IA Method Research Articles

Correlation between Flow Temperature and Average Molar Ionic Potential of Ash during Gasification of Coal and Phosphorus-Rich Biomass

The co-gasification of biomass and coal is helpful for achieving the clean and efficient utilization of phosphorus-rich biomass. A large number of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) present in the ash system of coal (or biomass) cause varying degrees of ash, slagging, and corrosion problems in the entrained flow gasifier. Meanwhile, phosphorus is present in the slag in the form of PO43−, which has a strong affinity for AAEMs (especially for Ca2+) to produce minerals dominated by calcium phosphates or alkaline Ca-phosphate, effectively mitigating the aforementioned problems. To investigate the changing behavior of the slag flow temperature (FT) under different CaO/P2O5 ratios, 72 synthetic ashes with varying CaO/P2O5 ratios at different Si/Al contents and compositions were prepared, and their ash fusion temperatures were tested. The effects of different CaO/P2O5 ratios on the FT were analyzed using FactSage thermodynamic simulation. A model for predicting slag FT at different CaO/P2O5 ratios was constructed on the basis of the average molar ionic potential (Ia) method and used to predict data reported from 19 mixed ashes in the literature. The results showed that Ia and FT gradually increased with a decreasing CaO/P2O5 ratio, and the main mineral types shifted from anorthite → mullite → berlinite, which reasonably explained the decrease in ash fusion temperatures in the mixed ash. The established model showed good adaptability to the prediction of 19 actual coal ash FTs in the literature; the deviation of the prediction was in the range of 40 °C. The model proposed between FT and Ia based on the different CaO/P2O5 ratios can be used to predict the low-rank coal and phosphorus-rich biomass and their mixed ashes.

Life cycle assessment analysis of empty oil palm fruit bunches waste from palm oil mill activities

The process of utilizing existing empty oil palm fruit bunches is a process of utilization commonly carried out in various oil palm plantation industries. Palm oil liquid and solid waste is an environmental burden that produces global warming potential (GWP) emissions. This study aims to determine the magnitude of the environmental impact of using empty fruit bunches. The method used in this study is the ISO 14040 life cycle assessment (LCA) CML-Baseline IA method. The results showed that the existing use of empty fruit bunches in the plantation and the furnace showed that the furnace’s global warming potential impact value was much higher than that of the plantation, which was 234.719 kg CO2 eq and 234.689 kg CO2 eq, respectively. The eutrophication impact is 0.951 kg PO4 eq for furnace and plantation and an acidification effect of 0.525 kg SO2 eq and 0.523 kg SO2 eq. This concluded that they reduced the most dominant environmental impact by reducing raw materials by up to 80% of empty fruit bunches, which can be processed into co-composting and other technologies.

Cosmological-model-independent tests of cosmic distance duality relation with Type Ia supernovae and radio quasars

In this paper, we investigate the possible deviations of the cosmic distance duality relation (CDDR) using the combination of the largest SNe Ia (Pantheon) and compact radio quasar (QSO) samples through two model-independent approaches. The deviation of CDDR is written as DL(z)/DA(z)(1+z)−2=η(z) and η(z)=eτ(z)/2, with the parameterizations of F1 (τ(z)=2ϵ1z) and F2 (τ(z)=(1+z)2ϵ2−1). Furthermore, in order to compare the two resulting distances, two cosmological-model-independent methods, i.e., the nearby SNe Ia method and the GP method are employed to match the two distinct data at the same redshift. Our findings indicate that, compared with the results obtained in the literature, there is an improvement in precision when the latest SNe Ia and QSO samples are used. Specially, in the framework of nearby SNe Ia method, the CDDR would be constrained at the precision of Δϵ1=0.013 in Model F1 and Δϵ2=0.018 in Model F2. Regarding the GP method, one observes that a larger data size would produce more stringent constraints on the CDDR parameters. Therefore, accompanied by further developments in cosmological observations and the analysis methods, our analysis provides an insight into the evidence for unaccounted opacity sources at an earlier stage of the universe, or at the very least the new physics involved.

