Alternative Control System Research Articles

Using Shunt Capacitors to Mitigate the Effects of Increasing Renewable Energy Penetration

Over the past two decades, Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) have gained global popularity. Control issues are becoming more difficult as the system inertia decreases due to the absence of typical synchronous generators. Innovative methods like fault current limiters, energy storage devices, and alternative control systems are utilized to deal with these difficulties. This study provides a summary of the challenges associated with incorporating high-level RESs into the existing grid. The increased penetration of the RESs has a negative impact on the system oscillations and harmonics, generating the need for power quality improvement techniques, such as adaptive control, adding energy systems, power stream assessment, or weight stream examination. This paper presents a framework of the power stream issue, its arrangement as well as different game plan methods. The power stream model of a power structure can be built using the significant association, weight, and age data.

Wheat companion plants reduced aphid and flea beetle infestations in Brassica vegetable crops in a multiple-year field study in central Germany

Alternative pest control systems such as companion plants are increasingly gaining importance owing to a reduced range of available synthetic insecticides and more rigorous regulation of their use in the EU. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of Brassica vegetables grown with wheat companion plants on relevant pests, respective natural enemies and harvest weight. Six trials were conducted in white cabbage and three in Chinese cabbage between 2017 and 2021. We identified an overall aphid-regulating effect for Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) and Myzus persicae (Sulz.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in white cabbage and a regulating effect on flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in both tested Brassica crops. Feeding by cabbage root fly Delia radicum L. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) larvae on white cabbage roots was not consistently affected. Natural enemies including ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), hoverfly larvae (Diptera: Syrphidae), spiders (Araneida), ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), and rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) were assessed on crop plants or in pitfall traps. The activity density of rove beetles was increased by wheat companions in both Brassica crops, while that of ground beetles was reduced in white cabbage. The weight of harvested white cabbage was reduced by wheat companions, varying between a mean reduction of 7.67% and 40.08% in different experiments. In conclusion, wheat companion plants can be an additional tool for regulating pests in Brassica vegetables. However, competition effects on crop yield and the compatibility with other cultivation aspects, e.g. crop rotation, have to be considered.

Management of Colorectal Cancer Using Nanocarriers-based Drug Delivery for Herbal Bioactives: Current and Emerging Approaches.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex and multifactorial disorder in middle-aged people. Several modern medicines are available for treating and preventing it. However, their therapeutic uses are limited due to drawbacks, such as gastric perforation, diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, abdominal cramps, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and adverse reactions. Hence, there is a continuous quest for safe and effective medicines to manage human health problems, like CRC. In this context, herbal medicines are considered an alternative disease control system. It has become popular in countries, like American, European, and Asian, due to its safety and effectiveness, which has been practiced for 1000 years. During the last few decades, herbal medicines have been widely explored through multidisciplinary fields for getting active compounds against human diseases. Several herbal bioactives, like curcumin, glycyrrhizin, paclitaxel, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, catechin, berberine, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, chrysin, resveratrol, quercetin, etc., have been found to be effective against CRC. However, their pharmacological applications are limited due to low bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy apart from their several health benefits. An effective delivery system is required to increase their bioavailability and efficacy. Therefore, targeted novel drug delivery approaches are promising for improving these substances' solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic effects. Novel carrier systems, such as liposomes, nanoparticles, micelles, microspheres, dendrimers, microbeads, and hydrogels, are promising for delivering poorly soluble drugs to the target site, i.e., the colon. Thus, the present review is focused on the pathophysiology, molecular pathways, and diagnostic and treatment approaches for CRC. Moreover, an emphasis has been laid especially on herbal bioactive-based novel delivery systems and their clinical updates.

Studies on major insect pests of cotton and farmer perceptions in the Ghugus area of District Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India

A crucial crop in the world, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), is frequently harmed by pests and illnesses. Chemical pesticides are frequently effective, but repeated use of these chemicals often results in pests developing greater insecticide resistance, fewer natural enemies, less natural control, and a deteriorated ecosystem. It has been widely used to implement the integrated pest management (IPM) strategy, which heavily emphasizes biological control. The present piece of work was carried out from January 2022 to December 2022 at different sites in the vicinity of the Ghugus area in Chandrapur district. In all, 10 species of insect pests of cotton from 9 families and 3 orders were recorded. The knowledge, perceptions and practices of farmers growing cotton under different pest management regimes were analyzed. The methods used were open and semistructured interviews using questionnaire with groups and individuals. In general, farmers had a poor understanding of the key concepts underlying alternative pest control systems. Pest damage was considered important and farmers were eager to share their knowledge, perceptions and practices in pest management. This study provides the foundation for the creation of a learning platform for future.

