Prescribed Performance Tracking Control of Time-Delay Nonlinear Systems With Output Constraints

The problem of prescribed performance tracking control for unknown time-delay nonlinear systems subject to output constraints is dealt with in this paper. In contrast with related works, only the most fundamental requirements, i.e., boundedness and the local Lipschitz condition, are assumed for the allowable time delays. Moreover, we focus on the case where the reference is unknown beforehand, which renders the standard prescribed performance control designs under output constraints infeasible. To conquer these challenges, a novel robust prescribed performance control approach is put forward in this paper.Herein, a reverse tuning function is skillfully constructed and automatically generates a performance envelop for the tracking error. In addition, a unified performance analysis framework based on proof by contradiction and the barrier function is established to reveal the inherent robustness of the control system against the time delays. It turns out that the system output tracks the reference with a preassigned settling time and good accuracy,without constraint violations. A comparative simulation on a two-stage chemical reactor is carried out to illustrate the above theoretical findings.

Target acquisition performance in the presence of JPEG image compression

This paper presents an investigation on the effect of JPEG compression on the similarity between the target image and the background,where the similarity is further used to determine the degree of clutter in the image.Four new clutter metrics based on image quality assessment are introduced,among which the Haar wavelet-based perceptual similarity index,known as HaarPSI,provides the best target acquisition prediction results.It is shown that the similarity between the target and the background at the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression does not change significantly compared to the case when an uncompressed image is used.In future work,through subjective tests,it is necessary to check whether this presence of compression at the threshold of just noticeable differences will affect the human target acquisition performance.Similarity values are compared with the results of subjective tests of the well-known target Search_2 database,where the degree of agreement between objective and subjective scores,measured through linear correlation,reached a value of 90%.

Reinforcement⁃Learning⁃Based Appointed⁃Time Prescribed Performance Attitude Control for Rigid Spacecraft

This paper addresses a geometric control algorithm for the attitude tracking problem of the rigid spacecraft modeled on SO(3).Considering the topological and geometric properties of SO(3),we introduced a smooth positive attitude error function to convert the attitude tracking issue on SO(3)into the stabilization counterpart on its Lie algebra.The error transformation technique was further utilized to ensure the assigned transient and steady state performance of the attitude tracking error with the aid of a well⁃designed assigned⁃time performance function.Then,using the actor⁃critic(AC)neural architecture,an adaptive reinforcement learning approximator was constructed,in which the actor neural network(NN)was utilized to approximate the unknown nonlinearity online.A critic function was introduced to tune the next phase of the actor neural network operation for performance improvement via supervising the system performance.A rigorous stability analysis was presented to show that the assigned system performance can be achieved.Finally,the effectiveness and feasibility of the constructed control strategy was verified by the numerical simulation.

Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures: Ranking Agencies on Roadway Clearance Time

This study develops a procedure to rank agencies based on their incident responses using roadway clearance times for crashes. This analysis is not intended to grade agencies but to assist in identifying agencies requiring more training or resources for incident management. Previous NCHRP reports discussed usage of different factors including incident severity, roadway characteristics, number of lanes involved and time of incident separately for estimating the performance. However, it does not tell us how to incorporate all the factors at the same time. Thus, this study aims to account for multiple factors to ensure fair comparisons. This study used 149,174 crashes from Iowa that occurred from 2018 to 2021. A Tobit regression model was used to find the effect of different variables on roadway clearance time. Variables that cannot be controlled directly by agencies such as crash severity, roadway type, weather conditions, lighting conditions, etc., were included in the analysis as it helps to reduce bias in the ranking procedure. Then clearance time of each crash is normalized into a base condition using the regression coefficients. The normalization makes the process more efficient as the effect of uncontrollable factors has already been mitigated. Finally, the agencies were ranked by their average normalized roadway clearance time. This ranking process allows agencies to track their performance of previous crashes, can be used in identifying low performing agencies that could use additional resources and training, and can be used to identify high performing agencies to recognize for their efforts and performance.

Effect of Time Step Size and Turbulence Model on the Open Water Hydrodynamic Performance Prediction of Contra-Rotating Propellers

A growing interest has been devoted to the contra-rotating propellers （CRPs） due to their high propulsive efficiency, torque balance, low fuel consumption, low cavitations, low noise performance and low hull vibration. Compared with the single-screw system, it is more difficult for the open water performance prediction because forward and aft propellers interact with each other and generate a more complicated flow field around the CRPs system. The current work focuses on the open water performance prediction of contra-rotating propellers by RANS and sliding mesh method considering the effect of computational time step size and turbulence model. The validation study has been performed on two sets of contra-rotating propellers developed by David W Taylor Naval Ship R ＆ D center. Compared with the experimental data, it shows that RANS with sliding mesh method and SST k-ω turbulence model has a good precision in the open water performance prediction of contra-rotating propellers, and small time step size can improve the level of accuracy for CRPs with the same blade number of forward and aft propellers, while a relatively large time step size is a better choice for CRPs with different blade numbers.

