Rapid simultaneous determination of multiple pesticide residues in traditional Chinese medicines using programmed temperature vaporizer injection-fast gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

A fast gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using large volume injection with programmed temperature vaporizer in solvent vent mode (PTV-LVI-SV) was developed for the trace determination of multiple pesticide residues in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Experimental conditions of PTV-LVI-SV injection were optimized by central composite design. The optimized result was that initial temperature was held at 40°C for 39 s, vent flow rate was set at 45 mL/min and vent pressure was held at 0 psi for 36 s, injection volume was 10 μL. Furthermore, the quick and effective QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method was performed to extract and purify pesticide residues in TCMs. The prepared samples were analyzed with GC-MS in the selected ion monitoring mode (SIM). The lowest LOD was 4 μg/kg for some pesticides. The recoveries were checked by spiking samples with pesticides at 25, 50 and 250 μg/kg. The average recoveries of most pesticides were from 80 to 118%. The result indicated that QuEChERS and PTV-LVI-SV GC-MS method was a rapid and sensitive analysis technique for the determination of multiple pesticide residues in TCMs.     

Conformal upper bounds for the eigenvalues of the Laplacian and Steklov problem

In this paper, we find upper bounds for the eigenvalues of the Laplacian in the conformal class of a compact Riemannian manifold (M,g). These upper bounds depend only on the dimension and a conformal invariant that we call “min-conformal volume”. Asymptotically, these bounds are consistent with the Weyl law and improve previous results by Korevaar and Yang and Yau. The proof relies on the construction of a suitable family of disjoint domains providing supports for a family of test functions. This method is interesting for itself and powerful. As a further application of the method we obtain an upper bound for the eigenvalues of the Steklov problem in a domain with C¹ boundary in a complete Riemannian manifold in terms of the isoperimetric ratio of the domain and the conformal invariant that we introduce.     

Finite volume method for solving a one-dimensional parabolic inverse problem

In this paper, finite volume method is used to solve a one-dimensional parabolic inverse problem with source term and Neumann boundary conditions for the first time. Some advantages of this approach are developing difference schemes and maintaining certain properties of the physics of the problems, especially for the treatment of the source term and the unknown boundary conditions. Numerical results show that our method is more effective.     

Design of controller for Lur’e systems guaranteeing dichotomy

In this paper, the problem of controller design for Lur’e systems guaranteeing dichotomy is investigated. On the basis of Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov (KYP) lemma and two frequency equalities, a new methodology for the dichotomy analysis of the Lur’e systems is proposed. A linear matrix inequality (LMI) based criterion is derived, which is equivalent to the Leonov’s frequency-domain one, while for the dichotomy analysis and synthesis which is more straightforward than the frequency-domain one. In virtue of this result, a dynamic output feedback controller ensuring the dichotomy property for Lur’e systems is designed. Finally a numerical example is included to demonstrate the validity and the applicability of the proposed approach.     

Minimizing weighted mean absolute deviation of job completion times from their weighted mean

We address a single-machine scheduling problem where the objective is to minimize the weighted mean absolute deviation of job completion times from their weighted mean. This problem and its precursors aim to achieve the maximum admissible level of service equity. It has been shown earlier that the unweighted version of this problem is NP-hard in the ordinary sense. For that version, a pseudo-polynomial time dynamic program and a 2-approximate algorithm are available. However, not much (except for an important solution property) exists for the weighted version. In this paper, we establish the relationship between the optimal solution to the weighted problem and a related one in which the deviations are measured from the weighted median (rather than the mean) of the job completion times; this generalizes the 2-approximation result mentioned above. We proceed to give a pseudo-polynomial time dynamic program, establishing the ordinary NP-hardness of the problem in general. We then present a fully-polynomial time approximation scheme as well. Finally, we report the findings from a limited computational study on the heuristic solution of the general problem. Our results specialize easily to the unweighted case; they also lead to an approximation of the set of schedules that are efficient with respect to both the weighted mean absolute deviation and the weighted mean completion time.     

The skim of balance theory of 3D garment simulation

The balance theory of 3D garment simulation tries to integrally study the complex system of human body-fabric-environment. The theory includes the geometrical balance, dynamic balance, pressure balance, and heat and moisture transfer balance. In this paper, the ICAD-balance equations are established based on the framework of balance theory and the heat and moisture transfer model of garment. A finite volume method is employed to solve the equations. Experiment results show that ICAD-balance equations can excellently simulate real situation. Therefore, our balance theory provides a good tool for customized clothing design, electronic mirror for clothing-test-platform, and comfortable clothing evaluation research.     

Stock repurchase with an adaptive reservation price: A study of the greedy policy

We consider the problem of stock repurchase over a finite time horizon. We assume that a firm has a reservation price for the stock, which is the highest price that the firm is willing to pay to repurchase its own stock. We characterize the optimal policy for the trader to maximize the total number of shares that they can buy over a fixed time horizon. In particular, we study a greedy policy, which involves in each period buying a quantity that drives stock price to the reservation price.     

Dynamic extension problems concerning asymmetrical mode III crack

By application of the method of complex variable function, dynamic extension problems on the surfaces of asymmetrical mode III crack subjected to shear loads were researched. Universal expressions of analytical solutions were attained by the approaches of self-similar functions. The problems considered can be facilely transformed into Riemann–Hilbert problems in terms of this technique, and analytical solutions of the stress, the displacement and dynamic stress intensity factor under the actions of unlike loads P and Pt located at the origin of the coordinates respectively, were acquired. In the light of corresponding material properties, the variable rule of dynamic stress intensity factor was depicted very well. By those solutions gained and superposition principle, the solutions of discretionarily intricate problems can be obtained.     

Simulation metamodeling with dynamic Bayesian networks

This paper presents a novel approach to simulation metamodeling using dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) in the context of discrete event simulation. A DBN is a probabilistic model that represents the joint distribution of a sequence of random variables and enables the efficient calculation of their marginal and conditional distributions. In this paper, the construction of a DBN based on simulation data and its utilization in simulation analyses are presented. The DBN metamodel allows the study of the time evolution of simulation by tracking the probability distribution of the simulation state over the duration of the simulation. This feature is unprecedented among existing simulation metamodels. The DBN metamodel also enables effective what-if analysis which reveals the conditional evolution of the simulation. In such an analysis, the simulation state at a given time is fixed and the probability distributions representing the state at other time instants are updated. Simulation parameters can be included in the DBN metamodel as external random variables. Then, the DBN offers a way to study the effects of parameter values and their uncertainty on the evolution of the simulation. The accuracy of the analyses allowed by DBNs is studied by constructing appropriate confidence intervals. These analyses could be conducted based on raw simulation data but the use of DBNs reduces the duration of repetitive analyses and is expedited by available Bayesian network software. The construction and analysis capabilities of DBN metamodels are illustrated with two example simulation studies.