Verification Procedure Research Articles

An integrated building information modelling-based environmental impact assessment framework

The application of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies faces many challenges, especially in developing countries. This problem was investigated in the existing literature and via a designed questionnaire among local practitioners. The reasons were mainly attributed to the seclusion of the EIA process across the project’s phases, as well as the complexity of the EIA procedures. Hence, the research argues that Building Information Modelling (BIM) applications can be the key to resolve several associated problems to EIA either directly, or indirectly by streamlining Environmental Management System (EMS). Thus, a keyword-based scientometric analysis was used to define parameters and interrelations and establish network analysis for a proposed BIM-based EIA framework. The proposed framework presents scoring schemes to support three types of assessments: the efficiency of applying BIM techniques for an EIA process (Score A), proper integration of BIM techniques for different EIA steps (Score I) and proper integration of BIM techniques across project phases (Score B). It also shows the interplay of points between the three schemes via a Sankey diagram. The proposed framework was applied to compare three major construction projects in a developing country, the case of Egypt to pinpoint areas of drawbacks. The results pinpointed poor application of advanced BIM models to support sustainability analysis for EIA studies. This is in addition to imbalance of applying BIM applications across different project phases, it was notably less pronounced for the operation and maintenance stage as well as end of life scenarios. Also, poor integration of BIM tools could not support decisions related to the mitigation step. Hence, applying 6-dimensional BIM model shall enable developing mitigation measures and shall support design optimization during building operation and end of life phase. This novel approach presents the required level of verification and quality control procedure needed by decision-makers and environmental engineers to perform EIA studies and pave the way for further related research.Graphical

High-fidelity CFD simulations for the wake characteristics of the NTNU BT1 wind turbine

In this work, we present the results of the wake characteristics of a model-scale horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) obtained from high-fidelity CFD simulations. A thorough verification and validation (V&V) study is performed to quantify the numerical uncertainties in the CFD results. The RANS equations with the k−ω SST turbulence model are adopted in the present study. The geometry of the HAWT is fully resolved including the blades, hub, nacelle, and tower. The Moving-Grid-Formulation (MVG) approach with a sliding interface technique is leveraged to handle the relative motion between the rotating hub and turbine blades and the stationary tower and nacelle. First, to evaluate the spatial and temporal discretization uncertainties in the predicted wake characteristics, a simulation matrix consisting of three systematically refined grids coupled with three different time increments is established. In all the simulations, a tip speed ratio (TSR) of 6 and an inlet velocity of 10 m/s are specified. The numerical uncertainties for the predicted velocity and turbulent kinetic energy at different downstream locations are then obtained by applying a systematic verification procedure to the CFD results. Second, a validation study is carried out by comparing the CFD results against the experimental data. It is shown that the CFD predictions are in good agreement with the measurements. In addition, the details of the wind turbine wake are visualized and discussed. It is found that the tower wake is skewed by the rotating turbine blades. As the result, the wake profiles at downstream locations are asymmetric. Further, the tower wake is carried upwards by the rotating blade wakes, and thus the location of the asymmetry peak at different downstream distances is changing. We therefore confirm that the asymmetry of the wake profile is physical and it is not a measurement error in the experiment as suspected by other researchers in the previous studies. Finally, the interaction between the rotor wake and the tower wake is visualized and discussed. It is observed that due to the presence of the tower, the wake below the hub height is highly unsteady compared to the wake above the hub height. The results show that the methodologies adopted in this study are capable of accurately capturing the wake characteristics of the NTNU BT1 wind turbine.

