This is an extended research of the paper (Islam et al., 2011) conducted to obtain a universal set of interaction parameters of the model NRTL over the temperature range 10 - 100 °C for hexane-butanol-water system; meaning for binary pairs hexane-butanol, butanol-water and hexane-water; and for ternary system hexane-butanol-water. Thorough investigations of data selections for all binary pairs (Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium (VLE), Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium (LLE)), infinite dilution activity coefficient (γ∞), infinite dilution distribution coefficient (Dsw), excess enthalpy (HE), and for ternary system (LLE of hexane-butanol-water) were carried out. Finally quadratic temperature dependent interaction parameters were estimated regressing all the mentioned data and in each case calculated results were compared with literature values. The comparisons showed an overall percentage of error within 15% for the mentioned phase equilibrium calculations.

A developed method and measurement setup for measurement of noise generated in a supercapacitor is presented. The requirements for noise data recording are considered and correlated with working modes of supercapacitors. An example of results of low-frequency noise measurements in commercially available supercapacitors are presented. The ability of flicker noise measurements suggests that they can be used to assess quality of tested supercapacitors.

Cardiovascular system diseases are the major causes of mortality in the world. The most important and widely used tool for assessing the heart state is echocardiography (also abbreviated as ECHO). ECHO images are used e.g. for location of any damage of heart tissues, in calculation of cardiac tissue displacement at any arbitrary point and to derive useful heart parameters like size and shape, cardiac output, ejection fraction, pumping capacity. In this paper, a robust algorithm for heart shape estimation (segmentation) in ECHO images is proposed. It is based on the recently introduced variant of the level set method called level set without edges. This variant takes advantage of the intensity value of area information instead of module of gradient which is typically used. Such approach guarantees stability and correctness of algorithm working on the border between object and background with small absolute value of image gradient. To reassure meaningful results, the image segmentation is proceeded with automatic Region of Interest (ROI) calculation. The main idea of ROI calculations is to receive a triangle-like part of the acquired ECHO image, using linear Hough transform, thresholding and simple mathematics. Additionally, in order to improve the images quality, an anisotropic diffusion filter, before ROI calculation, was used. The proposed method has been tested on real echocardiographic image sequences. Derived results confirm the effectiveness of the presented method.

With development of medical diagnostic and imaging techniques the sparing surgeries are facilitated. Renal cancer is one of examples. In order to minimize the amount of healthy kidney removed during the treatment procedure, it is essential to design a system that provides three-dimensional visualization prior to the surgery. The information about location of crucial structures (e.g. kidney, renal ureter and arteries) and their mutual spatial arrangement should be delivered to the operator. The introduction of such a system meets both the requirements and expectations of oncological surgeons. In this paper, we present one of the most important steps towards building such a system: a new approach to kidney segmentation from Computed Tomography data. The segmentation is based on the Active Contour Method using the Level Set (LS) framework. During the segmentation process the energy functional describing an image is the subject to minimize. The functional proposed in this paper consists of four terms. In contrast to the original approach containing solely the region and boundary terms, the ellipsoidal shape constraint was also introduced. This additional limitation imposed on evolution of the function prevents from leakage to undesired regions. The proposed methodology was tested on 10 Computed Tomography scans from patients diagnosed with renal cancer. The database contained the results of studies performed in several medical centers and on different devices. The average effectiveness of the proposed solution regarding the Dice Coefficient and average Hausdorff distance was equal to 0.862 and 2.37 mm, respectively. Both the qualitative and quantitative evaluations confirm effectiveness of the proposed solution.

Poor seed set is a limiting factor in alfalfa breeding, as it slows the selection response. One strategy used to overcome this problem is to search for mutations of inflorescence morphology. Long-peduncle (lp), branched-raceme (br) and top-flowering (tf) inflorescence mutations increase the number of flowers per inflorescence, but they do not improve seed set per flower. Here we assessed pollen tube growth in styles of those inflorescence mutants and we observed embryo and endosperm development in seeds 1 to 16 days after pollination (DAP). The number of pollen tubes penetrating the style and the ovary was similar in all tested mutants and in the reference cultivar Radius. At 2 DAP, fertilized ovules were 2.7-3.9 times less numerous in certain inflorescence mutants than in the short-raceme cv. Radius. Ovule degeneration progressed at 2-4 DAP in all analyzed plants. Most ovules were not properly developed in the control cultivar (62%), nor in the forms with mutated inflorescence morphology (69-86%). The number of seeds per pod was lowest in the tf form despite its having the highest number of ovules per ovary. It appears that the number of ovules per pistil is not a crucial factor in seed set in alfalfa when fertilization efficiency is very low. Both poor fertilization and gradual ovule degeneration were factors causing poor seed set in the investigated alfalfa genotypes.

