bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mid-Holocene climate reconstruction for eastern South America
Authors: Prado L. F. , Wainer I. , Chiessi C. M. , Ledru M.-P. , Turcq B.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. The Mid-Holocene (6 ka BP) is a key period to the study of climate, since it presented lower than present incoming summer insolation in the Southern Hemisphere, and the opposite in the Northern Hemisphere. This happened due to a different than present configuration of the orbital parameters. To investigate the effects of insolation on the Mid-Holocene climate, some global and regional multiproxy palaeodata compilations have been elaborated. However, few global studies have focused on the Southern Hemisphere, and none of the regional ones have characterized the Mid-Holocene climate in South America through a multiproxy approach. Here we present the first multiproxy compilation to the Mid-Holocene climate in eastern South America. We have compiled 120 palaeoclimatological data, published in 84 different papers. The palaeodata analyzed suggest a water deficit scenario in great part of eastern South America during Mid-Holocene, except for Northeastern Brazil. Nonetheless, further sampling is mandatory in South America and in the adjacent ocean basins.
Combined MW-IR Precipitation Evolving Technique (PET) of convective rain fields
Authors: Di Paola F. , Casella D. , Dietrich S. , Mugnai A. , Ricciardelli E. , Romano F. , Sanò P.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. This paper describes a new multi-sensor approach for convective rain cell continuous monitoring based on rainfall derived from Passive Microwave (PM) remote sensing from the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite coupled with Infrared (IR) remote sensing Brightness Temperature (TB) from the Geosynchronous (GEO) orbit satellite. The proposed technique, which we call Precipitation Evolving Technique (PET), propagates forward in time and space the last available rain-rate (RR) maps derived from Advanced Microwave Sounding Units (AMSU) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) observations by using IR TB maps of water vapor (6.2 μm) and thermal-IR (10.8 μm) channels from a Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) radiometer. PET is based on two different modules, the first for morphing and tracking rain cells and the second for dynamic calibration IR-RR. The Morphing module uses two consecutive IR data to identify the motion vector to be applied to the rain field so as to propagate it in time and space, whilst the Calibration module computes the dynamic relationship between IR and RR in order to take into account genesis, extinction or size variation of rain cells. Finally, a combination of the Morphing and Calibration output provides a rainfall map at IR space and time scale, and the whole procedure is reiterated by using the last RR map output until a new MW-based rainfall is available. The PET results have been analyzed with respect to two different PM-RR retrieval algorithms for seven case studies referring to different rainfall convective events. The qualitative, dichotomous and continuous assessments show an overall ability of this technique to propagate rain field at least for 2–3 h propagation time.
Deep Western Boundary Current transport variability in the South Atlantic: preliminary results from a pilot array at 34.5° S
Authors: Meinen C. S. , Piola A. R. , Perez R. C. , Garzoli S. L.
Published: November 2012

Abstract. The first direct estimates of the temporal variability of the absolute transport in the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) at 34.5° S in the South Atlantic Ocean are obtained using just under one year of data from a line of four pressure-equipped inverted echo sounders. Hydrographic sections collected in 2009 and 2010 confirm, based on neutral density, temperature, salinity, and oxygen values, the presence of the DWBC, one of the main deep pathways of the Meridional Overturning Circulation. Both data sets indicate that the DWBC reconstitutes itself after breaking into eddies in the western sub-tropical Atlantic near 8° S. The amplitude and spectral character of the DWBC transport variability are comparable with those observed in the North Atlantic, where longer records exist, with the DWBC at 34.5° S exhibiting a transport standard deviation of 25 Sv and variations of ∼ 40 Sv occurring within periods as short as a few days. There is little indication of an annual cycle in the DWBC transports, although the observational records are too short to be definitive. A Monte Carlo-style analysis using 27 yr of model output from the same location as the observations indicates that about 48–60 months of data will be required to fully assess the deep transport variability. The model suggests the presence of an annual cycle in DWBC transport, however its statistical significance with even 27 yr of model output is low, suggesting that seasonal variations in the model are weak.
Optimal Control of a Delayed HIV Infection Model with Immune
Response Using an Efficient Numerical Method
Authors: Hattaf Khalid , Yousfi Noura
Published: November 2012

We present a delay-differential equation model with optimal control that describes the interactions between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), CD4+ T cells, and cell-mediated immune response. Both the treatment and the intracellular delay are incorporated into the model in order to improve therapies to cure HIV infection. The optimal controls represent the efficiency of drug treatment in inhibiting viral production and preventing new infections. Existence for the optimal control pair is established, Pontryagin’s maximum principle is used to characterize these optimal controls, and the optimality system is derived. For the numerical simulation, we propose a new algorithm based on the forward and backward difference approximation.
A Comparison of Bangladesh Climate Surfaces from the Geostatistical Point of View
Authors: Bhowmik Avit Kumar
Published: November 2012

