Combined indirect and direct method for adaptive fuzzy output feedback control of nonlinear system

A novel control method for a general class of nonlinear systems using fuzzy logic systems （FLSs） is presertted. Indirect and direct methods are combined to design the adaptive fuzzy output feedback controller and a high-gain observer is used to estimate the derivatives of the system output. The closed-loop system is proven to be semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded. In addition, it is shown that if the approximation accuracy of the fuzzy logic system is high enough and the observer gain is chosen sufficiently large, an arbitrarily small tracking error can be achieved. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the newly designed scheme and the theoretical discussion.

Maintaining the artemisinin content through direct and indirect in vitro regeneration and their assessment of variations with the field grown mother plants of Artemisia annua L.

An efficient protocol for maintaining the artemisinin content in tissue culture and high frequency of in vitro direct and indirect regenerations of multiple shoots of high artemisinin yielding genotypes of Artemisia annua has been developed and their comparison with field grown mother plant has been carried out.The eleven elite genotypes(containing more than 1%artemisinin)were tested on seven different modified media formulations.Modified half MS(Murashige and Skoog’s)media containing 100 mg L^(-1) myo-inositol,0.5 g L^(-1) casine hydrolysate,5 mg L^(-1) biotin,2 mL L^(-1) RT(Revised Tobacco)vitamin stock,0.5 mg L^(-1) BAP and 0.01 mg L^(-1) NAA showed best regeneration while,above modified MS medium containing 0.2 mg L^(-1) BAP and 0.2 mg L^(-1) NAA showed maximum shoot multiplication with maintained artemisinin content.Based on the chemical profiles of both the systems,minor difference was observed in their artemisinin content.A large scale culture of these plants maintained the normal growth index along with the artemisinin content and could be a better alternative to maintain the high artemisinin yielding genotypes with their genetic constraint in specific media combinations and also used as base material for further genetic improvement.

Economic burden of irritable bowel syndrome in China

AIM To estimate annual direct and indirect costs for patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and subtypes.METHODS Patients completed a standardized questionnaire concerning usage of healthcare resources, travel costs, meals, and productivity loss of patients when seeking treatment for IBS. Total annual costs per patient were calculated as the sum of direct(including medical and nonmedical) and indirect costs. Total annual costs per patient among various IBS subtypes were compared. Analysis of variance and bootstrapped independent sample t-tests were performed to determine differences between groups after controlling for IBS subtypes.RESULTS A total of 105 IBS patients(64.80% female), mean age of 57.12 years ± 10.31 years), mean disease duration of 4.31 years ± 5.40 years, were included. Total annual costs per patient were estimated as CNy18262.84(USD2933.08). Inpatient and outpatient healthcare use were major cost drivers, accounting for 46.41%and 23.36% of total annual costs, respectively. Productivity loss accounted for 25.32% of total annual costs. The proportions of direct and indirect costs were similarto published studies in other countries. Nationally, the total costs of managing IBS would amount to CNy123.83 billion(USD1.99 billion). Among the IBS subtypes, total annual costs per patient of IBS-M was highest at CNy18891.18(USD3034). Furthermore, there was significant difference in productivity loss among IBS subtypes(P = 0.031).CONCLUSION IBS imposes a huge economic burden on patients and healthcare systems, which could account for 3.3% of the total healthcare budget for the entire Chinese nation. More than two-thirds of total annual costs of IBS consist of inpatient and outpatient healthcare use. Among the subtypes, IBS-M patients appear to have the greatest economic burden but require further confirmation.