The recently proposed q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS) characterized by a membership degree and a non-membership degree is powerful tool for handling uncertainty and vagueness. This paper proposes the concept of q-rung orthopair linguistic set (q-ROLS) by combining the linguistic term sets with q-ROFSs. Thereafter, we investigate multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) with q-rung orthopair linguistic information. To aggregate q-rung orthopair linguistic numbers ( q-ROLNs), we extend the Heronian mean (HM) to q-ROLSs and propose a family of q-rung orthopair linguistic Heronian mean operators, such as the q-rung orthopair linguistic Heronian mean (q-ROLHM) operator, the q-rung orthopair linguistic weighted Heronian mean (q-ROLWHM) operator, the q-rung orthopair linguistic geometric Heronian mean (q-ROLGHM) operator and the q-rung orthopair linguistic weighted geometric Heronian mean (q-ROLWGHM) operator. Some desirable properties and special cases of the proposed operators are discussed. Further, we develop a novel approach to MAGDM within q-rung orthopair linguistic context based on the proposed operators. A numerical instance is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiorities of the proposed method.

The proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers have experienced series of structural modifications and improvements. Example of such modifications are set-point weighting and fractional ordering. While the former is to achieve two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) ability of set-point tracking and disturbance rejection, the latter is to ensure smooth control action. Therefore, this paper reviews various forms of PID controllers and provides a comparative analysis of 2DOF PID and 2DOF fractional order PID (FOPID) controllers. The paper also discusses the conversion of one PID form to another. For the comparative analysis of the various controllers, a class of unstable systems are considered. Simulation result shows that in most cases the conversion from one form to another does not significantly affect the performance of the system. It is also observed that the 2DOF controllers (2DOF PID and 2DOF FOPID) improved significantly the performance of the ordinary PID controllers.

This paper presents a new, nondestructive method of testing brick wall dampness in wall structures. The setup was used to determine the moisture in a specially built laboratory model. Topological methods and the gradient technique are used to optimize the approach. A forward model of a wall was constructed to solve the inverse problem resulting in moisture buildup inside the wall.

This paper presents an original method of designing some special reversible circuits. This method is intended for the most popular gate set with three types of gates CNT (Control, NOT and Toffoli). The presented algorithm is based on two types of cascades with these reversible gates. The problem of transformation between two reversible functions is solved. This method allows to find optimal reversible circuits. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 and 2 recalls basic concepts of reversible logic. Especially the two types of cascades of reversible function are presented. In Section 3 there is introduced a problem of analysis of the cascades. Section 4 describes the method of synthesis of the optimal cascade for transformation of the given reversible function into another one.

This paper presents an original method of designing reversible circuits. This method is destined to most popular gate set with three types of gates CNT (Control, NOT and Toffoli). The presented algorithm based on graphical representation of the reversible function is called s-maps. This algorithm allows to find optimal or quasi-optimal reversible circuits. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 recalls basic concepts of reversible logic. Especially the cascade of the gates as realization of reversible function is presented. In Section 2 there is introduced a classification of minterms distribution. The s-maps are the representation of the reversible functions where the minterms distribution is presented. The choice of the first gate in the cascade depends on possibility of improving the distribution. Section 3 describes the algorithm, namely how to find the optimal or quasi-optimal solutions of the given function.

A practical method with high accuracy in generation and application of error values for calibration of current transformer test sets is described. A PC-controlled three-phase power source with a standard wattmeter is used for generating the nominal and error test currents while an electronically compensated current comparator is used to provide summation and subtraction of them, precisely. With this method, any ratio error and phase displacement values could be generated automatically and nominal and test currents could be grounded on the test set safely. Because of its high accurate ratio and phase error generating capability, any type of test set regardless of its operating principles could be calibrated.

This paper presents an extended finite element method applied to solve phase change problems taking into account natural convection in the liquid phase. It is assumed that the transition from one state to another, e.g., during the solidification of pure metals, is discontinuous and that the physical properties of the phases vary across the interface. According to the classical Stefan condition, the location, topology and rate of the interface changes are determined by the jump in the heat flux. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with the Boussinesq approximation of the natural convection flow are solved for the liquid phase. The no-slip condition for velocity and the melting/freezing condition for temperature are imposed on the interface using penalty method. The fractional four-step method is employed for analysing conjugate heat transfer and unsteady viscous flow. The phase interface is tracked by the level set method defined on the same finite element mesh. A new combination of extended basis functions is proposed to approximate the discontinuity in the derivative of the temperature, velocity and the pressure fields. The single-mesh approach is demonstrated using three two-dimensional benchmark problems. The results are compared with the numerical and experimental data obtained by other authors.

At present, the speed of production and its complexity increases with each passing year due

to the shorter product life cycle and competition in the global market. This trend is also

observed in the machine-building industry, therefore, in order to ensure the competitiveness

of enterprises and reduce the cost of production, it is necessary to intensify production.

