Gotowa bibliografia na temat „Multi variate ratio”

Abstract-- The main objective of this paper is to examine the performance of Neuro- Statistical sparse transformation function for implementation in a still image vector coding based compression system. This paper discusses the important features of low bit-rate image coding which is based on recent developments in the theory of multivariate nonlinear piecewise polynomial approximation in still images. It combines Binary Space Partition (BSP) scheme with Geometric Wavelet (GW) tree approximation so as to efficiently capture curve singularities and provide a sparse representation of the image. The quality of the reconstructed image is measured objectively using Peak Signal to Noise Ratio. Experimental results show that the proposed image compression system yields higher compression with minimal loss.

The ability to identify factors that influence serious injuries and fatalities would help construction firms triage hazardous situations and direct their resources towards more effective interventions. Therefore, this study used odds ratio analysis and logistic regression modeling on historical accident data to investigate the contributing factors impacting occupational accidents among small electrical contracting enterprises. After conducting a thorough content analysis to ensure the reliability of reports, the authors adopted a purposeful variable selection approach to determine the most significant factors that can explain the fatality rates in different scenarios. Thereafter, this study performed an odds ratio analysis among significant factors to determine which factors increase the likelihood of fatality. For example, it was found that having a fatal accident is 4.4 times more likely when the source is a “vehicle” than when it is a “tool, instrument, or equipment”. After validating the consistency of the model, 105 accident scenarios were developed and assessed using the model. The findings revealed which severe accident scenarios happen commonly to people in this trade, with nine scenarios having fatality rates of 50% or more. The highest fatality rates occurred in “fencing, installing lights, signs, etc.” tasks in “alteration and rehabilitation” projects where the source of injury was “parts and materials”. The proposed analysis/modeling approach can be applied among all specialty contracting companies to identify and prioritize more hazardous situations within specific trades. The proposed model-development process also contributes to the body of knowledge around accident analysis by providing a framework for analyzing accident reports through a multivariate logistic regression model.

Investigation on multi-variate analysis was done with Mahalanobis’ D2 statistic, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), genetic variability studies and Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis among fifty-one rice genotypes over two consecutive seasons i.e., Kharif 2021 and Rabi 2021. It led to the clustering of the genotypes into ten clusters with maximum intra cluster distance found in cluster III and inter cluster distance between clusters III and X. PCA led to six principal components that had eigen values greater than one, explaining cumulative of 76.77% of the total variation. Based on the per se performance, D2 analysis and PCA, it was found that the genotypes, Improved white ponni, CO 52, VGD 1, BPT 5204, RNR 15048, Pusa Basmati 1121 and Pusa Basmati 1 were highly divergent due to the large genetic distance from the genotypes viz., TRY 3, TPS 5, Palawan, Azucena and Khao do ngoi for both grain yield and organoleptic traits indicating the possibilities for the potential use of these parents in future breeding programme aimed at improvement of grain yield and desirable organoleptic traits . Linear elongation ratio was positively correlated with amylose content, kernel length, L/B ratio and kernel length after elongation but negatively correlated with kernel breadth, kernel breadth after cooking, water uptake ratio and volume expansion ratio and hence indirect selection for longer grains and intermediate to high amylose content would improve LER inspite of the seasonal influence. These traits attribute to the selection of genotypes with desirable cooking quality that fetches premium price in the market in particular to that of non-basmati genotypes.

Aim: This study was designed to identify the possible effects of VEGFA polymorphisms on the occurrence of bleeding complications in patients with mechanical heart valves who have achieved therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). Materials & methods: 13 SNPs of VEGFA were analyzed. Uni- and multi-variate analyses were conducted to identify associations between polymorphisms and bleeding complications. Results & conclusion: Patients with the CC genotype of rs35410204 had an approximately tenfold higher bleeding complication than those with the T allele. For rs866236, patients who had wild-type homozygotes showed an approximately 2.9-fold higher bleeding complication than C allele carriers. This study demonstrated that bleeding complications during warfarin therapy are associated with VEGFA polymorphisms in patients with mechanical heart valves.

Objectives Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio is a novel biomarker, recently shown to be correlated with atherosclerotic inflammation. This study investigated the role of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with carotid artery stenosis and stroke. Methods Patients, who underwent carotid angiography with Multiple Detector Computed Tomography Angiography at our hospital, were retrospectively screened. Patients enrolled were divided into three groups based on the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio. Patients with a platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio value between 55.0 and 106.71 were assigned to Group I, patients with a platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio value between 106.79 and 160.61 were assigned to Group II and patients with a platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio value between 162.96 and 619.61 were assigned to Group III. The carotid arterial stenosis calculated was classified as per the criteria of North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial. Results One hundred fifty patients were included in our trial (mean age 61.9 ± 13.1 with 104 males). The rate of carotid arterial stenosis was detected to be higher in patients with a high platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio value (p = 0.010). Additionally, the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio was positively correlated with the carotid arterial stenosis percentage (r = 0.250, p = 0.002). In the multi-variate regression analysis, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio was detected to be an independent variable with respect to stroke (odd’s ratio = 1.012, confidence interval = 1.001–1.024, p = 0.031). Conclusions Increased platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio could be a simple and practical marker of the clinical course in patients with carotid arterial stenosis.

Abstract Objective to determine whether incident postoperative delirium in elective older surgical patient was associated with increased risk for mortality, controlling for covariates of 5-year mortality. Design secondary analysis of prospective cohort studies. Setting academic Medical Center. Subjects patients ≥65 years of age undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery. Outcomes postoperative assessments of delirium measured using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), mortality within 5 years of the index surgery was determined from National Death Index records. Results postoperative delirium occurred in 332/1,315 patients (25%). Five years after surgery, 175 patients (13.3%) were deceased. Older age was associated with an increased odds of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–2.70] for those aged 70–79 years compared to those aged <70 years, and OR 3.29, 95% CI 2.14–5.06 for those aged >80 years. Other variables associated with 5-year mortality on bi-variate analyses were white race, self-rated functional status, lower preoperative cognitive status, higher risk score as measured by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, higher surgical risk score, history of congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, renal disease, cancer, peripheral vascular disease and postoperative delirium. However, postoperative delirium was not associated with 5-year mortality on multi-variate logistic regression (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.85–1.65). Conclusions our results showed that delirium was not associated with 5-year mortality in elective surgical patients after consideration of co-variates of mortality. Our results suggest the importance of accounting for known preoperative risks for mortality when investigating the relationship between delirium and long-term mortality.

