Adaptive stabilization of linear and nonlinear plants in the presence of large and arbitrarily fast variations of the parameters

The problem of adaptive stabilization of a class of continuous-time and time-varying nonlinear plants is treated in this paper. The control scheme guarantees that the state of the plant, with bounded time-varying parameters, asymptotically converges to zero. For the nonlinear case with n²+n unknown parameters (n time-varying and n² constant), when the control matrix B is unknown the controller has to adjust n²+1 parameters providing only local stability results. On the contrary, when the control matrix B is known only one parameter has to be adjusted and the proposed scheme provides global stability results. The general methodology is particularized for the linear case with 2n² unknown parameters (n² time-varying and n² constant), adjusting n²+1 parameters when the control matrix B is unknown and guarantees only local stability results, whereas in the case when the control matrix B is known only one parameter has to be adjusted and the proposed scheme provides global stability results.     

燃料油期货市场的多重分形消除趋势波动分析

分形市场理论从动力学和几何学的角度探讨金融系统的复杂非线性特征,突破传统金融整数维的概念引入了分数维,成为研究金融市场特征的有效分析工具。本文运用多重分形消除趋势波动分析方法(MF-DFA),对上海和新加坡的燃料油价格序列进行多重分形特征对比分析,研究发现燃料油价格收益率不符合传统金融理论的随机游走特征,市场具有显著的长期记忆性,广义Hurst指数随波动函数的阶数变化而变化;燃料油期货市场不是一个有效资本市场,并不遵循传统的随机游走特征,是一个典型的多重分形市场。此外,多重分形谱研究表明上海燃料油期货市场的多重分形谱更宽,其分形波动特征更显著,不能采用单一标度指标描述。     

A stochastic multi-parameters divergence method for online auto-tuning of fractional order PID controllers

This paper presents a stochastic multi-parameters divergence method for online parameter optimization of fractional-order proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers. The method is used for auto-tuning without the need for exact mathematical plant model and it is applicable to diverse plant transfer functions. The proposed controller tuning algorithm is capable of adaptively responding to parameter fluctuations and model uncertainties in real systems. Adaptation skill enhances controller performance for real-time applications. Simulations and experimental observations are carried on a prototype helicopter model to confirm the performance improvements obtained by the online auto-tuning of fractional-order PID structure in laboratory conditions.     

Effects of a magnetic field on the free convective flow through a porous medium bounded by an infinite vertical porous plate with constant heat flux

This paper investigates the effects of a magnetic field on the free convective flow of a viscous, incompressible, dissipative fluid through a porous medium, occupying a semi-infinite region of the space bounded by an infinite vertical and porous plate. The plate is subjected to a normal suction velocity and the heat flux at the plate is constant. The magnetic field is of uniform strength and is applied perpendicular to the plate. An analytical solution to the problem is obtained. The influence of the magnetic parameter (M) and permeability parameter (K) is discussed for the case of air (P = 0.71) when the plate is subjected to a constant suction velocity and is being cooled by free convection currents.     

An h-index weighted by citation impact

An h-type index is proposed which depends on the obtained citations of articles belonging to the h-core. This weighted h-index, denoted as h_w, is presented in a continuous setting and in a discrete one. It is shown that in a continuous setting the new index enjoys many good properties. In the discrete setting some small deviations from the ideal may occur.     

Some properties of a class of biased regression estimators

For the linear statistical model y = Xb + e, X of full column rank estimates of b of the form (C + X′X)⁺X′y are studied, where C commutes with X′X and Q⁺ is the Moore-Penrose inverse of Q. Such estimators may have smaller mean square error, component by component than does the least squares estimator. It is shown that this class of estimators is equivalent to two apparently different classes considered by other authors. It is also shown that there is no C such that (C + X′X)⁺X′Y = My, in which My has the smallest mean square error, component by component. Two criteria, other than tmse, are suggested for selecting C. Each leads to an estimator independent of the unknown b and σ². Subsequently, comparisons are made between estimators in which the C matrices are functions of a parameter k. Finally, it is shown for the no intercept model that standardizing, using a biased estimate for the transformed parameter vector, and retransforming to the original units yields an estimator with larger tmse than the least squares estimator.     

