Identification of EIV models by compensated PEM

This paper deals with identification of discrete-time errors-in-variables models where the input and output data are both perturbed by different additive noises. The goal is to study the effects of input noise on the model which is estimated based on the prediction error method. The obtained model is then improved by modifying the results and implementing the instrumental variable method. It is proved that the identification of the errors-in-variables models based on the proposed approach could result in an unbiased estimation in the presence of independent colour noises on the input and output data with adequate accuracy and mediocre complexity.     

Optimal Control for Pennes' Bioheat Equation

The problem of Pennes' bioheat boundary control through a skin with its inner medium kept at a constant steady‐state temperature where the outer surface subjected to conductive condition is solved by different methods. Analytical and mild solutions of Pennes' boundary control problem yield a discrete optimization problem for temperature profile at the specific depth point as well as temperature profile at all points of the skin in the final time. The pointwise optimal control problem has been solved by discretized form of the unconstrained optimization problem using analytical solution for Pennes' boundary control problem. The analytical solution has been used to solve the optimal control problems via an unconstrained/constrained optimization in Methods I and II. In Method III first, Pennes' boundary control problem is solved using mild solution by strongly continuous semigroup theory. Then, nonlinear optimization problem with linear constraints is proposed to calculate the corresponding piecewise optimal control function. All methods, have been applied to a homogeneous tissue. Mathematical simulation is done to show the optimal controls for the related states when minimum effort is used.     

In vitro blood compatibility of modified PDMS surfaces as superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic materials

The surface of polydimethylsiloxane rubber (PDMS) was irradiated by a CO₂‐pulsed laser. The irradiated surfaces were grafted by hydroxyethylmethacrylate phosphatidylcholine (HEMAPC) by using the preirradiation method. The laser‐treated surfaces and HEMAPC‐grafted PDMS surfaces were characterized by using a variety of techniques including ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and wettability, which was measured by a water‐drop contact angle. Different surfaces with different wettability were prepared. These surfaces, including untreated PDMS (hydrophobic), laser‐treated PDMS (superhydrophobic), and HEMAPC‐grafted surfaces (superhydrophilic), were used for a platelet adhesion study. Results from in vitro testing indicated that chemical structures, such as negative‐charge polar groups and wettability, are important factors in blood compatibility of these surfaces and the superhydrophilic (the most wettable) and the superhydrophobic (the most unwettable) of modified PDMS surfaces have excellent blood compatibility compared to the unmodified PDMS. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91:2042–2047, 2004     

Markovian jump guaranteed cost congestion control strategies for large scale mobile networks with differentiated services traffic

In this paper, two novel congestion control strategies for mobile networks with differentiated services (Diff-Serv) traffic are presented, namely (i) a Markovian jump decentralized guaranteed cost congestion control strategy, and (ii) a Markovian jump distributed guaranteed cost congestion control strategy. The switchings or changes in the network topology are modeled by a Markovian jump process. By utilizing guaranteed cost control principles, the proposed congestion control schemes do indeed take into account the associated physical network resource constraints and are shown to be robust to unknown and time-varying network latencies and time delays. A set of Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) conditions are obtained to guarantee the QoS of the Diff-Serv traffic with a guaranteed upper bound cost. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and capabilities of our proposed strategies. Comparisons with centralized and other relevant works in the literature focused on Diff-Serv traffic and mobile networks are also provided to demonstrate the advantages of our proposed solutions.     

People tracking using a network-based PTZ camera

In this paper, we propose a method for online upper body tracking using an IP PTZ camera. This type of camera uses a built-in Web server resulting in variable response times when sending control commands. Furthermore, communicating with a Web server involves network delays. Thus, because the camera is inside a control loop, the effective frame rate that can be processed by a computer vision method is irregular and in general low (2–6 fps). Our tracking method has been specifically designed to perform in such conditions. It detects, at every frame, candidate blobs using motion detection, region sampling, and region color appearance. The target is detected among candidate blobs using a fuzzy classifier. Then, a movement command is sent to the camera using the target position and speed. The proposed method can cope with low frame rate, and thus with large motion of the target, even in the case of a fast walk. Results show that our system has a good target detection precision (>88%) and low track fragmentation, and the target is almost always localized within 1/6th of the image diagonal from the image center.     

