High-order volterra model predictive control and its application to a nonlinear polymerisation process

Model Predictive Control (MPC) has recently found wide acceptance in the process industry, but the existing design and implementation methods are restricted to linear process models. A chemical process involves, however, severe nonlinearity which cannot be ignored in practice. This paper aims to solve this nonlinear control problem by extending MPC to nonlinear models. It develops an analytical framework for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC), and also offers a third-order Volterra series based nonparametric nonlinear modelling technique for NMPC design which relieves practising engineers from the need for first deriving a physical-principles based model. An on-line realisation technique for implementing the NMPC is also developed. The NMPC is then applied to a Mitsubishi Chemicals polymerisation reaction process. The results show that this nonlinear MPC technique is feasible and very effective. It considerably outperforms linear and low-order Volterra model based methods. The advantages of the approach developed lie not only in control performance superior to existing NMPC methods, but also in relieving practising engineers from the need for deriving an analytical model and then converting it to a Volterra model through which the model can only be obtained up to the second order

Antibody localization in horse, rabbit, and goat antilymphocyte sera

The localization of antibodies was studied in rabbit, goat, and horse ALS raised by weekly immunization with canine or human spleen cells for 4 to 12 weeks. A combination of analytic techniques was used including column chromatography, electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, determination of protein concentration, and measurement of antibody titers. In the rabbit and goat ALS, virtually all of the leukoagglutinins and lymphocytotoxins were in the easily separable IgG; accidentally induced thromboagglutinins were in the same location. In the rabbit hemagglutinins were found in both the IgG and IgM, whereas in the goat these were almost exclusively in the IgM. The antiwhite cell antibodies were most widely distributed in the horse. The cytotoxins were primarily in the IgG, but the leukoagglutinins were most heavily concentrated in the T-equine globulin which consists mostly of IgA. By differential ammonium sulfate precipitation of a horse antidoglymphocyte serum, fractions were prepared that were rich in IgG and IgA. Both were able to delay the rejection of canine renal homografts, the IgA-rich preparation to a somewhat greater degree. The findings in this study have been discussed in relation to the refining techniques that have been used for the production of globulin from heterologous ALS. © 1970

CAutoCSD-evolutionary search and optimisation enabled computer automated control system design

This paper attempts to set a unified scene for various linear time-invariant (LTI) control system design schemes, by transforming the existing concept of 'Computer-Aided Control System Design' (CACSD) to the novel 'Computer-Automated Control System Design' (CAutoCSD). The first step towards this goal is to accommodate, under practical constraints, various design objectives that are desirable in both time and frequency-domains. Such performance-prioritised unification is aimed to relieve practising engineers from having to select a particular control scheme and from sacrificing certain performance goals resulting from pre-committing to the adopted scheme. With the recent progress in evolutionary computing based extra-numeric, multi-criterion search and optimisation techniques, such unification of LTI control schemes becomes feasible, analytically and practically, and the resultant designs can be creative. The techniques developed are applied to, and illustrated by, three design problems. The unified approach automatically provides an integrator for zero-steady state error in velocity control of a DC motor, meets multiple objectives in designing an LTI controller for a non-minimum phase plant and offers a high-performing LTI controller network for a nonlinear chemical process

Studies of hepatic synthesis in vivo of plasma proteins, including orosomucoid, transferrin, α-antitrypsin, C8, and factor B

Serum protein types were determined in eight recipients and donors in cases of hepatic homotransplantation. A change from recipient type to donor type was observed for factor B, C8, orosomucoid, haptoglobin, transferrin, α1-antitrypsin, C3 and C6, but not for Gm and Inv immunoglobulin markers. The results indicate that all the proteins studied (except immunoglobulins) are produced primarily by the liver in vivo. © 1980

Allograft and Xenograft Acceptance under FK‐506 and Other Immunosuppressant Treatment

We will focus on two issues, both involving, but not confined to FK-506: first, the meaning of the graft acceptance, which is, after all, the objective of immunosuppression for the transplant surgeon; and second, how to take the next great step of xenotransplantation

Significance and genetic diversity of SPAD chlorophyll meter reading in chickpea germplasm in the semi-arid environments

