In this paper, an overview of the magnetohydrodynamic instabilities induced by energetic electrons on HL-2A is given and some new phenomena with high-power electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) are presented. A toroidal Alfvén eigenmode with frequency from 200 to 350 kHz is identified during powerful ECRH. In the lower frequency range from 10 to 35 kHz, which is in the beta-induced Alfvén eigenmode frequency range, the coexistence of multi-mode is found during the high-power ECRH for the first time. The spectra become wide when the power is sufficiently high. The frequencies of the modes increase with and are much lower than the Alfvén frequency. The relationship between the mode frequency and (7/4 + Te/Ti)1/2 (Ti)1/2 can be obtained by statistical data analysis. Between the two previous frequency ranges, a group of new modes with frequencies from 50 to 180 kHz is observed with high-power ECRH and neutral beam injection heating together. The modes have clear frequency chirping within several milliseconds or several tens of milliseconds, which are identified as energetic particle mode like instabilities. The new features of the fishbone instability excited by energetic electrons are identified. It is interesting to find the frequency jump phenomena in the high-power ECRH. The difference between the low and high frequencies increases with ECRH power. The frequency jumps between 8 and 15 kHz within about 25 ms periodically, when the power is 1.2 MW.

PurposePrefabricated construction concerns off-site production, multi-mode transportation and on-site installation of the prefabricated components, which are interdependent and dynamically interactive, so coordination among the multiple stages along the prefabricated component supply chain (PCSC) is indispensable. This study aims to solve the dynamic transportation planning problem for the PCSC by addressing the interdependency, dynamic interaction and coordination among the multiple stages and different objectives of the stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThe PCSC is analyzed and then the formulation for the dynamic transportation planning problem is developed based on the just-in-time (JIT) strategy. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to solve the dynamic optimization problem.FindingsThe proposed dynamic transportation planning method for the PCSC regarding component supplier selection, transportation planning for means, routes and schedule, site layout planning and transportation plan adjustment is able to facilitate coordination among the multiple stages by addressing their interdependencies and dynamic interactions, as well as different economic objectives of the stakeholders such as suppliers or the contractor.Originality/valueThe study helps to achieve the advantages of prefabricated construction by prompting coordination among multiple stages of the PCSC by realizing different benefits of the stakeholders. In addition, it provides the stakeholders with the competitive bidding prices and the evaluation data for the bids quote. Meanwhile, it contributes to the domain knowledge of the PCSC management with regard to the viewpoint of coordination and integration of multiple stages rather than only one stage as well as the dynamic optimization model based on the JIT strategy and the PSO algorithm.

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Summary To enhance the resilience of distribution systems and fight against extreme disasters, a novel planning‐attack‐reconfiguration optimization method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, according to the processes of prevention, defence, and restoration for a resilient distribution system through disruption, the novel resilience evaluation indicators are presented, which include the node degree of distributed generation (DG) bus, survival rate, and recovery ability. Secondly, a novel planning‐attack‐reconfiguration optimization model is developed to improve the resilience of distribution systems. In DG planning stage, the multi‐objective planning model is formulated, which includes the minimization of the total cost of investment and operation, and the maximization of the node degree of DG buses for critical loads. In the attack stage, a clear worst case of N‐k contingencies on the basis of generalized nodes is presented to reduce the computational complexity. Then, the post‐disaster network reconfiguration model is formulated to maximize the restoration rate of critical loads (RRCL). Finally, the proposed method is illustrated by the case study on PG&E 69‐bus distribution system. The simulation results indicate that all the RRCL can reach about 90% in the four multipoint fault scenarios. Meanwhile, other evaluation indicators are greatly improved. It is shown that the resilience of distribution systems can be dramatically enhanced by the proposed method.

Research on beta induced Alfvén eigenmodes (BAEs) driven by energetic ions has been carried out on the HL2A tokamak. The BAEs can be observed in the cases of q min being beyond or below unity. The mode frequencies are around 60-95 kHz. The radial mode structures have been detected by the multichannel microwave reflectometer and soft xray arrays. The results suggest that the BAEs are highly localized at the normalized radius of ρ = 0.07-0.26. Theoretical analyses based on the general fishbonelike dispersion relation and Alfvén mode code support the experimental measurements in both mode frequencies and locations. The BAEs are found to be excited more easily in low electron density discharges. The coexistence of BAEs and reversed shear Alfvén eigenmodes enables the estimation of q min directly from experiments.

