Fuzzy Control of a Large Crane Structure

The usage of tower cranes, one type of rotary cranes, is common in many industrial structures, e.g., shipyards, factories, etc.  With the size of these cranes becoming larger and the motion expected to be faster and has no prescribed path, their manual operation becomes difficult and hence, automatic closed-loop control schemes are very important in the operation of rotary crane.  In this paper, the plant of concern is a tower crane consists of a rotatable jib that carries a trolley which is capable of traveling over the length of the jib.  There is a pendulum-like end line attached to the trolley through a cable of variable length.  A fuzzy logic controller with various types of membership functions is implemented for controlling the position of the trolley and damping the load oscillations.  It consists of two main types of controllers radial and rotational each of two fuzzy inference engines (FIEs).  The radial controller is used to control the trolley position and the rotational is used for damping the load oscillations.  Computer simulations are used to verify the performance of the controller.  The results from the simulations show the effectiveness of the method in the control of tower crane keeping load swings small at the end of motion

Characterization of harmonic modes and parasitic resonances in multi-mode superconducting coplanar resonators

Planar superconducting microwave transmission line resonators can be operated at multiple harmonic resonance frequencies. This allows covering wide spectral regimes with high sensitivity, as it is desired e.g. for cryogenic microwave spectroscopy. A common complication of such experiments is the presence of undesired 'spurious' additional resonances, which are due to standing waves within the resonator substrate or housing box. Identifying the nature of individual resonances ('designed' vs. 'spurious') can become challenging for higher frequencies or if elements with unknown material properties are included, as is common for microwave spectroscopy. Here we discuss various experimental strategies to distinguish designed and spurious modes in coplanar superconducting resonators that are operated in a broad frequency range up to 20 GHz. These strategies include tracking resonance evolution as a function of temperature, magnetic field, and microwave power. We also demonstrate that local modification of the resonator, by applying minute amounts of dielectric or ESR-active materials, lead to characteristic signatures in the various resonance modes, depending on the local strength of the electric or magnetic microwave fields

Minimal Length in Quantum Gravity, Equivalence Principle and Holographic Entropy Bound

A possible discrepancy has been found between the results of a neutron interferometry experiment and Quantum Mechanics. This experiment suggests that the weak equivalence principle is violated at small length scales, which quantum mechanics cannot explain. In this paper, we investigated whether the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP), proposed by some approaches to quantum gravity such as String Theory and Doubly Special Relativity Theories (DSR), can explain the violation of the weak equivalence principle at small length scales. We also investigated the consequences of the GUP on the Liouville theorem in statistical mechanics. We have found a new form of invariant phase space in the presence of GUP. This result should modify the density states and affect the calculation of the entropy bound of local quantum field theory, the cosmological constant, black body radiation, etc. Furthermore, such modification may have observable consequences at length scales much larger than the Planck scale. This modification leads to a \sqrt{A}-type correction to the bound of the maximal entropy of a bosonic field which would definitely shed some light on the holographic theory.Comment: 12 pages, no figures, recommended to be published at Class.Quant.Gra

Modular multilevel converter-based microgrid : a critical review

Recently, the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has drawn significant attention due to its diverse merits and its applicability to a wide range of medium to high-power applications. The growing interest in the MMC can be attributed to its attractive features such as modularity, reliability, and high voltage capability. Significant research has been conducted on the MMC over the last few years to develop its operation and control in various applications. However, the application of MMCs in microgrids remains a largely unexplored topic. Therefore, this paper aims to address this research gap by offering an in-depth review of the latest developments concerning circuit topologies, control schemes, and fault-tolerance strategies of MMC within microgrid applications. This comprehensive review not only provides a synthesized overview of the current state of the art but also paves the way for future investigations in this promising field. The outcomes from this study are expected to stimulate further advancements in MMC applications in microgrid systems, thus contributing to the continuous improvement and evolution of microgrids.University of Sharjahhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6287639Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineerin

Chemical Profile of Cyperus laevigatus and Its Protective Effects against Thioacetamide-Induced Hepatorenal Toxicity in Rats

