Fuzzy Hysteresis Controller Based Unified Power Quality Conditioner for Voltage Fluctuations and Harmonic Isolation

Power quality problem makes the consumer un satisfy.  FACTS devices such as UPQC are such devices to avoid power quality problems. This paper proposed an efficient hysteresis controller and fuzzy controller for unified power quality conditioner. In this harmonics and voltage fluctuations were dealed by UPQC with hysteresis control strategy. The performance of the control strategy applied unified power quality conditioner on distribution system checked with and without UPQC. And the performances of these two controllers of UPQC are compared. This strategy makes the industries to get pure power and to avoid the disturbances from polluted distribution system. The proposed dynamic model was developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK. Keywords: power quality, voltage fluctuations, harmonics, hysteresis controller, fuzzy controller

Role of the Yeast Ste20 Protein Kinase Ortholog Map4k4 in Adipose Tissue Function: A Dissertation

Obesity has increased globally in epidemic proportions and as have the associated disorders. Insulin resistance that could further lead to type 2 diabetes is a major obesity associated dysfunction. Studies using insulin resistant mouse models and observations from human subjects exhibiting insulin resistance provide evidence for ectopic lipid deposition in organs like liver, muscle and heart as one of the major risk factors for developing insulin resistance. These observations suggest that deregulated adipose function to sequester and store excess energy as fat, could lead to insulin resistance. Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated adipose tissue dysfunction leading to inflammation and related syndromes. Interestingly, a mouse model with transgenic expression of glucose transporter in the adipose tissue exhibited improved glucose tolerance and increased insulin sensitivity despite development of obesity, upon high fat feeding. Thus mechanisms that improve adipose function could alleviate insulin resistance and associated diseases. Mitogen activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4) was identified in our laboratory as a negative regulator of adipocyte function. Interestingly, siRNA mediated knockdown of MAP4K4 promoted PPARγ protein expression. Additionally, silencing of MAP4K4 increased adipocyte triglyceride content. Because MAP4K4 is a negative regulator of PPARγ expression and adipocyte function, understanding the mechanism by which MAP4K4 regulates PPARγ expression is of interest. Thus, for the first part of this thesis, I characterized the signaling pathways utilized by MAP4K4 to regulate PPARγ expression in cultured adipocytes. Here I show that MAP4K4 regulates PPARγ expression through regulation of its protein translation. siRNA mediated MAP4K4 gene silencing stimulated PPARγ protein synthesis without changing its mRNA transcription or its protein degradation. This increase in PPARγ protein translation was due to an increase in the activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). The increase in PPARγ protein expression mediated by mTOR activation was a specific effect of the 4E-BP1 phosphorylation that leads to its inactivation and was not a general increase in mTOR activity towards all of its substrates. Finally, adenovirus mediated over expression of MAP4K4 inhibited mTOR activation, and suppressed PPARγ protein translation. For the second part of this thesis, I assessed the role of MAP4K4 in adipocytes in vivo. To accomplish this, a lentivirus mediated shRNA construct was generated to attenuate MAP4K4 expression selectively in the mouse adipose tissue. First we demonstrate that the MAP4K4 shRNA construct is able to efficiently silence the expression of MAP4K4 in vitro when co-expressed with Cre recombinase. Furthermore, we show that following modification of the lentiviral conditional vector that was introduced into a mouse embryo at one cell stage, and crossing the resulting founders with aP2-Cre mice, adipose tissue specific MAP4K4 gene silencing was achieved. Moreover, shRNA mediated gene silencing is a faster and an inexpensive means of achieving tissue specific gene knockdown relative to the available traditional gene knockout approaches. Utilizing these adipose specific MAP4K4 gene knockdown mice, I reveal that MAP4K4 silencing enhanced fat mass as well as PPARγ expression significantly. This is accompanied by improved whole body insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, when challenged with high fat diet, adipose-specific MAP4K4 silenced mice exhibit enhanced adiposity with decreased lean mass. Moreover, adipocyte cell size and triglyceride content are significantly increased. Interestingly, despite increased adiposity, hepatic insulin sensitivity is significantly improved leading to decreased glucose output. Thus MAP4K4 is an important regulator of adipocyte function that mediates whole body glucose homeostasis, through a mechanism that is yet to be identified

Modeling Study of Beach Placer Minerals using Artificial Neural Network: A Case Study

