Software Control Research Articles

Principles of Imitation for the Loading of the Test Bench for Gas Turbines of Gas Pumping Units, Adequate to Real Conditions

The purpose of the study is to analyze the prospects for the development of loading methods for gas turbines as well as to develop a mathematical model that adequately describes the real operating conditions of the loading system at various loads and rotation speeds. A comparative analysis of the most common methods and technical means of loading the shafts of a free turbine at gas turbine plants intended for operation as part of gas pumping units is presented. Based on the results of the analysis, the expediency of using the loading model “Free Power Turbine Rotor–Hydraulic Brake” as a load simulation is shown. Recommendations for the creation of an automation system for the load testing of power plants have been developed. Mathematical models and Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation models of power plants have been developed and tested. One of the most important factors that predetermine the effectiveness of the loading principle is the possibility of software implementation of the loading means using software control systems that provide the specified loading parameters of the gas turbine.

Prospects of Inhaled Phage Therapy for Combatting Pulmonary Infections.

With respiratory infections accounting for significant morbidity and mortality, the issue of antibiotic resistance has added to the gravity of the situation. Treatment of pulmonary infections (bacterial pneumonia, cystic fibrosis-associated bacterial infections, tuberculosis) is more challenging with the involvement of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains, which act as etiological agents. Furthermore, with the dearth of new antibiotics available and old antibiotics losing efficacy, it is prudent to switch to non-antibiotic approaches to fight this battle. Phage therapy represents one such approach that has proven effective against a range of bacterial pathogens including drug resistant strains. Inhaled phage therapy encompasses the use of stable phage preparations given via aerosol delivery. This therapy can be used as an adjunct treatment option in both prophylactic and therapeutic modes. In the present review, we first highlight the role and action of phages against pulmonary pathogens, followed by delineating the different methods of delivery of inhaled phage therapy with evidence of success. The review aims to focus on recent advances and developments in improving the final success and outcome of pulmonary phage therapy. It details the use of electrospray for targeted delivery, advances in nebulization techniques, individualized controlled inhalation with software control, and liposome-encapsulated nebulized phages to take pulmonary phage delivery to the next level. The review expands knowledge on the pulmonary delivery of phages and the advances that have been made for improved outcomes in the treatment of respiratory infections.

Production Tests of a Grain-Cleaning Machine with Software and Hardware Control as Part of a Technological Line

The quality of seeds is one of the most important factors of the good harvest. According to the State Seed Inspection of the Russian Federation, often up to half of the seed material does not meet the requirements of the standard; a significant part is due to the increased content of difficult-to-separate impurities. (Research purpose) The research purpose is to determine the main agrotechnical performance indicators of the designed grain cleaning machine VIM-4 for cleaning flax seeds as part of a typical production technological line for cleaning agricultural crops. (Materials and methods) There were conducted experimental studies based on the “SPRING FIELD” company of the Tula region using a typical grain cleaning line for cleaning flax. The line includes: a blockage pit, a belt conveyor, band elevator, Petkus K-218, MS-10/5, a gate device, a new grain cleaning machine VIM-4, a hardware and software module. The experiment was planned using the method of active experiment planning. Experiments were carried out using a compiled planning matrix, including the main parameters: flow, air flow velocity, diameter of the outlet pipe. The results were processed by methods of mathematical statistics and by means of Excel computer programs. (Results and discussion) The main performance indicators of the new VIM-4 grain- cleaning machine were evaluated in comparison with the basic version of the VIM-3 for cleaning flax seeds. (Conclusions) The article presents the comparative technical and economic results of the VIM-4 grain- cleaning machine and the VIM-3 model variant. The developed grain cleaning machine VIM-4 as part of the grain cleaning line for final seed cleaning has high technological reliability and resource-energy efficiency. The VIM-4 grain cleaning machine is universal. In the conditions of the technological line VIM-4 can functionally replace a line of two machines – the main and final cleaning.