Evaluating the strength of a beam-type electric switch mechanism housing

Aim. Choice of method and its validation for the purpose of confirming the feasibility of safe operation of a switch mechanism housing submitted to rolling stock axle loads of 30 tf. Method. As of today, there are neither regulations regarding the strength parameters of load-carrying elements of electric switch mechanisms, nor verification procedures. Given the above, when evaluating the strength of electric switch mechanism housing, the authors used the method used for the purpose of evaluating the strength of load-carrying elements of locomotives per GOST R 55513-2013. That method has a long history of application as part of calculation and testing of motive power and has shown good results. According to the method, strength is evaluated by comparing the safety factor of fatigue strength n with the allowed value for steel structures [n] = 2.0. Result. The activities resulted in the validation of the proposed method of strength estimation by the criterion of fatigue strength. The value of fatigue endurance of electric switch mechanism housing was estimated based on the results of fatigue benchmark tests of three items. Each was stressed by stepping up the amplitude of the applied force after the base number of cycles had been reached. At the first stage, the loading was equivalent to the operational value. After the base number of functions had been reached for each item, the following step was initiated. The tests continued until cracks have been found. In the process of testing, the amplitude of stress was recorded at each level of loading. For the purpose of identifying the fatigue strength characteristics, the reduced fatigue strength of the switch mechanism housing was calculated under the hypothesis of linear addition of fatigue damage subject to the condition of deterministic loading and subsequent processing of the findings using statistical methods. The value of fatigue limit has been obtained for the housing of a tie-type electric switch mechanism equal to 48.4 MPa. The safety factor of fatigue strength was found to be equal to 2.86, which is above the minimal allowed value. Conclusion. It has been shown that the housing of a tie-type electric switch mechanism has a sufficient strength as regards the operational static and dynamic loads. Its safe operation when exposed to axle loads of 30 tf has also been confirmed.

A New Concept of Duplicate Address Detection Processes in IPv6 Link-Local Network

The Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) enables nodes on the same IPv6 link to advertise their existence to their neighbors and learn about their neighbors’ existences in an IPv6 link-local network. Duplicate Address Detection (DAD) on NDP is used to determine whether or not an address requested by a node is already in use by another node. The Neighbor Solicitation (NS) and Neighbor Advertisement (NA) operations are associated to DAD checks in order to ensure that each interface within the transmission session is unique. Unfortunately, NS and NA operations have a significant disadvantage in that they are based on insecure architectures and lack verification procedures for determining whether incoming messages originate from a valid or illegitimate node. This will eventually allow any node in the same link to be manipulated during NS and NA message transmission sessions. Despite some attempts to secure the entire NDP operations, they still suffer from computing resources requirement for their operations. As a result, this study proposes an Initial Neighbor Inspection (INI) on DAD operation. The proposed techniques allow for an initial round of verification of the nodes on the same link before a broadcast request on the existence of neighbors, which is followed by another round of learning about neighbors’ existences. Conclusively, using this idea, as a simple verification will indicate the presence of neighbors, we may restrict solicitation and advertising to only those who are eligible. This means that the computational processing time for NS and NA on DAD operations would not rise.

Optimising Viscous Damper Placement in Frame Buildings with Element Exchange Method for Multiple Seismic Hazard Levels

ABSTRACT Viscous dampers enhance the seismic performance of buildings by increasing the capacity for energy dissipation, or damping. Many placement optimisation algorithms currently exist, though they often do not align with code-based verification procedures nor consider optimising performance at multiple seismic hazard levels, at serviceability and ultimate limits. This paper proposes new damper placement algorithms and compares them against eight existing methods on seismic performance at different hazard levels, design iterations required and total computation effort. The comparison is conducted by means of numerical case studies. All methods are applied to a ten-storey reinforced concrete (RC) moment resisting frame (MRF) building, initially meeting the design requirements of typical buildings in a moderate seismic zone in New Zealand. The result showed that the proposed methods and two existing methods can generate a solution that dominates solutions of other existing methods in at least one aspect (e.g. the objective at a hazard level or running time).