Quantitative microcapillary electrophoresis immunoassay (mCE IA) for end-to-end analysis of pertactin within in-process samples and Quadracel® vaccine

Protein concentration is an important attribute in the production of subunit or component-based vaccine antigens. Rigorous monitoring of protein concentration is required to identify potential areas for yield improvement. The current GMP method for quantitation is the plate-based ELISA which requires numerous hands-on steps and has low sensitivity in comparison to new microfluidic systems. To address this issue, a sensitive automated microCapillary Electrophoresis ImmunoAssay (mCE IA) method was developed to accurately separate and quantitate pertactin (PRN), an important antigen of the modern acellular Pertussis (aP) vaccine. PRN is reported to be a low-yielding antigen; thus, it is critical to observe its concentration throughout its manufacturing process. First, a primary antibody for PRN was identified to establish suitable immunoprobing conditions for detection of PRN over a wide linear dynamic range that spans 3 orders of magnitude. Next, the pre-adsorbed PRN Drug Substance (DS) was used as a reference standard to quantitate PRN samples against a calibration curve with adequate accuracy and precision. Four representative samples including three in-process steps and final adjuvanted drug product: Quadracel®, were examined to demonstrate the capability of mCE IA to quantitate PRN with high sensitivity and specificity. The matrices of the selected samples contain additional components (e.g. other proteins, growth factors, cell culture media, residual ammonium sulfate, and aluminum adjuvant) often making the quantitation of PRN challenging. The specificity and method linearity were demonstrated by spiking pre-adsorbed PRN DS into the four representative samples. In addition, it was shown that reportable concentrations of PRN for nine downstream process steps as analyzed by our method is comparable to concentrations obtained with ELISA. Most importantly, this study demonstrated that our method’s quantitative accuracy is independent of matrix components, as each sample undergoes extensive dilution. This allows for seamless end-to-end analysis of PRN from fermenter harvest, through to complex downstream process samples to adjuvanted drug products. Finally, for the first time the developed and qualified mCE IA method was shown to quantify PRN throughout the entire manufacturing process to provide rapid feedback for process optimizations allowing for accurate yield and step-loss calculations.

Compare Two Methods of Dental Arch Length Measurements on Digital Dental Models

Purpose: Accurate space discrepancy evaluation is important in treatment planning. Straight-line segments and brass wire method are the most common methods in arch length assessment. However, using segments causes underestimation, while more reliable brass wire method shows lower reproducibility. The aim of our study is (1) to compare the difference between conventional segmental distance method (SD) and a new method, ideal arch form (IA), and (2) to assess the reproducibility and reliability of two methods by means of digital models. Materials and methods: Thirty sets of digital dental models presented full permanent dentition and Angle’s Class III malocclusion were included. The dental arch length was assessed with two methods: SD method and IA method. Paired-t test was used to compare two methods; Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlated variables with inter-group difference; and interclass correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the reproducibility. Result: Arch length in IA group was 1.86 and 0.86 mm larger than SD group in upper and lower arch, respectively (pr= -0.39, pr= 0.40, pConclusion:The SD method showed high consistency but low reliability in short upper arches and crowding lower arches. On the other hand, the IA method can represent the real arch length regarding to the basal bone, and simply be constructed and measured with digital software with high reproducibility.

Improving Spectral Efficiency of Small Cells with Multi-Variant Clustering and Interference Alignment

In this article we introduce a multi-variant clustering with interference alignment (MVC-IA) for improving the spectral efficiency of small cells. Clustering process accounts the density and path loss factor of the communicating users to form efficient user group. The IA follows rank based interference identification and pre-coding for receiver power estimation. IA is restricted to the density of the users persuading clustering process to support a varying small cell density. This IA method addresses both inter and intra cluster cell interference by assigning optimal receiver for communicating in the allocated small cell channel. The performance of MVC-IA is verified for different transmit power and cell density through a comparative analysis.

Minimization of Power Losses with Different Types of DGs Using CSA

Proper allocation of DGs in distribution network is important from all the aspects like technical, economical and environmental. In this paper, Crow search algorithm (CSA) technique has been proposed to find the optimal size and location of multiple DGs of different types to reduce the active power loss of the distribution network (DN). The proposed method has only two parameters to be tuned. The proposed method is tested on 33 bus and 69 bus test system and the obtained result is compared with IA and PSO method. The proposed method gives better results compared to existing PSO and IA methods.

The effect of metallicity on Cepheid period-luminosity relations from a Baade-Wesselink analysis of Cepheids in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds

