Solid-phase immune electron microscopy (SPIEM) for rapid viral diagnosis

Immune electron microscopy (IEM) is one of the fastest and most sensitive methods for the detection and diagnosis of viruses. This technique is based on formation of immune complexes of the virus with its corresponding antibody. In IEM optimal precipitation depends on a correct ratio, and there is a prozone effect. These problems can be overcome by using the solid-phase immune electron microscopic (SPIEM) technique. In this technique the antibody is attached to a particle which is used for 'fishing' the virus to be examined out of the suspension. After low speed centrifugation the preparation is treated either for observation in the transmission electron microscope or in the scanning electron microscope. In 'positive' samples the virus is seen attached to the surface of the particle. We report here results with S. aureus as the solid phase for the detection of Sindbis virus. The anti-Sindbis gamma globulins are attached to the bacteria by means of protein A present on their surface.     

On the least time control problem with interior output constraints

A variational problem arising in the study of least time controls is formulated in terms of norms of functionals on suitable Banach spaces. The existence of a solution is demonstrated by an appeal to the Hahn-Banach theorem, and the form of solution is developed from the equality conditions for Hölder's inequality. The systems being controlled are linear, but not necessarily time invariant, and the results may accordingly find application in the control of batch processing systems.     

Acid-base status in the toad Bufo viridis in vivo

The acid-base status in the toad Bufo viridis was assessed on blood samples taken through a chronical cannula from unrestrained animals. Blood gases and the pH were very constant in animals which were kept either under control conditions (free access to tap water) or immersed in shallow water. pH was 7.646 +/- 0.032 (mean +/- SEM) in 14 control toads at 26 degrees C. PCO2 was 13.1 +/- 1.2 mm Hg and [HCO3-] was 17.0 +/- 0.7 mmol/l at the same temperature. pH and PCO2 were independent of the hematocrit and the haemoglobin in the blood. Diamox induced a characteristic metabolic acidosis which is apprently the result of the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase both in the kidney and in the skin. The results are discussed in relation to the role of the kidney and the skin in regulating the acid-base balance in the toad.     

A Mechanized Proof Environment for the Convenient Computations Proof Method

A mechanized verification environment made up of theories over the deductive mechanized theorem prover PVS is presented, which allows taking advantage of the convenient computations method. This method reduces the conceptual difficulty of proving a given property for all the possible computations of a system by separating two different concerns: (1) proving that special convenient computations satisfy the property, and (2) proving that every computation is related to a convenient one by a relation which preserves the property. The approach is especially appropriate for applications in which the first concern is trivial once the second has been shown, e.g., where the specification itself is that every computation reduces to a convenient one. Two examples are the serializability of transactions in distributed databases, and sequential consistency of distributed shared memories. To reduce the repetition of effort, a clear separation is made between infrastructural theories to be supplied as a proof environment PVS library to users, and the specification and proof of particular examples. The provided infrastructure formally defines the method in its most general way. It also defines a computation model and a reduction relation—the equivalence of computations that differ only in the order of finitely many independent operations. One way to prove that this relation holds between every computation and some convenient one involves the definition of a measure function from computations into a well-founded set. Two possible default measures, which can be applied in many cases, are also defined in the infrastructure, along with useful lemmas that assist in their usage. We show how the proof environment can be used, by a step-by-step explanation of an application example.     

Real-time dynamic optimization of batch systems

In this paper a methodology for designing and implementing a real-time optimizing controller for batch processes is proposed. The controller is used to optimize a user-defined cost function subject to a parameterization of the input trajectories, a nominal model of the process and general state and input constraints. An interior point method with penalty function is used to incorporate constraints into a modified cost functional, and a Lyapunov based extremum seeking approach is used to compute the trajectory parameters. The technique is applicable to general nonlinear systems. A precise statement of the numerical implementation of the optimization routine is provided. It is shown how one can take into account the effect of sampling and discretization of the parameter update law in practical situations. A simulation example demonstrates the applicability of the technique.     

Time-Division Multilevel Multiplexing Communication Method

We propose a method that combines time division with multilevel signals in order to increase the channel capacity efficiently. This combined method enables increasing the bandwidth by a factor of , being the number of levels of the multilevel signal or alternatively enabling the transmission of independent channels, or any combination between both. This method increases bandwidth cost effectiveness and reduces the impact of fiber chromatic dispersion.     

处理器与音视频外设之间的连接

数字信号处理器以需要大量I/O负载的应用为目标,通常为开发人员提供各种集成接口一某些是标准接口,另外一些则是专用接口.例如,美国模拟器件公司(ADI)的Blackfin系列处理器是会聚处理器,这意味着它们在一个芯片上集成了DSP与MCU功能,这些处理器拥有与音频应用相关的两种主要类型的串行接口.该处理器的低比特速率双线接口(TWI)与串行外设接口(SPI)模块是用于音频器件控制与配置的.这些外设接口的前向通道通常用于配置或控制音频转换器,而反向通道则主要负责传输转换器的反馈信息或状态信息.该处理器的高比特速率串行端口外围电路,通常用于执行音频数据传输.     

Linking perception and action through motivation and affect

Research into cognitive architectures is described within a framework spanning major issues in artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Earlier work on motivation is extended with a cognitive model of reasoning which, together with an affective mechanism, enables consistent decision-making across a variety of cognitive and reactive processes. Cognition involves the control of behaviour within both external and internal environments. The control of behaviour is vital to an autonomous system as it acts to further its goals. Except in the most spartan of environments, the potential available information and associated combinatorics in a perception, cognition, and action sequence can tax even the most powerful agents. The affect magnitude concept solves some problems with BDI models, and allows for adaptive decision-making over a number of tasks in different domains. The cognitive and affective components are brought together using motivational constructs. The generic cognitive model can adapt to different environments and tasks as it makes use of motivational models to direct reactive and situated processes.     

Remote sensing of selected water-quality indicators with the hyperspectral imager for the coastal ocean (HICO) sensor

The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) offers the coastal environmental monitoring community an unprecedented opportunity to observe changes in coastal and estuarine water quality across a range of spatial scales not feasible with traditional field-based monitoring or existing ocean colour satellites. HICO, an Office of Naval Research-sponsored programme, is the first space-based maritime hyperspectral imaging instrument designed specifically for the coastal ocean. HICO has been operating since September 2009 from the Japanese Experiment Module – Exposed Facility on the International Space Station (ISS). The high pixel resolution (approximately 95 m at nadir) and hyperspectral imaging capability offer a unique opportunity for characterizing a wide range of water colour constituents that could be used to assess environmental condition. In this study, we transform atmospherically corrected ISS/HICO hyperspectral imagery and derive environmental response variables routinely used for evaluating the environmental condition of coastal ecosystem resources. Using atmospherically corrected HICO imagery and a comprehensive field validation programme, three regionally specific algorithms were developed to estimate basic water-quality properties traditionally measured by monitoring agencies. Results indicated that a three-band chlorophyll a algorithm performed best (R² = 0.62) when compared with in situ measurement data collected 2–4 hours of HICO acquisitions. Coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) (R² = 0.93) and turbidity (R² = 0.67) were also highly correlated. The distributions of these water-quality indicators were mapped for four estuaries along the northwest coast of Florida from April 2010 to May 2012. However, before the HICO sensor can be transitioned from proof-of-concept to operational status and its data applied to benefit decisions made by coastal managers, problems with vicarious calibration of the sensor need to be resolved and standardized protocols are required for atmospheric correction. Ideally, the sensor should be placed on a polar orbiting platform for greater spatial and temporal coverage as well as for image synchronization with field validation efforts.