End effects on the flow of heat,mass or electrical energy through a cylindrical rod

End effects on the flow of heat, mass or electrical energy through a cylindrical rod were investigated analytically. Three of the eight analytical solutions were evaluated on a $\text{360}\text{91}$ computer and compared with the results of a numerical analysis package dubbed “Heating III” to show that both compared favorably.Platinum and Hastelloy X rods were subjected to an electrical current applied via two electrodes, one covering one end and the application of the other being thesubject of this investigation. End effects based on voltage deviations of one part in a thousand or more were found to extend for a length to diameter ratio ranging from 0·6 to 1·9 depending upon whether the small electrode position being investigated was at the center of the end or on the periphery of the end. Calculated results from Heating III showed excellent agreement with the experimental results.In addition to their reported applications, the analytical solutions represent a contribution to a neglected area of applied mathematical physics and as such should prove equally useful in other areas that are dynamically analogous. Also the discontinuous infinite integral technique of solution has proven to be a very powerful one.     

Precision measurement of the Newtonian gravitational constant

The Newtonian gravitational constant G, which is one of the most important fundamental physical constants in nature, plays a significant role in the fields of theoretical physics, geophysics, astrophysics and astronomy. Although G was the first physical constant to be introduced in the history of science, it is considered to be one of the most difficult to measure accurately so far. Over the past two decades, eleven precision measurements of the gravitational constant have been performed, and the latest recommended value for G published by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) is (6.674 08 ± 0.000 31) × 10⁻¹¹ m³ kg⁻¹ s⁻² with a relative uncertainty of 47 parts per million. This uncertainty is the smallest compared with previous CODATA recommended values of G; however, it remains a relatively large uncertainty among other fundamental physical constants. In this paper we briefly review the history of the G measurement, and introduce eleven values of G adopted in CODATA 2014 after 2000 and our latest two values published in 2018 using two independent methods.     

An efficient method of Yarrowia lipolytica immobilization using oil- and emulsion-modified bacterial cellulose carriers

BackgroundYarrowia lipolytica is a nonconventional, dimorphic yeast with multiple biotechnological applications. Considering the size of Y. lipolytica cells and a plethora of its morphological forms (spherical cells or hyphae and pseudohyphae), it is highly difficult to select a suitable carrier for this useful microorganism. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is currently considered one of the most promising immobilization carriers. In the current study, the usefulness of oil- and emulsion-modified BCs as a carrier for Y. lipolytica immobilization was investigated. Static and agitated cultures were conducted in media supplemented with oil or emulsion to improve carrier porosity.ResultsIt was found that the application of oil- and emulsion-modified BCs correlated with significantly higher efficiency of Y. lipolytica immobilization and hence higher yield than the yield achieved with an unmodified carrier. Increased efficiency of immobilization correlated with BC porosity-related parameters, which, in turn, depended on the size of oil droplets introduced into the culture medium. Moreover, changes in porosity-related parameters caused by the addition of oil or emulsion to the medium were observed when the cultures were conducted only under static conditions and not under agitated conditions.ConclusionThe application of oil- and emulsion-modified BCs as carriers significantly increased the efficiency of Y. lipolytica immobilization as compared to unmodified BC. The addition of oil or emulsion to the culture medium can be a simple but effective method to modify the porosity of BC-based carriers.How to cite: Żywicka A, Wenelska K, Junka A, et al. An efficient method of Yarrowia lipolytica immobilization using oil- and emulsion-modified bacterial cellulose carrier. Electron J Biotechnol 2019;41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2019.06.004.     

The diffusion of moisture in sorbent solids part II. activated alumina

Ordinary and thermal diffusion of moisture in activated alumina are investigated using a new diffusion cell design and scheme of analysis reported earlier. The specific form of the mass flux equation has a pronounced effect on the magnitude of the associated thermal diffusion ratio. In the case of activated alumina-moist air, if a partial pressure gradient is used, then the thermal diffusion term is small if not zero.Free, Knudsen and surface diffusion all play a part in the diffusion through activated alumina. However, surface diffusion makes the major contribution and for this reason the model in this case can be simplified to a two parameter surface model.The activation energy for surface diffusion is constant and is approximately equal to the mean isosteric heat of absorption. In addition, mean pore radius, turtuosity, and other physical constants are computed from the least square fit of experimental data. Furthermore, the model is theoretically consistent over the entire concentration range (0≦ C_A ≦ C_Asat).A new fact about activated alumina (Grade F1) it that it does not transfer moisture in a nonisothermal condition so long as the partial pressures of moisture on the two sides of the pellet are the same. There appears to be no previous report of this fact in the periodical literature.     

