[18F]FMeNER-D2: reliable fully-automated synthesis for visualization of the norepinephrine transporter.

Science.gov (United States)

Rami-Mark, Christina; Zhang, Ming-Rong; Mitterhauser, Markus; Lanzenberger, Rupert; Hacker, Marcus; Wadsak, Wolfgang

2013-11-01

In neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders dysregulation of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) has been reported. For visualization of NET availability and occupancy in the human brain PET imaging can be used. Therefore, selective NET-PET tracers with high affinity are required. Amongst these, [(18)F]FMeNER-D2 is showing the best results so far. Furthermore, a reliable fully automated radiosynthesis is a prerequisite for successful application of PET-tracers. The aim of this work was the automation of [(18)F]FMeNER-D2 radiolabelling for subsequent clinical use. The presented study comprises 25 automated large-scale syntheses, which were directly applied to healthy volunteers and adult patients suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Synthesis of [(18)F]FMeNER-D2 was automated within a Nuclear Interface Module. Starting from 20-30 GBq [(18)F]fluoride, azeotropic drying, reaction with Br2CD2, distillation of 1-bromo-2-[(18)F]fluoromethane-D2 ([(18)F]BFM) and reaction of the pure [(18)F]BFM with unprotected precursor NER were optimized and completely automated. HPLC purification and SPE procedure were completed, formulation and sterile filtration were achieved on-line and full quality control was performed. Purified product was obtained in a fully automated synthesis in clinical scale allowing maximum radiation safety and routine production under GMP-like manner. So far, more than 25 fully automated syntheses were successfully performed, yielding 1.0-2.5 GBq of formulated [(18)F]FMeNER-D2 with specific activities between 430 and 1707 GBq/μmol within 95 min total preparation time. A first fully automated [(18)F]FMeNER-D2 synthesis was established, allowing routine production of this NET-PET tracer under maximum radiation safety and standardization. © 2013.

Semi-automated microwave assisted solid-phase peptide synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren Ljungberg

with microwaves for SPPS has gained in popularity as it for many syntheses has provided significant improvement in terms of speed, purity, and yields, maybe especially in the synthesis of long and "difficult" peptides. Thus, precise microwave heating has emerged as one new parameter for SPPS, in addition...... to coupling reagents, resins, solvents etc. We have previously reported on microwave heating to promote a range of solid-phase reactions in SPPS. Here we present a new, flexible semi-automated instrument for the application of precise microwave heating in solid-phase synthesis. It combines a slightly modified...... Biotage Initiator microwave instrument, which is available in many laboratories, with a modified semi-automated peptide synthesizer from MultiSynTech. A custom-made reaction vessel is placed permanently in the microwave oven, thus the reactor does not have to be moved between steps. Mixing is achieved...

Rapid and convenient semi-automated microwave-assisted solid-phase synthesis of arylopeptoids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jakob Ewald; Boccia, Marcello Massimo; Nielsen, John

2014-01-01

A facile and expedient route to the synthesis of arylopeptoid oligomers (N-alkylated aminomethyl benz-amides) using semi-automated microwave-assisted solid-phase synthesis is presented. The synthesis was optimized for the incorporation of side chains derived from sterically hindered or unreactive...

Influence factor on automated synthesis yield of 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F] fluorothymidine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jinming; Tian Jiahe; Liu Changbin; Liu Jian; Luo Zhigang

2009-01-01

3'-deoxy-3'-[ 18 F] fluorothymidine ( 18 F-FLT) was prepared from N-BOC precursor to improve the synthesis yield, chemical purity and radiochemical purity of 18 F-FLT by home-made automated synthesis module. The results showed that residual water in synthesis system and the amount of precursor could affect the synthesis yield dramatically. The more the amount of precursor, the higher the synthesis yield of N-BOC. The residual water can decrease the synthesis yield. In the presence of excess base, the precursor was consumed by elimination before substitution was completed. The precursor to base was optimal in 1 to 1. The balance of semi-preparatiove HPLC Column can affect purified the final 18 F-FLT product. The chemical purity of 18 F-FLT could be decreased with 8% EtOH as mobile phase in semi-preparatiove HPLC. The high chemical purity, radiochemical purity and synthesis yield could be obtained by optimized the parameter of synthesis with home-made automated synthesis module. (authors)

Automated synthesis with HPLC purification of 18F-FMISO as specific molecular imaging probe of tumor hypoxia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Mingwei; Zhang Yingjian; Zhang Yongping

2012-01-01

An improved automated synthesis of 1-H-1-(3-[ 18 F] fluoro-2-hydroxypropyl)-2-nitro-imidazole ( 18 F-FMISO), a specific molecular imaging probe of tumor hypoxia, was developed using an upgraded Explora GN module integrated with Explora LC for HPLC purification in this study. The radiochemical synthesis of 18 F-FMISO was started with precursor 1-( 2'-nitro-1'-imidazolyl)-2-O-tetrahydropyranyl-3-O-tosyl-propanediol (NITTP) and included nucleophilic [ 18 F] radio-fluorination at 120℃ for 5 min and hydrolysis at 130℃ for 8 min. The automated synthesis of 18 F-FMISO, presenting fast, reliable and multi-run features, could be completed with the total synthesis time of less than 65 min and radiochemical yield of 25%∼35% (without decay correction). The quality control of 18 F-FMISO was identical with the radiopharmaceutical requirements, especially the radiochemical purity of greater than 99% and high chemical purity and specific activity own to HPLC purification. (authors)

[{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2: Reliable fully-automated synthesis for visualization of the norepinephrine transporter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rami-Mark, Christina [Radiochemistry and Biomarker Development Unit, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna (Austria); Zhang, Ming-Rong [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Mitterhauser, Markus [Radiochemistry and Biomarker Development Unit, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Hospital Pharmacy of the General Hospital of Vienna (Austria); Lanzenberger, Rupert [Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Hacker, Marcus [Radiochemistry and Biomarker Development Unit, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Wadsak, Wolfgang [Radiochemistry and Biomarker Development Unit, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna (Austria); Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna (Austria)

2013-11-15

Purpose: In neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders dysregulation of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) has been reported. For visualization of NET availability and occupancy in the human brain PET imaging can be used. Therefore, selective NET-PET tracers with high affinity are required. Amongst these, [{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2 is showing the best results so far. Furthermore, a reliable fully automated radiosynthesis is a prerequisite for successful application of PET-tracers. The aim of this work was the automation of [{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2 radiolabelling for subsequent clinical use. The presented study comprises 25 automated large-scale syntheses, which were directly applied to healthy volunteers and adult patients suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Procedures: Synthesis of [{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2 was automated within a Nuclear Interface Module. Starting from 20–30 GBq [{sup 18}F]fluoride, azeotropic drying, reaction with Br{sub 2}CD{sub 2}, distillation of 1-bromo-2-[{sup 18}F]fluoromethane-D2 ([{sup 18}F]BFM) and reaction of the pure [{sup 18}F]BFM with unprotected precursor NER were optimized and completely automated. HPLC purification and SPE procedure were completed, formulation and sterile filtration were achieved on-line and full quality control was performed. Results: Purified product was obtained in a fully automated synthesis in clinical scale allowing maximum radiation safety and routine production under GMP-like manner. So far, more than 25 fully automated syntheses were successfully performed, yielding 1.0–2.5 GBq of formulated [{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2 with specific activities between 430 and 1707 GBq/μmol within 95 min total preparation time. Conclusions: A first fully automated [{sup 18}F]FMeNER-D2 synthesis was established, allowing routine production of this NET-PET tracer under maximum radiation safety and standardization.

Total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin based on an automated electrochemical assembly of a disaccharide building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Isoda, Yuta; Sasaki, Norihiko; Kitamura, Kei; Takahashi, Shuji; Manmode, Sujit; Takeda-Okuda, Naoko; Tamura, Jun-Ichi; Nokami, Toshiki; Itoh, Toshiyuki

2017-01-01

The total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin using an automated electrochemical synthesizer for the assembly of carbohydrate building blocks is demonstrated. We have successfully prepared a precursor of TMG-chitotriomycin, which is a structurally-pure tetrasaccharide with typical protecting groups, through the methodology of automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis developed by us. The synthesis of structurally well-defined TMG-chitotriomycin has been accomplished in 10-steps from a disaccharide building block.

Total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin based on an automated electrochemical assembly of a disaccharide building block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuta Isoda

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin using an automated electrochemical synthesizer for the assembly of carbohydrate building blocks is demonstrated. We have successfully prepared a precursor of TMG-chitotriomycin, which is a structurally-pure tetrasaccharide with typical protecting groups, through the methodology of automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis developed by us. The synthesis of structurally well-defined TMG-chitotriomycin has been accomplished in 10-steps from a disaccharide building block.

Synthesis of generator based 68Ga-labeled biphosphonates by an automated module: Indian experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Rajeev; Sharma, P.; Medhavi, S.; Pandey, A.K.; Tripathy, M.; Kumar, Rakesh; Bal, C.; Malhotra, A.; Meckel, M.; Rosch, F.

2015-01-01

Full text of publication follows. Aim of the study: to share our experience regarding the synthesis and quality control of generator based 68 Ga-NOTA biphosphonates for bone PET imaging using an automated module. Material and methods: the eluate of a 68 Ge/ 68 Ga generator was passed through a cation exchange resin (strata X-C). 68 Ga was adsorbed on the cartridge and rest of the solvent was passed into the waste. A solution conventionally called N2 (mixture of Acetone, metal free water and HCl), was used to release concentrated and purified 68 Ga from the strata X-C to release it to the 10 ml reaction vial. The reaction vial contained 20 μg of the precursor NOTA-biphosphonate dissolved in 1.5 ml 0.25 M sodium acetate at pH of 4. Now the reaction vessel was heated at a temperature of 95 Celsius degrees for 15 minutes. After cooling the solution was diluted by adding 3 ml metal free water. The product was transferred to product vial through 0.22 μm sterile filter. All the synthesis steps were carried out in automated module (Modular lab, Eckert and Ziegler, Germany). The total synthesis time was 18 minutes. During the whole procedure radiation level was monitored around the Hot cell at all four side walls at every 3 minutes. Routine quality control test was performed with the help of Radio-TLC, Ph paper and dose calibrator respectively (For its radiochemical binding, Rf, Ph value and its half life). Results: 68 Ga-NOTA-biphosphonate yield ranged between 333 to 370 MBq from five months 1850 MBq old generator. 68 Ga-NOTA-biphosphonate conjugate was prepared with very high radio chemical yield and purity (>99 %). The product was stable up to four hours at room temperature (checked by Radio-TLC). During synthesis the radiation level around the hot cell was near to background level (∼ 3 μSv/hr). Summary: generator based PET radiotracer 68 Ga-NOTA-biphosphonate can be synthesized with high radiochemical purity and good stability, using an automated module. (authors)

Future Control and Automation : Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Future Control and Automation

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

This volume Future Control and Automation- Volume 2 includes best papers from 2012 2nd International Conference on Future Control and Automation (ICFCA 2012) held on July 1-2, 2012, Changsha, China. Future control and automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. This volume can be divided into six sessions on the basis of the classification of manuscripts considered, which is listed as follows: Mathematical Modeling, Analysis and Computation, Control Engineering, Reliable Networks Design, Vehicular Communications and Networking, Automation and Mechatronics.

Automated radiochemical synthesis and biodistribution of [11C]l-α-acetylmethadol ([11C]LAAM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sai, Kiran Kumar Solingapuram; Fan, Jinda; Tu, Zhude; Zerkel, Patrick; Mach, Robert H.; Kharasch, Evan D.

2014-01-01

Long-acting opioid agonists methadone and l-α-acetylmethadol (LAAM) prevent withdrawal in opioid-dependent persons. Attempts to synthesize [ 11 C]-methadone for PET evaluation of brain disposition were unsuccessful. Owing, however, to structural and pharmacologic similarities, we aimed to develop [ 11 C]LAAM as a PET ligand to probe the brain exposure of long-lasting opioids in humans. This manuscript describes [ 11 C]LAAM synthesis and its biodistribution in mice. The radiochemical synthetic strategy afforded high radiochemical yield, purity and specific activity, thereby making the synthesis adaptable to automated modules. - Highlights: • Radiochemical synthesis of opioid [ 11 C]l-α-acetylmethadol (LAAM) described for the first time. • High radiochemical yield, purity and specific activity. • Easily reproducible and adaptable synthesis to any C-11 automated modules. • [ 11 C]LAAM utility as a PET radiopharmaceutical for assessing brain penetration

Development of automated control system for wood drying

Science.gov (United States)

Sereda, T. G.; Kostarev, S. N.

2018-05-01

The article considers the parameters of convective wood drying which allows changing the characteristics of the air that performs drying at different stages: humidity, temperature, speed and direction of air movement. Despite the prevalence of this type of drying equipment, the main drawbacks of it are: the high temperature and humidity, negatively affecting the working conditions of maintenance personnel when they enter the drying chambers. It makes the automation of wood drying process necessary. The synthesis of a finite state of a machine control of wood drying process is implemented on a programmable logic device Omron.

Future Control and Automation : Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Future Control and Automation

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

This volume Future Control and Automation- Volume 1 includes best papers selected from 2012 2nd International Conference on Future Control and Automation (ICFCA 2012) held on July 1-2, 2012, Changsha, China. Future control and automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. This volume can be divided into five sessions on the basis of the classification of manuscripts considered, which is listed as follows: Identification and Control, Navigation, Guidance and Sensor, Simulation Technology, Future Telecommunications and Control

Control and automation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, R.; Zillich, H.

1986-01-01

A survey is given of the development of control and automation systems for energy uses. General remarks about control and automation schemes are followed by a description of modern process control systems along with process control processes as such. After discussing the particular process control requirements of nuclear power plants the paper deals with the reliability and availability of process control systems and refers to computerized simulation processes. The subsequent paragraphs are dedicated to descriptions of the operating floor, ergonomic conditions, existing systems, flue gas desulfurization systems, the electromagnetic influences on digital circuits as well as of light wave uses. (HAG) [de

Gallium‐68 DOTATATE Production with Automated PET Radiopharmaceutical Synthesis System: A Three Year Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Aslani

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Gallium‐68 (Ga‐68 is an ideal research and hospital‐based PET radioisotope. Currently, the main form of Ga‐68 radiopharmaceutical that is being synthesised in‐house is Ga‐68 conjugated with DOTA based derivatives. The development of automated synthesis systems has increased the reliability, reproducibility and safety of radiopharmaceutical productions. Here we report on our three year, 500 syntheses experience with an automated system for Ga‐68 DOTATATE. Methods: The automated synthesis system we use is divided into three parts of a servomotor modules, b single use sterile synthesis cassettes and, c a computerized system that runs the modules. An audit trail is produced by the system as a requirement for GMP production. The required reagents and chemicals are made in‐. The Germanium breakthrough is determined on a weekly basis. Production yields for each synthesis are calculated to monitor the performance and efficiency of the synthesis. The quality of the final product is assessed after each synthesis by ITLC‐SG and HPLC methods. Results: A total of 500 Ga‐68 DOTATATE syntheses (>800 patient doses were performed between March 2011 and February 2014. The average generator yield was 81.3±0.2% for 2011, 76.7±0.4% for 2012 and 75.0±0.3% for 2013. Ga‐68 DOTATATE yields for 2011, 2012, and 2013 were 81.8±0.4%, 82.2±0.4% and 87.9±0.4%, respectively. These exceed the manufacturer’s expected value of approximately 70%. Germanium breakthrough averaged 8.6×10‐6% of total activity which is well below the recommended level of 0.001%. The average ITLC‐measured radiochemical purity was above 98.5% and the average HPLC‐measured radiochemical purity was above 99.5%. Although there were some system failures during synthesis, there were only eight occasions where the patient scans needed to be rescheduled. Conclusion: In our experience the automated synthesis system performs reliably with a relatively low incident

THE APPLICABILITY OF EXISTING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY TO AUTOMATE FUZZY SYNTHESIS OF TRAFFIC LIGHT UAV IN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. N. Lysenko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The results of the analysis of the applicability of known application software systems for automated synthesis of fuzzy control traffic light UAV during its flight in adverse weather conditions. The solution is based on a previously formulated and put into consideration the principle of permissible limited a priori estimation of the uncertainty of aerodynamic characteristics of UAVs.

Design of an Automated System for Synthesis of [18 F] FDG for PET Investigation at IFIN-HH Bucharest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craciun, Liviu Stefan; Cimpeanu, Catalina; Constantinescu, Olimpiu; Dudu, Dorin; Ionescu, Cristina; Negoita, Nicolae; Racolta, Petru Mihai; Rusen, Ion

2009-01-01

A novel apparatus constructed at IFIN-HH is described for automated synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals labeled with 18 F for use in positron emission tomography (PET) investigations. [18 F] fluoride was produced at the IFIN-HH cyclotron by irradiation of H 2 O enriched 97% in 18 O with 13 MeV deuterons, or 8 MeV protons. The irradiated H 2 O was transferred (injected) into the radiochemical fully-automated processing systems which ensured the separation of 18 F from H 2 O, the labeling with 18 F, and finally purified by filtration with selective absorbants. The system is easy to operate and contains a programmable logical controller that manages the entire operation program stored in its internal memory. The computer is used to assist the operator during the different steps of synthesis and to allow visualization of the process and printing the report. The device was used for used for the production of 2-[18 F] FLUORO-2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE at the IFIN-HH cyclotron, one of the most used radiopharmaceutical in PET investigations. The synthesis module is configured so that is flexible enough to accomplish other nucleophile reactions of labeling with short lived radioisotopes.

Design of an Automated System for Synthesis of [18 F] FDG for PET Investigation at IFIN-HH Bucharest

Science.gov (United States)

Craciun, Liviu Stefan; Cimpeanu, Catalina; Constantinescu, Olimpiu; Dudu, Dorin; Ionescu, Cristina; Negoita, Nicolae; Racolta, Petru Mihai; Rusen, Ion

2009-03-01

A novel apparatus constructed at IFIN-HH is described for automated synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals labeled with 18F for use in positron emission tomography (PET) investigations. [18 F] fluoride was produced at the IFIN-HH cyclotron by irradiation of H2O enriched 97% in 18O with 13 MeV deuterons, or 8 MeV protons. The irradiated H2O was transferred (injected) into the radiochemical fully-automated processing systems which ensured the separation of 18F from H2O, the labeling with 18F, and finally purified by filtration with selective absorbants. The system is easy to operate and contains a programmable logical controller that manages the entire operation program stored in its internal memory. The computer is used to assist the operator during the different steps of synthesis and to allow visualization of the process and printing the report. The device was used for used for the production of 2-[18 F] FLUORO-2-DEOXY-D-GLUCOSE at the IFIN-HH cyclotron, one of the most used radiopharmaceutical in PET investigations. The synthesis module is configured so that is flexible enough to accomplish other nucleophile reactions of labeling with short lived radioisotopes.

Fully automated synthesis system of 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluorothymidine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Seung Jun; Mosdzianowski, Christoph; Chi, Dae Yoon; Kim, Jung Young; Kang, Se Hun; Ryu, Jin Sook; Yeo, Jeong Seok; Moon, Dae Hyuk

2004-01-01

We developed a new fully automated method for the synthesis of 3'-deoxy-3'-[ 18 F]fluorothymidine ([ 18 F]FLT), by modifying a commercial FDG synthesizer and its disposable fluid pathway. Optimal labeling condition was that 40 mg of precursor in acetonitrile (2 mL) was heated at 150 degree sign C for 100 sec, followed by heating at 85 degree sign C for 450 sec and hydrolysis with 1 N HCl at 105 degree sign C for 300 sec. Using 3.7 GBq of [ 18 F]F - as starting activity, [ 18 F]FLT was obtained with a yield of 50.5±5.2% (n=28, decay corrected) within 60.0±5.4 min including HPLC purification. With 37.0 GBq, we obtained 48.7±5.6% (n=10). The [ 18 F]FLT showed the good stability for 6 h. This new automated synthesis procedure combines high and reproducible yields with the benefits of a disposable cassette system

Future Computer, Communication, Control and Automation

CERN Document Server

2011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation

2012-01-01

The volume includes a set of selected papers extended and revised from the 2011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011). 2011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011) has been held in Zhuhai, China, November 19-20, 2011. This volume topics covered include wireless communications, advances in wireless video, wireless sensors networking, security in wireless networks, network measurement and management, hybrid and discrete-event systems, internet analytics and automation, robotic system and applications, reconfigurable automation systems, machine vision in automation. We hope that researchers, graduate students and other interested readers benefit scientifically from the proceedings and also find it stimulating in the process.

Automated Subsystem Control for Life Support System (ASCLSS)

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Roger F.

1987-01-01

The Automated Subsystem Control for Life Support Systems (ASCLSS) program has successfully developed and demonstrated a generic approach to the automation and control of space station subsystems. The automation system features a hierarchical and distributed real-time control architecture which places maximum controls authority at the lowest or process control level which enhances system autonomy. The ASCLSS demonstration system pioneered many automation and control concepts currently being considered in the space station data management system (DMS). Heavy emphasis is placed on controls hardware and software commonality implemented in accepted standards. The approach demonstrates successfully the application of real-time process and accountability with the subsystem or process developer. The ASCLSS system completely automates a space station subsystem (air revitalization group of the ASCLSS) which moves the crew/operator into a role of supervisory control authority. The ASCLSS program developed over 50 lessons learned which will aide future space station developers in the area of automation and controls..

Automated synthesis of photovoltaic-quality colloidal quantum dots using separate nucleation and growth stages

KAUST Repository

Pan, Jun

2013-11-26

As colloidal quantum dot (CQD) optoelectronic devices continue to improve, interest grows in the scaled-up and automated synthesis of high-quality materials. Unfortunately, all reports of record-performance CQD photovoltaics have been based on small-scale batch syntheses. Here we report a strategy for flow reactor synthesis of PbS CQDs and prove that it leads to solar cells having performance similar to that of comparable batch-synthesized nanoparticles. Specifically, we find that, only when using a dual-temperature-stage flow reactor synthesis reported herein, are the CQDs of sufficient quality to achieve high performance. We use a kinetic model to explain and optimize the nucleation and growth processes in the reactor. Compared to conventional single-stage flow-synthesized CQDs, we achieve superior quality nanocrystals via the optimized dual-stage reactor, with high photoluminescence quantum yield (50%) and narrow full width-half-maximum. The dual-stage flow reactor approach, with its versatility and rapid screening of multiple parameters, combined with its efficient materials utilization, offers an attractive path to automated synthesis of CQDs for photovoltaics and, more broadly, active optoelectronics. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Automated controlled-potential coulometric determination of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, C.H.; Clegg, D.E.; Wright, K.D.; Cassidy, R.M.

1982-06-01

A controlled-potential coulometer has been automated in our laboratory for routine determination of uranium in solution. The CRNL-designed automated system controls degassing, prereduction, and reduction of the sample. The final result is displayed on a digital coulometer readout. Manual and automated modes of operation are compared to show the precision and accuracy of the automated system. Results are also shown for the coulometric titration of typical uranium-aluminum alloy samples

Automation of cDNA Synthesis and Labelling Improves Reproducibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Klevebring

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Several technologies, such as in-depth sequencing and microarrays, enable large-scale interrogation of genomes and transcriptomes. In this study, we asses reproducibility and throughput by moving all laboratory procedures to a robotic workstation, capable of handling superparamagnetic beads. Here, we describe a fully automated procedure for cDNA synthesis and labelling for microarrays, where the purification steps prior to and after labelling are based on precipitation of DNA on carboxylic acid-coated paramagnetic beads. Results. The fully automated procedure allows for samples arrayed on a microtiter plate to be processed in parallel without manual intervention and ensuring high reproducibility. We compare our results to a manual sample preparation procedure and, in addition, use a comprehensive reference dataset to show that the protocol described performs better than similar manual procedures. Conclusions. We demonstrate, in an automated gene expression microarray experiment, a reduced variance between replicates, resulting in an increase in the statistical power to detect differentially expressed genes, thus allowing smaller differences between samples to be identified. This protocol can with minor modifications be used to create cDNA libraries for other applications such as in-depth analysis using next-generation sequencing technologies.

Automated logic conversion method for plant controller systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, Yutaka; Kobayashi, Yasuhiro; Miyo, Tsunemasa; Okano, Masato.

1990-01-01

An automated method is proposed for logic conversion from functional description diagrams to detailed logic schematics by incorporating expertise knowledge in plant controller systems design. The method uses connection data of function elements in the functional description diagram as input, and synthesizes a detailed logic structure by adding elements to the given connection data incrementally, and to generate detailed logic schematics. In logic synthesis, for building up complex synthesis procedures by combining generally-described knowledge, knowledge is applied by groups. The search order of the groups is given by upper-level knowledge. Furthermore, the knowledge is expressed in terms of two classes of rules; one for generating a hypothesis of individual synthesis operations and the other for considering several hypotheses to determine the connection ordering of elements to be added. In the generation of detailed logic schematics, knowledge is used as rules for deriving various kinds of layout conditions on schematics, and rules for generating two-dimensional coordinates of layout objects. Rules in the latter class use layout conditions to predict intersections among layout objects without their coordinates being fixed. The effectiveness of the method with 150 rules was verified by its experimental application to some logic conversions in a real power plant design. Evaluation of the results showed them to be equivalent to those obtained by well qualified designers. (author)

Chimenea and other tools: Automated imaging of multi-epoch radio-synthesis data with CASA

Science.gov (United States)

Staley, T. D.; Anderson, G. E.

2015-11-01

In preparing the way for the Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders, there is a pressing need to begin probing the transient sky in a fully robotic fashion using the current generation of radio telescopes. Effective exploitation of such surveys requires a largely automated data-reduction process. This paper introduces an end-to-end automated reduction pipeline, AMIsurvey, used for calibrating and imaging data from the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array. AMIsurvey makes use of several component libraries which have been packaged separately for open-source release. The most scientifically significant of these is chimenea, which implements a telescope-agnostic algorithm for automated imaging of pre-calibrated multi-epoch radio-synthesis data, of the sort typically acquired for transient surveys or follow-up. The algorithm aims to improve upon standard imaging pipelines by utilizing iterative RMS-estimation and automated source-detection to avoid so called 'Clean-bias', and makes use of CASA subroutines for the underlying image-synthesis operations. At a lower level, AMIsurvey relies upon two libraries, drive-ami and drive-casa, built to allow use of mature radio-astronomy software packages from within Python scripts. While targeted at automated imaging, the drive-casa interface can also be used to automate interaction with any of the CASA subroutines from a generic Python process. Additionally, these packages may be of wider technical interest beyond radio-astronomy, since they demonstrate use of the Python library pexpect to emulate terminal interaction with an external process. This approach allows for rapid development of a Python interface to any legacy or externally-maintained pipeline which accepts command-line input, without requiring alterations to the original code.

Automated synthesis of photovoltaic-quality colloidal quantum dots using separate nucleation and growth stages

KAUST Repository

Pan, Jun; El-Ballouli, AlA'A O.; Rollny, Lisa R.; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Burlakov, Victor M.; Goriely, Alain; Sargent, E. H.; Bakr, Osman

2013-01-01

As colloidal quantum dot (CQD) optoelectronic devices continue to improve, interest grows in the scaled-up and automated synthesis of high-quality materials. Unfortunately, all reports of record-performance CQD photovoltaics have been based on small

Fully automated synthesis of [(18) F]fluoro-dihydrotestosterone ([(18) F]FDHT) using the FlexLab module.

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, Uwe; Lewis, Jason S; Young, Kenneth; Morris, Michael J; Weickhardt, Andrew; Davis, Ian D; Scott, Andrew M

2016-08-01

Imaging of androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer using F-18 FDHT is becoming increasingly popular. With the radiolabelling precursor now commercially available, developing a fully automated synthesis of [(18) F] FDHT is important. We have fully automated the synthesis of F-18 FDHT using the iPhase FlexLab module using only commercially available components. Total synthesis time was 90 min, radiochemical yields were 25-33% (n = 11). Radiochemical purity of the final formulation was > 99% and specific activity was > 18.5 GBq/µmol for all batches. This method can be up-scaled as desired, thus making it possible to study multiple patients in a day. Furthermore, our procedure uses 4 mg of precursor only and is therefore cost-effective. The synthesis has now been validated at Austin Health and is currently used for [(18) F]FDHT studies in patients. We believe that this method can easily adapted by other modules to further widen the availability of [(18) F]FDHT. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Automated Synthesis of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC: Methodological Aspects and Suitable Technical Solutions for a Cationic Purification System.

Science.gov (United States)

Uccelli, Licia; Boschi, Alessandra; Cittanti, Corrado; Martini, Petra; Lodi, Luca; Zappaterra, Elisa; Romani, Simona; Zaccaria, Samanta; Cecconi, Davide; Rambaldi, Ilaria; Santi, Ivan; Panareo, Stefano; Giganti, Melchiore; Bartolomei, Mirco

2018-05-08

The PET Gallium-68 isotope has the advantage of being produced from a generator, so it is also available in nuclear medicine departments without a cyclotron. The preparation of Ga-68 DOTA-labelled compounds is actually performed by remotely controlled automated systems developed in order to assure production efficiency, reproducibility of the results, guarantee fast reaction time, to facilitate the synthesis and minimize the radiation exposure. Many automatic synthesis systems are available on the radiopharmaceutical market, and each of these requires the realization of some technical adaptations for routine use. We reported the Ga-68 DOTATOC production by automated cassette-based theranostic synthesizer system used in combination with a disposable GMP grade cassette system for cationic purification. The synthesizer is integrated with the 68Ge/68Ga generator systems and it allows to perform elution, eluate purification and radiolabeling in about 38 minutes. We have performed between January 2016 and January 2017 over 100 [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC preparation and of these only three have failed. The average synthesis yield of radiopharmaceutical production was 54.4 ± 2.3 % and the average radiochemical purity was 96.94 ± 0.74 %. The methodology and the technical solutions adopted have allowed to obtain a high quality radiopharmaceutical product as required by the European Pharmacopoeia. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Synthesis of pneumatic controll systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Nowak

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Currently, the basic tool for automating the production processes are the PLCs. However, in many areas application of the pneumaticcontrol systems may be more reasonable. The main factor determining choice of the control technology are costs. In the case of pneumaticsystems, the costs shall be determined by the number of elements used. Therefore, during the design works it is important to choose anappropriate method for the pneumatic control systems synthesis. The article presents the MTS method, which may be used for a discretetechnological processes modeling and PLC programming, as well as for a pneumatic control systems designing. An important element ofthe MTS method is the network of actions, which graphically presents an algorithm of the implemented process. Based on the actionnetwork and operating machine’s functional diagram, the diagram of different states is determinated, which graphically shows changes ofthe control system’s input and output signals. Analysis of the diagram of different states, makes it easy to determine a schematic equation, which shall be the basis for the control system implementation. Advantage of the MTS method is the lack of restrictions on the number of the control system’s input and output signals. The resulting solution is characterized by a minimum number of elements needed to implement the control system.

Logistic control in automated transportation networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ebben, Mark

2001-01-01

Increasing congestion problems lead to a search for alternative transportation systems. Automated transportation networks, possibly underground, are an option. Logistic control systems are essential for future implementations of such automated transportation networks. This book contributes to the

18F based radiopharmaceuticals and automation of synthesis. New 18F radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garg, P.K.; Garg, S.

2007-01-01

Fluorine-18 is one of the most commonly used positron emitting isotopes for clinical and research needs with a physical half-life of 110 min. PET isotopes deposit higher radiation absorbed dose than nuclear medicine isotopes. Because of their relatively short half-life, larger quantities of these isotopes are used at the start of synthesis. Therefore, increased shielding and remote automated synthesis are essential for their safe handling. Unlike other radiopharmaceuticals, it is not practical to produce PET radiopharmaceuticals at a central location for subsequent distribution to clinical and research facilities around the country. This limitation compels various academic and research facilities to manufacture their own PET radiopharmaceuticals for in-house use. For multiple reasons, 18 F fluorodeoxyglucose ([ 18 F]FDG) is one of the most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals. The synthesis of [ 18 F]FDG has been optimized and automated, thus allowing independent laboratories to produce this radiopharmaceutical safely. Nonetheless, these laboratories should acquire resources and expertise to fulfil ever increasing regulatory requirements for the safe production and usage of PET radiopharmaceuticals. In addition to [ 18 F]FDG, a wide array of new and novel radiotracers is being developed to explore various biological processes. This paper emphasizes the fact that it is possible to accomplish research and fulfil clinical needs within an academic setting with modest resources. A careful assessment of the need for due diligence in radiation safety issues is very important for the longevity of any PET research endeavour. (author)

Research on the Reliability Testing of Electrical Automation Control Equipment

OpenAIRE

Yongjie Luo

2014-01-01

According to the author’s many years’ work experience, this paper first discusses the concepts of electrical automation control equipment reliability testing, and then analyzes the test method of electrical automation control equipment reliability testing, finally, on this basis, this article discusses how to determine the reliability test method of electrical automation control equipment. Results of this study will provide a useful reference for electrical automation control equipment reliab...

Fully automated SPE-based synthesis and purification of 2-[{sup 18}F]fluoroethyl-choline for human use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmaljohann, Joern [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany); Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Aachen, Aachen (Germany); Schirrmacher, Esther [McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Waengler, Bjoern; Waengler, Carmen [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Schirrmacher, Ralf, E-mail: ralf.schirrmacher@mcgill.c [McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); Guhlke, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.guhlke@ukb.uni-bonn.d [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany)

2011-02-15

Introduction: 2-[{sup 18}F]Fluoroethyl-choline ([{sup 18}F]FECH) is a promising tracer for the detection of prostate cancer as well as brain tumors with positron emission tomography (PET). [{sup 18}F]FECH is actively transported into mammalian cells, becomes phosphorylated by choline kinase and gets incorporated into the cell membrane after being metabolized to phosphatidylcholine. So far, its synthesis is a two-step procedure involving at least one HPLC purification step. To allow a wider dissemination of this tracer, finding a purification method avoiding HPLC is highly desirable and would result in easier accessibility and more reliable production of [{sup 18}F]FECH. Methods: [{sup 18}F]FECH was synthesized by reaction of 2-bromo-1-[{sup 18}F]fluoroethane ([{sup 18}F]BFE) with dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) in DMSO. We applied a novel and very reliable work-up procedure for the synthesis of [{sup 18}F]BFE. Based on a combination of three different solid-phase cartridges, the purification of [{sup 18}F]BFE from its precursor 2-bromoethyl-4-nitrobenzenesulfonate (BENos) could be achieved without using HPLC. Following the subsequent reaction of the purified [{sup 18}F]BFE with DMAE, the final product [{sup 18}F]FECH was obtained as a sterile solution by passing the crude reaction mixture through a combination of two CM plus cartridges and a sterile filter. The fully automated synthesis was performed using as well a Raytest SynChrom module (Raytest, Germany) or a Scintomics HotboxIII module (Scintomics, Germany). Results: The radiotracer [{sup 18}F]FECH can be synthesized in reliable radiochemical yields (RCY) of 37{+-}5% (Synchrom module) and 33{+-}5% (Hotbox III unit) in less than 1 h using these two fully automated commercially available synthesis units without HPLC involvement for purification. Detailed quality control of the final injectable [{sup 18}F]FECH solution proved the high radiochemical purity and the absence of Kryptofix2.2.2, DMAE and DMSO used in the

Application of magnetic sensors in automation control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hou Chunhong [AMETEK Inc., Paoli, PA 19301 (United States); Qian Zhenghong, E-mail: zqian@hdu.edu.cn [Center For Integrated Spintronic Devices (CISD), Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, ZJ 310018 (China)

2011-01-01

Controls in automation need speed and position feedback. The feedback device is often referred to as encoder. Feedback technology includes mechanical, optical, and magnetic, etc. All advance with new inventions and discoveries. Magnetic sensing as a feedback technology offers certain advantages over other technologies like optical one. With new discoveries like GMR (Giant Magneto-Resistance), TMR (Tunneling Magneto-Resistance) becoming feasible for commercialization, more and more applications will be using advanced magnetic sensors in automation. This paper offers a general review on encoder and applications of magnetic sensors in automation control.

Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System Software

Science.gov (United States)

Britchcliffe, Michael J.; Conroy, Bruce L.; Anderson, Paul E.; Wilson, Ahmad

2011-01-01

This software is used in an automated cryogenic control system developed to monitor and control the operation of small-scale cryocoolers. The system was designed to automate the cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifier system described in "Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System" (NPO-47246), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 35, No. 5 (May 2011), page 7a. The software contains algorithms necessary to convert non-linear output voltages from the cryogenic diode-type thermometers and vacuum pressure and helium pressure sensors, to temperature and pressure units. The control function algorithms use the monitor data to control the cooler power, vacuum solenoid, vacuum pump, and electrical warm-up heaters. The control algorithms are based on a rule-based system that activates the required device based on the operating mode. The external interface is Web-based. It acts as a Web server, providing pages for monitor, control, and configuration. No client software from the external user is required.

Automation facilities for agricultural machinery control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Yu. Izmaylov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The possibility of use of the automation equipment for agricultural machinery control is investigated. The authors proposed solutions on creation of the centralized unified automated information system for mobile aggregates management. In accordance with the modern requirements this system should be open, integrated into the general schema of agricultural enterprise control. Standard hardware, software and communicative features should be realized in tasks of monitoring and control. Therefore the schema should be get with use the unified modules and Russian standards. The complex multivariate unified automated control system for different objects of agricultural purpose based on block and modular creation should correspond to the following principles: high reliability, simplicity of service, low expenses in case of operation, the short payback period connected to increase in productivity, the reduced losses when harvesting, postharvest processing and storage, the improved energetic indices. Technological processes control in agricultural production is exercised generally with feedback. The example without feedback is program control by temperature in storage in case of the cooling mode. Feedback at technological processes control in agricultural production allows to optimally solve a problem of rational distribution of functions in man-distributed systems and forming the intelligent ergonomic interfaces, consistent with professional perceptions of decision-makers. The negative feedback created by the control unit allows to support automatically a quality index of technological process at the set level. The quantitative analysis of a production situation base itself upon deeply formalized basis of computer facilities that promotes making of the optimal solution. Information automated control system introduction increases labor productivity by 40 percent, reduces energetic costs by 25 percent. Improvement of quality of the executed technological

Automation synthesis modules review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boschi, S.; Lodi, F.; Malizia, C.; Cicoria, G.; Marengo, M.

2013-01-01

The introduction of 68 Ga labelled tracers has changed the diagnostic approach to neuroendocrine tumours and the availability of a reliable, long-lived 68 Ge/ 68 Ga generator has been at the bases of the development of 68 Ga radiopharmacy. The huge increase in clinical demand, the impact of regulatory issues and a careful radioprotection of the operators have boosted for extensive automation of the production process. The development of automated systems for 68 Ga radiochemistry, different engineering and software strategies and post-processing of the eluate were discussed along with impact of automation with regulations. - Highlights: ► Generators availability and robust chemistry boosted for the huge diffusion of 68Ga radiopharmaceuticals. ► Different technological approaches for 68Ga radiopharmaceuticals will be discussed. ► Generator eluate post processing and evolution to cassette based systems were the major issues in automation. ► Impact of regulations on the technological development will be also considered

Spaceport Command and Control System Automation Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Andrew

2017-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) launch control system for the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, the next generation manned rocket currently in development. This large system requires high quality testing that will properly measure the capabilities of the system. Automating the test procedures would save the project time and money. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has recruited interns for the past two years to work alongside full-time engineers to develop these automated tests, as well as innovate upon the current automation process.

Spaceport Command and Control System Automated Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Meriel

2017-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) launch control system for the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, the next generation manned rocket currently in development. This large system requires high quality testing that will properly measure the capabilities of the system. Automating the test procedures would save the project time and money. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has recruited interns for the past two years to work alongside full-time engineers to develop these automated tests, as well as innovate upon the current automation process.

Evaluation of an automated double-synthesis module: efficiency and reliability of subsequent radiosyntheses of FHBG and FLT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedermoser, Sabrina; Pape, Manuela; Gildehaus, Franz Josef; Wängler, Carmen; Hartenbach, Markus; Schirrmacher, Ralf; Bartenstein, Peter; Wängler, Björn

2012-01-01

We optimized the synthesis methods for 3′-deoxy-3′-[ 18 F]fluorothymidine ([ 18 F]FLT) and 9-(4-[ 18 F]fluoro-3-[hydroxymethyl]butyl)guanine) ([ 18 F]FHBG) and automated them on an Explora General Nucleophilic double-synthesis module. Furthermore, the synthesis efficiency and reliability and the formation of cross-contaminations of the products when preparing two consecutive batches were evaluated. Whereas the preinstalled FLT synthesis conditions required substantial modification in reaction and neutralization conditions to achieve radiochemical yields of up to 60% within 70±10 min including high-performance liquid chromatography purification, the synthesis of FHBG had to be implemented to the module to obtain competitive radiochemical yields of up to 40% in an overall synthesis time of 60±10 min. The radiochemical purities obtained were ≥99% and ≥96% for the synthesis of [ 18 F]FLT and [ 18 F]FHBG, respectively. No significant changes in yield or purity could be observed between both batch productions. We found that the yields and purities also did not change when performing FLT after FHBG syntheses and vice versa. Hence, we developed a synthesis setup that offers the opportunity to perform two subsequent syntheses of either [ 18 F]FLT, [ 18 F]FHBG or [ 18 F]FLT after [ 18 F]FHBG without decrease in radiochemical yields and purities. Also, no cross-contaminations were observed, which can be attributed to the use of separate product delivery tubes, purification columns and an automated intermediate cleaning program. These results open up the possibility of producing consecutively either two equal 18 F-fluorinated tracers or two different ones in high yields on the same synthesis module.

Automated Conflict Resolution For Air Traffic Control

Science.gov (United States)

Erzberger, Heinz

2005-01-01

The ability to detect and resolve conflicts automatically is considered to be an essential requirement for the next generation air traffic control system. While systems for automated conflict detection have been used operationally by controllers for more than 20 years, automated resolution systems have so far not reached the level of maturity required for operational deployment. Analytical models and algorithms for automated resolution have been traffic conditions to demonstrate that they can handle the complete spectrum of conflict situations encountered in actual operations. The resolution algorithm described in this paper was formulated to meet the performance requirements of the Automated Airspace Concept (AAC). The AAC, which was described in a recent paper [1], is a candidate for the next generation air traffic control system. The AAC's performance objectives are to increase safety and airspace capacity and to accommodate user preferences in flight operations to the greatest extent possible. In the AAC, resolution trajectories are generated by an automation system on the ground and sent to the aircraft autonomously via data link .The algorithm generating the trajectories must take into account the performance characteristics of the aircraft, the route structure of the airway system, and be capable of resolving all types of conflicts for properly equipped aircraft without requiring supervision and approval by a controller. Furthermore, the resolution trajectories should be compatible with the clearances, vectors and flight plan amendments that controllers customarily issue to pilots in resolving conflicts. The algorithm described herein, although formulated specifically to meet the needs of the AAC, provides a generic engine for resolving conflicts. Thus, it can be incorporated into any operational concept that requires a method for automated resolution, including concepts for autonomous air to air resolution.

