Redundant States Research Articles

Investigating dynamic brain functional redundancy as a mechanism of cognitive reserve

IntroductionIndividuals with higher cognitive reserve (CR) are thought to be more resilient to the effects of age-related brain changes on cognitive performance. A potential mechanism of CR is redundancy in brain network functional connectivity (BFR), which refers to the amount of time the brain spends in a redundant state, indicating the presence of multiple independent pathways between brain regions. These can serve as back-up information processing routes, providing resiliency in the presence of stress or disease. In this study we aimed to investigate whether BFR modulates the association between age-related brain changes and cognitive performance across a broad range of cognitive domains.MethodsAn open-access neuroimaging and behavioral dataset (n = 301 healthy participants, 18–89 years) was analyzed. Cortical gray matter (GM) volume, cortical thickness and brain age, extracted from structural T1 images, served as our measures of life-course related brain changes (BC). Cognitive scores were extracted from principal component analysis performed on 13 cognitive tests across multiple cognitive domains. Multivariate linear regression tested the modulating effect of BFR on the relationship between age-related brain changes and cognitive performance.ResultsPCA revealed three cognitive test components related to episodic, semantic and executive functioning. Increased BFR predicted reduced performance in episodic functioning when considering cortical thickness and GM volume as measures of BC. BFR significantly modulated the relationship between cortical thickness and episodic functioning. We found neither a predictive nor modulating effect of BFR on semantic or executive performance, nor a significant effect when defining BC via brain age.DiscussionOur results suggest that BFR could serve as a metric of CR when considering certain cognitive domains, specifically episodic functioning, and defined dimensions of BC. These findings potentially indicate the presence of multiple underlying mechanisms of CR.

Global loss of promoter–enhancer connectivity and rebalancing of gene expression during early colorectal cancer carcinogenesis

Although three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture is crucial for gene regulation, its role in disease remains elusive. We traced the evolution and malignant transformation of colorectal cancer (CRC) by generating high-resolution chromatin conformation maps of 33 colon samples spanning different stages of early neoplastic growth in persons with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Our analysis revealed a substantial progressive loss of genome-wide cis-regulatory connectivity at early malignancy stages, correlating with nonlinear gene regulation effects. Genes with high promoter–enhancer (P–E) connectivity in unaffected mucosa were not linked to elevated baseline expression but tended to be upregulated in advanced stages. Inhibiting highly connected promoters preferentially represses gene expression in CRC cells compared to normal colonic epithelial cells. Our results suggest a two-phase model whereby neoplastic transformation reduces P–E connectivity from a redundant state to a rate-limiting one for transcriptional levels, highlighting the intricate interplay between 3D genome architecture and gene regulation during early CRC progression.

Theory and Monte Carlo simulation of the ideal gas with shell particles in the canonical, isothermal-isobaric, grand canonical, and Gibbs ensembles.

Theories of small systems play an important role in the fundamental understanding of finite size effects in statistical mechanics, as well as the validation of molecular simulation results as no computer can simulate fluids in the thermodynamic limit. Previously, a shell particle was included in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble in order to resolve an ambiguity in the resulting partition function. The shell particle removed either redundant volume states or redundant translational degrees of freedom of the system and yielded quantitative differences from traditional simulations in this ensemble. In this work, we investigate the effect of including a shell particle in the canonical, grand canonical, and Gibbs ensembles. For systems comprised of a pure component ideal gas, analytical expressions for various thermodynamic properties are obtained. We also derive the Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation acceptance criteria for these ensembles with shell particles, and the results of the simulations of an ideal gas are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. The system size dependence of various important ensemble averages is also analyzed.

Design and Implementation of a Reconfigurable Corrective Control System Subject to Permanent Faults in the Controller.

This article presents a reconfiguration strategy for the corrective controller achieving model matching control of an input/state asynchronous sequential machine (ASM). The considered controller is vulnerable to permanent faults that degenerate a subset of the controller's states. If the controller has a certain amount of redundancy in terms of its states, one can build a reconfiguration scheme in which the functionality of degenerated states is taken over by supplementary states. The proposed reconfiguration scheme is superior to conventional methods of fault tolerance with hardware redundancy since the required number of redundant states is much smaller. Hardware experiments on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits are provided to validate the applicability of the proposed scheme. The present study serves as the first research report on the reconfigurable corrective controller.

