Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad&nbsp;(IIT Palakkad or IIT PKD) is a public autonomous&nbsp;engineering&nbsp;and&nbsp;research&nbsp;institute located in&nbsp;Palakkad,&nbsp;Kerala. It was&nbsp;one of the five new&nbsp;IITs&nbsp;proposed in the&nbsp;2014 Union budget of India. The campus was inaugurated on 3 August 2015. The institute has 94 faculty, 978 students, and 63 non-teaching staffs.

IT Palakkad currently offers four-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) and two years MS programmes in 8 different engineering disciplines including&nbsp;Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil among others.

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IIT Palakkad

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy has diverse anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and has been employed successfully in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The role of IVIg therapy in the modulation of intestinal inflammation and fungal elimination has not been yet investigated. We studied IVIg therapy in a murine model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Mice received a single oral inoculum of Candida albicans and were exposed to DSS treatment for 2 weeks to induce colitis. All mice received daily IVIg therapy starting on day 1 for 7 days. IVIg therapy not only prevented a loss of body weight caused by the development of colitis but also reduced the severity of intestinal inflammation, as determined by clinical and histological scores. IVIg treatment significantly reduced the Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and C. albicans populations in mice. The beneficial effects of IVIg were associated with the suppression of inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and enhancement of IL-10 in the gut. IVIg therapy also led to an increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), while toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) expression was reduced. IVIg treatment reduces intestinal inflammation in mice and eliminates C. albicans overgrowth from the gut in association with down-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators combined with up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

World University root node

Biological Sciences and Engineering

Fulltext

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy eliminates candida albicans and maintains intestinal homeostasis in a murine model of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis

In a three-stage cascaded modular solid state transformer (CMSST), unbalanced dc bus voltages at the output of cascaded multilevel rectifier is a common issue due to inevitable parameter mismatch in stage-2. To balance the dc bus voltages, either voltage balance control (VBC) in stage-1 or power balance control (PBC) in stage-2 is necessary. In this paper, an in-depth theoretical analysis to investigate the input power quality of the CMSST in the presence of voltage and PBC schemes is presented. The grid-side multilevel voltage of the CMSST is analyzed to highlight the limitation of using VBC in stage-1. It is then mathematically proven that the switching frequency based harmonics in the grid current are significantly reduced by using the PBC in stage-2. Simulation studies of a 3.3-kV, 50-kVA CMSST are carried out using the PLECS software to substantiate the proposed analysis. Experimental verifications are performed on a 750-VA single-phase CMSST laboratory prototype for a 20% parameter mismatch in stage-2. It is found that the grid current total harmonic distortion (THD) is reduced from 6.65% to 3.8% at 50% load by using PBC in stage-2. This paper provides guidelines for the designer to choose appropriate balance controllers for the CMSST. © 1986-2012 IEEE.

Department of Electrical Engineering

IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics

A Comprehensive Harmonic Analysis and Control Strategy for Improved Input Power Quality in a Cascaded Modular Solid State Transformer

There has been increasing interest in solid-state transformers (SSTs) as a future replacement for conventional distribution transformers as it is able to provide ancillary services in addition to step-up/step-down of voltages. In SSTs, a common topology used in the ac-dc stage is the cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel converter. This paper proposes a novel dual-model predictive control method for the CHB multilevel converter with faster dynamic response, improved harmonic performance, and voltage balancing of the CHB cells. The primary model enables conventional control over source current and output voltages, whereas the secondary model is able to generate the reference source current through power modeling, which eliminates the need for a proportion-integral (PI) controller, thus resulting in faster dynamic response. A Luenberger-based observer is also implemented to estimate the dc load current in each CHB cell. The second-order harmonic notch filter and the CHB cell dc voltage balancing cost function aim at improving the performance of the source current and CHB cell dc voltages, respectively. The proposed control techniques are then validated under steady-state and transient conditions through simulation and experiment with a laboratory prototype. © 1972-2012 IEEE.

IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications

Improved Performance with Dual-Model Predictive Control for Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Converter

Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Engineering Centre (ESSENCE)

ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings

A Process-Based Model for Global Simulations of Agave Spp. Biomass Potential

Let G be a parahoric group scheme over a complex projective curve X of genus greater than one. Let G denote the moduli stack of G-torsors on X. We prove several results concerning the Hitchin map on TG. We first show that the parahoric analogue of the global nilpotent cone is isotropic and use this to prove that G is "very good" in the sense of Beilinson-Drinfeld. We then prove that the parahoric Hitchin map is a Poisson map whose generic fibres are abelian varieties. Together, these results imply that the parahoric Hitchin map is a completely integrable system. © 2018 The Author(s).

