Simulation of reductive dechlorination processes in a lab-scale anaerobic biobarrier with enriched TCP dechlorinating consortium

In order to design and predict the dechlorination processes for remediating the halogenated aromatic compounds in the biobarrier system applied in situ,an anaerobic continuous-flow column was set up with the introduction of an enriched 2,4,6-trichlorophenol(TCP) reductive dechlorinating consortium.The fates of TCP and its metabolites were simulated according to the first-order sequential dechlorination kinetic model.The enriched TCP anaerobic dechlorinating consortium dechlorinated 100 μmol/L TCP to 4-chlorophenol(4-CP) via 2,4-dichlorophenol(DCP) in 10 d.The consortium was predominated with the phylum of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes,based on the PCRdenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) analysis.After the consortium was applied to the column,the experimental data in the steady state were fitted by the least square method,and the first-order dechlorination kinetic constants from TCP to 2,4-DCP,from 2,4-DCP to 4-CP and from 4-CP to phenol,were 1.58 d-1,2.23 d-1 and 0.206 d-1,respectively.According to the fitting results,the required biobarrier width for the complete remediation of TCP,2,4DCP and 4-CP were 126 cm,130 cm and 689 cm,respectively.The dechlorination/degradation of 4-CP must be increased when the technology is applied to the real site.     

Path tracking control of autonomous agricultural mobile robots

In a tractor automatic navigation system, path planning plays a significant role in improving operation efficiency. This study aims to create a suboptimal reference course for headland turning of a robot tractor and design a path-tracking controller to guide the robot tractor along the reference course. A time-minimum suboptimal control method was used to generate the reference turning course based on the mechanical parameters of the test tractor. A path-tracking controller consisting of both feedforward and feedback component elements was also proposed. The feedforward component was directly determined by the desired steering angle of the current navigation point on the reference course, whereas the feedback component was derived from the designed optimal controller. Computer simulation and field tests were performed to validate the path-tracking performance. Field test results indicated that the robot tractor followed the reference courses precisely on flat meadow, with average and standard lateral devia- tions being 0.031 m and 0.086 m, respectively. However, the tracking error increased while operating on sloping meadow due to the employed vehicle kinematic model.     

Contrasting experiences in Japanese returnee adjustment: Those who adjust easily and those who do not

This study examined how returnees who experienced more adjustment difficulties (Bumpies) differed from those who experienced fewer (Smoothies). Three open-ended items from 512 returnees¹ were analyzed. Ward et al.’s [Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock. East Sussex: Routledge] adjustment model was used as the theoretical framework for this study.Prior to examining the open-ended items, preliminary analyses were conducted to confirm that these two groups, in fact, differed from each other in their returnee experience. Results suggested that one function, which we named “Lack of Acceptance,” differentiated the two groups; Smoothies felt more accepted by others compared to Bumpies.In the next stage, the open-ended questions related to the items that loaded significantly on the function identified by the discriminant analysis were coded and analyzed. Results suggested that the two groups’ experiences were similar in some respects (e.g., being stereotyped as a returnee, language-related problems) and different in others (e.g., Smoothies felt more accepted by others compared to Bumpies, Bumpies reported more incidents of discrimination and bullying). Results underscored Ward et al.’s [Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock. East Sussex: Routledge] assertion that adjustment is a result of a two-way interaction between individual and societal variables.     

Three-dimensional CoM energetics,pelvis and lower limbs joint kinematics of uphill treadmill running at high speed

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of slope on three-dimensional running kinematics at high speed. Thirteen male sprinters ran at high speed (7.5 m/s) on a motorised treadmill in each a level and a 5.0% slope condition. Three-dimensional motion analysis was conducted to compare centre of mass (CoM) energetics, pelvis segment and lower limb joints kinematics. We found that contact time was not affected by the slope, whereas flight time and step length were significantly shorter in uphill compared to level running. Uphill running reduced negative CoM work and increased positive CoM work compared to level running. Ankle, knee and hip joints were more flexed at initial ground contact, but only the knee was more extended at the end of stance in uphill compared to level running. Additionally, the hip joint was more abducted, and the free leg side of the pelvis was more elevated at the end of stance in uphill running. Our results demonstrate that joint motion must be developed from a more flexed/adducted position at initial contact through a greater range of motion compared to level running in order to meet the greater positive CoM work requirements in uphill running at high speed.     

