PID Control of Planar Nonlinear Uncertain Systems in the Presence of Actuator Saturation

This paper investigates PID control design for a class of planar nonlinear uncertain systems in the presence of actuator saturation. Based on the bounds on the growth rates of the nonlinear uncertain function in the system model, the system is placed in a linear differential inclusion. Each vertex system of the linear differential inclusion is a linear system subject to actuator saturation. By placing the saturated PID control into a convex hull formed by the PID controller and an auxiliary linear feedback law, we establish conditions under which an ellipsoid is contractively invariant and hence is an estimate of the domain of attraction of the equilibrium point of the closed-loop system. The equilibrium point corresponds to the desired set point for the system output. Thus, the location of the equilibrium point and the size of the domain of attraction determine, respectively, the set point that the output can achieve and the range of initial conditions from which this set point can be reached. Based on these conditions, the feasible set points can be determined and the design of the PID control law that stabilizes the nonlinear uncertain system at a feasible set point with a large domain of attraction can then be formulated and solved as a constrained optimization problem with constraints in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Application of the proposed design to a magnetic suspension system illustrates the design process and the performance of the resulting PID control law.      

Enhanced strains of Nb-doped BNKT-4ST piezoelectric ceramics via phase boundary and domain design

A strategy that constructs the morphotropic phase boundary and manipulates the domain structure has been used to design the component of 0.96[Bi_0.5(Na_0.84K_0.16)_0.5Ti_(1-x)Nb_xO₃]-0.04SrTiO₃ (BNKT-4ST-100xNb) to enhance the strain properties for actuator application. Non-equivalent Nb⁵⁺ donor doping modulates the phase transition from the mixture of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases to the pseudocubic phase and results in the coexistence of multiple phases. Moreover, the high-resolution TEM confirms the existence of polar nano regions that contribute to the macroscopic relaxor behaviour. The size of the domains is reduced with increasing Nb⁵⁺, resulting in an enhanced relaxor behaviour. The ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature decreases from 85 to below 30 °C, implying a non-ergodic to ergodic relaxor transition. An improved strain of 0.56% and a giant normalized strain of 1120 pm/V were achieved for BNKT-4ST-1.5Nb, which were attributed to the unique domain structure in which nanodomains are embedded in an undistorted cubic matrix. Ferroelectric, antiferroelectric, and relaxor phases coexist. As the electric field is large enough, a reversible phase transition occurs. Furthermore, good temperature stability was obtained due to the stability of the nanodomains, and no degradation in strains was observed even after 10⁴ cycles, which may originate from the reversible phase transition and dynamic domain wall. The results show that this design strategy offers a reference way to improve the strain behaviour and that BNKT-4ST-100xNb ceramics could be a potential material for high-displacement actuator applications.     

Real-time molecular characterization of air pollutants in a Hong Kong residence: Implication of indoor source emissions and heterogeneous chemistry

Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C₂₈-C₃₄ even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.     

Mechanism of smoke suppression by melamine in rigid polyurethane foam

The smoke suppression of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) modified by melamine was investigated based on three sections: the condensed phase, the carbon layer, and the gas phase. In the condensed phase, the results of thermogravimetry, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) N1S spectrum, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that melamine could suppress the degradation of RPUF by reacting with the aromatic hydrocarbons. It also reduced the smoke generation because the volatilizable aromatic hydrocarbons were the principal smoke precursors in a fire. In the carbon layer, the decrease from 38.50% to 24.76% of the inner layer oxygen content identified by XPS full‐spectrum and C1S spectrum indicated that melamine could prevent oxygen from transferring into the inner foam by the formation of an enhanced surface carbon layer, and the enhanced carbon layer could also block the release of smoke precursors. In the gas phase, the content of total aromatic hydrocarbons declined to 59.12% according to pyrolysis gaseous chromatography mass spectroscopy and indicated that melamine could reduce the smoke precursors. The results of smoke density chamber and cone calorimeter tests revealed that the addition of the melamine could decrease the smoke density of burning RPUF. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从菜西瓜中提取果胶的最佳工艺研究

为确定从菜西瓜中提取果胶的最佳工艺条件,以山西省临汾市菜西瓜为材料,采用酸法进行了提取果胶的试验研究。正交试验结果表明:在萃取时间为45min的前提下,从瓜瓤中提取果胶的最佳工艺条件是加水量为原料重量的4倍,85℃下,添加原料重量0.3％的多聚磷酸钠,果胶得率可达2.03％;从外果皮中提取果胶,加水量为原料重量的4倍,75℃下,添加原料重量0.7％的多聚磷酸钠,果胶得率可达2.98％。     

