Efficient Mode Research Articles

Practice and Improvement of Su Ning’s Financial Shared Service Center under the Background of Informatization

In the face of the unpredictable market environment, large enterprises continue to expand to maintain their competitive advantage. While the scale and profit of enterprises increase, problems such as management costs and financial risks appear. As an efficient new operation mode, financial shared service center can effectively solve the problems of low financial efficiency and difficult supervision of large enterprises. However, there are few examples of building financial shared service centers in Chinese enterprises, and many shortcomings are also exposed in the daily operation process. Taking Su Ning as an example, this paper deeply analyzes the construction, operation and achievements of its financial shared service center, and puts forward optimization and upgrading measures for the problems.

Optimal operating method of gate and pump switching in water transfer project

Abstract The Yellow River diversion project consists of three gates, two pumping stations, and one plain reservoir, with a total river length of 17.46 km in the Panzhuang Yellow River irrigation area, which provides the primary water source for the Dezhou central city, Shandong Province, China. The project is subject to the constraints of the Yellow River diversion sluice diverting water time, reservoir diverting water time, and combinations of pumping stations with self-flowing gates. The opening and closing forms of the gates and pumps are complicated and irregular, and the switching of the gates and pumps mainly depends on the experience of the staff, which makes the water transfer cost high and the water transfer time long. Based on engineering compositions in the study area, an optimal mathematical model is constructed by the dynamic programming method. By combining the flow and water level, the objectives of the minimum operation cost, the shortest water transfer time and the combination of the two are established. A new optimization scheme of the switch between gates and pumps combined with water level and flow is proposed, which reduces the operation cost by 20% and the water transfer time by 8%, providing an efficient operation mode.

Broadband adiabatic mode division (de)multiplexer in thin film lithium niobate

We report a broadband adiabatic mode division (de)multiplexer in a thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) waveguide based on the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage scheme. This particular adiabatic tunneling process is implemented in a three-waveguide structure, in which the intermediate waveguide is tilted relative to the outer waveguides. The excitation of the intermediate waveguide is negligible during the mode (de)multiplexing. A taper structure is included in the intermediate waveguide to ensure efficient mode conversion. The proposed (de)multiplexer can realize multiplexing or demultiplexing of the modes TE0, TE1, and TE2. The structural parameters are determined by simulation, and the results show that conversion efficiencies of 96.3% and 94.6% can be obtained for TE2 and TE1, while the 1-dB operation bandwidth is around 420 nm. The cross talks of TE2, TE1, and TE0 are lower than −13.4dB, −16.4dB, and −34.2dB. The designed (de)multiplexer has relatively good fabrication tolerance. Therefore, it is suitable in TFLN integrated chips.

An 8.1-W, 50.9% efficient continuous Class-F mode power amplifier developed using 0.25-μm GaN/SiC technology for 5G NR n79 band

This letter presents an integrated 5G NR n79-band power amplifier with high power and efficiency that was fabricated using WIN Semiconductors’ 0.25-mm GaN/SiC technology. The stability and linearity issues of the PA is thoroughly considered. High efficiency and broadband operation were achieved using a continuous Class-F mode output matching network. This two-stage PA had a power gain, 3-dB power bandwidth, saturation power, and peak power-added efficiency of 20.4 dB, 3.6-5.4 GHz, 39.1 dBm, and 50.9%, respectively. Its average output power was 33.3 dBm under an error vector magnitude requirement of 3.5% for a 5G NR FR1 256-QAM 100-MHz-bandwidth modulated signal with a frequency of 3.7-5.0 GHz.

Effect of Li addition on bending behavior of extruded Mg–2Zn alloy sheet

The effect of Li element on microstructure and texture evolutions of Mg–2Zn alloy sheet during three-point bending at room temperature were investigated. The results showed that the conventional c-axis//ND basal texture of the extruded Mg–2Zn sheet could be modified to a TD-elongated fiber texture with 3 wt.% Li addition. As a result, the room-temperature bendability of the Mg–2Zn–3Li sheet was improved effectively and this sheet showed a minimum bending radius of only 1.75 mm. Such an excellent bendability exceeds the room-temperature bending capacity of most commercial magnesium alloys. The improvement in bendability of the Mg–2Zn–3Li sheet was attributed to the TD-elongated texture distribution. This type of texture distribution could provide more efficient deformation modes to release the thickness strain during bending compared to the extruded Mg–2Zn sheet. This study could provide insights into developing Mg alloys with high room-temperature bendability by tailoring texture distribution rather than texture weakening.

