Transformation calibration of a camera mounted on a robot

The paper describes the accurate calibration of the camera transformation for a vision system consisting of a camera mounted on a robot. The calibration includes an analysis of the linearity of the camera. A knowledge of the camera transformation allows the three-dimensional position of the object points to be determined using triangulation.     

Prevention of Clostridium botulinum Type A, Proteolytic B and E Toxin Formation in Refrigerated Pea Soup by Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014

The ability of Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 to inhibit Clostridium botulinum toxin production in pea soup was investigated. Soup containing C. botulinum spores (10³/g) with and without L. plantarum (10⁶/g) were evaluated. Soup containing only type A spores was toxic on days 1 and 2 when incubated at 35°C and 25°C, respectively. Soup containing only proteolytic type B spores was toxic on days 2 and 5 at 35°C and 25°C, respectively. Soup containing only type E spores was toxic at 25°C, 15°C, and 5°C in 7, 7, and 63 days respectively. No toxin was found in soup containing C. botulinum spores plus L. plantarum at any temperature studied.     

Molecular Dynamics and Evolution of Centromeres in the Genus Equus

The centromere is the chromosomal locus essential for proper chromosome segregation. While the centromeric function is well conserved and epigenetically specified, centromeric DNA sequences are typically composed of satellite DNA and represent the most rapidly evolving sequences in eukaryotic genomes. The presence of satellite sequences at centromeres hampered the comprehensive molecular analysis of these enigmatic loci. The discovery of functional centromeres completely devoid of satellite repetitions and fixed in some animal and plant species represented a turning point in centromere biology, definitively proving the epigenetic nature of the centromere. The first satellite-free centromere, fixed in a vertebrate species, was discovered in the horse. Later, an extraordinary number of satellite-free neocentromeres had been discovered in other species of the genus Equus, which remains the only mammalian genus with numerous satellite-free centromeres described thus far. These neocentromeres arose recently during evolution and are caught in a stage of incomplete maturation. Their presence made the equids a unique model for investigating, at molecular level, the minimal requirements for centromere seeding and evolution. This model system provided new insights on how centromeres are established and transmitted to the progeny and on the role of satellite DNA in different aspects of centromere biology.     

A preclinical study of the effect of the animal polysaccharide chonsurid on reparative osteogenesis of the jaws

Experimental studies making use of morphological and x-ray methods demonstrated that in comparison with control (filling of mandibular bone defects with blood clots) chonsuride, an animal polysaccharide, promoted earlier filling of postoperative bone cavities with connective tissue replacement of this tissue with coarse-fiber bone tissue. Secondary restructuring and mineralization of bone regenerate were enhanced as well.     

Susceptibility to tropical theileriosis of calves born to dams immunized with Theileria annulata (Hisar) cell culture vaccine

Epidemiological evidence suggests that millet might play a role in the etiology of endemic goiter. Recently, we showed that a traditional fermentation procedure of two pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum L. Lecke) cultivars grown in Sudan modified their effects on the weight of the thyroid gland and thyroid hormone profile in rats. In the present study, we report that this fermentation procedure reduced the ash contents of millet by about 40% and removed considerable amounts of Mg (>50%), Zn (27-39%) and K (45%). Other minerals (Ca, Fe, Cu) were not affected. Feeding of one fermented cultivar resulted in significant reduction in bone Mg and Zn contents, whereas feeding of the other fermented cultivar resulted in reduction of bone Mg only. Dietary Mg intake and bone Mg contents correlated negatively with serum T3. Groups fed the millet diets had higher serum Se level compared to those fed wheat or casein diets and feeding of fermented millet resulted in a further increase in serum Se level. Thus our data indicate that in rats the enhanced effects of millet on the thyroid induced by fermentation is likely related to removal of minerals from millet and/or chemical transformation of the goitrogens contained in millet.     

A Firm‐Level Analysis on the Relative Difference between Technology‐Driven and Market‐Driven Disruptive Business Model Innovations

Using the business model concept as a theoretical framework, this paper examines the relative disruptiveness potential between technology‐driven and market‐driven innovations. The study analyses retrospectively four case studies comprising two technologically sophisticated IT innovations and two technologically less sophisticated market‐driven innovations starting from their inception to the point of disruption over a period of 5–15 years. It finds that, while the disruption process of technology‐driven innovation conforms to the patterns predicted by disruptive innovation theory, the disruption process of market‐driven disruptive business model innovation depicts a bottleneck shape, where the positive effects of initial strategic choice, model specialization and investments on disruptiveness potential reach the maximum level and start to stagnate due to the same initial strategic choice and cost factors. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Propagation dynamics of ultra-short high-power laser pulses in air: supercontinuum generation and transverse ring formation

Numerical and semi-analytical results of the propagation of high-power ultra-short near IR laser pulses propagating in ionizing air are presented.     

A Multiphase Pore Scale Network Model of Gas Exchange in Apple Fruit

A multiphase pore scale network model was developed to describe mass transfer in apple fruit. The 3D microscale geometry of the tissue was reconstructed from synchrotron radiation tomography images. Individual cells and pores were identified using a watershed segmentation procedure on a Euclidean distance map of the tissue microstructure. Further morphological characteristics of each individual pore, including its volume, connections to the neighbors and the connected area between the pore and its neighbors, were determined. The tissue was represented by a network of nodes (simplified individual pores and cells) that were interconnected by tubes. The transport of the respiratory gases O₂ and CO₂ between two nodes was modelled using diffusion laws and irreversible thermodynamics, while respiration was taken into account in the individual cellular nodes. A numerical procedure was applied to simulate the gas transport within the discrete network and to compute the local diffusivities of the links in the network. The predicted overall gas diffusivities compared well to experimental data and results computed from a microscale continuum model, thereby validating the pore scale network model. This approach is a computationally attractive alternative to a continuum multiphase approach for modelling gas transport in fruit.     

The Effect of Relationship Characteristics and Relational Communication on Experiences of Hurt From Romantic Partners

This study expands the relational turbulence model (RTM; Solomon & Knobloch,) by theorizing about how characteristics of relationships and relational judgments influence people's experiences of hurtful messages. Previous applications of RTM to hurt have uncovered associations among relational characteristics that influence people's hurtful experiences; however, the process by which these characteristics influence experiences of hurt remains unclear. We propose that relational communication (specifically, perceptions of dominance, and disaffiliation) is the mechanism linking relational qualities to hurt. A multigroup SEM was conducted to test for the possibility of sex differences. Results showed that people's experiences of hurt vary as a function of both relationship characteristics and relational inferences. Results also indicated a difference in path coefficients for males and females.