Potential Of System Research Articles

A Framework for Exploring Urban Retail Discontinuities. 探索城市零售业不连续性的框架

A key area in the analysis of urban structural evolution is identifying discontinuities. Effective analysis could improve long-term forecasting and provide a better understanding of how to steer an urban system toward a desirable future state. We use a simple aggregate retail model to demonstrate an algorithm for identifying discontinuities in model parameter space. Explorations of retailing in both Greater London and South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom illustrate how understanding a system's potential for discontinuity can provide insights for both policy makers and retail businesses. The Harris and Wilson model, described in the section so-named, is used as a simple archetype to illustrate the new framework. This model can be developed in a straightforward way to incorporate further refinement. In “Executing the model and visualizing the results,” we describe a single model run and in “Investigating discontinuities,” we explain our framework for detecting and analyzing discontinuities. “Identifying discontinuities in the London retail system” shows the results of applying this methodology to the Greater London retail system, and in “Practical applications,” we explore the policy applications for this technique as related to the decline of town centers in the South Yorkshire retail system. Some concluding comments are offered in “Conclusions.”

The ecological potential of a restored abandoned quarry ecosystem in Mt. Mufu, Nanjing, China

In order to conserve the remaining rare dolomite rocks and restore Mt. Mufu, a forest restoration program has been implemented over ten years. Emergy analysis was used to evaluate the current status of the restored ecosystem, in addition, the ecological potential of the fully developed system was predicted and analyzed. Four main emergy indices of the two systems, EYR, EIR, ELR, and ESI, were calculated and compared. In addition, a relatively new emergy index, PYR, was used to evaluate the restored forest system's ecological potential. The results revealed that the current restored forest system was still in the initial stage of ecological restoration but it has already resulted in several positive effects, such as richness of plant biodiversity and improving air condition. The value of the predicted system's PYR is as great as 201.53, demonstrating that the restored forest system has a great potential for ecological development in the future.

Two-dimensional singlet oxygen imaging with its near-infrared luminescence during photosensitization

Photodynamic therapy is a promising cancer treatment that involves activation of photosensitizer by visible light to create singlet oxygen. This highly reactive oxygen species is believed to induce cell death and tissue destruction in PDT. Our approach used a near-infrared area CCD with high quantum efficiency to detect singlet oxygen by its 1270-nm luminescence. Two-dimensional singlet oxygen images with its near-infrared luminescence during photosensitization could be obtained with a CCD integration time of 1 s, without scanning. Thus this system can produce singlet oxygen luminescence images faster and achieve more accurate measurements in comparison to raster-scanning methods. The experimental data show a linear relationship between the singlet oxygen luminescence intensity and sample concentration. This method provides a detection sensitivity of 0.0181 μg∕ml (benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A dissolved in ethanol) and a spatial resolution better than 50 μm. A pilot study was conducted on a total of six female Kunming mice. The results from this study demonstrate the system's potential for in vivo measurements. Further experiments were carried out on two tumor-bearing nude mice. Singlet oxygen luminescence images were acquired from the tumor-bearing nude mouse with intravenous injection of BPD-MA, and the experimental results showed real-time singlet oxygen signal depletion as a function of the light exposure.

Application of Newton-method Based ILC to 3D Stroke Rehabilitation

AbstractA nonlinear model-based iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm is applied to the problem of upper limb stroke rehabilitation. A 3D system is developed to assist stroke patients performing 3D upper limb reaching tasks in a virtual reality environment, combining a mechanical support with electrical stimulation applied to two muscles in the patient's arm. ILC is shown to provide accurate trajectory tracking, which maximizes the system's potential to provide effective treatment during future clinical trials. Principal components of the system are described and experimental results confirm its efficacy for use in upper limb stroke rehabilitation.

