Steady-state Response Research Articles

Nonlinear dynamics and forced vibrations of simply-supported fractional viscoelastic microbeams using a fractional differential quadrature method

In this paper, free and forced nonlinear vibrations of fractional viscoelastic microbeams are modeled based on Euler-Bernoulli theory, the Von Karman’s nonlinear strain relations, the modified couple stress theory (MCST), and the fractional Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic model. In the present work, the nonlinear-fractional order governing equations are discretized in the space domain by Galerkin’s method. Two different approaches are introduced to solve the resulting nonlinear fractional-order Duffing equation in the time domain. In the first approach, a time marching fractional finite difference method is presented to compute the transient time response starting from the initial conditions. This approach is time consuming if the frequency-amplitude curves of steady state response are required since it provides just one point on the frequency-amplitude curve. More importantly, this approach usually converges only for the stable branch with smallest amplitude of frequency-amplitude curve. In the second approach, we introduce a novel fractional differential quadrature method (FDQM) to discretize the fractional Duffing equation and apply a pseudo-arc length algorithm to directly construct the frequency-amplitude curves. Effects of the fractional-order, linear and nonlinear viscoelasticity coefficients, viscous damping parameter, microstructure parameters, and the micro-beam thickness on the nonlinear dynamics of the viscoelastic micro-beam are analyzed numerically. Numerical results show that each of these parameters can change natural frequency and/or the damping behavior of the structure. The present model can be used for designing and analyzing the nonlinear microstructure viscoelastic beam under dynamic loads.

Sex differences during development in cortical temporal processing and event related potentials in wild-type and fragile X syndrome model mice

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently diagnosed in approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States, based on a wide array of symptoms, including sensory dysfunction and abnormal language development. Boys are diagnosed ~ 3.8 times more frequently than girls. Auditory temporal processing is crucial for speech recognition and language development. Abnormal development of temporal processing may account for ASD language impairments. Sex differences in the development of temporal processing may underlie the differences in language outcomes in male and female children with ASD. To understand mechanisms of potential sex differences in temporal processing requires a preclinical model. However, there are no studies that have addressed sex differences in temporal processing across development in any animal model of ASD.MethodsTo fill this major gap, we compared the development of auditory temporal processing in male and female wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice, a model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a leading genetic cause of ASD-associated behaviors. Using epidural screw electrodes, we recorded auditory event related potentials (ERP) and auditory temporal processing with a gap-in-noise auditory steady state response (ASSR) paradigm at young (postnatal (p)21 and p30) and adult (p60) ages from both auditory and frontal cortices of awake, freely moving mice.ResultsThe results show that ERP amplitudes were enhanced in both sexes of Fmr1 KO mice across development compared to WT counterparts, with greater enhancement in adult female than adult male KO mice. Gap-ASSR deficits were seen in the frontal, but not auditory, cortex in early development (p21) in female KO mice. Unlike male KO mice, female KO mice show WT-like temporal processing at p30. There were no temporal processing deficits in the adult mice of both sexes.ConclusionsThese results show a sex difference in the developmental trajectories of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses in Fmr1 KO mice. Male KO mice show slower maturation of temporal processing than females. Female KO mice show stronger hypersensitive responses than males later in development. The differences in maturation rates of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses during various critical periods of development may lead to sex differences in language function, arousal and anxiety in FXS.

A decision-making approach on control techniques for an inverted pendulum based on, neuro-fuzzy, indirect adaptive and PID controllers

The operation of an inverted pendulum and its respective type of control are affected by the change of the values of its internal parameters. Changes with high uncertainty result in responses with undesirable outputs. In this work, a comparison is presented for the control of an inverted pendulum to determine the operation and characteristics of three types of control systems: Neuro-Fuzzy Control (NFC), Indirect Adaptive Control (IAC) and a Proportional Integral Derivative control (PID). The study considers several indices such as stabilization time, rise time, mean square error, overshoots, convergence, computational load, error, mathematical requirements, and performance indices for control systems. To demonstrate its operation, the controls are implemented in hardware, one for the NFC and another for the IAC under an Arduino UNO platform. The results indicate that the NFC and IAC controls do not generate a transient or impulse response, only a small delay and the rise and stabilization time are minimal. While PID presents a transient response and overshoot, as well as a stabilization time to reach the steady state response.