유치원교사의 교수창의성 및 놀이지원역량과 유아 또래놀이상호작용 간의 구조적 관계 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to select the teaching creativity of kindergarten teachers and the play support capacity of kindergarten teachers that affect children's peer play interaction, and to analyze the structural relationship between each variable. Methods For this purpose, 42 kindergarten teachers and 387 5-year-old children located in S special city, G province, G city, and S province were surveyed to measure the variables of kindergarten teachers related to the interaction of children with peer play, and the collected data was analyzed using PASW 24.0 and AMOS 24.0, and the effects of parameters were verified according to the bootstrap verification procedure. Results As a result of examining the structural relationship, first, there was a positive correlation between the kindergarten teachers' teaching creativity, play support ability, and children's peer play interaction. Second, the independent variable, the kindergarten teacher's teaching creativity, had a direct effect on the children's peer play interaction. For example, kindergarten teachers' play support ability showed an indirect effect on children's peer play interaction. In other words, it was confirmed that when the teaching creativity of kindergarten teachers increased, children's peer play interaction increased, but kindergarten teachers' play support ability also increased and, accordingly, children's peer play interaction also increased. Conclusions The influence on the increase or decrease of children's peer play interaction is also significant by the kindergarten teacher's teaching creativity, but it was found that the influence increased when the kindergarten teacher's play support ability was added to the kindergarten teacher's teaching creativity. This suggests that re-education of kindergarten teachers such as creative play support workshops is necessary to improve the quality of children's peer play interactions.

Robustness of a multi-isocenter VMAT Total Body Irradiation (TBI) dose distribution against daily patient setup errors

<h3>Objectives</h3> A VMAT technique using a rotatable tabletop for TBI in supine position is newly applied at UMC Utrecht. We aimed to assess the dose distribution robustness against daily isocenter shifts. <h3>Methods</h3> The tabletop enables rotation from head-first (HF) to feet-first (FF) supine position while the patient remains immobilized in an individualized whole-body vacuum matrass and a thermoplastic facemask. The treatment plan was optimized on the HF and FF CT-scans, co-registered on the overlapping anatomical region (20 cm longitudinal). Depending on patient-length, 4 to 6 isocenters with overlapping arcs (4 cm longitudinal) were used. Prescription dose (PD) was 12Gy in 6 fractions with mean dose constraints for lungs/kidneys <10Gy and lenses <8Gy. Daily patient-position verification procedure (PV) comprised: pelvic HF-iso3 (CBCT + online corrected); thoracic HF-iso2 (CBCT only, no correction); knee region FF-iso (CBCT + online corrected). Brain HF-iso1 and FF-iso4 or -iso5 (patient length dependent) not imaged. HF (FF) radiation delivery followed HF (FF)-PV. After each fraction, the dose distribution of the first 3 treated patients (length range 110-195 cm) was recalculated applying the registered isocenter corrections/shifts. Then, the 6-fraction rigidly accumulated dose distribution was compared to the original. <h3>Results</h3> The maximum shift for HF-iso2 was 0.4 cm lateral, 0.8 cm longitudinal and 0.9 vertical and for the knee region FF-iso 0.7 cm lateral, 0.4 cm longitudinal and 0.5 cm vertical over all patients/fractions. Over all patients, the differences in PTV volume receiving 80%, 90% and 120% PD between accumulated and original dose distribution were <1%, while a +3% V110% PD maximum difference was found. The maximum mean dose difference for lenses, lungs and kidneys between accumulated and original dose distributions was +1.0 Gy, +0.2 Gy and +0.6 Gy, respectively. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The dose distribution of the described VMAT technique for TBI, is proven to be robust against daily observed isocenter shifts.

Assuring Quality of Pedestrian Behavior Results Derived From Simulation Models Applied to Airport Terminals

Computer simulation is an important tool nowadays in the design and assessment of airport terminals and other transport hubs, reducing costs, speeding up decision-making, and bringing new perspectives on scenarios targeted on either legacy or disruptive technologies. Concepts such as agent-based modelling, floor field cellular automata and social force models support a range of software technologies available in easy-to-use packages, allowing complex pedestrian behavior to be modelled in a variety of situations. On the other hand, old challenges concerning model verification and validation can potentially hamper the benefits associated with pedestrian microsimulation, leading to untrustworthy results depicted through appealing screen animations. This research aims to deliver a systematization of verification and validation procedures in pedestrian simulation models applied to the airport terminal. Acknowledging that this research is not exhaustive, categories of tests are proposed, along with measures for their assessment. Regarding pedestrian traffic diagrams, solutions for data treatment are proposed and tested, including a novel approach to the delineation of the steady-state regime. The proposed methods were tested with experimental data and agent-based modelling simulation data, demonstrating the feasibility of the procedures, along with certain cautions on their usage.

