Full Control Research Articles

Evaluation of basil (Ocimum basilicum) accessions under different drought conditions based on yield and physio-biochemical traits

BackgroundBasil is one of the most famous herbs, which has broad usage as a fresh vegetable and therapeutic and pharmaceutical services. The main abiotic stress limiting basil production globally is drought. As a result, appropriate drought screening-which effectively separates high-yielding but drought-sensitive genotypes from drought-tolerant genotypes-is necessary for the optimal selection of high-yielding basil cultivars under drought stress conditions. So, a split plot experiment with three replications based on a completely randomized design were carried out in a pot under field conditions for this investigation. Water levels (full irrigation or control, moderate stress, and severe stress) were assigned as main plots, while 22 basil accessions were given as sub-plots. In this study, leaf yield as well as physio-biochemical traits had measured on accessions.ResultsOur results revealed large variation in yield, essential oil (%), protein, proline, chlorophyll, total phenol and flavonoids traits across the 22 accessions. The percentage of leaf yield reduction in moderate drought stress than normal conditions showed that G1 (−6.5%), G17 (−7.05%), G20 (−9.01%), and G12 (−10.9%) accessions had the least changes, respectively. Although in severe drought stress than normal conditions, the G1 (−32.01%), G12 (−33.12%), G4 (−33.24%), G7 (−34.11%), and G17 (−34.93%) accessions had the least amount of change in plant leaf yield, respectively. Furthermore, the highest yield reduction occurred in moderate and severe stress conditions in G18 (−25.36%) and G8 (−42.98%) accessions, respectively. Cluster analysis based on the ward method in both conditions (moderate and severe drought conditions) placed the accessions in three groups, and accessions were identified as tolerant, whose average traits in that group were higher than the total average. The principal component analysis also showed that in moderate drought conditions, the first two components explained about 95.28% of the total variation, while in severe drought conditions, these two components explained about 96.37% of the total variation.ConclusionsThe different multivariate analyses (cluster analysis, PCA, mean comparison) were used to identify tolerant and sensitive accessions based on all traits. The accessions G3, G4, G6, and G7 were found to be tolerant to stress, while G10, G15, G16, and G20 were found to be sensitive to drought. These accessions are a useful step in producing drought-tolerant, high-yielding accessions and can be utilized in breeding programs for basil.

Digital Management of Competencies in Web 3.0: The C-Box® Approach

Management of competencies is a crucial concern for both learners and workers as well as for training institutions and companies. For the former, it allows users to track and certify the acquired skills to apply for positions; for the latter, it enables better organisation of business processes. However, currently, most software systems for competency management adopted by the industry are either organisation-centric or centralised: that is, they either lock-in students and employees wishing to export their competencies elsewhere, or they require users’ trust and for users to give up privacy (to store their personal data) while being prone to faults. In this paper, we propose a user-centric, fully decentralised competency management system enabling verifiable, secure, and robust management of competencies digitalised as Open Badges via notarization on a public blockchain. This way, whoever acquires the competence or achievement retains full control over it and can disclose his/her own digital certifications only when needed and to the extent required, migrate them across storage platforms, and let anyone verify the integrity and validity of such certifications independently of any centralised organisation. The proposed solution is based on C-Box®, an existing application for the management of digital competencies that has been improved to fully support models, standards, and technologies of the so-called Web 3.0 vision—a global effort by major web organisations to “give the web back to the people”, pushing for maximum decentralisation of control and user-centric data ownership.

Classical analogue to driven quantum bits based on macroscopic pendula

Quantum mechanics increasingly penetrates modern technologies but, due to its non-deterministic nature seemingly contradicting our classical everyday world, our comprehension often stays elusive. Arguing along the correspondence principle, classical mechanics is often seen as a theory for large systems where quantum coherence is completely averaged out. Surprisingly, it is still possible to reconstruct the coherent dynamics of a quantum bit (qubit) by using a classical model system. This classical-to-quantum analogue is based on wave mechanics, which applies to both, the classical and the quantum world. In this spirit we investigate the dynamics of macroscopic physical pendula with a modulated coupling. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate full control of our one-to-one analogue to a qubit by realizing Rabi oscillations, Landau-Zener transitions and Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana interferometry. Our classical qubit demonstrator can help comprehending and developing useful quantum technologies.

