Flexible Research Articles

Using artificial intelligence to identify the success window of FLEX strategy under an extended station blackout

The vulnerability of operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) to an extended station blackout (SBO) was revealed after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident, which led to the development and implementation of new strategies such as the diverse and flexible (FLEX) strategy. The FLEX strategy has been adopted by several utilities around the world in support of existing emergency operating procedures (EOPs) to maintain the core coolability and hence ensure the plant safety under an extended SBO. In this paper an AI algorithm is developed to assess the success window of implementing the FLEX strategy, given the uncertainties related to the operator actions (specifically opening the ADVs and aligning FLEX pumps) as well as the underlying phenomena. The AI algorithm is constructed via an artificial neural network (ANN) which is trained using a database of the plant thermal hydraulic response generated by means of the best estimate plus uncertainty (BEPU) methodology. Once trained, the AI meta-model is used to identify the success window of the FLEX strategy under various conditions. The developed meta-model could predict the successful implementation with reasonable accuracy. However, it was not as successful in predicting the failed cases. Nonetheless, AI offers a cost effective computational tool for uncertainty quantification and verification of emergency procedures compared to traditional approaches.

Simultaneous placement of FACTS devices using cuckoo search algorithm

The power system deregulation requires thechange in reactive power compensation in the power system. The optimal placement of FACTs (Flexi ble AC transmission system) devices is mandatory to recalculate the reactive power compensation in deregulation case. The FACTs devices generally used in series and shunt conections. Here the various facts devices connected in series & shunt combination simultaneously. The optimal placement and sizing of the devices are done in this paper by formulating the objective function with minimization of cost of the generation and minimizing the cost of Facts devices. MALAB is used for writing the code. IEEE 14 bus system is used to here for testing the system. Placing the FACTs separately and simultaneously are studied in case study. Cuckoo search algorithm is used to identify the solution to the optimization problem.

The effect of torsional shoe sole stiffness on knee moment and gross efficiency in cycling

ABSTRACTAltering torsional stiffness of cycling shoe soles may be a novel approach to reducing knee joint moments and overuse injuries during cycling. We set out to determine if the magnitude of three-dimensional knee moments were different between cycling shoe soles with different torsional stiffnesses. Eight trained male cyclists cycled at 90% lactate threshold power output in one of two cycling shoe conditions in a randomized crossover design. The shoe sole was considered torsionally flexible (FLEX) compared to a relatively stiffer (STIFF) sole. Gross efficiency (GE) and knee joint moments were quantified. No significant effect of shoe condition was seen in GE (21.4 ± 1.1% and 20.9 ± 1.6% for FLEX and STIFF, respectively, P = 0.12), nor in three-dimensional knee moments. 4 of the 8 subjects had reduced knee moments in at least 2 of the 3 moment directions. These “responders” were significantly shorter (1.73 ± 0.02 m vs 1.81 ± 0.04 m, P = 0.017) and had a higher relative maximal aerobic power (MAP) (4.6 ± 0.3 W∙kg-1 vs 3.9 ± 0.3 W∙kg-1, P = 0.024) compared to non-responders. These results suggest that certain shoe characteristics may influence certain individuals differently because these participants belong to different “functional groups”; certain individuals may respond positively to FLEX, while others may not. Further studies should test this proposed hypothesis.

Extraction of esophageal foreign bodies in children: rigid versus flexible endoscopy

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common and potentially serious problem in children. Both rigid (RE) and flexible (FE) endoscopic techniques are used for removal of esophageal FBs; however, there is no consensus amongst pediatric surgeons regarding the best method. This study reviewed our experience managing esophageal FBs using both techniques. A 12-year retrospective review of children admitted with an esophageal FB between 1999 and 2012 was undertaken. Clinical data, management techniques, and complications were abstracted. Differences between these two groups were compared with standard statistical methods. 657 children were treated for esophageal FB ingestion, of which 366 (56%) were treated with FE. The most frequently ingested item was a coin (84%), and FBs were most commonly lodged in the upper third of the esophagus (78%). There was a slightly younger population in the FE group (4.0 vs. 3.3 years, p < 0.01), but otherwise no significant differences were found between the groups. The FB was successfully removed with the initially chosen technique in 97% of patients. Esophageal FBs may be successfully removed with either RE or FE. Since treatment failures were managed with conversion to the other technique, both procedures should be included in the training curriculum.

