Analysing Various Control Technics for Manipulator Robotic System (Robogymnast)

The Robogymnast is a highly complex, three-link system based on the triple-inverted pendulum and is modelled on the human example of a gymnast suspended by their hands from the high bar and executing larger and larger upswings to eventually rotate fully. The links of the Robogymnast correspond respectively to the arms, trunk, and lower limbs of the gymnast, and from its three joints, one is under passive operation, while the remaining two are powered. The passive top joint poses severe challenges in attaining the smooth movement control needed to operate the Robogymnast effectively. This study assesses four types of controllers used for systems operation and identifies how far response stabilisation is achieved with each. The system is simulated using MATLAB Simulink, with findings generated regarding rising and settling time, as well as overshoot. The research primarily seeks to examine the application of a linear quadratic regulator controller, proportionalintegral-derivative controller, fuzzy linear quadratic regulator controller and linear quadratic regulator- proportional-integral-derivative controller for this type of system and comparisons between the different controllers to demonstrate successful performance, which highlights the claimed advantages of the proposed system.     

Cerium-Modified Mesoporous Antimony Doped Tin Oxide as Intercalation-Free Charge Storage Layers for Electrochromic Devices

Charge storage layers are an important component of electrochromic devices, which are expected to exhibit high storage capacity and transparency as well as fast electron transfer rates. However, these layers often rely on the (de)intercalation of ions into the crystal lattice of the material and therefore require optimization to be compatible with non-intercalating electrolytes. In this report, the post-modification of mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticle layers with a redox-active cerium compound is described. In particular, the switching of the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ couple on the conductive nanoparticle scaffold is demonstrated using tetrabutylammonium perchlorate as a non-intercalating electrolyte. Remarkably, high storage capacities of up to 27 mC cm⁻² and transmittance values of ≈90% are achieved. Variation of the antimony doping concentration revealed that nanoparticle layers doped with 15% Sb exhibit the highest capacity, which can be attributed to increased conductivity in the potential range where the Ce³⁺ ions are oxidized. Finally, the cerium-modified ATO films show promising performance as charge storage layers in an electrochromic device with a viologen-anchored ATO layer as the electrochromic working electrode. Switching times of ≈0.4 s highlight the fast electron transfer capability of the cerium-decorated ATO layer, even when a non-intercalating electrolyte is used.     

Voxel-Based Full-Field Eigenstrain Reconstruction of Residual Stresses

Inverse eigenstrain (inherent strain) analysis methods are shown to be effective for the reconstruction of residual stresses in plane eigenstrain problems (continuously processed bodies) while conversely residual stress reconstruction in discontinuously processed bodies is extremely challenging and necessitates the use of complex regularizing assumptions. Herein, a new generic inverse eigenstrain method suitable for the reconstruction of residual stresses along with residual elastic strains and displacements in discontinuously processed bodies is introduced. The proposed method uses the superposition of eigenstrain radial basis functions together with a set of limited experimental data for model-free (unconstrained) determination of unknown eigenstrain fields. This approach eliminates the limitations introduced by global basis functions such as polynomials. The novel point of this method is the ability to account for all six components of strain in an isotropic body without using regularizing assumptions. By lifting complex guiding formulation, the fidelity of full-field eigenstrain reconstruction becomes directly related to the quality of experimental data and proper discretisation of the model domain. The FEniCS implementation has been validated using the experimental data of pointwise high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements from a bent titanium alloy bar. A hybrid high throughput computing approach is also introduced for effective parallel computing.     

High temperature dielectric properties of calcium zirconate

The electrical properties of dense, high purity CaZrO₃ discs, sintered at 1380°C with and without added ZrO₂, were investigated up to 950°C. Dielectric constant, loss tangent, and electrical conductivity were measured from 25 to 725°C, and the real and imaginary impedances were measured between 800 and 950°C by impedance spectroscopy techniques. Dielectric constant increased by 8% above 300°C and loss tangent increased from .1% at 25°C to ∼2% above 300°C. Activation energy of electrical conductivity determined between 300°C and 950°C by alternative current (AC) and direct current (DC) measurements. These results indicate that CaZrO₃ could be a useful dielectric material for capacitor applications up to 500°C. A reported decrease in conductivity due to addition of excess ZrO₂ into stoichiometric CaZrO₃ could not be confirmed.     

Ultrasound- and Microwave-Assisted Extractions Facilitate Oil Recovery from Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) By-Products and Enhance Fish Oil Quality Parameters