Beam Transmission (BTR) Software for Efficient Neutral Beam Injector Design and Tokamak Operation

BTR code (originally—“Beam Transmission and Re-ionization”, 1995) is used for Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) design; it is also applied to the injector system of ITER. In 2008, the BTR model was extended to include the beam interaction with plasmas and direct beam losses in tokamak. For many years, BTR has been widely used for various NBI designs for efficient heating and current drive in nuclear fusion devices for plasma scenario control and diagnostics. BTR analysis is especially important for ‘beam-driven’ fusion devices, such as fusion neutron source (FNS) tokamaks, since their operation depends on a high NBI input in non-inductive current drive and fusion yield. BTR calculates detailed power deposition maps and particle losses with an account of ionized beam fractions and background electromagnetic fields; these results are used for the overall NBI performance analysis. BTR code is open for public usage; it is fully interactive and supplied with an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). The input configuration is flexibly adapted to any specific NBI geometry. High running speed and full control over the running options allow the user to perform multiple parametric runs on the fly. The paper describes the detailed physics of BTR, numerical methods, graphical user interface, and examples of BTR application. The code is still in evolution; basic support is available to all BTR users.

Sensor Fusion-Based Anthropomorphic Control of a Robotic Arm.

The main goal of this research is to develop a highly advanced anthropomorphic control system utilizing multiple sensor technologies to achieve precise control of a robotic arm. Combining Kinect and IMU sensors, together with a data glove, we aim to create a multimodal sensor system for capturing rich information of human upper body movements. Specifically, the four angles of upper limb joints are collected using the Kinect sensor and IMU sensor. In order to improve the accuracy and stability of motion tracking, we use the Kalman filter method to fuse the Kinect and IMU data. In addition, we introduce data glove technology to collect the angle information of the wrist and fingers in seven different directions. The integration and fusion of multiple sensors provides us with full control over the robotic arm, giving it flexibility with 11 degrees of freedom. We successfully achieved a variety of anthropomorphic movements, including shoulder flexion, abduction, rotation, elbow flexion, and fine movements of the wrist and fingers. Most importantly, our experimental results demonstrate that the anthropomorphic control system we developed is highly accurate, real-time, and operable. In summary, the contribution of this study lies in the creation of a multimodal sensor system capable of capturing and precisely controlling human upper limb movements, which provides a solid foundation for the future development of anthropomorphic control technologies. This technology has a wide range of application prospects and can be used for rehabilitation in the medical field, robot collaboration in industrial automation, and immersive experience in virtual reality environments.

The Gentile Reform of 1923 and Italian Higher Education

This article focuses on how Italian higher education was organized and managed in the early years of fascism. The main reasons why the fascist government of Italy initiated a national educational reform in 1923 are considered. The objective problems in education that Italian society faced during this period are analyzed. Special attention is given to the ideological goals that Giovanni Gentile, the Minister of Education, pursued with this reform. The reform led to fundamental changes in the traditional educational system of the Kingdom of Italy. Some radical innovations were also spurred in its higher education, such as the division of universities into different types (depending on state funding), the enhancement of the role of the rector in university life, the valorization of humanities education over that in technical and natural sciences, etc. The Gentile reform was received with mixed feelings by Italian society, including part of the leadership of the fascist party. The contradictions inherent in the reform ideology affected its results. The attempt to improve the quality of university education by standardizing academic requirements and introducing a system of uniform state examinations, contrary to the idealistic goals declared by G. Gentile himself, was the first step toward greater interference by the fascist regime in university activities, reflecting the general trend to the establishment of full state control over society.

