Periodic signal analysis by maximum likelihood modeling of orbits of nonlinear ODEs

This paper treats a new approach to the problem of periodic signal estimation. The idea is to model the periodic signal as a function of the state of a second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE). This is motivated by Poincare theory, which is useful for proving the existence of periodic orbits for second-order ODEs. The functions of the right-hand side of the nonlinear ODE are then parameterized by a multivariate polynomial in the states, where each term is multiplied by an unknown parameter. A maximum likelihood algorithm is developed for estimation of the unknown parameters, from the measured periodic signal. The approach is analyzed by derivation and solution of a system of ODEs that describes the evolution of the Cramer-Rao bound over time. This allows the theoretically achievable accuracy of the proposed method to be assessed in the ideal case where the signals can be exactly described by the imposed model. The proposed methodology reduces the number of estimated unknowns, at least in cases where the actual signal generation resembles that of the imposed model. This in turn is expected to result in an improved accuracy of the estimated parameters.     

High-Quality Volumetric Reconstruction on Optimal Lattices for Computed Tomography

Within the context of emission tomography, we study volumetric reconstruction methods based on the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. We show, for the first time, the equivalence of the standard implementation of the EM-based reconstruction with an implementation based on hardware-accelerated volume rendering for nearest-neighbor (NN) interpolation. This equivalence suggests that higher-order kernels should be used with caution and do not necessarily lead to better performance. We also show that the EM algorithm can easily be adapted for different lattices, the body-centered cubic (BCC) one in particular. For validation purposes, we use the 3D version of the Shepp-Logan synthetic phantom, for which we derive closed-form analytical expressions of the projection data. The experimental results show the theoretically-predicted optimality of NN interpolation in combination with the EM algorithm, for both the noiseless and the noisy case. Moreover, reconstruction on the BCC lattice leads to superior accuracy, more compact data representation, and better noise reduction compared to the Cartesian one. Finally, we show the usefulness of the proposed method for optical projection tomography of a mouse embryo.     

Default reasoning by deductive planning

This paper deals with the automation of reasoning from incomplete information by means of default logics. We provide proof procedures for default logics' major reasoning modes, namely, credulous and skeptical reasoning. We start by reformulating the task of credulous reasoning in default logics as deductive planning problems. This interpretation supplies us with several interesting and valuable insights into the proof theory of default logics. Foremost, it allows us to take advantage of the large number of available methods, algorithms, and implementations for solving deductive planning problems. As an example, we demonstrate how credulous reasoning in certain variants of default logic is implementable by means of a planning method based on equational logic programming. In addition, our interpretation allows us to transfer theoretical results, such as complexity results, from the field of planning to that of default logics. In this way, we have isolated two yet unknown classes of default theories for which deciding credulous entailment is polynomial.Our approach to skeptical reasoning relies on an arbitrary method for credulous reasoning. It does not strictly require rather the inspection of all extensions, nor does it strictly require the computation of entire extensions to decide whether a formula is skeptically entailed. Notably, our approach abstracts from an underlying credulous reasoner. In this way, it can be used to extend existing formalisms for credulous reasoning to skeptical reasoning.This author was a visiting professor at the University of Darmstadt while parts of this work were being carried out. This author also acknowledges support from the Commission of the European Communities under grant no. ERB4001GT922433.     

Rheological properties of homogeneous and heterogeneous poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels

The swelling and rheological behaviour of hydrogels of morphology varying from non‐porous to highly porous was investigated. The hydrogels were prepared by redox free radical copolymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate with 0.1 to 5 mol% of di(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate in the presence of water varying from 40 to 80 wt%. Various compositions led to clear, turbid or macroporous gels. The morphology of the gels was characterized using optical microscopy and cryoscan electron microscopy. The oscillatory shear and creep of swollen gels revealed that there was a pronounced difference between homogeneous or microheterogeneous and macroporous gels with communicating pores. The achievement of optimum conditions for the correct determination of shear modulus was also analysed. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

A field evaluation of real-life motor vehicle accidents: Presence of unrestrained objects and their association with distribution and severity of patient injuries

