Recent Developments in Spatio-Temporal EEG Source Reconstruction Techniques

EEG is gaining recognition in the field of real-time applications. However, the EEG inverse problem leads to poor spatial resolution in brain source localization. This paper presents an overview of the existing EEG inverse solution methods. Further, a comparative analysis of recent techniques has been presented. This work discusses the challenges associated with the existing source reconstruction algorithms. The main focus is on the recent reports in this field that have combined the EEG denoising in the pre-processing phase along with the inverse localization approaches. Out of various existing techniques, SLORETA offers better localization results but its noise sensitivity is very high. It has been validated in a comparative analysis for simulated dipole sources with no noise. To illustrate the advantage of using pre-processed data with inverse localization, the classification accuracy of conventional methods has been compared. The accuracy has been analyzed for depression signals using the Naïve Bayes, RF, and SVM classifiers. The VMD- SLORETA method shows better accuracy as compared to EMD-SLORETA and SLORETA only. The existing EEG localization methods are efficient but the spatial resolution is still to be improved in the presence of various noise sources in raw EEG. More accurate localization is achieved by implementing denoising in combination with the source localization framework. There is a need to investigate further stages of EEG signal processing along with optimal feature selection. Further, additional studies should be conducted to improve the noise sensitivity of other existing localization systems using pre-processing approaches.

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The colour fastness of optionally aftertreated direct dyes on cotton during washing in an activated oxygen bleach-containing detergent

This study uses previously proposed spectrophotometric pass/fail criteria for the assessment of oxidative-bleach fading of cellulosic dyes on cotton during repeated washing. A high level of correlation (88%) has been obtained between the fading exhibited by optionally aftertreated direct dyes in the UK-TO test and that after 20 domestic machine washes in the presence of a detergent containing an oxidative-bleach system. The correlation, and ultimate utility of the test method, is further improved when preceded by an ISO 105 C06/C2S wash fastness test to screen out dyes having a low intrinsic fastness to washing.     

A Dual Band Notched Ultra-Wideband Antenna

Wireless Personal Communications - In this paper, we design a planar monopole UWB antenna among two notched. Two semi-elliptical geometries are introduced at the lower and upper side’s...     

Members of the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Superfamily Are Proteolytically Cleaved by Two Differently Activated Metalloproteases

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a family of receptor tyrosine kinases that have been associated not only with various cellular processes, such as embryonic development and adult wound healing but also enhanced tumor survival, angiogenesis, and metastatic spread. Proteolytic cleavage of these single-pass transmembrane receptors has been suggested to regulate biological activities of their ligands during growth and development, yet little is known about the proteases responsible for this process. In this study, we monitored the release of membrane-anchored FGFRs 1, 2, 3, and 4 in cell-based assays. We demonstrate here that metalloprotease-dependent metalloprotease family, ADAM10 and ADAM17. Loss- and gain-of-function studies in murine embryonic fibroblasts showed that constitutive shedding as well as phorbol-ester-induced processing of FGFRs 1, 3, and 4 is mediated by ADAM17. In contrast, treatment with the calcium ionophore ionomycin stimulated ADAM10-mediated FGFR2 shedding. Cell migration assays with keratinocytes in the presence or absence of soluble FGFRs suggest that ectodomain shedding can modulate the function of ligand-induced FGFR signaling during cell movement. Our data identify ADAM10 and ADAM17 as differentially regulated FGFR membrane sheddases and may therefore provide new insight into the regulation of FGFR functions.     

Wear resistance of Fe-28Al-3Cr intermetallic alloy under wet conditions

Wear behaviour of iron aluminides (Fe-28Al-3Cr at.%) alloy has been investigated under wet conditions using ball on plate sliding wear tester. Wear resistance was examined against tungsten carbide (WC) ball sliding over the iron aluminide plate at room temperature. Wear tests were carried out at 3 N and 5 N load conditions at different sliding frequency of mating ball. The micromechanisms responsible for wear were identified to be microcutting, micropitting, and microcracking of deformed subsurface zones under wet conditions.     

Side-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers with [α-terpineol-co-MMA] Main Chain: Synthesis and Characterization of Polymers with Phenyl Benzoate Mesogenic Group

Summary Side chain liquid crystalline (SCLC) [α-terpineol-co-MMA] polymers with a phenyl benzoate mesogenic group with polymethylene spacers have been synthesized and characterized in which the spacer length is taken 9 methylene units. The thermal behavior and liquid crystallinity of the polymer has been characterized using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM) techniques . The DSC curve of the LCpolymer shows glass transition at 52 °C followed by nematic phase which undergoes isotropization at 120 °C without undergoing side chain crystallization. Under optical polarized microscope the appearance of characteristic schlieren texture confirms the presence of nematic phase .     