Personal health record storage and sharing using searchable encryption and blockchain: A comprehensive survey

AbstractPersonal Health Records (PHRs) allow patients to have full control over their health data. However, storage and sharing of PHRs still remains a difficult but necessary task, especially when health data is one of the major targets of cyber attacks worldwide. Searchable Encryption (SE) is a feasible solution for this problem and can be augmented by Blockchain to address some of its issues, such as verifiability. Therefore, SE using blockchain is a promising technologies to tackle the challenge of PHR storage and sharing. In this survey, we have explored the research works that use SE and blockchain technology for the same. The work starts with an introduction of cloud, searchable encryption and blockchain. Subsequently, we present a literature survey of the corresponding technologies. We then describe SE in detail and how it fits with blockchain. This is followed by description of noteworthy existing solutions for secure storage and sharing of PHRs. Even though there have been a number of surveys related to SE, none of them have surveyed the use of blockchain with SE or use of SE and blockchain in PHR sharing. The work concludes with a comparative study of these existing solutions and future scope in this direction.

Micrometer-Scale Carrier Transport in the Solid Film of Giant CdSe/CdS Nanocrystals Imaged by Transient Absorption Microscopy.

For the practical applications in solar cells and photodetectors, semiconductor colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) are assembled into a high-concentration film with carrier transport characteristics, the full understanding and effective control of which are critical for the achievement of high light-to-electricity conversion efficiencies. Here we have applied transient absorption microscopy to the solid film of giant CdSe/CdS NCs and discovered that at high pump fluences the carrier transport could reach a long distance of ∼2 μm within ∼30 ps after laser pulse excitation. This intriguing behavior is attributed to the metal-insulator transition and the associated bandlike transport, which are promoted by the enhanced electronic coupling among neighboring NCs with extended wave functions overlap of the excited-state charge carriers. Besides providing fundamental transport information in the regime of high laser pump fluences, the above findings shed light on the rational design of high-power light detecting schemes based on colloidal NCs.

Learning to Control a Three-Dimensional Ferrofluidic Robot.

In recent years, ferrofluids have found increased popularity as a material for medical applications, such as ocular surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and cancer treatment, among others. Ferrofluidic robots are multifunctional and scalable, exhibit fluid properties, and can be controlled remotely; thus, they are particularly advantageous for such medical tasks. Previously, ferrofluidic robot control has been achieved via the manipulation of handheld permanent magnets or in current-controlled electromagnetic fields resulting in two-dimensional position and shape control and three-dimensional (3D) coupled position-shape or position-only control. Control of ferrofluidic liquid droplet robots poses a unique challenge where model-based control has been shown to be computationally limiting. Thus, in this study, a model-free control method is chosen, and it is shown that the task of learning optimal control parameters for ferrofluidic robot control can be performed using machine learning. Particularly, we explore the use of Bayesian optimization to find optimal controller parameters for 3D pose control of a ferrofluid droplet: its centroid position, stretch direction, and stretch radius. We demonstrate that the position, stretch direction, and stretch radius of a ferrofluid droplet can be independently controlled in 3D with high accuracy and precision, using a simple control approach. Finally, we use ferrofluidic robots to perform pick-and-place, a lab-on-a-chip pH test, and electrical switching, in 3D settings. The purpose of this research is to expand the potential of ferrofluidic robots by introducing full pose control in 3D and to showcase the potential of this technology in the areas of microassembly, lab-on-a-chip, and electronics. The approach presented in this research can be used as a stepping-off point to incorporate ferrofluidic robots toward future research in these areas.

Adaptive estimation and control for uncertain nonlinear systems and full actuation control

Adaptive estimation and control for uncertain nonlinear systems and full actuation control

Full envelope nonlinear flight controller design for a novel electric VTOL (eVTOL) air taxi