Development of an inchworm-like soft pipe robot for detection

Pipe robots have been gradually applied to regularly detect drainage pipelines in building to ensure drainage system operating smoothly. However, mostly existing pipe robots hardly pass through various pipelines for insufficient flexibility of rigid mechanism and clumsy movement. Inspired by the soft limbs and efficient motion mode of inchworm, a soft pipe robot is developed to smoothly traverse these pipelines by reasonably optimizing modular actuators based on deformation analysis. By constructing a uniform mechanical model considering varying gravity load, the mechanical equilibrium relations during robot worming are established to accurately calculate inflating/deflating volume of actuators. Integrating inflating/deflating time calculating method for different working-state actuators, an efficient motion control workflow is developed to coordinately control each actuator to inflate/deflate orderly with the cooperation of control system. Experiment results show that the developed robot adopting proposed motion control workflow can move stably in horizontal, vertical, inclined, varying diameter and continuous curved pipelines.

An on-demand tunable energy absorption system to resolve multi-directional impacts

Energy absorption structures with on-demand tunable mechanical response are urgently needed when dealing with sudden impacts. However, most impact-resistant structures cannot flexibly adjust the mechanical properties to accommodate capricious load characteristics once manufactured. A modular energy absorption system is proposed in this work to combine efficient and tunable properties, which can be easily assembled by bamboo-inspired thin-walled tubes without applying extra constraints. Both high-speed drop hammer impact experiment and finite element simulations have been carried out to investigate the dynamic response of the proposed system and verify its multi-directional self-locking capability. Moreover, based on the interchangeability of the tubes, tunable mechanical response can be achieved through stiffness gradient design and geometrical tailoring. Furthermore, the arranging of tubes for target property shows such strong robustness that the irregularity of arrangement can hardly affect the mechanical behavior of system, allowing for a further improvement on the response speed and property tunability. Compared to existing self-locked systems with same equivalent density, the specific energy absorption and energy absorption efficiency can be respectively enhanced by at least 105% and 225%, which are attributed to the efficient and stable deformation mode of the tubes. This study represents an effective strategy for designing and optimizing high-performance energy absorption devices for multiple applications.

Safety Spacing Policy and Cruise Control Strategy for Heterogeneous Platoon to Enhance Safety and Efficiency

Automated platooning is gaining increasing attention because it is regarded as a highly efficient transportation mode to solve traffic congestion problem. Although different intraplatoon spacing strategies have been proposed, little research has focused on quantitative optimization of spacing policy from a safety perspective considering differences between automated and human-driven platooning. In addition, there still is a lack of comprehensive research into string stability and delay robustness of cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) for heterogeneous platoons. This paper proposes a quantitative spacing policy in quadratic form based on safety index optimization under hard braking scenarios. The expected value of collision severity is taken as the main index for spacing optimization. The CACC strategy then tracks the proposed spacing considering fluctuation of multitime delays and uncertainty of vehicle dynamics. Based on sliding model control theory and frequency stability criteria, the sufficient conditions satisfying CACC stability and string stability were given. The robustness of the CACC system considering communication latency fluctuation was shown using simulation results. Compared with the existing control strategy, the proposed control strategy is more robust to communication latency, and string stability can be guaranteed. The proposed spacing strategy effectively can reduce collision risk, and the proposed CACC strategy improves latency robustness on the premise of ensuring string stability.

An X-band compact rectangular waveguide TE10-circular waveguide TE01 mode converter

This paper proposed an X-band compact efficient rectangular waveguide TE10-circular waveguide TE01 mode converter and conducted its structure design, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental research. This mode converter is composed of a rectangular waveguide TE10–TE20 mode converter and a rectangular waveguide TE20-circular waveguide TE01 mode converter. In the design of the rectangular waveguide TE20-circular waveguide TE01 mode converter, a rectangular waveguide step is used to counteract the microwave reflection due to the discontinuity of the rectangular–circular waveguide connection, and two choke slots are involved to suppress the TE21 mode in the circular waveguide by cutting off the axial component of its surface current on the waveguide wall, so as to improve the TE01 mode conversion efficiency. The simulation results show that the reflection coefficient of the mode converter is less than 5% and the TE01 mode conversion efficiency is about 98.4% at the operation frequency of 9.3 GHz. The bandwidth with a transmission coefficient greater than 98% is about 200 MHz. The back-to-back experimental system is demonstrated, and the experimental results show that the measured TE01 mode conversion efficiency is about 98.2%, which is consistent with the simulation result.

