A patient-specific multibody kinematic model for representation of the scoliotic spine movement in frontal plane of the human body

Multibody models of scoliotic spine have shown great promise in planning scoliosis surgery by providing predictive information concerning the surgery outcome. To provide good predictive information, it is important that the kinematic models underlying the movement of the spine models would be personalized to give good estimates of the spine in different positions, which is lacking in the existing literature. This paper aims to develop a patient-specific multibody kinematic model of the scoliotic spine to represent its movement in frontal plane of the human body. The model is an open-chain mechanism comprising rigid links interconnected with rotary joints. To represent the movement, the mechanism lays on the spine curve and estimates the curve and the location and orientation of vertebrae. To personalize the mechanism for a patient, a minimization problem is defined to give the number of the links and their length by using X-rays of different spine positions. The feasibility and capabilities of our patient-specific model are tested by using the data from preoperative X-rays of five positions of 10 AIS (adolescent idiopathic scoliosis) patients; three of the X-rays are routine in scoliosis standard care. The mechanism is personalized to each patient by using the three routine X-rays, and it is used to estimate all the five positions. Root-mean-square-errors (RMSE) of the curve, location, and orientation are 2e–5 mm, 0.27 mm, and 0.25°, respectively. The small RMSEs imply that our kinematic model is capable of estimating the scoliotic spine positions in the frontal plane and thus of describing the scoliotic spine movement in this plane. Our personalization using X-rays of three spine positions helps to set better values for the kinematic parameters (such as the length of the links) for more accurate estimates of the spine in the frontal plane.     

Ion-crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose/polyaniline bio-conducting interpenetrated polymer network: preparation,characterization and application for an efficient removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution

A simple, cheap, and environmentally friendly bio-conducting interpenetrated polymer blend network was prepared and introduced as a highly efficient system with suitable physical and mechanical properties for industrial removal of toxic Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution. Carboxymethyl cellulose/polyaniline (CMC/PANI) interpenetrated network (IPN) blend was prepared by simple simultaneous ion-cross-linking of CMC and PANI chains using Al³⁺ cations. The CMC/PANI bio-conducting nanocomposite was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy equipped with an "energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy" (SEM–EDX) technique. The CMC/PANI blend, ion-cross-linked by Al³⁺ cations, showed good stability and high surface area, proper for the removal of toxic Cr(VI) ions of the aqueous solution. Batch removal experiments were accomplished and the impression of effective variables including solution pH, initial concentration of Cr(VI) ions, contact time, and adsorbent dosage were checked and optimized. The outcome of our findings revealed that the removal of Cr(VI) ions by CMC/PANI nanocomposite IPN strongly depends on solution pH. The removal information was matched with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and the utmost monolayer adsorption capacity at pH 2 was 136.98 mg/g at 25 °C. The pseudo-second-order kinetics were operated and the thermodynamic parameters suggested spontaneous and exothermic nature of the adsorption process. Consequences indicated that CMC/PANI nanocomposite IPN could be an affective eco/environmentally friendly adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions.

     

A Method for the Estimation of the Interface Temperature in Ultrasonic Joining

Ultrasonic joining of copper foil to 1100 aluminum sheet at nominal joining temperatures of 298 K to 413 K (25 °C to 140 °C) for 1.25 second caused significant copper diffusion into the aluminum sheet, indicating very high diffusivity (D) values of 1.54 × 10^?13 to 2.22 × 10^?13 m²/s. The D values reflect high excess vacancy concentrations caused by the rapid plastic deformation in the joining surfaces. A method is presented to estimate the actual values of interface temperature from the diffusion data and expected values of vacancy concentrations. The estimated values of interface temperature were about 390 to 410 deg below the equilibrium melting point of aluminum, and in agreement with reported experimental values.     

A decision support system for fuzzy multi-objective multi-period sustainable project selection

In this paper, a Decision Support System (DSS) is developed to solve sustainable Multi-Objective Project Selection problem with Multi-Period Planning Horizon (MOPS-MPPH). First, a TOPSIS based fuzzy goal programming (FGP) is proposed which considered uncertain DM preferences on priority of achievement level of fuzzy goals. The FGP essentially considers economic factors like cost, profit, and budget. The output of FGP and other affecting factors (i.e. social and environmental effects, risk of investment, strategic alliance, and organizational readiness) are treated as inputs of a fuzzy rule based system to estimate fitness value of an investment. Properties of the proposed DSS are discussed. It also is compared with an existing procedure on historical data of a financial and credit institute.     

Synthesis and characterization of different morphologies CuGaS<Subscript>2</Subscript>/CuS nanostructures with a simple sonochemical method

In this experimental work, different morphologies of CuGaS₂/CuS nanostructures were synthesized via a simple ultrasonic method. The effect of different parameters was investigated on the product size and morphology, such as copper source, sulfur source, ultrasonic power and time, solvent and the reaction vessel. It was found the mentioned parameters have significant effects on the product size and morphology. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern to study the product structure and scanning electron microscopy was used to study the products morphologies.     

Determination of Capacity Benefit Margin in Multiarea Power Systems Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Available transfer capability (ATC) is a key index of the remaining capability of a transmission system for future transactions. To calculate the ATC between two areas in an interconnected power system, capacity benefit margin (CBM) is one of the indexes that need to be assessed. CBM ensures security of system operation when the system faces generation deficiency in some areas. In this paper, three new methods are introduced which reflect different objectives for CBM assessment. This provides more flexibility of choices for market participants. In the proposed methods, CBM determination is formulated as an optimization problem and particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is used to solve the problem. The numerical results for modified IEEE reliability test system are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.     

Compressive estimation for signal integration in rendering

In rendering applications, we are often faced with the problem of computing the integral of an unknown function. Typical approaches used to estimate these integrals are often based on Monte Carlo methods that slowly converge to the correct answer after many point samples have been taken. In this work, we study this problem under the framework of compressed sensing and reach the conclusion that if the signal is sparse in a transform domain, we can evaluate the integral accurately using a small set of point samples without requiring the lengthy iterations of Monte Carlo approaches. We demonstrate the usefulness of our framework by proposing novel algorithms to address two problems in computer graphics: image antialiasing and motion blur. We show that we can use our framework to generate good results with fewer samples than is possible with traditional approaches.     

Effect of different precooking methods on chemical composition and lipid damage of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) muscle

The influence of three precooking methods (steaming, oven‐baking and microwave‐cooking) on the chemical composition and lipid quality of silver carp fillets was evaluated. The changes in protein, fat and moisture were found to be significant for all the treatments (P ≤ 0.05). The iron content in the samples subjected to steam‐cooking increased; however, the other precooking methods did not change the mineral contents (P ≥ 0.05). The free fatty acid content of the fillets did not change by the different precooking methods, while thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values increased for oven‐ and microwave‐cooked fillets and remained constant in the steam‐cooked samples. Conjugated diene and browning colour formation levels significantly increased in the oven‐baked fillets. Oven‐baking and microwave‐cooking marginally affected the fatty acid composition of the silver carp. On comparing the raw and precooked fillets, steam‐cooking was found to be the best precooking method on retaining nutritional constituents.