Application of a support system to the design of wastewater treatment plants

This paper presents a case study that explores the advantages that can be derived from the use of a design support system during the design of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). With this objective in mind a simplified but plausible WWTP design case study has been generated with KBDS, a computer-based support system that maintains a historical record of the design process. The study shows how, by employing such a historical record, it is possible to: (1) rank different design proposals responding to a design problem; (2) study the influence of changing the weight of the arguments used in the selection of the most adequate proposal; (3) take advantage of keywords to assist the designer in the search of specific items within the historical records; (4) evaluate automatically the compliance of alternative design proposals with respect to the design objectives; (5) verify the validity of previous decisions after the modification of the current constraints or specifications; (6) re-use the design records when upgrading an existing WWTP or when designing similar facilities; (7) generate documentation of the decision making process; and (8) associate a variety of documents as annotations to any component in the design history. The paper also shows one possible future role of design support systems as they outgrow their current reactive role as repositories of historical information and start to proactively support the generation of new knowledge during the design process

A proposal for the diagnosis of uncertain dynamic systems based on interval models

The performance of a model-based diagnosis system could be affected by several uncertainty sources, such as,model errors,uncertainty in measurements, and disturbances. This uncertainty can be handled by mean of interval models.The aim of this thesis is to propose a methodology for fault detection, isolation and identification based on interval models. The methodology includes some algorithms to obtain in an automatic way the symbolic expression of the residual generators enhancing the structural isolability of the faults, in order to design the fault detection tests. These algorithms are based on the structural model of the system. The stages of fault detection, isolation, and identification are stated as constraint satisfaction problems in continuous domains and solved by means of interval based consistency techniques. The qualitative fault isolation is enhanced by a reasoning in which the signs of the symptoms are derived from analytical redundancy relations or bond graph models of the system. An initial and empirical analysis regarding the differences between interval-based and statistical-based techniques is presented in this thesis. The performance and efficiency of the contributions are illustrated through several application examples, covering different levels of complexity.

Case based reasoning as an extension of fault dictionary methods for linear electronic analog circuits diagnosis

El test de circuits és una fase del procés de producció que cada vegada pren més importància quan es desenvolupa un nou producte. Les tècniques de test i diagnosi per a circuits digitals han estat desenvolupades i automatitzades amb èxit, mentre que aquest no és encara el cas dels circuits analògics. D'entre tots els mètodes proposats per diagnosticar circuits analògics els més utilitzats són els diccionaris de falles. En aquesta tesi se'n descriuen alguns, tot analitzant-ne els seus avantatges i inconvenients. Durant aquests últims anys, les tècniques d'Intel·ligència Artificial han esdevingut un dels camps de recerca més importants per a la diagnosi de falles. Aquesta tesi desenvolupa dues d'aquestes tècniques per tal de cobrir algunes de les mancances que presenten els diccionaris de falles. La primera proposta es basa en construir un sistema fuzzy com a eina per identificar. Els resultats obtinguts son força bons, ja que s'aconsegueix localitzar la falla en un elevat tant percent dels casos. Per altra banda, el percentatge d'encerts no és prou bo quan a més a més s'intenta esbrinar la desviació. Com que els diccionaris de falles es poden veure com una aproximació simplificada al Raonament Basat en Casos (CBR), la segona proposta fa una extensió dels diccionaris de falles cap a un sistema CBR. El propòsit no és donar una solució general del problema sinó contribuir amb una nova metodologia. Aquesta consisteix en millorar la diagnosis dels diccionaris de falles mitjançant l'addició i l'adaptació dels nous casos per tal d'esdevenir un sistema de Raonament Basat en Casos. Es descriu l'estructura de la base de casos així com les tasques d'extracció, de reutilització, de revisió i de retenció, fent èmfasi al procés d'aprenentatge. En el transcurs del text s'utilitzen diversos circuits per mostrar exemples dels mètodes de test descrits, però en particular el filtre biquadràtic és l'utilitzat per provar les metodologies plantejades, ja que és un dels benchmarks proposats en el context dels circuits analògics. Les falles considerades son paramètriques, permanents, independents i simples, encara que la metodologia pot ser fàcilment extrapolable per a la diagnosi de falles múltiples i catastròfiques. El mètode es centra en el test dels components passius, encara que també es podria extendre per a falles en els actius.