Experimental analysis on solar photovoltaic (SPV) panel for diverse slope angles at different wind speeds

The current work focuses on gaining the most competent panel for a solar powered setup located at Hyderabad latitude. One of the majority functional solar forms of energy is solar photovoltaic (SPV) system. The collectors used to pull out energy from the sun in the form of radiation. Electricity generation by means of SPV has grown to be a successful and efficient mode to exploit the sun’s energy (radiant energy) and loaded on the power grid. The main intention of this work is to investigatedivergent types of beneficially and readily available solar panels of mono crystalline and poly crystalline presented at Hyderabad latitude17.43oN, 78.43oE. Performances of each mono crystalline panel and poly crystalline panels having aperture area of 0.3072 m2 with concentration ratio 1, and slope angles (i.e. 14°, 16°, 18°) at diverse time interval from 10:00AM to 02:00PM from February to May 2018 are studied and the effect of wind speeds at 3 m/s, 4 m/s and 5 m/s over the output power generation from the panel are also determined.Same experiment is conducted on 1st April 2023 to study the performance of SPV panels. It was observed that 8% of energy increase by the SPV panels of both materials when these results are compared with old results experiment data which was conducted on 1st April 2018.

Building Smart Classrooms to Foster Efficient Research Modes: A Case Study of Zhongliang Xiangyun Branch of Chengdu Longjiang Road Primary School

As technology and education continue to integrate, digitalization has paved the way for a new type of school under smart education that emphasizes efficient classrooms, behavioral data analysis, and the common growth of teachers and students. The smart education model of the new era seeks to enhance classroom management and evaluation efficiency, boost learning and cognitive efficiency, and promote high-quality and efficient learning. This paper proposes the creation of smart classroom scenes that use modern camera and AI research and analysis software and hardware systems to accurately collect behavioral data and form “digital portraits” and educational knowledge maps of teachers and students. By doing so, teachers can improve their professional abilities in education and teaching, and optimize the development and growth path of students. Furthermore, the construction of intelligent scenes is expected to improve teaching methods and transform classroom teaching, leading to innovation in education and teaching and talent training models, and facilitating scientific and personalized evaluation of classroom teaching. The ultimate goal is to achieve education in the new era that caters to individual needs and aptitude.

Impact of controlling railway fares on the financial shortfall of Sri Lanka railways (SLR)

Although envisaged as the means of delivering an attractive and efficient mode of public transport, Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) has incurred a financial shortfall since the mid-1900s. To overcome this financial shortfall SLR, a government department needs to adopt strategies that enhance its total revenue or reduce recurrent expenditure. Passenger revenue and freight revenue are major components of the total revenue of SLR. These are determined by fares and the volume of passenger and freight transport. This study examines the impact of government controls on railway fares on the financial shortfall of SLR. To do this, it analyses the effects of the railway passenger and freight revenue components of the financial statements from 1977 to 2018. An in-depth descriptive and graphical analysis is performed using secondary data to find the impact of these variables. The study ascertains that the long-term financial shortfall of SLR is attributable to two factors: SLR charges relatively low passenger fares charged by SLR compared with public bus transport, and it does not revise its fares in line with changes in the bus. This study recommends that decision-makers and planners formulate a railway fare policy that is revised in line with bus fares and adopt measures to enhance the quality and level of service delivered by SLR.

Research and application of park multi-source synergistic and complementary heating system and its coordinated control method

The integration of solar thermal collectors (STC) and air source heat pump (ASHP) heating systems has been widely used for building heating. However, these systems have the problems that the STC cannot fully utilize the solar energy at weak radiation, and the ASHP has insufficient output as well as low coefficient of performance (COP) under extreme cold conditions. In this study, a multi-source synergistic and complementary heating system (MSSCHS) with a heating mode selection model based on belief rule base and evidential reasoning (BRB-ER) method is designed. First, the MSSCHS composed of the STC and the ASHP as the main heat sources, and the water source heat pump as the auxiliary heat source, along with its three heating modes under different operating conditions were proposed. Then, a system heating mode selection model based on the BRB-ER method was establish to achieve mode switching. Finally, the MSSCHS with BRB-ER heating mode selection model was tested experimentally. The results show that compared with the conventional ASHP + STC heating system, the solar energy utilization rate of the MSSCHS had increased by 19.3 %, 16.6 % and 8.2 % respectively in three typical days, and the ASHP's COP had increased by 37.7 %- 55.6 % under extreme cold conditions. The high efficiency and stability of the MSSCHS were verified through operational tests during the heating period. Furthermore, by applying in different types of buildings, it is verified that the MSSCHS can meet different heating requirements and has a good applicability. It was demonstrated that the proposed MSSCHS has more efficient heating mode and more accurate mode selection method, which can provide a new research idea for building heating.

