Optimization Design of the Multi-Layer Cross-Sectional Layout of An Umbilical Based on the GA-GLM

Marine umbilical is one of the key equipment for subsea oil and gas exploitation,which is usually integrated by a great number of different functional components with multi-layers.The layout of these components directly affects manufacturing,operation and storage performances of the umbilical.For the multi-layer cross-sectional layout design of the umbilical,a quantifiable multi-objective optimization model is established according to the operation and storage requirements.Considering the manufacturing factors,the multi-layering strategy based on contact point identification is introduced for a great number of functional components.Then,the GA-GLM global optimization algorithm is proposed combining the genetic algorithm and the generalized multiplier method,and the selection operator of the genetic algorithm is improved based on the steepest descent method.Genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal solution in the global space,which can converge from any initial layout to the feasible layout solution.The feasible layout solution is taken as the initial value of the generalized multiplier method for fast and accurate solution.Finally,taking umbilicals with a great number of components as examples,the results show that the cross-sectional performance of the umbilical obtained by optimization algorithm is better and the solution efficiency is higher.Meanwhile,the multi-layering strategy is effective and feasible.The design method proposed in this paper can quickly obtain the optimal multi-layer cross-sectional layout,which replaces the manual design,and provides useful reference and guidance for the umbilical industry.

Optimal Cross-Sectional Shape of Gas/Air Ducts

In industrial plants, ships, and buildings, a large amount of gas and air ducts are applied for equipment connection, HVAC, medium transport, and exhaust, etc. These ducts can be designed in varied cross-sectional shapes, such as round or rectangle. The author reveals through geometric calculation of the duct cross-sectional shapes and engineering experiences that the round cross-section is an optimal shape in the duct system. The round duct has the shorter perimeter than the other cross-sectional shape ducts and the stronger structure in the same working condition. The material saving of the round duct due to the shorter perimeter is quantitatively determined. In the pater, it is shown that the round duct is economically attractive. The economic analysis for the material cost saving is illustrated by an example. For a long duct system, the material and material cost savings are significant. It is suggested that the round duct in the gas and air duct system should have priority as long as the field conditions are allowed. In the paper, the material cost saving is also converted to PW, AW, and FW used for LCC economic analysis.

Relationship between sonographically measured median nerve cross-sectional area and presence of peripheral neuropathy in diabetic subjects

BACKGROUND Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus resulting from direct damage by hyperglycemia to the nerves and/or ischemia by microvascular injury to the endoneurial vessels which supply the nerves. Median nerve is one of the peripheral nerves commonly affected in diabetic neuropathy. The median nerve size has been studied in non-Nigerian diabetic populations. In attempt to contribute to existing literature, a study in a Nigerian population is needed.AIM To evaluate the cross-sectional area(CSA) of the median nerve using B-mode ultrasonography(USS) and the presence of peripheral neuropathy(PN) in a cohort of adult diabetic Nigerians.METHODS Demographic and anthropometric data of 85 adult diabetes mellitus(DM) and 85 age-and sex-matched apparently healthy control(HC) subjects were taken. A complete physical examination was performed on all study subjects to determine the presence of PN and modified Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument(MNSI) was used to grade its severity. Venous blood was taken from the study subjects for fasting lipid profile(FLP), fasting blood glucose(FBG) and glycated haemoglobin(HbA1 c) while their MN CSA was evaluated at a point 5 cm proximal to(5 cmCATL) and at the carpal tunnel(CATL) by high-resolution Bmode USS. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22.RESULTS The mean MN CSA was significantly thicker in DM subjects compared to the HC at 5 cmCATL(P < 0.01) and at the CATL(P < 0.01) on both sides. The presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN) further increased the MN CSA at the CATL(P < 0.05) but not at 5 cmCATL(P > 0.05). However, the severity of DPN had no additional effect on MN CSA 5 cm proximal to and at the CATL. There was no significant association between MN CSA and duration of DM and glycemic control.CONCLUSION Thickening of the MN CSA at 5 cmCATL and CATL is seen in DM. Presence of DPN is associated with worse thickening of the MN CSA at the CATL but not at5 cmCATL. Severity of DPN, duration of DM, and glycemic control had no additional effect on the MN CSA.