This study analyses the degree and margin of differences among the surfaces of annual total precipitation in wet days (PRCPTOT) and the yearly maximum value of the daily maximum temperature (TXx) of Bangladesh, produced by thin plate spline (TPS), inverse distance weighting (IDW), ordinary kriging (OK), and universal kriging (UK) methods of spatial interpolation. From the surface differences, the maximum and minimum differences are observed between the surfaces produced by TPS and IDW, and OK and UK, respectively. The residual plots from cross-validation depict that IDW and OK methods mostly under predict and TPS and UK methods mostly overpredict the observed climate indices’ values. Both the tendency of methods’ over and underprediction and the surface-differences decrease with the increase in the number of available spatial point observations. Finally, two performance measures—the index of agreement (d) and the coefficient of variation of prediction (ρf)—imply that there is a little difference in the prediction ability of the four different methods. The performance of the spatial interpolation improves with the increase in the number of available spatial points, and eventually the predicted climate surfaces get similar. However, UK shows better interpolation performance in most of the years.
Bag-of-Words Representation in Image Annotation: A Review
Authors: Tsai Chih-Fong
Published: November 2012

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems require users to query images by their low-level visual content; this not only makes it hard for users to formulate queries, but also can lead to unsatisfied retrieval results. To this end, image annotation was proposed. The aim of image annotation is to automatically assign keywords to images, so image retrieval users are able to query images by keywords. Image annotation can be regarded as the image classification problem: that images are represented by some low-level features and some supervised learning techniques are used to learn the mapping between low-level features and high-level concepts (i.e., class labels). One of the most widely used feature representation methods is bag-of-words (BoW). This paper reviews related works based on the issues of improving and/or applying BoW for image annotation. Moreover, many recent works (from 2006 to 2012) are compared in terms of the methodology of BoW feature generation and experimental design. In addition, several different issues in using BoW are discussed, and some important issues for future research are discussed.
The Effect of Energy Leakage Probability on Burn Propagation in an Optically Thick Fusion Plasma
Authors: Mahdavi M. , Koohrokhi T. , Barfami Z.
Published: November 2012

In an optically thick plasma, the mean free path of bremsstrahlung photons is smaller than the plasma radius, and radiation can be treated as a photon gas in thermal equilibrium. In these conditions, the black body radiation spectrum exceeds the number of hot photons, and reabsorption processes such as inverse bremsstrahlung radiation and inverse Compton scattering become important. It has been shown that a dense fusion plasma like the one being used in ICF method is initially optically thick. When the fuel pellet is burning, the temperature of its electrons rises (approximately greater than 90 KeV), and the pellet becomes rapidly optically thin. In this paper, we have shown that the energy leakage probability makes electron temperature remain low (approximately smaller than 55 KeV), and as a result the fuel pellet remains optically thick during burning.
Bitumen Coating as a Tool for Improving the Porosity and Chemical Stability of Simulated Cement-Waste Forms
Authors: Saleh H. M.
Published: November 2012

Coating of simulated cement-based waste form was investigated by performing physical and chemical experimental tests. Moreover, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and electron microscope examination were applied on coated and noncoated simulated waste forms. Experimental results indicated that coating process improved the characterizations of cement-based waste form such as porosity and leachability. Diffusion coefficients and leach indecies of coated specimens were calculated and showed acceptable values. It could be stated that by coating cemented-waste form by bitumen emulsion, the radioactive contaminants were isolated, thus reducing the back release to surrounding environment during flooding by groundwater and consequently, saving the environment.
The Effects of QuikClot Combat Gauze, Fluid Resuscitation, and Movement on Hemorrhage Control in a Porcine Model
Authors: Johnson Don , Gegel Brian , Burgert James , Gasko John , Cromwell Carrie , Jaskowska Monika , Steward Rachel , Taylor Alexis
Published: November 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of QuikClot Combat Gauze (QCG) compared to a control group on hemorrhage control; the amount of crystalloid volume infusion on rebleeding; the effect of movement on hemorrhage. This was a prospective, experimental design. Swine were randomly assigned to either the QCG () or the control group (). Investigators transected the femoral artery and vein in each swine. After one minute of uncontrolled hemorrhage, the hemostatic agent, QCG, was placed into the wound followed by standard wound packing. The control group underwent the same procedures but without a hemostatic agent. After five minutes of direct pressure, a standard pressure dressing was applied. After 30 minutes, dressings were removed, and the wound was observed for rebleeding for 5 minutes. If hemostasis occurred, 5 liters of crystalloid was given over 5 minutes, and the wound was observed for rebleeding for 5 additional minutes. If no bleeding occurred, the extremity on the side of the injury was moved. There were significant differences in the amount of hemorrhage (), the amount of fluid administration (), and the number of movements () between the QCG and control.
Effects of genotype and harvest year on phytochemical and fruit quality properties of Turkish fig genotypes
Authors: Çalişkan O. , Polat A. A.
Published: November 2012