Context. The extragalactic distance scale builds on the Cepheid period-luminosity (PL) relation. Decades of work have not yet convincingly established the sensitivity of the PL relation to metallicity. This currently prevents a determination of the Hubble constant accurate to 1% from the classical Cepheid-SN Ia method. Aims. In this paper we carry out a strictly differential comparison of the absolute PL relations obeyed by classical Cepheids in the Milky Way (MW), LMC, and SMC galaxies. Taking advantage of the substantial metallicity difference among the Cepheid populations in these three galaxies, we want to establish a possible systematic trend of the PL relation absolute zero point as a function of metallicity, and to determine the size of such an effect in the optical and near-infrared photometric bands. Methods. We used a IRSB Baade-Wesselink-type method to determine individual distances to the Cepheids in our samples in the MW, LMC, and SMC. For our analysis, we used a greatly enhanced sample of Cepheids in the SMC (31 stars) compared to the small sample (5 stars) available in our previous work. We used the distances to determine absolute Cepheid PL relations in the optical and near-infrared bands in each of the three galaxies. Results. Our distance analysis of 31 SMC Cepheids with periods of 4–69 days yields tight PL relations in all studied bands, with slopes consistent with the corresponding LMC and MW relations. Adopting the very accurately determined LMC slopes for the optical and near-infrared bands, we determine the zero point offsets between the corresponding absolute PL relations in the three galaxies. Conclusions. We find that in all bands the metal-poor SMC Cepheids are intrinsically fainter than their more metal-rich counterparts in the LMC and MW. In the K band the metallicity effect is −0.23 ± 0.06 mag dex−1, while in the V, (V − I) Wesenheit index it is slightly stronger, −0.34 ± 0.06 mag dex−1. We find suggestive evidence that the metallicity sensitivity of the PL relation might be nonlinear, being small in the range between solar and LMC Cepheid metallicity, and becoming steeper towards the lower-metallicity regime.

A Precision Determination of the Effect of Metallicity on Cepheid Absolute Magnitudes in VIJHK Bands from Magellanic Cloud Cepheids

Abstract Using high-quality observed period–luminosity (P–L) relations in both Magellanic Clouds in the VIJHK s bands and optical and near-infrared Wesenheit indices, we determine the effect of metallicity on Cepheid P–L relations by comparing the relative distance between the LMC and SMC as determined from the Cepheids to the difference in distance between the Clouds that has been derived with very high accuracy from late-type eclipsing binary systems. Within an uncertainty of 3%, which is dominated by the uncertainty on the mean difference in metallicity between the Cepheid populations in the LMC and SMC, we find metallicity effects smaller than 2% in all bands and in the Wesenheit indices, consistent with a zero metallicity effect. This result is valid for the metallicity range from −0.35 dex to −0.75 dex corresponding to the mean [Fe/H] values for classical Cepheids in the LMC and SMC, respectively. Yet most Cepheids in galaxies beyond the Local Group and located in the less crowded outer regions of these galaxies do fall into this metallicity regime, making our result important for applications to determine the distances to spiral galaxies well beyond the Local Group. Our result supports previous findings that indicated a very small metallicity effect on the near-infrared absolute magnitudes of classical Cepheids, and resolves the dispute about the size and sign of the metallicity effect in the optical spectral range. It also resolves one of the most pressing problems in the quest toward a measurement of the Hubble constant with an accuracy of 1% from the Cepheid–supernova Ia method.

IA method for measuring the amount of hoar frost formation in the recuperation channels of ventilation systems using the adjustable mathematical model of this process

The paper presents a method for measuring the amount of hoar frost formation in the recuperation channels of ventilation systems using the adjustable mathematical model of the hoar frost process. The principle is based on the fact that the contour of the adjustment of the hoar frost model is included in the measurement in accordance with the measured pressure drop, which is proportional to the amount of hoar frost. Unlike the known measurement methods, it is proposed to use the state variables of the mathematical model as the measured value. These state variables are not subject to non-deterministic interferences and random influences. The paper presents simulation results confirming the adequacy of the dynamic model. In conclusion, an example of the use of a recuperation channel in the defrost management system is given.

PROKALSITONIN, CRP DAN PRESEPSIN SERUM DI SIRS

Infection in ICU patients can lead to a septic condition with clinical signs similar to Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). The high risk of death and high cost of sepsis is the reason to find an early marker in diagnosing sepsis. Blood culture can givea result in 1-3 days, so C reactive protein, procalcitonin and presepsin which are fast and accurate are needed to find a septic condition in SIRS patients. The aim of this study is to determine the diagnostic value of CRP, PCT and presepsin of sepsis with blood culture as the gold standard., The samples were collected from 32 clinically SIRS patients in the Dr. Kariadi Hosiptal, Semarang. The PCT level was measured using ELFA method, CRP level by PET IA method, while presepsin level by CLEA method. The determined area was under curve (AUC) and the cut off level was determined by 2í—2 table to find out the sensitivity, spesificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and likelihood ratio of CRP, PCT and presepsin as well. The AUC of PCT, CRP and presepsin was 0.78 (cut off 4.314 ng/mL); 0.673 (cut off 10.245 mg/L) and 0.814 (cut off 1134.5 pg/mL). The presepsin level had a higher sensitivity (90%) than PCT (80%) and CRP (70%). PCT specificity was 72.73%, presepsin and CRP specificity each was 68.18%. Based on this study, AUC and sensitivity of presepsin level were found higher than the PCT and CRP level.

Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Magnesia Spinel Brick Production

Sustainable use of natural resources in the production of construction materials has become a necessity both in Europe and Turkey. Construction products in Europe should have European Conformity (CE) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), an independently verified and registered document in line with the European standard EN 15804. An EPD certificate can be created by performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. In this particular work, an LCA study was carried out for a refractory brick production for environmental assessment. In addition to the LCA, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis was also applied for economic assessment. Firstly, a cradle-to-gate LCA was performed for one ton of magnesia spinel refractory brick. The CML IA method included in the licensed SimaPro 8.0.1 software was chosen to calculate impact categories (namely, abiotic depletion, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, ozone depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential). The LCC analysis was performed by developing a cost model for internal and external cost categories within the software. The results were supported by a sensitivity analysis. According to the results, the production of raw materials and the firing process in the magnesia spinel brick production were found to have several negative effects on the environment and were costly.

Using the local gas-phase oxygen abundances to explore a metallicity dependence in SNe Ia luminosities

We present an analysis of the gas-phase oxygen abundances of a sample of 28 galaxies in the local Universe (z < 0.02) hosting Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia). The data were obtained with the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope (WHT). We derive local oxygen abundances for the regions where the SNe Ia exploded by calculating oxygen gradients through each galaxy (when possible) or assuming the oxygen abundance of the closest HII region. The sample selection only considered galaxies for which distances not based on the the SN Ia method are available. Then, we use a principal component analysis to study the dependence of the absolute magnitudes on the color of the SN Ia, the oxygen abundances of the region where they exploded, and the stretch of the SN light curve. We demonstrate that our previous result suggesting a metallicity-dependence on the SN Ia luminosity for not-reddened SNe Ia (Moreno-Raya et al. 2016) can be extended to our whole sample. These results reinforce the need of including a metallicity proxy, such as the oxygen abundance of the host galaxy, to minimize the systematic effect induced by the metallicity-dependence of the SN Ia luminosity in future studies of SNe Ia at cosmological distances.

Serum zinc concentrations and depression in persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection: The positive living with HIV (POLH) study

Low levels of serum zinc concentrations and depression are common in persons infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Low levels of serum zinc concentrations may increase risk of depression in general population. However, research on the role of zinc in depression among HIV- infected person is limited. We assessed the association between serum zinc concentrations and depression in HIV-infected persons. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 311 HIV-positive people (177 men and 134 women) aged 18-60 years residing in Kathmandu, Nepal. The atomic absorption method was used to measure serum zinc concentrations and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-Ia method was used to measure depression, with cut off score 20 or higher consistent with clinically significant depression. Relationships were assessed using multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. Serum zinc concentrations were significantly inversely associated with depression in all participants and in men but not in women. Participants with the highest tertile of serum zinc concentrations had a significantly decreased risk of depression in men but not in women. Serum zinc concentrations were inversely associated with depressive symptoms scores in HIV-infected men. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the role of zinc in depression among persons infected with HIV.

A Vision Recognition Method of Wheel's Pose and Position Parameters in Bench Testing

IA method is proposed here to recognize wheels pose and position parameters with computer vision aiming to the need of measuring wheel moving track in suspension bench testing. Firstly, several markers are fit on the target wheel manually. Secondly, image coordinates of character points is calculated with image processing method and least square ellipse fitting algorithm. At last, wheels pose and position parameters are calculated with rigid body motion POSIT algorithm, and then wheel moving track is measured in test. The algorithm of wheels pose and position parameters in bench testing based on the computer vision here will supply the base under the realization of the moving wheels pose and position parameters recognizing in real time.

Accuracy analysis of Stewart platform based on interval analysis method

A Stewart platform is introduced in the 500 m aperture spherical radio telescope(FAST) as an accuracy adjustable mechanism for feed receivers. Accuracy analysis is the basis of accuracy design. However, a rapid and effective accuracy analysis method for parallel manipulator is still needed. In order to enhance solution efficiency, an interval analysis method(IA method) is introduced to solve the terminal error bound of the Stewart platform with detailed solution path. Taking a terminal pose of the Stewart platform in FAST as an example, the terminal error is solved by the Monte Carlo method(MC method) by 4 980 s, the stochastic mathematical method(SM method) by 0.078 s, and the IA method by 2.203 s. Compared with MC method, the terminal error by SM method leads a 20% underestimate while the IA method can envelop the real error bound of the Stewart platform. This indicates that the IA method outperforms the other two methods by providing quick calculations and enveloping the real error bound of the Stewart platform. According to the given structural error of the dimension parameters of the Stewart platform, the IA method gives a maximum position error of 19.91 mm and maximum orientation error of 0.534°, which suggests that the IA method can be used for accuracy design of the Stewart platform in FAST. The IA method presented is a rapid and effective accuracy analysis method for Stewart platform.