The Optimal Cross-section Design of the “Trapezoid-V” Shaped Drainage Canal of Viscous Debris Flow

Debris flow drainage canal is one of the most widely used engineering measures to prevent and manage debris flow hazards.The shape and the sizes of the cross-section are important parameters when design debris flow drainage canal.Therefore,how to design the appropriate shape and sizes of the cross-section so that the drainage canal can have the optimal drainage capacity is very important and few researched at home and abroad.This study was conducted to analyze the hydraulic condition of a Trapezoid-V shaped drainage canal and optimize its cross-section.By assuming characteristic sizes of the cross-section,the paper deduced the configuration parameter of the cross-section of a Trapezoid-V shaped debris flow drainage canal.By theory analysis,it indicates that the optimal configuration parameter is only related to the side slope coefficient and the bottom transverse slope coefficient.For this study,the Heishui Gully,a first-order tributary of the lower Jinsha River,was used as an example to design the optimal cross-section of the drainage canal of debris flow.

Ultrasonographic measurement of median nerve cross-sectional area reference values in a healthy Han population from Guiyang,China

High-resolution ultrasonography was used to analyze the nerve cross-sectional area （CSA） of the median nerve at 7 sites： the wrist crease, pisiform bone, hamate bone, 6 cm proximal to the tip of the wrist crease, proximal forearm （where the nerve enters the pronator teres muscle）, 4 cm proximal to the tip of the medial epicondyle, and mid-humerus （mid-point between elbow crease and axilla） in 200 healthy volunteers from Guiyang, China. Results showed similar CSA values between the left and right sides, but the CSA 6 cm proximal to the tip of the wrist crease, proximal forearm, 4 cm proximal to tip of the medial epicondyle, and mid-humerus in males was greater than that of females. Moreover, CSA values at the wrist crease, pisiform bone, and hamate bone were greater in the middle-aged and old groups when compared to the young group, and correlated with body mass and height. Thus, reference values of median nerve CSA of the upper limbs can facilitate the analysis of abnormal nerve conditions.

Optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty groups among farmers: a case study of the Qin-Ba Mountain area in South-Shaanxi, China

Achieving sustainable livelihood is the ultimate goal of poverty alleviation efforts in mountainous areas,and selecting an optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty-type farmers greatly improves farmers’livelihood capital,resists livelihood risks,and promotes sustainable development.For farmers,optimal livelihood strategy means better employment opportunities,higher family income(or better income structure),and stronger employability or development potential.This paper classifies different types of farmers’poverty on the basis of a quantitative evaluation of farmers’livelihood capital in the Qin-ba Mountain Area in South-Shaanxi by using the k-means clustering method and subsequently the fuzzy evaluation method to evaluate the effectiveness of farmers’livelihood strategies.Then,the multi-attribute decision-making model is used to analyze the selection of optimal livelihood strategies for different poverty-type farmers.The results suggest a significant difference in the selection of the optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty-type farmers.Farmers without financial and human capital choose to"go out to work,"farmers lacking natural capital choose to"acquire social insurance and government relief,"farmers without physical capital choose to"use loans,"and farmers lacking social capital choose to"use savings."Studying the selection of optimal livelihood strategies for different poverty-type farmers can help to propose targeted sustainable livelihood optimization programs for farmers and accelerate efforts to overcome poverty in mountainous areas.

Does the ratio of the carpal tunnel inlet and outlet cross-sectional areas in the median nerve reflect carpal tunnel syndrome severity?

Although ultrasound measurements have been used in previous studies on carpal tunnel syndrome to visualize injury to the median nerve, whether such ultrasound data can indicate the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome remains controversial. The cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the tunnel inlet and outlet can show swelling and compression of the nerve at the carpal. We hypothesized that the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet to outlet accurately reflects the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome. To test this, high-resolution ultrasound with a linear array transducer at 5–17 MHz was used to assess 77 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The results showed that the cut-off point for the inlet-to-outlet ratio was 1.14. Significant differences in the inlet-to-outlet ratio were found among patients with mild, moderate, and severe carpal tunnel syndrome. The cut-off point in the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the median nerve was 1.29 between mild and more severe（moderate and severe） carpal tunnel syndrome patients with 64.7% sensitivity and 72.7% specificity. The cut-off point in the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the median nerve was 1.52 between the moderate and severe carpal tunnel syndrome patients with 80.0% sensitivity and 64.7% specificity. These results suggest that the inlet-to-outlet ratio reflected the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome.