Chemical constituents, cytotoxic, antifungal and antimicrobial properties of Centaurea diluta Ait. subsp. algeriensis(Coss. & Dur.) Maire

Objective:To investigate the chemical composition of a moderately polar extract(CHC1_3 soluble part of the MeOH-H_2O extract) obtained from the aerial parts(leaves and flowers) of Centaurea diluta Ait.subsp.algeriensis(Coss.& Dur.) Maire,a species endemic to Algeria and Morocco on which no reports are available to date.To evaluate in vitro the cytotoxic,antifungal and antimicrobial activities of this extract and the cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of its isolated secondary metabolites.Methods:The cytotoxic effects of the extract were investigated on 3 human cancer cell lines i.e.the A549 non-small-cell lung carcinoma(NSCLC),the MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma and the U373 glioblastoma using a MTT colorimetric assay.Biological data allowed to guide the fractionation of the extract by separation and purification on silica gel 60(CC and TLC).The isolated compounds which were characterized by spectral analysis,mainly HR-ESIMS,HR-EIMS,UV and NMR experiments(~1H,^(13)C,COSY,ROESY,HSQC and HMBC) and comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature,were evaluated for cytotoxic activities on six cancer cell lines(A549,MCF7,U373,Hs683 human glioma,PC3 human prostate and B16-F10 murine melanoma).The direct and indirect antibacterial and antifungal activities were determined using microdilution methods for the raw extract and TLC-bioautography and microdilution methods against standard and clinical strains for the isolated compounds.Results:The raw extract reduced cell viability with IC_(50)s of 27,25 and 21 μg/mL on A549,MCF7 and U373,respectively.Five secondary metabolites:two phenolic compounds(vanillin 1,paridol 3),a lignan[(-)-arctigenin 2]and two flavonoid aglycones(eupatilin 4 and jaceosidin 5),were then isolated from this extract.Moderate cytotoxic effects were observed for(-)-arctigenin 2(IC_(50)s:28 and 33μM on Hs683 and B16-F10,respectively),eupatilin 4(IC_(50)s:33 and 47 μM on B16-F10 and PC3,respectively) and jaceosidin 5(IC_(50)s:32 and 40 μM on PC3 and B16-F10,respectively).Conclusions:All the isolated compounds were described for the first time from this species.Although inactive against 7 tested microorganisms(fungi,bacteria and yeast,human or plant pathogens),the raw extract was able to potentiate the effect of beta-lactam antibiotics on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),reducing the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs) by a factor of 2-32-fold.No synergy was found between the extract and streptomycin.From the five isolated compounds only jaseosidin 5 showed a moderate antimicrobial activity.

Exciton optical absorption in asymmetric ZnO/ZnMgO double quantum wells with mixed phases

The optical absorption of exciton interstate transition in Zn1-xlMgxlO/ZnO/Zn1-xcMgxcO/ZnO/Zn1-xrMgxrO asymmetric double quantum wells(ADQWs)with mixed phases of zinc-blende and wurtzite in Zn1-xMgxO for 0.37<x<0.62 is discussed.The mixed phases are taken into account by our weight model of fitting.The states of excitons are obtained by a finite difference method and a variational procedure in consideration of built-in electric fields(BEFs)and the Hartree potential.The optical absorption coefficients(OACs)of exciton interstate transition are obtained by the density matrix method.The results show that Hartree potential bends the conduction and valence bands,whereas a BEF tilts the bands and the combined effect enforces electrons and holes to approach the opposite interfaces to decrease the Coulomb interaction effects between electrons and holes.Furthermore,the OACs indicate a transformation between direct and indirect excitons in zinc-blende ADQWs due to the quantum confinement effects.There are two kinds of peaks corresponding to wurtzite and zinc-blende structures respectively,and the OACs merge together under some special conditions.The computed result of exciton interband emission energy agrees well with a previous experiment.Our conclusions are helpful for further relative theoretical studies,experiments,and design of devices consisting of these quantum well structures.

