A random-field model-based algorithm for anomalous complex imagepixel detection

Random-field model-based algorithms for the detection of anomalous pixels associated with complex valued imagery may be essential to robust focus of attention, target detection, and curing. The described algorithm includes the fitting of a specific class of causal, two-dimensional autoregressive random-field models to image data over specified estimation windows, and then subsequent construction of prediction error samples over specified detection windows. Statistical testing of the calculated prediction error samples is then used to localize anomalous image pixels. Experimental results obtained from running the described algorithm on SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery are included.     

Toward a General Logicist Methodology for Engineering Ethically Correct Robots

It's hard to deny that robots will become increasingly capable and that humans will increasingly exploit these capabilities by deploying them in ethically sensitive environments, such as hospitals, where ethically incorrect robot behavior could have dire consequences for humans. How can we ensure that such robots will always behave in an ethically correct manner? How can we know ahead of time, via rationales expressed clearly in natural language, that their behavior will be constrained specifically by the ethical codes selected by human overseers? In general, one approach is to insist that robots only perform actions that can be proved ethically permissible in a human-selected deontic logic--that is, a logic that formalizes an ethical code. Ethicists themselves work by rendering ethical theories and dilemmas in declarative form and reasoning over this information using informal and formal logic. The authors describe a logicist methodology in general terms, free of any commitment to particular systems, and show it solving a challenge regarding robot behavior in an intensive care unit.This article is part of a special issue on Machine Ethics.     

A review of esthetic alternatives for the restoration of anterior teeth

Helicobacter pylori infection is an important cause of peptic ulcer disease and chronic gastritis. Infection with this bacterium stimulates the production of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody. Salivary IgG antibody tests to detect H pylori infection offer a convenient and noninvasive method of diagnosis. To evaluate an IgG salivary antibody kit, saliva was collected from 157 out-patients with dyspepsia referred for endoscopy to a tertiary centre. A salivary IgG ELISA antibody assay was performed using the Helisal Helicobacter pylori (IgG) assay kit, and at least four gastric biopsies were obtained. H pylori infection was confirmed by demonstration of the organism on Warthin-Starry silver stain (sensitivity 85%, specificity 55%). The prevalence of infection with H pylori was 30%. When the analysis was redone, excluding those treated with eradication therapy, the results were similar (sensitivity 86%, specificity 58%). The positive predictive value of the assay was 45% and the negative predictive value was 90%. Despite the ease of sampling, the assay used has limited diagnostic utility, lacking the predictive value to indicate which patients referred with dyspeptic symptoms to a tertiary care setting are infected with H pylori.     

Microbial quality of hemodialysis water,a survey of six centers in Lagos,Nigeria

Patients with end‐stage kidney disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) are usually exposed to large volumes of dialysate, which is separated from patients' blood only by thin membrane of dialyzer. It is therefore essential to frequently monitor the quality of HD water to ensure that it meets the recommended standards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of HD water in Lagos, Nigeria. Four sets of pre‐ and post‐treatment water samples, 20 mL each, were collected from six HD centers in Lagos and tested for microbial contamination using the molten Tryptic soy agar in accordance with Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG). Pyrogen tests were also conducted on pre‐ and post‐treatment samples using standard technique. Information on water treatment modalities, maintenance practices and quality control measures in each center were obtained using a questionnaire. All centers use treated water for HD purpose. None of the HD centers met EBPG/AAMI guidelines for microbial contaminants as the mean levels of Escherichia coli in both feed and treated water were 441.7 ± 87.90 and 168.5 ± 64.03, respectively. E. coli was the commonest organism isolated in both feed and treated water in all the centers. HD water quality is still a neglected problem in our environment and more efforts are required to ensure good water quality for HD purpose.     

Combining LCT tools for the optimization of an industrial process: material and energy flow analysis and best available techniques

Life cycle thinking (LCT) is one of the philosophies that has recently appeared in the context of the sustainable development. Some of the already existing tools and methods, as well as some of the recently emerged ones, which seek to understand, interpret and design the life of a product, can be included into the scope of the LCT philosophy. That is the case of the material and energy flow analysis (MEFA), a tool derived from the industrial metabolism definition.This paper proposes a methodology combining MEFA with another technique derived from sustainable development which also fits the LCT philosophy, the BAT (best available techniques) analysis. This methodology, applied to an industrial process, seeks to identify the so-called improvable flows by MEFA, so that the appropriate candidate BAT can be selected by BAT analysis. Material and energy inputs, outputs and internal flows are quantified, and sustainable solutions are provided on the basis of industrial metabolism.The methodology has been applied to an exemplary roof tile manufacture plant for validation. 14 Improvable flows have been identified and 7 candidate BAT have been proposed aiming to reduce these flows.The proposed methodology provides a way to detect improvable material or energy flows in a process and selects the most sustainable options to enhance them. Solutions are proposed for the detected improvable flows, taking into account their effectiveness on improving such flows.     

