Average Power Research Articles

Media Reform as Transformation Tool: A Hegemonic Gap in Environmental Research and Policy

AbstractSustainability researchers are writing much about levers for transformations towards sustainability but too little about the most powerful means available for obstructing and activating them: mass-reaching media systems. How media systems are structured and governed form a profoundly important meta-level layer of decision-making that ought to be central in the study of environmental politics and in environmental policymaking. A politics- and media-focused account of the rise of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil illustrates the essential role of media systems and the need for new principles, structures, and policies for their governance if the interlinked goals of democracy, equity, and environmental protection are to be achieved. The pervasive inattention to this in environmental research reinforces hegemonic forces and needs to be widely discussed, understood, and overcome to achieve much needed just transformations towards sustainability.

Addressing Biological Questions with Preclinical Cancer Imaging.

The broad application of noninvasive imaging has transformed preclinical cancer research, providing a powerful means to measure dynamic processes in living animals. While imaging technologies are routinely used to monitor tumor growth in model systems, their greatest potential lies in their ability to answer fundamental biological questions. Here we present the broad range of potential imaging applications according to the needs of a cancer biologist with a focus on some of the common biological processes that can be used to visualize and measure. Topics include imaging metastasis; biophysical properties such as perfusion, diffusion, oxygenation, and stiffness; imaging the immune system and tumor microenvironment; and imaging tumor metabolism. We also discuss the general ability of each approach and the level of training needed to both acquire and analyze images. The overall goal is to provide a practical guide for cancer biologists interested in answering biological questions with preclinical imaging technologies.

Wounded landscapes, tense equilibriums, and broken connections:

This text delves into the complex interplay between humans and the natural environment, exploring its philosophical, historical, and ecological dimensions. From ancient contemplations on living in harmony with nature to the present-day ecological crisis, the narrative examines the impact of human activity on the Earth's ecosystems, emphasizing issues such as deforestation, pollution, and mining. The author highlights the growing awareness of this ecological crisis and its reflection in contemporary art. Various artistic projects and exhibitions are discussed as powerful means to address environmental challenges and provoke critical reflection. The text concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for a paradigm shift in humanity's relationship with nature, urging a collective effort towards coexistence and sustainable practices to heal the wounded landscapes and repair the damaged balance between human activities and the Earth's ecosystems.

New Perspectives on Fractional Milne-Type Inequalities: Insights from Twice-Differentiable Functions

This paper delves into an inquiry that centers on the exploration of fractional adaptations of Milne-type inequalities by employing the framework of twice-differentiable convex mappings. Leveraging the fundamental tenets of convexity, H\"{o}lder's inequality, and the power-mean inequality, a series of novel inequalities are deduced. These newly acquired inequalities are fortified through insightful illustrative examples, bolstered by rigorous proofs. Furthermore, to lend visual validation, graphical representations are meticulously crafted for the showcased examples.

Reconciling Modeled and Observed Δ17O(NO3−) in Beijing Winter Haze With Heterogeneous Chlorine Chemistry

AbstractThe fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Chinese megacities has declined significantly after the implementation of strict mitigation strategies since 2013. However, the concentration of wintertime nitrate in PM2.5 (p‐NO3‐) has only changed slightly and became the dominant inorganic component despite considerable precursor emission reductions. Discerning chemical mechanisms leading to nitrate growth during haze events is critical to implementing effective pollution mitigation policies. The oxygen isotope anomaly of nitrate (Δ17O(NO3−)) is a powerful means to distinguish nitrate formation mechanisms. Nevertheless, the observed high Δ17O(NO3−) values were significantly underestimated by chemical transport models during extreme haze events (PM2.5 > 225 μg m−3) in Beijing, indicating an incomplete understanding of nitrate chemistry. To reconcile this model‐observation discrepancy, we compiled reported Δ17O(NO3−) data in Beijing haze along with relevant observational parameters (e.g., hydroxyl (OH) reactivity, peroxyl radical concentrations), then tested assumptions on Δ17O of key precursors (e.g., OH and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)), recalculated Δ17O(NO3−) and compared them with observations. Our results indicate that considering heterogeneous dinitrogen pentoxide reactions on chlorine‐containing aerosols (N2O5 + Cl− chemistry) with a nitryl chloride (ClNO2) yield of ∼0.75 can explain the observed high Δ17O(NO3−) during extreme haze events. According to the Δ17O(NO3−) data, on average this heterogeneous N2O5 + Cl− chemistry can explain ∼60% of nighttime nitrate production and make daytime and nocturnal pathways equally important in winter Beijing haze (PM2.5 > 75 μg m−3). Our results highlight the critical role of reactive chlorine chemistry in air pollution/chemistry in inland cities.

Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Bispectrum Characteristics of Phase Coupled Signals

Fourier transform points out that a certain function that meets certain conditions can be decomposed into a linear combination of trigonometric functions (sine or cosine functions). The functions of high-order cumulant include suppressing the Gaussian noise, eliminating independent signal components, and identifying the phase coupling phenomenon of the signal. To prove this hypothesis, this study constructs a cosine signal with the phase coupling phenomenon based on Fourier transform theory which substitutes it into the third-order cumulant expression and performs detailed reasoning. The constructed signal is extended to the complex signal domain and the same conclusion is obtained. The number of coupled signals is expanded from three to a higher value. The results of the study give definite mathematical and physical meaning to the bispectral peaks. The collected mechanical vibration signals are given to demonstrate this conclusion. The demonstrated characteristics of high-order cumulants have made them widely used in many fields.

CroplandCDNet: Cropland Change Detection Network for Multitemporal Remote Sensing Images Based on Multilayer Feature Transmission Fusion of an Adaptive Receptive Field

Dynamic monitoring of cropland using high spatial resolution remote sensing images is a powerful means to protect cropland resources. However, when a change detection method based on a convolutional neural network employs a large number of convolution and pooling operations to mine the deep features of cropland, the accumulation of irrelevant features and the loss of key features will lead to poor detection results. To effectively solve this problem, a novel cropland change detection network (CroplandCDNet) is proposed in this paper; this network combines an adaptive receptive field and multiscale feature transmission fusion to achieve accurate detection of cropland change information. CroplandCDNet first effectively extracts the multiscale features of cropland from bitemporal remote sensing images through the feature extraction module and subsequently embeds the receptive field adaptive SK attention (SKA) module to emphasize cropland change. Moreover, the SKA module effectively uses spatial context information for the dynamic adjustment of the convolution kernel size of cropland features at different scales. Finally, multiscale features and difference features are transmitted and fused layer by layer to obtain the content of cropland change. In the experiments, the proposed method is compared with six advanced change detection methods using the cropland change detection dataset (CLCD). The experimental results show that CroplandCDNet achieves the best F1 and OA at 76.04% and 94.47%, respectively. Its precision and recall are second best of all models at 76.46% and 75.63%, respectively. Moreover, a generalization experiment was carried out using the Jilin-1 dataset, which effectively verified the reliability of CroplandCDNet in cropland change detection.

A detailed study of the current‐reuse VCO's operation and a simple circuit technique to generate intrinsic‐balanced outputs

SummaryIn the first part of this paper, we closely examine well‐known methods for balancing the output power level of the pseudo‐differential current‐reuse voltage‐controlled oscillator. We scrutinize their effectiveness in terms of canceling output mismatches, insensitivity to process, voltage, and temperature variations, and their capability of not degrading phase noise performance. Through analyses and simulations, it is shown that contrary to common belief, some techniques are not as effective as previously thought and should be employed only under specific circumstances. The best conventional approach is proven to be the use of a common‐mode shunting capacitor at the inductor's center tap node to create a virtual ground. In the second part, it is demonstrated that the current‐reuse voltage‐controlled oscillator can intrinsically produce balanced outputs without using any additional techniques or extra passive or active components. Using single‐ended tank capacitors instead of differential ones, the common‐mode voltage of the outputs is shunted to the real ground. This technique reintroduces a reference voltage to the tank circuit, forcing the oscillator to achieve equilibrium between positive and negative swings. The proposed current‐reuse oscillator is designed and post‐layout simulated in a 65‐nm CMOS process, covering a frequency range of 4.84–6.38 GHz with an average power consumption of 0.65 mW. It produces balanced outputs with an amplitude error of less than ±0.2% and achieves a phase noise of −126.7 dBc/Hz and FoMT of 201.8 dB at a 3‐MHz offset frequency.