OPTIMAL HARVESTING AND STABILITY FOR FISHING MODELS WITH STAGE STRUCTURE IN INSHORE-OFFSHORE AREAS

A fishing model with stage structure in inshore and offshore areas is considered.Steady states of the dynamical system representing fishery are derived and their local,as well as global,stability is discussed.The optimal harvest policy is formulated and solved as an optimal control problem.A numerical example is given to illustrate the solution procedure.

Usefulness of the acromioclavicular joint cross-sectional area as a diagnostic image parameter of acromioclavicular osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND Acromioclavicular joint(ACJ)space narrowing has been considered to be an important diagnostic image parameter of ACJ osteoarthritis(ACJO).However,the morphology of the ACJ space is irregular because of osteophyte formation,subchondral irregularity,capsular distention,sclerosis,and erosion.Therefore,we created the ACJ cross-sectional area(ACJCSA)as a new diagnostic image parameter to assess the irregular morphologic changes of the ACJ.AIM To hypothesize that the ACJCSA is a new diagnostic image parameter for ACJO.METHODS ACJ samples were obtained from 35 patients with ACJO and 30 healthy individuals who underwent shoulder magnetic resonance(S-MR)imaging that revealed no evidence of ACJO.Oblique coronal,T2-weighted,fat-suppressed SMR images were acquired at the ACJ level from the two groups.We measured the ACJCSA and the ACJ space width(ACJSW)at the ACJ on the S-MR images using our imaging analysis program.The ACJCSA was measured as the cross-sectional area of the ACJ.The ACJSW was measured as the narrowest point between the acromion and the clavicle.RESULTS The average ACJCSA was 39.88±10.60 mm;in the normal group and 18.80±5.13 mm;in the ACJO group.The mean ACJSW was 3.51±0.58 mm in the normal group and 2.02±0.48 mm in the ACJO group.ACJO individuals had significantly lower ACJCSA and ACJSW than the healthy individuals.Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses demonstrated that the most suitable ACJCSA cutoff score was 26.14 mm^(2),with 91.4%sensitivity and 90.0%specificity.CONCLUSION The optimal ACJSW cutoff score was 2.37 mm,with 88.6%sensitivity and 96.7%specificity.Even though both the ACJCSA and ACJSW were significantly associated with ACJO,the ACJCSA was a more sensitive diagnostic image parameter.

CAS-based Water Resources Optimal Allocation and Dynamic Simulation for Sewage Irrigation Area

Based on the theory of complex adaptive system(CAS),the optimal allocation model of water resources in sewage irrigation areas was established,which provided new ideas and application value for the rational utilization of agricultural production and waste water resources.The results demonstrated that the difference of crop energy capture mainly depended on the development stage.Waste water with a certain concentration was able to promote crop growth,while excessive concentration inhibited crop growth.The correlation between water absorption rate and leaf area index was close(R=0.9498,p<0.01).The amount of bad seeds increased at a speed of 34.7·d^-1,when system irrigated randomly in the seedling stage,while it tended to remain stable at a speed of 0.3·d^-1 after plants entering the mature stage which impacted the total yields of crops.

Correlation between current and cross-sectional area of parallel fixed-movable dual electrodes in ESC

Electroslag casting with parallel fixed-movable dual electrodes is a new method for achieving better quality of castings in complex mold cavities.In this work,a mathematical model,y=kx^2+(k+1)x,was established to describe the ideal correlation between the current ratio(y)and the cross-sectional area ratio(x)of the dual electrodes,where k is the filling ratio.Investigation was conducted on the electroslag casting process with dual electrodes of various cross-sectional areas,but at a constant k value.The experimental results indicated that the ideal correlation was obtained at the stable casting stage,and the fitting results were consistent with the experimental results at certain k values.The experimental findings show that better castings can be obtained when the current ratio is greater than 1.536 and the cross-sectional area ratio is greater than 0.5.

