Generalized likelihood ratio control charts for high-purity (high-quality) processes

Generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) control charts are useful for tailor-made monitoring strategies, but they are less developed for discrete processes. In this paper, the GLR control chart framework applied to aggregate cumulative quantities data is extended. Inspired by the technical note on GLR control charts from Lee and Woodall (2018), unnecessary artificial bounds in the GLR chart for geometric data proposed in literature are removed and parameter restriction errors, common in GLR designs, are corrected. Finally, the Gamma GLR chart for continuous-time time-between-event data that can be modeled by a Poisson process is proposed and its performance are evaluated and compared to its traditional competitors.     

Furan resins as replacement of phenolic protective coatings: Structural,mechanical and functional characterization

Phenolic coatings are usually a convenient and economical way to protect metallic materials against wear and corrosion. Furan resins are analogous to phenolics, as they are obtained by replacing formaldehyde by furfural in their formulation. In this work, a furan resin based on furfural and phenol was synthesized and used as an aluminum coating. Thus, toxic emissions of formaldehyde were avoided, while a biobased derivative was used instead. The performance of the proposed resin was compared with the one of a traditional phenolic resin. Physicochemical characteristics including chemical structure, surface polarity and glass transition temperature were evaluated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurements and dynamic–mechanical analysis, respectively. Nanomechanical and nanotribological properties were assessed by depth sensing indentation techniques. As well, the corrosion resistance of the furan coating was determined by potentiodynamic polarization tests. The obtained results validate the furan resin as a feasible alternative to phenolics to protect aluminum.     

Genetic analysis of male and female fertility after artificial insemination in sheep: comparison of single-trait and joint models

The outcome of an insemination depends on male and female fertility. Nevertheless, few studies have incorporated genetic evaluation of these 2 traits jointly. The aim of this work was to compare genetic parameter estimates of male and female fertility defined as success or failure to artificial insemination (AI), using 8 different models. The first 2 models were simple repeatability models studying fertility of one sex and ignoring any information of the other. Models 3 and 4 took into account the information of the other sex by the inclusion of its random permanent environmental effect, whereas models 5 and 6 included fixed effects of the other sex. Models 7 and 8 were joint genetic evaluation models of male and female fertility ignoring or considering genetic correlation. Data were composed of 147,018 AI of the Manech Tête Rousse breed recorded from 2000 to 2004 corresponding to 79,352 ewes and 963 rams. The pedigree file included 120,989 individuals. Variance component estimates from the different models were quite similar; heritabilities varied from 0.050 to 0.053 for female fertility and were near 0.003 for male fertility. Correlations among estimated breeding values in the same sex using different models were higher than 0.99. The genetic correlation between male and female fertility was not significantly different from 0. These results show that for French dairy sheep with extensive use of AI, estimation of breeding values for male and female fertility might be implemented with quite simple models.     

A model-based deconvolution approach to solve fiber crossing in diffusion-weighted MR imaging

A deconvolution approach is presented to solve fiber crossing in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. In order to provide a direct physical interpretation of the signal generation process, we started from the classical multicompartment model and rewrote this in terms of a convolution process, identifying a significant scalar parameter alpha to characterize the physical system response. Deconvolution is performed by a modified version of the Richardson-Lucy algorithm. Simulations show the ability of this method to correctly separate fiber crossing, even in the presence of noisy data, with lower signal-to-noise ratio, and imprecision in the impulse response function imposed during deconvolution. The in vivo data confirms the efficacy of this method to resolve fiber crossing in real complex brain structures. These results suggest the usefulness of our approach in fiber tracking or connectivity studies.     

Modeling the acid-base properties of bacterial surfaces: A combined spectroscopic and potentiometric study of the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis

In this study, macroscopic and spectroscopic data were combined to develop a surface complexation model that describes the acid-base properties of Bacillus subtilis. The bacteria were freeze-dried and then resuspended in 0.1 M NaCl ionic medium. Macroscopic measurements included potentiometric acid-base titrations and electrophoretic mobility measurements. In addition, ATR-FTIR spectra of wet pastes from suspensions of Bacillus subtilis at different pH values were collected. The least-squares program MAGPIE was used to generate a surface complexation model that takes into account the presence of three acid-base sites on the surface: tripple bond COOH, tripple bond NH+, and tripple bond PO-, which were identified previously by XPS measurements. Both potentiometric titration data and ATR-FTIR spectra were used quantitatively, and electrostatic effects at the charged bacterial surface were accounted for using the constant capacitance model. The model was calculated using two different approaches: in the first one XPS data were used to constrain the ratio of the total concentrations of all three surface sites. The capacitance of the double layer, the total buffer capacity, and the deprotonation constants of the tripple bond NH+, tripple bond POH, and tripple bond COOH species were determined in the fit. A second approach is presented in which the ratio determined by XPS of the total concentrations of tripple bond NH+ to tripple bond PO- sites is relaxed. The total concentration of tripple bond PO- sites was determined in the fit, while the deprotonation constant for tripple bond POH was manually varied until the minimization led to a model which predicted an isoelectric point that resulted in consistency with electrophoretic mobility data. The model explains well the buffering capacity of Bacillus subtilis suspensions in a wide pH range (between pH=3 and pH=9) which is of considerable environmental interest. In particular, a similar quantitative use of the IR data opens up possibilities to model other bacterial surfaces at the laboratory scale and help estimate the buffering capacity of carboxylate-containing compounds in natural samples.     

