Effect of FeSi additive in dual-chamber sample cup on thermal analysis characteristic values and vermiculating rate of compacted graphite iron

Thermal analysis plays a key role in the online inspection of molten iron quality.Different solidification process of molten iron can be reflected by thermal analysis curves,and silicon is one of important elements affecting the solidification of molten iron.In this study,FeSi75 was added in one chamber of the dual-chamber sample cup,and the influences of FeSi75 additive on the characteristic values of thermal analysis curves and vermiculating rate were investigated.The results show that with the increase of FeSi75,the start temperature of austenite formation TALfirstly decreases and then increases,but the start temperature of eutectic growth TSEF,the lowest eutectic temperature TEU,temperature at maximum eutectic reaction rate TEM,and highest eutectic temperature TERkeep always an increase.The temperature at final solidification point TEShas little change.The FeSi75 additive has different influences on the vermiculating rate of molten iron with different vermiculation,and the vermiculating rate increases for lower vermiculation molten iron while decreases for higher one.According to the thermal analysis curves obtained by a dual-chamber sample cup with 0.30wt.%FeSi75 additive in one chamber,the vermiculating rate of molten iron can be evaluated by comparing the characteristic values of these curves.The time differenceΔtERcorresponding to the highest eutectic temperature TERhas a closer relationship with the vermiculating rate,and a parabolic regression curve between the time differenceΔtERand vermiculating rateηhas been obtained within the range of 65%to 95%,which is suitable for the qualified melt.

Sustainability Assessment of Banana (Musa spp.) Yield Gap Reduction through Value Chain Development Interventions in Smallholder Farming Systems in Manicaland, Zimbabwe

This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods research design that relied on farmers records for the quantitative analysis and focus group discussion and in-depth interviews for key experts for the qualitative aspects. A mix of regression analysis, t-tests, Pearsons’s correlation and analysis of variance statistical methods were used for the quantitative analysis while thematic response analysis was used for the qualitative engagements. The findings showed that by the end of the activity, the project had successfully narrowed the banana yield gaps to 18.66 tons per hectare working with a potential yield base of 40 tons. However, 5 years after the project closure the yield gap had fallen to 24.7 tons indicating a lack of sustainability of yield gap reduction. However, the yield gap slump does not override the fact that farmers on average were still able to sell approximately 5 tons per every 6 months after 5 years from the project closure which is beyond any poverty threshold. This suggests genuine upward economic mobility. Additionally, in analyzing what factors had the greatest influence on yield gap reduction, the access to fertilizer ranked highest where genetics, irrigation and improved agronomy followed in that respective order. The study further showed that farmers who receive value chain development support whilst at an already commercialized state tend to maintain productivity thresholds higher in comparison to those who are at a pre commercial state. This is evidenced by the fact that the pre commercial farmers had a yield reduction of 30.83 percent after 5 years of the project closure whereas the former realized a productivity growth of 7.84%. In conclusion, whilst the intervention was successful in transitioning farmers out of poverty, more investment should be made towards transitioning smallholder farmers to integrated soil fertility management practices and improvement of agronomic efficiency through stronger on field collaboration between research institutions, the government and development institutions.

Analysis of the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY Exchange Rates Using Multifractal Analysis and Extreme Value Theory

We performed a multifractal analysis using wavelet transform to detect the changes in the fractality of the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY exchange rates, and predicted their extreme values using extreme value theory. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY became multifractal, then the USD/JPY became monofractal and stable, and yen depreciation was observed. However, the EUR/JPY became multifractal and unstable, and a strong yen depreciation was observed. The coherence between the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY was strong between 1995 and 2000. After the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the USD/JPY became monofractal and stable, and yen appreciation was observed. However, the EUR/JPY became multifractal and unstable, and strong yen appreciation was observed. Various diagnostic plots for assessing the accuracy of the GP model fitted to USD/JPY and EUR/JPY are shown, and all the diagnostic plots support the fitted GP model. The shape parameters of USD/JPY and EUR/JPY were close to zero, therefore the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY did not have finite upper limits. We predicted the maximum return level for the return periods of 10, 20, 50, 100, 350, and 500 years and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). As a result, the 10-year and 100-year return levels for USD/JPY were estimated to be 149.6 and 164.8, with 95% CI [143.2, 156.0] and [149.4, 180.1], respectively.