Controls and automation in the SPIRAL project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bothner, U.; Boulot, A.; Maherault, J.; Martial, L.

1999-01-01

The control and automation team of the R and D of Accelerator-Exotic Beam Department has had in the framework of SPIRAL collaboration the following tasks: 1. automation of the resonator high frequency equipment of the CIME cyclotron; 2. automation of the vacuum equipment, i.e. the low energy line (TBE), the CIME cyclotron, the low energy line (BE); 3. automation of load safety for power supply; 4. for each of these tasks a circuitry file based on the SCHEMA software has been worked out. The programs required in the automation of load safety for power supply (STEP5, PROTOOL, DESIGNER 4.1) were developed and implemented for PC

Automated synthesis of ["1"8F](2S,4R)-4-fluoroglutamine on a GE TRACERlab™ FX-N Pro module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xiang; Basuli, Falguni; Shi, Zhen-Dan; Xu, Biying; Blackman, Burchelle; Choyke, Peter L.; Swenson, Rolf E.

2016-01-01

Glutamine (Gln) and its analogues may serve as imaging agents for tumor diagnosis using positron emission tomography (PET), especially for tumors with negative ["1"8F]FDG scan. We report the first automated synthesis of ["1"8F](2S,4R)-4-fluoroglutamine (["1"8F]FGln) on a GE TRACERlab™ FX-N Pro module. ["1"8F]FGln was obtained in 80±3 min with a radiochemical yield of 21±3% (n=5, uncorrected). The radiochemical purity was >98%, and optical purity 90±5%. The synthesis is highly reproducible with good chemical purity, radiochemical yield, and is suitable for translation to cGMP production. - Highlights: • The radiosynthesis of ["1"8F]fluoroglutamine was optimized with improved yield and purity. • Fully automated synthesis was established on a GE TRACERlab™ FX-N Pro module. • Radiochemical yield of 21±3% (uncorrected, n=5) was obtained with good reproducibility. • The automation could be easily adapted to cGMP production for routine clinical use.

Towards full automation of accelerators through computer control

CERN Document Server

Gamble, J; Kemp, D; Keyser, R; Koutchouk, Jean-Pierre; Martucci, P P; Tausch, Lothar A; Vos, L

1980-01-01

The computer control system of the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) at CERN has always laid emphasis on two particular operational aspects, the first being the reproducibility of machine conditions and the second that of giving the operators the possibility to work in terms of machine parameters such as the tune. Already certain phases of the operation are optimized by the control system, whilst others are automated with a minimum of manual intervention. The authors describe this present control system with emphasis on the existing automated facilities and the features of the control system which make it possible. It then discusses the steps needed to completely automate the operational procedure of accelerators. (7 refs).

Towards full automation of accelerators through computer control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gamble, J.; Hemery, J.-Y.; Kemp, D.; Keyser, R.; Koutchouk, J.-P.; Martucci, P.; Tausch, L.; Vos, L.

1980-01-01

The computer control system of the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) at CERN has always laid emphasis on two particular operational aspects, the first being the reproducibility of machine conditions and the second that of giving the operators the possibility to work in terms of machine parameters such as the tune. Already certain phases of the operation are optimized by the control system, whilst others are automated with a minimum of manual intervention. The paper describes this present control system with emphasis on the existing automated facilities and the features of the control system which make it possible. It then discusses the steps needed to completely automate the operational procedure of accelerators. (Auth.)

Adaptive Automation Based on Air Traffic Controller Decision-Making

NARCIS (Netherlands)

IJtsma (Student TU Delft), Martijn; Borst, C.; Mercado Velasco, G.A.; Mulder, M.; van Paassen, M.M.; Tsang, P.S.; Vidulich, M.A.

2017-01-01

Through smart scheduling and triggering of automation support, adaptive automation has the potential to balance air traffic controller workload. The challenge in the design of adaptive automation systems is to decide how and when the automation should provide support. This paper describes the design

Automated data acquisition technology development:Automated modeling and control development

Science.gov (United States)

Romine, Peter L.

1995-01-01

This report documents the completion of, and improvements made to, the software developed for automated data acquisition and automated modeling and control development on the Texas Micro rackmounted PC's. This research was initiated because a need was identified by the Metal Processing Branch of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for a mobile data acquisition and data analysis system, customized for welding measurement and calibration. Several hardware configurations were evaluated and a PC based system was chosen. The Welding Measurement System (WMS), is a dedicated instrument strickly for use of data acquisition and data analysis. In addition to the data acquisition functions described in this thesis, WMS also supports many functions associated with process control. The hardware and software requirements for an automated acquisition system for welding process parameters, welding equipment checkout, and welding process modeling were determined in 1992. From these recommendations, NASA purchased the necessary hardware and software. The new welding acquisition system is designed to collect welding parameter data and perform analysis to determine the voltage versus current arc-length relationship for VPPA welding. Once the results of this analysis are obtained, they can then be used to develop a RAIL function to control welding startup and shutdown without torch crashing.

Two-dimensional parallel array technology as a new approach to automated combinatorial solid-phase organic synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Brennan; Biddison; Frauendorf; Schwarcz; Keen; Ecker; Davis; Tinder; Swayze

1998-01-01

An automated, 96-well parallel array synthesizer for solid-phase organic synthesis has been designed and constructed. The instrument employs a unique reagent array delivery format, in which each reagent utilized has a dedicated plumbing system. An inert atmosphere is maintained during all phases of a synthesis, and temperature can be controlled via a thermal transfer plate which holds the injection molded reaction block. The reaction plate assembly slides in the X-axis direction, while eight nozzle blocks holding the reagent lines slide in the Y-axis direction, allowing for the extremely rapid delivery of any of 64 reagents to 96 wells. In addition, there are six banks of fixed nozzle blocks, which deliver the same reagent or solvent to eight wells at once, for a total of 72 possible reagents. The instrument is controlled by software which allows the straightforward programming of the synthesis of a larger number of compounds. This is accomplished by supplying a general synthetic procedure in the form of a command file, which calls upon certain reagents to be added to specific wells via lookup in a sequence file. The bottle position, flow rate, and concentration of each reagent is stored in a separate reagent table file. To demonstrate the utility of the parallel array synthesizer, a small combinatorial library of hydroxamic acids was prepared in high throughput mode for biological screening. Approximately 1300 compounds were prepared on a 10 μmole scale (3-5 mg) in a few weeks. The resulting crude compounds were generally >80% pure, and were utilized directly for high throughput screening in antibacterial assays. Several active wells were found, and the activity was verified by solution-phase synthesis of analytically pure material, indicating that the system described herein is an efficient means for the parallel synthesis of compounds for lead discovery. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Complete automation of nuclear reactors control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weill, J.

1955-01-01

The use of nuclear reactor for energy production induces the installation of automatic control systems which need to be safe enough and can adapt to the industrial scale of energy production. These automatic control systems have to insure the constancy of power level and adjust the power produced to the energy demand. Two functioning modes are considered: nuclear plant connected up to other electric production systems as hydraulic or thermic plants or nuclear plants functioning on an independent network. For nuclear plants connected up with other production plants, xenon poisoning and operating cost lead to keep working at maximum power the nuclear reactors. Thus, the power modulation control system will not be considered and only start-up control, safety control, and control systems will be automated. For nuclear power plants working on an independent network, the power modulation control system is needed to economize fuel. It described the automated control system for reactors functioning with constant power: a power measurement system constituted of an ionization chamber and a direct-current amplifier will control the steadfastness of the power produced. For reactors functioning with variable power, the automated power control system will allow to change the power and maintain it steady with all the necessary safety and will control that working conditions under P max and R max (maximum power and maximum reactivity). The effects of temperature and xenon poisoning will also be discussed. Safety systems will be added to stop completely the functioning of the reactor if P max is reached. (M.P.)

Levels of automation and user control - evaluation of a turbine automation interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Jonas (Chalmers Univ. of Technology (Sweden))

2008-10-15

The study was performed during the annual operator training at the Studsvik nuclear power plant simulator facility in Nykoeping, Sweden. The participating operators came from the Oskarshamn 3 nuclear power plant. In the study, seven nuclear power plant turbine operators were interviewed concerning their use of the automatic turbine system. A field study approach together with a heuristic usability evaluation was made to assess how the operators are affected by use of automation in the control room setting. The purpose of the study was to examine how operator performance is affected by varying levels of automation in nuclear power plant turbine operation. The Automatic Turbine System (ATS) was evaluated to clarify how the ATS interface design supports the operators work. The results show that during manual control the operators experience loss of speed and accuracy in performing actions together with difficulty of dividing attention between performing a task and overall monitoring, as the major problems. The positive aspects of manual operations lie in increased feeling of being in control when performing actions by hand. With higher levels of automation the problems shift to issues concerning difficulty of following the automatic sequences and loosing track in procedures. As the level of automation gets higher, the need of feedback increases which means that information presentation also becomes more important. The use of the semiautomatic, step-mode is often preferred by the operators since it combines the speed and accuracy of the automation with the ability of maintaining the feeling of being in control. Further, a number of usability related concerns was found in the ATS interface. The operators especially experience the presentation of the conditions that manage the automatic sequences as difficult to perceive. (author)

Levels of automation and user control - evaluation of a turbine automation interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Jonas

2008-10-01

The study was performed during the annual operator training at the Studsvik nuclear power plant simulator facility in Nykoeping, Sweden. The participating operators came from the Oskarshamn 3 nuclear power plant. In the study, seven nuclear power plant turbine operators were interviewed concerning their use of the automatic turbine system. A field study approach together with a heuristic usability evaluation was made to assess how the operators are affected by use of automation in the control room setting. The purpose of the study was to examine how operator performance is affected by varying levels of automation in nuclear power plant turbine operation. The Automatic Turbine System (ATS) was evaluated to clarify how the ATS interface design supports the operators work. The results show that during manual control the operators experience loss of speed and accuracy in performing actions together with difficulty of dividing attention between performing a task and overall monitoring, as the major problems. The positive aspects of manual operations lie in increased feeling of being in control when performing actions by hand. With higher levels of automation the problems shift to issues concerning difficulty of following the automatic sequences and loosing track in procedures. As the level of automation gets higher, the need of feedback increases which means that information presentation also becomes more important. The use of the semiautomatic, step-mode is often preferred by the operators since it combines the speed and accuracy of the automation with the ability of maintaining the feeling of being in control. Further, a number of usability related concerns was found in the ATS interface. The operators especially experience the presentation of the conditions that manage the automatic sequences as difficult to perceive. (au)

An automated synthesis module for preparation of L-3-[123I]iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luurtsema, Gert; Jager, Pieter L.; Piers, Albertus; Hooge, Marjolijn N. de

2001-01-01

L-3-[ 123 I]iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine (IMT) is an artificial amino acid suitable for SPECT imaging of various tumours. Manual synthesis of this radiopharmaceutical is reliable, but time-consuming and may require handling of large quantities of radioactivity. We developed an automated IMT synthesis module, which prepares a ready-to-inject product that meets radiopharmaceutical requirements and is identical to the manually synthesised equivalent. Current advantages include decreased operator assistance time and reduced radiation exposure. Application may be extended to other radiopharmaceuticals, including high-dose preparations for therapeutic use

Automation of multi-agent control for complex dynamic systems in heterogeneous computational network

Science.gov (United States)

Oparin, Gennady; Feoktistov, Alexander; Bogdanova, Vera; Sidorov, Ivan

2017-01-01

The rapid progress of high-performance computing entails new challenges related to solving large scientific problems for various subject domains in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment (e.g., a network, Grid system, or Cloud infrastructure). The specialists in the field of parallel and distributed computing give the special attention to a scalability of applications for problem solving. An effective management of the scalable application in the heterogeneous distributed computing environment is still a non-trivial issue. Control systems that operate in networks, especially relate to this issue. We propose a new approach to the multi-agent management for the scalable applications in the heterogeneous computational network. The fundamentals of our approach are the integrated use of conceptual programming, simulation modeling, network monitoring, multi-agent management, and service-oriented programming. We developed a special framework for an automation of the problem solving. Advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated on the parametric synthesis example of the static linear regulator for complex dynamic systems. Benefits of the scalable application for solving this problem include automation of the multi-agent control for the systems in a parallel mode with various degrees of its detailed elaboration.

Oxygen-controlled automated neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondragon-Teran, Paul; Tostoes, Rui; Mason, Chris; Lye, Gary J; Veraitch, Farlan S

2013-03-01

Automation and oxygen tension control are two tools that provide significant improvements to the reproducibility and efficiency of stem cell production processes. the aim of this study was to establish a novel automation platform capable of controlling oxygen tension during both the cell-culture and liquid-handling steps of neural differentiation processes. We built a bespoke automation platform, which enclosed a liquid-handling platform in a sterile, oxygen-controlled environment. An airtight connection was used to transfer cell culture plates to and from an automated oxygen-controlled incubator. Our results demonstrate that our system yielded comparable cell numbers, viabilities, metabolism profiles and differentiation efficiencies when compared with traditional manual processes. Interestingly, eliminating exposure to ambient conditions during the liquid-handling stage resulted in significant improvements in the yield of MAP2-positive neural cells, indicating that this level of control can improve differentiation processes. This article describes, for the first time, an automation platform capable of maintaining oxygen tension control during both the cell-culture and liquid-handling stages of a 2D embryonic stem cell differentiation process.

Automated subsystems control development. [for life support systems of space station

Science.gov (United States)

Block, R. F.; Heppner, D. B.; Samonski, F. H., Jr.; Lance, N., Jr.

1985-01-01

NASA has the objective to launch a Space Station in the 1990s. It has been found that the success of the Space Station engineering development, the achievement of initial operational capability (IOC), and the operation of a productive Space Station will depend heavily on the implementation of an effective automation and control approach. For the development of technology needed to implement the required automation and control function, a contract entitled 'Automated Subsystems Control for Life Support Systems' (ASCLSS) was awarded to two American companies. The present paper provides a description of the ASCLSS program. Attention is given to an automation and control architecture study, a generic automation and control approach for hardware demonstration, a standard software approach, application of Air Revitalization Group (ARG) process simulators, and a generic man-machine interface.

SYNTHESIS OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STEPPING-UP CONVERTER OF DC VOLTAGE AT ACTIVE LOAD OPERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Мironovich

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Investigation of a nontransformer stepping-up converter of dc voltage has been carried out. A non-linear structural circuit of the converter has been developed with the help of the controlled current injection method. A linearization of an object and an automation control system synthesis have been conducted applying method of successive optimization of the circuits. The paper contains results of transient process simulation in the linear computer model and in the power electronics computer model. 

Building Strategic Conformal Automation for Air Traffic Control Using Machine Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Regtuit, Robert; Borst, C.; van Kampen, E.; van Paassen, M.M.

2018-01-01

Acceptance of automation has been a bottleneck for successful introduction of automation in Air Trac Control. Strategic conformal automation has been proven to increase automation acceptance, by creating a better match between automation and operator decision-making. In this paper strategic

Automating quantum experiment control

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Kelly E.; Amini, Jason M.; Doret, S. Charles; Mohler, Greg; Volin, Curtis; Harter, Alexa W.

2017-03-01

The field of quantum information processing is rapidly advancing. As the control of quantum systems approaches the level needed for useful computation, the physical hardware underlying the quantum systems is becoming increasingly complex. It is already becoming impractical to manually code control for the larger hardware implementations. In this chapter, we will employ an approach to the problem of system control that parallels compiler design for a classical computer. We will start with a candidate quantum computing technology, the surface electrode ion trap, and build a system instruction language which can be generated from a simple machine-independent programming language via compilation. We incorporate compile time generation of ion routing that separates the algorithm description from the physical geometry of the hardware. Extending this approach to automatic routing at run time allows for automated initialization of qubit number and placement and additionally allows for automated recovery after catastrophic events such as qubit loss. To show that these systems can handle real hardware, we present a simple demonstration system that routes two ions around a multi-zone ion trap and handles ion loss and ion placement. While we will mainly use examples from transport-based ion trap quantum computing, many of the issues and solutions are applicable to other architectures.

Launch Control System Software Development System Automation Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Andrew

2017-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) launch control system for the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, the next generation manned rocket currently in development. This system requires high quality testing that will measure and test the capabilities of the system. For the past two years, the Exploration and Operations Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has assigned a group including interns and full-time engineers to develop automated tests to save the project time and money. The team worked on automating the testing process for the SCCS GUI that would use streamed simulated data from the testing servers to produce data, plots, statuses, etc. to the GUI. The software used to develop automated tests included an automated testing framework and an automation library. The automated testing framework has a tabular-style syntax, which means the functionality of a line of code must have the appropriate number of tabs for the line to function as intended. The header section contains either paths to custom resources or the names of libraries being used. The automation library contains functionality to automate anything that appears on a desired screen with the use of image recognition software to detect and control GUI components. The data section contains any data values strictly created for the current testing file. The body section holds the tests that are being run. The function section can include any number of functions that may be used by the current testing file or any other file that resources it. The resources and body section are required for all test files; the data and function sections can be left empty if the data values and functions being used are from a resourced library or another file. To help equip the automation team with better tools, the Project Lead of the Automated Testing Team, Jason Kapusta, assigned the task to install and train an optical character recognition (OCR

AN AUTOMATED RAILWAY STATION TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AN AUTOMATED RAILWAY STATION TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM. ... involve collision with automobiles or other vehicles and collision with other trains. ... the processed signals to control electromagnetic devices through motor drivers.

AUTOMATION FOR THE SYNTHESIS AND APPLICATION OF PET RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexoff, D.L.

2001-01-01

The development of automated systems supporting the production and application of PET radiopharmaceuticals has been an important focus of researchers since the first successes of using carbon-11 (Comar et al., 1979) and fluorine-18 (Reivich et al., 1979) labeled compounds to visualize functional activity of the human brain. These initial successes of imaging the human brain soon led to applications in the human heart (Schelbert et al., 1980), and quickly radiochemists began to see the importance of automation to support PET studies in humans (Lambrecht, 1982; Langstrom et al., 1983). Driven by the necessity of controlling processes emanating high fluxes of 511 KeV photons, and by the tedium of repetitive syntheses for carrying out these human PET investigations, academic and government scientists have designed, developed and tested many useful and novel automated systems in the past twenty years. These systems, originally designed primarily by radiochemists, not only carry out effectively the tasks they were designed for, but also demonstrate significant engineering innovation in the field of laboratory automation

Automation of the micro-arc oxidation process

Science.gov (United States)

Golubkov, P. E.; Pecherskaya, E. A.; Karpanin, O. V.; Shepeleva, Y. V.; Zinchenko, T. O.; Artamonov, D. V.

2017-11-01

At present the significantly increased interest in micro-arc oxidation (MAO) encourages scientists to look for the solution of the problem of this technological process controllability. To solve this problem an automated technological installation MAO was developed, its structure and control principles are presented in this article. This device will allow to provide the controlled synthesis of MAO coatings and to identify MAO process patterns which contributes to commercialization of this technology.

webPOISONCONTROL: can poison control be automated?

Science.gov (United States)

Litovitz, Toby; Benson, Blaine E; Smolinske, Susan

2016-08-01

A free webPOISONCONTROL app allows the public to determine the appropriate triage of poison ingestions without calling poison control. If accepted and safe, this alternative expands access to reliable poison control services to those who prefer the Internet over the telephone. This study assesses feasibility, safety, and user-acceptance of automated online triage of asymptomatic, nonsuicidal poison ingestion cases. The user provides substance name, amount, age, and weight in an automated online tool or downloadable app, and is given a specific triage recommendation to stay home, go to the emergency department, or call poison control for further guidance. Safety was determined by assessing outcomes of consecutive home-triaged cases with follow-up and by confirming the correct application of algorithms. Case completion times and user perceptions of speed and ease of use were measures of user-acceptance. Of 9256 cases, 73.3% were triaged to home, 2.1% to an emergency department, and 24.5% directed to call poison control. Children younger than 6 years were involved in 75.2% of cases. Automated follow-up was done in 31.2% of home-triaged cases; 82.3% of these had no effect. No major or fatal outcomes were reported. More than 91% of survey respondents found the tool quick and easy to use. Median case completion time was 4.1 minutes. webPOISONCONTROL augments traditional poison control services by providing automated, accurate online access to case-specific triage and first aid guidance for poison ingestions. It is safe, quick, and easy to use. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NIF ICCS Test Controller for Automated and Manual Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zielinski, J S

2007-01-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Integrated Computer Control System (ICCS) is a large (1.5 MSLOC), hierarchical, distributed system that controls all aspects of the NIF laser [1]. The ICCS team delivers software updates to the NIF facility throughout the year to support shot operations and commissioning activities. In 2006, there were 48 releases of ICCS: 29 full releases, 19 patches. To ensure the quality of each delivery, thousands of manual and automated tests are performed using the ICCS Test Controller test infrastructure. The TestController system provides test inventory management, test planning, automated test execution and manual test logging, release testing summaries and test results search, all through a web browser interface. Automated tests include command line based frameworks server tests and Graphical User Interface (GUI) based Java tests. Manual tests are presented as a checklist-style web form to be completed by the tester. The results of all tests, automated and manual, are kept in a common repository that provides data to dynamic status reports. As part of the 3-stage ICCS release testing strategy, the TestController system helps plan, evaluate and track the readiness of each release to the NIF facility

Effects of Automation Types on Air Traffic Controller Situation Awareness and Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Sethumadhavan, A.

2009-01-01

The Joint Planning and Development Office has proposed the introduction of automated systems to help air traffic controllers handle the increasing volume of air traffic in the next two decades (JPDO, 2007). Because fully automated systems leave operators out of the decision-making loop (e.g., Billings, 1991), it is important to determine the right level and type of automation that will keep air traffic controllers in the loop. This study examined the differences in the situation awareness (SA) and collision detection performance of individuals when they worked with information acquisition, information analysis, decision and action selection and action implementation automation to control air traffic (Parasuraman, Sheridan, & Wickens, 2000). When the automation was unreliable, the time taken to detect an upcoming collision was significantly longer for all the automation types compared with the information acquisition automation. This poor performance following automation failure was mediated by SA, with lower SA yielding poor performance. Thus, the costs associated with automation failure are greater when automation is applied to higher order stages of information processing. Results have practical implications for automation design and development of SA training programs.

Explicit control of adaptive automation under different levels of environmental stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauer, Jürgen; Kao, Chung-Shan; Wastell, David; Nickel, Peter

2011-08-01

This article examines the effectiveness of three different forms of explicit control of adaptive automation under low- and high-stress conditions, operationalised by different levels of noise. In total, 60 participants were assigned to one of three types of automation design (free, prompted and forced choice). They were trained for 4 h on a highly automated simulation of a process control environment, called AutoCAMS. This was followed by a 4-h testing session under noise exposure and quiet conditions. Measures of performance, psychophysiology and subjective reactions were taken. The results showed that all three modes of explicit control of adaptive automation modes were able to attenuate the negative effects of noise. This was partly due to the fact that operators opted for higher levels of automation under noise. It also emerged that forced choice showed marginal advantages over the two other automation modes. Statement of Relevance: This work is relevant to the design of adaptive automation since it emphasises the need to consider the impact of work-related stressors during task completion. During the presence of stressors, different forms of operator support through automation may be required than under more favourable working conditions.

Driving Performance After Self-Regulated Control Transitions in Highly Automated Vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksson, Alexander; Stanton, Neville A

2017-12-01

This study aims to explore whether driver-paced, noncritical transitions of control may counteract some of the aftereffects observed in the contemporary literature, resulting in higher levels of vehicle control. Research into control transitions in highly automated driving has focused on urgent scenarios where drivers are given a relatively short time span to respond to a request to resume manual control, resulting in seemingly scrambled control when manual control is resumed. Twenty-six drivers drove two scenarios with an automated driving feature activated. Drivers were asked to read a newspaper or monitor the system and relinquish or resume control from the automation when prompted by vehicle systems. Driving performance in terms of lane positioning and steering behavior was assessed for 20 seconds post resuming control to capture the resulting level of control. It was found that lane positioning was virtually unaffected for the duration of the 20-second time span in both automated conditions compared to the manual baseline when drivers resumed manual control; however, significant increases in the standard deviation of steering input were found for both automated conditions compared to baseline. No significant differences were found between the two automated conditions. The results indicate that when drivers self-paced the transfer back to manual control they exhibit less of the detrimental effects observed in system-paced conditions. It was shown that self-paced transitions could reduce the risk of accidents near the edge of the operational design domain. Vehicle manufacturers must consider these benefits when designing contemporary systems.

Automated Reuse of Scientific Subroutine Libraries through Deductive Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, Michael R.; Pressburger, Thomas; VanBaalen, Jeffrey; Roach, Steven

1997-01-01

Systematic software construction offers the potential of elevating software engineering from an art-form to an engineering discipline. The desired result is more predictable software development leading to better quality and more maintainable software. However, the overhead costs associated with the formalisms, mathematics, and methods of systematic software construction have largely precluded their adoption in real-world software development. In fact, many mainstream software development organizations, such as Microsoft, still maintain a predominantly oral culture for software development projects; which is far removed from a formalism-based culture for software development. An exception is the limited domain of safety-critical software, where the high-assuiance inherent in systematic software construction justifies the additional cost. We believe that systematic software construction will only be adopted by mainstream software development organization when the overhead costs have been greatly reduced. Two approaches to cost mitigation are reuse (amortizing costs over many applications) and automation. For the last four years, NASA Ames has funded the Amphion project, whose objective is to automate software reuse through techniques from systematic software construction. In particular, deductive program synthesis (i.e., program extraction from proofs) is used to derive a composition of software components (e.g., subroutines) that correctly implements a specification. The construction of reuse libraries of software components is the standard software engineering solution for improving software development productivity and quality.

Automated synthesis of n.c.a. [18F]FDOPA via nucleophilic aromatic substitution with [18F]fluoride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, B.; Ehrlichmann, W.; Uebele, M.; Machulla, H.-J.; Reischl, G.

2009-01-01

An improved, automated synthesis of [ 18 F]FDOPA including four synthetic steps (fluorination, reductive iodination, alkylation and hydrolysis) is reported with each step optimized individually. In a home-made automatic synthesizer, 9064±3076 MBq of [ 18 F]FDOPA were produced within 120 min from EOB (n=5). Radiochemical purity and enantiomeric excess were both ≥95%. Specific activity was ca. 50 GBq/μmol at EOS. This automatically operable synthesis is well suited for the multi-patient-dose routine production of n.c.a. [ 18 F]FDOPA.

Instrumentation, controls and automation in the power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

The year 1991 will be remembered as the year EPRI joined with the ISA Power Division to present an outstanding group to technical papers at the First Annual ISA/EPRI Joint Controls and Automation Conference. All papers met the theme for the conference namely Innovative Instrumentation, Controls, and Automation Techniques for the Power Generation Industry and cover a myriad of application ranging from nuclear to conventional fossil to co-generation plants involving nuclear, conventional BTG, and combined cycle equipment applications

Development of design principles for automated systems in transport control.

Science.gov (United States)

Balfe, Nora; Wilson, John R; Sharples, Sarah; Clarke, Theresa

2012-01-01

This article reports the results of a qualitative study investigating attitudes towards and opinions of an advanced automation system currently used in UK rail signalling. In-depth interviews were held with 10 users, key issues associated with automation were identified and the automation's impact on the signalling task investigated. The interview data highlighted the importance of the signallers' understanding of the automation and their (in)ability to predict its outputs. The interviews also covered the methods used by signallers to interact with and control the automation, and the perceived effects on their workload. The results indicate that despite a generally low level of understanding and ability to predict the actions of the automation system, signallers have developed largely successful coping mechanisms that enable them to use the technology effectively. These findings, along with parallel work identifying desirable attributes of automation from the literature in the area, were used to develop 12 principles of automation which can be used to help design new systems which better facilitate cooperative working. The work reported in this article was completed with the active involvement of operational rail staff who regularly use automated systems in rail signalling. The outcomes are currently being used to inform decisions on the extent and type of automation and user interfaces in future generations of rail control systems.

Automated Systems for Road Safety control in a Developing World ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An Automated system was finally designed and developed for road safety control. This Automated system is believed to have the capacity to minimize or eliminate the problems identified in this study on traffic control in a developing world. Key words: drivers, traffic situation information, accident causation, FRSC ...

A control system verifier using automated reasoning software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.E.; Seeman, S.E.

1985-08-01

An on-line, automated reasoning software system for verifying the actions of other software or human control systems has been developed. It was demonstrated by verifying the actions of an automated procedure generation system. The verifier uses an interactive theorem prover as its inference engine with the rules included as logical axioms. Operation of the verifier is generally transparent except when the verifier disagrees with the actions of the monitored software. Testing with an automated procedure generation system demonstrates the successful application of automated reasoning software for verification of logical actions in a diverse, redundant manner. A higher degree of confidence may be placed in the verified actions of the combined system

Intelligent control and automation technology for nuclear application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jae Hee; Eom, Heung Sub; Kim, Ko Ryu; Lee, Jae Cheol; Choi, You Rak; Lee, Soo Cheol

1996-06-01

Using recent technologies on a mobile robot and computer science, we developed an automatic inspection system for weld lines of the reactor pressure vessel. The ultrasonic inspection of the reactor pressure vessel is currently performed by commercialized robot manipulators. Since, however, the conventional fixed type robot manipulator is very huge, heavy and expensive, it needs long inspection time and is hard to handle and maintain. In order to resolve these problems, we developed a new inspection automation system using a small mobile robot crawling on the vertical wall. According to the conceptual design studied in the first year, we developed the inspection automation system including an underwater inspection robot, a laser position control subsystem and a main control subsystem. And we carried out underwater experiments on the reactor vessel mockup. After finishing this project successfully, we have a plan to commercialize our inspection system. Using this system, we can expect much reduction of the inspection time, performance enhancement, automatic management of inspection history, etc. In the economic point of view, we can also expect import substitution more than 5 million dollars. The established essential technologies for intelligent control and automation are expected to be synthetically applied to the automation of similar systems in nuclear power plants. 4 tabs., 37 figs., 6 refs. (Author)

Automated control system for the Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labik, V.

1990-01-01

Instrumentation of the automated control system of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the section of the main production unit and of the major auxiliary equipment is described, the results of testing are reported, and the present status of design activities is assessed. The suitability of application of Czechoslovak automation facilities to the instrumentation of the automated control system of the power plant was confirmed by the Soviet designer and supplier based on favorable results of polygonal testing. Capacity problems in the development of the designs and user software are alleviated by extensive cooperation. It is envisaged that all tasks will be fulfilled as planned. (P.A.). 1 fig., 5 refs

12th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

CERN Document Server

Gusikhin, Oleg; Madani, Kurosh; Sasiadek, Jurek

2016-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the 11th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2014), held in Vienna, Austria, from 1 to 3 September 2014. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. Four simultaneous tracks will be held, covering Intelligent Control Systems, Optimization, Robotics, Automation, Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modelling and Control, and Industrial Engineering, Production and Management. Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control, Automation and Robotics. ICINCO 2014 received 301 submissions, from 49 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, 20% were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, ba...

12th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

CERN Document Server

Madani, Kurosh; Gusikhin, Oleg; Sasiadek, Jurek

2016-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected extended papers from the 12th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2015), held in Colmar, France, from 21 to 23 July 2015. The conference brought together researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. Four simultaneous tracks will be held, covering Intelligent Control Systems, Optimization, Robotics, Automation, Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modelling and Control, and Industrial Engineering, Production and Management. Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control, Automation and Robotics. ICINCO 2015 received 214 submissions, from 42 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee, 14% were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further selection was made after the Conference, based ...

Building control automation for retirement homes :a therapeutic opportunity for the elderly

OpenAIRE

Avila, Melinda Plaza

1993-01-01

The therapeutic opportunity for the elderly due to building control automation use in a retirement home was investigated. Previous research suggests that a basic understanding of elderly functional needs and building control automation capabilities is required Ifn order to secure the opportunity for maintaining existing elderly functional abilities. This study explores the extent to which building control automation can be applied in retirement homes. The research questions gen...

A Projection of Automated Book Production Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Barisic

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The paper elaborates on the recommendation of systematic introducing of XML technologies as a standard and integral factor in publishing and graphic business activities and as a further improvement of the existing PostScript graphic production platform. Procedures are proposed for applying norm setting in respect to production processes through related connections organized databases under XML technology in a hierarchical way, as well as a book production norm setting system. The proposal for work processes automation in the domain of printing business control is elaborated under the CIP4-JDF automating system. Operation results are used as guidelines for setting the elements of automated business operations in the book production domain, with integrated elements of new technologies, compatible with global trends.

Fully automated preparation of [11C]choline and [18F]fluoromethylcholine using TracerLab synthesis modules and facilitated quality control using analytical HPLC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao Xia; Hockley, Brian G.; Hoareau, Raphael; Schnau, Paul L.; Scott, Peter J.H.

2011-01-01

Modifications of a GE TracerLab FX C-Pro , which can be implemented for solid-phase [ 11 C]methylation are described. The simplified procedure for synthesis of [ 11 C]choline uses a single Sep-Pak CM-Light cation-exchange cartridge for both solid-supported reaction and purification. Compared with the commonly used two Sep-Pak method, the low back-pressure of this Sep-Pak enables efficient and reliable production of [ 11 C]choline using a TracerLab FX C-Pro without requirement for any gas pressure adjustment. Typical radiochemical yields (RCY) are >60%, radiochemical purity (RCP) is 99.9% and levels of residual precursor in the final product, which may inhibit the uptake of [ 11 C]choline, are reduced to 1 μg/mL. Similarly, modification of a GE TracerLab FX FN is reported which enables gas-phase production of [ 18 F]fluoromethylcholine, suitable for pre-clinical use, (in 4-6% RCY and >99.7% RCP) using a related Sep-Pak method. These modifications can be utilized for solid-phase [ 11 C]methylation and [ 18 F]fluoromethylation of other radiotracers, and allow straightforward switching to other module configurations for solution-phase radiochemistry or loop chemistry. In addition, we report a convenient HPLC ion chromatography method, which can monitor residual precursor and the radiochemical purity of product at the same time, providing highly efficient quality control for routine clinical application. The reported HPLC method is appropriate for analysis of doses of both [ 11 C]choline and [ 18 F]fluoromethylcholine, and eliminates the need for a GC method to determine residual precursor levels. -- Graphical abstract: Simplified procedures for the automated synthesis of [ 11 C]choline and [ 18 F]fluoromethylcholine using TracerLab FX C-Pro and TracerLab FX FN synthesis modules are presented. In addition, we report a convenient HPLC ion chromatography method, which can monitor residual precursor and radiochemical purity of the product at the same time. Display Omitted

Automated Greenhouse : Temperature and soil moisture control

OpenAIRE

Attalla, Daniela; Tannfelt Wu, Jennifer

2015-01-01

In this thesis an automated greenhouse was built with the purpose of investigating the watering system’s reliability and if a desired range of temperatures can be maintained. The microcontroller used to create the automated greenhouse was an Arduino UNO. This project utilizes two different sensors, a soil moisture sensor and a temperature sensor. The sensors are controlling the two actuators which are a heating fan and a pump. The heating fan is used to change the temperature and the pump is ...

76 FR 81986 - Honeywell International, Inc., Automation and Control Solutions Division, Including On-Site...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-29

..., Inc., Automation and Control Solutions Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower...., Automation and Control Solutions Division. The Department has determined that these workers were sufficiently...., Automation and Control Solutions Division, including on-site leased workers from Manpower, Spherion...

The Automation Control System Design of Walking Beam Heating Furnace

OpenAIRE

Hong-Yu LIU; Jun-Qing LIU; Jun-Jie XI

2014-01-01

Combining the transformation project of certain strip steel rolling production line, the techniques process of walking beam heating furnace was elaborated in this paper. The practical application of LOS-T18-2ZC1 laser detector was elaborated. The network communication model of walking beam heating furnace control system was designed. The realization method of production process automation control was elaborated. The entire automation control system allocation picture and PLC power distributio...

Microcomputer control of automated TLD reader

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjarland, Bert.

1979-10-01

The interfacing electronics, the control algorithms and the developed programs of a 6800 microcomputer controlled automated TLD reader are described. The TL reading system is implemented with a photomultiplier tube and a charge-to-pulse converter. The gain of the TL reading system is controlled through the use of a temperature compensated LED reference light source. Automatic compensation of PM tube dark current is optional. The short term stability of TL readings is better than 3 %. (author)

Applying flow chemistry: methods, materials, and multistep synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

McQuade, D Tyler; Seeberger, Peter H

2013-07-05

The synthesis of complex molecules requires control over both chemical reactivity and reaction conditions. While reactivity drives the majority of chemical discovery, advances in reaction condition control have accelerated method development/discovery. Recent tools include automated synthesizers and flow reactors. In this Synopsis, we describe how flow reactors have enabled chemical advances in our groups in the areas of single-stage reactions, materials synthesis, and multistep reactions. In each section, we detail the lessons learned and propose future directions.

Transfusion management using a remote-controlled, automated blood storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliaro, Pasqualepaolo; Turdo, Rosalia

2008-04-01

Generally, the safety of transfusion terapies for patients depends in part on the distribution of the blood products. The prevention of adverse events can be aided by technological means, which, besides improving the traceability of the process, make errors less likely. In this context, the latest frontier in automation and computerisation is the remote-controlled, automated refrigerator for blood storage. Computer cross-matching is an efficient and safe method for assigning blood components, based on Information Technology applied to typing and screening. This method can be extended to the management of an automated blood refrigerator, the programme of which is interfaced with the Transfusion Service's information system. The connection we made in our Service between EmoNet and Hemosafe enables real-time, remote-controlled management of the following aspects of blood component distribution: a) release of autologous and allogeneic units already allocated to a patient, b) release of available units, which can be allocated by remote-control to known patients, in the presence of a valid computer cross-match, c) release of O-negative units of blood for emergencies. Our system combines an information database, which enables computer cross-matching, with an automated refrigerator for blood storage with controlled access managed remotely by the Transfusion Service. The effectiveness and safety of the system were validated during the 4 months of its routine use in the Transfusion Service's outpatient department. The safety and efficiency of the distribution of blood products can and must be increased by the use of technological innovations. With the EmoNet/Hemosafe system, the responsibility for the remote-controlled distribution of red blood cell concentrates remains with the chief of the Transfusion Services, through the use of automated computer procedures and supported by continuous training of technicians and nursing staff.

Control and automation of the Pegasus multi-point Thomson scattering system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bodner, G. M., E-mail: gbodner@wisc.edu; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Reusch, J. A.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J. [Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)

2016-11-15

A new control system for the Pegasus Thomson scattering diagnostic has recently been deployed to automate the laser operation, data collection process, and interface with the system-wide Pegasus control code. Automation has been extended to areas outside of data collection, such as manipulation of beamline cameras and remotely controlled turning mirror actuators to enable intra-shot beam alignment. Additionally, the system has been upgraded with a set of fast (∼1 ms) mechanical shutters to mitigate contamination from background light. Modification and automation of the Thomson system have improved both data quality and diagnostic reliability.

Automated reasoning in man-machine control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stratton, R.C.; Lusk, E.L.

1983-01-01

This paper describes a project being undertaken at Argonne National Laboratory to demonstrate the usefulness of automated reasoning techniques in the implementation of a man-machine control system being designed at the EBR-II nuclear power plant. It is shown how automated reasoning influences the choice of optimal roles for both man and machine in the system control process, both for normal and off-normal operation. In addition, the requirements imposed by such a system for a rigorously formal specification of operating states, subsystem states, and transition procedures have a useful impact on the analysis phase. The definitions and rules are discussed for a prototype system which is physically simple yet illustrates some of the complexities inherent in real systems

Advances in Computer, Communication, Control and Automation

CERN Document Server

011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation

2012-01-01

The volume includes a set of selected papers extended and revised from the 2011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011). 2011 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011) has been held in Zhuhai, China, November 19-20, 2011. This volume  topics covered include signal and Image processing, speech and audio Processing, video processing and analysis, artificial intelligence, computing and intelligent systems, machine learning, sensor and neural networks, knowledge discovery and data mining, fuzzy mathematics and Applications, knowledge-based systems, hybrid systems modeling and design, risk analysis and management, system modeling and simulation. We hope that researchers, graduate students and other interested readers benefit scientifically from the proceedings and also find it stimulating in the process.

Microprocessor-based integration of microfluidic control for the implementation of automated sensor monitoring and multithreaded optimization algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Ezra, Elishai; Maor, Idan; Bavli, Danny; Shalom, Itai; Levy, Gahl; Prill, Sebastian; Jaeger, Magnus S; Nahmias, Yaakov

2015-08-01

Microfluidic applications range from combinatorial synthesis to high throughput screening, with platforms integrating analog perfusion components, digitally controlled micro-valves and a range of sensors that demand a variety of communication protocols. Currently, discrete control units are used to regulate and monitor each component, resulting in scattered control interfaces that limit data integration and synchronization. Here, we present a microprocessor-based control unit, utilizing the MS Gadgeteer open framework that integrates all aspects of microfluidics through a high-current electronic circuit that supports and synchronizes digital and analog signals for perfusion components, pressure elements, and arbitrary sensor communication protocols using a plug-and-play interface. The control unit supports an integrated touch screen and TCP/IP interface that provides local and remote control of flow and data acquisition. To establish the ability of our control unit to integrate and synchronize complex microfluidic circuits we developed an equi-pressure combinatorial mixer. We demonstrate the generation of complex perfusion sequences, allowing the automated sampling, washing, and calibrating of an electrochemical lactate sensor continuously monitoring hepatocyte viability following exposure to the pesticide rotenone. Importantly, integration of an optical sensor allowed us to implement automated optimization protocols that require different computational challenges including: prioritized data structures in a genetic algorithm, distributed computational efforts in multiple-hill climbing searches and real-time realization of probabilistic models in simulated annealing. Our system offers a comprehensive solution for establishing optimization protocols and perfusion sequences in complex microfluidic circuits.