Nonlinear behaviors and chaos control of a fluid-conveying piezoelectric pipe in supercritical regime

The study investigated the steady state response of a piezoelectric pipe conveying fluid under external and internal resonances in the supercritical regime of fluid velocity. Internal resonance conditions between the first and second frequency modes were studied at a specific flow velocity in the supercritical regime. The Galerkin method and the multiple scale method were used to extract the vibration amplitude versus the excitation frequency and amplitude. The steady state solutions lost stability through saddle-node and Hopf bifurcations, leading to periodic, double periodic, multi-periodic, and chaotic behaviors in the forced and frequency response curves. Time response, FFT, phase portrait, and Lyapunov exponents were presented to predict the unstable regions of the piezo-pipe system between the Hopf points. The Wolf algorithm was utilized to evaluate the Lyapunov exponents. Additionally, a fuzzy terminal sliding mode controller was designed in the chaotic region of the piezoelectric pipe conveying fluid, and its parameters were optimized using the genetic algorithm. The controller effectively stabilized the chaotic motion of the system, demonstrating better performance than the sliding mode control in numerical results.

Neural Adaptation at Stimulus Onset and Speed of Neural Processing as Critical Contributors to Speech Comprehension Independent of Hearing Threshold or Age.

Background: It is assumed that speech comprehension deficits in background noise are caused by age-related or acquired hearing loss. Methods: We examined young, middle-aged, and older individuals with and without hearing threshold loss using pure-tone (PT) audiometry, short-pulsed distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (pDPOAEs), auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs), speech comprehension (OLSA), and syllable discrimination in quiet and noise. Results: A noticeable decline of hearing sensitivity in extended high-frequency regions and its influence on low-frequency-induced ABRs was striking. When testing for differences in OLSA thresholds normalized for PT thresholds (PTTs), marked differences in speech comprehension ability exist not only in noise, but also in quiet, and they exist throughout the whole age range investigated. Listeners with poor speech comprehension in quiet exhibited a relatively lower pDPOAE and, thus, cochlear amplifier performance independent of PTT, smaller and delayed ABRs, and lower performance in vowel-phoneme discrimination below phase-locking limits (/o/-/u/). When OLSA was tested in noise, listeners with poor speech comprehension independent of PTT had larger pDPOAEs and, thus, cochlear amplifier performance, larger ASSR amplitudes, and higher uncomfortable loudness levels, all linked with lower performance of vowel-phoneme discrimination above the phase-locking limit (/i/-/y/). Conslusions: This study indicates that listening in noise in humans has a sizable disadvantage in envelope coding when basilar-membrane compression is compromised. Clearly, and in contrast to previous assumptions, both good and poor speech comprehension can exist independently of differences in PTTs and age, a phenomenon that urgently requires improved techniques to diagnose sound processing at stimulus onset in the clinical routine.

Nitrogen addition alleviates water loss of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) under drought by affecting light-induced stomatal responses

The combined climate-change-evoked drought and nitrogen (N) deposition have severely affected plant carbon and water relations governed by stomata. However, the interplay between steady-state and dynamic stomatal behavior responses to light remains unclear regarding its impact on plant water and carbon relations. The objective here was to investigate whether light-induced stomatal dynamics could mitigate the adverse effects of steady-state gas exchange on water conservation or photosynthesis under drought and N addition conditions. We conducted a manipulative experiment to investigate the impacts of throughfall reduction, N addition, and their combination on light-induced stomatal and photosynthetic dynamics in a Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forest. We determined the influence of stomal response rate on water loss and photosynthesis, and further assessed whether it mitigated the effects of steady-state gas exchange (gs). We found that Moso bamboo decreased gs under throughfall reduction, while accelerated stomatal opening and biochemical activation when irradiance increased, which reduced the lag in photosynthesis during the induction period. In contrast, under the combined throughfall reduction and N addition condition, Moso bamboo increased gs but showed faster stomatal closure, which decreased the percentage of transpiration following a decrease in light intensity. Our findings indicate that stomatal dynamic behavior may depend on the effects of steady-state gas exchange on water conservation and carbon uptake under different soil water and N conditions. These discoveries contribute to our understanding of the coupling mechanisms of plant water use and carbon uptake in the context of global changes.