Algorithm for the implementation of the HACCP system in the production of solodkovershkovo butter

In connection with the globalization of trade activities, the consumer can purchase any food products of different geographical origins regardless of the season, which, on the one hand, is a positive aspect and, on the other hand, complicates the process of ensuring food safety, increasing the probability of movement, delivery of batches of dangerous food products. The paper describes the theoretical foundations of the HACCP system implementation algorithm in butter production. The safety of food products requires the formation of a team of experts from various fields of science and the most excellent experience in the technological process. It is emphasized that the general description of the product, in addition to the technological process and requirements for the safety and quality of the final product, should include storage conditions of the final product, methods of consumption, methods of sale, and transportation conditions. The need to analyze sales markets, consumers, and demand for the final product is indicated. Based on this information, it is necessary to predict the possible use of the product by consumers. The block diagram of the production process was analyzed, which describes all the main stages of the production process. Emphasis is put on checking the flow chart for compliance with the existing production process. It is necessary to make a list of all potential hazards associated with each stage of work (from raw materials to the use of the product by the consumer) and assess their significance, that is, considering the probability of their occurrence and consequences for health. It was emphasized that the verification process is essential for ensuring the effective operation of the HACCP system and production in general. That is why it is necessary to verify all system elements, from hazard analysis, critical limits, and monitoring parameters to corrective actions and verification procedures. Sometimes, due to the complexity of the production process, it is easier to develop different HACCP plans, such as implemented CPC and measures developed for their management. In the case of implementing such a system development, it is essential to ensure proper communication between the various HACCP plans, which will ensure a regulated system. Keywords: algorithm, HACCP, quality, production, food products.

Dosimetric validation of a GPU-based dose engine for a fast in silico patient-specific quality assurance program in light ion beam therapy.

With rapid evolutions of fast and sophisticated calculation techniques and delivery technologies, clinics are almost facing a daily patient-specific (PS) plan adaptation, which would make a conventional experimental quality assurance (QA) workflow unlikely to be routinely feasible. Therefore, in silico approaches are foreseen by means of second-check independent dose calculation systems possibly handling machine log-files. To validate the in-house developed GPU-dose engine, FRoG, for light ion beam therapy (protons and carbon ions) as a second-check independent calculation system and to integrate machine log-file analysis into the patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) program. Spot sizes, depth-dose distributions, and absolute dose calibrations were configured into FRoG and a set of nine regular-shaped targets in combination with more than 170 clinical treatment fields were tested against pinpoint ionization chamber measurements. Both the treatment planning system DICOM RTplans and machine treatment log-files were used as input for the dose kernel in water, and a 3D local γ (1mm/2%) index was used as the main evaluation metric. Calculated configuration data matched experimental measurements with submillimetric agreement. For regular-shaped targets, the unsigned average relative difference between calculated and measured dose values was less than 2% for both protons and carbon ions. The mean γ passing rate (PR) was around 98% for both particle species. For clinical treatment beams, DICOM-based recalculations showed a γ-PR more than 99% for both particle species. The same level of agreement was preserved for protons when moving to log-file-based recalculations. A score of around 95% was registered for carbon ion beams, once excluding low-quality machine log-files. Unsigned average relative difference against acquired data was less than 2% also for real clinical beams. FRoG was proven as an accurate and reliable tool for PSQA in scanning light ion beam therapy. The proposed method allows for an extremely efficient workflow, without compromising the quality of the plan verification procedure.

Learning Leadership in the Implementation of Independent Learning in Effective Schools

The role of leadership has not been maximized by the majority of school principals, especially in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the principal's learning leadership role in the implementation of independent learning. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study design at one madrasah school. Interviews, observations, and documentation studies were used to collect the data. All data obtained were analyzed with theme analysis approach, including data reduction, presentation, and verification procedures. Test the validity of the data using the credibility of the data and confirmability of the data. The results showed that the principal has focused on learning leadership well and effectively. Efforts that the principal has made as the highest leader in the school and as a learning leader are actively and continuously accompanying, guiding, facilitating, and motivating teachers to organize quality learning and innovative learning through good and structured academic guidance, deepening the interests of the academic community planned and programmed, as well as intensive religious/pesantren development as a characteristic of Islamic boarding schools to produce superior graduates, have character, and are competitive following the school's vision and mission. Furthermore, this study also shows that selecting appropriate and effective leadership approaches and strategies in each madrasa program will result in maximum student academic achievement. Principals' current and updated approach to learning leadership can create effective schools by implementing independent learning programs.

