Abstract: We analyze hand dexterity in Parkinson-s disease patients (PD) and control subjects using a natural manual transport task (moving an object from one place to another). Eight PD patients and ten control subjects performed the task repeatedly at maximum speed both in OFF and ON medicated status. The movement parameters and the grip and load forces were recorded by a single optoelectronic camera and force transducers built in the especially designed object. Using the force and velocity signals, ten subsequent phases of the transport movement were defined and their durations were measured. The outline of 3D optical measurement is presented to obtain more precise movement trajectory.
Abstract: The proposed paper examines strategies whose aim is
to counter the all too often sighted process of abandonment that
characterizes contemporary cities. The city of Nicosia in Cyprus is
used as an indicative case study, whereby several recent projects are
presented as capitalizing on traditional cultural assets to revive the
downtown. The reuse of existing building stock as museums,
performing arts centers and theaters but also as in the form of various
housing typologies is geared to strengthen the ranks of local residents
and to spur economic growth. Unlike the examples from the 1960s,
the architecture of more recent adaptive reuse for urban regeneration
seems to be geared in reinforcing a connection to the city where the
buildings often reflect the characteristics of their urban context.
Abstract: Throughput is an important measure of performance of production system. Analyzing and modeling of production throughput is complex in today-s dynamic production systems due to uncertainties of production system. The main reasons are that uncertainties are materialized when the production line faces changes in setup time, machinery break down, lead time of manufacturing, and scraps. Besides, demand changes are fluctuating from time to time for each product type. These uncertainties affect the production performance. This paper proposes Bayesian inference for throughput modeling under five production uncertainties. Bayesian model utilized prior distributions related to previous information about the uncertainties where likelihood distributions are associated to the observed data. Gibbs sampling algorithm as the robust procedure of Monte Carlo Markov chain was employed for sampling unknown parameters and estimating the posterior mean of uncertainties. The Bayesian model was validated with respect to convergence and efficiency of its outputs. The results presented that the proposed Bayesian models were capable to predict the production throughput with accuracy of 98.3%.
Abstract: We evaluated the effect of sensory (direct current
(DC), 600μA) and motor (monophasic current, pulse duration 300μs,
100 Hz, 2.5-3mA) intensities of cathodal electrical stimulation (ES)
current to release VEGF and biomechanical properties of wound. 54
male Sprague-dawley rats were randomly assigned into one control
and two experimental groups. A full thickness skin incision was
made on animals- dorsal region. The experimental groups received
ES for 1h/day and every other day. VEGF expression was measured
in skin on the 7th day after surgical incision and tensile strength was
measured on 21st day. On the 7th day, the values of skin VEGF in the
sensory group were significantly greater than those of the other
groups (p < 0.05). Sensory and Motor intensity stimulation, can not
improve the biomechanical properties of the repaired wounds.
It seems the mechanical environment induced by sensory and
motor intensity of electrical stimulation, could not simulate the role
of normal daily stress and strain to maturation of collagen fibers and
their cross links. Further work is needed to determine the relationship
between VEGF expression after ES and its effect on tensile strength
of healed wound.
Abstract: Small satellites have become increasingly popular recently as a means of providing educational institutes with the chance to design, construct, and test their spacecraft from beginning to the possible launch due to the low launching cost. This approach is remarkably cost saving because of the weight and size reduction of such satellites. Weight reduction could be realised by utilising electromagnetic coils solely, instead of different types of actuators. This paper describes the restrictions of using only “Electromagnetic" actuation for 3D stabilisation and how to make the magnetorquer based attitude control feasible using Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC). The design is developed to stabilize the spacecraft against gravity gradient disturbances with a three-axis stabilizing capability.
Abstract: The charge-exchange xenon (CEX) ion generated by ion thruster can backflow to the surface of spacecraft and threaten to the safety of spacecraft operation. In order to evaluate the effects of the induced plasma environment in backflow regions on the spacecraft, we designed a spherical single Langmuir probe of 5.8cm in diameter for measuring low-density plasma parameters in backflow region of ion thruster. In practice, the tests are performed in a two-dimensional array (40cm×60cm) composed of 20 sites. The experiment results illustrate that the electron temperature ranges from 3.71eV to 3.96eV, with the mean value of 3.82eV and the standard deviation of 0.064eV. The electron density ranges from 8.30×1012/m3 to 1.66×1013/m3, with the mean value of 1.30×1013/m3 and the standard deviation of 2.15×1012/m3. All data is analyzed according to the “ideal" plasma conditions of Maxwellian distributions.