435. Improvement of Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) and Auditory Hallucinations in First-Episode Schizophrenia: Preliminary Findings From a Single-Blind RCT of Auditory Control Enhancement (ACE) Therapy

435. Improvement of Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) and Auditory Hallucinations in First-Episode Schizophrenia: Preliminary Findings From a Single-Blind RCT of Auditory Control Enhancement (ACE) Therapy

Harmonic balance for differential constitutive models under oscillatory shear

Harmonic balance (HB) is a popular Fourier–Galerkin method used in the analysis of nonlinear vibration problems where dynamical systems are subjected to periodic forcing. We adapt HB to find the periodic steady-state response of nonlinear differential constitutive models subjected to large-amplitude oscillatory shear flow. By incorporating the alternating-frequency-time scheme into HB, we develop a computer program called FLASH (acronym for Fast Large Amplitude Simulation using Harmonic balance), which makes it convenient to apply HB to any differential constitutive model. We validate FLASH by considering two representative constitutive models, viz., the exponential Phan-Thien–Tanner model and a nonlinear temporary network model. In terms of accuracy and speed, FLASH typically outperforms the conventional approach of solving initial value problems by numerical integration via time-stepping methods often by several orders of magnitude. Exceptions to this rule are sometimes encountered for materials that are strongly shear thinning or described by constitutive models with discontinuous derivatives. We discuss how FLASH can be conveniently extended for other nonlinear constitutive models, which opens up potential applications in model calibration and selection, and stability analysis.

Nonlinear combination resonance analysis of parametric-forced excitation for an axially moving piezoelectric rectangular thin plate in thermal- electromechanical coupling field

In this paper, the combination resonance of parametric-forced excitation characteristics for an axially moving rectangular piezoelectric plate under a thermal-electromechanical field is studied. Based on Kirchhoff-Love plate theory and Von Karman theory, the transverse vibration governing equations are derived from Hamilton's principle. The equations are discretized to ordinary differential equations by the Galerkin method. Then, the multiple scales method is applied to solve the system combination resonance equation, two different resonance states and corresponding amplitude-frequency response equations are obtained by eliminating the secular term, respectively. Additionally, the stability of the steady-state responses is analyzed by Lyapunov stability. Based on the numerical analysis, the influence of axial velocity, external voltage, central temperature difference, structural damping, and other parameters on nonlinear combination resonance response are investigated. The effect of parameter variation on period-doubling bifurcation and the chaotic motion of the system are also discussed by the system global bifurcation diagram.

Complexity of the instantaneous frequency variation in auditory steady-state response: A high sensitivity, high anti-interference index of mental fatigue

The quantification of mental fatigue (MF) in aviation remains a long-lasting problem which has a bearing on flight safety. In this study, we have developed a complexity-based MF index based on multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis of instantaneous frequency variation (IFV) in auditory steady-state response (ASSR). Subjects were asked to undertake a flight simulation task, before and after which, electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded with no auditory stimulus, and with Don chirp sound to elicit ASSR. In the anti-interference tests, our proposed MF index showed higher performance in terms of anti-interference from electrooculogram (EOG) and environment. In the flight simulation task, fatigue evaluations based on ASSR have achieved a better fatigue detection effect comparing with the conventional methods: 95% in the fatigue detection rate and −13.885% in the MF index. In conclusion, the proposed MF index has high sensitivity and high anti-interference capacities, therefore has potential applications in a variety of fields that require robust monitoring of MF outside a shielded chamber.

40 Hz Steady-State Response in Human Auditory Cortex Is Shaped by Gabaergic Neuronal Inhibition.

The 40 Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR), an oscillatory brain response to periodically modulated auditory stimuli, is a promising, noninvasive physiological biomarker for schizophrenia and related neuropsychiatric disorders. The 40 Hz ASSR might be amplified by synaptic interactions in cortical circuits, which are, in turn, disturbed in neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we tested whether the 40 Hz ASSR in the human auditory cortex depends on two key synaptic components of neuronal interactions within cortical circuits: excitation via N-methyl-aspartate glutamate (NMDA) receptors and inhibition via gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) receptors. We combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings with placebo-controlled, low-dose pharmacological interventions in the same healthy human participants (13 males, 7 females). All participants exhibited a robust 40 Hz ASSR in auditory cortices, especially in the right hemisphere, under a placebo. The GABAA receptor-agonist lorazepam increased the amplitude of the 40 Hz ASSR, while no effect was detectable under the NMDA blocker memantine. Our findings indicate that the 40 Hz ASSR in the auditory cortex involves synaptic (and likely intracortical) inhibition via the GABAA receptor, thus highlighting its utility as a mechanistic signature of cortical circuit dysfunctions involving GABAergic inhibition.

Audiological Characteristics of Vestibular Schwannoma Patients With Normal Pure-Tone Audiometry.