The evolution of behavioral cues and signaling in displaced communication.

Displaced communication, whereby individuals communicate regarding a subject that is not immediately present (spatially or temporally), is one of the key features of human language. It also occurs in a few animal species, most notably the honeybee, where the waggle dance is used to communicate the location and quality of a patch of flowers. However, it is difficult to study how it emerged given the paucity of species displaying this capacity and the fact that it often occurs via complex multimodal signals. To address this issue, we developed a novel paradigm in which we conducted experimental evolution with foraging agents endowed with neural networks that regulate their movement and the production of signals. Displaced communication readily evolved but, surprisingly, agents did not use signal amplitude to convey information on food location. Instead, they used signal onset-delay and duration-based mode of communication, which depends on the motion of the agent within a communication area. When agents were experimentally prevented from using these modes of communication, they evolved to use signal amplitude instead. Interestingly, this mode of communication was more efficient and led to higher performance. Subsequent controlled experiments suggested that this more efficient mode of communication failed to evolve because it took more generations to emerge than communication grounded on the onset-delay and length of signaling. These results reveal that displaced communication is likely to initially evolve from non-communicative behavioral cues providing incidental information with evolution later leading to more efficient communication systems through a ritualization process.

Mode-modulation-induced high power dual-wavelength generation in a random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser.

An all-fiberized random distributed feedback Raman fiber laser (RRFL) with mode-modulation-induced wavelength manipulation and dual-wavelength generation has been demonstrated, where an electrically controlled intra-cavity acoustically-induced fiber grating (AIFG) is employed to adjust the input modal content at the signal wavelength. The wavelength agility of both the Raman effect and the Rayleigh backscattering in RRFL benefits on broadband laser output in case of broadband pumping. The feedback modal content at different wavelengths can be adjusted by AIFG, and then the output spectral manipulation can be ultimately manifested through the mode competition in RRFL. Under the efficient mode modulation, the output spectrum can be continuously tuned from 1124.3 nm to 1133.8 nm with single wavelength, while ulteriorly the dual-wavelength spectrum can be formed at 1124.1 nm and 1134.7 nm with a signal-noise-ratio of 45 dB. Throughout, the power is beyond 47 W with good stability and repeatability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dual-wavelength fiber laser based on mode modulation and the highest output power ever reported for an all-fiberized continuous wave dual-wavelength fiber laser.

A review of machine learning techniques for enhanced energy efficient 5G and 6G communications

Cellular technologies have evolved continuously from the 1st to the 5th generation (5G) to meet the exponentially growing needs of bandwidth, throughput and latency. However, the energy consumption experienced a proportional rise generation-wise when new hardware to support additional applications were incorporated. 5G, which already consumes four times more energy than 4G, is expected to bring about a significant spike in the conventional trajectory of energy consumption. 5G is therefore triggering a major concern for energy efficiency and with an even higher technical and network complexity, 6G will pause an unprecedented challenge to energy efficiency and sustainability. This paper focuses on the energy consumption at the base station and access network levels, which amount to around 80% of energy consumption in mobile networks. Machine learning techniques can be employed in several ways to improve the energy efficiency in these components. In this paper, efficient base station deployment strategies and adaptive operational modes as well as access network technologies such as massive MIMO and millimeter waves, which employ machine learning to enhance the energy efficiency, have been reviewed in depth. Since existing research works have focused mostly on a single optimization strategy at either the base station or access network level, this paper proposes a framework, which combines efficient base station deployment methods and machine learning-based switching between different operation modes based on traffic load. Moreover, an adaptive beamforming methodology through identification of hotspots and user association, sub-channel and power allocation in heterogeneous networks is discussed in detail.

Metro Track Geometry Defect Identification Model Based on Car-Body Vibration Data and Differentiable Architecture Search

Efficient and low-cost modes for detecting metro track geometry defects (TGDs) are essential for condition-prediction-based preventive maintenance, which can help improve the safety of metro operations and reduce the maintenance cost of metro tracks. Compared with the traditional TGD detection method that utilizes the track geometry car, the method that uses a portable detector to acquire the car-body vibration data (CVD) can be used on an ordinary in-service train without occupying the metro schedule line, thereby improving efficiency and reducing the cost. A convolutional neural network-based identification model for TGD, built on a differentiable architecture search, is proposed in this study to employ only the CVD acquired by a portable detector for integrated identification of the type and severity level of TGDs. Second, the random oversampling method is introduced, and a strategy for applying this method is proposed to improve the poor training effect of the model caused by the natural class-imbalance problem arising from the TGD dataset. Subsequently, a comprehensive performance-evaluation metric (track geometry defect F-score) is designed by considering the actual management needs of the metro infrastructure. Finally, a case study is conducted using actual field data collected from Beijing Subway to validate the proposed model.

