bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pour un conservatisme progressiste. Conditions et effectivité de l’action d’après Judith Butler
Authors: Wadbled Nathanael
Published: February 2013

Judith Butler propose dans ses ouvrages sur le genre (gender) une tentative d’élucidation proprement philosophique des conditions de possibilité de l’action. Elle considère que l’action dépend de ses conditions d’énonciation et que le sujet de cette action dépend lui-même des déterminations d’un dispositif de subjectivation qui l’a produit. Cependant, si l’action est déterminée, et que le pouvoir du sujet dépend d’un ensemble de conditions contraignantes qui lui confère ce pouvoir, cette détermination ne saurait pour Butler être absolue et a pour corollaire une puissance d’agir. Le sujet se rend responsable de son action dans la mesure où il négocie avec ce qui d’un même mouvement le contraint et l’autorise à agir. S’ouvre un champ d’action fondé sur le réinvestissement en décalage des conditions de possibilités de l’action et la réappropriation et le décentrement de ses conditions d’existence.

In her works about gender, Judith Butler develops a political philosophy of identity which is practiced as troubled. The strake is to conceive a feminist practice based on the effective women agency. In an oxymored manner, Judith Butler defines the identity as the unstable consequence both of constraints, which would be vaintly refused or denied, and of reinvestment of what these constraints products, which defines a possible practice of freedom. In a foucaldian way, it seems that the power determined subject, who could be define by the legal term excitable, would not be alienated but producted as able to have an agency. In that way, the political strake would be not being against these who would have the power in the name of the power of those who are dominated as if the power was the property of the one who exercises it, instead of the will to escape from any determination.
Distribution and conservation status of fairy shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca) in the astatic soda pans of the Carpathian basin: the role of local and spatial factors
Authors: Horváth Zsófia , Vad Csaba Ferenc , Vörös Lajos , Boros Emil
Published: February 2013

The distribution of Branchinecta orientalis, B. ferox and Chirocephalus carnuntanus was assessed in the natural and semi-natural astatic soda pans of the Carpathian basin. In Europe, these habitats are exclusively restricted to Hungary (Great Hungarian Plain), Austria (Seewinkel) and Serbia (Vojvodina). The present research is the first comprehensive large-scale study – covering an area of approximately 125,000 km2 – on these three fairy shrimp species in the region, and it is important especially in the case of Branchinecta spp., due to former taxonomical uncertainties. The local, land use and spatial effects on the species distribution were also analysed. The three anostracans were found to adopt different strategies, mainly according to the salinity of the pans. The apparently halophilous B. orientalis tolerated higher salinities than the other species, which can be regarded as habitat-generalist halotolerants, showing a high preference for soda waters in Central Europe. The density of the species was significantly affected only by local factors, while their occurrence was influenced also by pan isolation. Land use did not explain a significant amount of variation in either case. In conclusion, soda pans with a wide range of different salinities constitute a suitable habitat for all the three species. Also, protected areas with high number of pans – as Seewinkel (in Austria) or Kiskunság (in Hungary) – can play an essential role in the long-term conservation of these anostracans. Finally, we suggest that these species should be legally protected, primarily because the number of their habitats in the basin is seriously declining.
Geology of Wrangel Island, between Chukchi and East Siberian seas, northeastern Russia
Authors: Kos'ko M K , Cecile M P , Harrison J
C , Ganelin V G , Khandoshko N V , Lopatin B G
Published: February 2013

The oldest unit on Wrangel Island is the Upper Proterozoic Wrangel Complex, a 2000+ m succession of volcanic and clastic sedimentary rocks with small mafic and granitic intrusives and U-Pb crystallization ages of 0.63 to 0.70 Ga. The oldest Paleozoic unit is a
700 m succession of Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian clastic and carbonate strata. These strata are overlain in ascending order by: 1200 m of Devonian clastic rocks; 350 m of Lower Carboniferous clastic rocks, with conglomerate, carbonate and gypsum; 1400 m of Carboniferous carbonate with slate and
bioherms; a 750 m thick unit of Permian slate and limestone, locally with olistostrome and breccia; 800 to 1500 m of Triassic flysch; and lastly, tens of metres of undeformed Tertiary and Quaternary clastics. All rock units of Proterozoic to Triassic age were pentratively deformed into north-verging
structures, and metamorphosed to greenschist facies, during the Mesozoic Chukotkan Orogeny (Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous). Some aspects of Wrangel Island's tectonic history in the circum-Canada Basin are peculiar. The most important are: Late Proterozoic magmatism; inferred latest
Proterozoic�early Paleozoic orogenesis; Triassic flysch; Chukotkan deformation; and late Early Cretaceous overlap of all northeastern Russian terranes by the Upper Cretaceous Okhotsk�Chukotsk volcanic belt.
Temporal Variations of Atmospheric CO2in Dehradun, India during 2009
Authors: Sharma Neerja , Nayak Rabindra K , Dadhwal Vinay K , Kant Yogesh , Ali Meer M
Published: February 2013