Efficient structural seismic performance evaluation method using improved endurance time analysis

Evaluation of structural performance under seismic excitations from low intensity to high intensity is essential to verify the seismic resistant capacity of a structure, and usually carried out by the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method or pushover method. The recently developed endurance time (ET) method is another method that uses dynamic pushover excitations, i.e., endurance time acceleration function, to obtain results similar to those obtained by IDA or pushover methods with low computational cost and acceptable accuracy. This study proposes an improvement on the ET method by considering more restrictions for both the elastic and inelastic response spectra in the generation procedure, and by specifying a target duration. Four reinforced concrete frame structures with 4, 8, 12, and 16 stories are adopted to verify the accuracy of the improved method. Comparison of the results obtained by the proposed method, the ET method and the IDA method shows that the improved method has a higher accuracy than the ET method. For evaluation of structural responses under specifi c ground motion intensity, which is typically required in seismic design codes, the results obtained by the proposed method are compared with fi ve commonly used ground motion selection methods, and shows the proposed method provides acceptable accuracy for engineering applications.

Robust output regulation problem with prescribed performance for nonlinear strict feedback systems

This paper investigates the problem of robust output regulation control with prospected transient property for strict feedback systems.By employing the internal model principle,the robust output regulation problem with a prospected property can be transformed to a robust stabilization problem with a new output constraint.Then,by constructing the speed function and adopting barrier Lyapunov function technique,the dynamic feedback controller can be designed not only to drive error output of the closed-loop system entering into a prescribed performance bound within a given finite time,but also to achieve that the error output converges to zero asymptotically.The effectiveness of the results is illustrated by a simulation example.

Effect of music on colonoscopy performance: A propensity scorematched analysis

BACKGROUND Music has been used to reduce stress and improve task performance during medical therapy.AIM To assess the effects of music on colonoscopy performance outcomes.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent colonoscopy performed by four endoscopists with popular music.Colonoscopy performance outcomes,such as insertion time,adenoma detection rate(ADR),and polyp detection rate(PDR),were compared between the music and non-music groups.To reduce selection bias,propensity score matching was used.RESULTS After one-to-one propensity score matching,169 colonoscopies were selected from each group.No significant differences in insertion time(4.97 vs 5.17 min,P=0.795)and ADR(39.1%vs 46.2%,P=0.226)were found between the two groups.Subgroup analysis showed that the insertion time(3.6 vs 3.8 min,P=0.852)and ADR(51.1%vs 44.7%,P=0.488)did not significantly differ between the two groups in experts.However,in trainees,PDR(46.9%vs 66.7%,P=0.016)and ADR(25.9%vs 47.6%,P=0.006)were significantly lower in the music than in the nonmusic group.CONCLUSION The current study found that listening to music during colonoscopy did not affect procedure performance.Moreover,it suggested that music may distract trainees from appropriately detecting adenomas and polyps.

Real-time performance of periodic data transmission in EPA industrial Ethernet

To evaluate and improve the real-time performance of Ethernet for plant automation（EPA） industrial Ethernet,the real-time performance of EPA periodic data transmission was theoretically and experimentally studied.By analyzing information transmission regularity and EPA deterministic scheduling mechanism,periodic messages were categorized as different modes according to their entering-queue time.The scheduling characteristics and delivery time of each mode and their interacting relations were studied,during which the models of real-time performance of periodic information transmission in EPA system were established.On this basis,an experimental platform is developed to test the delivery time of periodic messages transmission in EPA system.According to the analysis and the experiment,the main factors that limit the real-time performance of EPA periodic data transmission and the improvement methods were proposed.

Analysis of Medical Waste Incinerator Performance Based on Fuel Consumption and Cycle Times

A detailed assessment of an incinerator based on fuel consumption and cycle time data is presented in this paper. The study was conducted at Temeke district hospital for 22 months consecutively covering 654 days of daily data collection on fuel consumption and cycle times. The composition for the medical waste incinerated varied between 15% and 35% for sharps waste and between 65% and 85% for other waste, with mean values of 25% and 75%, respectively. The results revealed poor performance of the incinerator due to higher fuel consumption (above 30 L/cycle). The incineration cycle times were observed to range between 2 and 4 hours, all of which were too high for the loading rates observed (55 - 214 kg). A strong dependency of diesel oil consumption on cycle time was observed due to lack of temperature control leading to continuous fuel flow into the burners. The incineration capacity was very low compared to other incinerators in terms of tons per year. This paper gives an insight on the factors affecting incinerator performance assessed based on diesel oil consumption and cycle times. It can be generalized that the incinerator performance was poor due to several factors ranging from poor incinerator design, operator skills, waste management practices, waste storage practices, etc. The hospital was advised to install a new incinerator with short incineration cycle time (30 - 40 minutes) and lower fuel consumption (10 L/cycle) at a loading rate of 200 kg/cycle.