A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Foreign‐Language Vocabulary Learning Enhanced by Phonological Rehearsal: The Role of the Right Cerebellum and Left Fusiform Gyrus

Psychological research suggests that foreign‐language vocabulary acquisition recruits the phonological loop for verbal working memory. To depict the neural underpinnings and shed light on the process of foreign language learning, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging of Japanese participants without previous exposure to the Uzbek language using learning of novel Uzbek words. During encoding, spoken Uzbek words and corresponding visual objects were shown, and subjects either overtly repeated the words (phonological rehearsal) or overtly rehearsed numbers (phonological suppression). Phonological rehearsal improved the encoding performance. A learning‐related decrease in rehearsal‐specific activation was found in the left fusiform gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, and right cerebellum. Recollection of the phonologically rehearsed words activated the right cerebellum and left fusiform gyrus more prominently than recollection of the phonologically suppressed words in a performance‐dependent manner. The phonological loop might provide the temporal and fragile registration of the articulatory pattern that is converted into a more durable form in the right cerebellum, which is in turn integrated with the object information in the fusiform gyrus.     

Known and novel noun extensions: attention at two levels of abstraction

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that names direct attention at two levels of abstraction: Known names direct attention to the properties most relevant to the specific category; novel names direct attention to the shape, the property most generally relevant across known object names. English-speaking and Japanese-speaking 3-year-olds were shown a novel object that was named with (a) known nouns referring to things similar in shape or similar in material and color, and (b) novel nouns. Given known nouns, children attended to shape when the name referred to a category organized by shape, but they did not when the name referred to a category organized by other properties. Children generalized novel names by shape. The results are discussed within the debate between shape-based and taxonomic categories.     

基于概念相关性度量的语义Web服务匹配：模型及匹配器原型

针对当前主流语义Web服务匹配方法过分强调服务请求与服务广告的精确匹配从而导致用户在实际中难以获得真正所需要的Web服务、或在服务自动发现与集成任务中计算负荷过大的问题,本文把基于本体的概念语义相关性度量模型引入Web服务匹配,提出一个新的更"轻便"的语义Web服务匹配模型.该模型使用一系列概念组分别描述服务的服务类别、输入、输出、前提、效果等诸方面的语义信息,在此基础上通过基于本体的概念组之间的相关性度量模型分别评价服务请求与服务描述在这些方面的语义匹配度.总体语义匹配度被定义为输入、输出、前提、效果方面的语义匹配度的加权和.基于这一匹配模型,本文进而研究了相应的服务匹配器原型.初步的数据试验表明,本文所提模型能较好地适应用户需求表述的模糊性,从而提高服务匹配的召回率;从计算复杂性看,本文所提模型也优于基于严格逻辑推理的语义Web服务匹配模型.     

Optimal flight technique for V-style ski jumping

This paper describes the results of a numerical study to determine the optimal flight technique for V-style ski jumping. We attempt to answer the question of how a jumper should fly in order to increase their flight distance in a V-style posture. The index of performance in this optimization study is the horizontal flight distance, which is mathematically equivalent to the total flight distance, and the control parameters are the ski-operning angle and the angle of forward lean that the jumper employs (the body-ski angle). The flight trajectory is simulated on the basis of an aerodynamic database constructed from wind tunnel test data. It is found that the ski-opening angle should be increased in the first half of the flight, and then maintained at a constant value during the rest of the jump. Optimal control of the ski-opening angle when there is either a headwind or tailwind is also discussed. It is found that the jumper needs to control the skiopening angle over a wider range in the case of a headwind than in the case of a tailwind. The jumper's skill in controlling the ski-opening angle is very important for increasing the flight distance, especially in the case of a tailwind.     

Development of a dialogue-based guidance system for narrow area navigation

In this paper, we propose a dialogue-based navigation system for narrow areas (e.g., buildings, etc.). In particular, we develop Campus Navigation Partner System (CNPS), intended for the use by freshmen (first-year students) who are likely to get lost in the new environment on the university campus (with the campus of Kitami Institute of Technology set as the experimental environment). The CNPS operates on a smartphone and has the functions of facility navigation and indoor information presentation. Indoor environment navigation is typically a problematic task because GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals cannot be received with sufficient accuracy within concrete walls. Therefore, we utilized natural language dialogue as a navigation method that guides the users within the facility using navigation messages and images. To investigate the effectiveness of the constructed system, we conducted practical experiments with freshmen and senior students of the university and evaluated the performance of the navigation functionality. Moreover, we investigated the general impressions of the system which we evaluated separately with both freshmen and senior students to clarify the differences in evaluation viewpoints between freshmen and users experienced in the campus environment (graduate students, etc.).     

针对科研合作网络演化建模的基于Agent实验平台原型

科研合作网络是近年来复杂网络研究的热点问题之一,但当前关于科研合作网络动态演化问题的研究还很不充分,特别是把网络演化和网络中知识创造与传播问题结合起来的研究还鲜见报道.本文在分析Guimera等人提出的一个基于团队组合的科研合作网络演化模型的基础上,提出一个综合网络演化和网络中知识传播的动态网络建模框架暨元模型.进而,以所提出的元模型为依托,开发了一个计算机仿真实验平台原型,以辅助采用基于Agent建模范式的科研合作网络演化和知识传播研究.通过若干建模试验,初步验证了所提出的元模型和相应的实验平台原型的有效性.