A generalised data analysis approach for baggage handling systems simulation

Airport baggage handling systems are a critical infrastructure component within major airports, and essential to ensure smooth luggage transfer while preventing dangerous material being loaded onto aircraft. This paper proposes a standard set of measures to assess the expected performance of a baggage handling system through discrete event simulation. These evaluation methods also have application in the study of general network systems. Results from the application of these methods reveal operational characteristics of the studied BHS, in terms of metrics such as peak throughput, in-system time and system recovery time.

Critical analysis and comparative study of security for networked RFID systems

The Radio frequency identification (RFID) system is a new technology which uses the open air to transmit information. RFID technology is one of the most promising technologies in the field of ubiquitous computing which is revolutionizing the supply chain. It has already been applied by many major retail chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, etc. The networked RFID system such as supply chain has very unique and special business needs which lead to special sets of RFID security requirements and security models. However, very little work has been done to analyze RFID security parameters in relation to networked RFID systems business needs. This paper presents a critical analysis of the networked application's security requirements in relation to their business needs. It then presents a comparative study of existing literature and the ability of various models to protect the security of the supply chain in a RFID deployment.

Fuel consumption- and emission analysis of exhaust heat recovery systems

The study examined waste heat recovery systems for combustion engines. Emission tests with a real vehicle showed that fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced by over 7% for the official certification drive cycle through direct heat transfer from the exhaust gas to the engine oil.

Stability analysis of grid-connected photovoltaic systems using a linear zero dynamic controller

This paper proposed a new linear zero dynamic controller (LZDC) for

In vitro and in situ screening systems for morphological and phytochemical analysis of Withania somnifera germplasms

We report, for the first time for Withania somnifera, the use of a modified in vitro system for morphological and phytochemical screening of true to type plants as compared with those grown in a conventional in situ system. Eleven germplasms of cultivated W. somnifera from different regions of India were collected to examine chemotypic variation in withaferin A (WA). Methods were developed to optimize WA extraction. The maximum concentration of WA was extracted from manually ground leaf and root material to which 60 % methanol was added followed by sonication in a water bath sonicator. Variation in WA concentration in whole plants was observed amongst the different germplasms. In the in vitro system, the concentration of WA ranged between 0.27 and 7.64 mg/g dry weight (DW) and in the in situ system, the range in concentration was between 8.06 and 36.31 mg/g DW. The highest amount of WA found in leaves was 7.37 and 41.42 mg/g DW in the in vitro and the in situ systems respectively. In roots, the highest WA concentration was 0.27 mg/g DW in the in vitro and 0.60 mg/g DW in the in situ system. There are distinct advantages in using the in vitro grown plants rather than those grown in the in situ system including the simplicity of design, efficient use of space and nutrition and a system which is soil and contaminant free. The proposed in vitro system is therefore ideal for utilization in molecular, enzymatic and biochemical studies.

Discrete inequalities based on multiple auxiliary functions and their applications to stability analysis of time-delay systems

Abstract
This paper presents new discrete inequalities for single summation and double summation. These inequalities are based on multiple auxiliary functions and include the Jensen discrete inequality and the discrete Wirtinger-based inequality as special cases. An application of these discrete inequalities to analyse stability of linear discrete systems with an interval time-varying delay is studied and a less conservative stability condition is obtained. Three numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the obtained stability condition.

Stability analysis and resource allocation for space-based multi-access systems

In space-based networks, the data relay satellites can assist low-earth-orbit satellites in relaying data to other satellites or the ground station and improve the real time system throughput. To take full advantage of transmission resource of the cooperative relays, this paper proposes a multiple access and resource allocation strategy, in which relays can receive and transmit simultaneously according to channel characteristics of space-based systems. Based on the queueing theoretic formulation, the stability of the proposed protocol is analyzed and the maximum stable throughput region is derived, which would provide the appropriate guidance for the design of the system optimal control. Simulation results exhibit multiple factors that affect the stable throughput and verify the theoretical analysis.