To investigate the audiological characteristics of vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients with normal pure-tone audiometry (PTA) results. A retrospective study. Forty-two VS patients with normal PTA results from October 2016 to October 2022 were included. Normal PTA was defined when the hearing threshold is ≤25 dB hearing loss (HL) in each test frequency and the PTA is ≤25 dB HL. Results of multiple audiological tests such as the auditory brainstem response (ABR), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), multiple auditory steady-state responses threshold (ASSR), and speech discrimination score were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data of these patients were also been collected. According to our results, the ABR and average ASSR threshold of the affected side were statistically significantly higher in VS patients with normal PTA. ABR waveforms on the affected side also showed more abnormalities. The DPOAE pass rates of the affected side were lower than the unaffected side while the amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio rate was also lower. In addition, we used magnetic resonance imaging 3-dimensional reconstruction images to measure the volume of tumors in these patients. We also found that higher ABR threshold means lager tumor size in patients with normal PTA. VS patients with normal PTA result cannot be assumed to have no impairment of hearing function. ABR, DPOAE, and ASSR results showed the characteristic changes in the affect ear. ABR threshold has the highest sensitivity for hearing abnormalities and is strong relative with tumor size in patients with normal PTA.

Rate dependent neural responses of interaural-time-difference cues in fine-structure and envelope.

Advancements in cochlear implants (CIs) have led to a significant increase in bilateral CI users, especially among children. Yet, most bilateral CI users do not fully achieve the intended binaural benefit due to potential limitations in signal processing and/or surgical implant positioning. One crucial auditory cue that normal hearing (NH) listeners can benefit from is the interaural time difference (ITD), i.e., the time difference between the arrival of a sound at two ears. The ITD sensitivity is thought to be heavily relying on the effective utilization of temporal fine structure (very rapid oscillations in sound). Unfortunately, most current CIs do not transmit such true fine structure. Nevertheless, bilateral CI users have demonstrated sensitivity to ITD cues delivered through envelope or interaural pulse time differences, i.e., the time gap between the pulses delivered to the two implants. However, their ITD sensitivity is significantly poorer compared to NH individuals, and it further degrades at higher CI stimulation rates, especially when the rate exceeds 300 pulse per second. The overall purpose of this research thread is to improve spatial hearing abilities in bilateral CI users. This study aims to develop electroencephalography (EEG) paradigms that can be used with clinical settings to assess and optimize the delivery of ITD cues, which are crucial for spatial hearing in everyday life. The research objective of this article was to determine the effect of CI stimulation pulse rate on the ITD sensitivity, and to characterize the rate-dependent degradation in ITD perception using EEG measures. To develop protocols for bilateral CI studies, EEG responses were obtained from NH listeners using sinusoidal-amplitude-modulated (SAM) tones and filtered clicks with changes in either fine structure ITD (ITDFS) or envelope ITD (ITDENV). Multiple EEG responses were analyzed, which included the subcortical auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) elicited by stimuli onset, offset, and changes. Results indicated that acoustic change complex (ACC) responses elicited by ITDENV changes were significantly smaller or absent compared to those elicited by ITDFS changes. The ACC morphologies evoked by ITDFS changes were similar to onset and offset CAEPs, although the peak latencies were longest for ACC responses and shortest for offset CAEPs. The high-frequency stimuli clearly elicited subcortical ASSRs, but smaller than those evoked by lower carrier frequency SAM tones. The 40-Hz ASSRs decreased with increasing carrier frequencies. Filtered clicks elicited larger ASSRs compared to high-frequency SAM tones, with the order being 40 > 160 > 80> 320 Hz ASSR for both stimulus types. Wavelet analysis revealed a clear interaction between detectable transient CAEPs and 40-Hz ASSRs in the time-frequency domain for SAM tones with a low carrier frequency.

