Comparison between two policy strategies for scheduling trucks in a biomass logistic system

Approximately 75% of the cost to load, haul, and deliver a weekly supply of herbaceous biomass from temporary storage locations near the production fields to a bioprocessing plant (50 Mg/h average capacity, 24/7 operation) is truck cost. The management policy that a bioprocessing plant uses to schedule trucks determines the maximum number of trucks required, and thereby, the total cost for the logistic system. Three land use rates corresponding to 50%, 45%, and 40% of existing pastureland within a 3.2-km radius of chosen satellite storage locations were used to establish a production base surrounding the plant location. Total area harvested was 25,500 ha, or about 2.1% of the total land area in the 7-county region studied. Assumed average yield was 8.3 Mg/ha. Two different management policies, one based on travel time (Policy 1) and another based on the assignment of trucks to given sectors of the surrounding production base (Policy 2) were used to develop truck schedules. The logistic system was modeled as a discrete event simulation model, and the schedule was validated.

The maximum number of trucks needed for the logistic system was 32, 33 and 34 for 50%, 45% and 40% land use rates, respectively. In Policy 1, the maximum number of loads accumulated in the at-plant inventory was 384 truckloads at 50% land use rate (maximum inventory corresponds to about 3 days of plant operation). In Policy 2, the maximum number of loads accumulated in the at-plant inventory was 330 truckloads at 50% land use rate. Total number of loader and unloader operating hours for both the policies was computed, and the loader and unloader utilization rates were 83.5% and 70.8%, respectively. The delivered cost (load, haul, and unload) varied from $14.68 (Policy 1) to $16.14 per Mg (Policy 2) for 15% w.b. moisture content biomass.     

Simulation of ATP metabolism in cardiac excitation–contraction coupling

To obtain insights into the mechanisms underlying the membrane excitation and contraction of cardiac myocytes, we developed a computer model of excitation–contraction coupling (Kyoto model: Jpn. J. Physiol. 53 (2003) 105). This model was further expanded by incorporating pivotal reactions of ATP metabolism; the model of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by Korzeniewski and Zoladz (Biophys. Chem. 92 (2001) 17). The ATP-dependence of contraction, and creatine kinase and adenylate kinase were also incorporated. After minor modifications, the steady-state condition was well established for all the variables, including the membrane potential, contraction, and the ion and metabolite concentrations in sarcoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and cytoplasm. Concentrations of major metabolites were close to the experimental data. Responses of the new model to anoxia were similar to experimental results of the P-31 NMR study in whole heart. This model serves as a prototype for developing a more comprehensive model of excitation–contraction–metabolism coupling.     

景观生态学中空间数据的模拟和显示方法概述

为了准确描述连续数据在景观中变化的规律,介绍了常用的7种生态学空间数据模拟方法和4种空间数据显示方法的基本原理和方法,以及不同的空间数据取样方法的特点和适用范围,并初步探讨了影响生态学空间数据表达方法的主要因素。     

灰树花深层培养的生长动力学与计算机模拟

研究了灰树花的生长特性,建立了灰树花的生长速率模型和基质消耗动力学模型;并运用SIMULINK仿真环境,建立了灰树花在培养过程中的主要因素通气量和pH对菌丝生物影响的模型,结果表明,模拟结果较理想。     

乌兰布和沙区紫花苜蓿生长发育模拟研究

借鉴积温学的原理,结合紫花苜蓿（Meicago sativa)生理生态学特性,建立了水分限制条件下干旱沙区紫花苜蓿生长发育模拟模型,该模型主要由生长发育阶段子模型,叶面积动态子模型,干物质积累子模型和干物质分配子模型组成。模拟计算结果表明,该模型能较好地预测沙地紫花苜蓿生长发育进程,叶面积变化动态及牧草产量变化动态,具有一定的实际应用价值。     

自组织作用在生物进化中的模拟研究

生物的进化可以看作是在基因随机突变的驱动下,通过自组织作用而形成高级有序结构的过程。生物进货研究只能看到进货的结果,而不能对进货的过程进行定量分析和检验。采用进化计算的算法框架对进化现象进行,模拟随机初始条件及环境突变条件下种群的分化和物种形成过程,研究地域分布对物种分化和形成的影响,以及过渡物种的分布特点,并对有限地域条件下地域面积和物种数量的关系进行了模拟研究。     

The influence of the medical care on the human life expectancy in 20th century and the Penna ageing model

Summary The expression of many genetic defects may be suppressed by proper medical care or even by changing the environmental conditions. We have used the Penna model of ageing to show that such efFects may be responsible for increasing the human life expectancy during the 20 ^th century. This effect is equivalent to the shift of the threshold (T) in the Penna model, which determines how many deleterious, expressed mutations kill an organism. For long genomes, the shift of T changes the age distribution significantly with negligible relative changes in the maximum life span, while for short genomes, the shift of T changes both, the age distribution as well as the maximum age. Unfortunately the same simulations show that the strategy of enhancing the medical care requires more and more effort to keep the mortality rate of our populations at the same lower level and that some new defects could be exposed to selection.     

Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Exponential Polynomial Rate for Poisson Data

The heterogeneous Poisson process with discretized exponential quadratic rate function is considered. Maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of the rate function are derived for the case when the data consists of numbers of occurrences in consecutive equal time periods. A likelihood ratio test of the null hypothesis of exponential quadratic rate is presented. Its power against exponential linear rate functions is estimated using Monte Carlo simulation. The maximum likelihood method is compared with a log-linear least squares techniques. An application of the technique to the analysis of mortality rates due to congenital malformations is presented.