Integration of knowledge-based, qualitative and numeric tools for real time dynamic systems supervision

The proposal presented in this thesis is to provide designers of knowledge based supervisory systems of dynamic systems with a framework to facilitate their tasks avoiding interface problems among tools, data flow and management. The approach is thought to be useful to both control and process engineers in assisting their tasks. The use of AI technologies to diagnose and perform control loops and, of course, assist process supervisory tasks such as fault detection and diagnose, are in the scope of this work. Special effort has been put in integration of tools for assisting expert supervisory systems design. With this aim the experience of Computer Aided Control Systems Design (CACSD) frameworks have been analysed and used to design a Computer Aided Supervisory Systems (CASSD) framework. In this sense, some basic facilities are required to be available in this proposed framework: ·

Texture recognition under varying imaging geometries

La visió és probablement el nostre sentit més dominant a partir del qual derivem la majoria d'informació del món que ens envolta. A través de la visió podem percebre com són les coses, on són i com es mouen. En les imatges que percebem amb el nostre sistema de visió podem extreure'n característiques com el color, la textura i la forma, i gràcies a aquesta informació som capaços de reconèixer objectes fins i tot quan s'observen sota unes condicions totalment diferents. Per exemple, som capaços de distingir un mateix objecte si l'observem des de diferents punts de vista, distància, condicions d'il·luminació, etc. La Visió per Computador intenta emular el sistema de visió humà mitjançant un sistema de captura d'imatges, un ordinador, i un conjunt de programes. L'objectiu desitjat no és altre que desenvolupar un sistema que pugui entendre una imatge d'una manera similar com ho realitzaria una persona. Aquesta tesi es centra en l'anàlisi de la textura per tal de realitzar el reconeixement de superfícies. La motivació principal és resoldre el problema de la classificació de superfícies texturades quan han estat capturades sota diferents condicions, com ara distància de la càmera o direcció de la il·luminació. D'aquesta forma s'aconsegueix reduir els errors de classificació provocats per aquests canvis en les condicions de captura. En aquest treball es presenta detalladament un sistema de reconeixement de textures que ens permet classificar imatges de diferents superfícies capturades en diferents condicions. El sistema proposat es basa en un model 3D de la superfície (que inclou informació de color i forma) obtingut mitjançant la tècnica coneguda com a 4-Source Colour Photometric Stereo (CPS). Aquesta informació és utilitzada posteriorment per un mètode de predicció de textures amb l'objectiu de generar noves imatges 2D de les textures sota unes noves condicions. Aquestes imatges virtuals que es generen seran la base del nostre sistema de reconeixement, ja que seran utilitzades com a models de referència per al nostre classificador de textures. El sistema de reconeixement proposat combina les Matrius de Co-ocurrència per a l'extracció de característiques de textura, amb la utilització del Classificador del veí més proper. Aquest classificador ens permet al mateix temps aproximar la direcció d'il·luminació present en les imatges que s'utilitzen per testejar el sistema de reconeixement. És a dir, serem capaços de predir l'angle d'il·luminació sota el qual han estat capturades les imatges de test. Els resultats obtinguts en els diferents experiments que s'han realitzat demostren la viabilitat del sistema de predicció de textures, així com del sistema de reconeixement.

