Fuzzy Time Series Models Using Pliant- and Asymptotically Pliant Arithmetic-Based Inference

Neural Processing Letters - The fuzzy time series modeling techniques proposed in this study are based on a fuzzy inference method in which the fuzzy output is either a so-called pliant or quasi...     

Comparison of the UV-Induced Photolysis,Ozonation, and Their Combination at the Same Energy Input Using a Self-Devised Experimental Apparatus

The efficiency of the UV photolysis, ozonation and their combination were compared in the decomposition of phenol using a self-devised experimental apparatus running under identical power conditions. The light source was a low-pressure mercury vapor lamp emitting at 185 nm (responsible for the formation of ozone) and 254 nm (responsible for the direct photolysis of ozone and phenol). The effect of flowrate of oxygen or air on the concentration of formed ozone in the gas phase, the effect of dissolved oxygen and pH on the transformation of phenol and formation of intermediates in aqueous solution were also investigated.     

Towards a General Class of Operators for Fuzzy Systems

Our starting point is the multiplicative utility function which is extensively used in the theory of multicriteria decision making. Its associativity is shown and as its generalization a class of operators is introduced with fine and useful properties. As in special cases, it reduces to well-known operators of fuzzy set theory: min/max, product, Einstein, Hamacher, Dombi, and drastic. As a consequence, we generalize the addition of velocities in Einstein's special relativity theory to multiple moving objects. Also, a new form of the Hamacher operator is given, which makes multiargument calculations easier. We examine the De Morgan identity which connects the conjunctive and disjunctive operators by a negation. It is shown that in some special cases (min/max, drastic, and Dombi) the operator class forms a De Morgan triple with any involutive negation.     

Investigation of the photodecomposition of phenol in near-UV-irradiated aqueous TiO2 suspensions. I: Effect of charge-trapping species on the degradation kinetics

The effects of charge-trapping species on the kinetics of phenol decomposition were studied in near-UV-irradiated aqueous TiO₂ (anatase) suspensions in a batch photoreactor. The influence of catalyst loading, initial phenol concentration, dissolved O₂ concentration, Ag⁺ content and H₂O₂ concentration on the rate of phenol degradation is reported. The observed heterogeneous degradation of phenol followed apparently zero-order kinetics up to ca. 70% conversion. The Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model successfully described the influence of the initial phenol concentration and dissolved O₂ concentration on the rate of heterogeneous photooxidation of phenol. The data obtained by applying the Langmuir–Hinshelwood treatment are consistent with the available kinetic parameters. The results of the experiments in the presence of Ag⁺ indicated that the phototransformation of phenol can proceed via direct electron transfer, neither dissolved O₂ nor its reduction forms playing a significant role in the degradation mechanism.     

Clustering Empirical Failure Rate Curves for Reliability Prediction Purposes in the Case of Consumer Electronic Products

In this paper, a methodology based on the combination of time series modeling and soft computational methods is presented to model and forecast bathtub‐shaped failure rate data of newly marketed consumer electronics. The time‐dependent functions of historical failure rates are typified by parameters of an analytic model that grabs the most important characteristics of these curves. The proposed approach is also verified by the presentation of an industrial application brought along at an electrical repair service provider company. The prediction capability of the introduced methodology is compared with moving average‐based and exponential smoothing‐based forecasting methods. According to the results of comparison, the presented method can be considered as a viable alternative reliability prediction technique. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gas Phase Reactions in Silent Electric Discharges Part III: Investigation of Chemical Reactions Involving Electron-Molecule Collisions in Various Mixtures of O2 with Ar,N2 or CO

Electron-molecule collisions play a significant role in chemical transformations in a silent electric discharge. The reaction rate coefficients of electron-molecule collisions in various gaseous mixtures of Ar, N₂ or CO with O₂ have been investigated. These coefficients can be determined experimentally and calculated theoretically. The measured values are in good agreement with those calculated by theoretical methods. The reaction rate coefficients of electron-O₂ molecule collisions increase with decrease of the amount of O₂ in Ar/O₂ mixtures, but decrease with decrease of the amount of O₂ in N₂/O₂ or CO/O₂ mixtures.     

