Modified technique of automatic and automated tuning of thermal-engineering process controllers

A technique of automatic optimization of tuning parameters of the closed-loop automatic control system in the course of operation of the latter is presented. This technique is based on the use of a new correlation for calculating tuning parameters of controllers from the coefficients of a transfer function of the object to be controlled. Simple analytical dependences are given that do not require large computer capacities and can easily be incorporated into a microprocessor-based controller, which in this case is converted into a self-tuning device.     

Autonomy and relatedness with parents and romantic development in African American adolescents.

The influence of adolescents' autonomy and relatedness to parents on romantic relationships was examined longitudinally over 5 years in 76 middle-class African American late adolescents (mean age = 18.43 years). Relatedness to parents in early adolescence led to longer duration and more supportive romantic relationships in late adolescence, but longer duration was concurrently associated with more negative romantic relationships. Cluster analyses yielded 3 profiles of early adolescent autonomy and relatedness; early adolescents who were high in relatedness and low in autonomy to parents in early adolescence reported longer duration romantic relationships in late adolescence than did adolescents who were moderate or high in relatedness and high in autonomy. The implications for romantic development in African American middle-class youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toddlers' social interactions in the context of moral and conventional transgressions in the home.

This study examined toddlers' naturally occurring moral and conventional transgressions in the home. Toddlers (N?=?36), divided between boys and girls at 24 and 36 months of age, were videotaped in two 45-min sessions, one with mothers and one with mothers and familiar peers. Responses to moral and conventional transgressions were coded from the videotapes. Moral transgressions were more frequent in the peer session, whereas conventional transgressions were more frequent when children were alone with mothers. Mothers' responses to conventional transgressions focused on social order and social regulation, whereas maternal and child responses to moral transgressions focused the transgressor on the consequences of the acts for others' rights or welfare. Mothers' affective responses to moral and conventional transgressions did not differ but were more negative than toddlers' responses. Conventional transgressions increased with age, whereas girls' (but not boys') moral transgressions decreased with age. Sequential analyses suggested that this latter finding might be due to mothers' differential responses to girls' and boys' moral transgressions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Entwicklung eines Packagingkonzepts für einen Laserleistungsdetektor

A novel laser power detector, accomodated to the performance characteristics of a pulsed NdYAG-laser, has been developed and realized by application of thick film technique. It enables to measure the laser power without any positioning effort, where the indicated laser power is independent of the radial intensity distribution of the laser beam. The operating principle of the detector is based on heat flow measurement. The specification of the detector and the development of a suitable packaging concept (selection of materials and technologies) rely on the analysis of the temperature (steady state/transient) as well as mechanical stress distribution induced by the incident laser beam.     

Cell biology of hydrogels

This paper demonstrates the hydrophilic polymers (mainly based on hydroxyethyl methacrylate) as a tool of cell biology. They represent a favourable model for the study of the influence of the molecular design of polymers on (1) bioactive protein adsorption, (2) cell adhesion and/or (3) control of their function. The influence of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of polymers and of the occurrence of charged functional chemical groups is able to influence the interaction of cells with these polymers. For example, the copolymer of hydroxyethyl methacrylate with sodium methacrylate (-COO- groups) is only little recognized by macrophages, which could be used in clinical implantology. It is shown that, similar to natural macromolecules of the extracellular matrix, the synthetic polymers are able to participate in the control of cell function.     

Randomized residual-based error estimators for the proper generalized decomposition approximation of parametrized problems

This article introduces a novel error estimator for the proper generalized decomposition (PGD) approximation of parametrized equations. The estimator is intrinsically random: it builds on concentration inequalities of Gaussian maps and an adjoint problem with random right-hand side, which we approximate using the PGD. The effectivity of this randomized error estimator can be arbitrarily close to unity with high probability, allowing the estimation of the error with respect to any user-defined norm as well as the error in some quantity of interest. The performance of the error estimator is demonstrated and compared with some existing error estimators for the PGD for a parametrized time-harmonic elastodynamics problem and the parametrized equations of linear elasticity with a high-dimensional parameter space.     

IL-6 in the Ecosystem of Head and Neck Cancer: Possible Therapeutic Perspectives

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a highly potent cytokine involved in multiple biological processes. It was previously reported to play a distinct role in inflammation, autoimmune and psychiatric disorders, ageing and various types of cancer. Furthermore, it is understood that IL-6 and its signaling pathways are substantial players in orchestrating the cancer microenvironment. Thus, they appear to be potential targets in anti-tumor therapy. The aim of this article is to elucidate the role of IL-6 in the tumor ecosystem and to review the possible therapeutic approaches in head and neck cancer.