bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of remuneration schedule on data completion and retention in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS)
Authors: Terry Ndeah , Lipsky Leah M. , Siega-Riz Anna Maria , Liu Aiyi , Nansel Tonja R.
Published: November 2019

Background: Maximizing data completion and study retention is essential in population research. There is scant research to inform how remuneration schedules and data collection modality influence participant data completion and retention.

Purpose: We examined the effect of remuneration schedule and data collection modality on data completion and retention in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS) cohort.

Methods: Participants (n=458) completed self-administered surveys and diet recalls online and attended six study visits. Initially, remuneration was a prespecified amount per visit (lump sum). The remuneration schedule was changed mid-study to be based on the number of forms completed (pro-rated). Survey data collection modality was changed to in-person at the 1-year postpartum visit. Remuneration schedule as a predictor of withdrawal by visit was modeled using

Poisson regression; differences in retention at 1-year postpartum were examined by t-test. Differences in survey and diet record completion were determined by t-test, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression.

Results: There was no significant difference in the time to withdrawal and no interaction of visit with remuneration schedule on withdrawal. Survey and diet recall completion were significantly lower under prorated remuneration at the first visit but did not significantly differ at subsequent visits. Survey completion at 1-year postpartum was significantly higher for in-person versus online completion.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that remuneration schedule and data collection modality can impact completion of self-reported assessments. Further research is needed to understand how remuneration and data collection practices intersect with diverse populations to influence data completion and retention.
Study on the effect of hydrogen sulfide on oxidative stress in renal tubular epithelial cells injured by hypoxia-reoxygenation
Authors: Li Di , Xia Tianyu , Liu Wenli , Li Guangyuan , Zhang Xiaolin , Tan Zhicheng
Published: November 2019

Background: The present study was designed to determine whether exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) inhibits oxidative stress in renal tubular epithelial cells under hypoxia-reoxygenation injury. Material and Methods: NRK-52E cells were divided into 4 group, which were Sham group, HR group, NaHS group and DPI group. Using western blotting to detect the protein expression of NOX2 and NOX4 in the process of hypoxia-reoxygenation. Using real-time quantitative PCR to detect the NOX2 and NOX4 mRNA expression in hypoxia-reoxygenation. The fluorescent probe DCFH-DA was used to detect the content of ROS (reactive oxygen species) in cells. The activity of NADPH oxidase was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The protein and mRNA expression of NOX2 and NOX4 were significantly increased in the process of hypoxia-reoxygenation, but decreased with NaHS intervention. ROS content and NADPH oxidase activity were all increased in hypoxia-reoxygenation, but decreased after NaHS intervention. Conclusions: H 2 S can reduce ROS production by inhibiting NOX4 and NOX2 during oxidative stress, and also directly inhibits NADPH oxidase activity.
Effects of Four Different Food Additives on the Oxidative Stress Markers of Wistar Albino Rats
Authors: C Ifemeje J , E Ezeonyemalu U , Egbuna Chukwuebuka , C Olisah M , O Ifemeje M
Published: November 2019

This work investigated the effects of food additives on the oxidative stress markers and liver marker enzymes. Food additives are products added to the basic food stuff with an aim of improving its flavor, aspect, texture, color, taste, and value. Thirty (30) Wistar rats were divided into five groups of six rats each. Group A received a daily dose of distillated water and normal rat pellet, Group B, C, D and E received 20 mg/kg body of Aspartame, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium nitrite and sodium sulfite respectively. The duration for exposure of these animals to food additives was 30 days and the groups were observed daily for general conditions. At the end of feeding the animals, blood samples were collected and analyzed. The result of the analysis showed that ALT significantly (p<0.05) increased with sodium nitrite and sodium sulfite while ALP increased significantly (p<0.05) with sodium sulphite. The oxidative stress biomarker, catalase showed a significant increase with sodium benzoate and sodium sulphite. The results revealed that the food additives are injurious to the animals. The toxicity of the food additives studied at 20 mg/kg are in the order of Sodium nitrite > Sodium benzoate > Sodium sulphite > Aspartame.
Dynamic stiffness method for free vibration analysis of thin functionally graded rectangular plates
Authors: Chauhan Manish , Ranjan Vinayak , Sathujoda Prabhakar
Published: November 2019

In this present work, the dynamic stiffness method (DSM) is used to analyze the free vibration of a thin functionally graded rectangular plate. Classical plate theory (CPT) is used to develop the dynamic stiffness matrix of a functionally graded material (FGM) plate. For free vibration analysis, the natural frequencies of the functionally graded material plate are estimated by using DSM with Wittrick-Williams algorithm for different aspect ratios and different boundary conditions. The present research compared the DSM natural frequencies results with those available in the published literature.
Measurement of damping properties of beeswax and cosmetic wax using Oberst beam method
Authors: Jade Nagaraja , Bhirodkar Sachin , B Venkatesham
Published: November 2019