The present study reports the temporal variations of CO2mixing ratio measured using Vaisala GMP-343 sensor (at 15 m height) in Dehradun (30.1 °N, 77.4 °E) during 2009. Being a valley station, the mixing ratios are controlled by biospheric processes but not by large scale transport phenomenon or local pollution. A distinct diurnal cycle varies from 317.9 ppm in the afternoon to 377.2 ppm in the morning (before sunrise). The minimum early morning (0700-1000 IST) drop and minimum afternoon (1300-1700 IST) trough observed during monsoon months are related to the enhanced vegetation activity due to rain at the site. The maximum night time (2200 IST to next day 0700 IST) build up of CO2observed during monsoon season is associated with the increase in heterotrophic respiration due to high moisture content in the soil. This is also confirmed by the positive coherence between night time CO2mixing ratio with soil respiration simulated from Carnagie-Ames-Standford Approach (CASA) model. The strong negative coherence with net ecosystem productivity (simulated from the same model) shows that observations captured the regional changes in emission and uptake of CO2in atmosphere.
1-Hydroxypyrene Levels in Blood Samples of Rats after Exposure to Generator Fumes
Authors: Ifegwu Clinton , Igwo-Ezikpe Miriam N. , Anyakora Chimezie , Osuntoki Akinniyi , Oseni Kafayat A. , Alao Eragbae O.
Published: February 2013

Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a major component of fuel generator fumes. Carcinogenicity of these compounds has long been established. In this study, 37 Swiss albino rats were exposed to generator fumes at varied distances for 8 hours per day for a period of 42 days and the level of 1-hydroxypyrene in their blood was evaluated. This study also tried to correlate the level of blood 1-hyroxypyrene with the distance from the source of pollution. Plasma was collected by centrifuging the whole blood sample followed by complete hydrolysis of the conjugated 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide to yield the analyte of interest, 1-hydroxypyrene, which was achieved using beta glucuronidase. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector was used to determine the 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations in the blood samples. The mobile phase was water:methanol (12:88 v/v) isocratic run at the flow rate of 1.2 mL/min with CI8 stationary phase at 250 run. After 42 days of exposure, blood concentration level of 1-hydroxypyrene ranged from 34 μg/mL to 26.29 μg/mL depending on the distance from source of exposure. The control group had no 1-hydroxypyrene in their blood. After the period of exposure, percentage of death correlated with the distance from the source of exposure. Percentage of death ranged from 56% to zero depending on the proximity to source of pollution.
Invasive Fungal Infections in Infants—Focus on Anidulafungin
Authors: Wilke Michael H.
Published: February 2013

Introduction

Invasive fungal infection in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) is a rising challenge. Candida species are the most common microorganisms in these infections. Due to growing resistance against fluconazole, echinocandins are being used for the appropriate therapy. However, the recent IDSA guidelines recommend them only in cases where fluconazole or Amphotericin B cause treatment failure or are contraindicated. In a literature review, the importance of invasive fungal infections in PICU settings and the role of anidulafungin shall be examined.

Materials and Methods

Articles were retrieved form PubMed covering the years 2000–2012. Various search terms were used. Then the articles were clustered in different types like ‘review,’ ‘pharmacokinetics,’ ‘case reports’ and others.

Results

From 67 search results, 14 articles were selected. Of these, 7 were related to anidulafungin, while 7 were related to echinocandins or fungal infections in the PICU. Anidulafungin was examined in 4 PK/PD studies where a good safety profile was found. No serious adverse events occurred. The articles reporting risk factors show that central venous catheters, receipt of antibiotics, receipt of parenteral nutrition, and neutropenia are the most important independent risk factors for invasive fungal infections in PICU. Three reviews of antifungal agents show that echinocandins may be useful due to their safety profile; micafungin is the best examined one and further trials are needed.

Discussion

The published literature on invasive fungal infections in PICU settings has grown over the years. There are only a few articles, however, which are directly related to the use of anidulafungin in this setting. A most recent publication showed good PK/PD dynamics and a good safety profile for anidulafungin. So far, no RCT in the area of invasive candidiasis in infants and neonates has been published. A review of currently registered trials at ClinicalTrials.gov has shown one more trial related to PK/PD and two trials that investigate the use of anidulafungin or anidulafungin in combination with Voriconazole in pediatrics.

