EDT Method for Multiple Labelled Objects Subject to Tied Distances

Machine Intelligence Research - The success of new scientific areas can be assessed by their potential for contributing to new theoretical approaches aligned with real-world applications. The...     

Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of Superamphiphobic Surfaces on Aluminum Substrates

The field of superamphiphobic surface fabrication has evolved rapidly in the last decade; however, research on important issues such as sustainability and green chemistry procedures is still scarce. Herein, a simple method of microwave irradiation (MW) to minimize energy consumption during the preparation of superamphiphobic aluminum (Al) surfaces is reported. Al substrates are first etched in diluted HCl solutions to generate a microstructure and then irradiated in a commercial microwave unit for several time intervals, temperatures, and pressures. The surfaces are then coated with different compounds, and the wettability is tested with high and very-low surface tension liquids. Optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy images show that the density of hierarchical micro-nanostructures increases with MW time, temperature, and pressure. At 170 °C and 7.9 bar, the surfaces present a high density of structures and re-entrant topographies. The obtained coatings display excellent repellence to liquids with surface tensions as low as 27.5 mN m⁻¹. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data show the importance of efficient surface functionalization for the production of superamphiphobicity in Al substrates. The results show that MW irradiation of Al substrates can be a green and efficient method for fabricating superamphiphobic surfaces.     

Extended impedance control using real and virtual sensors for redundant manipulators

Control of a redundant manipulator based on an impedance-control framework with multiple simultaneous control sources is described. Each control source provides a different behavior type. An application is decomposed into multiple simultaneous behaviors whose resultant behavior will provide the motion necessary to execute the task. The simultaneous control inputs are merged using impedance control to compute a resultant command to the manipulator. The task space of each behavior can have the dimensionality of the mechanism being controlled. Control of a seven-degree-of-freedom manipulator is described here with an available task space for each behavior of dimensionality seven.     

The potential of perylene bisimide derivatives for the solubilization of carbon nanotubes and graphene

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are outstanding materials of the 21st century with a broad spectrum of applications. However, major challenges are faced such as the intrinsically low solubility of both sp2 carbon allotropes. To overcome this hurdle the potential of noncovalent functionalization is summarized with a special focus on the establishment of the perylene bisimide unit as aromatic anchor to the graphitic surface. Rational surfactant design is unmasked as the key to solubilization of the carbon allotropes, while at the same time tailoring their surface properties, or even electronic properties in a fully reversible fashion.     

Limbus versus pupil center for ocular alignment measurement with corneal reflexes

PURPOSE: To investigate the accuracy of ocular misalignment measurement, using corneal reflections. METHODS: Corneal reflex positions were measured relative to two landmarks, the limbus center and the entrance pupil center, using high-resolution digital images for cyclopean gaze angles from 0 degree to 18.8 degrees (34.04 prism diopters; PD) to the right and to the left in 10 subjects. Distance h from the center of the corneal curvature to each landmark was determined from linear regressions and showed significant differences between both conditions: mean hlimbus was 5.243 mm, and mean hpupil was 4.884 mm. From these, limbus- and entrance-pupil-center-related Hirschberg ratios were determined as 11 degrees/mm (19.43 PD/mm) and 11.82 degrees/mm (20.92 PD/ mm), respectively; and ocular alignment was calculated for both conditions. Simulated angles of strabismus were calculated as the binocular difference between ocular alignment of the right and left eyes (condition 1), and as the monocular difference between the ocular alignment of right eyes and left eyes separately (condition 2). RESULTS: Condition 1: Errors in simulated angles of strabismus were approximately twice as large for entrance pupil center compared with those in limbus-center-based evaluation; in the primary position, the 95% pupil-related confidence interval of the binocular difference was +/- 5.217 degrees (9.1 PD), compared with +/- 3.174 degrees (5.5 PD) for the limbus-related option. Condition 2: Errors were approximately equal. CONCLUSIONS: The entrance pupil center is a less reliable landmark than is the limbus center for measuring ocular alignment by using corneal reflections, because of unreliable positions of the entrance pupil center; different mean Hirschberg ratios should be used in both conditions.     

Quantitation of vancomycin and its crystalline degradation product (CDP-1) in human serum by high performance liquid chromatography

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients represent a difficult problem, sometimes to establish the diagnosis but mostly because of their refractoriness to standard lymphoma treatments. Which treatments to apply and to whom is not yet defined. In this study, we attempted to analyze the clinical features, to identify the major prognostic factors, and to evaluate the outcome of 121 MCL patients treated in our institution between 1979 and 1997. Clinical data, treatment modalities, and International Prognostic Index (IPI) score were evaluated. Median age was 63 years. Patients usually presented with advanced stage disease (87%), disseminated lymph nodes (57%), bone marrow involvement (79%), but with a good performance status (PS) (81%). Lymphocytosis >4000/microl and/or peripheral blood involvement was present in 36% of cases, and gastrointestinal disease in 18%. The t(11;14)(q13;q32) and/or bcl-1 rearrangement was detected in 47/57 studied cases. Median overall survival (OS) was 3.12 years and a longer survival was significantly associated with younger age (<70 years), good PS (<2), localized disease (stage I-II), fewer than two extra-nodal sites, absence of spleen or peripheral blood involvement, normal serum LDH and beta2-microglobulin levels, and hemoglobin level greater than 12 g/dl. However, the IPI failed to identify patients with longer OS and in a multiparametric analysis, only older age, hemoglobin less than 12 g/dl, poor PS, and blood involvement were associated with a poorer outcome. Treatment modalities had no impact on survival with 75% of patients relapsing or progressing. Our data showed that the poor outcome of MCL patients is mainly related to adverse patient characteristics, a highly disseminated tumor, and some unknown parameters associated with the refractoriness to standard therapy.