Automated procedure execution for space vehicle autonomous control

Science.gov (United States)

Broten, Thomas A.; Brown, David A.

1990-01-01

Increased operational autonomy and reduced operating costs have become critical design objectives in next-generation NASA and DoD space programs. The objective is to develop a semi-automated system for intelligent spacecraft operations support. The Spacecraft Operations and Anomaly Resolution System (SOARS) is presented as a standardized, model-based architecture for performing High-Level Tasking, Status Monitoring and automated Procedure Execution Control for a variety of spacecraft. The particular focus is on the Procedure Execution Control module. A hierarchical procedure network is proposed as the fundamental means for specifying and representing arbitrary operational procedures. A separate procedure interpreter controls automatic execution of the procedure, taking into account the current status of the spacecraft as maintained in an object-oriented spacecraft model.

Usability Assessment of Text-to-Speech Synthesis for Additional Detail in an Automated Telephone Banking System

OpenAIRE

Morton , Hazel; Gunson , Nancie; Marshall , Diarmid; McInnes , Fergus; Ayres , Andrea; Jack , Mervyn

2010-01-01

Abstract This paper describes a comprehensive usability evaluation of an automated telephone banking system which employs text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis in offering additional detail on customers? account transactions. The paper describes a series of four experiments in which TTS was employed to offer an extra level of detail to recent transactions listings within an established banking service which otherwise uses recorded speech from a professional recording artist. Results from ...

Design and control of automated guided vehicle systems: A case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Q.; Adriaansen, A.C.; Udding, J.T.; Pogromski, A.Y.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we study the design and control of automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems, with the focus on the quayside container transport in an automated container terminal. We first set up an event-driven model for an AGV system in the zone control framework. Then a number of layouts of the road

Automated sampling and control of gaseous simulations

KAUST Repository

Huang, Ruoguan; Keyser, John

2013-01-01

In this work, we describe a method that automates the sampling and control of gaseous fluid simulations. Several recent approaches have provided techniques for artists to generate high-resolution simulations based on a low-resolution simulation

Development of automated controller system for controlling reactivity by using FPGA in research reactor application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Sabri Minhat; Izhar Abu Hussin; Mohd Idris Taib

2012-01-01

The scope for this research paper is to produce a detail design for Development of Automated Controller System for Controlling Reactivity by using FPGA in Research Reactor Application for high safety nuclear operation. The development of this project including design, purchasing, fabrication, installation, testing and validation and verification for one prototype automated controller system for controlling reactivity in industry local technology for human capacity and capability development towards the first Nuclear Power Programme (NPP) in Malaysia. The specific objectives of this research paper are to Development of Automated Controller System for Controlling Reactivity (ACSCR) in Research Reactor Application (PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor) by using simultaneous movement method; To design, fabricate and produce the accuracy of Control Rods Drive Mechanism to 0.1 mm resolution using a stepper motor as an actuator; To design, install and produce the system response to be more faster by using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and High Speed Computer; and to improve the Safety Level of the Research Reactor in high safety nuclear operation condition. (author)

Analysis And Control System For Automated Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Bradley W.; Burroughs, Ivan A.; Kennedy, Larry Z.; Rodgers, Michael H.; Goode, K. Wayne

1994-01-01

Automated variable-polarity plasma arc (VPPA) welding apparatus operates under electronic supervision by welding analysis and control system. System performs all major monitoring and controlling functions. It acquires, analyzes, and displays weld-quality data in real time and adjusts process parameters accordingly. Also records pertinent data for use in post-weld analysis and documentation of quality. System includes optoelectronic sensors and data processors that provide feedback control of welding process.

Automated washing of FTA Card punches and PCR setup for reference samples using a LIMS-controlled Sias Xantus automated liquid handler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stangegaard, Michael; Olsen, Addie Nina; Frøslev, Tobias G.

2009-01-01

We have implemented and validated automated methods for washing FTA Card punches containing buccal samples and subsequent PCR setup using a Sias Xantus automated liquid handler. The automated methods were controlled by worklists generated by our LabWare Laboratory Information Management System...

Automated system for calibration and control of the CHSPP-800 multichannel γ detector parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avvakumov, N.A.; Belikov, N.I.; Goncharenko, Yu.M.

1987-01-01

An automated system for adjustment, calibration and control of total absorption Cherenkov spectrometer is described. The system comprises a mechanical platform, capable of moving in two mutually perpendicular directions; movement detectors and limit switches; power unit, automation unit with remote control board. The automated system can operate both in manual control regime with coordinate control by a digital indicator, and in operation regime with computer according to special programs. The platform mounting accuracy is ± 0.1 mm. Application of the automated system has increased the rate of the course of the counter adjustment works 3-5 times

About the methodology of system synthesis of decision-makings and its procedures automation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. P. Oleynikov

2016-01-01

 the use of computer equipment, which require signifi cant time expenses on the development of appropriate solutions. Therefore, it was decided to develop an automated system to improve the effectiveness of the implementation of a number of methodology procedures.Results.During the study were identifi ed use cases of the system, in accordance with which were formed the conceptual and technical architecture of the system, highlights the key subsystems of the reference data, knowledge about the methods of decision-making and synthesis strategies, and identifi es their development tools. As the database used by the DBMS MS SQL Server, as the client side – Borland Delphi.Conclusion. Due to the high complexity of formalization of intellectual, creative, methodologies operations, the focus of automation is the support of conceptual analysis of the decisionmakings subject area and formation on its basis the knowledge base of intellectual operations together with their characteristic features, aimed to combine operations that make up the group of methods of synthesis strategies decision-making and implementation of the search function on the basis of a intellectual operations knowledge base.

Automation inflicted differences on operator performance in nuclear power plant control rooms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Jonas; Osvalder, A.L. [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Dept. of Product and Producton Development (Sweden)

2007-03-15

Today it is possible to automate almost any function in a human-machine system. Therefore it is important to find a balance between automation level and the prerequisites for the operator to maintain safe operation. Different human factors evaluation methods can be used to find differences between automatic and manual operations that have an effect on operator performance; e.g. Predictive Human Error Analysis (PHEA), NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), Halden Questionnaire, and Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART). Results from an empirical study concerning automation levels, made at Ringhals power plant, showed that factors as time pressure and criticality of the work situation influenced the operator's performance and mental workload more than differences in level of automation. The results indicate that the operator's attention strategies differ between the manual and automatic sequences. Independently of level of automation, it is essential that the operator retains control and situational understanding. When performing a manual task, the operator is 'closer' to the process and in control with sufficient situational understanding. When the level of automation increases, the demands on information presentation increase to ensure safe plant operation. The need for control can be met by introducing 'control gates' where the operator has to accept that the automatic procedures are continuing as expected. Situational understanding can be established by clear information about process status and by continuous feedback. A conclusion of the study was that a collaborative control room environment is important. Rather than allocating functions to either the operator or the system, a complementary strategy should be used. Key parameters to consider when planning the work in the control room are time constraints and task criticality and how they affect the performance of the joint cognitive system.However, the examined working

Automation inflicted differences on operator performance in nuclear power plant control rooms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Jonas; Osvalder, A.L.

2007-03-01

Today it is possible to automate almost any function in a human-machine system. Therefore it is important to find a balance between automation level and the prerequisites for the operator to maintain safe operation. Different human factors evaluation methods can be used to find differences between automatic and manual operations that have an effect on operator performance; e.g. Predictive Human Error Analysis (PHEA), NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), Halden Questionnaire, and Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART). Results from an empirical study concerning automation levels, made at Ringhals power plant, showed that factors as time pressure and criticality of the work situation influenced the operator's performance and mental workload more than differences in level of automation. The results indicate that the operator's attention strategies differ between the manual and automatic sequences. Independently of level of automation, it is essential that the operator retains control and situational understanding. When performing a manual task, the operator is 'closer' to the process and in control with sufficient situational understanding. When the level of automation increases, the demands on information presentation increase to ensure safe plant operation. The need for control can be met by introducing 'control gates' where the operator has to accept that the automatic procedures are continuing as expected. Situational understanding can be established by clear information about process status and by continuous feedback. A conclusion of the study was that a collaborative control room environment is important. Rather than allocating functions to either the operator or the system, a complementary strategy should be used. Key parameters to consider when planning the work in the control room are time constraints and task criticality and how they affect the performance of the joint cognitive system.However, the examined working situations were too different

Gestural Control Of Wavefield synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grani, Francesco; Di Carlo, Diego; Portillo, Jorge Madrid

2016-01-01

We present a report covering our preliminary research on the control of spatial sound sources in wavefield synthesis through gesture based interfaces. After a short general introduction on spatial sound and few basic concepts on wavefield synthesis, we presents a graphical application called sp......AAce which let users to con- trol real-time movements of sound sources by drawing tra- jectories on a screen. The first prototype of this application has been developed bound to WFSCollider, an open-source software based on Supercollider which let users control wavefield synthesis. The spAAce application has...... been im- plemented using Processing, a programming language for sketches and prototypes within the context of visual arts, and communicates with WFSCollider through the Open Sound Control protocol. This application aims to create a new way of interaction for live performance of spatial composition...

Automated quality control in a file-based broadcasting workflow

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lina

2014-04-01

Benefit from the development of information and internet technologies, television broadcasting is transforming from inefficient tape-based production and distribution to integrated file-based workflows. However, no matter how many changes have took place, successful broadcasting still depends on the ability to deliver a consistent high quality signal to the audiences. After the transition from tape to file, traditional methods of manual quality control (QC) become inadequate, subjective, and inefficient. Based on China Central Television's full file-based workflow in the new site, this paper introduces an automated quality control test system for accurate detection of hidden troubles in media contents. It discusses the system framework and workflow control when the automated QC is added. It puts forward a QC criterion and brings forth a QC software followed this criterion. It also does some experiments on QC speed by adopting parallel processing and distributed computing. The performance of the test system shows that the adoption of automated QC can make the production effective and efficient, and help the station to achieve a competitive advantage in the media market.

SWOT Analysis of Automation for Cash and Accounts Control in Construction

OpenAIRE

Mariya Deriy

2013-01-01

The possibility has been analyzed as to computerization of control over accounting and information systems data in terms of cash and payments in company practical activity provided that the problem is solved of the existence of well-functioning single computer network between different units of a developing company. Current state of the control organization and possibility of its automation has been observed. SWOT analysis of control automation to identify its strengths and weaknesses, obstac...

Automation of the control scheme for IUAC Linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahu, B.K.; Dutt, R.N.; Antony, J.; Mathuria, D.S.; Pandey, A.; Singh, K.; Ahuja, R.; Chowdhury, G.K.; Rai, A.; Patra, P.; Ghosh, S.; Ajithkumar, B.P.; Kanjilal, D.; Roy, A.

2011-01-01

Improvement of the Linac control scheme is undertaken for automation with minimum human intervention during beam acceleration. Python language interface with the present control scheme is used in writing automation routines to monitor the status of the phase/amplitude lock during operation and shut-down the locking mechanism to reduce the RF power, if required. Simultaneous pulse conditioning of the resonators is made possible by using dedicated hardware interfaced and Python based client interface. Movement of the drive coupler is enabled from operation console with position read back. The manual control of the slow-tuner electronics module to bring the frequency close to reference during phase locking is interfaced with the present control scheme for remote operation. Monitoring of amplitude and absolute phase of each cavity is made possible from operation console. An alternate tuning mechanism using piezoelectric actuator and stepper motor combination has been successfully tested in the test cryostat. (author)

Efficient automated synthesis of 2-(5-["1"8F]fluoropentyl)-2-methylmalonic acid (["1"8F]ML-10) on a commercial available ["1"8F]FDG synthesis module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Shaoyu; Nie, Dahong; Jiang, Shende; Tang, Ganghua

2017-01-01

["1"8F]ML-10 (2-(5-["1"8F]fluoro-pentyl)-2-methylmalonic acid) is a small molecule positron emission tomography (PET) probe for apoptosis imaging. Automated synthesis of ["1"8F]ML-10 was developed by using two different purification methods through a direct saponification procedure on a modified commercial ["1"8F]Fluoro-2-Deoxyglucose (["1"8F]FDG) synthesizer. C18 purification method 1: The final ["1"8F]ML-10 solution containing ethanol was obtained with radiochemical yields of 60±5% (n=5) at the end of bombardment (EOB) and radiochemical purity of 98% in 35 min. Al_2O_3 and SCX purification method 2: To avoid possible side effects of a conventional ethanol-containing formulation, an new ethanol-free solution of ["1"8F]ML-10 was also developed, the radiochemical yields was 50±5% (n=5, EOB) within 45 min and the radiochemical purity was 98%. - Highlights: • The production of ["1"8F]ML-10 was optimized by using a straightforward saponification procedure. • Automated synthesis was performed on a commonly FDG synthesis module. • An ethanol-containing ["1"8F]ML-10 formulation was obtained with high radiochemical yield in a shorter time. • An ethanol-free formulation method of ["1"8F]ML-10 was also developed.

Takeover Time in Highly Automated Vehicles: Noncritical Transitions to and From Manual Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Eriksson, Alexander; Stanton, Neville A

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to review existing research into driver control transitions and to determine the time it takes drivers to resume control from a highly automated vehicle in noncritical scenarios. Contemporary research has moved from an inclusive design approach to adhering only to mean/median values when designing control transitions in automated driving. Research into control transitions in highly automated driving has focused on urgent scenarios where drivers are given a relatively short time span to respond to a request to resume manual control. We found a paucity in research into more frequent scenarios for control transitions, such as planned exits from highway systems. Twenty-six drivers drove two scenarios with an automated driving feature activated. Drivers were asked to read a newspaper, or to monitor the system, and to relinquish, or resume, control from the automation when prompted by vehicle systems. Significantly longer control transition times were found between driving with and without secondary tasks. Control transition times were substantially longer than those reported in the peer-reviewed literature. We found that drivers take longer to resume control when under no time pressure compared with that reported in the literature. Moreover, we found that drivers occupied by a secondary task exhibit larger variance and slower responses to requests to resume control. Workload scores implied optimal workload. Intra- and interindividual differences need to be accommodated by vehicle manufacturers and policy makers alike to ensure inclusive design of contemporary systems and safety during control transitions.

Development of an automated modular system for the synthesis of [11C]acetate.

Science.gov (United States)

Felicini, Chiara; Någren, Kjell; Berton, Andrea; Pascali, Giancarlo; Salvadori, Piero Alberto

2010-12-01

Carboxylation reactions offer a straightforward method for the synthesis of carbon-11 labelled carboxylic acids. Among these, the preparation of carbon-11 (C)-acetate is receiving increasing attention because of diagnostic applications in oncology in addition to its well-established use as a probe for myocardial oxidative metabolism. Although a number of dedicated modules are commercially available, the development of the synthesis on flexible platforms would be beneficial to widen the number of tracers, in particular for preclinical assessment and testing. In this study, the carboxylation reaction was implemented for the synthesis of sodium 1-[C]acetate after the classic route of carboxylation of methylmagnesium chloride by [C]carbon dioxide, followed by the acidic hydrolysis, purification and sterile filtration. This was performed using a commercially available kit of preassembled hardware units and fully compatible components of radiochemistry automation (VarioSystem). The system proved be to highly versatile and inexpensive and allowed a quick translation of the radiochemistry project into a working system even by less experienced personnel, because of predefined interfaces between electronic parts and operating software (preloaded on a laptop and included in the kit). The automatic module proved to be a simple and reliable system for the production of 1-[C]acetate that was prepared in 24 min (total synthesis time) with stable radiochemical yields (20% nondecay corrected) and high radiochemical purity (>97%). The module is used routinely to produce 1-[C]acetate for preclinical studies and is being implemented for the production of the labelled fatty acids.

A Toolchain for Home Automation Controller Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalsgaard, Peter H.; Le Guilly, Thibaut; Middelhede, Daniel

2013-01-01

Home Automation systems provide a large number of devices to control diverse appliances. Taking advantage of this diversity to create efficient and intelligent environments requires well designed, validated, and implemented controllers. However, designing and deploying such controllers is a complex...... and error prone process. This paper presents a tool chain that transforms a design in the form of communicating state machines to an executable controller that interfaces to appliances through a service oriented middleware. Design and validation is supported by integrated model checking and simulation...

Knowledge-based automated radiopharmaceutical manufacturing for Positron Emission Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexoff, D.L.

1991-01-01

This article describes the application of basic knowledge engineering principles to the design of automated synthesis equipment for radiopharmaceuticals used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Before discussing knowledge programming, an overview of the development of automated radiopharmaceutical synthesis systems for PET will be presented. Since knowledge systems will rely on information obtained from machine transducers, a discussion of the uses of sensory feedback in today's automated systems follows. Next, the operation of these automated systems is contrasted to radiotracer production carried out by chemists, and the rationale for and basic concepts of knowledge-based programming are explained. Finally, a prototype knowledge-based system supporting automated radiopharmaceutical manufacturing of 18FDG at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is described using 1stClass, a commercially available PC-based expert system shell

Financial and environmental costs of manual versus automated control of end-tidal gas concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Tay, S; Weinberg, L; Peyton, P; Story, D; Briedis, J

2013-01-01

Emerging technologies that reduce the economic and environmental costs of anaesthesia have had limited assessment. We hypothesised that automated control of end-tidal gases, a new feature in anaesthesia machines, will consistently reduce volatile agent consumption cost and greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the planned replacement of anaesthesia machines in a tertiary hospital, we performed a prospective before and after study comparing the cost and greenhouse gas emissions of isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane when using manual versus automated control of end-tidal gases. We analysed 3675 general anaesthesia cases with inhalational agents: 1865 using manual control and 1810 using automated control. Volatile agent cost was $18.87/hour using manual control and $13.82/hour using automated control: mean decrease $5.05/hour (95% confidence interval: $0.88-9.22/hour, P=0.0243). The 100-year global warming potential decreased from 23.2 kg/hour of carbon dioxide equivalents to 13.0 kg/hour: mean decrease 10.2 kg/hour (95% confidence interval: 2.7-17.7 kg/hour, P=0.0179). Automated control reduced costs by 27%. Greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 44%, a greater than expected decrease facilitated by a proportional reduction in desflurane use. Automated control of end-tidal gases increases participation in low flow anaesthesia with economic and environmental benefits.

The implementation of the situational control concept of information security in automated training systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Chernih

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The main approaches to ensuring security of information in the automated training systems are considered, need of application of situational management of security of information for the automated training systems is proved, the mathematical model and a problem definition of situational control is offered, the technique of situational control of security of information is developed.The purpose of the study. The aim of the study is to base the application of situational control of information security by subsystem of the control and protection of information in automated learning systems and to develop implementation methods of the situational control concept.Materials and methods. It is assumed that the automated learning system is a fragment of a larger information system that contains several information paths, each of them treats different information in the protection degree from information, containing constituting state secrets, to open access information.It is considered that the technical methods, measures and means of information protection in automated learning systems implement less than half (30% functions of subsystems of control and protection information. The main part of the functions of this subsystem are organizational measures to protect information. It is obvious that the task of ensuring the security of information in automated learning systems associated with the adoption of decisions on rational selection and proper combination of technical methods and institutional arrangements. Conditions of practical application of automated learning systems change over time and transform the situation of such a decision, and this leads to the use of situational control methods.When situational control is implementing, task of the protection of information in automated learning system is solved by the subsystem control and protection of information by distributing the processes ensuring the security of information and resources of

Spacecraft control center automation using the generic inferential executor (GENIE)

Science.gov (United States)

Hartley, Jonathan; Luczak, Ed; Stump, Doug

1996-01-01

The increasing requirement to dramatically reduce the cost of mission operations led to increased emphasis on automation technology. The expert system technology used at the Goddard Space Flight Center (MD) is currently being applied to the automation of spacecraft control center activities. The generic inferential executor (GENIE) is a tool which allows pass automation applications to be constructed. The pass script templates constructed encode the tasks necessary to mimic flight operations team interactions with the spacecraft during a pass. These templates can be configured with data specific to a particular pass. Animated graphical displays illustrate the progress during the pass. The first GENIE application automates passes of the solar, anomalous and magnetospheric particle explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft.

Transitioning Resolution Responsibility between the Controller and Automation Team in Simulated NextGen Separation Assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrall, C.; Gomez, A.; Homola, J.; Hunt, S..; Martin, L.; Merccer, J.; Prevott, T.

2013-01-01

As part of an ongoing research effort on separation assurance and functional allocation in NextGen, a controller- in-the-loop study with ground-based automation was conducted at NASA Ames' Airspace Operations Laboratory in August 2012 to investigate the potential impact of introducing self-separating aircraft in progressively advanced NextGen timeframes. From this larger study, the current exploratory analysis of controller-automation interaction styles focuses on the last and most far-term time frame. Measurements were recorded that firstly verified the continued operational validity of this iteration of the ground-based functional allocation automation concept in forecast traffic densities up to 2x that of current day high altitude en-route sectors. Additionally, with greater levels of fully automated conflict detection and resolution as well as the introduction of intervention functionality, objective and subjective analyses showed a range of passive to active controller- automation interaction styles between the participants. Not only did the controllers work with the automation to meet their safety and capacity goals in the simulated future NextGen timeframe, they did so in different ways and with different attitudes of trust/use of the automation. Taken as a whole, the results showed that the prototyped controller-automation functional allocation framework was very flexible and successful overall.

Control and automation, and energy system engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Tai-hoon [Hannam Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Adeli, Hojjat [Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Stoica, Adrian [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA (United States); Kang, Byeong-Ho (eds.) [Tasmania Univ., Hobart, TAS (Australia)

2011-07-01

This book comprises selected papers of the International Conferences, CA and CES3 2011, held as Part of the Future Generation Information Technology Conference, FGIT 2011, in Conjunction with GDC 2011, Jeju Island, Korea, in December 2011. The papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions and focused on the various aspects of control and automation, and circuits, control, communication, electricity, electronics, energy, system, signal and simulation. (orig.)

The Automator: Intelligent control system monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

M. Bickley; D.A. Bryan; K.S. White

1999-01-01

A large-scale control system may contain several hundred thousand control points which must be monitored to ensure smooth operation. Knowledge of the current state of such a system is often implicit in the values of these points and operators must be cognizant of the state while making decisions. Repetitive operators requiring human intervention lead to fatigue, which can in turn lead to mistakes. The authors propose a tool called the Automator based on a middleware software server. This tool would provide a user-configurable engine for monitoring control points. Based on the status of these control points, a specified action could be taken. The action could range from setting another control point, to triggering an alarm, to running an executable. Often the data presented by a system is meaningless without context information from other channels. Such a tool could be configured to present interpreted information based on values of other channels. Additionally, this tool could translate numerous values in a non-friendly form (such as numbers, bits, or return codes) into meaningful strings of information. Multiple instances of this server could be run, allowing individuals or groups to configure their own Automators. The configuration of the tool will be file-based. In the future, these files could be generated by graphical design tools, allowing for rapid development of new configurations. In addition, the server will be able to explicitly maintain information about the state of the control system. This state information can be used in decision-making processes and shared with other applications. A conceptual framework and software design for the tool are presented

75 FR 77664 - Honeywell International, Inc., Automation and Control Solutions Division, Including On-Site...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-13

..., Inc., Automation and Control Solutions Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Manpower... Solutions Division. The Department has determined that these workers were sufficiently under the control of Honeywell International, Inc., Automation and Control Solutions Division to be considered leased workers...

Kinematic synthesis of adjustable robotic mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Chuenchom, Thatchai

1993-01-01

Conventional hard automation, such as a linkage-based or a cam-driven system, provides high speed capability and repeatability but not the flexibility required in many industrial applications. The conventional mechanisms, that are typically single-degree-of-freedom systems, are being increasingly replaced by multi-degree-of-freedom multi-actuators driven by logic controllers. Although this new trend in sophistication provides greatly enhanced flexibility, there are many instances where the flexibility needs are exaggerated and the associated complexity is unnecessary. Traditional mechanism-based hard automation, on the other hand, neither can fulfill multi-task requirements nor are cost-effective mainly due to lack of methods and tools to design-in flexibility. This dissertation attempts to bridge this technological gap by developing Adjustable Robotic Mechanisms (ARM's) or 'programmable mechanisms' as a middle ground between high speed hard automation and expensive serial jointed-arm robots. This research introduces the concept of adjustable robotic mechanisms towards cost-effective manufacturing automation. A generalized analytical synthesis technique has been developed to support the computational design of ARM's that lays the theoretical foundation for synthesis of adjustable mechanisms. The synthesis method developed in this dissertation, called generalized adjustable dyad and triad synthesis, advances the well-known Burmester theory in kinematics to a new level. While this method provides planar solutions, a novel patented scheme is utilized for converting prescribed three-dimensional motion specifications into sets of planar projections. This provides an analytical and a computational tool for designing adjustable mechanisms that satisfy multiple sets of three-dimensional motion specifications. Several design issues were addressed, including adjustable parameter identification, branching defect, and mechanical errors. An efficient mathematical scheme for

Automated complex for research of electric drives control

Science.gov (United States)

Avlasko, P. V.; Antonenko, D. A.

2018-05-01

In the article, the automated complex intended for research of various control modes of electric motors including the inductor motor of double-way feed is described. As a basis of the created complex, the National Instruments platform is chosen. The operating controller built in a platform is delivered with an operating system of real-time for creation of systems of measurement and management. The software developed in the environment of LabVIEW consists of several connected modules which are in different elements of a complex. Besides the software for automated management by experimental installation, the program complex is developed for modelling of processes in the electric drive. As a result there is an opportunity to compare simulated and received experimentally transitional characteristics of the electric drive in various operating modes.

Compositional Synthesis of Safety Controllers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuijper, W.

2012-01-01

In my thesis I investigate compositional techniques for synthesis of safety controllers. A safety controller, in this context, is a state machine that gives the set of safe control outputs for every possible sequence of observations from the plant under control. Compositionality, in this context,

A HUMAN AUTOMATION INTERACTION CONCEPT FOR A SMALL MODULAR REACTOR CONTROL ROOM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Blanc, Katya; Spielman, Zach; Hill, Rachael

2017-06-01

Many advanced nuclear power plant (NPP) designs incorporate higher degrees of automation than the existing fleet of NPPs. Automation is being introduced or proposed in NPPs through a wide variety of systems and technologies, such as advanced displays, computer-based procedures, advanced alarm systems, and computerized operator support systems. Additionally, many new reactor concepts, both full scale and small modular reactors, are proposing increased automation and reduced staffing as part of their concept of operations. However, research consistently finds that there is a fundamental tradeoff between system performance with increased automation and reduced human performance. There is a need to address the question of how to achieve high performance and efficiency of high levels of automation without degrading human performance. One example of a new NPP concept that will utilize greater degrees of automation is the SMR concept from NuScale Power. The NuScale Power design requires 12 modular units to be operated in one single control room, which leads to a need for higher degrees of automation in the control room. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) researchers and NuScale Power human factors and operations staff are working on a collaborative project to address the human performance challenges of increased automation and to determine the principles that lead to optimal performance in highly automated systems. This paper will describe this concept in detail and will describe an experimental test of the concept. The benefits and challenges of the approach will be discussed.

Operational proof of automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaerschky, R.; Reifenhaeuser, R.; Schlicht, K.

1976-01-01

Automation of the power plant process may imply quite a number of problems. The automation of dynamic operations requires complicated programmes often interfering in several branched areas. This reduces clarity for the operating and maintenance staff, whilst increasing the possibilities of errors. The synthesis and the organization of standardized equipment have proved very successful. The possibilities offered by this kind of automation for improving the operation of power plants will only sufficiently and correctly be turned to profit, however, if the application of these technics of equipment is further improved and if its volume is tallied with a definite etc. (orig.) [de

Operational proof of automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaerschky, R.; Schlicht, K.

1977-01-01

Automation of the power plant process may imply quite a number of problems. The automation of dynamic operations requires complicated programmes often interfering in several branched areas. This reduces clarity for the operating and maintenance staff, whilst increasing the possibilities of errors. The synthesis and the organization of standardized equipment have proved very successful. The possibilities offered by this kind of automation for improving the operation of power plants will only sufficiently and correctly be turned to profit, however, if the application of these equipment techniques is further improved and if it stands in a certain ratio with a definite efficiency. (orig.) [de

Automated refueling inventory control system at FFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ordonez, C.R.

1983-10-01

The Refueling Inventory Control System (RICS) at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) keeps track of all assemblies that reside in the various refueling facilities. The automated RICS allows the user to obtain information regarding any assembly under its control by displaying the data on a screen. It also provides a simulation mode which allows assembly moves on a duplicated data base. This simulation is used to verify the refueling documentation before it is issued

ConductHome: Gesture Interface Control of Home Automation Boxes

OpenAIRE

J. Branstett; V. Gagneux; A. Leleu; B. Levadoux; J. Pascale

2015-01-01

This paper presents the interface ConductHome which controls home automation systems with a Leap Motion using "invariant gesture protocols". This interface is meant to simplify the interaction of the user with its environment. A hardware part allows the Leap Motion to be carried around the house. A software part interacts with the home automation box and displays the useful information for the user. An objective of this work is the development of a natural/invariant/simpl...

Towards cooperative guidance and control of highly automated vehicles: H-Mode and Conduct-by-Wire.

Science.gov (United States)

Flemisch, Frank Ole; Bengler, Klaus; Bubb, Heiner; Winner, Hermann; Bruder, Ralph

2014-01-01

This article provides a general ergonomic framework of cooperative guidance and control for vehicles with an emphasis on the cooperation between a human and a highly automated vehicle. In the twenty-first century, mobility and automation technologies are increasingly fused. In the sky, highly automated aircraft are flying with a high safety record. On the ground, a variety of driver assistance systems are being developed, and highly automated vehicles with increasingly autonomous capabilities are becoming possible. Human-centred automation has paved the way for a better cooperation between automation and humans. How can these highly automated systems be structured so that they can be easily understood, how will they cooperate with the human? The presented research was conducted using the methods of iterative build-up and refinement of framework by triangulation, i.e. by instantiating and testing the framework with at least two derived concepts and prototypes. This article sketches a general, conceptual ergonomic framework of cooperative guidance and control of highly automated vehicles, two concepts derived from the framework, prototypes and pilot data. Cooperation is exemplified in a list of aspects and related to levels of the driving task. With the concept 'Conduct-by-Wire', cooperation happens mainly on the guidance level, where the driver can delegate manoeuvres to the automation with a specialised manoeuvre interface. With H-Mode, a haptic-multimodal interaction with highly automated vehicles based on the H(orse)-Metaphor, cooperation is mainly done on guidance and control with a haptically active interface. Cooperativeness should be a key aspect for future human-automation systems. Especially for highly automated vehicles, cooperative guidance and control is a research direction with already promising concepts and prototypes that should be further explored. The application of the presented approach is every human-machine system that moves and includes high

Inventory management and reagent supply for automated chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzniar, E

1999-08-01

Developments in automated chemistry have kept pace with developments in HTS such that hundreds of thousands of new compounds can be rapidly synthesized in the belief that the greater the number and diversity of compounds that can be screened, the more successful HTS will be. The increasing use of automation for Multiple Parallel Synthesis (MPS) and the move to automated combinatorial library production is placing an overwhelming burden on the management of reagents. Although automation has improved the efficiency of the processes involved in compound synthesis, the bottleneck has shifted to ordering, collating and preparing reagents for automated chemistry resulting in loss of time, materials and momentum. Major efficiencies have already been made in the area of compound management for high throughput screening. Most of these efficiencies have been achieved with sophisticated library management systems using advanced engineering and data handling for the storage, tracking and retrieval of millions of compounds. The Automation Partnership has already provided many of the top pharmaceutical companies with modular automated storage, preparation and retrieval systems to manage compound libraries for high throughput screening. This article describes how these systems may be implemented to solve the specific problems of inventory management and reagent supply for automated chemistry.

Optimizing the balance between task automation and human manual control in simulated submarine track management.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Stephanie I; Visser, Troy A W; Huf, Samuel; Loft, Shayne

2017-09-01

Automation can improve operator performance and reduce workload, but can also degrade operator situation awareness (SA) and the ability to regain manual control. In 3 experiments, we examined the extent to which automation could be designed to benefit performance while ensuring that individuals maintained SA and could regain manual control. Participants completed a simulated submarine track management task under varying task load. The automation was designed to facilitate information acquisition and analysis, but did not make task decisions. Relative to a condition with no automation, the continuous use of automation improved performance and reduced subjective workload, but degraded SA. Automation that was engaged and disengaged by participants as required (adaptable automation) moderately improved performance and reduced workload relative to no automation, but degraded SA. Automation engaged and disengaged based on task load (adaptive automation) provided no benefit to performance or workload, and degraded SA relative to no automation. Automation never led to significant return-to-manual deficits. However, all types of automation led to degraded performance on a nonautomated task that shared information processing requirements with automated tasks. Given these outcomes, further research is urgently required to establish how to design automation to maximize performance while keeping operators cognitively engaged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Automated waste canister docking and emplacement using a sensor-based intelligent controller

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drotning, W.D.

1992-08-01

A sensor-based intelligent control system is described that utilizes a multiple degree-of-freedom robotic system for the automated remote manipulation and precision docking of large payloads such as waste canisters. Computer vision and ultrasonic proximity sensing are used to control the automated precision docking of a large object with a passive target cavity. Real-time sensor processing and model-based analysis are used to control payload position to a precision of ± 0.5 millimeter

Automated synthesis of an {sup 18}F-labelled pyridine-based alkylating agent for high yield oligonucleotide conjugation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guggenberg, Elisabeth von; Sader, Jayden A.; Wilson, John S.; Shahhosseini, Soraya; Koslowsky, Ingrid; Wuest, Frank [Edmonton PET Centre, Division of Oncologic Imaging, Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2 (Canada); Mercer, John R. [Edmonton PET Centre, Division of Oncologic Imaging, Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2 (Canada)], E-mail: johnmerc@cancerboard.ab.ca

2009-09-15

Alkylating agents have been shown to be very promising for the radiolabelling of oligonucleotides with fluorine-18. In this report we describe the fully automated synthesis of 2-bromo-N-[3-(2-[{sup 18}F]fluoropyridin-3-yloxy)propyl]acetamide ([{sup 18}F]FPyBrA) utilizing a modular synthesis unit. Reaction conditions for the coupling of this pyridine-based alkylating agent at the 5' end of a fully phosphorothioated random 20-mer DNA sequence were optimized to achieve very high radiochemical yields (>90%) and a maximum specific activity of 5-6 GBq/{mu}moL. The potential for rapid purification by solid phase extraction without need of chromatographic isolation of the radiolabelled oligonucleotide presents an overall benefit for the application of oligonucleotides in preclinical studies and potential clinical applications.

Unified Brake Service by a Hierarchical Controller for Active Deceleration Control in an Electric and Automated Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuliang Nie

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Unified brake service is a universal service for generating certain brake force to meet the demand deceleration and is essential for an automated driving system. However, it is rather difficult to control the pressure in the wheel cylinders to reach the target deceleration of the automated vehicle, which is the key issue of the active deceleration control system (ADC. This paper proposes a hierarchical control method to actively control vehicle deceleration with active-brake actuators. In the upper hierarchical, the target pressure of wheel cylinders is obtained by dynamic equations of a pure electric vehicle. In the lower hierarchical, the solenoid valve instructions and the pump speed of hydraulic control unit (HCU are determined to satisfy the desired pressure with the feedback of measured wheel cylinder pressure by pressure sensors. Results of road experiments of a pure electric and automated vehicle indicate that the proposed method realizes the target deceleration accurately and efficiently.

Design and development on automated control system of coated fuel particle fabrication process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Malin; Shao Youlin; Liu Bing

2013-01-01

With the development trend of the large-scale production of the HTR coated fuel particles, the original manual control system can not meet the requirement and the automation control system of coated fuel particle fabrication in modern industrial grade is needed to develop. The comprehensive analysis aiming at successive 4-layer coating process of TRISO type coated fuel particles was carried out. It was found that the coating process could be divided into five subsystems and nine operating states. The establishment of DCS-type (distributed control system) of automation control system was proposed. According to the rigorous requirements of preparation process for coated particles, the design considerations of DCS were proposed, including the principle of coordinated control, safety and reliability, integration specification, practical and easy to use, and open and easy to update. A complete set of automation control system for coated fuel particle preparation process was manufactured based on fulfilling the requirements of these principles in manufacture practice. The automated control system was put into operation in the production of irradiated samples for HTRPM demonstration project. The experimental results prove that the system can achieve better control of coated fuel particle preparation process and meet the requirements of factory-scale production. (authors)

Damage Control Automation for Reduced Manning (DC-ARM) Supervisory Control System Software Summary

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Downs, Ryan

2002-01-01

.... The SCS currently interfaces and controls the ship's automated fire main, outfitted with smart valves, a high-pressure water mist system, a video over IP system, a door position indication system...

Automated information and control complex of hydro-gas endogenous mine processes

Science.gov (United States)

Davkaev, K. S.; Lyakhovets, M. V.; Gulevich, T. M.; Zolin, K. A.

2017-09-01

The automated information and control complex designed to prevent accidents, related to aerological situation in the underground workings, accounting of the received and handed over individual devices, transmission and display of measurement data, and the formation of preemptive solutions is considered. Examples for the automated workplace of an airgas control operator by individual means are given. The statistical characteristics of field data characterizing the aerological situation in the mine are obtained. The conducted studies of statistical characteristics confirm the feasibility of creating a subsystem of controlled gas distribution with an adaptive arrangement of points for gas control. The adaptive (multivariant) algorithm for processing measuring information of continuous multidimensional quantities and influencing factors has been developed.

Planning for Office Automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mick, Colin K.

1983-01-01

Outlines a practical approach to planning for office automation termed the "Focused Process Approach" (the "what" phase, "how" phase, "doing" phase) which is a synthesis of the problem-solving and participatory planning approaches. Thirteen references are provided. (EJS)

Synthesis of Mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, John Michael

1999-01-01

These notes describe an automated procedure for analysis and synthesis of mechanisms. The analysis method is based on the body coordinate formulation, and the synthesis is based on applying optimization methods, used to minimize the difference between an actual and a desired behaviour...

Early Validation of Automation Plant Control Software using Simulation Based on Assumption Modeling and Validation Use Cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Brandstetter

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In automation plants, technical processes must be conducted in a way that products, substances, or services are produced reliably, with sufficient quality and with minimal strain on resources. A key driver in conducting these processes is the automation plant’s control software, which controls the technical plant components and thereby affects the physical, chemical, and mechanical processes that take place in automation plants. To this end, the control software of an automation plant must adhere to strict process requirements arising from the technical processes, and from the physical plant design. Currently, the validation of the control software often starts late in the engineering process in many cases – once the automation plant is almost completely constructed. However, as widely acknowledged, the later the control software of the automation plant is validated, the higher the effort for correcting revealed defects is, which can lead to serious budget overruns and project delays. In this article we propose an approach that allows the early validation of automation control software against the technical plant processes and assumptions about the physical plant design by means of simulation. We demonstrate the application of our approach on the example of an actual plant project from the automation industry and present it’s technical implementation

MOD control center automated information systems security evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, Rich

1991-01-01

The role of the technology infusion process in future Control Center Automated Information Systems (AIS) is highlighted. The following subject areas are presented in the form of the viewgraphs: goals, background, threat, MOD's AISS program, TQM, SDLC integration, payback, future challenges, and bottom line.

Automated mixed traffic transit vehicle microprocessor controller

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, R. A.; Cassell, P.; Johnston, A. R.

1981-01-01

An improved Automated Mixed Traffic Vehicle (AMTV) speed control system employing a microprocessor and transistor chopper motor current controller is described and its performance is presented in terms of velocity versus time curves. The on board computer hardware and software systems are described as is the software development system. All of the programming used in this controller was implemented using FORTRAN. This microprocessor controller made possible a number of safety features and improved the comfort associated with starting and shopping. In addition, most of the vehicle's performance characteristics can be altered by simple program parameter changes. A failure analysis of the microprocessor controller was generated and the results are included. Flow diagrams for the speed control algorithms and complete FORTRAN code listings are also included.

Flexible software architecture for user-interface and machine control in laboratory automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Arutunian, E B; Meldrum, D R; Friedman, N A; Moody, S E

1998-10-01

We describe a modular, layered software architecture for automated laboratory instruments. The design consists of a sophisticated user interface, a machine controller and multiple individual hardware subsystems, each interacting through a client-server architecture built entirely on top of open Internet standards. In our implementation, the user-interface components are built as Java applets that are downloaded from a server integrated into the machine controller. The user-interface client can thereby provide laboratory personnel with a familiar environment for experiment design through a standard World Wide Web browser. Data management and security are seamlessly integrated at the machine-controller layer using QNX, a real-time operating system. This layer also controls hardware subsystems through a second client-server interface. This architecture has proven flexible and relatively easy to implement and allows users to operate laboratory automation instruments remotely through an Internet connection. The software architecture was implemented and demonstrated on the Acapella, an automated fluid-sample-processing system that is under development at the University of Washington.

Automated personal identification: a new technique for controlling access to nuclear materials and facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eccles, D.R.

1975-01-01

Special nuclear materials must be protected against the threat of diversion or theft, and nuclear facilities against the threat of industrial sabotage. Implicit in this protection is the means of controlling access to protected areas, material access areas, and vital areas. With the advent of automated personal identification technology, the processes of access control can be automated to yield both higher security and reduced costs. This paper first surveys the conventional methods of access control; next, automated personal identification concepts are presented and various systems approaches are highlighted; finally, Calspan's FINGERSCAN /sub TM/ system for identity verification is described

ANALYTICAL SYNTHESIS OF CHEMICAL REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Labutin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The problem of the analytical synthesis of the synergetic control system of chemical reactor for the realization of a complex series-parallel exothermal reaction has been solved. The synthesis of control principles is performed using the analytical design method of aggregated regulators. Synthesized nonlinear control system solves the problem of stabilization of the concentration of target component at the exit of reactor and also enables one to automatically transfer to new production using the equipment.

Advanced digital computers, controls, and automation technologies for power plants: Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatt, S.C.

