Search

In a transdisciplinary project with the Municipality of Trelew (Argentina), we assessed barriers to households disposing of separated waste, developed supportive behavioral interventions, tested the interventions in a randomized controlled trial, and supported the Municipality in upscaling the most successful and cost-effective intervention to a total of 20,000 households. The interventions were designed to address the three main barriers to waste separation detected through a baseline study: a lack of knowledge on how separation works; the additional hassle it represents; and the self-regulation challenge it poses. The interventions consisted of envelopes containing simplifying information, empathetic messages, a magnetic calendar acting as a reminder, or a combination thereof. The interventions roughly halved the prevalence of bags containing unusable mixed waste two weeks after the intervention. This impact was still present after six months. We did not find evidence for an additional effect of empathetic messages or the reminder. Based on these results, the simplified information intervention was rolled out. The results provide evidence of the high potential of using the full range of behavioral methods to increase sustainable behaviors, particularly in the context of limited options to adapt the waste management system as such.

The Grid-Characteristic numerical Method (GCM) that is quite common in solving aero and hydrodynamic problems can also be applied for mechanics of solids. It allows to implement complex border and contact conditions, including the non-reflecting border and the destructible contact. Both this conditions are very important for the precise and effective modeling of Low-Velocity Impacts (LVI) on fiber and Fiber-Metal Laminates (FML) and the resulting Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) that influences the residual strength of a composite aircraft part. BVID is the type of damage that is not visible by the naked eye and can be hardly detected by a standard ultrasound equipment that is used for regular maintenance. It can appear during any weak impacts like bird strike or hail. Determining its influence on the residual strength of the part is very important to define the priorities of development of ultrasound diagnostics. In this paper, the GCM was applied for a full cycle of loading of an FML aircraft cover part. The FML consisted of a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and a single titanium layer on the upper surface. The cycle of loading in a single calculation consisted of an LVI caused by a small striker and a comparatively slow compressive in-plane loading. Three-dimensional patterns of velocity and stress distributions over the time of calculation are given. Destruction patterns, obtained via the Hashin failure criterion are given and analyzed.

The work presents the algorithms for managing and organization of scientific activity as services in hybrid computing environments of digital platforms. They expand the management algorithms for the deterministic research services of a digital platform. Their joint use allows, within the framework of a single information and computing space of a digital platform, to carry out a full cycle of management of scientific research processes, including cooperative research using digital economy tools, and to ensure the provision of scientific infrastructure resources to a wide range of consumers.

In an acetylene hydrogenation reactor, the slowly falling catalyst activity affects ethylene plant performance in an operating cycle. To maximize the integral economic benefit in a regeneration cycle or achieve the longest regeneration cycle, the full cycle operation optimisation must be a long time-scale dynamic optimisation for which the method of control vector parameterization is adopted. Because of various uncertain disturbances, some distances must be reserved for process constraints and the desired effect of full cycle optimisation is hardly fully achieved. Thus, based on the strictly slowly-time-varying catalyst deactivation model, the operation margin consumption is estimated. Furthermore, a modified full cycle operation optimisation strategy is presented which takes the operation margin consumption as additional constraints. To obtain the maximum integral economic benefit or the longest regeneration cycle, we present a realizable full cycle optimized operation plan that considers the sufficient operation space reserved for uncertain disturbances.

The China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a superconducting magnet tokamak, and one mission is to demonstrate a full cycle of self-sustaining tritium. In this study, in order to validate the electromagnetic (EM) load distribution on the helium-cooled ceramic breeder (HCCB) blanket, a three-dimensional model of the CFETR sector was developed in the finite element software ANSYS. The system was analyzed considering a plasma major disruption scenario with an exponent current quench of 36 ms. The EM forces and the moment distribution on the blanket module as well as on the segment were calculated. Then, the EM loads were used as the input for the structural analysis of the HCCB blanket. Moreover, the results were compared to those of linear analyses to underline the effect of the non-linearity of the ferromagnetic materials on the EM load distribution of the HCCB blanket. These results indicated that the maximum equivalent stress and displacement satisfied the requirements of structural safety design. With respect to the design and optimization of CFETR, this investigation will provide technical reference and data support for the future design and optimization of the HCCB blanket.

