A hybrid observer for characterization and compensation of periodic disturbances

Usage of frequency based error correction methods for repetitive disturbances becomes popular in data storage devices that use a rotating mechanical power plant. Two distinct disturbance cancellation methods, disturbance observer (DOB) and adaptive feed forward control (AFC) are the most popular approaches used for current drive servo integration. DOB reduces error using a predetermined function that is calculated thorough a complicated process. Generally the response to disturbance and initiation of control action of DOB is relatively fast even if the amount of error reduction is limited. Meanwhile the error elimination capability of AFC for the repetitive disturbance is normally better than DOB as it utilizes a Fourier coefficients updating feature that supports an enhanced fine adaptation of a certain frequency disturbance. Of course, AFC suffers for disturbances that have neighboring close frequencies due to the inherent fundamental frequency dependencies of AFC formulation. In the present work, an attempt for combining benefits of AFC and DOB is made. This might enables control action not only to generate fast response to disturbance but also perform an accurate error rejection. This feature also provides to the closed loop system a frequency selection for enabling a strategic selective error rejection. The proposed method named Hybrid Disturbance Observer (HDOB) is compared to the traditional AFC and DOB.     

Decentralised sampled-data control for large-scale systems with nonlinear interconnections

This paper presents a decentralised sampled-data control technique for a class of large-scale systems, which are considered to consist of linear subsystems and nonlinear interconnections. The decentralised sampled-data controller design problem is established using a closed-loop subsystem. Based on the controller design problem, the stability condition is derived for a closed-loop large-scale system, and the maximum interconnection bound is guaranteed to satisfy the stability condition. Also, its sufficient condition is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified by using an example of the multi-machine power system.     

Output feedback regulation of upper triangular nonlinear systems with uncertain time‐varying delays in states and input

In this paper, an output feedback controller is studied to regulate a class of upper triangular nonlinear systems with uncertain time‐varying delays. The key features of our considered system are that there are uncertain time‐varying delays in both states and input and the high‐order nonlinearity is in a more relaxed form over the previous results. Theoretical analysis and numerical example are presented to show the benefits of our controller. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of anaesthetics on the dynamic heterogeneity of lipid membranes

A randomized multicenter study was performed in order to investigate the acceptance of a low-dose OC (30 micrograms of ethinyloestradiol and 150 micrograms of desogestrel), using a 9 weeks on and 1 week off schedule (prolonged regimen, n = 198), compared to a traditional 3 weeks on, 1 week off schedule (standard regimen, n = 96). Haemoglobin and blood pressure remained the same in both groups during the study. No significant differences were found in body weight changes between the two groups. There was significantly more breakthrough bleeding and spotting in the group with prolonged regimen than in the group with standard regimen, but both breakthrough bleeding and spotting decreased during the trial. Irregular bleeding was significantly less in women who were already using OC, compared to "new starters." No serious side effects occurred. Significantly more women stopped the trial because of bleeding problems in the group with prolonged regimen, while there were significantly more women who stopped the trial because of headache in the group with standard regimen. After completing 12 months, or after premature withdrawal from the study, each women completed a questionnaire. Sixty-three per cent of the women preferred the studied alternative and twenty-six per cent preferred the traditional OC.     

Reliability of seizure classification using a semistructured interview

Methods for standardized classification of epileptic seizures are important for both clinical practice and epidemiologic research. In this study, we developed a strategy for standardized classification using a semistructured telephone interview and operational diagnostic criteria. We interviewed 1,957 adults with epilepsy ascertained from voluntary organizations. To confirm and expand the seizure history, we also interviewed a first-degree relative for 67% of subjects and obtained medical records for 59%. Three lay reviewers used all available information to classify seizures. To assess reliability, each reviewer classified a sample of subjects assigned to the others. In addition, an expert physician classified a sample of subjects assigned to two of the reviewers. Agreement was "moderate-substantial" for generalized-onset seizures, both for the comparisons between pairs of lay reviewers and for the neurologist versus lay reviewers. Agreement was "substantial-almost perfect" for partial-onset seizures, both for pairs of lay reviewers and for the neurologist versus lay reviewers. These results suggest that seizures can be reliably classified by lay reviewers, using operational criteria applied to symptoms ascertained in a semistructured telephone interview.     

Suppression of superconductivity in the Er1− x Pr x Ba2Cu3O7−δ

Measurements of electrical resistivity. X-ray diffraction patterns, magnetic susceptibility and thermoelectric power of the Er_1-x Pr _x Ba₂Cu₃O_7- system have been made. The superconducting transition temperature was found to decrease monotonically with praseodymium concentration, x. From the susceptibility data, it was determined that the valence of praseodymium lies between +3 and +4. The thermoelectric power was found to increase with x, and the slopes of dS/dT were negative except for the case x= 0. The. tendency of the thermopower to change with increasing praseodymium concentration has been qualitatively explained using the theory for strongly correlated systems.     