Damping treatment is a standard practice in many industries for controlling excessive vibration at resonance. Different damping materials are available for various engineering applications. Wax is one of them, and it’s mostly used in musical instruments. There are two types of wax are available namely beeswax (natural wax) and cosmetic wax. The aim of the present study is to measure damping properties of these two types of wax using Oberst Beam Method (OBM). The effects of damping material’s thickness and bare sample on damping loss factor are studied.
Antimicrobial Peptides: Vestiges of Past or Modern Therapeutics?
Authors: Mitra Jyotsna Bhatt , Sharma Veerendra K. , Kumar Mukesh , Mukherjee Archana
Published: November 2019

The ubiquitous occurrence of Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) in all domains of life emphasizes
their crucial role as ancient mediators of host defense. Despite their antiquity and prolonged history
of exposure to pathogens, endogenous AMPs continue to serve as effective antibiotics. An "evolutionary
arms race" between host and pathogen resulted in structural diversity of AMPs, leading these
molecules to retain activity against a wide range of pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant microbes.
As the menace of antibiotic resistance continues to render most antibiotics ineffective against pathogens,
the search for novel drug candidates has taken the center stage. The ability of AMPs to combat
antibiotic-resistant microbes gave rise to a remarkable surge of interest in AMPs as potential therapeutics.
Apart from being effective antimicrobials, AMPs have also found application as probes suitable
for in-situ diagnosis of infection. Here, we review the evolutionary history of AMPs, their structural
diversity, and mechanism of interaction with microbial membranes. We also summarize the role of
AMPs as modern pharmaceuticals and challenges to this development.
Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Properties of Andrographolide Against Human Colon Cancer DLD1 Cell Line
Authors: Khan Imran , Mahfooz Sadaf , Ansari Irfan A.
Published: November 2019

Background:

In recent years, natural products have received great attention for cancer prevention
owing to their various health benefits, noticeable lack of toxicity and side effects, and the limitations
of chemotherapeutic agents. Andrographolide, a labdane diterpenoid is a principal bioactive
constituent of Andrographis paniculata Nees, exhibits significant anticancer activity.

Objective:

The efficacy of andrographolide on colon cancer cells is yet to be elucidated completely.
Therefore, we investigated the anticancer efficiency of andrographolide in colon cancer DLD1 cell
line.

Methods:

Antiproliferative activity of andrographolide on DLD1 cells was evaluated by MTT assay,
LDH release assay, morphological analysis and colony formation assay. Induction of apoptosis was
determined by DAPI staining, Annexin V-FITC staining assay, and caspase-3 activation assay. Role of
andrographolide induced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and its association with apoptosis
induction in DLD1 cells was elucidated by DCFDA dye. Synergistic ability of andrographolide with 5-
fluorouracil (5-FU) and paclitaxel (PTX) was evaluated by MTT assay.

Results:

Results of the present study indicated that andrographolide declined cell viability of DLD1
cells in a concentration and time-dependent manner. Andrographolide induced apoptosis via nuclear
condensation, phosphatidylserine externalization and caspase-3 activation. It also augmented cellular
ROS levels which were in turn associated with apoptosis induction in DLD1 cells. Moreover, andrographolide
displayed synergistic activity with 5-FU and PTX against DLD1 cells.

Conclusion:

The present study showed that andrographolide demonstrated antiproliferative and apoptotic
properties, moreover it also displayed synergistic effect with chemotherapeutic drugs in colon
cancer DLD1 cells.
Nivel de indicadores de responsabilidad social empresarial (RSE) en la ese hospital local de Montelíbano, 2015.
Authors: Álvarez C Lilibeth , Vásquez F Yurbis Natalia , Espitia C Enalbis Esther
Published: November 2019

Objective. To determine the level of corporate social responsibility indicators in order to design a strategic plan for improvement in the Local Hospital ESE Montelibano. Materials and Methods. Quantitative Cross-sectional study, the total population of managers, administrative and operational staff took the survey technique was used with application of the questionnaire as a tool to establish the level of social responsibility of the company from the perception of different interest groups such as: Managers, employees, suppliers and users identified in the sample. Once we collected the information we proceeded to the recording, processing, analysis and discussion in accordance with the objectives and results of other studies using for this purpose the preparation of statistical tables and graphs that illustrated techniques summarized and organized information. Tabulation and graphing was performed using electronic Excel spreadsheet, which allowed to make from simple math, using statistical functions, dynamic tables and graphs. Results. 56% of the population of interest groups officials and users were female, 100%, ages users ranged from 18 to 33 years, and that of officials in the range of 24 to 59 years . In the socioeconomic level found that 89.5% of users belonged to the stratum I, while 8.9% lived in stratum II and only 1.6% of the total respondents belonged to the stratum III, officials it became clear that most were classified in 65% in strata I and II. At a general level and taking into account the assessment of perception indicators in each group, the level of social responsibility of the institution is 3.0, which classified it in an unsatisfactory level. Conclusion. Although the Company shows strengths in areas related to good perception of stakeholders against factors such as promoting teamwork, non- discrimination, women’s employability,  respect for the right of settlement and layoffs, ongoing training, mechanisms of knowledge of the expectations of communities, waste minimization through the realization of green audit programs; It has a high level of dissatisfaction with aspects related to the development of its  employees and the quality of life of families and above the law benefits, little rise in women to executive positions jobs, lack of schemes of flexible work and programs to stimulate the generation of ideas. Also with the lack of enforcement of environmental certification standards, and detailed information about the destination of its products or services, they do not receive formal statement or goals of environmental principles to prevent pollution, any generation previous incentives and recognition for employees They are suggesting alternatives to contamination processes. At a general level and taking into account the assessment of perception indicators in each group, the level of social responsibility of the institution is 3.0, which classified it in an unsatisfactory level.
Nivel de felicidad en un grupo de adultos mayores de montería, pertenecientes a un programa de danza.
Authors: Puello A Elsy Cecilia , Sánchez C Álvaro Antonio , Flórez V Marisol
Published: November 2019