This study was conducted over three harvest years to determine effects of Turkish fig genotypes grown in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey on phytochemical and fruit quality characters. Fruit quality characters such as fruit weight, fruit width, fruit neck length, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, acidity, and TSS/acidity were examined. Total phenolics (TP), total anthocyanins (TA), antioxidant capacity (TAC), fructose (FRUC), glucose (GLUC), sucrose (SUC), and variables describing fruit skin and flesh colors (L*, a*, C, and hº) were also determined. Analysis of the data obtained from 12 fig genotypes, and three harvest years demonstrated a highly significant influence of genotype on phytochemical and fruit quality characters. ‘Bursa Siyahı’, which has dark black fruit skin, had the highest levels of TA (113.6 μg cy-3-rutinoside g-1 fw), TP (105.2 mg GAE/100 g fw), and TAC (10.9 mmol Fe2+ kg-1 fw). Three yearly averages of fruit weight ranged from 22.8 g (‘Sarı İncir’) to 57.5 g (‘Bursa Siyahı’), and ostiole width ranged from 0.9 mm (‘Bursa Siyahı’) to 3.7 mm (31-IN-16). These results indicate that TP (r=0.77) contents correlated moderately to TAC, more so than with TA (r=0.56). Both FRUC and SUC were negatively correlated with TA (r=-0.34 and r=-0.42, respectively). These data demonstrate that genotype is the main influence on the phytochemical and fruit quality characters of figs.
Short communication. Assessing relationships between seed yield components in spring-sown field pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars in Bulgaria by correlation and path analysis
Authors: Kosev V. , Mikic A.
Published: November 2012

An analysis was carried out during 2007-2009 on nine spring-sown Bulgarian and Ukrainian field pea cultivars. Strongest positive phenotypic correlations were observed between number of fertile nodes per plant and numbers of pods (r = 0.97) and number of seeds per plant (r = 0.97) and between number of seeds and pods per plant (r = 0.94); between seed weight per plant and number of seeds (r = 0.83) and fertile nodes per plant (r = 0.77). High genetic correlations were found between plant height and first pod height (r = 0.89), between number of pods per plant and seed weight per plant (r = 0.91) and number of seeds per plant (r = 0.96) and between seed weight per plant and number of branches per plant (r = 0.92) and number of fertile nodes per plant (r = 0.89). The strongest and direct positive effect on seed yield was found in branch length (17.70), 1000-seed weight (5.92) and number of seeds per pod (4.93). The highest positive indirect contribution was in branch length to number of seeds per pod (2214.8), number of fertile nodes per plant (1258.0) and number of seeds per plant (708.70). Based on the trait association and the path coefficients for seed yield and its components, it can be concluded that field pea breeders should pay attention to traits such as branch length, 1000-seed weight and number of seeds per pod when selecting high-yielding genotypes in field pea.
Typification and characterisation of the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) game farms in Spain
Authors: González-Redondo P. , García-Domínguez P.
Published: November 2012

This research typified and characterised the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) game farms in Spain using structural and marketing variables. A structured survey was given to 25 private-owned farms in May 2010. A categorical principal components analysis performed to typify the farms yielded two dimensions. First dimension explained 50.5% of the variance and included the variables “number of females in the breeding flock”, and “the farm is of complete-cycle or not”. Second dimension explained 32.3% of the variance and included the variables “age of the farm” and “the farm advertises its activity in the game press”. A cluster analysis differentiated four farm typologies. Farm type 1 included 28% of the farms, being recent (established between 1990 and 2003), complete-cycle and medium-sized (breeding flock of 15 to 300 females), with low advertising activity in the game press and without a hunting preserve. Farm type 2 included 28% of the farms, being the most recent (established between 1994 and 2008), without breeding flock, with low advertising activity, and most have hunting preserve. Farm type 3 included 20% of the farms, being old (established between 1983 and 1992), without breeding flock and with high advertising activity; 40% of them have hunting preserve. Farm type 4 included 24% of the farms, being old (established between 1980 and 1995), complete-cycle and high-sized (breeding flock of 50 to 1,000 females), with high advertising activity; most have hunting preserve. In conclusion, this is an alternative poultry sub-sector consolidated in Spain, despite being only three decades old.
Review. Advantages and disadvantages of control theories applied in greenhouse climate control systems
Authors: Duarte-Galvan C. , Torres-Pacheco I. , Guevara-Gonzalez R. G. , Romero-Troncoso R. J. , Contreras-Medina L. M. , Rios-Alcaraz M. A. , Millan-Almaraz J. R.
Published: November 2012

Today agriculture is changing in response to the requirements of modern society, where ensuring food supply through practices such as water conservation, reduction of agrochemicals and the required planted surface, which guarantees high quality crops are in demand. Greenhouses have proven to be a reliable solution to achieve these goals; however, a greenhouse as a means for protected agriculture has the potential to lead to serious problems. The most of these are related to the inside greenhouse climate conditions where controlling the temperature and relative humidity (RH) are the main objectives of engineering. Achieving appropriate climate conditions to ensure high yield and quality crops reducing energy consumption have been the objective of investigations for some time. Different schemes in control theories have been applied in this field to solve the aforementioned problems. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present a review of different control techniques applied in protected agriculture to manage greenhouse climate conditions, presenting advantages and disadvantages of developed control platforms in order to suggest a design methodology according to results obtained from different investigations.
Bismuth Flux Growth of CeRh6Ge4 and CeRh2Ge2 Single Crystals
Authors: Voßwinkel Daniel , Niehaus Oliver , Rodewald Ute Ch. , Pöttgen Rainer
Published: November 2012