Compact simultaneous label-free autofluorescence multi-harmonic microscopy for user-friendly photodamage-monitored imaging.

Label-free nonlinear optical microscopy has become a powerful tool for biomedical research. However, the possible photodamage risk hinders further clinical applications. To reduce these adverse effects, we constructed a new platform of simultaneous label-free autofluorescence multi-harmonic (SLAM) microscopy, featuring four-channel multimodal imaging, inline photodamage monitoring, and pulse repetition-rate tuning. Using a large-core birefringent photonic crystal fiber for spectral broadening and a prism compressor for pulse pre-chirping, this system allows users to independently adjust pulse width, repetition rate, and energy, which is useful for optimizing imaging conditions towards no/minimal photodamage. It demonstrates label-free multichannel imaging at one excitation pulse per image pixel and thus paves the way for improving the imaging speed by a faster optical scanner with a low risk of nonlinear photodamage. Moreover, the system grants users the flexibility to autonomously fine-tune repetition rate, pulse width, and average power, free from interference, ensuring the discovery of optimal imaging conditions with high SNR and minimal phototoxicity across various applications. The combination of a stable laser source, independently tunable ultrashort pulse, photodamage monitoring features, and a compact design makes this new system a robust, powerful, and user-friendly imaging platform.

A novel object-oriented Bayesian network on risk assessment of sea lanes of communication

The maritime transportation system heavily depends on sea lanes of communication. Unfortunately, the surge in shipping activities has also resulted in an increase in maritime incidents, encompassing both conventional accidents and piracy-related events. This paper presents a novel object-oriented Bayesian network framework for assessing the risk of traditional maritime accidents and piracy-related incidents. Furthermore, an enhanced machine-learning-based Tree augmented naïve learning approach is proposed to address the correlation relationships among the influential factors and the distinctions between mathematical and practical meanings. The paper also introduces mutual information theory and an improved scenario construction approach to identify the key influential factors on maritime risks and unveil the non-linear relationships among them. The findings indicate that both the degraded natural environment and social environment contribute to the risk levels of maritime accidents. Furthermore, the type of ship is recognized as the most significant factor contributing to unsafe conditions. The research results will offer valuable insights to the maritime industry, specifically aiding ship owners, ship crew, and shipping companies in understanding the key influential factors in multiple types of maritime accidents and assessing potential risks.

An Efficient FPGA Architecture with Turn-Restricted Switch Boxes

Abstract. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) employ a large number of SRAM cells to provide a flexible routing architecture which have a significant impact on the FPGA’s area and power consumption. This flexible routing allows for a rather easy realization of the desired functionality, but our evaluations show that the full routing flexibility is not required in many occasions. In this work, we focus on what is actually needed and introduce a new switch-box realization what we call Turn-Restricted Switch-Boxes which supports only a subset of possible turns. The proposed method increases the utilization rate of FPGA switch-boxes by eliminating the unemployed resources. Experimental evaluations confirm that the area and average power consumption can be reduced by 12.8% and 14.1%, on average, respectively and the FPGA routing susceptibility to SEU and MBU can be improved by 18.2%, on average, by imposing negligible performance. 1

GHz repetition rate, sub-100-fs Ho:CALGO laser at 2.1 µm with watt-level average power.

We report on a GHz fundamental repetition rate Kerr-lens mode-locked Ho:CALGO laser emitting at 2.1 µm. The laser employs a ring cavity to increase the fundamental repetition rate to 1.179 GHz and can be made to oscillate in both directions stably with nearly identical performance: for the counterclockwise oscillation, it generates 93-fs pulses at 1.68 W of average power, whereas 92 fs and 1.69 W were measured for the clockwise operation. Our current results represent the highest average power from a 2-µm GHz oscillator and, to our knowledge, the first sub-100-fs pulse duration from a Ho-based oscillator.

