Modelling Spatial Relationships between Colour Clusters

Modelling of image content based on chromatic arrangement requires suitable techniques for the representation of the spatial relationship between complex sets of pixels. We propose a model of spatial relationship between extended sets, which can be computed with the same computational complexity involved in conventional representations based on centroids, but which improves effectiveness by accounting for the overall sets of pixels involved in the relationship. The effectiveness of the proposed model is compared against the orientation between centroids in a user-based evaluation.     

Architecture as the built message of power: Buenos Aires under Evita's spell

All totalitarian governments try to capitalise upon cultural production for their own benefit, as metalanguages that reaffirm their values, and this includes architecture. The best-known example of this phenomenon is that of Nazi Germany, where the architect Speer transformed German cities into suitable settings for political display.

This can be found, also, in Argentina, during the first two Juan D. Perón governments (1946–1955), under the influence of his wife Eva Duarte, known as ‘Evita’. In those days the social and political value of aesthetics was maximised, and architecture was converted into a political imagery. The aim was to create an urban stage to highlight the image of the leader.

It is interesting to notice that the stylistic options that Germany, through Speer, and other totalitarian states adopted, were among those considered. Following the connotations that architectural styles developed through history, Neo-classicism was chosen for institutional buildings, whereas the vernacular languages that appeal to some kind of ‘national identity’ were the option for domestic architecture.

So, the ‘Peronist city’ was not ‘one’, but at least ‘two’, solved by juxtaposition and assemblage. In spite of their differences, these two types of architecture defined artificial settings: on the one hand, the city of political power, on the other, the city of dwelling as space of illusion.     

Monitoring of thread quality when tapping nodular cast iron with TiN-coated HSS cutting taps

Tapping is a widely employed but complex manufacturing process in which a multi-toothed tool, known as a tap, cuts a mating thread when driven into a hole. In this paper, the experiments, statistical analysis and the on-line implementation of a new thread quality monitoring system are presented for a tapping process in high-speed conditions. A multivariate statistical process control chart, for each tap, is presented based on the principal components of the torque directly measured from spindle motor drive. The on-line implementation of the multivariate chart provides tap wear warnings and alarms before the process starts producing unacceptable screw threads. The system is cost-effective since the tapping process can be run automatically without any operator intervention, does not require intrusive sensors, does not result in false negatives (defects) and provides an acceptable number of false positives.     

Nutritional and potential disease prevention properties of carotenoids

Epidemiological studies have shown that people who consume diets with a high content of vegetables have a reduced risk of degenerative diseases such as specific cancers, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degenerative disease (AMD), and cataracts. There is no convincing evidence that the protective role of vegetables against cancer and cardiovascular disease is due to carotenoids. However, there is a strong possibility that lutein and zeaxanthin present in food materials may prevent AMD and cataract formation. Increased use of cooked tomato products also has been shown to reduce prostate cancer risk as a result of increased bioavailability of cis-lycopene. One of the most important biochemical mechanisms underlying the cancer-preventive activity of carottenoids is the stimulation of intercellular gap junction communications. β-Carotene, canthaxanthin, and lutein are efficient inducers of intercellular gap junction communication, whereas α-carotene and lycopene are less active.     

Simulation of mass transport in SOFC composite electrodes

The anodes used in SOFCs are composites, formed by a mixture of nickel and YSZ particles. This paper presents a model for this type of electrode, taking mass transport effects into account. The effect of the operating conditions, such as temperature and pressure, is discussed. Also, the effect of the choice of the geometrical parameters, such as electrode thickness and particle radius, on the electrode performance is analysed in detail. In particular, the electrode losses display a minimum for a well-defined radius of the electrode particles, which is related to a trade-off between activation and concentration losses.     

How many versus how much: 52 weeks of alcohol consumption in emerging adults.

In previous research using timeline follow-back methods to closely monitor drinking and related variables over the first year of college (9 months), we showed that drinking varied considerably over time in accord with academic requirements and holidays. In a new community sample (N = 576) of emerging adults (18- and 19-year-olds who reported having begun drinking prior to recruitment), we used similar methods to compare drinking patterns in college and noncollege individuals over a full calendar year (including summer). To reduce the extreme distortion in computations of average drinking over restricted time spans (i.e., 1 week) that arise because large numbers of even regular drinkers may not consume any alcohol, we analyzed data using recently developed two-part latent growth curve modeling. This modeling distinguished consumption levels from numbers of individuals drinking in a given period. Results showed that drinking levels and patterns generally did not differ between college and noncollege drinkers, and that both groups responded similarly to even those contexts that may have seemed unique to one (i.e., spring break). We also showed that computation of drinking amounts without accounting for “zero drinkers” could seriously distort estimates of mean drinking on some occasions; for example, mean consumption in the total sample appeared to increase on Thanksgiving, whereas actual average consumption for those who were drinking diminished. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of milk fatty acids composition to discriminate area of origin of bulk milk

The fatty acid composition of cow milk, collected in a survey from 19 dairy farms in the border area between Italy and Slovenia, was investigated for 2 consecutive years (2005 and 2006) to assess the possibility of discriminating the area of the origin of the milk. Farms were selected based on diet, animal breed, and farm management to represent the local variability of the systems. In Slovenian farms, grass silage and hay prevailed over corn silage and concentrate feeds, whereas in Italian farms, hay and concentrates were the predominant components of the diet. Fifty-three fatty acids were separated and quantified in Italian and Slovenian milks. Saturated fatty acids represented the most abundant class, followed by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Significant differences were observed between Italian and Slovenian milks for the concentration of 40 fatty acids, whereas significant differences were observed between years of production for 15 fatty acids. Discriminant analysis was used to identify a classification criterion of milk, using country and year of production as grouping variables. Considering statistical results and the scatter plot of the scores of the first 2 functions, the best discriminant criteria were those based on unsaturated fatty acids and on fatty acids with several carbon atoms ≥18.