Exact Solution for Viscoelastic Flow in Pipe and Experimental Validation

The development of analytical methods for viscoelastic fluid flows is challenging. Currently, this problem has been solved for particular cases of multimode differential rheological equations of media state (Giesekus, the exponential form of Phan-Tien-Tanner, eXtended Pom-Pom). We propose a parametric method that yields solutions without additional assumptions. The method is based on the parametric representation of the unknown velocity functions and the stress tensor components as a function of coordinate. Experimental flow visualization based on the SIV (smoke image velocimetry) method was carried out to confirm the obtained results. Compared to the Giesekus model, the experimental data are best predicted by the eXtended Pom-Pom model.

A Novel Hybrid Parametric and Non-Parametric Optimisation Model for Average Technical Efficiency Assessment in Public Hospitals during and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on hospitals and healthcare systems around the world. The cost of business disruption combined with lingering COVID-19 costs has placed many public hospitals on a course to insolvency. To quickly return to financial stability, hospitals should implement efficiency measure. An average technical efficiency (ATE) model made up of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) for assessing efficiency in public hospitals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is offered. The DEA method is a non-parametric method that requires no information other than the input and output quantities. SFA is a parametric method that considers stochastic noise in data and allows statistical testing of hypotheses about production structure and degree of inefficiency. The rationale for using these two competing approaches is to balance each method’s strengths, weaknesses and introduce a novel integrated approach. To show the applicability and efficacy of the proposed hybrid VRS-CRS-SFA (VCS) model, a case study is presented.

Properties of a Transport Instrument for Measuring Psychological Impacts of Delay on Commuters, Mokken Scale Analysis

This study assessed the validity of instrument including various negative psychological and physical behaviors of commuters due to the public transport delay. Instruments have been mostly evaluated by parametric method of item response theory (IRT). However, the IRT has been characterized by some restrictive assumptions about the data, focusing on detailed model fit evaluation. The Mokken scale analysis (MSA), as a scaling procedure is a non-parametric method, which does not require adherence to any distribution. The results of the study show that in most regards, our instrument meets the minimum requirements highlighted by the MSA. However, the instrument did not adhere to the minimum requirements of the “scalability” for two variables including “stomach pain” and “increased heart rate”. So, modifications were proposed to address the violations. Although MSA technique has been used frequently in other fields, this is one of the earliest studies to implement the technique in the context of transport psychology.

Exploring the impact of balconies on cooling energy demand in an arid climate zone

This paper explores the impact of balconies on the energy demand required for cooling in the arid climate zone of the city of Adrar, in Algeria. For the purpose to assess several situations of the balconies, we have chosen a parametric method based on a campaign of thermal simulations. The open and eliminated balcony type were selected and characterized by four parameters: the balcony to room ratio, the orientation, the window type, and the balcony position. A set of 100 simulations was selected randomly based on the Monte-Carlo probability technique. The final sample was corrected based on Cook’s distance which gave 85 simulations as a final sample size. A generalized regression model was performed to identify the impact of each parameter. The accuracy of the model is above 97% and the sensitivity analysis shows that the most important factor is the balcony to room ratio which could reduce the energy demand up to 26% followed by the window type (24%), the orientation (8%) and the balcony position (5%). This conclusion stresses the idea of considering the balcony as a passive solution to reduce the cooling energy demand.

Переключение социокоммуникативных регистров как параметр лингвистической креативности: Кинодискурс vs дискурс детской литературы

Socio-Communicative Register Switching as a Parameter of Linguistic Creativity: Cinematic Discourse vs Discourse of Children’s LiteratureThis study is devoted to the discourse specificity of socio-communicative register switching as a parameter of linguistic creativity. A contrastive analysis of cinematic discourse and discourse of children’s literature helped to define the characteristics of register and the criteria of socio-communicative dissonance, which served to distinguish between creative and non-creative use of register switching. The study identifies three creative techniques of register switching, demonstrating socio-communicative dissonance (as intentional pragmatic distortion) in social roles, communicative situations and socio-communicative discourse format. The results indicate the parametric variance of activity in the discourse types under consideration, with higher values of both creative and non-creative techniques in the discourse of children’s literature, and higher relative values of creative vs non-creative use of socio-communicative register switching in cinematic discourse. The results also demonstrate the efficiency of the parametric method in the study of linguistic creativity. Przełączanie rejestrów socjokomunikatywnych jako parametr kreatywności lingwistycznej. Dyskurs kinowy vs dyskurs literatury dziecięcejPrzedmiotem artykułu jest dyskursowa specyfika przełączania rejestrów socjokomunikatywnych w roli parametru kreatywności lingwistycznej. Konfrontatywna analiza dyskursu uwzględniająca dyskurs kinowy i dyskurs literatury dziecięcej pomogła określić charakterystykę rejestrów oraz kryteria dysonansu socjokomunikatywnego, co posłużyło do wskazania różnic pomiędzy kreatywnym a niekreatywnym użyciem przełączania rejestrów. Stwierdzono istnienie trzech kreatywnych technik przełączania rejestrów, wprowadzających dysonans socjokomunikatywny (będący celowym zniekształceniem pragmatycznym) w zakresie ról społecznych, sytuacji komunikacyjnych i formatu dyskursu socjokomunikatywnego. Rezultaty pokazują zmienność aktywności parametrowej konfrontowanych typów dyskursu, z wyższymi wartościami zarówno kreatywnych, jak i niekreatywnych technik w dyskursie literatury dziecięcej, a zarazem wyższymi relatywnymi wartościami wykorzystania przełączania kreatywnych rejestrów socjokomunikatywnych w dyskursie kinowym. Jednocześnie rezultaty dowodzą skuteczności metody parametrycznej w badaniach nad kreatywnością lingwistyczną.

