Wear-Model-Based Analysis of the State of Blast Furnace Hearth

The condition and state of the hearth of the blast furnace is of considerable importance since the life length of the refractories governs the campaign length of the furnace, but it is also of significance as it affects the drainage of iron and slag and the hot metal temperature and composition. The paper analyses the hearth of a blast furnace using a model of the lining wear based on the solution of an inverse heat conduction problem, studying the changes in the lining state throughout the campaign. Different operation states are detected, characterized by smooth and efficient hot metal production and by erratic behavior with large disturbances in the hearth state. During the periods of poor performance, the hearth exhibits a cycling state with stages of excessive skull growth on the unworn refractory, followed by periods of dissolution of the skull and lining erosion. An explanation of the transitions is sought by a stating and solving a force balance for the deadman with the aim to clarify whether it is floating or sitting. A connection between the thermal cycles in the hearth and the hot metal sulfur content is finally demonstrated.

A new measure between sets of probability distributions with applications to erratic financial behavior

This paper introduces a new framework to quantify distance between finite sets with uncertainty present, where probability distributions determine the locations of individual elements. Combining this with a Bayesian change point detection algorithm, we produce a new measure of similarity between time series with respect to their structural breaks. First, we demonstrate the algorithm’s effectiveness on a collection of piecewise autoregressive processes. Next, we apply this to financial data to study the erratic behavior profiles of 19 countries and 11 sectors over the past 20 years. Our measure provides quantitative evidence that there is greater collective similarity among sectors’ erratic behavior profiles than those of countries, which we observe upon individual inspection of these time series. Our measure could be used as a new framework or complementary tool for investors seeking to make asset allocation decisions for financial portfolios.

McLeod Syndrome in a Commercial Airline Pilot

BACKGROUND: The following case report describes the first known case of McLeod Syndrome in a commercial airline pilot. The case describes a 56-yr-old experienced pilot who showed a slow and subtle decline in cognitive function and muscle control in the cockpit. On further examination, the pilots erratic behavior and movement along with lab abnormalities pointed toward McLeod Syndrome. CASE REPORT: The pilot was recommended for evaluation by his fellow crewmembers due to his fidgetiness, clumsiness, and lack of focus during critical portions of flight. The pilot reported having a long-standing history of elevated CK levels. Further lab investigations revealed acanthocytes on blood smear while neurological evaluation detected chorea. The combination of clinical and laboratory features along with genetic test results were all consistent with McLeod Syndrome. DISCUSSION: The case highlights how subtle behavioral and motor coordination changes can be a warning sign for an underlying progressive neurological disorder that requires further workup and referral. Haas C, Levin D, Milone M, Vardiman-Ditmanson J, Mathers C. McLeod syndrome in a commercial airline pilot. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(9):734737.

Directional Camera Control on High Altitude Balloons

The research reported in this paper examined the design and control of a gimbal for solar eclipse tracking and video recording. The gimbal design required 3 axes of rotation to allow for a full range of motion. Utilizing individual brushless motors for each of the axes ensures minimum rotational requirements on each axes. In controlling the gimbal, both a mathematical and visual method was utilized. The mathematical method is a modeled version of what is currently used for solar array pointing. The visual method looks at where the position of the sun is within the image and determines what angle changes are required. Utilizing a combination of these methods helps to eliminate error that accumulates within the onboard gyros due to the erratic behavior of balloon motion during flight. Elimination of this error ensures accurate video recording of the solar eclipse.

The Endophytic Pseudomonas sp. S57 for Plant-Growth Promotion and the Biocontrol of Phytopathogenic Fungi and Nematodes

Oregano from Socoroma (Atacama Desert) is characterized by its unique organoleptic properties and distinctive flavor and it is produced using ancestral pesticide-free agricultural practices performed by the Aymara communities. The cultivation in this zone is carried out under extreme conditions where the standard production of different crops is limited by several environmental factors, including aridity, high concentration of salts, and boron among others. However, oregano plants are associated with microorganisms that mitigate biotic and abiotic stresses present in this site. In this work, the S57 strain (member of the Pseudomonas genus that is closely related to Pseudomonas lini) was isolated from roots of oregano plants, which are grown in soils with high content of non-sodium salts and aluminum. This bacterium stimulates the growth of Micro-Tom tomato plants irrigated with saline-boric water. Moreover, it controls the growth of phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea and the nematode Meloidogyne incognita under saline-boric conditions. Together with the high levels of bacterial biomass (~47 g/L), these results allow the establishment of the bases for developing a potential new agricultural bioproduct useful for arid and semiarid environments where commercial biological products show erratic behavior.

Areal Probability of Precipitation in Moist Tropical Air Masses for the United States

Moist tropical (MT) air masses routinely host convective precipitation, including weakly forced thunderstorms (WFTs). These short-lived, isolated events present recurring forecasting challenges due to their spatially small footprints and seemingly erratic behavior in quiescent warm-season environments worldwide. In particular, their activity is difficult to accurately characterize via probability of precipitation (POP), a common forecast product for the general public. This study builds an empirical climatological POP distribution for MT days over the continental United States using Stage IV precipitation estimates. Stage IV estimates within MT air masses between May–September (i.e., the boreal warm season) 2002–2019 are masked into precipitation (≥0.25 mm) and nonprecipitation (<0.25 mm) areas and standardized by the number of MT days. POPs are higher when MT air masses are present. For the Southeast U.S., POP generally increases ~15% compared to the overall warm-season value. At 1800 UTC (1–2 PM LT) daily, POPs are confined to coastal areas and east-facing ridges, and advance inland by 2100 UTC (4–5 PM LT). Climatologically, ~50% of the warm-season precipitation in the Southern U.S. occurred in MT environments. This study emphasizes the need for better forecasting tools and climatological analyses of weakly forced environments.

Autonomous Decision-Making While Drilling

The drilling process is complex because unexpected situations may occur at any time. Furthermore, the drilling system is extremely long and slender, therefore prone to vibrations and often being dominated by long transient periods. Adding the fact that measurements are not well distributed along the drilling system, with the majority of real-time measurements only available at the top side and having only access to very sparse data from downhole, the drilling process is poorly observed therefore making it difficult to use standard control methods. Therefore, to achieve completely autonomous drilling operations, it is necessary to utilize a method that is capable of estimating the internal state of the drilling system from parsimonious information while being able to make decisions that will keep the operation safe but effective. A solution enabling autonomous decision-making while drilling has been developed. It relies on an optimization of the time to reach the section total depth (TD). The estimated time to reach the section TD is decomposed into the effective time spent in conducting the drilling operation and the likely time lost to solve unexpected drilling events. This optimization problem is solved by using a Markov decision process method. Several example scenarios have been run in a virtual rig environment to test the validity of the concept. It is found that the system is capable to adapt itself to various drilling conditions, as for example being aggressive when the operation runs smoothly and the estimated uncertainty of the internal states is low, but also more cautious when the downhole drilling conditions deteriorate or when observations tend to indicate more erratic behavior, which is often observed prior to a drilling event.