Objective. Describe the level of  happiness  of  a  group  of older adults belonging to the project of solidarity extension of the University of Cordoba “Dancing for my health”. Materials and method. Research of a quantitative nature, the sample consisted of 36 longevity selected for convenience to whom the General Happiness Scale was applied. Results. The predominant gender was female with 91%, the age range ranged from 60-90 years, after   a year of belonging to the program all without exception to a greater or lesser degree expressed  to  feel happy, the highest levels occurred in females, Nevertheless, in contrasting happiness level with having and being, this trend changes 86% showed low levels of happiness, stating that if they had less economic concerns they  could be happier. Conclusions. The high perception of happiness evidenced could be related to the fact that the older adults performed for a prolonged period and in a stable physical activity (dance) and participated actively in a program of solidarity extension with educational, welfare and recreational interventions in which Had the opportunity to share frequently with their counterparts, corroborating once again  the  importance  of  dance  as  a main strategy and integrating axis, a fundamental element to increase the socializing capacity, welfare, self care, health and happiness in the elderly; Therefore, it is necessary to reorient and optimize the Public Policies for the health and well-being of the longevity, expanding their opportunities of inclusion to integral health programs.
Factores asociados al no reporte de eventos adversos en servicios de apoyo diagnóstico 2010-2015.
Authors: Contreras Luz Mary , Clavijo Camilo , Bula Romero Javier
Published: November 2019

Objetivo. Identificar los factores asociados al no reporte de eventos adversos en los servicios de apoyo diagnóstico en una IPS de primer nivel de atención, con el fin de tomar decisiones orientadas a brindar una atención segura a sus usuarios. Materiales y métodos. La presente investigación, corresponde a un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo, de tipo exploratorio. Realizada a partir del análisis de los registros de las actas gestión y seguimiento de los eventos adversos no reportados en el programa de seguridad del paciente de la institución, en el periodo comprendido entre 01 de enero de 2010 a 31 de diciembre de 2015. Resultados. El 46.5% de los eventos adversos en el servicio de laboratorio clínico y el 45% de los eventos adversos en el servicio de imágenes diagnósticas durante el período estudiado, no fueron reportados por omisión; situación que afecta la seguridad del paciente indicando una pobre cultura sobre el reporte de los eventos adversos. Conclusiones. El mayor porcentaje de eventos adversos no reportados en los servicios de apoyo diagnóstico durante el período estudiado. Esta situación se atribuyó a que el personal implicado temía que se tomaran acciones punitivas como consecuencia a la presentación de estos sucesos.
ÁNTRAX: enfermedad aún vigente.
Authors: Guzmán Terán Camilo , Calderón Rangel Alfonso , Soto Gómez Ella
Published: November 2019

El ántrax es una zoonosis producida por Bacillus anthracis, único miembro del género Bacillus que es capaz de causar enfermedad epidémica en humanos y otros mamíferos. Afecta principalmente a los animales herbívoros domésticos y silvestres. Los humanos son hospederos accidentales y se infectan por contacto directo o indirecto con animales o productos contaminados. Las esporas pueden vivir en el suelo por años y los humanos pueden contraer el ántrax al tener contacto con animales infectados, productos provenientes de estos que al consumir carne infectada; esto se presenta principalmente en países poco desarrollados donde los niveles de vacunación animal contra esta enfermedad son bajos. Este escrito tiene por objetivo presentar una revisión sobre el tema, especialmente sobre aspectos como el modo de infección, manifestaciones clínicas, diagnóstico y tratamiento de la enfermedad.
Comportamiento de Zika y sus complicaciones en el departamento de Córdoba, 2016.
Authors: Cañavera M Vanessa , Cogollo J Shirly , Sánchez C Álvaro
Published: November 2019

