Graphical simulators for AUV development

A long development time is needed from the design to the implementation of an AUV. During the first steps, simulation plays an important role, since it allows for the development of preliminary versions of the control system to be integrated. Once the robot is ready, the control systems are implemented, tuned and tested. The use of a real-time simulator can help closing the gap between off-line simulation and real testing using the already implemented robot. When properly interfaced with the robot hardware, a real-time graphical simulation with a "hardware in the loop" configuration, can allow for the testing of the implemented control system running in the actual robot hardware. Hence, the development time is drastically reduced. These paper overviews the field of graphical simulators used for AUV development proposing a classification. It also presents NEPTUNE, a multi-vehicle, real-time, graphical simulator based on OpenGL that allows hardware in the loop simulations

I-SS: integrated supervision systems approach based on interactive components

Process supervision is the activity focused on monitoring the process operation in order to deduce conditions to maintain the normality including when faults are present Depending on the number/distribution/heterogeneity of variables, behaviour situations, sub-processes, etc. from processes, human operators and engineers do not easily manipulate the information. This leads to the necessity of automation of supervision activities. Nevertheless, the difficulty to deal with the information complicates the design and development of software applications. We present an approach called "integrated supervision systems". It proposes multiple supervisors coordination to supervise multiple sub-processes whose interactions permit one to supervise the global process

Interacting software-agents to support a kind of expert supervision systems

Expert supervision systems are software applications specially designed to automate process monitoring. The goal is to reduce the dependency on human operators to assure the correct operation of a process including faulty situations. Construction of this kind of application involves an important task of design and development in order to represent and to manipulate process data and behaviour at different degrees of abstraction for interfacing with data acquisition systems connected to the process. This is an open problem that becomes more complex with the number of variables, parameters and relations to account for the complexity of the process. Multiple specialised modules tuned to solve simpler tasks that operate under a co-ordination provide a solution. A modular architecture based on concepts of software agents, taking advantage of the integration of diverse knowledge-based techniques, is proposed for this purpose. The components (software agents, communication mechanisms and perception/action mechanisms) are based on ICa (Intelligent Control architecture), software middleware supporting the build-up of applications with software agent features

Application for fault location in electrical power distribution systems

Fault location has been studied deeply for transmission lines due to its importance in power systems. Nowadays the problem of fault location on distribution systems is receiving special attention mainly because of the power quality regulations. In this context, this paper presents an application software developed in Matlabtrade that automatically calculates the location of a fault in a distribution power system, starting from voltages and currents measured at the line terminal and the model of the distribution power system data. The application is based on a N-ary tree structure, which is suitable to be used in this application due to the highly branched and the non- homogeneity nature of the distribution systems, and has been developed for single-phase, two-phase, two-phase-to-ground, and three-phase faults. The implemented application is tested by using fault data in a real electrical distribution power system

Controladores PI con acción de reset

El control automàtic exerceix un paper important en molts processos de la industria. Cada un dels sistemes de control requereix d’un controlador, la majoria dels quals són del tipus PI. L’objectiu d’aquest projecte es investigar tècniques que permetin superar les limitacions que tenen els controladors PI lineals. En la resposta d’un sistema de control es poden distingir dues tasques diferents: El seguiment a un canvi d’entrada o consigna correspon a la tasca de servo, mentre que el rebuig a pertorbacions correspon a la tasca de regulatori. Al típic esquema de control realimentat, aquestes dues tasques estan enfrontades, és a dir, una millora a la tasca de servo implica un empitjorament a la tasca de regulatori i a l’inversa. Això suposa un problema al rendiment del sistema, així com la necessitat d’establir un cert compromís entre les dues tasques. El que es pretén en aquest projecte es implementar senzilles regles de control no lineal amb la finalitat de millorar el rendiment del sistema i evitar la necessitat d’establir un compromís entre les dues tasques. Així, es pretén superar les limitacions que aquest té, obtenint controladors PI alternatius fàcilment sintetitzables.