Rhode. Caracterització del jaciment i de les produccions dels seus tallers ceràmics

RESUM En la primera part de la tesi es revisen els materials arqueològics i els documents de les excavacions antigues al jaciment grec de la Ciutadella de Roses (Alt Empordà). Es fan estudis comparatius i de conjunt amb els resultats proporcionats per les excavacions recents. A partir d'aquí s'obté una periodització del jaciment, des del moment de la fundació de la colònia massaliota de Rhode, al segon quart del segle IV aC, fins a la fi de la ciutat, al 195 aC. Es tracten aspectes de topografia, urbanisme i estudi dels edificis. La segona part analitza les produccions dels tallers ceràmics (vernissos negres, pastes clares, ceràmiques de cuina i altres produccions secundàries). Es fa una nova classificació, un estudi de les formes, de la cronologia i paral·lels. S'estudien les instal·lacions dels tallers, els forns, la seva capacitat, les argiles i les terreres. Es conclou amb una caracterització socioeconòmica i històrica de la ciutat, i dels aspectes històrics relacionats amb les fases de la seva fundació, desenvolupament i fi.

Advances in Model-Based Traffic Vision

Model based vision allows use of prior knowledge of the shape and appearance of specific objects to be used in the interpretation of a visual scene; it provides a powerful and natural way to enforce the view consistency constraint. A model based vision system has been developed within ESPRIT VIEWS: P2152 which is able to classify and track moving objects (cars and other vehicles) in complex, cluttered traffic scenes. The fundamental basis of the method has been previously reported. This paper presents recent developments which have extended the scope of the system to include (i) multiple cameras, (ii) variable camera geometry, and (iii) articulated objects. All three enhancements have easily been accommodated within the original model-based approach

WREN: electronic management system for facilities management

This paper describes a case study of an electronic data management system developed in-house by the Facilities Management Directorate (FMD) of an educational institution in the UK. The FMD Maintenance and Business Services department is responsible for the maintenance of the built-estate owned by the university. The department needs to have a clear definition of the type of work undertaken and the administration that enables any maintenance work to be carried out. These include the management of resources, budget, cash flow and workflow of reactive, preventative and planned maintenance of the campus. In order to be more efficient in supporting the business process, the FMD had decided to move from a paper-based information system to an electronic system, WREN, to support the business process of the FMD. Some of the main advantages of WREN are that it is tailor-made to fit the purpose of the users; it is cost effective when it comes to modifications on the system; and the database can also be used as a knowledge management tool. There is a trade-off; as WREN is tailored to the specific requirements of the FMD, it may not be easy to implement within a different institution without extensive modifications. However, WREN is successful in not only allowing the FMD to carry out the tasks of maintaining and looking after the built-estate of the university, but also has achieved its aim to minimise costs and maximise efficiency.

Mapping and controlling molecular processes: The application of control theory and system identification algorithms to ASOPS and other fast pulse spectroscopies

Asynchronous Optical Sampling (ASOPS) [1,2] and frequency comb spectrometry [3] based on dual Ti:saphire resonators operated in a master/slave mode have the potential to improve signal to noise ratio in THz transient and IR sperctrometry. The multimode Brownian oscillator time-domain response function described by state-space models is a mathematically robust framework that can be used to describe the dispersive phenomena governed by Lorentzian, Debye and Drude responses. In addition, the optical properties of an arbitrary medium can be expressed as a linear combination of simple multimode Brownian oscillator functions. The suitability of a range of signal processing schemes adopted from the Systems Identification and Control Theory community for further processing the recorded THz transients in the time or frequency domain will be outlined [4,5]. Since a femtosecond duration pulse is capable of persistent excitation of the medium within which it propagates, such approach is perfectly justifiable. Several de-noising routines based on system identification will be shown. Furthermore, specifically developed apodization structures will be discussed. These are necessary because due to dispersion issues, the time-domain background and sample interferograms are non-symmetrical [6-8]. These procedures can lead to a more precise estimation of the complex insertion loss function. The algorithms are applicable to femtosecond spectroscopies across the EM spectrum. Finally, a methodology for femtosecond pulse shaping using genetic algorithms aiming to map and control molecular relaxation processes will be mentioned.

