An evolutionary approach to the use of Petri net based models: from parallel controllers to HW/SW co-design

"A workshop within the 19th International Conference on Applications and Theory of Petri Nets - ICATPN’1998"

Contribuição para o melhoramento da gestão operacional de uma linha de fabrico de garrafas de gás

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Analisis De Mercados De Energía Eléctrica Competitivos Con Participación De Energía Eólica. Competitive Electricity Markets Analisis with Wind Power Generation.

La utilización de energía eólica es un hecho cada vez más común en nuestro mundo como respuesta a mitigar el creciente aumento de demanda de energía, los aumentos constantes de precio, la escasez de combustibles fósiles y los impactos del cambio climático, los que son cada día más evidentes.Consecuentemente, el interés por la participación de esta nueva forma de generación de energía en sistema eléctrico de potencia ha aumentado considerablemente en los últimos años. La incorporación de generación de origen eólico en el sistema eléctrico de potencia requiere de un análisis detallado del sistema eléctrico en su conjunto, considerando la interacción entre parques y unidades de generación eólica, plantas de generación convencional y el sistema eléctrico de potencia. La integración de generación de origen renovable en el sistema eléctrico de potencia convencional presenta nuevos desafíos los que pueden ser atribuidos a características propias de este tipo de generación, por ejemplo la fluctuación de energía debido a la naturaleza variable del viento, la naturaleza distribuida de la generación eólica y las características constructivas y método de conexión de los distintos modelos de turbinas eólicas al sistema.La finalidad de este proyecto de investigación consiste en investigar el impacto sobre un mercado de sistema eléctrico competitivo causado por el agregado de generación de origen eolico. Como punto de partida se pretende realizar modelos de plantas de generacion eolica para luego incorporarlos a los modelos de sistemas eléctricos y realizar estudios de de despacho económico, flujo de cargas, análisis transitorio y estudios dinámicos del sistema.

Impact of wind power generation on the electricity supply industry

The objective of this dissertation is to investigate the effect wind energy has on the Electricity Supply Industry in Ireland. Wind power generation is a source of renewable energy that is in abundant supply in Ireland and is fast becoming a resource that Ireland is depending on as a diverse and secure of supply of energy. However, wind is an intermittent resource and coupled with a variable demand, there are integration issues with balancing demand and supply effectively. To maintain a secure supply of electricity to customers, it is necessary that wind power has an operational reserve to ensure appropriate backup for situations where there is low wind but high demand. This dissertation examines the affect of this integration by comparing wind generation to that of conventional generation in the national grid. This is done to ascertain the cost benefits of wind power generation against a scenario with no wind generation. Then, the analysis examines to see if wind power can meet the pillars of sustainability. This entails looking at wind in a practical scenario to observe how it meets these pillars under the criteria of environmental responsibility, displacement of conventional fuel, cost competitiveness and security of supply.

Development of a semi-automatic self learning pattern recognition system for the control of electronic boards

This project was funded under the Applied Research Grants Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland. The project was a partnership between Galway - Mayo Institute of Technology and an industrial company, Tyco/Mallinckrodt Galway. The project aimed to develop a semi - automatic, self - learning pattern recognition system capable of detecting defects on the printed circuits boards such as component vacancy, component misalignment, component orientation, component error, and component weld. The research was conducted in three directions: image acquisition, image filtering/recognition and software development. Image acquisition studied the process of forming and digitizing images and some fundamental aspects regarding the human visual perception. The importance of choosing the right camera and illumination system for a certain type of problem has been highlighted. Probably the most important step towards image recognition is image filtering, The filters are used to correct and enhance images in order to prepare them for recognition. Convolution, histogram equalisation, filters based on Boolean mathematics, noise reduction, edge detection, geometrical filters, cross-correlation filters and image compression are some examples of the filters that have been studied and successfully implemented in the software application. The software application developed during the research is customized in order to meet the requirements of the industrial partner. The application is able to analyze pictures, perform the filtering, build libraries, process images and generate log files. It incorporates most of the filters studied and together with the illumination system and the camera it provides a fully integrated framework able to analyze defects on printed circuit boards.

