Development of a Tactile Actuator with Non-Contact and Trans-Object Characteristics Using a Time-Varying Magnetic Field

A non-contact tactile stimulation system using a time-varying magnetic field was developed. The system comprises a control unit, power unit, output unit, and actuator. The control unit adjusts stimulation parameters, particularly the signal intensity and frequency. The power unit produces high voltages for generating the magnetic field, whereas the output unit transmits the energy generated according to the signal from the control unit to the actuator. A spiral coil actuator generates the magnetic field. To validate the effectiveness of the system, preliminary experiments on 10 male adults without neurological disorders (23.2 ± 3.05 years) were conducted. Magnetic field stimuli were presented to the right palm of the subjects at three different frequencies (10, 30, and 50 Hz), and corresponding electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were measured simultaneously. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis showed that N100 and P300 components were identified in somatosensory areas. Subjective evaluations revealed that feelings such as “tingling,” “trembling,” “tapping,” and “percussing” were induced. Moreover, as the stimulus frequency changes, differences may occur in induced feeling. The system uses a time-varying magnetic field, which not only induces tactile stimulation without contact but also has trans-object characteristics that can present tactile sensations, even when there is an obstacle between an actuator and skin.

Improving the waste utilisation efficiency of combined heat and power plants by increasing the performance of dry-ash output units

The study aims to improve the efficiency of waste utilisation from the coal-fired power industry based on an analysis of the dry-ash output unit operating at the Novo-Irkutsk Combined Heat and Power Plant, JSC “Irkutskenergo”. The unit was tested under various operating conditions of steam generating blocks following the standard methods adopted at the enterprise. The tests showed that the station steam generating block No. 3 (with a steam load of 409.2 t/h and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 90.46%) provided an ash supply efficiency of 7.10 t/h. When the ash is supplied from the steam generating block No. 4, operating at a steam load of 421.8 t/h and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 94.72%, the ash supply efficiency amounts to 9.19 t/h. Under the simultaneous operation of the steam generating blocks No. 3 and 4 at a steam load of 397.6 and 380.7 t/h, respectively, and an electrostatic precipitator efficiency of 90.46 and 94.72%, respectively, the unit efficiency was 14.23 t/h. As a result, limitations in the unit operation were identified. Thus, the airspeed in the pneumatic ash pipeline during ash transporting was 8.0-8.5 m/s, which facilitated the operation of the dry-ash output unit in a pulsed cycle. It was, therefore, recommended to increase the airspeed by accelerating the flow rate through the jet pump or by using a smaller diameter pipe. The conducted analysis showed that the efficiency of the dry-ash output unit depends mainly on the steam capacity of steam generating blocks, as well as on the flue gas cleaning efficiency in the steam generator electrostatic precipitators. The obtained results were used to determine the technical state, efficiency and reliability of the dry-ash output unit of the Novo-Irkutsk Combined Heat and Power Plant.

Ü-Net: Deep-Learning Schemes for Ground Penetrating Radar Data Inversion

Electromagnetic (EM) inversion is a quantitative imaging technique that can describe the dielectric constant distribution of a target based on the EM signals scattered from it. In this paper, a novel deep neural network (DNN) based methodology for ground penetrating radar (GPR) data inversion, known as the Ü-net is introduced. The proposed Ü-net consists of three parts: a data compression unit, U-net, and an output unit. The novel inversion approach, based on supervised learning, uses a neural network to generate the dielectric constant distribution from GPR data. The GPR data can be compressed and reshaped the size using data compression unit. The U-net maps the object features to the dielectric constant distribution. The output unit meshes the dielectric constant distribution more finely. A novel feature of the proposed methodology is the application of instance normalization (IN) to the DNN EM inversion method and a comparison of its performance to batch normalization (BN). The validity of this technique is confirmed by numerical simulations. The Mean-Square Error of the test data sets is 0.087. These simulations prove that the instance normalization is suitable for GPR data inversion. The proposed approach is promising for achieving quality dielectric constant images in real-time.

Development and Implementation of a New Mathematical Model of the Tangential Exit Nozzles in Centrifugal Compressors

Various engineering techniques are used for optimal gas-dynamic design of centrifugal compressors. This includes a universal modelling method that consists of software programs developed at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. Tangential exit nozzles are elements of the centrifugal compressor flow path. The analysis of the results of the tangential exit nozzle calculations using the current mathematical model showed a need of improvement. The following main provisions formed a basis for a new model: the size of the passage is determined using the flow rate equation at the entrance and exit of the output unit (the calculated cross sections should be increased by 25–35% according to the recognized recommendations by Russian experts); the real nature of the flow in the output unit is taken into account by introducing an empirical coefficient in the equation of the circumferential component of velocity; the output diffuser is designed taking into account the optimal angle of expansion of an equivalent conical diffuser; the scroll tongue is shifted from a section with an angle of expansion of 0° to a section with an angle of expansion of 30°, which aids levelling the circumferential flow parameters and reduces total losses. To simplify the calculation process, a constant density along the scroll length is adopted in the mathematical model. The circumferential component of velocity is also determined approximately using the flow continuity equation without taking viscosity into account. Losses in scrolls and annular chambers are calculated in the radial and meridional planes. In the radial plane, the main losses are friction losses, whereas in the meridional plane, the main losses are due to expansion. For a trapezoid scroll, these pressure losses are determined depending on the scroll’s expansion angle. In the off-design operating modes, incidental losses due to impact flow around the scroll tongue are added. The presented model was implemented in the new version of the universal modeling method. The mathematical model was identified by the results of the commissioning test of the turboexpanders and turbochargers.

