Nonlinear observer design using Lyapunov’s auxiliary theorem

The present work proposes a new approach to the nonlinear observer design problem. Based on the early ideas that influenced the development of the linear Luenberger observer theory, the proposed approach develops a nonlinear analogue. The formulation of the observer design problem is realized via a system of singular first-order linear PDEs, and a rather general set of necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability is derived by using Lyapunov’s auxiliary theorem. The solution to the above system of PDEs is locally analytic and this enables the development of a series solution method, that is easily programmable with the aid of a symbolic software package.     

Use of various processes for pilot plant treatment of wastewater from a wood‐processing factory

The wastewater from a wood‐processing factory is characterized by a high COD, chlorides and nitrogen content. Various treatment processes were applied to treat this wastewater in pilot‐scale units. By applying one‐stage denitrification–activated sludge biological treatment it was not possible to remove nitrogen. Nitrification was inhibited by wastewater compounds. By applying a second stage of a nitrification biofilter it was possible to have a high degree of nitrification. The denitrification was complete. With biological methods the reduction of COD, and ‐N and ‐N concentrations to acceptable values was not achievable. Physical–Chemical methods as H₂O₂/UV, electrolysis and ozonation were used as post‐treatment of effluents from the biological system. Radical degradation, initiated by the powerful hydroxyl radicals which are generated from H₂O₂ by UV activation, is used for wastewater post‐treatment. The combination of H₂O₂/UV was not suitable for post‐treatment of this wastewater. With electrolysis, ‐N and COD removal can be complete. The total amount of ammonia and organic nitrogen converted to nitrate nitrogen for current density of 1.15 Adm^?2 and energy consumption of 71.6 kWhm^?3 was 0.35 gdm^?3. Further biological denitrification is required for ‐N removal to permitted values. Energy consumption for the elimination of 1 kg COD was 40.4 kWh and 35.8 kWh for current densities of 0.7 Adm^?2 and 1.15 Adm^?2 respectively. The energy required to reach the limit value of COD equal to 150 mgdm^?3 for current density of 1.15 Adm^?2 was 71.6 kWhm^?3. With ozonation, the COD removal can be complete. Further biological nitrification–denitrification is required to remove ‐N and ‐N to permitted values. At pH 7.0, in order to reach the limit value of COD equal to 150 mgdm^?3, specific ozone dose was 6.0 g per g of COD removed and the total amount of ammonia and organic nitrogen converted to nitrate nitrogen was 0.25 gdm^?3. The total equivalent energy required is estimated to be 75.0 kWhm^?3. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methyl methacrylate) copolymers

Summary An investigation is presented of the preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methyl methacrylate) copolymers which can be used for the preparation of novel membranes. These polymers were prepared by copolymerization of vinyl acetate and methyl methacrylate by -irradiation, followed by methanolysis of the produced copolymers. IR and ¹H-NMR studies established the structure of the copolymers.On sabbatical leave from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Suwon 170-00, Republic of Korea.     

Optimization techniques in molecular structure and function elucidation

This paper discusses recent optimization approaches to the protein side-chain prediction problem, protein structural alignment, and molecular structure determination from X-ray diffraction measurements. The machinery employed to solve these problems has included algorithms from linear programming, dynamic programming, combinatorial optimization, and mixed-integer nonlinear programming. Many of these problems are purely continuous in nature. Yet, to this date, they have been approached mostly via combinatorial optimization algorithms that are applied to discrete approximations. The main purpose of the paper is to offer an introduction and motivate further systems approaches to these problems.     