Analysis of Waste-Rock Transportation Process Performance in an Open-Pit Mine Based on Statistical Analysis of Cycle Times Data

In this paper, the performance of a waste rock transportation process in an open pit mine was assessed by using cycle time data. A computerized truck-excavator dispatch system was used to record the cycle times. The process was broken into seven steps (or components of the total cycle), durations of which were recorded for a period of 1 month, leading to N = 60,690 data points or dispatches. The open pit mine studied consisted of 12 waste types loaded by 14 excavators and hauled by 49 trucks (at a trucks-to-excavator ratio of 3.5:1) in 75 changing locations. The string-type data was coded using integers to allow a FORTRAN code to extract process performance parameters using statistical analysis. The study established a wide range of parameters including: the waste material generation rate (about 1.73 million t/month, 81% comprising waste rock), truck fill factor, f, total cycle time (Tct), production capacity, theoretical cycle time, non-productive cycle time Tnp, and cycle time performance ratio (CTPR), denoted as Tpr. The factors affecting the process performance include: truck model, excavator model, location (haul distance and road conditions) and material type. For a fixed material type and tonnage, the PDFs of the cycle time components were logarithmic in nature, capable of differentiating performance variations under different factors. It was concluded that the performance of the waste material transportation system in this mine was determined to be acceptable due to mean value of Tpr = 2.432 being closer to unity. Reduction measures were suggested to minimize the cycle time for the process bottlenecks determined from Pareto analysis (that is, full haul, empty haul and loading processes).

Effect of aspect ratio of elliptical stirred vessel on mixing time and flow field characteristics in the absence of baffles

Elliptical tanks were used as an alternative to circular tanks in order to improve mixing efficiency and reduce mixing time in unbaffled stirred tanks(USTs). Five different aspect ratios of elliptical vessels were designed to compare their mixing time and flow field. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations were performed using the k–ε model to calculate the mixing time and simulate turbulent flow field features, such as streamline shape, velocity distribution, vortex core region distribution, and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) transfer. Visualization was also carried out to track the tinctorial evolution of the liquid phase. Results reveal that elliptical stirred tanks can significantly improve mixing performance in USTs. Specifically, the mixing time at an aspect ratio of 2.00 is only 45.3% of the one of a circular stirred tank. Furthermore, the secondary flow is strengthened and the vortex core region increases with the increase of aspect ratio. The axial velocity is more sensitive to the aspect ratio than the circumferential and radial velocity. Additionally, the TKE transfer in elliptical vessels is altered. These findings suggest that elliptical vessels offer a promising alternative to circular vessels for enhancing mixing performance in USTs.

Effects of Feeding Time on the Growth Performance and Variation of RNA/DNA Ratio of the Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis

The present study was to investigate the effects of feeding time on growth of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle. The experiment was carried out with a photoperiod of 12L （light）： 12D （dark） with lights on at 06：00 and off at 18：00. Turtles were maintained at a temperature of 32 - 0.2 ℃ in tanks throughout the length of the experiment. The turtles in group 1 to group 6 were fed respectively at 00：00, 04：00, 08：00, 12：00, 16：00 and 20：00 with 60 turtles each （Initial body weight 88.27 - 0.09 g）. Acrophases of postprandial RNA/DNA ratio in liver in each group was shown between 5h and 7h after feeding. A positive linear correlation could be seen between specific growth rate （SGR） and RNA/ DNA：SGR=t.1586RNA/DNA-0.7097 （r = 0.9328, P = 0.0066）. The results indicated that the values at the acrophases of about 6h after feeding might be used as an instantaneous growth index in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle. The turtles in group 1 grew better than group 3, group 4, group 5, group 6, because they ate more, but they ate more and grew slower than group 2, whose feed conversion rate was also higher. Meanwhile, the SGR and feeding rate of turtles fed at 12：00 were the lowest from the six groups （P 〈 0.05）. Turtles fed in group 1, group 2 and group 6 developed more heavy final body weight （FBW）, higher feeding rate and SGR than the other three groups. This probably suggested that turtles fed in scotophase grew better than that fed at photophase in total.

