Utility of Adaptive Sample Size Designs and A Review Example

Sample size can be a key design feature that not only affects the probability of a trial＇s success but also determines the duration and feasibility of a trial. If an investigational drug is expected to be effective and address unmet medical needs of an orphan disease, where the accrual period may require many years with a large sample size to detect a minimal clinically relevant treatment effect, a minimum sample size may be set to maintain nominal power. In limited situations such as this, there may be a need for flexibility in the initial and final sample sizes; thus, it is useful to consider the utility of adaptive sample size designs that use sample size re-estimation or group sequential design. In this paper, we propose a new adaptive performance measure to consider the utility of an adaptive sample size design in a trial simulation. Considering that previously proposed sample size re-estimation methods do not take into account errors in estimation based on interim results, we propose Bayesian sample size re-estimation criteria that take into account prior information on treatment effect, and then, we assess its operating characteristics in a simulation study. We also present a review example of sample size re-estimation mainly based on published paper and review report in Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency （PMDA）.

Designing of Acousto-optic Spectrum Analyzer

The structure of the acousto-optic spectrum analyzer was investigated including the RF amplifying circuit, the optical structures and the postprocessing circuit, and the design idea of the module was applied to design the spectrum analyzer. The modularization spectrum analyzer takes on the performance stabilization and higher reliability, and according to different demands, the different modules can be used. The spectrum analyzer had such performances as the detecting frequency precision of 1 MHz, the detecting frequency error of 0.58 MHz, detecting responsivity of 90 dBm and bandwidth of 50 MHz.

CO_(2)electrolysis:Advances and challenges in electrocatalyst engineering and reactor design

Electrochemical reduction of CO_(2)(CO_(2)RR)coupled with renewable electrical energy is an attractive way of upgrading CO_(2)to value-added chemicals and closing the carbon cycle.However,CO_(2)RR electrocatalysts still suffer from high overpotential,and the complex reaction pathways of CO_(2)RR often lead to mixed products.Early research focuses on tuning the binding of reaction intermediates on electrocatalysts,and recent efforts have revealed that the design of electrolysis reactors is equally important for efficient and selective CO_(2)RR.In this review,we present an overview of recent advances and challenges toward achieving high activity and high selectivity in CO_(2)RR at ambient conditions,with a particular focus on the progress of CO_(2)RR electrocatalyst engineering and reactor design.Our discussion begins with three types of electrocatalysts for CO_(2)RR(noble metalbased,none-noble metal-based,and metal-free electrocatalysts),and then we examine systems-level strategies toward engineering specific components of the electrolyzer,including gas diffusion electrodes,electrolytes,and polymer electrolyte membranes.We close with future perspectives on catalyst development,in-situ/operando characterization,and electrolyzer performance evaluation in CO_(2)RR studies.

Rapid design of secondary deformation-aging parameters for ultra-low Co content Cu-Ni-Co-Si-X alloy via Bayesian optimization machine learning

It is difficult to rapidly design the process parameters of copper alloys by using the traditional trial-and-error method and simultaneously improve the conflicting mechanical and electrical properties.The purpose of this work is to develop a new type of Cu-Ni-Co-Si alloy saving scarce and expensive Co element,in which the Co content is less than half of the lower limit in ASTM standard C70350 alloy,while the properties are as the same level as C70350 alloy.Here we adopted a strategy combining Bayesian optimization machine learning and experimental iteration and quickly designed the secondary deformation-aging parameters(cold rolling deformation 90%,aging temperature 450℃,and aging time 1.25 h)of the new copper alloy with only 32 experiments(27 basic sample data acquisition experiments and 5 iteration experiments),which broke through the barrier of low efficiency and high cost of trial-and-error design of deformation-aging parameters in precipitation strengthened copper alloy.The experimental hardness,tensile strength,and electrical conductivity of the new copper alloy are HV(285±4),(872±3)MPa,and(44.2±0.7)%IACS(international annealed copper standard),reaching the property level of the commercial lead frame C70350 alloy.This work provides a new idea for the rapid design of material process parameters and the simultaneous improvement of mechanical and electrical properties.