ALTERNATIF PENGENDALIAN LIMPASAN PERMUKAAN DI PERKOTAAN DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS (AHP)

Control of surface runoff is a major challenge in sustainable urban stormwater management. High rainfall can cause various problems such as floods and landslides. Related to the problem of surface runoff includes a number of problems that require attention and good solutions to maintain environmental sustainability and prevent negative impacts from surface runoff. Surface runoff control activities generally tend to be social, technically costly, and relatively long. Collaboration with experts, government, and local stakeholders can also reinforce the concept of successful surface runoff control. The application of the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method is needed as a systematic approach to evaluate and select effective alternative surface runoff control systems, in this study four alternatives were taken based on three criteria. These alternatives involve solutions such as the application of biopores of infiltration wells, rainwater harvesting, retention ponds and green open spaces then these alternatives are evaluated based on relevant criteria, in this study the relevant criteria are taken namely technically, environmentally and cost. The results of this analysis using the AHP method provide relative priority values for each alternative, allowing for the selection of optimal solutions to surface runoff problems. Based on this assessment, it shows that alternative green open space is an optimal solution for surface runoff control systems in urban areas.

Design and Evaluation of the Extended FBS Model Based Gaze-Control Power Wheelchair for Individuals Facing Manual Control Challenges.

This study addresses the challenges faced by individuals with upper limb disadvantages in operating power wheelchair joysticks by utilizing the extended Function-Behavior-Structure (FBS) model to identify design requirements for an alternative wheelchair control system. A gaze-controlled wheelchair system is proposed based on design requirements from the extended FBS model and prioritized using the MosCow method. This innovative system relies on the user's natural gaze and comprises three levels: perception, decision making, and execution. The perception layer senses and acquires information from the environment, including user eye movements and driving context. The decision-making layer processes this information to determine the user's intended direction, while the execution layer controls the wheelchair's movement accordingly. The system's effectiveness was validated through indoor field testing, with an average driving drift of less than 20 cm for participates. Additionally, the user experience scale revealed overall positive user experiences and perceptions of the system's usability, ease of use, and satisfaction.

Design of PI and PID Control System for Induction Motor Control on Gamma Irradiator Characterization Prototype Using a Modified Ziegler-Nichols Method

The irradiator simulator's induction motor drive control system is carried out to maintain safety and accuracy in the loading/unloading process and product transportation system. Control is done by maintaining the speed of the induction motor at a certain speed so that the travel time for the loading/unloading process is predetermined. This study aims to answer the existing problems using the PI and PID control systems and prove that using the control system will give better results than the current system applications. In this study, the gain configuration for the PI controller that best fits the design requirements is obtained at a Kp value of 0.038, a Ki of 2.18, and a Phase Margin ( ) of 70°, resulting in a motor rotational speed that can achieve stability at the set point determined by the setting time is 0.90 seconds. The maximum overshoot is 0% and has a steady state error value of 0.00013. Then the gain configuration for the PID controller that best fits the design requirements is obtained at a value of Kp of 0.0066, Ki of 10.85, Kd of 9.9x10-7 and with a Phase Margin ( ) of 50°, resulting in a motor rotational speed that is high. Able to achieve stability at the specified set point with a setting time of 0.63 seconds and a maximum overshoot of 0%, the steady state error value of 0.00013. From the results obtained, it can be seen that this PI and PID control method can be used as an alternative control system on the induction motor drive system on the irradiator simulator. The controller can control the system according to the specified conditions so that the irradiation process time accuracy improves or increases.

Exponential stability of an alternate control system with double impulses

In this paper, we propose a new system called an alternate control system with double impulses. The present system is a cyclic control system, composed of four parts in a circle: to the first and last halves of each period of the system we add different continuous controls, and at the half-period time and the end of each period of the system we add different impulses. We then investigate the exponential stability of the considered system. An example based on Chua’s circuit is provided to confirm the effectiveness of the theoretical result.

