the results from our study evaluating the concordance of OGM and standard-of-care FISH in 18 CLL samples. The results were fully concordant between these two techniques in the blinded comparison. Using in silico dilution series, the lowest limit of detection with OGM was determined to range between 3 and 9% variant allele fractions. Genome-wide analysis by OGM revealed additional (>1 Mb) aberrations in 78% of the samples, including both unbalanced and balanced SVs. Importantly, OGM also enabled the detection of clinically relevant complex karyotypes, undetectable by FISH, in three samples. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of OGM as a first-tier cytogenetic test for CLL and as a powerful tool for genome-wide SV analysis.

A sampling technique for worldwide comparisons of language contact scenarios.

Existing sampling methods in language typology strive to control for areal biases in typological datasets as a means to avoid contact effects in the distribution of linguistic structure. However, none of these methods provide ways to directly compare contact scenarios from a typological perspective. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a sampling procedure for worldwide comparisons of language contact scenarios. The sampling unit consists of sets of three languages. The Focus Language is the language whose structures we examine in search for contact effects; the Neighbor Language is genealogically unrelated to the Focus Language, and counts as the potential source of contact influence on the Focus Language; the Benchmark Language is a relative of the Focus Language neither in contact with the Focus nor with the Neighbor language, and is used for disentangling contact effects from genealogical inheritance in the Focus Language. Through this design, we compiled a sample of 49 three-language sets (147 languages in total), which we present here. By switching the focus of typological sampling from individual languages to contact relations between languages, our method has the potential of uncovering patterns in the diffusion of language structures, and how they vary and change.

“MI AYAM ORA KUDU ANA AYAME”: PEMAKAIAN BAHASA DALAM WACANA HUMOR BOCAH NGAPA(K) YA, PELANGGARAN PRINSIP KERJA SAMA, DAN RELASI HUMORNYA

In addition to serving as a medium of daily communication, the Banyumas dialect can also be used for entertainment, as seen in the television program Bocah Ngapa(k) Ya. This article seeks to identify linguistic quirks and pragmatic maxims that have the potential to be humorous. The data was collected from gathered information through the episode transcripts of the Bocah Ngapa(k) Ya video series, which were downloaded using YouTube Trans7 using the download-transcript-listen-record procedure from April to June 2019. The finding transcriptions were then described utilizing comparison, introspection, and pragmatic equivalent techniques. What linguistic components are crucial for producing the humour effect? How does the principle work? These are questions that the analysis is trying to address.

Monitoring spatial patterns of urban vegetation: A comparison of contemporary high-resolution datasets

Fine spatial resolution urban vegetation datasets are crucial for monitoring change in green space and guiding planning and policy initiatives to promote liveable and sustainable cities. Previous studies have demonstrated that finer spatial resolution products are more suited to monitoring urban vegetation than coarse spatial resolution datasets. However, there are differences in the generation of fine spatial resolution datasets that could affect how urban vegetation is represented. To explore how sensitive monitoring and analysis tasks are to the choice of vegetation dataset, a series of comparative analyses were undertaken using three fine spatial resolution datasets in Perth, Western Australia. A technique for quantitative comparison of spatial pattens was used to compare vegetation datasets. There were large areas of Perth where spatial patterns of vegetation were substantially different across datasets. The level of differences in spatial patterns between datasets varied with geographic context such as land use. Elements of a spatial pattern related to grass and tree composition were similar across datasets but there were differences in how shrubs and the configuration of vegetation features were captured. There were differences in the temporal change detection of vegetation patterns across datasets. Spatial patterns of vegetation and land cover generated using the three datasets were used as predictor variables of surface temperatures in machine learning workflows. In some cases, the models learned dataset specific relationships between elements of a vegetation pattern and surface temperature outcomes. In a final modelling analysis, spatial patterns of vegetation were considered as an outcome responding to a disturbance event, a change in dwelling density. The size of the effect of dwelling density change on vegetation patterns varied across vegetation datasets.

Identifying Attributes for a Value Assessment Framework in China: A Qualitative Study.