Optimal Design of Aperture Illuminations for Microwave Power Transmission with Annular Collection Areas

This work presents an optimal design method of antenna aperture illumination for microwave power transmission with an annular collection area.The objective is to maximize the ratio of the power radiated on the annular collection area to the total transmitted power.By formulating the aperture amplitude distribution through a summation of a special set of series,the optimal design problem can be reduced to finding the maximum ratio of two real quadratic forms.Based on the theory of matrices,the solution to the formulated optimization problem is to determine the largest characteristic value and its associated characteristic vector.To meet security requirements,the peak radiation levels outside the receiving area are considered to be extra constraints.A hybrid grey wolf optimizer and Nelder–Mead simplex method is developed to deal with this constrained optimization problem.In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method,numerical experiments on continuous apertures are conducted;then,discrete arrays of isotropic elements are employed to validate the correctness of the optimized results.Finally,patch arrays are adopted to further verify the validity of the proposed method.

Optimal Minimum Number of CT Slices Required to Measure Cross Sectional Areas of Small Pulmonary Vessels

The cross-sectional area (CSA) of small pulmonary vessels can be quantified by CT, which is a reliable method of evaluating vascular alterations in such vessels. However, the optimal number of slices required for accurate quantitation remains unknown. We evaluated relationships among all slices at 10-mm interval and all slices at 3-cm interval, 6-cm interval, and 3-slices and found the closest correlation (0.939) between all slices at 10-mm intervals and 3-cm intervals. Thus, all slices at 3-cm intervals are suitable for accurately measuring CSA.

Determining Optimal Strategies to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality in Rural Areas in Western China: an Assessment Using the Lives Saved Tool

China, as a whole, is about to meet the Millennium Development Goals for reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR), but the disparities between rural area and urban area still exists. This study estimated the potential effectiveness of expanding coverage with high impact interventions using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). It was found that gestational hypertension, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, preterm birth, neonatal asphyxia, and neonatal childhood pneumonia and diarrhea are still the major killers of mothers and children in rural area in China. It was estimated that 30% of deaths among 0-59 month old children and 25% of maternal deaths in 2008 could be prevented in 2015 if primary health care intervention coverage expanded to a feasible level. The LiST death cause framework, compared to data from the Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance System, represents 60%-80% of neonatal deaths, 40%-50% of deaths in 1-59 month old children and 40%-60% of maternal deaths in rural areas of western China.

Area optimization of parallel Chien search architecture for Reed-Solomon(255,239) decoder

A global optimization algorithm （GOA） for parallel Chien search circuit in Reed-Solomon （RS） （255,239） decoder is presented. By finding out the common modulo 2 additions within groups of Galois field （GF） multipliers and pre-computing the common items, the GOA can reduce the number of XOR gates efficiently and thus reduce the circuit area. Different from other local optimization algorithms, the GOA is a global one. When there are more than one maximum matches at a time, the best match choice in the GOA has the least impact on the final result by only choosing the pair with the smallest relational value instead of choosing a pair randomly. The results show that the area of parallel Chien search circuits can be reduced by 51% compared to the direct implementation when the group-based GOA is used for GF multipliers and by 26% if applying the GOA to GF multipliers separately. This optimization scheme can be widely used in general parallel architecture in which many GF multipliers are involved.

Optimization of Air Route Network Nodes to Avoid ″Three Areas″ Based on An Adaptive Ant Colony Algorithm

Air route network(ARN)planning is an efficient way to alleviate civil aviation flight delays caused by increasing development and pressure for safe operation.Here,the ARN shortest path was taken as the objective function,and an air route network node(ARNN)optimization model was developed to circumvent the restrictions imposed by″three areas″,also known as prohibited areas,restricted areas,and dangerous areas(PRDs),by creating agrid environment.And finally the objective function was solved by means of an adaptive ant colony algorithm(AACA).The A593,A470,B221,and G204 air routes in the busy ZSHA flight information region,where the airspace includes areas with different levels of PRDs,were taken as an example.Based on current flight patterns,a layout optimization of the ARNN was computed using this model and algorithm and successfully avoided PRDs.The optimized result reduced the total length of routes by 2.14% and the total cost by 9.875%.