A statistical evaluation of the fixed dose procedure

The fixed-dose procedure (FDP) was introduced as OECD Test Guideline 420 in 1992, as an alternative to the conventional median lethal dose (LD50) test for the assessment of acute oral toxicity (OECD Test Guideline 401). The FDP uses fewer animals and causes less suffering than the conventional test, while providing information on the acute toxicity to allow substances to be ranked according to the EU hazard classification system. Recently the FDP has been revised, with the aim of providing further reductions and refinements, and classification according to the criteria of the Globally Harmonized Hazard Classification and Labelling scheme (GHS). This paper describes the revised FDP and analyses its properties, as determined by a statistical modelling approach. The analysis shows that the revised FDP classifies substances for acute oral toxicity generally in the same, or a more stringent, hazard class as that based on the LD50 value, according to either the GHS or the EU classification scheme. The likelihood of achieving the same classification is greatest for substances with a steep dose-response curve and median toxic dose (TD50) close to the LD50. The revised FDP usually requires five or six animals with two or fewer dying as a result of treatment in most cases.

PDGF regulates the actin cytoskeleton through hnRNP-K-mediated activation of the ubiquitin E-3-ligase MIR

PDGF is a potent chemotactic mitogen and a strong inductor of fibroblast motility. In Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts, exposure to PDGF but not EGF or IGF-1 causes a rapid loss of actin stress fibers (SFs) and focal adhesions (FAs), which is followed by the development of retractile dendritic protrusions and induction of motility. The PDGF-specific actin reorganization was blocked by inhibition of Src-kinase and the 26S proteasome. PDGF induced Src-dependent association between the multifunctional transcription/translation regulator hnRNP-K and the mRNA-encoding myosin regulatory light-chain (MRLC)-interacting protein (MIR), a E3-ubiquitin ligase that is MRLC specific. This in turn rapidly increased MIR expression, and led to ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation of MRLC. Downregulation of MIR by RNA muting prevented the reorganization of actin structures and severely reduced the migratory and wound-healing potential of PDGF-treated cells. The results show that activation of MIR and the resulting removal of diphosphorylated MRLC are essential for PDGF to instigate and maintain control over the actin-myosin-based contractile system in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. The PDGF induced protein destabilization through the regulation of hnRNP-K controlled ubiquitin-ligase translation identifies a novel pathway by which external stimuli can regulate phenotypic development through rapid, organelle-specific changes in the activity and stability of cytoskeletal regulators.

The system identification and control of Hammerstein system using non-uniform rational B-spline neural network and particle swarm optimization

In this paper a new system identification algorithm is introduced for Hammerstein systems based on observational input/output data. The nonlinear static function in the Hammerstein system is modelled using a non-uniform rational B-spline (NURB) neural network. The proposed system identification algorithm for this NURB network based Hammerstein system consists of two successive stages. First the shaping parameters in NURB network are estimated using a particle swarm optimization (PSO) procedure. Then the remaining parameters are estimated by the method of the singular value decomposition (SVD). Numerical examples including a model based controller are utilized to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach. The controller consists of computing the inverse of the nonlinear static function approximated by NURB network, followed by a linear pole assignment controller.

Conspicuous redemption? Reflections on the promises and perils of the 'celebritization' of climate change

