Identical Reference Research Articles

Microelectrode Human Analysis: Circuit Bath Pegged By Reference Potential

Microelectrodes allow human in vivo sensing without IR drop uncertainties. The small currents passed permit reliable use of a two-electrode voltage clamp system. The circuit bath is connected directly to a classical true reference electrode. The reference electrode is immersed in a beaker containing electrolyte and is connected to the circuit bath. The circuit can be completed by the human subject immersing a finger in the beaker with the reference electrode. The reliability of this approach is characterized by two control experiments. One involves the insertion of a salt bridge filled needle subcutaneously where a connected tube is immersed in the reference electrode beaker. The other control experiment uses a second identical reference electrode placed in the beaker. Electrical contact between this reference electrode and the human subject is made by physical contact at the second reference electrode lead. These two control experiments suggest no difference in the applied potential at the working microelectrode compared to experiments conducted with the human subject’s finger inserted in the beaker. However, completing the circuit by placing a copper wire in the reference electrode beaker, where the human subject physically contacts the dry air-end of the wire, does show evidence of an altered applied potential at the working microelectrode.

La imagen circulante del rey: el sello postal y las representaciones visuales de la nación en España (1849-1882)

Los documentos de valor (monedas, sellos, billetes) portan imágenes con referentes identitarios. A través de ellos circula entre la población un discurso político que remite a la nación, la república, la monarquía, el imperio, Europa, etc. Este artículo se propone estudiar este fenómeno en relación con la fijación de una imagen de la nación asociada a la monarquía a través del sello postal. El diálogo entre Estado, Monarquía y Nación a través de la imagen y el texto estampados en el sello nos permite estudiar las consecuencias que estos elementos iconográficos y textuales tuvieron sobre el imaginario político. La cotidiana visualización de la Corona a través del sello postal, con la cabeza del monarca y/o el escudo nacional, había de contribuir a fijar en la mente de los ciudadanos el icono de la nación liberal del que la reina y el rey eran símbolos.

Phase estimation using homodyne detection for continuous variable quantum key distribution

In order to ensure the security of the local oscillator (LO) in continuous variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD), the LO in CV-QKD based on the local LO (LLO) scheme no longer passes through the quantum channel. For the LLO scheme using homodyne detection, two orthogonal quadratures of reference pulse can only be measured sequentially, which, as a result, each signal pulse should be accompanied by a pair of identical reference pulses. However, due to the phase shift between two adjacent pulses, it is difficult to prepare dual reference pulses with the same phase relative to the LO. In this paper, we propose an improved method to get around this difficulty, which is demonstrated experimentally for a transmitter and a receiver connected by a 50 km single mode fiber. The phase noise measured in the experiment is 2.0×10−3rad2, which is comparable to the recent experimental results using heterodyne detection. This method simplifies the preparation of phase reference pulses and removes the obstacles for the application of homodyne detection in the LLO scheme. In addition, this method can also be used for the compensation of quadrature imbalance in heterodyne detection, then the performance of heterodyne detection can be improved.

Organizational Identity Formation in Alternative Organizations: A Study of Three Benefit Corporations

The benefit corporation (BC) in the United States is a new type of corporation legally required to generate profit for its shareholders and to pursue public benefit. BCs explicitly work to balance profit maximization and social mission, which is an ongoing challenge for businesses with an expansive view of the bottom line. This multiple case study extends scholarship on identity formation (IF) in nontraditional organizations, such as BCs, by providing empirical evidence of how identities develop in relation to prevailing cultural sentiments. In particular, we demonstrate how BC struggles over organizational identity (OI) reference broader socioeconomic discourses, identify mechanisms through which perceived pressures suppress alternative interpretations of OI at a micro-level of member interaction, and expose tensions between dominant and alternative frames for business enterprise.

Evaluation of spin diffusion length and spin Hall angle of the antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn3Sn

Antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn$_3$Sn has shown to generate strong intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) at room temperature, due to large momentum-space Berry curvature from the time-reversal symmetry breaking electronic bands of the Kagome planes. This prompts us to investigate intrinsic spin Hall effect, a transverse phenomenon with identical origin as the intrinsic AHE. We report inverse spin Hall effect experiments in nanocrystalline Mn$_3$Sn nanowires at room temperature using spin absorption method which enables us to quantitatively derive both the spin diffusion length and the spin Hall angle in the same device. We observed clear absorption of the spin current in the Mn$_3$Sn nanowires when kept in contact with the spin transport channel of a lateral spin-valve device. We estimate spin diffusion length $\lambda_{s(Mn_3Sn)}$ $\sim$0.75 $\pm$0.67 nm from the comparison of spin signal of an identical reference lateral spin valve without Mn$_3$Sn nanowire. From inverse spin Hall measurements, we evaluate spin Hall angle $\theta_{SH}$ $\sim$5.3 $\pm$ 2.4 $\%$ and spin Hall conductivity $\sigma_{SH}$ $\sim$46.9 $\pm$ 3.4 ($\hbar/e$) ($\Omega$ cm)$^{-1}$. The estimated spin Hall conductivity agrees with both in sign and magnitude to the theoretically predicted intrinsic $\sigma_{SH}^{int}$ $\sim$36-96 ($\hbar/e$) ($\Omega$ cm)$^{-1}$. We also observed anomalous Hall effect at room temperature in nano-Hall bars prepared at the same time as the spin Hall devices. Large anomalous Hall conductivity along with adequate spin Hall conductivity makes Mn$_3$Sn a promising material for ultrafast and ultrahigh-density spintronics devices.

Research on the sediment acoustic properties based on a water coupled laboratory measurement system

The high-frequency acoustic properties of seafloor sediments are very significant in seafloor study and underwater acoustic study field. In order to measure the sound speed and the attenuation for the small-scale sediment cores more accurately, this study developed a water coupled acoustic laboratory measurement system based on Richardson-Briggs technique. This method used the correlation comparison of waveforms received in sediment core and in identical reference tubes filled with water to measure sound speed and attenuation. The sound speed and attenuation of a clayey silt sediment sample were measured using the water coupled acoustic laboratory measurement system. This frequency dependence of the sound speed and attenuation showed that the clayey silt sediment has a weak positive sound speed dispersion, while the attenuation increases with a strong positive gradient within the measurement frequency range. This study also noted that the measured sound speed ratio match well with the empirical equations from literature. The measured attenuation factor data can fall in the Hamilton’s empirical prediction range.

Preparation of primary standard mixtures for atmospheric oxygen measurements with less than 1 µmol mol−1 uncertainty for oxygen molar fractions

Abstract. Precise monitoring of changes in atmospheric O2 levels was implemented by preparing primary standard mixtures with less than 1 µmol mol−1 standard uncertainty for O2 molar fractions. In this study, these mixtures were crafted in 10 L high-pressure aluminium alloy cylinders using a gravimetric method in which unknown uncertainty factors were theoretically determined and subsequently reduced. Molar fractions of the constituents (CO2, Ar, O2, and N2) in the primary standard mixtures were mainly resolved using masses of the respective source gases (CO2, Ar, O2, and N2) that had been filled into the cylinders. To precisely determine the masses of the source gases, the difference in mass of the cylinder before and after filling the respective source gas was calculated by comparison with an almost identical reference cylinder. Although the masses of the cylinders filled with the source gas with respect to the reference cylinder tended to deviate in relation to temperature differences between the source-gas-filled cylinder and surrounding air, the degree of the deviation could be efficiently reduced by measuring the two cylinders at the exact same temperature. The standard uncertainty for the cylinder mass obtained in our weighing system was determined to be 0.82 mg. The standard uncertainties for the O2 molar fractions in the primary standard mixtures ranged from 0.7 to 0.8 µmol mol−1. Based on the primary standard mixtures, the annual average molar fractions of atmospheric O2 and Ar in 2015 at Hateruma island, Japan, were found to be 209339.1±1.1 and 9334.4±0.7 µmol mol−1, respectively. The molar fraction for atmospheric Ar was in agreement with previous reports.

Measuring the impact of MVHR on the energy efficiency and the IEQ in multifamily buildings

Renovating and improving the current building stock is a matter of both need and importance. In order to know if the implemented renovation measure has had an impact on the building as a system it is important to verify the impact through measurements. The aim of this project is to isolate the impact of a measure on the energy efficiency of a building as well as the indoor environmental quality. This, through detailed measurements that enable the exclusion of the impact of other factors that might affect the energy use. For this reason a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery was installed in two apartment buildings and measurements were conducted before and after installation. Measurements were also conducted in two almost identical reference buildings, that were used as a control group for the experiment. Together with acquired data for the surrounding climate, measurements were conducted on 1) the district heat carriers to and from the buildings, 2) the temperature and relative humidity in the apartments, 3) the global horizontal radiation on site, and 4) the temperature outdoors. A survey was also conducted with the inhabitants for the assessment of the impact on the perceived indoor environmental quality. Correcting for the outdoor temperature only, a yearly reduction by 22% and 24% is achieved in the affected buildings. Changes in the global horizontal radiation clearly impact the results, however, can not be corrected for. By using the control group as a reference, further corrections can be made and the energy reduction might be determined to 15% and 34%, instead of 22% and 24% respectively.