Abstract: Some physico-chemical characteristics and mineral
composition of 'Karayemis' (Prunus laurocerasus L.) fruits which
grown naturally in Norteast Turkey was studied. 28 minerals ( Al,
Mg, B, Mn, Co, Na, Ca, Ni, Cd, P, Cr, Pb, Cu, S, Fe, Zn, K, Sr, Li,
As, V, Ag, Ba, Br, Ga, In, Se, Ti) were analyzed and 19 minerals
were present at ascertainable levels. Karayemis fruit was richest in
potassium (7938.711 ppm), magnesium (1242.186 ppm) and calcium
(1158.853 ppm). And some physico-chemical characteristics of
Karayemis fruit was investigated. Fruit length, fruit width, fruit
thickness, fruit weight, total soluble solids, colour, protein, crude ash,
crude fiber, crude oil values were determined as 2.334 cm, 1.884 cm,
2.112 cm, 5.35 g, 20.1 %, S99M99Y99, 0.29 %, 0.22 %, 6.63 % and
0.001 %, respectively. The seed of fruit mean weight, length, width
and thickness were found to be 0.41 g, 1.303 cm, 0.921 cm and
0.803, respectively.
Abstract: This paper features the mathematical modeling of a single input single output based Timoshenko smart beam. Further, this mathematical model is used to design a multirate output feedback based discrete sliding mode controller using Bartoszewicz law to suppress the flexural vibrations. The first 2 dominant vibratory modes is retained. Here, an application of the discrete sliding mode control in smart systems is presented. The algorithm uses a fast output sampling based sliding mode control strategy that would avoid the use of switching in the control input and hence avoids chattering. This method does not need the measurement of the system states for feedback as it makes use of only the output samples for designing the controller. Thus, this methodology is more practical and easy to implement.
Abstract: Antimosy-doped tin oxide (ATO) particles were
prepared via chemical coprecipitation and reverse emulsion. The size
and size distribution of ATO particles were obviously decreased via
reverse microemulsion method. At the relatively high yield the ATO
particles were nearly spherical in shape, meanwhile the crystalline
structure and excellent conductivity were reserved, which could satisfy
the requirement as composite fillers, such as dielectric filler of
polyimide film.
Abstract: There have been widespread applications of fluidized beds in industries which are related to the combination of gas-solid particles during the last decade. For instance, in order to crack the catalyses in petrochemical industries or as a drier in food industries. High capacity of fluidized bed in heat and mass transfer has made this device very popular. In order to achieve a higher efficiency of fluidized beds, a particular attention has been paid to beds with pulsating air flow. In this paper, a fluidized bed device with pulsating flow has been designed and constructed. Size of particles have been used during the test are in the range of 40 to 100μm. The purpose of this experimental test is to investigate the air flow regime, observe the particles- movement and measure the pressure loss along the bed. The effects of pulsation can be evaluated by comparing the results for both continuous and pulsating flow. Results of both situations are compared for various gas speeds. Moreover the above experiment is numerically simulated by using Fluent software and its numerical results are compared with the experimental results.
Abstract: The population structure of the Tor tambroides was
investigated with morphometric data (i.e. morphormetric
measurement and truss measurement). A morphometric analysis was
conducted to compare specimens from three waterfalls: Sunanta, Nan
Chong Fa and Wang Muang waterfalls at Khao Nan National Park,
Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand. The results of stepwise
discriminant analysis on seven morphometric variables and 21 truss
variables per individual were the same as from a neural network. Fish
from three waterfalls were separated into three groups based on their
morphometric measurements. The morphometric data shows that the
nerual network model performed better than the stepwise
discriminant analysis.
Abstract: Mechanical interaction between endothelial cells (ECs) and the extracellular matrix (or collagen gel) is known to influence the sprouting response of endothelial cells during angiogenesis. This influence is believed to impact on the capability of endothelial cells to sense soluble chemical cues. Quantitative analysis of endothelial-cell-mediated displacement of the collagen gel provides a means to explore this mechanical interaction. Existing analysis in this context is generally limited to 2D settings. In this paper, we investigate the mechanical interaction between endothelial cells and the extracellular matrix in terms of the endothelial-cellmediated displacement of the collagen gel in both 2D and 3D. Digital image correlation and Digital volume correlation are applied on confocal reflectance image stacks to analyze cell-mediated displacement of the gel. The skeleton of the sprout is extracted from phase contrast images and superimposed on the displacement field to further investigate the link between the development of the sprout and the displacement of the gel.
Abstract: In this paper, a new K-means clustering based
approach for identification of voltage control areas is developed.
Voltage control areas are important for efficient reactive power
management in power systems operating under deregulated
environment. Although, voltage control areas are formed using
conventional hierarchical clustering based method, but the present
paper investigate the capability of K-means clustering for the
purpose of forming voltage control areas. The proposed method is
tested and compared for IEEE 14 bus and IEEE 30 bus systems. The
results show that this K-means based method is competing with
conventional hierarchical approach
Abstract: Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) with
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an alternative therapy for treating
superficial cancer, especially for skin or oral cancer. ALA, a precursor
of the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), is present as
zwitterions and hydrophilic property which make the low permeability
through the cell membrane. Collagen is a traditional carrier; its
molecular composed various amino acids which bear positive charge
and negative charge. In order to utilize the ion-pairs with ALA and
collagen, the study employed various pH values adjusting the net
charge. The aim of this study was to compare a series collagen form,
including solution, gel and sponge to investigate the topical delivery
behavior of ALA. The in vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy
(CLSM) study demonstrated that PpIX generation ability was different
pattern after apply for 6 h. Gel type could generate high PpIX, and
archived more deep of skin depth.
