Pressure observer-controller design for pneumatic cylinder actuators

Recent research has shown that robust and precise high-speed control of pneumatic actuators is practicable, by application of advanced control techniques such as model-based adaptive and sliding-mode control. However, the resulting need for full state-based feedback and feedforward control-in particular, the measurement of air pressures-increases both the cost and complexity of the overall system. In this paper, we consider the problem of design of observers to estimate the chamber pressure variables in a cylinder actuator. Since the cylinder pressures are not simultaneously observable because of the nature of cylinder dynamics, we first propose a continuous gain observer in which the pressure on one side of the cylinder is measured and the pressure on the other side is estimated. Next, we propose a sliding-mode observer where numerically estimated acceleration is used in order to observe both pressures, with ultimate bounded stability. A sliding-mode controller is proposed, whose sensitivity to errors under the sliding-mode observer is studied. The proposed observers are simple, effective and easy to implement. Results of experimental implementation illustrate the practical effectiveness of the new observers.     

Impact of information systems on customers

The distinction between “users” of information systems of an organization and “customers” of the organization has not surfaced clearly in the literature on information systems planning and implementation. Also, the impact of the organization's information system on its customer is neither assessed nor clarified. This paper seeks to expose and, to some extent, fill these gaps. Based on his experience, the author derives three classes of assumptions likely to be made by organizations in managing the interface with their customers. Possible implications of such assumptions are discussed, and suggestions for planning the interface are offered.     

Low-noise 6-8 GHz receiver

The combination of the traveling wave OMT device and the ultra-low-noise MMIC amplifiers has allowed us to develop a broadband 6-8 GHz receiver with a noise temperature of around 10 K. The combination of receiver noise and the additional noise contributions by the telescope optics gives an overall receiver temperature of around 28 K and 34 K in the two polarizations. The large collecting area of the telescope gives rise to a system equivalent flux density of around 4.5 Jy at 7 GHz     

Serum lipidomics profiling using LC-MS and high-energy collisional dissociation fragmentation: focus on triglyceride detection and characterization

There is a growing need both clinically and experimentally to improve the characterization of blood lipids. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method, developed for the qualitative and semiquantitative detection of lipids in biological samples and previously validated in mitochondrial samples, was now evaluated for the profiling of serum lipids. Data were acquired using high-resolution, full scan MS and high-energy, collisional dissociation (HCD), all ion fragmentation. The method was designed for efficient separation and detection in both positive and negative ionization mode and evaluated using standards spanning seven lipid classes. Platform performance, related to the identification and characterization of serum triglycerides (TGs), was assessed using extracted ion chromatograms with mass tolerance windows of 5 ppm or less from full scan exact mass measurements determined using SIEVE nondifferential LC-MS analysis software. The platform showed retention time coefficients of variation (CV) of <0.3%, mass accuracy values of <2 ppm error, and peak area CV of <13%, with the majority of that error coming from sample preparation and extraction rather than the LC-MS analysis, and linearity was shown to be over 4 orders of magnitude (r(2) = 0.999) for the standard TG (15:0)(3) spiked into serum. Instrument mass accuracy and precision were critical to the identification of unknown TG species, in part because these parameters enabled us to reduce false positives. In addition to detection and relative quantitation of TGs in serum, TG structures were characterized through the use of alternating HCD scans at different energies to produce diagnostic fragmentations on all ions in the analysis. The lipidomics method was applied to serum samples from 192 rats maintained on diets differing in macronutrient composition. The analysis identified 86 TG species with 81 unique masses that varied over 3.5 orders of magnitude and showed diet-dependency, consistent with TGs linking diet and disease risk.     

Using knowledge generated in heuristic search for nonchronological backtracking

Problem solvers that use heuristics to guide choices often run into untenable situations that can be characterized as overconstrained. When this happens, the problem must be able to identify the right culprit from among its heuristic choices in order to avoid a potentially explosive search. In this paper, we present a solution to this for a certain class of problems where the justifications associated with choice points involve an explicit assessment of the pros and cons of choosing each alternative relative to its competitors. We have designed a problem solver that accumulates such knowledge about the pros and cons of alternative selections at choice points during heuristic search, which it updates in light of an evolving problem situation. Whenever untenable situations arise, this preserved knowledge is used to determine the most appropriate backtracking point. By endowing the backtracker with access to this domain-specific knowledge, a highly contextual approach to reasoning in backtracking situations can be achieved.     

