A novel TS Fuzzy-GMDH model optimized by PSO to determine the deformation values of rock material

Neural Computing and Applications - Since determining the rock deformation directly in the laboratory is costly and time consuming, it is important to reliably determine/estimate this parameter...     

An Efficient Measure for Quantification of Nonlinearity in Chemical Engineering Processes Based on I/O Steady-State Loci

Nonlinearity is virtually ubiquitous in chemical engineering plants, and assessing the degree of nonlinearity involved in a process is of special interest for process control purposes. In this paper, we introduce a simple nonlinearity measure to quantify the extent of nonlinearity in a dynamic system based on its normalized steady-state input/output loci. Our nonlinearity measure obviates the limitations of previous metrics in terms of computational effort and correct identification of highly nonlinear relationships. The measure is satisfactorily applicable to various I/O relationships—from truly linear to sinusoidal, for instance. In order to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed measure, four numerical examples concerning a double-effect evaporator, a jacketed continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an irreversible reaction, a CSTR involving van de Vusse reactions, and the Henson–Seborg–Pottmann CSTR are presented.     

Laboratory-Scale Optimization of Roasting Conditions Followed by Aqueous Extraction of Oil from Wild Almond

The effects of roasting and aqueous extraction conditions for oil recovery from wild almond were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Optimum conditions for oil extraction were obtained at 142 °C roasting temperature, 16.5 min roasting time, 5.67 extraction pH and 4.6 h extraction time. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of 34.5% (w/w, based on the original weight of the sample) was obtained, which is equivalent to 80.0% of the total oil in the kernel. This was lower than that obtained by hexane Soxhlet (HS) extraction (43.1%, w/w, considered as 100% of total oil) but higher than that of cold pressing (CP) (18.5%, w/w; i.e., 42.9% of total oil). The refractive indices and saponification values of the oils were not affected by the extraction method. However, fatty acid and tocopherol compositions and DPPH radical scavenging capacities as well as unsaponifiable matter, iodine, peroxide and acid values of the obtained oils were impacted by the extraction method. The results showed that the quality attributes (omega-6 fatty acid content, peroxide and acid values, total tocopherol contents and antioxidant activity) of the oil obtained by AEP were somewhat similar to those of the oil extracted by CP and much superior to those of the oil obtained by HS.     

Extending hoare logic to real-time

Classical Hoare triples are modified to specify and design distributed real-time systems. The assertion language is extended with primitives to express the timing of observable actions. Further the interpretation of triples is adapted such that both terminating and nonterminating computations can be specified. To verify that a concurrent program, with message passing along asynchronous channels, satisfies a real-time specification, we formulate a compositional proof system for our extended Hoare logic. The use of compositionality during top-down design is illustrated by a process control example of a chemical batch processing system.     

Extending hoare logic to real-time

Classical Hoare triples are modified to specify and design distributed real-time systems. The assertion language is extended with primitives to express the timing of observable actions. Further the interpretation of triples is adapted such that both terminating and nonterminating computations can be specified. To verify that a concurrent program, with message passing along asynchronous channels, satisfies a real-time specification, we formulate a compositional proof system for our extended Hoare logic. The use of compositionality during top-down design is illustrated by a process control example of a chemical batch processing system.     

A modified moment resisting connection for ductile steel frames (Numerical and experimental investigation)

The seismic behavior of steel moment resisting building systems are directly affected by the local behavior of beam to column connections. In welded connections, severe stress concentrations at the connection edge coupled with imperfections of the weld roots, may contribute to significant reduction of the seismic performance. In this study, a reduced plate section connection is proposed to shift the stress concentration from the connection face. With this aim, the authors propose drilled holes at cover plates to create an intentional weak point. Applying this method, the stress concentration at the weld roots is significantly diminished and the failure mechanism is altered from premature weld fracture to ductile plate yielding around the holes. This technique eliminates unfavorable local beam failures present in some similar methods and also forces the cover plate to behave as the replaceable fuse of the connection system. As it is revealed from the finite element and experimental investigations, the strength and ductility capacity of the considered connection type is significantly improved and the behavior of the connection seems to be far less dependant of the weld root quality. This might improve the structural reliability of the connection due to the guided failure mechanism.     

An introduction to compositional methods for concurrency and their application to real-time

Formal methods to specify and verify concurrent programs with synchronous message passing are discussed. We stress the development towards compositional methods, i.e. methods in which the specification of a compound program can be inferred from specifications of its constituents without reference to the internal structure of those parts. Compositionality enables verification during the process of (top-down) design — the derivation of correct programs — instead of the more familiar a-posteriori verification based on already completed program codes. We sketch the transition from non-compositional towards compositional methods for concurrent programs, indicating the main principles behind compositionality. Having achieved a compositional framework based on classical Hoare triples, we discuss extensions to achieve a convenient formalism to specify and verify reactive systems that have an intensive interaction with their environment. Next this Hoare-style framework is adapted to specify and verify real-time properties, and a compositional proof method is formulated for real-time distributed computing. Compositional reasoning during top-down development of a real-time program is illustrated by an example concerning a watchdog timer. This work was partially supported by Esprit-bra project 3096: Formal Methods and Tools for the Development of Distributed and Real-Time Systems (spec).     

Uncertainty analysis of radar rainfall estimates over two different climates in Iran

Accuracy of rainfall quantification is one of the most important concerns in meteorological and hydrological modelling. Satellites and weather radars can provide meteorological information with higher temporal and spatial resolution than ground stations. Rain gauges measure rain rate directly; however, weather radars estimate rain rate by converting radar reflectivity aloft to rain rate at ground level. This conversion with a power law relation between radar reflectivity and rain rate could be altered from place to place or in various precipitation types. This variety may be the source of errors and uncertainty of radar rainfall estimates. One way to assess the uncertainty of radar rainfall is simulation of rainfall fields. In this article, after calibrating two radars located in the south-western and northern parts of Iran, uncertainty of rainfall estimates of these radars has been analysed using the Gaussian Copula model. Reliability of this model was examined for 10% of the rainfall events that were not included in the simulation process. Obtained results of the current research indicate that recalibration of radars can considerably reduce bias and root mean error. In addition, the Copula-based model can generate rainfall fields with similarly spatial structures to those of observed rainfall data.