Single crystals of the germanides CeRh6Ge4 and CeRh2Ge2 were synthesized from the elements in bismuth fluxes. Polycrystalline samples are available by arc-melting. The structures were refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data. CeRh6Ge4: LiCo6P4 type, P6m2, a=715.4(2), c=385:5(1) pm, wR2=0.0554, 273 F2 values, 19 variables; CeRh2Ge2: ThCr2Si2 type, I4/mmm, a=415.69(6), c=1048:5(2) pm, wR2=0.0391, 131 F2 values, 9 variables. The rhodium and germanium atoms build three-dimensional, covalently bonded [Rh6Ge4] and [Rh2Ge2] networks with Rh-Ge distances ranging from 246 to 255 pm. The cerium atoms are located in larger cavities within these networks: Ce@Ge6Rh12 in CeRh6Ge4 and Ce@Ge8Rh8 in CeRh2Ge2. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility data of CeRh6Ge4 show Curie-Weiss behavior above 70 K with an experimental magnetic moment of 2:35(1) μB per Ce atom. Low-field measurements are indicative of magnetic ordering below 2:5 K.
Design and Control of a Wearable Stewart Platform-Type Ankle-Foot Assistive Device
Authors: Takemura Hiroshi , Onodera Takayuki , Ming Ding , Mizoguchi Hiroshi
Published: November 2012

The design and control of an active ankle-foot rehabilitation orthotic system that was designed as a wearable and portable rehabilitation and walking assistive tool is presented. This device can measure and assist the six degree of freedoms (DOFs) movement of the human ankle joint by using a Stewart platform mechanism, which can adapt to the displacement of the rotation axis during the movement of a human foot. The estimation method of an instantaneous rotation axis of ankle-foot motion is also proposed. In this paper, the motion measurement and motion control performance of the developed assistive device is evaluated. Static and dynamic motion measurement and motion reproduction performance verification experiments are conducted. The experimental results showed that the developed assistive device is enough for measuring and controlling the human ankle-foot motion.
Modelling and Analysis of Vibrations in a UAV Helicopter with a Vision System
Authors: Plasencia G. Nicolás Marichal , Rodríguez María Tomás , Rivera Salvador Castillo , López Ángela Hernández
Published: November 2012

The analysis of the nature and damping of unwanted vibrations on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) helicopters are important tasks when images from on-board vision systems are to be obtained. In this article, the authors model a UAV system, generate a range of vibrations originating in the main rotor and design a control methodology in order to damp these vibrations. The UAV is modelled using VehicleSim, the vibrations that appear on the fuselage are analysed to study their effects on the on-board vision system by using Simmechanics software. Following this, the authors present a control method based on an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) to achieve satisfactory damping results over the vision system on board.
FST-Based Pronunciation Lexicon Compression for Speech Engines
Authors: Golob Žiga , Gros Jerneja Žganec , Žganec Mario , Vesnicer Boštjan , Dobrišek Simon
Published: November 2012

Finite-state transducers are frequently used for pronunciation lexicon representations in speech engines, in which memory and processing resources are scarce. This paper proposes two possibilities for further reducing the memory footprint of finite-state transducers representing pronunciation lexicons. First, different alignments of grapheme and allophone transcriptions are studied and a reduction in the number of states of up to 30% is reported. Second, a combination of grapheme-to-allophone rules with a finite-state transducer is proposed, which yields a 65% smaller finite-state transducer than conventional approaches.
Object Tracking Using Maximum Colour Distance under Illumination Change
Authors: Whoang Inteck , Kim Jeong Heon , Choi Kwang Nam
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a new method for tracking moving objects that have colour variations due to illumination, which uses a maximum colour distance on the mean shift framework. Conventional colour-based mean shift methods show good results when tracking non-rigid moving objects. However, they do not provide accurate results when the initial colour distribution of the object disappears. Our method uses the maximum colour distance to represent the objects. If a colour distance can be defined as the geometric distance between two colour points in a colour space, then the maximum colour distance is defined as the maximum value among all of the colour distances. The physical illumination model, under assumptions, guarantees that the maximum colour distance is independent of ambient lighting and other illumination with an identical solid angle. The objective of our method is to provide robust real-time object tracking with large colour variation in objects whose colour changes due to external illumination. The implementation of this new algorithm shows effective tracking results with a complete object colour change over time. The validation of our approach is illustrated by the comparison of experimental results obtained using the methods described above.
The Kinematic and Static Analysis of the Tibio-Femoral Joint Based on a Novel Spatial Mechanism
Authors: Xu Yonggang , Huang Rongying , Xu Qiang
Published: November 2012