This is especially true in the machining of complex parts that require a great number of

setups, and technological equipment. The problem-oriented analysis of complex parts was

carried out, the parts classification was structured and developed according to the design

and technological features. This made it possible to offer advanced manufacturing processes

for complex parts like levers, forks, and connecting rods. The flexible fixtures for specified

complex parts were developed. The effectiveness of the proposed manufacturing processes,

Civil engineering is one of the many fields of occurrences of uncertain parameters. The present paper in an attempt to present and describe the most common methods used for inclusions of uncertain parameters . These methods can be applied in the area of civil engineering as well as for a larger domain. Definitions and short explanations of methods based on probability, interval analysis, fuzzy sets, and convex sets are presented. Selected advantages, disadvantages, and the most common fields of implementation are indicated.

An example of a cantilever beam presented in this paper shows the main differences between the methods. Results of the performed analysis indicate that the use of convex sets allows us to obtain an accuracy of results similar to stochastic models. At the same time, the computational speed characteristic for interval methods is maintained.

Positively invariant sets play an important role in the theory and applications of dynamical systems. The stability in the sense of Lyapunov of the equilibrium x = 0 is equivalent to the existence of the ellipsoidal positively invariant sets. The constraints on the state and control vectors of dynamical systems can be formulated as polyhedral positively invariant sets in practical engineering problems. Numerical checking method of positive invariance of polyhedral sets is addressed in this paper. The validation of the positively invariant sets can be done by solving LPs which can be easily done numerically. It is illustrated by examples that our checking method is effective. Compared with the now existing algebraic methods, numerical checking method is an attractive method in that it’s easy to be implemented.

The article outlines how to use the convergence of collections to determine the position of a mobile device based on the WiFi radio signal strength with the use of fuzzy sets. The main aim is the development of the method for indoor position determination based on existing WiFi network infrastructure indoors. The approach is based on the WiFi radio infrastructure existing inside the buildings and requires operating mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. An SQL database engine is also necessary as a widespread data interface. The SQL approach is not limited to the determination of the position but also to the creation of maps in which the system dening the position of the mobile device will operate. In addition, implementation issues are presented along with the distribution of the burden of performing calculations and the benets of such an approach for determining the location. The authors describe how to decompose the task of determining the position in a client-server architecture.

The article presents the results of the second part of an eye-tracking study conducted on Polish secondary school students working with a textbook for learning English. 20 dyslexic and 20 non- dyslexic school students worked with two sets of materials that had different graphic layouts but the same content. Their eye movements were recorded. The analysed data show that the arrangement of the material and images on the textbook page influence both the way the students (especially dyslexic ones) work with the book and their results.

A group of old apartment houses with the age over 100 years (that is those carried out before the First World War) takes an important place in polish building resources. Technical maintenance of apartment houses, traditional methods erected, is nowadays and will be a valid problem in the nearest future. The results of the work refer to the general population, estimated for 600 objects, that is about 20% of municipal downtown apartment houses in Wrocław.

The purpose of the research was to identify an influence of widely considered maintenance of apartment houses on a degree and intensity of their elements’ deterioration. The goal of the work has been fulfilled by symptoms’ analysis of declining of inspected elements’ exploitation values, that is identification of mechanics of their defects arising.

The range of the work has required creation of original qualitative model of pinpointed defects and its transfer into quantitative one. It has made possible to analyse the reason - effect phenomena „defect - technical wear” relevant to the most important elements of Wroclaw downtown district’s apartment houses. The research procedure has been conducted in accordance of fuzzy sets theory which made possible to describe qualitative model of pinpointed defects and its transfer into a quantitative one.

In this paper, we randomly select 75 sets data of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) content and initial setting time, and the traditional test method of CSH and analyses initial setting time was used by complexometric titration. So the close relationship between them was studied in depth, which classification fitting data to be analyzed by regression analysis. The result shows that this regression analysis method can accurately determine CSH content in modified industrial by-product gypsum. The determination method has the advantages of simplification and rapid operation. As well as, the XRF quantitative analytical method was used to test the CSH content, which verified the accuracy of regression analysis method. The results also show that this method has high accuracy, and can simplify the traditional experimental process. The method developed is easier and more convenient and has broad prospects in application.

The problem of setting out in civil engineering applications has been addressed in the literature for a long time. However, technological development has provided researchers with an opportunity of having other procedures in line with modern techniques in surveying sciences. One of the most important procedures in erecting steel structures, bridges, and precast columns of a building is the accurate placement of the anchorage system in concrete. The traditional method for staking out anchor bolts relies on sight rails, string lines, and tape measure. The precision of this art depends not only on the accuracy of observed offset distances during layout operations but also on the centerline of the anchoring template itself. Nowadays, the process of designing structures is executed using software that can perform a digital plan in CAD environment, where the coordinates of each anchor bolt can be defined. This research presents an accurate approach of positioning anchor bolts based on the second problem in surveying and total station. Error analysis and field application are described to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. However, the results indicate that the developed technique increases productivity, reduces the cost, and improves the positional accuracy.