1992-08-01

This document is a compilation of the papers that were presented at an EPRI workshop on Advances in Computers, Controls, and Automation Technologies for Power Plants. The workshop, sponsored by EPRI's Nuclear Power Division, took place February 1992. It was attended by 157 representatives from electric utilities, equipment manufacturers, engineering consulting organizations, universities, national laboratories, government agencies and international utilities. More than 40% of the attendees were from utilities representing the majority group. There were 30% attendees from equipment manufacturers and the engineering consulting organizations. The participants from government agencies, universities, and national laboratories were about 10% each. The workshop included a keynote address, 35 technical papers, and vendor's equipment demonstrations. The technical papers described the state-of-the-art in the areas of recent utility digital upgrades such as digital feedwater controllers, steam generator level controllers, integrated plant computer systems, computer aided diagnostics, automated testing and surveillance and other applications. A group of technical papers presented the ongoing B ampersand W PWR integrated plant control system prototype developments with the triple redundant advanced digital control system. Several international papers from France, Japan and U.K. presented their programs on advance power plant design and applications. Significant advances in the control and automation technologies such as adaptive controls, self-tuning methods, neural networks and expert systems were presented by developers, universities, and national laboratories. Individual papers are indexed separately

Robust control synthesis for uncertain dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, Kuk-Whan; Wie, Bong; Sunkel, John

1989-01-01

This paper presents robust control synthesis techniques for uncertain dynamical systems subject to structured parameter perturbation. Both QFT (quantitative feedback theory) and H-infinity control synthesis techniques are investigated. Although most H-infinity-related control techniques are not concerned with the structured parameter perturbation, a new way of incorporating the parameter uncertainty in the robust H-infinity control design is presented. A generic model of uncertain dynamical systems is used to illustrate the design methodologies investigated in this paper. It is shown that, for a certain noncolocated structural control problem, use of both techniques results in nonminimum phase compensation.

Assembly of Four Diverse Heterocyclic Libraries Enabled by Prins Cyclization, Au-Catalyzed Enyne Cycloisomerization, and Automated Amide Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Jiayue; Chai, David I.; Miller, Christopher; Hao, Jason; Thomas, Christopher; Wang, JingQi; Scheidt, Karl A.; Kozmin, Sergey A.

2013-01-01

We describe a unified synthetic strategy for efficient assembly of four new heterocyclic libraries. The synthesis began by creating a range of structurally diverse pyrrolidinones or piperidinones. Such compounds were obtained in a simple one-flask operation starting with readily available amines, ketoesters, and unsaturated anhydrides. The use of tetrahydropyran-containing ketoesters, which were rapidly assembled by our Prins cyclization protocol, enabled efficient fusion of pyran and piperidinone cores. A newly developed Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkyne-containing enamides further expanded heterocyclic diversity by providing rapid entry into a wide range of bicyclic and tricyclic dienamides. The final stage of the process entailed diversification of each of the initially produced carboxylic acids using a fully automated platform for amide synthesis, which delivered 1872 compounds in high diastereomeric and chemical purity. PMID:22860634

INTELLIGENT AUTOMATED SYSTEM OF CONTROL OF KNOWLEDGE: LINGUISTIC SUBSYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Katerynchuk

2010-08-01

Full Text Available A flowchart linguistic structure (morfological, syntactical, semantic and pragmatic analysis of sentences of the automated system of control of intellectual knowledge. The model of artificial intelligence recognition and evaluation of textual answers.

Flexible Automation System for Determination of Elemental Composition of Incrustations in Clogged Biliary Endoprostheses Using ICP-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischer, Heidi; Ramani, Kinjal; Blitti, Koffi; Roddelkopf, Thomas; Warkentin, Mareike; Behrend, Detlef; Thurow, Kerstin

2018-02-01

Automation systems are well established in industries and life science laboratories, especially in bioscreening and high-throughput applications. An increasing demand of automation solutions can be seen in the field of analytical measurement in chemical synthesis, quality control, and medical and pharmaceutical fields, as well as research and development. In this study, an automation solution was developed and optimized for the investigation of new biliary endoprostheses (stents), which should reduce clogging after implantation in the human body. The material inside the stents (incrustations) has to be controlled regularly and under identical conditions. The elemental composition is one criterion to be monitored in stent development. The manual procedure was transferred to an automated process including sample preparation, elemental analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and data evaluation. Due to safety issues, microwave-assisted acid digestion was executed outside of the automation system. The performance of the automated process was determined and validated. The measurement results and the processing times were compared for both the manual and the automated procedure. Finally, real samples of stent incrustations and pig bile were analyzed using the automation system.

Weld controller for automated nuclear service welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barfield, K.L.; Strubhar, P.M.; Green, D.I.

1995-01-01

B and W Nuclear Technologies (BWNT) uses many different types of weld heads for automated welding in the commercial nuclear service industry. Some weld heads are purchased as standard items, while others are custom designed and fabricated by BWNT requiring synchronized multiaxis motion control. BWNT recently completed a development program to build a common weld controller that interfaces to all types of weld heads used by BWNT. Their goal was to construct a system that had the flexibility to add different modules to increase the capability of the controller as different application needs become necessary. The benefits from having a common controller are listed. This presentation explains the weld controller system and the types of applications to which it has been applied

Automated no-carrier-added synthesis of [1-11C]-labeled D- and L-enantiomers of lactic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drandarov, Konstantin; Schubiger, P. August; Westera, Gerrit

2006-01-01

The first purely chemical method for automated no-carrier-added synthesis of [1- 11 C]-labeled D(R)- and L(S)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid (lactic acid) was developed for experimental neurophysiology studies and position emission tomography (PET) diagnosis. Starting from sodium 1-hydroxyethanesulfonate and [ 11 C]HCN (trapped as [ 11 C]KCN) the intermediate DL-(R,S)-[1- 11 C]-2-hydroxypropanenitrile was prepared. Its rapid acid hydrolysis gave DL-(R,S)-[1- 11 C]lactic acid, which was isolated by preparative reversed phase HPLC and automatically injected on a second preparative C 18 HPLC column coated with a chiral selector, where both [1- 11 C]lactic acid enantiomers were separated by chiral ligand-exchange chromatography. Two novel chiral selectors for HPLC enantiomeric separation of α-hydroxy acids, namely D(R)- or L(S)-2-amino-3-methyl-3-(5-phenylpentylsulfanyl)-butanoic acid were utilized for the preparative HPLC separation of the [1- 11 C]lactic acid enantiomers. The preparation of the selectors and the coating procedure for the manufacturing of the preparative chiral HPLC columns are described. A highly efficient trap for [ 11 C]HCN is presented. The whole radiosynthesis is automated, takes about 45 min and leads to more than 80% decay corrected overall radiochemical yield of each enantiomer (up to 2.5 GBq) with over 99% radiochemical, chemical and enantiomeric purity. The specific activity at the end of the synthesis is about 400 GBq/μmol

Low Speed Longitudinal Control Algorithms for Automated Vehicles in Simulation and Real Platforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Marcano

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS acting over throttle and brake are already available in level 2 automated vehicles. In order to increase the level of automation new systems need to be tested in an extensive set of complex scenarios, ensuring safety under all circumstances. Validation of these systems using real vehicles presents important drawbacks: the time needed to drive millions of kilometers, the risk associated with some situations, and the high cost involved. Simulation platforms emerge as a feasible solution. Therefore, robust and reliable virtual environments to test automated driving maneuvers and control techniques are needed. In that sense, this paper presents a use case where three longitudinal low speed control techniques are designed, tuned, and validated using an in-house simulation framework and later applied in a real vehicle. Control algorithms include a classical PID, an adaptive network fuzzy inference system (ANFIS, and a Model Predictive Control (MPC. The simulated dynamics are calculated using a multibody vehicle model. In addition, longitudinal actuators of a Renault Twizy are characterized through empirical tests. A comparative analysis of results between simulated and real platform shows the effectiveness of the proposed framework for designing and validating longitudinal controllers for real automated vehicles.

Real time control engineering systems and automation

CERN Document Server

Ng, Tian Seng

2016-01-01

This book covers the two broad areas of the electronics and electrical aspects of control applications, highlighting the many different types of control systems of relevance to real-life control system design. The control techniques presented are state-of-the-art. In the electronics section, readers will find essential information on microprocessor, microcontroller, mechatronics and electronics control. The low-level assembly programming language performs basic input/output control techniques as well as controlling the stepper motor and PWM dc motor. In the electrical section, the book addresses the complete elevator PLC system design, neural network plant control, load flow analysis, and process control, as well as machine vision topics. Illustrative diagrams, circuits and programming examples and algorithms help to explain the details of the system function design. Readers will find a wealth of computer control and industrial automation practices and applications for modern industries, as well as the educat...

The Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) advanced automation project

Science.gov (United States)

Dewberry, Brandon S.; Carnes, Ray

1990-01-01

The objective of the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) Advanced Automation Project is to influence the design of the initial and evolutionary Space Station Freedom Program (SSFP) ECLSS toward a man-made closed environment in which minimal flight and ground manpower is needed. Another objective includes capturing ECLSS design and development knowledge future missions. Our approach has been to (1) analyze the SSFP ECLSS, (2) envision as our goal a fully automated evolutionary environmental control system - an augmentation of the baseline, and (3) document the advanced software systems, hooks, and scars which will be necessary to achieve this goal. From this analysis, prototype software is being developed, and will be tested using air and water recovery simulations and hardware subsystems. In addition, the advanced software is being designed, developed, and tested using automation software management plan and lifecycle tools. Automated knowledge acquisition, engineering, verification and testing tools are being used to develop the software. In this way, we can capture ECLSS development knowledge for future use develop more robust and complex software, provide feedback to the knowledge based system tool community, and ensure proper visibility of our efforts.

Policy-based secure communication with automatic key management for industrial control and automation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chernoguzov, Alexander; Markham, Thomas R.; Haridas, Harshal S.

2016-11-22

A method includes generating at least one access vector associated with a specified device in an industrial process control and automation system. The specified device has one of multiple device roles. The at least one access vector is generated based on one or more communication policies defining communications between one or more pairs of devices roles in the industrial process control and automation system, where each pair of device roles includes the device role of the specified device. The method also includes providing the at least one access vector to at least one of the specified device and one or more other devices in the industrial process control and automation system in order to control communications to or from the specified device.

Intelligent viewing control for robotic and automation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schenker, Paul S.; Peters, Stephen F.; Paljug, Eric D.; Kim, Won S.

1994-10-01

We present a new system for supervisory automated control of multiple remote cameras. Our primary purpose in developing this system has been to provide capability for knowledge- based, `hands-off' viewing during execution of teleoperation/telerobotic tasks. The reported technology has broader applicability to remote surveillance, telescience observation, automated manufacturing workcells, etc. We refer to this new capability as `Intelligent Viewing Control (IVC),' distinguishing it from a simple programmed camera motion control. In the IVC system, camera viewing assignment, sequencing, positioning, panning, and parameter adjustment (zoom, focus, aperture, etc.) are invoked and interactively executed by real-time by a knowledge-based controller, drawing on a priori known task models and constraints, including operator preferences. This multi-camera control is integrated with a real-time, high-fidelity 3D graphics simulation, which is correctly calibrated in perspective to the actual cameras and their platform kinematics (translation/pan-tilt). Such merged graphics- with-video design allows the system user to preview and modify the planned (`choreographed') viewing sequences. Further, during actual task execution, the system operator has available both the resulting optimized video sequence, as well as supplementary graphics views from arbitrary perspectives. IVC, including operator-interactive designation of robot task actions, is presented to the user as a well-integrated video-graphic single screen user interface allowing easy access to all relevant telerobot communication/command/control resources. We describe and show pictorial results of a preliminary IVC system implementation for telerobotic servicing of a satellite.

Control and Automation Systems at the TSO/DSO interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silvestro, F.; Pilo, F.; Mauri, G.

2017-01-01

(Distribution Network Operator) have to assure a secure reliable and good power quality, without taking into consideration any real-time operation of the active components present in their systems. In order to accomplish their missions, DNOs will have to exploit the support of control and automation systems...... and protection systems, but also “external inputs” coming from the Transmission Networks (operated by the Transmission System Operator) and the forthcoming “smart world” (i.e. smart cities, smart transports, smart industries, smart customers etc.). The processing of all such inputs will still have...... to be subordinated to the possibility for Distribution Companies to operate their network under their ultimate responsibility (DSO – Distribution System Operators). This paper presents an overview of the activities of CIGRE C6.25 Working Group (JWG), focusing on the control and automation systems for the future...

The LHC experiment control system: on the path to full automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaspar, C.; Alessio, F.; Cardoso, L.; Frank, M.; Garnier, J.C.; Herwijnen, E.V.; Jacobsson, R.; Jost, B.; Neufeld, N.; Schwemmer, R.; Callot, O.; Franek, B.

2012-01-01

LHCb is a large experiment at the LHC accelerator. The experiment control system is in charge of the configuration, control and monitoring of the different sub-detectors and of all areas of the online system. The building blocks of the control system are based on the PVSS SCADA System complemented by a control Framework developed in common for the 4 LHC experiments. This framework includes an 'expert system' like tool called SMI++ which is used for the system automation. The experiment's operations are now almost completely automated, driven by a top-level object called Big-Brother, which pilots all the experiment's standard procedures and the most common error-recovery procedures. The architecture, tools and mechanisms used for the implementation as well as some operational examples will be described. (authors)

Controller Design Automation for Aeroservoelastic Design Optimization of Wind Turbines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ashuri, T.; Van Bussel, G.J.W.; Zaayer, M.B.; Van Kuik, G.A.M.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to integrate the controller design of wind turbines with structure and aerodynamic analysis and use the final product in the design optimization process (DOP) of wind turbines. To do that, the controller design is automated and integrated with an aeroelastic simulation

Printing quality control automation

Science.gov (United States)

Trapeznikova, O. V.

2018-04-01

One of the most important problems in the concept of standardizing the process of offset printing is the control the quality rating of printing and its automation. To solve the problem, a software has been developed taking into account the specifics of printing system components and the behavior in printing process. In order to characterize the distribution of ink layer on the printed substrate the so-called deviation of the ink layer thickness on the sheet from nominal surface is suggested. The geometric data construction the surface projections of the color gamut bodies allows to visualize the color reproduction gamut of printing systems in brightness ranges and specific color sectors, that provides a qualitative comparison of the system by the reproduction of individual colors in a varying ranges of brightness.

Automation of On-Board Flightpath Management

Science.gov (United States)

Erzberger, H.

1981-01-01

The status of concepts and techniques for the design of onboard flight path management systems is reviewed. Such systems are designed to increase flight efficiency and safety by automating the optimization of flight procedures onboard aircraft. After a brief review of the origins and functions of such systems, two complementary methods are described for attacking the key design problem, namely, the synthesis of efficient trajectories. One method optimizes en route, the other optimizes terminal area flight; both methods are rooted in optimal control theory. Simulation and flight test results are reviewed to illustrate the potential of these systems for fuel and cost savings.

Transient Tolerant Automated Control System for the LEDA 75kV Injector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thuot, M.E.; Dalesio, L.R.; Harrington, M.; Hodgkins, D.; Kerstiens, D.M.; Stettler, M.W.; Warren, D.S.; Zaugg, T.; Arvin, A.; Bolt, S.; Richards, M.

1999-01-01

The Low-Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA) injector is designed to inject 75-keV, 110-mA, proton beams into the LEDA RFQ. The injector operation has been automated to provide long term, high availability operation using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). Automated recovery from spark-downs demands reliable spark detection and sequence execution by the injector controller. Reliable computer control in the high-energy transient environment required transient suppression and isolation of hundreds of analog and binary data lines connecting the EPICS computer controller to the injector and it's power supplies and diagnostics. A transient suppression design based on measured and modeled spark transient parameters provides robust injector operation. This paper describes the control system hardware and software design, implementation and operational performance

High-Throughput Platform for Synthesis of Melamine-Formaldehyde Microcapsules.

Science.gov (United States)

Çakir, Seda; Bauters, Erwin; Rivero, Guadalupe; Parasote, Tom; Paul, Johan; Du Prez, Filip E

2017-07-10

The synthesis of microcapsules via in situ polymerization is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, where many composition and process factors affect the microcapsule formation and its morphology. Herein, we report a novel combinatorial technique for the preparation of melamine-formaldehyde microcapsules, using a custom-made and automated high-throughput platform (HTP). After performing validation experiments for ensuring the accuracy and reproducibility of the novel platform, a design of experiment study was performed. The influence of different encapsulation parameters was investigated, such as the effect of the surfactant, surfactant type, surfactant concentration and core/shell ratio. As a result, this HTP-platform is suitable to be used for the synthesis of different types of microcapsules in an automated and controlled way, allowing the screening of different reaction parameters in a shorter time compared to the manual synthetic techniques.

A Review Of Design And Control Of Automated Guided Vehicle Systems

OpenAIRE

Le-Anh, Tuan; Koster, René

2004-01-01

textabstractThis paper presents a review on design and control of automated guided vehicle systems. We address most key related issues including guide-path design, estimating the number of vehicles, vehicle scheduling, idle-vehicle positioning, battery management, vehicle routing, and conflict resolution. We discuss and classify important models and results from key publications in literature on automated guided vehicle systems, including often-neglected areas, such as idle-vehicle positionin...

Rapid access to compound libraries through flow technology: fully automated synthesis of a 3-aminoindolizine library via orthogonal diversification.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, Paul P; James, Keith

2012-10-08

A novel methodology for the synthesis of druglike heterocycle libraries has been developed through the use of flow reactor technology. The strategy employs orthogonal modification of a heterocyclic core, which is generated in situ, and was used to construct both a 25-membered library of druglike 3-aminoindolizines, and selected examples of a 100-member virtual library. This general protocol allows a broad range of acylation, alkylation and sulfonamidation reactions to be performed in conjunction with a tandem Sonogashira coupling/cycloisomerization sequence. All three synthetic steps were conducted under full automation in the flow reactor, with no handling or isolation of intermediates, to afford the desired products in good yields. This fully automated, multistep flow approach opens the way to highly efficient generation of druglike heterocyclic systems as part of a lead discovery strategy or within a lead optimization program.

The Automation Control System Design of Walking Beam Heating Furnace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Yu LIU

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Combining the transformation project of certain strip steel rolling production line, the techniques process of walking beam heating furnace was elaborated in this paper. The practical application of LOS-T18-2ZC1 laser detector was elaborated. The network communication model of walking beam heating furnace control system was designed. The realization method of production process automation control was elaborated. The entire automation control system allocation picture and PLC power distribution system picture of walking beam heating furnace were designed. Charge machine movement process was elaborated. Walking beam movement process was elaborated. Extractor movement process was elaborated. The hydraulic station of walking mechanism was elaborated. Relative control circuit diagram was designed. The control function of parallel shift motor, uplifted and degressive motor was elaborated. The control circuit diagram of parallel shift motor of charge machine and extractor of first heating furnace was designed. The control circuit diagram of uplifted and degressive motor of charge machine and extractor of first heating furnace was designed. The realization method of steel blank length test function was elaborated. The realization method of tracking and sequence control function of heating furnace field roller were elaborated. The design provides important reference base for enhancing walking beam heating furnace control level.

Available hardware for automated entry control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, J.P.

1990-01-01

Automated entry control has become an increasingly important issue at facilities where budget constraints are limiting options for manned entry control points. Ongoing work at Sandia National Laboratories is attempting to establish a data base for use by facility security managers working the problem of how to maintain security on a limited budget. Sandia National Laboratories conducted a performance test of the following biometric verifiers: (1) voice verifier by Alpha Microsystems of Santa Ana, California; (2) signature dynamics verifier by Autosig Systems of Irving, Texas; (3) voice verifier by Ecco Industries of Danvers, Massachusetts (now International Electronics); (4) retinal pattern verifier by EyeDentify of Portland, Oregon; (5) fingerprint verifier by Identix of Sunnyvale, California; and (6) hand geometry verifier by Recognition Systems of San Jose, California

Automated Controlled-Potential Coulometer for the IAEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cordaro, J.V.; Holland, M.K.; Fields, T.

1998-01-01

An automated controlled-potential coulometer has been developed at the Savannah River Site (SRS) for the determination of plutonium for use at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Safeguards Analytical Laboratory in Siebersdorf, Austria. The system is functionally the same as earlier systems built for use at the Savannah River Site's Analytical Laboratory. All electronic circuits and printed circuits boards have been upgraded with state-of-the-art components. A higher amperage potentiostat with improved control stability has been developed. The system achieves electronic calibration accuracy and linearity of better than 0.01 percent, with a precision and accuracy better than 0.1 percent has been demonstrated. This coulometer features electrical calibration of the integration system, electrolysis current background corrections, and control-potential adjustment capabilities. These capabilities allow application of the system to plutonium measurements without chemical standards, achieving traceability to the international measurement system through electrical standards and Faraday's constant. the chemist is provided with the capability to perform measurements without depending upon chemical standards, which is a significant advantage for applications such as characterization of primary and secondary standards. Additional benefits include reducing operating cost to procure, prepare and measure calibration standards and the corresponding decrease in radioactive waste generation. The design and documentation of the automated instrument are provided herein. Each individual module's operation, wiring, layout, and alignment are described. Interconnection of the modules and system calibration are discussed. A complete set of prints and a list of associated parts are included

Flexible End2End Workflow Automation of Hit-Discovery Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Holzmüller-Laue, Silke; Göde, Bernd; Thurow, Kerstin

2014-08-01

The article considers a new approach of more complex laboratory automation at the workflow layer. The authors purpose the automation of end2end workflows. The combination of all relevant subprocesses-whether automated or manually performed, independently, and in which organizational unit-results in end2end processes that include all result dependencies. The end2end approach focuses on not only the classical experiments in synthesis or screening, but also on auxiliary processes such as the production and storage of chemicals, cell culturing, and maintenance as well as preparatory activities and analyses of experiments. Furthermore, the connection of control flow and data flow in the same process model leads to reducing of effort of the data transfer between the involved systems, including the necessary data transformations. This end2end laboratory automation can be realized effectively with the modern methods of business process management (BPM). This approach is based on a new standardization of the process-modeling notation Business Process Model and Notation 2.0. In drug discovery, several scientific disciplines act together with manifold modern methods, technologies, and a wide range of automated instruments for the discovery and design of target-based drugs. The article discusses the novel BPM-based automation concept with an implemented example of a high-throughput screening of previously synthesized compound libraries. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Automation and control trends in the upstream sector of the oil industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plucenio, Agustinho; Pagano, Daniel J. [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, SC (Brazil). Programa de Recursos Humanos da ANP em Automacao, Controle e Instrumentacao para a Industria do Petroleo e Gas, PRH-34

2004-07-01

The need to continuously improve the aspects of Health, Safety and Environment to operators, installation's security, optimization of oil reservoir recovery in wells operating with different artificial lift methods, subject to different secondary recovery techniques, has motivated the development of technologies in the automation and control for the upstream sector of the oil industry. While the application of control and automation techniques is well established in the downstream sector of the oil industry that is not the case in the downstream sector. One tendency in this sector is the utilization of control via Field bus Networks. This technology uses equipment that communicate with each other in a two wire digital network and can be programmed to execute function blocks algorithms designed to perform a designed control strategy. The most noticeable benefits are the improvements in the process performance and the equipment reusability and interoperability. Proprietary solutions can be replaced by systems composed of equipment supplied by different manufacturers connected in the same network. These equipment operate according to a strategy designed by automation and control engineers under the supervision of professionals working in computer terminals located in different company departments. Other gains are a better understanding about the industry processes, application of optimization techniques, fault detection, equipment maintenance follow-up, and improved operators working conditions and workers qualification. Other tendencies are: permanent well monitoring. Either with installation of down hole sensors based on fiber grating sensors or surface sensors using embedded electronic processors. Developments of instrumentation technology for low cost multiphase flow measurements. Application of control techniques for flow regime control and optimization of reservoir recovery through better identification, optimization and Model Based Predictive Control

Waste utilization for the controlled synthesis of nanosized hydroxyapatite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nayar, Suprabha, E-mail: Suprabha.nayar@gmail.com [National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur (India); Guha, Avijit [National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur (India)

2009-05-05

This work uses biomolecules in waste and medicinally important materials for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. Orange and potato peel, eggshell, papaya leaf and calendula flower extracts have varied biomolecules, which exert a significant, control on the in situ synthesis of nanosized hydroxyapatite particles. The biomimetic synthesis of inorganic particles using known matrices is already well established, however, there are only a few reports using compound extracts. The synthesized nanocomposite has been characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies. Role of varied biomolecules in controlled inorganic synthesis may have tremendous technological impact.

Automated real-time testing (ARTT) for embedded control systems (ECS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawkins, J; Howard, R; Nguyen, H.

2001-01-01

Many of today's automated real-time testing systems for embedded systems were developed using expensive custom hardware and software. In this article they describe how to use commercially available off-the-shelf hardware and software to design and develop an automated real-time test systems for Embedded Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Based Control Systems. The system development began with the implementation of the VALI/TEST Pro testing methodology as a means for structuring the testing. Using this methodology, they were able to decompose system requirement documents for a Personnel Safety System (PSS) into its high, intermediate and detail level requirements. next, the validation procedures for the PSS system were decomposed into testing units called builds, test runs and test cases. To measure the PSS system's test coverage three levels of system requirements were mapped to their respective unit level of test using a specially constructed validation matrix that was designed to handle over 150 test cases and requirements. All of the above work led to the development of an Automated Real-Time Test System (ARTTS) that is capable of performing complete black box testing in real-time for Embedded PLC Based Control Systems. Also note, that the PSS system under test and mentioned in this paper is located at the Advance Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory Basic Energy Science Facility in Argonne, Illinois

Synthesis algorithm of VLSI multipliers for ASIC

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, O. H.; Eldin, A. G.

1993-01-01

Multipliers are critical sub-blocks in ASIC design, especially for digital signal processing and communications applications. A flexible multiplier synthesis tool is developed which is capable of generating multiplier blocks for word size in the range of 4 to 256 bits. A comparison of existing multiplier algorithms is made in terms of speed, silicon area, and suitability for automated synthesis and verification of its VLSI implementation. The algorithm divides the range of supported word sizes into sub-ranges and provides each sub-range with a specific multiplier architecture for optimal speed and area. The algorithm of the synthesis tool and the multiplier architectures are presented. Circuit implementation and the automated synthesis methodology are discussed.

Methods of Synthesis of Automatic Control Systems with Delay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aliaksandr Lapeta

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The paper investigates the procedure for introduction of systems containing delay elements. Shortcomings and difficulties in the synthesis of regulators and precompensators of control systems with delays in output and control channel where determined. The author focused on two approaches for the formation of promatrix and synthesis of control systems, considering the factor of delay.

An Overview of the Automated Dispatch Controller Algorithms in the System Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DiOrio, Nicholas A [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-11-22

Three automatic dispatch modes have been added to the battery model within the System Adviser Model. These controllers have been developed to perform peak shaving in an automated fashion, providing users with a way to see the benefit of reduced demand charges without manually programming a complicated dispatch control. A flexible input option allows more advanced interaction with the automated controller. This document will describe the algorithms in detail and present brief results on its use and limitations.

Development of an Automated Decision-Making Tool for Supervisory Control System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cetiner, Sacit M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Muhlheim, Michael David [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Flanagan, George F. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Fugate, David L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kisner, Roger A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2014-09-01

This technical report was generated as a product of the Supervisory Control for Multi-Modular Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Plants project within the Instrumentation, Control and Human-Machine Interface technology area under the Advanced Small Modular Reactor (AdvSMR) Research and Development Program of the US Department of Energy. The report documents the definition of strategies, functional elements, and the structural architecture of a supervisory control system for multi-modular AdvSMR plants. This research activity advances the state of the art by incorporating real-time, probabilistic-based decision-making into the supervisory control system architectural layers through the introduction of a tiered-plant system approach. The report provides background information on the state of the art of automated decision-making, including the description of existing methodologies. It then presents a description of a generalized decision-making framework, upon which the supervisory control decision-making algorithm is based. The probabilistic portion of automated decision-making is demonstrated through a simple hydraulic loop example.

Instrumentation, control and automation in wastewater - from London 1973 to Narbonne 2013

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsson, G.; Carlsson, B.; Comas, J.

2014-01-01

, instrumentation, computer systems and control theory. However, many developments have not been addressed here, such as sewer control, drinking water treatment and water distribution control. It is hoped that this review can stimulate new attempts to more effectively apply control and automation in water systems...

Automating radiochemistry: Considerations for commerical suppliers of devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, D.G.

1993-01-01

The fundamental decision to automate a particular radiochemical synthesis for in house use depends primarily on the demand for the compound and the total number of studies to be carried out with that compound. For a commercial supplier of automated chemistry systems, much more goes in to the decision to design, develop and produce a particular automated chemistry system. There is a dramatic difference in design effort between an industrial environment and an academic environment. An in house system must be built only once and needs only to incrementally simplify the synthesis process. A commercial product must: have reasonable manufacturing costs; be easy to use; be aesthetically pleasing; be easy to install and service; be functionally integral with other equipment sold by the manufacturer; be marketable within the regulatory environment; address radiation safety issues. This paper discusses issues that guide commercial suppliers in the formation of their product lines

Automated Model Fit Method for Diesel Engine Control Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seykens, X.; Willems, F.P.T.; Kuijpers, B.; Rietjens, C.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an automated fit for a control-oriented physics-based diesel engine combustion model. This method is based on the combination of a dedicated measurement procedure and structured approach to fit the required combustion model parameters. Only a data set is required that is

Automated model fit method for diesel engine control development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seykens, X.L.J.; Willems, F.P.T.; Kuijpers, B.; Rietjens, C.J.H.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an automated fit for a control-oriented physics-based diesel engine combustion model. This method is based on the combination of a dedicated measurement procedure and structured approach to fit the required combustion model parameters. Only a data set is required that is

An automated instrument for controlled-potential coulometry: System documentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holland, M K; Cordaro, J V

1988-06-01

An automated controlled-potential coulometer has been developed at the Savannah River Plant for the determination of plutonium. Two such coulometers have been assembled, evaluated, and applied. The software is based upon the methodology used at the Savannah River Plant, however the system is applicable with minimal software modifications to any of the methodologies used throughout the nuclear industry. These state-of-the-art coulometers feature electrical calibration of the integration system, background current corrections, and control-potential adjustment capabilities. Measurement precision within 0.1% has been demonstrated. The systems have also been successfully applied to the determination of pure neptunium solutions. The design and documentation of the automated instrument are described herein. Each individual module's operation, wiring layout, and alignment are described. Interconnection of the modules and system calibration are discussed. A complete set of system prints and a list of associated parts are included. 9 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.

Complacency and Automation Bias in the Use of Imperfect Automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickens, Christopher D; Clegg, Benjamin A; Vieane, Alex Z; Sebok, Angelia L

2015-08-01

We examine the effects of two different kinds of decision-aiding automation errors on human-automation interaction (HAI), occurring at the first failure following repeated exposure to correctly functioning automation. The two errors are incorrect advice, triggering the automation bias, and missing advice, reflecting complacency. Contrasts between analogous automation errors in alerting systems, rather than decision aiding, have revealed that alerting false alarms are more problematic to HAI than alerting misses are. Prior research in decision aiding, although contrasting the two aiding errors (incorrect vs. missing), has confounded error expectancy. Participants performed an environmental process control simulation with and without decision aiding. For those with the aid, automation dependence was created through several trials of perfect aiding performance, and an unexpected automation error was then imposed in which automation was either gone (one group) or wrong (a second group). A control group received no automation support. The correct aid supported faster and more accurate diagnosis and lower workload. The aid failure degraded all three variables, but "automation wrong" had a much greater effect on accuracy, reflecting the automation bias, than did "automation gone," reflecting the impact of complacency. Some complacency was manifested for automation gone, by a longer latency and more modest reduction in accuracy. Automation wrong, creating the automation bias, appears to be a more problematic form of automation error than automation gone, reflecting complacency. Decision-aiding automation should indicate its lower degree of confidence in uncertain environments to avoid the automation bias. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

PLACE: an open-source python package for laboratory automation, control, and experimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Jami L; Tom Wörden, Henrik; van Wijk, Kasper

2015-02-01

In modern laboratories, software can drive the full experimental process from data acquisition to storage, processing, and analysis. The automation of laboratory data acquisition is an important consideration for every laboratory. When implementing a laboratory automation scheme, important parameters include its reliability, time to implement, adaptability, and compatibility with software used at other stages of experimentation. In this article, we present an open-source, flexible, and extensible Python package for Laboratory Automation, Control, and Experimentation (PLACE). The package uses modular organization and clear design principles; therefore, it can be easily customized or expanded to meet the needs of diverse laboratories. We discuss the organization of PLACE, data-handling considerations, and then present an example using PLACE for laser-ultrasound experiments. Finally, we demonstrate the seamless transition to post-processing and analysis with Python through the development of an analysis module for data produced by PLACE automation. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Automatic Synthesis of Robust and Optimal Controllers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cassez, Franck; Jessen, Jan Jacob; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2009-01-01

In this paper, we show how to apply recent tools for the automatic synthesis of robust and near-optimal controllers for a real industrial case study. We show how to use three different classes of models and their supporting existing tools, Uppaal-TiGA for synthesis, phaver for verification......, and Simulink for simulation, in a complementary way. We believe that this case study shows that our tools have reached a level of maturity that allows us to tackle interesting and relevant industrial control problems....

Model-driven design using IEC 61499 a synchronous approach for embedded and automation systems

CERN Document Server

Yoong, Li Hsien; Bhatti, Zeeshan E; Kuo, Matthew M Y

2015-01-01

This book describes a novel approach for the design of embedded systems and industrial automation systems, using a unified model-driven approach that is applicable in both domains.  The authors illustrate their methodology, using the IEC 61499 standard as the main vehicle for specification, verification, static timing analysis and automated code synthesis.  The well-known synchronous approach is used as the main vehicle for defining an unambiguous semantics that ensures determinism and deadlock freedom. The proposed approach also ensures very efficient implementations either on small-scale embedded devices or on industry-scale programmable automation controllers (PACs). It can be used for both centralized and distributed implementations. Significantly, the proposed approach can be used without the need for any run-time support. This approach, for the first time, blurs the gap between embedded systems and automation systems and can be applied in wide-ranging applications in automotive, robotics, and industri...

Linear algebra as an alternative approach to the synthesis of digital devices of automation and control systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolay Chernov

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers linear algebra as an alternative mathematical tool of logic synthesis of digital structures to Boolean algebra and synthesis methods of digital electronic component base (ECB on its ground. The methods of solving the applied problems of logic synthesis are shown, including the expansion of an arbitrary logic function by means of monotonic functions. The proposed mathematical apparatus actually provides the creation of digital structures on the principles of analog circuitry. It can find application in the design of multivalued digital ECB, specialized system-on-chip and analog-digital sensors with current output. The examples of synthesis of the combinational and sequential two-valued and multivalued digital devices are given. In conclusion, the advantages of linear algebra in comparison with Boolean algebra are formulated.

Study radiolabeling of urea-based PSMA inhibitor with 68-Galliu: Comparative evaluation of automated and not automated methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alcarde, Lais Fernanda

2016-01-01

The methods for clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer include rectal examination and the dosage of the prostatic specific antigen (PSA). However, the PSA level is elevated in about 20 to 30% of cases related to benign pathologies, resulting in false positives and leading patients to unnecessary biopsies. The prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), in contrast, is over expressed in prostate cancer and founded at low levels in healthy organs. As a result, it stimulated the development of small molecule inhibitors of PSMA, which carry imaging agents to the tumor and are not affected by their microvasculature. Recent studies suggest that the HBED-CC chelator intrinsically contributes to the binding of the PSMA inhibitor peptide based on urea (Glu-urea-Lys) to the pharmacophore group. This work describes the optimization of radiolabeling conditions of PSMA-HBED-CC with "6"8Ga, using automated system (synthesis module) and no automated method, seeking to establish an appropriate condition to prepare this new radiopharmaceutical, with emphasis on the labeling yield and radiochemical purity of the product. It also aimed to evaluate the stability of the radiolabeled peptide in transport conditions and study the biological distribution of the radiopharmaceutical in healthy mice. The study of radiolabeling parameters enabled to define a non-automated method which resulted in high radiochemical purity (> 95 %) without the need for purification of the labeled peptide. The automated method has been adapted, using a module of synthesis and software already available at IPEN, and also resulted in high synthetic yield (≥ 90%) specially when compared with those described in the literature, with the associated benefit of greater control of the production process in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices. The study of radiolabeling parameters afforded the PSMA-HBED-CC-"6"8Ga with higher specific activity than observed in published clinical studies (≥ 140,0 GBq

Robofurnace: A semi-automated laboratory chemical vapor deposition system for high-throughput nanomaterial synthesis and process discovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver, C. Ryan; Westrick, William; Koehler, Jeremy; Brieland-Shoultz, Anna; Anagnostopoulos-Politis, Ilias; Cruz-Gonzalez, Tizoc; Hart, A. John

2013-01-01

Laboratory research and development on new materials, such as nanostructured thin films, often utilizes manual equipment such as tube furnaces due to its relatively low cost and ease of setup. However, these systems can be prone to inconsistent outcomes due to variations in standard operating procedures and limitations in performance such as heating and cooling rates restrict the parameter space that can be explored. Perhaps more importantly, maximization of research throughput and the successful and efficient translation of materials processing knowledge to production-scale systems, relies on the attainment of consistent outcomes. In response to this need, we present a semi-automated lab-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace system, called “Robofurnace.” Robofurnace is an automated CVD system built around a standard tube furnace, which automates sample insertion and removal and uses motion of the furnace to achieve rapid heating and cooling. The system has a 10-sample magazine and motorized transfer arm, which isolates the samples from the lab atmosphere and enables highly repeatable placement of the sample within the tube. The system is designed to enable continuous operation of the CVD reactor, with asynchronous loading/unloading of samples. To demonstrate its performance, Robofurnace is used to develop a rapid CVD recipe for carbon nanotube (CNT) forest growth, achieving a 10-fold improvement in CNT forest mass density compared to a benchmark recipe using a manual tube furnace. In the long run, multiple systems like Robofurnace may be linked to share data among laboratories by methods such as Twitter. Our hope is Robofurnace and like automation will enable machine learning to optimize and discover relationships in complex material synthesis processes

Robofurnace: A semi-automated laboratory chemical vapor deposition system for high-throughput nanomaterial synthesis and process discovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, C. Ryan; Westrick, William; Koehler, Jeremy; Brieland-Shoultz, Anna; Anagnostopoulos-Politis, Ilias; Cruz-Gonzalez, Tizoc [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States); Hart, A. John, E-mail: ajhart@mit.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

2013-11-15

Laboratory research and development on new materials, such as nanostructured thin films, often utilizes manual equipment such as tube furnaces due to its relatively low cost and ease of setup. However, these systems can be prone to inconsistent outcomes due to variations in standard operating procedures and limitations in performance such as heating and cooling rates restrict the parameter space that can be explored. Perhaps more importantly, maximization of research throughput and the successful and efficient translation of materials processing knowledge to production-scale systems, relies on the attainment of consistent outcomes. In response to this need, we present a semi-automated lab-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace system, called “Robofurnace.” Robofurnace is an automated CVD system built around a standard tube furnace, which automates sample insertion and removal and uses motion of the furnace to achieve rapid heating and cooling. The system has a 10-sample magazine and motorized transfer arm, which isolates the samples from the lab atmosphere and enables highly repeatable placement of the sample within the tube. The system is designed to enable continuous operation of the CVD reactor, with asynchronous loading/unloading of samples. To demonstrate its performance, Robofurnace is used to develop a rapid CVD recipe for carbon nanotube (CNT) forest growth, achieving a 10-fold improvement in CNT forest mass density compared to a benchmark recipe using a manual tube furnace. In the long run, multiple systems like Robofurnace may be linked to share data among laboratories by methods such as Twitter. Our hope is Robofurnace and like automation will enable machine learning to optimize and discover relationships in complex material synthesis processes.

RAMAS: The RITL Automated Management System. Master Control and Periodicals Control Subsystems. Stockholm Papers in Library and Information Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Ya-chun, Lian

An automated minicomputer-based library management system is being developed at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology Library (RITL). RAMAS (the RITL Automated Management System) currently deals with periodical check-in, claiming, index-handling, and binding control. A RAMAS bibliographic record can be accessed from eight different points…

The Synthesis Method of Automated System of Operational Planning in Low-Space Communication System Messaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhii Kovbasiuk

2017-04-01

Full Text Available One of the reasons for the decrease of efficiency in low-speed communication systems, satellite communication, which are based on nanoplatform is a high degree of operational planning centralisation. To overcome this problem the method which carries out the distribution of tasks of communications operational planning minimizing the exchange of information between spatially remote sites, and takes into account the computing performance of software and hardware was developed. The technique is based on the use of methods of structural and parametric synthesis, simulation and statistical analysis of the results. Its use allows to obtain the optimal structure of the automated system of operational planning in low-space communication system messaging evaluation of efficiency in terms of fixed communication of information load.

Automated Stock Control System for Bookshops in Tertiary Institutions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The recent need for automated stock control system for bookshops in tertiary institutions was generated by unequal availability of books and stiff scarcity of books in some areas while in ... This approach provides for faster response times for users because the database is local to each business unit within the organization.

Ecological interface design : supporting fault diagnosis of automated advice in a supervisory air traffic control task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borst, C.; Bijsterbosch, V.A.; van Paassen, M.M.; Mulder, M.

2017-01-01

Future air traffic control will have to rely on more advanced automation to support human controllers in their job of safely handling increased traffic volumes. A prerequisite for the success of such automation is that the data driving it are reliable. Current technology, however, still warrants

National Ignition Facility TestController for automated and manual testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zielinski, Jason, E-mail: fishler2@llnl.gov [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States)

2012-12-15

The Controls and Information Systems (CIS) organization for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has developed controls, configuration and analysis software applications that combine for several million lines of code. The team delivers updates throughout the year, from major releases containing hundreds of changes to patch releases containing a small number of focused updates. To ensure the quality of each delivery, manual and automated tests are performed using the NIF TestController test infrastructure. The TestController system provides test inventory management, test planning, automated and manual test execution, release testing summaries and results search, all through a web browser interface. As part of the three-stage software testing strategy, the NIF TestController system helps plan, evaluate and track the readiness of each release to the NIF production environment. After several years of use in testing NIF software applications, the TestController's manual testing features have been leveraged for verifying the installation and operation of NIF Target Diagnostic hardware. The TestController recorded its first test results in 2004. Today, the system has recorded the execution of more than 160,000 tests and continues to play a central role in ensuring that NIF hardware and software meet the requirements of a high reliability facility. This paper describes the TestController system and discusses its use in assuring the quality of software delivered to the NIF.

