Real-time Implementation of Decentralized Adaptive Formation Control on Multi-Quadrotor Systems

European Control Conference (ECC) -- JUL 15-17, 2015 -- Linz, AUSTRIAWOS: 000380485400504In this study, we focus on real-time implementations of a practical distributed adaptive formation control scheme for a multi-quadrotor system with uncertain inertial system parameters. We design a decentralized controller based on the leader-follower formation approach to motion control of such a system in rigid formation. The proposed control approach has a two-level structure: At the high level, a distributed control scheme is designed for the kinematic formation control problem. In the low-level, we analyze each single quadrotor control design in three parts. The first is an adaptive linear quadratic controller under consideration of inertial uncertainties for the pitch and roll dynamics, and in this case, we design an on-line parameter estimation with the least squares approach, excepting yaw and altitude dynamics. The second is proportional controller for the yaw motion. The third is proportional-integral-derivative controller for altitude. Throughout the formation control implementations, the controllers successfully satisfy the formation maintenance objective. Simulations and experimental results are presented considering various scenarios, demonstrating the effectiveness of our algorithm

Competitive Environment Hypothesis in Turkish Banking System

TThis paper investigates the persistence of profit in Turkish banking system for the period of 2004:1 – 2009:4 by focusing net income after tax to total equity (ROE) as profit measures by utilizing panel unit root tests. We found that competition among surviving banks is high in the Turkish Banking System for the period 2004:1 – 2009:4 which means that competitive environment hypothesis is valid in Turkish banking system.Persistence, ROE, Turkish Banking System

Real-time Implementation of Mixing Adaptive Control on Quadrotor UAVs

European Control Conference (ECC) -- JUL 15-17, 2015 -- Linz, AUSTRIAWOS: 000380485400573In this study, a novel multiple model adaptive control scheme is designed and implemented for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The proposed scheme involves a mixing adaptive controller that blends a set of pre-designed linear quadratic controllers. A particular goal of the design is guaranteeing robustness in lateral motion against modeling uncertainties. The designed controller scheme is tested via real-ime experiments on Quanser Qball-X4 UAVs. The experimental results verify the efficiency of the proposed scheme

In Vivo Efficacy of Drugs against Toxoplasma gondii Combined with Immunomodulators

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of pyrimethamine (PYR) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) combined with levamisole and echinacea on the survival of mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii. For this, we used 99 specific pathogen-free BALB/c mice. All the mice were infected intraperitoneally with 10(5) T. gondii tachyzoites and were divided into 11 groups, each including 9 mice. Except for the control group, oral treatment was initiated in all groups 24 h post infection and was continued for 10 days. The treatment regimen included dual combinations of PYR (dose, 6.25 and 12.5 mg/kg/day) and SDZ (dose, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day), triple combinations of PYR + SDZ, and levamisole (dose, 2.5 mg/kg/day) or echinacea (dose, 130 and 260 mg/kg/day) and echinacea alone (dose, 130 and 260 mg/kg/day). We observed that an effective dose of the combination of PYR + SDZ and levamisole resulted in a statistically significant increase in the survival rate from 33.3% to 88.9%. Similarly, half the dose of this combination resulted an increase in the survival rate from 0% to 44.4% (p < 0.05). Survival rate also increased in the groups treated with the combinations including echinacea; however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. The triple combination of PYR-SDZ-levamisole could be an alternative treatment option in case of infections caused by T. gondii

Is the superior laryngeal nerve really safe when using harmonic focus in total thyroidectomy? A prospective randomized study

Summary: Background: Harmonic focus (HF) was introduced in thyroid surgery in an effort to reduce operation time and complications. Objective: The present study aimed to compare function of superior laryngeal nerve and incidence of other postoperative complications in total thyroidectomies using HF and conventional ligation (CL). Methods: The trial is a randomized single-center, single-blinded study. Patients aged ≥ 18 years scheduled for total thyroidectomy were considered for participation. An ultrasonic dissector was used for coagulation and cutting in the HF group, while the standard technique was used in the CL group. Demographic, surgical data, and complications were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. Results: Of 244 eligible patients, data of 206 patients who completed the study were analyzed. The groups were similar in terms of age, sex, and indication for operation. The mean operative time in the HF group was significantly shorter than that in CL group (p = 0.01). Drain necessity, duration of drainage, duration of postoperative hospitalization, and the incidence of postoperative complications was similar in the groups (p > 0.05). The external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were noted in three and two patients in the HF group and in two and one patients in the CL group at 6 months. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study comparing conventional technique with HF in total thyroidectomy, focusing on the function of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve using laryngostroboscopy; results showed that HF is as safe as the conventional technique. Keywords: harmonic focus, superior laryngeal nerve, thyroidectom

Artifacts in cranial MRI caused by extracranial foreign bodies and analysis of these foreign bodies

Subasi, Irmak Durur/0000-0003-3122-4499; ARSLAN, YUSUF KEMAL/0000-0003-1308-8569; Sirin, Murat/0000-0001-6864-752XWOS: 000502070700011PubMed: 31741599Purpose: the purpose of our study was to conduct a chemical analysis of extracranial foreign bodies (FBs) causing artifacts in cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to investigate the association between chemical composition, magnetic susceptibility, and artifact size. Materials and Methods: A total of 12 patients were included in the study. the FBs responsible for the artifacts were visualized using cranial computed tomography (CT). Artifact-causing FBs were removed from the scalps of 10 patients and analyzed using scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (X-RD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). the magnetic susceptibility of the samples was determined using the reference standard material MnCl2.6H(2)O. the volume of the MRI artifacts was measured in cubic centimeters (cm(3)). Results: EDS results demonstrated that the mean Fe ratio was 5.82% in the stone samples and 0.08% in the glass samples. Although no phase peaks were detected in the X-RD spectra of the glass samples, peaks of Fe2O3, Al2Ca (SiO4) were detected in the X-RD spectra of the stone samples. the FT-IR spectra revealed metal oxide peaks corresponding to Fe, Al, in the stone samples and peaks confirming Al2SiO5 and Na2SiO3 structures in the glass samples. the mean volumes of the MRI artifacts produced by the stone and glass samples were 5.9 cm(3) and 2.5 cm(3), respectively. Conclusions: Artifacts caused by extracranial FBs containing metal/metal oxide components are directly associated with their chemical composition and the artifact size are also related to element composition and magnetic susceptibility

Genotype Distribution and Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Cancer Samples from Istanbul, Turkey

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated tumors account for a significant proportion of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in developed countries. In recent years, there has been a rise of HPV infections associated with HNSCC, especially HPV16, which is the most commonly detected type in oral and oropharyngeal cancers. To investigate the frequency of HPV-driven HNSCC among patients living in Turkey, HPV DNA positivity and p16INK4A expression were assessed in primary tumor biopsies (n = 106). Eighteen out of one hundred and six (19%) HNSCC tumors showed p16INK4A overexpression, and 26/106 cases (24.5%) were positive for HPV DNA. Sixteen out of twenty-six samples were positive for both HPV DNA and p16INK4A staining. HPV16 could be isolated from 22/26 samples (84.6%) and was found to be the most frequently detected HPV type. This study represents the largest cohort of Turkish patients with HNSCC characterized according to HPV status and p16INK4A expression. Our data suggest that HPV16 infection, along with smoking, contribute to the development of HNSCC