To reveal the characteristics of knee movement and tibio-femoral joint contact force, a novel single degree of freedom spatial mechanism is built to simulate the joint kinematics based on a three dimensional model of the human knee. The length changes of the three ligaments can be obtained by establishing and solving the kinematics spiral function. Based on this mechanism, a static model is built where linear springs are used to model the ligaments and whose stiffness coefficients are obtained by the finite element method. The main strength of the proposed model is that it associates the knee's flexion motion with internal/external rotation of the tibia based on the isometricity of the anterior cruciate ligament. This offers an efficient method to model and analyse the changes of ligament lengths and static kinematics after ligament reconstruction, which is crucial in designing knee recovery and rehabilitation equipment.
An Adaptive Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Path following Method for a Fix-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle
Authors: Miao Cun-Xiao , Fang Jian-Cheng
Published: November 2012

This paper describes an adaptive control approach of three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear path following for a fix-wing micro aerial vehicle (MAV) with wind disturbances in complicated terrain. We derive the control laws of course and flight path angle by the constructed Lyapunov function applying vector field theory based on the error equations in the Serret-Frenet frame, which are built by virtue of the relationship between the nonlinear desired trajectory and MAV. The 3D desired trajectory is fitted by using the fifth-order B-splines method through a sequence of waypoints created and sent by the ground station. Furthermore, the control laws are proved to be converged asymptotically and stably based on Lyapunov stability arguments. The results of the flight test experiment show that the flight could perform well under wind disturbances with a good trajectory tracking precision and high flight quality.
Gait, Stability and Movement of Snake-Like Robots
Authors: Chen Shengyong , Li Xiuli , Lu Ke , Fang Yinfeng , Wang Wanliang
Published: November 2012

This paper provides theoretical analysis of some key features of snake-like robot locomotion. Inspired by the moving mechanism of animals, the snake robot built with simple modules is numerically controlled. A most common method for its locomotion is to apply a central pattern generator to efficiently generate the control signals of gait and movement. This paper analyses stability, crawling gait, moving velocity, climbing capability, the capability to cross ditches and avoid obstacles, etc. Mathematical models and simulations show the theoretical validity and robot capabilities.
Design Optimization of a Cable-Driven Two-DOF Flexible Joint Module
Authors: Zhang Zhao
Published: November 2012

This paper focuses on the kinematics, kinetostatics and design optimization of a 2-DOF cable-driven flexible joint module. Based on the motion characteristics of the 2-DOF joint module, the concept of instantaneous screw axis in conjunction with the Product-Of-Exponentials (POE) formula is proposed to formulate its kinematic model. However, as the instantaneous screw axis is unfixed, the Lie group method is employed to derive the instantaneous kinematic model of the joint module. In order to generate the feasible workspace subject to positive tension constraint, the kinetostatics of the joint module is addressed, where the stiffness resulting from both the driving cables and the flexible backbone are considered. A numerical orientation workspace evaluation method is proposed based on an equi-volumetric partition in its parametric space and the volume-element associated integral factor. A global singular value (GSV) index, which considers the minimum singular value of the stiffness matrix of joint module over the achievable workspace, is employed to optimize the geometric size of joint module. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GSV optimization algorithm.
Design and Analysis of Cooperative Cable Parallel Manipulators for Multiple Mobile Cranes
Authors: Zi Bin , Qian Sen , Ding Huafeng , Kecskeméthy Andrés
Published: November 2012

The design, dynamic modelling, and workspace are presented in this paper concerning cooperative cable parallel manipulators for multiple mobile cranes (CPMMCs). The CPMMCs can handle complex tasks that are more difficult or even impossible for a single mobile crane. Kinematics and dynamics of the CPMMCs are studied on the basis of geometric methodology and d'Alembert's principle, and a mathematical model of the CPMMCs is developed and presented with dynamic simulation. The constant orientation workspace analysis of the CPMMCs is carried out additionally. As an example, a cooperative cable parallel manipulator for triple mobile cranes with 6 Degrees of Freedom is investigated on the basis of the above design objectives.
New Method for Tuning Robust Controllers Applied to Robot Manipulators
Authors: Romero Gerardo , Alcorta Efraín , Lara David , Pérez Irma , Betancourt Romeo , Ocampo Hugo
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a methodology to select the parameters of a nonlinear controller using Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI). The controller is applied to a robotic manipulator to improve its robustness. This type of dynamic system enables the robust control law to be applied because it largely depends on the mathematical model of the system; however, in most cases it is impossible to be completely precise. The discrepancy between the dynamic behaviour of the robot and its mathematical model is taken into account by including a nonlinear term that represents the model's uncertainty. The controller's parameters are selected with two purposes: to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system while taking into account the uncertainty, and to increase its robustness margin. The results are validated with numerical simulations for a particular case study; these are then compared with previously published results to prove a better controller performance.
Anthropomorphic “Motion Design” on Non-Holonomic Vehicle for Intuitive Interface
Authors: Yokota Sho , Hashimoto Hiroshi , Chugo Daisuke , Kawabata Kuniaki
Published: November 2012

