PID control schemes based on classical control theory, have been widely applied to real control systems. There have been lots of works on tuning PID parameters, since the control performance strongly depends on these parameters. Several self-tuning and auto-tuning PID techniques have been reported for systems with unknown or slowly time-varing parameters. None, however, is applicable to discret...

We evaluated a polybutylene/polypropylene blend in a blown microfiber configuration in vitro for potential use as the peripheral area of a keratoprosthetic device. Material properties such as ultimate tensile strength and ultimate elongation were measured. Stromal fibroblasts were seeded onto the material in vitro, and cell proliferation between uncoated and Type I collagen coated discs did not...

The use of thermoplastic elastomer gels as advanced substrates for construction of complex microfluidic systems is shown. These gels are synthesized by combining inexpensive polystyrene – (polyethylene / polybutylene) – polystyrene triblock copolymers with a hydrocarbon oil for which the ethylene/butylene midblocks are selectively miscible. The insoluble styrene endblocks phase separate into lo...

Survival and growth of Legionella pneumophila in both biofilm and planktonic phases were determined with a two-stage model system. The model used filter-sterilized tap water as the sole source of nutrient to culture a naturally occurring mixed population of microorganisms including virulent L. pneumophila. At 20 degrees C, L. pneumophila accounted for a low proportion of biofilm flora on polybu...