SafeRoadMaps: Communication of Location and Density of Traffic Fatalities through Spatial Visualization and Heat Map Analysis

Road traffic injuries are the number one, non-disease-related, cause of death in the world; more than 1.2 million people die each year on the roads, and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. In 2008, in the United States, there were 37 261 motor vehicle fatalities – the result of 34 017 motor vehicle crashes. Clearly, there is an urgent need for governmental agencies, and other key institutions, to increase and sustain action to prevent motor vehicle injuries. This article reports on the iterative development of SafeRoadMaps, a publicly accessible system for presenting accident frequencies and characteristics based on geographic location ( www.saferoadmaps.org ). The system was developed to visually communicate and allow analysis of public health issues related to rural and urban road transportation safety. One of the distinctive features of this online system is the use of ‘heat maps’ as a visual means for communicating the spatial density of traffic fatalities. The article begins with a review of the action research design approach utilized for the analysis, design and implementation of this system, continues with an overview of the system and its visualization methods to communicate safety information to travelers and other stakeholders, and concludes with a summary of findings from end-user feedback, including the system's potential to raise user awareness and affect driving behavior.

A search for non-circular flows in the extended H i disc of NGC 2915

NGC 2915 is a nearby blue compact dwarf with a differentially rotating HI disc extending out to ~ 5 R-band R_{25} radii. This disc serves as an ideal tracer of the system's gravitational potential in regions of the galaxy that are dominated by dark matter. We use new HI synthesis observations of NGC 2915, obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, to search for non-circular flows within the outer HI disc. Two independent methods are used, and the results of each interpreted in the context of relevant axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric perturbations of the potential. We find evidence for: (1) elliptical streaming associated with the spiral structure of the HI disc and the central bar-like feature in the mass distribution, (2) a spherical dark matter halo, and (3) an axisymmetric radial outflow of ~ 5-17 km/s (~ 6-20 percent of the circular speed). A possible bar-like perturbation of the potential hinders attempts to unambiguously detect kinematic signatures of radial flows in the HI velocity field. The radial outflows are inconsistent with the plausible disc formation scenario in which gas from the surrounding inter-galactic medium is deposited on the outer HI disc and then transported towards the centre of the galaxy. They are, however, consistent with the possibility of some material being re-distributed towards the outer disc in order to conserve angular momentum as material flows inwards along a bar.

Dynamics of soil organic carbon in an innovative irrigated permanent bed system on sloping land in southern Spain

Irrigated spring cropping systems on sloping soils require conservation agriculture (CA) to minimise soil erosion. In southern Spain, management of residues in the commonly-practiced maize–cotton rotation is a major hurdle against adoption of CA. Recently, a minimal-cultivation, irrigated permanent bed system has been developed in which, two weeks before sowing, maize or cotton residues are relocated from the seed rows on the top of beds into the furrows. This allows solar heating of the beds which accelerates seedling emergence. This paper presents the effects that the introduction of this system had on soil properties along a variably-sloping landscape in which six homogeneous zones were identified. It also discusses the system's potential for carbon sequestration and shows that a similar quantity of carbon is stored after 4 years under irrigated permanent beds to that after 11–21 years in rainfed no-tillage systems. The relocation of residues resulted on average in lower soil organic carbon concentration (SOCc) in the beds than in the furrows (1.40 and 1.51% respectively in the top 5 cm of soil). Under this system SOCc also varied among the landscape zones particularly in the top layers. SOCc was highest in the most eroded shoulder-backslope zone (Z2) though soil organic carbon storage (SOCs) there was the lowest because of the zone's high >2-mm soil fraction. The SOCs (0–30 cm) global average during the study was 35.2 Mg C ha −1 and ranged from 22.4 Mg C ha −1 in the shoulder Z2 zone to 41.4 Mg C ha −1 in the Z5 footslope zone. When compared to conventionally-managed fields nearby, following this management system appeared to improve soil characteristics significantly and protect against soil erosion.

The White Savior Film and Reviewers' Reception

This article documents the collective interpretations of film reviewers, a position typically associated with individual aesthetic judgment rather than socially shared scripts of explanation. Drawing on the reviews of a feature film with implicit racial content, produced in the context of a supposedly “color-blind” era, this article documents how reviewers constitute a racialized interpretive community. Reviewers rely on specific cultural frameworks to both contest and reproduce the notion of a “post-racial” society. These interpretations equate nonwhites with pathological and dysfunctional traits, frame hard work as a white normative characteristic, and construct deterministic views of both Hollywood's ability to represent progressive racial representations and the educational system's potential. This analysis illustrates how film reviews operate as mediating voices between producer and consumer, and in so doing, the interpretations of the film serve as “common-sensed” mappings of the contested terrain of contemporary race relations.