Magical Realism in Hussain's "The Swan's Wife": An Examination from a Postmodern Angle

The utilization of magical realism is pertinent to the postcolonial context and the consequent expression of dissent against the impact of postcolonialism on the political, social, and cultural aspects of formerly colonized countries. Magical realism, characterized as subversive, hybrid, and mestizo, has been recognized as a powerful means of social protest. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of comprehensive scholarly attention on the correlation between magical realism and social protest in the works of Hussain. This thesis examines the manner in which magical realism has aided Hussain in portraying and capturing the essence of "The Swan's Wife". The author's use of magical realism in his work has a clear and noticeable political aspect. It not only prompts the reader to question the supposedly fixed nature of reality, but also examines the boundaries of an implicitly politicized ideology that undermines the fundamental framework of his worldview. This theme investigation aims to illustrate that Hussain's fiction not only has explicit social consequences but also carries a subtle tone of protest against the social structure. To create the appropriate level of protest, the author used magical realism. This technique involves incorporating and contrasting different components from many sources, such as oral/folklore culture, myth, and stereotypes.

Safety and efficacy of dynamic catheter-directed cerebral digital subtraction angiography for diagnosis of bowhunter syndrome spectrum disorders: A systematic review of the literature.

Dynamic catheter-directed cerebral digital subtraction angiography (dcDSA) is the gold standard for diagnosing dynamic vascular occlusion syndromes such as bowhunter syndrome (BHS). Nonetheless, concerns about its safety exist and no standardized protocols have been published to date. We describe our methodology and insights regarding the use of dcDSA in patients with BHS. We also perform a systematic literature review to identify cases of typical and atypical presentations of BHS wherein dcDSA was utilized and report on any procedural complications related to dcDSA. Our study included 104 cases wherein dcDSA was used for the diagnosis of BHS. There were 0 reported complications of dcDSA. DcDSA successfully established diagnosis in 102 of these cases. Thirty-eight cases were deemed atypical presentations of BHS. Fourteen patients endorsed symptoms during neck flexion/extension. In eight cases, there was dynamic occlusion of bilateral vertebral arteries during a single maneuver. Three patients had multiple areas of occlusion along a single vertebral artery (VA). An anomalous entry of the VA above the C6 transverse foramen was observed in four patients. One patient had VA occlusion with neutral head position and recanalization upon contralateral lateral head tilt. Our study highlights the safety and diagnostic benefits of dcDSA in characterizing the broad spectrum of BHS pathology encountered in clinical practice. This technique offers a powerful means to evaluate changes in cerebral blood flow and cervical arterial morphology in real time, overcoming the constraints of static imaging methods. Our findings pave the way for further studies on dcDSA to enhance cross-sectional imaging methods for the characterization of BHS and other dynamic vascular occlusion syndromes.

Novel Combustion Instability Diagnosis Method With Upstream Pulsation of Repetitive Laser-Induced Plasmas

Abstract In this experimental study, we are presenting the ability of laser-induced plasmas with successive pulsation to identify combustion instabilities (CI) of a premixed lab-scale combustor. An acoustic disturbance equivalent to a shockwave perturbation is generated in the main air supply line of a swirled injector prior to the fuel addition by focusing nanosecond laser pulses of 1.6 W average power at 10 Hz. The shockwaves are attenuated to be strong pressure waves when reaching the combustor and impact the pressure field for short periods. After plasma breakdowns, the system returns back to its original state after 4 ms once the added acoustic energy has been fully dissipated. Given a set geometry, it is observed that the laser-induced breakdown amplifies the characteristic frequency peaks of the combustor system when actuated in cold flow. Furthermore, when applied to reacting flows, the pulsating acoustic perturbations impact the pressure fluctuation in the combustor, e.g., reducing the amplitude of the primary characteristic frequency peak at certain conditions. The identification of the main instability modes thanks to the plasma shockwave provides proof of the potential use of this novel diagnosis strategy in various and complex combustion systems.

Alternate Electrode Placements to Facilitate Frontal Electroencephalography Monitoring in Anesthetized and Critically Ill Patients.