Stability analysis of linear continuous-time delay-difference systems with multiple time-delays

This paper is concerned with the stability analysis of linear continuous-time delay-difference systems with multiple delays. Firstly, a new method for testing the L₂-exponential stability of the considered system is proposed, which is easier to use than the one in the existing literature. In view of the conservatism and the complexity of the obtained stability conditions in the existing literature, a complete Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) is constructed by analyzing the relationship among the multiple delays. Sufficient conditions for both L₂-exponential stability and exponential stability are then derived based on the constructed LKFs, which are delay-independent. Exponential convergence rate for the considered system is also investigated by a new method, which is shown to be equivalent to the existing approach by using weighted LKFs. Robust stability under parameter uncertainties is also investigated. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and less conservativeness of the proposed method.     

Evaluation of Imprecision,Bias and Total Error of Clinical Chemistry Analysers

Context Two Biosystems analysers are used in our laboratory, a fully automated A25 and a semi-automated BTS-350. Internal quality control is done for both but external quality control only for A25. As BTS-350 is used for backup, it is important that the results of both analysers are not just comparable but also within predefined limits of systematic, random and total error (TE). Aim To evaluate the imprecision, bias and TE of the two Biosystem analysers. Materials and Methods Biosystems level-1 quality control sera lot number 70A was run in duplicate for 32 days on both the analysers. Between day imprecision (measured by the coefficient of variation), bias and TE were calculated for ten analytes and were checked to see whether they are within the acceptable minimum limits, desirable limits and optimum limits of allowable error based on specifications on Westgard’s website updated in 2014. Results On both the analysers, all the analytes except alkaline phosphatase were within the acceptable minimum limits of TE and most analytes were within the desirable limits of TE. Only TG on A25 was within the optimum limit of TE. Conclusion The two Biosystem analysers performed comparably with errors within acceptable limits for most analytes. BTS-350 was found to be a suitable and ready backup analyser for A25.     

Gain-scheduled control of PVTOL aircraft dynamics with parameter-dependent disturbance

This paper presents a gain-scheduled control approach for the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The non-linear aircraft dynamics are formulated as a linear parameter varying (LPV) system with external parameter-dependent disturbance, which arisen from the equilibrating between gravity force and nozzles thrust. The disturbance is dependent on the system varying parameter, roll angle, and a constant parameter denoting the normalized gravity force. The controllers are designed in terms of mixed optimization of H^∞ performance for disturbance attenuation and relative stability for tracking position command in pitch-yaw plane. The characteristics of the parameter-dependent disturbance are described by an equality condition with a defined annihilation matrix. By exploring the parameter-dependence condition on disturbance into the controller design algorithms based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), it is showed that a better performance can be achieved than simply considering it as an external disturbance. The design results are demonstrated by time response simulations.     

On the statistical analysis of Feigenbaum constants

We present statistical analysis of blocks in the binary expansions of Feigenbaum constants α and δ for the logistic map. The analysis is carried out on both 1016 and 3400 bit expansions. A χ² test is applied for lumping data and a serial test is applied on gliding data. Contrary to a previous research by Karamanos and Kotsireas, our test results did not indicate any evidence to reject randomness of these constants. Additional 25 randomness tests also support the conjecture of randomness of these constants having transcendental character.     

Finite-size scaling of O(n) systems at the upper critical dimensionality

Logarithmic finite-size scaling of the O(n) universality class at the upper critical dimensionality (d_c = 4) has a fundamental role in statistical and condensed-matter physics and important applications in various experimental systems. Here, we address this long-standing problem in the context of the n-vector model (n = 1, 2, 3) on periodic four-dimensional hypercubic lattices. We establish an explicit scaling form for the free-energy density, which simultaneously consists of a scaling term for the Gaussian fixed point and another term with multiplicative logarithmic corrections. In particular, we conjecture that the critical two-point correlation g(r, L), with L the linear size, exhibits a two-length behavior: follows governed by the Gaussian fixed point at shorter distances and enters a plateau at larger distances whose height decays as with a logarithmic correction exponent. Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we provide complementary evidence for the predictions through the finite-size scaling of observables, including the two-point correlation, the magnetic fluctuations at zero and nonzero Fourier modes and the Binder cumulant. Our work sheds light on the formulation of logarithmic finite-size scaling and has practical applications in experimental systems.     