The SPAD chlorophyll meter reading is a measurement of the leaf chlorophyll contents, viz., the nitrogen acquisition capability, and so it is often used to improve the yield through improved nitrogen status. The genetic diversity of the SCMR was investigated in the chickpea mini-core germplasm collection plus five control cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) (n = 216) of ICRISAT Genebank under field conditions during two consecutive post rainy seasons of 2005-06 and 2006- 07. A large genetic variability for SCMR was observed among the 216 chickpea accessions. The SCMR at 62 days after sowing was positively correlated with the seed yield under drought environments. The SCMR at the earlier or later growth stages or under irrigated environment was not related to yield under drought environment, indicating that the selections for SCMR in chickpea need to be done at about mid pod-fill stage under drought stress conditions. A known drought avoidant chickpea genotype, ‘ICC 4958’ that has prolific and deep rooting system also showed the best SCMR performances among the 216 chickpea germplasm. ‘ICC 4958’ can be a potential donor parent for both root systems and SCMR advantages. In addition, few other outstanding genotypes such as ‘ICC 1422’, ‘ICC 10945’, ‘ICC 16374’ and ‘ICC 16903’, with the higher SCMR, were also identified in this study. This genetic variability for SCMR in the mini core provides valuable baseline knowledge in chickpea for further progress on the selection and breeding for drought tolerance through nitrogen acquisition capability

Liver transplantation for type I and type IV glycogen storage disease

Progressive liver failure or hepatic complications of the primary disease led to orthotopic liver transplantation in eight children with glycogen storage disease over a 9-year period. One patient had glycogen storage disease (GSD) type I (von Gierke disease) and seven patients had type IV GSD (Andersen disease). As previously reported [19], a 16.5-year-old-girl with GSD type I was successfully treated in 1982 by orthotopic liver transplantation under cyclosporine and steroid immunosuppression. The metabolic consequences of the disease have been eliminated, the renal function and size have remained normal, and the patient has lived a normal young adult life. A late portal venous thrombosis was treated successfully with a distal splenorenal shunt. Orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in seven children with type N GSD who had progressive hepatic failure. Two patients died early from technical complications. The other five have no evidence of recurrent hepatic amylopectinosis after 1.1–5.8 postoperative years. They have had good physical and intellectual maturation. Amylopectin was found in many extrahepatic tissues prior to surgery, but cardiopathy and skeletal myopathy have not developed after transplantation. Postoperative heart biopsies from patients showed either minimal amylopectin deposits as long as 4.5 years following transplantation or a dramatic reduction in sequential biopsies from one patient who initially had dense myocardial deposits. Serious hepatic derangement is seen most commonly in types T and IV GSD. Liver transplantation cures the hepatic manifestations of both types. The extrahepatic deposition of abnormal glycogen appears not to be problematic in type I disease, and while potentially more threatening in type IV disease, may actually exhibit signs of regression after hepatic allografting

Variation of SPAD Chlorophyll Meter Readings (SCMR) in the Mini-Core Germplasm Collection of Chickpea

Drought is one of the major causes of yield losses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum). A large portion of such losses can be avoided through crop improvement. Simple analytical models are often used to dissect out and to understand the effects of model parameters on the final yield. Passioura (1977) proposed one such model where yield is considered a function of transpiration, transpiration efficiency (TE) defined as crop biomass production per unit water transpired, and harvest index. Among these three components, genetic enhancement of TE has been taken up as a major research effort in crop improvement programs throughout the world (Bindu Madhava et al. 2003). Although TE is considered a highly useful trait, it was also categorized as a difficult one to screen. Therefore, it becomes necessary to identify surrogate traits that are closely associated with TE for rapid screening of a large number of genotypes. A direct close relationship of TE with SPAD Chlorophyll Meter Readings (SCMR) was reported in groundnut (Nageswara Rao et al. 2001; Bindu Madhava et al. 2003) and SCMR is a direct linear relationship through extracted leaf chlorophyll (Yadava 1986) and also related leaf nitrogen concentration (Kantety et al. 1996; Bullock and Anderson 1998). The advantages such as easy and rapid measurement, nondestructive method and light weight made SPAD meters the best choice for use in the trait-based groundnut breeding program to improve the drought tolerance of groundnut at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi- Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) (Serraj et al. 2004).The same strategy can be applied to chickpea, provided baseline information is available on genetic diversity of SCMR in chickpea. The chickpea mini-core collection has been chosen to collect such information as the number is manageable for initial exploratory efforts and it represents the diversity of the whole germplasm collection (Upadhyaya and Ortiz 2001), Thus, the main objective of this study was to document the extent of variation available for the SCMR readings in the mini-core germplasm of chickpea, and also to identify accessions with contrasting SCMR