Dimethyl Trisulfide Diminishes Traumatic Neuropathic Pain Acting on TRPA1 Receptors in Mice

Pharmacotherapy of neuropathic pain is still challenging. Our earlier work indicated an analgesic effect of dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), which was mediated by somatostatin released from nociceptor nerve endings acting on SST₄ receptors. Somatostatin release occurred due to TRPA1 ion channel activation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DMTS in neuropathic pain evoked by partial ligation of the sciatic nerve in mice. Expression of the mRNA of Trpa1 in murine dorsal-root-ganglion neurons was detected by RNAscope. Involvement of TRPA1 ion channels and SST₄ receptors was tested with gene-deleted animals. Macrophage activity at the site of the nerve lesion was determined by lucigenin bioluminescence. Density and activation of microglia in the spinal cord dorsal horn was verified by immunohistochemistry and image analysis. Trpa1 mRNA is expressed in peptidergic and non-peptidergic neurons in the dorsal root ganglion. DMTS ameliorated neuropathic pain in Trpa1 and Sstr4 WT mice, but not in KO ones. DMTS had no effect on macrophage activity around the damaged nerve. Microglial density in the dorsal horn was reduced by DMTS independently from TRPA1. No effect on microglial activation was detected. DMTS might offer a novel therapeutic opportunity in the complementary treatment of neuropathic pain.     

DeMorgan systems with an infinitely many negations in the strict monotone operator case

We give a new representation theorem of negation based on the generator function of the strict operator. We study a certain class of strict monotone operators which build the DeMorgan class with infinitely many negations. We show that the necessary and sufficient condition for this operator class is f_c(x)f_d(x) = 1, where f_c(x) and f_d(x) are the generator functions of the strict t-norm and strict t-conorm.     

The effect of particle shape on the activity of nanocrystalline TiO2 photocatalysts in phenol decomposition

Nanosized TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized via hydrogen–air flame hydrolysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the TiO₂ samples thus prepared consisted mainly of anatase (79–98 wt%) and the rest is rutile. Average particle diameters from TEM measurements were found to vary between 48 and 63 nm. The specific surface area of the samples was found to be practically independent of the synthesis parameters employed (20–32 m² g⁻¹). Photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was studied by using various model compounds. In spite of their very similar properties, the initial decomposition rate of phenol and methanol showed up to threefold variations within the series of the samples, and it was significantly higher for the best catalyst than that determined for Degussa P25. Our TEM measurements demonstrated that in the less active catalysts the dominant morphology of the particles is spherical, while polyhedral (cubic or hexagonal) shapes predominate in the samples with superior photocatalytic activity. From these observations, we concluded, that the shape of the primary particles (both in the case of our home made ones and in various batches of Degussa P25) strongly influence the photocatalytic activity of titania nanoparticles.     

Synthesis, structure and photocatalytic properties of Fe(III)-doped TiO2 prepared from TiCl3

Iron(III)-doped titanium dioxide photocatalysts were prepared from aqueous titanium(III) chloride solution in the presence of dissolved FeCl₃ (0–10.0 at.% relative to TiCl₃) by co-precipitation method. The precipitate was completely oxidized in the aerated suspension, hydrothermally treated, washed and calcinated. The structure of the powders was characterized by thermoanalysis (TG-DTA), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The light absorption of the iron-containing powders is red shifted relative to the bare sample. The particle size and anatase content were found to significantly decrease at iron contents ≥6.0 at.% which is accompanied with the increase of their specific surface area. XANES measurements showed that the local structure of iron systematically changes with the variation of the dopant concentrations: at higher Fe-contents, hematite- or goethite-like environments were observed, consistent with the formation of separate X-ray amorphous Fe(III)-containing phases. The local structure of iron gradually transformed with decreasing dopant concentrations, possibly due to substitution of Fe(III) in the titania (TiO₂) crystal lattice. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and chemical analysis was used to characterize the iron content of the samples in the bulk and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in the surface layer of the particles. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared photocatalysts was compared with the activity of Aldrich anatase under UV–vis and VIS irradiation in two different photoreactors. Maximum photocatalytic performance was found at 3.0 at.% iron concentration for UV–vis and at 1.2 at.% for VIS irradiation. Doping with iron(III) ions increased the photodegradation rate of phenol by a factor of three for UV–vis irradiation and by a factor of two for VIS irradiation, relative to the bare photocatalyst.