A task‐based and resource‐aware approach to dynamically generate optimal software architecture for intelligent service robots

Intelligent service robots provide various services to users by understanding the context and goals of a user task. In order to provide more reliable services, intelligent service robots need to consider various factors, such as their surrounding environments, users' changing needs, and constrained resources. To handle these factors, most of the intelligent service robots are controlled by a task‐based control system, which generates a task plan that represents a sequence of actions, and executes those actions by invoking the corresponding functions. However, the traditional task‐based control systems lack the consideration of resource factors even though intelligent service robots have limited resources (limited computational power, memory space, and network bandwidth). Moreover, system‐specific concerns such as the relationships among functional modules are not considered during the task generation phase. Without considering both the resource conditions and interdependencies among software modules as a whole, it will be difficult to efficiently manage the functionalities that are essential to provide core services to users. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for intelligent service robots to efficiently use their resources on‐demand by separating system‐specific information from task generation. We have defined a sub‐architecture that corresponds to each action of a task plan, and provides a way of using the limited resources by minimizing redundant software components and maintaining essential components for the current action. To support the optimization of resource consumption, we have developed a two‐phase optimization process, which is composed of the topological and temporal optimization steps. We have conducted an experiment with these mechanisms for an infotainment robot, and simulated the optimization process. Results show that our approach contributed to increase the utilization rate by 20% of the robot resources. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Localizing slab identification numbers in factory scene images

This paper deals with algorithms for text localization and character segmentation in images for process automation in the steel-making industry. Each character which comprises slab identification numbers may be corrupted severely before it is captured by network cameras. Therefore, proper processing is required to localize the target texts successfully. In this paper, we propose (1) a method to evaluate the closeness of an edge patch to the form of a closed contour, (2) an edge inspection method to determine character colors and estimate font thickness, and (3) three reasonable binarization methods to increase the performance of the algorithm for the detection of the left and right boundaries of the text rectangle. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms are reliable.     

Characterization of brevin, a serum protein that shortens actin filaments

We have purified a protein from rabbit serum with a molecular weight of 90,000 that inhibits the polymerization of actin measured viscometrically and that we have named "brevin" (from the Latin breviare, to shorten). From the extent of purification, we estimate that this inhibitor constitutes 0.3% of the total protein in plasma and serum. Brevin is also present in sera from humans and rats. Almost all of the activity in blood is extracellular; only 1% is present in platelets or other cellular elements. Several lines of evidence indicate that brevin is the same protein as the factor described by Fagraeus and Norberg [Fagraeus, A. & Norberg, R. (1978) Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 82, 1-13] as an actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF). If ADF and brevin are identical, then "ADF" is an inappropriate name because we find that the protein shortens actin filaments without depolymerizing them. Thus, brevin causes little change in the critical concentration of monomeric actin, even though the inhibitor binds to monomeric actin complexed to DNase I-agarose. Binding of brevin to filaments was demonstrated by sedimenting the inhibitor with F-actin. From the amounts of actin and brevin sedimented, and from the lengths of filaments measured by electron microscopy, we calculated that the stoichiometry of binding is one brevin molecule per filament over a wide range of inhibitor concentrations. This stoichiometry suggests that brevin inhibits polymerization by binding at the end of elongating actin filaments, a mechanism similar to that proposed for several intracellular actin-binding proteins and for the cytochalasins. Its abundance suggests that brevin plays an important physiological role in serum, but one not directly concerned with intracellular motility. Therefore its relationship to cytoplasmic actin-binding proteins remains to be determined.     

Synthesis in vitro of intrinsic membrane proteins by free, membrane-bound, and Golgi apparatus-associated polyribosomes from rat liver

A fraction of intrinsic membrane proteins was prepared from the major membranous cell components of rat liver by extraction of the membranes with KCl and deoxycholate. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the compositions of the intrinsic protein fractions from rough and endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, and nuclear envelope were similar to each other but distinct from that of mitochondria. Among endomembranes, differences were in the ratios of protein constituents plus a few protein bands of Golgi apparatus and plasma membranes not found in endoplasmic reticulum or nuclear envelope. The abilities of total rough endoplasmic reticulum, polysomes released from rough endoplasmic reticulum, and free polysomes to incorporate amino acids into the intrinsic protein fraction were tested in vitro. Polysomes bound to endoplasmic reticulum has the greatest capacity to synthesize proteins of this fraction as shown by co-purification of radioactive products and by immunoprecipitation. Although the majority of the radioactive products synthesized by bound polysomes were distinct from those synthesized by free polysomes, certain radioactive products synthesized by free polysomes also co-purified with intrinsic membrane proteins. The results show no absolute segregation between free and bound polysomes in the synthesis of intrinsic membrane proteins. However, the majority of these proteins appear to be synthesized by polysomes bound to the endoplasmic reticulum. Several intrinsic proteins found in plasma membranes do not appear in rough endoplasmic reticulum. To determine where these proteins were synthesized, the ability of other endomembrane components to support in vitro incorporation of [14C]leucine into protein was examined. In contrast to plasma membranes, isolated Golgi apparatus fractions did incorporate [14C]leucine to an extent greater than could be explained by contamination with rough endoplasmic reticulum. Golgi apparatus in situ and isolated from rat liver have polyribosomes associated with a zone of cytoplasm at the Golgi apparatus periphery occupied by tubules and vesicles. The polysomes are not directly attached to membranes as with rough endoplasmic reticulum and may represent a special class of "Golgi apparatus-associated" polysomes. The polysomes, when associated with Golgi apparatus membranes, incorporated amino acids in vitro. The products synthesized in vitro were analyzed by treatment with KCl and deoxycholate and separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Certain proteins synthesized by the Golgi apparatus-associated polysomes remained insoluble after the treatment with KCl and deoxycholate. The proteins synthesized by the Golgi apparatus fraction had mobilities similar to proteins in plasma membranes which were absent from endoplasmic reticulum, and which were relatively minor components of Golgi apparatus...