Matrix-Based Discrete Event Control for Surveillance Mobile Robotics

This paper focuses on the control system for an autonomous robot for the surveillance of indoor environments. Our approach proposes a matrix-based formalism which allows us to merge in a single framework discrete-event supervisory control, conflict resolution and reactive control. As a consequence, the robot is able to autonomously handle high level tasks as well as low-level behaviors, solving control and decision-making issues simultaneously. Moreover, the matrix-based controller is modular and can be easily reconfigured if mission characteristics or robot hardware configuration change. An illustrative example and a report on experimental investigations are provided to illustrate the main features of the proposed approach.     

Sliding-Mode Control With Double Boundary Layer for Robust Compensation of Payload Mass and Friction in Linear Motors

Direct drives with linear motors have been recently attracting the attention of both industry and academia. The main peculiarity of these systems is the lack of mechanical reduction and transmission devices, which makes the influence of some uncertain electromechanical phenomena (e.g., friction, cogging forces, etc.) and load disturbances much more significant than in the case of conventional rotary actuators. This paper describes a control system for a tubular synchronous linear motor based on a sliding-mode control (SMC) and a proportional-integral (PI)-based equivalent disturbance observer. The distinctive peculiarities of the proposed scheme are the use of a control law that guarantees the stability of the system regardless of the payload mass, the adoption of a double boundary layer addressing effectively the harmful effects of static friction, and the introduction of a simple PI-based equivalent disturbance observer that avoids steady-state errors regardless of model uncertainties and external disturbances. The reduced computational cost of the control law, alongside with the introduction of the effective design criteria for the SMC and the disturbance observer, makes the implementation of the proposed approach as simple as standard cascaded linear control schemes using industrial microcontrollers. The aforementioned considerations are validated by extensive experiments.     

Isotopic and Elemental Authenticity Markers: a Case Study on Cypriot Wines

This study monitors variations in isotopes and elements in relation to grape variety, environmental factors and provenance in order to address the wine authenticity issue. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) assessed the wines’ elemental content. Site-specific nuclear isotope fractionation-nuclear magnetic resonance and isotope ratio mass spectrometry methodologies determined in authentic and commercial wines the distribution of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of the deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) ratios and carbon (¹³C/¹²C) in ethanol of wine and oxygen ratio (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) in wine water. Chemometrics delineated the elements and isotopes responsible for wine classification. Specifically, unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) framed the importance of grape variety and provenance, while supervised analysis pinpointed the vineyard effect and highlighted the contribution of the vintage year. Validation steps ensured that the extracted models do not predict randomly and their results are reliable. In fact, the acquired results can be incorporated to the EU Wine Isotopic Databank database providing both a guide and a tool for eventual candidatures for denomination of origin and support both Cypriot wine and winemakers. In this context, this research contributes to authenticity assurance of wines and adds value to final products, while it helps controlling hazards arising from environmental changes.     

Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in seafood from the Gulf of Naples (Italy)

Seven target polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs; IUPAC nos. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) and the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its related metabolites (p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, and p,p'-DDD) were quantified in edible tissues from seven marine species (European hake, red mullet, blue whiting, Atlantic mackerel, blue and red shrimp, European flying squid, and Mediterranean mussel) from the Gulf of Naples in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy). PCBs 118, 138, and 153 were the dominant congeners in all the species examined. The concentrations of all PCBs (from not detectable to 15,427 ng g(-1) fat weight) exceeded those of all the DDTs (from not detectable to 1,769 ng g(-1) fat weight) and HCB (not detectable to 150.60 ng g(-1) fat weight) in the samples analyzed. The OCP concentrations were below the maximum residue limits established for fish and aquatic products by the Decreto Ministerale 13 May 2005 in all the samples analyzed; therefore the OCPs in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea species are unlikely to be a significant health hazard. Conversely, the mean concentrations of PCBs exceeded (greatly in some cases) the current limits (200 ng(-1) fat weight) set by the European Union for terrestrial foods. Although the manufacture and use of PCBs are banned or highly restricted, these compounds still are important persistent chemical contaminants in the Gulf of Naples.     

Rethinking trauma: A critical view of invalidation.

