Stochastic model predictive braking control for heavy-duty commercial vehicles during uncertain brake pressure and road profile conditions

When heavy-duty commercial vehicles (HDCVs) must engage in emergency braking, uncertain conditions such as the brake pressure and road profile variations will inevitably affect braking control. To minimize these uncertainties, we propose a combined longitudinal and lateral controller method based on stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) that is achieved via Chebyshev–Cantelli inequality. In our method, SMPC calculates braking control inputs based on a finite time prediction that is achieved by solving stochastic programming elements, including chance constraints. To accomplish this, SMPC explicitly describes the probabilistic uncertainties to be used when designing a robust control strategy. The main contribution of this paper is the proposal of a braking control formulation that is robust against probabilistic friction circle uncertainty effects. More specifically, the use of Chebyshev–Cantelli inequality suppresses road profile influences, which have characteristics that are different from the Gaussian distribution, thereby improving both braking robustness and control performance against statistical disturbances.Additionally, since theKalman filtering (KF) algorithm is used to obtain the expectation and covariance used for calculating deterministic transformed chance constraints, the SMPC is reformulated as a KF embedded deterministic MPC. Herein, the effectiveness of our proposed method is verified via a MATLAB/Simulink and TruckSim co-simulation.     

The Potential Role of Hepatocyte Growth Factor in Degenerative Disorders of the Synovial Joint and Spine

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the changing role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling in the healthy and diseased synovial joint and spine. HGF is a multifunctional growth factor that, like its specific receptor c-Met, is widely expressed in several bone and joint tissues. HGF has profound effects on cell survival and proliferation, matrix metabolism, inflammatory response, and neurotrophic action. HGF plays an important role in normal bone and cartilage turnover. Changes in HGF/c-Met have also been linked to pathophysiological changes in degenerative joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). A therapeutic role of HGF has been proposed in the regeneration of osteoarticular tissues. HGF also influences bone remodeling and peripheral nerve activity. Studies aimed at elucidating the changing role of HGF/c-Met signaling in OA and IDD at different pathophysiological stages, and their specific molecular mechanisms are needed. Such studies will contribute to safe and effective HGF/c-Met signaling-based treatments for OA and IDD.     

Prolonged Aftereffect of Visuomotor Adaptation to Gradually Distorted Reality Displayed on a See-Through Head-Mounted Device

Growing evidence suggests that the gradual transformation of visuomotor association drives a distinct learning process from abrupt transformation in humans. In the current study, we developed a novel omnidirectional visuomotor transformation paradigm to study details of such difference in more realistic environment than conventional experimental systems. Participants were asked to perform a repetitive three-dimensional (3D) arm-reaching task to a target on a front touch panel, wearing a video see-through head-mounted device that displayed a rotating view of surrounding images. In the abrupt condition, the images were rotated by 20°; in the gradual condition, the rotation was increased in a stepwise-manner from 0° to 20°. In both conditions, pointing errors were decreased after adaptation. Further, although the aftereffect of adaptation was not different between conditions, the speed of decay of the aftereffect, which was quantified by an exponential fit, was slower in the gradual condition, suggesting longer-lasting aftereffects for the gradual shift.     

Enzymatic Analysis of Positional Distribution of Fatty Acids in Solid Fat by 1,3-Selective Transesterification with Candida antarctica Lipase B

A protocol for the analysis of the positional distribution of fatty acids (FA) in solid triacylglycerols (TAG) was developed using sn-1(3) selective alcoholysis catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB). One part by weight of solid fat and ten parts by weight of ethanol (99.5 %) were warmed to liquefy the fat. After adding 0.44 parts by weight of CALB, the mixture was shaken at 50 °C for 10 min then at 30 °C for 2.8 h. The recovery of 2-MAG after the 3-h transesterification reaction was ca. 85 % of the maximum theoretical yield (33 mol%), with the loss of 15 % attributable to the acyl migration from sn-2 to sn-1(3). The recovery was similar to that of the solvent-free alcoholysis of structured lipids, 1,3-dipalmitoyl, 2-oleoyl glycerol and 1,3-dioleoyl, 2-palmitoyl glycerol, conducted at 30 °C for 3 h. In contrast, the acyl migration from sn-1(3) to sn-2 was hardly observed. Because the detected acyl migration was only in the direction of sn-2 to sn-1(3), and not vice versa, it is proposed to determine the FA composition of the sn-2 position of TAG by the gas chromatographic analysis of 2-MAG fraction recovered from the enzymatic reaction mixture, and the FA composition of sn-1(3) position by a mass balance using the FA composition of TAG and of the sn-2 position as inputs. The procedure was successfully applied to palm oil and shea butter, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich single cell oil from Aurantiochytrium sp. KH105 for the first time.     

