A framework for modelling, simulation and control of integrated urban wastewater system

This paper is concerned with the integrated modelling, and control of urban wastewater systems (UWS) comprising the wastewater treatment plants (WTP), receiving waters (river) and the sewer networks. A unified framework is developed and simple models are used and implemented in Matlab/Simulink to produce a toolbox. Novel linear and nonlinear control structures are then proposed to design integrated control systems to improve the river water quality. A case study is simulated and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the possible improvement that can be achieved using a holistic integrated control system approac

Fibrocytes in health and disease

Fibrocytes, a group of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells, were first described in 1994 as fibroblast-like, peripheral blood cells that migrate to regions of tissue injury. These cells are unique in their expression of extracellular matrix proteins concomitantly with markers of hematopoietic and monocyte lineage. The involvement of fibrocytes and the specific role they play in the process of wound repair has been a focus of study since their initial description. Fibrocytes contribute to the healing repertoire via several mechanisms; they produce a combination of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors to create a milieu favorable for repair to occur; they serve as antigen presenting cells (APCs); they contribute to wound closure; and, they promote angiogenesis. Furthermore, regulatory pathways involving serum amyloid P, leukocyte-specific protein 1, and adenosine A2A receptors have emphasized the significant role that fibrocytes have in wound healing and fibrosis. The therapeutic targeting of fibrocytes holds promise for the augmentation of wound repair and the treatment of different fibrosing disorders

A SAT Approach to Clique-Width

Clique-width is a graph invariant that has been widely studied in combinatorics and computer science. However, computing the clique-width of a graph is an intricate problem, the exact clique-width is not known even for very small graphs. We present a new method for computing the clique-width of graphs based on an encoding to propositional satisfiability (SAT) which is then evaluated by a SAT solver. Our encoding is based on a reformulation of clique-width in terms of partitions that utilizes an efficient encoding of cardinality constraints. Our SAT-based method is the first to discover the exact clique-width of various small graphs, including famous graphs from the literature as well as random graphs of various density. With our method we determined the smallest graphs that require a small pre-described clique-width.Comment: proofs in section 3 updated, results remain unchange

Adenosine A2A receptors: localization and function

Adenosine is an endogenous purine nucleoside present in all mammalian tissues, that originates from the breakdown of ATP. By binding to its four receptor subtypes (A1, A2A, A2B, and A3), adenosine regulates several important physiological functions at both the central and peripheral levels. Therefore, ligands for the different adenosine receptors are attracting increasing attention as new potential drugs to be used in the treatment of several diseases. This chapter is aimed at providing an overview of adenosine metabolism, adenosine receptors localization and their signal transduction pathways. Particular attention will be paid to the biochemistry and pharmacology of A2A receptors, since antagonists of these receptors have emerged as promising new drugs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The interactions of A2A receptors with other nonadenosinergic receptors, and the effects of the pharmacological manipulation of A2A receptors on different body organs will be discussed, together with the usefulness of A2A receptor antagonists for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and the potential adverse effects of these drugs

Data-driven indirect adaptive model predictive control

This paper explores the design of Adaptive Model Predictive Control (AMPC) using Subspace State–space Model Identification (SMI) techniques for an activated sludge process. The implementation of SMI techniques in the adaptive sliding window control methods are discussed where the online subspace identification using Numerical State–space Subspace System Identification (N4SID) algorithm is proposed along with Model Predictive Control (MPC) design method. The online N4SID algorithm developed in this study makes use of the QR–updating where the combination of update and down date techniques enables sliding window adaptation. Here, at each time step, for the new experimental data added into R factor, the oldest data are removed. Also, the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD–based) strategy is proposed into Indirect AMPC (IAMPC) for the control increment input constrained nonlinear system. Several simulation studies for different control parameters in control/identification algorithm are performed. For the IAMPC control design, the computational times involved using an SVD approach shows less burdensome compared to Quadratic Programming (QP) method and such an interesting result is considered as one of the main contribution in this paper

Nonlinear predictive control of an industrial power plant boiler

This paper proposes an efficient nonlinear predictive controller (NMPC) for application to a power plant drum-boiler. The control objectives are to maintain the water and pressure levels in the drum within a desired range. First, the nonlinear model of the drum-boiler is transformed to LTV state-dependent nonlinear form to provide global nonlinear behavior. Next, state-dependent nonlinear Kalman filter is used to estimate the system states. Then, a supervisory NMPC algorithm is used as a second level controller to generate optimal set points to the lower level regulating PID loops while maintaing output constraints. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the excellent tracking and disturbance rejection performance compared with a stand-alone multi loop PID controllers