Real-time implementation of a sensor validation scheme for a heavy-duty diesel engine

With ultra-low exhaust emissions standards, heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) are dependent upon a myriad of sensors to optimize power output and exhaust emissions. Apart from acquiring and processing sensor signals, engine control modules should also have capabilities to report and compensate for sensors that have failed. The global objective of this research was to develop strategies to enable HDDEs to maintain nominal in-use performance during periods of sensor failures. Specifically, the work explored the creation of a sensor validation scheme to detect, isolate, and accommodate sensor failures in HDDEs. The scheme not only offers onboard diagnostic (OBD) capabilities, but also control of engine performance in the event of sensor failures. The scheme, known as Sensor Failure Detection Isolation and Accommodation (SFDIA), depends on mathematical models for its functionality. Neural approximators served as the modeling tool featuring online adaptive capabilities. The significance of the SFDIA is that it can enhance an engine management system (EMS) capability to control performance under any operating conditions when sensors fail. The SFDIA scheme updates models during the lifetime of an engine under real world, in-use conditions. The central hypothesis for the work was that the SFDIA scheme would allow continuous normal operation of HDDEs under conditions of sensor failures. The SFDIA was tested using the boost pressure, coolant temperature, and fuel pressure sensors to evaluate its performance. The test engine was a 2004 MackRTM MP7-355E (11 L, 355 hp). Experimental work was conducted at the Engine and Emissions Research Laboratory (EERL) at West Virginia University (WVU). Failure modes modeled were abrupt, long-term drift and intermittent failures. During the accommodation phase, the SFDIA restored engine power up to 0.64% to nominal. In addition, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions were maintained at up to 1.41% to nominal

Razvitak imunoenzimnog testa s jedostrukim razrjeđenjem seruma za dokaz protutijela za virus zarazne bolesti burze

Determination of antibody titres of sera collected from poultry flock to diagnose IBDV infected chickens by developing single serum working dilution ELISA (SSD-ELISA) was made. The indirect ELISA standard procedure was adopted with standard positive and negative serum controls. The standard IBDV antigen was prepared using the Tamil Nadu isolate of IBDV. The relative sensitivity and specificity of a single serum dilution ELISA test in qualitative comparison with the commercial kit were 82% and 100% respectively and the accuracy was 82.1%. This single serum dilution assay gave reproducible results and allowed considerable savings on the time and cost of reagents compared with indirect ELISA. Based on these results a SDS-ELISA kits have been developed in this study to replace the commercial kit. The IBDV antigen coated ELISA plates can be stored under refrigeration and the test can be performed rapidly under field conditions by trained personnel.Titar protutijela za virus zarazne bolesti burze određen je u uzorcima seruma pilića razvijenim imunoenzimnim testom s jednostrukim razrjeđenjem uzoraka seruma. Standardni imunoenzimni test prilagođen je uz uporabu standardnih pozitivnih i negativnih kontrolnih uzoraka seruma. Standardni antigen za virus zarazne bolesti burze bio je pripravljen od izolata Tamil Nadu virusa. U usporedbi s komercijalnim kompletom, osjetljivost testa iznosila je 82%, a specifičnost 100%. Točnost mu je bila 82,1%. Razvijenim testom postignuti su reproducibilni rezultati uz znatnu uštedu vremena i materijala pa se može uporabiti umjesto komercijalnih kompleta. Antigen se može pohraniti u hladnjaku, a uvježbano osoblje može brzo izvesti test u terenskim uvjetima

Razvitak imunoenzimnog testa s jedostrukim razrjeđenjem seruma za dokaz protutijela za virus zarazne bolesti burze

Determination of antibody titres of sera collected from poultry flock to diagnose IBDV infected chickens by developing single serum working dilution ELISA (SSD-ELISA) was made. The indirect ELISA standard procedure was adopted with standard positive and negative serum controls. The standard IBDV antigen was prepared using the Tamil Nadu isolate of IBDV. The relative sensitivity and specificity of a single serum dilution ELISA test in qualitative comparison with the commercial kit were 82% and 100% respectively and the accuracy was 82.1%. This single serum dilution assay gave reproducible results and allowed considerable savings on the time and cost of reagents compared with indirect ELISA. Based on these results a SDS-ELISA kits have been developed in this study to replace the commercial kit. The IBDV antigen coated ELISA plates can be stored under refrigeration and the test can be performed rapidly under field conditions by trained personnel.Titar protutijela za virus zarazne bolesti burze određen je u uzorcima seruma pilića razvijenim imunoenzimnim testom s jednostrukim razrjeđenjem uzoraka seruma. Standardni imunoenzimni test prilagođen je uz uporabu standardnih pozitivnih i negativnih kontrolnih uzoraka seruma. Standardni antigen za virus zarazne bolesti burze bio je pripravljen od izolata Tamil Nadu virusa. U usporedbi s komercijalnim kompletom, osjetljivost testa iznosila je 82%, a specifičnost 100%. Točnost mu je bila 82,1%. Razvijenim testom postignuti su reproducibilni rezultati uz znatnu uštedu vremena i materijala pa se može uporabiti umjesto komercijalnih kompleta. Antigen se može pohraniti u hladnjaku, a uvježbano osoblje može brzo izvesti test u terenskim uvjetima

Non Iodine Avid Bone Metastasis from Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Case Series

Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (DTC) constitute up to 90 per cent of all thyroid malignancy. The overall prognosis of patients with DTC is good, but when bone metastases are present, the overall survival at 10 years ranges from 13 to 21%. Treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer that are non iodine avid offers a surgical challenge. This paper reviews a series of three cases of DTCs with bone metastasis treated by surgery

Pt-Ru-NiTiO3 Nanoparticles Dispersed on Vulcan as High Performance Electrocatalysts for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction (MOR)

We propose a high performance electrocatalyst based on Pt-Ru-NiTiO3 nanoparticles supported on Vulcan carbon (Pt-Ru-NiTiO3/C) for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in acid medium. The electrocatalyst is prepared from a two-step procedure using a wet chemical method. The morphological studies from TEM indicate that Pt-Ru-NiTiO3 nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on Vulcan carbon. The XRD shows the fcc structure of Pt nanomaterials, while the chemical composition examined using XPS indicates the presence of large fractions of Pt-0 and Ru-0 species (i.e., metallic state), OH- and O2- species are also formed on the surface of the catalyst. The Pt-Ru-NiTiO3/C electrocatalyst exhibits a higher catalytic activity compared to a PtRu/C alloy. Pt-NiTiO3/C is also more active than the alloy. Therefore, on one side, the addition of Ru enhances the MOR through the formation of oxygenated adsorbed species on Ru, which thereby promotes the oxidation of CO to CO2 at more negative potentials (i.e., the bifunctional mechanism). On the other hand, the superior electrocatalytic performance of Pt-Ru-NiTiO3/C is attributed also to the synergistic effects of NiTiO3, which promotes the reaction increasing the current density and shifting the onset potential to even more negative values, suggesting that it also participates in the bifunctional mechanism along with Ru. From the results shown here, Pt-Ru-NiTiO3/C can be a promising anode nanomaterial for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs)