Bayesian Registration of Functions With a Gaussian Process Prior

We present a Bayesian framework for registration of real-valued functional data. At the core of our approach is a series of transformations of the data and functional parameters, developed under a differential geometric framework. We aim to avoid discretization of functional objects for as long as possible, thus minimizing the potential pitfalls associated with high-dimensional Bayesian inference. Approximate draws from the posterior distribution are obtained using a novel Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, which is well suited for estimation of functions. We illustrate our approach via pairwise and multiple functional data registration, using both simulated and real datasets. Supplementary material for this article is available online.     

Evaluation of the Photocatalytic Properties of Copper Oxides/Graphene/TiO2 Nanoparticles Composites

Easy and cost-efficient modifications of titanium dioxide nanoparticles that improve their efficiency in the visible light domain represent a continuous and challenging research topic. In addition, the effect of graphene on the overall photocatalytic process is still debated. Consequently, herein, we prepared a series of TiO₂ nanoparticle-based composites with different copper oxide mass content (1–3%) and co-doped with graphene of different oxidation degrees. Different characterization techniques were used to analyze the structural and physico-chemical properties of the obtained composites: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)/Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic performance was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under both UVA and visible light irradiation. The nanocomposites show very good photocatalytic activity independent of the presence of reduced graphene oxide, due to the Cu₂O/CuO-TiO₂ heterojunctions. This finding has been confirmed by the very efficient visible-light-driven degradation of amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin.     

1,3-bis(2,4,6-trinitrophenylaminooxy)propane and its 4-cyano-2,6-dinitrophenyl congener: Synthesis and properties

Starting from N-hydroxyphthalimide (5) and 1,3-dibromopropane (6) we obtained 1,3-bis(phthalimidooxy)propane (7) which led to 1,3-bis(aminooxy)propane dihydrochloride (8). From its reaction with picryl chloride or 4-cyano-2,6-dinitrochlorobenzene, the two title compounds (4b, 4a) were obtained. ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectra are presented. For comparison with the analogous N-methoxy-2,6-dinitro-4-R-anilines 1a, 1b (R=CN or R=NO₂), wer report the hydrophobic characteristics (by RPTLC), electronic spectra for the neutral compounds and their anions, pK _a values, and the behavior towards oxidizers (DPPH, PbO₂, Pb(CH₃COO)₄, KMnO₄ and Ag₂O); DPPH converts compounds 1a, 1b and 4a, 4b into betainic structures 2a, 2b respectively.     

Evaluation of the photosensitizer Tookad for photodynamic therapy on the Syrian golden hamster cheek pouch model: light dose, drug dose and drug-light interval effects

We have evaluated the efficacy of the new photosensitizer (PS) Tookad in photodynamic therapy (PDT) in vivo. This PS is a palladium-bacteriopheophorbide presenting absorption peaks at 762 and 538 nm. The light dose, drug dose and drug injection-light irradiation interval (DLI), ranging between 100 and 300 J/cm2, 1 and 5 mg/kg and from 10 to 240 min, respectively, were varied, and the response to PDT was analyzed by staging the macroscopic response and by the histological examination of the sections of the irradiated cheek pouch. The level of PDT response, macroscopically and histologically, shows a strong dependence on the DLI, light dose and drug dose at the applied conditions in the normal hamster cheek pouch. A decay of the tissular response with increasing DLI is observed corresponding to a time of half-maximum response ranging from 10 to 120 min, depending on drug dose and light dose. The tissues affected at the lowest doses are predominantly the vascularized diffuse connective tissue situated between the inner and outer striated muscle (SM) layers as well as these muscle layers themselves. The highest response at the shortest DLI and the absence of a measurable response at DLI longer than 240 min at 300 J/cm2 and drug dose of 5 mg/kg are characteristics of a predominantly vascular effect of this PS. This observation suggests that Tookad could be effective in PDT of vascularized lesions or pathologies associated with the proliferation of neovessels.     

