Organic photovoltaic cells based on self-assembly fabrication of vertically aligned CuPc nanorods upon fullerene particles

We demonstrate the self-assembled growth of vertically aligned Copper Phthalocyanine (CuPc) nanorods which are directly evaporated on fullerene (C₆₀) islands. UV–Vis spectroscopy of CuPc nanorods, compared to planar CuPc, shows an improvement in light absorption within the visible range. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrates the presence of well-arranged vertically aligned CuPc nanorods suggesting an increase in the donor–acceptor interface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the crystalline nature of these nanorods. Different organic photovoltaic cells have been fabricated using these nanorods. High current density achieved with the cell arrangement of CuPc/CuPc-nanorods/C₆₀ in comparison to regular planar CuPc/C₆₀ device. The power conversion efficiency is also doubled compared to the planar one.     

Scheduling Part‐Families Under FMS: To Mix or Not to Mix?

This paper considers the issue of whether to mix part-types in one or several of the families to be produced in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). For this input control problem in an FMS, we have derived conditions that support the mixing of a part-type, which can share the setup of other part-types, in deterministic environment. The problem is identified as a special economic lot scheduling problem (ELSP), and is formulated as a linear programming problem. Analytical insights are derived by considering the special case with three part-families. The results are illustrated with a numerical example.     

A note on evaluating the risk in continuous review inventory systems

This paper is an attempt to evaluate the long term risk of stock-out and obsolescence in continuous review inventory systems, typically of slow-moving but very critical items. Inventory decisions depend very much on the goodness of the estimates of the input parameters like the holding, ordering and stock-out costs. It is a well-known fact that stock-out cost is a very difficult parameter to estimate. The lower it is the lower the quality of service will be while the higher it is the higher the inventory cost would be and possibly higher obsolescence rate too. In this paper, we develop a framework to evaluate the risks, in the long term, of stock-out and obsolescence, especially for inventory of critical spares whose demand rate is not high. For this purpose, we propose the use of quasi-stationary distributions for continuous review (r, Q) inventory systems with the condition that the Laplace transforms of functions of interest are rational algebraic functions. We relate the quasi-stationary distribution to the conditional tail expectation which is a coherent risk measure used in finance and actuarial studies. Numerical illustration is also provided.     

EFSIM: An integrated circuit early failure simulator

Early failures are the dominant concern as integrated circuit technology matures into consistently producing systems of high reliability. These failures are attributed to the presence of randomly occurring defects in elementary objects (contacts, vias, metal runs, gate oxides, bonds etc.) that result in extrinsic rather than intrinsic (wearout-related) mortality. A model relating system failure to failure at the elementary object level has been developed. Reliability is modelled as a function of circuit architecture, mask layout, material properties, life-test data, worst-case use-conditions and the processing environment. The effects of competing failure mechanisms, and the presence of redundant sub-systems are accounted for. Hierarchy is exploited in the analysis, allowing large scale designs to be simulated. Experimental validation of the modelling of oxide leakage related failure, based on a correlation between actual failures reported for a production integrated circuit and Monte Carlo simulations that incorporate wafer-level test results and process defect monitor data, is presented. The state of the art in IC reliability simulation is advanced in that a methodology that provides the capability to design-in reliability while accounting for early failures has been developed; applications include process qualification, design assessment and fabrication monitoring.     

Adaptive Fuzzy Control of Nonlinear in Parameters Uncertain Chaotic Systems Using Improved Speed Gradient Method

This paper presents an adaptive fuzzy controller for Nonlinear in Parameters (NLP) chaotic systems with parametric uncertainties. In the proposed controller, the unknown parameters are estimated by the novel Improved Speed Gradient (ISG) method, which is a modification of Speed Gradient (SG) algorithm. ISG employs the Lagrangian of two suitable objective functionals for on-line estimation of system parameters. The most significant advantage of ISG is that it is applicable to NLP systems and it results in a faster rate of convergence for the estimated parameters than the SG method. Estimated parameters are used to design the fuzzy controller and to calculate the Lyapunov exponents of the chaotic system adaptively. Furthermore, established on the well-known Takagi–Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model, a LMI (Linear Matrix Inequality)-based fuzzy controller is designed and is tuned using estimated parameters and Lyapunov exponents. Throughout the controller design procedure, several important issues in fuzzy control theory including relaxed stability analysis, control input performance specifications, and optimality are taken into account. Combination of ISG parameter estimation method and T-S-based fuzzy controller yields an adaptive fuzzy controller capable to suppress uncertainties in parameters and initial states of NLP chaotic systems. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the ISG and adaptive fuzzy controller on chaotic Lorenz system and Duffing oscillator.     

Integral sliding mode control for nonlinear damped model of arch microbeams

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper, a second order integral sliding mode controller (SMC) and a two-dimensional integral sliding mode controller are designed for a nonlinear damped model of...     

Infective endocarditis in a hemodialysis patient: a dreaded complication

Infection is the most common cause of death in hemodialysis patients, after cardiovascular disease. Dialysis access infections, with secondary septicemia, contribute significantly to patient mortality. The most common source is temporary catheterization. Bacteremia occurs commonly in patients receiving hemodialysis, with infective endocarditis being a relatively uncommon, but potentially lethal complication. Valvular calcification is the most significant risk factor. The diagnosis of infective endocarditis is made clinically and confirmed with the echocardiographic modified Duke's criteria. The most common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus and the mitral valve is the most common site. Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis is commonly associated with embolic phenomenon. A high index of suspicion is critical in the early recognition and management of infective endocarditis. However, prevention of bacteremia is undoubtedly the best strategy with the early placement of arteriovenous fistulae. In the case of temporary catheterization, the use of topical mupirocin or polysporin and gentamicin and/or citrate locking is beneficial. Although catheter salvage has not been studied in randomized trials, catheter removal remains standard therapy during bacteremia.     

Synchronizing chaotic systems with parametric uncertainty via a novel adaptive impulsive observer

This paper proposes a new class of observers, called adaptive impulsive observers. These observers are capable of estimating the states and unknown parameters of an uncertain system using the output of the system at discrete jump times only. Through a proposed theorem, the stability of the states estimation error system is proved and an upper bound on the maximum possible impulses (jumps) interval is given. Due to these advantages, the proposed adaptive impulsive observer is used in a chaotic systems synchronization scheme. The presented simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed observer even when the coupling signal is scalar. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society