In the case of operating a vehicle, if the interface extracts human intention correctly and naturally, and if the vehicle moves like a human, then the human feels this operation to be intuitive. For realizing intuitive operation, this paper proposes motion design which makes vehicle motion anthropomorphic. The strategy of this motion design is: for making anthropomorphic motion, a certain normative motion for the vehicle is needed. Thus, we measure several subjects' motion in order to create normative motion. But these motions are different due to individual characteristics, because human motions are described in the time domain. Therefore, the human motion in the time domain is plotted to the phase plane. In the phase plane each subjects' motion was almost the same ellipse and then we fitted these ellipses to one ellipse by the least square method. Thus, we adopt this fitted ellipse as normative motion and call it “standard human motion”. The standard human motion is implemented on the actual non-holonomic vehicle and evaluated by the Semantic Differential (SD) method. From the results, we discovered that our motion design can create anthropomorphic vehicle motion.
Target Tracking of a Linear Time Invariant System under Irregular Sampling
Authors: Xue-Bo Jin , Jing-Jing Du , Jia Bao
Published: November 2012

Due to event-triggered sampling in a system, or maybe with the aim of reducing data storage, tracking many applications will encounter irregular sampling time. By calculating the matrix exponential using an inverse Laplace transform, this paper transforms the irregular sampling tracking problem to the problem of tracking with time-varying parameters of a system. Using the common Kalman filter, the developed method is used to track a target for the simulated trajectory and video tracking. The results of simulation experiments have shown that it can obtain good estimation performance even at a very high irregular rate of measurement sampling time.
Napsin A Is Differentially Expressed in Sclerosing Hemangiomas of the Lung
Authors: Schmidt Lindsay A. , Myers Jeffrey L. , McHugh Jonathan B.
Published: November 2012

Context.—Sclerosing hemangiomas (SH) are lung tumors characterized by surface cuboidal cells and round stromal cells. The cell of origin remains controversial, though immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies suggest primitive respiratory epithelium. Napsin A, a human aspartic proteinase found primarily in type II pneumocytes and alveolar macrophages, is emerging as a helpful immunohistochemical marker in characterizing the origin of lung neoplasms, and may be of use in evaluating SH.

Objective.—To evaluate napsin A immunohistochemical staining in SH to further characterize the cell of origin.

Design.—Six cases of SH were stained for napsin A, as well as thyroid transcription factor 1 and cytokeratin in selected cases.

Results.—Surface and round cells were positive for thyroid transcription factor 1 in all cases stained with this marker. Cytokeratins were positive in surface cells in all cases stained with this marker; 2 cases had focal cytokeratin staining in round cells. Round cells had focal napsin A staining in 1 case (17%); surface cells were napsin positive in all cases.

Conclusions.—The observation of thyroid transcription factor 1 positivity in both surface and round cells in all SH suggests primitive respiratory epithelium as the cell of origin of SH. Our napsin A findings support this, with positivity in surface cells of all tumors (100%), and focal round cell staining in only 1 (17%). In fact, surface cells may represent entrapped type II pneumocytes, which normally express napsin A in a granular cytoplasmic pattern, similar to surface cells. The coexpression of thyroid transcription factor 1 and napsin A also introduces a caveat in differentiating primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas from SH in small biopsy specimens.
How Do Design‐Bid‐Build and Design‐Build Differ?
Authors: Shorney‐Darby Holly
Published: November 2012

When a single source is responsible for design and construction of a project, the delivery method is termed design‐build (DB). A design‐builder has sole responsibility for a project's cost, schedule, quality, coordination, and control. That definition, however, fails to clearly convey the principal advantage of DB over traditional design‐bid‐build (DBB). This article provides some key questions to help you distinguish between DB and DBB and help you determine which is most advantageous for your utility.
Neoplasms and Tumor-Like Lesions of the Hand
Authors: Badr AbdullGaffar
Published: November 2012

The hand is a very versatile functional part of the body and therefore more prone to trauma and thus trauma-related tumor-like lesions are more likely to develop in the hand and wrist region. A broad spectrum of variable lesions can involve the hand. Most are benign non-neoplastic trauma-induced tumor-like lesions. True neoplasms of the hand are predominantly benign. Primary malignant tumors of the hand are rare, apart from the common cutaneous malignancies, for example basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Secondary metastases are very rare. Most of the hand lesions are histologically recognizable without problems. Certain highly proliferative and cellular lesions, particularly soft-tissue and skeletal benign pseudosarcomatous tumors and tumor-like lesions, can lead to misdiagnosis. The unwary pathologists, on occasions, could misinterpret them as sarcomas with catastrophic surgical management consequences for the patients. Awareness of the spectrum of neoplasms and pseudotumors that involve the hand will help pathologists avoid these interpretation errors and guide surgeons to the best surgical management for the patients. We conducted a retrospective review study to investigate the prevalence and spectrum of hand neoplasms and tumor-like lesions in a setting of a general community-based hospital practice compared with studies conducted in specialized tertiary reference-based hospitals in developed countries.
Non-Invasive Real-Time Monitoring and Label-Free Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide in Human Brain Cancer Cells Through Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Darrell B. Tata  , Ilko K. Ilev
Published: November 2012

