AN ADAPTIVE MEASUREMENT SCHEME BASED ON COMPRESSED SENSING FOR WIDEBAND SPECTRUM DETECTION IN COGNITIVE WSN

An Adaptive Measurement Scheme (AMS) is investigated with Compressed Sensing (CS) theory in Cognitive Wireless Sensor Network (C-WSN). Local sensing information is collected via energy detection with Analog-to-Information Converter (AIC) at massive cognitive sensors, and sparse representation is considered with the exploration of spatial temporal correlation structure of detected signals. Adaptive measurement matrix is designed in AMS, which is based on maximum energy subset selection. Energy subset is calculated with sparse transformation of sensing information, and maximum energy subset is selected as the row vector of adaptive measurement matrix. In addition, the measurement matrix is constructed by orthogonalization of those selected row vectors, which also satisfies the Restricted Isometry Property (RIP) in CS theory. Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) reconstruction algorithm is implemented at sink node to recover original information. Simulation results are performed with the comparison of Random Measurement Scheme (RMS). It is revealed that, signal reconstruction effect based on AMS is superior to conventional RMS Gaussian measurement. Moreover, AMS has better detection performance than RMS at lower compression rate region, and it is suitable for large-scale C-WSN wideband spectrum sensing.

An Appraisal of Adaptation Measures to Climate Variability by Smallholder Irish Potato Farmers in South Western Uganda

Climate change and variability are a reality and have had marked effects on both human and ecological systems. Adaptation to such effects either directly or indirectly is viewed as a novel way of reducing the spread of the associated risks. The study was conducted in Rubanda District with a general aim of evaluating the effectiveness of adaptation measures to climate variability used by smallholder Irish potatoes farmers. Specifically, we sought to appraise small-holder Irish potato farmers’ perceptions about the effectiveness of climate variability adaptation measures and implications on Irish potato productivity. We undertook a cross-sectional study to collect data from total of 197 farmers using a structured questionnaire. Other participatory methods such as focus group discussions and key informant interview were also used to complement the household survey. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 23 to generate descriptive statistics as well as relationships between the adaptation measures and the productivity of the Irish potatoes using a Cobb-Douglas production function. The Cobb-Douglas model revealed that the use of fertilizers was significantly and positively associated with productivity of Irish potato (P < 0.001). Furthermore, Smallholder Irish potato farmers perceived the use of technology, terracing, early planting and application of fertilizers as the most effective climate variability adaptation measures. The study recommends that measures that are cost-effective, efficient and coherent should be promoted to offset the impacts of climate variability which would include the adoption of improved potato varieties and use of fertilizers with proper management of erosion. Off-season planting of Irish potatoes in the wetlands should be discouraged by the local administration and the National Environment Management Authority. This calls for a collective action involving the agricultural practitioners and inline civil society organizations to ensure that farmers have access to such inputs.

Household and Community Assets and Farmers' Adaptation to Extreme Weather Event:the Case of Drought in China

Under climate change, rising frequency and serious extreme weather events have challenged agricultural production. Designing appropriate adaptation measures to the extreme weather events require rigorous and empirical analysis. The overall goals of this study are to understand physical adaptation measures taken by farmers and the impacts of household and community assets on farmers＇ adaptation when they face drought. The analyses are based on a unique data set collected from a household survey in three provinces in China. The survey results show that though not common on annual basis, some farmers did use physical adaptation measures to fight drought. Regression analysis reveals that both household and community assets significantly affect farmers＇ adaptation behaviors. Improving households＇ social capital and wealth, communities＇ network and access to government＇s anti-drought service can facilitate farmers＇ adaptation to drought. Results indicate that community＇s irrigation infrastructure and physical adaptation taken by farmers can substitute each other. Further analysis shows that the households taking adaptation measures have higher crop yields than those without taking these measures. The paper concludes with several policy implications.

Measurement Uncertainty Evaluation of Conicity Error Inspected on CMM

The cone is widely used in mechanical design for rotation, centering and fixing. Whether the conicity error can be measured and evaluated accurately will directly influence its assembly accuracy and working performance. According to the new generation geometrical product specification（GPS）, the error and its measurement uncertainty should be evaluated together. The mathematical model of the minimum zone conicity error is established and an improved immune evolutionary algorithm（IlEA） is proposed to search for the conicity error. In the IIEA, initial antibodies are firstly generated by using quasi-random sequences and two kinds of affinities are calculated. Then, each antibody clone is generated and they are self-adaptively mutated so as to maintain diversity. Similar antibody is suppressed and new random antibody is generated. Because the mathematical model of conicity error is strongly nonlinear and the input quantities are not independent, it is difficult to use Guide to the expression of uncertainty in the measurement（GUM） method to evaluate measurement uncertainty. Adaptive Monte Carlo method（AMCM） is proposed to estimate measurement uncertainty in which the number of Monte Carlo trials is selected adaptively and the quality of the numerical results is directly controlled. The cone parts was machined on lathe CK6140 and measured on Miracle NC 454 Coordinate Measuring Machine（CMM）. The experiment results confirm that the proposed method not only can search for the approximate solution of the minimum zone conicity error（MZCE） rapidly and precisely, but also can evaluate measurement uncertainty and give control variables with an expected numerical tolerance. The conicity errors computed by the proposed method are 20%-40% less than those computed by NC454 CMM software and the evaluation accuracy improves significantly.