PurposeThis study is aimed to explore the dynamic performance incentive model for a flexible PPP contract to handle uncertainties based on supervision during the long-time concession period, so as to ensure operation performance and benefits of the public sector while protecting the economic benefit of the private sector, thus avoiding unnecessary renegotiation.Design/methodology/approachThe microeconomic and principal–agent theories and relevant studies on the basic incentive model and flexible contract are fully utilized. The procedure for developing the dynamic incentive model and the assumptions about the quantitative relationships among fundamental variables or factors are first proposed. The static incentive model without incentive parameter adjustment and then the dynamic incentive model allowing incentive parameter adjustment are successively developed. Finally, the propositions regarding the valid adjustment ranges of the incentive parameter with respect to the economic, social and hybrid benefits of the public sector and the economic benefit of the private sector are suggested.FindingsThe dynamic incentive model enables to achieve a flexible contract to handle uncertainties on the PPP project to ensure the benefits of the public sector while protecting the benefit of the private sector. The economic, social and hybrid benefits of the public sector and the economic benefit of the private sectors can be respectively realized through adjusting the reward–punishment coefficient under different adjustment ranges and different importance. The incentive model is able to ensure the benefits of the public sector while protecting the benefit of the private sector by controlling the private sector's effort level unknown to the public sector.Originality/valueThe dynamic incentive model helps implement a flexible PPP contract to handle uncertainties during the operation period, thus controlling the effort level of the private sector and ensuring the benefits of the public sector while protecting the economic benefit of the sector. It enables to clarify the quantitative relationships between the operation performance, the benefits of the stakeholders, the effort level of the private sector and the reward–punishment coefficient. This study contributes to the domain knowledge of the incomplete contract theory for designing a flexible PPP contract with dynamic incentive and supervision mechanism by applying the microeconomic and principal–agent theories.

Plastic deformation in sheet metal consists of four distinct phases, namely, uniform deformation, diffuse necking, localized necking, and final rupture. The last three phases are commonly known as nonuniform deformation. A proper forming limit diagram (FLD) should include all three phases of the nonuniform deformation. This paper presents the development of a unified approach to the prediction of FLD to include all three phases of nonuniform deformation. The conventional method for predicting FLD is based on localized necking and adopts two fundamentally different approaches. Under biaxial loading, the Hill’s plasticity method is often chosen when α(=ε2/ε1) <0. On the other hand, the M-K method is typically used for the prediction of localized necking when α > 0 or when the biaxial stretching of sheet metal is significant. The M-K method, however, suffers from the arbitrary selection of the imperfection size, thus resulting in inconsistent predictions. The unified approach takes into account the effects of micro-cracks/voids on the FLD. All real-life materials contain varying sizes and degrees of micro-cracks/voids which can be characterized by the theory of damage mechanics. The theory is extended to include orthotropic damage, which is often observed in extensive plastic deformation during sheet metal forming. The orthotropic FLD model is based on an anisotropic damage model proposed recently by Chow and Wang (1993). Coupling the incremental theory of plasticity with damage, the new model can be used to predict not only the forming limit diagram but also the fracture limit diagram under proportional or nonproportional loading. In view of the two distinct physical phenomena governing the cases when α(=ε2/ε1) < or α > 0, a set of instability criteria is proposed to characterize all three phases of nonuniform deformation. The orthotropic damage model has been employed to predict the FLD of VDIF steel (Chow et al, 1996) and excellent agreement between the predicted and measured results has been achieved as shown in Fig. 1. The damage model is extended in this paper to examine its applicability and validity for another important engineering material, namely aluminum alloy 6111-T4.

Most methods for fusion-based finger vein recognition were to fuse different features or matching scores from more than one trait to improve performance. To overcome the shortcomings of "the curse of dimensionality" and additional running time in feature extraction, in this paper, we propose a finger vein recognition technology based on matching score-level fusion of a single trait. To enhance the quality of finger vein image, the contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) method is utilized and it improves the local contrast of normalized image after ROI detection. Gabor features are then extracted from eight channels based on a bank of Gabor filters. Instead of using the features for the recognition directly, we analyze the contributions of Gabor feature from each channel and apply a weighted matching score-level fusion rule to get the final matching score, which will be used for the last recognition. Experimental results demonstrate the CLAHE method is effective to enhance the finger vein image quality and the proposed matching score-level fusion shows better recognition performance.