Luminescent-dye-doped-plastics characterization for light intensitysensing

Luminescent-dye-doped-plastics are nowadays extensively used for esthetic purposes (toys, ballpoint pens, etc.). In the early 1980's, these materials were investigated to be used as sunlight concentrators in energy generation. Recent developments in fiber optic technology, beyond mere data transmission, lead us to consider the feasibility of using such materials for light intensity sensing in fiber optic sensors networks. The sensor described in this work has proved to show high linearity, reproducibility and stability, and low directivity, however it lacks high sensitivity. Further optimization of some design parameters will definitely help to improve it     

A versatile strategy for achieving the second-order advantage when applying different artificial neural networks to non-linear second-order data: Unfolded principal component analysis/residual bilinearization

Second-order instrumental signals showing a non-linear behaviour with respect to analyte concentration can still be adequately processed in order to achieve the important second-order advantage. The combination of unfolded principal component analysis with residual bilinearization, followed by application of a variety of neural network models, allows one to obtain the second-order advantage. While principal component analysis models the training data, residual bilinearization models the contribution of the potential interferents which may be present in the test samples. Neural networks such as multilayer perceptron, radial basis functions and support vector machines, are all able to model the non-linear relationship between analyte concentrations and sample principal component scores. Three different experimental systems have been analyzed, all requiring the second-order advantage: 1) pH–UV absorbance matrices for the determination of two active principles in pharmaceutical preparations, 2) fluorescence excitation–emission matrices for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 3) UV-induced fluorescence excitation–emission matrices for the determination of amoxicillin in the presence of salicylate. In all cases, reasonably accurate predictions can be made with the proposed techniques, which cannot be reached using traditional methods for processing second-order data.     

In vitro activity of 9 antibiotics and 3 beta-lactamase inhibitors against 107 clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumanii

Twenty eight of 227 patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel disease, familial adenomatous polyposis or functional disease were over the age of 50 years: ages 50 to 60 (n = 13), 60 to 70 (n = 10), and over 70 (n = 5). Major complications occurred in 5 patients over the age of 50 (18%) compared with 43 patients under the age of 50 (23%). Three patients above the age of 50 had their pouch excised (11%) compared with 23 under the age of 50 (12%). Functional outcome was assessed with a 12 point symptom score. This was similar in all age bands: under 50 years (mean = 2.2; sd +/- 2.2; n = 109), 50 to 60 years (mean = 2.5; sd +/- 2.5; n = 12), 60 to 70 years (mean = 2.8; sd +/- 2.3; n = 7) and over 70 years (mean = 4.0; sd +/- 3.7; n = 5): P > 0.05). When analysed for ulcerative colitis alone, no significant differences were seen between the two age groups. Restorative proctocolectomy in the elderly gives results which are comparable to the younger population.     

Surface tension of binary and ternary aluminium alloys of the systems Al-Si-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg

The surface tension and density of liquid binary and ternary aluminium alloys of the systems Al-Si-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg (Si, Mg and Zn contents less than 19, 8 and 20 wt %, respectively) have been measured by means of the maximum bubble pressure method. A semi-empirical theory, which relates the surface tension to bulk thermodynamic properties, is used to calculate the surface tension of the binary alloys and discuss the experimental data. For the ternary alloys, the present results indicate that in the range of compositions explored here, the properties of the ternaries can be obtained from those of the binaries. Comparison with results previously reported by other authors is made.     

Quantum Dots-Based Optical Fiber Temperature Sensors Fabricated by Layer-by-Layer

Two types of CdTe quantum dots of different sizes (4 and 5 nm) were successfully deposited on optical fibers using the layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly method. The sensors showed a linear and reversible variation of the emission wavelength for a temperature range from 30 degC to 100 degC, with a sensitivity of 0.2 nm/degC     

An Input-Output Model with Stochastic Parameters for Economic Analysis

This paper presents an input-output model where the technology coefficients and the demand variables are random variables, rather than fixed quantities. The model is able to relate data acquisition costs to forecasted production levels and uncertainty, as the error in the estimate of distribution parameters is reduced. The nonlinearity of the resulting system of equations remains tractable and techniques such as the Newton-Raphson method can be applied advantageously. A numerical example is included.     

New robust bilinear least squares method for the analysis of spectral-pH matrix data

A new second-order multivariate method has been developed for the analysis of spectral-pH matrix data, based on a bilinear least-squares (BLLS) model achieving the second-order advantage and handling multiple calibration standards. A simulated Monte Carlo study of synthetic absorbance-pH data allowed comparison of the newly proposed BLLS methodology with constrained parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and with the combination multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) technique under different conditions of sample-to-sample pH mismatch and analyte-background ratio. The results indicate an improved prediction ability for the new method. Experimental data generated by measuring absorption spectra of several calibration standards of ascorbic acid and samples of orange juice were subjected to second-order calibration analysis with PARAFAC, MCR-ALS, and the new BLLS method. The results indicate that the latter method provides the best analytical results in regard to analyte recovery in samples of complex composition requiring strict adherence to the second-order advantage. Linear dependencies appear when multivariate data are produced by using the pH or a reaction time as one of the data dimensions, posing a challenge to classical multivariate calibration models. The presently discussed algorithm is useful for these latter systems.     

An engineering approach for the estimation of slewing bearing stiffness in wind turbine generators

The stiffness of yaw and pitch slewing bearings has a critical influence on the structural behaviour of wind turbine generators. Thus, it is commonly required by designers for their simulations to estimate deformations and select the most suitable bearing for their working conditions in preliminary design stages. In this work, a design of experiments was carried out via finite element analysis to obtain the stiffness curves of all of the standard four‐point contact slewing bearings from the catalogues of manufacturers under radial, axial, and tilting loads. From these results, a set of simple formulas to calculate the ring deformations were adjusted. Combining them with contact deformation results obtained in previous work by the authors, a complete and efficient tool for slewing bearing stiffness estimation has been developed.