Injection‐molded high‐density polyethylene–hydroxyapatite–aluminum oxide hybrid composites for hard‐tissue replacement: Mechanical,biological, and protein adsorption behavior

In this article, we report the mechanical and biocompatibility properties of injection‐molded high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) composites reinforced with 40 wt % ceramic filler [hydroxyapatite (HA) and/or Al₂O₃] and 2 wt % titanate as a coupling agent. The mechanical property measurements revealed that a combination of a maximum tensile strength of 18.7 MPa and a maximum tensile modulus of about 855 MPa could be achieved with the injection‐molded HDPE–20 wt % HA–20 wt % Al₂O₃ composites. For the same composite composition, the maximum compression strength was determined to be 71.6 MPa and the compression modulus was about 660 MPa. The fractrography study revealed the uniform distribution of ceramic fillers in the semicrystalline HDPE matrix. The cytocompatibility study with osteoblast‐like SaOS2 cells confirmed extensive cell adhesion and proliferation on the injection‐molded HDPE–20 wt % HA–20 wt % Al₂O₃ composites. The cell viability analysis with the 3(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay revealed a statistically significant difference between the injection‐molded HDPE–20 wt % HA–20 wt % Al₂O₃ composites and sintered HA for various culture durations of upto 7 days. The difference in cytocompatibility properties among the biocomposites is explained in terms of the difference in the protein absorption behavior. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

EQUILIBRIUM AND KINETIC STUDIES FOR THE ADSORPTION OF MN(II) AND CO(II) FROM AQUEOUS MEDIUM USING AGAR–AGAR AS SORBENT

An extensive increase in industrial activities and environmental accidents in recent years have greatly contributed to increasing metal pollution in water resources, thereby causing threats to terrestrial as well as aquatic life. The toxicity of metal pollution is slow and long lasting, as these metal ions are nonbiodegradable. The most appropriate solution for controlling the biogeochemistry of metal contaminants to produce high-quality treated effluents from polluted wastewaters is sorption technique. Agar–agar, a readily available seaweed, was used as sorbent for the removal of Mn(II) and Co(II) from aqueous media. Batch experiments were performed to study adsorption as a function of process parameters: sorption time, initial pH, concentration of sorbate and sorbent. The Freundlich model fitted best with the experimental equilibrium data between the two adsorption isotherm models tested. The kinetic data correlated well with the Lagergren pseudo-second-order kinetic model for the sorption of both Mn(II) and Co(II) using agar–agar. Adsorbed metal ions were quantitatively recovered from the spent adsorbent using 5.0 mol L^?1 HCl. The efficiency of agar–agar for decontaminating Mn(II) and Co(II) from electroplating effluent has also been evaluated. The results proved agar–agar to be a favorable adsorbent to remove and recover Mn(II) and Co(II) from waste effluent for further use in diversified industrial applications.     

Synthesis of Infant Formula Fat Analogs Enriched with DHA from Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tripalmitin

Structured lipids (SLs) containing palmitic, oleic, and docosahexaenoic acids for possible use in infant formulas were synthesized by enzymatic acidolysis reactions. The substrates used were tripalmitin, extra virgin olive oil free fatty acids (EVOOFFA), and docosahexaenoic acid single cell oil free fatty acids (DHASCOFFA) in 1:1:1, 1:2:1, 1:3:2, 1:4:2, and 1:5:1 molar ratios. Reactions were carried out at 65 °C for 24 h using Lipozyme^® TL IM lipase. The products were analyzed for total and positional fatty acids by GC-FID, triacylglycerol (TAG) molecular species by HPLC-ELSD, and thermal behavior by DSC. The SLs, SL132, SL142, and SL151 had desirable fatty acid distribution for infant formula use with nearly 60 mol% palmitic acid at the sn-2 position and oleic acid predominantly at the sn-1,3 positions. The total DHA content of SL132, SL142, and SL151 were 7.54, 6.72, and 5.89 mol%, respectively. The major TAG molecular species in the SLs were PPP, OPO, and PPO. The melting completion temperature of SL132 was 37.1, 35.2 °C in SL142, and 32.9 °C in SL151. The SLs synthesized in this study have potential use in infant formulas.     

Cure kinetics of ternary blends of epoxy resins studied by nonisothermal DSC data

The curing kinetics of blends of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, and carboxyl‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile random copolymer (CTBN) in presence of 4,4′‐diamino diphenyl sulfone (DDS) as the curing agent was studied by nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique at different heating rates. The kinetic parameters of the curing process were determined by isoconversional method given by Malek for the kinetic analysis of the data obtained by the thermal treatment. A two‐parameter (m, n) autocatalytic model (Sestak‐Berggren equation) was found to be the most adequate selected to describe the cure kinetics of the studied epoxy resins. The values of E_a were found to be 88.6 kJ mol^?1 and 61.6 kJ mol^?1, respectively, for the studied two sample series. Nonisothermal DSC curves obtained using the experimental data show a good agreement with that theoretically calculated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009