Survival Curves Projection and Benefit Time Points Estimation using a New Statistical Method

Survival analysis concerns the analysis of time-to-event data and it is essential to study in fields such as oncology, the survival function, S(t), calculation is usually used, but in the presence of competing risks (presence of competing events), is necessary introduce other statistical concepts and methods, as is the Cumulative incidence function CI(t). This is defined as the proportion of subjects with an event time less than or equal to. The present study describe a methodology that enables to obtain numerically a shape of CI(t) curves and estimate the benefit time points (BTP) as the time (t) when a 90, 95 or 99% is reached for the maximum value of CI(t). Once you get the numerical function of CI(t), it can be projected for an infinite time, with all the limitations that it entails. To do this task the R function Weibull.cumulative.incidence() is proposed. In a first step these function transforms the survival function (S(t)) obtained using the Kaplan–Meier method to CI(t). In a second step the best fit function of CI(t) is calculated in order to estimate BTP using two procedures, 1) Parametric function: estimates a Weibull growth curve of 4 parameters by means a non-linear regression (nls) procedure or 2) Non parametric method: using Local Polynomial Regression (LPR) or LOESS fitting. Two examples are presented and developed using Weibull.cumulative.incidence() function in order to present the method. The methodology presented will be useful for performing better tracking of the evolution of the diseases (especially in the case of the presence of competitive risks), project time to infinity and it is possible that this methodology can help identify the causes of current trends in diseases like cancer. We think that BTP points can be important in large diseases like cardiac illness or cancer to seek the inflection point of the disease, treatment associate or speculate how is the course of the disease and change the treatments at those points. These points can be important to take medical decisions furthermore.

Clustering functional data using forward search based on functional spatial ranks with medical applications

Cluster analysis of functional data is finding increasing application in the field of medical research and statistics. Here we introduce a functional version of the forward search methodology for the purpose of functional data clustering. The proposed forward search algorithm is based on the functional spatial ranks and is a data-driven non-parametric method. It does not require any preprocessing functional data steps, nor does it require any dimension reduction before clustering. The Forward Search Based on Functional Spatial Rank (FSFSR) algorithm identifies the number of clusters in the curves and provides the basis for the accurate assignment of each curve to its cluster. We apply it to three simulated datasets and two real medical datasets, and compare it with six other standard methods. Based on both simulated and real data, the FSFSR algorithm identifies the correct number of clusters. Furthermore, when compared with six standard methods used for clustering and classification, it records the lowest misclassification rate. We conclude that the FSFSR algorithm has the potential to cluster and classify functional data.

The Solar Block Generator: an additive parametric method for solar driven urban block design

This paper addresses the limitations of existing Solar Envelope (SE) methods to explore the trade-offs of solar radiation and urban shading, and to simultaneously account for several different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It offers an alternative parametric workflow - the Solar Block Generator (SBG) - which is based on an additive voxelization method by which multiple solar-driven massing alternatives are generated and evaluated for a given site, corresponding to a set of user-defined environmental KPIs. This method is tested here on an urban redevelopment case study in the Mediterranean (Tel Aviv). The results help achieve a more holistic approach for solar driven urban design.

Recent Trend of Precipitation and Crop Planning at Rajshahi Region of Bangladesh

The study was carried out for investigation and analysis of long-term (45 years) monthly rainfall data of Rajshahi from 1975 to 2019 for better selection of crops and agricultural technology in this region of Bangladesh. The rainfall trend was determined using parametric and non-parametric method. Probability analysis of rainfall was performed for estimation of dry, wet, and average year rainfall. The results revealed negative trend of yearly rainfall, but it is statistically insignificant. By non-parametric method, ‘no trend’ was observed for yearly rainfall. Increasing trend of monthly rainfall during March and May and decreasing trend in other months were observed. The rainfall deficit period continued from November to March, and in some instant up to April (rainfall<PET).Total deficit for dry, wet, and average year were found as 488.2 mm, 405.7mm and 426.1mm respectively. By adopting low water-demanding cropping patterns during the deficit period, the withdrawal of groundwater can be minimized.