Objective.  Determine the behaviour of the Zika virus and its complications in the department of Cordoba, 2016, recommending epidemiological surveillance actions and control of vectors to minimize event’s effect. Materials and methods. Descriptive, quali-quantitative and cross-sectional study.  A search of electronic data bases of new cases of Zika and its complications was performed. Results.  By 2016 until 18 epidemiologic week, the behaviour of Zika in Cordoba was 2153 cases, which has been increasing to 469 cases in reference to 4 epidemiologic week. Female population was the most affected with 1626 cases (75,5%), of which 740 was registered in pregnant women, being Monteria the most incident municipality until 17 epidemiologic week.  The incidence of complications with suspected of have had Zika, in the department was 21 cases, of which 2 (9,5%) was microcephaly.  The most incident neurologic syndrome was Guillain-Barré syndrome with 8 cases (38,1%).  Conclusion. The behaviour of Zika in Cordoba, shows the link between complications ́s increasing and previous Zika infection; it is supplemented by researches worldwide. Giving importance to the implementation of prevention and promotion actions aimed at decreasing the risk of complications, morbidity and mortality in those with Zika.
Evaluación de la Función sexual en mujeres con cáncer de mama, en el Quindío
Authors: Espitia De La Hoz Franklin José , De La Ossa Ospina Daniel
Published: November 2019

Objective. To evaluate the alterations of sexual function in Quindío women suffering from breast cancer. Material and Methods. Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study; It included a sample of 48 women diagnosed with breast cancer; evaluated using the Female Sexual Function Index (IFSF) instrument, between June 2016 and June 2017. Results. The average age was 46.8 ± 7.5 years. About a third of the women (29.16%) were between 55 and 64 years old. The average total IFSF score in the affected population was 18.09 ± 4.14 points (range 6.81 ± 30.57), establishing a prevalence of sexual disorders of 54.16%. Desire stands out as the main alteration (54.16%) and orgasm (45.83%). 58.33% presented, simultaneously, two or more associated disorders. Conclusions. A significant percentage of women with breast cancer have some degree of affectation of their sexual function (62.5 %%), with desire and orgasm being the most affected. The alteration of sexual function is more frequent in the population over 55 years of age, in those who received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as in those who underwent radical mastectomy.
Medical Students’ Experiences and Outcomes Using a Virtual Human Simulation to Improve Communication Skills: Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)
Authors: Guetterman Timothy C , Sakakibara Rae , Baireddy Srikar , Kron Frederick W , Scerbo Mark W , Cleary James F , Fetters Michael D
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Attending to the wide range of communication behaviors that convey empathy is an important but often underemphasized concept to reduce errors in care, improve patient satisfaction, and improve cancer patient outcomes. A virtual human (VH)–based simulation, MPathic-VR, was developed to train health care providers in empathic communication with patients and in interprofessional settings and evaluated through a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

This mixed methods study aimed to investigate the differential effects of a VH-based simulation developed to train health care providers in empathic patient-provider and interprofessional communication.

METHODS

We employed a mixed methods intervention design, involving a comparison of 2 quantitative measures—MPathic-VR–calculated scores and the objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) scores—with qualitative reflections by medical students about their experiences. This paper is a secondary, focused analysis of intervention arm data from the larger trial. Students at 3 medical schools in the United States (n=206) received simulation to improve empathic communication skills. We conducted analysis of variance, thematic text analysis, and merging mixed methods analysis.

RESULTS

OSCE scores were significantly improved for learners in the intervention group (mean 0.806, SD 0.201) compared with the control group (mean 0.752, SD 0.198; F1,414=6.09; P=.01). Qualitative analysis revealed 3 major positive themes for the MPathic-VR group learners: gaining useful communication skills, learning awareness of nonverbal skills in addition to verbal skills, and feeling motivated to learn more about communication. Finally, the results of the mixed methods analysis indicated that most of the variation between high, middle, and lower performers was noted about nonverbal behaviors. Medium and high OSCE scorers most often commented on the importance of nonverbal communication. Themes of motivation to learn about communication were only present in middle and high scorers.

CONCLUSIONS

VHs are a promising strategy for improving empathic communication in health care. Higher performers seemed most engaged to learn, particularly nonverbal skills.
An Empirical Study on the Impact of Trade War on Both the US and Chinese Economies, Based on the Value-at-risk Approach
Authors: Djebbouri Mohammed , Laouni Mahmoud , Tahi Abderrahmane
Published: November 2019

The trade war between the US and China has led to global instability, this makes studying this topic very important and sensitive. This study aims to show the impact of the trade war on both the United States and China, by studying both US and Chinese companies before and after the trade war.Although the trade war is still ongoing and has not ended, but it is long enough to judge its impact on the two countries. In this study, the value at risk was used as a tool to compare the size of the risks to both the US and Chinese portfolios before and after the trade war, the results showed that the VaR of the US and Chinese portfolio after the trade war was greater than the VaR before the trade war, This means that the two countries were affected by the trade war.However, the results also showed that this change in the VaR of the US portfolio was greater than the change in the VaR of the Chinese portfolio, this means that the US portfolio has been more affected by the trade war than its Chinese counterpart.
A portable instrument with disposable cells for in-situ measurements of viscosity in liquids
Authors: Grossi Marco , Riccò Bruno
Published: November 2019