We present evidence that real-time optical monitoring of human brain cancer cells through forward Raman spectroscopy can be used as a highly sensitive non-invasive label-free tool in acquiring real-time information on the cellular metabolic activity through the concentration levels of selective biomarkers. In this investigation, we quantified the concentration level of a natural by-product of cellular respiration, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), through its characteristic Raman signature due to the transitions of O-O vibration energy level, resulting in a sharp Raman scatter frequency shift around 880cm-1. The experimental findings revealed that 3.75´106 cells to have produced a substantial amount (3%) of H2O2.
Reflectance Confocal Microscopy - Real-Time In Vivo Imaging of Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Authors: Anna Haydee Chacon  , Uzma Farooq  , Katlein Franca  , Jennifer Ledon  , Jessica Savas  , Keyvan Nouri
Published: November 2012

Reflectance and confocal microscopy (RCM) is an in vivo non-invasive imaging tool that captures horizontal images of the epidermis and superficial dermis at nearly the same resolution of routine histopathology. Due to the overlying superficial scaling, RCM characterization of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and associated keratinizing tumors is difficult to visualize due to the obscure appearance of underlying structures. To date, although an increasing frequency of abnormal RCM features are observed across the spectrum, only a few authors have described the features of SCCs. One recent study suggested a disarranged and atypical honeycomb pattern along with round nucleated cells within the spinous/granular layers and round vessels traversing through dermal papilla as key features of SCC.
Meanwhile several RCM features have been linked to basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) regardless of type including:

Variable architectural disarray of the epidermis
A uniform pattern of elongated monomorphic nuclei polarized along the same axis
Abundant vessels with prominent tortuosity
Mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate admixed with carcinoid basal cells
Tightly packed cells in the papillary dermis with a nodular/cord-like growth pattern
Palisading tumor cell nuclei
Peri-tumoral dark cleft-like spaces representing mucinous edema
The presence of bright dendritic cells and melanophages in pigmented BCC

Our objective is to identify and describe characteristic RCM findings of SCCs and BCCs by imaging biopsy-proven lesions and reviewing the most recent literature. We will also explain how these features may facilitate diagnosis and recognize future trends for research. Applications of RCM criteria concerning surgical management of these lesions will also be discussed.
Evaluation of Single-Field Electron Beams for Postmastectomy Radiotherapy
Authors: H. Omer  , O.Nasir  , A. Suleiman
Published: November 2012

Introduction:electron beams have been extensively used in postmastectomy radiotherapy due to its homogenous dose at the surface followed by sharp fall-off sparing the underlying tissue. Multiple electron fields or electron photon mix were the techniques commonly used. An old study reported the successful use of single-field electron beams with beam energy of 20 MeV. Yet the potential risks of the organs at risk were not clearly shown. Objectives:the objectives of this study were to assess the possibility of applying single-field electron beams in postmastectomy radiotherapy in terms of: the dose distribution in the target, the volume of organs that receive a certain threshold dose and the volume of organs that receive low doses of radiation. Materials and Methods: the Monte Carlo codes of EGSnrc were used to simulate electron beams of different energies and gantry angles. The resulting dose files were used by XSTING to generate dose volume histograms, which were used for evaluation. Results and Discussions: the target coverage was quite poor in most of the studied scenarios. Improving the target coverage was at the expense of irradiating the lung and heart with unacceptable dose values. Conclusion and Recommendations: Single field electron beams cannot be used for postmastectomy radiotherapy. Multiple electron fields or photon electron mix are necessary and need to be assessed.
Epidemiological and Pathological Aspects of Cervical Cancer in Ivory Coast
Authors: K.J. N'Dah  , E. Troh  , B. Doukouré  , K.E. Koffi  , M. Kouyaté  , B.S. Koui  , N.A. Aman  , A.D. Abouna  , K.D. Koffi  , B. Traoré  , A.B. Effi  , M.I.J.M. Diomandé
Published: November 2012

Cervical cancer is the most common and the leading cause of women death in developing countries. Purpose: To specify the epidemiological and pathological characteristics of cervical cancers in Ivory Coast. Material and methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study on the cervical cancers histologically confirmed and identified from the registers for recording laboratory of pathological anatomy of Abidjan teaching hospital. The study period was 24 years (January 1984 to December 2007). The parameters analyzed were: frequency, age, socio-demographic status, macroscopic and histological aspects and the prognosis. Results: The cervical cancer represented 78.78% (2064 cases) of gynecological cancers, 42.71% of woman cancer and 17.41% of all cancers. The average age was 48.36 years ranging from 2 to 88 years and a peak incidence between 45-54 years (29%). Multiparity was observed 57.04% (n = 231) and the low socioeconomic level was predominant (70.41%). Concerning pathological examination, the tumor lesions were predominantly budding (51.52%). Squamous cell carcinomas (92.88%) were the most frequent of histological types with 95.1% (n = 1823) of invasive carcinomas. The average age of patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 49 years with 41.5 years for intraepithelial carcinomas and 46.8 years for invasive carcinomas. At the prognosis, squamous cell carcinomas were diagnosed most often in stage pT2 (57.41%) and with extra-cervical represented 66.4% (n = 519). Conclusion: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Ivory Coast taking into account male and female together. Its poor prognosis associated with late diagnosis should encourage the establishment of a cytology screening program.
Photodynamic Disinfection of Dental Impressions as a New Competitive Method to the Conventional Cleansing Procedures
Authors: Angelina Vlahova  , Christo Kissov  , Elka Popova
Published: November 2012

