Control-oriented modeling, validation, and analysis of a natural gas engine architecture

In order to improve performance and meet increasingly tight emissions regulations, engine manufacturers must improve algorithms used to control the engine. One possible strategy is to utilize centralized control algorithms that take into account the coupled interactions between inputs and outputs. Implementing a centralized control strategy often requires some kind of dynamic model of the system, which is a primary motivation for modeling efforts in this thesis. In a methodical fashion, this thesis derives a control model for a natural gas engine architecture and validates this control model against reference data in simulation. Additionally, this thesis performs control-oriented analysis on a state-space model provided by Caterpillar to determine the engine’s suitability to decentralized control. Based on the results of the control-oriented analysis, the thesis demonstrates how a decentralized control framework can be implemented. The first study declares a set of seven state variables that characterize the operation of the engine. The engine of interest runs on natural gas and is used in power generation applications. Additionally, this study models all mass flow rates and power terms as functions of the selected state variables. These models are then validated against truth-reference data. This study also explicitly states the assumptions and simplifications that correspond to each of the models. The second study derives dynamic equations for each of the seven state variables via a first-principles approach. The dynamic state equations contain expressions for mass flow rates and power that were modeled in the first study. This study then numerically validates the entire state-space model by exercising control inputs from reference data on it. Together, the seven state equations effectively serve as a control model that can be used for controller synthesis. The goal of the first two studies is to demonstrate a procedure for obtaining a control model for an engine architecture, not to obtain a high-fidelity simulation model. The third study demonstrates control-oriented analysis on a state-space model provided by Caterpillar. The relative gain array (RGA) is used to show that the system is well-suited is for decentralized control. This study implements a decentralized control structure on the state-space model provided by Caterpillar and validates, in simulation, its ability to achieve reference tracking for desired outputs

Dendritic cells and the extracellular matrix : A challenge for maintaining tolerance/homeostasis

Supported by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the Microscopy Core Facility and the Medical Research Facility at the University of Aberdeen for technical assistance. All experiments on animals were performed according to the guidelines described in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Statement for the Use of Animals in Vision and Ophthalmic Research and Animal License Act (United Kingdom).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bilateral Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomies: A Case Report

Although laparoscopy is a recognized operative approach to the management of renal masses, there is currently no standardized approach to manage bilateral synchronous renal masses. We present a case of synchronous bilateral renal masses, identified during work-up for flank pain, and managed simultaneously with laparoscopic partial nephrectomies. The patient is a 42-year-old Caucasian male found to have bilateral renal masses during evaluation for left flank pain. Cross-sectional imaging studies showed a 7.0???7.3???5.2?cm anterior, mid-to-lower pole mass on the left kidney and a 1.5???1.9???1.6?cm medial lower pole mass on the right kidney. He underwent bilateral laparoscopic partial nephrectomy at the same setting, with an uncomplicated postoperative course. Pathology report revealed clear cell renal-cell carcinoma (ccRCC) on both sides. He had normal renal function and no evidence of recurrence in the first 6 months of follow-up. This case demonstrates the possibility and safety of performing bilateral laparoscopic partial nephrectomies in one operative session. Our review of the literature supports the role of genetic counseling and the need for long-term surveillance in young patients having RCC.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140344/1/cren.2015.0007.pd

Diet quality and socio-demographic characteristics of self-perceived vegetarians in the United States, 1977-2010

Increasing knowledge of how the diet composition and socio-demographics of vegetarians have changed over time can help us to understand changes in the health and nutrition status of vegetarians. The objective of this study is to examine the shift in diet composition of self-perceived vegetarians over the past forty years, as well as the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of being a self-perceived vegetarian in 1977 and in 2010. Using OLS regression, the probability of being a vegetarian by key demographic characteristics was examined for 1977- 78 and 2007-2010. Consumption of key nutrients, including total daily kilocalories, ounces of meat, added sugars, whole grains, servings of fruits and vegetables were compared by vegetarian status in 1977-78 and 2007-2010. In doing so, the final goal is to compare the overarching picture of the diet of vegetarians over the past forty years in the United States.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt

Amp\`ere-Class Pulsed Field Emission from Carbon-Nanotube Cathodes in a Radiofrequency Resonator