Limit cycle analysis of nonlinear sampled-data systems by gain-phase margin approach

This work analyzes the limit cycle phenomena of nonlinear sampled-data systems by applying the methods of gain-phase margin testing, the M-locus and the parameter plane. First, a sampled-data control system with nonlinear elements is linearized by the classical method of describing functions. The stability of the equivalent linearized system is then analyzed using the stability equations and the parameter plane method, with adjustable parameters. After the gain-phase margin tester has been added to the forward open-loop system, exactly how the gain-phase margin and the characteristics of the limit cycle are related can be elicited by determining the intersections of the M-locus and the constant gain and phase boundaries. A concise method is presented to solve this problem. The minimum gain-phase margin of the nonlinear sampled-data system at which a limit cycle can occur is investigated. This work indicates that the procedure can be easily extended to analyze the limit cycles of a sampled-data system from a continuous-data system cases considered in the literature. Finally, a sampled-data system with multiple nonlinearities is illustrated to verify the validity of the procedure.     

Media development and process parameter optimization using statistical experimental designs for the production of nonribosomal peptides in Escherichia coli

BackgroundNonribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS) can synthesize functionally diverse bioactive peptides by incorporating nonproteinogenic amino acids, offering a rich source of new drug leads. The bacterium Escherichia coli is a well-characterized production host and a promising candidate for the synthesis of nonribosomal peptides, but only limited bioprocess engineering has been reported for such molecules. We therefore developed a medium and optimized process parameters using the design of experiments (DoE) approach.ResultsWe found that glycerol is not suitable as a carbon source for rhabdopeptide production, at least for the NRPS used for this study. Alternative carbon sources from the tricarboxylic acid cycle achieved much higher yields. DoE was used to optimize the pH and temperature in a stirred-tank reactor, revealing that optimal growth and optimal production required substantially different conditions.ConclusionsWe developed a chemically defined adapted M9 medium matching the performance of complex medium (lysogeny broth) in terms of product concentration. The maximum yield in the reactor under optimized conditions was 126 mg L^-1, representing a 31-fold increase compared to the first shaking-flask experiments with M9 medium and glycerol as the carbon source. Conditions that promoted cell growth tended to inhibit NRPS productivity. The challenge was therefore to find a compromise between these factors as the basis for further process development.How to cite: Oestreich AM, Suli LI, Gerlach D. et al. Media development and process parameter optimization using statistical experimental designs for the production of nonribosomal peptides in Escherichia coli. Electron J Biotechnol 2021;52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2021.05.001     

Growth dynamics of citations of cumulative papers of individual authors according to progressive nucleation mechanism: Concept of citation acceleration

Using data generated by progressive nucleation mechanism on the cumulative fraction of citations of individual papers published successively by a hypothetical author, an expression for the time dependence of the cumulative number L_sum(t) of citations of progressively published papers is proposed. It was found that, for all nonzero values of constant publication rate ΔN, the cumulative citations L_sum(t) of the cumulative N papers published by an author in his/her entire publication career spanning over T years may be represented in distinct regions: (1) in the region 0 < t < Θ₀ (where Θ₀ ≈ T/3), L_sum(t) slowly increases proportionally to the square of the citation time t, and (2) in the region t > Θ₀, L_sum(t) approaches a constant L_sum(max) at T. In the former region, the time dependence of L_sum(t) of an author is associated with three parameters, viz. the citability parameter λ₀, the publication rate ΔN and his/her publication career t. Based on the predicted dependence of L_sum(t) on t, a useful scientometric age-independent measure, defined as citation acceleration a = L_sum(t)/t², is suggested to analyze and compare the scientific activities of different authors. Confrontation of the time dependence of cumulative number L_sum(t) of citations of papers with the theoretical equation reveals one or more citation periods during the publication careers of different authors.     

A new tool to classifying new technology-based firm prospects and expectations

This is an exploratory insight into the profile and prospects of growth and success attached to one category of firms, the so-called New Technology-Based Firms (NTBFs). Analysis of our empirically based data from 30 NTBFs leads us to the Market-Technology-Entrepreneurial (M-T-E) Matrix, whose eight three-dimensional quadrants serve to classify high-tech new ventures by performance. A factorial analysis coupled with a discriminate analysis are the statistical tools employed in obtaining the M-T-E Matrix and ascribing predictive capacity to it.