Transforming the future of digital banking with APIs and DataSecOps

Digital banking involves high levels of process automation and web-based services and may include application programming interfaces (APIs) enabling crossinstitutional service composition to deliver banking products and provide transactions. It enables users to have access to their financial data via their digital devices. APIs represent as great a threat and an opportunity to banks today as the advent of the digital era once did, opening the market to greater competition around customer loyalty and engagement. Banks should not consider these APIs as simply technical interfaces that expose data to third parties but rather as radical enablers of new and attractive customer experiences. APIs are already commonplace across many industry sectors, where they are, in fact, viewed as customer products. Banks will have to follow suit in order to remain competitive. In brief, APIs are the nucleus of digital transformation. Around 84.5 per cent of those working on digital transformation initiatives state that APIs are playing a significant role in those initiatives.1 Given the risk of API-first architecture, these numbers are expected to continue to grow. There are risks, however, that companies face as a result of the increased reliance on APIs as the main driver of digital banking. Seventy one per cent of software engineers surveyed considered ‘security’ the most important factor to consider before integration with an API, which was tied for the top concern.2 While software engineers are aware of this risk, there is a need to address it not only at a technology level, but at a risk and business level as well. In order to address these risks, the concept of Data Security Operations, or ‘DataSecOps’, has arisen. DataSecOps is a discipline that empowers software engineers, data scientists, governance risk and control, cybersecurity & operations teams to work together in a single application for safer and easier access, analysis, delivery and governance of data.3 DataSecOps principles will become a critical component in addressing the security issues related to digital banking.

Development of Energy-Resource-Saving Plants for Disinfection of Soil and Substrate

The soil is a favorable environment for many microorganisms, pathogenic bacteria, fungal spores, insect eggs due to the presence of nutrients and moisture in it. Soil treatment from pests and pathogens of agricultural crops for the purpose of disinfection can be carried out by chemical, energy, thermal and biological methods. The most common method is thermal. The article proposes to use infrared heating as an alternative energy source. (Research purpose) The research purpose is developing energy-resource- saving installations for disinfection of soil and substrate. (Materials and methods) The article presents three devices and their capabilities for disinfection of soil and substrate with infrared radiation. (Results and discussion) One of the options for progressive scientific and technical developments is the development of software management of soil and substrate disinfection for the implementation of energy-saving electrical technologies, which regulates parameters depending on the set values: heating time, height of the frame with IR burners above the ground, humidity, porosity, soil temperature, ambient temperature and power of infrared burners. (Conclusions) During the analysis of the state and prospects for the tillage before planting, the need for the development of scientifically based devices for disinfection of soil and substrate was justified. The proposed use of software control of soil and substrate disinfection will allow setting and maintaining the required level of treatment depending on the technological process, type of soil, open or closed ground. The use of an automatic disinfection control system will make it possible to achieve optimal processing parameters and increase productive indicators.

STUDY NEUR NETWORKS FOR SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO CONTROL

The scientific article is devoted to the issues of SDR system control. Software Defined Radio is a system designed for software control of information transmission processes in a radio communication channel. Recognition of digital modulation types is used, which automatically classifies the type of digital modulation of the received signal. The following issues are covered in the article: the analysis of existing approaches in the task of automatic recognition of types of digital modulation is carried out; the analysis and classification of informative features in the task of automatic recognition is carried out the following types of digital modulation: 2-PSK, 4-PSK, 8-PSK, 2-FSK, 8-QAM, 16-QAM, 64-QAM and OFDM. This article uses a neural network approach based on cumulative characteristics. To solve these problems, the methods of calculation and selection of informative cumulative features described in the developed model of the system of automatic recognition of digital modulation types by means of a neural network on cumulative features at a known value of carrier frequency are described. A model of the system of automatic recognition of digital modulation types at a known value is constructed carrier frequency. An algorithm for automatic recognition of digital modulation types has been developed using a multilayer neural network. The influence of noise in the communication channel on the probability of recognizing the types of digital modulation at a known value of the carrier frequency is investigated. It was found that regardless of the type of noise in the communication channel, the law of error distribution in IQ data becomes close to normal. This fact is one important argument for the use of cumulative features in the task of automatic recognition of types of digital modulation. Therefore, the task of automatic recognition of digital modulation types is quite relevant. Further research may be aimed at expanding the range of high-order cumulative features used, due to which it is possible to increase the probability of correct recognition of types of digital modulation, and solving the recognition problem at an unknown value of the frequency and initial phase of the carrier signal.