Loss Rate Estimation of Yield and Output Value of Tobacco Leaf Infected by Tobacco Blown Spot (Alternaria alternata)

[Objective] The paper was to study the effect of tobacco blown spot on the yield and output value of tobacco leaf.[Method]The upper,middle and lower leaves in tobacco plant were selected during the harvest period of tobacco to carry out loss rate estimation of yield and output value of tobacco leaf caused by different disease levels of brown spot.Regression correlation analysis was also conducted.[Result]The disease levels of brown spot had extremely significant strong negative correlation with single leaf weight of tobacco leaf,and it had extremely significant strong positive correlation with the loss rate of single leaf weight.The increase speed of loss rate of single leaf weight of middle and upper leaves was obviously faster than that of lower leaves.The loss rates of single leaf weight of upper,middle and lower leaves were 3.18%-28.95%,3.43%-28.88% and 10.07%-26.90%,respectively.The higher the disease level of blown spot was,the lower the yield and output value of tobacco leaf was,and the corresponding loss rate was also higher.Correlation analysis showed that the disease level of blown spot had extremely significant strong negative correlation with the yield and output value of tobacco leaf,and it had extremely significant strong positive correlation with the loss rate of yield and output value.The negative impact of blown spot on the output value of tobacco leaf was far greater than that on the yield.The highest loss rate of the yield of tobacco leaf was 28.56%,while the highest loss rate of output value reached 89.67%.[Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for accurately holding the critical period for the control of blown spot,thus reducing the damage on tobacco leaf and improving the output value of tobacco leaf.

Analysis of heart rate variability based on singular value decomposition entropy

Assessing the dynamics of heart rate fluctuations can provide valuable information about heart status. In this study, regularity of heart rate variability （HRV） of heart failure patients and healthy persons using the concept of singular value decomposition entropy （SvdEn） is analyzed. SvdEn is calculated from the time series using normalized singular values. The advantage of this method is its simplicity and fast computation. It enables analysis of very short and non-stationary data sets. The results show that SvdEn of patients with congestive heart failure （CHF） shows a low value （SvdEn： 0.056±0.006, p 〈 0.01） which can be completely separated from healthy subjects. In addition, differences of SvdEn values between day and night are found for the healthy groups. SvdEn decreases with age. The lower the SvdEn values, the higher the risk of heart disease. Moreover, SvdEn is associated with the energy of heart rhythm. The results show that using SvdEn for discriminating HRV in different physiological states for clinical applications is feasible and simple.

Exploring the growth value equity valuation model with data visualization

The Growth Value Model(GVM)proposed theoretical closed form formulas consist-ing of Return on Equity(ROE)and the Price-to-Book value ratio(P/B)for fair stock prices and expected rates of return.Although regression analysis can be employed to verify these theoretical closed form formulas,they cannot be explored by classical quintile or decile sorting approaches with intuition due to the essence of multi-factors and dynamical processes.This article uses visualization techniques to help intuitively explore GVM.The discerning findings and contributions of this paper is that we put forward the concept of the smart frontier,which can be regarded as the reasonable lower limit of P/B at a specific ROE by exploring fair P/B with ROE-P/B 2D dynamical process visualization.The coefficients in the formula can be determined by the quantile regression analysis with market data.The moving paths of the ROE and P/B in the cur-rent quarter and the subsequent quarters show that the portfolios at the lower right of the curve approaches this curve and stagnates here after the portfolios are formed.Furthermore,exploring expected rates of return with ROE-P/B-Return 3D dynamical process visualization,the results show that the data outside of the lower right edge of the“smart frontier”has positive quarterly return rates not only in the t+1 quarter but also in the t+2 quarter.The farther away the data in the t quarter is from the“smart frontier”,the larger the return rates in the t+1 and t+2 quarter.

pH Value Effects in Shear Rheology of Concentrated Alumina Suspensions

The influence of pH on the rheological properties of concentrated alumina suspensions was investigated. At various pH values, the alumina exhibited pseudoplastic, near Bingham flow behaviors. The fully-deflocculated suspensions exhibited Newtonian flow behaviors, while the fully-flocculated suspensions demonstrated very high viscosity and shear yield stress.

