Invariant‐set‐based fault diagnosis in Lure systems

In this paper, we present an invariant‐set‐based method for actuator and sensor fault detection and isolation in Lure systems. The Lure plant is controlled by an observer‐based feedback tracking controller, designed for the nominal (fault‐free) system. Suitable residual signals are constructed from measurable system outputs and estimates associated with the nominal observer. Faults are diagnosed by online contrasting the residual signal trajectories against sets of values that the residuals are shown to attain under healthy or faulty operation. These values are obtained via set‐invariance analysis of the system closed‐loop trajectories. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of dietary fiber in Vervet monkeys fed “Western” diets

Male Vervet monkeys (7/treatment) were fed a “Western” diet containing 46.2% calories as fat, 39.8% as carbohydrate and 14.0% as protein. The diet was augmented with 10% cellulose or 10% pectin. A third (control) group of seven monkeys was fed a commercial ration augmented with fruit and bread. After 34 weeks, serum cholesterol levels were elevated significantly in the two test groups compared with the controls but there was no difference between the two fiber-fed groups. Serum triglycerides were unaffected. Liver cholesterol levels were the same in all three groups but liver triglyceride levels were lower in the monkeys fed cellulose. Biliary lipids were similar in all three groups as were the calculated lithogenic indices. The average aortic sudanophilia (percent of total area) in the three groups was cellulose, 10.6±2.5; pectin, 8.1±2.5; and control, 1.1±0.4. One animal in each of the groups fed “Western” diet exhibited an atherosclerotic plaque. The results indicate that there is no difference between pectin and cellulose with regard to their effects on either lipidemia or aortic sudanophilia in Vervet monkeys fed a Western-type diet.     

A study of tailored blank welding between mild steel sheet and zn-coated steel sheet by CO2 laser beam

Research was conducted on tailored blank welding between mild steel sheet and Zn-coated steel sheet using CO₂ laser beam. The materials used in this study were low carbon steel sheets with a thickness of 1.2 mm and Zn-coated steel sheet with the same thickness and 6.3 μm Zn coating. Experiments were conducted by applying the Taguchi method to obtain optimum conditions for the application of this tailored blank laser welding method in practical manufacturing processes. Optical microscopy, XRD, SEM and TEM analysis were performed to observe the microstructures and to determine the structures of welded zone. In addition, mechanical properties were measured by the microhardness test, tensile test and Erichsen test to evaluate the formability of the welded specimen. There was no trapped Zn in the fusion zone, and the phases of this region consisted of polygonal ferrite, quasi-polygonal ferrite, banitic ferrite and martensite. The elongation value of welded specimen was more than 80% of the value in substrate metal, and the LDH value was more than 90% of the value in substrate metal.     

Analysis of Distance Collaboration Modalities: Alternatives to Meeting Face-to-Face

Physical and temporal boundaries are rapidly diminishing in an age of swiftly advancing information communication technologies. Today’s technologically sophisticated business and organizational environments offer a number of distance collaboration modalities (DSMs) that can facilitate efficient and cost-effective meetings that have traditionally required face-to-face meeting venues. Selection of the DCMs that maximize meeting effectiveness is significantly challenging given the wide diversity of available options. Theory and empirical data can be useful as a guide in the selection of the most appropriate DCMs to maximize organizational productivity and success. This article reviews the literature on the behavioral and technical affordances and limitations of the various DCMs. It also provides a theoretical model based on media synchronicity theory to help guide selection of effective DCMs. This theoretical framework emphasizes the primacy of media alignment with core communication processes as well as social and interpersonal factors that influence meeting effectiveness.     

How to “alternatize” a clustering algorithm

Given a clustering algorithm, how can we adapt it to find multiple, nonredundant, high-quality clusterings? We focus on algorithms based on vector quantization and describe a framework for automatic ‘alternatization’ of such algorithms. Our framework works in both simultaneous and sequential learning formulations and can mine an arbitrary number of alternative clusterings. We demonstrate its applicability to various clustering algorithms—k-means, spectral clustering, constrained clustering, and co-clustering—and effectiveness in mining a variety of datasets.     

