In this study the authors minimise the total process cost for the heating of solid particles in a horizontal fluidised bed by an optimal choice of the inlet heating gas temperature profile and the total gas flow. Solid particles flowed along the apparatus and were heated by a hot gas entering from the bottom of the fluidised apparatus. The hydrodynamics of the fluidised bed is described by a two-phase Kunii - Levenspiel model. We assumed that the gas was flowing only vertically, whereas solid particles were flowing horizontally and because of dispersion they could be additionally mixed up in the same direction. The mixing rate was described by the axial dispersion coefficient. As any economic values of variables describing analysing process are subject to local and time fluctuations, the accepted objective function describes the total cost of the process expressed in exergy units. The continuous optimisation algorithm of the Maximum Principle was used for calculations. A mathematical model of the process, including boundary conditions in a form convenient for optimisation, was derived and presented. The optimization results are presented as an optimal profile of inlet gas temperature. The influence of heat transfer kinetics and dispersion coefficients on optimal runs of the heating process is discussed. Results of this discussion constitute a novelty in comparison to information presented in current literature.

Static Var Compensator (SVC) is a popular FACTS device for providing reactive power support in power systems and its placement representing the location and size has significant influence on network loss, while keeping the voltage magnitudes within the acceptable range. This paper presents a Firefly algorithm based optimization strategy for placement of SVC in power systems with a view of minimizing the transmission loss besides keeping the voltage magnitude within the acceptable range. The method uses a self-adaptive scheme for tuning the parameters in the Firefly algorithm. The strategy is tested on three IEEE test systems and their results are presented to demonstrate its effectiveness.

A large amount of solid and liquid wastes produced by mines and mills each year needs to be managed and minimized by alternative disposal methods like paste and dry stack. Increasingly strict environmental legislation and cost competitiveness also dictate the utilization of technically suitable, economically viable, environmentally acceptable, and socially responsible techniques. This paper reviews some of these techniques that could potentially reduce large volumes of mine wastes (with a focus on mine tailings and waste rocks) without causing significant environmental hazards. The new emerging techniques such as environmental desulphurization, covers built with sulphide-free tailings, co-disposal of tailings and waste rocks, geotextile tube dewatering, and use of tailings in the cement production and road construction for both industrial and environmental purposes are discussed in terms of waste minimization. The existing methods and approaches for efficient waste treatment and disposal are also discussed in this review paper.

Previous research showed that children can exhibit preferences for social categories already at preschool age. One of the crucial factors in the development of children’s attitudes toward others is children’s observation and imitation of adults’ nonverbal messages. The aim of our study is to examine whether children’s tendency to perceive and follow nonverbally expressed attitudes toward other people is related to ingroup bias, i.e. the tendency to favor one’s own group over other groups. We examined 175 preschool children (age in months: 61–87; M = 72.6, SD = 6.53) presenting them with a video of a conversation between a message sender and a message recipient. The study was conducted in a minimal group paradigm. We found that children accurately identified the message sender’s attitude toward the recipient and also generalized this attitude to other members of the new group. We also found explicit ingroup bias among children from the message sender’s group. However, no generalization of the sender’s attitude to other ingroup members was found. The results are discussed in reference to previous findings on the role of imitation of adult’s non-verbal behavior for the development of social attitudes among children.

The predictive current controller of the DC/AC converter is presented in the article. The new expected converter current vector’s

locations can be evaluated due to the possibility of predicting the current vector’s change directions. An original method for the converter control was developed basing on the current vector changes analysis presented in this paper. This method enables to minimize the current vector error area and decrease the mean switching frequency. One of the advantages of the proposed control method is the possibility of the realization of the controller in the look-up table controller form. The results of laboratory tests proved the effectiveness of the proposed control method.