A new perspective on Workload Control by measuring operating performances through an economic valorization

Workload Control (WLC) is a production planning and control system conceived to reduce queuing times of job-shop systems, and to offer a solution to the lead time syndrome; a critical issue that often bewilders make-to-order manufacturers. Nowadays, advantages of WLC are unanimously acknowledged, but real successful stories are still limited. This paper starts from the lack of a consistent way to assess performance of WLC, an important burden for its acceptance in the industry. As researchers often put more focus on the performance measures that better confirm their hypotheses, many measures, related to different WLC features, have emerged over years. However, this excess of measures may even mislead practitioners, in the evaluation of alternative production planning and control systems. To close this gap, we propose quantifying the main benefit of WLC in economic terms, as this is the easiest, and probably only way, to compare different and even conflicting performance measures. Costs and incomes are identified and used to develop an overall economic measure that can be used to evaluate, or even to fine tune, the operating features of WLC. The quality of our approach is finally demonstrated via simulation, considering the 6-machines job-shop scenario typically adopted as benchmark in technical literature.

The contribution of connected vehicles to network traffic control: A hierarchical approach

Connected vehicles (CVs) can considerably contribute to traffic control in the near future by providing real-time information. Such information can be exploited to identify the current traffic condition. However, challenges resulting from a high volume of data and lack of perfect knowledge in mixed traffic scenarios (consisting of CVs and conventional vehicles) have led to relatively sparse research in network-wide CV-based traffic control. To deal with such challenges, this paper proposes a hierarchical framework integrating three layers: (i) an intersection controller at individual intersections located in the center of the network, (ii) a network controller to regulate traffic coming into the network, and (iii) a phase controller to optimize the sequence of intersections’ signals. This approach permits the inclusion of information of (a limited number of) CVs to estimate and control queue lengths at individual intersections as well as the overall network load. Simulations carried out in VISSIM validate our approach in comparison with alternative control systems such as the application of (1) a traffic-responsive control, (2) a traffic accumulation regulator, or (3) a network signals coordinator. Moreover, comparisons between the proposed framework and a central system equipped with the information of all vehicles (giving rise to the optimal operation with, however, costly computation) under the consideration of different penetration rates of CVs and network layouts confirm that this framework results in competitive performance indicators, which, owing to the hierarchical structure, can be efficiently employed in real-time applications.

Desarrollo y caracterización de un sistema alternativo de control para estudiar por separado los efectos de transferencia de oxígeno y de cantidad de movimiento en biorreactores de tanque agitado

Control of dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) in stirred tank bioreactors (STB) is commonly performed by manipulation of gas flow or agitation. However, control systems using this strategy directly alter hydrodynamic conditions thus interrelating oxygen and momentum transfer effects in the culture. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an alternative DOT control system using an algorithm that allows further study of oxygen and momentum transfer effects separately. A novel algorithm was designed with three mass flow controllers by manipulating oxygen partial pressure  The developed system tightly controlled DOT at 30% in a 3-L bioreactor with Escherichia coli, maintaining constant gas flow and agitation.  The energy dissipation rate (EDR) by agitation was maintained at 0.06 W/kg, and EDR variations via bubble wake and bursting were diminished. The accumulated DOT control error was 42% lower than that of a standard commercial controller. Additionally, the system effectively responded to perturbations on set point (30, 50, and 80%) and agitation (200, 500, and 1000 rpm). To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first characterization of a DOT controller in terms of EDR and control error that could be used to study oxygen and momentum transfer effects separately in STB. 

Operating outdated EPMA (JXA-8600SX) by popular microcomputers and Windows PC

Here we report on the operation of the JEOL JXA-8600SX wavelength-dispersive electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) after replacing the outdated and damaged native computers with popular and up-to-date microcomputers (Arduino) and a desktop Windows PC. Stepper motors actuating the sample stage and spectrometers are driven by computerized numerical control (CNC) kits commercialized for hand-made 3D printers, open-source firmware GRBL installed on Arduino, and a common text-based command “G-code” sent from a PC. X-ray pulse signals from the single-channel pulse-height analyzer (SCA) and analog signals from the probe ammeter are also acquired by Arduino. Sending commands from the PC to Arduino and receiving signals from Arduino to the PC are routinized by a homemade program coded by Visual Basic.NET. Quantitative analyses of anhydrous silicates and oxides, applying the Bence-Albee correction, provide reasonable oxide concentrations that are generally within 99-101 wt.% in total and compatible with stoichiometry within a 1%-2% relative deviation. This alternative control system not only extends the use of EPMA hardware regardless of generational changes in computer technology, but also introduces optional analytical techniques not available in the built-in system.

