Evaluation of a servo settling algorithm

The aim of this work is to discuss methods of friction identification and provide experimental evaluation of a novel control algorithm that enhances settling after point-to-point motion. This algorithm is called the Nonlinear Integral Action Settling Algorithm or NIASA. As the name suggests, the integral gain is nonlinear, and is based upon a Dahl friction model. The settling resulting from PID + NIASA control is nearly exponential, and governed by a time constant that is specified in the control design. As the NIASA algorithm requires, friction parameters must be identified for the servo under test. Two methods of friction identification (Step Tests and Identification Profile) are contrasted and found to provide comparable results, although the latter can provide advantages. The identified friction parameters are in turn used to perform four sets of control experiments; two PID controllers (standard factory tuning and high performance PID with acceleration feedforward) are tested both with and without NIASA compensation. In the case study with a factory tuned PID controller, servo settling times to within ±3-100 nm, are reduced by between 80.5 and 87.4 when NIASA compensation is added. When the NIASA compensator is added to the high performance PID controller, servo settling time is still reduced by between 50.5 and 73.0. Although the NIASA compensator was designed to increase settling performance for relatively large point-to-point motions, similar positive results are achieved when the method is applied to smaller step motions that do not leave the pre-rolling friction regime. Frequency domain analyses demonstrated the nonlinear loop-gain of the plant, with a clear distinction between the rolling and pre-rolling friction cases. As expected, the nonlinear loop gain was found to lower the bandwidth for smaller motions. Adding NIASA control was observed to increase the bandwidth for small motions by a factor of 3-6, while having little effect for large motions. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Nonlinear control algorithm for improving settling time in systems with friction

A nonlinear control algorithm that greatly reduces settling time in precision instruments with rolling element bearings is proposed. Reductions of 80.5%-87.4% in settling time were achieved when settling to within 3-100 nm of the commanded position. Final settling of such systems is typically impacted by the nonlinearity in the pre-rolling friction regime, which manifests as a hysteretic stiffness. Consequently, the integral term in the controller can take a long time to respond. In this paper, a nonlinear integral action settling algorithm is presented. The nonlinear integral gain takes the form of a Dahl friction model. Since the integral gain mimics hysteretic stiffness, the output of the integral control term is instantaneously set to a large value after each direction change, greatly improving settling response. A nearly first-order error dynamic results, which has a user-definable time constant. Before the algorithm can be implemented, the Coulomb friction and initial contact stiffness in the Dahl model must be experimentally determined for the stage. A sensitivity study is performed on the initial contact stiffness, which was found in other works to dictate the stability of the algorithm. © 1993-2012 IEEE

Health Advice from Internet Discussion Forums: How Bad Is Dangerous?

Background: Concerns over online health information–seeking behavior point to the potential harm incorrect, incomplete, or biased information may cause. However, systematic reviews of health information have found few examples of documented harm that can be directly attributed to poor quality information found online. Objective: The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the quality and quality characteristics of information found in online discussion forum websites so that their likely value as a peer-to-peer health information–sharing platform could be assessed. Methods: A total of 25 health discussion threads were selected across 3 websites (Reddit, Mumsnet, and Patient) covering 3 health conditions (human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], diabetes, and chickenpox). Assessors were asked to rate information found in the discussion threads according to 5 criteria: accuracy, completeness, how sensible the replies were, how they thought the questioner would act, and how useful they thought the questioner would find the replies. Results: In all, 78 fully completed assessments were returned by 17 individuals (8 were qualified medical doctors, 9 were not). When the ratings awarded in the assessments were analyzed, 25 of the assessments placed the discussion threads in the highest possible score band rating them between 5 and 10 overall, 38 rated them between 11 and 15, 12 rated them between 16 and 20, and 3 placed the discussion thread they assessed in the lowest rating band (21-25). This suggests that health threads on Internet discussion forum websites are more likely than not (by a factor of 4:1) to contain information of high or reasonably high quality. Extremely poor information is rare; the lowest available assessment rating was awarded only 11 times out of a possible 353, whereas the highest was awarded 54 times. Only 3 of 78 fully completed assessments rated a discussion thread in the lowest possible overall band of 21 to 25, whereas 25 of 78 rated it in the highest of 5 to 10. Quality assessments differed depending on the health condition (chickenpox appeared 17 times in the 20 lowest-rated threads, HIV twice, and diabetes once). Although assessors tended to agree on which discussion threads contained good quality information, what constituted poor quality information appeared to be more subjective. Conclusions: Most of the information assessed in this study was considered by qualified medical doctors and nonmedically qualified respondents to be of reasonably good quality. Although a small amount of information was assessed as poor, not all respondents agreed that the original questioner would have been led to act inappropriately based on the information presented. This suggests that discussion forum websites may be a useful platform through which people can ask health-related questions and receive answers of acceptable quality

