Application of mixed integer nonlinear programming for system identification

This work describes a method of deadtime approximation in dynamic systems, particularly in the context of nonlinear model predictive control based on mechanistic models where the differentiability of the equations must be ensured. The resulting system identification system is solved using the BBMCSFilter (Branch and Bound based on a Multistart Coordinate Search Filter) global optimization algorithm to determine the order and the parameters of the resulting model, taking into account not only the model-plant mismatch but also the model complexity and the resulting computation time. The application of the method is illustrated with a simulated example of a chemical process unit. © 2020 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.This work was supported by Fundac¸ao para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, UID/EQU/00102/2019. The first author also thanks project MATIS, ref. CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000014, with financial support of ERDF (CENTRO2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PID controllers tuning with MCSFilter

This work concerns the tuning of industrial controllers through the use of the Multistart Coordinate Search Filter algorithm. The task is laid as a bounded nonlinear global optimization problem aiming at achieving the best possible performance of the control loops at the lowest possible wearing of the costly valves. Moreover, the tuning was successfully carried out both with and without taking into consideration the existing interactions between different loops.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Parameter estimation of a pulp digester model with derivative-free optimization strategies

The work concerns the parameter estimation in the context of the mechanistic modelling of a pulp digester. The problem is cast as a box bounded nonlinear global optimization problem in order to minimize the mismatch between the model outputs with the experimental data observed at a real pulp and paper plant. MCSFilter and Simulated Annealing global optimization methods were used to solve the optimization problem. While the former took longer to converge to the global minimum, the latter terminated faster at a significantly higher value of the objective function and, thus, failed to find the global solution.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An approach to phenotypic analysis and environmental variability. The examples of the genera Dianthus L. and Lotus L. in the north of Portugal

The analysis of the correlation between phenotypic plasticity and environmental variability has been very useful to describe the morphologic responses of individuals to environmental factors affecting them (in the present contribution the altitudinal variation), from a genecological perpective. However, the literature shows that the studies in this area have had a monospecific or monogeneric use. As a consequence, intergeneric comparative descriptions have not been possible. In the present work we propose an analytical method to compare the morphological expressivity of individuals included in the genera Dianthus and Lotus from the north of Portugal by means of a contingency matrix. This matrix was elaborated on the basis of amplitude parameters, in order to describe the variability present in the basic matrix of each genus studied. The results pointed out the existence of opposite phenotypic behaviours dependent on the altitudinal variation, thus indicating the importance of the analysis between different groups of taxa as a reference for the comparison of their morphological expressivities

Comparative abundance and diversity of Dryininae (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) in three savannah phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil, under three sampling methods

Comparative abundance and diversity of Dryininae (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) in three savannah phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil, under three sampling methods. This study aimed to assess the abundance and diversity of Dryininae in riparian vegetation, Brazilian savannah, and savannah woodland vegetation at the Estação Ecológica de Jataí, in Luiz Antônio, State of São Paulo, Brazil, by using Moericke, Malaise, and light traps. The sampling was carried out from December 2006 to November 2009, and 371 specimens of Dryininae were caught, with the highest frequencies in spring and summer. Fourteen species of Dryinus Latreille, 1804 and one of Thaumatodryinus Perkins, 1905 were identified. The highest frequencies of Dryinus in the riparian vegetation differed significantly from those obtained in the Brazilian savannah and savannah woodland vegetation. In the riparian vegetation, the highest number of Dryinus was collected using light traps and the interactions between abundance and the collection method used were significant. The number of specimens of Dryinus collected in the Brazilian savannah and savannah woodland vegetation using Malaise traps did not differ significantly from those obtained using Moericke traps. Males significantly outnumbered females in the sex ratio of Dryinus. The species diversity of Dryinus based on females collected using Malaise traps was high in the Brazilian savannah. Furthermore, high species richness of female Dryinus was observed in riparian vegetation (six species) and Brazilian savannah (five). The light trap was the most successful method for sampling diversity of Dryininae

The in vitro bioactivity of two novel hydrophilic, partially degradable bone cements

Composite bone cements were prepared with bioactive glasses (MgO–SiO2–3CaO Æ P2O5) of different reactivities. The matrix of these so-called hydrophilic, partially degradable and bioactive cements was composed of a starch/cellulose acetate blend and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). The addition of 30 wt.% of glasses to this system made them bioactive in acellular medium: a dense apatite layer formed on the surface after 7 days of immersion in simulated body fluid. This was demonstrated both by microscopic and infrared spectroscopic techniques. The composition of the glass and, consequently, its structure was found to have important effects on the rate of the apatite formation. The combination of reactivity obtained by one formulation with the hydrophilic and degradable character of these cements makes them a very promising alternative to conventional acrylic bone cements, by allowing a better stabilization of the implant and a stronger adhesion to the bone

Vaccinia Virus Infection in Monkeys, Brazilian Amazon

To detect orthopoxvirus in the Brazilian Amazon, we conducted a serosurvey of 344 wild animals. Neutralizing antibodies against orthopoxvirus were detected by plaque-reduction neutralizing tests in 84 serum samples. Amplicons from 6 monkey samples were sequenced. These amplicons identified vaccinia virus genetically similar to strains from bovine vaccinia outbreaks in Brazil