The following paper critically examines invalidation's role in trauma, drawing extensively on the work of Bromberg who is one of its most influential proponents. Although Bromberg correctly identifies invalidation as a necessary condition, his central argument is weakened by portraying personal identity as an illusion concealing the existence of multiple selves. Against his view, I suggest that its causal relevance is most clearly demonstrated in terms of its impact on agentic and/or core beliefs. This hypothesis is consistent with the perspectives of nonrelational psychoanalytic theorists and enjoys robust empirical support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of excess activated sludge ozonation in an SBR Plant. Effects on substrate fractioning and solids production

This paper provides new insights on the application of the ozonation process for the reduction of the activated sludge production in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The study was performed in two identical lab-scale SBRs plant, one for experimental activities (Exp SBR) and one used as control (Control SBR), both fed with domestic sewage. A fraction of the activated sludge collected from the Exp SBR at the end of the aerobic react phase was periodically subjected to ozonation for 30 minutes at three different specific dosages (0.05, 0.07 and 0.37 g O(3)/gSS) and then recirculated before the beginning of the following cycle.Recirculation of the ozonated sludge to the Exp SBR did not appreciably affect the efficiency of the biological nitrogen and carbon removal processes. Nonetheless, an improvement of the denitrification kinetic was observed. Mixed liquor volatile and suspended solids (MLSS and MLVSS, respectively) concentrations in the reactor decreased significantly with time for long term application of the ozonation treatment. Kinetic batch tests on unstressed sludge taken from Control SBR indicated that the different oxidant dosages (0.05, 0.07 and 0.37 g O(3)/gSS) and durations of the ozonation process (10, 20 and 30 minutes) used remarkably affected chemical oxygen demand (COD) and organic nitrogen fractioning. In particular, soluble and biodegradable fractions seemed to be higher at lower dosage and longer contact time.     

A fuzzy-logic based optical sensor for online weld defect-detection

This paper describes an intelligent optical sensor for real time defect detection in gas metal arc welding processes. The sensor measures the radiations emitted by the plasma surrounding the welding arc, and analyzes the information in real time to determine an index of local quality of the weld. The data processing algorithm encompasses a Kalman filter to reduce the heavy amount of noise affecting the measured signals, and an intelligent fuzzy system to assess the degree of acceptability of the weld. The fuzzy system is also able to detect the risk of specific problems (e.g., anomalies in the current, voltage or speed of the arc, contamination with other materials, holes) and the position of defects along the welding line. In an extensive experimental comparison, the fuzzy system outperforms a former version of the detection algorithm based on a statistical approach.     

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of nosocomial Staphylococcus aureus isolates from trauma patients

Tight junctions (TJ) are the topical most structure in epithelial and endothelial cells and play a key role in the control of permeability and prevention of tumour cell invasion of endothelium. In this study we examined the effects of a range of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the function of TJs and the expression of occludin, a key molecule in the TJs of the human vascular endothelial cell line, ECV304. Treatment of the endothelial cells with gamma linolenic acid, an anti-cancer PUFA, increased the transendothelial cell resistance (TER) and reduced the paracellular permeability to large molecules. The effects were seen without any changes in the viability of the endothelial cells. Occludin, a recently identified molecule, which plays a major role in tight junctions was up-regulated by this fatty acid as revealed by both Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Other fatty acids were also tested. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) also exerted an up-regulatory effect, but LA and AA down-regulated the expression. We conclude that GLA and EPA which also have other anti-cancer effects, regulate the expression of occludin in endothelial cells and thus contribute to the modification of the TER of these cells.     

Retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele after atlanto-occipital dislocation: report of two cases

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report two cases of retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele after atlanto-occipital dislocation. This is rare, with only one other reported case in the literature. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report two patients who presented after blunt cervical and head trauma. Plain films revealed that each patient had atlanto-occipital dislocation. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed the delayed development of retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele. Concomitant hydrocephalus was noted in both patients. INTERVENTION: The surviving patient showed marked neurological improvement and resolution of his pseudomeningocele after ventriculoperitoneal shunting. CONCLUSION: For patients with closed head injuries who develop posttraumatic pseudomeningocele, we recommend cranial computed tomography to assess for the presence of hydrocephalus. In patients with atlanto-occipital dislocation, delayed neurological deterioration warrants magnetic resonance imaging of the craniocervical junction to rule out posttraumatic pseudomeningocele.