Ride responses of macpherson suspension systems

The main purpose of this study is to obtain more correct vehicle ride responses by using a nonlinear ride model considering the effect of Macpherson suspension geometry. Traditional ride model applied to analysis and controller design uses a two degree of freedom linear model, which includes sprung mass and unsprung mass and a spring and a damper vertically connect them. In fact, suspension components do not vertically position above the tire. The motions of body and tire are not going straight up and down. Therefore, the analysis results obtained by the simple model are often different from the experimental values of the actual vehicle. Because of the difference between simple model and actual vehicle, the control strategy almost cannot apply to actual vehicle. In order to understand the effect of suspension geometry on the vehicle ride responses and design a more practical control strategy, a nonlinear model including the geometric parameters of the suspension is constructed in this study. To estimate the initial equilibrium position of the suspension assembly under load, the static equilibrium analysis and mechanism motion analysis are synchronous implemented at the same time. The nonlinear model describes not only the relative position and velocity but also the force transmission between body and tire. Furthermore, by linearize this nonlinear model the development of control strategy for subsequent (semi) active suspension system could be expected

Using Hybrid Angle/Distance Information for Distributed Topology Control in Vehicular Sensor Networks

In a vehicular sensor network (VSN), the key design issue is how to organize vehicles effectively, such that the local network topology can be stabilized quickly. In this work, each vehicle with on-board sensors can be considered as a local controller associated with a group of communication members. In order to balance the load among the nodes and govern the local topology change, a group formation scheme using localized criteria is implemented. The proposed distributed topology control method focuses on reducing the rate of group member change and avoiding the unnecessary information exchange. Two major phases are sequentially applied to choose the group members of each vehicle using hybrid angle/distance information. The operation of Phase I is based on the concept of the cone-based method, which can select the desired vehicles quickly. Afterwards, the proposed time-slot method is further applied to stabilize the network topology. Given the network structure in Phase I, a routing scheme is presented in Phase II. The network behaviors are explored through simulation and analysis in a variety of scenarios. The results show that the proposed mechanism is a scalable and effective control framework for VSNs

Understanding Mobile Apps Continuance Usage Behavior and Habit: An Expectance-Confirmation Theory

With the growing development of information technology and the wireless telecommunication network nowadays, mobile devices have been expanding rapidly and have been emerging as important tools for consumers. Using m-services and applications (apps) on mobile devices becomes custom in people’s daily lives. This study proposes a theoretical model to explore the continued usage behavior for smartphone. The objective of this study is to explore how perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and confirmation influencing satisfaction and habit of consumers, and in turn influencing continued usage behavior, as well as the moderating effect of three characteristics of m-commerce. The proposed model will empirically be tested using survey method and collecting data from smartphone users in longitudinal setting. The structural equation modeling technique will be used to evaluate the causal model and confirmatory factor analysis will be performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The findings of this study are expected to illustrate how factors influence individuals to use m-services and mobile apps and become a habit, as well as how these habits influence continued smartphone usage

Functional response of the soil microbial community to biochar applications

Biochar has the potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change and soil degradation by simultaneously sequestering C in soil and improving soil quality. However, the mechanism of biochar's effect on soil microbial communities remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a global meta-analysis, where we collected 2,110 paired observations from 107 published papers and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the effects of biochar on microbial community structure and function. Our result indicated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal abundance, microbial biomass C, and functional richness increased with biochar addition regardless of loads, time since application, and experiment types. Results from mixed linear model analysis suggested that soil respiration and actinomycetes (ACT) abundance decreased with biochar application. With the increase of soil pH, the effect of biochar on fungal abundance and C metabolic ability was lessened. Higher biochar pH associated with higher pyrolysis temperatures reduced the abundance of bacteria, fungi, ACT, and soil microbes feeding on miscellaneous C from Biolog Eco-plate experiments. SEM that examined the effect of biochar properties, load, and soil properties on microbial community indicated that fungal abundance was the dominant factor affecting the response of the bacterial abundance to biochar. The response of bacterial abundance to biochar addition was soil dependent, whereas fungi abundance was mostly related to biochar load and pyrolysis temperature. Based on soil conditions, controlling biochar load and production conditions would be a direct way to regulate the effect of biochar application on soil microbial function and increase the capacity to sequester C

Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis with ecthyma gangrenosum and pseudomembranous pharyngolaryngitis in a 5-month-old boy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection that induced pseudomembranous laryngopharyngitis and ecthyma gangrenosum simultaneously in a healthy infant is rare. We reported on a previously healthy 5-month-old boy with initial presentation of fever and diarrhea followed by stridor and progressive respiratory distress. P. aeruginosa sepsis was suspected because ecthyma gangrenosum over the right leg was found at the emergency department, and the diagnosis was confirmed by the blood culture. Fiberscope revealed bacterial pharyngolaryngitis without involvement of the trachea. Because of early recognition and adequate treatment, including antimicrobial therapy, noninvasive ventilation, incision, and drainage, he recovered completely without any complications

Information and Control ICIC International c ⃝2011 ISSN

Abstract. The statistical process control (SPC) chart is effective in detecting proces

Genotoxicity Assessment of Multispecies Probiotics Using Reverse Mutation, Mammalian Chromosomal Aberration, and Rodent Micronucleus Tests

Genotoxicity assessment is carried out on freeze dried powder of cultured probiotics containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus LCR177, Bifidobacterium adolescentis BA286, and Pediococcus acidilactici PA318. Ames tests, in vitro mammalian chromosome aberration assay, and micronucleus tests in mouse peripheral blood are performed. For 5 strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, the Ames tests show no increased reverse mutation upon exposure to the test substance. In CHO cells, the frequency of chromosome aberration does not increase in responding to the treatment of probiotics. Likewise, the frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes in probiotics-fed mice is indistinguishable from that in the negative control group. Taken together, the toxicity assessment studies suggest that the multispecies probiotic mixture does not have mutagenic effects on various organisms

Self‐potential ambient noise and spectral relationship with urbanization, seismicity, and strain rate revealed via the Taiwan Geoelectric Monitoring Network

AbstractGeoelectric self‐potential (SP) signals are sensitive to natural and anthropogenic factors. The SP spectral characteristics under the different factors in Taiwan were investigated, and the SP spectral scalings were correlated with urbanization level, seismicity, and crustal deformation. The ambient SP noise models were first established by estimating the probability density functions of the spectrograms at each frequency. The effects of the natural and anthropogenic factors on the SP signals are understood by comparing the SP noise models under various conditions, such as precipitation, urbanization, and electric trains. Results show that the SP signals in areas of high industrialization and human activity and areas close to train stations behave as white noises and exhibit a distinct spectral ripple at frequencies around 1 Hz. On the other hand, the SP spectral power law parameters, Gutenberg‐Richter b values, and dilation strain rates were estimated by using the SP, earthquake catalog, and GPS data, respectively, during 2012–2017. By investigating the correlations of the SP spectral parameters with the Gutenberg‐Richter b value, dilation strain rates, and urbanization level, the SP optimal frequency band is found between 0.006 and 1 Hz due to the high correlation between the SP and seismicity data and between the SP and dilation data and the low correlation between the SP and urbanization data. Hence, this study may help the filtering and screening of the SP data and facilitate the understanding of the mechano‐electric behavior in the crust