Evolutionary design of a full-envelope full-authority flight control system for an unstable high-performance aircraft

The use of an evolutionary algorithm in the framework of H1 control theory is being considered as a means for synthesizing controller gains that minimize a weighted combination of the infinite norm of the sensitivity function (for disturbance attenuation requirements) and complementary sensitivity function (for robust stability requirements) at the same time. The case study deals with a complete full-authority longitudinal control system for an unstable high-performance jet aircraft featuring (i) a stability and control augmentation system and (ii) autopilot functions (speed and altitude hold). Constraints on closed-loop response are enforced, that representing typical requirements on airplane handling qualities, that makes the control law synthesis process more demanding. Gain scheduling is required, in order to obtain satisfactory performance over the whole flight envelope, so that the synthesis is performed at different reference trim conditions, for several values of the dynamic pressure, used as the scheduling parameter. Nonetheless, the dynamic behaviour of the aircraft may exhibit significant variations when flying at different altitudes, even for the same value of the dynamic pressure, so that a trade-off is required between different feasible controllers synthesized at different altitudes for a given equivalent airspeed. A multiobjective search is thus considered for the determination of the best suited solution to be introduced in the scheduling of the control law. The obtained results are then tested on a longitudinal non-linear model of the aircraft

Does the taste matter? Taste and medicinal perceptions associated with five selected herbal drugs among three ethnic groups in West Yorkshire, Northern England

In recent years, diverse scholars have addressed the issue of the chemosensory perceptions associated with traditional medicines, nevertheless there is still a distinct lack of studies grounded in the social sciences and conducted from a cross-cultural, comparative perspective. In this urban ethnobotanical field study, 254 informants belonging to the Gujarati, Kashmiri and English ethnic groups and living in Western Yorkshire in Northern England were interviewed about the relationship between taste and medicinal perceptions of five herbal drugs, which were selected during a preliminary study. The herbal drugs included cinnamon (the dried bark of Cinnamomum verum, Lauraceae), mint (the leaves of Mentha spp., Lamiaceae), garlic (the bulbs of Allium sativum, Alliaceae), ginger (the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae), and cloves (the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, Myrtaceae). The main cross-cultural differences in taste perceptions regarded the perception the perception of the spicy taste of ginger, garlic, and cinnamon, of the bitter taste of ginger, the sweet taste of mint, and of the sour taste of garlic. The part of the study of how the five selected herbal drugs are perceived medicinally showed that TK (Traditional Knowledge) is widespread among Kashmiris, but not so prevalent among the Gujarati and especially the English samples. Among Kashmiris, ginger was frequently considered to be helpful for healing infections and muscular-skeletal and digestive disorders, mint was chosen for healing digestive and respiratory troubles, garlic for blood system disorders, and cinnamon was perceived to be efficacious for infectious diseases. Among the Gujarati and Kashmiri groups there was evidence of a strong link between the bitter and spicy tastes of ginger, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon and their perceived medicinal properties, whereas there was a far less obvious link between the sweet taste of mint and cinnamon and their perceived medicinal properties, although the link did exist among some members of the Gujarati group. Data presented in this study show how that links between taste perceptions and medicinal uses of herbal drugs may be understood as bio-cultural phenomena rooted in human physiology, but also constructed through individual experiences and culture, and that these links can therefore be quite different across diverse cultures

Formation of the internal structure of solids under severe action

On the example of a particular problem, the theory of vacancies, a new form of kinetic equations symmetrically incorporation the internal and free energies has been derived. The dynamical nature of irreversible phenomena at formation and motion of defects (dislocations) has been analyzed by a computer experiment. The obtained particular results are extended into a thermodynamic identity involving the law of conservation of energy at interaction with an environment (the 1st law of thermodynamics) and the law of energy transformation into internal degree of freedom (relaxation). The identity is compared with the analogous Jarzynski identity. The approach is illustrated by simulation of processes during severe plastic deformation, the Rybin kinetic equation for this case has been derived.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Meson model for f_0(980) production in peripheral pion-nucleon reactions

The Juelich model for pion-pion-scattering, based on an effective meson-meson Lagrangian is applied to the analysis of the S-wave production amplitudes derived from the BNL E852 experiment pi^- p -> pi^0 pi^0 n for a pion momentum of 18.3 GeV. The unexpected strong dependence of the S-wave partial wave amplitude on the momentum transfer between the proton and neutron in the vicinity of the f_0(980) resonance is explained in our analysis as interference effect between the correlated and uncorrelated pi^0 pi^0 pairs.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, formulas added, typos removed, new figure

Augmented serum levels of the IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 ratio in pre-menopausal patients with type I breast cysts

Objective: Gross cystic disease (GCD) is the most common benign breast pathology. Although breast cysts are not considered pre-malignant lesions, an increased risk of breast cancer has been reported for patients with type I cysts (Na+/K+ < 3). Furthermore, an augmented IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) ratio has been described in breast cancer patients. The objective was to evaluate serum IGF-I and binding protein concentrations of type I and type II cyst patients as compared with healthy women. Methods: Twenty-four patients with type I cysts, 17 with type II cysts and 25 healthy women were evaluated. Serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-1 concentrations were measured by IRMA. Results: IGF-I concentrations were significantly higher in sera from patients with type I cysts than in patients with type II cysts. A highly significant decrease of IGFBP-3, the major IGFBP, was found in patients with type I cysts with respect to healthy women, whereas no significant difference was evident between the different cyst types. The IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio, an estimate of biologically active IGF-I, was very significantly higher in patients with type I cysts than in both type II patients and healthy women. IGFBP-1 levels were significantly lower in patients with type I than in controls and type II cysts. The IGF-I/IGFBP-1 ratio was significantly higher in patients with type I cysts than in type II bearers and healthy women. Estrogen levels correlated with IGF-I in patients and controls. Conclusions: The enhanced levels of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 found in patients with type I cysts could eventually be associated with the increased risk of breast cancer described for this group.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Augmented serum levels of the IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 ratio in pre-menopausal patients with type I breast cysts