In recent years, artificial neural network (ANNs) have been found to be an attractive tool for steady-state /dynamic process modeling, and model based control in situations where the development of phenomenological or the empirical models just given either becomes impracti-cal or cumbersome. ANN technology is well suited to solve problems in the mineral industry, and is expected to have a significant impact in many technological areas. Beneficiation plants for beach sand minerals are often very complex in nature with a number of alternative flow sheets are possible for the same mineral sand deposits

Using robot operating system (ROS) and single board computer to control bioloid robot motion

This paper presents a research study on the adaptation of a novel technique for placing a programmable component over the structural component of a Robotis Bioloid humanoid robot. Assimilating intelligence plays an important role in the field of robotics that enables a computer to model or replicate some of the intelligent behaviors of human beings but with minimal human intervention. As a part of this effort, this paper revises the Bioloid robot structure so as to be able to control the robotic movement via a single board computer Beaglebone Black (BBB) and Robot operating system (ROS). ROS as the development frame work in conjunction with the main BBB controller that integrates robotic functions is an important aspect of this research, and is a first of its kind approach. A full ROS computation has been developed by which an API that will be usable by high level software using ROS services has also been developed. The human like body structure of the Bioloid robot and BeagleBone Black running ROS along with the intellectual components are used to make the robot walk efficiently

Expert System for Signature Analysis

Vibrating Machinery Noise, - airborne, structureborne or waterborne - has a signature characteristic of the combination of machinery, its mounting, load coupling, and the structure. FFT and RTA are standard techniques for obtaining power spectral density(PSD) of the noise from the source. In this paper a technique of extraction of features from the PSD, and classification of the sources is presented. An expert system is reported which classifies if the same source has appeared second time. It also gives the degree of confidence to which the classification is made to the operator

Securing Web Applications from malware attacks using hybrid feature extraction

In this technological era, many of the applications are taking the utilization of services of internet in order to cater to the needs of its users. With the rise in number of internet users, there's a substantial inflation within the internet attacks. Because of this hike, Web Services give rise to new security threats. One among the major concerns is the susceptibility of the internet services for cross site scripting (XSS). More than three fourths of the malicious attacks are contributed by XSS. This article primarily focuses on detection and exploiting XSS vulnerabilities. Generally, improper sanitization of input results in these type of susceptibilities. This article primarily focuses on fuzzing, and brute forcing parameters for XSS vulnerability. In addition, we've mentioned the planned framework for contradicting XSS vulnerability

Securing Web Applications from malware attacks using hybrid feature extraction

In this technological era, many of the applications are taking the utilization of services of internet in order to cater to the needs of its users. With the rise in number of internet users, there's a substantial inflation within the internet attacks. Because of this hike, Web Services give rise to new security threats. One among the major concerns is the susceptibility of the internet services for cross site scripting (XSS). More than three fourths of the malicious attacks are contributed by XSS. This article primarily focuses on detection and exploiting XSS vulnerabilities. Generally, improper sanitization of input results in these type of susceptibilities. This article primarily focuses on fuzzing, and brute forcing parameters for XSS vulnerability. In addition, we've mentioned the planned framework for contradicting XSS vulnerability

Critical analysis of drug promotional literature available to the medical practitioners

Background: To ascertain whether the pharmaceutical companies are following the WHO criteria for “Ethical medicinal drug promotion 1988” and “OPPI Code of pharmaceutical marketing practices, 2012” and to what extent. Also, to evaluate the therapeutic claims made by them in their drug promotional literature and other aspects.Methods: Drug Promotional Literature (DPL) from different pharmaceutical companies was collected from various Medical practitioners and analysed to see if they achieved objectives. Therapeutic claims made by them were classified as authentic, exaggerated, controversial, false, and misinterpreted.Results: Total 250 DPLs were collected and critically analysed for information content. Out of the 11 WHO criteria for ethical medicinal drug promotion (1988), Majority (30%)  followed only 54.54% of the criteria while only 4% followed 100% of the criteria. The total number of claims in the 250 DPL were 354 of which 52.8% were authentic and 47.2% were misleading. From the misleading claims: 28.7% were exaggerated, 34.7% were controversial, 22.8% were false, 23% were ambiguous.Conclusions: This study enabled us to find out to what extent the pharmaceutical industries follow the standard criteria for DPL and evaluate the claims made by them. DPL is one of the important sources of drug information. Some of the pharmaceutical companies failed to follow the WHO criteria while advertising their products in order to make them look more lucrative having an underlying commercial motive. As they influence prescribing patterns of the clinicians, misleading promotional literature would result in irrational prescribing of drugs. To avoid this, DPL has to be critically evaluated