Viscosity is a very important property of liquids and its measure is mandatory for quality analysis in different industrial fields, such as food, paints, petroleum based products and cosmetics. Different types of viscometers exist that can measure fluids’ viscosity with high accuracy exploiting different physical principles, however these instruments are generally laboratory based and not suitable for quick in-situ measurements by untrained personnel.In this paper a portable instrument for in-situ measurement of liquids’ viscosity is presented. The instrument is based on the falling ball principle and features a battery operated electronic board, an LCD display and a disposable cell for measurements on samples for which cleaning would be difficult and time consuming. The instrument has been successfully tested by measuring the viscosity of tap water in the temperature range 15° - 45 °C and the viscosity of metalworking fluids in order to estimate oil concentration.
AC-ELECTROKINETICS BASED TOOLS IN NANOENGINEERING AND MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS
Authors: Ramrrez A , Zehe A. , Durán R.
Published: November 2019

Slllcon-based mlcroeledronics has been following the integration prognosls of MOORE's Law durlng the past decades and posslbly will do so for another decade or two. Physlcal, technological and also flnancialllmlts In the foreseeable future will slow down the contlnued expansiOn of this branch of mlcroeledronlcs and instead wlll force a new technological approach based on molecular-scale eledronics (MOLETRONICS). New tools are needed to allow molecular devlce manufaduring and nanoscale engineering with hlgh precision and produdivlty. One group of methods with the potentlal for use In such a manufaduring process Is based on a.c. eledrokinetlcs effeds, which are descrlbed and discussed in this paper.
AUTOMATION OF THE ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING OF DATA FROM THERMOLUMINESCENCE DOSIMETER READERS
Authors: Rlvero-Ramírez D. C. , Garda-Trapaga C. , Pavón-Gonzalez N. , Quiles-La Torre F. , Benavides-Benitez J. , Draz-Bernal E. , Mollna-Rodríguez D.
Published: November 2019

The thermolumlnescence dosimeter (TLD) readers used In the Laboratory of External Dosimetry of the Center of Protection and Hygiene from the Radiations are old-fashioned. The data obtained by this equipment must be manually written down In arder to subsequently, process them and these data do not remain registered In any memory for future analysis. This paper describes the desing and creation of a system that conneds these TLD readers to a personal computer. The system Includes a data acquisition card with several analogue input channels, counters, timers as well as digital inputs/outputs and software, In arder to control the acquisition and processing of the data.
ONE SIMPLE METHOD FOR THE DESIGN OF MULTIPLIERLESS FIR FILTERS
Authors: Jovanovic-Dolecek G. , M-Alvarez M. , Martinez M.
Published: November 2019

This paper presents one simple method for the design of multiplierless finite Impulse response (FIR) filters by the repeated use of the same filter. The prototype filter Is a cascade of a second order recurslve running sum (RRS) filter, known as a cosine filter, and its corresponding expanded versions. As a result, no multipliers are requlred to implement this filter.
Monitoring of the PH using ISFET sensors in electroplating processes
Authors: Alvarez Romero G. A. , Ramírez-Silva M. T. , Rojas-Hernández A. , Hernández-Rodríguez P. R.
Published: November 2019

It is well known that electroplating with metals has achieved quite a significant importance and has become a lucrative area. The present paper looks at the electroplating processes as a part of the metallurgical industry that are carried out with diverse aims. The quality and characteristics of the metal deposit depend on the electrochemical conditions imposed, such as pH. During an industrial electroplating process, when an undesirable change is detected first in the metal coating attained, is a common occurrence that a complete change of the plating bath is carried out. Due to this, the application of analytical systems to enable in situ precise monitoring of any compositional changes of the bath during the electroplating process, is an unquestionable need to be carefully satisfied. The design of such systems should allow close control of the concentrations of specific components during the process, constituting thus a desirable aim entailing both, financial and time savings. In the present work, the construction of an analytical system based on the coupling of a continuou sampling system with pH ISFET sensors is described. Comparative studies between a glass electrode and the proposed analytical system in copper, silver and nickel electroplating baths are carried out.
Wavelet-Network based on L1-Norm minimisation for learning chaotic time series
Authors: Alarcon-Aquino V. , Garcia-Treviño E. S. , Rosas-Romero R. , Ramirez-Cruz J. F. , Guerrero-Ojeda L. G. , Rodriguez- Asomoza J.
Published: November 2019

This paper presents a wavelet-neural network based on the L1-norm minimisation for learning chaotic time series. The proposed approach, which is based on multi-resolution analysis, uses wavelets as activation functions in the hidden layer of the wavelet-network. We propose using the L1-norm, as opposed to the L2-norm, due to the wellknown fact that the L1-norm is superior to the L2-norm criterion when the signal has heavy tailed distributions or outliers. A comparison of the proposed approach with previous reported schemes using a time series benchmark is presented. Simulation results show that the proposed wavelet network based on the L1-norm performs better than the standard back-propagation network and the wavelet-network based on the traditional L2-norm when applied to synthetic data.
Diverse time-frequency distributions integrated to an art2 network for non-destructive testing
Authors: Bení­tez-Pérez H. , Medina-Gómez L.
Published: November 2019