A leader's guide to radical management of continuous innovation

PurposeBecause traditional hierarchical management is increasingly counterproductive in an environment of rapid change that requires continuous enterprise‐wide innovation, the paper aims to offer a radical alternative approach to management.Design/methodology/approachBy studying highly effective business practices actually being applied in a variety of industries, the author has identified seven principles of radical management. Implemented together they form a mutually reinforcing system.FindingsWhat a few firms have discovered is that there is a revolutionary way of organizing and managing that enables an organization to achieve continuous value innovation.Practical implicationsAs one manager explains the system's potential for changing the workplace, “Once you introduce this, it affects everything in the organization – the way you plan, the way you manage, the way you work. Everything is different. It changes the game fundamentally.”Originality/valueThe author introduces a radical system of management, based on seven principles, that supports the goal of continuous enterprise‐wide value innovation.

A long arm for ultrasound: A combined robotic focused ultrasound setup for magnetic resonance‐guided focused ultrasound surgery

Focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) is a highly precise noninvasive procedure to ablate pathogenic tissue. FUS therapy is often combined with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as MR imaging offers excellent target identification and allows for continuous monitoring of FUS induced temperature changes. As the dimensions of the ultrasound (US) focus are typically much smaller than the targeted volume, multiple sonications and focus repositioning are interleaved to scan the focus over the target volume. Focal scanning can be achieved electronically by using phased-array US transducers or mechanically by using dedicated mechanical actuators. In this study, the authors propose and evaluate the precision of a combined robotic FUS setup to overcome some of the limitations of the existing MRgFUS systems. Such systems are typically integrated into the patient table of the MR scanner and thus only provide an application of the US wave within a limited spatial range from below the patient. The fully MR-compatible robotic assistance system InnoMotion (InnoMedic GmbH, Herxheim, Germany) was originally designed for MR-guided interventions with needles. It offers five pneumatically driven degrees of freedom and can be moved over a wide range within the bore of the magnet. In this work, the robotic system was combined with a fixed-focus US transducer (frequency: 1.7 MHz; focal length: 68 mm, and numerical aperture: 0.44) that was integrated into a dedicated, in-house developed treatment unit for FUS application. A series of MR-guided focal scanning procedures was performed in a polyacrylamide-egg white gel phantom to assess the positioning accuracy of the combined FUS setup. In animal experiments with a 3-month-old domestic pig, the system's potential and suitability for MRgFUS was tested. In phantom experiments, a total targeting precision of about 3 mm was found, which is comparable to that of the existing MRgFUS systems. Focus positioning could be performed within a few seconds. During in vivo experiments, a defined pattern of single thermal lesions and a therapeutically relevant confluent thermal lesion could be created. The creation of local tissue necrosis by coagulation was confirmed by post-FUS MR imaging and histological examinations on the treated tissue sample. During all sonications in phantom and in vivo, reliable MR imaging and online MR thermometry could be performed without compromises due to operation of the combined robotic FUS setup. Compared to the existing MRgFUS systems, the combined robotic FUS approach offers a wide range of spatial flexibility so that highly flexible application of the US wave would be possible, for example, to avoid risk structures within the US field. The setup might help to realize new ways of patient access in MRgFUS therapy. The setup is compatible with any closed-bore MR system and does not require an especially designed patient table.

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Loss of cannabinoid CB 1 receptor expression in the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced nigrostriatal terminal lesion model of Parkinson's disease in the rat

