Actigraphy in Human African Trypanosomiasis as a Tool for Objective Clinical Evaluation and Monitoring: A Pilot Study

The clinical picture of the parasitic disease human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, also called sleeping sickness) is dominated by sleep alterations. We here used actigraphy to evaluate patients affected by the Gambiense form of HAT. Actigraphy is based on the use of battery-run, wrist-worn devices similar to watches, widely used in middle-high income countries for ambulatory monitoring of sleep disturbances. This pilot study was motivated by the fact that the use of polysomnography, which is the gold standard technology for the evaluation of sleep disorders and has greatly contributed to the objective identification of signs of disease in HAT, faces tangible challenges in resource-limited countries where the disease is endemic. We here show that actigraphy provides objective data on the severity of sleep-wake disturbances that characterize HAT. This technique, which does not disturb the patient's routine activities and can be applied at home, could therefore represent an interesting, non-invasive tool for objective HAT clinical assessment and long-term monitoring under field conditions. The use of this method could provide an adjunct marker of HAT severity and for treatment follow-up, or be evaluated in combination with other disease biomarkers in body fluids that are currently under investigation in many laboratories

Autofocus algorithm using one dimensional Fourier

A new autofocus algorithm based on one-dimensional Fourier transform and Pearson correlation for Z automatized microscope is proposed. Our goal is to determine in fast response time and accuracy, the best focused plane through an algorithm. We capture in bright and dark field several images set at different Z distances from biological organism sample. The algorithm uses the one-dimensional Fourier transform to obtain the image frequency content of a vectors pattern previously defined comparing the Pearson correlation of these frequency vectors versus the reference image frequency vector, the most out of focus image, we find the best focusing. Experimental results showed the algorithm has fast response time and accuracy in getting the best focus plane from captured images. In conclusions, the algorithm can be implemented in real time systems due fast response time, accuracy and robustness. The algorithm can be used to get focused images in bright and dark field and it can be extended to include fusion techniques to construct multifocus final images beyond ofthis paper

Magnetic bearing for wind turbine power generator shaft: An emulator prototype design for vibration control

In this chapter, the relevance and potential of micro-sized wind turbines (μSWTs) have been discussed and the following facts have been stated In wide areas of developing countries with a poor grid power supply, μSWTs can be an important factor of social, economic and technological development. From an educational point of view, μSWTs can be a valuable source of motivation, helping to provide a practical presentation of basic and advanced mechatronical principles. Moreover, μSWTs can also be an excellent field for cooperative and project-based learning, allowing to define a wide variety of experimental projects with a direct real-life application. From a research perspective, μSWTs constitute a unique opportunity to perform full-scale physical experimentation on advanced research topics at a very low cost and with very limited resources. To provide a practical demonstration of the μSWTs potential in academic and research experimentation, a low-cost platform for active magnetic bearing vibration control has been presented

Magnetic bearing for wind turbine power generator shaft: An emulator prototype design for vibration control

In this chapter, the relevance and potential of micro-sized wind turbines (μSWTs) have been discussed and the following facts have been stated In wide areas of developing countries with a poor grid power supply, μSWTs can be an important factor of social, economic and technological development. From an educational point of view, μSWTs can be a valuable source of motivation, helping to provide a practical presentation of basic and advanced mechatronical principles. Moreover, μSWTs can also be an excellent field for cooperative and project-based learning, allowing to define a wide variety of experimental projects with a direct real-life application. From a research perspective, μSWTs constitute a unique opportunity to perform full-scale physical experimentation on advanced research topics at a very low cost and with very limited resources. To provide a practical demonstration of the μSWTs potential in academic and research experimentation, a low-cost platform for active magnetic bearing vibration control has been presented

Output feedback of Markov jump linear systems with no mode observation: An automotive throttle application