Improving chocolate flavor in poor-quality cocoa almonds by enzymatic treatment

Abstract: This paper proposes a method to enzymatically treat poor‐quality cocoa almonds (known as “slate”) to ensure the formation of chocolate flavor precursors. The production of flavor precursors improves the quality of these almonds, which are usually responsible for the low quality of the liquor produced. Proteases and carboxypeptidases from different sources were tested under various conditions. The different treatments were evaluated by chemical analysis (hydrolysis efficiency) and sensory analysis of the treated material compared to good‐quality cocoa almonds. The results show that it is possible, through the use of microbial enzymes, to generate the mixture of compounds that will release, after roasting, the characteristic chocolate flavor in poor‐quality almonds. However, it is necessary to optimize the conditions of enzymatic treatment to obtain better results and thus establish a process that can be used for industrial purposes for manufacturing cocoa and chocolate. Practical Application: The basidiomycete Moniliophtora perniciosa is the causative agent of witches’ broom disease (WBD) of the cocoa tree, whose seeds are the source of chocolate. It is the most important phytopathological problem of cocoa‐producing areas of the American continent, and has decimated the Brazilian cocoa industry. In Bahia (Brazil), M. perniciosa was identified in 1989 and, as a consequence of its spreading, the annual production of cocoa almonds dropped from 450000 to 90000 tons within 12 y, reducing export values from an all‐time high of about US$ 1 billion to 110 million. The high incidence of WBD incapacitates Brazil to produce enough cocoa almonds even for the internal market, leading the country to import low‐quality cocoa almonds mainly from African countries. Our work proposes an enzymatic treatment to increase the quality of that cocoa almonds and, consequently, to improve the quality of the chocolate produced and consumed in the country.     

Synthesis and characterization of polylactic acid-lecithin-starch bioplastic film

Plastic-induced environmental issues could be solved using biomaterials, such as polylactic acid (PLA) film. PLA film is a costly solution suggesting the need to add less expensive starch. However, PLA and starch do not mix due to their diverging water behavior. In this study, we evaluated the impact of lecithin as a compatibilizer in varying ratio of PLA and starch film. The results show that inclusion of lecithin in PLA/starch composite leads to enhanced mechanical properties compared with the composite without lecithin. All films' thermal properties were stable but the thermograph of PLA/starch display two peaks whose distance is impacted by lecithin. In addition, morphology and functional group fingerprints revealed that the addition of lecithin improved the interfacial adhesion between the two polymers. Lecithin influenced the positioning and dispersion pattern of starch granules and distinct transmittance characteristics. The improved compatibility of PLA/starch makes the resulting films less susceptible to water penetration and dissolution. This work demonstrated the possibility of using lecithin as emulsifier between PLA and starch which could expand the application of PLA/starch film especially in packaging industries and bale net wrapping.     

Quasisinusoidal oscillators with cubic-type nonlinearity

It is shown how nonlinearities of cubic type, regardless of their degree of nonlinearity, are appropriate in the synthesis of quasinusoidal oscillators of any order. The existence of a suitable `small parameter? ? in the linear circuit of the oscillator and the design of its parameters by simple conditions ensure quasinusoidal oscillation. Application examples involving some typical circuits are then given.     

Conceptual Framework for Laparoscopic VR Simulators

The availability of VR laparoscopic simulation for surgical training has increased significantly. Nevertheless, few studies have explored such simulators' requirements and the degree of fidelity necessary to provide effective educational tools. The authors aim to identify which didactic resources available in VR simulation technologies are most important for laparoscopic training     

Thermal and viscoelastic behaviour of copolymers of propene and 1-hexene

Summary The thermal and viscoelastic behaviour of several copolymers of propene and 1-hexene have been studied in a wide range of compositions. The samples were prepared with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst with both internal and external donors. A significant amount of crystallinity has been found for the sample with a comonomer content as high as 19 mol %. The dynamic mechanical results show a considerable decrease of the storage modulus in the copolymers in relation to that of iPP. A single relaxation, corresponding to the glass transition, has been found in all the samples. Only the copolymer with the highest hexene content seems to display the beginning of another relaxation at low temperature.