The Ultrasonic Pulse-Echo technique has been successfully used in a non-destructive testing of materials. To perform Ultrasonic Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE), an ultrasonic pulsed wave is transmitted into the materials using a transmitting/receiving transducer or arrays of transducers,that produces an image of ultrasonic reflectivity. The information inherent in ultrasonic signals or image are the echoes coming from flaws, grains, and boundaries of the tested material. The main goal of this evaluation is to determine the existence of defect, its size and its position; for that matter, an innovative methodology is proposed based on pattern recognition and wavelet analysis for flaws detection and localization. The pattern recognition technique used in this work is the neural network named ART2 (Adaptive Resonance Theory) trained by the information given by the time-scale information of the signals via the wavelet transform. A thorough analysis between the neural network training and the type wavelets used for the training has been developed, showing that the Symlet 6 wavelet is the optimum for our problem.
Four laws for today and tomorrow
Authors: Kocovic Petar
Published: November 2019

For the last twenty years, one field has had a very important impact on our lives and economy. Related to technology, some observations in IT and ICT fields, started in the mid-seventies would have an impact in the next decade. Very dramatic and fast changes on the telecommunication technology and on the theory of information in general were defined by four rules from which three are non-technical and were defined by people who belonged to the business world rather than to the science field. Shannon (1947), Moore (1965), Metcalfe (1985) and Gilder (1990s) defined the fast development of the ICT and the telecommunications sector. Their formulations would become some sort of laws which will be valid throughout the first decade of 21st century.
Binocular visual tracking and grasping of a moving object with a 3D trajectory
Authors: Fuentes-Pacheco J. , Ruiz-Ascencio J. , Rendón-Mancha J. M.
Published: November 2019

This paper presents a binocular eye-to-hand visual servoing system that is able to track and grasp a moving object in real time. Linear predictors are employed to estimate the object trajectory in three dimensions and are capable of predicting future positions even if the object is temporarily occluded. For its development we have used a CRS T475 manipulator robot with six degrees of freedom and two fixed cameras in a stereo pair configuration. The system has a client‐server architecture and is composed of two main parts: the vision system and the control system. The vision system uses color detection to extract the object from the background and a tracking technique based on search windows and object moments. The control system uses the RobWork library to generate the movement instructions and to send them to a C550 controller by means of the serial port. Experimental results are presented to verify the validity and the efficacy of the proposed visual servoing system.
Multi‐agent system for the making of intelligence and interactive decisions wit
Authors: Canales-Cruz A. , Sánchez-Arias V. G. , Cervantes-Pérez F. , Peredo-Valderrama R.
Published: November 2019

The main focus of this paper is to show the concepts, architectures, interaction techniques, and general approaches to the analysis and specification of a multi‐agent system for the making of intelligence and interactive decisions inside the learner’s learning process. These contributions are applied in the development of an integrated system for Web‐based education with powerful adaptivity for the management, authoring, delivery and monitoring of learning content.
Complex modes of vibration due to small-scale damping in a guitar topplate
Authors: Torres J A , Rendón P L , Boullosa R R
Published: November 2019

Modal analysis is one of the preeminent methods used by scientists and engineers to study vibrating structures. The frequency response functions obtained through this method, are, in general, complex-valued. There is, however, no agreed-upon interpretation given to the real and imaginary parts of these functions, even though it is acknowledged that their relative magnitude for different frequencies is related to the behaviour of the corresponding modes. A simple model is deduced to describe the shape of the spectrum associated with a finite-length time-signal. There is very good agreement between results obtained using this model and numerical results obtained for, in this case, the vibration of a guitar top-plate using finite element methods. One interpretation of the relative magnitudes of the real and imaginary parts of the frequency response functions is advanced. It is found that stationary-wave behaviour is associated with the dominance of the real or imaginary part; traveling-wave behaviour, on the other hand, occurs when the real and imaginary parts are of the same order of magnitude, as long as the scale of damping is large enough and resonance peaks in the spectrum are close enough.
Maximum Likelihood Position Location with a Limited Number of
Authors: Munoz-Rodriguez D. , Suarez-Robles L. , Vargas-Rosales C. , Rodriguez-Cruz J. R.
Published: November 2019

A Position Location (PL) scheme for mobile users on the outskirts of coverage areas is presented. The proposed methodology makes it possible to obtain location information with only two land-fixed references. We introduce a¨general formulation and show that maximum-likelihood estimation can provide adequate PL information in this scenario. The Root Mean Square (RMS) error and error-distribution characterization are obtained for different propagation scenarios. In addition, simulation results and comparisons to another method are provided showing the accuracy and the robustness of the method proposed. We study accuracy limits of the proposed methodology for different propagation environments and show that even in the case of mismatch in the error variances, good PL estimation is feasible.
A Hybrid Metaheuristic Approach to Optimize the Districting Design of
Authors: González-Ramírez R.G. , Smith N. R. , Askin R. G. , Miranda Pablo A. , Sánchez J.M.
Published: November 2019