Relationship between reference value (Wintrobe) of Chinese people's erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and geographical factors

In order to provide a scientific basis for laying out a unified standard of the reference value (Wintrobe) of Chinese people's erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). this paper studies the relationship between the reference values (Wintrobe) of Chinese healthy people's ESR, and the test is done according to the Wintrobe Laws and five geographical factors. It is found that the altitude is the modt important factor affecting the reference value (Wintrobe) of Chinese people's ESR. As altitude increases gradually, the reference value (Wintrobe) of people's ESR decreases accordingly, the correlation is quite obvious. By using the method of regression analysis, two multivariate regression equations and ten univariate regression equations are deduced If the geographical index values in a particular area are known, the reference value (Wintrobe) of Chinese people's ESR of this region can be established by means of the regression equations. Furthermore, according to the dependent relationship of the reference value (Wintrobe) of Chinese people's ESR on geographical factors.China can be divided into sin districts: Qinghai-Tibet, Southwest. Northwest. Southeast, North and Northeast China.

Numerical Computing for a Class of Free Multipoint Boundary Value Problem of O.D.E in the Intervention of Exchange Rate

In this paper by means of generalized shooting method and homotopy technique a numerical method was given for computing free multipoint boundary value problem proposed in the intervention of exchange rate by Cadenillas and Femaado Zapatero. A numerical example was given for illustrating the validity of this method.

Application Research on K/S Value in Determination of Reactive Dyes Fixation Rate

Reactive dyes are the main dyes in printing and dyeing of cellulosic fibers.Reactive dyes fixation rate is a vital indicator to measure the degree of the covalent bond between cellulose and reactive dyes.However,the determination of the fixation rate is tedious and time-consumptive.Based on the theory of reactive dyes dyeing and application of modern computer color matching technology,the relationship between K/S value and the fixation rate with the reactive dyes on cotton fabric was studied.The feasibility of K/S value instead of the traditional washing method for the determination of reactive dyes fixation rate was proved.In this study,the K/S value of the fabric has an excellent linear relationship to the reactive dyes fixation rate obtained by the washing method.The reactive dyes fixation rate can be obtained through the K/S correction value.

The Convergence Rate of Fréchet Distribution under the Second-Order Regular Variation Condition

In this article we consider the asymptotic behavior of extreme distribution with the extreme value index γ>0 . The rates of uniform convergence for Fréchet distribution are constructed under the second-order regular variation condition.

Value of preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP and D-D levels in evaluating the prognosis of elderly patients after hip replacement

Objective: To analyze the clinical value of blood sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer (D-D) expression levels in elderly patients before hip replacement for judging the prognosis after operation. Methods 88 patients who needed hip replacement in orthopaedic surgery of our hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were selected as the research object. According to the prognosis of patients, they were divided into two groups. 42 patients with good prognosis were treated as observation group and 46 patients with poor prognosis were treated as control group. The ESR and CRP of the two groups were recorded and analyzed before and after operation. The expression level of D-D, perioperative changes, and the prognostic value of the area under the curve (AUC) were compared by drawing the patient's working characteristic curve (ROC curve). Results The expression levels of ESR, CRP and D-D in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression levels of CRP in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression levels of ESR and CRP in the observation group before discharge were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05);the level of ESR expression before and 2 days after operation was significantly lower than that before discharge (P < 0.05);the level of ESR expression before operation was significantly lower than that 2 days after operation (P < 0.05);and the CRP and D-D table before operation were compared between the two groups (P < 0.05). The level of CRP and D-D expression in two groups was significantly higher than that before discharge (P < 0.05). In this study, two groups of patients were infected. The incidence of thrombosis in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The Harris score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion There are abnormal levels of ESR, CRP and D-D expression in elderly patients with hip replacement before operation, and they have certain clinical value in evaluating the prognosis of elderly patients after hip replacement.

A Probe into the Mortgage Rates of Land Contract Management Rights Based on Unified Annual Output Value

The mortgage of land contract management rights has launched a pilot project in Ningxia,Hubei,Henan,Guizhou,Chongqing and other provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions,which provides a good solution to the problem of funds for rural development and plays a huge role in promoting local rural economic development.In the mortgage financing of land contract management rights implemented in various regions,how to determine a scientific,accurate and reasonable mortgage rate of land contract management rights becomes a difficulty troubling the mortgage financing of land.On the basis of unified annual output value of land,this article uses survey method,income capitalization method,and comparison method to analyze the value of land contract management rights,and finally determine the mortgage rates of land contract management rights.