Earth-moon Trajectory Optimization Using Solar Electric Propulsion

The optimization of the Earth-moon trajectory using solar electric propulsion is presented. A feasible method is proposed to optimize the transfer trajectory starting from a low Earth circular orbit （500 km altitude） to a low lunar circular orbit （200 km altitude）. Due to the use of low-thrust solar electric propulsion, the entire transfer trajectory consists of hundreds or even thousands of orbital revolutions around the Earth and the moon. The Earth-orbit ascending （from low Earth orbit to high Earth orbit） and lunar descending （from high lunar orbit to low lunar orbit） trajectories in the presence of J2 perturbations and shadowing effect are computed by an analytic orbital averaging technique. A direct/indirect method is used to optimize the control steering for the trans-lunar trajectory segment, a segment from a high Earth orbit to a high lunar orbit, with a fixed thrust-coast-thrust engine sequence. For the trans-lunar trajectory segment, the equations of motion are expressed in the inertial coordinates about the Earth and the moon using a set of nonsingular equinoctial elements inclusive of the gravitational forces of the sun, the Earth, and the moon. By way of the analytic orbital averaging technique and the direct/indirect method, the Earth-moon transfer problem is converted to a parameter optimization problem, and the entire transfer trajectory is formulated and optimized in the form of a single nonlinear optimization problem with a small number of variables and constraints. Finally, an example of an Earth-moon transfer trajectory using solar electric propulsion is demonstrated.

Fast inactivation of microbes and degradation of organic compounds dissolved in water by thermal plasma

The multifunctionality and the advantages of thermal plasma for the fast inactivation of viable cells and degradation of organic compounds dissolved in waste water are presented.A complete bacterial inactivation process was observed and studied using a thermal plasma treatment source with very short application times,in particular for Staphylococcus aureus bundle spore survival.The survival curves and analyses of the experimental data of the initial and final densities of S.aureus bacteria show a dramatic inhibitory effect of the plasma discharge on the residual bacteria survival ratio.As the exposure time increased,the inactivation process rate increased for direct exposure more than it did for indirect exposure.The evaluation of direct and indirect exposure was based on the analysis of the ultraviolet spectrum from the absorbance spectra of the organic compound dye called benzene sulfonate（C（16）H（11）N2Na O4S）and of viable cells called S.aureus.Organic compounds were degraded and viable cells were killed in a short time by thermal plasma.Moreover,analyses of total carbon,total organic carbon,and total inorganic carbon showed a fast decrease in organically bound carbon,however,this was not as fast as the absorbance spectra revealed by the exposure time increasing more for direct exposure than indirect exposure.After 100 s of exposure to the organic compound dye the removal had a maximun of 40%for samples with indirect exposure to the plasma and a maximum of 90%for samples with the direct exposure.For both samples,where some organic contaminants still remained in treated water,four electrolytes（KCl,Na Cl,Na2SO4,and CH3COONa）were added to be effective for complete sterilization,reaching a purity of 100%.A proposal is made for an optimized thermal plasma water purification system（TPWPS）to improve fast inactivation of microbes and the degradation of organic compounds dissolved in water（especially for direct exposure rather than indirect exposure）using a hybrid plasma torch with an electrical power of 125 kW（500 V–250 A）producing a high-temperature（10 000 K–19 000 K）plasma jet with a maximum gas consumption of 28 mg s^-1.

Different Performances of H_2O_2 to Oxidise Aldicarb and Hexazinone in the Advanced Oxidation Process of Ozone/Hydrogen Peroxide

The degradations of hexazinone and aldicarb by direct ozonation combined an advanced oxidation process( AOP) of O3/H2O2 were investigated in this study focusing on the oxidation mechanism by identifying the hydrogen peroxide consumption during the oxidation process of the two chemicals. The results showed that H2O2 could enhance the removal rate of the triazine herbicide hexazinone,and it was consumed along with the variation of removal rate in the light of different pH levels. The addition of H2O2 contributed little to the removal of the thiocarbamate herbicide aldicarb and H2O2 content kept constantly throughout the degradation process. Tert-butyl alcohol( TBA) effectively scavenged the ·OH radical for hexazinone,but had no effect on the removal rate of aldicarb. Aldicarb removal was mainly attributed to direct ozonation molecule in both O3( 97.00%) and O3/H2O2( 96.76%)systems. Moreover,sole O3 could hardly oxidize hexazinone whereas·OH radicals contribute respective 74.70% and 97.50% of removal in O3 system and O3/H2O2 AOP. All of these findings suggest that the mechanism of ·OH radical generation and the chain reaction in O3/H2O2 AOP should be further discussed.

