Nonlinear autopilot design for endo- and exo-atmospheric interceptor with thrust-vector-control

This paper proposes an autopilot design for an interceptor with Thrust-Vector-Control (TVC) that operates in the endo- and exo-atmospheric regions. The main objective of the proposed autopilot design is to ensure control performance in both atmospheric regions, without changing the control mechanism. In this paper, the characteristics of the aerodynamic forces in both atmospheric regions are first investigated to examine the issue of the conventional control mechanism at various altitudes. And then, a control mechanism, which can be applied to both atmospheric regions, is determined based on the analysis results. An autopilot design is then followed by utilizing the control mechanism and the feedback linearization control (FBLC) method. Accordingly, the proposed autopilot does not rely on changing the control mechanism depending on flight condition unlike the conventional approach as well as it can adjust the control gains automatically according to the changes of flight operating conditions. In this paper, the robustness of the proposed autopilot is investigated through the tracking error analysis and the relative stability analysis in the presence of model uncertainties. The physical meaning of the proposed autopilot is also presented by comparing to the well-known three-loop control structure. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to show the performance of the proposed method

Real-Time Monitoring of Nitric Oxide Dynamics in the Myocardium: Biomedical Application of Nitric Oxide Sensor

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important physiological mediator that regulates a wide range of cellular processes in many tissues. Therefore, the accurate and reliable measurement of physiological NO concentration is essential to the understanding of NO signaling and its biological role. Most methods used for NO detection are indirect including spectroscopic approaches such as the Griess assay for nitrite and detection of methemoglobin after NO reaction with oxyhemoglobin. These methods cannot accurately reflect the changes in NO concentration in vivo and in real time. Therefore, direct methods are necessary for investigating biological process and diseases related to NO in biological conditions. There is a growing interest in the development of electrochemically based sensors for direct, in vivo, and real-time monitoring of NO. Electrochemical methods offer simplicity, good sensitivity, high selectivity, fast response times, and long-term calibration stability compared to other techniques including electron paramagnetic resonance, chemiluminescence, and fluorescence. In this article, we present real-time NO dynamics in the myocardium during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) utilizing electrochemical NO microsensor. And applications of electrochemical NO sensor for the evaluation of cardioprotective effects of therapeutic treatments such as drug administration and ischemic preconditioning are reviewed

Multi-Color Luminescence Transition of Upconversion Nanocrystals via Crystal Phase Control with SiO2 for High Temperature Thermal Labels

Upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs)-embedded microarchitectures with luminescence color transition capability and enhanced luminescence intensity under extreme conditions are suitable for developing a robust labeling system in a high-temperature thermal industrial process. However, most UCNs based labeling systems are limited by the loss of luminescence owing to the destruction of the crystalline phase or by a predetermined luminescence color without color transition capability. Herein, an unusual crystal phase transition of UCNs to a hexagonal apatite phase in the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles is reported with the enhancements of 130-fold green luminescence and 52-fold luminance as compared to that of the SiO2-free counterpart. By rationally combining this strategy with an additive color mixing method using a mask-less flow lithography technique, single to multiple luminescence color transition, scalable labeling systems with hidden letters-, and multi-luminescence colored microparticles are demonstrated for a UCNs luminescence color change-based high temperature labeling system

New parameterization of air-sea exchange coefficients and its impact on intensity prediction under major tropical cyclones

Understanding and quantifying air-sea exchanges of enthalpy and momentum fluxes are crucial for the advanced prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity. Here, we present a new parameterization of air-sea fluxes at extreme wind speeds from 40 m s−1 to 75 m s−1, which covers the range of major TCs. Our approach assumes that the TC can reach its maximum potential intensity (MPI) if there are no influences of external forces such as vertical wind shear or other environmental constraints.This method can estimate the ratio of the enthalpy and momentum exchange coefficient (Ck/Cd) under the most intense TCs without direct flux measurements. The estimation showed that Ck/Cd increases with wind speed at extreme winds above 40 m s−1. Two types of surface layer schemes of the Hurricane Weather and Research Forecast (HWRF) were designed based on the wind speed dependency of the Ck/Cd found at high winds: (i) an increase of Ck/Cd based on decreasing Cd (Cd_DC) and (ii) an increase of Ck/Cd based on increasing Ck (Ck_IC). The modified surface layer schemes were compared to the original HWRF scheme (using nearly fixed Cd and Ck at extreme winds; CTRL) through idealized experiments and real-case predictions. The idealized experiments showed that Cd_DC reduced frictional dissipation in the air-sea interface as well as significantly reduced sea surface cooling, making the TC stronger than other schemes. As a result, Cd_DC reduced the mean absolute error and negative bias by 15.0% (21.0%) and 19.1% (32.0%), respectively, for all lead times of Hurricane Irma in 2017 (Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018) compared to CTRL. This result suggests that new parameterization of Ck/Cd with decreasing Cd at high winds can help improve TC intensity prediction, which currently suffers from underestimating the intensity of the strongest TCs

