MIMO jerk derivative feedforward for motion systems

This paper shows that flexible modes in motion systems result in residual dynamics that can not be reduced using conventional acceleration feedforward and static decoupling. When reference trajectories with low frequency excitation are applied, low frequency tracking errors and cross-talk errors occur as peaks during jerk phases of a motion. A multivariable jerk derivative feedforward controller is presented which compensates for the joint contribution of all flexible modes in the low frequency region. Furthermore it is shown that no higher order (than 4) feedforward controller is required to improve low frequency tracking performance. A simulation example of a positioning device shows a significant improvement of the tracking performance

Permanence and stability of placement : an assessment of the effectiveness of foster and adoptive parent training

Achieving permanence and stability, both emotionally and physically, is a major goal for most people. This goal begins to surface early in life within the family setting. Unfortunately, children who have been subjected to abuse and/or neglect at the hands of their caregivers may face the grave consequence of lack of permanency and instability within their family systems. This grave consequence is one that can have a negative effect on a person’s future. In order to prevent this from occurring, the Monterey County Department of Social and Employment Services (DSES), Family and Children Services works to provide children, who have suffered from abuse, with permanent and stable placements. While interning with the Adoptions Unit for Monterey County DSES, I have gained the understanding that training is the key to preparing new foster and adoptive caregivers. This training also supplies these caregivers with the necessary information that will create a stable environment for the child. My Capstone centers on evaluating how effective this training is in hopes of giving the gift of permanence and stability to the children who have suffered from abuse

Having a Feel for Others’ Pain

Pain is a phenomenon so common that almost all individuals become familiar with this sensation at some point in life. Some consider it as unavoidable and others as a challenge that has to be defeated. During the second part of the last century researchers became interested in the neurobiological source and regulation of pain, the use of assessment instruments to “objectify” pain, and treatment options for distinct patient groups and types of pain. Meanwhile we have become aware of the negative impact of pain on quality of life, recovery from surgery and survival, as well as the risk of acute pain turning into chronic pain. Babies and intellectually disabled individuals of all ages have often been excluded from pain studies; for long it was believed that they were unable to experience pain. For infants and young children this belief was not specifically based on a scientific rationale but more on a lack of knowledge about the status of the myelinisation process of the nerves in neonates, the individual variability in drug disposition and fear of harmful side effects of analgesics and narcotics. Intellectually disabled individuals have always been considered to be unable to experience or suffer from pain. This misconception was partly based on absence of visible emotion during potentially painful situations, like continuing to walk with a broken hip or leg. Such observations seemed more important than the knowledge that a condition is known to be (extremely) painful in individuals that are not intellectually disabled. Fortunately enough we have done away with these misconceptions. A landmark publication of Anand and Hickey in 1987 reported huge circulatory and metabolic complications in (prematurely born) neonates after ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus without fentanyl compared to children that received fentanyl. Since then it was acknowledged that babies are capable to feel pain and require treatment just like in older patients

Detonation and Autoignition : Some Considerations on Methods of Determination

This paper is a critical analysis of the methods of determination of the tendency to detonation. No attempt has been made to describe in detail the different fuels and the different methods proposed

Frequency response based multivariable control design for motion systems

In this paper, we discuss the design of multivariablemotion controllers exploiting crosscouplings in the controller for open loop decoupling, disturbance rejection and feedforward decoupling. Using specific properties of motion systems, we illustrate that frequency response design methods can be extendedto handle several multivariable control problems. Application to high performance motion systems shows significant improvement

Multivariable control design for fixed direction disturbances

In this paper, a blind identification method is employedto model multivariable disturbances with fixed direction.The multivariable disturbance model is used to design nondiagonalweighting filters for Hinf control. It is demonstratedthat in this way, intuitive shaping of the directions of closed loop transfer functions is facilitated, maximally exploiting design freedom that has no analogue for scalar systems

Transmission and control of Fish-borne Zoonotic Trematodes in aquaculture

Fish-borne Zoonotic Trematodes (FZTs) affect the health of millions of humans worldwide. For persistence, the life cycle of FZTs depends on aquatic snails, fish, and definitive hosts like humans, pigs or chickens. Definitive hosts can become infected by eating raw or undercooked fish. Integrated Agriculture Aquaculture (IAA) systems improve the livelihood of small scale farmers, but may enhance transmission of FZTs because all types of hosts and all transmission routes can be present on a single farm. This thesiscombines experiments, statistical analyses and mathematical modelling to gain insight into transmission mechanisms of FZTs to fish in aquaculture and to use this insight to compare and discuss control measures against FZTs. Currently, medication of humans is the main strategy to control FZTs. Modelling indicated that this does not lead to elimination of FZTs because both humans and definitive hosts other than humans will maintain the life cycle of FZTs independently. Treatment of (a part of) these host types may eliminate FZTs, e.g. treating all humans and 54% of definitive hosts other than humans. Aquaculture may provide opportunities for control of FZTs by adapting management measures. Experiments showed that smaller fish get more often and more heavily infected with FZTs than larger fish; common carp (Cyprinus carpio) of more than 50 g rarely acquire new infections. Once carp are infected, FZTs persist for at least 27 weeks, implying that harvestable fish still contain FZTs and, therefore, are a risk to human health. In most IAA systems, fish are kept FZT free until 0.5 g before being stocked into a fish pond where they are very likely to be exposed to FZTs. Stocking fish at more than 25 g, or at more than 14 g in combination with treating all humans with anthelmintics, may lead to elimination of FZTs. Also, control of snails by either decreasing density or increasing mortality of snails may lead to elimination of FZTs in aquaculture. Farmers and policy makers should evaluate which combination of control measures is attractive to them.</p