Context and Objective: Hemorrhagic Cerebrovascular Accidents represent 10 to 15% of all strokes and are often related to the spontaneous rupture of small vessels weakened by chronic arterial hypertension or amyloid angiopathy. The aim of this work was to study the prognostic determinants of intracerebral haematomas at the neurology department of Conakry University Hospital. Patients and Method: This was a retrospective analytical study conducted on all patients who were hospitalized with intracerebral hematoma over the 24-month period. Only the records of patients in whom intracerebral hematoma was confirmed by brain imaging were included in this study. Logistic regression (uni-variate and multi-variate) identified prognostic determinants of intracerebral hematoma at p < 0.05. The data were entered using Epi Info software version 7.1.4.0 then analysed using STATA / SE software version 11.2. Results: This study found 21% of cases of intracerebral hematomas during the study period, with a male predominance of 60% and a sex ratio of 1.50. The study was conducted in the presence of a male patient. Hypertension was the cause found in 89.52% of patients; followed by arteriovenous malformations in 6.67% of patients, 2.86% of cases of amyloid angiopathy and 0.95% of unknown cause. Nevertheless, we still recorded 20% of deaths during hospitalization. Conclusion: Previous quality of life and co-morbidities also modify the prognosis and should be taken into account in the prediction of disability and future quality of life of patients with intracerebral haematoma.

We present a major overhaul to lepton identification for the Belle II experiment, based on a novel multi-variate classification algorithm. Boosted decision trees are trained combining measurements from the electromagnetic calorimeter (ECL) and the tracking system. The chosen observables are sensitive to the different physics that governs interactions of hadrons, electrons and muons with the calorimeter crystals. Dedicated classifiers are used in various detector regions and lepton momentum ranges. The tree output is eventually combined with classifiers that rely upon independent measurements from other sub-detectors. Using simulation, the performance of the new algorithm is compared against the method used for analysis of the 2018 Belle II data, namely a likelihood discriminator based on the ratio of energy measured in the ECL over the momentum measured by the trackers. In the low momentum region, we largely improve the lepton-pion separation power, decreasing misidentification probability by a factor of 10 for electrons, and 2 for muons at fixed identification efficiency.

Recent studies suggested that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could play a key role in tumor initiation, progression and response to treatments. The main objective was to assess the prognostic value of the pre-operative NLR on recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with non-hereditary localized renal cell carcinoma. From the UroCCR database (NCT03293563), factors influencing the disease recurrence of consecutive patients who underwent nephrectomy for cT1-T4 N0M0 were analyzed using multi-variate cox regression and log-rank methods. We included 786 patients, among which 135 (17.2%) experienced a recurrence at a median time of 23.7 [8.5–48.6] months. RFS for patients with a pre-operative NLR of <2.7 was 94% and 88% at 3 and 5 years, respectively, versus 76% and 63% for patients with a NLR of ≥2.7 (p < 0.001, log-rank test). To predict the risk of post-operative recurrence, the NLR was combined with the UCLA integrated staging system (UISS), and we defined four groups of the UroCCR-61 predictive model. The RFS rates at 3 and 5 years were 100% and 97% in the very-low-risk group, 93% and 86% in the low-risk group, 78% and 68% in the intermediate-risk group and 63% and 46% in the high-risk group (p < 0.0001). The pre-operative NLR seems to be an inexpensive and easily accessible prognostic bio-marker for non-metastatic RCCs.

Designing CMOS linear transmitter front-end, specially the power amplifiers (PAs), in multi-band wireless transceivers is a major challenge for the single-chip integration of a CMOS radio. In some of the linear PA systems, for example, polar- or predistortion-PA system, amplitude and phase control circuits are used to suppress the distortion produces by the PA core. The requirements of these controlling circuits are much different from their conventional role in a receiver or a phase array system. In this dissertation, the special design issues will be addressed, and the circuit topologies of the amplitude and phase controllers will be proposed. In attempt to control the high-power input signal of a PA system, a highly linear variable attenuator with adaptive body biasing is first introduced. The voltage swing on the signal path is intentionally coupled to the body terminal of the triple-well NMOS devices to reduce their impedance variation. The fabricated variable attenuator shows a significant improvement on linearity as compared to previous CMOS works. The results of this research are then used to build a variable gain amplifier for linear PA systems that requires gain of its amplitude tuning circuits. Different from the conventional attenuator-based VGAs, the high linearity of the suggested attenuator allows it to be put after the gain stage in the presented VGA topology. This arrangement along with the current boosting technique gives the VGA a better noise performance while having a linear-in-dB tuning curve and better worst-case linearity. The following part of the dissertation is about a compact, linear-in-degree tuned variable phase shifter as the phase controller in the PA system. This design uses a modified RC poly-phase filter to produce a set of an orthogonal phase vectors with smaller loss. A specially designed control circuit combines these vectors and generates an output signal with different phases, while having very small gain mismatches at different phase setting. The proposed amplitude and phase control circuits are then verified with a system level analysis. The results show that the proposed designs successfully reduce the non-linear effect of a wireless transmitter.