Department of Mathematics

International Mathematics Research Notices

Complete Integrability of the Parahoric Hitchin System

We report a new mechanism for the s-process in rotating massive metal-poor stars. Our models show that above a critical rotation speed, such stars evolve in a quasi-chemically homogeneous fashion, which gives rise to a prolific s-process. Rotation-induced mixing results in primary production of 13C, which subsequently makes neutrons via 13C(α, n)16O during core He burning. Neutron capture can last up to ∼ 1013 (∼3 × 105 yr) with the peak central neutron density ranging from ∼107 to 108 cm-3. Depending on the rotation speed and the mass loss rate, a strong s-process can occur with production of elements up to Bi for progenitors with initial metallicities of [Z] ≲ -1.5. This result suggests that rapidly rotating massive metal-poor stars are likely the first sites of the main s-process. We find that these stars can potentially explain the early onset of the s-process and some of the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP-s and CEMP-r/s) stars with strong enrichment attributed to the s-process or a mixture of the r-process and the s-process. © 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Department of Physics

Astrophysical Journal

New s-process Mechanism in Rapidly Rotating Massive Population II Stars

Purpose: Key challenges in evaluating the performance of a robotic manipulator are disturbances that rise internally and externally. Effects of non-linear disturbances like varying payload and joint friction can adversely affect the tracking performance in a robotic manipulator. This paper aims to discuss motion control of a three-link spatial manipulator using a computed torque observer-based control technique. Design/methodology/approach: The overall motion control problem consists of derivation of kinematic and dynamic model of the manipulator followed by the control design to achieve desired manipulator response. In this study, the manipulator is subjected to uncertain varying load disturbances. The proposed motion controller compensates the effect of the disturbances and guarantees the convergence of tracking error to steady state value. Findings: One major advantage of using observer-based control is positioning accuracy with robustness to parameter uncertainty and fast dynamics response. The performance of the proposed control technique is validated through real-time experiments conducted on the manipulator. The experiment results confirm the superior performance of the control system in achieving perfect tracking. Originality/value: This paper demonstrates an observer-based control technique over a serial spatial manipulator which can be applied different robotic configurations under the effect of varying disturbances. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

World Journal of Engineering

Development and motion control of spatial serial robotic manipulator under varying disturbances

This paper presents an adaptive backstepping motion control of a sitting- type lower limb rehabilitation robot (LLRR). The kinematics and dynamics of the proposed robot is discussed and its motion control design in the taskspace based on an adaptive backstepping control strategy is derived herein. The closed-loop system stability of the proposed motion control scheme is demonstrated by the Lyapunov’s direct method. Further performance analysis of the proposed system along with the proposed motion control design is demonstrated using computer based numerical simulations. For numerical simulations and to validate the effectiveness of the motion control strategy and the proposed lower limb rehabilitation robot design, the clinically obtained test gait data is used for the desired motion trajectory. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Mechanisms and Machine Science

Adaptive Backstepping Motion Control of a New Sitting-type Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot

In the present work, aluminum alloy 6061/SiC/fly ash aluminum matrix composites were welded successfully using friction stir welding process. Microstructure of weld joints was examined using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. Mechanical properties namely, microhardness and ultimate tensile strength of the joints were studied. The results were correlated to microstructural changes caused by friction stir welding process. Microstructure in the stirred zone exhibits the uniform distribution of SiC and fly ash particles. Especially fine grains were formed on the advancing side than on the retreating side, due to the different variation between tool direction and welding direction. Higher hardness value is observed on the advancing side (132 Hv) than on the retreating side (124 Hv). Transverse tensile test of weld sample exhibits higher joint efficiency of 85.06% with respect to ultimate tensile strength. Fracture study reveals ductile mode of failure. Weld joints got fractured in heat affected zone on the retreating side, which indicates the weakest part of the weld joint. Based on thermodynamic analysis, the optimum heat input was found to be 756 J mm−1, resulting in higher strength of weld joints due to uniform distribution of reinforcement particles in the nugget zone. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V.

Silicon

Microstructure, Hardness and Tensile Properties of Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composite Reinforced with SiC and Fly Ash