A method for obtaining field wheat freezing injury phenotype based on RGB camera and software control

BackgroundLow temperature freezing stress has adverse effects on wheat seedling growth and final yield. The traditional method to evaluate the wheat injury caused by the freezing stress is by visual observations, which is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, a more efficient and accurate method for freezing damage identification is urgently needed.ResultsA high-throughput phenotyping system was developed in this paper, namely, RGB freezing injury system, to effectively and efficiently quantify the wheat freezing injury in the field environments. The system is able to automatically collect, processing, and analyze the wheat images collected using a mobile phenotype cabin in the field conditions. A data management system was also developed to store and manage the original images and the calculated phenotypic data in the system. In this experiment, a total of 128 wheat varieties were planted, three nitrogen concentrations were applied and two biological and technical replicates were performed. And wheat canopy images were collected at the seedling pulling stage and three image features were extracted for each wheat samples, including ExG, ExR and ExV. We compared different test parameters and found that the coverage had a greater impact on freezing injury. Therefore, we preliminarily divided four grades of freezing injury according to the test results to evaluate the freezing injury of different varieties of wheat at the seedling stage.ConclusionsThe automatic phenotypic analysis method of freezing injury provides an alternative solution for high-throughput freezing damage analysis of field crops and it can be used to quantify freezing stress and has guiding significance for accelerating the selection of wheat excellent frost resistance genotypes.

Channelized active noise elimination (CANE) for suppressing quantization noise in bitstream modulated transmitter (BMT)

Bitstream modulated transmitters may offer improved power efficiency and linearity simultaneously in RF power amplifiers. Several modulation techniques including envelop delta-sigma modulation and envelope pulse width modulation have been applied. The out-of-band quantization noise associated with these modulations may be rejected by a high-quality factor output filter, yet the in-band quantization noise needs to be further suppressed to meet the requirement of the emission mask. The proposed channelized active noise elimination technique can offer additional quantization noise suppression through software control without involving a passive filter. The essential concept is based on combining the outputs of multiple channels of Pas that have digitally controlled delays to form a FIR filter in analogue domain. A two-channel and a four-channel GaN power amplifiers are built to demonstrate this noise suppression concept and power combiners based on T-junction with quarter wavelength transmission line are proposed to retain the high power efficiency of the transmitters.

Testing Platform Invoke as a Tool for Shellcode Injection in Windows Applications

This paper investigates software attacks based on shellcode injection in Windows applications. The attack uses platform invoke to inject binary code by means of system calls. This creates a separate threat that carries the payload. The paper overviews protections against shellcode injection and thus analyzes the injection methods as well. Analysis models the injection of malicious code in a Windows app process. As a result, the paper proposes a step-by-step injection method. Experimental injection of user code in PowerShell is performed to test the method. The paper further shows the assembly code of the system call as an example of finding their IDs in the global system call table; it also shows part of the source code for the injection of binary executable code. Various counterattacks are proposed in the form of software control modules based on architecture drivers. The paper analyzes the feasibility of using dynamic invoke, which the authors plan to do later on.