Effect of inulin formulation on the microstructure and viscoelastic properties of low‐fat mayonnaise containing modified starch

Combinations of three types of inulin differing in the degree of polymerization, that is, short, medium, and long chained (0–10%), and modified starch (0–3%) with different composition ratios were prepared according to the D‐optimal design of experiments. The microstructural and rheological characteristics of the prepared samples were analyzed to study the effect of the inulin composition on the low‐fat mayonnaise. Rheological characterizations, including oscillatory frequency sweep tests, transient creep, and stress relaxation analysis, were carried out on the samples. An optical microscope was used to observe the microstructure. According to the results, the effects of all types of inulin were precarious in the presence of starch (≥1.5%). In fact, a relationship was found between the inulin type and concentration and also the starch content in all of the prepared samples; with increasing starch content (≥1.5%), inulin chain length, and concentration of long‐chain inulin (≥5%), the elastic properties of the emulsion were improved and showed a higher resistivity against deformation. Furthermore, a more packed structure with a larger average particle diameter and dominant monodispersity were observed under such conditions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 801‐809, 2013     

An efficient and controllable ultrasonic-assisted microwave route for flower-like Ta(V)–MOF nanostructures: preparation,fractional factorial design,DFT calculations,and high-performance N<Subscript>2</Subscript> adsorption

With respect to different applications of metal–organic framework (MOF) in the medical, industrial and environmental fields, it is very important to choose a new structure that can be synthesized by fast, eco-friendly and affordable methods with distinctive properties so that the properties could be systematically controlled. In this study, new Ta–MOF nanostructures are synthesized by novel methods of microwave (Mw) and ultrasonic assisted microwave (UAMw) in environmental conditions. The final products are characterized by relevant techniques. Although in the both methods, the synthesized products have favourable properties; the use of the UAMw method would produce samples with distinct features such as high thermal stability of 240 °C, average particle size distribution (PSD) of 23 nm and significant specific surface area (SSA) of 2012 m²/g. For a better comprehension of the Ta–MOF formation, computational studies are performed using DFT calculations. In order to investigate the effect of the synthesis parameters on different features of the products, the fractional factorial design is used. The results of analysis of variance confirm that the parameters such as Mw power, Mw duration, ultrasonic temperature, ultrasonic power and ultrasonic duration have a significant effect on PSD and SSA of Ta–MOF samples. Due to the fractional factorial design of the experiments, response surface methodology would optimize the probability of producing samples with the small PSD of 15 nm and high SSA of 2588 m²/g; this desirable amount would provide situations to use these compounds in diverse fields.     

Classification of normal/abnormal PCG recordings using a time–frequency approach

The early and accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are of great importance as they allow early and proper medical treatment and therefore result in reducing the chance of the CVDs being developed to an acute level. In medical procedures, the first step in examining the cardiovascular function is the auscultation of the heart. However, the correct medical diagnosis based on the heart sounds through a stethoscope requires a lot of expertise and, in some cases, needs referral of the patient to a cardiologist. This is not only time-consuming but also imposes a financial burden on the medical system. Thus, automated detection and analysis of the recorded heart sound auscultation has received a lot of attentions in recent years. This study presents a new time–frequency (T–F) based approach for classifying phonocardiogram (PCG) signals into normal and abnormal. In the proposed methodology, each PCG recording is first segmented into the 4 fundamental heart cycles, i.e. S1, systole, S2, and diastole. From each state, a set of T–F features are extracted with the aim of identifying their characteristics in the T–F domain. The features are then applied to a support vector machine to classify the PCG signal into normal or abnormal. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using the 2016 PhysioNet challenge database and compared with that of the best performing existing methods. The experimental results using tenfold cross-validation show that the proposed method outperforms the existing methods in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.

     

Effects of growth rate of eastern poplar trees on the chemical and morphological characteristics of wood fibers

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - Attempts are underway to speed up timber production using genetic improvement and enhanced management practices. However, the impacts of possible...     

Synthesis of a novel Zn-MOF/PVA nanofibrous composite as bioorganic material: Design,systematic study and an efficient arsenic removal

Metal organic framework (Zn-MOF)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous composite new material has been fabricated using electrospinning and is characterized by a variety of physicochemical analyses, including Fourier transmitting infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption surface, and thermo gravimetric-derivative of thermogravimetry. In this study, the effects of a systematic study including a fractional factorial design were studied for arsenic removal. The results showed that although conventional methods have a high level of arsenic removal, the fractional factor method results in a relatively high level of absorption of arsenic. This high level of arsenic removal allows the potential use of nano adsorbents in various environmental fields. The systematic study developed in this study can be used as a novel protocol to eradicate pollution from different areas, including water, air, and soil.