Strategies for noise reduction and standardization of milk mid-infrared spectra from dairy cattle

The use of Fourier-transform mid-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is of interest to the dairy industry worldwide for predicting milk composition and other novel traits that are difficult or expensive to measure directly. Although there are many valuable applications for FTIR spectra, noise from differences in spectral responses between instruments is problematic because it reduces prediction accuracy if ignored. The purpose of this study was to develop strategies to reduce the impact of noise and to compare methods for standardizing FTIR spectra in order to reduce between-instrument variability in multiple-instrument networks. Noise levels in bands of the infrared spectrum caused by the water content of milk were characterized, and a method for identifying and removing outliers was developed. Two standardization methods were assessed and compared: piecewise direct standardization (PDS), which related spectra on a primary instrument to spectra on 5 other (secondary) instruments using identical milk-based reference samples (n = 918) analyzed across the 6 instruments; and retroactive percentile standardization (RPS), whereby percentiles of observed spectra from routine milk test samples (n = 2,044,094) were used to map and exploit primary- and secondary-instrument relationships. Different applications of each method were studied to determine the optimal way to implement each method across time. Industry-standard predictions of milk components from 2,044,094 spectra records were regressed against predictions from spectra before and after standardization using PDS or RPS. The PDS approach resulted in an overall decrease in root mean square error between industry-standard predictions and predictions from spectra from 0.190 to 0.071 g/100 mL for fat, from 0.129 to 0.055 g/100 mL for protein, and from 0.143 to 0.088 g/100 mL for lactose. Reductions in prediction error for RPS were similar but less consistent than those for PDS across time, but similar reductions were achieved when PDS coefficients were updated monthly and separate primary instruments were assigned for the North and South Islands of New Zealand. We demonstrated that the PDS approach is the most consistent method to reduce prediction errors across time. We also showed that the RPS approach is sensitive to shifts in milk composition but can be used to reduce prediction errors, provided that secondary-instrument spectra are standardized to a primary instrument with samples of broadly equivalent milk composition. Appropriate implementation of either of these approaches will improve the quality of predictions based on FTIR spectra for various downstream applications.

Iterative Learning Approaches for Discrete-Time State and Disturbance Observer Design of Uncertain Linear Parameter-Varying Systems

Iterative learning approaches are well developed for the design of feedback controllers of dynamic systems which perform identical control tasks during multiple successive executions. Such tasks are characterized by identical reference trajectories in each of the iterations to be run. Exploiting this information, it becomes possible to reduce tracking errors by adapting the control signal not only on the basis of information of the state variables from the current iteration but also by accounting for the history of the tracking errors from previous trials. Although such control strategies are part of an active field of research, the corresponding dual task, namely, the design of state and disturbance observers for systems with successively repeated state trajectories has not yet received the same amount of attention. Therefore, a discrete-time iterative learning observer design, aiming at the combined state and disturbance estimation, is presented in this paper. The resulting approach is validated in numerical simulations for the simplified model of the charging/discharging dynamics of Lithium-Ion battery systems.

Multimode MEMS Resonator for Simultaneous Sensing of Vapor Concentration and Temperature

Most gas sensors suffer from the cross sensitivity to environmental temperature, which significantly reduces the accuracy and reliability of measurements. Current solutions require the fabrication of a thermometer in close proximity to the gas sensor or an identical reference sensor to compensate for the sensor drift due to temperature. This increases the device size, fabrication cost, and the power required to operate the sensor; and also adds to the complexity of the device circuit for signal processing. Here, we demonstrate a single resonant gas sensor, based on a microbeam uniformly coated with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), capable of simultaneously measuring environmental temperature and gas concentration (water vapor). Using the electrostatic harmonic voltage, we actuate the microbeam simultaneously near the first and second vibration modes. The frequency shifts of these two modes due to physical stimuli changes are monitored in real time. The lower electrode of the clamped-clamped microbeam resonator is perforated to reduce the effect of squeeze film damping, thereby allowing operation under atmospheric pressure. We demonstrate experimentally the effectiveness of this technique to measure the environmental temperature and gas concentration. Based on the theoretical analysis and the Allan deviation results, a minimum detectable temperature of 0.03 °C and water vapor concentration of 4.6 ppm is demonstrated.