Cyperus species represent a group of cosmopolitan plants used in folk medicine to treat several diseases. In the current study, the phytochemical profile of Cyperus laevigatus ethanolic extract (CLEE) was assessed using UPLC-QTOF–MS/MS. The protective effect of CLEE at 50 and 100 mg /kg body weight (b.w.) was evaluated on hepatorenal injuries induced by thioacetamide (100 mg/kg) via investigation of the extract’s effects on oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and histopathological changes in the liver and kidney. UPLC-QTOF–MS/MS analysis of CLEE resulted in the identification of 94 compounds, including organic and phenolic acids, flavones, aurones, and fatty acids. CLEE improved the antioxidant status in the liver and kidney, as manifested by enhancement of reduced glutathione (GSH) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), in addition to the reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG). Moreover, CLEE positively affected oxidative stress parameters in plasma and thwarted the depletion of hepatorenal ATP content by thioacetamide (TAA). Furthermore, treatment of rats with CLEE alleviated the significant increase in plasma liver enzymes, kidney function parameters, and inflammatory markers. The protective effect of CLEE was confirmed by a histopathological study of the liver and kidney. Our results proposed that CLEE may reduce TAA-hepatorenal toxicity via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties suppressing oxidative stress

Effects of quantum gravity on the inflationary parameters and thermodynamics of the early universe

The effects of generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) on the inflationary dynamics and the thermodynamics of the early universe are studied. Using the GUP approach, the tensorial and scalar density fluctuations in the inflation era are evaluated and compared with the standard case. We find a good agreement with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data. Assuming that a quantum gas of scalar particles is confined within a thin layer near the apparent horizon of the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe which satisfies the boundary condition, the number and entropy densities and the free energy arising form the quantum states are calculated using the GUP approach. A qualitative estimation for effects of the quantum gravity on all these thermodynamic quantities is introduced.Comment: 15 graghes, 7 figures with 17 eps graph

In ricordo di Paolo Sylos Labini

Background: Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of disease in children less than 5 y of age. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions are the primary routes of exposure and infection. Sanitation and hygiene interventions are estimated to generate a 36% and 48% reduction in diarrheal risk in young children, respectively. Little is known about whether the number of households sharing a sanitation facility affects a child's risk of diarrhea. The objective of this study was to describe sanitation and hygiene access across the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) sites in Africa and South Asia and to assess sanitation and hygiene exposures, including shared sanitation access, as risk factors for moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children less than 5 y of age. Methods/Findings: The GEMS matched case-control study was conducted between December 1, 2007, and March 3, 2011, at seven sites in Basse, The Gambia; Nyanza Province, Kenya; Bamako, Mali; Manhiça, Mozambique; Mirzapur, Bangladesh; Kolkata, India; and Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected for 8,592 case children aged 93%) had access to a sanitation facility, while 70% of households in rural Kenya had access to a facility. Practicing open defecation was a risk factor for MSD in children <5 y old in Kenya. Sharing sanitation facilities with 1–2 or ≥3 other households was a statistically significant risk factor for MSD in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. Among those with a designated handwashing area near the home, soap or ash were more frequently observed at control households and were significantly protective against MSD in Mozambique and India. Conclusions: This study suggests that sharing a sanitation facility with just one to two other households can increase the risk of MSD in young children, compared to using a private facility. Interventions aimed at increasing access to private household sanitation facilities may reduce the burden of MSD in children. These findings support the current World Health Organization/ United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) system that categorizes shared sanitation as unimproved

Sanitation and Hygiene-Specific Risk Factors for Moderate-to-Severe Diarrhea in Young Children in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study, 2007-2011: Case-Control Study.

Background: Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of disease in children less than 5 y of age. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions are the primary routes of exposure and infection. Sanitation and hygiene interventions are estimated to generate a 36% and 48% reduction in diarrheal risk in young children, respectively. Little is known about whether the number of households sharing a sanitation facility affects a child's risk of diarrhea. The objective of this study was to describe sanitation and hygiene access across the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) sites in Africa and South Asia and to assess sanitation and hygiene exposures, including shared sanitation access, as risk factors for moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children less than 5 y of age. Methods/Findings: The GEMS matched case-control study was conducted between December 1, 2007, and March 3, 2011, at seven sites in Basse, The Gambia; Nyanza Province, Kenya; Bamako, Mali; Manhiça, Mozambique; Mirzapur, Bangladesh; Kolkata, India; and Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected for 8,592 case children aged 93%) had access to a sanitation facility, while 70% of households in rural Kenya had access to a facility. Practicing open defecation was a risk factor for MSD in children <5 y old in Kenya. Sharing sanitation facilities with 1–2 or ≥3 other households was a statistically significant risk factor for MSD in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. Among those with a designated handwashing area near the home, soap or ash were more frequently observed at control households and were significantly protective against MSD in Mozambique and India. Conclusions: This study suggests that sharing a sanitation facility with just one to two other households can increase the risk of MSD in young children, compared to using a private facility. Interventions aimed at increasing access to private household sanitation facilities may reduce the burden of MSD in children. These findings support the current World Health Organization/ United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) system that categorizes shared sanitation as unimproved