Characterization of renal tumours based on Raman spectra classification

In this study, we propose to evaluate the potential of Raman spectroscopy (RS) to assess renal tumours at surgery. Different classes of Raman renal spectra acquired during a clinical protocol are discriminated using support vector machines classifiers. The influence on the classification scores of various preprocessing steps generally involved in RS are also investigated and evaluated in the particular context of renal tumour characterization. Encouraging results show the interest of RS to evaluate kidney cancer and suggest the potential of this technique as a surgical assistance during partial nephrectomy.     

A prismoid framework for languages with resources

Inspired by the Multiplicative Exponential fragment of Linear Logic, we define a framework called the prismoid of resources where each vertex is a language which refines the λ-calculus by using a different choice to make explicit or implicit (meta-level) the definition of the contraction, weakening, and substitution operations. For all the calculi in the prismoid we show simulation of β-reduction, confluence, preservation of β-strong normalisation and strong normalisation for typed terms. Full composition also holds for all the calculi of the prismoid handling explicit substitutions. The whole development of the prismoid is done by making the set of resources a parameter of the formalism, so that all the properties for each vertex are obtained as a particular case of the general abstract proofs.     

Indexing and querying segmented web pages: the BlockWeb Model

We present in this paper a model for indexing and querying web pages, based on the hierarchical decomposition of pages into blocks. Splitting up a page into blocks has several advantages in terms of page design, indexing and querying such as (i) blocks of a page most similar to a query may be returned instead of the page as a whole (ii) the importance of a block can be taken into account, as well as (iii) the permeability of the blocks to neighbor blocks: a block b is said to be permeable to a block b?? in the same page if b?? content (text, image, etc.) can be (partially) inherited by b upon indexing. An engine implementing this model is described including: the transformation of web pages into blocks hierarchies, the definition of a dedicated language to express indexing rules and the storage of indexed blocks into an XML repository. The model is assessed on a dataset of electronic news, and a dataset drawn from web pages of the ImagEval campaign where it improves by 16% the mean average precision of the baseline.     

Scheduling rules to minimize total tardiness in a parallel machine problem with setup and calendar constraints

Quality control lead times are one of most significant causes of loss of time in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. This is partly due to the organization of laboratories that feature parallel multipurpose machines for chromatographic analyses. The testing process requires long setup times and operators are needed to launch the process. The various controls are non-preemptive and are characterized by a release date, a due date and available routings. These quality processes lead to significant delays, and we therefore evaluate the total tardiness criterion. Previous heuristics were defined for the total tardiness criterion, parallel machines, and setup such as apparent tardiness cost (ATC) and ATC with setups (ATCS). We propose new rules and a simulated annealing procedure in order to minimize total tardiness.     

Nonholonomic Mobile Manipulators: Kinematics, Velocities and Redundancies

We consider nonholonomic mobile manipulators built from an n _a joint robotic arm and a nonholonomic mobile platform with two independently driven wheels. Actually, there is no efficient kinematic formalism for these systems which are generally characterized by their high number of actuators. So, kinematic modelling is presented with particular emphasis on redundancy. Whereas kinematic redundancy is well known in the holonomic case, it is pointed out that it is necessary to define velocity redundancy in the case of nonholonomic systems. Reduced velocity kinematics based on quasi-velocities are shown to provide an efficient formalism. Two examples of mobile manipulators are presented. Finally, reduced velocity kinematics and velocity redundancy are shown to be adequate tools in order to realize operational task while optimizing criteria such as manipulability.     

BiNem® manufacturing process for mass production

Abstract— As the need for high‐resolution ultra‐low‐power bistable displays grows, it is important to rapidly implement the mass‐production manufacturing of BiNem® LCDs. The cost‐effective approach for BiNem® manufacturing is based on using STN manufacturing process technologies since BiNem® and STN displays have a similar internal structure. The key differences between BiNem® and STN displays from a manufacturing point of view will be discussed. We show that industrial STN manufacturing equipment can be used to produce BiNem® LCDs at competitive costs. Reflective e‐book display modules with VGA resolution are produced in the pilot‐production series.     

Interactions magnetiques intra- et interclusters dans les pentafluorures RuF5 et OsF5

The nature of the magnetic interactions in RuF₅ and OsF₅ has been investigated using neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements under high applied fields. RuF₅ and OsF₅ are magnetically ordered at respectively T_N = 5 and 6 K. The magnetic structures have been determined. A model based on isolated tetranuclear clusters M₄F₂₀ (M = Ru or Os) has been applied to explain the magnetic behavior above the Néel temperature. The intracluster exchange interactions are antiferromagnetic. The fitting of the magnetization data leads to an exchange constant of $\text{J}\text{k}\text{= ?7.7}\text{K}$ for RuF₅, in good agreement with that calculated from the thermal variation of the magnetic susceptibility.     

An ‘upwind’ finite element method via numerical intergration

Upwind finite element schemes remove spurious oscillations that occur in the solution of diffusion convection equations. Up to now these schemes lose part of their accuracy when the Peclet is large. As an improvement, it is proposed to move the integration nodes along the ‘streamlines’ before evaluating the elementary convection matrices. The displacements of the nodes along the streamlines, which are one-dimensional manifolds, are calculated analogously to well-known one-dimensional formulae. The last section of this paper illustrates this new method with the help of four examples which show its validity.     

Easy multiplications I. The realm of Kleene's theorem

We study here the properties of a family of monoids, which we call the rational monoids, and which are monoids with a multiplication of low complexity. A monoid is rational if its multiplication may be described by a rational function from a free monoid into itself. The main results are that rational monoids, like finite ones, have the properties that Green's relations and are equal and that Kleene's theorem holds in rational monoids, as in free ones. Every monoid described so far, in which Kleene's theorem holds, is a rational monoid. The closure of the family of rational monoids under Rees' quotient, direct product, and free product is then studied. Extensions of rational monoids will be considered in a forthcoming paper.