[ES] La estandarización de la Quinta Generación de redes móviles o 5G, ha concluido este año 2020. No obstante, en el año 2014 cuando la ITU empezó el proceso de estandarización IMT-2020, una de las principales interrogantes era cuál sería la forma de onda sobre la cual se construiría la capa física de esta nueva generación de tecnologías. El 3GPP se comprometió a entregar una tecnología candidata al proceso IMT-2020, y es así como dentro de este proceso de deliberación se presentaron varias formas de onda candidatas, las cuales fueron evaluadas en varios aspectos hasta que en el año 2016 el 3GPP tomó una decisión, continuar con CP-OFDM (utilizada en 4G) con numerología flexible. Una vez decidida la forma de onda, el proceso de estandarización continuó afinando la estructura de la trama, y todos los aspectos intrínsecos de la misma. Esta tesis acompañó y participó de todo este proceso. Para empezar, en esta disertación se evaluaron las principales formas de onda candidatas al 5G. Es así que se realizó un análisis teórico de cada forma de onda, destacando sus fortalezas y debilidades, tanto a nivel de implementación como de rendimiento. Posteriormente, se llevó a cabo una implementación real en una plataforma Software Defined Radio de tres de las formas de onda más prometedoras (CP-OFDM, UFMC y OQAM-FBMC), lo que permitió evaluar su rendimiento en términos de la tasa de error por bit, así como la complejidad de su implementación. Esta tesis ha propuesto también el uso de una solución armonizada como forma de onda para el 5G y sostiene que sigue siendo una opción viable para sistemas beyond 5G. Dado que ninguna de las forma de onda candidatas era capaz de cumplir por sí misma con todos los requisitos del 5G, en lugar de elegir una única forma de onda se propuso construir un transceptor que fuese capaz de construir todas las principales formas de onda candidatas (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). Esto se consiguió identificando los bloques comunes entre las formas de onda, para luego integrarlos junto con el resto de bloques indispensables para cada forma de onda. La motivación para esta solución era tener una capa física que fuese capaz de cumplir con todos los aspectos del 5G, seleccionando siempre la mejor forma de onda según el escenario. Esta propuesta fue evaluada en términos de complejidad, y los resultados se compararon con la complejidad de cada forma de onda. La decisión de continuar con CP-OFDM con numerología flexible como forma de onda para el 5G se puede considerar también como una solución armonizada, ya que al cambiar el prefijo cíclico y el número de subportadoras, cambian también las prestaciones del sistema. En esta tesis se evaluaron todas las numerologías propuestas por el 3GPP sobre cada uno de los modelos de canal descritos para el 5G (y considerados válidos para sistemas beyond 5G), teniendo en cuenta factores como la movilidad de los equipos de usuario y la frecuencia de operación; para esto se utilizó un simulador de capa física del 3GPP, al que se hicieron las debidas adaptaciones con el fin de evaluar el rendimiento de las numerologías en términos de la tasa de error por bloque. Finalmente, se presenta un bosquejo de lo que podría llegar a ser la Sexta Generación de redes móviles o 6G, con el objetivo de entender las nuevas aplicaciones que podrían ser utilizadas en un futuro, así como sus necesidades. Completado el estudio llevado a cabo en esta tesis, se puede afirmar que como se propuso desde un principio la solución, tanto para el 5G como para beyond 5G, la solución es la armonización de las formas de onda. De los resultados obtenidos se puede corroborar que una solución armonizada permite alcanzar un ahorro computacional entre el 25-40% para el transmisor y del 15-25% para el receptor. Además, fue posible identificar qué numerología CP-OFDM es la más adecuada para cada escenario, lo que permitiría optimizar el diseño y despliegue de las redes 5G. Esto abriría la puerta a hacer lo mismo con el 6G, ya que en esta tesis se considera que será necesario abrir nuevamente el debate sobre cuál es la forma de onda adecuada para esta nueva generación de tecnologías, y se plantea que el camino a seguir es optar por una solución armonizada con distintas formas de onda, en lugar de solo una como sucede con el 5G.
[CA] L'estandardització de la Quinta Generació de xarxes mòbils o 5G, ha conclòs enguany 2020. No obstant això, l'any 2014 quan la ITU va començar el procés d'estandardització IMT-2020, uns dels principals interrogants era quina seria la forma d'onda sobre la qual es construiria la capa física d'esta nova generació de tecnologies. El 3GPP es va comprometre a entregar una tecnologia candidata al procés IMT-2020, i és així com dins d'este procés de deliberació es van presentar diverses formes d'onda candidates, les quals van ser avaluades en diversos aspectes fins que l'any 2016 el 3GPP va prendre una decisió, continuar amb CP-OFDM (utilitzada en 4G) amb numerología flexible. Una vegada decidida la forma d'onda, el procés d'estandardització va continuar afinant la frame structure (no se m'ocorre nom en espanyol), i tots els aspectes intrínsecs de la mateixa. Esta tesi va acompanyar i va participar de tot este procés. Per a començar, en esta dissertació es van avaluar les principals formes d'onda candidates al 5G. És així que es va realitzar una anàlisi teòrica de cada forma d'onda, destacant les seues fortaleses i debilitats, tant a nivell d'implementació com de rendiment. Posteriorment, es va dur a terme una implementació real en una plataforma Software Defined Radio de tres de les formes d'onda més prometedores (CP-OFDM, UFMC i OQAM-FBMC), la qual cosa va permetre avaluar el seu rendiment en termes de la taxa d'error per bit, així com la complexitat de la seua implementació. Esta tesi ha proposat també l'ús d'una solució harmonitzada com a forma d'onda per al 5G i sosté que continua sent una opció viable per a sistemes beyond 5G. Atés que cap de les forma d'onda candidates era capaç de complir per si mateixa amb tots els requeriments del 5G, en compte de triar una única forma d'onda es va proposar construir un transceptor que fóra capaç de construir totes les principals formes d'onda candidates (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). Açò es va aconseguir identificant els blocs comuns entre les formes d'onda, per a després integrar-los junt amb la resta de blocs indispensables per a cada forma d'onda. La motivació per a esta solució era tindre una capa física que fóra capaç de complir amb tots els aspectes del 5G, seleccionant sempre la millor forma d'onda segons l'escenari. Esta proposta va ser avaluada en termes de complexitat, i els resultats es van comparar amb la complexitat de cada forma d'onda. La decisió de continuar amb CP-OFDM amb numerología flexible com a forma d'onda per al 5G es pot considerar també com una solució harmonitzada, ja que al canviar el prefix cíclic i el número de subportadores, canvien també les prestacions del sistema. En esta tesi es van avaluar totes les numerologías propostes pel 3GPP sobre cada un dels models de canal descrits per al 5G (i considerats vàlids per a sistemes beyond 5G), tenint en compte factors com la mobilitat dels equips d'usuari i la freqüència d'operació; per a açò es va utilitzar un simulador de capa física del 3GPP, a què es van fer les degudes adaptacions a fi d'avaluar el rendiment de les numerologías en termes de la taxa d'error per bloc. Finalment, es presenta un esbós del que podria arribar a ser la Sexta Generació de xarxes mòbils o 6G, amb l'objectiu d'entendre les noves aplicacions que podrien ser utilitzades en un futur, així com les seues necessitats. Completat l'estudi dut a terme en esta tesi, es pot afirmar que com es va proposar des d'un principi la solució, tant per al 5G com per a beyond 5G, la solució és l'harmonització de les formes d'onda. dels resultats obtinguts es pot corroborar que una solució harmonitzada permet aconseguir un estalvi computacional entre el 25-40% per al transmissor i del 15-25% per al receptor. A més, va ser possible identificar què numerología CP-OFDM és la més adequada per a cada escenari, la qual cosa permetria optimitzar el disseny i desplegament de les xarxes 5G. Açò obriria la porta a fer el mateix amb el 6G, ja que en esta tesi es considera que serà necessari obrir novament el debat sobre quina és la forma d’onda adequada per a esta nova generació de tecnologies, i es planteja que el camí que s’ha de seguir és optar per una solució harmonitzada amb distintes formes d’onda, en compte de només una com succeïx amb el 5G.
[EN] The standardization of the Fifth Generation of mobile networks or 5G is still ongoing, although the first releases of the standard were completed two years ago and several 5G networks are up and running in several countries around the globe. However, in 2014 when the ITU began the IMT-2020 standardization process, one of the main questions was which would be the waveform to be used on the physical layer of this new generation of technologies. The 3GPP committed to submit a candidate technology to the IMT-2020 process, and that is how within this deliberation process several candidate waveforms were presented. After a thorough evaluation regarding several aspects, in 2016 the 3GPP decided to continue with CP-OFDM (used in 4G) but including, as a novelty, the use of a flexible numerology. Once the waveform was decided, the standardization process continued to fine-tune the frame structure and all the intrinsic aspects of it. This thesis accompanied and participated in this entire process. To begin with, this dissertation evaluates the main 5G candidate waveforms. Therefore, a theoretical analysis of each waveform is carried out, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, both at the implementation and performance levels. Subsequently, a real implementation on a Software Defined Radio platform of three of the most promising waveforms (CP-OFDM, UFMC, and OQAM-FBMC) is presented, which allows evaluating their performance in terms of bit error rate, as well as the complexity of its implementation. This thesis also proposes the use of a harmonized solution as a waveform for 5G and argues that it remains a viable option for systems beyond 5G. Since none of the candidate waveforms was capable of meeting on its own with all the requirements for 5G, instead of choosing a single waveform, this thesis proposes to build a transceiver capable of building all the main waveforms candidates (CP-OFDM, P-OFDM, UFMC, QAM-FBMC, OQAM-FBMC). This is achieved by identifying the common blocks between the waveforms and then integrating them with the rest of the essential blocks for each waveform. The motivation for this solution is to have a physical layer that is capable of complying with all aspects of beyond 5G technologies, always selecting the best waveform according to the scenario. This proposal is evaluated in terms of complexity, and the results are compared with the complexity of each waveform. The decision to continue with CP-OFDM with flexible numerology as a waveform for 5G can also be considered as a harmonized solution, since changing the cyclic prefix and the number of subcarriers, changes also the performance of the system. In this thesis, all the numerologies proposed by the 3GPP are evaluated on each of the channel models described for 5G (and considered valid for beyond 5G systems), taking into account factors such as the mobility of the user equipment and the operating frequency. For this, a 3GPP physical layer simulator is used, and proper adaptations are made in order to evaluate the performance of the numerologies in terms of the block error rate. Finally, a sketch of what could become the Sixth Generation of mobile networks or 6G is presented, with the aim of understanding the new applications that could be used in the future, as well as their needs. After the completion of the study carried out in this thesis, it can be said that, as stated from the beginning, for both 5G and beyond 5G systems, the solution is the waveform harmonization. From the results obtained, it can be corroborated that a harmonized solution allows achieving computational savings between 25-40% for the transmitter and 15-25% for the receiver. In addition, it is possible to identify which CP-OFDM numerology is the most appropriate for each scenario, which would allow optimizing the design and deployment of 5G networks. This would open the door to doing the same with 6G, i.e., a harmonized solution with different waveforms, instead of just one as in 5G.
Flores De Valgas Torres, FJ. (2020). Study on Air Interface Variants and their Harmonization for Beyond 5G Systems [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/164442
TESIS

