An example of the use of neural computing techniques in materials science - The modelling of fatigue thresholds in Ni-base superalloys

Two adaptive numerical modelling techniques have been applied to prediction of fatigue thresholds in Ni-base superalloys. A Bayesian neural network and a neurofuzzy network have been compared, both of which have the ability to automatically adjust the network's complexity to the current dataset. In both cases, despite inevitable data restrictions, threshold values have been modelled with some degree of success. However, it is argued in this paper that the neurofuzzy modelling approach offers real benefits over the use of a classical neural network as the mathematical complexity of the relationships can be restricted to allow for the paucity of data, and the linguistic fuzzy rules produced allow assessment of the model without extensive interrogation and examination using a hypothetical dataset. The additive neurofuzzy network structure means that redundant inputs can be excluded from the model and simple sub-networks produced which represent global output trends. Both of these aspects are important for final verification and validation of the information extracted from the numerical data. In some situations neurofuzzy networks may require less data to produce a stable solution, and may be easier to verify in the light of existing physical understanding because of the production of transparent linguistic rules. © 1999 Elsevier Science S.A.

一种基于模糊提取的虹膜鉴别方案

模糊提取从生物特征输入中以容错的方式可靠地提取出均匀分布的随机密钥,当输入发生变化且变化很小时,该密钥可以保持不变,研究了当汉明距离作为生物特征匹配的度量标准时,结合纠错编码学与传统密码学实现模糊提取的虹膜鉴别方法,分析了虹膜特征编码之间的差异对正确鉴别性能的影响,设计了重复码和Reed-Solomon码的两层级联纠错编码方案,并对128只虹膜的各3个样本进行了模拟实验,所给方案使用户虹膜特征模板的安全性和隐私性得到了有效保护,并能够支持用户虹膜的注册更新,此外,实验表明该方案同时具有较理想的识别性能.

云南大山包黑颈鹤(Grus nigricollis)越冬行为和保护研究

从2006 年10 月24 日至2007 年4 月9 日，采用固定样线法和瞬时扫描法， 对在大山包国家级自然保护区（N27°18′38″～27°29′15″，E103°14′55″～103°23′49″） 内越冬的黑颈鹤种群进行了越冬行为、日间活动节律和越冬栖息地利用的详细调 查，同时对黑颈鹤的春季迁徙行为和冬季黑颈鹤的死亡现象进行了观察和分析。 这些研究有助于我们了解黑颈鹤是采取何种行为模式和栖息地利用模式来适应高 海拔、低温度的环境，同时对如何有效地保护越冬黑颈鹤和合理规划保护区功能 区域有重要的指导作用。 将黑颈鹤的越冬行为分为：取食（Feeding）、搜寻（Searching）、警戒（Vigilance）、 争斗（Fight）、行走（Walk）、飞行（Flight）、休整（Maintenance）和其它（Others） 八种，越冬期间最主要的行为是取食（53.05±4.93）％，其它行为依次为：搜寻 （10.38±1.34）％、警戒（18.75±2.65）%、休整（10.32±4.93）％、行走（4.90±1.59） ％、飞行（1.70±0.38）％、争斗（0.36±0.25）％、其它（0.55±0.41）％。单因素 方差分析（One-Way ANOVA）分析表明越冬期间黑颈鹤日间各时间段（1h）和各 月份间行为差异极显著（P<0.05），并呈现出规律的变化。黑颈鹤的取食、警戒、 搜寻行为具明显的早（10:00-11:00）、晚（17:00-18:00）两个活动高峰，中午 13:00~14:00 最低；而休整行为正好相反，呈现出中午高峰、上午和下午低谷的趋 势；另外几种行为节律性表现不明显。黑颈鹤越冬期主要行为的节律变化是受环 境温度变化影响的，温度高时黑颈鹤增加了修整时间减少了取食时间，而温度低 时则减少了修整时间增加了取食时间以维持能量需求，湿度是通过温度对黑颈鹤 产生影响的。每天黑颈鹤都随着太阳的升起开始觉醒，于07:18±0:15 飞离夜栖地， 大雾的天气影响了黑颈鹤的外出觅食，与之相适应的是黑颈鹤相应的推迟了出飞 时间。黑颈鹤所采取的所有行为都表现出了对大山包特殊环境的适应。 在大山包黑颈鹤所利用的栖息共有耕地（farmland）、草地（grassland）、沼泽 （marsh）和浅水水域（water area）四类。选择指数分析表明黑颈鹤对水域有极大 的偏好，其次为沼泽湿地，再次为耕地，而对草地表现为负选择，并且在越冬期 间的各月份之间，对不同栖息利用比率保持一致。这提示我们在进行保护区规划 的时候应该适当增加前三种栖息地的面积以满足黑颈鹤的越冬需求。主成份因子 分析表明黑颈鹤倾向于选择距夜栖地和水源较近、人流较少、干扰较小、无坡或缓坡的低海拔栖息地。处于不同越冬地的越冬黑颈鹤根据当地的实际情况采取不 同的栖息地利用，说明黑颈鹤具有较强的环境适应能力。 调查期间记录到了三只带有彩环的黑颈鹤个体，其中有两只佩戴有卫星发射 器，发射器编号分别为64309 和64311。大山包黑颈鹤种群数量变动的春季和秋季 高峰是由于处于不同越冬地的黑颈鹤迁徙造成的，同时也说明了大山包是在滇东 北和黔西北越冬的黑颈鹤的集散地。黑颈鹤的春季迁徙一般集中在3 月下旬至4 月上旬，在晴朗、微风的上午10:00-11:00 迁徙的黑颈鹤数量最多，说明了天气条 件对黑颈鹤迁徙的重要性。 大山包保护区内的高压输电电线和通信电缆对越冬黑颈鹤构成了极大的威 胁。观察期间共有7 只黑颈鹤因撞上输电电线而死亡，除去一只没有外伤的成体 之外，成幼比例为1:1，大都发生在天气较为恶劣的12 月-2 月之间。发生撞死黑 颈鹤的时候保护区内都有不同程度的大雾笼罩，由于大雾的影响造成可视条件下 降，加之黑颈鹤飞行的机动性差（翼载量大、展弦比不大），造成了黑颈鹤的伤亡.