Infinitely Growing Configurations in Emil Post’s Tag System Problem

Emil Post’s tag system problem posed the question of whether or not a tag system {N=3, P(0)=00, P(1)=1101} has a configuration, simulation of which will never halt or end up in a loop. Over the subsequent decades, there were several attempts to find an answer to this question, including a recent study, during which the first 2 84 initial configurations were checked. This paper presents a family of configurations of this type in the form of strings A n ⁢ B ⁢ C m that evolve to A n + 1 ⁢ B ⁢ C m + 1 after a finite number of steps. The proof of this behavior for all non-negative n and m is described later in this paper as a finite verification procedure, which is computationally bounded by 20000 iterations of tag.

Physics-Informed Neural Network Modeling of Li-Ion Batteries

Li-ion batteries (LIB) are a promising solution to enable the storage of intermittent energy sources due to their high energy density. However, LIBs are known to significantly degrade after about 1000 charge-discharge cycles. LIBs degrade following different degradation modes and at a rate that depends on the operating conditions (e.g., external temperature, load). To plan the installation of batteries, appropriate understanding and prediction capabilities of their lifecycle is needed. In particular, the LIB degradation model needs to be transferable to variable operating conditions throughout the LIB lifetime. To this end, degradation models of individual LIB battery properties are sought to allow for sufficient granularity in the degradation model.High-fidelity numerical models of LIBs such as the pseudo-two-dimensional (P2D) model have been shown to accurately represent the charge-discharge-cycle of an LIB if the physical parameters used in the model are accurately estimated. Given observations of battery charge-discharged cycles, the objective is to use the P2D model to infer the values of all the battery properties, throughout the battery life. To prevent overfitting and account for the sparse data availability, the overarching objective is to enable Bayesian calibration to solve the inverse problem. Given the number of physical parameters, and the number of cycles to simulate, adjusting parameters directly via P2D forward runs is computationally intractable.This work describes the development of a surrogate model that would replace numerical integration of the P2D equations to significantly reduce the cost of the forward runs. To capture parameter dependencies, a physics-informed neural network (PINN) is developed as a surrogate substitute for the P2D model. The inverse modeling approach is illustrated in the Figure (top). The PINN is advantageous as it needs little to no observational data, which avoids offsetting the reduced inference computational cost with an increased training data generation burden. However, PINNs are notoriously difficult to train in stiff dynamical systems such as the P2D equations. Here, we discuss the specific training procedure that is adopted to efficiently cover parameter space, handle model stiffness, enforce initial, boundary conditions, and treat variables of different magnitudes. Furthermore, a verification procedure akin to ones used in computational fluid dynamics is implemented to ensure that the right governing equations are implemented. An emphasis is placed on verifying the governing equation even in presence of numerical errors.The training procedure and loss convergence are described to highlight training instabilities encountered. In addition, the training cost is evaluated and put in perspective of the forward integration of the P2D equations. Through ablation studies, we discuss what model components are the most critical to appropriately capture P2D solutions.The trained PINN is validated against numerical solutions of the P2D model (sample results are shown in Figure, bottom). In particular, it is assessed whether the PINN can replicate numerical solutions for parameter values not represented in the training data which is key in ensuring that the surrogate can be used for parameter calibration. Figure 1

Development of a partitioned coupling method based on multi-scale data exchanges between porous and CFD solvers for a nuclear core

The objective is to perform multi-scale simulations of flows across a fuel rod bundle with coupling methods between a sub-channel code that takes advantage of the very general features and a CFD code representing the realistic three-dimensional features. Then, a supervisor code ICoCo is used to perform the coupling work based on a partitioned implicit domain decomposition technique. Two domains exchange thermal–hydraulics variables at the coupling interface with specific treatments (prolongation and restriction). When the flow is perpendicular to the coupling interface, non-intersecting domain decomposition approach is applied; otherwise, local domains should be partially overlapping. A verification procedure with increasing complexity is described, and related results employed CFD resolved simulations as references. The MANIVEL benchmark experiment has been chosen as the demonstrative case to validate developed methods by comparing velocity distributions and pressure variations.