With the explosive development of wireless communication systems the specifications of the supporting hardware platforms have become more and more demanding. According to the long term goals of the industry, future communications systems should integrate a wide variety of standards. This leads to the idea of software defined radio, implemented on fully reconfigurable hardware.Among other reconfigurable hardware blocks, suitable for the software radio concept, an outstanding importance belongs to the reconfigurable filters that are responsible for the selectivity of the system. The problematic of filtering is strictly connected to the architecture chosen for a multi-mode receiver realization. According to the chosen architecture, the filters can exhibit low pass or band pass frequency responses.The idea of reconfigurable frequency parameters has been introduced since the beginning of modern filtering applications due to the required precision of the frequency response. However, the reconfiguration of the parameters was usually done in a limited range around ideal values. The purpose of the presented research is to transform the classical filter structures with simple self-correction into fully reconfigurable filters over a wide range of frequencies. The ideal variation of the frequency parameters is continuous and consequently difficult to implement in real circuits. Therefore, it is usually sufficient to use a discrete programming template with reasonably small steps.There are several methods to implement variable frequency parameters. The most often used programming templates employ resistor and capacitor arrays, switched according to a given code. The low pass filter implementation proposed in this work uses a special switching template, optimized for a quasi-linear frequency variation over logarithmic axes. The template also includes the possibility to compensate errors caused by component tolerances and temperature. Another important topic concerns the implementation of programmable band pass filters, suitable for IF sampling receivers. The discussion is centered on the feasibility and the flexibility of different band pass filter architectures. Due to the high frequency requirements, the emphasis lays on filters that employ transconductance amplifiers and capacitors
Die rasch fortschreitende Entwicklung drahtloser Kommunikationssysteme führt zu immer anspruchsvolleren Spezifikationen der diese Systeme unterstützenden Hardwareplattformen. Zukünftige Kommunikationssysteme sollen übereinstimmend mit den längerfristigen Zielen der Industrie verschiedene Standards integrieren. Dies führt zu der Idee von vollständig rekonfigurierbarer Hardware, welche mittels Software gesteuert wird.Inmitten anderer rekonfigurierbarer Hardwareblöcke, die für das Software Radio Konzept geeignet sind, besitzen die steuerbaren Filter, welche wesentlichen Einfluss auf die Selektivität des Systems haben, eine enorme Bedeutung. Die Filterproblematik ist eng mit der gewählten Architektur der standardübergreifenden Empfängerrealisierung verknüpft. Die Filter können entsprechend der ausgesuchten Architektur Tiefpass- oder Bandpasscharakter annehmen.Die Idee rekonfigurierbarer Frequenzparameter wurde bereits mit Beginn moderner Filteranwendungen auf Grund geforderter Frequenzganggenauigkeit umgesetzt. Jedoch wurde die Parameterrekonfiguration üblicherweise nur in einem begrenzten Bereich um die Idealwerte herum vorgenommen. Das Ziel der vorgestellten Forschungsarbeit ist es, diese klassischen Filterstrukturen mit einfacher Selbstkorrektur in über große Frequenzbereiche voll rekonfigurierbare Filter zu transformieren. Idealerweise werden die Frequenzparameter kontinuierlich variiert weswegen sich die Implementierung in reellen Schaltkreisen als schwierig erweist. Deshalb ist es üblicherweise ausreichend, ein diskretes Steuerschema mit kleinen Schrittweiten zu verwenden.Es gibt verschiedene Methoden, variable Frequenzparameter zu implementieren. Die meisten Schemata verwenden Widerstands- und Kondensatorfelder, die entsprechend eines Kodes geschaltet werden. Die in dieser Arbeit vorgestellte Implementierung eines Tiefpassfilters nutzt ein spezielles Umschaltschema, welches für die quasi-lineare Frequenzvariation bei Darstellung über logarithmischen Axen optimiert wurde. Es beinhaltet weiterhin die Möglichkeit, Fehler zu kompensieren, die durch Bauelementtoleranzen und Temperaturschwankungen hervorgerufen werden.Ein weiteres interessantes Thema betrifft die Implementierung steuerbarer Bandpassfilter, die für Empfänger mit Zwischenfrequenzabtastung geeignet sind. Die Betrachtung beschränkt sich hierbei auf die Durchführbarkeit und Flexibilität verschiedener Bandpassfilterarchitekturen. Auf Grund hoher Frequenzanforderungen liegt der Schwerpunkt auf Filtern, die auf Transkonduktanzverstärkern und Kondensatoren basieren

The steering arrangement of a 6x6 off-road military vehicle was investigated, with the aim to determine if a variable steering ratio between the first and second steering axle of the vehicle will make an improvement in the steady and transient state handling of the vehicle. Low speed manoeuvring was evaluated, comparing the vehicle steering geometry with Ackerman geometry. For steady state handling, a bicycle model was developed, and constant radius simulations at various track radii, vehicle speeds and steering ratios (ratio between the first and second steering axle) was performed. For transient dynamic simulations, a mathematical model was developed that included a simple driver model to steer the vehicle through a single lane change, again at various speeds and steering ratios. The vehicle was instrumented, and actual constant radii tests, as well as single lane change tests were performed. The measurements enabled the comparison of simulated and measured results. Although basic mathematical models were used, acceptable correlation was obtained for both steady state and transient dynamic behaviour. The results indicated that for this specific vehicle geometry, where the centre of mass is above the second axle, no marked improvement would be obtained by implementing a variable ratio steering system. The mathematical model was changed to simulate a vehicle with longer wheelbase and different centre of mass. With the new geometry, theoretical slip angles (and therefore tire wear) reductions were more noticeable It was concluded that a variable ratio system between the front and second axle would not be an economically viable improvement for this vehicle, since the improvement achieved will not warrant the additional cost and complexity added to the vehicle.
Dissertation (MEng (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
MEng
unrestricted