A study on physical and mechanical properties for soft to firm clays in Yangon area – Properties of clays deposit at the sedimentary basins in Myanmar

Recently, a great deal of foreign investment has been entered into construction of the social infrastructure of Myanmar. Many construction projects are therefore on-going, and these are especially planned in the Yangon area. While these construction booms are increasing, existing studies on the geotechnical problems in the Yangon area such as problematic soils like soft clays are limited at present. Information on soil properties has also not been shared and has been confined to individual projects. In this paper, the boring and laboratory tests carried out in the Yangon area are selected and focused upon among the tests carried out in Myanmar. Laboratory test results for clay deposits in the Yangon area are analyzed and the differences in soil properties between different sedimentary basins and sub-areas divided by the Tertiary sediment ridge that runs from north to south at the center of Yangon are clarified together with a comparison to the clays found in other countries, which have been previously investigated.     

Acetic Acid-Catalyzed Formation of N-Phenylphthalimide from Phthalanilic Acid: A Computational Study of the Mechanism

In glacial acetic acid, phthalanilic acid and its monosubstituents are known to be converted to the corresponding phthalimides in relatively good yields. In this study, we computationally investigated the experimentally proposed two-step (addition-elimination or cyclization-dehydration) mechanism at the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) level of theory for the unsubstituted phthalanilic acid, with an explicit acetic acid molecule included in the calculations. In the first step, a gem-diol tetrahedral intermediate is formed by the nucleophilic attack of the amide nitrogen. The second step is dehydration of the intermediate to give N-phenylphthalimide. In agreement with experimental findings, the second step has been shown to be rate-determining. Most importantly, both of the steps are catalyzed by an acetic acid molecule, which acts both as proton donor and acceptor. The present findings, along with those from our previous studies, suggest that acetic acid and other carboxylic acids (in their undissociated forms) can catalyze intramolecular nucleophilic attacks by amide nitrogens and breakdown of the resulting tetrahedral intermediates, acting simultaneously as proton donor and acceptor. In other words, double proton transfers involving a carboxylic acid molecule can be part of an extensive bond reorganization process from cyclic hydrogen-bonded complexes.     

CuI and H2O2 Inactivate and FeII Inhibits [Fe]‐Hydrogenase at Very Low Concentrations

[Fe]‐Hydrogenase (Hmd) catalyzes reversible hydride transfer from H₂. It harbors an iron‐guanylylpyridinol as a cofactor with an Fe^II that is ligated to one thiolate, two COs, one acyl‐C, one pyridinol‐N, and solvent. Here, we report that Cu^I and H₂O₂ inactivate Hmd (half‐maximal rates at 1 μM Cu^I and 20 μM H₂O₂) and that Fe^II inhibits the enzyme with very high affinity (K_i=40 nM ). Infrared and EPR studies together with competitive inhibition studies with isocyanide indicated that Cu^I exerts its inhibitory effect most probably by binding to the active site iron‐thiolate ligand. Using the same methods, it was found that H₂O₂ binds to the active‐site iron at the solvent‐binding site and oxidizes Fe^II to Fe^III. Also it was shown that Fe^II reversibly binds away from the active site iron, with binding being competitive to the organic hydride acceptor; this inhibition is specific for Fe^II and is reminiscent of that for the [FeFe]‐hydrogenase second iron, which specifically interacts with H₂.