Meta-analysis of studies analyzing the role of human papillomavirus in the development of bladder carcinoma

PURPOSE We aimed to ascertain the degree of association between bladder cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies with cases and controls with publication dates up to January 2011. The PubMed electronic database was searched by using the key words "bladder cancer and virus." Twenty-one articles were selected that met the required methodological criteria. We implemented an internal quality control system to verify the selected search method. We analyzed the pooled effect of all the studies and also analyzed the techniques used as follows: 1) studies with DNA-based techniques, among which we found studies with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques and 2) studies with non-PCR-based techniques, and studies with non-DNA-based techniques. RESULTS Taking into account the 21 studies that were included in the meta-analysis, we obtained a heterogeneity chi-squared value of Q(exp)=26.45 (p=0.383). The pooled odds ratio (OR) was 2.13 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54 to 2.95), which points to a significant effect between HPV and bladder cancer. Twenty studies assessed the presence of DNA. The overall effect showed a significant relationship between virus presence and bladder cancer, with a pooled OR of 2.19 (95% CI, 1.40 to 3.43). Of the other six studies, four examined the virus's capsid antigen and two detected antibodies in serum by Western blot. The estimated pooled OR in this group was 2.11 (95% CI, 1.27 to 3.51), which confirmed the relationship between the presence of virus and cancer. CONCLUSIONS The pooled OR value showed a moderate relationship between viral infection and bladder tumors.

Two methods for voltage sag source location

This paper presents and compares two approaches to estimate the origin (upstream or downstream) of voltage sag registered in distribution substations. The first approach is based on the application of a single rule dealing with features extracted from the impedances during the fault whereas the second method exploit the variability of waveforms from an statistical point of view. Both approaches have been tested with voltage sags registered in distribution substations and advantages, drawbacks and comparative results are presented

A survey on voltage sag events in power systems

This paper aims to survey the techniques and methods described in literature to analyse and characterise voltage sags and the corresponding objectives of these works. The study has been performed from a data mining point of view

Using petri nets to specify and execute missions for autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper presents the design and implementation of a mission control system (MCS) for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) based on Petri nets. In the proposed approach the Petri nets are used to specify as well as to execute the desired autonomous vehicle mission. The mission is easily described using an imperative programming language called mission control language (MCL) that formally describes the mission execution thread. A mission control language compiler (MCL-C) able to automatically translate the MCL into a Petri net is described and a real-time Petri net player that allows to execute the resulting Petri net onboard an AUV are also presented

Dynamic modelling of an underwater vehicle

Nessie is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) created by a team of students in the Heriot Watt University to compete in the Student Autonomous Underwater Competition, Europe (SAUC-E) in August 2006. The main objective of the project is to find the dynamic equation of the robot, dynamic model. With it, the behaviour of the robot will be easier to understand and movement tests will be available by computer without the need of the robot, what is a way to save time, batteries, money and the robot from water inside itself. The object of the second part in this project is setting a control system for Nessie by using the model

Embedding objects into Matlab/Simulink for process supervision

This paper introduces how artificial intelligence technologies can be integrated into a known computer aided control system design (CACSD) framework, Matlab/Simulink, using an object oriented approach. The aim is to build a framework to aid supervisory systems analysis, design and implementation. The idea is to take advantage of an existing CACSD framework, Matlab/Simulink, so that engineers can proceed: first to design a control system, and then to design a straightforward supervisory system of the control system in the same framework. Thus, expert systems and qualitative reasoning tools are incorporated into this popular CACSD framework to develop a computer aided supervisory system design (CASSD) framework. Object-variables an introduced into Matlab/Simulink for sharing information between tools

MTS2-kokoonpanolinjan ohjauksen modernisointi

Tämä insinöörityö tehtiin Helsingin ammattikorkeakoululle kesän 2006 ja lukuvuoden 2006 - 2007 aikana. Työn tarkoituksena oli yhdistää MTS2-kokoonpanolinjaston kuljetinjärjestelmän erilliset toimilaite- ja anturiväylät yhdeksi hallittavaksi kokonaisuudeksi sekä ottaa käyttöön RFID-saattomuistit kuljetinpalettien ohjauksessa. Työssä tutustuttiin teollisuudessa käytettävien kenttäväylien eri tasoihin, näihin liitettäviin laitteisiin sekä väylien toisiinsa liittämiseen. Linjaston alkuperäistä fyysistä rakennetta muutettiin niin, että se mahdollistaa kahden erillisen ohjausjärjestelmän käytön. AS-iväylään asennettiin IFM DTA 100 -saattomuistinlukijat ja paletteihin RFID-tunnisteet. Työssä onnistuttiin osoittamaan, että kahden rinnakkaisen ohjauksen luominen linjastoon on mahdollista. Toteutuksessa joudutaan kumminkin tilanteisiin, joissa pitää tehdä kompromisseja toisen ohjausjärjestelmän toiminnan yksinkertaisuuden kustannuksella.