Today’s communication systems are in need of spectrally efficient and high throughput techniques more than ever because of high data rate applications and the scarcity and expense of bandwidth. To cope with increased data rate demands, more base stations are needed which is not cost and energy efficient in cellular networks. It has been shown that wireless relay networks can provide higher network throughput and increase power efficiency with low complexity and cost. Furthermore, network resources can be utilized more efficiently by using network coding in relay networks. A wireless relay network in which multiple nodes exchange information with the help of relay node(s) is called a multi-way relay channel (MWRC). MWRCs are expected to be an integral part of next generation wireless standards. The main focus of this dissertation is the investigation of transmission schemes in an MWRC to improve the throughput and error performance. An MWRC with full data exchange is assumed in which a half-duplex relay station (RS) is the enabler of communication. One of the challenges with signal demodulation in MWRCs is the existence of ambiguous points in the received constellation. The first part of this dissertation investigates a transmission scheme for full data exchange in MWRC that benefits from these points and improves its throughput by 33% compared to traditional relaying. Then an MWRC is considered where a RS assists multiple nodes to exchange messages. A different approach is taken to avoid ambiguous points in the superposition of user symbols at the relay. This can be achieved by employing complex field network coding (CFNC) which results in full data exchange in two communication phases. CFNC may lead to small Euclidean distances between constellation points, resulting in poor error performance. To improve this performance, the optimal user precoding values are derived such that the power efficiency of the relay constellation is highest when channel state information is available at the users. The error performance of each user is then analyzed and compared with other relaying schemes. Finally, focusing on the uplink of multi-way relay systems, the performance of an MWRC is studied in which users can employ arbitrary modulation schemes and the links between the users and the relay have different gains, e.g. Rayleigh fading. Analytical expressions for the exact average pairwise error probability of these MWRCs are derived. The probability density function (PDF) and the mean of the minimum Euclidean distance of the relay constellation are closely approximated, and a tight upper bound on the symbol error probability is developed.
Graduate

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the use of effect sizes to report the results of statistical credit rating models in a more practical way. Rating systems in the form of statistical probability models like logistic regression models are used to forecast the behaviour of clients and guide business in rating clients as “high” or “low” risk borrowers. Therefore, model results were reported in terms of statistical significance as well as business language (practical significance), which business experts can understand and interpret. In this thesis, statistical results were expressed as effect sizes like Cohen‟s d that puts the results into standardised and measurable units, which can be reported practically. These effect sizes indicated strength of correlations between variables, contribution of variables to the odds of defaulting, the overall goodness-of-fit of the models and the models‟ discriminating ability between high and low risk customers.
Statistics
M. Sc. (Statistics)

The preprint presents the economic mechanism of investment programs and analyzes its components: specific indicators for evaluating the investment part of developmental programs are proposed; a specific pricing for products manufactured as a result of the implementation of investment projects; a system of financing developmental programs based on the optimal ratio of budget funds, reinvested profits and credit. The empirical base of the study is made up of materials from the petrochemical complex. In this regard, the world trends in the development of petrochemical chemistry and the situation in the petrochemical complex of Russia are considered. Recommendations are given regarding the development of the petrochemical industry of Russia. A multi-criteria optimization model that implements the presented economic mechanism and is intended to form variants of the structure of the governmental program for industrial and regional (territorial) development is developed. The results of a computer experiment are presented. Variants of a conditional program for the development of the Russian oil and gas chemical complex showing the positive impact of the proposed economic mechanism on the structure and indicators of the program are developed.

AbstractNepal’s hilly and mountainous regions are highly susceptible to landslides triggered by extreme precipitations. The prevalence of such landslides has increased due to climate change-induced extreme hydro-meteorological conditions. These recurring landslides have significantly impacted the road transport infrastructure, which is the economic lifeline for cities and socio-economic mobility of rural communities in the hilly and mountainous regions of the country. This study modelled extreme rainfall scenarios for the current 1976–2005 baseline and future horizons of 2030, 2050, and 2080 to develop high-resolution 1 km × 1 km mean precipitation datasets under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Based on these extreme precipitation scenarios, we developed high-resolution landslide hazard models adopting integrated weighted index by combining the Frequency Ratio (FR) and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) methods using multi-variate factors. The multi-variate factors included three terrain parameters—slope, aspect, and elevation; two soil parameters—lithology and soil type; two Euclidean distance parameters from the likely sources—distance from the lineaments and distance from the stream/river; an anthropogenic parameter—land use; and the climate parameter—the mean annual rainfall for four-time horizons and two RCPs. These parameters were spatially modelled and combined using the weighted overlay method to generate a landslide hazard model. As demonstration case studies, the landslide hazard models were developed for Bagmati and Madhesh provinces. The models were validated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) approach, which showed a satisfactory 81–86% accuracy in the study area. Spatial exposure analysis of the road network assets under the Strategic Road Network (SRN) was completed for seven landslide hazard scenarios. In both Bagmati and Madhesh provinces, the exposure analysis showed that the proportion of road sections exposed to landslide hazard significantly increases for the future climate change scenarios compared to the current baseline scenario.

Attention is restricted to two-phase or double sampling. A large first-phase sample is used to generate a very good estimate of the mean or total of an auxiliary variable, x, which is relatively cheap to measure. Then, a second-phase sample is selected, usually from the first-phase sample, and both auxiliary and target variables are measured in selected second-phase population units. Two-phase ratio or regression estimators can be used effectively in this context. Errors of estimation reflect first-phase uncertainty in the mean or total of the auxiliary variable, and second-phase errors reflect the nature of the relation and correlation between auxiliary and target variables. Accuracy of the two-phase estimator of a proportion depends on sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity is the probability that a unit possessing a trait (y = 1) will be correctly classified as such whenever the auxiliary variable, x, has value 1, whereas specificity is the probability that a unit not possessing a trait (y = 0) will be correctly classified as such whenever the auxiliary variable, x, has value 0. Optimal allocation results for estimation of means, totals, and proportions allow the most cost-effective allocation of total sampling effort to the first- and second-phases. In double sampling with stratification, a large first-phase sample estimates stratum weights, a second-phase sample estimates stratum means, and a stratified estimator gives an estimate of the overall population mean or total.