Distinguishing the Effects of Cryosphere Change in the Background of Climate Change in China

Climate change has major impacts directly on the natural ecosystem and human society, of which the cryosphere is most easily affected be-cause of its frangibility and sensitivity. Similarly, cryosphere change has numerous impacts on the natural ecosystem and human society, which may resemble an indirect influence of climate change. These two types of impacts, in shared fields, are distinguished in space and time by effective mechanisms and processes. Climate change has positive and negative impacts on some systems, which may be adjusted by cryosphere change. These indirect and direct impacts may be distinguished, and then correct policies and measures can be made against these changes.

Assessment of the Viability of the Reuse of Sedibeng District Municipal Secondary Effluent in Southern Gauteng, South Africa

Population growth, urbanization, water resources pollution, environmental awareness, uneven distribution of water resources and water scarcity have necessitated water reuse especially in arid and semi-arid countries. Influent and effluent data of chemical and biological analyses from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Sedibeng district municipality (SDM) were used to assess the viability of water reuse. Available worldwide water reuse criteria of Water Reclamation Plants (WRPs) for different reuse options were used to characterize the SDM’s four WWTPs for potable water, power and steel industrial water reuse. Only WWTP4 does not meet the influent design criteria of the New Goreangab WRP in Windhoek, Namibia of 43 mg/l and the DWAF general limit of discharge of 75 mg/l used by Beaufort West WRP in South Africa for COD. WWTP2 and 4 do not meet the DWAF general limit of 25 mg/l for suspended solids. Some of the water quality parameters of the effluents from these plants were non-compliant to the requirements for reuse in power generation and steel manufacturing. However, the implementation of advance treatment technologies such as membrane or advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as part of the treatment train in a potential WRP would address the water quality issues. Water reclamation of SDM effluent either through direct (DPR) or indirect potable (IPR) water reuse, power generation and steel manufacturing industry has the potential of reuse in the Southern Gauteng region. The success of the selected option would be depended on cost effectiveness, stakeholder commitment and public acceptance of the reuse strategy.

Survey of Attacks and Countermeasures for SDN

Software defined networking(SDN)has attracted significant attention from both academia and industry by its ability to reconfigure network devices with logically centralized applications.However,some critical security issues have also been introduced along with the benefits,which put an obstruction to the deployment of SDN.One root cause of these issues lies in the limited resources and capability of devices involved in the SDN architecture,especially the hardware switches lied in the data plane.In this paper,we analyze the vulnerability of SDN and present two kinds of SDN-targeted attacks:1)data-to-control plane saturation attack which exhausts resources of all SDN components,including control plane,data plane,and the in-between downlink channel and 2)control plane reflection attack which only attacks the data plane and gets conducted in a more efficient and hidden way.Finally,we propose the corresponding defense frameworks to mitigate such attacks.

Tuning electronic properties of the S2/graphene heterojunction by strains from density functional theory

Based on the density functional calculations, the structural and electronic properties of the WS2/graphene heterojunction under different strains are investigated. The calculated results show that unlike the free mono-layer WS2, the monolayer WS2 in the equilibrium WS2/graphene heterojunctionis characterized by indirect band gap due to the weak van der Waals interaction. The height of the schottky barrier for the WS2/graphene heterojunction is 0.13 eV, which is lower than the conventional metal/MoS2 contact. Moreover, the band properties and height of schottky barrier for WS2/graphene heterojunction can be tuned by strain. It is found that the height of the schottky barrier can be tuned to be near zero under an in-plane compressive strain, and the band gap of the WS2 in the heterojunction is turned into a direct band gap from the indirect band gap with the increasing schottky barrier height under an in-plane tensile strain. Our calculation results may provide a potential guidance for designing and fabricating the WS2-based field effect transistors.

