Application of predictive control methods for Radio telescope disk rotation control

Radio telescope (RT) installations are highly valuable assets and during the period of their service life they need regular repair and maintenance to be carried out for delivering satisfactory performance and minimizing downtime. Same down time can be expected during machinery usage. Constant control of telescope rotation angle is done manually using visual inspection of hardware. The accuracy of this procedure is very low, therefore, automation and computer control systems are required. With the growing automation technologies, predictive control can prove to be a better approach than the traditionally applied visual inspection policy and linear control models. In this paper, Irbene Radio telescope RT-16 disk rotation control motors are analysed using control voltage from the converters. Retrieved data from the small DC motor is used for the predictive control approach using two different methods: a neural network trained with Basic Levenberg-Marquardt method and a linear model. A multilayer perceptron network approach is used for prediction of the indicator voltage output which affects the monitoring of the disk rotating angle. Finally, an experimental control system was proposed and installed using National Instruments equipment.     

A case of using the Semantic Interoperability Framework for custom orthopedic implants manufacturing

The efficiency and effectiveness of the daily practice in orthopedic surgery depend on the availability, interoperability and unique access to a wide set of information, related to the patient’s medical record and diagnosis, domain knowledge and available resources and staff. The most important of the tangible resources, needed for the therapeutic or preventive actions are orthopedic implants. In some cases, the implants may be highly complex and customized products, which need to be manufactured (assembled) on basis of the above information in a shortest possible timeframe. In this paper, the case of the custom orthopedic implants manufacturing is described from the perspective of the collaborative enterprising, with special consideration of the interoperability issues of the involved enterprise collaboration. It is shown how the previously developed Semantic Interoperability Framework can be used to improve the efficiency of the manufacturing and other relevant processes.     

Monooxime‐monocarbamoyl Bispyridinium Xylene‐Linked Reactivators of Acetylcholinesterase—Synthesis,In vitro and Toxicity Evaluation,and Docking Studies

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivators are crucial antidotes to organophosphate intoxication. A new series of 26 monooxime‐monocarbamoyl xylene‐linked bispyridinium compounds was prepared and tested in vitro, along with known reactivators (pralidoxime, HI‐6, obidoxime, trimedoxime, methoxime, K107, K108 and K203), on a model of tabun‐ and paraoxon‐, methylparaoxon‐ and DFP‐inhibited human erythrocyte AChE. Although their ability to reactivate tabun‐inhibited AChE did not exceed that of the previously known compounds, some newly prepared compounds showed promising reactivation of pesticide‐inhibited AChE. The acute toxicity of the novel compounds was also determined. Docking studies using tabun‐inhibited AChE were performed for three compounds of interest. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) study confirmed the apparent influence of the xylene linkage and carbamoyl moiety on the reactivation ability and toxicity of the agents.     

First liquid single crystal elastomer containing lactic acid derivative as chiral co-monomer: Synthesis and properties

For the first time new type of liquid single crystal elastomers forming the chiral smectic A^* (SmA^*) phase has been prepared using chiral lactic acid derivative as a co-monomer. The synthesis and the basic characterization of the ferroelectric liquid crystalline co-monomer based on differential scanning calorimetry and small/wide-angle X-ray scattering are reported and discussed. The monomer possesses the paraelectric SmA^* and the ferroelectric SmC^* phases over a broad temperature range. The preparation of new smectic liquid crystalline elastomers together with characterization of their mesomorphic and structural properties is also reported. New elastomers possess the orthogonal paraelectric SmA^* phase over 50 K broad temperature range.     

DRYING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

This paper provides general information on drying R 6D activities in Czechoslovakia. This survey report lists the main topics in drying according to individual industrial sectors in which drying plays an important role. Drying R 6D carried out in Czechoslovak Universities is also cited. The paper includes an extensive list of references, mainly proceedings of national drying conferences, symposia, and meetings     

A comparative study of photocatalytically active nanocrystalline tetragonal zyrcon-type and monoclinic scheelite-type bismuth vanadate

Monoclinic scheelite-type BiVO₄ is currently considered as one of the most promising non-titania photocatalysts, wheras tetragonal zircon-type BiVO₄ is still poorly understood. Herein, a new and simple synthetic approach was applied and nanostructured single-phase zircon-type BiVO₄ was successfully prepared by a controllable ethylene-glycol colloidal route. In addition, nanostructured monoclinic scheelite-type BiVO₄ powders were also fabricated through annealing of the as-prepared samples. A comparative study of the two BiVO₄ polymorphs was conducted and it turned out that the novel synthetic approach had a significant impact on porosity and photocatalytic performance of zircon-structured BiVO₄. All the prepared materials, as-prepared and annealed, were mesoporous, while measured values of specific surface area of some zircon-structured samples (～34?m²/g) were ～7 times higher than those reported thus far for this phase. Interestingly, for the first time, zircon-type BiVO₄, previously considered to be a poor photocatalyst, exhibited a better overall performance in degradation of methyl orange compared to monoclinic scheelite-type BiVO₄. Hence, it could be expected that the here-presented synthesis and observations will both arouse interest in scarcely studied tetragonal zircon-type BiVO₄ and facilitate as well as speed up further research of its properties.     

Inhibitors of Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Meet Immunity

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are widely used for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. More recent use is for myasthenia gravis. Many of these inhibitors interact with the second known cholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Further, evidence shows that acetylcholine plays a role in suppression of cytokine release through a “cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway” which raises questions about the role of these inhibitors in the immune system. This review covers research and discussion of the role of the inhibitors in modulating the immune response using as examples the commonly available drugs, donepezil, galantamine, huperzine, neostigmine and pyridostigmine. Major attention is given to the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, a well-described link between the central nervous system and terminal effector cells in the immune system.     

Preparation of hydrophobic poly(isobutylene) star polymers with hydrophilic poly(propylene imine) dendritic cores

Summary Poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with amino chain ends have been used for the preparation of hydrophobic star polymers with hydrophilic dendritic cores. The unsaturated end groups of polyisobutylene (PIB) were transformed into reactive anhydride end groups by an “ene” reaction with maleic anhydride, and the resulting functionalized PIB was then reacted with dendrimers to afford dendrimer-PIB star copolymers. Received: 20 May 1999/Accepted: 17 June 1999     

Application of iterative dynamic programming to optimal control of a distiltation column

Iterative Dynamic Programming (IDP) is proven to be a useful technique for solving constrained dynamic optimisation problems. A high purity binary distillation column model has been chosen to investigate some of the IDP properties as well as its applicability. The investigated problems cover transitions from one steady state to another with the minimization of a quadratic cost function with associated terminal constraints.