Dynamic-Response Analysis of the Branch System of a Utility Tunnel Subjected to Near-Fault and Far-Field Ground Motions in Different Input Mechanisms

There are few studies on the dynamic-response mechanism of near-fault and far-field ground motions for large underground structures,especially for the branch joint of a utility tunnel(UT)and its internal pipeline.Based on the theory of a 3D viscous-spring artificial boundary,this paper deduced the equivalent nodal force when a P wave and an SV wave were vertically incident at the same time and transformed the ground motion into an equivalent nodal force using a self-developed MATLAB program,which was applied to an ABAQUS finite element model.Based on near-fault and far-field groundmotions obtained fromtheNGA-WEST2 database,the dynamic responses of a utility tunnel and its internal pipeline in different inputmechanisms of near-fault and far-field groundmotions were compared according to bidirectional input and tridirectional input,respectively.Generally,the damage to the utility tunnel caused by the near-fault ground motion was stronger than that caused by the far-field ground motion,and the vertical ground motion of near-fault ground motion aggravated the damage to the utility tunnel.In addition,the joint dislocation of the upper and lower three-way joints of the pipeline in the branch systemunder the seismic action led to local stress concentrations.In general,the branch system of the utility tunnel had good seismic performance to resist the designed earthquake action and protect the internal pipeline fromdamage during the rare earthquake.

Realizing the ＂Utility Maximization＂ of periodical class

With the popularization of college education, the English level of freshmen majoring in English language has been declining. To maintain the required English level of the graduates, training the English language skill should underlie every English course offered. As an advanced comprehensive course, the course-Reading Newspapers and Magazines in English-is supposed to train the skills of its students in every aspect as possible. This task should be the focal point to be considered when the teacher is involved in instructional design. This paper intends to introduce some methods on how to combine English skill training and English newspaper reading together.

A Computer-aided Design System for Framed-mould in Autoclave Processing

The general computer-aided design （CAD） software cannot meet the mould design requirement of the autoclave process for composites, because many parameters such as temperature and pressure should be considered in the mould design process, in addition to the material and geometry of the part. A framed-mould computer-aided design system （FMCAD） used in the autoclave moulding process is proposed in this paper. A function model of the software is presented, in which influence factors such as part structure, mould structure, and process parameters are considered; a design model of the software is established using object oriented （O-O） technology to integrate the stiffness calculation, temperature field calculation, and deformation field calculation of mould in the design, and in the design model, a hybrid model of mould based on calculation feature and form feature is presented to support those calculations. A prototype system is developed, in which a mould design process wizard is built to integrate the input information, calculation, analysis, data storage, display, and design results of mould design. Finally, three design examples are used to verify the prototype.

Assessment of Seismic Indirect Losses Based on Utility Curves

In the process of quantifying optimum seismic design parameters, the losses implying the failure of the system must be assessed. Intangibles such as human lives may lie among indirect losses. In this paper, we propose a model to calculate the value of the investment that society should be willing to make for saving lives. In order to do this, we analyze both individual and social problems. However, special treatment is given to the individual problem where the value of the life of a human being is inferred by what the person should be willing to pay or willing to accept to reduce the risk of dying. Due to the use of utility curves in the calculation of this kind of intangible, we pay special attention to shape and requirement conditions of these curves. We also pay attention when personal impact and legacies or bequests are considered in utility curves. The results are shown through some applications, especially in the computation of optimum seismic design coefficients at a low seismicity site.

On the Design Pattern for Improving Urban Living Environment with Regional Natural Resources—By Studying Cases of British Architect Richard Rogers

Through discussing effective utilization of regional natural resources under the background of globalization,combining with Richard Rogers' typical architectural and urban design works,this study analyzes his design concepts of using regional natural resources from the perspectives of overall balance between architecture and natural environment,architectural function and detail control,application of proper technologies and new materials,then proposes a modern design pattern to create a better urban living environment by integrating regional natural resources and modern architectural technology.

Architecture Water-saving Design and Building Technique of Sponge Yard

The reclaimed water that we can use in daily life accounts for as much as 35 %,but we do not give it enough concern.The authors focus on the design methods and approaches of green buildings,which refer to water saving and environmental protection.In this paper,the authors illustrate the generating channels of reclaimed water in architecture design:rainwater collection integration design,sewage zero discharge of reclaimed water reused by biological technology,and sponge yard,thereby protecting environment.

On Designing Biopolymer-Bound Soil Composites (BSC) for Peak Compressive Strength

Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites(BSC),are a novel bio-based construction material class,produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization,brick creation and in situ construction on Earth and space.This paper introduces a mixture design methodology to produce maximum strength for a given soil-biopolymer combination.Twenty protein and sand mix designs were investigated,with varying amounts of biopolymer solution and compaction regimes during manufacture.The ultimate compressive strength,density,and shrinkage of BSC samples are reported.It is observed that the compressive strength of BSC materials increases proportional to tighter particle packing(soil dry bulk density)and binder content.A theory to explain this peak compressive strength phenomenon is presented.