Summary The note presents an output feedback control strategy for Markov jump linear systems with no mode observation. Based on minimizing a finite-time quadratic cost, we derive an algorithm that generates output feedback gains that satisfy a necessary optimality condition. These gains can be computed off-line relying only on the initial condition of the system. This result expands a previous one from the literature that considered state-feedback only. To illustrate the usefulness of the approach, real-time laboratory experiments were performed to control an automotive electronic throttle valve subject to Markov-driven voltage fluctuations

Robust ℋ2 Static Output Feedback To Control An Automotive Throttle Valve

The paper presents a control strategy for an automotive electronic throttle body, a device largely used into vehicles to increase the efficiency of the combustion engines. The synthesis of the proposed controller is based on a linear matrix inequality (LMI) formulation, which allows us to deal with uncertainties on the measurements of the position of the throttle valve. The LMI approach generates a suboptimal solution for the robust ℋ2 static output feedback control problem, and the corresponding suboptimal control gain was evaluated in practice to control the valve position of the throttle. The usefulness of the approach has been verified not only by numerical simulations but also by real experiments taken in a laboratory prototype. © 2014 American Automatic Control Council.31413146Boeing,et al.,GE Global Research,Honeywell,MathWorks,MitsubishiRossi, C., Tilli, A., Tonielli, A., Robust control of a throttle body for drive by wire operation of automotive engines (2000) IEEE Trans. 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Industrial Electronics, 55 (11), pp. 3899-3907Levine, W., Athans, M., On the determination of the optimal constant output feedback gains for linear multivariable systems (1970) IEEE Trans. Automat. Control, 15 (1), pp. 44-48Anderson, B.D.O., Moore, J.B., (1989) Optimal Control: Linear Quadratic Methods, , Prentice-Hall, IncMakila, P., On the Anderson-Moore method for solving the optimal output feedback problem (1984) IEEE Trans. Automat. Control, 29 (9), pp. 834-836Makila, P., Toivonen, H.T., Computational methods for parametric LQ problems - A survey (1987) IEEE Trans. Automat. Control, 32 (8), pp. 658-671Syrmos, V., Abdallah, C., Dorato, P., Grigoriadis, K., Static output feedback: A survey (1997) Automatica, 33, pp. 125-137Gadewadikar, J., Lewis, F.L., Subbarao, K., Peng, K., Chen, B.M., H-infinity static output-feedback control for rotorcraft (2009) Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 54 (4), pp. 629-646Pavkovic, D., Deur, J., Janszb, M., Peric, N., Adaptive control of automotive electronic throttle (2006) Control Engineering Practice, 14 (2), pp. 121-136Montanaro, U., Di Gaeta, A., Giglio, V., Robust discrete-time MRAC with minimal controller synthesis of an electronic throttle body (2014) IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatronics, 19 (2), pp. 524-537De Oliveira, M.C., Geromel, J.C., Bernussou, J., Extended H2 and Hoo norm characterizations and controller parametrizations for discretetime systems (2002) Internat. J. Control, 75 (9), pp. 666-679Moreira, H.R., Oliveira, R.C.L.F., Peres, P.L.D., Robust H2 static output feedback design starting from a parameter-dependent state feedback controller for time-invariant discrete-time polytopic systems (2011) Optim. Control Appl. Meth., 32 (1), pp. 1-13Mehdi, D., Boukas, E.K., Bachelier, O., Static output feedback design for uncertain linear discrete time systems (2004) IMA J. Math. Control Inform., 21, pp. 1-13Arzelier, D., Peaucelle, D., Salhi, S., Robust static output feedback stabilization for polytopic uncertain systems: Improving the guaranteed performance bound (2003) 4th IFAC Symp. Robust Control Design (ROCOND 2003), , Milan, ItalyPeaucelle, D., Arzelier, D., An efficient numerical solution for H2 static output feedback synthesis (2001) European Control Conf. 2001, , Porto, PortugalDong, J., Yang, G., Static output feedback control synthesis for linear systems with time-invariant parametric uncertainties (2007) IEEE Trans. Automat. 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