An Adaptive Feature Extraction Algorithm for Classification of Seismocardiographic Signals

This paper proposes a novel adaptive feature extraction algorithm for seismocardiographic (SCG) signals. The proposed algorithm divides the SCG signal into a number of bins, where the length of each bin is determined based on the signal change within that bin. For example, when the signal variation is steeper, the bins are shorter and vice versa. The proposed algorithm was used to extract features of the SCG signals recorded from 7 healthy individuals (Age: 29.4$\pm$4.5 years) during different lung volume phases. The output of the feature extraction algorithm was fed into a support vector machines classifier to classify SCG events into two classes of high and low lung volume (HLV and LLV). The classification results were compared with currently available non-adaptive feature extraction methods for different number of bins. Results showed that the proposed algorithm led to a classification accuracy of ~90%. The proposed algorithm outperformed the non-adaptive algorithm, especially as the number of bins was reduced. For example, for 16 bins, F1 score for the adaptive and non-adaptive methods were 0.91$\pm$0.05 and 0.63$\pm$0.08, respectively

The search for building-integrated PV materials with good aesthetic potential: a survey

Building-integrated photovoltaics (PV) is currently dominated by blue and black rectilinear forms. Greater variety of colour and form could lead to much better uptake of PV in the built environment, also increasing the potential for PV to be used as an artistic material. Listing the available PV technologies by colour gives a clearer picture of the current situation. An assessment of photostability, efficiency and price, for each material, indicates the materials that have the potential to fill the gaps in the colour spectrum. Use of combinations of materials that can be fabricated in different ways from the current, standardised, PV modules will further increase the possibilities for use in building integration, Extending the lifetimes of organic PV, dye-sensitised PV or luminescent solar concentrators will increase the possibilities for development of new PV products

Hakikat Dan Prosedur Pemeriksaan Tindak Pidana Ringan

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana hakikat dari tindak pidana ringan dan bagaimana prosedur pemeriksaan tindak pidana ringan. Melalui metode penelitian kepustakaan dapat disimpulkan bahwa: 1. Hakikat Tindak Pidana Ringan (Tipiring) adalah tindak pidana yang bersifat ringan atau tidak berbahaya. Sedangkan hakikat pengadaan Acara Pemeriksaan Tindak Pidana Ringan agar perkara dapat diperiksa dengan prosedur yang lebih sederhana. Tindak Pidana Ringan ini tidak hanya pelanggaran tapi juga mencakup kejahatan-kejahatan ringan yang terletak dalam Buku II KUHPidana yang terdiri dari, penganiayaan hewan ringan, penghinaan ringan, penganiayaan ringan, pencurian ringan, penggelapan ringan, penipuan ringan, Perusakan ringan, penadahan ringan. 2. Dalam acara pemeriksaan tindak pidana ringan terdapat beberapa ketentuan khusus, yaitu : a. Yang berfungsi sebagai penuntut adalah penyidik atas kuasa penuntut umum, dimana pengertian ”atas kuasa” ini adalah ”demi hukum”; b. Tidak dibuat surat dakwaan, karena yang menjadi dasar pemeriksaan adalah catatan dan berkas yang dikirimkan oleh penyidik ke pengadilan; c. Saksi tidak mengucapkan sumpah atau janji, kecuali apabila hakim menganggap perlu

A silicone host for Lumogen dyes

Altering the encapsulant colour in photovoltaic (PV) modules is a straightforward way of achieving greater colour range whilst minimising additional cost in PV systems. Lumogen fluorescent, organic dyes offer a way of adding colour to the encapsulant with minimal change in efficiency. The silicone encapsulant material Sylgard 184 is tested as a host material for Lumogen dyes. A method of dissolving various Lumogen dyes in Sylgard is investigated, and limits of solubility are explored. Methods of preparing samples suitable for optical measurements are found. Optical density is measured for a range of dye concentrations. The results indicate that Lumogen dyes can be dissolved successfully within Sylgard 184, giving good optical properties for lower dye concentrations. Initial photoluminescent quantum yield measurements confirm that Lumogen dyes can function effectively within a Sylgard host. This is promising for use of this material combination in the creation of coloured, fluorescent PV encapsulant layers

Patrimonio industrial: problemática de cubiertas de ladrillos cerámicos huecos en zona sísmica