Research on the Application of Adaptive Genetic Algorithm in Software Unit Security Test Simulation

At present, the security test and simulation of software unit mainly focuses on several links, such as software control structure amelioration, software process alternating quantity model control and model inspection tech, and there are still many shortcomings, such as high missed inspection rate, difficult to effectively guarantee the needs of practice, etc. Based on this, this paper first analyses the purpose and principle of software unit security test and simulation, then studies the utilization of ameliorated genetic algorithm in software unit security test simulation, and finally gives the simulation results analysis of software unit security test based on AGA.

Simplifying the OpenFlexure microscope software with the web of things.

We present the OpenFlexure Microscope software stack which provides computer control of our open source motorised microscope. Our diverse community of users needs both graphical and script-based interfaces. We split the control code into client and server applications interfaced via a web API conforming to the W3C Web of Things standard. A graphical interface is viewed either in a web browser or in our cross-platform Electron application, and gives basic interactive control including common operations such as Z stack acquisition and tiled scanning. Automated control is possible from Python and Matlab, or any language that supports HTTP requests. Network control makes the software stack more robust, allows multiple microscopes to be controlled by one computer, and facilitates sharing of equipment. Graphical and script-based clients can run simultaneously, making it easier to monitor ongoing experiments. We have included an extension mechanism to add functionality, for example controlling additional hardware components or adding automation routines. Using a Web of Things approach has resulted in a user-friendly and extremely versatile software control solution for the OpenFlexure Microscope, and we believe this approach could be generalized in the future to make automated experiments involving several instruments much easier to implement.

Control System of a Robotic Irrigation Machine Based on the Mamdani Fuzzy Algorithm

The article analyzes the tasks that can be solved by agricultural robots. The purpose of the study was the robotization of the "Fregat" type crop irrigation machine by the fuzzy control of irrigation technological processes, which allows to control the irrigation rate. It is proposed to use in a robotic irrigation machine the analog valve-setter of the speed of the last cart, powered by electricity. It is recommended to include a diagnostic subsystem in the fuzzy control system of the flow control valve, which includes sensors for measuring the soil moisture and the slope of the irrigation machine in various areas of the field. The mathematical model of fuzzy control of the irrigation machine is developed based on the software control of the water supply depending on the terrain of the field, the speed of irrigation machine and soil moisture to reduce water consumption and improve the efficiency and quality of irrigation. The Mamdani algorithm, which is implemented in the MATLAB package, is proposed as a fuzzy inference system. The formalization of the description of the indicators of the irrigation machine is carried out by specifying linguistic variables. The proposed mathematical model can be used in the design of control systems for other robotic agricultural machines.

Obstacle Avoidance Control for Multisteering Mode of Multiaxle Wheeled Robot Based on Trajectory Prediction Strategy

A multiaxle wheeled robot is difficult to be controlled due to its long body and a large number of axles, especially for obstacle avoidance and steering in narrow space. To solve this problem, a multisteering mode control strategy based on front and rear virtual wheels is proposed, and the driving trajectory prediction of the multiaxle wheeled robot is analyzed. On this basis, an obstacle avoidance control strategy based on trajectory prediction is proposed. By calculating the relationship between the lidar points of the obstacle and the trajectory coverage area, the iterative calculation of the obstacle avoidance scheme for the proposed steering is carried out, and the feasible obstacle avoidance scheme is obtained. The mechanical structure, hardware, and software control system of a five-axle wheeled robot are designed. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the obstacle avoidance strategy, a Z-shaped obstacle avoidance experiment was carried out. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

A formal approach to support the identification of unsafe control actions of STPA for nuclear protection systems

STPA (System-Theoretic Process Analysis) is a widely used safety analysis technique to identify UCAs (Unsafe Control Actions) resulting in potential losses. It is totally dependent on the experience and ability of analysts to construct an information model called Control Structures, upon which analysts try to identify unsafe controls between system components. This paper proposes a formal approach to support the manual identification of UCAs, effectively and systematically. It allows analysts to mechanically extract Process Model, an important element that makes up the Control Structures, from a formal requirements specification for a software controller. It then concisely constructs the contents of Context Tables, from which analysts can identify all relevant UCAs effectively, using a software fault tree analysis technique. The case study with a preliminary version of a Korean nuclear reactor protections system shows the proposed approach's effectiveness and applicability.