An Optimal Policy with Quadratic Demand, Three-Parameter Weibull Distribution Deterioration Rate, Shortages and Salvage Value

The present paper focuses an optimal policy of an inventory model for deteriorating items with generalized demand rate and deterioration rate. Shortages are allowed and partially backlogged. The salvage value is included into deteriorated units. The main objective of the model is to minimize the total cost by optimizing the value of the shortage point, cycle length and order quantity. A numerical example is carried out to illustrate the model and sensitivity analyses of major parameters are discussed.

Value of renal parenchymal volume and thickness by non-contrast spiral CT in evaluating differential glomerular filtration rate for chronic obstructed kidneys

Objective To evaluate the value of renal parenchymal volume and thickness by non-contrast spiral CT in evaluating the differential glomerular filtration rate ( GFR) for chronic obstructed kidneys,and to compare the correlations between two morphologic indices of renal parenchyma and GFR for chronic obstructed kidneys.

Global Value Chain Participation and Firms'Responses to Exchange Rate Fluctuations

Greater participation in global value chains(GVCs)has highlighted the impact of exchange rate shocks on international trade.This paper examines how such participation influences firms'responses to exchange rate movements,focusing on the relationship between firms'pricing and value-added in exports.This study,using detailed Chinese firm-level data,demonstrates that firms with a high degree of GVC participation reacted to currency appreciation by lowering their export prices more substantially and reducing their export volumes less.This is mainly attributable to the"cost-hedging effect"within the marginal cost channel and the"pricing inhibition effect"within the markup channel.By categorizing export firms by trade models and product types,this study further demonstrates that processing trade firms at the low end of the value chain and those with low product differentiation were more inclined to absorb exchange rate shocks.This study adds to the existing theoretical framework and provides strong evidence for China in deepening GVC integration and supporting the development of high-quality export firms.

Value Estimation of Greenhouse Gases Exchange in Wetland Ecosystem of Sanjiang Plain,China

The objective of this study is to quantify the values of greenhouse gases(GHGs) exchange in carbon equivalents of marshes and paddy fields in the Sanjiang Plain,Heilongjiang Province,China. We obtained the GHGs exchange values based on comparable price by calculating the carbon sequestration values and the GHGs emission values of marshes and paddy fields respectively in four periods of 1982,1995,2000 and 2005. It is noted that the GHGs emission values are always negative. In this study,the marshes areas decreased from 1438977.0 to 775,132.2ha and the paddy fields areas increased from 417195.8 to 934205.0ha. The values of GHGs exchange of marshes varied from 135877.156×106 to 136882.534×106 yuan(RMB) and those of paddy fields varied from 1006.256×106 to 2767.645×106 yuan. The GHGs exchange values of marshes decreased from 1982 to 2005 on the whole,reversely,those of paddy fields increased,but those in 2005 were lower than those in 2000. In different periods,the GHGs exchange values were always higher in marshes than in paddy fields. The contribution rate of GHGs exchange values per unit area of marshes was also very high in different periods,and the maximum was up to 98.35% in 2005. As far as the whole wetland ecosystem(including marshes and paddy fields) ,assuming a linear change in GHGs exchange values,it represented a cumulative increase of 20926.757×106 yuan from 1982 to 2005. By adding GHGs exchange values increased during those four periods,we obtained a cumulative net increase values of GHGs exchange of wetland ecosystem of 18200.860×106 yuan. The results will be useful for understanding the indirect services provided by marshes and paddy fields.

Value of big data to finance:observations on an internet credit Service Company in China

Background:his paper presents a case study on 100Credit,an Internet credit service provider in China.100Credit began as an IT company specializing in e-commerce recommendation before getting into the credit rating business.The company makes use of Big Data on multiple aspects of individuals’online activities to infer their potential credit risk.Methods:Based on 100Credit’s business practices,this paper summarizes four aspects related to the value of Big Data in Internet credit services.Results:1)value from large data volume that provides access to more borrowers;2)value from prediction correctness in reducing lenders’operational cost;3)value from the variety of services catering to different needs of lenders;and 4)value from information protection to sustain credit service businesses.Conclusion:The paper also discusses the opportunities and challenges of Big Databased credit risk analysis,which needs to be improved in future research and practice.