Conclusion

The small body of existing literature on anidulafungin in infants shows success in treatment, no drug-related adverse events, and good pharmacodynamics. A dosing of 0.75 mg/kg/day or 1.5 mg/kg/day is as effective as 50 mg/day or 100 mg/day in adults. More trials on the use in clinical reality of PICU or NICU should follow.
Ten-year trends of atmospheric mercury in the high Arctic compared to Canadian sub-Arctic and mid-latitude sites
Authors: Cole A. S. , Steffen A. , Pfaffhuber K. A. , Berg T. , Pilote M. , Poissant L. , Tordon R. , Hung H.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Global emissions of mercury continue to change at the same time as the Arctic is experiencing ongoing climatic changes. Continuous monitoring of atmospheric mercury provides important information about long-term trends in the balance between transport, chemistry, and deposition of this pollutant in the Arctic atmosphere. Ten-year records of total gaseous mercury (TGM) from 2000 to 2009 were analyzed from two high Arctic sites at Alert (Nunavut, Canada) and Zeppelin Station (Svalbard, Norway); one sub-Arctic site at Kuujjuarapik (Nunavik, Québec, Canada); and three temperate Canadian sites at St. Anicet (Québec), Kejimkujik (Nova Scotia) and Egbert (Ontario). Five of the six sites examined showed a decreasing trend over this time period. Overall trend estimates at high latitude sites were: −0.9% yr−1 (95% confidence limits: −1.4, 0) at Alert and no trend (−0.5, +0.7) at Zeppelin Station. Faster decreases were observed at the remainder of the sites: −2.1% yr−1 (−3.1, −1.1) at Kuujjuarapik, −1.9% yr−1 (−2.1, −1.8) at St. Anicet, −1.6% yr−1 (−2.4, −1.0) at Kejimkujik and −2.2% yr−1 (−2.8, −1.7) at Egbert. Trends at the sub-Arctic and mid-latitude sites agree with reported decreases in background TGM concentration since 1996 at Mace Head, Ireland, and Cape Point, South Africa, but conflict with estimates showing an increase in global anthropogenic emissions over a similar period. Trends in TGM at the two high Arctic sites were not only less negative (or neutral) overall but much more variable by season. Possible reasons for differences in seasonal and overall trends at the Arctic sites compared to those at lower latitudes are discussed, as well as implications for the Arctic mercury cycle. The first calculations of multi-year trends in reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and total particulate mercury (TPM) at Alert were also performed, indicating increases from 2002 to 2009 in both RGM and TPM in the spring when concentrations are highest.
Water vapor isotopologue retrievals from high-resolution GOSAT shortwave infrared spectra
Authors: Frankenberg C. , Wunch D. , Toon G. , Risi C. , Scheepmaker R. , Lee J.-E. , Wennberg P. , Worden J.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Remote sensing of the isotopic composition of water vapor can provide valuable information on the hydrological cycle. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of retrievals of the relative abundance of HDO (the HDO/H2O ratio) from the Japanese GOSAT satellite. For this purpose, we use high spectral resolution nadir radiances around 6400 cm−1 (1.56 μm) to retrieve vertical column amounts of H2O and HDO. Retrievals of H2O correlate well with ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) integrated profiles (r2 = 0.96). Typical precision errors in the retrieved column-averaged deuterium depletion (δD) are 20–40‰. We compare δD against a TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network) ground-based station in Lamont, Oklahoma. Using retrievals in very dry areas over Antarctica, we detect a small systematic offset in retrieved H2O and HDO column amounts and take this into account for a bias correction of δD. Monthly averages of δD in the June 2009 to September 2011 time frame are well correlated with TCCON (r2 = 0.79) and exhibit a slope of 0.98 (1.23 if not bias corrected). We also compare seasonal averages on the global scale with results from the SCIAMACHY instrument in the 2003–2005 time frame. Despite the lack of temporal overlap, seasonal averages in general agree well, with spatial correlations (r2) ranging from 0.62 in September through November to 0.83 in June through August. However, we observe higher variability in GOSAT δD, indicated by fitted slopes between 1.2 and 1.46. The discrepancies are likely related to differences in vertical sensitivities but warrant further validation of both GOSAT and SCIAMACHY and an extension of the validation dataset.
The Australian terrestrial carbon budget
Authors: Haverd V. , Raupach M. R. , Briggs P. R. ,   J. G. Canadell., Davis S. J. , Law R. M. , Meyer C. P. , Peters G. P. , Pickett-Heaps C. , Sherman B.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. This paper reports a study of the full carbon (C-CO2) budget of the Australian continent, focussing on 1990–2011 in the context of estimates over two centuries. The work is a contribution to the RECCAP (REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes) project, as one of numerous regional studies. In constructing the budget, we estimate the following component carbon fluxes: net primary production (NPP); net ecosystem production (NEP); fire; land use change (LUC); riverine export; dust export; harvest (wood, crop and livestock) and fossil fuel emissions (both territorial and non-territorial). Major biospheric fluxes were derived using BIOS2 (Haverd et al., 2012), a fine-spatial-resolution (0.05°) offline modelling environment in which predictions of CABLE (Wang et al., 2011), a sophisticated land surface model with carbon cycle, are constrained by multiple observation types. The mean NEP reveals that climate variability and rising CO2 contributed 12 ± 24 (1σ error on mean) and 68 ± 15 TgC yr−1, respectively. However these gains were partially offset by fire and LUC (along with other minor fluxes), which caused net losses of 26 ± 4 TgC yr−1 and 18 ± 7 TgC yr−1, respectively. The resultant net biome production (NBP) is 36 ± 29 TgC yr−1, in which the largest contributions to uncertainty are NEP, fire and LUC. This NBP offset fossil fuel emissions (95 ± 6 TgC yr−1) by 38 ± 30%. The interannual variability (IAV) in the Australian carbon budget exceeds Australia's total carbon emissions by fossil fuel combustion and is dominated by IAV in NEP. Territorial fossil fuel emissions are significantly smaller than the rapidly growing fossil fuel exports: in 2009–2010, Australia exported 2.5 times more carbon in fossil fuels than it emitted by burning fossil fuels.
Brief communication "Important role of the mid-tropospheric atmospheric circulation in the recent surface melt increase over the Greenland ice sheet"
Authors: Fettweis X. , Hanna E. , Lang C. , Belleflamme A. , Erpicum M. , Gallée H.
Published: February 2013