Transient modeling of a solid oxide fuel cell using an efficient deep learning HY-CNN-NARX paradigm

Control and monitoring systems are crucial for ensuring optimal performance, efficiency, and longevity of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC). Developing a model to accurately capture the transient behavior of the SOFC under dynamic operation is essential for these applications. As electrochemical, mass-transfer, and thermal equations are involved in SOFCs’ dynamic, physics-based approaches to capture all the complexity of SOFC systems are often too computationally expensive for real-time implementation. In this paper, an innovative multi-input neural network is developed to build an accurate model of SOFC that is computationally efficient. The proposed algorithm uses experimental data and is a modified nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) network. An optimal sequence of the most recent observations (output voltages) that characterize the SOFC dynamics is passed through stacked 1D convolutional layers (CNN) to extract latent spatial/temporal information. Then the output is concatenated with current and past exogenous inputs. The fusion of learned features, representing the internal dynamics and the effect of exogenous inputs, is then fed to a fully connected network for one-step ahead performance prediction. This hybrid structure, called HY-CNN-NARX, is capable of identifying the transient dynamics of the SOFCs by unrolling information from historical outputs and inputs within a feedforward framework. To evaluate the model performance, lab-scale tubular SOFCs are experimentally tested at 650–750 °C under various dynamic operations and initial conditions, and the transient and steady-state responses of the SOFC are collected. Once the model is validated using a wide operating range of data, the generalization and prediction performance of the proposed network is compared with a conventional NARX and a recurrent stacked Long short-term memory (LSTM) model. The comparative results demonstrate that the proposed HY-CNN-NARX model outperforms the NARX model on unseen data with an accuracy improvement of 59.2% for root mean square error and 53.7% for mean absolute percentage error. In addition, the prediction performance of the HY-CNN-NARX is comparable to its recurrent counterpart, the LSTM model, but with a 39.3% faster execution time.

System Identification and Dynamic Analysis of the Propulsion Shaft Systems Using Response Surface Optimization Technique

Marine vessels rely heavily on propeller shaft systems to adjust the engine torque and propeller thrust. However, these systems are subjected to various dynamic excitations during operation, such as transverse, longitudinal, and torsional excitations. These excitations can arise from factors like non-uniform stern flow fields, misaligned components, and the whirling motion of the shafts, which can affect the integrity and reliability of the vehicle. To analyze the dynamic response of the propulsion shaft system and ensure its reliability, numerical/analytical models are currently in practice. The finite element method (FEM) is a popular choice, but uncertainties in bearings and connectors stiffness lead to inaccuracies in the Finite Element model, resulting in significant differences between the experimental and theoretical models. This paper proposes the response surface optimization (RSO) technique to estimate unknown bearing stiffness in the propulsion shaft system. The experimental model of the propeller shaft system is constructed using steady-state response with step sine excitation. The RSO technique is then used to update the natural frequencies and vibration amplitude of the FE (Finite Element) model. The updated model shows less than a 10% difference in natural frequencies and vibration amplitude compared to the experimental model, demonstrating that the proposed technique is an efficient tool for marine shaft dynamic analysis.

An Organic Electrochemical Transistor-Based Sensor for IgG Levels Detection of Relevance in SARS-CoV-2 Infections.

Organic electrochemical transistors appear as an alternative for relatively low-cost, easy-to-operate biosensors due to their intrinsic amplification. Herein, we present the fabrication, characterization, and validation of an immuno-detection system based on commercial sensors using gold electrodes where no additional surface treatment is performed on the gate electrode. The steady-state response of these sensors has been studied by analyzing different semiconductor organic channels in order to optimize the biomolecular detection process and its the application to monitoring human IgG levels due to SARS-CoV-2 infections. Detection levels of up to tens of μgmL-1 with sensitivities up to 13.75% [μg/mL]-1, concentration ranges of medical relevance in seroprevalence studies, have been achieved.

Semi-analytical solutions for forced and free vibration of damped fluid-conveying pipe systems based on complex modal superposition method

In this paper, the response solutions of the damped fluid-conveying pipe system with elastic torsion constraints at both ends are analyzed. The pipe system considering gyroscopic effect induced by internal flow and damping effect is a typical damped gyroscopic system. This system cannot be decoupled in the modal space by the traditional modal analysis, and then the semi-analytical response solutions cannot be obtained by the classical modal superposition method. In order to remedy this problem, this paper proposes a new method based on complex modal superposition method and state-space method to give the semi-analytical response solutions of the damped fluid-conveying pipe system. The adjoint system is introduced through the concept of adjoint operator, and the orthogonality conditions of the damped fluid-conveying pipe system are derived in the state-space by using the eigenvalue relationship between the original system and the adjoint system. The Laplace transformation method is used to solve the eigenvalue problems of the original system and the adjoint system, and the implicit function equations about the eigenvalues and analytical eigenfunctions are obtained. According to the obtained orthogonality conditions, the semi-analytical response solutions of the system under arbitrary initial conditions and excitations are given, and the obtained solutions include transient and steady-state response solutions. In the numerical discussion part, the reliability and accuracy of the present method are verified. This research has positive significance for the dynamic analysis of fluid-conveying pipe systems, and the obtained orthogonality conditions have potential value for the nonlinear dynamics research.