Overview of Standardized Testing System for ESL Students in U.S. Kindergarten Thru Grade 12 Public Schools

A comprehensive overview of standardized testing system for ESL （English as a Second Language） students in U.S kindergarten thru grade 12 public school system is reviewed within the context of basis on federal and state laws, as well as instructional basis. Identification process of LEP （Limited English Proficient） students via nomination, testing and testing criteria to be identified as LEP, hence ESL if placed in the program is defined in detail Standardized testing process of these students based on the federal AYP （Adequate Yearly Progress） measures through regular state standardized tests depending on three types of instructional program that LEP student is placed in the school that are Bilingual Education Program, ESL Program, and Two-Way Immersion Dual Language Programs are described. Standardized testing process of these students based on the federal AYP measures through other means if exempted from regular state standardized tests such as LAT （Linguistically Accommodated Testing） and the conditions to be exempted are discussed in detail. Holistically rated English Language Proficiency Assessments that are implemented to fulfill federal AMAOs （Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives） measures are defined briefly. Physical features of LAT test as well as direct and indirect accommodations for LAT reading, mathematics and science tests are defined via the accommodation needed and the type of assistance provided. Lastly, testing criteria to exit LEP status and other issues concerning exiting LEP status are reviewed

International VAT Fraud： The Carousel Game

The EU market＇s free circulation principle severs the VAT chain at the EU States＇ borders, thus, encouraging VAT fraud. The increased ＂transit traffic＂ from outside the EU with final destination in EU countries also contributes to VAT fraud. To examine this issue, we model some different collusive features of these frauds, on which basis we explore their effects on the international trade and the domestic market.

Shear wave velocity prediction:A review of recent progress and future opportunities

Shear logs,also known as shear velocity logs,are used for various types of seismic analysis,such as determining the relationship between amplitude variation with offset(AVO)and interpreting multiple types of seismic data.This log is an important tool for analyzing the properties of rocks and interpreting seismic data to identify potential areas of oil and gas reserves.However,these logs are often not collected due to cost constraints or poor borehole conditions possibly leading to poor data quality,though there are various approaches in practice for estimating shear wave velocity.In this study,a detailed review of the recent advances in the various techniques used to measure shear wave(S-wave)velocity is carried out.These techniques include direct and indirect measurement,determination of empirical relationships between S-wave velocity and other parameters,machine learning,and rock physics models.Therefore,this study creates a collection of employed techniques,enhancing the existing knowledge of this significant topic and offering a progressive approach for practical implementation in the field.

Comparison of direct and indirect determinations of dynamic ventilation rate in a modern dairy free stall barn

Reliable estimation of the ventilation rate(VR)in intensive livestock buildings is necessary for studying building environmental control strategies and predicting indoor air quality and air emissions.As direct air exchange measurements are time-consuming and expensive,it is environmentally inefficient to measure livestock building VR continuously in practice.Hence,indirect VR estimation methods have been widely used in modelling environmental control and air emissions,and also to measure airflow in the field.The accuracy of indirect measurement methods needs to be evaluated by comparing with direct measurements.In this study,the direct and indirect methods of determining hourly and daily mean VRs were applied to a mechanically-ventilated dairy free stall barn monitored by the 24-month National Air Emissions Monitoring Study.The direct method was used to continuously monitor fan rotational speeds,and differential static pressures,coupled with periodic in-situ fan performance assessments,to calculate the VR.The indirect method consisted of estimating the VR using CO2 concentration measurements and the CO2 mass balance method.The average daily and hourly means(mean±SD)of directly measured barn ventilation rates for two years were(246±73)m3/s and(245±77)m3/s,respectively.The average daily and hourly means(mean±SD)of barn ventilation rates estimated by the CO2 mass balance method were(287±93.4)m3/s and(287±118)m3/s,respectively.Correlation analyses showed a strong correlation between the indirect CO2 mass balance method and direct measurement methods(r=0.93 for daily means and r=0.85 for hourly means).