场激活加压燃烧合成WC-Ni复合材料的工艺参数研究

以钨、碳和镍为原料,在电场激活下,材料的燃烧合成和致密化同时进行,短时间内完成了碳化钨镍复合材料的制备。研究了场激活 加压燃烧合成中的工艺参数,如脉冲电流、能量控制模式、升温速率、最高温度和压力对反应的影响。测量了在反应合成和致密化前后的样品 收缩率。所制备的复合材料的相对密度,490N载荷下Vickers硬度和断裂韧性分别为99.2%,13.965GPa和5.9MP·m1/2。     

A Novel Body-tied Silicon-On-Insulator(SOI) n-channel Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor with Grounded Body Electrode

A novel body-tied silicon-on-insulator(SOI) n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor with grounded body electrode named GBSOI nMOSFET has been developed by wafer bonding and etch-back technology. It has no floating body effect such as kink phenomena on the drain current curves, single-transistor latch and drain current overshoot inherent in a normal SOI device with floating body. We have characterized the interface trap density, kink phenomena on the drain current (I_DS-V_DS) curves, substrate resistance effect on the I_DS-V_DS curves, subthreshold current characteristics and single transistor latch of these transistors. We have confirmed that the GBSOI structure is suitable for high-speed and low-voltage VLSI circuits.     

基于BA-WPHM的滚动轴承两阶段剩余寿命预测方法

为了提高滚动轴承剩余寿命预测的准确性,根据滚动轴承运行过程的两阶段性特点,提出了一种基于蝙蝠算法(BA)和威布尔比例风险模型(WPHM)的滚动轴承两阶段剩余寿命预测方法。首先,构建基于WPHM的剩余寿命预测模型;其次,提出了两阶段极大似然估计法,建立新的似然函数,并利用BA算法进行求解,以提高参数估计的准确性;最后,建立BA-WPHM模型对滚动轴承进行剩余寿命预测。案例分析表明,相比于Newton-Raphson算法、自组织分层猴群算法(SHMA)和独特的自适应粒子群算法(UAPSO),提出的方法参数估计的准确性更高,剩余寿命的预测精度优于支持向量回归(SVR)方法,验证了所提方法的有效性,为滚动轴承维修决策的可行性提供了依据。     

Knockout of Auxin Response Factor SlARF4 Improves Tomato Resistance to Water Deficit

Auxin response factors (ARFs) play important roles in various plant physiological processes; however, knowledge of the exact role of ARFs in plant responses to water deficit is limited. In this study, SlARF4, a member of the ARF family, was functionally characterized under water deficit. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining showed that water deficit and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment reduced the expression of SlARF4. SlARF4 was expressed in the vascular bundles and guard cells of tomato stomata. Loss of function of SlARF4 (arf4) by using Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas 9 (CRISPR/Cas 9) technology enhanced plant resistance to water stress and rehydration ability. The arf4 mutant plants exhibited curly leaves and a thick stem. Malondialdehyde content was significantly lower in arf4 mutants than in wildtype plants under water stress; furthermore, arf4 mutants showed higher content of antioxidant substances, superoxide dismutase, actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), and catalase activities. Stomatal and vascular bundle morphology was changed in arf4 mutants. We identified 628 differentially expressed genes specifically expressed under water deficit in arf4 mutants; six of these genes, including ABA signaling pathway-related genes, were differentially expressed between the wildtype and arf4 mutants under water deficit and unlimited water supply. Auxin responsive element (AuxRE) elements were found in these genes’ promoters indicating that SlARF4 participates in ABA signaling pathways by regulating the expression of SlABI5/ABF and SCL3, thereby influencing stomatal morphology and vascular bundle development and ultimately improving plant resistance to water deficit.     

BaTiO_3粉体中Ti/Ba比分析方法的比较

提出了用ＫＯＨ熔融分解ＢａＴｉＯ３粉体〔１〕，再用浓ＨＣｌ酸化后，用感应耦合等离子体发射光谱法（ＩＣＰ—ＡＥＳ法）测定试样中的Ｔｉ／Ｂａ比，并与化学分析法的结果作了比较，显示出ＩＣＰ—ＡＥＳ法简便，快速，结果更好。