Fractional High-Order Differential Feedback Controller Based on Meta-Heuristic Algorithms for Automatic Voltage Regulator

In this study, optimally parameter tuning of fractional high-order differential feedback controller (FHODFC) for an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) system regulating the terminal voltage of the synchronous generator is presented. Recently developed meta-heuristic optimization techniques named honey badger algorithm (HBA) and gorilla troops optimizer (GTO) have been employed for the first time in order to optimally determine ten different parameters of the FHODFC. The performance of the proposed controllers, that is, HBA-FHODFC and GTO-FHODFC, is analyzed in terms of transient and steady state responses, and robustness against uncertainties and external disturbances. In addition, their performance is compared to a FHODFC of which parameters were tuned by using particle swarm optimization algorithm in a previous study. The results indicate that the proposed HBA-FHODFC and GTO-FHODFC controllers provide zero overshoot and better results in terms of settling time and objective function then the PSO tuned FHODFC. Therefore, the proposed controllers can be used as an effective method in the AVR system.

A simplified control algorithm for efficient and robust tracking of the maximum power point in PV systems

This article presents a novel two-stage simplified control algorithm designed to enhance the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) operation of PV systems while minimizing the complexity associated with it. A voltage-based hybrid beta-incremental conductance (hybrid-beta-INC) is developed in the first stage to determine the MPP voltage. The methodology behind this scheme is to first approach the neighborhood of the MPP through an intermediate variable β, which has a simple monotonically decreasing relationship with the PV voltage. Subsequently, the INC is employed to target the actual MPP voltage. The steady-state response of the PV system is thus maintained throughout this stage by the hybrid-beta-INC. In the second stage, a simplified parameter-less (SP) controller is proposed to regulate the underdamped dynamics of the PV. The system's stability as a whole is enhanced through the decoupling of these two phases. In contrast to currently available MPPT controllers, the proposed SP makes a significant contribution to the structural simplicity of the control framework by eliminating the need for adjustable parameters. Simplicity, enhanced control immunity and resilience to load disturbances and parametric uncertainties are the main attributes of the proposed controller. Its superior attributes over exiting controllers such as the P&O, INC, search space, and hybrid INC-integral backstepping nonlinear controllers, is affirmed on the basis of quantitative metrics such as the tracking time, ripples and efficiency. Finally, the performance of the proposed system is monitored under real-time environmental settings for three consecutive days, which confirms its resilience and dependability in tracking the MPP of the PV system under experimental conditions. The results showed that the controller is able to cope with climatic and load changes maintaining a robust response. It is unveiled that it maintains a minimum efficiency of 99.72% despite fluctuations in temperature. In the presence of continually changing irradiance conditions, the EN 50,530 test demonstrates an efficacy in excess of 99.95%.

Approach for contact medical device development via integrated testing, skeletal muscle modeling, and finite element analysis

Development of novel medical devices for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain associated with neuro-muscular trigger points requires a model for relating the mechanical responses of in vivo biological tissues to applied palliative physical pressures and a method to design treatments for optimal effects. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the efficacy of therapeutic treatment is proportional to the maximum tensile strain at trigger point locations. This work presents modeling of the mechanical behavior of biological tissue structures and treatment simulations, supported by indentation experiments and finite element (FE) modeling. The steady-state indentation responses of the tissue structure of the posterior neck were measured with a testing device, and an FE model was constructed using a first-order Ogden hyperelastic material model and calibrated with the experimental data. The error between experimental and FE-generated displacement-load curves was minimized via a two-stage optimization process comprised of an Optimal Latin Hypercube design-of-experiments analysis and a Bayesian optimization loop. The optimized Ogden model had an initial shear modulus (μ) of 5.16 kPa and a deviatoric exponent (α) of 11.90. Another FE model was developed to simulate the deformation of the tissue structures in the posterior neck adjacent to the C3 vertebrae in response to indentation loading, in order to determine the optimal location and angle to apply an indentation force for maximum therapeutic benefit. The optimal location of indentation was determined to be 28° lateral from the sagittal plane along the surface of the skin, measured from the centerline of the spine, at an angle of 8° counterclockwise from the surface normal vector. The optimized spatial orientation of the indentation corresponded to the average of the maximum principal strain across the deep muscle region of the model.