Moving objects may pose an added threat to car occupants in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). However, to our knowledge, there have only been two case studies published on the subject. For the present study, accident reports and photo documentation from MVAs were collected on-scene by dedicated paramedics. Emergency medical service personnel on-scene were interviewed as necessary. Potentially harmful unrestrained objects in the involved motor vehicles (MVs) were identified and categorised by type, weight and hardness. Seatback offset by unrestrained objects was noted. The patient injury distribution (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) body regions) and severity (AIS severity scores and New Injury Severity Score (NISS) scores) were retrospectively determined from hospital and autopsy records, and their potential relationship to unrestrained objects was explored. A total of 190 accidents involving 338 MVs and 618 individuals were included. In total, 327 individuals (53%) were injured, and 61 (10%) died. 37 of 61 were not autopsied. The mean NISS was 17 (median 8, interquartile range (IQR) 1–27). Unrestrained objects were reported for 133 motor vehicles (39%) involving 293 individuals. 35% of the unrestrained objects found in the passenger compartment weighed >2 kg. In the boot, 32% of objects weighed >20 kg. Seatback offset associated with unrestrained objects was found for 45 individuals (15%). Unrestrained objects originally located in the boot (heavy luggage, groceries and tyres were the most frequently reported) had moved into the passenger compartment on impact in 27 cases, 24 of which were associated with seatback offset. An in-depth analysis was performed on 24 patients whose injuries were highly likely to be associated with unrestrained objects, as indicated by accident reports and medical documentation. Nineteen (79%) were involved in frontal collisions, and 12 (50%) died on-scene. The mean NISS was 51.7 (median 51, IQR 27–75) in the 17 (71%) patients with seatback offset and 37.2 (median 41, IQR 22.5–50) in the 7 (29%) without seatback offset. Seatback offset was associated with more severe head and thoracic injuries and an increased incidence of abdominal and pelvic injuries. Patients injured by unrestrained objects while sitting in unharmed car seats predominantly suffered head, cervical spine and thoracic injuries. Our results indicate a need for public information campaigns. The development of car backseats that can better sustain hits from heavy objects in the cargo boot is an important area for the motor vehicle production industry to explore.     

Transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides during snowmelt within an urban watershed

During snowmelt events in urban watersheds large amounts of organic contaminants are mobilized, potentially affecting the quality of surface and groundwater resources. The transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and two pesticides in the highly urbanized Highland Creek watershed within the city of Toronto, Canada, was investigated by sampling river water during two snowmelt periods. The dissolved and the particulate fractions were separately extracted and analyzed. While during normal flow conditions levels of the sum of nine PAHs including phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene, and benzo(ghi)perylene ranged between 18 and 45 ng/L, concentrations at the onset of melting varied from 550 to 4500 ng/L. Considering enhanced stream discharge rates during snowmelt the contaminant flux in the river increased by three orders of magnitude. The intensity of the melt event largely determined the extent of the PAH concentration increase in the river. The relatively water soluble pesticides chlorothalonil and lindane (γ-HCH) also tended to appear early during melting. Their enrichment in river water may be influenced by the thickness of the snow pack at the onset of melting, and the mode of melt water ablation from the snow pack to the stream, i.e. whether it occurs by overland or sub-surface flow.     

A method for the ad hoc and real-time determination of the water balance in a PEMFC

A novel method for the ad hoc and real-time determination of the water balance in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is presented. The method requires the anode side of the fuel cell to be operated in open-ended mode and to use dry, pure hydrogen as is typical for vehicular applications. In that case there is a linear relationship between the anode outlet velocity and the effective drag coefficient of water through the membrane, r_d, provided the stoichiometric flow ratio is sufficiently low (below ξ = 1.2). The anode outlet velocity can then be directly measured e.g. by using hot wire anemometry, and this method provides a voltage signal that can be fed to the board computer of a fuel cell vehicle for PEMFC diagnosis. It is also shown that the nitrogen cross-over from cathode to anode has only a small effect on the anode outlet velocity. In addition to detecting the velocity, the relative humidity may be measured which is shown to be independent of the current density, but measurement techniques suffer from lower accuracy. It is argued that this method can also be applied to quantify fuel cell degradation. Finally, it is fundamentally shown that when operating the fuel cell in steady state mode at a hydrogen stoichiometric flow ratio as low as 1.03, the molar fraction of hydrogen in the gas mixture at the anode outlet is at least 50% which means that at steady state there will be no hydrogen starvation at the anode outlet.