Pulsed field emission from cold carbon-nanotube cathodes placed in a radiofrequency resonant cavity was observed. The cathodes were located on the backplate of a conventional $1+\frac{1}{2}$-cell resonant cavity operating at 1.3-GHz and resulted in the production of bunch train with maximum average current close to 0.7 Amp\`ere. The measured Fowler-Nordheim characteristic, transverse emittance, and pulse duration are presented and, when possible, compared to numerical simulations. The implications of our results to high-average-current electron sources are briefly discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures; submitted to Applied Physics Letter

GSU Event Portal

The Web-based systems have become very popular in recent software applications. Keeping in trend with the developments, it is proposed to have an event portal for browsing and creating the events in a web server. The proposed system would include two levels, the Admin and the User. Admin Controls: The admin has the authority to check the events posted by the user and can also manage and modify the different departments in the application like edit or delete the events, reviews registrations and administer user accounts. User Controls: The user can log in to create or edit events, and can also review registrations and payments. Compared to existing applications, we can find the proposed application more user-friendly with ease of access. Once the user registers in this application, they can also subscribe to find out the latest events happening around their respective places. They can even purchase tickets to the events through the application by using the payment gateway in the application. When subscribed, the users can receive the various promotional codes and offers to the various events. This application would release by the end of August 2016. Technical Details: UI: HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap frameworks. Tool: Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Database: My SQL .Net C

RFID Based Smart Shopping Trolley with PCB Design

Shopping is captivating and addictive, but standing in never-ending billing queues is a tiring process. Even though various online shopping platforms are growing, retail shopping has never stepped back. To ease the shopping process and eliminate lengthy billing queues, a new product has to be introduced with the appropriate use of technology. This paper summarizes a Radio Frequency Identification-based smart shopping trolley that provides automatic billing and customer satisfaction. The RFID tags on the products are read by the reader present on the shopping cart. The display screen present in the cart provides the cost information and gives the final billing amount. This is then sent to the cashier`s database using a Wi-Fi module and hence saves the customer's time. This entire model is designed on the PCB and simulated

Celebration-induced air quality over a tropical urban station, Pune, India

AbstractIn this paper, we studied the regional aerosol and air quality over an urban location, Pune, India during the period from 8 to 18 November 2012, encompassing a major Indian celebration, namely, Diwali Festival (12–14 November 2012) and also a clean (control) day (9 November 2012). A suit of ground–based measurements, employing solar radiometers (Microtops II and Cimel Sun–sky radiometer), Nephelometer, and satellite observations carried out over the study region have been applied for these investigations. The study revealed many interesting results which include (i) almost four–fold enhancement in AOD and fine mode dominated aerosol size distribution (ASD) during Diwali compared to clean day conditions; (ii) higher columnar water vapor (H2O), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and lower ozone (O3) during Diwali period; (iii) higher cooling at bottom (–117W m−2) and top of the atmosphere (–33W m−2) and warming (+82W m−2) in the atmosphere during the festival period, (iv) abundance of fine mode anthropogenic scattering particles associated with greater real part and smaller imaginary part of refractive index, and higher single scattering albedo, (v) higher backscattering coefficient revealing intrusion of more aerosol particles, higher depolarization ratio indicating particles of non–spherical nature, presence of water–phase particles, more polluted smoke and dust particles, (vi) greater attenuation and poor horizontal/vertical visibility, and (vii) dominance of urban industrial/biomass burning aerosols among other aerosol types. These results have been compared with concurrent satellite products and found to be consistent. The results have been further explained with local meteorology, back–trajectory analysis and satellite rapid response images

Authentication Using Voice Recognition and Timestamp OTP

This work is related to providing security using authentication. By looking into other research works, we have found many attacks while logging in a system like phishing attack, brute force attack, etc. We came up with a solution which uses voice biometric as a recognition technique and also adding a time stamp one-time password (TOTP) which will help in providing a better authentication during login. Voice recognition technique uses a Bark frequency scale mapped with the input voice signal and made into spectral analysis with cepstral coefficients which is tough to forge, and adding this with TOTP provides stronger security in today’s Internet of Things (IOT)