MULHERES NAS FORÇAS ARMADAS: UMA REFLEXÃO TEÓRICA

Este trabalho pretende empreender uma reflexão sobre a construção da identidade militar na contemporaneidade, investindo em teorizar sobre o momento histórico atual, marcado por transformações fazendo-nos perceber uma crise nas fontes tradicionais de referência de identidade (HALL, 2003), o que permite postular uma transformação das identidades de grupos tradicionalmente vistos como hegemônicos, como o militar (CASTRO, 2004). Essa abordagem leva a uma reflexão sobre a problemática da formação da subjetividade, e, consequentemente, sobre a ressignificação das questões de gênero em espaços anteriormente excluídos desta pauta, como as Forças Armadas. Desse modo, busca-se um olhar sobre o “modo de ser” dos militares, as suas tradições culturais, ou seja, sobre uma “maneira militar de agir”, relacionado à integração feminina nos quartéis.

Comparing the results of four widely used automated bat identification software programs to identify nine bat species in coastal Western Europe

Commercially available automated bat identification software packages are widely used in environmental studies to identify bat species from recordings of bat echolocation calls. Caution is, however, needed if the results are used without further verification, as the programs do not guarantee that the results are correct, and wrong species identifications often happen. Taking automated species identifications for granted might hence lead to erroneous conclusions in environmental studies.The goal of our study was to objectively assess the performance of four commercially available and commonly used automated identification software programs by processing an identical reference dataset with all four programs. The reference dataset consisted of nine species selected based on their preference for open habitats in Western Europe or because they occur as vagrants at sea and therefore are vulnerable to the development of onshore and offshore wind farms. Offshore areas are being increasingly examined, as recent studies have identified possible conflicts of offshore wind farms and certain bat species.In our test, we included two automated identification programs that have not yet been tested in other studies, and a reference dataset from a different geographical region (Western-Europe) with a different species composition compared to other studies. Our data hence add to the knowledge base needed for an appropriate assessment of the reliability of analytical software.In general, BatIdent (77% correct species identifications) and Kaleidoscope (71%) seem to be relatively reliable while the performance of BatExplorer (31%) is relatively poor. SonoChiro correctly identified 65% of the sequences to species level. While the tested programs may be considered valuable tools to detect bat calls from the recordings, a trained bat expert needs to cross-check the automated species identifications to avoid erroneous conclusions. Our test hence affirms the conclusions of previous studies in Northern Europe and the USA.

Fault Tolerant Nonrepetitive Trajectory Tracking for MIMO Output Constrained Nonlinear Systems Using Iterative Learning Control.

Most works on iterative learning control (ILC) assume identical reference trajectories for the system state over the iteration domain. This fundamental assumption may not always hold in practice, where the desired trajectories or control objectives may be iteration dependent. In this paper, we relax this fundamental assumption, by introducing a new way of modifying the reference trajectories. The concept of modifier functions has been introduced for the first time in the ILC literature. This proposed approach is also a unified framework that can handle other common types of initial conditions in ILC. Multi-input multi-output nonlinear systems are considered, which can be subject to the actuator faults. Time and iteration dependent constraint requirements on the system output can be effectively handled. Backstepping design and composite energy function approach are used in the analysis. We show that in the closed loop analysis, the proposed control scheme can guarantee uniform convergence on the full state tracking error over the iteration domain, beyond a small initial time interval in each iteration, while the constraint requirements on the system output are never violated. In the end two simulation examples are shown to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed ILC algorithm.

Fault-tolerant iterative learning control for mobile robots non-repetitive trajectory tracking with output constraints

In this brief, we develop a novel iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm to deal with trajectory tracking problems for a class of unicycle-type mobile robots with two actuated wheels that are subject to actuator faults. Unlike most of the ILC literature that requires identical reference trajectories over the iteration domain, the desired trajectories in this work can be iteration dependent, and the initial position of the robot in each iteration can also be random. The mass and inertia property of the robot and wheels can be unknown and iteration dependent. Barrier Lyapunov functions are used in the analysis to guarantee satisfaction of constraint requirements, feasibility of the controller, and prescribed tracking performance. We show that under the proposed algorithm, the distance and angle tracking errors can uniformly converge to an arbitrarily small positive constant and zero, respectively, over the iteration domain, beyond a small initial time interval in each iteration. A numerical simulation is presented in the end to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.