AbstractOn-demand urban air transportation gains popularity in recent years with the introduction of the electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft concept. There is an emerging interest in short/medium range eVTOL air taxi considering the critical advantages of electric propulsion (i.e. low noise and carbon emission). Using several electric propulsion systems (distributed electric propulsion (DEP)) has further advantages such as improved redundancy. However, flight controller design becomes more challenging due to highly over-actuated and coupled dynamics. This study defines and resolves flight control problems of a novel DEP eVTOL air taxi. The aircraft has a fixed-wing surface to have aerodynamically efficient cruise flight, and uses only tilting electric propulsion units to achieve full envelope flight control via pure thrust vector control. The aircraft does not have conventional control surfaces such as aileron, rudder or elevator. Using pure thrust vector control has some design benefits, but the control problem becomes more challenging due to the over-actuated and highly coupled dynamics (especially in transition flight). A preliminary flight dynamics model is obtained considering the dominant effects at hover and high-speed forward flight. Hover and forward flight models are blended to simulate the transition dynamics. Two central challenges regarding the flight control are significant nonlinearities in aircraft dynamics during the transition and proper allocation of the thrust vector control specifically in limited control authority (actuator saturation). The former challenge is resolved via designing a sensor-based incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion (INDI) controller to have a single/unified controller covering the wide flight envelope. For the latter one, an optimisation-based control allocation (CA) approach is integrated into the INDI controller. CA requires special attention due to the pure thrust vector control’s highly coupled dynamics. The controller shows satisfactory performance and disturbance rejection characteristics. Moreover, the CA plays a vital role in guaranteeing stable flight in case of severe actuator saturation.

Evaluating an electric field modulated plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of platinum layers on different substrates

Atomic layer deposition is a key technique for preparing large area uniformity, three-dimensional conformal, and ultrathin films due to its sequential self-limiting saturated chemisorption properties. Electric fields of varying magnitudes and directions were applied on Si, Al2O3, Au, and Ni substrates in Pt plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition processes. Studying the influences of electric fields on the initial nucleation and growth of Pt films on different substrates helps to understand the dynamic knowledge and underlying physical mechanisms so as to obtain ultrathin, continuous films and full control over the morphology and distribution of deposited materials. The XPS results reveal that the Pt coverage rate increases on all substrates with applied voltages. The induced dipole moment causes the (MeCp)PtMe3 molecule to rotate in a certain direction resulting in a more compact arrangement, and the energy generated by electric fields also helps the dissociation of methyl, ethyl, Cp, and MeCp ligands, which greatly mitigate the spatial site resistance effect, thus improving initial monolayer chemisorption efficiency and the Pt coverage. We also find that Pt prefers to grow in the (111) direction due to the increase in adsorption of (MeCp)PtMe3 molecules caused by the gradient forces under electric fields. However, applied electric fields can also influence the morphology by inducing surface diffusion and acting on plasma species.

The Effectiveness of Self-Directed Learning Readiness on Competency Achievement of Basic Nursing Clinical Practice Students

Basic Nursing Clinical Practice is the first clinical learning experience for vocational nursing students. The achievement of complete competence will provide a positive experience, ability, willingness to learn actively and independently, and direct continuous learning so that competent vocational nurse graduates are achieved. Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR) is a condition where students have full control in the process of making decisions related to their learning and accept full responsibility for it, even though later they need help and advice from lecturers and Clinical Instructors. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of SDLR on the competency achievement of basic nursing clinical practice students. This study used a quasi-experimental design with one group pretest and posttest design. The sampling technique used total sampling, with as many as 91 respondents. Respondents were 2nd semester D3 Nursing Study Program students. The analysis used an independent sample t-test, with a 95% degree of confidence. The results of statistical tests using the Independent T-Test showed that there was a positive effect of SDLR on the Competency Achievements of Basic Nursing Clinical Students with a p-value <0.05. Of course, a high level of Self Directed Learning Readiness, can have a positive impact on student competency outcomes in carrying out Nursing Clinical Practice, where competency achievement targets will be met. Achievement of plenary competence will provide a positive experience, ability, willingness to learn actively and independently, and direct continuous learning so that competent vocational nurse graduates are achieved.

Next generation marker-based vector concepts for rapid and unambiguous identification of single and double homozygous transgenic organisms.