Value assessment frameworks (VAFs) are promising tools for measuring the value of health technologies and informing coverage policymaking; however, most published VAFs were developed for high-income countries. This study aimed to identify value attributes as part of the development of a VAF in China. We used the qualitative description approach. Specifically, we conducted open-ended semi-structured interviews with Chinese stakeholders, as well as a review and analysis of publicly available government documents related to health technology assessment (HTA) and coverage policies in China. Conventional content analysis and the constant comparison technique were used to generate value attributes. Multiple criteria were used to determine the inclusion of a value attribute, with response levels of included attributes finalized via consensus meetings among the research team. Thirty-four stakeholders living or working in China completed the semi-structured interview. These stakeholders included policymakers (n=4), healthcare providers (n=8), HTA researchers (n=6), patients and members of the general public (n=9), and industry representatives (n=7). In addition, 16 government documents were included for analysis. Twelve value attributes grouped in eight categories are included in the VAF: (1) severity of disease; (2) health benefit, including survival, clinical outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes; (3) safety; (4) economic impact, including budget impact to payer and patients, and cost effectiveness; (5) innovation; (6) organizational impact; (7) health equity; and (8) quality of evidence. These 12 value attributes were identified for the development of a VAF to support health technologies' value assessment and coverage policymaking in China.

UNDERSTANDING THE DOMAIN OF CULTURALLY-INFLUENCED COUNTERPRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOURS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

This study aimed to ascertain how cultural factors influence counterproductive organizational behavior and how they affect organizational performance. Todays businesses are plagued by so many CWBs that it is challenging to maintain low overhead costs and maximum output. It has progressed to a point where it poses a persistent threat and threatens the foundations of numerous modern businesses worldwide. Businesses lose money each year due to employees actions that are detrimental to the companys goals. According to the hypotheses, the studys goal was to assess how gender discrimination, workplace bullying, and work-life imbalance affect the performance of employees in the Nigerian banking industry. The study utilized both descriptive and causal comparison techniques. Hence, Taro Yamanes formula produced a sample of 266 from a total population of 798 for the entire examination. However, of the 266 people who received the structured questionnaire, only 264 responded. Multiple regression testing was used to evaluate the hypotheses, and with a significance threshold of 0.05, the Cronbach alpha method produced an instrument reliability value of 0.821. According to the analysis, significant correlations were discovered between workplace bullying, work-life imbalance, gender discrimination, and organizational performance. It was also discovered that bullying is widespread because it is ingrained in the organizations culture. The study, therefore, recommends that managers prioritize putting various work-life balance incentives into place to improve employee performance. Managers are advised to make it a top priority to guarantee that all workers, regardless of gender, receive equal pay, opportunities for advancement, and other professional opportunities. Additionally, businesses should implement anti-bullying policies and counseling programs; bullied victims should be given therapy to help them recover from their ordeal, and management should prevent such occurrences. KEYWORDS: Gender discrimination, workplace bullying, work-life imbalance, organizational performance.

Subtemporal approach for cavernous sinus meningiomas - Simple and effective.

Over the past few decades, there has been a paradigm shift in treatment strategy for cavernous sinus meningiomas (CSMs). Preserving neurological function and cranial nerve (CN) decompression have become the primary goal of cases eligible for surgical treatment. Extensive skull base dissection and drilling can be avoided by approaching these lesions through a subtemporal route. We describe the subtemporal approach in a step-by-step fashion illustrating its advantages and pitfalls through and illustrative case. The subtemporal approach to CSMs is a valuable alternative for CN decompression and maximal safe resection. We describe the technique in comparison to classical skull base approaches. Although rare, recurrence after adjuvant maximal radiation is possible leaving reoperation as the only treatment option. The subtemporal approach offers a less invasive alternative for initial and redo CN decompression and successful symptom control in patients suffering from CSM.