Rumen bacterial, archaeal, and fungal diversity of dairy cows in response to ingestion of lauric or myristic acid1

The objective of this experiment, part of a larger study, was to investigate changes in rumen bacterial, archaeal, and fungal diversity in cows fed medium-chain saturated fatty acids. In the main study, 6 lactating dairy cows were dosed intraruminally with 240 g/(cow · d) of stearic (SA, control), lauric (LA), or myristic (MA) acid in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design trial. Experimental periods were 28 d, and cows were transfaunated between periods. Lauric acid decreased protozoal counts in the rumen by 96% compared with SA and MA (compared with SA, MA had no effect on ruminal protozoa). Whole ruminal contents samples were collected 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, and 24 h after the morning feeding on d 23 of each experimental period, stored frozen, and later composited by cow and period for microbial profile analyses, which involved tag-encoded flexible (FLX) amplicon pyrosequencing to provide diversity analyses of gastrointestinal bacterial, archaeal, and fungal populations of the cattle. The LA treatment, either directly or through its effect on protozoa, had a profound effect on the microbial ecology of the rumen. Ruminal populations of Prevotella, Bacteroides, and Enterorhabdus were decreased (P = 0.04 to P < 0.001) by more than 2-fold in LA treatments compared with SA, and Clostridium populations were decreased (P = 0.01) in LA- compared with MA-treated cows. The proportion of Ruminococcus was not affected by treatment, although the LA treatment had the least proportion of Ruminococcus. Proportions of Eubacterium, Butyrivibrio, Olsenella, and Lactobacillus genera were increased (P = 0.03 to 0.01) by LA compared with MA or SA. The LA treatment, possibly through its effect on protozoa physically associated with archaea, resulted in an increase (P = 0.01) in the archaeal methanogenic genus Methanosphaera and a decrease (P = 0.01) in Methanobrevibacter. Few changes in fungal populations caused by treatment were detected. Collectively, results indicate that LA, either through antiprotozoal or direct antimicrobial effects, altered bacterial and archaeal populations in the rumen of dairy cows, but effects on fungal populations were not clear.

Utilizing pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR to characterize fungal populations among house dust samples

Molecular techniques are an alternative to culturing and counting methods in quantifying indoor fungal contamination. Pyrosequencing offers the possibility of identifying unexpected indoor fungi. In this study, 50 house dust samples were collected from homes in the Yakima Valley, WA. Each sample was analyzed by quantitative PCR (QPCR) for 36 common fungi and by fungal tag-encoded flexible (FLX) amplicon pyrosequencing (fTEFAP) for these and additional fungi. Only 24 of the samples yielded amplified results using fTEFAP but QPCR successfully amplified all 50 samples. Over 450 fungal species were detected by fTEFAP but most were rare. Twenty-two fungi were found by fTEFAP to occur with at least an average of ≥0.5% relative occurrence. Many of these fungi seem to be associated with plants, soil or human skin. Combining fTEFAP and QPCR can enhance studies of fungal contamination in homes.

Docking validation resources: protein family and ligand flexibility experiments.

A database consisting of 780 ligand-receptor complexes, termed SB2010, has been derived from the Protein Databank to evaluate the accuracy of docking protocols for regenerating bound ligand conformations. The goal is to provide easily accessible community resources for development of improved procedures to aid virtual screening for ligands with a wide range of flexibilities. Three core experiments using the program DOCK, which employ rigid (RGD), fixed anchor (FAD), and flexible (FLX) protocols, were used to gauge performance by several different metrics: (1) global results, (2) ligand flexibility, (3) protein family, and (4) cross-docking. Global spectrum plots of successes and failures vs rmsd reveal well-defined inflection regions, which suggest the commonly used 2 Å criteria is a reasonable choice for defining success. Across all 780 systems, success tracks with the relative difficulty of the calculations: RGD (82.3%) > FAD (78.1%) > FLX (63.8%). In general, failures due to scoring strongly outweigh those due to sampling. Subsets of SB2010 grouped by ligand flexibility (7-or-less, 8-to-15, and 15-plus rotatable bonds) reveal that success degrades linearly for FAD and FLX protocols, in contrast to RGD, which remains constant. Despite the challenges associated with FLX anchor orientation and on-the-fly flexible growth, success rates for the 7-or-less (74.5%) and, in particular, the 8-to-15 (55.2%) subset are encouraging. Poorer results for the very flexible 15-plus set (39.3%) indicate substantial room for improvement. Family-based success appears largely independent of ligand flexibility, suggesting a strong dependence on the binding site environment. For example, zinc-containing proteins are generally problematic, despite moderately flexible ligands. Finally, representative cross-docking examples, for carbonic anhydrase, thermolysin, and neuraminidase families, show the utility of family-based analysis for rapid identification of particularly good or bad docking trends, and the type of failures involved (scoring/sampling), which will likely be of interest to researchers making specific receptor choices for virtual screening. SB2010 is available for download at http://rizzolab.org .