Abstract. Since 2007, there has been a series of surface melt records over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), continuing the trend towards increased melt observed since the end of the 1990's. The last two decades are characterized by an increase of negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) favouring warmer and drier summers than normal over GrIS. In this context, we use a circulation type classification based on daily 500 hPa geopotential height to evaluate the role of atmospheric dynamics in this surface melt acceleration for the last two decades. Due to the lack of direct observations, the interannual melt variability is gauged here by the summer (June–July–August) mean temperature from reanalyses at 700 hPa over Greenland; analogous atmospheric circulations in the past show that ~70% of the 1993–2012 warming at 700 hPa over Greenland has been driven by changes in the atmospheric flow frequencies. Indeed, the occurrence of anticyclones centred over the GrIS at the surface and at 500 hPa has doubled since the end of 1990's, which induces more frequent southerly warm air advection along the western Greenland coast and over the neighbouring Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). These changes in the NAO modes explain also why no significant warming has been observed these last summers over Svalbard, where northerly atmospheric flows are twice as frequent as before. Therefore, the recent warmer summers over GrIS and CAA cannot be considered as a long-term climate warming but are more a consequence of NAO variability affecting atmospheric heat transport. Although no global model from the CMIP5 database projects subsequent significant changes in NAO through this century, we cannot exclude the possibility that the observed NAO changes are due to global warming.
HOW TO GROUP FINANCIAL DATA WITH MAXIMUM HOMOGENEITY?
Authors: Baran Mehmet , Sönmezer Sıtkı
Published: February 2013

Grouping may be an obstacle itself or it may have to be improved to extract better information out of a data stream. Finding trends and dividing a population into parts may be crucial for analyses. This paper offers a modified version of Fisher method that may smoothen the cut point transitions and give out better results. Proven methodology is given with a comparison with the original method. The method may be helpful in forming subgroups in financial data, possibly in technical analyses.Keywords: Grouping, Fisher Method, Trends, Cut points
Welcome Back to Features and Communications
Authors: Lane Claire
Published: February 2013

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Motivational Interviewing: Theory, Practice, and Applications with Children and Young People
Authors: Prescott David S.
Published: February 2013

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Dear Iris
Authors: Iris Dear
Published: February 2013

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Drawing Boundaries for Air Quality Control Under the Clean Air Act: The Importance of NOT Being Nonattainment
Authors: Luneburg William V.
Published: February 2013

Much has changed with regard to air pollution control since 1970 whenCongress revised the Clean Air Act to assume a form that, in very broad terms,it retains today.  From a legal point of view, while states1 still retained at thattime wide-ranging discretion to design the regulatory controls necessary toattain the air quality goals of the Act, that discretion was significantly limitedwhen Congress revisited the Act in 1977.  State discretion diminished to aneven greater extent, particularly with regard to the air pollutants ozone, carbonmonoxide, and particulate matter, when President George H.W. Bush signedthe Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
Navigating in Uncertain Waters: 2006 Update on the Regulation of Ballast Water Discharge in the United States
Authors: Aquino Julie A.
Published: February 2013

Every day more than 10,000 marine species are swept up in the ballast water of ships and make their way across the globe. 1 When discharged into non-native waters, these species are able to damage infrastructure, disrupt commerce, out compete native species, reduce biodiversity, and threaten human health.2 The ecological losses are difficult to quantify; however, the direct and indirect economic costs have been measured at billions of dollars per year in the United States alone.3 Recognizing the severity of the problem, Congress directed the Coast Guard in 1996 to administer a ballast water program and issue guidelines.4 According to various interest groups, the aquatic invasive species problem persists today despite Coast Guard involvement because of inherent and technological limitations surrounding ballast water management (BWM).5 However, other groups believe that the crux of the problem is that the Coast Guard has simply not acted aggressively enough to address the problem. In March 2005, an environmental advocacy group, joined by six states, convinced a federal district court for the Northern District of California that the EPA had exceeded its statutory authority by exempting the discharge of ballast water from the control of the Clean Water Act (CWA)6 in the case of Northwest Environmental Advocates v. EPA.
Federal Wetlands Jurisdiction – The Quagmire of Rapanos v. United States
Authors: Jones G. W.
Published: February 2013