National Ignition Facility TestController for automated and manual testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zielinski, Jason

2012-01-01

The Controls and Information Systems (CIS) organization for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has developed controls, configuration and analysis software applications that combine for several million lines of code. The team delivers updates throughout the year, from major releases containing hundreds of changes to patch releases containing a small number of focused updates. To ensure the quality of each delivery, manual and automated tests are performed using the NIF TestController test infrastructure. The TestController system provides test inventory management, test planning, automated and manual test execution, release testing summaries and results search, all through a web browser interface. As part of the three-stage software testing strategy, the NIF TestController system helps plan, evaluate and track the readiness of each release to the NIF production environment. After several years of use in testing NIF software applications, the TestController's manual testing features have been leveraged for verifying the installation and operation of NIF Target Diagnostic hardware. The TestController recorded its first test results in 2004. Today, the system has recorded the execution of more than 160,000 tests and continues to play a central role in ensuring that NIF hardware and software meet the requirements of a high reliability facility. This paper describes the TestController system and discusses its use in assuring the quality of software delivered to the NIF.

Process automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moser, D.R.

1986-01-01

Process automation technology has been pursued in the chemical processing industries and to a very limited extent in nuclear fuel reprocessing. Its effective use has been restricted in the past by the lack of diverse and reliable process instrumentation and the unavailability of sophisticated software designed for process control. The Integrated Equipment Test (IET) facility was developed by the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program (CFRP) in part to demonstrate new concepts for control of advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. A demonstration of fuel reprocessing equipment automation using advanced instrumentation and a modern, microprocessor-based control system is nearing completion in the facility. This facility provides for the synergistic testing of all chemical process features of a prototypical fuel reprocessing plant that can be attained with unirradiated uranium-bearing feed materials. The unique equipment and mission of the IET facility make it an ideal test bed for automation studies. This effort will provide for the demonstration of the plant automation concept and for the development of techniques for similar applications in a full-scale plant. A set of preliminary recommendations for implementing process automation has been compiled. Some of these concepts are not generally recognized or accepted. The automation work now under way in the IET facility should be useful to others in helping avoid costly mistakes because of the underutilization or misapplication of process automation. 6 figs

High-throughput synthesis equipment applied to polymer research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogenboom, R.; Schubert, U.S.

2005-01-01

To speed up synthetic polymer research, a workflow dedicated to automated polymer synthesis and characterization was developed. The workflow consists of several synthesis robots with online and offline analytical equipment. For screening of reaction parameters and for library synthesis, robots

Automated no-carrier-added synthesis of [1-{sup 11}C]-labeled D- and L-enantiomers of lactic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drandarov, Konstantin [Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University Hospital Zuerich, CH-8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Schubiger, P. August [Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University Hospital Zuerich, CH-8091 Zurich (Switzerland); Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Westera, Gerrit [Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, University Hospital Zuerich, CH-8091 Zurich (Switzerland) and Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland)]. E-mail: gerrit.westera@usz.ch

2006-12-15

The first purely chemical method for automated no-carrier-added synthesis of [1-{sup 11}C]-labeled D(R)- and L(S)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid (lactic acid) was developed for experimental neurophysiology studies and position emission tomography (PET) diagnosis. Starting from sodium 1-hydroxyethanesulfonate and [{sup 11}C]HCN (trapped as [{sup 11}C]KCN) the intermediate DL-(R,S)-[1-{sup 11}C]-2-hydroxypropanenitrile was prepared. Its rapid acid hydrolysis gave DL-(R,S)-[1-{sup 11}C]lactic acid, which was isolated by preparative reversed phase HPLC and automatically injected on a second preparative C{sub 18} HPLC column coated with a chiral selector, where both [1-{sup 11}C]lactic acid enantiomers were separated by chiral ligand-exchange chromatography. Two novel chiral selectors for HPLC enantiomeric separation of {alpha}-hydroxy acids, namely D(R)- or L(S)-2-amino-3-methyl-3-(5-phenylpentylsulfanyl)-butanoic acid were utilized for the preparative HPLC separation of the [1-{sup 11}C]lactic acid enantiomers. The preparation of the selectors and the coating procedure for the manufacturing of the preparative chiral HPLC columns are described. A highly efficient trap for [{sup 11}C]HCN is presented. The whole radiosynthesis is automated, takes about 45 min and leads to more than 80% decay corrected overall radiochemical yield of each enantiomer (up to 2.5 GBq) with over 99% radiochemical, chemical and enantiomeric purity. The specific activity at the end of the synthesis is about 400 GBq/{mu}mol.

Automated Cryocooler Monitor and Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Britcliffe, Michael J.; Hanscon, Theodore R.; Fowler, Larry E.

2011-01-01

A system was designed to automate cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifier systems used in the NASA Deep Space Network. It automates the entire operation of the system including cool-down, warm-up, and performance monitoring. The system is based on a single-board computer with custom software and hardware to monitor and control the cryogenic operation of the system. The system provides local display and control, and can be operated remotely via a Web interface. The system controller is based on a commercial single-board computer with onboard data acquisition capability. The commercial hardware includes a microprocessor, an LCD (liquid crystal display), seven LED (light emitting diode) displays, a seven-key keypad, an Ethernet interface, 40 digital I/O (input/output) ports, 11 A/D (analog to digital) inputs, four D/A (digital to analog) outputs, and an external relay board to control the high-current devices. The temperature sensors used are commercial silicon diode devices that provide a non-linear voltage output proportional to temperature. The devices are excited with a 10-microamp bias current. The system is capable of monitoring and displaying three temperatures. The vacuum sensors are commercial thermistor devices. The output of the sensors is a non-linear voltage proportional to vacuum pressure in the 1-Torr to 1-millitorr range. Two sensors are used. One measures the vacuum pressure in the cryocooler and the other the pressure at the input to the vacuum pump. The helium pressure sensor is a commercial device that provides a linear voltage output from 1 to 5 volts, corresponding to a gas pressure from 0 to 3.5 MPa (approx. = 500 psig). Control of the vacuum process is accomplished with a commercial electrically operated solenoid valve. A commercial motor starter is used to control the input power of the compressor. The warm-up heaters are commercial power resistors sized to provide the appropriate power for the thermal mass of the particular system, and

A Multiple Agent Model of Human Performance in Automated Air Traffic Control and Flight Management Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Corker, Kevin; Pisanich, Gregory; Condon, Gregory W. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

A predictive model of human operator performance (flight crew and air traffic control (ATC)) has been developed and applied in order to evaluate the impact of automation developments in flight management and air traffic control. The model is used to predict the performance of a two person flight crew and the ATC operators generating and responding to clearances aided by the Center TRACON Automation System (CTAS). The purpose of the modeling is to support evaluation and design of automated aids for flight management and airspace management and to predict required changes in procedure both air and ground in response to advancing automation in both domains. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Fully Automated Driving: Impact of Trust and Practice on Manual Control Recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Payre, William; Cestac, Julien; Delhomme, Patricia

2016-03-01

An experiment was performed in a driving simulator to investigate the impacts of practice, trust, and interaction on manual control recovery (MCR) when employing fully automated driving (FAD). To increase the use of partially or highly automated driving efficiency and to improve safety, some studies have addressed trust in driving automation and training, but few studies have focused on FAD. FAD is an autonomous system that has full control of a vehicle without any need for intervention by the driver. A total of 69 drivers with a valid license practiced with FAD. They were distributed evenly across two conditions: simple practice and elaborate practice. When examining emergency MCR, a correlation was found between trust and reaction time in the simple practice group (i.e., higher trust meant a longer reaction time), but not in the elaborate practice group. This result indicated that to mitigate the negative impact of overtrust on reaction time, more appropriate practice may be needed. Drivers should be trained in how the automated device works so as to improve MCR performance in case of an emergency. The practice format used in this study could be used for the first interaction with an FAD car when acquiring such a vehicle. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Risk Assessment on the Transition Program for Air Traffic Control Automation System Upgrade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Dong Bin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the safety risks of the transition program for Air Traffic Control (ATC automation system upgrade by using the event tree analysis method in this paper. We decomposed the occurrence progress of the three transition phase and built the event trees corresponding to the three stages, and then we determined the probability of success of each factor and calculated probability of success of the air traffic control automation system upgrade transition. In the conclusion, we illustrate the transition program safety risk according to the results.

Configuring the Orion Guidance, Navigation, and Control Flight Software for Automated Sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Odegard, Ryan G.; Siliwinski, Tomasz K.; King, Ellis T.; Hart, Jeremy J.

2010-01-01

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle is being designed with greater automation capabilities than any other crewed spacecraft in NASA s history. The Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) flight software architecture is designed to provide a flexible and evolvable framework that accommodates increasing levels of automation over time. Within the GN&C flight software, a data-driven approach is used to configure software. This approach allows data reconfiguration and updates to automated sequences without requiring recompilation of the software. Because of the great dependency of the automation and the flight software on the configuration data, the data management is a vital component of the processes for software certification, mission design, and flight operations. To enable the automated sequencing and data configuration of the GN&C subsystem on Orion, a desktop database configuration tool has been developed. The database tool allows the specification of the GN&C activity sequences, the automated transitions in the software, and the corresponding parameter reconfigurations. These aspects of the GN&C automation on Orion are all coordinated via data management, and the database tool provides the ability to test the automation capabilities during the development of the GN&C software. In addition to providing the infrastructure to manage the GN&C automation, the database tool has been designed with capabilities to import and export artifacts for simulation analysis and documentation purposes. Furthermore, the database configuration tool, currently used to manage simulation data, is envisioned to evolve into a mission planning tool for generating and testing GN&C software sequences and configurations. A key enabler of the GN&C automation design, the database tool allows both the creation and maintenance of the data artifacts, as well as serving the critical role of helping to manage, visualize, and understand the data-driven parameters both during software development

Automated quality control methods for sensor data: a novel observatory approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. R. Taylor

2013-07-01

Full Text Available National and international networks and observatories of terrestrial-based sensors are emerging rapidly. As such, there is demand for a standardized approach to data quality control, as well as interoperability of data among sensor networks. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON has begun constructing their first terrestrial observing sites, with 60 locations expected to be distributed across the US by 2017. This will result in over 14 000 automated sensors recording more than > 100 Tb of data per year. These data are then used to create other datasets and subsequent "higher-level" data products. In anticipation of this challenge, an overall data quality assurance plan has been developed and the first suite of data quality control measures defined. This data-driven approach focuses on automated methods for defining a suite of plausibility test parameter thresholds. Specifically, these plausibility tests scrutinize the data range and variance of each measurement type by employing a suite of binary checks. The statistical basis for each of these tests is developed, and the methods for calculating test parameter thresholds are explored here. While these tests have been used elsewhere, we apply them in a novel approach by calculating their relevant test parameter thresholds. Finally, implementing automated quality control is demonstrated with preliminary data from a NEON prototype site.

Automated mixed traffic vehicle control and scheduling study

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, T. K. C.; Chon, K.

1976-01-01

The operation and the expected performance of a proposed automatic guideway transit system which uses low speed automated mixed traffic vehicles (AMTVs) were analyzed. Vehicle scheduling and headway control policies were evaluated with a transit system simulation model. The effect of mixed traffic interference on the average vehicle speed was examined with a vehicle pedestrian interface model. Control parameters regulating vehicle speed were evaluated for safe stopping and passenger comfort. Some preliminary data on the cost and operation of an experimental AMTV system are included. These data were the result of a separate task conducted at JPL, and were included as background information.

An artificial pancreas for automated blood glucose control in patients with Type 1 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Signe; Boiroux, Dimitri; Ranjan, Ajenthen

2015-01-01

Automated glucose control in patients with Type 1 diabetes is much-coveted by patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. It is the expectation that a system for automated control, also know as an artificial pancreas, will improve glucose control, reduce the risk of diabetes complications...... and markedly improve patient quality of life. An artificial pancreas consists of portable devices for glucose sensing and insulin delivery which are controlled by an algorithm residing on a computer. The technology is still under development and currently no artificial pancreas is commercially available....... This review gives an introduction to recent progress, challenges and future prospects within the field of artificial pancreas research....

Effects of alcohol on automated and controlled driving performances.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthelon, Catherine; Gineyt, Guy

2014-05-01

Alcohol is the most frequently detected substance in fatal automobile crashes, but its precise mode of action is not always clear. The present study was designed to establish the influence of blood alcohol concentration as a function of the complexity of the scenarios. Road scenarios implying automatic or controlled driving performances were manipulated in order to identify which behavioral parameters were deteriorated. A single blind counterbalanced experiment was conducted on a driving simulator. Sixteen experienced drivers (25.3 ± 2.9 years old, 8 men and 8 women) were tested with 0, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8 g/l of alcohol. Driving scenarios varied: road tracking, car following, and an urban scenario including events inspired by real accidents. Statistical analyses were performed on driving parameters as a function of alcohol level. Automated driving parameters such as standard deviation of lateral position measured with the road tracking and car following scenarios were impaired by alcohol, notably with the highest dose. More controlled parameters such as response time to braking and number of crashes when confronted with specific events (urban scenario) were less affected by the alcohol level. Performance decrement was greater with driving scenarios involving automated processes than with scenarios involving controlled processes.

GASICA: Generic Automated Stress Induction and Control ApplicationDesign of an application for controlling the stress state

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benny Van Der Vijgh

2014-12-01

Full Text Available 1.In a multitude of research and therapy paradigms it is relevant to know, and desirably to control, the stress state of a patient or participant. Examples include research paradigms in which the stress state is the dependent or independent variable, or therapy paradigms where this state indicates the boundaries of the therapy. To our knowledge, no application currently exists that focuses specifically on the automated control of the stress state while at the same time being generic enough to be used in various therapy and research purposes. Therefore, we introduce GASICA, an application aimed at the automated control of the stress state in a multitude of therapy and research paradigms. The application consists of three components: a digital stressor game, a set of measurement devices and a feedback model. These three components form a closed loop (called a biocybernetic loop by Pope, Bogart, & Bartolome, 1995 and Fairclough, 2009 that continuously presents an acute psychological stressor, measures several physiological responses to this stressor, and adjusts the stressor intensity based on these measurements by means of the feedback model, hereby aiming to control the stress state. In this manner GASICA presents multidimensional and ecological valid stressors, whilst continuously in control of the form and intensity of the presented stressors, aiming at the automated control of the stress state. Furthermore, the application is designed as a modular open-source application to easily implement different therapy and research tasks using a high-level programming interface and configuration file, and allows for the addition of (existing measurement equipment, making it usable for various paradigms.

GASICA: generic automated stress induction and control application design of an application for controlling the stress state.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Vijgh, Benny; Beun, Robbert J; van Rood, Maarten; Werkhoven, Peter

2014-01-01

In a multitude of research and therapy paradigms it is relevant to know, and desirably to control, the stress state of a patient or participant. Examples include research paradigms in which the stress state is the dependent or independent variable, or therapy paradigms where this state indicates the boundaries of the therapy. To our knowledge, no application currently exists that focuses specifically on the automated control of the stress state while at the same time being generic enough to be used in various therapy and research purposes. Therefore, we introduce GASICA, an application aimed at the automated control of the stress state in a multitude of therapy and research paradigms. The application consists of three components: a digital stressor game, a set of measurement devices, and a feedback model. These three components form a closed loop (called a biocybernetic loop by Pope et al. (1995) and Fairclough (2009) that continuously presents an acute psychological stressor, measures several physiological responses to this stressor, and adjusts the stressor intensity based on these measurements by means of the feedback model, hereby aiming to control the stress state. In this manner GASICA presents multidimensional and ecological valid stressors, whilst continuously in control of the form and intensity of the presented stressors, aiming at the automated control of the stress state. Furthermore, the application is designed as a modular open-source application to easily implement different therapy and research tasks using a high-level programming interface and configuration file, and allows for the addition of (existing) measurement equipment, making it usable for various paradigms.

The MMP inhibitor (R)-2-(N-benzyl-4-(2-[18F]fluoroethoxy)phenylsulphonamido) -N-hydroxy-3-methylbutanamide: Improved precursor synthesis and fully automated radiosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Stefan; Faust, Andreas; Breyholz, Hans-Joerg; Schober, Otmar; Schaefers, Michael; Kopka, Klaus

2011-01-01

Summary: The CGS 25966 derivative (R)-2-(N-Benzyl-4-(2-[ 18 F]fluoroethoxy)phenyl-sulphonamido) -N-hydroxy-3-methylbutanamide [ 18 F]9 represents a very potent radiolabelled matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor. For first human PET studies it is mandatory to have a fully automated radiosynthesis and a straightforward precursor synthesis available. The realisation of both requirements is reported herein. In particular, the corresponding precursor 8 was obtained in a reliable 7 step synthesis with an overall chemical yield of 2.3%. Furthermore, the target compound [ 18 F]9 was prepared with a radiochemical yield of 14.8±3.9% (not corrected for decay).

Efficient assessment of modified nucleoside stability under conditions of automated oligonucleotide synthesis: characterization of the oxidation and oxidative desulfurization of 2-thiouridine.

Science.gov (United States)

Sochacka, E

2001-01-01

In order to efficiently assess the chemical stability of modified nucleosides to the reagents and conditions of automated oligonucleotide synthesis, we designed, developed and tested a scheme in which the modified nucleoside, directly attached to a solid support, is exposed to the cyclic chemistry of the instrument. Stability of 2-thiouridine against different oxidizers was investigated. Tertbutyl hydroperoxide (1 M) in anhydrous acetonitrile was a more effective oxidizer for the incorporation of 2-thiouridine into oligonucleotide chains than the same oxidizer in methylene chloride. Carbon tetrachloride/water in the presence of a basic catalyst was superior in maintaining the thiocarbonyl function, but its utility for RNA synthesis has yet to be fully tested, whereas 2-phenylsulfonyloxaziridine was a very efficient reagent for oxidative desulfurization of 2-thiouridine.

9th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

CERN Document Server

Bernard, Alain; Gusikhin, Oleg; Madani, Kurosh

2014-01-01

This book includes extended and revised versions of a set of selected papers from the Ninth International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2012), held in Rome, Italy, from 28 to 31 July 2012. The conference was organized in four simultaneous tracks: Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization, Robotics and Automation, Systems Modeling, Signal Processing and Control and Industrial Engineering, Production and Management.   ICINCO 2012 received 360 paper submissions, from 58 countries in all continents. From these, after a blind review process, only 40 were accepted as full papers, of which 20 were selected for inclusion in this book, based on the classifications provided by the Program Committee. The selected papers reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the conference as well as the logic equilibrium between the four abovementioned tracks. The diversity of topics is an important feature of this conference, enabling an overall perception of several important scientific and...

Spaceport Command and Control System Automation Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Plano, Tom

2017-01-01

The goal of automated testing is to create and maintain a cohesive infrastructure of robust tests that could be run independently on a software package in its entirety. To that end, the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has brought in a large group of interns to work side-by-side with full time employees to do just this work. Thus, our job is to implement the tests that will put SCCS through its paces.

Tools for the automation of large control systems

CERN Document Server

Gaspar, Clara

2005-01-01

The new LHC experiments at CERN will have very large numbers of channels to operate. In order to be able to configure and monitor such large systems, a high degree of parallelism is necessary. The control system is built as a hierarchy of sub-systems distributed over several computers. A toolkit – SMI++, combining two approaches: finite state machines and rule-based programming, allows for the description of the various sub-systems as decentralized deciding entities, reacting in real-time to changes in the system, thus providing for the automation of standard procedures and the for the automatic recovery from error conditions in a hierarchical fashion. In this paper we will describe the principles and features of SMI++ as well as its integration with an industrial SCADA tool for use by the LHC experiments and we will try to show that such tools, can provide a very convenient mechanism for the automation of large scale, high complexity, applications.

AUTOMATED INFORMATION CONTROL SYSTEM OF MAGNETO LEVITATING CREW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. O. Dzenzerskyi

2008-01-01

Full Text Available It is suggested the concept of construction of automated information-control system (ICS for Maglev on the basis of usage of highway mark-connecting communication wave guide line with groups of input connecting holes placed along active way structure. The excitation of wave guide line is carried out by the modulated microwave signals with the information about spatial position of Maglev, its speed, and also about parameters of propulsion system.

Driver Response Times when Resuming Manual Control from Highly Automated Driving in Truck Platooning Scenarios.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Bo; Wilschut, Ellen; Willemsen, D.; Martens, Marieke

2017-01-01

Automated platooning of trucks is getting increasing interest for its potentially beneficial effects on fuel consumption, driver workload, traffic flow efficiency and safety. Nevertheless, one major challenge lies in the safe and comfortable transitions of control from the automated system back to

Altering user' acceptance of automation through prior automation exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekier, Marek; Molesworth, Brett R C

2017-06-01

Air navigation service providers worldwide see increased use of automation as one solution to overcome the capacity constraints imbedded in the present air traffic management (ATM) system. However, increased use of automation within any system is dependent on user acceptance. The present research sought to determine if the point at which an individual is no longer willing to accept or cooperate with automation can be manipulated. Forty participants underwent training on a computer-based air traffic control programme, followed by two ATM exercises (order counterbalanced), one with and one without the aid of automation. Results revealed after exposure to a task with automation assistance, user acceptance of high(er) levels of automation ('tipping point') decreased; suggesting it is indeed possible to alter automation acceptance. Practitioner Summary: This paper investigates whether the point at which a user of automation rejects automation (i.e. 'tipping point') is constant or can be manipulated. The results revealed after exposure to a task with automation assistance, user acceptance of high(er) levels of automation decreased; suggesting it is possible to alter automation acceptance.

Some principles of automated control systems construction with project organizational structure

OpenAIRE

Kovalenko, Ihor I.; Puhachenko, Kateryna S.

2013-01-01

The main principles of automated control systems construction with project organizational structures have been considered and the process flow sheet  for organizational systems control has been proposed. The architectural elements of the organizational system have been introduced and described. The instrumental tools of the graphodynamic systems theory have been used for the simulation modeling of hierarchical structures.

Synthesis of fixed-architecture, robust H2 and H∞ controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel G. Collins

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses and compares the synthesis of fixed-architecture controllers that guarantee either robust H2 or H∞ performance. The synthesis is accomplished by solving a Riccati equation feasibility problem resulting from mixed structured singular value theory with Popov multipliers. Whereas the algorithm for robust H2 performance had been previously implemented, a major contribution described in this paper is the implementation of the much more complex algorithm for robust H∞ performance. Both robust H2 and H∞, controllers are designed for a benchmark problem and a comparison is made between the resulting controllers and control algorithms. It is found that the numerical algorithm for robust H∞ performance is much more computationally intensive than that for robust H2 performance. Both controllers are found to have smaller bandwidth, lower control authority and to be less conservative than controllers obtained using complex structured singular value synthesis.

Control room design with new automation structures. Leitwartengestaltung bei neuen Automatisierungsstrukturen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilson, W

1984-01-01

This brochure is concerned with the configuration of modern control rooms, taking new automation structures into account. The configuration of control rooms is treated taking note of new process control systems from the point of view of the requirements and performance, which is well known from process and powerstation technology. Apart from general technical and ergonomic considerations, aspects of work load and work stress are dealt with in detail.

Automated injection of a radioactive sample for preparative HPLC with feedback control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwata, Ren; Yamazaki, Shigeki

1990-01-01

The injection of a radioactive reaction mixture into a preparative HPLC column has been automated with computer control for rapid purification of routinely prepared positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals. Using pneumatic valves, a motor-driven pump and a liquid level sensor, two intelligent injection methods for the automation were compared with regard to efficient and rapid sample loading into a 2 mL loop of the 6-way valve. One, a precise but rather slow method, was demonstrated to be suitable for purification of 18 F-radiopharmaceuticals, while the other, due to its rapid operation, was more suitable for 11 C-radiopharmaceuticals. A sample volume of approx 0.5 mL can be injected onto a preparative HPLC column with over 90% efficiency with the present automated system. (author)

Subjective and objective assessment of manual, supported, and automated vehicle control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vos, A.P. de; Godthelp, J.; Käppler, W.D.

1998-01-01

In this paper subjective and objective assessments of vehicle control are illustrated by means of ex-periments concerning manipulation of vehicle dynamics, driver support, and automated driving. Subjective ratings are discussed in relation to objective performance measures.

The using of the control room automation against human errors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kautto, A.

1993-01-01

The control room automation has developed very strongly during the 80's in IVO (Imatran Voima Oy). The former work expanded strongly with building of the full scope training simulator to the Loviisa plant. The important milestones has been, for example the testing of the Critical Function Monitoring System, a concept developed by Combustion Eng. Inc., in Loviisa training simulator 1982, the replacing of the process and simulator computers in Loviisa 1989, and 1990 and the presenting the use of the computer based procedures in training of operators 1993. With developing of automation and procedures it is possible to minimize the probability of human error. However, it is not possible totally eliminate the risks caused by human errors. (orig.)

Robotic Automation in Computer Controlled Polishing

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, D. D.; Yu, G.; Bibby, M.; Dunn, C.; Li, H.; Wu, Y.; Zheng, X.; Zhang, P.

2016-02-01

We first present a Case Study - the manufacture of 1.4 m prototype mirror-segments for the European Extremely Large Telescope, undertaken by the National Facility for Ultra Precision Surfaces, at the OpTIC facility operated by Glyndwr University. Scale-up to serial-manufacture demands delivery of a 1.4 m off-axis aspheric hexagonal segment with surface precision robots and computer numerically controlled ('CNC') polishing machines for optical fabrication. The objective was not to assess which is superior. Rather, it was to understand for the first time their complementary properties, leading us to operate them together as a unit, integrated in hardware and software. Three key areas are reported. First is the novel use of robots to automate currently-manual operations on CNC polishing machines, to improve work-throughput, mitigate risk of damage to parts, and reduce dependence on highly-skilled staff. Second is the use of robots to pre-process surfaces prior to CNC polishing, to reduce total process time. The third draws the threads together, describing our vision of the automated manufacturing cell, where the operator interacts at cell rather than machine level. This promises to deliver a step-change in end-to-end manufacturing times and costs, compared with either platform used on its own or, indeed, the state-of-the-art used elsewhere.

Controlled synthesis of Zn0 nanoparticles by bioreduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canizal, G.; Schabes-Retchkiman, P.S.; Pal, U.; Liu, Hong Bo; Ascencio, J.A.

2006-01-01

Synthesis of metallic Zn nanoparticles through bio-reduction methods is reported for the first time. The structure, shape and size of the nanoparticles are critically controlled through the pH used in the sample preparation. High resolution electron microscopy was used in order to determine the structure of individual nanoparticles. Formation of quantum dots and the efficiency of ion reduction in the synthesis process are studied through the optical absorption in colloids. The structure and stability of the Zn clusters (up to 4000 atoms) were determined through the calculation of minimum energy configurations using molecular and quantum mechanics approximations and image simulation. The structure of the obtained nanoparticles was preferentially hexagonal, although multiple twinned and fcc-like structures were identified. The size controlled synthesis of small nanoparticles in the quantum-dot range was demonstrated successfully

Modelling of the enzymatic kinetically controlled synthesis of cephalexin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schroën, C.G.P.H.; Fretz, C.B.; Bruin, de V.H.; Berendsen, W.; Moody, H.M.; Roos, E.C.; Roon, van J.L.; Kroon, P.J.; Strubel, M.; Janssen, A.E.M.; Tramper, J.

2002-01-01

In this study the influence of diffusion limitation on enzymatic kinetically controlled cephalexin synthesis from phenylglycine amide and 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporinic acid (7-ADCA) was investigated systematically. It was found that if diffusion limitation occurred, both the synthesis/hydrolysis

Automated electrochemical assembly of the protected potential TMG-chitotriomycin precursor based on rational optimization of the carbohydrate building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Nokami, Toshiki; Isoda, Yuta; Sasaki, Norihiko; Takaiso, Aki; Hayase, Shuichi; Itoh, Toshiyuki; Hayashi, Ryutaro; Shimizu, Akihiro; Yoshida, Jun-ichi

2015-03-20

The anomeric arylthio group and the hydroxyl-protecting groups of thioglycosides were optimized to construct carbohydrate building blocks for automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis of oligoglucosamines having 1,4-β-glycosidic linkages. The optimization study included density functional theory calculations, measurements of the oxidation potentials, and the trial synthesis of the chitotriose trisaccharide. The automated synthesis of the protected potential N,N,N-trimethyl-d-glucosaminylchitotriomycin precursor was accomplished by using the optimized building block.

Automating the Incremental Evolution of Controllers for Physical Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faina, Andres; Jacobsen, Lars Toft; Risi, Sebastian

2017-01-01

the evolution of digital objects.…” The work presented here investigates how fully autonomous evolution of robot controllers can be realized in hardware, using an industrial robot and a marker-based computer vision system. In particular, this article presents an approach to automate the reconfiguration...... of the test environment and shows that it is possible, for the first time, to incrementally evolve a neural robot controller for different obstacle avoidance tasks with no human intervention. Importantly, the system offers a high level of robustness and precision that could potentially open up the range...

Illuminance-based slat angle selection model for automated control of split blinds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Jia; Olbina, Svetlana [Rinker School of Building Construction, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-5703 (United States)

2011-03-15

Venetian blinds play an important role in controlling daylight in buildings. Automated blinds overcome some limitations of manual blinds; however, the existing automated systems mainly control the direct solar radiation and glare and cannot be used for controlling innovative blind systems such as split blinds. This research developed an Illuminance-based Slat Angle Selection (ISAS) model that predicts the optimum slat angles of split blinds to achieve the designed indoor illuminance. The model was constructed based on a series of multi-layer feed-forward artificial neural networks (ANNs). The illuminance values at the sensor points used to develop the ANNs were obtained by the software EnergyPlus trademark. The weather determinants (such as horizontal illuminance and sun angles) were used as the input variables for the ANNs. The illuminance level at a sensor point was the output variable for the ANNs. The ISAS model was validated by evaluating the errors in the calculation of the: 1) illuminance and 2) optimum slat angles. The validation results showed that the power of the ISAS model to predict illuminance was 94.7% while its power to calculate the optimum slat angles was 98.5%. For about 90% of time in the year, the illuminance percentage errors were less than 10%, and the percentage errors in calculating the optimum slat angles were less than 5%. This research offers a new approach for the automated control of split blinds and a guide for future research to utilize the adaptive nature of ANNs to develop a more practical and applicable blind control system. (author)

Automated process control system for heat-treating nuclear power station parts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afanasiadi, N.G.; Demin, V.P.; Launin, B.N.

1984-01-01

The basic factors determining the need for an automated process control system (APCS) are discussed, as are system requirements. The basic tasks solved by the system are discussed. The functional scheme for a decentralized, two-level APCS is given

DEPSCOR: Research on ARL's Intelligent Control Architecture: Hierarchical Hybrid-Model Based Design, Verification, Simulation, and Synthesis of Mission Control for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kumar, Ratnesh; Holloway, Lawrence E

2007-01-01

... modeling, verification, simulation and automated synthesis of coordinators has lead to research in this area. We have worked and are working on these issues with Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) who have designed autonomous underwater vehicles for over 50 years primarily under the support of the U.S. Navy through the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

AUTOMATION OF THE SYSTEM OF INTERNAL LABORATORY QUALITY CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Z. Stetsyuk

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Quality control system base d on the principles of standardi zation of all phases of laboratory testing and analysis of internal laboratory quality control and external quality assessment. For the detection accuracy of the results of laboratory tests, carried out internally between the laboratory and laboratory quality control. Under internal laboratory quality control we understand measurement results of each analysis in each anal ytical series rendered directly in the lab every day. The purpose of internal laboratory control - identifying and eliminating unacceptable deviations from standard perfor mance test in the laboratory, i.e. identifying and eliminating harmful analytical errors. The solutions to these problems by implementing automated systems - software that allows you to optimize analytical laboratory research stage of the procedure by automatically creating process control charts was shown.

Intelligent, Semi-Automated Procedure Aid (ISAPA) for ISS Flight Control, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop the Intelligent, Semi-Automated Procedure Aid (ISAPA) intended for use by International Space Station (ISS) ground controllers to increase the...

Simple automated system for simultaneous production of 11C-labeled tracers by solid supported methylation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quincoces, Gemma; Penuelas, Ivan; Valero, Marta; Serra, Patricia; Collantes, Maria; Marti-Climent, Josep; Arbizu, Javier; Jose Garcia-Velloso, Maria; Angel Richter, Jose

2006-01-01

We herein describe a simple setup for the automated simultaneous synthesis of L-[methyl- 11 C]methionine and N-[methyl- 11 C]choline by solid-supported methylation . The setup is extremely simple and easy to adapt to other automated systems and due to its versatility, the method can be utilized for the production of other radiopharmaceuticals requiring a simple [ 11 C]methylation step. Furthermore, it can be used for multiple simultaneous synthesis

A Review Of Design And Control Of Automated Guided Vehicle Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. Le-Anh (Tuan); M.B.M. de Koster (René)

2004-01-01

textabstractThis paper presents a review on design and control of automated guided vehicle systems. We address most key related issues including guide-path design, estimating the number of vehicles, vehicle scheduling, idle-vehicle positioning, battery management, vehicle routing, and conflict

SPS/LEP beam transfer equipment control using industrial automation components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aimar, A.; Berard, G.; Bretin, J.L.; Carlier, E.; Dieperink, J.H.; Laffin, M.; Mertens, V.; Verhagen, H.

1992-01-01

Several control systems for SPS and LEP beam transfer equipment have to be commissioned in the near future. Tools for fast software development, easy maintenance and modifications, compliance with industrial standards, and independence of specific suppliers are considered to be essential. A large fraction of the systems can be realized using off-the-shelf industrial automation components like industrial I/O systems, programmable logic controllers, or diskless PCs. Specific electronics built up in G-64 can be integrated. Diskless systems running UNIX and X Windows are foreseen as process controllers and local access media. (author)

3rd International Asia Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

CERN Document Server

Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

2012-01-01

Session 2 includes 110 papers selected from 2011 3rd International Asia Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (CAR 2011), held on December 24-25, 2011, Shenzhen, China.   As we all know, the ever growing technology in robotics and automation will help build a better human society. This session will provide a unique opportunity for the academic and industrial communities to address new challenges, share solutions, and discuss research directions for the future. Robotics research emphasizes intelligence and adaptability to cope with unstructured environments. Automation research emphasizes efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability, focusing on systems that operate autonomously. The main focus of this session is on the autonomous acquisition of semantic information in intelligent robots and systems, as well as the use of semantic knowledge to guide further acquisition of information.

Eighth International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics (ICINCO 2011)

CERN Document Server

Bernard, Alain; Gusikhin, Oleg; Madani, Kurosh; Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics

2013-01-01

The present book includes a set of selected papers from the eighth "International Conference on Informatics in Control Automation and Robotics" (ICINCO 2011), held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, from 28 to 31 July 2011. The conference was organized in four simultaneous tracks: "Intelligent Control Systems and Optimization", "Robotics and Automation", "Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modeling and Control" and "Industrial Engineering, Production and Management". The book is based on the same structure.   ICINCO received 322 paper submissions, not including those of workshops or special sessions, from 52 countries, in all continents. After a double blind paper review performed by the Program Committee only 33 submissions were accepted as full papers and thus selected for oral presentation, leading to a full paper acceptance ratio of 10%. Additional papers were accepted as short papers and posters. A further refinement was made after the conference, based also on the assessment of presentation quality,...

Lowcost automated control for steel heat treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zambaldi, Edimilson; Magalhães, Ricardo R.; Barbosa, Bruno H.G.; Silva, Sandro P. da; Ferreira, Danton D.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Control the furnace temperature measured by thermocouple and adjusts it. • Activating the furnace resistors through Pulse Width Modulation. • Appling heat treatments to steels by a low-cost controller. - Abstract: The aim of this paper is to propose a low cost, automated furnace control system for the heat treatment of steel. We used an open source electronic prototyping platform to control the furnace temperature, thus reducing human interaction during the heat process. The platform can be adapted to non-controlled commercial furnaces, which are often used by small businesses. A Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller was implemented to regulate the furnace temperature based on a defined heat treatment cycle. The embedded system activates the furnace resistors through Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), allowing for control of electrical power supplied to the furnace. Hardening and tempering were performed on standard steel samples using a traditional method (visual inspection without temperature control) as well the embedded system with PID feedback control. The results show that the proposed system can reproduce an arbitrary heat treatment curve with accuracy and provide the desired final hardness as inferred through metallographic analysis. In addition, we observed a 6% saving in energy consumption using the proposed control system. Furthermore, the estimated cost to implement the system is 42% lower than a commercial controller model implemented in commercial furnaces.

Automated Book Order and Circulation Control Procedures at the Oakland University Library

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence Auld

1968-05-01

Full Text Available Automated systems of book order and circulation control using an IBM 1620 Computer are described as developed at Oakland University. Relative degrees of success and failure are discussed briefly.

Complete automation of nuclear reactors control; Automatisation complete de la conduite des reacteurs nucleaires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weill, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1955-07-01

The use of nuclear reactor for energy production induces the installation of automatic control systems which need to be safe enough and can adapt to the industrial scale of energy production. These automatic control systems have to insure the constancy of power level and adjust the power produced to the energy demand. Two functioning modes are considered: nuclear plant connected up to other electric production systems as hydraulic or thermic plants or nuclear plants functioning on an independent network. For nuclear plants connected up with other production plants, xenon poisoning and operating cost lead to keep working at maximum power the nuclear reactors. Thus, the power modulation control system will not be considered and only start-up control, safety control, and control systems will be automated. For nuclear power plants working on an independent network, the power modulation control system is needed to economize fuel. It described the automated control system for reactors functioning with constant power: a power measurement system constituted of an ionization chamber and a direct-current amplifier will control the steadfastness of the power produced. For reactors functioning with variable power, the automated power control system will allow to change the power and maintain it steady with all the necessary safety and will control that working conditions under P{sub max} and R{sub max} (maximum power and maximum reactivity). The effects of temperature and xenon poisoning will also be discussed. Safety systems will be added to stop completely the functioning of the reactor if P{sub max} is reached. (M.P.)

Robust Temperature Control of a Thermoelectric Cooler via μ -Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Kürkçü, Burak; Kasnakoğlu, Coşku

2018-02-01

In this work robust temperature control of a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) via μ -synthesis is studied. An uncertain dynamical model for the TEC that is suitable for robust control methods is derived. The model captures variations in operating point due to current, load and temperature changes. A temperature controller is designed utilizing μ -synthesis, a powerful method guaranteeing robust stability and performance. For comparison two well-known control methods, namely proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and internal model control (IMC), are also realized to benchmark the proposed approach. It is observed that the stability and performance on the nominal model are satisfactory for all cases. On the other hand, under perturbations the responses of PID and IMC deteriorate and even become unstable. In contrast, the μ -synthesis controller succeeds in keeping system stability and achieving good performance under all perturbations within the operating range, while at the same time providing good disturbance rejection.

Automated roof window control system to address overheating on renovated houses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Psomas, Theofanis Ch.; Heiselberg, Per Kvols; Lyme, Thøger

2017-01-01

Highlights •Manually controlled passive cooling system do not assure high quality environment. •Automated window system reduces overheating risk in houses of temperate climates. •Window system offers similar indoor air quality with mechanical ventilation system. •User behavior on window system...

Planning and control of automated material handling systems: The merge module

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haneyah, S.W.A.; Hurink, Johann L.; Schutten, Johannes M.J.; Zijm, Willem H.M.; Schuur, Peter; Hu, Bo; Morasch, Karl; Pickl, Stefan; Siegle, Markus

2011-01-01

We address the field of internal logistics, embodied in Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHSs), which are complex installations employed in sectors such as Baggage Handling, Physical Distribution, and Parcel & Postal. We work on designing an integral planning and real-time control architecture,

Supervisory control synthesis for a waterway lock

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reijnen, F.F.H.; Goorden, M.A.; van de Mortel - Fronczak, J.M.; Rooda, J.E.

2017-01-01

Formal methods help in coping with the growing functionality and complexity, time-to-market and costs in cyber-physical systems (CPSs). Supervisory control synthesis (SCS) is such a method. It can be used to synthesize a controller for a CPS from the uncontrolled system model (plant) and the

Guided Synthesis of Control Programs Using UPPAAL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hune, T.; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Pettersson, P.

2000-01-01

the transitions with extra guards. Applying this technique have made synthesis of control programs feasible for a plant producing as many as 60 batches. In comparison, we could only handle plants producing two batches without using guides. The synthesized control programs have been executed in a physical plant...

Transitioning to future air traffic management: effects of imperfect automation on controller attention and performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Rovira, Ericka; Parasuraman, Raja

2010-06-01

This study examined whether benefits of conflict probe automation would occur in a future air traffic scenario in which air traffic service providers (ATSPs) are not directly responsible for freely maneuvering aircraft but are controlling other nonequipped aircraft (mixed-equipage environment). The objective was to examine how the type of automation imperfection (miss vs. false alarm) affects ATSP performance and attention allocation. Research has shown that the type of automation imperfection leads to differential human performance costs. Participating in four 30-min scenarios were 12 full-performance-level ATSPs. Dependent variables included conflict detection and resolution performance, eye movements, and subjective ratings of trust and self confidence. ATSPs detected conflicts faster and more accurately with reliable automation, as compared with manual performance. When the conflict probe automation was unreliable, conflict detection performance declined with both miss (25% conflicts detected) and false alarm automation (50% conflicts detected). When the primary task of conflict detection was automated, even highly reliable yet imperfect automation (miss or false alarm) resulted in serious negative effects on operator performance. The further in advance that conflict probe automation predicts a conflict, the greater the uncertainty of prediction; thus, designers should provide users with feedback on the state of the automation or other tools that allow for inspection and analysis of the data underlying the conflict probe algorithm.

Who is driving my car? Development and analysis of a control transition strategy for collaborative automated congestion driving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Urhahne, Joseph

2016-01-01

The role of the driver is changing now that vehicles with driving automation technologies appear on the road. It evolves from being an active controller of the vehicle to being a supervisor of the automated ride. The driver has to collaborate with the driving automation and remains responsible for

Automated Technology for Verificiation and Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

-of-the-art research on theoretical and practical aspects of automated analysis, verification, and synthesis. Among 74 research papers and 10 tool papers submitted to ATVA 2009, the Program Committee accepted 23 as regular papers and 3 as tool papers. In all, 33 experts from 17 countries worked hard to make sure......This volume contains the papers presented at the 7th International Symposium on Automated Technology for Verification and Analysis held during October 13-16 in Macao SAR, China. The primary objective of the ATVA conferences remains the same: to exchange and promote the latest advances of state...