Discovery of Polyvalent Myovirus (vB_STM-2) Phage as a Natural Antimicrobial System to Lysis and Biofilm Removal of Salmonella Typhimurium Isolates from Various Food Sources

New and natural antimicrobials as an alternative control system are now an urgent need to overcome stubborn bacterial infections. Salmonella Typhimurium has become the most frequent serovar responsible for salmonellosis in humans around the world. The high antimicrobial resistance and biofilm production make this pathogen more dangerous. We aimed to isolate a broad lytic phage to prevent Salmonella infection and reduce its biofilms. Using Salmonella Typhimurium (ST-4) as a host, seven phages were isolated, and only three phages showed clear lytic plaques, two members of the Siphoviridae family (vB_STS-1 and vB_STS-3) and one of the Myoviridae family (vB_STM-2). The vB_STM-2 phage was the most potent broad lytic phage, infecting 100% of tested Salmonella Typhimurium serovars and non-Salmonella strains. Additionally, the vB_STM-2 phage was thermostable at −20 to 55 °C up to 24 h, while at 65 and 75 °C, a significant (p < 0.05) titer reduction was observed after 7 days. Moreover, the phage seemed to be stable at different pHs (4–11) after one to twelve hours (hrs), while increasing the time made the phage more sensitive to the alkaline medium rather than the acidic medium. Interestingly, the vB_STM-2 phage had the capacity to diminish or eradicate the biofilms of tested Salmonella Typhimurium, e.g., ST-4, ST-19, ST-30, ST-37, ST-45 and ST-49 by 81.2%, 76.4%, 43.6%, 41%, 39.8% and 93.4%, respectively, at a titer concentration of 106 PFU/mL. Eventually, the vB_STM-2 phage showed significant (p < 0.05) efficacy in the elimination of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST-4) from contaminated chicken breasts at both storage periods with high titer stability. The Salmonella count showed a severe decline from 7.00 ± 0.63 log10 CFU/cm2 to 0.88 ± 0.17 log10 CFU/cm2 on the seventh day of the short-term storage, and from 5.13 ± 0.44 log10 CFU/cm2 to 1.10 ± 0.12 log10 CFU/cm2 on day 27 of the long-term assay. In both periods, the phage titers remained stable, with insignificant (p < 0.05) loss. Therefore, this phage is considered a prime candidate to combat multi-drug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium and its biofilms.

Research on Alternating Equalization Control Systems for Lithium-Ion Cells Charging

Lithium-ion batteries which are used in electric vehicles cannot be charged to their maximum capacity at the end of the charging period, a situation which is caused by inconsistency between the battery cells. This paper takes the 18650 ternary lithium battery as the research object and proposes an alternate equalization control system in the charging process. This system takes SOC consistency to be the equalization variable. Through controlling the relay, this system realizes the alternate recombination between different batteries in order to form a series battery group for charging, which achieves the goal of SOC equalization of the entire battery group. The simulation result of charge equalization, based on Matlab/Simulink, shows that at the end of the charging simulation, the SOC inconsistency of the battery group reduced from 10% to 1%. Finally, an experimental platform was built in order to verify the experiment. During the charge balance experiment, the maximum SOC inconsistency between the batteries reduced from 1.542% to 1.035%. The SOC inconsistency at the end of charging reduced from 1.214% to 0.8%, which represents an improvement of the equalization effect of the control system. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results, which proves the effectiveness of the system’s ability to control the battery SOC balance during the charging process.

Performance and Robustness of Alternate Nonlinear Control System Designs for a Nonlinear Isothermal CSTR

Performance and Robustness of Alternate Nonlinear Control System Designs for a Nonlinear Isothermal CSTR

Alternative systems for misfolded protein clearance: life beyond the proteasome.

Protein misfolding is a major driver of ageing-associated frailty and disease pathology. Although all cells possess multiple, well-characterised protein quality control systems to mitigate the toxicity of misfolded proteins, how they are integrated to maintain protein homeostasis ('proteostasis') in health-and how their disintegration contributes to disease-is still an exciting and fast-paced area of research. Under physiological conditions, the predominant route for misfolded protein clearance involves ubiquitylation and proteasome-mediated degradation. When the capacity of this route is overwhelmed-as happens during conditions of acute environmental stress, or chronic ageing-related decline-alternative routes for protein quality control are activated. In this review, we summarise our current understanding of how proteasome-targeted misfolded proteins are retrafficked to alternative protein quality control routes such as juxta-nuclear sequestration and selective autophagy when the ubiquitin-proteasome system is compromised. We also discuss the molecular determinants of these alternative protein quality control systems, attempt to clarify distinctions between various cytoplasmic spatial quality control inclusion bodies (e.g., Q-bodies, p62 bodies, JUNQ, aggresomes, and aggresome-like induced structures 'ALIS'), and speculate on emerging concepts in the field that we hope will spur future research-with the potential to benefit the rational development of healthy ageing strategies.