W studiach nad dorobkiem P.F. Strawsona (1919–2006), a zwłaszcza nad jego metafizyką, miałem okazję do wymiany myśli z tym wybitnym przedstawicielem filozofii oksfordzkiej. Toczone wówczas dyskusje, których część znalazła odzwierciedlenie w prywatnej korespondencji oraz w opublikowanej odpowiedzi na jeden z moich artykułów, dotyczyły różnorakich kwestii interpretacyjnych. Trzy wątki tych dyskusji wydają się szczególnie istotne dla uchwycenia sedna Strawsonowskiej filozofii i jej ogólnej orientacji. Pierwszy dotyczył natury analizy filozoficznej, a dokładniej preferowanego przez Strawsona modelu koneksyjnego oraz jego związków z ideą presuponowania pojęć. Drugi wątek wiązał się ze stanowiskiem oksfordzkiego filozofa w sporze o realizm na trzech różnych płaszczyznach: semantycznej, epistemologicznej i metafizycznej. Strawson starał się zajmować w tym sporze stanowisko realistyczne i unikać antyrealizmu w jakiejkolwiek formie, lecz jego realizm miał pod wieloma względami charakter bardzo umiarkowany i zbliżał się do antyrealizmu. Podobnie umiarkowane stanowisko starał się on też zająć w tradycyjnym sporze o uniwersalia, stanowiącym tematykę trzeciego wątku dyskusji. Stanowisko Strawsona sprowadzało się do przyjmowania istnienia powszechników przy jednoczesnym podkreślaniu, że są one obiektami czysto myślowymi i jako takie nie stanowią elementów czasoprzestrzennego świata, w którym żyjemy. Nie da się też zbyt wiele powiedzieć o relacji egzemplifikacji, za sprawą której uniwersalia przejawiają się w świecie. Omówienie i rozwinięcie owych trzech wątków doprowadziło do wniosku, że chociaż Strawson był myślicielem o systematycznych ambicjach poznawczych, to unikał dalekosiężnych uogólnień i radykalnych rozwiązań. W typowo minimalistyczny sposób uchylał się od odpowiedzi na niektóre pytania, zaś rozstrzygnięciem wielu fundamentalnych spraw był dla niego wybór lub zajęcie określonej postawy.

W tradycji sceptycznej samoświadomość była przezroczysta i pełniła funkcję bazy do wyrażania wątpliwości i rozwijania argumentów w ramach poszukiwania pewności. Po zwrocie językowym i zwrocie naturalistycznym filozofia współczesna rozwinęła argumenty przeciwko pewności i przeciwko priorytetowi epistemologicznemu danych samoświadomości (zarówno przedrefleksyjnej, jak i refleksyjnej). Refleksja raportuje strumień świadomości ex post, raporty są skromne i zależne od schematu pojęciowego podmiotu, natomiast dane przedrefleksyjne są mgliste. Współcześnie pojawiły się dwie sceptyczne hipotezy: H. Putnama hipoteza eksternalizmu treściowego i S. Kripkego hipoteza kwusa. Na ich tle można postawić pytanie, jakie ja jest odporne na błędną identyfikację. Odporność wydaje się ograniczona do ja beztreściowego jako przedpredykatywnego poczucia własnego istnienia. Nie ma gwarancji, że jakakolwiek treść przypisana własnemu ja jest bezbłędna. Nie mogę zaprzeczyć własnemu istnieniu, tak samo jak nie mogę zaprzeczyć temu, że coś zewnętrznego istnieje, ale każdy opis ich treści jest narażony na błędy. A zatem treści samoświadomości nie są w lepszej sytuacji epistemicznej niż treści percepcji zewnętrznej.

The paper describes the construction, operation and test results of three most popular interpolators from a viewpoint of time-interval (TI) measurement systems consisting of many tapped-delay lines (TDLs) and registering pulses of a wide-range changeable intensity. The comparison criteria include the maximum intensity of registered time stamps (TSs), the dependency of interpolator characteristic on the registered TSs’ intensity, the need of using either two counters or a mutually-complementing pair counter-register for extending a measurement range, the need of calculating offsets between TDL inputs and the dependency of a resolution increase on the number of used TDL segments. This work also contains conclusions about a range of applications, usefulness and methods of employing each described TI interpolator. The presented experimental results bring new facts that can be used by the designers who implement precise time delays in the field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA).

This paper proposes a methodology based on installation cost for locating the optimal position of interline power flow controller (IPFC) in a power system network. Here both conventional and non conventional optimization tools such as LR and ABC are applied. This methodology is formulated mathematically based on installation cost of the FACTS device and active power generation cost. The capability of IPFC to control the real and reactive power simultaneously in multiple transmission lines is exploited here. Apart from locating the optimal position of IPFC, this algorithm is used to find the optimal dispatch of the generating units and the optimal value of IPFC parameters. IPFC is modeled using Power Injection (PI) model and incorporated into the problem formulation. This proposed method is compared with that of conventional LR method by validating on standard test systems like 5-bus, IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus systems. A detailed discussion on power flow and voltage profile improvement is carried out which reveals that incorporating IPFC into power system network in its optimal location significantly enhance the load margin as well as the reliability of the system.