Using Automated Planning for Traffic Signals Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matija Gulić

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Solving traffic congestions represents a high priority issue in many big cities. Traditional traffic control systems are mainly based on pre-programmed, reactive and local techniques. This paper presents an autonomic system that uses automated planning techniques instead. These techniques are easily configurable and modified, and can reason about the future implications of actions that change the default traffic lights behaviour. The proposed implemented system includes some autonomic properties, since it monitors the current traffic state, detects if the system is degrading its performance, sets up new sets of goals to be achieved by the planner, triggers the planner that generates plans with control actions, and executes the selected courses of actions. The obtained results in several artificial and real world data-based simulation scenarios show that the proposed system can efficiently solve traffic congestion.

Automation of Aditya tokamak plasma position control DC power supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arambhadiya, Bharat, E-mail: bharat@ipr.res.in; Raj, Harshita; Tanna, R.L.; Edappala, Praveenlal; Rajpal, Rachana; Ghosh, Joydeep; Chattopadhyay, P.K.; Kalal, M.B.

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Plasma position control is very essential for obtaining repeatable high temperature, high-density discharges of longer durations in tokomak. • The present capacitor bank has limitations of maximum current capacity and position control beyond 200 ms. • The installation of a separate set of coils and a DC power supply can control the plasma position beyond 200 ms. • A high power thyristor (T588N1200) triggers for DC current pulse of 300 A fires precisely at required positions to modify plasma position. • The commissioning is done for the automated in-house, quick and reliable solution. - Abstract: Plasma position control is essential for obtaining repeatable high temperature, high-density discharges of longer duration in tokamaks. Recently, a set of external coils is installed in the vertical field mode configuration to control the radial plasma position in ADITYA tokamak. The existing capacitor bank cannot provide the required current pulse beyond 200 ms for position control. This motivated to have a DC power supply of 500 A to provide current pulse beyond 200 ms for the position control. The automatization of the DC power supply mandated interfaces with the plasma control system, Aditya Pulse Power supply, and Data acquisition system for coordinated discharge operation. A high current thyristor circuit and a timer circuit have been developed for controlling the power supply automatically for charging vertical field coils of Aditya tokamak. Key protection interlocks implemented in the development ensure machine and occupational safety. Fiber-optic trans-receiver isolates the power supply with other subsystems, while analog channel is optically isolated. Commissioning and testing established proper synchronization of the power supply with tokamak operation. The paper discusses the automation of the DC power supply with main circuit components, timing control, and testing results.

Automating the control of robotic systems in unstructured environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrigan, R.W.

1993-01-01

The US Department Energy's Office of Technology Development has sponsored the development of generic robotics technologies for application to a wide range of remote systems. Of primary interest is the development of technologies which enable faster, safer, and cheaper cleanup of hazardous waste sites than is possible using conventional human contact or remote manual approaches. The development of model-based sensor-directed robot control approaches supports these goals by developing modular control technologies which reduce the time and cost of development by allowing reuse of control system software. In addition, the use of computer models improves the safety of remote site cleanup by allowing automated errors detection and recovery while reducing the time for technology development

A model for automation of radioactive dose control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, Carlos Henrique Calazans; Zambon, Jose Waldir; Bitelli, Ricardo; Honaiser, Eduardo Henrique Rangel

2009-01-01

The paper presents a proposal for automation of the personnel dose control system to be used in nuclear medicine environments. The model has considered the Standards and rules of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) and of the Health Ministry. The advantages of the model is a robust management of the integrated dose and technicians qualification status. The software platform selected to be used was the Lotus Notes and an analysis of the advantages, disadvantages of the use of this platform is also presented. (author)

A model for automation of radioactive dose control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, Carlos Henrique Calazans; Zambon, Jose Waldir; Bitelli, Ricardo; Honaiser, Eduardo Henrique Rangel [Centro Tecnologico da Marinha em Sao Paulo (CTMSP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], e-mail: calazans@ctmsp.mar.mil.br, e-mail: zambon@ctmsp.mar.mil.br, e-mail: bitelli@ctmsp.mar.mil.br, e-mail: honaiser@ctmsp.mar.mil.br

2009-07-01

The paper presents a proposal for automation of the personnel dose control system to be used in nuclear medicine environments. The model has considered the Standards and rules of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) and of the Health Ministry. The advantages of the model is a robust management of the integrated dose and technicians qualification status. The software platform selected to be used was the Lotus Notes and an analysis of the advantages, disadvantages of the use of this platform is also presented. (author)

Synthesis of on-chip control circuits for mVLSI biochips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Potluri, Seetal; Schneider, Alexander Rüdiger; Hørslev-Petersen, Martin

2017-01-01

them to laboratory environments. To address this issue, researchers have proposed methods to reduce the number of offchip pressure sources, through integration of on-chip pneumatic control logic circuits fabricated using three-layer monolithic membrane valve technology. Traditionally, mVLSI biochip......-chip control circuit design and (iii) the integration of on-chip control in the placement and routing design tasks. In this paper we present a design methodology for logic synthesis and physical synthesis of mVLSI biochips that use on-chip control. We show how the proposed methodology can be successfully...... applied to generate biochip layouts with integrated on-chip pneumatic control....

The modeling of transfer of steering between automated vehicle and human driver using hybrid control framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaustubh, M.; Willemsen, DMC; Mazo Espinosa, M.; Sjöberg, J.; Morris, B.

2016-01-01

Proponents of autonomous driving pursue driverless technologies, whereas others foresee a gradual transition where there will be automated driving systems that share the control of the vehicle with the driver. With such advances it becomes pertinent that the developed automated systems need to be

The modeling of transfer of steering between automated vehicle and human driver using hybrid control framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaustubh, M.; Willemsen, D.M.C.; Mazo, M.

2016-01-01

Proponents of autonomous driving pursue driverless technologies, whereas others foresee a gradual transition where there will be automated driving systems that share the control of the vehicle with the driver. With such advances it becomes pertinent that the developed automated systems need to be

Control Performance Management in Industrial Automation Assessment, Diagnosis and Improvement of Control Loop Performance

CERN Document Server

Jelali, Mohieddine

2013-01-01

Control Performance Management in Industrial Automation provides a coherent and self-contained treatment of a group of methods and applications of burgeoning importance to the detection and solution of problems with control loops that are vital in maintaining product quality, operational safety, and efficiency of material and energy consumption in the process industries. The monograph deals with all aspects of control performance management (CPM), from controller assessment (minimum-variance-control-based and advanced methods), to detection and diagnosis of control loop problems (process non-linearities, oscillations, actuator faults), to the improvement of control performance (maintenance, re-design of loop components, automatic controller re-tuning). It provides a contribution towards the development and application of completely self-contained and automatic methodologies in the field. Moreover, within this work, many CPM tools have been developed that goes far beyond available CPM packages. Control Perform...

Automation of Aditya vacuum control system based on CODAC Core System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raulji, Vismaysinh D., E-mail: vismay@ipr.res.in; Pujara, Harshad; Arambhadiya, Bharat; Jadeja, Kumarpalsinh; Bhatt, Shailesh; Rajpal, Rachana

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Monitor and control of vacuum control system based on CODAC Core System. • Communication between SIEMENS PLC and open source software EPICS. • With CODAC Core easy to configure and programming of slow controller. - Abstract: The main objective of vacuum control system is to provide ultrahigh vacuum for Aditya Tokamak operations. Aditya Vacuum vessel is having four vacuum pumping lines. To demonstrate implementation of automation; a study case is under taken by automating single Pumping Line of the Aditya vacuum system using CODAC Core System (CCS). Currently, vacuum system is operated manually. The CCS based control system allows remote control, monitoring, alarm handling of vacuum parameters. The CODAC Core System is the Linux based software package that is distributed by ITER Organization for the development of Plant System I&C software. CODAC Core System includes EPICS, CSS (Control System Studio) etc. CSS is used for HMI (Human Machine Interface), alarms and archives. SDD (Self Description Data) tool is used to configure plant system I&C. SDD Editor is an Eclipse based application to define the plant system, interface, I&C component, interfaced signals, configure variable. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system is developed in CSS. Data is transferred between PLC and CSS through EPICS. The complete system is tested with Aditya Vacuum Control System with process interlocks. Operator interface is also developed using Lab VIEW as a choice of the user. This paper will describe the salient features of the developed control system in detail.

Intelligent control and automation technology for nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jae Hui; Huh, Young Hwan; Lee, Jang Soo; Kim, Ko Ryeo; Cha, Kyoung Ho; Lee, Jae Cheol; Dong, In Sook

1993-01-01

This project intends to establish the basic technology of intelligent control and automation to be applied to the next generation nuclear plant. For that, the research status of those technologies is surveyed for various application areas at first. The characteristics and availability of those techniques such as neural network, fuzzy rule based control and reasoning, multimedia, real-time software and qualitative modelling are studied through a series of simulations and experiments. By integrating each technologies studied above, we developed a hierarchical, intelligent control system for an autonomous mobile robot as a test bed. The system is composed of several modules of software and hardware subsystems, which are implemented by use of the intelligent techniques. Through the analysis of the results and experiences, we investigated the feasibility of application of the basic technology to the next generation plant. (Author)

Automation of the software production process for multiple cryogenic control applications

OpenAIRE

Fluder, Czeslaw; Lefebvre, Victor; Pezzetti, Marco; Plutecki, Przemyslaw; Tovar-González, Antonio; Wolak, Tomasz

2018-01-01

The development of process control systems for the cryogenic infrastructure at CERN is based on an automatic software generation approach. The overall complexity of the systems, their frequent evolution as well as the extensive use of databases, repositories, commercial engineering software and CERN frameworks have led to further efforts towards improving the existing automation based software production methodology. A large number of control system upgrades were successfully performed for th...

Controller Synthesis using Qualitative Models and Constraints

OpenAIRE

Ramamoorthy, Subramanian; Kuipers, Benjamin J

2004-01-01

Many engineering systems require the synthesis of global behaviors in nonlinear dynamical systems. Multiple model approaches to control design make it possible to synthesize robust and optimal versions of such global behaviors. We propose a methodology called Qualitative Heterogeneous Control that enables this type of control design. This methodology is based on a separation of concerns between qualitative correctness and quantitative optimization. Qualitative sufficient conditions are derive...

Automated Air Traffic Control Operations with Weather and Time-Constraints: A First Look at (Simulated) Far-Term Control Room Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Prevot, Thomas; Homola, Jeffrey R.; Martin, Lynne H.; Mercer, Joey S.; Cabrall, Christopher C.

2011-01-01

In this paper we discuss results from a recent high fidelity simulation of air traffic control operations with automated separation assurance in the presence of weather and time-constraints. We report findings from a human-in-the-loop study conducted in the Airspace Operations Laboratory (AOL) at the NASA Ames Research Center. During four afternoons in early 2010, fifteen active and recently retired air traffic controllers and supervisors controlled high levels of traffic in a highly automated environment during three-hour long scenarios, For each scenario, twelve air traffic controllers operated eight sector positions in two air traffic control areas and were supervised by three front line managers, Controllers worked one-hour shifts, were relieved by other controllers, took a 3D-minute break, and worked another one-hour shift. On average, twice today's traffic density was simulated with more than 2200 aircraft per traffic scenario. The scenarios were designed to create peaks and valleys in traffic density, growing and decaying convective weather areas, and expose controllers to heavy and light metering conditions. This design enabled an initial look at a broad spectrum of workload, challenge, boredom, and fatigue in an otherwise uncharted territory of future operations. In this paper we report human/system integration aspects, safety and efficiency results as well as airspace throughput, workload, and operational acceptability. We conclude that, with further refinements. air traffic control operations with ground-based automated separation assurance can be an effective and acceptable means to routinely provide very high traffic throughput in the en route airspace.

Automated Testing Experience of the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Controller

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Richard R.

1999-01-01

System controllers must be fail-safe, low cost, flexible to software changes, able to output health and status words, and permit rapid retest qualification. The system controller designed and tested for the aerospike engine program was an attempt to meet these requirements. This paper describes (1) the aerospike controller design, (2) the automated simulation testing techniques, and (3) the real time monitoring data visualization structure. Controller cost was minimized by design of a single-string system that used an off-the-shelf 486 central processing unit (CPU). A linked-list architecture, with states (nodes) defined in a user-friendly state table, accomplished software changes to the controller. Proven to be fail-safe, this system reported the abort cause and automatically reverted to a safe condition for any first failure. A real time simulation and test system automated the software checkout and retest requirements. A program requirement to decode all abort causes in real time during all ground and flight tests assured the safety of flight decisions and the proper execution of mission rules. The design also included health and status words, and provided a real time analysis interpretation for all health and status data.

Communications and Information: Strategic Automated Command Control System-Data Transmission Subsystem (SACCS-DTS) Software Configuration Management and Change Control

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1997-01-01

.... It prescribes the requirements, responsibilities, and procedures for operation, security, and configuration management of the Strategic Automated Command Control System-Data Transmission Subsystem (SACCS-DTS...

Towards a generic lateral control concept for cooperative automated driving : theoretical and experimental evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmeitz, A.J.C.; Zegers, J.; Ploeg, J.; Alirezaei, M.

2017-01-01

Lateral vehicle control is an essential part for many automated and cooperative driving applications. Lane keeping and vehicle following are typical modes of such control system. The aim of this paper is to develop a generic lateral controller that can handle these different modes. Based on the

Spaceport Command and Control System Automated Verification Software Development

Science.gov (United States)

Backus, Michael W.

2017-01-01

For as long as we have walked the Earth, humans have always been explorers. We have visited our nearest celestial body and sent Voyager 1 beyond our solar system1 out into interstellar space. Now it is finally time for us to step beyond our home and onto another planet. The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is being developed along with the Space Launch System (SLS) to take us on a journey further than ever attempted. Within SCCS are separate subsystems and system level software, each of which have to be tested and verified. Testing is a long and tedious process, so automating it will be much more efficient and also helps to remove the possibility of human error from mission operations. I was part of a team of interns and full-time engineers who automated tests for the requirements on SCCS, and with that was able to help verify that the software systems are performing as expected.

Tools for the Automation of Large Distributed Control Systems

CERN Document Server

Gaspar, Clara

2005-01-01

The new LHC experiments at CERN will have very large numbers of channels to operate. In order to be able to configure and monitor such large systems, a high degree of parallelism is necessary. The control system is built as a hierarchy of sub-systems distributed over several computers. A toolkit - SMI++, combining two approaches: finite state machines and rule-based programming, allows for the description of the various sub-systems as decentralized deciding entities, reacting is real-time to changes in the system, thus providing for the automation of standard procedures and for the automatic recovery from error conditions in a hierarchical fashion. In this paper we will describe the principles and features of SMI++ as well as its integration with an industrial SCADA tool for use by the LHC experiments and we will try to show that such tools, can provide a very convenient mechanism for the automation of large scale, high complexity, applications.

Automation Technology and Sense of Control: A Window on Human Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Berberian, Bruno; Sarrazin, Jean-Christophe; Le Blaye, Patrick; Haggard, Patrick

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the perceived times of voluntary actions and their effects are perceived as shifted towards each other, so that the interval between action and outcome seems shortened. This has been referred to as ‘intentional binding’ (IB). However, the generality of this effect remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that Intentional Binding also occurs in complex control situations. Using an aircraft supervision task with different autopilot settings, our results first indicated a strong relation between measures of IB and different levels of system automation. Second, measures of IB were related to explicit agency judgement in this applied setting. We discuss the implications for the underlying mechanisms, and for sense of agency in automated environments. PMID:22479528

Automation technology and sense of control: a window on human agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Berberian, Bruno; Sarrazin, Jean-Christophe; Le Blaye, Patrick; Haggard, Patrick

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the perceived times of voluntary actions and their effects are perceived as shifted towards each other, so that the interval between action and outcome seems shortened. This has been referred to as 'intentional binding' (IB). However, the generality of this effect remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that Intentional Binding also occurs in complex control situations. Using an aircraft supervision task with different autopilot settings, our results first indicated a strong relation between measures of IB and different levels of system automation. Second, measures of IB were related to explicit agency judgement in this applied setting. We discuss the implications for the underlying mechanisms, and for sense of agency in automated environments.

Automatic reactor for solid-phase synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymeric nanoparticles (MIP NPs) in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Poma, Alessandro; Guerreiro, Antonio; Caygill, Sarah; Moczko, Ewa; Piletsky, Sergey

We report the development of an automated chemical reactor for solid-phase synthesis of MIP NPs in water. Operational parameters are under computer control, requiring minimal operator intervention. In this study, "ready for use" MIP NPs with sub-nanomolar affinity are prepared against pepsin A, trypsin and α-amylase in only 4 hours.

Control techniques for an automated mixed traffic vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Meisenholder, G. W.; Johnston, A. R.

1977-01-01

The paper describes an automated mixed traffic vehicle (AMTV), a driverless low-speed tram designed to operate in mixed pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The vehicle is a six-passenger electric tram equipped with sensing and control which permit it to function on existing streets in an automatic mode. The design includes established wire-following techniques for steering and near-IR headway sensors. A 7-mph cruise speed is reduced to 2 mph or a complete stop in response to sensor (or passenger) inputs. The AMTV performance is evaluated by operation on a loop route and by simulation. Some necessary improvements involving sensors, sensor pattern, use of an audible signal, and control lag are discussed. It is suggested that appropriate modifications will eliminate collision incidents.

Automated space vehicle control for rendezvous proximity operations

Science.gov (United States)

Lea, Robert N.

1988-01-01

Rendezvous during the unmanned space exploration missions, such as a Mars Rover/Sample Return will require a completely automatic system from liftoff to docking. A conceptual design of an automated rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking system is being implemented and validated at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The emphasis is on the progress of the development and testing of a prototype system for control of the rendezvous vehicle during proximity operations that is currently being developed at JSC. Fuzzy sets are used to model the human capability of common sense reasoning in decision making tasks and such models are integrated with the expert systems and engineering control system technology to create a system that performs comparably to a manned system.

Automation of coal mining equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Ryuji

1986-12-25

Major machines used in the working face include the shearer and the self-advancing frame. The shearer has been changed from the radio-controlled model to the microcomputer operated machine, while automating various functions. In addition, a system for comprehensively examining operating conditions and natural conditions in the working face for further automation. The selfadvancing frame has been modified from the sequence controlled model to the microcomputer aided electrohydraulic control system. In order to proceed further with automation and introduce robotics, detectors, control units and valves must be made smaller in higher reliability. The system will be controlled above the ground in the future, provided that the machines in the working face are remote controlled at the gate while transmitting relevant data above the ground from this system. Thus, automated working face will be realized. (2 figs, 1 photo)

Controlled synthesis of Zn{sup 0} nanoparticles by bioreduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canizal, G. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas No. 152, Col. San Bartolo Atepehuacan, Apartado Postal 14-805, C.P. 07730, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Schabes-Retchkiman, P.S. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nal. Autonoma de Mexico, A.P. 20-364, C.P. 01000, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Pal, U. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Apdo. Postal J-48, Puebla, Pue. 72570 (Mexico); Liu, Hong Bo [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas No. 152, Col. San Bartolo Atepehuacan, Apartado Postal 14-805, C.P. 07730, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Ascencio, J.A. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas No. 152, Col. San Bartolo Atepehuacan, Apartado Postal 14-805, C.P. 07730, Mexico D.F. (Mexico)]. E-mail: ascencio@imp.mx

2006-06-10

Synthesis of metallic Zn nanoparticles through bio-reduction methods is reported for the first time. The structure, shape and size of the nanoparticles are critically controlled through the pH used in the sample preparation. High resolution electron microscopy was used in order to determine the structure of individual nanoparticles. Formation of quantum dots and the efficiency of ion reduction in the synthesis process are studied through the optical absorption in colloids. The structure and stability of the Zn clusters (up to 4000 atoms) were determined through the calculation of minimum energy configurations using molecular and quantum mechanics approximations and image simulation. The structure of the obtained nanoparticles was preferentially hexagonal, although multiple twinned and fcc-like structures were identified. The size controlled synthesis of small nanoparticles in the quantum-dot range was demonstrated successfully.

Automated Formal Verification for PLC Control Systems

CERN Multimedia

Fernández Adiego, Borja

2014-01-01

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are widely used devices used in industrial control systems. Ensuring that the PLC software is compliant with its specification is a challenging task. Formal verification has become a recommended practice to ensure the correctness of the safety-critical software. However, these techniques are still not widely applied in industry due to the complexity of building formal models, which represent the system and the formalization of requirement specifications. We propose a general methodology to perform automated model checking of complex properties expressed in temporal logics (e.g. CTL, LTL) on PLC programs. This methodology is based on an Intermediate Model (IM), meant to transform PLC programs written in any of the languages described in the IEC 61131-3 standard (ST, IL, etc.) to different modeling languages of verification tools. This approach has been applied to CERN PLC programs validating the methodology.

Optimization of the Technological Synthesis of Refractory Compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Gaidar, S. M.; Karelina, M. Yu.; Prikhod'ko, V. M.; Volkov, A. A.

2017-12-01

The results of experimental studies, which are related to the regulation of the fractional composition of refractory compounds by roll milling in using controlled roll opening and unbalanced peripheral speeds of rollers, are reported. The content of prepared fine, middle, and coarse fractions is within 50-80%; in this case, the milling time of synthesis products is less than the time of ball milling by an order of magnitude. The application of roll milling for refining the products of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis can be most efficient in using together with heat-generating reactor to solve the main problem of self-propagating synthesis (SHS), which is a problem for recent several decades (the problem is the creation of intense automated production of refractory compounds in using continuous manufacturing cycle within a energotechnological system with the recovery of a great quantity of heat released during SHS).

Synthesis of fixed-architecture, robust H 2 and H ∞ controllers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Collins Jr. Emmanuel G.

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses and compares the synthesis of fixed-architecture controllers that guarantee either robust H 2 or H ∞ performance. The synthesis is accomplished by solving a Riccati equation feasibility problem resulting from mixed structured singular value theory with Popov multipliers. Whereas the algorithm for robust H 2 performance had been previously implemented, a major contribution described in this paper is the implementation of the much more complex algorithm for robust H ∞ performance. Both robust H 2 and H ∞ , controllers are designed for a benchmark problem and a comparison is made between the resulting controllers and control algorithms. It is found that the numerical algorithm for robust H ∞ performance is much more computationally intensive than that for robust H 2 performance. Both controllers are found to have smaller bandwidth, lower control authority and to be less conservative than controllers obtained using complex structured singular value synthesis

A simple method for the quality control of [F-18]FDG

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koziorowski, J.

2010-01-01

Most automated synthesis modules produce [F-18]FDG within half an hour, but the quality control involving up to three separate methods and three different analytical systems is time consuming. The use of HPLC, TLC, and GC for the quality control of [F-18]FDG is both time consuming and expensive...

A simple method for the quality control of [(18)F]FDG

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koziorowski, J

2010-01-01

Most automated synthesis modules produce [(18)F]FDG within half an hour, but the quality control involving up to three separate methods and three different analytical systems is time consuming. The use of HPLC, TLC, and GC for the quality control of [(18)F]FDG is both time consuming and expensive...

Taking Over Control From Highly Automated Vehicles in Complex Traffic Situations: The Role of Traffic Density.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Christian; Körber, Moritz; Lechner, David; Bengler, Klaus

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of traffic density and verbal tasks on takeover performance in highly automated driving. In highly automated vehicles, the driver has to occasionally take over vehicle control when approaching system limits. To ensure safety, the ability of the driver to regain control of the driving task under various driving situations and different driver states needs to be quantified. Seventy-two participants experienced takeover situations requiring an evasive maneuver on a three-lane highway with varying traffic density (zero, 10, and 20 vehicles per kilometer). In a between-subjects design, half of the participants were engaged in a verbal 20-Questions Task, representing speaking on the phone while driving in a highly automated vehicle. The presence of traffic in takeover situations led to longer takeover times and worse takeover quality in the form of shorter time to collision and more collisions. The 20-Questions Task did not influence takeover time but seemed to have minor effects on the takeover quality. For the design and evaluation of human-machine interaction in takeover situations of highly automated vehicles, the traffic state seems to play a major role, compared to the driver state, manipulated by the 20-Questions Task. The present results can be used by developers of highly automated systems to appropriately design human-machine interfaces and to assess the driver's time budget for regaining control. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Automation system for quality control in manufacture of iodine-125 sealed sources used in brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somessari, Samir L.; Feher, Anselmo; Sprenger, Francisco E.; Rostellato, Maria E.C.M.; Moura, Joao A.; Costa, Osvaldo L.; Calvo, Wilson A.P.

2011-01-01

The objective of this work is to develop an automation system for Quality Control in the production of Iodine-125 sealed sources, after undergoing the process of laser beam welding. These sources, also known as Iodine-125 seeds are used, successfully, in the treatment of cancer by brachytherapy, with low-dose rates. Each small seed is composed of a welded titanium capsule with 0.8 mm diameter and 4.5 mm in length, containing Iodine-125 adsorbed on an internal silver wire. The seeds are implanted in the human prostate to irradiate the tumor and treat the cancerous cells. The technology to automate the quality control system in the manufacture of Iodine-125 seeds consists in developing and associate mechanical parts, electronic components and pneumatic circuits to control machines and processes. The automation technology for Iodine-125 seed production developed in this work employs programmable logic controller, step motors, drivers of control, electrical-electronic interfaces, photoelectric sensors, interfaces of communication and software development. Industrial automation plays an important role in the production of Iodine-125 seeds, with higher productivity and high standard of quality, facilitating the implementation and operation of processes with good manufacturing practices. Nowadays, the Radiation Technology Center at IPEN-CNEN/SP imports and distributes 36,000 Iodine-125 seeds per year for clinics and hospitals in the whole country. However, the Brazilian potential market is of 8,000 Iodine-125 seeds per month. Therefore, the local production of these radioactive seeds has become a priority for the Institute, aiming to reduce the price and increase the supply to the population in Brazil. (author)

Automation system for quality control in manufacture of iodine-125 sealed sources used in brachytherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Somessari, Samir L.; Feher, Anselmo; Sprenger, Francisco E.; Rostellato, Maria E.C.M.; Moura, Joao A.; Costa, Osvaldo L.; Calvo, Wilson A.P., E-mail: somessar@ipen.b, E-mail: afeher@ipen.b, E-mail: sprenger@ipen.b, E-mail: elisaros@ipen.b, E-mail: olcosta@ipen.b, E-mail: wapcalvo@ipen.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2011-07-01

The objective of this work is to develop an automation system for Quality Control in the production of Iodine-125 sealed sources, after undergoing the process of laser beam welding. These sources, also known as Iodine-125 seeds are used, successfully, in the treatment of cancer by brachytherapy, with low-dose rates. Each small seed is composed of a welded titanium capsule with 0.8 mm diameter and 4.5 mm in length, containing Iodine-125 adsorbed on an internal silver wire. The seeds are implanted in the human prostate to irradiate the tumor and treat the cancerous cells. The technology to automate the quality control system in the manufacture of Iodine-125 seeds consists in developing and associate mechanical parts, electronic components and pneumatic circuits to control machines and processes. The automation technology for Iodine-125 seed production developed in this work employs programmable logic controller, step motors, drivers of control, electrical-electronic interfaces, photoelectric sensors, interfaces of communication and software development. Industrial automation plays an important role in the production of Iodine-125 seeds, with higher productivity and high standard of quality, facilitating the implementation and operation of processes with good manufacturing practices. Nowadays, the Radiation Technology Center at IPEN-CNEN/SP imports and distributes 36,000 Iodine-125 seeds per year for clinics and hospitals in the whole country. However, the Brazilian potential market is of 8,000 Iodine-125 seeds per month. Therefore, the local production of these radioactive seeds has become a priority for the Institute, aiming to reduce the price and increase the supply to the population in Brazil. (author)

Automated classification of cell morphology by coherence-controlled holographic microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Strbkova, Lenka; Zicha, Daniel; Vesely, Pavel; Chmelik, Radim

2017-08-01

In the last few years, classification of cells by machine learning has become frequently used in biology. However, most of the approaches are based on morphometric (MO) features, which are not quantitative in terms of cell mass. This may result in poor classification accuracy. Here, we study the potential contribution of coherence-controlled holographic microscopy enabling quantitative phase imaging for the classification of cell morphologies. We compare our approach with the commonly used method based on MO features. We tested both classification approaches in an experiment with nutritionally deprived cancer tissue cells, while employing several supervised machine learning algorithms. Most of the classifiers provided higher performance when quantitative phase features were employed. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the quantitative phase features played an important role in improving the performance of the classification. The methodology could be valuable help in refining the monitoring of live cells in an automated fashion. We believe that coherence-controlled holographic microscopy, as a tool for quantitative phase imaging, offers all preconditions for the accurate automated analysis of live cell behavior while enabling noninvasive label-free imaging with sufficient contrast and high-spatiotemporal phase sensitivity.

Automatic reactor for solid-phase synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymeric nanoparticles (MIP NPs) in water

OpenAIRE

Poma, Alessandro; Guerreiro, Antonio; Caygill, Sarah; Moczko, Ewa; Piletsky, Sergey

2014-01-01

We report the development of an automated chemical reactor for solid-phase synthesis of MIP NPs in water. Operational parameters are under computer control, requiring minimal operator intervention. In this study, “ready for use” MIP NPs with sub-nanomolar affinity are prepared against pepsin A, trypsin and α-amylase in only 4 hours.

Development, field testing and implementation of automated hydraulically controlled, variable volume loading systems for reciprocating compressors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hickman, Dwayne A. [ACI Services, Inc., Cambridge, OH (United States); Slupsky, John [Kvaerner Process Systems, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Chrisman, Bruce M.; Hurley, Tom J. [Cooper Energy Services, Oklahoma City, OK (United States). Ajax Division

2003-07-01

Automated, variable volume unloaders provide the ability to smoothly load/unload reciprocating compressors to maintain ideal operations in ever-changing environments. Potential advantages provided by this load control system include: maximizing unit capacity, optimizing power economy, maintaining low exhaust emissions, and maintaining process suction and discharge pressures. Obstacles foreseen include: reliability, stability, serviceability and automation integration. Results desired include: increased productivity for the compressor and its operators, increased up time, and more stable process control. This presentation covers: system design features with descriptions of how different types of the devices were developed, initial test data, and how they can be effectively operated; three actual-case studies detailing the reasons why automated, hydraulically controlled, variable volume, head-end unloaders were chosen over other types of unloading devices; sophisticated software used in determining the device sizing and predicted performance; mechanical and field considerations; installation, serviceability and operating considerations; device control issues, including PC and PLC considerations; monitoring of actual performance and comparison of such with predicted performance; analysis of mechanical reliability and stability; and preliminary costs versus return on investment analysis. (author)

Team performance in networked supervisory control of unmanned air vehicles: effects of automation, working memory, and communication content.

Science.gov (United States)

McKendrick, Ryan; Shaw, Tyler; de Visser, Ewart; Saqer, Haneen; Kidwell, Brian; Parasuraman, Raja

2014-05-01

Assess team performance within a net-worked supervisory control setting while manipulating automated decision aids and monitoring team communication and working memory ability. Networked systems such as multi-unmanned air vehicle (UAV) supervision have complex properties that make prediction of human-system performance difficult. Automated decision aid can provide valuable information to operators, individual abilities can limit or facilitate team performance, and team communication patterns can alter how effectively individuals work together. We hypothesized that reliable automation, higher working memory capacity, and increased communication rates of task-relevant information would offset performance decrements attributed to high task load. Two-person teams performed a simulated air defense task with two levels of task load and three levels of automated aid reliability. Teams communicated and received decision aid messages via chat window text messages. Task Load x Automation effects were significant across all performance measures. Reliable automation limited the decline in team performance with increasing task load. Average team spatial working memory was a stronger predictor than other measures of team working memory. Frequency of team rapport and enemy location communications positively related to team performance, and word count was negatively related to team performance. Reliable decision aiding mitigated team performance decline during increased task load during multi-UAV supervisory control. Team spatial working memory, communication of spatial information, and team rapport predicted team success. An automated decision aid can improve team performance under high task load. Assessment of spatial working memory and the communication of task-relevant information can help in operator and team selection in supervisory control systems.

A Multidisciplinary PBL Robot Control Project in Automation and Electronic Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Houcine; Domínguez, Carlos; Martínez, Juan-Miguel; Perles, Angel; Capella, Juan-Vicente; Albaladejo, José

2015-01-01

This paper presents a multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) project consisting of the development of a robot arm prototype and the implementation of its control system. The project is carried out as part of Industrial Informatics (II), a compulsory third-year course in the Automation and Electronic Engineering (AEE) degree program at the…

Robotic control architecture development for automated nuclear material handling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merrill, R.D.; Hurd, R.; Couture, S.; Wilhelmsen, K.

1995-02-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is engaged in developing automated systems for handling materials for mixed waste treatment, nuclear pyrochemical processing, and weapon components disassembly. In support of these application areas there is an extensive robotic development program. This paper will describe the portion of this effort at LLNL devoted to control system architecture development, and review two applications currently being implemented which incorporate these technologies

Automation of program model developing for complex structure control objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, A.P.; Sizova, T.B.; Mikhejkina, N.D.; Sankovskij, G.A.; Tyufyagin, A.N.

1991-01-01

A brief description of software for automated developing the models of integrating modular programming system, program module generator and program module library providing thermal-hydraulic calcualtion of process dynamics in power unit equipment components and on-line control system operation simulation is given. Technical recommendations for model development are based on experience in creation of concrete models of NPP power units. 8 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs

Scalable synthesis of sequence-defined, unimolecular macromolecules by Flow-IEG

Science.gov (United States)

Leibfarth, Frank A.; Johnson, Jeremiah A.; Jamison, Timothy F.

2015-01-01

We report a semiautomated synthesis of sequence and architecturally defined, unimolecular macromolecules through a marriage of multistep flow synthesis and iterative exponential growth (Flow-IEG). The Flow-IEG system performs three reactions and an in-line purification in a total residence time of under 10 min, effectively doubling the molecular weight of an oligomeric species in an uninterrupted reaction sequence. Further iterations using the Flow-IEG system enable an exponential increase in molecular weight. Incorporating a variety of monomer structures and branching units provides control over polymer sequence and architecture. The synthesis of a uniform macromolecule with a molecular weight of 4,023 g/mol is demonstrated. The user-friendly nature, scalability, and modularity of Flow-IEG provide a general strategy for the automated synthesis of sequence-defined, unimolecular macromolecules. Flow-IEG is thus an enabling tool for theory validation, structure–property studies, and advanced applications in biotechnology and materials science. PMID:26269573

Automatic Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space

Science.gov (United States)

1991-12-01

Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space Feng Zhao Richard Thornton Abstract We describe the automatic synthesis of a global nonlinear controller for...the global switching points of the controller is presented. The synthesized control system can stabilize the maglev vehicle with large initial displace...NUMBERS Automation Desing of a Maglev Controller in State Space N00014-89-J-3202 MIP-9001651 6. AUTHOR(S) Feng Zhao and Richard Thornton 7. PERFORMING

Assessment Study on Sensors and Automation in the Industries of the Future. Reports on Industrial Controls, Information Processing, Automation, and Robotics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, Bonnie [Adventium Labs; Boddy, Mark [Adventium Labs; Doyle, Frank [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Jamshidi, Mo [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ogunnaike, Tunde [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)

2004-11-01

This report presents the results of an expert study to identify research opportunities for Sensors & Automation, a sub-program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP). The research opportunities are prioritized by realizable energy savings. The study encompasses the technology areas of industrial controls, information processing, automation, and robotics. These areas have been central areas of focus of many Industries of the Future (IOF) technology roadmaps. This report identifies opportunities for energy savings as a direct result of advances in these areas and also recognizes indirect means of achieving energy savings, such as product quality improvement, productivity improvement, and reduction of recycle.

Virtual automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Casis, E; Garrido, A; Uranga, B; Vives, A; Zufiaurre, C

2001-01-01

Total laboratory automation (TLA) can be substituted in mid-size laboratories by a computer sample workflow control (virtual automation). Such a solution has been implemented in our laboratory using PSM, software developed in cooperation with Roche Diagnostics (Barcelona, Spain), to this purpose. This software is connected to the online analyzers and to the laboratory information system and is able to control and direct the samples working as an intermediate station. The only difference with TLA is the replacement of transport belts by personnel of the laboratory. The implementation of this virtual automation system has allowed us the achievement of the main advantages of TLA: workload increase (64%) with reduction in the cost per test (43%), significant reduction in the number of biochemistry primary tubes (from 8 to 2), less aliquoting (from 600 to 100 samples/day), automation of functional testing, drastic reduction of preanalytical errors (from 11.7 to 0.4% of the tubes) and better total response time for both inpatients (from up to 48 hours to up to 4 hours) and outpatients (from up to 10 days to up to 48 hours). As an additional advantage, virtual automation could be implemented without hardware investment and significant headcount reduction (15% in our lab).

Automated electron microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, K.A.; Walker, L.R.

1986-01-01

The Plant Laboratory at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant has recently obtained a Cameca MBX electron microprobe with a Tracor Northern TN5500 automation system. This allows full stage and spectrometer automation and digital beam control. The capabilities of the system include qualitative and quantitative elemental microanalysis for all elements above and including boron in atomic number, high- and low-magnification imaging and processing, elemental mapping and enhancement, and particle size, shape, and composition analyses. Very low magnification, quantitative elemental mapping using stage control (which is of particular interest) has been accomplished along with automated size, shape, and composition analysis over a large relative area

Towards an Improved Pilot-Vehicle Interface for Highly Automated Aircraft: Evaluation of the Haptic Flight Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Schutte, Paul; Goodrich, Kenneth; Williams, Ralph

2012-01-01

The control automation and interaction paradigm (e.g., manual, autopilot, flight management system) used on virtually all large highly automated aircraft has long been an exemplar of breakdowns in human factors and human-centered design. An alternative paradigm is the Haptic Flight Control System (HFCS) that is part of NASA Langley Research Center s Naturalistic Flight Deck Concept. The HFCS uses only stick and throttle for easily and intuitively controlling the actual flight of the aircraft without losing any of the efficiency and operational benefits of the current paradigm. Initial prototypes of the HFCS are being evaluated and this paper describes one such evaluation. In this evaluation we examined claims regarding improved situation awareness, appropriate workload, graceful degradation, and improved pilot acceptance. Twenty-four instrument-rated pilots were instructed to plan and fly four different flights in a fictitious airspace using a moderate fidelity desktop simulation. Three different flight control paradigms were tested: Manual control, Full Automation control, and a simplified version of the HFCS. Dependent variables included both subjective (questionnaire) and objective (SAGAT) measures of situation awareness, workload (NASA-TLX), secondary task performance, time to recognize automation failures, and pilot preference (questionnaire). The results showed a statistically significant advantage for the HFCS in a number of measures. Results that were not statistically significant still favored the HFCS. The results suggest that the HFCS does offer an attractive and viable alternative to the tactical components of today s FMS/autopilot control system. The paper describes further studies that are planned to continue to evaluate the HFCS.

Controlled synthesis of titania using water-soluble titanium complexes: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Truong, Quang Duc; Dien, Luong Xuan; Vo, Dai-Viet N.; Le, Thanh Son

2017-07-01

The development of human society has led to the increase in energy and resources consumption as well as the arising problems of environmental damage and the toxicity to the human health. The development of novel synthesis method which tolerates utilization of toxic solvents and chemicals would fulfill the demand of the society for safer, softer, and environmental friendly technologies. For the past decades, a remarkable progress has been attained in the development of new water-soluble titanium complexes (WSTC) and their use for the synthesis of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide materials by aqueous solution-based approaches. The progress of synthesis of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide using such WSTCs is reviewed in this work. The key structural features responsible for the successfully controlled synthesis of TiO2 are discussed to provide guidelines for the morphology-controlled synthesis. Finally, this review ends with a summary and some perspectives on the challenges as well as new directions in this fascinating research.

Electrical - light current remote monitoring, control and automation. [Coal mine, United Kingdom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collingwood, C H

1981-06-01

A brief discussion is given of the application of control monitoring and automation techniques to coal mining in the United Kingdom, especially of the use of microprocessors, for the purpose of enhancing safety and productivity. Lighting systems for the coal mine is similarly discussed.

Drivability Improvement Control for Vehicle Start-Up Applied to an Automated Manual Transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danna Jiang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Drivability is the key factor for the automated manual transmission. It includes fast response to the driver’s demand and the driving comfort. This paper deals with a control methodology applied to an automated manual transmission vehicle for drivability enhancement during vehicle start-up phase. Based on a piecewise model of powertrain, a multiple-model predictive controller (mMPC is designed with the engine speed, clutch disc speed, and wheel speed as the measurable input variables and the engine torque reference and clutch friction torque reference as the controller’s output variables. The model not only includes the clutch dynamic, the flexible shaft dynamic, but also includes the actuators’ delay character. Considering the driver’s intention, a slipping speed trajectory is generated based on the acceleration pedal dynamically. The designed control strategy is verified on a complete powertrain and longitudinal vehicle dynamic model with different driver’s torque demands.

Integrated plant automation using programmable logic controllers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qureshi, S.A.

2002-01-01

In the world of automation the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has became for control. It now not only replaces the earlier relay logic controls but also has taken over many additional control functions. Initially the PLC was used to replace relay logic, but is ever-increasing range of functions means that it is found in many and more complex applications. As the structure of the PLC is based on the same principles as those employed in computer architecture, it is capable of performance not only relay switching tasks, but also other applications such as counting, calculating, comparing and the processing of analogue signals. Due to the simplicity of entering and modifying the programmed instructions to suit the requirements of the process under control, the PLC is truly a versatile and flexible device that can be employed easily and efficiently to repeatedly control tasks that vary in nature and complexes. A photograph of the Siemens S-5 95U. To illustrate the advantage of using a PLC over a traditional relay logic system, consider a control system with 20 input/output points. This assembly could comprise 60-80 relays, some counter/timers and a great deal of wiring. This assembly would be cumbersome with a power consumption of 30-40VA. A considerable time would be required to design, test and commission the assembly and once it is in full working order any desired modification, even of minor nature, could require major hardware changes. (author)

Automated driving functions giving control back to the driver: a simulator study on driver state dependent strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willemsen, D.M.C.; Stuiver, A.; Hogema, J.

2015-01-01

Many car companies and other organisations are working hard to get automated driving on the road. Where some prefer driverless cars, most foresee a future where control of the vehicle will be shared between the driver and automated functions in the coming years. Sharing tasks and responsibilities

Automated chemoenzymatic synthesis of no-carrier-added [carbonyl-11C]propionyl L-carnitine for pharmacokinetic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davenport, R.J.; Pike, V.W.; Dowsett, K.; Turton, D.R.; Poole, K.