Federal jurisdiction over wetlands under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) 1 has always been difficult to delineate. Wetlands, by definition can be difficult to classify as either water or land. The CWA attempts to regulate these areas; it prohibits discharge of material without a permit into “navigable waters,” which are in turn defined in section 1362(7) of the CWA as the “waters of the United States.” The Army Corps of Engineers 2 is charged with granting permits, and must make the determination of whether or not certain areas of wetlands fall within the jurisdiction of the CWA.3 The Corps has interpreted the phrase “navigable waters” very broadly to include waters “which are currently used, or were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce.”4 The tributaries of any of these “waters” also fall within the Corps’ jurisdiction.5 Intrastate waters are covered if their “use, degradation or destruction . . . could affect interstate or foreign commerce.”6 Wetlands “adjacent” to waters, such as those described above, except waters that are themselves wetlands, also clearly fall within federal jurisdiction under the CWA.7 Jurisdictional problems arise however when there are bodies of water or wetlands close to but not directly connected to navigable waters. These areas may still have significant impact on the neighboring navigable waters if a developer fills them in, or an industrial site discharges pollutants into them. Thus the Corps of Engineers has sought to regulate some of these wetland areas, in order to hold true to the CWA’s overall goals “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.
Focusing on Demand Side Management in the Future of the Electric Grid
Authors: Czajkowski Steven D.
Published: February 2013

The widespread blackout that occurred on August 14, 2003 (“the blackout”) exposed the weaknesses of the current electric transmission grid structure, and underscored the need for improvements to the transmission grid in the United States. The outage knocked out power to approximately fifty million people in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and the Canadian province of Ontario. 1 The total cost in the United States was estimated to be between $4 and $10 billion.
Universal Healthcare and Access for Undocumented Immigrants
Authors: Wolbert Samuel
Published: February 2013

Nothing can rouse fury in even the most apathetic voter or stir the vitriol of American political discourse like the healthcare debate. From the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election—when then-Senator Barack Obama made the creation of a revamped healthcare system the crux of his platform—through the present, the President’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) has been under siege. Obstreperous members of Congress on both sides of the debate levied traditional lines of criticism, concerning themselves with the law’s perceived socialist leaning 1 or the associated financial burden.2 Still other critics believe the healthcare plan will grant undocumented immigrants unmerited access to the benefits of a public healthcare system. Collectively, the narrative surrounding the healthcare debate has been so overly contentious and hostile as to obviate any remaining comity within the political discourse surrounding the problem. 3 But, behind all this white noise and livid rhetoric there still remains the central issue: without an adequate proposal that addresses the undocumented immigrant ‘problem,’ President Obama’s healthcare plan is incomplete.
The Fight over Fizz: Soda Taxes as a Means of Curbing Childhood Obesity
Authors: Hoffman Laura
Published: February 2013

When Michelle Obama found her way to the White House as First Lady, she was a woman with a mission—to help children live healthier lives and tackle childhood obesity. In speaking of this endeavor, the First Lady stated: “In the end, as First Lady, this isn’t just a policy issue for me. This is a passion. This is my mission. I am determined to work with folks across this country to change the way a generation of kids thinks about food and nutrition.” 2 Mrs. Obama’s dedication to this effort was not just talk. Her mission and passion led to the establishment of a federal campaign to fight childhood obesity and promote the education of children on health and nutrition known as Let’s Move.3 Additionally, the First Lady’s efforts have been supported by the actions of her husband, President Barack Obama.4 President Obama’s commitment to this mission was first evidenced by his signature to the creation of the first ever federal Task Force on Childhood Obesity simultaneously with the development of the Let’s Move campaign.5 Based on research done by this Task Force, it was recommended that Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move campaign focused on the following four principles: 1. empowering parents and caregivers, 2. providing healthy food in schools, 3. improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and 4. increasing physical activity.
Oil Price Shocks and the Stock Market: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Abhyankar Abhay , Xu Bing , Wang Jiayue
Published: February 2013

We study, using a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model, the relationship between oil price shocks and the Japanese stock market. We find that oil price shocks that arise from changes in aggregate global demand are positively correlated to returns on the Japanese stock market. Thus, in contrast to the conventional wisdom, a rise in oil price is not always bad news for the Japanese stock market. On the other hand, the Japanese stock market reacts negatively to oil price increases related to oil-market specific demand shocks. Finally, different from prior research using U.S. stock market data, we find that supply and demand shocks in the global crude oil market affect returns to the Japanese stock market index through changes to expected real cash flows rather than to changes to expected returns.
Speed Tracking Control of a Vehicle Robot Driver System Using Multiple Sliding Surface Control Schemes
Authors: Chen Gang , Zhang Wei-Gong , Zhang Xiao-Na
Published: February 2013

To overcome the drawbacks of using a traditional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method for a robot driver system, such as requiring preliminary offline learning, big overshoot and large speed fluctuation, a new method for speed tracking of a robot driver system based on sliding mode control is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the coordinated control model of multiple manipulators for the robot driver is built, which achieved coordinated control of the throttle mechanical leg, clutch mechanical leg, brake mechanical leg and shift mechanical arm for the robot driver. On the basis of this, a speed tracking sliding mode controller for a vehicle robot driver is designed using the method of multiple sliding surfaces design, and the variable structure control laws of throttle and brake are designed respectively, which realize the speed tracking of the given driving test cycle. Experimental results demonstrate that compared with the PID control method, the proposed method can obviously reduce the overshoot of vehicle speed tracking control and greatly improve the accuracy of vehicle speed tracking. The vehicle speed tracking accuracy stays within a tolerance band of ±2 km/h, which meets the requirements of national vehicle test standards. Furthermore, the action of the speed tracking control in the same driving test cycle using the proposed method is consistent, so that the robot driver has good repeatability. Therefore, it can ensure the effectiveness of the vehicle emission test.
Design of a Docking Wall-Climbing Robot
Authors: Liu Rong , Liang Ran
Published: February 2013