Let ϵ&gt; 0 , n a non-negative integer, and A a complex unital Banach algebra. Define γn: A× C→ [0 , ∞] by γn(a,z)={‖(z-a)-2n‖-1/2n,if(z-a)isinvertible0,if(z-a)is not invertible.The (n, ϵ) -pseudospectrum Λ n , ϵ(a) of an element a∈ A is defined by Λ n , ϵ(a) : = { λ∈ C: γn(a, λ) ≤ ϵ}. We show that γ is Lipschitz on A× C, γn is uniformly continuous on bounded subsets of A× C for n≥ 1 , and γn is Lipschitz on some particular domains for n≥ 1. Using these properties, we establish that the map (ϵ, a) ↦ Λ n , ϵ(a) is continuous at (ϵ, a) if and only if the level set { λ∈ C: γn(a, λ) = ϵ} does not contain any non-empty open set. In particular, this happens when a is a compact operator on a Banach space or a bounded operator on a Hilbert space or on an Lp space with 1 ≤ p≤ ∞. We also give examples of operators where this condition is not satisfied, and consequently, the map is not continuous. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.}, author_keywords={(n, ϵ) -Pseudospectrum; Banach algebra; Pseudospectrum; Spectrum}, funding_details={2/39(2)/2015/NBHM/R&D-II/7440}, funding_text_1={The authors would like to thank the anonymous referee for his/her valuable comments that led to a considerable improvement in this paper. The first author would like to thank the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India (Ref No: 2/39(2)/2015/NBHM/R&D-II/7440) for financial support.}, references={Bögli, S., Siegl, P., Remarks on the convergence of pseudospectra (2014) Integral Equ. Oper. Theory, 80, pp. 303-321; Böttcher, A., Pseudospectra and singular values of large convolution operators (1994) J. Integral Equ. Appl., 6, pp. 267-301; Böttcher, A., Grudsky, S.M., Silbermann, B., Norms of inverses, spectra, and pseudospectra of large truncated Wiener–Hopf operators and Toeplitz matrices (1997) N. Y. J. Math., 3, pp. 1-31; Böttcher, A., Grudsky, S.M., Can spectral value sets of Toeplitz band matrices jump? (2002) Linear Algebra Appl., 351 (352), pp. 99-116; Davies, E.B., Pseudospectra of differential operators (2000) J. Oper. Theory, 43, pp. 243-262; Davies, E.B., A defence of mathematical pluralism (2005) Philos. Math., 13 (3), pp. 252-276; Dhara, K., Kulkarni, S.H., The (n, ϵ) -pseudospectrum of an element of a Banach algebra (2018) J. Math. Anal. Appl., 464, pp. 939-954; Dunford, N., Schwartz, J.T., (1958) Linear Operators. I. General Theory, , Interscience Publishers Ltd., London; Gallestey, E., Hinrichsen, D., Pritchard, A.J., Spectral value sets of closed linear operators (2000) Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 456, pp. 1397-1418; Globevnik, J., On complex strict and uniform convexity (1975) Proc. Am. Math. Soc., 47, pp. 175-178; Globevnik, J., Norm-constant analytic functions and equivalent norms (1976) Ill. J. Math., 20, pp. 503-506; Hansen, A.C., On the approximation of spectra of linear operators on Hilbert spaces (2008) J. Funct. Anal., 254, pp. 2092-2126; Hansen, A.C., Infinite-dimensional numerical linear algebra: theory and applications (2010) Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 466, pp. 3539-3559; Hansen, A.C., On the solvability complexity index, the n -pseudospectrum and approximations of spectra of operators (2011) J. Am. Math. Soc., 24, pp. 81-124; Hansen, A.C., Nevanlinna, O., Complexity issues in computing spectra, pseudospectra and resolvents (2017) Banach Cent. Publ., 112, pp. 171-194; Harrabi, A., Pseudospectre d’une suite d’opérateurs bornés (1998) RAIRO Modél. Math. Anal. Numér., 32, pp. 671-680; Krishnan, A., Kulkarni, S.H., Pseudospectrum of an element of a Banach algebra (2017) Oper. Matrices, 11, pp. 263-287; Reddy, S.C., Pseudospectra of Wiener–Hopf integral operators and constant-coefficient differential operators (1993) J. Integral Equ. Appl., 5, pp. 369-403; Seidel, M., On (N, ϵ) -pseudospectra of operators on Banach spaces (2012) J. Funct. Anal., 262, pp. 4916-4927; Shargorodsky, E., On the level sets of the resolvent norm of a linear operator (2008) Bull. Lond. Math. Soc., 40, pp. 493-504; Trefethen, L.N., Pseudospectra of linear operators (1997) SIAM Rev., 39, pp. 383-406; Trefethen, L.N., Embree, M., Pseudospectra gateway, , http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/pseudospectra, Web site; Trefethen, L.N., Embree, M., (2005) Spectra and Pseudospectra: The Behavior of Nonnormal Matrices and Operators, , Princeton University Press, Princeton}, correspondence_address1={Dhara, K.; Department of Mathematics, India; email: kousik.dhara1@gmail.com}, publisher={Springer Basel}, issn={0378620X}, language={English}, abbrev_source_title={Integr. Equ. Oper. Theory}, document_type={Article}, source={Scopus},