1997-01-01

Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) is under development as a therapeutic for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure. Three methods were examined for labelling PLC in its propionyl group with positron-emitting carbon-11 (t 1/2 = 20.3 min), one chemical and two chemoenzymatic. The former was based on the preparation of [ 11 C]propionyl chloride as labelling agent via 11 C-carboxylation of ethylmagnesium bromide with cyclotron-produced [ 11 C]carbon dioxide and subsequent chlorination. Reaction of carrier-added [ 11 C]propionyl chloride with L-carnitine in trifluoroacetic acid gave [ 11 C]PLC in 12% radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) from cyclotron-produced [ 11 C]carbon dioxide. However, the radiosynthesis was unsuccessful at the no-carrier added (NCA) level of specific radioactivity. [ 11 C]Propionate, as a radioactive precursor for chemoenzymatic routes, was prepared via carboxylation of ethylmagnesium bromide with [ 11 C]carbon dioxide and hydrolysis. NCA [ 11 C]PLC was prepared in 68 min in 14% radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) from [ 11 C]propionate via sequential conversions catalysed by acetate kinase, phosphotransacetylase and carnitine acetyltransferase. A superior chemoenzymatic synthesis of NCA [ 11 C]PLC was developed, based on the use of a novel supported Grignard reagent for the synthesis of [ 11 C]propionate and conversions by S-acetyl-CoA synthetase and carnitine acetyltransferase. This gave an overall radiochemical yield of 30-48% (decay-corrected). This synthesis was automated for radiation safety and provides pure NCA [ 11 C]PLC in high radioactivities ready for intravenous administration within 25 min from radionuclide production. The [ 11 C]PLC is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in human subjects with PET and the elucidation of the fate of the propionyl group of PLC in vivo. (Author)

Development of a finite state machine for the automates operation of the LLRF control at FLASH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandt, A.

2007-07-15

The entry of digital signal processors in modern control systems not only allows for extended diagnostics compared to analog systems but also for sophisticated and tricky extensions of the control algorithms. With modern DSP- and FPGA-technology, the processing speed of digital systems is no longer inferior to analog systems in many applications. A higher degree of digitalization leads to an increased complexity of the systems and hence to higher requirements on their operators. The focus of research and development in the field of high frequency control has changed in the last few years and moved towards the direction of software development and complexity management. In the presented thesis, a frame for an automation concept of modern high frequency control systems is developed. The developed automation is based on the concept of finite state machines (FSM), which is established in industry for years. A flexible framework was developed, in which procedures communicate using standardized interfaces and can be exchanged easily. With that, the developer of high frequency control components as well as the operator on shift shall be empowered to improve and adapt the automation to changed conditions without special programming skills required. Along the automation concept a number of algorithms addressing various problems were developed which satisfy the needs of modern high frequency control systems. Among the developed and successfully tested algorithms are the calibration of incident and reflected wave of resonators without antennas, the fast adaptive compensation of repetitive errors, the robust estimation of the phase advance in the control loop and the latency adjustment for the rejection of instabilities caused by passband modes. During the development of the resonator theory, high value was set on the usability of the equation in algorithms for high frequency control. The usage of the common nomenclature of control theory emphasizes the underlying mathematical

Development of a finite state machine for the automated operation of the LLRF control at FLASH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, A.

2007-07-01

The entry of digital signal processors in modern control systems not only allows for extended diagnostics compared to analog systems but also for sophisticated and tricky extensions of the control algorithms. With modern DSP- and FPGA-technology, the processing speed of digital systems is no longer inferior to analog systems in many applications. A higher degree of digitalization leads to an increased complexity of the systems and hence to higher requirements on their operators. The focus of research and development in the field of high frequency control has changed in the last few years and moved towards the direction of software development and complexity management. In the presented thesis, a frame for an automation concept of modern high frequency control systems is developed. The developed automation is based on the concept of finite state machines (FSM), which is established in industry for years. A flexible framework was developed, in which procedures communicate using standardized interfaces and can be exchanged easily. With that, the developer of high frequency control components as well as the operator on shift shall be empowered to improve and adapt the automation to changed conditions without special programming skills required. Along the automation concept a number of algorithms addressing various problems were developed which satisfy the needs of modern high frequency control systems. Among the developed and successfully tested algorithms are the calibration of incident and reflected wave of resonators without antennas, the fast adaptive compensation of repetitive errors, the robust estimation of the phase advance in the control loop and the latency adjustment for the rejection of instabilities caused by passband modes. During the development of the resonator theory, high value was set on the usability of the equation in algorithms for high frequency control. The usage of the common nomenclature of control theory emphasizes the underlying mathematical

Automated radiosynthesis of no-carrier-added 4-[18F]fluoroiodobenzene: a versatile building block in 18F radiochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Way, Jenilee Dawn; Wuest, Frank

2014-02-01

4-[18F]Fluoroiodobenzene ([18F]FIB) is a versatile building block in 18F radiochemistry used in various transition metal-mediated C-C and C-N cross-coupling reactions and [18F]fluoroarylation reactions. Various synthesis routes have been described for the preparation of [18F]FIB. However, to date, no automated synthesis of [18F]FIB has been reported to allow access to larger amounts of [18F]FIB in high radiochemical and chemical purity. Herein, we describe an automated synthesis of no-carrier-added [18F]FIB on a GE TRACERlab™ FX automated synthesis unit starting from commercially available(4-iodophenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the labelling precursor. [18F]FIB was prepared in high radiochemical yields of 89 ± 10% (decay-corrected, n = 7) within 60 min, including HPLC purification. The radiochemical purity exceeded 95%, and specific activity was greater than 40 GBq/μmol. Typically, from an experiment, 6.4 GBq of [18F]FIB could be obtained starting from 10.4 GBq of [18F]fluoride.

Effects of adaptive cruise control and highly automated driving on workload and situation awareness : A review of the empirical evidence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winter, J.C.F. de; Happee, R.; Martens, M.H.; Stanton, N.A.

2014-01-01

Adaptive cruise control (ACC), a driver assistance system that controls longitudinal motion, has been introduced in consumer cars in 1995. A next milestone is highly automated driving (HAD), a system that automates both longitudinal and lateral motion. We investigated the effects of ACC and HAD on

Effects of adaptive cruise control and highly automated driving on workload and situation awareness: A review of the empirical evidence.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Winter, Joost C.F.; Happee, Riender; Martens, Marieke Hendrikje; Stanton, Neville A.

2014-01-01

Adaptive cruise control (ACC), a driver assistance system that controls longitudinal motion, has been introduced in consumer cars in 1995. A next milestone is highly automated driving (HAD), a system that automates both longitudinal and lateral motion. We investigated the effects of ACC and HAD on

2015 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Li, Hongbo

2015-01-01

Proceedings of the 2015 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’15, held in Fuzhou, China. The topics include adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, reconfigurable control, etc. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry and the government can gain valuable insights into interdisciplinary solutions in the field of intelligent automation.

IEC 61850: integrating substation automation into the power plant control system; IEC 61850: Integration der Schaltanlagenautomatisierung in die Kraftwerksleittechnik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orth, J. [ABB AG, Mannheim (Germany)

2008-07-01

The new communication standard IEC 61850 has been developed in the substation automation domain and was released 2004 as a worldwide standard. Meanwhile IEC 61850 is already established in many substation automation markets. The paper discusses the implementation of IEC 61850 integrating process control and substation automation into one consistent system in a power plant. (orig.)

Automation Of An Analogue Temperature Control System For Chlorination Process Of Zircon Sand In A Bricket Form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triyono; Wasito, Bangun; Aryadi

2000-01-01

Automation of an analogue temperature control system for chlorination process of zircon sand in a bricket form has been carried out. Principally, automation of an analogue temperature control is a simple and a closed loop system model controller. The used controller system is an ON-OFF model thermocople probe as a sensor. The output system is in the form of ON-OFF relay which is connected to contactor relay, so that it is able to serve the chlorination furnace. The prepared automatic temperature control system for chlorination process of zircon sand has been continuously tested at temperatures between 800 to 1050 o C. This required heating times between 8 to 17 minutes

Design and control of electromagnetic clutch actuation system for automated manual transmission

Science.gov (United States)

Ranjan, Ashish; Prasanth, S.; Cherian, Fenin; Baskar, P.

2017-11-01

There is a growing interest towards Automatic Transmission in India as it provides better comfort and drivability. But the high cost of this system is limiting itself to be successful in the Indian markets. Due to this, Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) is considered which provides a better solution towards automation as it enhances the drivability and fuel consumption characteristics of a manual transmission at lower costs. However, torque lag and comfort are major issues with AMT which can be addressed by reducing the shift time. In this paper we describe an Electromagnetic Linear Clutch Actuator as a replacement to current electrohydraulic and electromechanical actuator. A control system for the actuator is presented and a clutch engagement strategy is also implemented which reduces the engagement time to 0.78 seconds while reducing jerk and torque lag. The actuator and control system is simulated on a MATLAB Simulink and agreeable results have been obtained.

Microfluidic Reactors for the Controlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem, Emine Yegan

Nanoparticles have attracted a lot of attention in the past few decades due to their unique, size-dependent properties. In order to use these nanoparticles in devices or sensors effectively, it is important to maintain uniform properties throughout the system; therefore nanoparticles need to have uniform sizes -- or monodisperse. In order to achieve monodispersity, an extreme control over the reaction conditions is required during their synthesis. These reaction conditions such as temperature, concentration of reagents, residence times, etc. affect the structure of nanoparticles dramatically; therefore when the conditions vary locally in the reaction vessel, different sized nanoparticles form, causing polydispersity. In widely-used batch wise synthesis techniques, large sized reaction vessels are used to mix and heat reagents. In these types of systems, it is very hard to avoid thermal gradients and to achieve rapid mixing times as well as to control residence times. Also it is not possible to make rapid changes in the reaction parameters during the synthesis. The other drawback of conventional methods is that it is not possible to separate the nucleation of nanoparticles from their growth; this leads to combined nucleation and growth and subsequently results in polydisperse size distributions. Microfluidics is an alternative method by which the limitations of conventional techniques can be addressed. Due to the small size, it is possible to control temperature and concentration of reagents precisely as well as to make rapid changes in mixing ratios of reagents or temperature of the reaction zones. There have been several microfluidic reactors -- (microreactors) in literature that were designed to improve the size distribution of nanoparticles. In this work, two novel microfluidic systems were developed for achieving controlled synthesis of nanoparticles. The first microreactor was made out of a chemically robust polymer, polyurethane, and it was used for low

The role of supervisory controller synthesis in automatic control software development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baeten, J.C.M.; Markovski, J.

2015-01-01

We give an overview of a model-driven systems engineering approach for high-tech systems that relies on supervisory controller synthesis. The proposed framework has a process-theoretic foundation and supports extensions with quantitative features. We briefly discuss several industrial case studies

Modular automation in PET tracer manufacturing: application of an autosynthesizer to the production of 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexoff, D.L.; Russell, J.A.G.; Shiue, C.Y.; Wolf, A.P.; Fowler, J.S.; MacGregor, R.R.

1986-01-01

A compact autosynthesizer was developed and used successfully for the production of 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose [ 18 FDG] from gaseous acetyl hypo[ 18 F]fluorite. The autosynthesizer performs a sequence of general purpose synthesis procedures named Synthesis Unit Operations (SUOs). Each SUO is controlled through execution of a digital control algorithm with a BASIC language subroutine. This automatic synthesis system is based on two industry standard microcomputer architectures, the IBM PC and STD Bus, and it becomes a component of an evolving distributed microprocessor network of task-dedicated subsystems suitable for automated manufacturing of several useful radiotracers. The yield of 18 FDG product using the autosynthesizer and remote manually controlled purification procedures is approx. 20% EOB. Radiochemical purity of this product as measured by thin layer chromatography was 96-99%. Chemical purity of the product was measured to be approx. 96%. 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-mannose impurity from this method was determined to be approx. 4%. (author)

Two-dimensional tantalum disulfide: controlling structure and properties via synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Rui; Grisafe, Benjamin; Krishna Ghosh, Ram; Holoviak, Stephen; Wang, Baoming; Wang, Ke; Briggs, Natalie; Haque, Aman; Datta, Suman; Robinson, Joshua

2018-04-01

Tantalum disulfide (TaS2) is a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) that exhibits phase transition induced electronic property modulation at low temperature. However, the appropriate phase must be grown to enable the semiconductor/metal transition that is of interest for next generation electronic applications. In this work, we demonstrate direct and controllable synthesis of ultra-thin 1T-TaS2 and 2H-TaS2 on a variety of substrates (sapphire, SiO2/Si, and graphene) via powder vapor deposition. The synthesis process leads to single crystal domains ranging from 20 to 200 nm thick and 1-10 µm on a side. The TaS2 phase (1T or 2H) is controlled by synthesis temperature, which subsequently is shown to control the electronic properties. Furthermore, this work constitutes the first demonstration of a metal-insulator phase transition in directly synthesized 1T-TaS2 films and domains by electronic means.

Automated classification of cell morphology by coherence-controlled holographic microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Strbkova, Lenka; Zicha, Daniel; Vesely, Pavel; Chmelik, Radim

2017-08-01

In the last few years, classification of cells by machine learning has become frequently used in biology. However, most of the approaches are based on morphometric (MO) features, which are not quantitative in terms of cell mass. This may result in poor classification accuracy. Here, we study the potential contribution of coherence-controlled holographic microscopy enabling quantitative phase imaging for the classification of cell morphologies. We compare our approach with the commonly used method based on MO features. We tested both classification approaches in an experiment with nutritionally deprived cancer tissue cells, while employing several supervised machine learning algorithms. Most of the classifiers provided higher performance when quantitative phase features were employed. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the quantitative phase features played an important role in improving the performance of the classification. The methodology could be valuable help in refining the monitoring of live cells in an automated fashion. We believe that coherence-controlled holographic microscopy, as a tool for quantitative phase imaging, offers all preconditions for the accurate automated analysis of live cell behavior while enabling noninvasive label-free imaging with sufficient contrast and high-spatiotemporal phase sensitivity. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Fully automated synthesis of the M{sub 1} receptor agonist [{sup 11}C]GSK1034702 for clinical use on an Eckert and Ziegler Modular Lab system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huiban, Mickael, E-mail: Mickael.x.huiban@gsk.com [GlaxoSmithKline, Clinical Imaging Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN (United Kingdom); Pampols-Maso, Sabina; Passchier, Jan [GlaxoSmithKline, Clinical Imaging Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN (United Kingdom)

2011-10-15

A fully automated and GMP compatible synthesis has been developed to reliably label the M{sub 1} receptor agonist GSK1034702 with carbon-11. Stille reaction of the trimethylstannyl precursor with [{sup 11}C]methyl iodide afforded [{sup 11}C]GSK1034702 in an estimated 10{+-}3% decay corrected yield. This method utilises the commercially available modular laboratory equipment and provides high purity [{sup 11}C]GSK1034702 in a formulation suitable for human use. - Highlights: > Preparation of [{sup 11}C]GSK1034702 through a Stille cross-coupling reaction. > Provision of the applicability of commercially available modules for the synthesis of non-standard PET tracers. > Defining specification for heavy metals content in final dose product. > Presenting results from validation of manufacturing process.

REMOTE SYNTHESIS AND CONTROL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF SYSTEM-DYNAMIC MODELS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Masloboev

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The general line of research is concerned with development of information technologies and computer simulation tools for management information and analytical support of complex semistructured systems. Regional socio-economic systems are consideredas a representative of this system type. Investigation is carried out within the bounds of development strategy implementation of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and national safety until 2020 in the Murmansk region, specifically under engineering of high end information infrastructure for innovation and security control problem-solving of regional development. Research methodology consists of system dynamics modeling method, distributed information system engineering technologies, pattern-based modeling and design techniques. The work deals with development of toolkit for decision-making information support problem-solving in the field of innovation security management of regional economics. For that purpose a system-dynamic models suite of innovation process standard components and information technology for remote formation and control of innovation business simulation models under research have been developed. Designed toolkit provides innovation security index dynamics forecasting and innovation business effectiveness of regional economics. Information technology is implemented within the bounds of thin client architecture and is intended for simulation models design process automation of complex systems. Technology implementation software tools provide pattern-based system-dynamic models distributed formation and simulation control of innovation processes. The technology provides availability and reusability index enhancement of information support facilities in application to innovation process simulation at the expense of distributed access to innovation business simulation modeling tools and model synthesis by the reusable components, simulating standard elements of innovation

Automated pH Control of Nutrient Solution in a Hydroponic Plant Growth System

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, B.; Dogan, N.; Aglan, H.; Mortley, D.; Loretan, P.

1998-01-01

Over, the years, NASA has played an important role in providing to and the development of automated nutrient delivery and monitoring, systems for growing crops hydroponically for long term space missions. One example are the systems used in the Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The current KSC monitoring system is based on an engineering workstation using standard analog/digital input/output hardware and custom written software. The monitoring system uses completely separate sensors to provide a check of control sensor accuracy and has the ability to graphically display and store data form past experiment so that they are available for data analysis [Fortson, 1992]. In many cases, growing systems have not been fitted with the kind of automated control systems as used at KSC. The Center for Food and Environmental Systems for Human Exploration of Space (CFESH) located on the campus of Tuskegee University, has effectively grown sweetpotatoes and peanuts hydroponically for the past five years. However they have adjusted the pH electrical conductivity and volume of the hydroponic nutrient solution only manually at times when the solution was to be replenished or changed out according to its protocol (e.g. one-week, two-week, or two-day cycle). But the pH of the nutrient solution flowing through the channel is neither known nor controlled between the update, change out, or replenishment period. Thus, the pH of the nutrient solution is not held at an optimum level over the span of the plant's growth cycle. To solve this dilemma, an automated system for the control and data logging of pH data relative to sweetpotato production using the nutrient film technique (NFT) has been developed, This paper discusses a microprocessor-based system, which was designed to monitor, control, and record the pH of a nutrient solution used for growing sweetpotatoes using NFT.

Human-centered automation: Development of a philosophy

Science.gov (United States)

Graeber, Curtis; Billings, Charles E.

1990-01-01

Information on human-centered automation philosophy is given in outline/viewgraph form. It is asserted that automation of aircraft control will continue in the future, but that automation should supplement, not supplant the human management and control function in civil air transport.

Demands on digital automation; Anforderungen an die Digitale Automation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bieler, P.

1995-12-31

In chapter 12 of the anthology about building control the demands on digital automation are presented. The following aspects are discussed: variety of the companies` philosophies, demands of the customer/investor, demands of the use of buildings/rooms, the user, point of view of manufacturer of technical plants. (BWI) [Deutsch] Kapitel 12 des Sammelbandes ueber Building Control stellt die Anforderungen an die Digitale Automation vor. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auf folgende Themenbereiche eingegangen: Spektrum der Firmenphilosophien, Forderungen der Auftraggeber/Investoren, der Gebaeude-/Raumnutzung, der Betreiber sowie Sicht der Ersteller betriebstechnischer Anlagen. (BWI)

A novel, microcomputer-based process control scheme for radiochemistry autosynthesizers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feliu, A.L.

1989-01-01

With the continuing development of positron emission tomography, increasing emphasis is being given to the design of reliable autosynthesizers to supply routinely-used radiopharmaceuticals. In order to reduce the time required to automate the synthesis of new radiotracers, a software scheme is proposed which includes: a generic control program supporting a standard set of components, end-user customization of the video display, mouse-driven remote control of individual components (components are presented on screen as icons), and a batch language for completely automating synthetic operations. This strategy is illustrated in a chemist-friendly microcomputer softward package running under MS-DOS which exploits the features and full flexibility of the CTI/Siemens Chemical Process Control Unit. To facilitate system expansion, the program, written in Microsoft QuickBASIC, contains generic executive-level code with calls to component-specific GOSUBs, and is designed to accommodate operation or hardware modifications in response to improvements in synthetic art without a rewrite. Two user-generated configuration files detail synthesis-specific parameters, providing a customized interface

Automating spectral measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Fred T.

2008-09-01

This paper discusses the architecture of software utilized in spectroscopic measurements. As optical coatings become more sophisticated, there is mounting need to automate data acquisition (DAQ) from spectrophotometers. Such need is exacerbated when 100% inspection is required, ancillary devices are utilized, cost reduction is crucial, or security is vital. While instrument manufacturers normally provide point-and-click DAQ software, an application programming interface (API) may be missing. In such cases automation is impossible or expensive. An API is typically provided in libraries (*.dll, *.ocx) which may be embedded in user-developed applications. Users can thereby implement DAQ automation in several Windows languages. Another possibility, developed by FTG as an alternative to instrument manufacturers' software, is the ActiveX application (*.exe). ActiveX, a component of many Windows applications, provides means for programming and interoperability. This architecture permits a point-and-click program to act as automation client and server. Excel, for example, can control and be controlled by DAQ applications. Most importantly, ActiveX permits ancillary devices such as barcode readers and XY-stages to be easily and economically integrated into scanning procedures. Since an ActiveX application has its own user-interface, it can be independently tested. The ActiveX application then runs (visibly or invisibly) under DAQ software control. Automation capabilities are accessed via a built-in spectro-BASIC language with industry-standard (VBA-compatible) syntax. Supplementing ActiveX, spectro-BASIC also includes auxiliary serial port commands for interfacing programmable logic controllers (PLC). A typical application is automatic filter handling.

Automated system for individual control for admission of staff in the controlled zones of the Kozloduy NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avramski, D.; Jordanova, V.

2008-01-01

The development of the system leads to the following: automated registering of the staff in the personnel database; real time reading of the personal dosimeters; real time reading of the collective dose; the control over the working people (especially external) concerning the dose limits or restrictions are performed in real time

Certified policy synthesis for general Markov decision processes : an application in building automation systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haesaert, S.; Cauchi, N.; Abate, A.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present an industrial application of new approximate similarity relations for Markov models, and show that they are key for the synthesis of control strategies. Typically, modern engineering systems are modelled using complex and high-order models which make the correct-by-design

A utilization of fuzzy control for design automation of nuclear structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimura, Shinobu; Yagawa, Genki; Mochizuki, Yoshihiko

1991-01-01

This paper describes an automated design of nuclear structures by means of some artificial intelligence techniques. The 'generate and test' strategy is adopted as a basic strategy of design. An empirical approach with the fuzzy control is introduced for efficient design modification. This system is applied to the design of some 2D models of the fusion first wall. (author)

Robotic production of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose: a routine method of synthesis using tetrabutylammonium [18F]fluoride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brodack, J.W.; Dence, C.S.; Kilbourn, M.R.; Welch, M.J.

1988-01-01

Using existing robotic hardware and software programs developed for the synthesis of several positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging, the additional automated synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose (2-[ 18 F]FDG) has been incorporated into our Zymate Laboratory Automation System. The robotic synthesis of 2-[ 18 F]FDG took less than one week to implement, including the organization of software subroutines and construction of an additional heating station. The end of synthesis yield (12-17%) and radiochemical purity (96-99%) for the robotic preparation of 2-[ 18 F]FDG is similar to that of the manual synthesis. This automated method uses anhydrous tetrabutylammonium [ 18 F]fluoride as the reactive fluoride source in the labeling step. The procedure is a modification of the synthesis reported by Hamacher et al. [Hamacher et al. (1986) J. Nucl. Med. 27, 235]. (author)

Controller synthesis for negative imaginary systems: a data driven approach

KAUST Repository

Mabrok, Mohamed; Petersen, Ian R.

2016-01-01

-driven controller synthesis methodology for NI systems is presented. In this approach, measured frequency response data of the plant is used to construct the controller frequency response at every frequency by minimising a cost function. Then, this controller

Automation System Products and Research

OpenAIRE

Rintala, Mikko; Sormunen, Jussi; Kuisma, Petri; Rahkala, Matti

2014-01-01

Automation systems are used in most buildings nowadays. In the past they were mainly used in industry to control and monitor critical systems. During the past few decades the automation systems have become more common and are used today from big industrial solutions to homes of private customers. With the growing need for ecologic and cost-efficient management systems, home and building automation systems are becoming a standard way of controlling lighting, ventilation, heating etc. Auto...

Automated hazard analysis of digital control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrett, Chris J.; Apostolakis, George E.

2002-01-01

Digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems can provide important benefits in many safety-critical applications, but they can also introduce potential new failure modes that can affect safety. Unlike electro-mechanical systems, whose failure modes are fairly well understood and which can often be built to fail in a particular way, software errors are very unpredictable. There is virtually no nontrivial software that will function as expected under all conditions. Consequently, there is a great deal of concern about whether there is a sufficient basis on which to resolve questions about safety. In this paper, an approach for validating the safety requirements of digital I and C systems is developed which uses the Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology to conduct automated hazard analyses. The prime implicants of these analyses can be used to identify unknown system hazards, prioritize the disposition of known system hazards, and guide lower-level design decisions to either eliminate or mitigate known hazards. In a case study involving a space-based reactor control system, the method succeeded in identifying an unknown failure mechanism

Chirality-Controlled Synthesis and Applications of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bilu; Wu, Fanqi; Gui, Hui; Zheng, Ming; Zhou, Chongwu

2017-01-24

Preparation of chirality-defined single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is the top challenge in the nanotube field. In recent years, great progress has been made toward preparing single-chirality SWCNTs through both direct controlled synthesis and postsynthesis separation approaches. Accordingly, the uses of single-chirality-dominated SWCNTs for various applications have emerged as a new front in nanotube research. In this Review, we review recent progress made in the chirality-controlled synthesis of SWCNTs, including metal-catalyst-free SWCNT cloning by vapor-phase epitaxy elongation of purified single-chirality nanotube seeds, chirality-specific growth of SWCNTs on bimetallic solid alloy catalysts, chirality-controlled synthesis of SWCNTs using bottom-up synthetic strategy from carbonaceous molecular end-cap precursors, etc. Recent major progresses in postsynthesis separation of single-chirality SWCNT species, as well as methods for chirality characterization of SWCNTs, are also highlighted. Moreover, we discuss some examples where single-chirality SWCNTs have shown clear advantages over SWCNTs with broad chirality distributions. We hope this review could inspire more research on the chirality-controlled preparation of SWCNTs and equally important inspire the use of single-chirality SWCNT samples for more fundamental studies and practical applications.

Building control. Technical building systems: Automation and management; Building Control. Technische Gebaeudesysteme: Automation und Bewirtschaftung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kranz, H.R.; Baenninger, M.; Bieler, P.; Brettschneider, J.P.; Damnig, A.; Fassbender, H.W.; Friedrichs, K.; Gauchel, J.; Hegewald, B.; Kaelin, W.; Lezius, A.; Markert, H.; Oehler, A.; Otto, J.; Puettmer, M. Jr.; Rohrbacher, H.; Schuerdt, K.; Vogt, D.; Wittling, J.

1995-12-31

Cost-optimised management and maintenance of buildings can no longer be carried out without electronic data processing. The present anthology gives a comprehensive overview of the planning and operation of building automation systems. The following topics are discussed: ecological cooling and facade concepts, facility management, jeopardy alarm technology, building automation, communication technology, open communication and networks, building system technology, norms and directives, building right and law. A special abstract has been prepared for each of the 23 chapters. (BWI). 260 figs., 161 refs. [Deutsch] Kostenoptimiertes Management, Bewirtschaftung und Instandhaltung von Gebaeuden sind ohne EDV nicht mehr denkbar. Das vorliegende Buch gibt einen umfassenden Ueberblick ueber Planung und Betrieb von Gebaeudeautomationssystemen. Es wird dabei auf folgende Themenkomplexe eingegangen: Oekologische Kuehl- und Fassadenkonzepte; Facility Management, Gefahrenmeldetechnik, Gebaeudeautomation; Kommunikationstechnik, offenen Kommunikation und Netzwerke; Gebaeudesystemtechnik und Installationsbus; Energiemanagement; Betreibererfahrungen; Normen und Richtlinien; Baurecht und Gesetz. Fuer alle 23 Einzelkapitel wurde eine gesonderte inhaltliche Erschliessung durchgefuehrt. (BWI)

THE CYBERSECURITY OF AUTOMATED CONTROL SYSTEMS AS A KEY COMPONENT OF NATIONAL SECURITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galin R. Ivanov

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the current problems raised by the necessity to provide and ensure national cybersecurity. Moreover, it suggests measures for adequate counteraction to present-day cyber threats to automated control systems employed in the sector of national security.

Driver Psychology during Automated Platooning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heikoop, D.D.

2017-01-01

With the rapid increase in vehicle automation technology, the call for understanding how humans behave while driving in an automated vehicle becomes more urgent. Vehicles that have automated systems such as Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) or Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) not only support drivers in their

Size-controlled synthesis of nickel nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou, Y.; Kondoh, H.; Ohta, T.; Gao, S.

2005-01-01

A facile reduction approach with nickel acetylacetonate, Ni(acac) 2 , and sodium borohydride or superhydride leads to monodisperse nickel nanoparticles in the presence of hexadecylamine (HDA) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO). The combination of HDA and TOPO used in the conventional synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals also provides better control over particle growth in the metal nanoparticle synthesis. The size of Ni nanoparticles can be readily tuned from 3 to 11 nm, depending on the ratio of HDA to TOPO in the reaction system. As-synthesized Ni nanoparticles have a cubic structure as characterized by power X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that Ni nanoparticles have narrow size distribution. SQUID magnetometry was also used in the characterization of Ni nanoparticles. The synthetic procedure can be extended to the preparation of high quality metal or alloy nanoparticles

Automated chemoenzymatic synthesis of no-carrier-added [carbonyl-{sup 11}C]propionyl L-carnitine for pharmacokinetic studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davenport, R.J.; Pike, V.W.; Dowsett, K.; Turton, D.R.; Poole, K. [Hammersmith Hospital, London (United Kingdom). MRC Cyclotron Unit

1997-07-30

Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) is under development as a therapeutic for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure. Three methods were examined for labelling PLC in its propionyl group with positron-emitting carbon-11 (t{sub 1/2} = 20.3 min), one chemical and two chemoenzymatic. The former was based on the preparation of [{sup 11}C]propionyl chloride as labelling agent via {sup 11}C-carboxylation of ethylmagnesium bromide with cyclotron-produced [{sup 11}C]carbon dioxide and subsequent chlorination. Reaction of carrier-added [{sup 11}C]propionyl chloride with L-carnitine in trifluoroacetic acid gave [{sup 11}C]PLC in 12% radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) from cyclotron-produced [{sup 11}C]carbon dioxide. However, the radiosynthesis was unsuccessful at the no-carrier added (NCA) level of specific radioactivity. [{sup 11}C]Propionate, as a radioactive precursor for chemoenzymatic routes, was prepared via carboxylation of ethylmagnesium bromide with [{sup 11}C]carbon dioxide and hydrolysis. NCA [{sup 11}C]PLC was prepared in 68 min in 14% radiochemical yield (decay-corrected) from [{sup 11}C]propionate via sequential conversions catalysed by acetate kinase, phosphotransacetylase and carnitine acetyltransferase. A superior chemoenzymatic synthesis of NCA [{sup 11}C]PLC was developed, based on the use of a novel supported Grignard reagent for the synthesis of [{sup 11}C]propionate and conversions by S-acetyl-CoA synthetase and carnitine acetyltransferase. This gave an overall radiochemical yield of 30-48% (decay-corrected). This synthesis was automated for radiation safety and provides pure NCA [{sup 11}C]PLC in high radioactivities ready for intravenous administration within 25 min from radionuclide production. The [{sup 11}C]PLC is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in human subjects with PET and the elucidation of the fate of the propionyl group of PLC in vivo. (Author).

Robotics and Office Automation: Implications for Vocational Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Jeannette L.; And Others

Directed to individuals responsible for program planning in vocational education at the national and state levels, this review and synthesis of technological developments in robotics and office automation identifies the potential demand for skills in these technologies in the next 3 to 5 years. The procedures for the study are described in the…

The importance of control considerations for heat exchanger network synthesis: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.G. Oliveira

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Cost optimization in the synthesis decision tree often leads to a reduced degree of freedom which degrades the process’s ability to reject disturbances as a consequence of low controllability. In fact, Heat Exchanger Networks (HENs obtained by traditional synthesis procedures that ignore controllability aspects must be evaluated in this context a posteriori. The aim of this work was to develop a procedure that includes RGA and SVD measures of controllability, which are solely based on steady state information, thereby freeing the synthesis procedure of the cumbersome dynamic analysis. When a structure is defined during a traditional HEN synthesis procedure, a degree of freedom analysis is approached as a simulation problem. Next, an optimization is performed, since new variables are usually added to increase the degree of freedom of the HEN in order to render it controllable. A key point in the proposed procedure is the inference of controllability based on the proposed controllability measures, which also provide a control scheme by pairing controlled and manipulated variables during the process design. A HEN reported in the literature is used to illustrate the proposed procedure. The steady state simulator Aspen Plus and the dynamic simulator Aspen Dynamics (Aspentech, Inc. were employed.

Asleep at the automated wheel-Sleepiness and fatigue during highly automated driving.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogelpohl, Tobias; Kühn, Matthias; Hummel, Thomas; Vollrath, Mark

2018-03-20

Due to the lack of active involvement in the driving situation and due to monotonous driving environments drivers with automation may be prone to become fatigued faster than manual drivers (e.g. Schömig et al., 2015). However, little is known about the progression of fatigue during automated driving and its effects on the ability to take back manual control after a take-over request. In this driving simulator study with Nö=ö60 drivers we used a three factorial 2ö×ö2ö×ö12 mixed design to analyze the progression (12ö×ö5ömin; within subjects) of driver fatigue in drivers with automation compared to manual drivers (between subjects). Driver fatigue was induced as either mainly sleep related or mainly task related fatigue (between subjects). Additionally, we investigated the drivers' reactions to a take-over request in a critical driving scenario to gain insights into the ability of fatigued drivers to regain manual control and situation awareness after automated driving. Drivers in the automated driving condition exhibited facial indicators of fatigue after 15 to 35ömin of driving. Manual drivers only showed similar indicators of fatigue if they suffered from a lack of sleep and then only after a longer period of driving (approx. 40ömin). Several drivers in the automated condition closed their eyes for extended periods of time. In the driving with automation condition mean automation deactivation times after a take-over request were slower for a certain percentage (about 30%) of the drivers with a lack of sleep (Mö=ö3.2; SDö=ö2.1ös) compared to the reaction times after a long drive (Mö=ö2.4; SDö=ö0.9ös). Drivers with automation also took longer than manual drivers to first glance at the speed display after a take-over request and were more likely to stay behind a braking lead vehicle instead of overtaking it. Drivers are unable to stay alert during extended periods of automated driving without non-driving related tasks. Fatigued drivers could

FAULT DIAGNOSIS OF AN AIRCRAFT CONTROL SURFACES WITH AN AUTOMATED CONTROL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blessing D. Ogunvoul

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to studying of fault diagnosis of an aircraft control surfaces using fault models to identify specific causes. Such failures as jamming, vibration, extreme run out and performance decrease are covered.It is proved that in case of an actuator failure or flight control structural damage, the aircraft performance decreases significantly. Commercial aircraft frequently appear in the areas of military conflicts and terrorist activity, where the risk of shooting attack is high, for example in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan etc. Accordingly, it is necessary to create and assess the fault model to identify the flight control failures.The research results demonstrate that the adequate fault model is the first step towards the managing the challenges of loss of aircraft controllability. This model is also an element of adaptive failure-resistant management model.The research considers the relationship between the parameters of an i th state of a control surface and its angular rate, also parameters classification associated with specific control surfaces in order to avoid conflict/inconsistency in the determination of a faulty control surface and its condition.The results of the method obtained in this article can be used in the design of an aircraft automated control system for timely identification of fault/failure of a specific control surface, that would contribute to an effective role aimed at increasing the survivability of an aircraft and increasing the acceptable level of safety due to loss of control.

Data Driven Synthesis of Three Term Digital Controllers

Science.gov (United States)

Keel, Lee H.; Mitra, Sandipan; Bhattacharyya, Shankar P.

This paper presents a method for digital PID and first order controller synthesis based on frequency domain data alone. The techniques given here first determine all stabilizing controllers from measurement data. In both PID and first order controller cases, the only information required are frequency domain data (Nyquist-Bode data) and the number of open-loop RHP poles. Specifically no identification of the plant model is required. Examples are given for illustration.

Bioprocessing automation in cell therapy manufacturing: Outcomes of special interest group automation workshop.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Oliver; Robinson, Sarah; Bure, Kim; Brindley, David A; Mccall, David

2018-04-01

Phacilitate held a Special Interest Group workshop event in Edinburgh, UK, in May 2017. The event brought together leading stakeholders in the cell therapy bioprocessing field to identify present and future challenges and propose potential solutions to automation in cell therapy bioprocessing. Here, we review and summarize discussions from the event. Deep biological understanding of a product, its mechanism of action and indication pathogenesis underpin many factors relating to bioprocessing and automation. To fully exploit the opportunities of bioprocess automation, therapeutics developers must closely consider whether an automation strategy is applicable, how to design an 'automatable' bioprocess and how to implement process modifications with minimal disruption. Major decisions around bioprocess automation strategy should involve all relevant stakeholders; communication between technical and business strategy decision-makers is of particular importance. Developers should leverage automation to implement in-process testing, in turn applicable to process optimization, quality assurance (QA)/ quality control (QC), batch failure control, adaptive manufacturing and regulatory demands, but a lack of precedent and technical opportunities can complicate such efforts. Sparse standardization across product characterization, hardware components and software platforms is perceived to complicate efforts to implement automation. The use of advanced algorithmic approaches such as machine learning may have application to bioprocess and supply chain optimization. Automation can substantially de-risk the wider supply chain, including tracking and traceability, cryopreservation and thawing and logistics. The regulatory implications of automation are currently unclear because few hardware options exist and novel solutions require case-by-case validation, but automation can present attractive regulatory incentives. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Cellular Therapy

Enzymatic Synthesis of Ampicillin: Nonlinear Modeling, Kinetics Estimation, and Adaptive Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Roman

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, the use of advanced control strategies in biotechnology is quite low. A main reason is the lack of quality of the data, and the fact that more sophisticated control strategies must be based on a model of the dynamics of bioprocesses. The nonlinearity of the bioprocesses and the absence of cheap and reliable instrumentation require an enhanced modeling effort and identification strategies for the kinetics. The present work approaches modeling and control strategies for the enzymatic synthesis of ampicillin that is carried out inside a fed-batch bioreactor. First, a nonlinear dynamical model of this bioprocess is obtained by using a novel modeling procedure for biotechnology: the bond graph methodology. Second, a high gain observer is designed for the estimation of the imprecisely known kinetics of the synthesis process. Third, by combining an exact linearizing control law with the on-line estimation kinetics algorithm, a nonlinear adaptive control law is designed. The case study discussed shows that a nonlinear feedback control strategy applied to the ampicillin synthesis bioprocess can cope with disturbances, noisy measurements, and parametric uncertainties. Numerical simulations performed with MATLAB environment are included in order to test the behavior and the performances of the proposed estimation and control strategies.

Programmable Automated Welding System (PAWS)

Science.gov (United States)

Kline, Martin D.

1994-01-01

An ambitious project to develop an advanced, automated welding system is being funded as part of the Navy Joining Center with Babcock & Wilcox as the prime integrator. This program, the Programmable Automated Welding System (PAWS), involves the integration of both planning and real-time control activities. Planning functions include the development of a graphical decision support system within a standard, portable environment. Real-time control functions include the development of a modular, intelligent, real-time control system and the integration of a number of welding process sensors. This paper presents each of these components of the PAWS and discusses how they can be utilized to automate the welding operation.

Mobile home automation-merging mobile value added services and home automation technologies

OpenAIRE

Rosendahl, Andreas; Hampe, Felix J.; Botterweck, Goetz

2007-01-01

non-peer-reviewed In this paper we study mobile home automation, a field that emerges from an integration of mobile application platforms and home automation technologies. In a conceptual introduction we first illustrate the need for such applications by introducing a two-dimensional conceptual model of mobility. Subsequently we suggest an architecture and discuss different options of how a user might access a mobile home automation service and the controlled devices. As another contrib...

Automation of radioimmunoassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Chisato; Yamada, Hideo; Iio, Masahiro

1974-01-01

Automation systems for measuring Australian antigen by radioimmunoassay under development were discussed. Samples were processed as follows: blood serum being dispensed by automated sampler to the test tube, and then incubated under controlled time and temperature; first counting being omitted; labelled antibody being dispensed to the serum after washing; samples being incubated and then centrifuged; radioactivities in the precipitate being counted by auto-well counter; measurements being tabulated by automated typewriter. Not only well-type counter but also position counter was studied. (Kanao, N.)

Automation for mineral resource development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Norrie, A.W.; Turner, D.R. (eds.)

1986-01-01

A total of 55 papers were presented at the symposium under the following headings: automation and the future of mining; modelling and control of mining processes; transportation for mining; automation and the future of metallurgical processes; modelling and control of metallurgical processes; and general aspects. Fifteen papers have been abstracted separately.

Controlled synthesis of thorium and uranium oxide nano-crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudry, Damien; Apostolidis, Christos; Walter, Olaf; Gouder, Thomas; Courtois, Eglantine; Kubel, Christian; Meyer, Daniel

2013-01-01

Very little is known about the size and shape effects on the properties of actinide compounds. As a consequence, the controlled synthesis of well-defined actinide-based nano-crystals constitutes a fundamental step before studying their corresponding properties. In this paper, we report on the non-aqueous surfactant-assisted synthesis of thorium and uranium oxide nano-crystals. The final characteristics of thorium and uranium oxide nano-crystals can be easily tuned by controlling a few experimental parameters such as the nature of the actinide precursor and the composition of the organic system (e.g., the chemical nature of the surfactants and their relative concentrations). Additionally, the influence of these parameters on the outcome of the synthesis is highly dependent on the nature of the actinide element (thorium versus uranium). By using optimised experimental conditions, monodisperse isotropic uranium oxide nano-crystals with different sizes (4.5 and 10.7 nm) as well as branched nano-crystals (overall size ca. 5 nm), nano-dots (ca. 4 nm) and nano-rods (with ultra-small diameters of 1 nm) of thorium oxide were synthesised. (authors)

Automation of testing the metrological reliability of nondestructive control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhukov, Yu.A.; Isakov, V.B.; Karlov, Yu.K.; Kovalevskij, Yu.A.