This paper introduces an innovative wall-climbing robot. The robot consists of two single-body negative pressure adsorption robots which could dock together as a mother-robot or separate into two independent child-robots. The child-robots connect with each other through a docking mechanism which can not only lock solidly and unlock smoothly but which can also adjust the relative position of the two child-robots. This design guarantees that while in dock mode the mother robot will be able to cross some barriers which are impossible to surmount for a single-body wall-climbing robot, while in separate mode the child-robots maintain agility and mobility compared to other two-body robots. In this paper, an overview of the mechanical structure of the robot is first presented and then three possible mechanisms for barrier-crossing are discussed and a reasonable one is selected. An analysis of the initial docking condition of the selected design is also given which provides the basis for the experiments and research for the future.
An Analytic Method for the Kinematics and Dynamics of a Multiple-Backbone Continuum Robot
Authors: He Bin , Wang Zhipeng , Li Qiang , Xie Hong , Shen Runjie
Published: February 2013

Continuum robots have been the subject of extensive research due to their potential use in a wide range of applications. In this paper, we propose a new continuum robot with three backbones, and provide a unified analytic method for the kinematics and dynamics of a multiple-backbone continuum robot. The robot achieves actuation by independently pulling three backbones to carry out a bending motion of two-degrees-of-freedom (DoF). A three-dimensional CAD model of the robot is built and the kinematical equation is established on the basis of the Euler-Bernoulli beam. The dynamical model of the continuum robot is constructed by using the Lagrange method. The simulation and the experiment's validation results show the continuum robot can exactly bend into pre-set angles in the two-dimensional space (the maximum error is less than 5% of the robot length) and can make a circular motion in three-dimensional space. The results demonstrate that the proposed analytic method for the kinematics and dynamics of a continuum robot is feasible.
3D Reconstruction Using Interval Methods on the Kinect Device Coupled with an IMU
Authors: Bethencourt Aymeric , Jaulin Luc
Published: February 2013

The principle behind VSLAM applications like 3D object reconstruction or indoor mapping is to estimate the spatial transformation between two large clouds of points, which represent two poses of the same scene. They can further be processed to obtain detailed surfaces. Since its introduction in 1992, the standard algorithm for finding the alignment between two point clouds is ICP (Iterative Closest Point) and its variants, combined with RANSAC (RANdom SAmple Consensus). This paper presents a new approach using interval analysis. The idea is to define large intervals for the transformation parameters between the poses then to successively contract those intervals using the equations of the transformation of corresponding points between the poses. To contract those intervals faster, we added an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to our system so the initial intervals of the parameters are already small before applying the contractions. We implemented our algorithm using the middleware ROS (Robot Operating System) and stated our performances.
Evaluative Experiments of a Fellow Passenger Robot Using a Driving Simulator
Authors: Tanaka Yumi , Hashimoto Minoru
Published: February 2013

We studied how a fellow passenger robot influences drivers. The fellow passenger robot was designed to move and speak as if it knows the surroundings of the car. We conducted experiments with a driving simulator and evaluated the effectiveness of the robot with various methods. We used questionnaires to ask for impressions of the driving experience for the participants after the driving experiments with the fellow passenger robot. In addition, the car speed, acceleration and steering angle were measured during the driving experiments. Some significant differences between experiences with and without robot were found in the results with regard to impression evaluation and average speed. Therefore, we found that the robot makes driving more enjoyable and that drivers drive slower than without the robot.
Passive Ankle-Foot Prosthesis Prototype with Extended Push-Off
Authors: Brackx Branko , Van Damme Michaël , Matthys Arnout , Vanderborght Bram , Lefeber Dirk
Published: February 2013

Current commercially available prosthetic feet have succeeded in decreasing the metabolic cost and increasing the speed of walking compared to walking with conventional, mostly solid prosthetic feet. However, there is still a large discrepancy when compared with a non-disabled gait, and the walking pattern remains strongly disturbed. During the stance phase of the leg, these prostheses store and return energy using a spring element. This spring returns to its neutral position, which generates a push-off, but the foot extends much less than with a non-disabled gait. The walking pattern may improve with a more extended push-off. In this paper, we present a passive ankle-foot prosthesis that aims to deliver an extended ankle push-off using a specific planetary gearbox arrangement and locking mechanisms in order to release the energy in the spring over the full natural stretching of the ankle. In recent years, both powered and passive prosthetic devices have been developed. The prosthetic foot presented in this paper is a passive system, such that it has the possibility to be made lighter and more robust than, for example, one driven by an electric motor. Preliminary walking experiments were conducted with a transfemoral amputee.
Development of Remote Monitoring and a Control System Based on PLC and WebAccess for Learning Mechatronics
Authors: Shyr Wen-Jye , Su Te-Jen , Lin Chia-Ming
Published: February 2013