Rural coping and adaptation strategies for climate change by Himalayan communities in Nepal

Climate change has major impacts on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.The unpredictable weather conditions in rural Nepal have been attributed to a changing climate.This study explored the climate change adaptation and coping strategies that rural communities adopt for the conservation of natural resources and livelihoods in the mid-hills of Nepal.This paper explored major climatic hazards,assessed different coping and adaptation measures,and barrier faced to climate change adaptation based on perceptions by forest-dependent communities.We conducted focus group discussions,questionnaire surveys,and semistructured interviews with local communities and stakeholders.The results showed that rural communities had experienced significant impacts of climate change and variability.In response,they are practicing diverse coping and adaptation strategies,including the construction of bioengineering structures and planting different species that grow quickly and establish promptly.

Impacts of climate change on water quantity, water salinity, food security, and socioeconomy in Egypt

Climate change might have direct impacts on water quantity in Egypt and lead to indirect effects on Mediterranean saltwater intrusion to groundwater,which exposes agriculture to vulnerability.This study investigated impacts of climate change on agriculture,with particular regard to food security and socioeconomy,and quantified the effectiveness of cropping pattern adaptation measures by integrating three mathematical models.The BlueM model was used for hydrological simulations of Nasser Lake under flooding scenarios to predict the water supply from the High Aswan Dam.The water and salinity balance(WB-SAL)model was adopted to estimate the water salinity in the Nile Delta.The simulated results from the BlueM and WB-SAL models were integrated with the agricultural simulation model for Egypt(ASME)to project cropping patterns,food security,and socioeconomy throughout the country.The results showed that future climate change will directly affect the total crop area;crop areas for 13 crop types;the self-sufficiency of wheat,rice,cereal,and maize supplies;and socioeconomic indicators.The proposed cropping pattern adaptation measures focus on fixing the crop areas of rice and orchards and providing half of the population with lentils,maize,onion,vegetables,milk,and meat.The adaptation measures have the potential to promote food security without causing deterioration of the socioeconomic situation.However,water availability has much more significant effects on food security and socioeconomy than cropping pattern adaptation measures do.Accordingly,the country should rationalize water use efficiency and increase water supply.©2021 Hohai University.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

The Intelligent Measuring Sub-system in the Computer Integrated and Flexible Laser Processing System

Based on the computer integrated and flexible laser p rocessing system, we developed an intelligent measuring sub-system. A novel mod el has been built to compensate the deviations of the main frame-structure, and a laser tracker system is applied to calibrate the accuracy of the system. Anal yzing the characteristics of all kind surfaces of automobile outer penal moulds and dies, the surface and border to be measured and processed are classified int o four types. A 2-D adaptive measuring method based on Bzier curve and a 3 -D adaptive measuring method based on Spline curve are developed for different types of surface. During the data processing, a 3-D probe compensation method i s described in details. The control software of the sub-measuring system is des cribed. Some measuring experiments are carried out to testify the methods.

Climate change and China's coastal zones and seas:Impacts,risks,and adaptation

This article provides an assessment of the changes in marine climate drivers(hazards),associated impacts,risks,and adaptation to the coastal China zones and seas since the mid 20th century.The results show that:①Marine climate drivers,such as ocean warming,sea level rise,typhoon,storm surges and marine heat waves(MHWs),have increased significantly in strength,frequency and range over the past decades.②Ocean warming has caused substantial changes in marine phenology,species composition,geographical distribution,and frequent occurrences of ecological disasters such as red tides,green tides,and macro-jellyfish outbreaks,while MHWs have induced degradation in tropical coral reefs and major losses in the marine aquaculture industry in the coastal China seas.③Sea level rise threatens the typical habitats of coastal wetlands such as mangrove and estuaries,and exacerbates coastal erosion,seawater intrusion and the impacts of typhoon,storm surges on the coastal flood disasters.④Human activities,such as large-scale reclamation,pollutant discharge,and overfishing,have increased the exposure and vulnerability of China's marine and coastal ecosystems,leading to the low-aging and miniaturization of fishery types,decline of offshore fishery resources,reduction of coastal wetland areas,and degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem stability.⑤Under different climate scenarios such as low and high greenhouse gases emission scenario(RCP 2.6 and 8.5),as the warming and sea level rise in the coastal China seas continue,extreme sea level(ESL)events will occur more frequently,e.g.,by the end of this century,the current once per century ESL events will become annually or even annually less(RCP 8.5)in many coastal areas,such as at Lvsi and Xiamen tidal gauge stations;and the ESL events could pose serious risks on the coastal areas.Finally,the article further discusses the adaptation measures and related uncertain issues to address climate change in the coastal China zones and seas,and puts forward relevant countermeasures and suggestions in order to reduce its negative impacts on the sustainable development of human community.