Abstract: Hepatitis C is an infectious disease transmitted by
blood and due to hepatitis C virus (HCV), which attacks the liver.
The infection is characterized by liver inflammation (hepatitis) that is
often asymptomatic but can progress to chronic hepatitis and later
cirrhosis and liver cancer. Our problem tends to highlight on the one
hand the prevalence of infectious disease in the population of the
region of Batna and on other hand the biological characteristics of
this disease by a screening and a specific diagnosis based on
serological tests, liver checkup (measurement of haematological and
biochemical parameters).
The results showed:
The serology of hepatitis C establishes the diagnosis of infection
with hepatitis C. In this study and with the serological test, 24 cases
of the disease of hepatitis C were found in 1000 suspected cases (7
cases with normal transaminases and 17 cases with elevated
transaminases). The prevalence of this disease in this study
population was 2.4%.
The presence of hepatitis C disrupts liver function including the
onset of cytolysis, cholestasis, jaundice, thrombocytopenia, and
coagulation disorders.
Abstract: In the urban traffic network, the intersections are the
“bottleneck point" of road network capacity. And the arterials are the
main body in road network and the key factor which guarantees the
normal operation of the city-s social and economic activities. The
rapid increase in vehicles leads to seriously traffic jam and cause the
increment of vehicles- delay. Most cities of our country are
traditional single control system, which cannot meet the need for the
city traffic any longer. In this paper, Synchro6.0 as a platform to
minimize the intersection delay, optimizesingle signal cycle and split
for Zhonghua Street in Handan City. Meanwhile, linear control
system uses to optimize the phase for the t arterial road in this
system. Comparing before and after use the control, capacities and
service levels of this road and the adjacent road have improved
significantly.
Abstract: Analysis of the elastic scattering of protons on 6,7Li
nuclei has been done in the framework of the optical model at the
beam energies up to 50 MeV. Differential cross sections for the 6,7Li +
p scattering were measured over the proton laboratory–energy range
from 400 to 1050 keV. The elastic scattering of 6,7Li+p data at
different proton incident energies have been analyzed using singlefolding
model. In each case the real potential obtained from the
folding model was supplemented by a phenomenological imaginary
potential, and during the fitting process the real potential was
normalized and the imaginary potential optimized. Normalization
factor NR is calculated in the range between 0.70 and 0.84.
Abstract: Gene expression profiling is rapidly evolving into a
powerful technique for investigating tumor malignancies. The
researchers are overwhelmed with the microarray-based platforms
and methods that confer them the freedom to conduct large-scale
gene expression profiling measurements. Simultaneously,
investigations into cross-platform integration methods have started
gaining momentum due to their underlying potential to help
comprehend a myriad of broad biological issues in tumor diagnosis,
prognosis, and therapy. However, comparing results from different
platforms remains to be a challenging task as various inherent
technical differences exist between the microarray platforms. In this
paper, we explain a simple ratio-transformation method, which can
provide some common ground for cDNA and Affymetrix platform
towards cross-platform integration. The method is based on the
characteristic data attributes of Affymetrix- and cDNA- platform. In
the work, we considered seven childhood leukemia patients and their
gene expression levels in either platform. With a dataset of 822
differentially expressed genes from both these platforms, we carried
out a specific ratio-treatment to Affymetrix data, which subsequently
showed an improvement in the relationship with the cDNA data.
Abstract: In this article a modification of the algorithm of the fuzzy ART network, aiming at returning it supervised is carried out. It consists of the search for the comparison, training and vigilance parameters giving the minimum quadratic distances between the output of the training base and those obtained by the network. The same process is applied for the determination of the parameters of the fuzzy ARTMAP giving the most powerful network. The modification consist in making learn the fuzzy ARTMAP a base of examples not only once as it is of use, but as many time as its architecture is in evolution or than the objective error is not reached . In this way, we don-t worry about the values to impose on the eight (08) parameters of the network. To evaluate each one of these three networks modified, a comparison of their performances is carried out. As application we carried out a classification of the image of Algiers-s bay taken by SPOT XS. We use as criterion of evaluation the training duration, the mean square error (MSE) in step control and the rate of good classification per class. The results of this study presented as curves, tables and images show that modified fuzzy ARTMAP presents the best compromise quality/computing time.
Abstract: Efficient preprocessing is very essential for automatic
recognition of handwritten documents. In this paper, techniques on
segmenting words in handwritten Arabic text are presented. Firstly,
connected components (ccs) are extracted, and distances among
different components are analyzed. The statistical distribution of this
distance is then obtained to determine an optimal threshold for words
segmentation. Meanwhile, an improved projection based method is
also employed for baseline detection. The proposed method has been
successfully tested on IFN/ENIT database consisting of 26459
Arabic words handwritten by 411 different writers, and the results
were promising and very encouraging in more accurate detection of
the baseline and segmentation of words for further recognition.