An Index to Better Estimate Tropical Cyclone Intensity Change in the Western North Pacific

A revised predictor called the net energy gain rate (NGR) is suggested by considering wind dependent drag coefficient based on the existing maximum potential intensity theory. A series of wind speed dependent NGR, known as NGR‐w, is calculated based on pre‐tropical cyclone (TC) averaged ocean temperatures from the surface down to 120 m (at 10‐m intervals) to include the TC‐induced vertical mixing for 13 years (2004–2016) in the western North Pacific. It turns out that the NGR50‐w (NGR‐w based on temperature averaged over top 50 m) has the highest correlation with 24‐h TC intensity change compared with the commonly used sea surface temperature‐based intensification potential (POT), depth‐averaged temperature‐based POT (POTDAT), and constant drag coefficient in the NGR. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the NGR50‐w, we designed and conducted experiments for training (2004–2014) and testing (2015–2016). The model with the NGR50‐w shows greater skill than the model with POTDAT or POT by reducing prediction errors by about 16%

Emotion regulation from a virtue perspective

Background The ability to regulate one’s emotional state is an important predictor of several behaviors such as reframing a challenging situation to reduce anger or anxiety, concealing visible signs of sadness or fear, or focusing on reasons to feel happy or calm. This capacity is referred to as emotion regulation. Deficits in this ability can adversely affect one’s adaptive coping, thus are associated with a variety of other psychopathological symptoms, including but not limited to depression, borderline personality disorder, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and somatoform disorders. Methods The present study examined emotion regulation in relation to the virtue-based psychosocial adaptation model (V-PAM). 595 participants were clustered based on their Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) score, producing two clusters (i.e., high functioning vs. low functioning). Then, emotion regulation group membership was discriminated by using five V-PAM virtue constructs, including courage, integrity, practical wisdom, committed action, and emotional transcendence. Results Results show that five virtues contribute to differentiating group membership. Practical wisdom was the strongest contributor, followed by integrity, emotional transcendence, committed action, and courage. Predictive discriminant analysis was conducted and 71% of cases were correctly classified. A discussion of the relationship between emotion regulation and virtues was elaborated. Conclusion The concept of virtue holds significant importance in the comprehension of an individual’s capacity to regulate their emotions, meriting future study. Methods: The present study examined emotion regulation in relation to the virtue-based psychosocial adaptation model (V-PAM). 595 participants were clustered based on their Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) score, producing two clusters (i.e., high functioning vs. low functioning). Then, emotion regulation group membership was discriminated by using five V-PAM virtue constructs, including courage, integrity, practical wisdom, committed action, and emotional transcendence. Results: Results show that five virtues contribute to differentiating group membership. Practical wisdom was the strongest contributor, followed by integrity, emotional transcendence, committed action, and courage. Predictive discriminant analysis was conducted and 71% of cases were correctly classified. A discussion of the relationship between emotion regulation and virtues was elaborated. Conclusion: The concept of virtue holds significant importance in the comprehension of an individual\u27s capacity to regulate their emotions, meriting future study

Massive Concha Bullosa with Secondary Maxillary Sinusitis

Concha bullosa is a common anatomic variation of the middle turbinate; however, sinusitis secondary to the concha bullosa is rare. A 52-yr-old woman presented with nasal obstruction and posterior nasal drip. Computed tomography and examination of the nasal cavity revealed septal deviation on the left side, and a massive concha bullosa and maxillary sinusitis on the right side. The lateral lamella of the affected turbinate was removed and the inspissated material was drained. Histopathologic examination of the excised lesion in the concha bullosa revealed bacterial colonies in the mucus plug. We report here on a massive concha bullosa with secondary maxillary sinusitis

Guidewire Breakage during Neurointerventional Procedures: a Report of Two Cases

We report on two cases of microguidewire breakage that occurred during endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The microguidewire can be broken when a part of the wire is stuck due to vascular tortuosity, and, subsequently, application of excessive rotational movement. The mechanical and physical properties of a microguidewire are also important factors in microguidewire breakage. We also suggest technical tips for avoidance of this problem