Refined Jensen-based inequality approach to stability analysis of time-delay systems

© 2015 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. In this study, the authors derive some new refined Jensen-based inequalities, which encompass both the Jensen inequality and its most recent improvement based on the Wirtinger integral inequality. The potential capability of this approach is demonstrated through applications to stability analysis of time-delay systems. More precisely, by using the newly derived inequalities, they establish new stability criteria for two classes of time-delay systems, namely discrete and distributed constant delays systems and interval time-varying delay systems. The resulting stability conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which can be efficiently solved by various convex optimisation algorithms. Numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness and least conservativeness of the results obtained in this study.

Maximum power point tracking techniques for photovoltaic systems: a comprehensive review and comparative analysis

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is an important concern in Photovoltaic (PV) systems. As PV systems have a high cost of energy it is essential that they are operated to extract the maximum possible power at all times. However, under non-uniform environmental conditions, which frequently arise in the outdoor environment, many MPPT techniques will fail to track the global peak power. This review paper discusses conventional MPPT techniques designed to operate under uniform environmental conditions and highlights why these techniques fail under non-uniform conditions. Following this, techniques designed specifically to operate under non-uniform environmental conditions are analysed and compared. Simulation results which compare the performance of the common Perturb and Observe (P&O) method, the Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) and the Simulated Annealing (SA) MPPT approaches under non-uniform environmental conditions are also presented. The research presented in this review indicates that there is no single technique which can achieve reliable global MPPT with low cost and complexity and be easily adapted to different PV systems.

Stability analysis of a general family of nonlinear positive discrete time-delay systems

In this paper, we propose a new approach to analyse the stability of a general family of nonlinear positive discrete time-delay systems. First, we introduce a new class of nonlinear positive discrete time-delay systems, which generalises some existing discrete time-delay systems. Second, through a new technique that relies on the comparison and mathematical induction method, we establish explicit criteria for stability and instability of the systems. Three numerical examples are given to illustrate the feasibility of the obtained results.

The acceptance of nursing information systems: an analysis using UTAUT

Nurses are the largest group of health-care professionals in hospitals providing 24-h care to patients. Hence, nurses are pivotal in coordinating and communicating patient care information in the complex network of health-care professionals, services, and other care processes. Further, surveillance and timely interventions by nurses impact quality of care, reduce errors, and decrease health-care costs. Information communication technologies (ICTs) provide the capabilities to support many aspects of nursing care. However, within the context of acute nursing care, there is a lack of integrated technology solutions to support the complex interactions associated with nursing activities and thereby the delivery of high-quality and safe care. Generally, to date, the literature reports low levels of acceptance of ICT solutions by nurses. To address this, the following discussion serves to examine nurses’ acceptance of an integrated point-of-care solution for acute nursing contexts. The ICT was specifically designed to be sensitive to nurses’ needs with the expectation that this will lead to high levels of user acceptance. An evaluation of the acceptability of the proposed solution is presented using unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Through the UTAUT lens, initial reactions of the participating nurses were examined. The findings provided us with feedback to redesign the solution to better fit with the dynamics and complexity of nursing care. The study has implications for theory, including using UTAUT in health-care contexts, and for practice, including recommendations for the design and development of ICT solutions suitable for nursing contexts.

Stability analysis of two-dimensional Markovian jump state-delayed systems in the Roesser model with uncertain transition probabilities

This paper is concerned with the problem of stochastic stability analysis of discrete-time two-dimensional (2-D) Markovian jump systems (MJSs) described by the Roesser model with interval time-varying delays. The transition probabilities of the jumping process/Markov chain are assumed to be uncertain, that is, they are not exactly known but can be estimated. A Lyapunov-like scheme is first extended to 2-D MJSs with delays. Based on some novel 2-D summation inequalities proposed in this paper, delay-dependent stochastic stability conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) which can be computationally solved by various convex optimization algorithms. Finally, two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.