An investigation into multi-spectral excitation power sources for Electrical Impedance Tomography

Electrical Impedance Tomography is a non-invasive, non-ionizing, non-destructive and painless imaging technology that can distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous cells by reproducing tomographic images of the electrical impedance distribution within the body. The primary scope of this thesis is the study of hardware modules required for an EIT system. The key component in any EIT system is the excitation system. Impedance measurement can be performed by applying either a current or voltage through emitting electrodes and then measuring the resulting voltages or current on receiving electrodes. In this research, both types of excitation systems are investigated and developed for the Sussex EIM system. Firstly, a current source (CS) excitation system is investigated and developed. The performance of the excitation system degrades due to the unwanted capacitance within the system. Hence two CS circuits: Enhance Howland Source (EHS) and EHS combined with a General impedance convertor (GIC: to minimise the unwanted capacitance) are evaluated. Another technique (guard-amplifier) has also been investigated and developed to minimise the effect of stray capacitance. The accuracy of both types of CS circuits are evaluated in terms of its output impedance along with other performance parameters for different loading conditions and the results are compared to show their performance. Both CS circuits were affected by the loading voltage problem. A bootstrapping technique is investigated and integrated with both CS circuits to overcome the loading voltage problem. The research shows that both CS circuits were unable to achieve a high frequency bandwidth (i.e. ≥10MHz) and were limited to 2-3MHz. Alternatively, a discrete components current source was also investigated and developed to achieve a high frequency bandwidth and other desirable performance parameters. The research also introduces a microcontroller module to control the multiplexing involved for different CS circuit configurations via serial port interface software running on a PC. For breast cancer diagnosis, the interesting characteristics of breast tissues mostly lie above 1MHz, therefore a wideband excitation source covering high frequencies (i.e. ≥1-10MHz) is required. Hence, a second type of the excitation system is investigated. A constant voltage source (VS) circuit was developed for a wide frequency bandwidth with low output impedance. The research investigated three VS architectures and based on their initial bandwidth comparison, a differential VS system was developed to provide a wide frequency bandwidth (≥10MHz). The research presents the performance of the developed VS excitation system for different loading configurations reporting acceptable performance parameters. A voltage measurement system is also developed in this research work. Two different differential amplifier circuits were investigated and developed to measure precise differential voltage at a high frequency. The research reports a performance comparison of possible types of excitation systems. Results are compared to establish their relationship to performance parameters: frequency bandwidth, output impedance, SNR and phase difference over a wide bandwidth (i.e. up to 10MHz). The objective of this study is to investigate which design is the most appropriate for constructing a wideband excitation system for the Sussex EIM system or any other EIT based biomedical application with wide a bandwidth requirement

Engaging Undergraduates in Science Research: Not Just About Faculty Willingness.