In the home healthcare routing and scheduling problem (HHCRSP), nurses are allocated to a variety of services demanded by clients during a planning horizon. The properties of this problem resemble vehicle routing and nurse scheduling. To propose an efficient solution, the authors consider various issues such as multi-depot, travelling time, time windows, synchronisation, the qualification levels, and other features of nurses and clients. In addition, the continuity of care and work overload should not be ignored in this perspective. First, the authors developed a model in which the continuity of care is redefined by considering connected (synchronous) jobs and the work overload is formulated considering nurse-to-patient staffing ratio. Second, a two-stage solution approach based on a cluster-assign algorithm and variable neighbourhood search (VNS) and variable neighbourhood descent (VND) algorithms are tested on a series of large-scale instances. Computational results present the relations and trade-offs among the aforementioned issues.

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the scholarly conversation concerning burdens of persuasion. An adequate account of burdens must first explain what case-related facts the burden draws upon to produce outcomes. I review a variety of answers to this question, including probability threshold, likelihood ratio, belief function, weight-of-evidence, explanatory, and story-based approaches. I then identify several key questions that theories must answer with respect to inputs and show that the best answer on any given question must depend on whether the theory is advanced as a psychological, doctrinal, or normative account. The remainder of the chapter considers varying methods of transforming these inputs into case outcomes, including fixed thresholds, variable thresholds, multi-stepped, and continuous approaches. With respect to these choices, the problem of describing current practices is much easier, but the normative debates are harder to resolve.

Agreement is an important goal of computer-mediated and face-to-face groups. This paper suggests a measure disagreement in groups facing limited choices, as in a multi-choice questionnaire. It defines a disagreement score between two people, then takes one person’s disagreement as the average of their pair-wise scores with the rest of the group, and finally defines the group disagreement as the average of its member’s disagreement. This gives a standard disagreement scale (from 0 to 1) for any group response pattern, for any size group, facing any number of choices. It can be inverted to give agreement, though this does not necessarily predict group coalescence. It is encouraging that when the method is extended to ranked, interval or ratio scale data, it is equivalent to the score variance, and that it also matches an ecological diversity measure. Unlike variance, this measure can be used with categories, and gives both individual and group values. Being standard, it offers a single score in cases where the group size and number of choices faced is unknown, e.g., online computer-based group feedback. Examples are given of how the measure can be used.

Inconel 625 is a nickel-chromium based super-alloy which is mostly used in high end applications due to its excellent chemical and fabrication properties combined with high strength and outstanding corrosion resistance. Wire EDM is most commonly the used process for machining this material and gives high accuracy and precision in the machined parts. In this paper, an attempt is made to undertake an experimental investigation to optimize the input variables like pulse on time, pulse off time, peak current, and servo voltage in Wire EDM for achieving simultaneous optimization of cutting rate, surface roughness, dimensional deviation, and wire wear ratio. Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array with one replication has been used as an experimental design and then analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been applied to determine the significant parameters and their contributions on response variables. Taguchi method has been combined with grey relational analysis for multi-characteristic optimization. Finally, results are validated with the help of confirmation experiments.

In the present article an attempt is made to compare multi-carrier and single carrier modulation schemes for wireless communication systems with the utilization of fast Fourier transform (FFT) and its inverse in both cases. With the assumption that in OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), the inverse FFT transforms the complex amplitudes of the individual sub-carriers at the transmitter into time domain, the inverse operation is carried out at the receiver. In case of single carrier modulation, the FFT and its inverse are used at the input and output of the frequency domain equalizer in the receiver. Different single carrier and multi-carrier transmission systems are simulated with time-variant transfer functions measured with a wideband channel sounder. In case of OFDM, the individual sub-carriers are modulated with fixed and adaptive signal alphabets. Furthermore, a frequency-independent as well as the optimum power distribution are used. Single carrier modulation uses a single carrier, instead of the hundreds or thousands typically used in OFDM, so the peak-to-average transmitted power ratio for single carrier modulated signals is smaller. This in turn means that a SC system requires a smaller linear range to support a given average power. This enables the use of cheaper power amplifier as compared to OFDM system.[Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]

Optimisation of the Humid Air Turbine (HAT) power cycle has proven an interesting challenge in multi-variate and multi-objective optimisation. A multi-objective Tabu Search optimisation algorithm, developed in the Cambridge Engineering Design Centre, has been applied to this humid power cycle. A tradeoff surface is generated to investigate the impact of nine primary system control variables on the performance (efficiency, specific work and cost of electricity) of the system. This optimisation tool was chosen for its proven robustness and flexibility in handling highly constrained, multi-variate problems. The algorithm generates a Pareto-set of optimal candidate designs, allowing the designer to analyse the trade-off between performance measures such as efficiency and cost when selecting the ultimate system operating point. The study is primarily a global optimisation, with attention being paid to the primary system control variables: pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, IP/HP pressure split, water flowrate distribution and heat exchanger effectiveness.

Abstract As operators shift their focus toward operating within cashflow, understanding the true potential of these unconventional resources is becoming increasingly important. Simultaneously, accurate modeling of EURs in shale wells is becoming increasingly complicated. There are multiple factors at play for this increase in complexity, key amongst them, are well interactions. Well interactions or interference have increased with the concentration of field development in core areas of various basins and have completely changed with production behavior in shale wells. The present paper handles this multi-variable problem by incorporating well design, completion and petrophysical variables in a prediction model. Furthermore, the analysis is presented from a viewpoint of parent, child, parent/child and co-completed wells to accurately understand the variability in the driving factors. Terminal decline rate in shale wells is the decline rate wells settle at once the pressure transient reaches the boundary of the well. At this point, the well transitions to a boundary dominated flow regime and continues to drain from a fixed area. Estimating the rate of terminal decline is critical in accurate EUR modeling because changes in transition point can have a significant impact on production behavior of the well and in-turn EUR. The present paper attempts to predict the transition point using an ACE Non-Linear Regression model which is trained on a large multi-variate dataset. Variables incorporated in this analysis include terminal decline month, gas-oil-ratio based of the first three months of production, horizontal length, oil EUR, proppant per foot, average distance from the base of the producing zone, nearest neighbor mean spacing, and hydrocarbon in-place. In order to determine spacing status and nearest wellbore distances, a segment-wise analytical distance approach was taken. These distances and spacing status flags were incorporated into a multi-variate model in-order to model terminal decline rates. The transformations observed from the model showed high dependence on terminal decline month and oil EUR. However, this was less pronounced in parent/child and child wells. In parent/child and child wells completion metrics and HCIP more significantly influenced production behavior. Specifically, child wells saw a higher dependence on first three-month GOR and lateral length compared to parent/child wells which had a higher dependence on proppant per foot and average distance from the base of the producing formation. Additionally, spacing showed a moderate impact on transition point and associated terminal decline rates, but overall increased spacing caused a delayed transition point and consequently a lower terminal decline rate. Understanding how cause-and-effect relationships between parent and child wells differ offers a unique perspective into production behavior and consequently provides better insights into infill wells placement and production prediction. The present paper offers a unique perspective in looking at a key decline variable, transition point, for shale reservoirs. By using multivariate analysis, it incorporates the incremental complexity of the modeling effort and attempts to provide best practices in understanding the impact on production behavior. Furthermore, by incorporating a segment-wise analytical distance approach to determine spacing, the paper adds to the existing body of literature by providing a new perspective for a well interaction standpoint and defines the cause and effect relationships within.