Testing cosmic opacity from SNe Ia and Hubble parameter through three cosmological-model-independent methods

We use the newly published 28 observational Hubble parameter data (H(z)) and current largest SNe Ia samples (Union2.1) to test whether the universe is transparent. Three cosmological-model-independent methods (nearby SNe Ia method, interpolation method and smoothing method) are proposed through comparing opacity-free distance modulus from Hubble parameter data and opacity-dependent distance modulus from SNe Ia. Two parameterizations, τ(z)=2ϵz and τ(z)=(1+z)2ϵ−1 are adopted for the optical depth associated to the cosmic absorption. We find that the results are not sensitive to the methods and parameterizations. Our results support a transparent universe.

Large Scale Structure Among z ∼ 2 Quasars as a Cosmological Standard Ruler

The peak in the power spectrum at ≈ 130h−1 Mpc at low redshifts provides a standard ruler in comoving space. This scale is shown to be present in the observed quasar distribution at z ∼ 2. This implies strong constraints on the density parameter, Ω0, and weaker constraints on the cosmological constant, λ0. Independently of λ0 (in the range λ0 ∊ [0, 1]), the constraint is 0.1 &lt; Ω0 &lt; 0.45 (68% confidence limit).Combination of the power spectrum peak method with very independent results from the supernovae Type Ia method yields Ω0 = (0.30 ± 0.11) + (0.57 ± 0.11)(λ0 −0.7), 0.55 &lt; λ0 &lt; 0.95, (68% confidence limits) without assuming Ω0 + λ0 = 1. This supports the almost flat, perturbed Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker model, independently of any cosmic microwave background observations.

Relation between Scattering and Production Amplitudes: Concerning Particle in System

In a series of previous papers the present authors and collaborators have shown strong evidence for existence of the long-sought sigma-particle by analyzing the pi pi-scattering and pi pi-production processes, applying, respectively, the IA method and the VMW method. In this paper we examine the relation between the scattering amplitude T and the production amplitude F from the viewpoint of the unitarity and the final state interaction (FSI) theorem by using a simple field theoretical model. As a result it is shown that the amplitudes in the physical state representation are directly represented through the Breit-Wigner amplitudes of the relevant resonances, and the respective forms of T and F coincide with those in the IA and VMW methods, justifying our methods of analyses.

The Hubble Constant from [TSUP]56[/TSUP]Co-powered Nebular Candles

Type Ia supernovae (SNs Ia), produced by the thermonuclear explosion of white dwarf (WD) stars, are used here to derive extragalactic distances and an estimate of the Hubble constant from their emission signatures at late phases (nebular SN Ia method, NSM). The method, first developed in Ruiz-Lapuente & Lucy, makes use here of an improved modeling of the forbidden line emission at late phases. Hydrodynamic models of the explosion of WDs of different masses, both sub-Chandrasekhar and Chandrasekhar, provide the basis for comparison with observations. It is shown that it is possible to probe the overall density structure of the ejecta and the mass of the exploding WD by the effect that the electron density profile has in shaping the forbidden line emission of the iron ions, and that a robust diagnostic of the mass of the exploding WD can be obtained. Cosmic distance scale can thus be related to basic diagnostics of excitation of iron lines. Once the most adequate model is selected, comparison of the predicted line emission at these phases with the observed spectra gives an internal estimate of both the reddening and the distance to the SNs Ia. The results presented here favor denser models than those corresponding to sub-Chandrasekhar explosions. From a sample of seven SNs Ia in Leo, Virgo, Fornax, and beyond, a value of the Hubble constant H0 = 68 ± 6 (statistical) ±7 (systematic) km s-1 Mpc-1 is derived. The depth of the Virgo cluster is found to be large, ranging from 13 to 23 Mpc at least. If NGC 4526 traces well the core of the Virgo Cluster, then the latter is located at 16 ± 2 Mpc. The galaxy NGC 3267 in Leo appears to be located at 9.8 ± 1.5 Mpc.