Objective: Gross cystic disease (GCD) is the most common benign breast pathology. Although breast cysts are not considered pre-malignant lesions, an increased risk of breast cancer has been reported for patients with type I cysts (Na+/K+ < 3). Furthermore, an augmented IGF-I/IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) ratio has been described in breast cancer patients. The objective was to evaluate serum IGF-I and binding protein concentrations of type I and type II cyst patients as compared with healthy women. Methods: Twenty-four patients with type I cysts, 17 with type II cysts and 25 healthy women were evaluated. Serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-1 concentrations were measured by IRMA. Results: IGF-I concentrations were significantly higher in sera from patients with type I cysts than in patients with type II cysts. A highly significant decrease of IGFBP-3, the major IGFBP, was found in patients with type I cysts with respect to healthy women, whereas no significant difference was evident between the different cyst types. The IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio, an estimate of biologically active IGF-I, was very significantly higher in patients with type I cysts than in both type II patients and healthy women. IGFBP-1 levels were significantly lower in patients with type I than in controls and type II cysts. The IGF-I/IGFBP-1 ratio was significantly higher in patients with type I cysts than in type II bearers and healthy women. Estrogen levels correlated with IGF-I in patients and controls. Conclusions: The enhanced levels of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 found in patients with type I cysts could eventually be associated with the increased risk of breast cancer described for this group.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Study of the reaction pbar p -> phi phi from 1.1 to 2.0 GeV/c

A study has been performed of the reaction pbar p -> 4K using in-flight antiprotons from 1.1 to 2.0 GeV/c incident momentum interacting with a hydrogen jet target. The reaction is dominated by the production of a pair of phi mesons. The pbar p -> phi phi cross section rises sharply above threshold and then falls continuously as a function of increasing antiproton momentum. The overall magnitude of the cross section exceeds expectations from a simple application of the OZI rule by two orders of magnitude. In a fine scan around the xi/f_J(2230) resonance, no structure is observed. A limit is set for the double branching ratio B(xi -> pbar p) * B(xi -> phi phi) < 6e-5 for a spin 2 resonance of M = 2.235 GeV and Width = 15 MeV.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, Latex. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Partial wave analysiss of pbar-p -> piminus-piplus, pizero-pizero, eta-eta and eta-etaprime

A partial wave analysis is presented of Crystal Barrel data on pbar-p -> pizero-pizero, eta-eta and eta-etaprime from 600 to 1940 MeV/c, combined with earlier data on d\sigma /d\Omega and P for pbar-p->piminus-piplus. The following s-channel I=0 resonances are identified: (i) J^{PC} = 5^{--} with mass and width (M,\Gamma) at (2295+-30,235^{+65}_{-40}) MeV, (ii) J^{PC} = 4^{++} at (2020+-12, 170+-15) MeV and (2300+-25, 270+-50) MeV, (iii) 3D3 JPC = 3^{--} at (1960+-15, 150+-25) MeV and (2210+-4$, 360+-55) MeV, and a 3G3 state at (2300 ^{+50}_{-80}, 340+-150) MeV, (iv) JPC = 2^{++} at (1910+-30, 260+-40) MeV, (2020+-30, 275+-35) MeV, (2230+-30, 245+-45) MeV, and (2300+-35, 290+-50) MeV, (v) JPC = 1^{--} at (2005+-40, 275+-75) MeV, and (2165+-40, 160 ^{+140}_{-70}) MeV, and (vi) JPC = 0^{++} at (2005+-30, 305+-50) MeV, (2105+-15, 200+-25) MeV, and (2320+-30, 175+-45) MeV. In addition, there is a less well defined 6^{++} resonance at 2485+-40 MeV, with Gamma = 410+-90 MeV. For every JP, almost all these resonances lie on well defined linear trajectories of mass squared v. excitation number. The slope is 1.10+-0.03 Gev^2 per excitation. The f_0(2105) has strong coupling to eta-\eta, but much weaker coupling to pizero-pizero. Its flavour mixing angle between q-qbar and s-sbar is (59-71.6)deg, i.e. dominant decays to s-sbar. Such decays and its strong production in pbar-p interactions strongly suggest exotic character.Comment: Makes available the combined fit to Crystal Barrel data on pbar-p -> 2-body final states. 29 pages, 11 figures. Typo corrected in version

A General Solution to the Aircraft Trim Problem

Trim defines conditions for both design and analysis based on aircraft models. In fact, we often define these analysis points more broadly than the conditions normally associated with trim conditions to facilitate that analysis or design. In simulations, these analysis points establish initial conditions comparable to flight conditions. Based on aerodynamic and propulsion systems models of an aircraft, trim analysis can be used to provide the data needed to define the operating envelope or the performance characteristics. Linear models are typically derived at trim points. Control systems are designed and evaluated at points defined by trim conditions. And these trim conditions provide us a starting point for comparing one model against another, one implementation of a model against another implementation of the same model, and the model to flight-derived data. In this paper we define what we mean by trim, examine a variety of trim conditions that have proved useful and derive the equations defining those trim conditions. Finally we present a general approach to trim through constrained minimization of a cost function based on the nonlinear, six-degree-of freedom state equations coupled with the aerodynamic and propulsion system models. We provide an example of how a trim algorithm is used with a simulation by showing an example from JSBSim