Review question / Objective: It is still unclear about the association between cutoffs for classifying high- and low-volume hospitals and long-term survival after esophagectomy for patients with esophageal cancer. Condition being studied: It remains controversial whether size of hospital volume influences long-term survival outcomes for patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy. In addition, there is still no consensus for defining a reasonable cutoff of esophagectomies per year for classifying high- and low-volume hospitals. Information sources: After the retrieval of the relevant articles, they were screened to remove the duplicates. Search results were screened by two authors (Q.W. and Z.X.W.) independently according to the titles and abstracts. Next, the retained studies were searched for their full text and further were screened according to the following criteria: surgery for esophageal carcinoma as the theme; primary outcomes included hospital volume and long-term OS; comparison of OS between high- and low-volume hospitals; original articles with informative data; articles reporting adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) in multi-variate analysis; and articles in which procedural volume was an exact cutoff. Any disagreements were resolved through consultation with the third author.

Original objectives and revisions The original objectives as stated in the approved proposal were: (1) To establish guidelines for the use of micrometeorological techniques as accurate, reliable and low-cost tools for continuous monitoring of whole canopy ET of common crops grown in large agricultural structures. (2) To adapt existing methods for protected cultivation environments. (3) To combine previously derived theoretical models of air flow and scalar fluxes in large agricultural structures (an outcome of our previous BARD project) with ET data derived from application of turbulent transport techniques for different crops and structure types. All the objectives have been successfully addressed. The study was focused on both screenhouses and naturally ventilated greenhouses, and all proposed methods were examined. Background to the topic Our previous BARD project established that the eddy covariance (EC) technique is suitable for whole canopy evapotranspiration measurements in large agricultural screenhouses. Nevertheless, the eddy covariance technique remains difficult to apply in the farm due to costs, operational complexity, and post-processing of data – thereby inviting alternative techniques to be developed. The subject of this project was: 1) the evaluation of four turbulent transport (TT) techniques, namely, Surface Renewal (SR), Flux-Variance (FV), Half-order Time Derivative (HTD) and Bowen Ratio (BR), whose instrumentation needs and operational demands are not as elaborate as the EC, to estimate evapotranspiration within large agricultural structures; and 2) the development of mathematical models able to predict water savings and account for the external environmental conditions, physiological properties of the plant, and structure properties as well as to evaluate the necessary micrometeorological conditions for utilizing the above turbulent transfer methods in such protected environments. Major conclusions and achievements The major conclusions are: (i) the SR and FV techniques were suitable for reliable estimates of ET in shading and insect-proof screenhouses; (ii) The BR technique was reliable in shading screenhouses; (iii) HTD provided reasonable results in the shading and insect proof screenhouses; (iv) Quality control analysis of the EC method showed that conditions in the shading and insect proof screenhouses were reasonable for flux measurements. However, in the plastic covered greenhouse energy balance closure was poor. Therefore, the alternative methods could not be analyzed in the greenhouse; (v) A multi-layered flux footprint model was developed for a ‘generic’ crop canopy situated within a protected environment such as a large screenhouse. The new model accounts for the vertically distributed sources and sinks within the canopy volume as well as for modifications introduced by the screen on the flow field and microenvironment. The effect of the screen on fetch as a function of its relative height above the canopy is then studied for the first time and compared to the case where the screen is absent. The model calculations agreed with field experiments based on EC measurements from two screenhouse experiments. Implications, both scientific and agricultural The study established for the first time, both experimentally and theoretically, the use of four simple TT techniques for ET estimates within large agricultural screenhouses. Such measurements, along with reliable theoretical models, will enable the future development of lowcost ET monitoring system which will be attainable for day-to-day use by growers in improving irrigation management.

This report is one of a series of reports documenting the methods and findings of a multi-year, multi-disciplinary project coordinated by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) and funded by the California Earthquake Authority (CEA). The overall project is titled “Quantifying the Performance of Retrofit of Cripple Walls and Sill Anchorage in Single-Family Wood-Frame Buildings,” henceforth referred to as the “PEER–CEA Project.” The overall objective of the PEER–CEA Project is to provide scientifically based information (e.g., testing, analysis, and resulting loss models) that measure and assess the effectiveness of seismic retrofit to reduce the risk of damage and associated losses (repair costs) of wood-frame houses with cripple wall and sill anchorage deficiencies as well as retrofitted conditions that address those deficiencies. Tasks that support and inform the loss-modeling effort are: (1) collecting and summarizing existing information and results of previous research on the performance of wood-frame houses; (2) identifying construction features to characterize alternative variants of wood-frame houses; (3) characterizing earthquake hazard and ground motions at representative sites in California; (4) developing cyclic loading protocols and conducting laboratory tests of cripple wall panels, wood-frame wall subassemblies, and sill anchorages to measure and document their response (strength and stiffness) under cyclic loading; and (5) the computer modeling, simulations, and the development of loss models as informed by a workshop with claims adjustors. This report is a product of Working Group 3 (WG3), Task 3.1: Selecting and Scaling Ground-motion records. The objective of Task 3.1 is to provide suites of ground motions to be used by other working groups (WGs), especially Working Group 5: Analytical Modeling (WG5) for Simulation Studies. The ground motions used in the numerical simulations are intended to represent seismic hazard at the building site. The seismic hazard is dependent on the location of the site relative to seismic sources, the characteristics of the seismic sources in the region and the local soil conditions at the site. To achieve a proper representation of hazard across the State of California, ten sites were selected, and a site-specific probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) was performed at each of these sites for both a soft soil (Vs30 = 270 m/sec) and a stiff soil (Vs30=760 m/sec). The PSHA used the UCERF3 seismic source model, which represents the latest seismic source model adopted by the USGS [2013] and NGA-West2 ground-motion models. The PSHA was carried out for structural periods ranging from 0.01 to 10 sec. At each site and soil class, the results from the PSHA—hazard curves, hazard deaggregation, and uniform-hazard spectra (UHS)—were extracted for a series of ten return periods, prescribed by WG5 and WG6, ranging from 15.5–2500 years. For each case (site, soil class, and return period), the UHS was used as the target spectrum for selection and modification of a suite of ground motions. Additionally, another set of target spectra based on “Conditional Spectra” (CS), which are more realistic than UHS, was developed [Baker and Lee 2018]. The Conditional Spectra are defined by the median (Conditional Mean Spectrum) and a period-dependent variance. A suite of at least 40 record pairs (horizontal) were selected and modified for each return period and target-spectrum type. Thus, for each ground-motion suite, 40 or more record pairs were selected using the deaggregation of the hazard, resulting in more than 200 record pairs per target-spectrum type at each site. The suites contained more than 40 records in case some were rejected by the modelers due to secondary characteristics; however, none were rejected, and the complete set was used. For the case of UHS as the target spectrum, the selected motions were modified (scaled) such that the average of the median spectrum (RotD50) [Boore 2010] of the ground-motion pairs follow the target spectrum closely within the period range of interest to the analysts. In communications with WG5 researchers, for ground-motion (time histories, or time series) selection and modification, a period range between 0.01–2.0 sec was selected for this specific application for the project. The duration metrics and pulse characteristics of the records were also used in the final selection of ground motions. The damping ratio for the PSHA and ground-motion target spectra was set to 5%, which is standard practice in engineering applications. For the cases where the CS was used as the target spectrum, the ground-motion suites were selected and scaled using a modified version of the conditional spectrum ground-motion selection tool (CS-GMS tool) developed by Baker and Lee [2018]. This tool selects and scales a suite of ground motions to meet both the median and the user-defined variability. This variability is defined by the relationship developed by Baker and Jayaram [2008]. The computation of CS requires a structural period for the conditional model. In collaboration with WG5 researchers, a conditioning period of 0.25 sec was selected as a representative of the fundamental mode of vibration of the buildings of interest in this study. Working Group 5 carried out a sensitivity analysis of using other conditioning periods, and the results and discussion of selection of conditioning period are reported in Section 4 of the WG5 PEER report entitled Technical Background Report for Structural Analysis and Performance Assessment. The WG3.1 report presents a summary of the selected sites, the seismic-source characterization model, and the ground-motion characterization model used in the PSHA, followed by selection and modification of suites of ground motions. The Record Sequence Number (RSN) and the associated scale factors are tabulated in the Appendices of this report, and the actual time-series files can be downloaded from the PEER Ground-motion database Portal (https://ngawest2.berkeley.edu/)(link is external).