Fuzzy Logic Control of Two-Stage Grid- Connected Photovoltaic System

In this paper, a two-stage grid-connected photovoltaic system is presented. The optimal performance of solar panels at varying temperatures and irradiance levels is achieved by the application of a fuzzy logic-based maximum power point tracking method. Space vector modulation is used to control the inverter; to achieve capacitor voltage balance, redundant switching states of a three level inverter are used. The grid side control regulates the power and the current injected to the grid, the conventional PI controllers are replaced by fuzzy PI. Simulations have been made using Simulink environment on MATLAB to validatethe control of the proposed system.

Hierarchical single‐objective variable double voltage vector model predictive control with low computational burden for cascaded H‐bridge multilevel converter

AbstractIn this paper, a single objective variable double voltage vector model predictive control (SOV‐DVVMPC) to lower the computational burden for single‐phase cascaded H‐bridge (CHB) converters is proposed. The proposed algorithm is based on a hierarchical structure to control the grid‐connected current and capacitor voltage without a weighting factor. Firstly, layer I controls the grid‐connected current to select the optimal region, the cost function related to the voltage region is designed and the optimal state is calculated directly by analyzing the linear relationship between the divided region and its adjacent voltage levels, which can reduce the computational burden. Correspondingly, the optimal vectors are symmetrically distributed over the entire control cycle by a modulation principle, fulfilling the fixed switching frequency (FSF) of the system. Then, layer II uses redundant switching states to maintain capacitor voltage balancing. Finally, a single‐phase CHB converter experiment setup is constructed, the results show that compared with DVV‐MPC, the execution time of SOV‐DVVMPC is reduced by 26.4%, and compared with traditional MPC, the switching frequency is fixed and the output current quality is improved.

A new method for selecting optimum levels in asymmetric Cascaded H‐Bridge‐Multilevel Inveter with variable DC sources

SummaryIn general, cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverters (CHB‐MLI) are typically operated with either symmetrical or asymmetrical input DC sources, set at predefined specific ratios such as binary (1:2) or trinary (1:3) in the case of asymmetry, to achieve the desired output voltage waveform. However, if any DC source fails to provide the predefined voltage magnitude, or CHB‐MLIs with unspecified DC source ratios are utilized, the output voltage waveform may exhibit unequal magnitudes between consecutive levels, thereby causing a significant increase in total harmonic distortion (THD). Conventionally, to mitigate this effect, the corresponding H‐bridge is bypassed through zero voltage switching, which leads to an additional burden on the remaining H‐bridges to serve the same load. To reduce the burden on the remaining cells and improve the THD profile of the inverter, this article proposes a novel method for CHB‐MLI with varying DC magnitudes. It aims to enhance the quality of the output voltage waveform by strategically selecting optimum voltage levels rather than utilizing all available levels when CHB‐MLI has unspecified or variable DC sources. This approach can achieve a more balanced distribution of voltage magnitudes across successive levels by eliminating redundant states. Moreover, the proposed technique can reduce switch losses and enhance the converter's efficiency. The proposed method is validated through MATLAB/Simulink software simulations, followed by experimental verification.

Easy-to-actuate multi-compatible truss structures with prescribed reconfiguration

Multi-stable structures attract great interest because they possess special energy landscapes with domains of attraction around the stable states. Consequently, multi-stable structures have the potential to achieve prescribed reconfiguration with only a few lightweight actuators (such as shape-memory alloy springs), and do not need constant actuation to be locked at a stable state. However, most existing multi-stability designs are based on assembling bi-stable unit cells, which contain multitudes of distractive stable states, diminishing the feasibility of reconfiguration actuation. Another type is by introducing prestress together with kinematic symmetry or nonlinearity to achieve multi-stability, but the resultant structure often suffers the lack of stiffness. To help address these challenges, we firstly introduce the constraints that a truss structure is simultaneously compatible at multiple (more than two) prescribed states. Then, we solve for the design of multi-stable truss structures, named multi-compatible structures in this paper, where redundant stable states are limited. Secondly, we explore minimum energy paths connecting the designed stable states, and compute for a simple and inaccurate pulling actuation guiding the structure to transform along the computed paths. Finally, we fabricated four prototypes to demonstrate that prescribed reconfigurations with easy-actuation have been achieved and applied a quadra-stable structure to the design of a variable stiffness gripper. Altogether, our full-cycle design approach contains multi-stability design, stiffness design, minimum-energy-path finding, and pulling actuation design, which highlights the potential for designing morphing structures with lightweight actuation for practical applications.