This paper presents an efficient method for constructing 2 2 n − 2 cyclic different de Bruijn sequences of order 2 n from the feedback function of a de Bruijn sequence of order n . This is done by extending an n -stage nonlinear feedback shift register (NFSR) to a 2 n -stage NFSR, and then recursively joining all cycles of the 2 n -stage NFSR to form a full cycle.

This paper introduces a new approach for the design of planar six-bar mechanisms for the purpose of function generation. The structural error is formulated using the input-output relationship of such a mechanism. In addition to the conventional structural error, its derivative is minimised via numerical optimisation, leading to the novel concept of dual-order structural error , which lends itself naturally to a multi-objective formulation of the design problem. Furthermore, analytical conditions for the mobility of the mechanism are derived for two cases: mobility for the full cycle of the crank, and for any given subset of it, along with the identification of the kinematic branches. These conditions help confine the numerical search for the optimal designs to the feasible regions of the design space, leading to a very efficient computational scheme. The results obtained are better in accuracy as compared to the reported results in existing literature. The formulation and results are demonstrated in the context of the Watt-II and the Stephenson-III mechanisms.

Two-phase expansion devices are a practicable solution for improving the energy efficiency of heat pumps. The study of the fluid behavior in such machines has not yet been investigated in detail. In the present study, a radial piston expander was used in a heat pump operating with R134a in place of the throttling valve. Special attention was paid to investigate both numerically and experimentally the behavior of the fluid inside a cylinder within a full cycle of the engine, at different inlet thermodynamic conditions and rotational speeds. The measured indicated cycles were compared with those predicted by a quasi-steady model and a rather large difference between them was noticed. Therefore, a non-isentropic model to predict the in-cylinder pressure trend during the expansion phase at closed valves, developed on the basis of a model proposed for water at atmospheric conditions, was applied. The results achieved with the improved non isentropic model showed a significantly higher accuracy in predicting the experimental results along the expansion phase at closed valves, thus filling the gap registered with the full isentropic models, which lack in this part of the cycle.

The nuclear power plant is highly knowledge-intensive facility. With the rapid advent and development of modern information and communication technology, knowledge management in nuclear industry has been provided with new approaches and possibilities. This paper introduces a full cycle nuclear power plant knowledge management framework based on digital system and tries to find solutions to knowledge creation, sharing, transfer, application and further innovation in nuclear industry. This framework utilizes information and digital technology to build top-tier object driven work environment, automatic design and analysis integration platform, digital dynamic performance Verification & Validation (V&V) platform, collaborative manufacture procedure, digital construction platform, online monitoring and configuration management which benefit knowledge management in NPP full life cycle. The suggested framework will strengthen the design basis of the nuclear power plants (NPPs) and will ensure the safety of the NPP design throughout the whole lifetime of the plant.

Multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination system always faces the inevitable fouling problem, which leads to a decrease in fresh water production and restricts its long-term efficient operation. This study focuses on improving the system's operation benefits in the full cycle. Firstly, an asymptotic model for fouling accumulation is added to a MED-TVC model, which takes into account the influence of operating conditions on the fouling rate. Subsequently, the impact of fouling accumulation on the operating state of the system is analyzed in the whole cycle, indicating the decrease of operating benefits. Finally, the full cycle operation optimization method is applied for the purpose of reducing motive steam consumption as well as meeting fresh water demand using control vector parameterization strategy. The result shows a significant reduction in motive steam consumption while maintaining fresh water production capacity, which confirms that full cycle optimization has a considerable effect on dealing with fouling problem in MED desalination systems.

