Tuning fuzzy power-system stabilizers in multi-machine systems by global optimization algorithms based on efficient domain partitions

In this paper, the problem of global tuning of fuzzy power-system stabilizers (FPSSs) present in a multi-machine power system in order to damp the power system oscillations is considered. In particular, it is formulated as a problem of global minimization of a multiextremal black-box function over a multidimensional hyperinterval. A global optimization technique, recently proposed, is used for solving the stated problem: the search hyperinterval is partitioned into smaller hyperintervals and the objective function is evaluated only at two vertices corresponding to the main diagonal of the generated hyperintervals, thus avoiding unnecessary ponderous simulations. Then, the performances of this technique are numerically compared with ones of a genetic algorithm (GA).     

Degradation of lincomycin in aqueous medium: Coupling of solar photocatalysis and membrane separation

The photocatalytic oxidation of a common antibiotic, the lincomycin was carried out in aqueous suspensions of polycrystalline TiO₂ Degussa P25 irradiated by sunlight. In order to improve the performance of the lincomycin degradation a hybrid system consisting of a solar photoreactor with the photocatalyst in suspension coupled with a membrane module, used to confine both photocatalyst and pollutants in the reaction environment, was tested.A preliminary study was carried out in order to determine some kinetics parameters of the drug photodegradation. The influence of initial substrate concentration on the lincomycin photooxidation rate was investigated. The photooxidation rate follows a pseudo-first order kinetics with respect to the lincomycin concentration under the used experimental conditions. The presence of the membrane reactor allows the catalyst separation and to operate in continuous mode as the membranes rejection for lincomycin and its oxidation products was quite high.     

Controlled pore size, thickness and surface free energy of super-hydrophobic PVDF® and Hyflon®AD membranes

Super-hydrophobic membranes were manufactured by using two per-fluorinated polymers such as PVDF and Hyflon AD. The combination of controlled structure and supra-molecular chemistry made these membranes ideal interfaces to be used in membrane contactors.     

Effect of surfactant microstructures on photocatalytic degradation of phenol and chlorophenols

The effect of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol (Phe), 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP) in the presence of aqueous TiO₂ suspensions at pH ca. 5 was investigated using a laboratory photoreactor equipped with a medium-pressure mercury lamp. Inhibition of substrate decomposition was observed for phenol, both below and above the surfactant critical micellar concentration, whereas a more complex behaviour was exhibited by chlorophenols. It was found that adsorption of these compounds onto the surfactant-modified semiconductor particles facilitates their faster decomposition, but the competitive partition of substrates between adsorbed surfactant structures and micellar aggregates tends to limit the beneficial kinetic effects at higher amphiphile concentrations. The crucial influence of surfactant adsorption was clearly evidenced in some runs performed at pH 3. Relevant inhibition of chloride release from chlorophenols, observed in the presence of HTAB, indicates a higher persistence of reaction intermediates in the reaction media, suggesting the need for a careful investigation of surfactant effects on all the degradation steps of the process.     

Financial time-series analysis with rough sets

We investigate the use of the rough set model for financial time-series data analysis and forecasting. The rough set model is an emerging technique for dealing with vagueness and uncertainty in data. It has many advantages over other techniques, such as fuzzy sets and neural networks, including attribute reduction and variable partitioning of data. These characteristics can be very useful for improving the quality of results from data analysis. We demonstrate a rough set data analysis model for the discovery of decision rules from time series data for example, the New Zealand stock exchanges. Rules are generated through reducts and can be used for future prediction. A unique ranking system for the decision rules based both on strength of the rule and stability of the rule is used in this study. The ranking system gives the user confidence regarding their market decisions. Our experiment results indicate that the forecasting of future stock index values using rough sets obtains decision ruleswith high accuracy and coverage.     