For diploid model organisms, the actual transgenesis processes require subsequent periods of transgene management, which are challenging in emerging model organisms due to the lack of suitable methodology. We used the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, a stored-grain pest, to perform a comprehensive functional evaluation of our AClashOfStrings (ACOS) and the combined AGameOfClones/AClashOfStrings (AGOC/ACOS) vector concepts, which use four clearly distinguishable markers to provide full visual control over up to two independent transgenes. We achieved comprehensive statistical validation of our approach by systematically creating seventeen novel single and double homozygous sublines intended for fluorescence live imaging, including several sublines in which the microtubule cytoskeleton is labeled. During the mating procedures, we genotyped more than 20,000 individuals in less than 80 working hours, which corresponds to about 10 to 15 s per individual. We also confirm the functionality of our combined concept in two double transgene special cases, i.e. integration of both transgenes in close proximity on the same chromosome and integration of one transgene on the X allosome. Finally, we discuss our vector concepts regarding performance, genotyping accuracy, throughput, resource saving potential, fluorescent protein choice, modularity, adaptation to other diploid model organisms and expansion capability.

Maintaining beneficial alga-associated bacterial communities under heat stress: insights from controlled co-culture experiments using antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

Brown algae, like many eukaryotes, possess diverse microbial communities. Ectocarpus-a model brown alga-relies on these communities for essential processes, such as growth development. Controlled laboratory systems are needed for functional studies of these algal-bacterial interactions. We selected bacterial strains based on their metabolic networks to provide optimal completion of the algal metabolism, rendered them resistant to two antibiotics, and inoculate them to establish controlled co-cultures with Ectocarpus under continuous antibiotic treatment. We then monitored the stability of the resulting associations under control conditions and heat stress using 16S metabarcoding. Antibiotics strongly reduced bacterial diversity both in terms of taxonomy and predicted metabolic functions. In the inoculated sample, 63%-69% of reads corresponded to the inoculated strains, and the communities remained stable during temperature stress. They also partially restored the predicted metabolic functions of the natural community. Overall, the development of antibiotic-resistant helper cultures offers a promising route to fully controlled laboratory experiments with algae and microbiota and thus represents an important step towards generating experimental evidence for specific host-microbe interactions in the systems studied. Further work will be required to achieve full control and progressively expand our repertoire of helper strains including those currently 'unculturable'.

Recent advances in the theory of the BCS–BEC crossover for fermionic superfluidity

The BCS–BEC crossover realized experimentally with ultra-cold Fermi gases may be considered as one of the important scientific achievements occurred during the last several years. The flexibility for operating on these systems on the experimental side and the full control of the relevant system degrees of freedom on the theoretical side make quite stringent at a fundamental level the comparison between the experimental data and the corresponding theoretical calculations. Here, we briefly survey recent theoretical advances resting on a diagrammatic approach at equilibrium that improves in a systematic way on the widely used t-matrix approach, yielding a quite good comparison between theory and experiments for several physical quantities of interest. It is proposed that the physical phenomena underlying this theoretical approach may also be relevant to the superconducting phase of condensed-matter materials which cannot be described by the standard BCS theory.

Experimental and CFD simulation of glyphosate removal by a filter-press electrocoagulation reactor

The present communication proposes a lumped kinetic and phenomenological model for glyphosate removal in synthetic agro-industrial wastewater using an electrocoagulation process (EC). A traditional filter press-cell electrochemical reactor is used for the EC experimental process. The outcomes of the current density, electrode material, and electrolysis process time were analyzed. The experimental results evidence a better removal performance for the aluminum than the carbon steel, and stationary removal conditions were reached at 40 min with a removal efficiency > 40% considering an input flow of 2 L min−1 and operational cost of 0.172 USD m−3 at 7.5 mA cm−2. The XRD analysis evidenced the interaction between the aluminum ion and the pesticide. The residual aluminum in the supernatant was < 10 mg L−1 at stationary removal conditions. The species distribution inside the reactor is described by the theoretical analysis, which takes into account the simultaneous solution of the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and kinetic-based mass conservation equation. Under full electrokinetic control (secondary current distribution), the electrode kinetics characterizing the flux generation of Al3+ on the anode is also taken into consideration. The model proposed here can explain the experimental COD removal attributed to the glyphosate concentration as a function of the aluminum dose due to the applied current density. The model is fitted to experimental data to calculate the kinetic and transport parameters.