Regarding the supply of primary control reserve (PCR), stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a promising alternative to fossil fuel power plants. They offer the ability to respond fast and precisely to grid frequency deviations and may contribute to reducing the must-run capacity of fossil fueled power plants. In Germany, primary control reserve is traded on a separate auction market with specific regulations, which enable the BESS to use a number of measures to balance its charge level and preserve operability. However, little is known about how the requirements from primary control deployment and the measures to keep the BESS operational during PCR contract periods affect operational parameters of the system. This study investigates the impact of operation strategies on different parameters including energy exchange through schedule transactions, total energy turnover, full cycle equivalents (FCE), and state-of-charge (SOC) distributions in a case study for a 2 MWh BESS under the German regulatory framework. The results of this study are key to the economic assessment of BESS providing PCR, to an optimization of BESS operation, and to an estimate of battery aging in this specific application field. Based on battery operation simulations, individual elements of operation strategies are identified and their influence on BESS operational parameters is analyzed in a parameter variation. These elements include the chosen measures for charge level management, the SOC ranges, within which these measures are used, parameters defining the schedule transactions, and the prequalified power rating of the BESS. The results show that the choice of the measures for charge level management, the choice of schedule transaction parameters and the prequalified power rating of the BESS have a major impact on energy exchange through schedule transactions. The choice of the measures for charge level management and the choice of schedule transaction parameters have limited influence on the total energy turnover and the resulting number of FCE. These values are mainly influenced by the system design.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in modern industrial products, and their thermal safety has become an emerging concern. In this paper, an electrochemical-thermal coupling model has been established to simulate the electrochemical reaction and heat transfer. A series of charge–discharge and pulse tests for three types of batteries (14650, 18650, and 26650) with varied geometry sizes are designed to verify the rationality and consistency of the model. The simulation shows that the temperature of the tested battery rises sharply during the discharge process, then peaks at the end of the discharge, which is consistently validated with a higher discharge rate and larger battery size. Furthermore, the computational cost was much saved without compromising accuracy. Therefore, the proposed electrochemical-thermal coupling strategy has paved a new way to monitor the running batteries as well as provide early detection and prevention for safe applications.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is identified as a serious health concern in developing countries, specifically amongst young individuals, accounting for between 250 000 and 1.4 million deaths annually. As such, attention is initially placed on the importance of the development of a cardiac analysis toolbox with functionality for pathophysiological analysis of the disease. Subsequently, in order to develop a toolbox to further the understanding of the mechanisms of the disease as linked to changes in the cytoskeletal architecture and hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes, a continuum bi-phasic model applicable to cardiac tissue is formulated based on the theory of porous media (TPM). This makes it possible to account for interactions and contributions of multiple phases of constituent materials as well as concentrations of solved components, which in computational cardiac modelling are the solid phase – the cardiac tissue – and the liquid phase – blood and interstitial fluid. Therefore, subsequent attention is paid to the cardiac model development in order to implement a sound base on which to add strain- and nutrient-driven phase transition, in addition to a nutrient phase contained within the liquid phase. To this end, based on thermodynamical restrictions, constitutive relations are proposed for stress, permeability, seepage velocity and interaction forces. The approach is implemented in the in-house computational cardiac mechanics toolbox SESKA which supports finite element as well as Element-free Galerkin-based approximations. This paper considers the passive and active non-linear elastic material behaviour of the myocardium of the left ventricle coupled with porous media theory, along with an additional coupling to the haemodynamics of the circulatory system, facilitating modelling of the full cardiac cycle. In order to illustrate the potential and efficacy of the approach with qualitative results, a human heart affected by RHD is investigated, making use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance scans taken over a period of two years to generate realistic 3D computer models.

This paper proposes the self-reconfigurable batteries topology without DC-DC converter, which is similar to self-reconfigurable batteries, but it can guarantee that the voltage of the battery pack is within the set range when the SOC (state of charge) is from 0 to 100%, even if the voltage will drop with the SOC or some cells will be bypassed. Simply put, when the battery pack is discharged, the batteries whose SOC is high and their voltages satisfy the demand are discharged, and the cell with lower SOC is continuously replaced, and the consistency of the battery pack is ensured while stabilizing the voltage. The topological and control strategy are analyzed in detail. The proposed topology is verified by the battery pack composed of 9 cells in series, the experiment result shows that this topology not only retains the advantages of good equalization of self-reconfiguration batteries but also maintains low voltage fluctuations even without DC-DC converters, besides, without the DC-DC converter, the capacity utilization rate of the battery pack reaches 99.8%, demonstrating the superior performance of the proposed topology.

Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) seeks a wave-free period of diastole; it may be determined suboptimally, particularly in the right coronary artery (RCA) where peak flow may occur late in systole or early in diastole. On the other hand, resting full-cycle ratio (RFR) scans for the largest drop in

Many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are obliged to adopt a Safety Managements System (SMS) by the Directive 2012/18/EU for the control of Major Accident Hazards (Seveso III). The difficulties of implementing an SMS within a small sized work organization are well known by practitioners, including inspectors and auditors and have been discussed in many recent papers. In the present paper is discussed a new method, based on the bowtie model, to build an easy and effective SMS. The very core of this method is a “safety net model”, which is able to connect in a network all the tangible and intangible elements of safety, including equipment, operating instructions, procedures and safety documents. This safety model has been used as the core of a smart application, the strength of which is the workers' contribution. The application allows the users to build step by step an SMS. It starts from a first version based just on regulations and standard codes (version 0), then it integrates internal knowledge through the bowtie paradigm (version 1). Near misses' discussion is used to transfer actual workers' experience into the system, to get intermediate improvement of the SMS (version 1.x). At the end audit may be used to a major release of the SMS (version 2). The full cycle has been tested at two small Seveso establishments: a galvanic plant and small glue manufacturer.

The reconstruction of the electronic components distribution functions in Earth's ionospheric layer is an actual problem of applied space research. The reason is that the ionosphere as a medium of propagation significantly affects the operation of the various systems of navigation, location and communication. The mathematical modeling technique of the electron density spatial distribution reconstruction in Earth's ionosphere spherical layer using a constellation of small satellites was developed by the author. It assumes twenty - four satellites, that are arranged uniformly on the circular orbit, sound a ring layer of ionosphere with radio emission at frequencies of (150 and 400) MHz. It is shown that under certain conditions, the problem can be reduced to a few-view tomographic problem, and the desired reconstruction of the electron density distribution by fast convolution algorithms can be evaluated. The applied software package allowing to perform a full cycle of mathematical modeling both for two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems was developed. The author also developed specialized “few-views dynamic kernel” that provides an opportunity to obtain satisfactory reconstruction of wide range input projection data for this class of problems.

In this paper, the response of shape memory polymer (SMP) bars with rectangular cross-sections under torsional loadings is analytically studied. To this end, we first reduce the recently proposed small-strain 3D phenomenological constitutive model for SMPs to the shear case. Then, an analytical solution for torsional response of SMP rectangular bars in a full cycle of stress-free strain recovery is derived. We also implement the 3D constitutive equations in a finite element program and simulate a full cycle of stress-free strain recovery of a rectangular SMP bar. Analytical and numerical results are then compared showing that the analytical solution gives, besides the global load–deflection response, accurate stress distributions in the cross-section of the rectangular SMP bar. Some case studies are also presented to show the validity of the presented analytical method. Results are compared with the experimental data recently reported in the literature which showing an agreement between the predicted results and experiments. The analytical solution can also be used for analysis of helical springs in which both the curvature and pitch effects are negligible. This is the case for helical springs with large ratios of mean coil radius to the cross-sectional equivalent radius (spring index) and also small pitch angles. Using this solution simplifies the analysis of the helical springs to that of the torsion of a straight bar with rectangular cross-section.

