Adaptive fuzzy switched swing-up and sliding control for the double-pendulum-and-cart system.

In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy switched swing-up and sliding controller (AFSSSC) is proposed for the swing-up and position controls of a double-pendulum-and-cart system. The proposed AFSSSC consists of a fuzzy switching controller (FSC), an adaptive fuzzy swing-up controller (FSUC), and an adaptive hybrid fuzzy sliding controller (HFSC). To simplify the design of the adaptive HFSC, the double-pendulum-and-cart system is reformulated as a double-pendulum and a cart subsystem with matched time-varying uncertainties.

Exploring threshold operation criteria of biostimulation for azo dye decolorization using immobilized cell systems.

This follow-up study provided an evaluation on threshold operation criteria of biostimulation in immobilized cell systems (ICSs) with Aeromonas hydrophila onto packing materials Porites corals. Essential nutrients in appropriate flow rate for biostimulation were inevitably required to maintain maximum attached cell population for cost-effective biodecolorization. With the method of "graphical reconstruction", the most economically feasible strategy of medium stimulation for color removal was quantitatively revealed.

Organization and promoter analysis of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) chemokine gene (CXC-64) promoter.

Zebrafish CXC-64, a chemokine representing a superfamily of chemotactic cytokines present in fish, is involved in recruitment, activation, and response to inflammatory stimulation. We cloned and sequenced the genomic DNA of the zebrafish CXC-64 chemokine; it was most similar to CXCL11 from humans and CXCL10 from a catfish. The zebrafish CXC-64 gene is approximately 4.

Immune response and inhibition of bacterial growth by electrotransfer of plasmid DNA containing the antimicrobial peptide, epinecidin-1, into zebrafish muscle.

Bacterial infections represent serious diseases in aquaculture, rapidly leading to fish death by septicemia. We investigated whether the electrotransfer of green fluorescent protein gene fusion epinecidin-1 (CMV-gfp-epi) DNA into zebrafish muscle could regulate the fish immune response and inhibit bacterial growth. Electroporation parameters such as the number of pulses, voltage, and amount of plasmid DNA were analyzed, and results demonstrated the greatest mRNA expression level of gfp-epi relative to beta-actin was obtained with a pulse number of 4, a voltage strength of 100 V/cm, a concentration of DNA of 90 microg/fish, and electroporation for 96 h.

Optimal exponential feeding strategy for dual-substrate biostimulation of phenol degradation using Cupriavidus taiwanensis.

The exponential feeding strategy (EFS) of dual substrates (i.e., phenol and glycerol) was applied to optimize the overall performance of phenol degradation by Cupriavidus taiwanensis R186.

Cost-effective biostimulation strategy for wastewater decolorization using immobilized-cell systems.

This study tended to evaluate threshold operation criteria of biostimulation for optimal biodecolorization in immobilized-cell systems (ICSs) using Porites corals as packing matrices. Indigenous Aeromonas hydrophila with high efficiency for decolorization isolated from Northeast Taiwan was used for study. As maximal treatment performance of ICS could only be achieved with maximal absorbed biomass with highest color removal capability.

Understanding effects of chemical structure on azo dye decolorization characteristics by Aeromonas hydrophila.

This novel comparative study tended to disclose how the molecular structures present in seven azo dyes including two types of azo dyes (i.e., naphthol type azo dyes--Reactive Black 5 (RB 5), Reactive Blue 171 (RB 171), Reactive Green 19 (RG19), Reactive Red 198 (RR198), Reactive Red 141 (RR141), and non-naphthol type azo dyes--Direct Yellow 86 (DY86), Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84)) affected color removal capability of Aeromonas hydrophila.

Optimal Design and Operation for a No-Moving-Parts-Valve (NMPV) Micro-Pump with a Diffuser Width of 500 μm.

A no-moving-parts-valve (NMPV) with a diffuser width of D = 500 microns was investigated in this study by numerical simulations at Reynolds numbers, Re(D), ranging from 20 to 75, and expansion valve angles ranging from 30° < θ(1) < 57° and 110° < θ(2) < 120°. The D(p),(i) value, 1.02 < D(p),(i) < 1.

Biophysical micromixer.