Active Flood Hazard Mitigation.?I: Bidirectional Wave Control

Active mitigation of unimodal flood waves is achieved by selective lateral flow withdrawal. This is shown to create depression waves that reduce the impact of hazardous flood waves in rivers. Lateral outflow is induced by a deliberate levee breach or through an emergency side channel spillway generating bidirectional wave action in the main channel. An adjoint sensitivity method founded on 1D shallow-water equations is used to identify the optimal locations and timing for the lateral outflow. The efficiency of the adjoint sensitivity method allows flood hazards to be mitigated in real time by rapidly providing the flow sensitivity to changes in lateral outflow. The spatial and temporal coordinates associated with the peak values of the sensitivities are examined as indicators of optimal locations and timing for active control. The sensitivities are found to be good indicators of optimal control points even in cases where the magnitude and duration of the lateral outflow exceeds the small perturbation assumption.     

Testing for a unit root under errors with just barely infinite variance

Abstract. This article investigates the problem of testing for a unit root in the case that the error, {u_t}, of the model is a strictly stationary, mixing process with just barely infinite variance. Such errors have the property that for every δ such that 0 ≤ δ < 2, the moments E|u_t|^δ are finite. Under some additional restrictions on the rate of decay of the mixing rates, these errors belong to the domain of the non‐normal attraction of the normal law and obey the invariance principle. This in turn implies that there might be conditions under which the usual Phillips‐type test statistics for unit roots may still converge to the corresponding Dickey–Fuller distributions. In such a case, the unit‐root hypothesis can be tested within an infinite‐variance framework without any modifications to either the tests themselves or the critical values employed. This article derives a necessary and sufficient condition for convergence of the standard test statistics to the Dickey–Fuller distributions. By means of Monte Carlo simulations, the article also shows that this condition is likely to hold in the case that {u_t} is a serially correlated, integrated generalized autoregressive conditionally heteroskedastic (IGARCH) process and the standard unit‐root tests work well.     

Variational Bayesian Image Restoration Based on a Product of t-Distributions Image Prior

Image priors based on products have been recognized to offer many advantages because they allow simultaneous enforcement of multiple constraints. However, they are inconvenient for Bayesian inference because it is hard to find their normalization constant in closed form. In this paper, a new Bayesian algorithm is proposed for the image restoration problem that bypasses this difficulty. An image prior is defined by imposing Student-t densities on the outputs of local convolutional filters. A variational methodology, with a constrained expectation step, is used to infer the restored image. Numerical experiments are shown that compare this methodology to previous ones and demonstrate its advantages.     

Effect of marinating and vacuum storage at 6 °C on the fate of chemical, microbial and sensory quality indices of echinoid gonads Paracentrotus lividus Lamark, 1816

Chemical, microbial and sensory quality indices of raw and marinated sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lamark, 1816, were determined. Marinades were prepared using three different formulations and stored over a 75-day period at 6 °C, under vacuum and air (control) packaging conditions. Significant differences were found between chemical (pH, moisture, ash, NaCI, ammonia and lactic acid), microbial [pseudomonads (Ps), lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast–moulds] and sensory analysis of three different marinated groups ( P  <   0.05) during the storage period. The marinating process did not lead to significant differences in fatty acid, protein, fat and carbohydrate contents relative to raw sample. A notable decrease of the ω-3 per ω-6 ratio after marinating and during storage in both packages was observed. Ammonia concentration changes were found to be useful as index of freshness and decomposition of roe in storage. Shelf life of roe marinades at 6 °C was found to be 75 and 60 days under vacuum and air storage conditions respectively.     

The characteristics and stabilization of a caffeine demethylase enzyme complex

Cell-free extracts (CFE) from Pseudomonas putida , cultured on caffeine as sole carbon and/or nitrogen source, contained proteins which demethylate caffeine. Caffeine metabolism correlated with production of two major proteins (43.5 and 36.6 kDa); we suggest that one or both of these are caffeine demethylase enzymes. HPLC analysis of caffeine degradation by P. putida showed that caffeine is converted to uric acid via 3–7-dimethylxanthine, 7-methylxanthine and xanthine. The stability of caffeine demethylase was greatly improved by the use of cryoprotectants and freeze drying to low moisture contents. Freeze-dried cell-free extracts maintained 83% of activity after 200 days of storage at 4 °C.