The effect of handle friction and inward or outward torque on maximum axial push force

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship among friction, applied torque, and axial push force on cylindrical handles. BACKGROUND: We have earlier demonstrated that participants can exert greater contact force and torque in an "inward" movement of the hand about the long axis of a gripped cylinder (wrist flexion/forearm supination) than they can in an "outward" hand movement. METHOD: Twelve healthy participants exerted anteriorly directed maximum push forces along the long axis of aluminum and rubber handles while applying deliberate inward or outward torques, no torque (straight), and an unspecified (preferred) torque. RESULTS: Axial push force was 12% greater for the rubber handle than for the aluminum handle. Participants exerted mean torques of 1.1, 0.3, 2.5, and -2.0 Nm and axial push forces of 94, 85, 75, and 65 N for the preferred, straight, inward, and outward trials, respectively. Left to decide for themselves, participants tended to apply inward torques, which were associated with increased axial push forces. CONCLUSION: Axial push force was limited by hand-handle coupling--not the whole body's push strength. Participants appeared to intuitively know that the application of an inward torque would improve their maximum axial push force. Axial push forces were least when a deliberate torque was requested, probably because high levels of torque exertions interfered with the push. APPLICATION: A low-friction handle decreases maximum axial push force. It should be anticipated that people will apply inward torque during maximum axial push.     

Inferring the capacity of the vector Poisson channel with a Bernoulli model

The capacity defines the ultimate fidelity limits of information transmission by any system. We derive the capacity of parallel Poisson process channels to judge the relative effectiveness of neural population structures. Because the Poisson process is equivalent to a Bernoulli process having small event probabilities, we infer the capacity of multi-channel Poisson models from their Bernoulli surrogates. For neural populations wherein each neuron has individual innervation, inter-neuron dependencies increase capacity, the opposite behavior of populations that share a single input. We use Shannon's rate-distortion theory to show that for Gaussian stimuli, the mean-squared error of the decoded stimulus decreases exponentially in both the population size and the maximal discharge rate. Detailed analysis shows that population coding is essential for accurate stimulus reconstruction. By modeling multi-neuron recordings as a sum of a neural population, we show that the resulting capacity is much less than the population's, reducing it to a level that can be less than provided with two separated neural responses. This result suggests that attempting neural control without spike sorting greatly reduces the achievable fidelity. In contrast, single-electrode neural stimulation does not incur any capacity deficit in comparison to stimulating individual neurons.     

Up in smoke: I. Smoke-derived germination cues for postfire annual,Nicotiana attenuata torr. Ex. Watson

Some postfire annuals with dormant seeds use heat or chemical cues from charred wood to synchronize their germination with the postfire environment. We report that wood smoke and polar extracts of wood smoke, but not the ash of burned wood, contain potent cue(s) that stimulate germination in the postfire annual plant,Nicotiana attenuata. We examined the responses of seeds from six populations of plants from southwest Utah to extracts of smoke and found the proportion of viable seeds that germinated in the presence of smoke cues to vary between populations but to be consistent between generations. With the most dormant genotypes, we examine three mechanisms by which smoke-derived chemical cues may stimulate germination (chemical scarification of the seed coat and nutritive- and signal-mediated stimulation of germination) and report that the response is consistent with the signal-mediated mechanism. The germination cue(s) found in smoke are produced by the burning of hay, hardwood branches, leaves, and, to a lesser degree, cellulose. Moreover, the cues are found in the common food condiment, liquid smoke, and we find no significant differences between brands. With a bioassay-driven fractionation of liquid smoke, we identified 71 compounds in active fractions by GC-MS and AA spectrometry. However, when these compounds were tested in pure form or in combinations that mimicked the composition of active fractions over a range of concentrations, they failed to stimulate germination to the same degree that smoke fractions did. Moreover, enzymatic oxidation of some of these compounds also failed to stimulate germination. In addition, we tested 43 additional compounds also reported from smoke, 85 compounds that were structurally similar to those reported from smoke and 34 compounds reported to influence germination in other species. Of the 233 compounds tested, 16 proved to inhibit germination at the concentrations tested, and none reproduced the activity of wood smoke. By thermally desorbing smoke produced by cellulose combustions that was trapped on Chromosorb 101, we demonstrate that the cue is desorbed between 125 and 150°C. We estimate that the germination cues are active at concentrations of less than 1 pg/seed and, due to their chromatographic behavior, infer that a number of different chemical structures are active. In separate experiments, we demonstrate that cues remain active for at least 53 days in soil under greenhouse conditions and that the application of aqucous extracts of smoke to soil containing seeds results in dramatic increases in germination of artificial seed banks. Hence, although the chemical nature of the germination cue remains elusive, the stability of the germination cues, their water-solubility, and their activity in low concentrations suggest that these cues could serve as powerful tools for the examination of dormant seed banks and the selective factors thought to be important in the evolution of postfire plant communities.     

Simple laser velocimeter that uses photoconductive semiconductors to measure optical frequency differences

The dc photocurrents generated by steady-state moving space-charge fields inside photoconductive semiconductors containing deep level donors and traps can be used to determine the relative frequency differences between the two interfering optical fields that establish the space-charge fields. A simple laser velocimeter that uses a semi-insulating GaAs:Cr sample to detect the Doppler frequency shift between two laser beams is demonstrated.