Performance enhancement of duobinary modulation-based DWDM system using particle swarm optimization

Abstract The next-generation light wave communication DWDM networks can accommodate large number of channels to efficiently utilize the bandwidth (BW). However, in the deployment of DWDM system mixing of two or more waves limits the performance due to four wave mixing (FWM) nonlinearity in fiber. This article, presents improved performance analysis of DWDM using a proposed improved duobinary modulation (IDBM), modified duobinary modulation (MDBM) and duobinary modulation (DBM) model for mitigation of FWM nonlinearities has been estimated experimentally through interference of noise on optical signal, FWM efficiency, FWM power etc. In IDBM, a unit delay in addition to time delay parameter is also utilized for generation of electrical duobinary pulses. The parameters of both delay blocks are tuned through particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to improve the performance. The overall proposed IDBM effectively decreases the FWM. The results obtained for IDBM in terms of Q-factor 8.9, OSNR 18 dB, FWM power −87 dBm and FWM efficiency −70 dB shows substantial improvement with the recommended IDBM technique in comparison to DBM and MDBM schemes.

Bayesian model comparison for simulation-based inference

Abstract Comparison of appropriate models to describe observational data is a fundamental task of science. The Bayesian model evidence, or marginal likelihood, is a computationally challenging, yet crucial, quantity to estimate to perform Bayesian model comparison. We introduce a methodology to compute the Bayesian model evidence in simulation-based inference (SBI) scenarios (often called likelihood-free inference). In particular, we leverage the recently proposed learned harmonic mean estimator and exploit the fact that it is decoupled from the method used to generate posterior samples, i.e. it requires posterior samples only, which may be generated by any approach. This flexibility, which is lacking in many alternative methods for computing the model evidence, allows us to develop SBI model comparison techniques for the three main neural density estimation approaches, including neural posterior estimation, neural likelihood estimation, and neural ratio estimation. We demonstrate and validate our SBI evidence calculation techniques on a range of inference problems, including a gravitational wave example. Moreover, we further validate the accuracy of the learned harmonic mean estimator, implemented in the harmonic software, in likelihood-based settings. These results highlight the potential of harmonic as a sampler-agnostic method to estimate the model evidence in both likelihood-based and simulation-based scenarios.

Comparison of player perceptions to mechanical measurements of third generation synthetic turf football surfaces

Mechanical testing of synthetic turf football surfaces is considered essential to ensure player performance and safety. However, it remains unknown how well the mechanical outputs reflect player perceptions of these surfaces. The first objective of this study was to investigate the agreement between the outputs from the Rotational Traction Tester and the Advanced Artificial Athlete with player perceptions across a range of controlled third generation turf football surfaces. The second objective was to identify the modifications to the Rotational Traction Tester and the Advanced Artificial Athlete configurations and output variables that give the strongest agreement with player perceptions. An indoor test area containing ten third generation turf surfaces with controlled hardness and traction properties was constructed. Each surface was tested using the Advanced Artificial Athlete and Rotational Traction Tester in their current configuration and in several modified configurations aimed at better replicating the player–surface interaction. Using a trained panel paired comparisons technique, 18 University footballers (11 males and 7 females) identified differences in the surfaces based on four sensory attributes Movement Speed, Slip, Leg Shock and Give. Results indicated strong agreement (correlation coefficients between 0.7 and 1.0) across several Rotational Traction Tester and Advanced Artificial Athlete testing configurations and output variables with player perceptions. It is recommended that the current Rotational Traction Tester is improved through added instrumentation to allow surface stiffness to be evaluated (the rate of generation of traction resistance). It is further recommended that the Advanced Artificial Athlete adopts a new algorithm to improve the accuracy of the surface’s Vertical Deformation and Energy Restitution, and the number of drops is reduced from three to one.

Existence and multiplicity of solutions for resonant-superlinear problems

ABSTRACT We consider a semilinear Dirichlet problem with a reaction which exhibits an asymmetric behaviour as x → ± ∞ (it is superlinear as x → + ∞ and resonant as x → − ∞ ). Using variational tools from the critical point theory, together with truncation and comparison techniques and critical groups, we prove two multiplicity theorems producing two and three nontrivial solutions. Also we show that the problem can not have negative solutions.