Vibration control by active integrated control system under bidirectional ground motions

To improve the safety and security of the structures with irregular plan configuration, the new torsionally effective passive control system (ICS) was first proposed by the author, which utilizes a new design configuration to dissipate the unwanted energy from the structures in the lateral and torsional directions. In this research, a new active structural control approach, which is the active form of the ICS (or active integrated control system, AICS), is introduced as an alternative active control system, especially for the buildings with torsional sensitivity. In the design of active system configurations, two actuators driven by the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) are implemented and used to apply the optimum control forces to the ATMDs and AICS. For examining the performance of the proposed system configuration, the final design is applied to the 9-story Benchmark steel structure subjected to bidirectional three historical earthquakes. The obtained results show the overall performance of structural performance by using the AICS is substantially improved as compared to conventional ones (ATMDs) under selected ground accelerations with a 3% to 6% improvement in the lateral directions and by nearly 20% in the torsional direction in terms of the peak and root mean square response reduction.

Activity of monoterpenoids on the in vitro growth of two Colletotrichum species and the mode of action on C. acutatum

Essential oils and their main compounds, monoterpenoids, are considered as alternative control systems for phytopathogenic fungi, particularly those related to late diseases of fruits and vegetables, like anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species. In this context, we studied the effect of twenty monoterpenoids on Colletotrichum fructicola and C. acutatum to elucidate their effectiveness and mechanisms of action. Thus, we analyzed mycelial growth and conidial inhibitory concentration, as well as the effect of selected monoterpenoids on membrane integrity and cell vitality, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and mitochondrial membrane potential by flow cytometry. The results showed that oxygenated monoterpenoids (alcohols and aldehydes) exhibited higher antifungal activity than their corresponding hydrocarbons, esters, and cyclic counterparts. Indicating that OH− and O− radicals react with cellular components affecting fungal homeostasis. In this sense, selected monoterpenoids (citral, citronellol, geraniol, carvacrol, and thymol) inhibited conidial germination of C. acutatum in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of conidial germination is associated with a loss of membrane integrity, a decrease of cell metabolism, and a dose-dependent accumulation of ROS, which was non-directly associated with modifications on mitochondrial membrane potential. Membrane dysfunction and ROS accumulation may be responsible for the necrotic behavior induced by high monoterpenoids concentrations, and possible apoptotic response in sub dosages of these compounds.

Alternative Control System for Robot Arm with Data Logger

Alternative Control System for Robot Arm with Data Logger

Evaluation of thermo-kinetic and absorption characteristics of pure desiccants and desiccant mixtures

Air conditioning systems are used to control the air dry-bulb temperature and humidity level for human thermal comfort. In order to control the humidity level, air dry-bulb temperature needs to be brought down below its dew point temperature to condense out the moisture from the air. This eventually consumes a significant amount of total building energy in terms of electricity. Therefore, to minimize the energy consumption, researchers are stimulating their study towards an alternative latent heat load control system. In this regard, desiccant based sorption technologies are more effective compared to the conventional vapor compression system. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the different desiccants' individual properties and their physical behavior in material perspective. In this study, an effort is devoted to explore the thermo-kinetic properties of pure LiBr, CaCl2, as well as their mixtures (LiBr:CaCl2 of 90:10; 85:15; 80:20 and 75:25) by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric (TG) and absorption rate, analyzes through numerous control experiments. The XRD study confirmed that peaks of CaCl2 and LiBr were shifted slightly for LiBr and CaCl2 mixtures due to interaction effects. The results of present investigation elucidated that mixtures of LiBr and CaCl2 showed less moisture regeneration cost than pure CaCl2 and all the mixtures revealed more rate of moisture absorption than pure LiBr and CaCl2. Further, 85:15 mixture of LiBr:CaCl2 showed higher rate of moisture absorption when compared to other prepared samples.