Outlier detection using default reasoning

Default logics are usually used to describe the regular behavior and normal properties of domain elements. In this paper we suggest, conversely, that the framework of default logics can be exploited for detecting outliers. Outliers are observations expressed by sets of literals that feature unexpected semantical characteristics. These sets of literals are selected among those explicitly embodied in the given knowledge base. Hence, essentially we perceive outlier detection as a knowledge discovery technique. This paper defines the notion of outlier in two related formalisms for specifying defaults: Reiter's default logic and extended disjunctive logic programs. For each of the two formalisms, we show that finding outliers is quite complex. Indeed, we prove that several versions of the outlier detection problem lie over the second level of the polynomial hierarchy. We believe that a thorough complexity analysis, as done here, is a useful preliminary step towards developing effective heuristics and exploring tractable subsets of outlier detection problems.     

Sensorless supervision of linear dynamical systems: The Feed-Forward Command Governor approach

This paper proposes a novel class of Command Governor (CG) strategies for input and state-related constrained discrete-time LTI systems subject to bounded disturbances in the absence of explicit state or output measurements. While in traditional CG schemes the set-point manipulation is undertaken on the basis of either the actual measure of the state or its suitable estimation, it is shown here that the CG design problem can be solved, with limited performance degradation and with similar properties, also in the case that such an explicit measure is not available. This approach, which will be referred to as the Feed-Forward CG (FF-CG) approach, may be a convenient alternative CG solution in all situations whereby the cost of measuring the state may be a severe limitation, e.g. in distributed or decentralized applications. In order to evaluate the method proposed here, numerical simulations on a physical example have been undertaken and comparisons with the standard state-based CG solution reported.     

An interface finite element for the simulation of localized membrane-bending deformation in shells

The folding of thin shells around localized lines occurs in several situations of engineering interest, such as in buckling induced deformation, as the consequence of crash, in industrial processes like metal forming, in the deployment of folded membranes, in packaging related processes. In this paper an interface element, allowing for displacement and rotation discontinuities, to be placed between two adjacent 4-node Mindlin–Reissner shell finite elements, is developed for a computationally effective simulation of this type of localized deformation. The large displacement and rotation kinematics of the interface element is discussed, arriving at a rigid-rotation free element tangent stiffness matrix. An adaptive dynamic relaxation scheme is proposed for the evolutionary analysis of the quasi-static structural response. To test the element formulation, a simple coupled membrane-bending elastoplastic behavior is assumed. The element is used for the simulation of few examples taken from the literature, where the structural response is characterized by the formation of plastic hinges, exhibiting good accuracy and computational effectiveness.     

The removal of arsenic from （ground）-water by adsorbent loaded in polymeric microspheres

Arsenic is a natural tasteless and odourless element,existing in the earth’s crust at average levels of between two and five thousands micrograms per liter (parts per million) . Arsenic is highly toxic to humans, who are exposed to it primarily from air,food and water. The occurrence of arsenic in groundwater is due to geological composition of soil. High concentrations of arsenic in water are the result of dissolution or desorption of ferric oxides and the oxidation of mineral arsenopyrites. Arsenic in drinking water has an important impact on the human health,especially in the less developed countries. Different methods exist to remove arsenic from aquatic media,and one of them is by adsorption. In this work,the adsorption of both As(III) and As(V) by means of novel microspheres has been investigated. In particular,TiO2 has been embedded into polymeric microspheres PES (PolyEtherSulphone) and PEEK-WC (PolyEtherEther-Ketone) . The main advantages of this encapsulation adsorption material are: no loss of adsorbents into the water stream,easy to be used and scaled-up.     

Integration of XML Schemas at various “severity” levels

This paper presents a novel approach for the integration of a set of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) Schemas. The proposed approach is specialized for XML, almost automatic, semantic and “light”. Further, an original peculiarity is that it is parametric w.r.t. a “severity” level against which the integration task is performed. The paper describes the approach in all details, illustrates various theoretical results, presents the experiments we have performed for testing it and, finally, compares it with various related approaches already proposed in the literature.