A modified method for precise anastomosis during laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer: the first clinical experience and application

BackgroundThere is no criterion to guide and evaluate the anastomosis of laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR). We developed a new technique for precise anastomosis. This study endeavored to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this new technology.MethodsPatients with mid-low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic LAR in our department were enrolled retrospectively between January 1, 2021 and July 1, 2023. During the LAR, the distance between the sacral promontory and the rectal stump was measured and used to determine the length of the sigmoid colon, which was preserved for anastomose. The demographic characteristics and short-term outcomes were analyzed.ResultsForty-nine patients (26 men, 23 women) with low and middle rectal cancer were retrospectively enrolled in the study. The distance of the tumor from the anal verge was 6.4 ± 2.7 cm. The operative time was 193 ± 42 min. All patients underwent precise anastomosis, among which 12 patients underwent freeing of the splenic flexure of the colon. According to our criteria, there was no redundant or tense state of the colon anterior to the sacrum after the anastomosis. Only one patient had a postoperative anastomotic leak (Grade B). All 15 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy underwent terminal ileostomy. No postoperative death occurred within 30 days of the surgery. The median follow-up time in our study was 12 months. One patient developed a single metastasis in the right lobe of the liver in the eighth month after surgery and underwent microwave radiofrequency ablation, which did not recur in the four months of postoperative follow-up, and the rest of the patients survived disease-free without recurrence of metastasis.ConclusionsPrecise measurement of the proximal colon of the anastomosis can ensure accurate and convenient colorectal anastomosis and this may be a technique worthy of clinical application. However, its effectiveness needs to be further verified in a multicenter clinical trial.

Extension of Operating Range in Hybrid Cascaded H-Bridge Inverters with Capacitor Voltage Balancing Capability

In this article, a generalized control scheme is proposed to extend the operating range of three-phase hybrid cascaded H-bridge (HCHB) inverters into various voltage levels without necessitating alterations to the core structure or the integration of additional H-bridge submodules. This study addresses a critical challenge related to capacitor voltage drift at various modulation indices and power factors, which is a serious impediment to various applications. To overcome this challenge, a novel balancing control scheme has been developed based on the injection of two independent offset voltages to simultaneously control the DC-link and flying capacitors. A distinctive aspect of the proposed technique involves adjusting the common reference voltage to attain the nearest level in the same cluster, thereby mitigating the insufficiency of redundant switching states. The effectiveness of the proposed technique to regulate the capacitor voltages at various operating conditions has been verified through simulation and experimental results.

Joint optimization of reconfiguration and traffic planning in time‐triggered networks

AbstractThe existing research on time‐triggered network reconfiguration neglects redundant traffic states, posing a challenge in effectively balancing traffic performance and reconfiguration efficiency in practical deployments. In response to these limitations, a novel joint optimization approach is introduced for reconfiguration and traffic planning. Initially, the efficiency of reconfiguration solutions is enhanced by sacrificing the delay performance of redundant flows and prioritizing compressed yet tailored constraints. Subsequently, a tabu‐based optimization algorithm is employed to provide more flexible enhancements to the delay performance of network‐wide traffic. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms incremental reconfiguration, improving the solution efficiency of the reconfiguration recovery phase by over 75.38%. Furthermore, through multiple rounds of reconfiguration, the approach achieves an 8.38% improvement in the average delay performance of all flows, even with redundant flows sacrificed.

Efficiency and Power Loss Distribution in a High-Frequency, Seven-Level Diode-Clamped Inverter

The paper presents efficiency and power loss analysis in a high-frequency, seven-level diode-clamped inverter (7LDCB). The inverter is composed of four-level (4L) diode-clamped branches based on MOSFET transistors and Si Schottky diodes. The range of DC-link voltages enables the operation of the inverter in connection with a single-phase power grid. The tested inverter can be controlled using various modulation concepts that affect its parameters, but also energy losses. Carrier-based modulation, which may be useful in a few applications, is compared to selective modulation based on the state machine (SM-based) algorithm. The article demonstrates the efficiency level of the inverter as well as the influence of the modulation method and switching frequency on the efficiency and loss distribution in semiconductor devices. The article also shows the hardware implementation of a complex modulation algorithm based on selective switching states used to maintain voltage balance on three DC-link capacitors. Redundant switching states allow the generation of the same voltage but with the use of a selected DC-link capacitor. This makes it possible to balance the DC-link voltage with the load current. The article presents experimental results, which show the advantage of using the modulation method with selective switching states. First, it allows for equalizing the loading of DC-link capacitors. The second advantage is a more uniform distribution of losses in semiconductor components.