PULSED ELECTRICAL OPERATION OF 1.5-MU-M VERTICAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING LASERS

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers operating in the 1.3- and 1.5-mu m wavelength ranges are highly attractive for telecommunications applications. However, they are far less well-developed than devices operating at shorter wavelengths. Pulsed electrically-injected lasing at 1.5 mu m, at temperatures up to 240 K, is demonstrated in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with one epitaxial and one dielectric reflector. This is an encouraging result in the development of practical sources for optical fiber communications systems.

System size dependence of associated yields in hadron-triggered jets STAR Collaboration

We present results on the system size dependence of high transverse momentum di-hadron correlations at root s(NN) = 200 GeV as measured by STAR at RHIC. Measurements in d + Au, Cu + Cu and Au + Au collisions reveal similar jet-like near-side correlation yields (correlations at small angular separation Delta phi similar to 0, Delta eta similar to 0) for all systems and centralities. Previous measurements have shown Chat the away-side (Delta phi similar to pi) yield is suppressed in heavy-ion collisions. We present measurements of the away-side Suppression as a function of transverse momentum and centrality in Cu + Cu and Au + Au collisions. The suppression is found to be similar in Cu + Cu and An + An collisions at a similar number of participants. The results are compared to theoretical calculations based on the patron quenching model and the modified fragmentation model. The observed differences between data and theory indicate that the correlated yields presented here will further constrain dynamic energy loss models and provide information about the dynamic density profile in heavy-ion collisions. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the Bottom Quark Contribution to Nonphotonic Electron Production in p plus p Collisions at root s=200 GeV

The contribution of B meson decays to nonphotonic electrons, which are mainly produced by the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor mesons, in p + p collisions at root s = 200 GeV has been measured using azimuthal correlations between nonphotonic electrons and hadrons. The extracted B decay contribution is approximately 50% at a transverse momentum of p(T) >= 5 GeV/c. These measurements constrain the nuclear modification factor for electrons from B and D meson decays. The result indicates that B meson production in heavy ion collisions is also suppressed at high p(T).

Discovery of Highly Excited Long-Lived Isomers in Neutron-Rich Hafnium and Tantalum Isotopes through Direct Mass Measurements

A study of cooled Au-197 projectile-fragmentation products has been performed with a storage ring. This has enabled metastable nuclear excitations with energies up to 3 MeV, and half-lives extending to minutes or longer, to be identified in the neutron-rich nuclides Hf-183,Hf-184,Hf-186 and Ta-186,Ta-187. The results support the prediction of a strongly favored isomer region near neutron number 116.

Higher Moments of Net Proton Multiplicity Distributions at RHIC

200 GeV corresponding to baryon chemical potentials (mu(B)) between 200 and 20 MeV. Our measurements of the products kappa sigma(2) and S sigma, which can be related to theoretical calculations sensitive to baryon number susceptibilities and long-range correlations, are constant as functions of collision centrality. We compare these products with results from lattice QCD and various models without a critical point and study the root s(NN) dependence of kappa sigma(2). From the measurements at the three beam energies, we find no evidence for a critical point in the QCD phase diagram for mu(B) below 200 MeV.