‘Probability’ and ‘Possibility’ in Creative Language Use: on Impossible Possibility in German Texts

Being culture-dependent, stylistics involves choice of facts and of linguistic means for exposing events cohesively in narratives for coherent chains of arguments in discourses. Both factual accuracy and logical consistency rely on epistemic warrants especially when verification procedures are not directly available. Ascribing reliable sources to opinions makes the facts and arguments conveyed in narratives and in discourses more or less probable, especially if their guarantors’ reputation is high enough, cf. “Tell me who thinks so, and I’ll tell you if this view is probable”, or even “and I’ll tell you if you are right”. Acceptability and creativity of language use depend on subconscious statistics, with their scales and measures of possibility and probability: infrequent ways of informing are the best candidates for being considered creative. Lexical items ‘(im)possible’, ‘(im)probable’, ‘(in)feasible’, ‘can (not)’, ‘may (not)’, etc., with negative marks and without them, normally serve as truth-conditional “hedges” of judgments, as their weak epistemic warrants. Their use, too, may be more or less creative and depends on mental cultures in the framework of which narratives and discourses are produced and interpreted. This paper analyzes double hedge constructions in which a modal verb and an adverbial meaning ‘(im)possibly’ or ‘(im)probably’ are jointly used in sentences, e. g. ‘can possibly’ and ‘might probably’ in English. These constructions look strange or even ungrammatical in Russian, but they are not infrequent in German. In this research, being based on a large corpus of fictional and non-fictional German texts. It is shown that statistically, these double hedges are most frequently used for focusing on negative commitments, especially in sentences with ‘unmöglich können’ (“can impossibly”). At the same time, the frequency of ‘kann unwahrscheinlich’ (“can improbably”) is utterly low.

Hydrothermal features of the magnetite nanoparticles on natural convection flow through a square conduit by using the finite element method

Ferrofluids are made through the suspension of magnetic nanoparticles which are commonly used for the treatment of hyperthermia, malignant tumor treatment, magnetic cell separation, etc. These nanoparticles provide satisfactory results for the heat transport phenomena. Motivated by the applications of these nanoparticles, this study is performed for water-based nanofluid with a different type of magnetic nanoparticles for renewable energy and the development of the advanced cooling process of the radiator. Further, this study also talks about the impact of magnetized nanoparticles on natural convection flow occupied in a square cavity. The nanosized magnetic particles are mixed up in water to make a more convective flow. In this computational study, the momentum equation is updated with magnetohydrodynamics terms. The mathematical problem is achieved in the form of nonlinear complex partial differential equations which are simulated by using the renowned Galerkin finite element technique. The numerical code is validated with the previous study on the natural convection flow of viscous fluid in a square cavity and the verification procedure verified the good accuracy of the applied developed numerical code. The impact of the Hartmann number, Rayleigh number and the volume friction coefficient is discussed through contours and graphs. It is observed that nanofluids have more capacity to store energy as compared to regular fluids due to superior thermal transport properties. Moreover, the cobalt oxide (Co3[Formula: see text] nanoparticles provide a greater heat transfer rate due to greater thermal conductivity as compared to other nanoparticles cobalt ferrite (CoFe2[Formula: see text], magnetite (Fe3[Formula: see text] and manganese–zinc–ferrite (Mn–Zn–Fe2[Formula: see text]. The heat transfer rate is increased by 30% for cobalt oxide, 18% for magnetite, 15% for manganese–zinc–ferrite and 12% for cobalt ferrite, respectively. Hence, the cobalt oxide nanoparticles which have a greater heat transfer rate can contribute to solar energy engineering and the advanced cooling process of the radiator.

