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Control Research (control + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	60%

Selected Abstracts

Determining controller benefits via probabilistic optimization

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 7-9 2003
Y. Zhou
Abstract For the most part, process control research has focussed on the synthesis and tuning of controllers, which has provided a plethora of techniques that can address virtually any application. With each new control technique, a steady stream of ,successful' application results are generated and reported. Recently, a considerable number of control researchers have turned their attention to assessing the performance of installed control systems and to the diagnosis of controller performance problems. Despite successes in the areas of controller synthesis, tuning and performance analysis, almost no research has addressed the fundamental issue of determining whether the economic performance gains that are expected accrue from a proposed process control project are sufficient to justify its execution. The work presented here proposes an optimization-based technique for calculating the expected economic performance of a given control system; a method, which is analogous to analysis of variance, for determining the expected economic benefit that will arise from a particular controller improvement effort; and a sensitivity analysis approach for determining the effect of specific assumptions on control system improvement decisions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

High-confidence control: Ensuring reliability in high-performance real-time systems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2004
Tariq Samad
Technology transfer is an especially difficult proposition for real-time control. To facilitate it, we need to complement the "high-performance" orientation of control research with an emphasis on establishing "high confidence" in real-time implementation. Two particular problems are discussed and recent research directed at their solutions is presented. First, the use of anytime algorithms requires dynamic resource management technology that generally is not available today in real-time systems. Second, complex algorithms have unpredictable computational characteristics that, nevertheless, need to be modeled; statistical verification is suggested as a possible approach. In both cases, a synthesis of control engineering and computer science is required if effective solutions are to be devised. Simulation-based demonstrations with uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) serve to illustrate the research efforts. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

The H-reflex as a tool in neurophysiology: Its limitations and uses in understanding nervous system function

MUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 2 2003
John E. Misiaszek PhD
Abstract The Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) is extensively used as both a research and clinical tool. The ease with which this reflex can be elicited in several muscles throughout the body makes it an attractive tool. This review discusses some of the important limitations in using the H-reflex. In particular, the inaccurate but widely held assumptions that the H-reflex (1) represents the monosynaptic reflex of the Ia afferent onto homonymous motoneurons, and (2) can be used to measure motoneuronal excitability are addressed. The second part of this review explores the utility of the H-reflex as a neural probe in neurophysiology and motor control research. Applications ranging from the investigation of the functional organization of neural circuitry to the study of adaptive plasticity in spinal structures in health and disease suggest that the H-reflex will continue to be an extensively used tool in motor control neurophysiology. Muscle Nerve 28: 144,160, 2003 [source]

Increasing access to clinical and educational studies

CANCER, Issue S8 2006
Ronald E. Myers PhD
Abstract In 2001, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) provided funds to support the Increasing Access to Clinical and Educational Studies (ACES) Project of the Thomas Jefferson University, Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The ACES Project enabled the Center to engage in the systematic development of approaches for reducing cancer health disparities among African Americans in Philadelphia. This project brought together community partners, clinical partners, cancer prevention and control experts, and staff from an NCI-designated cancer center to develop and implement a community-based outreach education program, a special populations investigator (SPI) training program, and SPI pilot studies in cancer screening and clinical trials participation. At the end of 5 years, the ACES Project had 1) organized a steering committee, expert panel, and a network of community collaborators and clinical partners; 2) implemented a clinical trials education program for community-based nurses, lay health advocates active in community organizations, and health ministries in community churches; 3) mentored 4 SPIs in cancer prevention and control research; 4) completed SPI pilot studies; and 5) leveraged these activities to gain support for cancer health disparities related research. The Project established a successful dialogue between an NCI-designated cancer center and the African American population related to cancer research, and enabled SPIs from the community to adapt evidence-informed interventions for application in cancer prevention and control research. Lessons learned from the Project can guide the implementation of such projects in the future. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source]

Legacy of the Pacific Islander cancer control network

CANCER, Issue S8 2006
F. Allan Hubbell MD, MSPH
Abstract The groundwork for the Pacific Islander cancer control network (PICCN) began in the early 1990s with a study of the cancer control needs of American Samoans. The necessity for similar studies among other Pacific Islander populations led to the development of PICCN. The project's principal objectives were to increase cancer awareness and to enhance cancer control research among American Samoans, Tongans, and Chamorros. PICCN was organized around a steering committee and 6 community advisory boards, 2 from each of the targeted populations. Membership included community leaders, cancer control experts, and various academic and technical organizations involved with cancer control. Through this infrastructure, the investigators developed new culturally sensitive cancer education materials and distributed them in a culturally appropriate manner. They also initiated a cancer control research training program, educated Pacific Islander students in this field, and conducted pilot research projects. PICCN conducted nearly 200 cancer awareness activities in its 6 study sites and developed cancer educational materials on prostate, colorectal, lung, breast, and cervical cancer and tobacco control in the Samoan, Tongan, and Chamorro languages. PICCN trained 9 students who conducted 7 pilot research projects designed to answer important questions regarding the cancer control needs of Pacific Islanders and to inform interventions targeting those needs. The legacy of PICCN lies in its advancement of improving cancer control among Pacific Islanders and setting the stage for interventions that will help to eliminate cancer-related health disparities. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society. [source]