Three-Particle Coincidence of the Long Range Pseudorapidity Correlation in High Energy Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

We report the first three-particle coincidence measurement in pseudorapidity (Delta eta) between a high transverse momentum (p(perpendicular to)) trigger particle and two lower p(perpendicular to) associated particles within azimuth |Delta phi| < 0.7 in root s(NN) = 200 GeV d + Au and Au + Au collisions. Charge ordering properties are exploited to separate the jetlike component and the ridge (long range Delta eta correlation). The results indicate that the correlation of ridge particles are uniform not only with respect to the trigger particle but also between themselves event by event in our measured Delta eta. In addition, the production of the ridge appears to be uncorrelated to the presence of the narrow jetlike component.

gamma cross section in p plus p collisions at root s=200 GeV

We report on a measurement of the gamma(1S + 2S + 3S) -> e(+)e(-) cross section at midrapidity in p + p collisions at root s = 200 GeV. We find the cross section to be 114 +/- 38(stat + fit)(-24)(+23)(syst) pb. Perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading order in the color evaporation model are in agreement with our measurement, while calculations in the color singlet model underestimate it by 2 sigma. Our result is consistent with the trend seen in world data as a function of the center-of-mass energy of the collision and extends the availability of gamma data to RHIC energies. The dielectron continuum in the invariant-mass range near the gamma is also studied to obtain a combined yield of e(+)e(-) pairs from the sum of the Drell-Yan process and b-(b) over bar production.

Parton energy loss in heavy-ion collisions via direct-photon and charged-particle azimuthal correlations

Charged-particle spectra associated with direct photon (gamma(dir)) and pi(0) are measured in p + p and Au + Au collisions at center-of-mass energy root(S)(NN) = 200 GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. A shower-shape analysis is used to partially discriminate between gamma(dir) and pi(0). Assuming no associated charged particles in the gamma(dir) direction ( near side) and small contribution from fragmentation photons (gamma(frag)), the associated charged-particle yields opposite to gamma(dir) (away side) are extracted. In central Au + Au collisions, the charged-particle yields at midrapidity (vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1) and high transverse momentum (3 < (assoc)(PT) < 16 GeV/c) associated with gamma(dir) and pi(0) (vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.9, 8 < (trig)(PT) < 16 GeV/c) are suppressed by a factor of 3-5 compared with p + p collisions. The observed suppression of the associated charged particles is similar for gamma(dir) and pi(0) and independent of the gamma(dir) energy within uncertainties. These measurements indicate that, in the kinematic range covered and within our current experimental uncertainties, the parton energy loss shows no sensitivity to the parton initial energy, path length, or color charge.

Azimuthal di-hadron correlations in d plus Au and Au plus Au collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV measured at the STAR detector

Yields, correlation shapes, and mean transverse momenta p(T) of charged particles associated with intermediate-to high-p(T) trigger particles (2.5 < p(T) < 10 GeV/c) in d + Au and Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV are presented. For associated particles at higher p(T) greater than or similar to 2.5 GeV/c, narrow correlation peaks are seen in d + Au and Au + Au, indicating that the main production mechanism is jet fragmentation. At lower associated particle pT < 2 GeV/c, a large enhancement of the near- (Delta phi similar to 0) and away-side (Delta phi similar to pi) associated yields is found, together with a strong broadening of the away-side azimuthal distributions in Au + Au collisions compared to d + Au measurements, suggesting that other particle production mechanisms play a role. This is further supported by the observed significant softening of the away-side associated particle yield distribution at Delta phi similar to pi in central Au + Au collisions.

Balance functions from Au+Au, d+Au, and p+p collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV

Balance functions have been measured for charged-particle pairs, identified charged-pion pairs, and identified charged-kaon pairs in Au + Au, d + Au, and p + p collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider using the STAR detector. These balance functions are presented in terms of relative pseudorapidity, Delta eta, relative rapidity, Delta y, relative azimuthal angle, Delta phi, and invariant relative momentum, q(inv). For charged-particle pairs, the width of the balance function in terms of Delta eta scales smoothly with the number of participating nucleons, while HIJING and UrQMD model calculations show no dependence on centrality or system size. For charged-particle and charged-pion pairs, the balance functions widths in terms of Delta eta and Delta y are narrower in central Au + Au collisions than in peripheral collisions. The width for central collisions is consistent with thermal blast-wave models where the balancing charges are highly correlated in coordinate space at breakup. This strong correlation might be explained by either delayed hadronization or limited diffusion during the reaction. Furthermore, the narrowing trend is consistent with the lower kinetic temperatures inherent to more central collisions. In contrast, the width of the balance function for charged-kaon pairs in terms of Delta y shows little centrality dependence, which may signal a different production mechanism for kaons. The widths of the balance functions for charged pions and kaons in terms of q(inv) narrow in central collisions compared to peripheral collisions, which may be driven by the change in the kinetic temperature.