An analytical software for network evolution theory (NET) to describe the macroscopic behavior of filled rubber-like materials at different loading directions is presented. The software is based on a modular platform that is particularly designed to capture Mullins effect, permanent set, and deformation-induced anisotropy. Other inelastic features of elastomers can be modeled and added to the framework. Only the basic framework is covered in the NET v1.0, which is based on the decomposition of the network to two parallel networks of pure rubber (CC) and a polymer-filler (PP). NET v1.0 is developed in Maple©, has 7 material parameters that should be obtained by fitting, and 21 state variables that will be set internally. Experimental data can automatically be imported into NET from an Excel spreadsheet or direct output of a testing machine. To fit the experimental data, the model will be fitted to one full cycle by using the general Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. The code helps users to fit and optimize the response of an elastomeric component in conceptual and preliminary design before deciding on implementing in the large-scale FE analysis. Keywords: Network evolution theory, Mullins effect, Permanent set, Deformation-induced anisotropy

This paper provides a range of alternatives for analysts when dealing with geo-spatial data addressing activities in science, technology and innovation. There are two sets of theory which frame the debate concerning science, technology and innovation, and which drive further methodological advancements. The power of a good visualization in providing insight to decision-makers is well known. Visualizations complete a full cycle of decision-making involving analysis, design, action and then further monitoring. We advance the paper by assessing available geographic information in science and technology databases. The paper then systematically outlines current best practices and alternatives for visualizing geographic data. Different geographic map options provide different possibilities for the display of data. We show some of these options in the paper. Future research is needed into both the available tools and techniques, as well as a more in depth specification of the kinds of decision support needs that exist and have a geo-spatial component.

Changing power system regulations and increased use of nonlinear devices have made power quality (PQ) a highly important issue. The short duration transient disturbances, along with the stationary harmonics have become very common due to the increased use of power electronic switches. These transients are defined in terms of their spectral content, duration and magnitude by IEEE 1159-2009 standards and are non-stationary in nature. The conventional PQ indices based on Fourier transform fails to indicate them, since Fourier transform gives amplitude frequency distribution and the time information gets void. In this paper, a PQ index, based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is proposed in order to determine the amount of deviation from the desired pure signal. The proposed PQ index is defined as the weighted sum of percentage energy deviation of the DWT details. The test system is simulated using ATP/EMTP software. Transients resulted from ten different switching instants covering a full cycle of the signal and having natural frequency ranging from 500 Hz to 47 kHz, are considered to validate the proposed index. The proposed index is also tested with the signals containing harmonics. Further, the proposed index is verified with the real signals acquired by the laboratory experimentation.

A phasor estimation algorithm, which uses orthogonal full-cycle filters in conjunction with an adaptive filtering of the decaying DC component, is presented in this paper. The full-cycle orthogonal filters are designed using a technique which combines the maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform and the least error square algorithm. The decaying DC component elimination is performed using an adaptive digital mimic filter. The frequency and time responses of the proposed algorithm are compared with those of other full cycle algorithms reported in the literature on the subject. The obtained results reveal that the proposed algorithm rejects all harmonics, is less sensitive to interharmonics, presents better transient responses and can be faster than other full cycle algorithms.

The (p,q,n)-dipole problem is a map enumeration problem, arising in perturbative Yang–Mills theory, in which the parameters p and q, at each vertex, specify the number of edges separating of two distinguished edges. Combinatorially, it is notable for being a permutation factorization problem which does not lie in the centre of C[Sn], rendering the problem inaccessible through the character-theoretic methods often employed to study such problems. This paper gives a solution to this problem on all orientable surfaces when q=n−1, which is a combinatorially significant special case: it is a near-central problem. We give an encoding of the (p,n−1,n)-dipole problem as a product of standard basis elements in the centralizer Z1(n) of the group algebra C[Sn] with respect to the subgroup Sn−1. The generalized characters arising in the solution to the (p,n−1,n)-dipole problem are zonal spherical functions of the Gelʼfand pair (Sn×Sn−1,diag(Sn−1)) and are evaluated explicitly. This solution is used to prove that, for a given surface, the numbers of (p,n−1,n)-dipoles and (n+1−p,n−1,n)-dipoles are equal, a fact for which we have no combinatorial explanation. These techniques also give a solution to a near-central analogue of the problem of decomposing a full cycle into two factors of specified cycle type.