Beyond islands: a free probabilistic approach

We give a free probabilistic proposal to compute the fine-grained radiation entropy for an arbitrary bulk radiation state, in the context of the Penington-Shenker-Stanford-Yang (PSSY) model where the gravitational path integral can be implemented with full control. We observe that the replica trick gravitational path integral is combinatorially matching the free multiplicative convolution between the spectra of the gravitational sector and the matter sector respectively. The convolution formula computes the radiation entropy accurately even in cases when the island formula fails to apply. It also helps to justify this gravitational replica trick as a soluble Hausdorff moment problem. We then work out how the free convolution formula can be evaluated using free harmonic analysis, which also gives a new free probabilistic treatment of resolving the separable sample covariance matrix spectrum.The free convolution formula suggests that the quantum information encoded in competing quantum extremal surfaces can be modelled as free random variables in a finite von Neumann algebra. Using the close tie between free probability and random matrix theory, we show that the PSSY model can be described as a random matrix model that is essentially a generalization of Page’s model. It is then manifest that the island formula is only applicable when the convolution factorizes in regimes characterized by the one-shot entropies. We further show that the convolution formula can be reorganized to a generalized entropy formula in terms of the relative entropy.

Hierarchical perturbation compensation system with ERL sliding mode controller in a quadrotor

This article addresses the problem of perturbation in Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) quadrotors. Three subsystems are designed to provide a continuous and precise estimation of perturbation and residual perturbation. The three subsystems form a Hierarchical Perturbation Compensator (HPC), which is built to compensate for system dynamics uncertainties, non-modeled dynamics, and external disturbances. The nonlinear control Exponential Reaching Law Sliding Mode (ERLSM) is utilized with the HPC. Lyapunov stability analysis proves the stability of the entire compensator-controller system. This system has the ability to decrease unknown perturbation either external or internal. It also has the ability to maintain full control of the six-degree-of-freedom quadrotor. The system performance for position, altitude, and attitude control is demonstrated by analysis, simulation, and experiments.

Implementation of Minimum Mandatory Giro (Gwm) in Sharia Banking Perspective Analysis of Siyasah Syar'iyyah Maliyyahtitle

This research analyzesthe implementation of Mandatory Reserve Requirement (GWM) in Islamic banking in Indonesia, with a focus on the duplication of money resulting from the implementation of GWM in Islamic banking, the regulation of GWM in Islamic banking in the view of Siyasah Syar'iyyah Maliyyah, and finding a more just system solution for GWM regulation in Islamic banking in Indonesia. In this research, the researcher used a qualitative research method with a library research type and a philosophical approach. The results of this research show that GWM is a monetary instrument applied by the central bank to ensure the liquidity and solvency level of banks in the financial system. The purpose of implementing GWM is to ensure that banks have enough funds to handle their liquidity needs and to ensure the stability of the overall financial system. Then, the perspective of Siyasah Syariyyah Maliyyah shows that the implementation of Islamic economics in Indonesiamust be practiced according to the socio-cultural conditions in Indonesia. Currently, GWM is something that cannot be avoided, and there is still no new system that can replace it for Islamic banks. Therefore, GWM in Islamic banking is one of the monetary instruments that can control inflation. The existence of GWM in Islamic banking in the concept of Maslahah is at the level of tahsiniyat (tertiary). The debate over the existence of GWM in Islamic banking presents several solutions to provide justice for all parties, including changing the fractional reserve banking system to Narrow Banking, which clearly distinguishes between savings and deposits, emphasizes the principle of amanah, and separates profit-making activities in banking through cooperation with separate affiliate organizations from the bank itself. Because the fractional reserve banking system has been challenged in Switzerland, the solution to GWM gharar is the sovereign money system, which is similar to full reserve coverage, but goes further by giving full control over deposits seen by the central bank. So there is no gharar element. In other words, existing savings "create" loans