The Effect of a High-Frequency-Hearing-Threshold Weighted Value on the Diagnosis of Occupational-Noise-Induced Deafness

Objective: In order to provide a theoretical basis for the revision of the current diagnostic criteria for occupational noise-induced deafness (ONID), we evaluated the degree of ONID by analyzing different high-frequency-hearing- threshold-weighted values (HFTWVs). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the diagnosis of patients with ONID from January 2016 to January 2017 in Guangdong province, China. Based on 3 hearing tests (each interval between the tests was greater than 3 days), the minimum threshold value of each frequency was obtained using the 2007 edition’s diagnostic criteria for ONID. The speech frequency and the HFTWVs were analyzed based on age, noise exposure, and diagnostic classi-fication using SPSS21.0. Results: 168 patients in total were involved in this study, 154 males and 14 females, and the average age was 41.18 ± 6.07. The diagnosis rate was increased by the weighted value of the high frequencies and was more than the mean value of the pure speech frequency (MVPSF). The diagnosis rate for the weighted 4 kHz frequency level increased by 13.69% (χ2 = 9.880, P = 0.002), the weighted 6 kHz level increased by 15.47% (χ2 = 9.985, P = 0.002), and the weighted 4 kHz + 6 kHz level increased by 15.47% (χ2 = 9.985, P = 0.002). The differences were all statistically significant. The diagnostic rate of the different thresholds showed no obvious difference between the genders. The age groups were divided into less than or equal to 40 years old (group A) and 40 - 50 years old (group B). There were several groups with a high frequency: high frequency weighted 4 kHz ( group A χ2 = 3.380, P = 0.050;group B χ2 = 4.054, P = 0.032), high frequency weighted 6 kHz (group A χ2 = 6.362, P = 0.012;group B χ2 = 4.054, P = 0.032), weighted 4 kHz + 6 kHz (group A χ2 = 6.362 P = 0.012;B χ2 = 4.054, P = 0.032) than those of MVPSF in the same group on ONID diagnosis rate. The differences between the groups were statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the age groups (χ2 = 2.265, P = 0.944). The better ear’s (the smaller hearing threshold weighted value) MVPSF and the weighted values for the different high frequencies were examined in light of the number of working years;the group that was exposed to noise for more than 10 years had significantly higher values than those of the average thresholds of each frequency band in the groups with 3 - 5 years of exposure (F = 2.271, P = 0.001) and 6 - 10 years of exposure (F = 1.563, P = 0.046). The differences were statistically significant. The different HFTWVs were higher than those of the MVPSF values, and the high frequency weighted 4 kHz + 6 kHz level showed the greatest difference, with an average increase of 2.83 dB. The diagnostic rate that included the weighted high frequency values was higher for the mild, moderate, and severe cases than those patients who were only screened with the pure frequency tests. The results of the comparisons of the diagnosis rates for mild ONID were as follows: the weighted 3 kHz high frequency level (χ2 = 3.117, P = 0.077) had no significant difference, but the weighted 4 kHz level (χ2 = 10.835, P = 0.001), 6 kHz level (χ2 = 9.985, P = 0.002), 3 kHz + 4 kHz level (χ2 = 6.315, P = 0.012), 3 kHz + 6 kHz level (χ2 = 6.315, P = 0.012), 4 kHz + 6 kHz level (χ2 = 9.985, P = 0.002), and 3 kHz + 4 kHz + 6 kHz level (χ2 = 7.667, P = 0.002) were significantly higher than the diagnosis rate of the mean value of the PSF. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups for the moderate and severe grades (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Different HFTWVs increase the diagnostic rate of ONID. The weighted 4 kHz, 6 kHz, and 4 kHz + 6 kHz high frequency values greatly affected the diagnostic results, and the weighted 4 kHz + 6 kHz high frequency hearing threshold value has the maximum the effect on the ONID diagnosis results.

An Ordering Policy for Deteriorating Items with Time-Dependent Quadratic Demand and Salvage Value under Permissible Delay in Payment

The article deals with an economic order quantity (EOQ) inventory model for deteriorating items in which the supplier provides the purchaser a permissible delay in payment. This is so when deterioration of units in the inventory is subject to constant deterioration rate, demand rate is quadratic function of time and salvage value is associated with the deteriorated units. Shortages in the system are not allowed to occur. A mathematical formulation is developed when the supplier offers a permissible delay period to the customers under two circumstances: 1) when delay period is less than the cycle of time;and 2) when delay period is greater than the cycle of time. The method is suitable for the items like state-of-the-art aircrafts, super computers, laptops, android mobiles, seasonal items and machines and their spare parts. A solution procedure algorithm is given for finding the optimal order quantity which minimizes the total cost of an inventory system. The article includes numerical examples to support the effectiveness of the developed model. Finally, sensitivity analysis on some parameters on optimal solution is provided.