Over the past decade, many modifications have been proposed in simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography in order to effectively separate a binary mixture. However, the separation of multi-component mixtures using SMB is still one of the major challenges. In addition, the performance of SMB system highly depends on its operating conditions. Our study address this issue by formulating a multi-objective optimization problem that maximizes the productivity and purity of intermediate eluting component at the same time. A number of optimized isocractic ternary SMB operating schemes are compared both in terms of productivity and amount of desorbent to feed ratio. Furthermore, we propose a generalized full cycle (GFC) formulation based on superstructure formulation encompassing numerous operating schemes proposed in the literature. We also demonstrate that this approach has a potential to find the best ternary separation strategy among various alternatives.

In this paper, we investigate the construction of some two-step without memory iterative classes of methods for finding simple roots of nonlinear scalar equations. The classes are built through the approach of weight functions and these obtained classes reach the optimal order four using one function and two first derivative evaluations per full cycle. This shows that our classes can be considered as Jarratt-type schemes. The accuracy of the classes is tested on a number of numerical examples. And eventually, it is observed that our contributions take less number of iterations than the compared existing methods of the same type to find more accurate approximate solutions of the nonlinear equations.

Kung and Traub (1974) [4] conjectured that an iteration method without memory based on n + 1 evaluations could achieve optimal convergence order 2 n . Hence, based on this conjecture, we derive two optimal three-step eighth-order classes of methods in which there are only four evaluations per full cycle. Analytical proofs of the presented derivative-involved classes are provided. Finally, a number of numerical examples are also proposed to illustrate the accuracy of the contributed methods by comparing with the new existing optimal eighth-order methods without memory in the literature.

This paper presents a semi-analytical solution for one dimensional consolidation problem of inelastic clays under cyclic loading considering the effect of the change of the consolidation coefficient of the soil layer. Due to change of the consolidation coefficient, and time-dependant loading, Terzaghi's theory would not be applicable in cyclic conditions. In this research, a method based on the time variable exchange along with the superimposing rule is employed to overcome these shortcomings. Changes in the consolidation coefficient are applied in the solution by modifying the loading and unloading durations introducing a Virtual Time. Based on the superimposing rule a set of continuous static loads in specified times are used instead of the cyclic load in the transformed time space. Each full cycle of loading is replaced by a pair of static loads with different signs. Based on the Terzaghi's theory the pore-water pressure distribution and the degree of consolidation are calculated for each static load and the results are superimposed. A set of laboratory consolidation tests under cyclic load and numerical analysis are performed in order to verify the presented method. The numerical solution and laboratory tests results showed the accuracy of the presented method.

Voltage and current phasors of standard distance protection filtering algorithms are estimated based on a full cycle window, resulting in a post-fault impedance estimate within one cycle after fault inception. Shorter data window lengths correspond to faster impedance estimates and thus faster line protection, but compromise security. In order to retain the reliability of full cycle filtering algorithms and to detect at least close faults more quickly than full cycle filtering algorithms, a variable filter length phasor estimation including variable trip area setting is proposed in this paper.

While business cycles are crucial for determining the dynamics of government budget deficits, it is rare to find an analysis of optimal fiscal rules that are designed to cope with the asymmetric behavior of fiscal variables during the cycle. In this paper I characterize the dynamics of budget deficits along the cycle: i) in recessions marginal propensity to spend is higher than the coefficient of marginal tax revenues, causing an increase of the deficit over GDP; ii) in expansions tax revenues soar allowing for a deficit reduction; however, marginal spending is still high and consequently a full cycle implies an increase in the deficit. Then, I present a model in which fiscal rules are designed to cope with a political bias that is based on two components: the cyclical bias and discretionary tax reductions. According to my analysis, the new generation fiscal rules should be based on a combination of expenditure and revenue rules, which are newer than budget deficit rules and are becoming widespread. According to my empirically calibrated simulation, this combination of rules succeeds on avoiding the political bias and is more cycle-friendly than a budget deficit rule.