Despite the many benefits of involving undergraduates in research and the growing number of undergraduate research programs, few scholars have investigated the factors that affect faculty members' decisions to involve undergraduates in their research projects. We investigated the individual factors and institutional contexts that predict faculty members' likelihood of engaging undergraduates in their research project(s). Using data from the Higher Education Research Institute's 2007-2008 Faculty Survey, we employ hierarchical generalized linear modeling to analyze data from 4,832 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty across 194 institutions to examine how organizational citizenship behavior theory and social exchange theory relate to mentoring students in research. Key findings show that faculty who work in the life sciences and those who receive government funding for their research are more likely to involve undergraduates in their research project(s). In addition, faculty at liberal arts or historically Black colleges are significantly more likely to involve undergraduate students in research. Implications for advancing undergraduate research opportunities are discussed

Evaluation of a servo settling algorithm

The aim of this work is to discuss methods of friction identification and provide experimental evaluation of a novel control algorithm that enhances settling after point-to-point motion. This algorithm is called the Nonlinear Integral Action Settling Algorithm or NIASA. As the name suggests, the integral gain is nonlinear, and is based upon a Dahl friction model. The settling resulting from PID + NIASA control is nearly exponential, and governed by a time constant that is specified in the control design. As the NIASA algorithm requires, friction parameters must be identified for the servo under test. Two methods of friction identification (Step Tests and Identification Profile) are contrasted and found to provide comparable results, although the latter can provide advantages. The identified friction parameters are in turn used to perform four sets of control experiments; two PID controllers (standard factory tuning and high performance PID with acceleration feedforward) are tested both with and without NIASA compensation. In the case study with a factory tuned PID controller, servo settling times to within ±3-100 nm, are reduced by between 80.5 and 87.4 when NIASA compensation is added. When the NIASA compensator is added to the high performance PID controller, servo settling time is still reduced by between 50.5 and 73.0. Although the NIASA compensator was designed to increase settling performance for relatively large point-to-point motions, similar positive results are achieved when the method is applied to smaller step motions that do not leave the pre-rolling friction regime. Frequency domain analyses demonstrated the nonlinear loop-gain of the plant, with a clear distinction between the rolling and pre-rolling friction cases. As expected, the nonlinear loop gain was found to lower the bandwidth for smaller motions. Adding NIASA control was observed to increase the bandwidth for small motions by a factor of 3-6, while having little effect for large motions. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Prevalence and predictors of video game addiction: a study based on a national representative sample of gamers

Video gaming has become a popular leisure activity in many parts of the world, and an increasing number of empirical studies examine the small minority that appears to develop problems as a result of excessive gaming. This study investigated prevalence rates and predictors of video game addiction in a sample of gamers, randomly selected from the National Population Registry of Norway (N =3389). Results showed there were 1.4 % addicted gamers, 7.3 % problem gamers, 3.9 % engaged gamers, and 87.4 % normal gamers. Gender (being male) and age group (being young) were positively associated with addicted-, problem-, and engaged gamers. Place of birth (Africa, Asia, South- and Middle America) were positively associated with addicted- and problem gamers. Video game addiction was negatively associated with conscientiousness and positively associated with neuroticism. Poor psychosomatic health was positively associated with problem- and engaged gaming. These factors provide insight into the field of video game addiction, and may help to provide guidance as to how individuals that are at risk of becoming addicted gamers can be identified

Multiplex imaging relates quantal glutamate release to presynaptic Ca2+ homeostasis at multiple synapses in situ

Information processing by brain circuits depends on Ca2+-dependent, stochastic release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Whilst optical glutamate sensors have enabled detection of synaptic discharges, understanding presynaptic machinery requires simultaneous readout of glutamate release and nanomolar presynaptic Ca2+ in situ. Here, we find that the fluorescence lifetime of the red-shifted Ca2+ indicator Cal-590 is Ca2+-sensitive in the nanomolar range, and employ it in combination with green glutamate sensors to relate quantal neurotransmission to presynaptic Ca2+ kinetics. Multiplexed imaging of individual and multiple synapses in identified axonal circuits reveals that glutamate release efficacy, but not its short-term plasticity, varies with time-dependent fluctuations in presynaptic resting Ca2+ or spike-evoked Ca2+ entry. Within individual presynaptic boutons, we find no nanoscopic co-localisation of evoked presynaptic Ca2+ entry with the prevalent glutamate release site, suggesting loose coupling between the two. The approach enables a better understanding of release machinery at central synapses