In this study a biophysical passive micromixer with channel anamorphosis in a space of 370 μm, which is shorter than traditional passive micromixers, could be created by mimicing features of vascular flow networks and executed with Reynolds numbers ranging from 1 to 90. Split and recombination (SAR) was the main mixing method for enhancing the convection effect and promoting the mixing performance in the biophysical channel. The 2D numerical results reveal that good mixing efficiency of the mixer was possible, with ε(mixing) = 0.

Revealing interactive toxicity of aromatic amines to azo dye decolorizer Aeromonas hydrophila.

This study attempted to combine chemostat pulse technique (CPT) and dose-mortality assessment in pursuit of quantitative rankings of toxicity of model aromatic amines (MAAs) in the presence of diazo dye reactive red 141 (or Evercion Red H-E7B; RR141) upon Aeromonas hydrophila. As known, bacterial decolorization performance of azo dyes is directly dependent upon both the characteristics of biochemical reactivity and biotoxicity of dyes and related aromatic amines towards color removal. Thus, the findings herein indicated that the relative toxicity series of MAAs were (1) ortho>para>MAA-free control>meta position (for isomeric aminophenols); (2) -OH>-SO(3)H>MAA-free control (-NH(2) at ortho position); (3) -COOH>MAA-free control>-OH (-NH(2) at meta position) through the CPT at 200mg/L MAAs.

Study on the indoor volatile organic compound treatment and performance assessment with TiO2/MCM-41 and TiO2/quartz photoreactor under ultraviolet irradiation.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the cause of indoor air pollution and are readily emitted from furniture and cleaning agents. In Taiwan, the concentrations of indoor VOCs range roughly from 1 to 10 ppm. It is important to effectively reduce indoor VOC emissions and establish the implementation of long-term, low-cost, controlled techniques such as those found in the ultraviolet/titanium dioxide (UV/TiO2) control systems.

Toxicity assessment upon augmented biostimulation source to indigenous rhizobium Cupriavidus taiwanensis.

This novel-attempt study used chemostat pulse technique (CPT) and transient dynamics of dissolved oxygen (DO) in CSTR to quantify stimulating or inhibitory effects of augmented nutrient sources in the presence of phenol upon Cupriavidus taiwanensis R186. With injected augmented nutrients, phenol degradation performance of R186 was directly dependent on combined toxicity between phenol and the augmented substrate and the biodegradability of phenol. The findings indicated that although phenol was toxic to R186, all augmented nutrient sources still exhibited stimulating effects to bacterial growth of R186 in the presence of phenol.

Comparative assessment upon dye removal capability of indigenous bacterial strains from Lanyang Plain in northeast Taiwan.

This study provides a first attempt from a geological and ecological perspective to look forward isolations of indigenous strains with the decolorization capability from the most biodiverse region in Taiwan for dye-laden wastewater treatment. Serial selections were conducted by a specific use of the fungicide nystatin and model azo dye C.I.

Effects of fermentation products of Ganoderma lucidum on growth performance and immunocompetence in weanling pigs.

The purpose of this study was to test fermentation, for its products of a Chinese medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, cultured by submerged fermentation for its effect on growth performance and immunocompetence in weanling piglets. In Experiment 1, 72 weanling piglets were allotted to one of four treatments receiving these fermentation products (GLF, expressed as amount of beta-glucans) at 0 (control), 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg feed for 4 weeks. The results showed that at a supplementation level of 50 mg/kg feed, GLF caused the best growth performance, the highest pseudorabies antibody titre, and a decrease of blood glucose level.

Photodegradation kinetics of formaldehyde using light sources of UVA, UVC and UVLED in the presence of composed silver titanium oxide photocatalyst.

This study investigated the surface modification of photocatalyst and photodecomposition of formaldehyde from indoor pollution source. This study explored the feasibility of the application of the ultraviolet light emitting diode (UVLED) instead of the traditional ultraviolet (UV) lamp to treat the formaldehyde. The photocatalytic decomposition of formaldehyde at various initial concentrations was elucidated according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.

Exploring effects of chemical structure on azo dye decolorization characteristics by Pseudomonas luteola.