Study and application on product design system orienting to optimal utilization of material resources

Product design plays a decisive role in material resource consumption in manufacturing systems. So it is significant to study optimal utilization of material resources of manufacturing system from the perspective of product design. This paper firstly defines concept of product design, then after an analysis of design objectives the author proposes a target system of product design with three subsystems: structural system, functional system, and technical system. Finally, a product design system on Architectural Metal Structure Enterprises is developed and used in light of the great consumption of material resources in Metal Structure Enterprises. The system has got an obvious effect on improving comprehensive optimal using rate of material resources of enterprises, reducing design cycle, improving management of enterprises.

Efficient Methodology for Design of Industrial Blast Resistant Electrical Substations and Control Buildings

This paper describes economical strategies to design blast resistant electrical substations and control buildings that are commonly used at industrial plants.Limited literature addressed design aspects for this class of buildings.Furthermore,little guidelines are available in practice to regulate this type of steel construction.The first part of the paper overviews the architectural and structural layouts of electrical buildings.Blast resistance requirements for occupied control buildings are also discussed.Simplified multiple degrees of freedom(MDOF)dynamic model is also illustrated that can be utilized for analysis of the blast resistant buildings.The economical aspects and cost savings resulting in using mobile blast resistant buildings are discussed.The article also highlights the engineering challenges that are encountered in design of mobile electrical facilities.The transportation procedure and design requirements are briefly described.Guidelines are proposed to calculate the center of mass of the building combined with interior equipment.The proposed design concept for electrical and control buildings is cost effective and can be implemented in industry to reduce projects cost.

Eco-tourism Value and Utilization Design of Constructed Wetland Park

The paper had emphasized that constructed wetland park was a "win-win" artificial tourist program integrating wetland function and park function and springing up exuberantly at present,and highlighted that it possessed good landscape effect and eco-tourism value in addition to treatment of water pollution and recovery of ecological environment.From the perspectives of ornamental value,science popularization and environmental education value,and multiple experience value,it had analyzed eco-tourism value of constructed wetland park and pointed out that the important approach for maximum display of its eco-tourism value was to well design and build constructed wetland park or constructed wetland eco-tourist area.Furthermore,by taking constructed wetland park for example,the paper had discussed design and utilization of eco-tourism value of constructed wetland park,highlighted three aspects covering perfection of landscape creation and leisure facilities,display of popular science education,design and organization of experience activity,so as to bring the comprehensive value of constructed wetland park into full play and promote healthy development of eco-tourism in constructed wetland park.

The Principle of Square Hole Machining and It＇s Tooling Structure Design

In order to meet the rapid needs of processing square hole in mechanical equipment, the paper expounds the square hole processing method： planetary wheel method, and analyze the principle of tooling structure and process with computer graphics parameters design. The results that, as long as the appropriate parameters, using the above method not only can punch the square hole, can also be processed triangle, the five angle and hexagonal regular polygon holes. The square hole processing method can provide theoretical basis and engineering reliable reference for related engineering and technical personnel.

Experimental Design of Measuring Soil-Water Characteristic Curve of Unsaturated Soil Using Bayesian Approach

Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) is significant to estimate the site-specific unsaturated soil properties (such as unsaturated shear strength and coefficient of permeability) for geotechnical analyses involving unsaturated soils. Determining SWCC can be achieved by fitting data points obtained according to the prescribed experimental scheme, which is specified by the number of measuring points and their corresponding values of the control variable. The number of measuring points is limited since direct measurement of SWCC is often costly and time-consuming. Based on the limited number of measuring points, the estimated SWCC is unavoidably associated with uncertainties, which depends on measurement data obtained from the prescribed experimental scheme. Therefore, it is essential to plan the experimental scheme so as to reduce the uncertainty in the estimated SWCC. This study presented a Bayesian approach, called OBEDO, for probabilistic experimental design optimization of measuring SWCC based on the prior knowledge and information of testing apparatus. The uncertainty in estimated SWCC is quantified and the optimal experimental scheme with the maximum expected utility is determined by Subset Simulation optimization (SSO) in candidate experimental scheme space. The proposed approach is illustrated using an experimental design example given prior knowledge and the information of testing apparatus and is verified based on a set of real loess SWCC data, which were used to generate random experimental schemes to mimic the arbitrary arrangement of measuring points during SWCC testing in practice. Results show that the arbitrary arrangement of measuring points of SWCC testing is hardly superior to the optimal scheme obtained from OBEDO in terms of the expected utility. The proposed OBEDO approach provides a rational tool to optimize the arrangement of measuring points of SWCC test so as to obtain SWCC measurement data with relatively high expected utility for uncertainty reduction.