1987-01-01

Opportunities of microcomputers are used to solve the problem of testing control-measuring systems. Besides the main program the program of data processing when characterizing the nondestructive control systems is written in the microcomputer. The program includes two modules. The first module contains tests-programs, by which accuracy of functional elements of the microcomputer and interface elements with issuing a message to the operator on readiness of the elements for operation and failure of a certain element are determined. The second module includes: calculational programs when determining metrological reliability of measuring channel reliability, a calculational subprogram for random statistical measuring error, time instability and ''dead time''. Automation of testing metrological reliability of the nondestructive control systems increases reliability of determining metrological parameters and reduces time of system testing

BACnet the global standard for building automation and control networks

CERN Document Server

Newman, Michael

2013-01-01

BACnet is a data communication protocol for building automation and control systems, developed within ASHRAE in cooperation with ANSI, CEN, and the ISO. This new book, by the original chairman of the BACnet committee, explains how the BACnet protocol manages all basic building functions in a seamless, integrated way. The book explains how BACnet works with all major control systems-including those provided by Honeywell, Siemens, and Johnson Controls, among many others-to manage everything from heating to ventilation to lighting to fire control and alarm systems. BACnet is used today throughout the world for commercial and institutional buildings with complex mechanical and electrical systems. Contractors, architects, building systems engineers, and facilities managers must all be cognizant of BACnet and its applications. With a real "seat at the table," you'll find it easier to understand the intent and use of each of the data sharing techniques, controller requirements, and opportunities for interoperability...

Size-controlled synthesis of biodegradable nanocarriers for targeted ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Research for synthesis of size-controlled carriers is currently challenging one. In this research paper, a ... There are many methods available for the prepara- tion of drug-loaded ... 2.3 Characterization of nanoparticles. 2.3a FT-IR spectral ...

Audit of an automated checklist for quality control of radiotherapy treatment plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breen, Stephen L.; Zhang Beibei

2010-01-01

Purpose: To assess the effect of adding an automated checklist to the treatment planning process for head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Methods: Plans produced within our treatment planning system were evaluated at the planners' discretion with an automated checklist of more than twenty planning parameters. Plans were rated as accepted or rejected for treatment, during regular review by radiation oncologists and physicists as part of our quality control program. The rates of errors and their types were characterised prior to the implementation of the checklist and with the checklist. Results: Without the checklist, 5.9% of plans were rejected; the use of the checklist reduced the rejection rate to 3.1%. The checklist was used for 64.7% of plans. Pareto analysis of the causes of rejection showed that the checklist reduced the number of causes of rejections from twelve to seven. Conclusions: The use of an automated checklist has reduced the need for reworking of treatment plans. With the use of the checklist, most rejections were due to errors in prescription or inadequate dose distributions. Use of the checklist by planners must be increased to maximise improvements in planning efficiency.

Automated control of the laser welding process of heart valve scaffolds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weber Moritz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Using the electrospinning process the geometry of a heart valve is not replicable by just one manufacturing process. To produce heart valve scaffolds the heart valve leaflets and the vessel have to be produced in separated spinning processes. For the final product of a heart valve they have to be mated afterwards. In this work an already existing three-axes laser was enhanced to laser weld those scaffolds. The automation control software is based on the robot operating system (ROS. The mechatronically control is done by an Arduino Mega. A graphical user interface (GUI is written with Python and Kivy.

Controlling Air Traffic (Simulated) in the Presence of Automation (CATS PAu) 1995: A Study of Measurement Techniques for Situation Awareness in Air Traffic Control

Science.gov (United States)

French, Jennifer R.

1995-01-01

As automated systems proliferate in aviation systems, human operators are taking on less and less of an active role in the jobs they once performed, often reducing what should be important jobs to tasks barely more complex than monitoring machines. When operators are forced into these roles, they risk slipping into hazardous states of awareness, which can lead to reduced skills, lack of vigilance, and the inability to react quickly and competently when there is a machine failure. Using Air Traffic Control (ATC) as a model, the present study developed tools for conducting tests focusing on levels of automation as they relate to situation awareness. Subjects participated in a two-and-a-half hour experiment that consisted of a training period followed by a simulation of air traffic control similar to the system presently used by the FAA, then an additional simulation employing automated assistance. Through an iterative design process utilizing numerous revisions and three experimental sessions, several measures for situational awareness in a simulated Air Traffic Control System were developed and are prepared for use in future experiments.

Managing laboratory automation.

Science.gov (United States)

Saboe, T J

1995-01-01

This paper discusses the process of managing automated systems through their life cycles within the quality-control (QC) laboratory environment. The focus is on the process of directing and managing the evolving automation of a laboratory; system examples are given. The author shows how both task and data systems have evolved, and how they interrelate. A BIG picture, or continuum view, is presented and some of the reasons for success or failure of the various examples cited are explored. Finally, some comments on future automation need are discussed.

Synthesis of homo- and heteromultivalent carbohydrate-functionalized oligo(amidoamines using novel glyco-building blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Wojcik

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We present the solid phase synthesis of carbohydrate-functionalized oligo(amidoamines with different functionalization patterns utilizing a novel alphabet of six differently glycosylated building blocks. Highly efficient in flow conjugation of thioglycosides to a double-bond presenting diethylentriamine precursor is the key step to prepare these building blocks suitable for fully automated solid-phase synthesis. Introduction of the sugar ligands via functionalized building blocks rather than postfunctionalization of the oligomeric backbone allows for the straightforward synthesis of multivalent glycoligands with full control over monomer sequence and functionalization pattern. We demonstrate the potential of this building-block approach by synthesizing oligomers with different numbers and spacing of carbohydrates and also show the feasibility of heteromultivalent glycosylation patterns by combining building blocks presenting different mono- and disaccharides.

Automation of extrusion of porous cable products based on a digital controller

Science.gov (United States)

Chostkovskii, B. K.; Mitroshin, V. N.

2017-07-01

This paper presents a new approach to designing an automated system for monitoring and controlling the process of applying porous insulation material on a conductive cable core, which is based on using structurally and parametrically optimized digital controllers of an arbitrary order instead of calculating typical PID controllers using known methods. The digital controller is clocked by signals from the clock length sensor of a measuring wheel, instead of a timer signal, and this provides the robust properties of the system with respect to the changing insulation speed. Digital controller parameters are tuned to provide the operating parameters of the manufactured cable using a simulation model of stochastic extrusion and are minimized by moving a regular simplex in the parameter space of the tuned controller.

Facilitating the design and operation of computer-controlled radiochemistry synthesizers with an open-quotes Electronic Toolboxclose quotes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feliu, A.L.

1991-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique requiring rapid and reliable radiopharmaceutical production. Automated systems offer a host of potential advantages over manually or remotely operated apparatus, including reduced personnel requirements, lower radiation exposure to personel, reliable yields, and reproducible product purity. However, the burden of routine radiopharmaceutical production most often remains a labor-intensive responsibility of highly trained radiochemists. In order to ease the transition between manual, remote-controlled, and computer-controlled radiochemical synthesis, an electronic toolbox with graphical user interface was developed as a generic process control system compatible with a variety of common radiochemical operations. This work is specifically aimed to make automated techniques more accessible by emphasizing the similarities between manual and automated chemistry and by minimizing the computer programming effort required. This paper discusses the structural elements of the electronic toolbox approach to radiochemistry process control, and its ramifications for the designers and end-users of automated synthesizers

Automation of solar plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yebra, L.J.; Romero, M.; Martinez, D.; Valverde, A. [CIEMAT - Plataforma Solar de Almeria, Tabernas (Spain); Berenguel, M. [Almeria Univ. (Spain). Departamento de Lenguajes y Computacion

2004-07-01

This work overviews some of the main activities and research lines that are being carried out within the scope of the specific collaboration agreement between the Plataforma Solar de Almeria-CIEMAT (PSA-CIEMAT) and the Automatic Control, Electronics and Robotics research group of the Universidad de Almeria (TEP197) titled ''Development of control systems and tools for thermosolar plants'' and the projects financed by the MCYT DPI2001-2380-C02-02 and DPI2002-04375-C03. The research is directed by the need of improving the efficiency of the process through which the energy provided by the sun is totally or partially used as energy source, as far as diminishing the costs associated to the operation and maintenance of the installations that use this energy source. The final objective is to develop different automatic control systems and techniques aimed at improving the competitiveness of solar plants. The paper summarizes different objectives and automatic control approaches that are being implemented in different facilities at the PSA-CIEMAT: central receiver systems and solar furnace. For each one of these facilities, a systematic procedure is being followed, composed of several steps: (i) development of dynamic models using the newest modeling technologies (both for simulation and control purposes), (ii) development of fully automated data acquisition and control systems including software tools facilitating the analysis of data and the application of knowledge to the controlled plants and (iii) synthesis of advanced controllers using techniques successfully used in the process industry and development of new and optimized control algorithms for solar plants. These aspects are summarized in this work. (orig.)

Synthesis of a Controller for Swarming Robots Performing Underwater Mine Countermeasures

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tan, Yong

2004-01-01

This Trident Scholar project involved the synthesis of a swarm controller that is suitable for controlling movements of a group of autonomous robots performing underwater mine countermeasures (UMCM...

B827 Chemical Synthhesis Project - Industrial Control System Integration - Statement of Work & Specification with Attachments 1-14

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wade, F. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-04-21

The Chemical Synthesis Pilot Process at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Site 300 827 Complex will be used to synthesize small quantities of material to support research and development. The project will modernize and increase current capabilities for chemical synthesis at LLNL. The primary objective of this project is the conversion of a non-automated hands-on process to a remoteoperation process, while providing enhanced batch process step control, stored recipe-specific parameter sets, process variable visibility, monitoring, alarm and warning handling, and comprehensive batch record data logging. This Statement of Work and Specification provides the industrial-grade process control requirements for the chemical synthesis batching control system, hereafter referred to as the “Control System” to be delivered by the System Integrator.

2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Deng, Zhidong

2013-01-01

Proceedings of the 2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’13, held in Yangzhou, China. The topics include e.g. adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, and reconfigurable control. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can gain an inside view of new solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent automation.   Zengqi Sun and Zhidong Deng are professors at the Department of Computer Science, Tsinghua University, China.

2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference

CERN Document Server

Deng, Zhidong

2013-01-01

Proceedings of the 2013 Chinese Intelligent Automation Conference presents selected research papers from the CIAC’13, held in Yangzhou, China. The topics include e.g. adaptive control, fuzzy control, neural network based control, knowledge based control, hybrid intelligent control, learning control, evolutionary mechanism based control, multi-sensor integration, failure diagnosis, and reconfigurable control. Engineers and researchers from academia, industry, and government can gain an inside view of new solutions combining ideas from multiple disciplines in the field of intelligent automation. Zengqi Sun and Zhidong Deng are professors at the Department of Computer Science, Tsinghua University, China.

Modeling Increased Complexity and the Reliance on Automation: FLightdeck Automation Problems (FLAP) Model

Science.gov (United States)

Ancel, Ersin; Shih, Ann T.

2014-01-01

This paper highlights the development of a model that is focused on the safety issue of increasing complexity and reliance on automation systems in transport category aircraft. Recent statistics show an increase in mishaps related to manual handling and automation errors due to pilot complacency and over-reliance on automation, loss of situational awareness, automation system failures and/or pilot deficiencies. Consequently, the aircraft can enter a state outside the flight envelope and/or air traffic safety margins which potentially can lead to loss-of-control (LOC), controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT), or runway excursion/confusion accidents, etc. The goal of this modeling effort is to provide NASA's Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) with a platform capable of assessing the impacts of AvSP technologies and products towards reducing the relative risk of automation related accidents and incidents. In order to do so, a generic framework, capable of mapping both latent and active causal factors leading to automation errors, is developed. Next, the framework is converted into a Bayesian Belief Network model and populated with data gathered from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). With the insertion of technologies and products, the model provides individual and collective risk reduction acquired by technologies and methodologies developed within AvSP.

Model-Based Control for Postal Automation and Baggage Handling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tarau, A.N.

2010-01-01

In this thesis we focus on two specific transportation systems, namely postal automation and baggage handling. Postal automation: During the last decades the volume of magazines, catalogs, and other plastic wrapped mail items that have to be processed by post sorting centers has increased

Aviation safety/automation program overview

Science.gov (United States)

Morello, Samuel A.

1990-01-01

The goal is to provide a technology base leading to improved safety of the national airspace system through the development and integration of human-centered automation technologies for aircraft crews and air traffic controllers. Information on the problems, specific objectives, human-automation interaction, intelligent error-tolerant systems, and air traffic control/cockpit integration is given in viewgraph form.

Consistent integrated automation. Optimized power plant control by means of IEC 61850; Durchgaengig automatisieren. Optimierte Kraftwerksleittechnik durch die Norm IEC 61850

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orth, J. [ABB AG, Mannheim (Germany). Geschaeftsbereich Power Generation

2007-07-01

Today's power plants are highly automated. All subsystems of large thermal power plants can be controlled from a central control room. The electrical systems are an important part. In future the new standard IEC 61850 will improve the integration of electrical systems into automation of power plants supporting the reduction of operation and maintenance cost. (orig.)

Automated daily quality control analysis for mammography in a multi-unit imaging center.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundell, Veli-Matti; Mäkelä, Teemu; Meaney, Alexander; Kaasalainen, Touko; Savolainen, Sauli

2018-01-01

Background The high requirements for mammography image quality necessitate a systematic quality assurance process. Digital imaging allows automation of the image quality analysis, which can potentially improve repeatability and objectivity compared to a visual evaluation made by the users. Purpose To develop an automatic image quality analysis software for daily mammography quality control in a multi-unit imaging center. Material and Methods An automated image quality analysis software using the discrete wavelet transform and multiresolution analysis was developed for the American College of Radiology accreditation phantom. The software was validated by analyzing 60 randomly selected phantom images from six mammography systems and 20 phantom images with different dose levels from one mammography system. The results were compared to a visual analysis made by four reviewers. Additionally, long-term image quality trends of a full-field digital mammography system and a computed radiography mammography system were investigated. Results The automated software produced feature detection levels comparable to visual analysis. The agreement was good in the case of fibers, while the software detected somewhat more microcalcifications and characteristic masses. Long-term follow-up via a quality assurance web portal demonstrated the feasibility of using the software for monitoring the performance of mammography systems in a multi-unit imaging center. Conclusion Automated image quality analysis enables monitoring the performance of digital mammography systems in an efficient, centralized manner.

Specific Methods of Information Security for Nuclear Materials Control and Accounting Automate Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantin Vyacheslavovich Ivanov

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to specific methods of information security for nuclear materials control and accounting automate systems which is not required of OS and DBMS certifications and allowed to programs modification for clients specific without defenses modification. System ACCORD-2005 demonstrates the realization of this method.

Shape control synthesis of low-dimensional calcium sulfate

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Shape control synthesis of low-dimensional calcium sulfate .... C in mixed solvents of 50 mL ethanol and 30 mL water for different reaction times was characterized by .... Duan X, Huang Y, Cui Y, Wang J and Lieber C M 2001 Nature 409 66.

The Use of Intelligent Relays for the Sewer Cleaning Vehicle Control and Automation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Chiver

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the way in which the electrical control and automation system of the 5 mc combined sewer and gully cleaning vehicle equipped by a local company was designed, using the intelligent relay of the easy 700 type of Moeller (Eaton company. The control of all the equipments is performed locally from the control panel and some of them can also by remote controlled by means of the radio waves. The program required by the intelligent relay was created, tested and implemented with the help of the dedicated software easy-soft 6, developed by the manufacturing company.

Physiological Self-Regulation and Adaptive Automation

Science.gov (United States)

Prinzell, Lawrence J.; Pope, Alan T.; Freeman, Frederick G.

2007-01-01

Adaptive automation has been proposed as a solution to current problems of human-automation interaction. Past research has shown the potential of this advanced form of automation to enhance pilot engagement and lower cognitive workload. However, there have been concerns voiced regarding issues, such as automation surprises, associated with the use of adaptive automation. This study examined the use of psychophysiological self-regulation training with adaptive automation that may help pilots deal with these problems through the enhancement of cognitive resource management skills. Eighteen participants were assigned to 3 groups (self-regulation training, false feedback, and control) and performed resource management, monitoring, and tracking tasks from the Multiple Attribute Task Battery. The tracking task was cycled between 3 levels of task difficulty (automatic, adaptive aiding, manual) on the basis of the electroencephalogram-derived engagement index. The other two tasks remained in automatic mode that had a single automation failure. Those participants who had received self-regulation training performed significantly better and reported lower National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index scores than participants in the false feedback and control groups. The theoretical and practical implications of these results for adaptive automation are discussed.

Automation and robotics

Science.gov (United States)

Montemerlo, Melvin

1988-01-01

The Autonomous Systems focus on the automation of control systems for the Space Station and mission operations. Telerobotics focuses on automation for in-space servicing, assembly, and repair. The Autonomous Systems and Telerobotics each have a planned sequence of integrated demonstrations showing the evolutionary advance of the state-of-the-art. Progress is briefly described for each area of concern.

Generic Planning and Control of Automated Material Handling Systems: Practical Requirements Versus Existing Theroy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haneyah, S.W.A.; Zijm, Willem H.M.; Schutten, Johannes M.J.; Schuur, Peter

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the problem of generic planning and control of Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHSs). The paper illustrates the relevance of this research direction, and then addresses three different market sectors where AMHSs are used. These market sectors are: baggage handling,

Controlling microbial PHB synthesis via CRISPRi.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dan; Lv, Li; Chen, Jin-Chun; Chen, Guo-Qiang

2017-07-01

Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of biopolyesters with properties similar to petroleum plastics such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is the most common PHA known so far. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference (CRISPRi), a technology recently developed to control gene expression levels in eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, was employed to regulate PHB synthase activity influencing PHB synthesis. Recombinant Escherichia coli harboring an operon of three PHB synthesis genes phaCAB cloned from Ralstonia eutropha, was transformed with various single guided RNA (sgRNA with its guide sequence of 20-23 bases) able to bind to various locations of the PHB synthase PhaC, respectively. Depending on the binding location and the number of sgRNA on phaC, CRISPRi was able to control the phaC transcription and thus PhaC activity. It was found that PHB content, molecular weight, and polydispersity were approximately in direct and reverse proportion to the PhaC activity, respectively. The higher the PhaC activity, the more the intracellular PHB accumulation, yet the less the PHB molecular weights and the wider the polydispersity. This study allowed the PHB contents to be controlled in the ranges of 1.47-75.21% cell dry weights, molecular weights from 2 to 6 millions Dalton and polydispersity of 1.2 to 1.43 in 48 h shake flask studies. This result will be very important for future development of ultrahigh molecular weight PHA useful to meet high strength application requirements.

Controlled synthesis of single-crystalline graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Xueshen

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the controlled synthesis of single-crystalline graphene on the back side of copper foil using CH4 as the precursor. The influence of growth time and the pressure ratio of CH4/H2 on the structure of graphene are examined. An optimized polymer-assisted method is used to transfer the synthesized graphene onto a SiO2/Si substrate. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the graphene.

A guide to the automation body of knowledge

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

Edited by Vernon L. Trevathan, with contributions from more than 35 leading experts from all aspects of automation, this book is a key resource for anyone who is studying for the ISA Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®), ISA Certified Control Systems Technician® (CCST®), and/or Control Systems Engineer (CSE) exams. The book defines the most important automation concepts and processes, while also describing the technical skills required to implement them in today's industrial environment. This edition provides comprehensive information about all major topics in the broad field of automation including: Process and analytical instrumentation ; Continuous and batch control ; Control valves and final control elements ; Basic discrete, sequencing, and manufacturing control ; Advanced control ; Digital and analog communications ; Data management and system software ; Networking and security ; Safety and reliability ; System checkout, testing, startup, and troubleshooting ; Project management. Whether you ar...

Control of heme synthesis during Friend cell differentiation: role of iron and transferrin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laskey, J.D.; Ponka, P.; Schulman, H.M.

1986-01-01

In many types of cells the synthesis of σ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) limits the rate of heme formation. However, results from this laboratory with reticulocytes suggest that the rate of iron uptake from 125 I-transferrin (Tf), rather than ALA synthase activity, limits the rate of heme synthesis in erythroid cells. To determine whether changes occur in iron metabolism and the control of heme synthesis during erythroid cell development Friend erythroleukemia cells induced to erythroid differentiation by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were studied. While added ALA stimulated heme synthesis in uninduced Friend cells (suggesting ALA synthase is limiting) it did not do so in induced cells. Therefore the possibility was investigated that, in induced cells, iron uptake from Tf limits and controls heme synthesis. Several aspects of iron metabolism were investigated using the synthetic iron chelator salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH). Both induced and uninduced Friend cells take up and utilize Fe for heme synthesis directly from Fe-SIH without the involvement of transferrin and transferrin receptors and to a much greater extent than from saturating levels or 59 Fe-Tf (20 μM). Furthermore, in induced Friend cells 100 μM Fe-SIH stimulated 2- 14 C-glycine incorporation into heme up to 3.6-fold as compared to the incorporation observed with saturating concentrations of Fe-Tf. These results indicate that some step(s) in the pathway of iron from extracellular Tf to protoporphyrin, rather than the activity of ALA synthase, limits and controls the overall rate of heme and possibly hemoglobin synthesis in differentiating Friend erythroleukemia cells

Synthesis of optimal digital controller of flocculant dosing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.V. Pismenskiy

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The task of automatic process control of the slime water thickening and flotation tailings clarification is the stabilization of thicken product density within the given range and keeping up the solids content in the overflow not above the permissible level with minimum use of the flocculants. In existing systems for automatic control the flocculant dosing is carried out according to the solids content in the device input (the principle of open-loop control. This leads to the excess consumption of the flocculants and increase the dispersion density of the overflow. To perform the synthesis of the optimal digital controller in order to minimize the deviations from the master control and ensure the specified quality of the transition process. Over controlling value should not exceed 5 %. To perform the system operation modeling in order to determine the quality of transient processes. Methodology. Synthesis of the optimal digital controller is based on the method of dynamic programming. Findings. A mathematical model of the object control is represented in the normal form of Cauchy and further in the form of differential equations. The optimum period of quantization as the function from specified error of control and the output coordinate change is calculated. The differential equation of Bellman is obtained and the condition for minimization of the quality functional. Bellman function is represented as a quadratic form from the variables of the system condition. In order to limit possible control, the weight coefficients of the functional are calculated based on maximum permitted values of the system condition variables and the control actions during the transient process. Practical value. Using the modeling of ACS of the flocculant dosing it was established that the over controlling amount is 3.5%, the transient process life 5.6 sec, the transient process is aperiodical, non-static control, which meets the requirements imposed on the

Automated cloning methods.; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collart, F.

2001-01-01

Argonne has developed a series of automated protocols to generate bacterial expression clones by using a robotic system designed to be used in procedures associated with molecular biology. The system provides plate storage, temperature control from 4 to 37 C at various locations, and Biomek and Multimek pipetting stations. The automated system consists of a robot that transports sources from the active station on the automation system. Protocols for the automated generation of bacterial expression clones can be grouped into three categories (Figure 1). Fragment generation protocols are initiated on day one of the expression cloning procedure and encompass those protocols involved in generating purified coding region (PCR)

Population-level effects of automated smoking cessation help programs: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Borland, Ron; Balmford, James; Benda, Peter

2013-03-01

To test the population impact of offering automated smoking cessation interventions via the internet and/or by mobile phone. Pragmatic randomized controlled trial with five conditions: offer of (i) minimal intervention control; (ii) QuitCoach personalized tailored internet-delivered advice program; (iii) onQ, an interactive automated text-messaging program; (iv) an integration of both QuitCoach and onQ; and (v) a choice of either alone or the combined program. Australia, via a mix of internet and telephone contacts. A total of 3530 smokers or recent quitters recruited from those interested in quitting, and seeking self-help resources (n = 1335) or cold-contacted from internet panels (n = 2195). The primary outcome was self-report of 6 months sustained abstinence at 7 months post-recruitment. Only 42.5% of those offered one of the interventions took it up to a minimal level. The intervention groups combined had a non-significantly higher 6-month sustained abstinence rate than the control [odds ratio (OR) = 1.48; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98-2.24] (missing cases treated as smokers), with no differences between the interventions. Among those who used an intervention, there was a significant overall increase in abstinence (OR = 1.95; CI: 1.04-3.67), but not clearly so when analysing only cases with reported outcomes. Success rates were greater among those recruited after seeking information compared to those cold-contacted. Smokers interested in quitting who were assigned randomly to an offer of either the QuitCoach internet-based support program and/or the interactive automated text-messaging program had non-significantly greater odds of quitting for at least 6 months than those randomized to an offer of a simple information website. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Automating PACS Quality Control with the Vanderbilt Image Processing Enterprise Resource.

Science.gov (United States)

Esparza, Michael L; Welch, E Brian; Landman, Bennett A

2012-02-12

Precise image acquisition is an integral part of modern patient care and medical imaging research. Periodic quality control using standardized protocols and phantoms ensures that scanners are operating according to specifications, yet such procedures do not ensure that individual datasets are free from corruption-for example due to patient motion, transient interference, or physiological variability. If unacceptable artifacts are noticed during scanning, a technologist can repeat a procedure. Yet, substantial delays may be incurred if a problematic scan is not noticed until a radiologist reads the scans or an automated algorithm fails. Given scores of slices in typical three-dimensional scans and wide-variety of potential use cases, a technologist cannot practically be expected inspect all images. In large-scale research, automated pipeline systems have had great success in achieving high throughput. However, clinical and institutional workflows are largely based on DICOM and PACS technologies; these systems are not readily compatible with research systems due to security and privacy restrictions. Hence, quantitative quality control has been relegated to individual investigators and too often neglected. Herein, we propose a scalable system, the Vanderbilt Image Processing Enterprise Resource-VIPER, to integrate modular quality control and image analysis routines with a standard PACS configuration. This server unifies image processing routines across an institutional level and provides a simple interface so that investigators can collaborate to deploy new analysis technologies. VIPER integrates with high performance computing environments has successfully analyzed all standard scans from our institutional research center over the course of the last 18 months.

Standard IEC 61850 substation automation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bricchi, A.; Mezzadri, D. [Selta, Tortoreto (Italy)

2008-07-01

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 standard is the reference communication protocol for all electrical substations protection and control systems. It creates models of all the elements and functionalities of an electrical substation, including physical elements such as switches or circuit breakers, as well as protection, control and monitoring functionalities. Network managers need to renew power substation automation and control systems in order to improve the efficiency and quality of services offered by electric utilities. Selta has proposed a new integrated solution for the automation of power substations which is fully compliant with the IEC 61850 norms. The solution involves the integration of control, automation, protection, monitoring and maintenance functions and applies leading edge technology to its systems, particularly for the TERNA network. The system is based on the use of many electronic devices at a power plant, each one with a specialized function, and all interconnected via a Station LAN. This solution, was tested on the TERNA network in Italy, in VHV and HV stations. It was shown to offer many advantages, such as an architecture based on full interoperability between control, monitoring and protection equipment; centralized and distributed automation; a LAN station that allows full interoperability between different bay units and protection relays in order to integrate equipment from various suppliers; the integration of automation systems in existing bay units and protection relays equipped with standard communication buses or with proprietary interfaces; and time synchronization for the entire system through a station GPS reception system. 10 refs., 1 tab., 7 figs.

Preface to the special section on human factors and automation in vehicles: designing highly automated vehicles with the driver in mind.

Science.gov (United States)

Merat, Natasha; Lee, John D

2012-10-01

This special section brings together diverse research regarding driver interaction with advanced automotive technology to guide design of increasingly automated vehicles. Rapidly evolving vehicle automation will likely change cars and trucks more in the next 5 years than the preceding 50, radically redefining what it means to drive. This special section includes 10 articles from European and North American researchers reporting simulator and naturalistic driving studies. Little research has considered the consequences of fully automated driving, with most focusing on lane-keeping and speed control systems individually. The studies reveal two underlying design philosophies: automate driving versus support driving. Results of several studies, consistent with previous research in other domains, suggest that the automate philosophy can delay driver responses to incidents in which the driver has to intervene and take control from the automation. Understanding how to orchestrate the transfer or sharing of control between the system and the driver, particularly in critical incidents, emerges as a central challenge. Designers should not assume that automation can substitute seamlessly for a human driver, nor can they assume that the driver can safely accommodate the limitations of automation. Designers, policy makers, and researchers must give careful consideration to what role the person should have in highly automated vehicles and how to support the driver if the driver is to be responsible for vehicle control. As in other domains, driving safety increasingly depends on the combined performance of the human and automation, and successful designs will depend on recognizing and supporting the new roles of the driver.

Control and automation technology in United States nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, B.K.H.

1997-01-01

The need to use computers for nuclear power plant design, engineering, operation and maintenance has been growing since the inception of commercial nuclear power electricity generation in the 1960s. The needs have intensified in recent years as the demands of safety and reliability, as well as economic competition, have become stronger. The rapid advance of computer hardware and software technology in the last two decades has greatly enlarged the potential of computer applications to plant instrumentation and control of future plants, as well as those needed for operation of existing plants. The traditional role of computers for mathematical calculations and data manipulation has been expanded to automate plant control functions and to enhance human performance and productivity. The major goals of using computers for instrumentation and control of nuclear power plants are (1) to improve safety; (2) to reduce challenges to the power plant; (3) to reduce the cost of operations and maintenance; (4) to enhance power production, and (5) to increase productivity of people. Many functions in nuclear power plants are achieved by a combination of human action and automation. Increasingly, computer-based systems are used to support operations and maintenance personnel in the performance of their tasks. There are many benefits which can accrue from the use of computers but it is important to ensure that the design and implementation of the support system and the human task places the human in the correct role in relation to the machine; that is, in a management position, with the computer serving the human. In addition, consideration must be given to computer system integrity, software validation and verification, consequences of error, etc., to ensure its reliability for nuclear power plant applications. (author). 31 refs

Control and automation technology in United States nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, B.K.H.

1995-01-01

The need to use computers for nuclear power plant design, engineering, operation and maintenance has been growing since the inception of commercial nuclear power electricity generation in the 1960s. The needs have intensified in recent years as the demands of safety and reliability, as well as economic competition, have become stronger. The rapid advanced of computer hardware and software technology in the last two decades has greatly enlarged the potential of computer applications to plant instrumentation and control of future plants, as well as those needed for operation of existing plants. The traditional role of computers for mathematical calculations and data manipulation has been expanded to automate plant control functions and to enhance human performance and productivity. The major goals of using computers for instrumentation and control of nuclear power plants are: (1) to improve safety; (2) to reduce challenges to capital investments; (3) to reduce the cost of operations and maintenance; (4) to enhance power production; and (5) to increase productivity of people. Many functions in nuclear power plants are achieved by a combination of human action and automation. Increasingly, computer-based systems are used to support operations and maintenance personnel in the performance of their tasks. There are many benefits which can accrue from the use of computers but it is important to ensure that the design and implementation of the support system, and the human task places the human in the correct role in the relation to the machine; that is, in a management position, with the computer serving the human. In addition, consideration must be given to computer system integrity, software validation and verification, consequences of error, etc., to ensure its reliability for nuclear power plant applications. (author). 31 refs

Control and automation technology in United States nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, B K.H. [Sunutech, Inc., Los Altos, CA (United States)

1997-07-01

The need to use computers for nuclear power plant design, engineering, operation and maintenance has been growing since the inception of commercial nuclear power electricity generation in the 1960s. The needs have intensified in recent years as the demands of safety and reliability, as well as economic competition, have become stronger. The rapid advance of computer hardware and software technology in the last two decades has greatly enlarged the potential of computer applications to plant instrumentation and control of future plants, as well as those needed for operation of existing plants. The traditional role of computers for mathematical calculations and data manipulation has been expanded to automate plant control functions and to enhance human performance and productivity. The major goals of using computers for instrumentation and control of nuclear power plants are (1) to improve safety; (2) to reduce challenges to the power plant; (3) to reduce the cost of operations and maintenance; (4) to enhance power production, and (5) to increase productivity of people. Many functions in nuclear power plants are achieved by a combination of human action and automation. Increasingly, computer-based systems are used to support operations and maintenance personnel in the performance of their tasks. There are many benefits which can accrue from the use of computers but it is important to ensure that the design and implementation of the support system and the human task places the human in the correct role in relation to the machine; that is, in a management position, with the computer serving the human. In addition, consideration must be given to computer system integrity, software validation and verification, consequences of error, etc., to ensure its reliability for nuclear power plant applications. (author). 31 refs.

Automated systems help prevent operator error during [reactor] I and C [instrumentation and control] testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courcoux, R.

1989-01-01

On a nuclear steam supply system, even a minor failure can involve actuation of the whole reactor protection system (RPS). To reduce the likelihood of human error leading to unwanted trips during the maintenance of instrumentation and control systems, Framatome has been developing and installing various automated testing systems. Such automated systems are particularly helpful when periodic tests with a potential for RPS actuation have to be carried out, or when the test is on the critical path for the refuelling outage. The Sensitive Channel Programme described is an example of the sort of work that has been done. (author)

Shielded cells transfer automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, J.J.

1984-01-01

Nuclear waste from shielded cells is removed, packaged, and transferred manually in many nuclear facilities. Radiation exposure is absorbed by operators during these operations and limited only through procedural controls. Technological advances in automation using robotics have allowed a production waste removal operation to be automated to reduce radiation exposure. The robotic system bags waste containers out of glove box and transfers them to a shielded container. Operators control the system outside the system work area via television cameras. 9 figures

Some problems of software development for the plant-level automated control system of NPPs with the RBMK reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbunov, V.P.; Egorov, A.K.; Isaev, N.V.; Saprykin, E.M.

1987-01-01

Problems on development and operation of automated control system (ACS) software of NPPs with the RBMK reactors are discussed. The ES computer with large on-line storage (not less than 1 Mbite) and fast response (not less than 300.000 of operations per a second) should enter the ACS composition. Several program complexes are used in the NPP ACS. The programs collected into the EhNERGIYa library are used to provide central control system operation. The information-retrival system called the Fuel file is used to automate NPP fuel motion account, as well as to estimate efficiency of fuel application, to carry out calculations of a fuel component of electric and heat energy production cost. The automated information system for unit operation efficiency analysis, which solves both plant and unit-level problems, including engineering and economical factors and complexing of operation parameter bank, is under trial operation

Synthesis of Algorithm for Range Measurement Equipment to Track Maneuvering Aircraft Using Data on Its Dynamic and Kinematic Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Pudovkin, A. P.; Panasyuk, Yu N.; Danilov, S. N.; Moskvitin, S. P.

2018-05-01

The problem of improving automated air traffic control systems is considered through the example of the operation algorithm synthesis for a range measurement channel to track the aircraft, using its kinematic and dynamic parameters. The choice of the state and observation models has been justified, the computer simulations have been performed and the results of the investigated algorithms have been obtained.

Automation of electron channeling investigations into crystals on the experimental stand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolodin, L.G.; Kupchishin, A.A.; Bunegin, V.V.

1995-01-01

Automated control system of technological processes of the experimental stand is proposed for electron channeling investigation into crystals. The system is proposed for stand control automation and registration of corresponding radiations. There are four main parts in stand complex: Ehlu-6 type electron accelerator; forming and transporting system of electron beams; goniometer system; radiation detection system. Purposes of the automated system creation are following: - improvement of EhLU accelerator operating stability by of automation stabilization of its parameters; - quality improvement of electron beam monochromatization by of automation of monochromator electromagnet control; - simplification of crystal adjustment process relatively of primary electron beam and crystal transporting to the position by of goniometer automation control; - providing of automating collection and processing of data of physical experiments

SYNTHESIS OF THE TECHNICAL CONTROL SYSTEMS WITH VARIABLE STRUCTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Change. Also the object as a result of an adverse effect is considered. The formal problem definition of synthesis of hardy management system is considered. Model choice criteria ensemble is set. The rule of choice algorithm implementation on the basis of different reference functions is provided. The conclusion is drawn that in case of preliminary processing of the available prior data it is possible to select reference functions correctly which reflect physical processes more precisely. The mathematical description of a dynamic object on the basis of a differential equation, or its decision is provided. Defini- tion of function of a trend is given. Criteria for selection of model of damage are given. The recommendation of modifica- tion of Demark trends algorithm by means of the sliding Yazvinsky's window and a method of self-organization for in- crease of accuracy of creation of a predictive model of damage is made. It is offered to realize a model choice by means of more complex logical analysis of an observed vector in the appropriate situation. Logic-functional control task definition is given and approach to its decision is formulated. The conclusion about what the task of synthesis management system con- sists of is given. This article describes the method of synthesis of control system with variable structure provides increasing survivability control system in a significant change of the external environment, as well as the object itself from the adverse impacts.

Size Controlled Synthesis of Transition Metal Nanoparticles for Catalytic Applications

KAUST Repository

Esparza, Angel

2011-07-07

Catalysis offers cleaner and more efficient chemical reactions for environmental scientists. More than 90% of industrial processes are performed with a catalyst involved, however research it is still required to improve the catalyst materials. The purpose of this work is to contribute with the development of catalysts synthesis with two different approaches. First, the precise size control of non-noble metals nanoparticles. Second, a new one-pot synthesis method based on a microemulsion system was developed to synthesize size-controlled metal nanoparticles in oxide supports. The one-pot method represents a simple approach to synthesize both support and immobilized nanometer-sized non-noble metal nanoparticles in the same reaction system. Narrow size distribution nickel, cobalt, iron and cobalt-nickel nanoparticles were obtained. High metal dispersions are attainable regardless the metal or support used in the synthesis. Thus, the methodology is adaptable and robust. The sizecontrolled supported metal nanoparticles offer the opportunity to study size effects and metal-support interactions on different catalytic reactions with different sets of metals and supports.

Research in Korea on Gas Phase Synthesis and Control of Nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Mansoo

2001-01-01

Research activity into the gas phase synthesis of nanoparticles has witnessed rapid growth on a worldwide basis, which is also reflected by Korean research efforts. Nanoparticle research is inherently a multi-disciplinary activity involving both science and engineering. In this paper, the recent studies undertaken in Korea on the gas phase synthesis and control of nanoparticles are reviewed. Studies on the synthesis of various kinds of nanoparticles are first discussed with a focus on the different types of reactors used. Recent experimental and theoretical studies and newly developed methods of measuring and modeling nanoparticle growth are also reviewed

Home Automation and Security System Using Android ADK

OpenAIRE

Deepali Javale; Mohd. Mohsin; Shreerang Nandanwar; Mayur Shingate

2013-01-01

Today we are living in 21st century where automation is playing important role in human life. Home automation allows us to control household appliances like light, door, fan, AC etc. It also provides home security and emergency system to be activated. Home automation not only refers to reduce human efforts but also energy efficiency and time saving. The main objective of home automation and security is to help handicapped and old aged people which will enable them to control home appliances a...

Nanosilicon properties, synthesis, applications, methods of analysis and control

CERN Document Server

Ischenko, Anatoly A; Aslalnov, Leonid A

2015-01-01

Nanosilicon: Properties, Synthesis, Applications, Methods of Analysis and Control examines the latest developments on the physics and chemistry of nanosilicon. The book focuses on methods for producing nanosilicon, its electronic and optical properties, research methods to characterize its spectral and structural properties, and its possible applications. The first part of the book covers the basic properties of semiconductors, including causes of the size dependence of the properties, structural and electronic properties, and physical characteristics of the various forms of silicon. It presents theoretical and experimental research results as well as examples of porous silicon and quantum dots. The second part discusses the synthesis of nanosilicon, modification of the surface of nanoparticles, and properties of the resulting particles. The authors give special attention to the photoluminescence of silicon nanoparticles. The third part describes methods used for studying and controlling the structure and pro...

Automated sampling and control of gaseous simulations

KAUST Repository

Huang, Ruoguan

2013-05-04

In this work, we describe a method that automates the sampling and control of gaseous fluid simulations. Several recent approaches have provided techniques for artists to generate high-resolution simulations based on a low-resolution simulation. However, often in applications the overall flow in the low-resolution simulation that an animator observes and intends to preserve is composed of even lower frequencies than the low resolution itself. In such cases, attempting to match the low-resolution simulation precisely is unnecessarily restrictive. We propose a new sampling technique to efficiently capture the overall flow of a fluid simulation, at the scale of user\\'s choice, in such a way that the sampled information is sufficient to represent what is virtually perceived and no more. Thus, by applying control based on the sampled data, we ensure that in the resulting high-resolution simulation, the overall flow is matched to the low-resolution simulation and the fine details on the high resolution are preserved. The samples we obtain have both spatial and temporal continuity that allows smooth keyframe matching and direct manipulation of visible elements such as smoke density through temporal blending of samples. We demonstrate that a user can easily configure a simulation with our system to achieve desired results. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Automated Methods of Corrosion Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov

1997-01-01

. Mechanical control, recording, and data processing must therefore be automated to a high level of precision and reliability. These general techniques and the apparatus involved have been described extensively. The automated methods of such high-resolution microscopy coordinated with computerized...

A proposed protocol for remote control of automated assessment devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kissock, P.S.; Pritchard, D.A.

1996-01-01

Systems and devices that are controlled remotely are becoming more common in security systems in the US Air Force and other government agencies to provide protection of valuable assets. These systems reduce the number of needed personnel while still providing a high level of protection. However, each remotely controlled device usually has its own communication protocol. This limits the ability to change devices without changing the system that provides the communications control to the device. Sandia is pursuing a standard protocol that can be used to communicate with the different devices currently in use, or may be used in the future, in the US Air Force and other government agencies throughout the security community. Devices to be controlled include intelligent pan/tilt mounts, day/night video cameras, thermal imaging cameras, and remote data processors. Important features of this protocol include the ability to send messages of varying length, identify the sender, and more importantly, control remote data processors. This paper describes the proposed public domain protocol, features, and examples of use. The authors hope to elicit comments from security technology developers regarding format and use of remotely controlled automated assessment devices

Validation of the process control system of an automated large scale manufacturing plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuhaus, H; Kremers, H; Karrer, T; Traut, R H

1998-02-01

The validation procedure for the process control system of a plant for the large scale production of human albumin from plasma fractions is described. A validation master plan is developed, defining the system and elements to be validated, the interfaces with other systems with the validation limits, a general validation concept and supporting documentation. Based on this master plan, the validation protocols are developed. For the validation, the system is subdivided into a field level, which is the equipment part, and an automation level. The automation level is further subdivided into sections according to the different software modules. Based on a risk categorization of the modules, the qualification activities are defined. The test scripts for the different qualification levels (installation, operational and performance qualification) are developed according to a previously performed risk analysis.