Development of an integrated hardware and software platform for the rapid detection of cerebral aneurysm rupture

A cerebral aneurysm is defined as a weakened portion of an artery in the brain. Rupture of a cerebral aneurysm leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A significant number of patients with SAH are initially misdiagnosed and subjected to the risks associated with aneurysm re-rupture. Traditional detection methods recommended by physicians include computed tomography (CT) scan, lumbar puncture and angiography. Unfortunately, the CT scan is ineffective after 12 h, and angiography is best suited for those cases of finding the aneurysm before surgery. Physicians may therefore rely on lumbar puncture to develop a quick and objective evaluation by assessing xanthochromia. Bilirubin in the cerebrospinal fluid, resulting from the chemical decomposition of whole blood, is an indicator of hemorrhage. This metabolite can be detected after lumbar puncture, by differentiating its optical signature in the spinal fluid. In cases of traumatic spinal tap, bilirubin needs to be distinguished from whole blood. We introduce a diagnostic system based on visible spectroscopy to quickly and objectively assess low blood-volume SAH. The system integrates innovative hardware and a powerful software interface. We explore an algorithm that accounts for the noise and distortion from blood in the cerebrospinal fluid. We introduce a portable, user-friendly hardware platform composed of specific components designed for their sensitivity and specificity.     

Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm simulating endocarditis

OBJECTIVE: To report on a patient with Wilms' tumor treated by partial nephrectomy with 31 years survival. METHODS: Herein we describe a 33-year-old patient who had undergone surgery for a right renal tumor at age 2 years and 10 months. A partial nephrectomy was performed because the patient had left ureterohydronephrosis. Histological analysis of the surgical specimen disclosed a nephroblastoma or Wilms' tumor. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The progressive deterioration of the left urinary tract, despite attempts to correct this condition, warranted its complete suppression. The patient has remained symptom-free and leads an active social and working life 31 years after the first operation, which makes this an exceptional case in the world literature.     

Associative Memory Content-ADDRESSED Memory Fault-TOLERANCE Multiple Associative Recall Adjustable-PRECISION Memory Binary Mappings Information Retrieval Address-BASED Memory High-CAPACITY Memory Interference

This paper presents an approach to design of a neural architecture for both associative (content-addressed) and address-based memories. Several interesting properties of the memory module are mathematically analyzed in detail. When used as an associative memory, the proposed neural memory module supports recall from partial input patterns, (sequential) multiple recalls and fault-tolerance. When used as an address-based memory, the memory module can provide working space for dynamic representations for symbol processing and shared message-passing among neural network modules within an integrated neural network system. It also provides for real-time update of memory contents by one-shot learning without interference with other stored patterns.     

Adsorption of reaction species for hydrogenation of o-nitrotoluene on copper chromite under catalytic conditions

Adsorption of reaction species involved in vapour phase hydrogenation of o-nitrotoluene (viz. o-nitrotoluene, o-toluidine and water) on copper chromite in presence of an inert gas (He) or hydrogen (which is one of the reactants) at temperature (473-560 K) and partial pressures at which the catalytic reaction is carried out has been investigated using the gas chromatographic pulse technique. The presence of hydrogen was found to cause a very significant decrease in the adsorption of toluidine but a little effect on the adsorption of water. The adsorption data for all the reaction species could be fitted to the Freundlich adsorption equation. The isoteric heats of adsorption obtained from the adsorption isotherm indicated that o-toluidine and water are physically absorbed, whereas o-nitrotoluene is chemisorbed on the catalyst. The heat of adsorption of water and o-nitrotoluene was found to decrease with the increase in the surface coverage, indicating repulsive interactions between the adsorbed species. On the other hand the heat of adsorption of o-toluidine (in presence or absence of H₂) was found to increase with the increase in the surface coverage, suggesting attractive interactions between the absorbed species.     

Prediction of a Lorenz chaotic attractor using two-layer perceptron neural network

This paper investigates the prediction of a Lorenz chaotic attractor having relatively high values of Lypunov's exponents. The characteristic of this time series is its rich chaotic behavior. For such dynamic reconstruction problem, regularized radial basis function (RBF) neural network (NN) models have been widely employed in the literature. However, author recommends using a two-layer multi-layer perceptron (MLP) NN-based recurrent model. When none of the available linear models have been able to learn the dynamics of this attractor, it is shown that the proposed NN-based auto regressive (AR) and auto regressive moving average (ARMA) models with regularization have not only learned the true trajectory of this attractor, but also performed much better in multi-step-ahead predictions. However, equivalent linear models seem to fail miserably in learning the dynamics of the time series, despite the low values of Akaike's final prediction error (FPE) estimate. Author proposes to employ the recurrent NN-based ARMA model with regularization which clearly outperforms all other models and thus, it is possible to obtain good results for prediction and reconstruction of the dynamics of the chaotic time series with NN-based models.