Is the win ratio a win for cardiovascular trials? Generalized pairwise comparisons explained in a nutshell

The concept of the win ratio is increasingly adopted within the cardiovascular field, and many upcoming trials use this quite novel method. It is therefore important to understand not only the basic concepts and possibilities but also drawbacks. SciencePulse has asked two leading experts to elaborate on this to the readership of this journal. Dr. Johan Verbeeck is a Biostatistician working and teaching at the University of Hasselt, Belgium, with research focus on Generalized Pairwise Comparisons techniques in several clinical areas, including cardiology. Prof. Alexandre Mebazaa is a professor of medicine at Université Paris Cité in Paris and Course Director of the Critical Care Clinical trialists workshop (3CTmeeting.com). Dr. Johan Verbeeck (Hasselt, Belgium): What is known as the win ratio by cardiologists actually encompasses a larger group of tests, called generalized pairwise comparisons (GPCs). This concept was introduced in 1999 by Finkelstein and Schoenfeld in a statistical journal.1 In 2010, the term GPC was coined,2 and in 2012, it was introduced in the cardiovascular area with the win ratio as treatment effect measure.3

THE CHALLENGES TO THE FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BITE MARKS IN SKIN AND COMPARISON WITH TEETH

The lack of scientific evidence supporting the analysis of human bite marks in skin and comparison with teeth is well-recognised. The enduring controversy surrounding bite mark analysis and comparison needs to be resolved in the interests of science and justice. The presentation of bite mark evidence in criminal cases in the United States of America provides an opportunity to study the challenges to the forensic techniques of analysis and comparison. Study of the current scientific evidence demonstrates that distortion and cognitive bias are significant factors in the analysis and comparison techniques. A rationale for the forensic analysis of human bite marks in skin and comparison with teeth is proposed based on the current evidence on distortion and cognitive bias. The limitations of the forensic techniques are highlighted.

Bench tests of friction drive of vertical spindle made of poly-V belts

The article reports that to improve the functional characteristics of the friction drive of vertical spindles, it was proposed to replace its conventional V-belts with poly-V-belts. Therefore, rollers with changed parameters are installed on the spindles while maintaining the magnitude of the rolling radius of serial rollers. To determine the functionality of the new drive, a stand with a single spindle drum was created, which allows you to determine all the performance indicators of the polyline drive. The main research task on this stand was to determine the possibility of creating a traction (friction) force of the drive that always exceeds the resistance force of a cotton bush clamped in a narrow working slot of the harvesting apparatus. To assess the functionality of a new version of the friction drive, a comparison technique was used when, in the beginning, the friction (thrust) force of a serial roller with a V-belt drive was measured, and then, on the stand-pull force of the drive with a poly-V-belt. A special device was made to measure the pulling force of the belts.

PUF-Phenotype: A Robust and Noise-Resilient Approach to Aid Group-Based Authentication With DRAM-PUFs Using Machine Learning

As the demand for highly secure and dependable lightweight systems increases in the modern world, Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) continue to promise a lightweight alternative to high-cost encryption techniques and secure key storage. While the security features promised by PUFs are highly attractive for secure system designers, they have been shown to be vulnerable to various sophisticated attacks - most notably Machine Learning (ML) based modelling attacks (ML-MA) which attempt to digitally clone the PUF behaviour and thus undermine their security. More recent ML-MA have even exploited publicly known helper data required for PUF error correction in order to predict PUF responses without requiring knowledge of response data. In response to this, research is beginning to emerge regarding the authentication of PUF devices with the assistance of ML as opposed to traditional PUF techniques of storage and comparison of pre-known Challenge-Response pairs (CRPs). In this article, we propose a classification system using ML based on a novel ‘ <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PUF-Phenotype</i> ’ concept to accurately identify the origin and determine the validity of noisy memory-derived (DRAM) PUF responses as an alternative to helper data-reliant denoising techniques. To our best knowledge, we are the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">first</i> to perform classification over multiple devices per model to enable a group-based PUF authentication scheme. We achieve up to 98% classification accuracy using a modified deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for feature extraction in conjunction with several well-established classifiers. We also experimentally verified the performance of our model on a Raspberry Pi device to determine the suitability of deploying our proposed model in a resource-constrained environment.