Switched-Capacitor-Based Hybrid Clamped Converter for Wide Power Factor Applications

The clamped multilevel converter generally adopts the zero-sequence voltage injection method to realize the voltage balancing of the DC link capacitors. However, the relationship between the reference modulation voltage and the duty ratio of phase neutral point current is often a triangle or trapezoidal function. When the power factor is low, the required optimal zero-sequence voltage will be out of bounds, which will lead the capacitor voltage ripples to become larger or even divergent. Therefore, a novel switched-capacitor-based hybrid clamped(SCB-HC) converter is proposed in this article. The new redundant switching states are obtained by introducing the boost characteristics of the switched-capacitor(SC) circuit. And a hybrid phase-shifted pulse width modulation(PS-PWM) is developed to extend its functional relationship. This ensures the peak current that flow out of the neutral points is fewer, then the capacitor voltage drift is reduced significantly. Moreover, the proposed hybrid PS-PWM method not only ensures that SC circuit switches series and parallel patter once during a carrier period, but also achieves the voltage balancing of SC and DC link midpoint capacitor naturally under ideal conditions. On top of that, the capacitor voltage balancing method is designed to ensure independent and decoupled control of all capacitor voltages. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed topology, modulation method and voltage control method are practical and feasible for wide power factor applications.

Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control (FCS-MPC) for Enhancing the Performance of a Single-Phase Inverter in a Renewable Energy System (RES)

A single-phase five-level T-type topology has been investigated in this article. This topology has emerged as a viable option for renewable energy systems (RES) due to its inherent benefits. The finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) strategy has been implemented to this topology in order to improve the performance and overall reliability of the system. This control strategy empowers the inverter to predict future behavior based on a discrete set of control signals, enabling precise modulation and high-speed response to system dynamics. In the realm of RES, integration of FCS-MPC with multilevel inverters (MLIs) holds great potential to enhance energy conversion efficiency, grid integration, and overall system reliability. The article is structured to present an overview of the evolving landscape of power electronic systems, and the advantages of FCS-MPC. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the FCS-MPC control strategy applied to the single-phase five-level T-type topology. The study covers various aspects including the theoretical framework, hardware development, and experimental evaluation. It is obvious from the analysis that this inverter topology is reliable. Several redundant states make it fault-tolerant which helps in maintaining the output voltage at the same level even in the fault conditions. Additionally, the results show that the output load voltage is maintained at the same level irrespective of load change. Also, output load voltage has maintained the high-quality sinusoidal characteristics as the total harmonic distortion (THD) is very low. With all these features, this system is suitable within the framework of RES.

Optimized Switching Frequency Voltage Balancing Schemes for Flying Capacitor Based Multilevel Converters

The redundant switching states of flying capacitor-based (FC-based) multilevel converters are used to balance the voltages of the flying capacitors. Attempts to balance capacitor voltages have ignored the switching transitions between converter switching states. In this paper, we propose a generalized voltage balancing scheme with an optimized switching frequency scheme for FC-based multilevel converters, including the classic flying capacitor multicell (FCM) converter, which needs less computation. All the switching transitions between the switching states of adjacent voltage levels are considered by the overall priority index of switching frequency. In addition, an overall priority index is utilized to balance the voltages of flying capacitors. Using these two indexes, three criteria are developed to select the proper switching state of the converter. Using these criteria, the proposed decoupled SVM scheme is implemented intuitively and simply for FC-based multilevel converters. The proposed scheme is evaluated by simulation results of a five-level FCM converter. Moreover, experimental results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method in the static load and transient conditions.

Reliability Analysis of a Three-Engine Simultaneous Pouring Control System Based on Bayesian Networks Combined with FMEA and FTA

Pouring is an important process in the production of solid propellant rocket engines, and usually, the cost of a solid propellant rocket engine is extremely high. Therefore, pouring production with high reliability is very important. The pouring of three engines of solid propellant rocket engines simultaneously can greatly improve its production efficiency. However, it makes the system more complex and redundant. For a multi-state system, it is difficult to make an accurate evaluation of system reliability. Aiming at the redundancy of multiple engines and acousto-optic combined control in the three-engine simultaneously slurry pouring alarm control system with dissimilar redundant alarm units, a reliability analysis method is proposed based on the combination of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). The control system is divided into several redundant states according to the alarm function, and then the Bayesian Networks method is used for reliability evaluation and calculation. Finally, the reliabilities of systems with dissimilar redundancy degrees are obtained. The tangible results of this research work are as follows: (1) The research results obtained by applying the FMEA method laid a foundation for the establishment of a fault trees model for analyzing the reliability of the control system using the FTA method, in addition, which can guide the maintenance and fault identification of the control system during engineering application. (2) The calculated value of the reliability of the control system is 0.999989, and the mean time between failures is MTBF is 5 × 104 by using the fault tree analysis method, which proves that the designed three-engine simultaneous pouring system is very reliable. (3) Based on the calculation and comparison of the Bayesian Networks of redundant three-engine pouring control systems, the circuit diagram of the improved control system is identified.

