Fractionally differenced models for water quality time series

This paper deals with the selection and evaluation of statistical techniques for use in the modeling and forecasting of water quality time series. The focus is on statistical concepts relevant to the analysis of flows and concentrations. A selection of time series procedures has been used for auditing water quality archival data, including the screening of data sets, correlation and spectrum calculations, and iterative model fitting. A summary is provided of experience with analyzing archival data on the Niagara River and the use of a fractionally differenced model.This paper is the result of a study performed for the International Joint Commission, United States and Canada. The authors gratefully acknowledge the direction and support provided by Dr. Joel L. Fisher.     

基于多通道盲识别的自适应光学图像事后处理

为实时恢复天文或空间目标的湍流退化成像,提出一种适应大气湍流动态变化的多通道自适应光学图像恢复方法.以自适应光学校正后不同时刻的目标成像作为多个通道,建立求解系统点扩散函数的线性方程,根据解出的点扩散函数利用超拉普拉斯算法,求解待观测目标的估计值.结果表明:不同时刻的点扩散函数之间存在互质关系,满足多通道盲识别的理论要求.利用建立的线性方程求解出的点扩散函数与原点扩散函数的均方误差在10^-30~10^-27量级,采用超拉普拉斯算法恢复出的目标成像与原始目标之间的均方误差在10^-5~10^-4量级.本文研究为湍流退化图像的实时恢复提供了理论基础.     

Storage effects on the quality quartet of orange juice submitted to moderate thermosonication: Predictive modeling and odor fingerprinting approach

The effects of moderate thermosonication (MTS) on the quality quartet: physico-chemical, microbial, nutritional and sensory qualities of orange juice (OJ) inoculated with Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris (AAT) were studied during 24 days of storage at ambient and refrigerated temperatures. The bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of OJ decreased with storage, while the pectin methyl esterase (PME) increased. Nonetheless, noticeable changes were observed from the 12th day of storage. There was no obvious (p > 0.05) variation in pH and total soluble solids. To determine the nutritional and microbial quality characteristics of OJ during storage, non-linear kinetic curves were successfully fitted with least square fitting polynomial and four-parameter log-logistic distribution models. The E-nose sensors succeeded in discriminating between the aroma of non-treated and treated OJ based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Furthermore, terpenes, alcohol and partially aromatic compounds were the main spoilage indicators of OJ during storage based on E-nose analysis and confirmed by HS-SPME-GC/MS analysis. Thus, MTS significantly extended the shelf life of the quality quartet of natural OJ at 4 °C. E-nose-GC/MS fusion offered odor fingerprints to AAT microorganisms that can be used as spoilage index without using traditional food analysis techniques. The proposed approach can be used as an alternative tool for rapid detection of spoilage microorganisms in OJ.     

Effects of modulation phase of ultrasound-modulated light on the ultrasound-modulated optical image in turbid media

In this paper, our investigations suggest that the modulation phase of ultrasound-modulated light escaping from the different locations in the ultrasonic field is different. In turbid media, the modulation phase causes the ultrasound-modulated light intensity collected outside the media to fluctuate. However, the ultrasound-modulated optical technology uses the ultrasound-modulated light signals to image. Consequently, the modulation phase affects the quality of ultrasound-modulated optical imaging.     

Evaluating the Influence of Warmup on Singing Voice Quality Using Acoustic Measures

Vocal warmup is generally accepted as vital for singing performance. However, only a limited number of studies have evaluated this effect quantitatively. In this study, we evaluated the effect of vocal warmup on voice production, among young female singers, using a set of acoustic parameters. Warmup reduced frequency-perturbation (p < 0.001) and amplitude-perturbation values (p < 0.05). In addition, warmup increased singer's formant amplitude (p < 0.05) and improved noise-to-harmonic ratio (p < 0.05). Tone-matching accuracy, however, was not affected by warmup. The effect of vocal warmup on frequency-perturbation parameters was more evident among mezzo-soprano singers than it was among soprano singers. It was also more evident in the low pitch-range than in the higher pitch-ranges (p < 0.05). The results of this study provide valid support for the advantageous effect of vocal warmup on voice quality and present acoustic analysis as a valuable and sensitive tool for quantifying this effect.     

Applicability of Spectroscopic Methods to the Determination of Aluminium in Biological Samples

A comparative investigation was carried out of the suitability of atomic absorption spectrometry and of emission spectrography with hollow cathode and arc excitation sources for determination of aluminium in biological samples. The three methods give reliable results. Hollow cathode emission spectrography was found to be influenced to a lesser extent by matrix effects than the other two techniques. On the other hand atomic absorption spectrometry presents some remarkable advantages insofar rapidity of analysis and detection limits are concerned.     

Sound radiation and sound quality characteristics of refrigerator noise in real living environments

The characteristics of various types of refrigerator noise were investigated in an anechoic chamber and in a real living environment - a 100 m² apartment which is a common size in Korea. It was found that the sound pressure level of the refrigerator noise in the real living room was about 10 dB higher than the level in the anechoic chamber at the same position (1 m in front of refrigerator). In addition, a tolerance level for refrigerator noise was determined by subjective evaluation experiments. Refrigerator noise was presented by a loudspeaker placed in the kitchen where the refrigerator is normally located. Level 2 responses to the subjective evaluation (“hardly perceivable”) corresponded to a sound pressure level of about 26 dB(A), for which 90% of participants were satisfied with the level of refrigerator noise. A semantic differential test using various adjectives was also conducted to evaluate the sound quality of refrigerator noise. With the semantic differential and the factor analysis, adjectives used in this experiment were grouped into three factors. From the results of correlation and multiple regression analyses on the psychoacoustical parameters and subjective evaluations of 30 kinds of refrigerators, sound quality index which predict the subjective rating score were proposed.     

TERAHERTZ QUALITY CONTROL OF POLYMERIC PRODUCTS

We report on experiments that evaluate the potential of terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) for quality control of polymeric compounds. We investigate specimens out of a polyethylene compound with silver-coated titanium dioxide nanospheres and a glass-fiber reinforced epoxy composite. We further examine an industrial polymer product produced by injection molding. Our data demonstrates that THz imaging is a powerful tool for contactless quality control in the polymer industry.     

Behavior of a PZT ring under non-uniform mechanical stress

Ring-shaped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric vibrators were subjected to non-uniform mechanical stress applied by bolt clamping. The effect of mechanical stress on the effective electromechanical coupling factor (k_eff) and mechanical quality factor (Q_m) of the thickness and wall thickness modes was studied by an equivalent electric circuit analysis. The initiation and propagation of cracks under mechanical stress were also discussed based on the resonance method and the indentation technique. k_eff for both the thickness and wall thickness modes decreased with increase in mechanical stress due to de-poling of the PZT. Q_m of the thickness mode dropped sharply with increase in mechanical stress while Q_m of the wall thickness mode remained almost unchange. Existence of microcracks in a PZT vibrator can be detected by the occurrence of spurious vibrations at the wall thickness mode in the electrical impedance vs. frequency spectra.