Trends, events and potential sources of Xe-detections in the German radioxenon network

The measurement of radioxenons (133Xe, 131mXe, 133mXe, 135Xe) in the atmosphere is a keystone for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). At the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) activity concentrations of radioactive noble gases at several sites in Germany have been measured for more than 5 decades, initially to monitor nuclear facilities and since the mid-1990s also to support the development of measurement and monitoring systems and procedures for verification of the CTBT. Average 133Xe activity concentration in air measured daily at station RN33 of the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the CTBTO on Mt Schauinsland has decreased since 2008. Due to the decreasing radioxenon background in the atmosphere, laboratory measurements with less sensitive proportional counters developed in-house are increasingly replaced by an isotope specific β-γ laboratory system for radioxenon analyses. Six years of radioxenon activity concentrations measured with the β-γ laboratory system in weekly samples from monitoring sites in Germany are presented. Activity concentrations of 133Xe in southern Germany are now typically below 1 mBq m−3 and have decreased by an order of magnitude in the past 25 years. Magnitude and variability of 133Xe activity concentrations are generally larger in northern and western Germany compared to the south, most likely due to the prevailing wind directions in the region. Selected, but typical, periods of elevated radioxenon levels at the stations are investigated and the value of stack emission data is demonstrated.

Direct Design of Stainless Steel Frames: Recommendations and Case Studies

AbstractAcknowledging the potential of system‐based design approaches, most international design standards for steel structures include preliminary versions of such alternative design methods. The Direct Design Method (DDM) is one of these approaches, which allows designing steel structures directly using advanced numerical analyses without requiring further member checks. This paper presents the DDM design (and verification) procedure and summarizes the key aspects of the advanced finite element model necessary for the determination of the system strength, with an emphasis on cold‐formed stainless steel portal frames. Through the design of two frames, the DDM design procedure is illustrated and the resulting cross‐sections are compared with those derived using the traditional two‐step design approach in the Eurocode and ASCE design frameworks. The results demonstrate that the DDM verification process is simpler and more direct, and that lighter structures are obtained when designing using the DDM for strength considerations. Finally, this paper also highlights that allowing larger deformations in the ultimate limit state design for the DDM does not have additional negative effects on the serviceability requirements if compared to the traditional two‐step design approach.

Handwritten Documents Validation using Pattern Recognition and Transfer Learning

Handwritten documents in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can come from different sources and usually have different designs, sizes, and subjects (i.e. bills, checks, invoices, etc.). Given these documents were filled manually, they have to be inspected to detect various kinds of issues (missing signature or stamp, missing name, etc.) before being saved in the ERP system or processed by an OCR engine. In this paper, the authors present a transfer learning approach to detect issues in scanned handwritten documents, using an award-winning deep convolutional neural network (InceptionV3) and different machine learning algorithms such as Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Naive Bayes (NB). The experiment shows that the combination of InceptionV3 and LR got an accuracy of 91.8% for missing stamp detection. This can allow using this approach in an ERP system as an automatic verification procedure in a document processing flow.

Issues of Transition from FSBU to IFRS: Current Assets

In order to interact with foreign partner organizations, Russian companies are supposed to submit reports in accordance with international financial reporting standards. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the Russian accounting standards and international financial reporting standards are significantly different in their application in accounting. The article identifies main features and problems of business transition from the FSBU to IFRS. A comparative analysis of current assets such as stocks, receivables, financial investments, cash, was conducted. Problems and ways of their elimination were pointed out. The advantages of transition to IFRS were defined. Reporting information compiled in accordance with international financial reporting standards is more transparent, complete and detailed compared to the Russian accounting standards. When processing reports, a lot of complex calculations take place, and a large amount of information is analyzed in a fairly short time, thus, the probability of making an error is very high. Therefore, it is rational to carry out a set of verification procedures in order to provide reliable data in the statements made in accordance with international financial reporting standards. In the process of the control procedure, it is necessary to assess whether adjustments in the company's reporting have been correctly applied and check estimated accuracy of the calculations performed.