Refactoring feature modules : disciplined generation of reusable modules

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2011

Functional elucidation of pag through the generation of truncation and point mutants

T-cell signalling, PAG, adaptor proteins, lipid rafts, palmitoylation, chemokine induced migration

Estimation of nonparametric probability density functions with applications to automatic speech recognition

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2007

First- Versus Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Acute Coronary Syndromes (Katowice-Zabrze Registry)

Abstract Background: There are sparse data on the performance of different types of drug-eluting stents (DES) in acute and real-life setting. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of first- versus second-generation DES in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods: This all-comer registry enrolled consecutive patients diagnosed with ACS and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention with the implantation of first- or second-generation DES in one-year follow-up. The primary efficacy endpoint was defined as major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization and stroke. The primary safety outcome was definite stent thrombosis (ST) at one year. Results: From the total of 1916 patients enrolled into the registry, 1328 patients were diagnosed with ACS. Of them, 426 were treated with first- and 902 with second-generation DES. There was no significant difference in the incidence of MACCE between two types of DES at one year. The rate of acute and subacute ST was higher in first- vs. second-generation DES (1.6% vs. 0.1%, p < 0.001, and 1.2% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.025, respectively), but there was no difference regarding late ST (0.7% vs. 0.2%, respectively, p = 0.18) and gastrointestinal bleeding (2.1% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.21). In Cox regression, first-generation DES was an independent predictor for cumulative ST (HR 3.29 [1.30-8.31], p = 0.01). Conclusions: In an all-comer registry of ACS, the one-year rate of MACCE was comparable in groups treated with first- and second-generation DES. The use of first-generation DES was associated with higher rates of acute and subacute ST and was an independent predictor of cumulative ST.

Multimodal automatic user disposition recognition in human-machine interaction

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Diss., 2013

Generation of functional macrophages from adult mesenchymal stem cells

Magdeburg, Univ., Med. Fak., Diss., 2013

Context-aware 3D model generation for biomedical applications

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2014

Constitutive activation of Wnt signaling favors generation of memory CD8 T cells.

T cell factor-1 (TCF-1) and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1, the effector transcription factors of the canonical Wnt pathway, are known to be critical for normal thymocyte development. However, it is largely unknown if it has a role in regulating mature T cell activation and T cell-mediated immune responses. In this study, we demonstrate that, like IL-7Ralpha and CD62L, TCF-1 and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 exhibit dynamic expression changes during T cell responses, being highly expressed in naive T cells, downregulated in effector T cells, and upregulated again in memory T cells. Enforced expression of a p45 TCF-1 isoform limited the expansion of Ag-specific CD8 T cells in response to Listeria monocytogenes infection. However, when the p45 transgene was coupled with ectopic expression of stabilized beta-catenin, more Ag-specific memory CD8 T cells were generated, with enhanced ability to produce IL-2. Moreover, these memory CD8 T cells expanded to a larger number of secondary effectors and cleared bacteria faster when the immunized mice were rechallenged with virulent L. monocytogenes. Furthermore, in response to vaccinia virus or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection, more Ag-specific memory CD8 T cells were generated in the presence of p45 and stabilized beta-catenin transgenes. Although activated Wnt signaling also resulted in larger numbers of Ag-specific memory CD4 T cells, their functional attributes and expansion after the secondary infection were not improved. Thus, constitutive activation of the canonical Wnt pathway favors memory CD8 T cell formation during initial immunization, resulting in enhanced immunity upon second encounter with the same pathogen.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator regulates CD8+ T cell-intrinsic homeostasis and memory cell generation.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is a negative regulator of T cell activation, but its function in vivo is not well characterized. Here we show that mice deficient in full-length BTLA or its ligand, herpesvirus entry mediator, had increased number of memory CD8(+) T cells. The memory CD8(+) T cell phenotype resulted from a T cell-intrinsic perturbation of the CD8(+) T cell pool. Naive BTLA-deficient CD8(+) T cells were more efficient than wild-type cells at generating memory in a competitive antigen-specific system. This effect was independent of the initial expansion of the responding antigen-specific T cell population. In addition, BTLA negatively regulated antigen-independent homeostatic expansion of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. These results emphasize two central functions of BTLA in limiting T cell activity in vivo.