Active Optimization Method for Power Loss Distribution in T-Type Three-Level Converter Under Half-Wave Symmetry SHEPWM

For high-power converters, it is an important task to optimize the power loss in switching devices. The total power loss affects the efficiency and cooling design of converters, and the uneven power loss distribution causes the switching devices with the highest power loss to age prematurely and shorten the lifespan. Although some low switching frequency modulation strategies can decrease the total power loss, they are not able to balance the power loss distribution. On the contrary, some approaches can balance the power loss distribution by the software and hardware redundancy states of converters only under a high switching frequency. It results in an inability to reduce the total power loss. Therefore, this article proposes an active optimization method for T-type three-level converters to deal with the uneven power loss distribution under a relatively low switching frequency. By analyzing the inner connection between the power loss distribution and 3-order component, the constraint equations of half-wave symmetry selective harmonic elimination pulse width modulation (SHEPWM) are actively redesigned. Thus, both optimization objectives of the power loss can be achieved simultaneously under the proposed SHEPWM. Some numerical analysis and experimental results are given to demonstrate the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method.

SUSY partners and S-matrix poles of the one-dimensional Rosen–Morse II potential

Among the list of one-dimensional solvable Hamiltonians, we find the Hamiltonian with the Rosen–Morse II potential. The first objective is to analyse the scattering matrix corresponding to this potential. We show that it includes a series of poles corresponding to the types of redundant poles or anti-bound poles. In some cases, there are even bound states and this depends on the values of given parameters. Then, we perform different supersymmetric transformations on the original Hamiltonian using either the ground state (for those situations where there are bound states) wave functions, or other solutions that come from anti-bound states or redundant states. We study the properties of these transformations.

Reduction of Spurious Switching in Direct Vector Quantized Space Vector Pulse Density Modulation Scheme for Multilevel Inverters

A generalized online switching scheme for multi-level inverter based on Direct Vector Quantized Space Vector Pulse Density Modulation (DVQSVPDM) suitable for adjustable speed drive is proposed in this article. The existing DVQSVPDM schemes have spurious switching as the voronoi region is determined from integrated error vector of Sigma Delta Modulator (SDM). This results in high Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of Common Mode Voltage (CMV) at lower modulation index. In the proposed DVQSVPDM the nearest three space vectors to the reference vector forms the triangular voronoi region. The integrated error vector of SDM is quantized to its nearest space vector in the voronoi region to generate the switching vectors. This reduces spurious switching associated with DVQSVPDM schemes and improves the performance at lower modulation index by reducing THD of CMV. The proposed scheme works for all n-level inverter topologies and the computations required remain same irrespective of level of inverter. Redundant states of switching vectors are not considered for switching which results in the discontinuous nature of proposed scheme. The performance of proposed DVQSVPDM is compared with space vector based modulation schemes and third harmonic injected sine PWM scheme and the results are presented. The proposed scheme is experimentally validated for a 3hp open end winding induction motor fed with three-level inverters on both sides.

Reliability Analysis of Safety-Critical Systems using Optimized Petri Nets

Unified modeling language (UML) has emerged as a powerful tool for designing and modeling safety-critical systems. However, UML is not useful in illustrating the dynamic behavior of a critical system. UML does not consider the important critical aspects of the reliability of a safety-critical system, such as non-liveliness, deadlock, stability, and throughput. Therefore, we propose a framework based on UML and Petri Net (PN). In this framework, UML is used to capture all the safety-critical system requirements, whereas PN is used to deliver an in-depth analysis of the reliability aspects of a safety-critical system. Since the PN model suffers from the state space explosion problem, the converted PN may have a large number of redundant states, resulting in a high amount of time required for reliability analysis. Therefore, six reduction algorithms have been derived in this framework to overcome this limitation. The proposed framework is validated with 32 safety-critical system instances of the Nuclear Power Plant on the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System.