Parallel compiler generation is a new technology to cover the full cycle of generating fast and reliable parallel compilers for parallel architectures and languages. Conformity (to the language) can be achieved by very-high-level-specification-based, automatically generated transformations; multiple optimizations necessitate intermediate states apt for optimizing algorithms. Control optimization requires proper representation of control graph transformations. Front- and back-end-oriented generative approaches (language and architecture based executable specifications) cooperate through a set of intermediate representations based on a common meta-intermediate framework. The result is fast (highly optimized) parallel code, improved portability and reliability of programs on the concrete level and consistent and uniform meta-level description on intermediate levels. To cope with extensive computation times needed to find parallel program equivalents, parts of the generated compilers themselves run in parallel, too.

An experimental evaluation of a technique for improving the efficiency of depth-first search on graphs is presented. The technique, referred to as cycle checking, prevents the generation of duplicate nodes in the depth-first search of a graph by comparing each newly generated node to the nodes already on the search path. Although cycle checking can be applied to any depth-first type search, this paper focuses on its effect with the heuristic depth-first iterative deepening algorithm IDA∗. Two types of cycle checking are compared, full cycle checking. Full cycle checking compares a new node to all nodes on the path. Parent cycle checking merely compares a new node to the parent of the node being expanded. Both types of cycle checking are shown to improve the efficiency of IDA∗ search in a grid search problem and a route planning problem. Simple guidelines are presented showing which type of cycle checking should be used on a given problem.

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2003;125:S17-9

A binary de Bruijn sequence is a binary sequence of length 2 n for which all n-tuple sequences are distinct. One common combinatorial method of approach is to consider a shift register producting many short cycles, e.g., the pure cycling register. These cycles are then joined together to form a full cycle. The same practice is followed in this paper. We propose a new algorithm which joins all the pure cycles of the complementing circulating register (CCR) f(X 1 , X 2 , ..., X n )=X 1 to form a full cycle of 2 n . This algorithm uses about 4n bits of storage and 4n units of time to produce the next cycle bit from the last n bits

A nonsingular feedback shift register will generate pairwise disconnecting cycles. To get a de Bruijn cycle, we put a different mark on the states that are on the different cycle. This could help us find adjacent cycles easily and join them together. We modify the marks of the states that on the joined cycles to the same mark. At the same time, the feedback function is modified accordingly. Then a full cycle is obtained when the marks of all the states on different cycles are modified to the same mark. At the same time, the feedback function that could generate the de Bruijn sequences is also obtained.

We relate the number of cycles in a product of transpositions with a full cycle with the nullity of a binary matrix. Our theorem generalizes a theorem of Cohn and Lempel.

The development of a new compliance technique is described. Labeled defusing objections, this technique seeks to remove an individual's excuse for not complying with a request. Two common excuses for not responding to a request were manipulated. Removing only one excuse was not sufficient to induce many individuals to respond. However, removing both led over half of the homeowners to respond positively. In fact, the level of responding when both excuses were eliminated was significantly greater than it was in all other conditions combined. The impact of the defusing objections technique is viewed as a successful application of ‘full-cycle social psychology’ and the overall value of this approach is illustrated by tracing the development of other compliance techniques.

Cycle counting can proceed at real time,except the full cycle counting method. In case of the hysteresis loop counting method and the rain flow counting method also half-cycles are counted. Their calculation is based on the physical dependence between stresses and strains of the examined material. All the ranges forming cycles correspond to the closed loops of stress-strain hysteresis and the ranges forming half-cycles correspond to the open loops of this hysteresis. The hysteresis loop counting method is more effective than the range pair counting method and it is more simple than the rain flow counting method in case of programming at real time.

The method of Chebyshev optimum linkage design is an iterative method related to Newton's method. It requires as an initial approximation a linkage with a number of precision points. The method was applied to the design of a crank rocker linkage to generate the solar declination. The Chebyshev optimum crank rocker linkage gave a maximum structural error of 7·20 minutes over the full cycle with an output range of 47°.