Two-degree-of-freedom output feedback controllers for discrete-time nonlinear systems

A discrete-time, model-based output feedback control structure for nonlinear processes is developed in the present work. The structure makes use of a closed-loop observer, while at the same time it guarantees that the overall feedback controller possesses integral action. An algebraic transformation is applied on the observer states to insure that the input/output gain of the observer matches the model upon which the static state feedback control law is based. The resulting control algorithm is a two-degree-of-freedom control law, in the sense that the output and the set point are processed in different ways. The control structure is shown not only to have the same properties as the standard model-state feedback structure, but also that it emerges from a model algorithmic control framework. Finally, a simulation example using an exothermic CSTR operating at an open-loop unstable steady state is used to evaluate the closed-loop performance of the proposed method.     

The seismic kernel system — a large-scale exercise in fortran 77 portability

The portability of software has become a major commercial issue in recent times. Such portability does not come easily, as few if any computer languages are really portable in practice. An additional complicating factor, especially in the commercial environment, is that the resulting software must be efficient. This paper describes the design and successful implementation of a 500,000+ line portable FORTRAN 77 package for the processing of seismic data. The package exhibits demonstrably high efficiency on a wide variety of machines from minicomputers to the largest supercomputers. Experiences gained during this exercise throw much light on the integration of the various thought processes which occur during the software engineering cycle, especially the notion of locality.     

Affect intensity and cardiac arousal.

Investigated in 3 experiments the relationships between affect intensity and basal, evoked, and perceived cardiac arousal. Affect intensity was assessed using R. J. Larsen and E. Diener's (1987) Affect Intensity Measure (AIM). Cardiac arousal was evoked with exercise in the 1st study and with mental arithmetic in the 2nd and 3rd. Perceived cardiac arousal was measured under optimal conditions using a standard heartbeat discrimination procedure. Women as a group scored higher on the AIM. Affect intensity was unrelated to basal or evoked cardiac arousal and was negatively related to perceived cardiac arousal in all 3 studies. Data suggest that affect intensity, although unrelated to actual physiological arousal, is negatively related to the accuracy with which individuals perceive their own arousal. Results are discussed within the context of an expanded arousal-regulation model (J. Blascovich, 1990). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"I know, you know": Epistemic egocentrism in children and adults.

This article reviews the evidence and theory pertaining to a form of perspective-taking failure--a difficulty in setting aside the privileged information that one knows to be unavailable to another party. The authors argue that this bias (epistemic egocentrism, or EE) is a general feature of human cognition and has been tapped by 2 independent and largely uncommunicating research traditions: the theory-of-mind tradition in developmental psychology and, with more sensitive probes, the "heuristics and biases" tradition in the psychology of human judgment. This article sets the stage for facilitating communication between these traditions as well as for the recognition of EE's breadth and potential interdisciplinary significance. The authors propose a life-span account and a tentative taxonomy of EE; and they highlight the interdisciplinary significance of EE by discussing its implications for normative ethics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inside Front Cover: Three‐Dimensionally Ordered Gold Nanocrystal/Silica Superlattice Thin Films Synthesized via Sol–Gel Self‐Assembly (Adv. Funct. Mater. 7/2006)

The synthesis of three‐dimensionally ordered, transparent gold‐nanocrystal (NC)/silica superlattice thin films using the self‐assembly (by spin‐coating) of water‐soluble gold nanocrystal micelles and soluble silica is reported by Fan and co‐workers on p. 891. The robust, 3D NC/silica superlattice films are of interest for the development of collective optical and electronic phenomena, and, importantly, for the integration of NC arrays into device architectures. Nanocrystals and their ordered arrays hold many important applications in fields such as catalysis, surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy based sensors, memory storage, and electronic and optical nanodevices. Herein, a simple and general method to synthesize ordered, three‐dimensional, transparent gold nanocrystal/silica superlattice thin films by self‐assembly of gold nanocrystal micelles with silica or organosilsesquioxane by spin‐coating is reported. The self‐assembly process is conducted under acidic sol–gel conditions (ca. pH 2), ensuring spin‐solution homogeneity and stability and facilitating the formation of ordered and transparent gold nanocrystal/silica films. The monodisperse nanocrystals are organized within inorganic host matrices as a face‐centered cubic mesostructure, and characterized by transmission electron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction.     

Reduced forward operator for electromagnetic wave scattering problems

The paper describes a reduced forward operator for solving electromagnetic scattering problems using a volume integral equation in conjunction with a conjugate gradient fast Fourier transform scheme. The reduction is obtained by decoupling of the interaction between the locations in the spatial computational domain at which there is non-zero contrast and those positions at which there is zero contrast. The decoupling is achieved by multiplication of the kernel by a diagonal matrix whose entries reflect the presence or absence of contrast at the associated point. Analysis supported by numerical experiments shows that the conjugate gradient algorithm applied to the reduced system converges more rapidly than when it is applied to the original system     

走进虚拟的视界——图解显卡

随着电脑3D图形应用的日益普及,显卡在PC中的地位也日益提高。下面以图解方式说说显卡的基本结构与功能。     

Evaluation of capital cost data. part 7: Liquid waste disposal with emphasis on physical treatment

Capital cost correlations are given for oil-water separators, equalization basins, primary clarifiers, clarifiers and clarifier mechanisms, reverse osmosis unit, ultrafiltration units, gravity filters and miroscreens. Data are included for raw sewage, intermediate and recirculation pumping stations and for preliminary treatment (or bar screens, grit removal, overflow and bypass chamber and Parshall flume), for grit removal, comminution and gas stripping. The correlations are accurate to ± 30%, expressed in Canadian dollars and adjusted to a Marshall and Swift value of 1000. Details as to what components are included in the cost are given. Data are given for the labour and material costs to create a working process module. For inflation indices, a critique of the Engineering News Record, EPA small city, Marshall and Swift, Chemical Engineering and Southam inflation indices suggested that the Marshall and Swift index is most appropriate for the construction and process equipment studied here. Concerning the currency exchange, for the equipment and processes in this study, equipment costs the same whether expressed directly in US or Canadian dollars. To put the current data into perspective, several hundred sources of cost data were analyzed. The major correlations are compared, on a consistent basis, with current data.