Study of the Operation Process of the E-Commerce Oriented Ecosystem of 5Ge Base Station, Which Supports the Functioning of Independent Virtual Network Segments

According to specifications, flexible services for traffic management should be implemented within the 5G platform in order to improve its efficiency, which is and will remain an actual task. For the first time, the article presented here proposes a mathematical model for the operation process of an e-commerce-oriented ecosystem of a 5Ge base station, the information environment of which supports the operation of independent virtual network segments that provide terminal–segment information interaction services. In contrast to existing models, the presented model describes the studied process as a multi-pipeline queuing system, the inputs of which are coordinated with the flows of requests for communication with the relevant virtual network segments. The distribution of the total resources between the weighted virtual network segments in the simulated system is dynamically conducted by the appropriate software control mechanism. It considers the address intensities of new incoming requests and the maintenance of received incoming requests, but throughout the scale of the information environment of the 5Ge base station ecosystem. Based on the created mathematical model, a functional algorithm for the forced termination of an active terminal–segment information interaction session in the overloaded virtual network segment and the control mechanism of the distribution of the released system resources between other virtual network segments that takes into account the degree of their overload are formulated. The simulation and computational experiments showed that the implemented forced termination algorithm and system resource management mechanism allow the 5Ge base station to continue receiving incoming requests despite the overload of individual virtual network segments. It is empirically shown that the proposed services are effectively scaled concerning the value that is generally available for the distribution of the number of system resources and the allocation method within the guaranteed amounts of system resources for individual virtual network segments.

Ultracompact fluorescence smartphone attachment using built-in optics for protoporphyrin-IX quantification in skin.

Smartphone-based fluorescence imaging systems have the potential to provide convenient quantitative image guidance at the point of care. However, common approaches have required the addition of complex optical attachments, which reduce translation potential. In this study, a simple clip-on attachment appropriate for fluorescence imaging of protoporphyrin-IX (PpIX) in skin was designed using the built-in light source and ultrawide camera sensor of a smartphone. Software control for image acquisition and quantitative analysis was developed using the 10-bit video capability of the phone. Optical performance was characterized using PpIX in liquid tissue phantoms and endogenously produced PpIX in mice and human skin. The proposed system achieves a very compact form factor (<30 cm3) and can be readily fabricated using widely available low-cost materials. The limit of detection of PpIX in optical phantoms was <10 nM, with good signal linearity from 10 to 1000 nM (R2 >0.99). Both murine and human skin imaging verified that in vivo PpIX fluorescence was detected within 1 hour of applying aminolevulinic acid (ALA) gel. This ultracompact handheld system for quantification of PpIX in skin is well-suited for dermatology clinical workflows. Due to its simplicity and form factor, the proposed system can be readily adapted for use with other smartphone devices and fluorescence imaging applications. Hardware design and software for the system is made freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/optmed/CompactFluorescenceCam).

Kottamia Faint Imaging Spectro-Polarimeter (KFISP): opto-mechanical design, software control and performance analysis.