Executive Order Number Forty, November 1, 1990

The Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse is the designed agency to receive Drug Control& System Improvement Grant Program funding.

Major: Electronics and Communication Engineering

Today, information technology is strategically important to the goals and aspirations of the business enterprises, government and high-level education institutions – university. Universities are facing new challenges with the emerging global economy characterized by the importance of providing faster communication services and improving the productivity and effectiveness of individuals. New challenges such as provides an information network that supports the demands and diversification of university issues. A new network architecture, which is a set of design principles for build a network, is one of the pillar bases. It is the cornerstone that enables the university’s faculty, researchers, students, administrators, and staff to discover, learn, reach out, and serve society. This thesis focuses on the network architecture definitions and fundamental components. Three most important characteristics of high-quality architecture are that: it’s open network architecture; it’s service-oriented characteristics and is an IP network based on packets. There are four important components in the architecture, which are: Services and Network Management, Network Control, Core Switching and Edge Access. The theoretical contribution of this study is a reference model Architecture of University Campus Network that can be followed or adapted to build a robust yet flexible network that respond next generation requirements. The results found are relevant to provide an important complete reference guide to the process of building campus network which nowadays play a very important role. Respectively, the research gives university networks a structured modular model that is reliable, robust and can easily grow.

Controlo interno na prevenção de erros e fraudes

Atualmente, as situações de erros e fraudes, têm ocorrido com muita frequência a nível mundial. Por exemplo em Cabo Verde estas têm vindo a ganhar espaço nos mídias, onde a todo momento aparece casos de erros e fraudes, como por exemplo, os casos da Sociedade Cabo-verdiana de Tabacos, Banco Comercial do Atlântico, Caixa Económica, Câmara Municipal da Ribeira Brava, Associação Sport Club Moreirense, Sociedade de Segurança Industrial, Marítima e Comercial, Ministério das Finanças entre outros. Essas situações desfavoráveis para qualquer empresa, são derivadas de uma gestão menos cuidada dos recursos, e dos valores e princípios éticos cultivados pelas pessoas. O triângulo de fraude criada por Donald Cressey demonstra os motivos que leva um individuo a cometer atos fraudulentos, como sendo a motivação, a pressão e a oportunidade. Neste sentido, o controlo interno surge como uma ferramenta muito importante e fundamental para mitigar os riscos advenientes da ocorrência de erros e fraudes, suscetíveis de acontecer nas empresas. O controlo interno traduz num conjunto de medidas que protegem o património da empresa e garantem o cumprimento dos seus objetivos entretanto, como qualquer outra ferramenta de gestão está possui determinadas limitações que podem ser ultrapassadas com a utilização de alguns procedimentos básicos e, ou alternativos de controlo interno. É imprescindível que um sistema de controlo interno, para além de implementado, adequado e em funcionamento, seja mantido e acompanhado. O estudo dos casos da SILMAC, SA e da SCT, SA, mostram a importância que o controlo interno tem na prevenção e deteção de erros e fraudes, pois denota-se que as fraudes cometidas aconteceram na sequência de fraquezas de controlo interno e no excesso de confiança depositada nos colaboradores. Currently, the situations of errors and fraud have occurred very often in the world. Cape Verde in these situations have gained ground in the media, where every moment appears to errors and fraud cases, such as cases of “Sociedade cabo-verdiana de tabacos, Banco Comercial do Atlântico, Caixa Económica, Câmara Municipal da Ribeira Brava, Associação Sport Club Moreirense, Sociedade de segurança industrial, marítima e comercial, Ministério de finanças” amongst others. These situations which unfavorable for any company, are derived from a less carefully management of resources and ethical principles and values cultivated by people. The fraud triangle created by Donald Cressey, demonstrates reasons that lead an individual to commit fraudulent acts, such as motivation, opportunity and pressure. In this sense, internal control emerges as a very important tool to mitigate the risks arising from situations of errors and fraud, which are likely to happen in companies. The internal control translates into a set of measures that protect the assets of the business and ensure the fulfillment of its objectives however, like any other management tool is has limitations, however these can be overcome with the use of basic procedures, or alternative internal control. It is essential that an internal control system, in addition to implemented, adequate and functioning is maintained and monitored. The case studies of SILMAC and SCT, show the importance of internal control is the prevention and detection of errors and fraud. For note that the fraud occurred following oversights in its internal control and confidence in their employees.