El mantenimiento edilicio es una necesidad clave para mantener la integridad estructural en todas las construcciones a lo largo de su vida útil y las destinadas a uso industrial no escapan a esta regla. Las cubiertas de ladrillos cerámicos huecos constituyen un claro ejemplo, donde la ausencia de medidas de mantenimiento afecta el comportamiento estructural, causando pérdidas materiales y humanas. Esta problemática se presenta después de más de treinta años de uso de este tipo de cubiertas conformadas por losetas cerámicas, uno de los primeros sistemas industrializados masivos aplicados a la construcción, que se volvió popular en el oeste argentino en construcciones de viviendas, y que en el caso de construcciones industriales, los problemas se magnifican debido a sus grandes luces. Se presentan los antecedentes de la tipología de cubierta, las condiciones de uso y las patologías presentadas durante la inspección. Se evalúa en laboratorio el comportamiento de los materiales utilizados: cerámicas, aceros, aislaciones térmicas e hidráulicas con el objeto de obtener parámetros para modelar el estado de daño y para estimar la vida útil remanente con las recomendaciones de uso para continuar con la puesta en valor en una zona de importante riesgo sísmico

Neisseria gonorrhoeae challenge increases matrix metalloproteinase-8 expression in fallopian tube explants

Indexación: Scopus.Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo) is the etiological agent of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection that initially infects the female lower genital tract. In untreated women, the bacteria can ascend to the upper genital reproductive tract and infect the fallopian tube (FTs), which is associated with salpingitis and can lead to impaired FT function and infertility. The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in cell migration and differentiation in the female genital tract, and some pathogens modify the ECM to establish successful infections. The ECM is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), their endogenous inhibitors; MMP deregulation causes pathological conditions in a variety of tissues. Results: The aim of this work was to analyze the expression and localization of MMP-3, MMP-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in FT explants during Ngo infection using real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, zymography and ELISA. No significant variations in MMP-3, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 transcript levels were observed. In contrast, a significant increase (p < 0.05) was observed for MMP-8 expression and was accompanied by stromal immunoreactivity in infected explants. ELISA results supported these findings and showed that MMP-8 release increased upon gonococcal infection. Conclusions: Our results indicate that gonococcal infection induces increased MMP-8 expression, which might contribute to FT damage during infection. © 2017 Juica, Rodas, Solar, Borda, Vargas, Muñoz, Paredes, Christodoulides and Velasquez.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00399/ful

Patrimonio industrial: problemática de cubiertas de ladrillos cerámicos huecos en zona sísmica

El mantenimiento edilicio es una necesidad clave para mantener la integridad estructural en todas las construcciones a lo largo de su vida útil y las destinadas a uso industrial no escapan a esta regla. Las cubiertas de ladrillos cerámicos huecos constituyen un claro ejemplo, donde la ausencia de medidas de mantenimiento afecta el comportamiento estructural, causando pérdidas materiales y humanas. Esta problemática se presenta después de más de treinta años de uso de este tipo de cubiertas conformadas por losetas cerámicas, uno de los primeros sistemas industrializados masivos aplicados a la construcción, que se volvió popular en el oeste argentino en construcciones de viviendas, y que en el caso de construcciones industriales, los problemas se magnifican debido a sus grandes luces. Se presentan los antecedentes de la tipología de cubierta, las condiciones de uso y las patologías presentadas durante la inspección. Se evalúa en laboratorio el comportamiento de los materiales utilizados: cerámicas, aceros, aislaciones térmicas e hidráulicas con el objeto de obtener parámetros para modelar el estado de daño y para estimar la vida útil remanente con las recomendaciones de uso para continuar con la puesta en valor en una zona de importante riesgo sísmico

Safety-Aware Apprenticeship Learning

Apprenticeship learning (AL) is a kind of Learning from Demonstration techniques where the reward function of a Markov Decision Process (MDP) is unknown to the learning agent and the agent has to derive a good policy by observing an expert's demonstrations. In this paper, we study the problem of how to make AL algorithms inherently safe while still meeting its learning objective. We consider a setting where the unknown reward function is assumed to be a linear combination of a set of state features, and the safety property is specified in Probabilistic Computation Tree Logic (PCTL). By embedding probabilistic model checking inside AL, we propose a novel counterexample-guided approach that can ensure safety while retaining performance of the learnt policy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on several challenging AL scenarios where safety is essential.Comment: Accepted by International Conference on Computer Aided Verification (CAV) 201