This study develops a novel method for learning mechatronics using remote monitoring and control, based on a programmable logic controller (PLC) and WebAccess. A mechatronics module, a Web-CAM and a PLC were integrated with WebAccess software to organize a remote laboratory. The proposed system enables users to access the Internet for remote monitoring and control of the mechatronics module via a web browser, thereby enhancing work flexibility by enabling personnel to control mechatronics equipment from a remote location. Mechatronics control and long-distance monitoring were realized by establishing communication between the PLC and WebAccess. Analytical results indicate that the proposed system is feasible. The suitability of this system is demonstrated in the department of industrial education and technology at National Changhua University of Education, Taiwan. Preliminary evaluation of the system was encouraging and has shown that it has achieved success in helping students understand concepts and master remote monitoring and control techniques.
Improving Language Models in Speech-Based Human-Machine Interaction
Authors: Justo Raquel , Saz Oscar , Miguel Antonio , Torres M. Inés , Lleida Eduardo
Published: February 2013

This work focuses on speech-based human-machine interaction. Specifically, a Spoken Dialogue System (SDS) that could be integrated into a robot is considered. Since Automatic Speech Recognition is one of the most sensitive tasks that must be confronted in such systems, the goal of this work is to improve the results obtained by this specific module. In order to do so, a hierarchical Language Model (LM) is considered. Different series of experiments were carried out using the proposed models over different corpora and tasks. The results obtained show that these models provide greater accuracy in the recognition task. Additionally, the influence of the Acoustic Modelling (AM) in the improvement percentage of the Language Models has also been explored. Finally the use of hierarchical Language Models in a language understanding task has been successfully employed, as shown in an additional series of experiments.
Measurement of Slip, Force and Deformation Using Hybrid Tactile Sensor System for Robot Hand Gripping an Object
Authors: Kawamura Takuya , Inaguma Naoto , Nejigane Ko , Tani Kazuo , Yamada Hironao
Published: February 2013

A hybrid tactile sensor system is proposed for a robot hand to hold and grip an object adaptively as the sensor system measures the slip of an object, the gripping force, and the deformation of its silicon rubber sensor element. A hybrid tactile sensor system consists of a Carbon Micro-Coil (CMC) touch sensor and a force sensor. The CMC sensor element is made of silicon rubber containing CMCs several micrometres in diameter. It is considered that the sensor element constitutes an LCR circuit, and the CMC touch sensor, deformed mechanically, produces signals due to the modification of the circuit. In this study, a dome-shaped CMC sensor element similar to the shape of a human fingertip was used. This paper first examines the characteristics of the CMC sensor in terms of slip detection when the sensor system held and released an object. Next, the characteristics of the CMC element are clarified with respect to the compression force and deformation when the CMC element was compressed vertically. Finally, methods using the hybrid tactile sensor system are developed to detect the slip of an object and estimate the magnitude of deformation of the CMC element.
Obscene Video Recognition Using Fuzzy SVM and New Sets of Features
Authors: Behrad Alireza , Salehpour Mehdi , Saiedi Mahmoud , Barati Mahdi Nasrollah
Published: February 2013

In this paper, a novel approach for identifying normal and obscene videos is proposed. In order to classify different episodes of a video independently and discard the need to process all frames, first, key frames are extracted and skin regions are detected for groups of video frames starting with key frames. In the second step, three different features including 1- structural features based on single frame information, 2- features based on spatiotemporal volume and 3-motion-based features, are extracted for each episode of video. The PCA-LDA method is then applied to reduce the size of structural features and select more distinctive features. For the final step, we use fuzzy or a Weighted Support Vector Machine (WSVM) classifier to identify video episodes. We also employ a multilayer Kohonen network as an initial clustering algorithm to increase the ability to discriminate between the extracted features into two classes of videos. Features based on motion and periodicity characteristics increase the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in videos with bad illumination and skin colour variation. The proposed method is evaluated using 1100 videos in different environmental and illumination conditions. The experimental results show a correct recognition rate of 94.2% for the proposed algorithm.
Heart Motion Prediction in Robotic-Assisted Beating Heart Surgery: A Nonlinear Fast Adaptive Approach
Authors: Liang Fan , Yu Yang , Wang Haizhong , Meng Xiaofeng
Published: February 2013

Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery outperforms traditional on-pump surgery because the assisted robotic tools can alleviate the relative motion between the beating heart and robotic tools. Therefore, it is possible for the surgeon to operate on the beating heart and thus lessens post surgery complications for the patients. Due to the highly irregular and non-stationary nature of heart motion, it is critical that the beating heart motion is predicted in the model-based track control procedures. It is technically preferable to model heart motion in a nonlinear way because the characteristic analysis of 3D heart motion data through Bi-spectral analysis and Fourier methods demonstrates the involved nonlinearity of heart motion. We propose an adaptive nonlinear heart motion model based on the Volterra Series in this paper. We also design a fast lattice structure to achieve computational-efficiency for real-time online predictions. We argue that the quadratic term of the Volterra Series can improve the prediction accuracy by covering sharp change points and including the motion with sufficient detail. The experiment results indicate that the adaptive nonlinear heart motion prediction algorithm outperforms the autoregressive (AR) and the time-varying Fourier-series models in terms of the root mean square of the prediction error and the prediction error in extreme cases.
Geometrical Derivation of Differential Kinematics to Calibrate Model Parameters of Flexible Manipulator
Authors: Lee Bum-Joo
Published: February 2013

In this paper differential kinematics was geometrically derived to be utilized in a calibration algorithm that improves the accuracy of the manipulation of a robot. Even though the mechanical components are manufactured and assembled precisely, small differences between the designed and the actual system always exist, due to both geometric and unmodelled errors. In order to resolve these problems, differential relationships between the model parameters and the end-effector's posture were formulated. Subsequently, a derivative based estimation algorithm, such as an EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) manner, could be adopted to update the model parameters. The proposed algorithm includes joint flexibility, so is an advanced version of previous work, where a rigid joint model was adopted [ 1 ]. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was verified by a computer simulation with a 6 DOF manipulator robot.
Sobre la fase orientalizante en las tierras meridionales valencianas: el yacimiento de Casa de Secà (Elche, Alicante) y la dinámica del poblamiento en el Sinus Ilicitanus
Authors: Soriano Boj Susana , Jover Maestre Francisco Javier , López Seguí Eduardo
Published: February 2013

Las investigaciones arqueológicas desarrolladas en los tramos finales de los ríos Segura y Vinalopó son de gran importancia para explicar el proceso histórico durante la primera mitad del primer milenio cal BC en el Levante peninsular. Asentamientos como Penya Negra, Fonteta, El Oral o La Picola han permitido fijar las bases estratigráficas y efectuar diversas propuestas de interpretación socioeconómica. No obstante, en los últimos años, las excavaciones de urgencia emprendidas en las tierras llanas están evidenciando la existencia de un denso poblamiento rural desde, al menos, el siglo VII a.C, aunque todavía mal reconocido por su elevado grado de arrasamiento y alteración. En este sentido, la información obtenida en Casa de Secà y en otros puntos del agro ilicitano permite realizar nuevas consideraciones sobre la dinámica de ocupación y de organización social entre los siglos IX y VI a.C.
Las cerámicas grises bruñidas republicanas en el Alto Guadalquivir o un fenómeno de imitatio vascular hacia fines del Mundo ibérico. A cuento de un conjunto en el asentamiento iberorromano de Isturgi
Authors: Ruiz-Montes Pablo , Peinado Espinosa Mª Victoria
Published: February 2013

Presentamos a continuación el estudio tipocronológico de un conjunto de cerámicas grises bruñidas republicanas localizado en el entorno del asentamiento ibérico y después romano de Los Villares de Andújar (Jaén), la antigua Isturgi. Más allá de añadir un punto a los mapas de distribución de éstas en el Alto Guadalquivir, el hallazgo de este notable conjunto nos brinda la ocasión perfecta para profundizar en algunos aspectos interpretativos e implicaciones histórico-culturales (procesos de contacto cultural) derivadas del fenómeno que supone la producción de estas cerámicas de imitación entre los siglos II y I a. C. en extensas áreas de la Península Ibérica.
Hallazgos monetarios en el asentamiento ibérico final de La Casa de la Cabeza (Requena, València)
Authors: Torregrosa Yago José Manuel , Quixal Santos David , Mata Parreño Consuelo
Published: February 2013

Se presentan seis monedas aparecidas en las campañas de los años 2010 y 2012 en el asentamiento ibérico final de la Casa de la Cabeza (Requena, Valencia).Se trata de tres cuartos de la ceca de Arse, dos unidades de la ceca de Kili y un último ejemplar del taller de Cástulo.
Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia 50 años: La historia y la verdad.
Authors: Martín Ávila Gabriela , Aranegui Gascó Carmen
Published: February 2013

Se hace un breve repaso a los primeros de la revista Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia con motivo de la media centuria de su fundación.
Promoting safe infant feeding practices – the importance of structural, social and contextual factors in Southern Africa
Authors: Lazarus Ray , Struthers Helen , Violari Avy
Published: February 2013

There has been significant progress towards the goal of eliminating vertical transmission of HIV by 2015. However, a question that remains is how we can most effectively prevent late postnatal transmission of HIV through infant feeding. Guidelines published by the World Health Organization in 2010 have been widely adopted. These guidelines place strong emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding, in some countries over‐turning a prior emphasis on formula feeding. Where available, provision of antiretroviral treatment for HIV‐positive mothers or prophylaxis for infants offers additional protection against vertical transmission through infant feeding. However, merely changing guidelines is not sufficient to change practice, particularly with regard to culturally sanctioned forms of feeding, such as mixed feeding. This commentary highlights structural, social and contextual barriers to effective implementation of the guidelines and suggests ways to address some of these barriers.