Conventional field-orientated Induction motor drives operate at rated flux even at low load. To improve the efficiency of the existing motor it is important to regulate the flux of the motor in the desired operating range. In this paper a loss model controller (LMC) based on the real coded genetic algorithm is proposed, it has the straightforward goal of maximizing the efficiency for each given load torque. In order to give more accuracy to the motor model and the LMC a series model of the motor which consider the iron losses as a resistance connected in series with the mutual inductance is considered. Digital computer simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and also simulation results have confirmed that this algorithm yields the optimal efficiency.

The radial distribution system is a rugged system, it is also the most commonly used system, which suffers by loss and low voltage at the end bus. This loss can be reduced by the use of a capacitor in the system, which injects reactive current and also improves the voltage magnitude in the buses. The real power loss in the distribution line is the I2R loss which depends on the current and resistance. The connection of the capacitor in the bus reduces the reactive current and losses. The loss reduction is equal to the increase in generation, necessary for the electric power provided by firms. For consumers, the quality of power supply depends on the voltage magnitude level, which is also considered and hence the objective of the problem becomes the multi objective of loss minimization and the minimization of voltage deviation. In this paper, the optimal location and size of the capacitor is found using a new computational intelligent algorithm called Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA). To calculate the power flow and losses in the system, novel data structure load flow is introduced. In this, each bus is considered as a node with bus associated data. Links between the nodes are distribution lines and their own resistance and reactance. To validate the developed FPA solutions standard test cases, IEEE 33 and IEEE 69 radial distribution systems are considered.

In present article a mathematical model of arc shape wire roughened solar air heater, on the basis of energy and exergy output rates, entropy generation rate and augmentation entropy generation number, has been developed. A parametric study leading to entropy generation minimization has also been performed. In the analysis the geometric and operating parameters which have been considered as variable are: inlet air temperature, duct depth, collector width to duct depth ratio, mass flow rate per unit collector area, and temperature rise parameter . Results have been presented to see the effects of these values on the energy and exergy output rates of the roughened solar air heater. Effect of different values of wire rib roughness parameters on entropy generation has also been presented. Finally, design curves and optimization for different rib roughness parameters on the basis of minimum entropy generation number with temperature rise parameter, have been presented and optimum values also have been found out 0.004 to 0.010 (Km2)/W. The entropy generation rate obtained for the system, in the present work has been compared with those obtained for solar air heater with different roughness geometries on absorber plates available in the literature for common roughness parameters and operating parameters which validate the present results.

The performance of majority engineering systems made of composite laminates can be improved by increasing strength to weight ratio. Variable thickness approach (VTA), in discrete form, used in this study is capable of finding minimum laminate thickness in one stage only, instead of two stage methodology defined by other researchers, with substantial accuracy for the given load conditions. This minimum required laminate thickness can be used by designers in multiple ways. Current study reveals that effectiveness of VTA in this regard depends on ply thickness increment value and number of plies. Maximum Stress theory, Tsai Wu theory and Tsai Hill theory are used as constraints, while ply angles, ply thicknesses and number of plies in discrete form are used as design variables in current simulation studies. Optimization is carried out using direct value coded genetic algorithm. The effect of design variables such as ply angles, ply thicknesses and number of plies in discrete form on optimum solution is investigated considering Uniform Thickness Approach (UTA) and Variable Thickness Approach (VTA) for various load cases.

Artykuł w całości poświęcony jest rozważaniom nad pytaniem Bogusława Wolniewicza postawionym w jego nocie A question about join-semilattices („Bulletin of the Section of Logic” 1990, T. 19, nr 3). Część pierwsza artykułu dotyczy oryginalnego sformułowania tego pytania, w którym chodzi o podanie warunków dostatecznych na to, by w pewnej określonej rodzinie BM podzbiorów półkraty górnej z jednością istniały elementy minimalne. W kolejnych czterech częściach pytanie roztrząsane jest w odniesieniu do innych analogicznych rodzin zbiorów, których elementami są: dowolne zbiory (abstrakcyjne), zbiory gęste w przestrzeni topologicznej; filtry w algebrze Boole’a oraz zbiory domknięte względem operacji konsekwencji.