In this paper we describe the Kottamia Faint Imaging Spectro-Polarimeter (KFISP) that has been recently developed and designed to be mounted at the Cassegrain focus of the 1.88 m telescope at Kottamia Astronomical Observatory (KAO), Egypt. The optical design of KFISP is developed such that it can be used in various modes of operation. These are: direct imaging, spectroscopic, polarimetric imaging, and spectro-polarimetric. The KFISP is an all-refractive design to meet the polarimetric requirements and includes a focal reducer with a corrector section, collimator section, parallel beam section (containing various imaging components), and camera section. The corrector section gives an unvignetted Field-of-View of 8ʹ × 8ʹ and the collimator section has a focal length of 305 mm and matches the focal ratio of the input beam. The parallel beam section is 200 mm long and near the middle of it there is an image of the telescope pupil. The camera section includes 5 elements and has a focal length of 154.51 mm which gives an instrument effective final focal ratio of f/6.14 (acting as a telescope focal reducer of 1:2 ratio). The KFISP contains an internal calibration system which hosts the calibration light injection system, an integrating sphere equipped with the required calibration light sources. The opto-mechanical parts of KFISP contain a double-layered carbon fiber strut structure and comprises its subsystems of slit and guider assemblies, filter wheel drawer, grism wheel drawer, polarimetric components cubical box, and CCD camera which is integrated with camera optics. The CCD camera has 2048 times 2048 pixels with 13.5-micron square pixel size. The camera is cooled by liquid Nitrogen and is fixed to the KFISP through the integrated camera lens. The KFISP has been fully commissioned, mounted and is being tested in all modes of operation. In this paper we introduce the ambitious scientific goals, the optical setups of KFISP, its opto-mechanical implementation and the performance analysis of the instrument. In addition, we describe the camera system, its performance, and its software control. Finally, we present a sample of the first light observations obtained from the instrument.

Modern fire safety systems in shopping and entertainment centers

Currently, the number of shopping centers in Russia is increasing. For their construction, new combustible materials and design solutions are used. This creates a high fire load and requires fire safety measures. To ensure the fire safety of visitors, structural features of buildings are essential; it is also crucial to take into account the psychophysiological characteristics of people in these buildings and their level of familiarity with the main structural elements of the building, willingness to find the fire sign and do their best to leave the building. The article describes promising fire safety systems for shopping centers, their advantages and disadvantages. A specialized system of fire extinguishing means consisting of interconnected software controls and structures and a gas fire extinguishing system and smoke curtains are described.

Detection and Prediction of Adverse and Anomalous Events in Medical Robots

Adverse and anomalous (A&amp;A) events are a serious concern in medical robots. We describe a system that can rapidly detect such events and predict their occurrence. As part of this system, we describe simulation, data collection and user interface tools we build for a robot for small animal biopsies. The data we collect consists of both the hardware state of the robot and variables in the software controller. We use this data to train dynamic Bayesian network models of the joint hardware-software state-space dynamics of the robot. Our empirical evaluation shows that (i) our models can accurately model normal behavior of the robot, (ii) they can rapidly detect anomalous behavior once it starts, (iii) they can accurately predict a future A&amp;A event within a time window of it starting and (iv) the use of additional software variables beyond the hardware state of the robot is important in being able to detect and predict certain kinds of events.

Development and research of mathematical models and control algorithms for the separation of bulk materials

Analysis of the separation process showed that this object is multidimensional, stochastic, nonlinear and has a number of other “inconvenient” properties. All stages of the separation system functioning have a significant impact on the properties of the finished product. Therefore, to improve the separation technology, constant automatic control over all stages of this technological process and an effective control system for this object are required. The creation of such control systems requires the development of methods for their identification, modeling of processes occurring during separation, creation of operational control algorithms implemented by software and hardware systems. At present, the resources for increasing the efficiency of control over the separation of bulk materials by means of automating their main stages have been exhausted, and the way out is seen in the creation and implementation of new generation systems - systems of intelligent functioning and control. The intelligence of the control processes for the separation of bulk materials is determined by the general logic of functioning, as well as the efficiency of making managerial decisions, which is significantly increased if the developed mathematical models and control algorithms that correspond to the separation processes under study are used, which make it possible to evaluate the quality of the decision made on the model. The article provides a literary review of works on the development of methods and models for effective management of production systems based on the use of modern information technologies, which showed that there are many unresolved issues. This work is aimed at solving some of them. The relevance of the topic and the objectives of the research are determined. The research carried out made it possible to develop mathematical models of separation processes of various bulk materials and algorithms for identifying these processes. Based on the results obtained, an algorithm for making decisions by an intelligent software and hardware control system was developed.