A DESIGN OPTIMIZATION FRAMEWORK TO ESTIMATE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF DESIGN DECISIONS IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Most products have the potential to negatively impact the environment during all life-cycle stages.However,most environmental impact assessment methods focus on a single product life-cycle and on a specific life-cycle stage.Product design plays a significant role by determining traditional environmental impacts,such as embodied energy of materials,but also by influencing market adoption and production volumes.The main objective of this work is to develop a design optimization framework that estimates the environmental impact of design decisions(e.g.materials choice,etc.)across all life-cycle stages in consumer products.The methodology relies on quality function deployment(QFD),multi-attribute utility theory,non-linear mathematical programming,and life-cycle assess-ment tools to estimate the utility of the design options to the customer,the producer,and the environment.The proposed framework allows designers and other decision makers to select options that are environmentally sound and also aligned with the business objectives.

地外建造研究进展与科学技术挑战

随着深空科学与深空探测技术的不断发展,NASA、ESA以及其他一些国家纷纷提出地外空间中长期驻留设想及其地外建造相关计划。该文梳理了国内外地外建造相关战略,系统分析了地外建造的概念内涵及其发展;总结了地外建造结构设计、材料制备和建造工艺装备三方面研究进展;进而分析指出地外建造关键科学技术挑战。期待更多的学者关注地外建造这一新的研究领域,为我国深空探测贡献土木工程学科智慧。

面向新时期新需求的三峡水库运行方案研究

本文回顾三峡水库设计洪水、特征水位、运行方案变化调整过程,综述三峡水库运行调度关键技术研究进展和分析来水来沙变化情况。分别采用最可能洪水地区组成法和非一致性洪水频率分析两种途径,推求考虑上游水库群调蓄影响的三峡水库运行期设计洪水及特征水位。结果表明:近10年三峡入库泥沙量比初设成果减少了84.4%,宜昌站水文情势IHA-RVA综合指标为74%、发生了重度改变,三峡水库运行期1000年一遇7~15 d洪量减少了约81.5亿~142.8亿m^(3),初设确定汛限水位的主要制约因素(防洪、泥沙)发生了很大的变化。原单站设计洪水及确定的三峡水库175-155-145 m运行方案,已无法满足新时期水资源高效利用和生态环境保护的新需求。建议把三峡水库运行方案调整为175-160-155 m,主汛期水位在155~160 m区间动态控制运行,长江中下游梅雨结束后应考虑提前蓄水,8月底蓄至163 m左右,9月底蓄至165 m,10月底蓄满。该方案在保证大坝和下游防洪安全的前提下,汛期减少弃水并增加枯水期补水量,预计可增发10%左右的发电量;抬高运行水位也有利于库区航运和减少消落带;9月份尽量不蓄水或少蓄水,可减少蓄水期对下游河道及两湖生态环境的不利影响,具有巨大的经济、社会和生态环境等综合利用效益。当预测预报长江流域可能发生流域性大洪水时,尽快将库水位消落至汛限水位145 m,确保大坝和下游防洪安全。

涡轮压缩膨胀机的设计与性能分析

随着人们环境保护意识的加强,天然工质制冷剂重新受到研究人员的关注。空气是一种安全且对环境绝对友好的天然制冷剂,未来,压缩空气制冷循环有望成为传统蒸气压缩制冷循环的潜在替代品。压缩膨胀机作为压缩空气制冷的核心部件,其工作效率对机组性能有直接影响。为了设计出能够配合膨胀机高效工作的离心压缩机,需要对传统的设计方法进行一些修正。本文将质量、动量、能量守恒与射流尾迹区理论相结合,并将传统的离心压缩机相关参数推广到较低压力的范围中,提出了一种与现有的涡轮膨胀机相匹配的离心压缩机几何参数的设计方法。使用该方法为现有的膨胀机设计了对应的离心压缩机,并利用其他学者分析过的离心压缩机模型对该方法进行验证,利用计算流体力学方法(CFD)对压缩膨胀机变工况下的工作性能及对膨胀功的利用率进行模拟分析。按本方法设计的离心压缩机在设计工况下能够以高于92%的效率利用膨胀机的输出功。在变工况条件下能够以高于88%的效率利用膨胀机的输出功,并且在设计质量流量附近能够顺利运行。