Planar multipole ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometer

We present a novel, hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometer that is based on a planar multipole design. Compared with Paul trap/time-of-flight instruments, this design possesses the principal advantages of higher injection efficiency and more homogeneous extraction fields. We demonstrate the viability of the concept and describe the characterization of a first prototype. Ions can be injected into the trap with little mass discrimination and stored for several minutes. A resolution of over 1300 is achieved in reflectron mode, and the influence of the RF amplitude and pressure on the resolution is analyzed. We suggest several applications in which this new instrument could offer advantages over existing technology.     

A hermetic wireless subretinal neurostimulator for vision prostheses

A miniaturized, hermetically encased, wirelessly operated retinal prosthesis has been developed for preclinical studies in the Yucatan minipig, and includes several design improvements over our previously reported device. The prosthesis attaches conformally to the outside of the eye and electrically drives a microfabricated thin-film polyimide array of sputtered iridium oxide film electrodes. This array is implanted into the subretinal space using a customized ab externo surgical technique. The implanted device includes a hermetic titanium case containing a 15-channel stimulator chip and discrete circuit components. Feedthroughs in the case connect the stimulator chip to secondary power and data receiving coils on the eye and to the electrode array under the retina. Long-term in vitro pulse testing of the electrodes projected a lifetime consistent with typical devices in industry. The final assembly was tested in vitro to verify wireless operation of the system in physiological saline using a custom RF transmitter and primary coils. Stimulation pulse strength, duration, and frequency were programmed wirelessly from a Peripheral Component Interconnect eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) computer. Operation of the retinal implant has been verified in two pigs for up to five and a half months by detecting stimulus artifacts generated by the implanted device.     

Analytical investigation of elastic period of infilled RC MRF buildings

Fundamental period of vibration, dependent on mass and stiffness structure characteristics, is a key parameter in assessing seismic demand. The period can be evaluated both by means of empirical formulas and modal analysis carried out on a structure numerical model. The presence of external or internal infill elements, usually considered as “non-structural” elements, is generally not taken into account in structural modelling, although these elements can significantly increase the lateral stiffness of a Reinforced Concrete (RC) Moment Resisting Frame (MRF) building leading to a modification in dynamic properties.In this study, results of modal analyses carried out on 3D numerical RC MRF building models are presented, varying structure morphology (height, surface area, ratio between plan dimensions) and infill characteristics. Simplified formulas based on regression analysis of obtained numerical data are presented and discussed. These relationships are also compared with similar literature numerical expressions and empirical data from experimental measurements on existing buildings.     

Innate Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: From Cells to Soluble Mediators

The vulnerability of humankind to SARS-CoV-2 in the absence of a pre-existing immunity, the unpredictability of the infection outcome, and the high transmissibility, broad tissue tropism, and ability to exploit and subvert the immune response pose a major challenge and are likely perpetuating the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, this peculiar infectious scenario provides researchers with a unique opportunity for studying, with the latest immunological techniques and understandings, the immune response in SARS-CoV-2 naïve versus recovered subjects as well as in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinees. Interestingly, the current understanding of COVID-19 indicates that the combined action of innate immune cells, cytokines, and chemokines fine-tunes the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the related immunopathogenesis. Indeed, the emerging picture clearly shows that the excessive inflammatory response against this virus is among the main causes of disease severity in COVID-19 patients. In this review, the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is described not only in light of its capacity to influence the adaptive immune response towards a protective phenotype but also with the intent to point out the multiple strategies exploited by SARS-CoV-2 to antagonize host antiviral response and, finally, to outline inborn errors predisposing individuals to COVID-19 disease severity.     

Robust pinning control of heterogeneous complex networks with jointly connected topologies and time-varying parametric uncertainty

The pinning/leader control problems provide the design of the leader or pinning controller in order to guide a complex network to a desired trajectory or target (synchronisation or consensus). Let a time-invariant complex network, pinning/leader control problems include the design of the leader or pinning controller gain and number of nodes to pin in order to guide a network to a desired trajectory (synchronization or consensus). Usually, lower is the number of pinned nodes larger is the pinning gain required to assess network synchronisation. On the other side, realistic application scenario of complex networks is characterised by switching topologies, time-varying node coupling strength and link weight that make hard to solve the pinning/leader control problem. Additionally, the system dynamics at nodes can be heterogeneous. In this paper, we derive robust stabilisation conditions of time-varying heterogeneous complex networks with jointly connected topologies when coupling strength and link weight interactions are affected by time-varying uncertainties. By employing Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, we formulate low computationally demanding stabilisability conditions to design a pinning/leader control gain for robust network synchronisation. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is shown by several design examples applied to a paradigmatic well-known complex network composed of heterogeneous Chua's circuits.