Application specific integrated circuit solution for multi‐input multi‐output piecewise‐affine functions

This paper presents a fully digital architecture and its application specific integrated circuit implementation for computing multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) piecewise‐affine (PWA) functions. The work considers both PWA functions defined over regular hyperrectangular and simplicial partitions of the input domains and also lattice PWA representations. The proposed architecture is able to implement PWA functions following different realization strategies, using a common structure with a minimized number of blocks, thus reducing power consumption and hardware resources. Experimental results obtained with application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) integrated in a 90‐nm complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor standard technology are provided. The proposed architecture is compared with other digital architectures in the state of the art habitually used to implement model predictive control applications. The proposal is superior in power consumption (saving up to 86%) and economy of hardware resources (saving up to 40% in comparison with a mere replication of the three representations) to other proposals described in literature, being ready to be used in applications where high‐performance and minimum unitary cost are required. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the quality of environmental technology in Europe: evidence from patent citations

In this paper we carry out an empirical analysis to address some questions concerning the production and quality of technology in environmental sectors. The methodology involves patents as a measure of the generation of new knowledge, and patent citations as a proxy for the quality of a technological invention. The sample contains more than 12,000 environmental European patents from firms and government institutions from 1998 to 2004. From our econometric analysis, we found that environmental patents applied by individual inventors present on average less quality that those applied by institutional inventors. The size of family patent is relevant to explain forward patent citation. Furthermore, patents coming from abroad (out of Europe), in particular with US and Japan priority, are more cited on average than local patents (with European priority). Lastly, the specialization in environmental fields of a patent plays a negative role in determining the frequency of forward citation.     

Development of Methotrexate Complexes Endowed with New Biological Properties Envisioned for Musculoskeletal Regeneration in Rheumatoid Arthritis Environments

Methotrexate (MTX) administration is the gold standard treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its effects are limited to preventing the progression of the disease. Therefore, effective regenerative therapies for damaged tissues are still to be developed. In this regard, MTX complexes of general molecular formula M(MTX)·xH₂O, where M = Sr, Zn, or Mg, were synthesized and physicochemically characterized by TGA, XRD, NMR, ATR–FTIR, and EDAX spectroscopies. Characterization results demonstrated the coordination between the different cations and MTX via two monodentate bonds with the carboxylate groups of MTX. Cation complexation provided MTX with new bioactive properties such as increasing the deposition of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and alternative anti-inflammatory capacities, without compromising the immunosuppressant properties of MTX on macrophages. Lastly, these new complexes were loaded into spray-dried chitosan microparticles as a proof of concept that they can be encapsulated and further delivered in situ in RA-affected joints, envisioning them as a suitable alternative to oral MTX therapy.     

A New Low Cost System for Autonomous Robot Heading and Position Localization in a Closed Area

A low cost system for the localization of mobile indoor robots is presented. The system is composed of an emitter located on a wall and a receptor on top of the robot. The emitter is a laser pointer acting like a beacon, and the receptor is a cylinder made out of 32 independent photovoltaic cells. The robot's position and orientation are obtained from the moments when the laser crosses each cell.     

Strategy for reflector pattern calculation: Let the computer do the work

Using high-frequency approximations, the secondary pattern of a reflector antenna can be calculated by numerically evaluating a radiation integralI(u, v). In recent years, tremendous effort has been expended to reducingI(u, v)to Fourier integrals. These reduction schemes are invariably reflector geometry dependent. Hence, different analyses/computer software development must be carried out for different reflector shapes/boundaries. The purpose of this communication is to point out that as the computer power improves, these reduction schemes may not always be necessary. Comparable accuracy and computation time can be achieved by evaluatingI(u, v)by a brute-force fast Fourier transform (FFT) described in this note. Furthermore, there is virtually no restriction on the reflector geometry by using the brute-force FFT.     

Preferences toward Mexican-American and Anglo-American psychotherapists.

94 Mexican-American and 93 Anglo-American community college students listened to 1 of 2 matched therapy audiotapes. Using the same dialogue, in one tape the therapist spoke fluent English with a slight Spanish accent; in the other tape he spoke fluent English with a standard American accent. The therapist was identified as being either a Mexican-American or Anglo-American professional or nonprofessional. Both ethnic groups attributed more skill, understanding, trustworthiness, and attractiveness to the Anglo-American professional and the Mexican-American nonprofessional. The Mexican-American professional was seen by both groups less favorably than was the Mexican-American nonprofessional. Mexican-Americans showed a more favorable attitude toward the usefulness of therapy than did Anglo-Americans. Implications for the delivery of psychological services to Mexican-Americans and other minorities are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brain maturation estimation using neural classifier

Quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) signal analysis has revealed itself as an important diagnostic tool in the last few years. Through the use of signal processing techniques, new quantitative representations of EEG data are obtained. To automate the diagnosis, a problem of supervised classification must be solved on these. Artificial neural networks provide an alternative to more traditional classifier systems for this task. The authors perform a comparison between several classifiers in a particular problem, the brain maturation prediction. The data preprocessing/feature extraction process and the methodology for making the comparison are described. Performance of the methods is evaluated in terms of estimated percentage of correctly classified subjects