This research aimed to analyze ultrasound (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) as novel technologies for utilizing gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) by-products to produce high-quality fish oil for human consumption. The impacts of extraction parameters, namely, temperature, time, solvent-to-solid ratio, and their interactions on the extraction yield, are investigated using response surface methodology (RSM), and a central composite rotatable design. The optimized conditions are 15.47 mL g⁻¹ of solvent-to-solid ratio, 38 min, and 42 °C for UAE and 15.84 mL g⁻¹ of solvent-to-solid ratio, 18 min, and 40 °C for MAE. Under optimal conditions, the maximum extraction yields are 38.40 and 36.70% (g/g) for UAE and MAE, respectively. Both UAE and MAE have significantly higher mass transfer rates (61.70 and 121.58 g h⁻¹, respectively) than Soxhlet extraction (10.78 g h⁻¹). The fatty acid composition, physicochemical, and oxidation analyses of fish oils confirm the suitability of both UAE and MAE for the recovery of high-quality oils from fish processing by-products. The valorized oils mainly include unsaturated fatty acids (≈75%) and are rich in oleic acid. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy analysis reveals that the key driving force for fast oil extraction is the structural degradation of fish by-products caused by ultrasound and microwave. Practical Applications: Due to environmental and economic viewpoints, the validation of fish oil from fish industry by-products has become a popular research topic recently. Alternative recovery techniques such as ultrasound- (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) protocols may have additional benefits in producing functional oils. Interactive effects of process parameters determine the success of the extraction technique; therefore optimization is a critical approach when applying the extraction protocols. This study shows that UAE and MAE techniques significantly enhanced oil extraction rate from gilthead seabream (Sparus aurota) by-products at lower temperatures and by using lower amounts of solvent. UVA and MAE increase oxidative stability and do not change the fatty acid composition. Hence, the by-product of the gilthead seabream can be a sustainable and food-grade fish oil source and UAE and MAE can be a good alternative to the conventional (Soxhlet) extraction by providing high yield and quality oil.     

Unsupervised instance selection via conjectural hyperrectangles

Neural Computing and Applications - Machine learning algorithms spend a lot of time processing data because they are not fast enough to commit huge data sets. Instance selection algorithms...     

A robust optimization method for label noisy datasets based on adaptive threshold: Adaptive-k

The use of all samples in the optimization process does not produce robust results in datasets with label noise. Because the gradients calculated according to the losses of the noisy samples cause the optimization process to go in the wrong direction. In this paper, we recommend using samples with loss less than a threshold determined during the optimization, instead of using all samples in the mini-batch. Our proposed method, Adaptive-k, aims to exclude label noise samples from the optimization process and make the process robust. On noisy datasets, we found that using a threshold-based approach, such as Adaptive-k, produces better results than using all samples or a fixed number of low-loss samples in the mini-batch. On the basis of our theoretical analysis and experimental results, we show that the Adaptive-k method is closest to the performance of the Oracle, in which noisy samples are entirely removed from the dataset. Adaptive-k is a simple but effective method. It does not require prior knowledge of the noise ratio of the dataset, does not require additional model training, and does not increase training time significantly. In the experiments, we also show that Adaptive-k is compatible with different optimizers such as SGD, SGDM, and Adam. The code for Adaptive-k is available at GitHub.     

Automated steel surface defect detection and classification using a new deep learning-based approach

Neural Computing and Applications - In this study, a new deep learning-based approach has been developed that detects and classifies surface defects that occur in the steel production process. The...     

The effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the weathering performance of wood-plastic composites

In recent years, wood-plastic composites (WPCs) have become among the most popular engineering materials. Most of their usage areas are outdoors, where they encounter various damaging factors. The weathering conditions cause significant deterioration to WPC surfaces, which negatively influences their service life. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles at different concentrations (1%, 3%, 5%, 10%) were added to a high-density polyethylene-based WPC matrix. The effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the weathering performance of WPC was evaluated after 840 hours of an artificial weathering test. The highest colour changes (∆E*) were monitored with control samples exposed for 840 hours. Adding zinc oxide nanoparticles improved the ultraviolet (UV) resistance and decreased the colour changes. The wood flour content also affected the colour changes on the WPC surface. A combination of 10% zinc oxide nanoparticles and 50% wood flour content provided the lowest colour changes. The barrier effect of nanoparticles protected the WPC surfaces from UV light. Zinc oxide nanoparticles also positively affected the load transfer, which restricted the reduction in mechanical properties after the weathering test. The degradation on the surface of WPCs was also investigated using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier Transform–infrared analysis. The changes in the characteristic bands of polymer and wood indicated that surface degradation was inevitable. Light and scanning electron microscopy images also demonstrated micro-cracks and roughness on the surface of WPCs. It is concluded that UV degradation is unavoidable, but zinc oxide nanoparticles can improve surface resistance against weathering conditions.     

Xenon Difluoride Dry Etching for the Microfabrication of Solid Microneedles as a Potential Strategy in Transdermal Drug Delivery

Although hypodermic needles are a “gold standard” for transdermal drug delivery (TDD), microneedle (MN)-mediated TDD denotes an unconventional approach in which drug compounds are delivered via micron-size needles. Herein, an isotropic XeF₂ dry etching process is explored to fabricate silicon-based solid MNs. A photolithographic process, including mask writing, UV exposure, and dry etching with XeF₂ is employed, and the MN fabrication is successfully customized by modifying the CAD designs, photolithographic process, and etching conditions. This study enables fabrication of a very dense MNs (up to 1452 MNs cm⁻²) with height varying between 80 and 300 µm. Geometrical features are also assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 3D laser scanning microscope. Roughness of the MNs are improved from 0.71 to 0.35 µm after titanium and chromium coating. Mechanical failure test is conducted using dynamic mechanical analyzer to determine displacement and stress/strain values. The coated MNs are subjected to less displacement (≈15 µm) upon the applied force. COMSOL Multiphysics analysis indicates that MNs are safe to use in real-life applications with no fracture. This technique also enables the production of MNs with distinct shape and dimensions. The optimized process provides a wide range of solid MN types to be utilized for epidermis targeting.