In this article we address a districting problem faced by a pickup and delivery parcel company over a determined service region. The service region is divided into districts, each served by a single vehicle that departs from a central depot. Two objectives are optimized: compactness and balance of the workload content among the districts. We present a mathematical formulation of the problem and a heuristic algorithm to solve the problem. Numerical results are presented in comparison to CPLEX 11.1 solutions for the smaller size instances. The results show that the heuristic performs well. The algorithm is able to solve moderate size instances in reasonable computational time, given the strategic nature of the problem.
Mixed Acceleration Techniques for Solving Quickly Stochastic Shortest-Path Markov Decision Processes
Authors: García-Hernández M. de G. , Ruiz-Pinales J. , Onaindía E. , Ledesma-Orozco S. , Aviña-Cervantes J. G. , Alvarado-Méndez E. , Reyes-Ballesteros A.
Published: November 2019

In this paper we propose the combination of accelerated variants of value iteration mixed with improved prioritizedsweeping for the fast solution of stochastic shortest-path Markov decision processes. Value iteration is a classicalalgorithm for solving Markov decision processes, but this algorithm and its variants are quite slow for solvingconsiderably large problems. In order to improve the solution time, acceleration techniques such as asynchronousupdates, prioritization and prioritized sweeping have been explored in this paper. A topological reordering algorithmwas also compared with static reordering. Experimental results obtained on finite state and action-space stochasticshortest-path problems show that our approach achieves a considerable reduction in the solution time with respect tothe tested variants of value iteration. For instance, the experiments showed in one test a reduction of 5.7 times withrespect to value iteration with asynchronous updates.
Digital Implementation of a Logical Functor on a PLD
Authors: Vega-Ramírez A. A. , Pérez-Silva J. L.
Published: November 2019

A digital circuit was implemented on a PLD to emulate the concept of logical functor physically, element from which allthe Boolean connectors that exist can be generated. With this circuit, based on the Mc Cullock and Pitts neuron modeland operating in agreement with the theory of the functor, several tests were carried out, starting from the applicationof values to the group of inputs that are considered as the threshold value that governs the behavior of the operatoras well as to the group of inputs that are operated by the connector through this threshold. The obtained resultspresent characteristics of behavior that refer to the above mentioned different Boolean operations. In these results,the utility of this functor is observed since it can be manipulated to solve diverse operation necessities, withoutrequiring any connections or alterations to the existing system.
Achieving Identity-Based Cryptography in a Personal Digital Assistant Device
Authors: Martínez-Ramos L. , López-García L. , Rodríguez-Henríquez F.
Published: November 2019

Continuous technological advances have allowed that mobile devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), can executesophisticated applications that more often than not must be equipped with a layer of security that should include theconfidentiality and the authentication services within its repertory. Nevertheless, when compared against front-end computingdevices, most PDAs are still seen as constrained devices with limited processing and storage capabilities.In order to achieve Identity-Based Cryptography (IBC), which was an open problem proposed by Adi Shamir in 1984, Bonehand Franklin presented in Crypto 2001, a solution that uses bilinear pairings as its main building block. Since then, IBC hasbecome an active area of investigation where many efficient IBC security protocols are proposed year after year. In this paper, we present a cryptographic application that allows the secure exchange of documents from a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that is wirelessly connected to other nodes. The architecture of our application is inspired by the traditional PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) email security protocol. Our application achieves identity-based authentication and confidentiality functionalities at the 80-bit security level through the usage of a cryptographic library that was coded in C++. Our library can perform basic primitives such as bilinear pairings defined over the binary field and the ternary field , as well as other required primitives known as map-to-point hash functions. We report the timings achieved by our application and we show that they compare well against other similar works published in the open literature.
Improved Iterative Coordinated Beamforming Based on Singular Value Decomposition for Multiuser Mimo Systems With Limited Feedforward
Authors: Soriano-Equigua L. , Sánchez-García J. , Chae C.B. , Heath Jr R. W.
Published: November 2019

Coordinated beamforming based on singular value decomposition is an iterative method to jointly optimize the transmit beamformers and receive combiners, to achieve high levels of sum rates in the downlink of multiuser systems, by exploiting the multi-dimensional wireless channel created by multiple transmit and receive antennas. The optimization is done at the base station and the quantized beamformers are sent to the users through a low rate link.In this work, we propose to optimize this algorithm by reducing the number of iterations and improving its uncoded bit error rate performance. Simulation results show that our proposal achieves a better bit error rate with a lower number of iterations than the original algorithm.
ModusXXI: An Atonal Melody Generator for Ear Training, Based on Lars Edlund´S Modus Novus Methodology
Authors: Meave A. , Orduña F.
Published: November 2019