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of Photodynamic method as a disinfection procedure to the Prosthetic Dentistry. The conventional cleansing procedures were applied in comparison. Second generation photosensitizers from the group of phthalocyanines were synthesized and applied for photodynamic studies of inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms associated with dental impressions. The results showed that Photodynamic disinfection (PDD) can be successfully applied for the samples of dental impressions contaminated experimentally and especially the samples of humans origins. PDD as a new procedure was more efficient and competitive to the conventional disinfections of impressions.
Public Debt Sustainability: The Case of Greece
Authors: Tantos Stefanos
Published: November 2012

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine whether the Greek public debt will be sustainable up to 2020. To this end, we develop a debt sustainability model and carry out an empirical investigation based on a system of four equations for the period 1980-2009. By conducting a number of simulations, we find that the change of public debt to GDP ratio decreases when the primary deficit decreases or the growth rate increases, while this ratio rises when the real interest rate increases. Finally, adopting scenarios of public debt sustainability for the period 2013-2020, we find out that the debt can be sustainable in the case of high primary surpluses or high growth rates. However, surpluses and growth rates may be lower if the revenues from privatizations or an additional haircut are introduced into the analysis.
Virological failure rates and HIV‐1 drug resistance patterns in patients on first‐line antiretroviral treatment in semirural and rural Gabon
Authors: Liégeois Florian , Vella Caroline , Eymard‐Duvernay Sabrina , Sica Jeanne , Makosso Laurent , Mouinga‐Ondémé Augustin , Mongo Arnaud Delis , Boué Vanina , Butel Christelle , Peeters Martine , Gonzalez Jean‐Paul , Delaporte Eric , Rouet François
Published: November 2012

Introduction

As antiretroviral treatment (ART) continues to expand in resource‐limited countries, the emergence of HIV drug resistance mutations (DRMs) is challenging in these settings. In Gabon (central Africa), no study has yet reported the virological effectiveness of initial ART given through routine HIV care.

Methods

Following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, a cross‐sectional study with a one‐time HIV‐1 RNA viral load (VL) measurement was conducted in Gabon to assess virological failure (VF) defined by a VL result ≥1000 copies/ml and DRMs among adult patients living with non‐B HIV‐1 strains and receiving first‐line non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)‐based antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 months. Risk factors associated with VF and DRMs were assessed.

Results

Between March 2010 and March 2011, a total of 375 patients were consecutively enrolled from two decentralized (one semirural and one rural) HIV care centres. Median time on ART was 33.6 months (range, 12–107). Overall, the rate of VF was 41.3% (36.4–46.4). Among viremic patients, 56.7% (80/141) had at least one DRM and 37.6% had dual‐class resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and NNRTIs. The most frequent DRMs were K103N/S (46.1%) and M184V/I (37.6%). Thymidine analogue mutations were found in 10.6%. Independent risk factors associated with VF were being followed up at the semirural centre (P=0.033), having experienced unstructured treatment interruptions (P=0.0044), and having low CD4+ counts at enrolment (P<0.0001). A longer time on ART (P=0.0008) and being followed up at the rural centre (P=0.021) were risk factors for DRMs.

Conclusions

This is the first study conducted in Gabon providing VF rates and DRM patterns in adult patients receiving first‐line ART. In sub‐Saharan Africa, where NNRTI‐based regimens are recommended as the standard for first‐line ART, strengthening virological monitoring together with preventing unplanned treatment interruptions are a global public health priority.
Department of Defense Chiropractic Internships: A Survey of Internship Participants and Nonparticipants
Authors: Dunn Andrew S.
Published: November 2012

Objective: Department of Defense (DoD) chiropractic internships first began in July of 2001. At the time of this study, 30 New York Chiropractic College student interns had completed part of their clinical education within chiropractic clinics at either the National Naval Medical Center or Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the careers of DoD chiropractic internship participants with comparable nonparticipants in terms of demographics, professional activities, income, and satisfaction. Methods: Survey research was employed to gather data from DoD chiropractic internship participants and comparable nonparticipants. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine significant differences with a nominal significance level set as .05. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in demographics, professional activities, income, or career satisfaction between the 21 DoD chiropractic internship participants (70% response rate) and 35 internship nonparticipants (35% response rate). Conclusions: This study utilized practice parameters as a form of feedback for a comparative analysis of DoD chiropractic internship participants and nonparticipants and found no significant differences between these groups. Limitations of the study may have influenced the results. Opportunities for chiropractic students to train within these settings remains limited and should be further explored, as should additional research into this component of chiropractic clinical education.