On-line identification of interacting two-tank system

In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the process identification algorithm, on-line parameter estimator is evaluated experimentally by using two-tank system with interaction. On-line parameter estimator used in this paper is based on a recursive parameter estimation algorithm. MIMO linear, bilinear and quadratic models based on ARMA model are used to identify two-tank system. A quadratic model for two-tank system with interaction is developed to confirm the propriety of MIMO quadratic model used in identification of two-tank system. The results of on-line identification experiments on the two-tank system show that the estimated parameters of each model converge and the output tracking errors are bounded by disturbance bound. But, the quadratic model showed the best convergence.     

An electrochemically regenerative hydrogen-chlorine energy storage system: electrode kinetics and cell performance

The electrochemical oxidation and reduction of hydrogen and chlorine in hydrochloric acid has been investigated on graphite, ruthenized titanium and platinum electrodes. Both steady state and potentiostatic pulse methods were used. Cell studies were also carried out in cells with flow-by and flow-through chlorine electrodes. Results indicate that the electrode kinetics are fast and the electrolysis and fuel cell reactions can be carried out in the same cell with electric-to-electric efficiencies in excess of 75% at current densities of 300 mA cm^–2. Mass transfer limitations at the chlorine electrode during discharge can be eliminated by cell pressurization and the use of flow-through electrodes.This study was carried out under the auspices of the US Department of Energy.in the summers of 1976 and 1977     

Changes in ether-linked phospholipids in rat kidney by dietary α-linolenic acidin vivo

We investigated the effects of perilla oil containing a high level of α-linolenic acid onin vivo phospholipid metabolism, particularly three subclasses of choline glycerophospholipids (CGP) and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EGP), in rat kidney. After three weeks of feeding, a significantly lower proportion (by 35%) of the alkylacyl subclass of CGP was found in the perilla oil, as compared to corn oil-fed animals. The alkylacyl species of EGP was also higher in the perilla oil than in the corn oil-fed animals. These alterations were accompanied by a remarkably lower proportion of arachidonic acid and a higher level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in all six subclasses of CGP and EGP in the perilla oil-fed animals. The levels of linoleic acid were even higher in the diacyl subclasses of CGP and EGP in the perilla oil group, suggesting that desaturase and elongase enzymes prefer n−3 to n−6 fatty acids as substrates for diacyl species. These data are useful in defining the effects of α-linolenic acid on the biosynthesis of renal phospholipids and on the replacement of n−6 with n−3 fatty acids in the six CGP and EGP subclasses.     

The effect of oxygen in resulfurized steels—Part II

Part I of this two-part paper, which appeared in the June issue, covered the effects of deoxidation with silicon, boron, aluminum, or carbon (under vacuum) on the machinability and microstructure of low-carbon resulfurized steels containing nominally 0.1%C-1.0%Mn-0.25%S. Deoxidation reduced machinability and it was concluded that the removal of oxygen was directly responsible. Deoxidation was found to suppress the formation of large random sulfide inclusions so that sufficiently strong deoxidation, such as with aluminum, caused the steel to solidify with a characteristic eutectic structure in which the inter dendritic sulfide inclusions were comparatively small. Consequently, the inclusions in the rolled steel were small and machinability was reduced.     

A hybrid user authentication protocol for mobile IPTV service

IPTV, a technological convergence that combines communication and broadcasting technologies, delivers customized, interactive TV content and other multimedia information over wired and wireless connections. Providing secure access to IPTV services calls for authentication, without proper and secure authentication mechanisms, an individual impersonating a subscriber could steal a service. This paper proposes a new authentication protocol to authenticate IPTV users. The authors based the proposed protocol, a hybrid authentication protocol providing lightweight, personalized user authentication, on RFID (radio-frequency identification) and USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) technologies. In the proposed protocol, USIM performs highly personalized authentication, and the authenticated subscriber’s RFID tags can have a temporary authority to execute authentication. These RFID tags become Agent Tags authorized to authenticate subscribers. Agent Tags identify and authenticate themselves to RFID readers in the set-top box, thus, simplifying the authentication process.     

Fixed-Parameter Complexity of Minimum Profile Problems

The profile of a graph is an integer-valued parameter defined via vertex orderings; it is known that the profile of a graph equals the smallest number of edges of an interval supergraph. Since computing the profile of a graph is an NP-hard problem, we consider parameterized versions of the problem. Namely, we study the problem of deciding whether the profile of a connected graph of order n is at most n−1+k, considering k as the parameter; this is a parameterization above guaranteed value, since n−1 is a tight lower bound for the profile. We present two fixed-parameter algorithms for this problem. The first algorithm is based on a forbidden subgraph characterization of interval graphs. The second algorithm is based on two simple kernelization rules which allow us to produce a kernel with linear number of vertices and edges. For showing the correctness of the second algorithm we need to establish structural properties of graphs with small profile which are of independent interest. A preliminary version of the paper is published in Proc. IWPEC 2006, LNCS vol. 4169, 60–71.     

Dynamic adhesive force measurements under vertical and horizontal motions of interacting rough surfaces

An instrument to measure dynamic adhesive forces between interacting rough surfaces has been developed. It consists of four parts, namely, main instrument body, vertical positioning system with both micrometer and nanometer positioning accuracies, horizontal positioning system with nanometer positioning accuracy, and custom-built high-resolution, and high dynamic bandwidth capacitive force transducer. The vertical piezoelectric actuator (PZT) controls the vertical (approaching and retracting) motion of the upper specimen, while the horizontal PZT controls the horizontal (reciprocal) motion of the lower specimen. The force transducer is placed in line with the upper specimen and vertical PZT, and directly measures the adhesive forces with a root-mean-square load resolution of 1.7 microN and a dynamic bandwidth of 1.7 kHz. The newly developed instrument enables reliable measurements of near-contact and contact adhesive forces for microscale devices under different dynamic conditions. Using the developed instrument, dynamic pull-in and pull-off force measurements were performed between an aluminum-titanium-carbide sphere and a 10 nm thick carbon film disk sample. Three different levels of contact force were investigated; where for each contact force level the vertical velocity of the upper sample was varied from 0.074 to 5.922 microms, while the lower sample was stationary. It was found that slower approaching and retracting velocities result in higher pull-in and pull-off forces. The noncontact attractive force was also measured during horizontal movement of the lower sample, and it was found that the periodic movements of the lower disk sample also affect the noncontact surface interactions.     

Transformation of a thin-walled solid model into a surface model via solid deflation

A simplified geometric model with lower dimensionality, such as a mid-surface model, is often preferred over a detailed solid model for the analysis process, if the analysis results are not seriously impacted. In order to derive a mid-surface model from a thin-walled solid model, in this paper, we propose a novel approach called the solid deflation method. In this method, a solid model is assumed to be created by using air to inflate a shell that comprises the surface of the solid model. First, the model is simplified by the removal of any detailed features whose absence would not alter its overall shape. Next, the solid model itself can be converted into a degenerate solid model with zero thickness. Finally, a surface model is generated by splitting large faces paired in the thinned solid model, selecting one face per pair for creating a sheet model, and sewing the selected faces. Using this method, a more practical and usable mid-surface model can be very efficiently generated from a solid model because it can circumvent not only the tedious trimming and extension processes of the medial axis transformation method but also the time-consuming patch joining process of the mid-surface abstraction approach.