Longitudinal Analysis of the Gill microbiomes of Atlantic Salmon from four Scottish farms reveals dynamics in bacterial richness and seasonal trends in diversity.

Atlantic Salmon aquaculture in Scotland is a major industry being both Scotland, and the UK’s largest food export. Gill disease, in particular Complex Gill Disease, is a significant challenge of salmon production. It is increasingly understood that the microbiome can influence host health and immunity. Therefore, the objective of the study is to identify and characterise the gill microbiome from stocking to harvest from four sites in Scotland 2018-2020. At each site, mucosal gill swabs were collected fortnightly (sites A &amp; C) or monthly (sites B &amp; G) from eight fish in two pens (n=623 fish). Gill samples underwent 16S rRNA Illumina MiSeq amplicon library preparation and analysis to characterise changes in the gill mucosal communities. Complex Gill disease was identified in sampled fish from each site (A: 20%, B: 11%, C: 24%, G: 13%).At the four sites we showed species richness (alpha diversity) varied over time ranging from 68 ±SD31 to 777 ±SD152 (average 353 ±SD 158). Interestingly, 1100–1500 degree-days after seawater transfer, a distinct decline in species richness and evenness was observed at three of the four sties (A:410 SD± 134 to 276 SD±86 , B:264 SD±67 to 156 SD±71 , C:356 SD±130 to 228 SD±89). In terms of community composition, 1) while there were similarities between all four sites, the communities were statistically different (R = 0.067, P&lt;0.001) from each farm, indicating that sites contributes to differences seen in the microbiome. Within each farm, a seasonal pattern in the microbiome was seen, with community shifts through winter-spring-summer-autumn (A: R2 = 0.11, P&lt;0.001, B: R2 = 0.30, P&lt;0.001, C: R2 = 0.22, P&lt;0.001, G: R2 = 0.11, P&lt;0.001). Proteobacteria dominated the gills (average: 73.6%), with Bacteriodota (average: 18.2%) also highly abundant at all sites. Overall, we have shown changes in the bacterial communities over time and between sites indicating both seasonal and temporal changes in the gill microbiome. Understanding this will help us to better understand the role of the gill microbiome and its role in fish health. <br/

Longitudinal Analysis of the Gill microbiomes of Atlantic Salmon from four Scottish farms reveals dynamics in bacterial richness and seasonal trends in diversity.

Atlantic Salmon aquaculture in Scotland is a major industry being both Scotland, and the UK’s largest food export. Gill disease, in particular Complex Gill Disease, is a significant challenge of salmon production. It is increasingly understood that the microbiome can influence host health and immunity. Therefore, the objective of the study is to identify and characterise the gill microbiome from stocking to harvest from four sites in Scotland 2018-2020. At each site, mucosal gill swabs were collected fortnightly (sites A &amp; C) or monthly (sites B &amp; G) from eight fish in two pens (n=623 fish). Gill samples underwent 16S rRNA Illumina MiSeq amplicon library preparation and analysis to characterise changes in the gill mucosal communities. Complex Gill disease was identified in sampled fish from each site (A: 20%, B: 11%, C: 24%, G: 13%).At the four sites we showed species richness (alpha diversity) varied over time ranging from 68 ±SD31 to 777 ±SD152 (average 353 ±SD 158). Interestingly, 1100–1500 degree-days after seawater transfer, a distinct decline in species richness and evenness was observed at three of the four sties (A:410 SD± 134 to 276 SD±86 , B:264 SD±67 to 156 SD±71 , C:356 SD±130 to 228 SD±89). In terms of community composition, 1) while there were similarities between all four sites, the communities were statistically different (R = 0.067, P&lt;0.001) from each farm, indicating that sites contributes to differences seen in the microbiome. Within each farm, a seasonal pattern in the microbiome was seen, with community shifts through winter-spring-summer-autumn (A: R2 = 0.11, P&lt;0.001, B: R2 = 0.30, P&lt;0.001, C: R2 = 0.22, P&lt;0.001, G: R2 = 0.11, P&lt;0.001). Proteobacteria dominated the gills (average: 73.6%), with Bacteriodota (average: 18.2%) also highly abundant at all sites. Overall, we have shown changes in the bacterial communities over time and between sites indicating both seasonal and temporal changes in the gill microbiome. Understanding this will help us to better understand the role of the gill microbiome and its role in fish health. <br/