Performance Evaluation System of Pig Supply Chain Based on Time-Space Perspective and Balanced Score Card(BSC)

The overall structure of live pig supply chain was constructed based on theoretical study and practical investigation, and the performance evaluation sys- tem for supply chain was studied from two perspectives of time and space and balanced score card （BSC）. From the space perspective and BSC, the performance evaluation system composed of four primary indicators （financial dimension, customer dimension, internal business dimension and innovation/learning perspective） and 26 secondary indicators. From the time perspective and BSC, the system could be divided into four stages, including formation stage, development stage, matu- rity stage and recession stage, with a total of 30 indicators.

Performance analysis model for real-time Ethernet-based computer numerical control system

In order to optimize the embedded system implementation for Ethernet-based computer numerical control (CNC) system,it is very necessary to establish the performance analysis model and further adopt the codesign method from the control,communication and computing perspectives.On the basis of analyzing real-time Ethernet,system architecture,time characteristic parameters of control-loop etc,a performance analysis model for real-time Ethernet-based CNC system was proposed,which is able to include the timing effects caused by the implementation platform in the simulation.The key for establishing the model is accomplished by designing the error analysis module and the controller nodes.Under the restraint of CPU resource and communication bandwidth,the experiment with a case study was conducted,and the results show that if the deadline miss ratio of data packets is 0.2%,then the percentage error is 1.105%.The proposed model can be used at several stages of CNC system development.

Investigation of Excavator Performance Factors in an Open-Pit Mine Using Loading Cycle Time

This study presents the effect of excavator model, loading operation location, shift availability and truck-shovel combination on loading cycle time and productivity of an open-pit mine. The loading cycle time was used to assess the material loading system performance which is one of the key components of the total cycle time for material transportation in an open-pit mine. Loading is among the components of cycle time during which material is being handled. The data analyzed?was?collected from a computerized dispatch system at GGM from which 62,000 loading dispatches per month involving several shifts, 14 excavators and 49 trucks were loaded. About 4465 dispatches per excavator and 1276 dispatches per truck were assessed using loading cycle time data for each dispatch for a period of four months (between August and December). Under fixed tonnage loaded and waste type (33 t of non-acid forming waste rock),?it was observed that loading cycle time depends on excavator model, location and truck being loaded. Average cycle times, PDFS?and CDFS of loading cycle time series were used to identify differences in performance under different situations. It was concluded that shift availability for excavators, loading location, excavator model and truck-shovel combinations strongly affect the productivity during loading process in an open-pit mine.

Enhanced LMI Representations for H2 Performance of Polytopic Uncertain Systems: Continuous-time Case

Based on two recent results, several new criteria of H2 performance for continuous-time linear systems are established by introducing two slack matrices. When used in robust analysis of systems with polytopic uncertainties, they can reduce conservatism inherent in the earlier quadratic method and the established parameter-dependent Lyapunov function approach. Two numerical examples are included to illustrate the feasibility and advantage of the proposed representations.

Time-domain CFD computation and analysis of acoustic attenuation performance of water-filled silencers

The multi-dimensional time-domain computational fluid dynamics(CFD) approach is extended to calculate the acoustic attenuation performance of water-filled piping silencers. Transmission loss predictions from the time-domain CFD approach and the frequency-domain finite element method(FEM) agree well with each other for the dual expansion chamber silencer, straight-through and cross-flow perforated tube silencers without flow. Then, the time-domain CFD approach is used to investigate the effect of flow on the acoustic attenuation characteristics of perforated tube silencers. The numerical predictions demonstrate that the mean flow increases the transmission loss, especially at higher frequencies, and shifts the transmission loss curve to lower frequencies.

Optimizing Real-Time Performance of 3D Virtual Mining Environment with MultiGen Creator

System optimization plays a crucial role in developing VR system after 3D modeling, affecting the system's Immersion and Interaction performance enormously. In this article, several key techniques of optimizing a virtual mining system were discussed: optimizing 3D models to keep the polygon number in VR system within target hardware's processing ability; optimizing texture database to save texture memory with perfect visual effect; optimizing database hierarchy structure to accelerate model retrieval; and optimizing LOD hierarchy structure to speed up rendering.

Simultaneous quadratic performance stabilization for linear time-delay systems

A newly designed approach of simultaneous stabilization is given for linear discrete time-delay systems. The problem of stabilization for a collection of systems is discussed initially. Adequate condition are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities （LMIs） which are independent of time delays such that the resultant collection of discrete time-delay systems are stable with an upper bound of the quadratic performance index. Subsequently, controllers are designed such that the resultant closed-loop discrete time-delay systems are simultaneously stabilized with the upper bound of the quadratic performance index. Finally,a numerical example is given to illustrate the design method.