Culture-Independent Characterization of Bacteria and Fungi in a Poultry Bioaerosol Using Pyrosequencing: A New Approach

Work in animal production facilities often results in exposure to organic dusts. Previous studies have documented decreases in pulmonary function and lung inflammation among workers exposed to organic dust in the poultry industry. Bacteria and fungi have been reported as components of the organic dust produced in poultry facilities. To date, little is known about the diversity and concentration of bacteria and fungi inside poultry buildings. All previous investigations have utilized culture-based methods for analysis that identify only biota cultured on selected media. The bacterial tag-encoded flexible (FLX) amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP) and fungal tag-encoded flexible (FLX) amplicon pyrosequencing (fTEFAP) are modern and comprehensive approaches for determining biodiversity of microorganisms and have not previously been used to provide characterization of exposure to microorganisms in an occupational environment. This article illustrates the potential application of this novel technique in occupational exposure assessment as well as other settings. An 8-hr area sample was collected using an Institute of Medicine inhalable sampler attached to a mannequin in a poultry confinement building. The sample was analyzed using bTEFAP and fTEFAP. Of the bacteria and fungi detected, 116 and 39 genera were identified, respectively. Among bacteria, Staphylococcus cohnii was present in the highest proportion (23%). The total inhalable bacteria concentration was estimated to be 7503 cells/m 3 . Among the fungi identified, Sagenomella sclerotialis was present in the highest proportion (37%). Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium janthinellum were also present in high proportions. The total inhalable fungi concentration was estimated to be 1810 cells/m 3 . These estimates are lower than what has been reported by others using standard epifluorescence microscope methods. However, no study has used non-culture-based techniques, such as bTEFAP and fTEFAP, to evaluate bacteria and fungi in the inhalable fraction of a bioaerosol in a broiler production environment. Furthermore, the impact of this bTEFAP and fTEFAP technology has yet to be realized by the scientific community dedicated to evaluating occupational and environmental bioaerosol exposure.

Restructuring Foreign Language Curricula to Meet the New Challenge

curriculum. Fortunately for those who made the move in the 1960s, the new system of commu nity colleges was recruiting and rewarding young scholars with creative ideas for the development of changed patterns in teaching and learning. These new institutions populated their faculty ranks with well-educated, energetic, forward-thinking, flexi ble young graduates who built new curricular pat terns and experimented with a variety of instruc tional formats.

Recent developments in topology design of materials and mechanisms

esente des exemples de conception de m´ ecanismes fle xibles. Mots clOptimisation topologique, microstructures, mfle xibles. Abstract. This paper gives a brief introduction to some of the methods used in topology design of continuum structures and to their use for the design of materials and mechanisms. This encompasses the use of topology design in design of materials with extreme properties, and the introduction of buckling criteria in such design problems. A topic is also the design of isotropic composites which realize certain popular interpolation schemes used in topology design (making the dog bite its tail). Finally, examples of the design of fle xible mechanisms will be discussed.

Building Italian Regional Identity in Toronto: Using Space to Make Culture Material

The landscape of greater Toronto is dotted with Italian ethnoregional community centres constructed with financial and diplomatic help from Italian regional governments. These eth noregional centres are physical representations of Italian Canadi anness and used by Italian Canadians to create meaningful spaces, to generate collective sentiment and locate themselves in the land of immigration. The ethnographic examples used in this paper, I suggest, require us to consider how to locate the ideas of flow and deterritorialization in recent anthropological work through local realities. Italian immigrants and their descendants participate in diasporic discourses and practices to construct physical places of identification to make their sentiment material and reterritorialize their identity. Further, these sites shed light on the way states alter their activities to adapt to the movement of people, money and ideas across borders. The Italian national and regional govern ments and levels of the Canadian state respond to the challenges of transnationality by practicing a kind of governmentality, a flexi ble sovereignty through the support of these projects. As such these projects help to organize the behaviour and identity of Ital ians living overseas. that locate the ideas of flow and deterritorialization in recent anthropological work within the lived experiences of Italian immigrants and their descendants living in Toronto, Canada. Italian immigrants and their descendants negotiate identity in locally specific circumstances in the greater Toronto area within the context of state-sponsored multi culturalism in Canada and multiple diasporic discourses linking peoples in Italy and Canada. A central means of expressing this complex constellation of identities is through the construction of physical places of identification. I argue we need to pay closer attention to the reterritorial ization and materialization of identity and culture to refocus

Nd-YAG Laser Photoresection Through a Flexible Bronchoscope

Endobronchial laser therapy has rapidly gained its popularity over the past decade. Of the available lasers, Nd-YAG is the commonest one used in North America (1,2). Its endobronchial application can be carried out either through a flexible (FB) or a rigid bronchoscope (RB). However, use of FB is popular among North American pulmonologist (2). We, at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, have been involved with Nd-YAG Laser Photoresection (LPR) for over a decade, using FB for most of our procedures. The following article describes our technique and experience with Nd-YAG LPR.

A Localized Algorithm for Optimizing Unstructured Mesh Partitions

A new method is described for optimizing graph parti tions that arise in mapping unstructured mesh calcula tions to parallel computers. The method employs a combination of iterative techniques to evenly balance the workload and minimize the number and volume of interprocessor communications. When combined with a fast direct-partitioning technique (such as the Greedy algorithm) to give an initial partition, the resulting two- stage process proves itself to be a powerful and flexi ble solution to the static graph-partitioning problem. A clustering technique can also be employed to speed up the whole process. Experiments, on graphs with up to a million nodes, indicate that the resulting code is up to an order of magnitude faster than existing state- of-the-art techniques such as Multilevel Recursive Spectral Bisection, while providing partitions of equiv alent quality.

The New National Health Service: A Case of Postmodernism?

The National Health Service in Britain has recently undergone a major re organization. It has moved away from being a planned system of health care delivery to a demand driven system organized on the principles of (quasi-) market competition and quality assurance. These changes are intended by gov ernment to 'empower' the consumer (patient) with real choice and to incorpor ate the health professionals within a more effective and efficient system of hospital management. It is in this context that the paper examines the use fulness of 'postmodernity' as an explanation for the emergence of new 'flex ible' organizational forms within the hospital service. The paper will concen trate on the ideological and organizational contradictions between state policy and local practice, especially in relation to issues of managerial vs professional autonomy and control.

Cure Conditions for Isocyanurate Polymers

Structural RIM (MM/RIM) Composites are materials for use by automotive as well as industrial, agricultural, marine and leisure industries. Most often these composites are pictured as having sheet form because the re inforcement is made this way. Normal thicknesses are 0.100-0.125 inches; however, parts with different thicknesses may be required. For parts thicker than 0.125 inches Spectrim* MM composites based on polyisocyanurates are ideal because they do not scorch and parts up to 6-7 inches thick have been made which are well cured. To make parts thinner than 0.125 inches both ade quate wet-out of the glass reinforcement and cure of the polymer must be achieved. Because these polymers cure from the heat evolved in the reaction, cure is a function of the volume percent polymer contained in the mold. Thin parts have been found to have the same mechanical properties as thicker parts, but the cure is not complete as shown by the tendency of parts to be overly flexi ble on demold or to have poor green strength. It has been shown that the glass transition temperature, as determined by DMTA, is diagnostic for cure. Those parts which have too low a glass transition temperature require postcure. It has also been found that the state of cure is related to the maximum exotherm obtained during reaction and the duration of that exotherm. Thus, bulk polymerizations, in which the thickness is 2-5 inches, have exotherms which can exceed 400 °F and remain above 350 °F for about an hour. By contrast, thin parts may have exotherms which are not higher than the mold temperature.

NIMH report. Update on brain imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) MRI uses a magnetic field that permits detection of the frequen cies at which chemical elements in body tissue resonate. The char acteristic frequencies of various brain tissues are recorded to cre ate an exquisitely detailed picture of brain structures. MRI offers important advan tages over CT for imaging brain structures. Besides providing much clearer pictures, it is more flex ible, allowing researchers to study the distribution of a wide variety of substances in the brain. Fur then, MRI does not require the use of ionizing radiation. Richard Suddath, M.D., and his colleagues (4) at the NIMH clini cal brain disorders branch have used MRI to compare the volume of brain tissue in the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes of schizo phrenic patients and controls matched for age and sex. They found no differences in white mat ten or in prefrontal gray matter, but did find a 20 percent reduc tion in gray matter in the tempo ral lobes of schizophrenic patients. Further, the reduction in temporal gray matter is inversely correlated with lateral ventricular volume. This finding suggests a relation ship between ventricular enlarge ment and the reduction in gray matter. When or why the reduc tion in gray matter occurs is not yet known.