Analysis of the effect of passive measures on the energy consumption and zero-energy prospects of residential buildings in Pakistan

Climate change can adversely impact the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of the buildings stock. The South Asian countries are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change specially in the form of rising temperatures and increasing frequency of heat waves. The passive building design measures can be useful in mitigating and adapting to the climate change by increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study various passive climate change adaptation measures (PCAMs) have been used individually and in form of combinations in order to analyze their impact on the energy efficacy of residential buildings in Pakistan. It has been found that the natural ventilation and front green wall are the most efficient options for reducing the overall energy consumption. By implementation of these PCAMs, cooling demand can be decreased by 27.75% while heating demand can be reduced by 35%. Secondly, the prospect of net zero-energy building and reduced CO2 emissions are also studied. It has been shown that building can achieve net-zero energy on an annual basis at every orientation and it can attain the status of nearly zero-energy building on a monthly basis. Moreover, emitted CO2 can be reduced by 31% by using the renewable energy.

Real-time measurement of atmospheric parameters for the 127-element adaptive optics system of 1.8-m telescope

A real-time method for measuring atmospheric parameters based on co-processor field-programmable gate array （FPGA） and main processor digital signal processing （DSP） is proposed for ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics （AO） systems. Coherence length, outer scale, average wind speed, and coherence time are estimated according to closed-loop data on the residual slopes and the corrected voltages of AO systems. This letter introduces the principle and architecture design of the proposed method, which is successfully applied in the 127-element AO system of the 1.8-m telescope of Yunnan Astronomical Observatory. The method enables real-time atmospheric observations with the same object and path of the AO system. This method is also applicable to extended objects.

Objective visual performance evaluation with visual evoked potential measurements based on an adaptive optics system

An objective visual performance evaluation with visual evoked potential （VEP） measurements was first inte- grated into an adaptive optics （AO） system. The optical and neural limits to vision can be bypassed through this system. Visual performance can be measured electrophysiologically with VEP, which reflects the objective func- tion from the retina to the primary visual cortex. The VEP ts without and with AO correction were preliminarily carried out using this system, demonstrating the great potential of this system in the objective visual performance evaluation. The new system will provide the necessary technique and equipment support for the further study of human visual function.

Assessments on surface water resources and their vulnerability and adaptability in China

A clear understanding of the changes of water resources under the background of environmental changes is of great significance for scientific management and utilization of water resources in China.This study systematically analyzed the spatialetemporal variations of surface water resources in China since 2000.Water vulnerability in current(2010s)and its trends from 2000 to late-2010s in different regions of China were also summarized.In addition,the correspondingly adaptive measures to counter regional risks to water resources were proposed.We concluded that the runoff of major rivers had been decreasing in eastern China and increasing in western China during 2000-2018.In the arid area of Northwest China,the alpine runoff has shown an overall upward trend since the late-1990s/early-2000s,with a 10%-25% increase caused by the increase of glacial meltwater and precipitation.While the runoff of each hydrological station in the 2000s-2010s was 34.7% lower than that in the 1950se2010s on average.The increases in precipitation and glacial meltwater with global warming caused a rapid expansion of lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Xinjiang,thus leading to an increase in total area and water quantity of lakes in China from 1995 to 2015.The mean contribution rates of climate change and human activity to runoff change in river basins of China were 53.5% and 46.5%,respectively,during the period of 2000-2010s.The driving factor of runoff change in many river basins has gradually changed from climate change(1950s-2000)to human activity(2000-2018).During 2000-2018,the contributions of human activities to runoff change were 50%-80% in major rivers of eastern China.The vulnerability in most areas of Northwest China and North China is generally high,with the vulnerability index greater than 0.6.Comparatively,in Northeast,East,South,and Central China,it is lower or not vulnerable.In Southwest China,the vulnerability varies greatly with Yunnan and Sichuan relatively low while Chongqing and Guizhou relatively high.The precipitation increase,the application of water-saving technology,the establishment of flood control and drought relief engineering facilities,and the introduction of relevant policies and measures have helped to gradually reduce the vulnerability of water resources in most areas of North and Northwest China(except Xinjiang)from 2000 to 2010s.Water vulnerability has been increasing in southern China,caused by climate change and the development of industry and agriculture,which increases water resource exposure since 2000.Based on the typical risk factors and vulnerability characteristics of water resources in different regions,this study proposed some targeted adaptive measures correspondingly so as to scientifically deal with the problems of surface water resources in China.