Topological restrictions for circle actions and harmonic morphisms

 Let M ^m be a compact oriented smooth manifold admitting a smooth circle action with isolated fixed points which are isolated as singularities as well. Then all the Pontryagin numbers of M ^m are zero and its Euler number is nonnegative and even. In particular, M ^m has signature zero. We apply this to obtain non-existence of harmonic morphisms with one-dimensional fibres from various domains, and a classification of harmonic morphisms from certain 4-manifolds. Received: 16 May 2002 Published online: 14 February 2003 Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 58E20, 53C43, 57R20.     

Generalized contraction mapping principles in probabilistic metric spaces

We give an improvement of Theorem 1 from [2] with a quite different approach, which enable us to prove that the fixed point is also globally attractive. In Theorem 2.11 a further generalization is obtained for a complete Menger space (S,F,T), where T belongs to a more general class of continuous t-norms than in the previous case where T=T _M (=min). Theorem 3.2 is a generalization of Theorem 2 from [2]. Thereafter the notion of a generalized C-contraction of Krasnoselski's type is introduced and a fixed point theorem for such mappings is proved. An application in the space S(Ω, K, P) is given.     

Low-loss transmission band in photonic crystal waveguides with sharp cutoff at a frequency below the bandgap

We present TE transmission measurements of photonic crystal waveguides with high hole radius to period ratio r/Λ = 0.388. This geometry introduces a unique low loss transmission band in addition to the traditional PhC guiding band and very sharp transmission edges for devices with a length of 50 μm or longer. Finite difference time domain and plane wave expansion simulations confirm the results and show that the sharpness of the cutoffs can be explained by the spectral shape of the guiding mode in the band diagram.     

Adaptive Component-Wise Multiple-Try Metropolis Sampling

One of the most widely used samplers in practice is the component-wise Metropolis–Hastings (CMH) sampler that updates in turn the components of a vector-valued Markov chain using accept–reject moves generated from a proposal distribution. When the target distribution of a Markov chain is irregularly shaped, a “good” proposal distribution for one region of the state–space might be a “poor” one for another region. We consider a component-wise multiple-try Metropolis (CMTM) algorithm that chooses from a set of candidate moves sampled from different distributions. The computational efficiency is increased using an adaptation rule for the CMTM algorithm that dynamically builds a better set of proposal distributions as the Markov chain runs. The ergodicity of the adaptive chain is demonstrated theoretically. The performance is studied via simulations and real data examples. Supplementary material for this article is available online.     

A Model Predictive Control Algorithm Applied To Non-Linear Processes

Model predictive control (MPC) is an optimization-based approach that has been successfully applied to a wide variety of control problems. In most of nonlinear strategies, the controllers are based on linear models with fixed parameters so that the vast body of linear control theory can be applied. Other solutions include the use of a nonlinear analytical model, combinations of linear empirical models, etc. This paper presents an MPC algorithm which uses on-line simulation and rule-based control. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The contributions regarding the conception,designing, modelling and the implementation in a flexible cell of fabrication of a modular serial robot

The authors of the presented paper are propose to relief the calculus, modelling and construction of the translation module of an industrial robot which possess in his cinematic chain five degrees of freedom, type TTRTR. It is propose a choosing variant of the direct current driving engine of the translation module, knowing the output momentum and calculating the input momentum. This is realized by equalize of an equation which results from dynamic modeling of the robot with a designing equation which keep in view the component elements of the structure of the module. The robot is composed by: module of translation on horizontal to the base of the robot (MTB-Sil), module of translation on vertical (MTV-Sil), module of rotation round the vertical axis from the robot's arm, module of translation from the structure of the robot's arm (MT-Sil) and module of orientation assembled with clamping device. In the paper, also is presented an economic study regarding the implementation of the analyzed robot in a manufactural cell concerning the manufacturing and assembling of some types of car radiators. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)