With rising public awareness of climate change, celebrities have become an increasingly important community of non nation-state ‘actors’ influencing discourse and action, thereby comprising an emergent climate science–policy–celebrity complex. Some feel that these amplified and prominent voices contribute to greater public understanding of climate change science, as well as potentially catalyze climate policy cooperation. However, critics posit that increased involvement from the entertainment industry has not served to influence substantive long-term advancements in these arenas; rather, it has instead reduced the politics of climate change to the domain of fashion and fad, devoid of political and public saliency. Through tracking media coverage in Australia, Canada, the United States, and United Kingdom, we map out the terrain of a ‘Politicized Celebrity System’ in attempts to cut through dualistic characterizations of celebrity involvement in politics. We develop a classification system of the various types of climate change celebrity activities, and situate movements in contemporary consumer- and spectacle-driven carbon-based society. Through these analyses, we place dynamic and contested interactions in a spatially and temporally-sensitive ‘Cultural Circuits of Climate Change Celebrities’ model. In so doing, first we explore how these newly ‘authorized’ speakers and ‘experts’ might open up spaces in the public sphere and the science/policy nexus through ‘celebritization’ effects. Second, we examine how the celebrity as the ‘heroic individual’ seeking ‘conspicuous redemption’ may focus climate change actions through individualist frames. Overall, this paper explores potential promises, pitfalls and contradictions of this increasingly entrenched set of ‘agents’ in the cultural politics of climate change. Thus, as a form of climate change action, we consider whether it is more effective to ‘plant’ celebrities instead of trees.

Towards a typology for constrained climate model forecasts

In recent years several methodologies have been developed to combine and interpret ensembles of climate models with the aim of quantifying uncertainties in climate projections. Constrained climate model forecasts have been generated by combining various choices of metrics used to weight individual ensemble members, with diverse approaches to sampling the ensemble. The forecasts obtained are often significantly different, even when based on the same model output. Therefore, a climate model forecast classification system can serve two roles: to provide a way for forecast producers to self-classify their forecasts; and to provide information on the methodological assumptions underlying the forecast generation and its uncertainty when forecasts are used for impacts studies. In this review we propose a possible classification system based on choices of metrics and sampling strategies. We illustrate the impact of some of the possible choices in the uncertainty quantification of large scale projections of temperature and precipitation changes, and briefly discuss possible connections between climate forecast uncertainty quantification and decision making approaches in the climate change context.

Exploring combinations of different color and facial expression stimuli for gaze-independent BCIs

Background: Some studies have proven that a conventional visual brain computer interface (BCI) based on overt attention cannot be used effectively when eye movement control is not possible. To solve this problem, a novel visual-based BCI system based on covert attention and feature attention has been proposed and was called the gaze-independent BCI. Color and shape difference between stimuli and backgrounds have generally been used in examples of gaze-independent BCIs. Recently, a new paradigm based on facial expression changes has been presented, and obtained high performance. However, some facial expressions were so similar that users couldn't tell them apart, especially when they were presented at the same position in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm. Consequently, the performance of the BCI is reduced. New Method: In this paper, we combined facial expressions and colors to optimize the stimuli presentation in the gaze-independent BCI. This optimized paradigm was called the colored dummy face pattern. It is suggested that different colors and facial expressions could help users to locate the target and evoke larger event-related potentials (ERPs). In order to evaluate the performance of this new paradigm, two other paradigms were presented, called the gray dummy face pattern and the colored ball pattern. Comparison with Existing Method(s): The key point that determined the value of the colored dummy faces stimuli in BCI systems was whether the dummy face stimuli could obtain higher performance than gray faces or colored balls stimuli. Ten healthy participants (seven male, aged 21–26 years, mean 24.5 ± 1.25) participated in our experiment. Online and offline results of four different paradigms were obtained and comparatively analyzed. Results: The results showed that the colored dummy face pattern could evoke higher P300 and N400 ERP amplitudes, compared with the gray dummy face pattern and the colored ball pattern. Online results showed that the colored dummy face pattern had a significant advantage in terms of classification accuracy (p < 0.05) and information transfer rate (p < 0.05) compared to the other two patterns. Conclusions: The stimuli used in the colored dummy face paradigm combined color and facial expressions. This had a significant advantage in terms of the evoked P300 and N400 amplitudes and resulted in high classification accuracies and information transfer rates. It was compared with colored ball and gray dummy face stimuli.