IDENTITY IN LAW: THE SECOND MEDICAL USE AND THE DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES

This paper is dedicated to presenting a normative political institutional approach, which may creatively reconstruct the hermeneutics of the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act in the specific case of the second medical use of known substances in the matter of drugs for neglected diseases. However, the fact of having the same chemical substance, as a point of departure, might signify that the incremented drug does not fulfil the requisites of patentability according to the traditional legal deduction practised in Brazilian courts. Methodologically, the theoretical reference here applied consists of the fusion between the ideas of law as integrity, developed by Dworkin, and law as identity, complemented by Taylor’s social theory of identity and Bankowski’s proposal of living lawfully. In fact, this methodological approach proposes the reconstruction of a system of analytical concepts based on contemporary legal theory in order to legitimatise public decisions whose purpose is to foster the research and development of drugs for neglected diseases. In this context, the legal concepts of novelty, non-obviousness and industrial application listed in the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act are reinterpreted according to the theoretical reference of identity in law.

IDENTITY IN LAW: THE SECOND MEDICAL USE AND THE DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES

This paper is dedicated to presenting a normative political institutional approach, which may creatively reconstruct the hermeneutics of the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act in the specific case of the second medical use of known substances in the matter of drugs for neglected diseases. However, the fact of having the same chemical substance, as a point of departure, might signify that the incremented drug does not fulfil the requisites of patentability according to the traditional legal deduction practised in Brazilian courts. Methodologically, the theoretical reference here applied consists of the fusion between the ideas of law as integrity, developed by Dworkin, and law as identity, complemented by Taylor’s social theory of identity and Bankowski’s proposal of living lawfully. In fact, this methodological approach proposes the reconstruction of a system of analytical concepts based on contemporary legal theory in order to legitimatise public decisions whose purpose is to foster the research and development of drugs for neglected diseases. In this context, the legal concepts of novelty, non-obviousness and industrial application listed in the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act are reinterpreted according to the theoretical reference of identity in law.

IDENTITY IN LAW: THE SECOND MEDICAL USE AND THE DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES

This paper is dedicated to presenting a normative political institutional approach, which may creatively reconstruct the hermeneutics of the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act in the specific case of the second medical use of known substances in the matter of drugs for neglected diseases. However, the fact of having the same chemical substance, as a point of departure, might signify that the incremented drug does not fulfil the requisites of patentability according to the traditional legal deduction practised in Brazilian courts. Methodologically, the theoretical reference here applied consists of the fusion between the ideas of law as integrity, developed by Dworkin, and law as identity, complemented by Taylor’s social theory of identity and Bankowski’s proposal of living lawfully. In fact, this methodological approach proposes the reconstruction of a system of analytical concepts based on contemporary legal theory in order to legitimatise public decisions whose purpose is to foster the research and development of drugs for neglected diseases. In this context, the legal concepts of novelty, non-obviousness and industrial application listed in the Brazilian Industrial Property Rights Act are reinterpreted according to the theoretical reference of identity in law.

Cross-cultural differences in figure–ground perception of cartographic stimuli

ABSTRACTThis article reports on an empirical study investigating cultural differences in the visuospatial perception and cognition of qualitative point symbols shown on reference maps. We developed two informationally equivalent symbol sets depicted on identical reference maps that were shown to Czech and Chinese map readers. The symbols varied in visual contrast with respect to the base map. Our empirical results suggest the existence of cultural influences on map reading, but not in the predicted direction based on the previous cross-cultural studies. Our findings stress the importance of considering the cultural background of map readers, especially when designing reference maps aimed for global online use.

Dual-Reference Face Retrieval

Face retrieval has received much attention over the past few decades, and many efforts have been made in retrieving face images against pose, illumination, and expression variations. However, the conventional works fail to meet the requirements of a potential and novel task---retrieving a person's face image at a specific age, especially when the specific "age" is not given as a numeral, i.e. "retrieving someone's image at the similar age period shown by another person's image." To tackle this problem, we propose a dual reference face retrieval framework in this paper, where the system takes two inputs: an identity reference image which indicates the target identity and an age reference image which reflects the target age. In our framework, the raw images are first projected on a joint manifold, which preserves both the age and identity locality. Then two similarity metrics of age and identity are exploited and optimized by utilizing our proposed quartet-based model. The experiments show promising results, outperforming hierarchical methods.