Flexible Housing for Broiler Breeders , ,

Abstract Broiler breeder performance in a conventional curtain sidewall house and a flexible (FLEX) house from 27 to 64 weeks was compared in two separate trials. Trial 1 was initiated in June of 1982 and Trial 2 in October of 1983. The conventional house was equipped with thermostatically controlled curtains and a stirring (Casablanca type) fan. The FLEX house was equipped with exhaust fans, insulated lightproof curtains, and an evaporative pad system. This allowed the FLEX house to be operated either as a conventional house or as an enclosed house. The breeders in the FLEX house exhibited numerical improvements in egg production, fertility, hatchability, and feed conversion in Trial 1, but opposite results were obtained in Trial 2. These conflicting results are discussed in terms of house temperature, light intensity, and seasonal time of flock placement.

A Sprayer for Experimental Application of Fungicides to Cereals.

Application of fungicides to small plots in fields of cereals can playa useful part in the study of effects of disease on crop yield. To suit the scale of this work , I have built a sprayer that can be carried and operated by one person. The spray tank holds 4.6 lit res of fungicide. In my work 4 litres is suff icient for one plot of 100 rn",The nozzles are to one side of the operator, along 2.5 m of the boom, so that a plot 5 m wide is sprayed in two swathes from its opposite edges. The sprayer was adapted from one developed by the New Zealand Forest Research Institute for precision spraying of herbicides. The main changes that were made included the use of compressed air in place of CO2 , and a more flex ible , cheaper, tank design. Various mod ifications to the boom included the use of one delivery line to all nozzles , instead of a separate tube to each nozzle, leg stands to protect the nozzles, and a harness to aid precision of application. The spray tank and compressed air source were mounted on an alumin ium alloy "Mountain Mule" pack frame (Figure 1). The 4.6 litre capacity tank was a 26 em leng th cut from 15 cm (outside-diameter) alum iniu m irrigation pipe. The tank bottom was a dis c of plate alurnlnlu rn 1 em th ick welded to U1e pip e, wit h a 20 mm hose fitting fer the outlet. The iid was a similar disc, secured by a nut to a threaded stee l rod passing up through the centre of the tank from the bottom plate. An '0 ' ring in a groov e mach in-

System Simulation and Policy-Making for Economic Development

The problems of planning for economic develop ment arise from the interplay of the political, social, and economic subsystems of a developing country. These problems are characterized by the uncer tainty necessarily inherent in any process of plan ning for the future — uncertainty arising both from the quantity and quality of available data and from the difficulties of forecasting how a large-scale system of complex interactive and feedback relation ships will respond to policy inputs. In this paper, generalized system simulation is offered as an ap proach to dealing with these problems. It is a flexi ble, iterative, problem-investigating process that includes problem formulation, mathematical modeling, model testing and refinement, and appli cation of the model to solve problems — all in close consultation with decision-makers. As an illus tration, an overview will be given of a policy- oriented system simulation model of the Nigerian economy. The model consists of two detailed re gional agricultural submodels, an aggregated na tional nonagricultural submodel, and components which model Nigeria's population and the inter- regional trade in food. Finally, I shall outline how the generalized system simulation approach could be implemented within the development-planning and policy-making process.

The Ideal Student as Perceived by Counselors and Teachers

The purpose of the study is to determine if counselors perceive secondary school students differently from teachers. A group of 25 effective teachers, as determined by their respective principals, and a group of 25 counselors-in training were interviewed by the author. Each subject com pleted an 84-item Q-sort constructed of items describing an ideal student. Bach item on the Q,-sort was judged by a three-judge panel to describe a student as being more flex ible or more rigid. The two groups were matched according to degrees earned, sex. and age. The teacher group averaged six more years' experience than the counselor group. Each subject's Q,-sort was scored to produce a flexible score or a rigid score according to how the subject perceived the ideal student. A significant difference at the 0.1 level of confidence was found when Chi Square was used to analyze the data. This study suggests that perceptual differences occur be tween two groups of persons in similar helping relationships which may be directly related to the personalities of the helpers. These perceptual differences are necessary for being effective in either helping relationship.