Background An estimated 292 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection globally, including 223,000 people in Australia. HBV diagnosis and linkage of people living with HBV to clinical care is suboptimal in Australia, with 27% of people living with HBV undiagnosed and 77% not receiving regular HBV clinical care. This systematic review aimed to characterize population-level interventions implemented to enhance all components of HBV care cascade and analyse the effectiveness of interventions. Review questions Question 1: What population-level interventions, programs or policy approaches have been shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of hepatitis B; and that may not yet be fully rolled out or evaluated in Australia demonstrate early effectiveness, or promise, in reducing the incidence of hepatitis B? Question 2: What population-level interventions and/or programs are effective at reducing disease burden for people in the community with hepatitis B? Methods Four bibliographic databases and 21 grey literature sources were searched. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the study population included people with or at risk of chronic HBV, and the study conducted a population-level interventions to decrease HBV incidence or disease burden or to enhance any components of HBV care cascade (i.e., diagnosis, linkage to care, treatment initiation, adherence to clinical care), or HBV vaccination coverage. Studies published in the past 10 years (since January 2012), with or without comparison groups were eligible for inclusion. Studies conducting an HBV screening intervention were eligible if they reported proportion of people participating in screening, proportion of newly diagnosed HBV (participant was unaware of their HBV status), proportion of people received HBV vaccination following screening, or proportion of participants diagnosed with chronic HBV infection who were linked to HBV clinical care. Studies were excluded if study population was less than 20 participants, intervention included a pharmaceutical intervention or a hospital-based intervention, or study was implemented in limited clinical services. The records were initially screened by title and abstract. The full texts of potentially eligible records were reviewed, and eligible studies were selected for inclusion. For each study included in analysis, the study outcome and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated. For studies including a comparison group, odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95%CIs were calculated. Random effect meta-analysis models were used to calculate the pooled study outcome estimates. Stratified analyses were conducted by study setting, study population, and intervention-specific characteristics. Key findings A total of 61 studies were included in the analysis. A large majority of studies (study n=48, 79%) included single-arm studies with no concurrent control, with seven (12%) randomised controlled trials, and six (10%) non-randomised controlled studies. A total of 109 interventions were evaluated in 61 included studies. On-site or outreach HBV screening and linkage to HBV clinical care coordination were the most frequent interventions, conducted in 27 and 26 studies, respectively. Question 1 We found no studies reporting HBV incidence as the study outcome. One study conducted in remote area demonstrated that an intervention including education of pregnant women and training village health volunteers enhanced coverage of HBV birth dose vaccination (93% post-intervention, vs. 81% pre-intervention), but no data of HBV incidence among infants were reported. Question 2 Study outcomes most relevant to the HBV burden for people in the community with HBV included, HBV diagnosis, linkage to HBV care, and HBV vaccination coverage. Among randomised controlled trials aimed at enhancing HBV screening, a meta-analysis was conducted including three studies which implemented an intervention including community face-to-face education focused on HBV and/or liver cancer among migrants from high HBV prevalence areas. This analysis demonstrated a significantly higher HBV testing uptake in intervention groups with the likelihood of HBV testing 3.6 times higher among those participating in education programs compared to the control groups (OR: 3.62, 95% CI 2.72, 4.88). In another analysis, including 25 studies evaluating an intervention to enhance HBV screening, a pooled estimate of 66% of participants received HBV testing following the study intervention (95%CI: 58-75%), with high heterogeneity across studies (range: 17-98%; I-square: 99.9%). A stratified analysis by HBV screening strategy demonstrated that in the studies providing participants with on-site HBV testing, the proportion receiving HBV testing (80%, 95%CI: 72-87%) was significantly higher compared to the studies referring participants to an external site for HBV testing (54%, 95%CI: 37-71%). In the studies implementing an intervention to enhance linkage of people diagnosed with HBV infection to clinical care, the interventions included different components and varied across studies. The most common component was post-test counselling followed by assistance with scheduling clinical appointments, conducted in 52% and 38% of the studies, respectively. In meta-analysis, a pooled estimate of 73% of people with HBV infection were linked to HBV clinical care (95%CI: 64-81%), with high heterogeneity across studies (range: 28-100%; I-square: 99.2%). A stratified analysis by study population demonstrated that in the studies among general population in high prevalence countries, 94% of people (95%CI: 88-100%) who received the study intervention were linked to care, significantly higher than 72% (95%CI: 61-83%) in studies among migrants from high prevalence area living in a country with low prevalence. In 19 studies, HBV vaccination uptake was assessed after an intervention, among which one study assessed birth dose vaccination among infants, one study assessed vaccination in elementary school children and 17 studies assessed vaccination in adults. Among studies assessing adult vaccination, a pooled estimate of 38% (95%CI: 21-56%) of people initiated vaccination, with high heterogeneity across studies (range: 0.5-93%; I square: 99.9%). A stratified analysis by HBV vaccination strategy demonstrated that in the studies providing on-site vaccination, the uptake was 78% (95%CI: 62-94%), significantly higher compared to 27% (95%CI: 13-42%) in studies referring participants to an external site for vaccination. Conclusion This systematic review identified a wide variety of interventions, mostly multi-component interventions, to enhance HBV screening, linkage to HBV clinical care, and HBV vaccination coverage. High heterogeneity was observed in effectiveness of interventions in all three domains of screening, linkage to care, and vaccination. Strategies identified to boost the effectiveness of interventions included providing on-site HBV testing and vaccination (versus referral for testing and vaccination) and including community education focussed on HBV or liver cancer in an HBV screening program. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of more novel interventions (e.g., point of care testing) and interventions specifically including Indigenous populations, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and people incarcerated.