Direct bandgap photoluminescence from n-type indirect GaInP alloys

This work studies Te doping effects on the direct bandgap photoluminescence(PL) of indirect Ga_(x)In_(1-x)P alloys(0.72 ≤ x ≤ 0.74). The temperature-dependent PL shows that the energy difference between direct Γ valley and indirect X valleys is reduced due to the bandgap narrowing(BGN) effect, and the direct band transition gradually dominates the PL spectra as temperature increases. Carrier thermalization has been observed for Te-doped Ga_(x)In_(1-x)P samples, as integrated PL intensity increases with increasing temperature from 175 to 300 K. The activation energy for carrier thermalization is reduced as doping concentration increases. Both BGN effect and carrier thermalization contribute to the carrier injection into the Γ valley. As a result, the direct band transition is enhanced in the Te-doped indirect Ga_(x)In_(1-x)P alloys. Therefore, the PL intensity of the Ga_(0.74)In_(0.26) P sample with active doping concentration of 9 × 10^(17)cm^(-3)is increased by five times compared with that of a nominally undoped sample. It is also found that the PL intensity is degraded significantly when the doping concentration is increased to 5 × 10^(18)cm^(-3). From cross-section transmission electron microscopy,no large dopant clusters or other extended defects were found contributing to this degradation.

The Secondary Motor Cortex-striatum Circuit Contributes to Suppressing Inappropriate Responses in Perceptual Decision Behavior

The secondary motor cortex(M2)encodes choice-related information and plays an important role in cue-guided actions.M2 neurons innervate the dorsal striatum(DS),which also contributes to decision-making behavior,yet how M2 modulates signals in the DS to influence perceptual decision-making is unclear.Using mice performing a visual Go/No-Go task,we showed that inactivating M2 projections to the DS impaired performance by increasing the false alarm(FA)rate to the reward-irrelevant No-Go stimulus.The choice signal of M2 neurons correlated with behavioral performance,and the inactivation of M2 neurons projecting to the DS reduced the choice signal in the DS.By measuring and manipulating the responses of direct or indirect pathway striatal neurons defined by M2 inputs,we found that the indirect pathway neurons exhibited a shorter response latency to the No-Go stimulus,and inactivating their early responses increased the FA rate.These results demonstrate that the M2-to-DS pathway is crucial for suppressing inappropriate responses in perceptual decision behavior.

Effects of elevated temperature on chemistry of an invasive plant,its native congener and their herbivores

Climatic warming affects plant growth and physiology,yet how warming alters chemistry in invasive plants and indirectly affects herbivorous insects remains largely unknown.Here,we explored warming-induced changes in leaf chemistry of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener Alternanthera sessilis,and further examined how these changes affected the performance of the herbivores,Cassida piperata and Spodoptera litura.We conducted a simulated warming experiment to address its effects on 13 leaf chemical traits of A.philoxeroides and A.sessilis.We measured growth and development time of two herbivores reared on plants from warming or ambient controls.Warming significantly affected leaf chemistry composition for both the invasive and native Alternanthera.Warming decreased nitrogen concentration in A.philoxeroides and increased total flavonoid and total phenol concentration in A.sessilis.The effects of warming on nutrients(i.e.fructose,sucrose,total soluble sugar and starch)varied with individual chemicals and plant species.Weight of C.piperata pupal and S.litura larval reared on warming-treated A.sessilis significantly decreased compared with non-warmed control,and a similar pattern was observed for weight of S.litura larval feeding on warming-treated A.philoxeroides.In addition,warming-treated A.sessilis significantly prolonged larval development time of S.litura.These results indicate that warming can directly affect the leaf chemistry in both invasive plant and its native congener,but these effects vary by species.Such differences in warming-induced changes in plant chemistry could indirectly affect herbivorous insects associated with the invasive and native plants.