Self-tuning diagnosis of routine alarms in rotating plant items

Condition monitoring of rotating plant items in the energy generation industry is often achieved through examination of vibration signals. Engineers use this data to monitor the operation of turbine generators, gas circulators and other key plant assets. A common approach in such monitoring is to trigger an alarm when a vibration deviates from a predefined envelope of normal operation. This limit-based approach, however, generates a large volume of alarms not indicative of system damage or concern, such as operational transients that result in temporary increases in vibration. In the nuclear generation context, all alarms on rotating plant assets must be analysed and subjected to auditable review. The analysis of these alarms is often undertaken manually, on a case- by-case basis, but recent developments in monitoring research have brought forward the use of intelligent systems techniques to automate parts of this process. A knowledge- based system (KBS) has been developed to automatically analyse routine alarms, where the underlying cause can be attributed to observable operational changes. The initialisation and ongoing calibration of such systems, however, is a problem, as normal machine state is not uniform throughout asset life due to maintenance procedures and the wear of components. In addition, different machines will exhibit differing vibro- acoustic dynamics. This paper proposes a self-tuning knowledge-driven analysis system for routine alarm diagnosis across the key rotating plant items within the nuclear context common to the UK. Such a system has the ability to automatically infer the causes of routine alarms, and provide auditable reports to the engineering staff

EXPRESSION OF ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM OXIDOREDUCTASES (EROS) AND THEIR ROLE IN THE GI TRACT

It has been shown that some ER redox enzymes are differentially expressed in stomach and oesophagus tissue. The tissues of the gastrointestinal system, which are subject to external changes of environment during the process of digestion, represent a novel area in which human ER oxidoreductases (Eros) can be studied. Barrett's oesophagus is a common premalignant condition characterised by acid and bile reflux. We hypothesised that the development of metaplastic tissue in Barrettʼs may be associated with changes in the expression of Eros, and that the environment of gastric reflux could drive oxidative changes in the structure of Eros. In this thesis, it is shown that Ero1α is expressed at a higher level in OE33 oesophageal adenocarcinoma cells than in OE21 oesophageal squamous carcinoma cells. Ero1β is not expressed in these cells. Altering pH or culture media or bile acid treatment does not cause any detectable changes in the expression or oxidation state of Ero1α, Ero1β or Protein Disulphide Isomerases (PDIs) in the OE21 and OE33 cell lines. Human Ero1β was produced as a recombinant HIS-tagged protein, which was inactive when thioredoxin was used as a substrate, but could oxidise PDI in vitro. Attempts were made to produce redox-state specific antibodies against either Ero1α or Ero1β. Ero1α and Ero1β-HIS recombinant proteins were used to produce hybridomas, which were tested for Ero1α or Ero1β specificity in rodent tissue and cell lines

The age and origin of the central Scotia Sea

Opening of the Drake Passage gateway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans has been linked in various ways to Cenozoic climate changes. From the oceanic floor of Drake Passage, the largest of the remaining uncertainties in understanding this opening is in the timing and process of the opening of the central Scotia Sea. All but one of the available constraints on the age of the central Scotia Sea is diagnostic of, or consistent with, a Mesozoic age. Comparison of tectonic and magnetic features on the seafloor with plate kinematic models shows that it is likely to have accreted to a mid-ocean ridge between the South American and Antarctic plates following their separation in Jurassic times. Subsequent regional shallowing may be related to subduction-related processes that preceded backarc extension in the East Scotia Sea. The presence of a fragment of Jurassic–Cretaceous ocean floor in the gateway implies that deep water connections through the Scotia Sea basin complex may have been possible since Eocene times when the continental tips of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula first passed each other

Self-tuning routine alarm analysis of vibration signals in steam turbine generators

This paper presents a self-tuning framework for knowledge-based diagnosis of routine alarms in steam turbine generators. The techniques provide a novel basis for initialising and updating time series feature extraction parameters used in the automated decision support of vibration events due to operational transients. The data-driven nature of the algorithms allows for machine specific characteristics of individual turbines to be learned and reasoned about. The paper provides a case study illustrating the routine alarm paradigm and the applicability of systems using such techniques

G protein-coupled receptors not currently in the spotlight: free fatty acid receptor 2 and GPR35

It is widely appreciated that G protein-coupled receptors have been the most successfully exploited class of targets for the development of small molecule medicines. Despite this, to date, less than 15% of the non-olfactory G protein-coupled receptors in the human genome are the targets of a clinically used medicine. In many cases this is likely to reflect a lack of understanding of the basic underpinning biology of many G protein-coupled receptors that are not currently in the spotlight, as well as a paucity of pharmacological tool compounds and appropriate animal models to test in vivo function of such G protein-coupled receptors in both normal physiology and in the context of disease. ‘Open Innovation’ arrangements, in which pharmaceutical companies and public-private partnerships provide wider access to tool compounds identified from ligand screening programmes, alongside enhanced medicinal chemistry support to convert such screening ‘hits’ into useful ‘tool’ compounds will provide important routes to improved understanding. However, in parallel, novel approaches to define and fully appreciate the selectivity and mode of action of such tool compounds, as well as better understanding of potential species orthologue variability in the pharmacology and/or signalling profile of a wide range of currently poorly understood and understudied G protein-coupled receptors, will be vital to fully exploit the therapeutic potential of this large target class. I consider these themes using as exemplars the G protein-coupled receptors Free Fatty Acid receptor 2 and GPR35