Practical Use of Stairs to Assess Fitness, Prescribe and Perform Physical Activity Training

Aim: Evaluating climbing stairs for prescription and implementation of physical activity regimes. Methods: Healthy females (F, n = 14), and males (M, n = 15) participated. By climbing 100 steps of stairs with 0.173 m height, Heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake were measured throughout the floors;Blood pressure (BP) was measured at ground and the 5th floors only. Results: Energy increased from 2 to 7.6 was metabolic equivalents (METs = 3.5 ml O2/min.kg) at 17.3 m elevation in 2 min. at the 5th floor, and percent Heart Rate Reserve (%HRR) was 66.17% in F and 48.7% in M, proportional to their aerobic efforts. Average climbing efficiency was 15.8 ± 2.3% (n = 29). Aerobic capacity estimated dividing the highest work rate (17.3 Kg.m/2min.Kg × 0.00239 = 0.0207 Kcal/min.Kg), by fractional effort (F = 0.6617, M = 0.487) and fractional efficiency (0.158), at 5 Kcal/L O2 was 0.040 in F and 0.054 L O2/Kg.min in M. Minimum training intensity reached at the 3rd floor by F. In M the highest %HRR reached was 48.7% at the 5th floor, insufficient for training. Conclusions: Stairs used for submaximal evaluation of aerobic capacity and for target intensity prescription. Training, levels climbed, repetitions per day (if 5, 100 Kcal per day, ascending) and number of days/week are adjusted. Full regime requires up to 7.6 METs, a total of 532 and 140 MET.min/week ascending and descending, respectively. Intensities >7.6 MET, climbing rate should be >8.65 m/min. Limiting ascent to 1 (3.5 METs) or 2 (5.5 METs) floors or only descents (2 - 3 METs) may be used for unfit subjects. This method is useful for those with no access to sophisticated facilities.

Utilization of Logistical Regression to the Modified Sine-Gordon Model in the MST Experiment

In this paper, a logistical regression statistical analysis (LR) is presented for a set of variables used in experimental measurements in reversed field pinch (RFP) machines, commonly known as “slinky mode” (SM), observed to travel around the torus in Madison Symmetric Torus (MST). The LR analysis is used to utilize the modified Sine-Gordon dynamic equation model to predict with high confidence whether the slinky mode will lock or not lock when compared to the experimentally measured motion of the slinky mode. It is observed that under certain conditions, the slinky mode “locks” at or near the intersection of poloidal and/or toroidal gaps in MST. However, locked mode cease to travel around the torus;while unlocked mode keeps traveling without a change in the energy, making it hard to determine an exact set of conditions to predict locking/unlocking behaviour. The significant key model parameters determined by LR analysis are shown to improve the Sine-Gordon model’s ability to determine the locking/unlocking of magnetohydrodyamic (MHD) modes. The LR analysis of measured variables provides high confidence in anticipating locking versus unlocking of slinky mode proven by relational comparisons between simulations and the experimentally measured motion of the slinky mode in MST.

Observer Based Control for a Class of Systems with Output Deadzone Nonlinearity

In this paper, a combination of model based adaptive design along with adaptive linear output feedback controller is used to compensate for robotic manipulator with output deadzone nonlinearity. The deadzone dynamics are utilized to adaptively estimate the deadzone parameter and a switching function is designed to eliminate the error produced in the adaptive observer dynamics. The overall design of the closed loop system ensures stability in the BIBO criterion.

The Effects of Power Control on Free-Space Optical Communications during Snowfall and Rainfall

Free-space optical (FSO) communication requires a line-of-sight connection between a transmitter and a receiver in which the information signal is modulated by an optical carrier that propagates in free space. The FSO channel is greatly affected by weather conditions such as fog, rain, and snow. In the literature, several adaptive techniques, such as power control (PC), have been suggested to mitigate channel link degradations. In this paper, we investigate the effects of snow and rain attenuation on the bit error rate (BER) of the FSO system using two types of modulations, the on-off keying (OOK) modulation and the pulse-position modulation (16-PPM). The effect of PC on the performance of FSO communications is also examined in this study. We evaluated the system’s performance with two types of snow, wet snow and dry snow, as well as with different rain regions. Results show that PC improves the BER of the FSO system;a high rate of improvement is found for wet snow and rain. PC has almost no effect with dry snow because of the high attenuation and the limitations on transmitted power. The BER for 16-PPM is better than that for OOK modulation.

On the Spectra of General Ordinary Quasi-Differential Operators and Their L2w-Solutions

In this paper, we consider the general ordinary quasi-differential expression τ of order n with complex coefficients and its formal adjoint τ+ on the interval [a,b). We shall show in the case of one singular end-point and under suitable conditions that all solutions of a general ordinary quasi-differential equation are in the weighted Hilbert space provided that all solutions of the equations and its adjoint are in . Also, a number of results concerning the location of the point spectra and regularity fields of the operators generated by such expressions may be obtained. Some of these results are extensions or generalizations of those in the symmetric case, while the others are new.

Effect of Temperature and Solvent Composition on the Acid Dissociation Constants of 2-Pyrrol and 2-Thiophene Aldehyde Phenyl Sulphonyl Hydrazones

Acid dissociation constants, pKa, of 2-pyrrolaldehyde phenylsulphonyl hydrazone, 1, and 2-thiophenealdehyde phenylsulphonyl hydrazone, 2, have been determined spectrophotometrically in ethanol-water media of various compositions over the temperature range 25℃ - 45℃. The obtained results were used in the calculation of the enthalpy, △H°, and the entropy, △S°, of the ionization processes. The slight variations observed in the pKa values of the thiophene compound compared to the pyrrol analogue revealed that neither of the two hetero atoms in the pyrrol or thiophene rings, of the two compounds, is involved in a hydrogen bond chelation. This conclusion was also confirmed through measurements of the dipole moment, IR and NMR spectra.