Frontal electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring can be useful in guiding the titration of anesthetics, but it is not always feasible to place electrodes in the standard configuration in some circumstances, including during neurosurgery. This study compares 5 alternate configurations of the Masimo Sedline Sensor. Ten stably sedated patients in the intensive care unit were recruited. Frontal EEG was monitored in the standard configuration (bifrontal upright) and 5 alternate configurations: bifrontal inverse, infraorbital, lateral upright, lateral inverse, and semilateral. Average power spectral densities (PSDs) with 95% CIs in the alternate configurations were compared to PSDs in the standard configuration. Two-one-sided-testing with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed equivalence in the spectral edge frequency (SEF-95), EEG power, and relative delta (0.5 to 3.5Hz), alpha (8 to 12Hz), and beta (20 to 30Hz) power between each alternate and standard configurations. After the removal of unanalyzable tracings, 7 patients were included for analysis in the infraorbital configuration and 9 in all other configurations. In the lateral upright and lateral inverse configurations, PSDs significantly differed from the standard configuration within the 15 to 20Hz band. The greatest decrease in EEG power was in the lateral inverse configuration (median: -97dB; IQR: -130, -62dB). The largest change in frequency distribution of EEG power was in the infraorbital configuration; median SEF-95 change of -1.4Hz (IQR: -2.8, 0.7Hz), median relative delta power change of +7.3% (IQR: 1.4%, 7.9%), and median relative alpha power change of -0.6% (IQR: -5.7%, 0.0%). These 5 alternate Sedline electrode configurations are suitable options for monitoring frontal EEG when the standard configuration is not possible.

Scaling of wave energy converters for optimum performance in the Adriatic Sea

The wave energy potential in the Adriatic Sea is investigated at seven offshore locations, and the mean annual energy, average electric power production, operating hours, as well as the coefficient of variation of the monthly power production are determined for three wave energy converters. Since wave energy converters are commonly designed and optimized to extract energy from ocean waves, they have low capacity factors in low-energy seas or bays such as the Adriatic Sea, where the sea states are slight to moderate. The scaling of the wave energy converters is performed on the basis of the Froude scaling law for AquaBuoy and Pelamis devices. The results of WECs at eleven scales are compared with those obtained for a Lysekil WEC. The obtained results show that the capacity factors of the downscaled WECs increase significantly at their optimum scales, reaching about 29 % and 42 % for the AquaBuoy and Pelamis, respectively, depending on the location. By comparing the results obtained for the AquaBuoy and Pelamis at a scale of 0.7 with the results of a full-scale Lysekil WEC, it may be concluded that the downscaled WECs may be more suitable for the considered locations in the Adriatic Sea while keeping their economic viability.

Optimizing Average Electric Power During the Charging of Lithium-Ion Batteries Through the Taguchi Method

Optimizing Average Electric Power During the Charging of Lithium-Ion Batteries Through the Taguchi Method

L‐Arginine‐Doped PFN‐Br as a Cathode Interlayer for Conventional Organic Solar Cells

The cathode interlayer (CIL) plays a crucial role in organic solar cells (OSCs), which can establish an Ohmic contact between the active layer and the electrode, lower the electron extraction barriers, and minimize the charge carrier recombination. The CIL modification is a useful strategy for improving the performance of OSCs. Herein, an inexpensive water–alcohol‐soluble material known as L‐Arginine (L‐Arg) is introduced as a modifier for the PFN‐Br CIL, leading to successful optimization of the CIL quality. Following L‐Arg modification, the work function of the CIL is lowered and the electron extraction is facilitated. L‐Arg assists in exciton dissociation while suppressing both bimolecular and trap‐assisted recombination processes. The modified CIL establishes superior contact with the metal electrode due to its enhanced hydrophilicity, which helps electron collection. Consequently, the average power conversion efficiency increases from 10.54% in the reference device to 11.17% in the optimally doped device.

Multi-attribute decision-making methods based on Aczel-Alsina power aggregation operators for English blended teaching quality evaluation under single-valued neutrosophic sets

As a new form of teaching, blended teaching can integrate the advantages of classroom teaching and online teaching and improve the overall quality and effectiveness of English teaching under the premise of changing the orientation of teachers and students. The English blended teaching quality evaluation is a multiple attribute decision making (MADM) issue. Aczel-Alsina t-norm and t-conorm operations have the true advantage of changeability by adjusting a decision parameter. power averaging (PA) operator allowed decision attributes to strengthen each other through weight information during fusion, thereby eliminating the influence of subjective weights on the decision results. Motivate through classical Aczel-Alsina operators, PA operator and the single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs), in this paper, the single-valued neutrosophic number Aczel-Alsina power averaging (SVNNAAPA) operator and the single-valued neutrosophic number Aczel-Alsina power weighted averaging (SVNNAAPWA) operator are constructed under SVNSs. The SVNNAAPWA operator is built for MADM. Eventually, an example about English blended teaching quality evaluation and some selected comparative decision analysis is used to depict the SVNNAAPWA method.