This paper describes the development, evaluation and use of the computer program ModusXXI, a music generatorthat can create a practically unlimited number of atonal melodic dictations, or melodic material for sight-reading, basedon the Modus Novus methodology [Edlund, 1963]. Lars Edlund’s Modus Novus organizes the aural study of atonalmelody structure on the combinations of intervals that will break the bonds with any tonal context; a characteristic ofsome music composed since the first half of the 20th century. Each chapter has certain melodic material that hasbeen grouped together, according to the musical intervals that they contain, in groups of increasing degree ofdifficulty. Although there are other atonal ear-training methods [Friedmann, 1990], Modus Novus is the only oneknown to us that concentrates specifically on the study of the melodic interval structure of atonal music.
A Reactive Behavior Agent: Including Emotions into a Video Game
Authors: Laureano-Cruces A. L. , Acevedo-Moreno D. A. , Mora-Torres M. , Ramírez-Rodríguez J.
Published: November 2019

Why we have emotions and how they influence human behavior are two questions we constantly ask ourselves.According to researchers in the field, there are two kinds of information that the person receives to make a decision.This information is integrated to generate a whole. One comes from ourselves it is proprioceptive and refers toemotions; the other one is external, it comes from the environment. Thus, emotions are immersed in different areas ofa person’s life, including social, functional, and cognitive aspects. It has an important role in the decision-makingprocess. It is on this last point that this paper focuses its approach, which consists of including a cognitive structure ofemotions in a reactive behavior in order to enrich behavior, including the information generated through internalevaluation of the external physical stimuli. Our work is based on the OCC theory (named after the name of its authors:Ortony, Collins and Clore). This theory proposes that a decision-making process is affected through differentperspectives: a) goals and events, b) agents and their actions, and c) objects and their capacity for attraction. Thecase study is situated within a scenario that represents an approach that seeks to include a module of emotions withinthe design of the architecture of a videogame.
An Improved MRAS Based Sensorless Vector Control Method for Wind Power Generator
Authors: Dumnic B. , Katic V. , Vasic V. , Milicevic D. , Delimar M.
Published: November 2019

This paper describes an improved sensorless vector control strategy for a squirrel cage induction generator used invariable speed wind energy conversion systems (WECS). The main goal is to design a robust control algorithmimmune to generator parameter variations. In order to estimate the rotational speed of the induction generator, amodel reference adaptive system (MRAS observer) is used. It is shown that a generator parameter mismatch has agreat influence on the rotor speed estimation. In order to estimate the speed accurately, the generator statorresistance must be identified at the same time to correct the mismatched resistance value used in the observer. Theproposed rotor speed estimator with parallel stator resistance identification is first verified by computer simulation.Finally, the experiment is conducted in order to verify the obtained simulation results. It is proved that this controlscheme can enhance the efficiency of a variable speed WECS.
Optimal Threshold Computing in Automatic Image Thresholding using Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Moallem P. , Razmjooy N.
Published: November 2019

histogram which can be modeled as a mixture of two Gaussian density functions, estimating these densities inpractice is not simply feasible. The objective of this paper is to use adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO) forthe suboptimal estimation of the means and variances of these two Gaussian density functions; then, the computationof the optimal threshold value is straightforward. The comparisons of experimental results in a wide range of complexbimodal images show that this proposed thresholding algorithm presents higher correct detection rate of object andbackground in comparison to the other methods including Otsu’s method and estimating the parameters of Gaussiandensity functions using genetic algorithm (GA). Meanwhile, the proposed thresholding method needs lower executiontime than the PSO-based method, while it shows a little higher correct detection rate of object and background, withlower false acceptance rate and false rejection rate.
Hardware Approach of R-Peak Detection for the Measurement of Fetal and Maternal Heart Rates
Authors: A. Hasan M. , Mamun Md
Published: November 2019

Fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring is a routine for obtaining significant information about the fetal condition duringpregnancy and labour. Fetal condition may change abruptly during the pregnancy period. Therefore, a continuousfetal electrocardiogram (FECG) monitoring will ease the fetal well-being. An algorithm has been developed to detectR-peak for the simultaneous measurement of the fetal and maternal hearts rates during pregnancy and labor for fetalmonitoring. The algorithm is based on a cross-correlation, adaptive threshold and statistical properties in the timedomain. The performance achieved for the R-peak detection for the heart rate measurements shows that the modelcan extract R-peak for both, mother and fetus utilizing a single-lead configuration. The algorithm has beenimplemented in the field of propagation gate array (FPGA). The design was synthesized and fitted into Altera’s StratixEP1S10 using the Quartus II platform because of its enhanced DSP capability. Test case results showed an errorpercentage of around ±0.3% and ±0.5% for the R-peak detection of maternal and fetal mortality respectively. Thesystem is capable of running at a maximum clock frequency of 48.56MHz, and consumes 9633 logic elements,101616 memory space and 4 units of DSP blocks.