Agricultural Production Structure Optimization: A Case Study of Major Grain Producing Areas, China

A large number of mathematical models were developed for supporting agricultural production structure optimization decisions; however, few of them can address various uncertainties existing in many factors （e.g., eco-social benefit maximization, food security, employment stability and ecosystem balance）. In this study, an interval-probabilistic agricultural production structure optimization model （IPAPSOM） is formulated for tackling uncertainty presented as discrete intervals and/or probability distribution. The developed model improves upon the existing probabilistic programming and inexact optimization approaches. The IPAPSOM considers not only food security policy constraints, but also involves rural households’income increase and eco-environmental conversation, which can effectively reflect various interrelations among different aspects in an agricultural production structure optimization system. Moreover, it can also help examine the reliability of satisfying （or risk of violating） system constraints under uncertainty. The model is applied to a real case of long-term agricultural production structure optimization in Dancheng County, which is located in Henan Province of Central China as one of the major grain producing areas. Interval solutions associated with different risk levels of constraint violation are obtained. The results are useful for generating a range of decision alternatives under various system benefit conditions, and thus helping decision makers to identify the desired agricultural production structure optimization strategy under uncertainty.

Industrial and Agricultural Effects on Water Environment and Its Optimization in Heavily Polluted Area in Taihu Lake Basin, China

The deteriorating water quality in the Taihu Lake Basin has attracted widespread attention for many years, and is correlated with a sharp increase in the quantity of pollutant discharge such as agricultural fertilizers and industrial wastewater. In this study, several factors were selected for evaluating and regionalizing the water environmental capacity by ArcG1S spatial analysis, including geomor- phologic characteristics, water quality goals, water body accessibility, water-dilution channels, and current water quality. Then, the spa- tial optimization of agriculture and industry was adjusted through overlay analysis, based on the balance between industrial space and water environmental capacity. The results show that the water environmental capacity gradually decreases from the west to the east, in contrast, the pollution caused by industrial and agricultural clustering is distributes along Taihu Lake, Gehu Lake and urban districts. The analysis of the agricultural space focuses on optimizing key protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and the shores of Gehu Lake, optimally adjusting the second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the urban areas of Changzhou and Wuxi cities. The analysis of industrial space focuses on optimizing the downtowns of Changzhou and Wuxi cities, optimally adjusting key protected areas and second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the south and southwest of Gehu Lake. Lastly, some schemes of industrial and agricultural layouts and policies for the direction of industrial and agricultural development were proposed, reflecting a correlation between industry and agriculture and the water environment.

Characteristics and Optimization of Distribution of Rural Residential Area in Wangcun River Basin of Linfen City

As a carrier of rural population,rural residential area carries important functions such as rural production and life. This paper studied the characteristics of rural residential area and optimization model,to lay certain foundation for integrating urban and rural development and increasing economic income. With the aid of Arc GIS 10. 1 and Fragstats 3. 4 software,based on the theory of landscape ecology,it analyzed the distribution characteristics of residential area in Wangcun River Basin of Anze County,Linrfen City,Shanxi Province. Besides,according to distribution characteristics,it analyzed three optimization models: priority development model,retention limit development model,and migration development model.

Study of the Optimization and Adjustment ofthe IndustrialStructure Subjected to Water Resource in the Drainage Area of the Yellow River

Since the 1990s, the Yellow River stream has been temporarily interrupted for several years, which affects the development of society, the economy and human life, limits the economic potential of the drainage areas, and especially causes great harm to regions on the lower reaches. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the development of society and economy and water scarcity, the author thinks it is necessary to optimize and adjust the industrial structure that has extravagantly consumed enormous amounts of water, and to develop ecological agriculture, industry and tourism which are balanced with the ecological environment. Finally, the author puts forward several pieces of advice and countermeasures about how to build the economic systems by which water can be used economically.