A CLIPS prototype for autonomous power system control

The model of the system assumes a constant power source and loads (experiments) whose power demands exceed the supply. Experiments are described by their name, power consumption, time for a complete run, present status and the state of the load. The power consumption of each load is set at a constant level but can be dynamically modified by the operator. The status specifies if the experiment is running, paused, completed or failed. The state compensates for the lack of actual feedback sensor data, by signifying the stability of the load. Experiments are scheduled to keep as many running as possible with the current system limitations. A graphics oriented user interface is embedded into the rule-based system to enable an operator to easily experiment with the system

Quality by Design Procedure for Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: An Integrated Flowsheet Model Approach

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is crucial to global healthcare and requires a higher, more consistent level of quality than any other industry. Yet, the traditional pharmaceutical batch manufacturing has remained largely unchanged in the last fifty years due to high R&D costs, shorter patent durations, and regulatory uncertainty. This has led regulatory bodies to promote modernization of manufacturing process to continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing (CPM) by introducing new methodologies including quality by design, design space, and process analytical technology (PAT). This represents a shift away from the traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing way of thinking towards a risk based approach that promotes increased product and process knowledge through a data-rich environment. While both literature and regulatory bodies acknowledge the need for modernization, manufacturers have been slow to modernize due to uncertainty and lack of confidence in the applications of these methodologies. This paper aims to describe the current applications of QbD principles in literature and the current regulatory environment to identify gaps in literature through leveraging regulatory guidelines and CPM literature. To aid in closing the gap between QbD theory and QbD application, a QbD algorithm for CPM using an integrated flowsheet models is also developed and analyzed. This will help to increase manufacturing confidence in CPM by providing answers to questions about the CPM business case, applications of QbD tools, process validation and sensitivity, and process and equipment characteristics. An integrated flowsheet model will aid in the decision-making process and process optimization, breaking away from ex silico methods extensively covered in literature

The Fidelity of the Fruit: A Psychology of Adam’s Fall in Milton’s \u3cem\u3eParadise Lost\u3c/em\u3e

The passage above provides an apt image, with all its symbolic overtones, of Adam’s reaction to Eve’s mortal transgression—that is, her eating from the Forbidden Tree. The circular nature of the garland signifies perfection and permanence; the roses convey the delicacy, vitality, and bloom of life. The garland not only represents the perfection of a paradisal world, but the union between Adam and Eve. But Eve’s careless and wanton act shatters such a union. This leaves Adam with a choice: to eat the fruit thereby upholding his bond with and love for Eve (an act in defiance of God), or to walk away and shoulder the pangs of a broken heart and the prospect of a solitary future. He chooses the former. Many critics have argued—and will no doubt continue to argue—that slavish and blind passion prompted Adam to eat from the Tree. But this is not the case. Adam acts out of love. He sacrifices himself out of love, a sacrifice that parallels that of the Son (i.e. Jesus) in Book III of the epic

\u27Tis Murder\u27s Best Face When a Vizard\u27s On

Theater as an art form demands disguise for many reasons. It allows a character to act in uncharacteristic ways against society’s customs and expectations. It frees the user from society’s rules as well as his own sense of morality; nonetheless, it also restricts the wearer to certain behaviors and actions. This dichotomy is reflected in how the masked character is free to act outside of the law but is still its subject in the end. Disguise allows a character freedom from social obligations but he is still responsible and punished for his actions by the end of the play. Although disguise is used decoratively in the actual costume changes that take place on the stage, disguise is more than a material covering; it can be performative. It allows the character the ability to be something more. For example, Hamlet is also mad Hamlet; his disguise relies entirely on his performance. The action of concealing one’s identity becomes a part of the performance; therefore, used within a play, it calls attention to the pretense of the show and forces audiences to address the larger issues being presented. This thesis examines how the plots of The Spanish Tragedy, Titus Andronicus, and Hamlet are driven by performative disguise; in particular, Hieronimo, Titus, and Hamlet feign madness in order to plot revenge. Feigned madness is a form of performative disguise because the character is pretending to be something he is not, in the same way that a character might change costumes. Kyd and Shakespeare set the stage for the flourishing of revenge plots that would become a staple of the Jacobean theater. In these plays, the performative disguise is used as a vehicle for male retribution and vengeance. Revenge allows characters to take justice into their own hands when the law fails. It allows characters to fix perceived wrongs against them. In the plays being addressed, the protagonist’s desire for retribution comes about because of the wrongs perpetuated against them. The philosophy of performatives is examined because it shows how words can be used to manipulate the performance. There are many revenge scenarios in the English Renaissance canon; however, The Spanish Tragedy, Titus Andronicus, and Hamlet make a similar statement about using feigned madness in order to plan and justify their revenge. Because of the disguise of madness, Hieronimo, Titus, and Hamlet were able to prove the guilt of their target while publicizing their actions. Without their disguise, revenge would have been virtually impossible because they would not have been able to stay close to their targets. Shakespeare’s and Kyd’s plays address the idea that proof and justification are necessary for revenge. What Kyd and Shakespeare set forth was used to create many different scenarios and many different kinds of revengers

Evolution on the urban island

Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24).Cities are very much alive. Like islands, they provide a natural testing ground for evolution. With more than half of the world's population living in urban areas now, the influence cities have on the planet's life is enormous. But can they produce species? Foxes are learning to take advantage of human handouts in London, blackbirds are adjusting their physiology to relax around humans, and two forms of mosquito are diverging in the London tube system. Cities are hotbeds of evolutionary change, and regardless of whether or not new forms of life are destined to arise, they may help shed light on the origin of species.by Kenrick Vezina.S.M.in Science Writin

Inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase 5 in the nucleus accumbens enhances the expression of amphetamine-induced locomotor conditioning

When psychostimulant drugs like amphetamine are administered repeatedly in the presence of a contextual stimulus complex, long-lasting associations form between the unconditioned effects of the drug and the contextual stimuli. Here we assessed the role played by the proline-directed serine/threonine kinase cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) on the expression of the conditioned locomotion normally observed when rats are returned to a context previously paired with amphetamine. Infusing the Cdk5 inhibitor roscovitine (40 nmol/0.5µl/side) into the NAcc 30-min before the test for conditioning significantly enhanced the conditioned locomotor response observed in rats previously administered amphetamine in the test environment. This effect was specific to the expression of a conditioned response as inhibiting Cdk5 produced no effect in control rats previously administered saline or previously administered amphetamine elsewhere. As inhibiting Cdk5 during exposure to amphetamine has been found to block the accrual of locomotor conditioning, the present results suggest distinct roles for NAcc Cdk5 in the induction and expression of excitatory conditioning by amphetamine