A simple three-parameter equation of state with critical compressibility-factor correlation

A three-parameter equation of state is proposed for fluids whose critical compressibility factor is not greater than 0.275. The equation is third order in volume and its constants are evaluated from the critical temperature and pressure as well as from the premultipliers that are interrelated and dependent on the reduced limiting volume of the fluid. The premultipliers have been evaluated from a single compressibility-factor correlation extrinsically. The proposed equation is as easy to handle mathematically as the Redlich-Kwong equation and yields analytical expressions for various fluid properties. The results show, however, that it represents the properties of normal and polar fluids much more accurately, particularly in the saturated vapor and the liquid region.     

Detection of soldering defects in Printed Circuit Boards with Hierarchical Marked Point Processes

In this paper we introduce a probabilistic approach for optical quality checking of solder pastes (SP) in Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). Dealing with unregistered image inputs, our task is to address at the same time SP identification, and detection of special soldering errors, called scooping. For this reason we introduce a novel Hierarchical Marked Point Process (HMPP) framework, which is able to handle the paste and scooping extraction problems simultaneously, so that the SPs and included scoops have a parent-child relationship. A global optimization process attempts to find the optimal configuration of entities, considering the observed data, prior knowledge, and interactions between the neighboring circuit elements. The proposed method is evaluated on a real PCB image set containing more than 3000 SPs and 600 scooping artifacts. A morphology-based baseline method is also introduced for the problem and used as reference for qualitative and quantitative comparison against the proposed model.     

Fetal phonocardiography--past and future possibilities

The paper presents an overview of the 15 year long development of fetal phonocardiography including the works on the applied signal processing methods for identification of sound components. Based on the improvements achieved on this field, the paper shows that beyond the traditional CTG test the phonocardiography may be successfully applied for long-term fetal measurements and home monitoring. In addition, by indication of heart murmurs based on a comprehensive analysis of the recorded heart sound congenital heart defects can also be detected together with additional features in the third trimester. This makes an early widespread screening possible combined with the prescribed CTG test even at home using a telemedicine system.     

Alignment based kernel learning with a continuous set of base kernels

The success of kernel-based learning methods depends on the choice of kernel. Recently, kernel learning methods have been proposed that use data to select the most appropriate kernel, usually by combining a set of base kernels. We introduce a new algorithm for kernel learning that combines a continuous set of base kernels, without the common step of discretizing the space of base kernels. We demonstrate that our new method achieves state-of-the-art performance across a variety of real-world datasets. Furthermore, we explicitly demonstrate the importance of combining the right dictionary of kernels, which is problematic for methods that combine a finite set of base kernels chosen a priori. Our method is not the first approach to work with continuously parameterized kernels. We adopt a two-stage kernel learning approach. We also show that our method requires substantially less computation than previous such approaches, and so is more amenable to multi-dimensional parameterizations of base kernels, which we demonstrate.     

Coherences of Instrumental and Sensory Characteristics: Case Study on Cherry Tomatoes

The aim of this study was to investigate 6 cherry tomato varieties in terms of morphological, instrumental, and sensory attributes. Hungarian cherry tomato landraces have not been investigated in comparison with new commercial varieties for these traits. Parameters investigated were water‐soluble antioxidant capacity (FRAP, DPPH, and TEAC), and total polyphenol, vitamin C, β‐carotene, lycopene, total soluble solids, and acid contents. Colorimetric measurements as well as sensory analyses were conducted. It was concluded that varied antioxidant assays should be used in parallel to overcome the selectivity of any 1 method. Total phenolic content significantly contributed to results of antioxidant assays for the investigated varieties. The sensory profiles of the 6 cherry tomato varieties have been created. The differences between the products based on the 18 attributes were analyzed by Tukey post hoc test. The biplot of the principal component analysis showed that the sensory panel could discriminate the samples along the principal components. No correlation was found between colorimetric data a* and b* measured from pulp and lycopene, but a negative connection of β‐carotene and hue was noted. Total polyphenol content showed correlations with colorimetric results, except for b*. The influence of tomato skin color on color perception is significant as in the present study instrumental data measured from pulp did not match that of the panelists evaluating intact fruit. Instrumental results of sugar content were supported by the ratings of the sensory panel.     

A Nonlinear Wave Metric and its CNN Implementation for Object Classification

In this paper a nonlinear wave metric is introduced for object classification. It is shown that the choice of a metric is a nontrivial problem since it is easy to give examples when well-known distance measures, such as Hamming, Hausdorff, and Nonlinear Hausdorff metrics are completely inadequate for this classification. As an alternative a generalized theorem is proposed that includes the previous metrics as special cases. It is based on nonlinear wave propagation and defines a computational framework that is well-suited for parallel array processors. In this study we investigate different Cellular Neural Network (CNN) architectures and solutions for the proposed metric and analyze its VLSI implementation complexity.     

Characterization of polypyrrole/piperazine-1,4-bis(2-ethane sulfonate) film and its application for the immobilization of vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 (B12) - possessing a redox active cobalt centre - is a candidate to be used as a mediator in bioelectrochemical processes. In order to exploit the possible redox activity of B12, Pt has been modified by a bio-conform conducting layer polypyrrole/piperazine-1,4-bis(2-ethane sulfonate) PPy/PIPES. The electrochemical and spectral behaviour of this film proved to be similar to PPy/dodecyl-sulfate (DS), widely considered and accepted as one of the best combinations of conducting polymer films. The capability of the PPy/PIPES film for acting as adsorbant in the accumulation of B12 has been evidenced by the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique. B12 could also be incorporated into the polymer layer during its electrochemical deposition. The results proving the preserved redox activity of B12 within the film open new perspectives towards redox mediated bioelectrochemical applications based on the immobilization of this biomolecule.     

Multienzymatic immobilization of laccases on polymeric microspheres: A strategy to expand the maximum catalytic efficiency

Laccase enzymes of were covalently coimmobilized on poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres. The objective of this work was to create a biocatalyst that works efficiently in a wide range of pH. The coimmobilization was performed using two different strategies to compare the most efficient. The results showed that by correctly selecting the enzymes and concentrations involved in the commobilization, it is possible to obtain a biocatalyst that works efficiently at a wide pH range (2.0–7.0). The maximum activity values reached per gram of support for the obtained biocatalyst were 41.90 U (pH 3.0), 40.89 U (pH 4.0), and 39.54 U (pH 6.0). Moreover, the thermal, storage, and mechanical stabilities were improved compared to the free and single-immobilized laccases. It was concluded that enzymatic coimmobilization is an excellent alternative to obtain a robust biocatalyst that works in a wide pH range, with potential environmental and industrial applications.