A first course in feedback, dynamics and control: findings from an online pilot survey for the IFAC community

Undergraduate students in many engineering programs around the world take only one control course. The IFAC Educational Committee has developed and piloted to a limited audience a comprehensive survey for the topics to be included in such course. This issue is relevant to both academia and industry. The paper discusses the initial findings related to the design of the survey as well as the responses of the participants. The findings will be used to refine the survey and distribute it in the near future to the global control community

Investigation of superfast deposition of metal oxide and Diamond-Like Carbon thin films by nanosecond Ytterbium (Yb+) fiber laser

Metal oxide (MOx, M: titanium, magnesium) and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) thin films were synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) at room temperature and low vacuum of 2 Pa for MOx and vacuum of 4 x 10(-3) Pa for DLC films. A fiber based Ytterbium (Yb+) laser operating in the nanosecond regime at a repetition rate of 20 kHz was used as an ablation source. Dense and smooth thin films with a thickness from 120 to 360 nm and an area of up to 10 cm(2) were deposited on glass and stainless steel substrates at high growth rates up to 2 nm/s for a laser intensity of 10-12 J/cm(2). The thin films synthesis was compared for two fiber laser modes of operation, at a repetition rate of 20 kHz and with an additional modulation at 1 kHz. The morphology, chemical composition and structure of the obtained thin films were evaluated using optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology of the MOx thin films and the deposition rate strongly depend on the fiber laser mode of operation. Very smooth surfaces were obtained for the metal oxide thin films deposited at lower deposition rates in the modulation mode at 1 kHz. The effect of the substrate on the DLC film structure was studied. The films deposited on dielectric substrates were identified as typical tetrahedral (ta-C) DLC with high sp(3) content. DLC films on metal substrates were found typical a-C amorphous carbon films with mixing sp(2)/sp(3) bonds

Technical committee on control education

Presents information of the CS society Presents information of the CS society Technical Committee on Control Education

A survey of international views on a first course in systems and control for engineering undergraduates

This paper summarises the results of an international survey of academics and industrialists on what should be prioritised in the first, and often only, control course taken by engineering undergraduates. The results are made up both of quantitative data whereby respondents selected from a number of options, and also of qualitative data where respondents entered free comments. Reflections on the results and summaries of common trends are given to help readers consider how the curriculum in their own institutions might be updated and modified to meet modern requirements. At the time of writing the survey had around 500 respondents covering a good spread of nationalities, employment status and engineering disciplines

On an IFAC online pilot survey for a first course on control

The paper introduces aims and objectives of the IFAC survey for a first course on control and discusses some its basic features

Teaching control during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper aims to analyze some different solutions that were adopted in control education activities during the pandemic. The authors of this paper are educators in the control education field from different countries on all the continents, who have developed a questionnaire with the idea of collecting data about the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the control education activities. The main objective is to study the diverse alternatives that were used worldwide to perform the online educational activities during that period, such as methodologies, tools, learning management systems (LMS), theoretical exercises, laboratory experiments, types of exams, simulators, software for online lecturing, etc. As a result, comparisons between pre-and during-pandemic educational resources and methods are performed, where useful ideas and discussions are given for the control education community.https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ifac-papersonlineElectrical, Electronic and Computer Engineerin

Novel Styrylquinolinium Dye Thin Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Nonlinear Optical Applications

The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of novel styrylquinolinium dye thin films for photonic applications have been studied by the Z-scan, second harmonic generation (SHG), and third harmonic generation (THG) techniques, providing both the second- and third-order nonlinear optical parameters. The styrylquinolinium dye (E)-1-ethyl-4-(2-(4-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)vinyl)quinolinium bromide was synthesized by the Knoevenagel condensation, and its structure and physicochemical properties were determined by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, FTIR, UV-vis spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Functional thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using UV TEA N-2 laser onto glass substrates and KCl, NaCl monocrystals at room temperature and vacuum at 10(-3) mbar/0.1 Pa. Further characterization of the films and target from native material by FTIR spectroscopy revealed that there was no difference between the deposited films and the initial material. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements have been also performed in order to provide information about the morphology and topology of the thin films

Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in clinically healthy German sheep flocks

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current epidemiological data on the situation of <it>Coxiella (C.) burnetii </it>infections in sheep are missing, making risk assessment and the implementation of counteractive measures difficult. Using the German state of Thuringia as a model example, the estimated sero-, and antigen prevalence of <it>C. burnetii </it>(10% and 25%, respectively) was assessed at flock level in 39/252 randomly selected clinically healthy sheep flocks with more than 100 ewes and unknown abortion rate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CHECKIT™ Q-fever Test Kit identified 11 (28%) antibody positive herds, whereas real-time PCR revealed the presence of <it>C. burnetii </it>DNA in 2 (5%) of the flocks. Multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis of 9 isolates obtained from one flock revealed identical profiles. All isolates contained the plasmid QpH1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrate that <it>C. burnetii </it>is present in clinically inconspicuous sheep flocks and sporadic flare-ups do occur as the notifications to the German animal disease reporting system show. Although <it>C. burnetii </it>infections are not a primary veterinary concern due to the lack of significant clinical impact on animal health (with the exception of goats), the eminent zoonotic risk for humans should not be underestimated. Therefore, strategies combining the interests of public and veterinary public health should include monitoring of flocks, the identification and culling of shedders as well as the administration of protective vaccines.</p

NGS Nominated CELA1, HSPG2, and KCNK5 as Candidate Genes for Predisposition to Balkan Endemic Nephropathy

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a familial chronic tubulointerstitial disease with insidious onset and slow progression leading to terminal renal failure. The results of molecular biological investigations propose that BEN is a multifactorial disease with genetic predisposition to environmental risk agents. Exome sequencing of 22 000 genes with Illumina Nextera Exome Enrichment Kit was performed on 22 DNA samples (11 Bulgarian patients and 11 Serbian patients). Software analysis was performed via NextGene, Provean, and PolyPhen. The frequency of all annotated genetic variants with deleterious/damaging effect was compared with those of European populations. Then we focused on nonannotated variants (with no data available about them and not found in healthy Bulgarian controls). There is no statistically significant difference between annotated variants in BEN patients and European populations. From nonannotated variants with more than 40% frequency in both patients' groups, we nominated 3 genes with possible deleterious/damaging variants-CELA1, HSPG2, and KCNK5. Mutant genes (CELA1, HSPG2, and KCNK5) in BEN patients encode proteins involved in basement membrane/extracellular matrix and vascular tone, tightly connected to process of angiogenesis. We suggest that an abnormal process of angiogenesis plays a key role in the molecular pathogenesis of BEN