This follow-up study tended to provide a systematic comparison for how the variation of functional groups and molecular structures present in model azo dyes affects color removal capability of Pseudomonas luteola. As sulfo group at methyl orange (p-MO) or carboxyl group at 4-(4'-dimethylaminophenylazobenzoic acid) sodium salt (denoted p-MR) were both para to azo bond, the ranking of decolorization rate was p-MO>p-MR due to the stronger electron-withdrawing effect of the sulfo group. For isomers, when the functional groups (sulfo group at 2-(4'-dimethylamino-phenylazo) benzenesulfonic acid sodium salt (o-MO) or carboxyl group at methyl red (o-MR)) were ortho to azo bond, the decolorization rate significantly decreased (e.

Toxicity assessment of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in motorcycle exhaust.

This study investigates the toxicity of various pollutant species from motorcycle exhaust via dose-response analysis and margin of safety using Escherichia coli DH5 alpha. The toxicity evaluation of the major components of motorcycle exhaust volatile organic compounds (VOCs), collected with impinger, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), collected with filter and XAD-2, is essential to determine emission standards for motorcycles. The toxicity of benzene (B), toluene (T), ethyl benzene (E) and xylene (X) was selected for comparison as standard VOCs emitted from motorcycles.

Ex vivo inhibitory effect on tilapia LDL oxidation and hypolipidemia properties of Glycine tomentella root extract.

The ethanolic extract of I-Tiao Gung (GT-E) (Glycine tomentella root extract) was found to reduce the oxidative rate and prolonged lag phase of LDL in human (Homo sapiens) and tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The in vivo effect of GT-E was determined using tilapia as a model. Hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia were induced in fish by feeding commercial feed daily at 2% body mass for 8 weeks, or at 1% body mass for 12 weeks.

Revealing characteristics of mixed consortia for azo dye decolorization: Lotka-Volterra model and game theory.

This study provides a novel explanation to put forward, in Lotka-Volterra competition model and game theory, interspecific competition in bioaugmentation using constructed mixed consortia for azo dye decolorization. As mixed cultures are regularly used in industrial dye-laden wastewater treatment, understanding species competition of mixed consortia is apparently of great importance to azo dye decolorization. In aerobic growth conditions, Escherichia coli DH5alpha owned a growth advantage to out-compete Pseudomonas luteola due to preferential growth rate of DH5alpha.

Dose-mortality assessment upon reuse and recycling of industrial sludge.

This study provides a novel attempt to put forward, in general toxicological terms, quantitative ranking of toxicity of various sources of sludge for possible reusability in further applications. The high leaching concentrations of copper in printed circuit board (PCB) sludge and chromium in leather sludge apparently exceeded current Taiwan's EPA regulatory thresholds and should be classified as hazardous wastes. Dose-mortality analysis indicated that the toxicity ranking of different sources of sludge was PCB sludge>CaF(2) sludge>leather sludge.

Effects of the basicity on the comelting conditions of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash and sewage sludge ash.

In this study, the effects of the basicity on the pouring point of the municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash-sewage sludge ash mixture is investigated. Four kinds of sewage sludge ash, which were collected from several primary and secondary sewage treatment plants and were produced by different processes and sludge conditioning alternatives, were used as modifiers. The results indicate that the pouring point of the mixture increased with increasing basicity, within the range of 0.

Use of active consortia of constructed ternary bacterial cultures via mixture design for azo-dye decolorization enhancement.

This first-attempt study used constructed bacterial consortia containing Escherichia coli DH5alpha (a weak decolorizer) and its UV-irradiated mutants (E. coli UVT1 and UV68; strong decolorizers) via equilateral triangle diagram and mixture experimental design to assess color removal during species evolution. The results showed that although strain DH5alpha was not an effective decolorizer, its presence might still played a significant role in affecting optimal color removal capabilities of mixed consortia (e.

Comparative study on reaction selectivity of azo dye decolorization by Pseudomonas luteola.

This study is to inspect how the variation of molecular structures and functional groups present in our model azo dyes (i.e., Congo red, Eriochrome black T (EBT), methyl orange, and methyl red) affects biodecolorization capability of Pseudomonas luteola.

Effect of fumonisins on macrophage immune functions and gene expression of cytokines in broilers.

Fumonisin (FB1), a mycotoxin, is produced by Fusarium moniliforme and F. proliferatum. A prevalence survey in Taiwan by our laboratory showed that there was a contamination rate of 40% in domestic animal feeds, and the average contaminated level was 4.