Adaptive Backstepping Compensation of Drives with Sandwiched Deadzone Nonlinearity

In this paper, a nonlinear robust adaptive controller is proposed for gear transmission servo system (GTS) containing a sandwiched deadzone due to improper gear meshing. The controller is robust to dynamic uncertainties and can compensate the effect caused by the sandwiched nonlinearity which is separated from the control input through drive compliance. The proposed design methodology does not require an adaptive inverse deadzone function and does not require the knowledge of its parameter and only the knowledge of upper bounds is required.

Study of the Different Factors That Influence Jet Pump Performance

The objective of this work is to study experimentally the characteristics of jet pump. Suction head, driving air pressure and the percentage of the distance between throat section and nozzle are recorded. The effect of each parameter on the pump performance is investigated, in order to have a better understanding about the behavior of such pump under various conditions. A simple geometry jet pump was designed, developed and tested. The experiments show that we should be careful in increasing the suction head, and stability must be considered between the suction head and the driving air mass flow rate. While the effect of increasing Pa will stop at certain maximum of the ratio of the mass flow rate of water to air (M), that is any increase in Pa will meet no change in M. While increasing S/Dth will leads to decrease in the percentage of M because the optimum S/Dth = 0.5 so that at this value we will have the best performance and any other values for S/Dth the percentage M will decreases, but this effect is not so clear and it could be neglected. The pump performance is not so sensitive with the change of S/Dth after S/Dth = 0.5. Also this information will help improving and extending the use of the jet pump in many practical applications.

Amplify and Forward Relaying Systems for Collocated Antennas

Cooperative relaying for a system that consists of different configurations of a collocated and uniform linear antenna is analyzed. The amplify-and-forward relaying (AF) and selection combining (S-AF) schemes based on maximal ratio combining (MRC) method for single- and multi-relay are investigated. In this study, the bit-error-rate (BER) expression for collocated and uniform linear antenna in cooperative communication system over flat Rayleigh fading channel is derived. The result for 3-element collocated antennas (tripole) shows improvement in performance over dual-polarized antennas. Also increasing number of tripole antenna does not add improvement.

On the Domains of General Ordinary Differential Operators in the Direct Sum Spaces

Given general quasi-differential expressions , each of order n with complex coefficients and their formal adjoint are on the interval [a,b) respectively, we give a characterization of all regularly solvable operators and their adjoints generated by a general ordinary quasi-differential expression in the direct sum Hilbert spaces . The domains of these operators are described in terms of boundary conditions involving -solutions of the equations and their adjoint on the intervals [ap,bp). This characterization is an extension of those obtained in the case of one interval with one and two singular end-points of the interval (a,b), and is a generalization of those proved in the case of self-adjoint and J-self-adjoint differential operators as a special case, where J denotes complex conjugation.

Enhancing the Performance of Photovoltaic Panel by Proper Washing Periods in Kuwait

Dust and impurity accumulation has a significant effect on the efficiency and performance of PV panel output power. It influences the transmittance of solar radiation from the PV panels surface. Scheduling weekly or monthly cleaning periods requires complete knowledge of area’s weather and environmental condition. In this study, an experimental-based investigation is conducted aiming for a proper scheduling cleaning periods by comparing the output power efficiency of two identical PV panels, the first being cleaned daily and the other cleaned monthly. Both are exposed to unstable weather condition with Sarayat season in April and May, winter and summer Shamal of Kuwait for one year. The results indicated a significant degradation of PV panel output power in April, May, October and December. A need for frequent weekly water washing is a necessity to maintain the power efficiency loss of 15.07%, 13.74%, 10.685% and 8.742% respectively, and frequent monthly water washing for the remaining months of the year.

The Well-Posed Operators with Their Spectra in Lpw-Spaces

In this paper, we have considered the general ordinary quasi-differential operators generated by a general quasi-differential expression τp,q in Lpw-spaces of order n with complex coefficients and its formal adjoint τ+q',p' in Lpw-spaces for arbitrary p,q∈[1,∞). We have proved in the case of one singular end-point that all well-posed extensions of the minimal operator T0 (τp,q) generated by such expression τp,q and their formal adjoint on the interval [a,b) with maximal deficiency indices have resolvents which are Hilbert-Schmidt integral operators and consequently have a wholly discrete spectrum. This implies that all the regularly solvable operators have all the standard essential spectra to be empty. Also, a number of results concerning the location of the point spectra and regularity fields of the operators generated by such expressions can be obtained. Some of these results are extensions or generalizations of those in the symmetric case, while others are new.

Air Pollution Analysis in Kuwait Using a Statistical Technique (CUSUM)

Investigating the changes in the air pollutants trends of an area is important as it helps in making further action plans for further implementation of control strategies. Time series analysis provides indication to analyze any effect of uncontrolled changes in pollutants. In this study, exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analyzing methods are applied for detecting the trends and change in air pollutant concentrations in Kuwait. CUSUM method is effective in detecting shifts from average mean obtained by EWMA technique. The study aimed to investigate trends in major pollutants in three selective areas in Kuwait during the past five years. The data obtained from three monitoring stations in the study areas Ali Subah Al-Salem, Al-Mutla, and Al-Mansouriya for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter—less than 10 micrometers (PM10), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), and non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC). Increase in CO and NMHC concentrations in the three areas and decrease in PM10, SO2, and NO2 concentration levels in non-industrial areas Al-Mutla and Al-Mansouriya are observed using CUSUM method.