Solving Mixed Volterra - Fredholm Integral Equation (MVFIE) by Designing Neural Network

In this paper, we focus on designing feed forward neural network (FFNN) for solving Mixed Volterra – Fredholm Integral Equations (MVFIEs) of second kind in 2–dimensions. in our method, we present a multi – layers model consisting of a hidden layer which has five hidden units (neurons) and one linear output unit. Transfer function (Log – sigmoid) and training algorithm (Levenberg – Marquardt) are used as a sigmoid activation of each unit. A comparison between the results of numerical experiment and the analytic solution of some examples has been carried out in order to justify the efficiency and the accuracy of our method.

MENGUKUR KINERJA KEUANGAN KOPERASI SIMPAN PINJAM (KSP) CU BANGUN SEJAHTERA BANGUNTAPAN KABUPATEN BANTUL

This research drive to study and analysing about financial performent on Bangun Sejahtera cooperative enterprise in Banguntapan, Bantul, stressing of Efficiency and productivity. Effisiency and productivity are very importance to survival enterprise, and it tools valuetion manajemen performent. Productivity and efficiency are the key success in business action now and to the future. Productivity shown from two viewpoints as, psychological and technical viewpoint. From psichologicaly, productivity is a mentality behavior, that present must be best than yesterday, and the future must be best than to day. Manager must be has character, value system and personal believe system. Base on technical method, productivity beable formula as: output / input, and to measure, how many output unit will be get from unit input expenditure. Increasing Productivity shown that its best management kinerja and if decreasing productivity, show that is bad management kinerja. In this research, productivity proxy as : Operational productivity, profit margin and owners equity rate of return. Effisiency is a tools to measure unit input expenditure,to get output unit. The following efficiency formula as: input : output Research result a long in seven years shown that productivity on Bangun Sejahtera cooperaitive enterprise go to decreasing, but no significant. Operiting productivity from elevent year (2011) to 2017 shown as : 1,72 , 1,49 , 1,57 , 1,45 , 1,29 , 1,30 , 1,26, avarage 1,44. Profit margin from elevent year to 2017 show as: 41,71 , 32,74 , 36,45 , 31,16 , 22,23 , 23,12 , 20,58 avarage 29,71. Effisientcy a long a sevent year shown as: 2011 = 0,58, 2012 = 0,67, 2013 = 0,64, 2014 = 0,69, 2015 = 0,78, 2016 = 0,77 , 2017 = 0,79. Avarage= 0,73.

Photoneutrons for Radiation Therapy and Radionuclide Production

The possibility of organizing neutron therapy with a photoneutron beam produced by the electron accelerator target, and ensuring the required dose at the tumor at a reasonable exposure time and with minimal impact on patients investigated. Generation of neutrons from the target of electron accelerator takes place in two stages: e- ® γ ® n, and in the selected electron energy range of 20-100 MeV, the bremsstrahlung gamma radiation in many times (~ 3 orders of magnitude) offers more than “useful” neutron yield. This raises the problem of the selective control of the “harmful” for radiotherapy secondary gamma radiation while providing the minimum attenuation of the neutron flux in the output beam. In order to solve the general problem of the formation of a neutron beam with necessary spectral characteristics having sufficient intensity, there has been resolved a number of computational tasks of the selection of the optimal configuration of the output beam unit and its composition. The matter of high importance is to minimize additional irradiation of the patient from the bremsstrahlung (generated by electrons) and secondary gamma radiation (generated by neutrons) from the accelerator target as well as from output unit’s materials. On the other hand, at a generation stage e- ® γ the bremsstrahlung beam could be applied for effective radionuclide production by reactions (γ,n) and (γ,p) due to high leak intensity ~ 1.3·1017 photon/s. By the Mo100(γ,n)99Mo reaction the main diagnostic nuclide 99Tc could be produced sufficiently for the clinical needs. The resulting configuration of the output unit provides the required beam quality for the neutron capture therapy (NCT), which commonly assumed to be the only competitive technology of neutron therapy on the background of the massive invasion of proton therapy and other highly selective techniques that ultimately damage the target sparing the surrounding tissues and organs. For the accessible accelerator (average current 4 mA and electron energy 35 MeV) the flux density of epithermal photoneutrons (they required for NCT) in the beam at the output is of the order of magnitude or more higher than the typical yield from existing and planned reactors' beams. The proposed scheme of generation and extraction of photoneutrons for NCT has a number of strong advantages over traditional techniques: a) the applying of electron accelerators for neutron production is much safer and cheaper than conventional reactor beams in use; b) accelerator with the target, the beam output unit with the necessary equipment can be placed on the territory of the clinic without any problems of radiation safety; c) the proposed target – liquid gallium, which also serves as a cooler, is an “environmentally friendly” material due to low activation which rapidly (in ~ 4 days) falls to the background level.

Research on Calibration Method for Tractor Automatic Navigation Control System

A lower computer control system of tractor automatic navigation based on double-antennas Beidou satellite is developed, including the controller unit, bipolar output unit, RS232 bus communication unit, a switch reset unit and the power conversion unit. To obtain a continuous voltage output, the calibration method of lower control system using least square method to fit calibration curve has been studied. The lower computer control system receives navigation angel and navigation angel offset instruction provided by the host computer through RS232 bus communication unit. Continuous voltage from -10V to +10V is output through the bipolar output unit to adjust hydraulic valves to control the tractor steering after these are processed by the lower computer.