Sustained Release Microneedles: Materials and Applications in Facial Rejuvenation.

Wrinkled and loose skin resulting from collagen degradation along with fibers decreasing reflects the youth diminishing. Microneedles (MNs) have opened up new avenues for the development of painless and noninvasive transdermal drug delivery systems for facial rejuvenation. Encapsulated drugs or molecules are transmitted to targeted tissues via percutaneous microchannels, which eliminate potential gastric stimulation or first-pass metabolic effects, as well as boost patient compliance. Although MNs are considered effective and feasible therapeutic alternatives to metals, silicon, and polymers, traditional procedures with reduction processes continue to encounter methodological limitations. In recent years, promising additive manufacturing processes such as three-dimensional printing and two-photon polymerization manufacturing have been developed with the aim of overcoming the limitations by traditional processes to facilitate an efficient and economic production mode. This review summarizes the design, material selection, and manufacturing method for recently advanced MN systems. Furthermore, we also highlight specific polymeric or natural microneedle products, like hyaluronan, plant derivates, and vitamins, for esthetic applications in this review. Impact Statement In this review, the materials and manufactural routes of microneedles (MNs) are detailed. Moreover, similar to the diagnostic or therapeutic MNs, the feature of dispensation with training and ready-to-use is perfect for beautification and anti-aging, which necessitate repeated and long-term usage. Furthermore, the specific polymeric or natural products for esthetic applications of MNs are highlighted in this review.

Synchromodal Supply Chains for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

Synchromodality is an emerging concept in supply chain management. A synchromodal supply chain can be defined as a multimodal transportation planning system, wherein the different agents work in an integrated and flexible way that enables them to dynamically adapt the transport mode based on real-time information from stakeholders, customers, and the logistic network. The potential of synchromodality for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is related to the nature of business. The FMCG market is characterized by relatively low margins and high turnover, which is especially important in export supply chains. However, for a company, it may be challenging to objectively evaluate the costs and benefits, not to mention the design of a synchronized supply chain. In order to facilitate the adoption of the concept and guide the practitioners, our study put forward the following research questions: What should be considered in incorporating synchromodality in the export supply chain for FMCG? How should companies approach tradeoffs among factors affecting the supply chain? To answer these questions, we propose an adaptable framework, which should be considered a primary contribution of our study. The framework incorporates the center of gravity model, mixed integer linear programming, and sensitivity analysis. The framework is validated using a real-world problem from a multinational FMCG company. The problem involves the optimal volume allocation and the selection of the most efficient transportation mode for inland freight. Our study demonstrates that incorporating synchromodality in the export supply chain could reduce the overall cost by 9% and enhance flexibility by allowing multiple modes of transportation.

Fertilizer Performance of a Digestate from Swine Wastewater as Synthetic Nitrogen Substitute in Maize Cultivation: Physiological Growth and Yield Responses

Nitrogen (N) is the primary nutrient required for plant growth. During the last few decades, there has been extensive use of synthetic N-containing fertilizers in agriculture, resulting in increased environmental pollution. In this study, the feasibility of replacing synthetic N with biofertilizer in maize cultivation was investigated. A liquid biofertilizer (digestate obtained from the anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater) was obtained and applied to large plots as a total (100%) or partial (50%) substitute for synthetic N fertilizer. Moreover, the most efficient fertilization mode, i.e., basal versus foliar application, was studied. Physiological growth indices, leaf nutritional status, and grain yield were assessed for each biofertilization treatment and compared with the conventional treatment with synthetic minerals. Compared with the conventional treatment, the total substitution of synthetic N by the biofertilizer (basal application) did not affect the growth parameters and grain yield of maize; the other treatments usually resulted in lower growth rates and yields, although not statistically significant (p ≥ 0.05). No difference was observed among the treatments for the contents of N, P, K, or Mg in the leaves. Generally, the highest means for Fe, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Mn contents in leaves were observed after in-row broadcast of synthetic fertilizers or basal application of the digestate as a total substitute for synthetic N, with a significant effect for Fe (p < 0.05). The mode of the biofertilizer application did not have any significant effect on either growth parameters or leaf nutrients. The data show that under the specific conditions of the study, the total substitution of mineral N with basal application of biofertilizer is the best strategy for minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals in maize cultivation without yield penalties.