The endocannabinoid system is emerging as a potential alternative to the dopaminergic system for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Like all emerging targets, validation of this system's potential for treating human Parkinsonism necessitates testing in animal models of the condition. However, if components of the endocannabinoid system are altered by the induction of a Parkinsonian state in animal models, this could have an impact on the interpretation of such preclinical experiments. This study sought to determine if expression of the CB 1 subtype of cannabinoid receptor is altered in the two most commonly used rat models of Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonian lesions were induced by stereotaxic injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into the axons (medial forebrain bundle) or terminals (striatum) of the nigrostriatal pathway. On days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 post-lesion, rats were sacrificed and brains were processed for tyrosine hydroxylase and CB 1 receptor immunohistochemistry. The CB 1 receptor was expressed strongly in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, minimally overlapping with tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the pars compacta. Interestingly, while there was little change in CB 1 receptor expression following axonal lesion, expression of the receptor was significantly reduced following terminal lesion. Loss of CB 1 receptor expression in the pars reticulata correlated significantly with the loss of striatal and nigral volume after terminal lesion indicating this may have been due to 6-hydroxydopamine-induced non-specific damage of striatonigral neurons which are known to express CB 1 receptors. Thus, this result has implications for the choice of model and interpretation of studies used to investigate potential cannabinoid-based therapies for Parkinson's disease as well as striatonigral diseases such as Huntington's disease and Multiple Systems Atrophy.

Multiple Human Tracking and Identification With Wireless Distributed Pyroelectric Sensor Systems

This paper presents a wireless distributed pyroelectric sensor system for tracking and identifying multiple humans based on their body heat radiation. This study aims to make pyroelectric sensors a low-cost alternative to infrared video sensors in thermal gait biometric applications. In this system, the sensor field of view (FOV) is specifically modulated with Fresnel lens arrays for functionality of tracking or identification, and the sensor deployment is chosen to facilitate the process of data-object-association. An Expectation-Maximization-Bayesian tracking scheme is proposed and implemented among slave, master, and host modules of a prototype system. Information fusion schemes are developed to improve the system identification performance for both individuals and multiple subjects. The fusion of thermal gait biometric information measured by multiple nodes is tested at four levels: sample, feature, score, and decision. Experimentally, the prototype system is able to simultaneously track two individuals in both follow-up and crossover scenarios with average tracking errors less than 0.5 m. The experimental results also demonstrate system's potential to be a reliable biometric system for the verification/identification of a small group of human subjects. The developed wireless distributed infrared sensor system can run as a standalone prisoner/patient monitoring system under any illumination conditions, as well as a complement for conventional video and audio human tracking and identification systems.

Tests of a practical visible-NIR imaging Fourier transform spectrometer for biological and chemical fluorescence emission measurements

An imaging Fourier transform spectrometer (IFTS) designed for fluorescence emission measurements is reported. The spectral range extension from NIR to visible of the system is realized by using a simple and low-cost optical beam-folding position-tracking technique. Spectral resolution as high as 9.78cm(-1)(0.4nm at 632.8nm) and maximum image resolution up to 300x300 pixels are proved by the system tests on its optical performances. Imaging fluorescence spectra acquisition of quantum dot clusters and single 200nm diameter fluorescent beads have demonstrated the system's potential for high throughput imaging spectroscopic measurements of fluorescent biological and chemical samples.

The prediction of ecological potential for developing salt-tolerant oil plants on coastal saline land in Sheyang Saltern, China

The current energy crisis is a worldwide problem, and developing energy from biomass is considered an effective partial solution. Sheyang Saltern is located in a coastal area in East China. The administration of saltern cooperated with our Halophyte Research Lab to create a Five-year Plan of Biomass Energy on Saline Land. In this plan, 3330 ha of salt-tolerant oil plants will be planted on the coastal saline land in Sheyang Saltern, including 2664 ha of Ricinus communis and 666 ha of Kosteletzkya virginica (L.) presl. These plants will produce biomass energy from land that is not fit for common crops, and thus this plan will not affect crop production. Moreover, the biomass of plants will be fully utilized in a hierarchical way, guided by an ecological engineering design. Thus, more outputs and more profits will be gained by applying this plan. This study uses the emergy analysis to predict and analyze the saltern ecosystem's ecological potential and compare it with an existing system founded in 2007, a 33.3 ha field of the two plants in the saltern. Four main emergy indices of the two ecosystems, EYR, EIR, ELR and ESI, are calculated and compared. To better show the system's ecological potential, we establish a new emergy index-potential yield ratio (PYR). PYR is designed to measure artificial ecosystems’ potential output capacity. It reflects a system's potential to transform stored emergy into output emergy using ecological engineering technology. The value of the predicted system's PYR is as great as 225, indicating that the system has a bright future to develop salt-tolerant oil plants. The system's future ecological potential and additional ways to utilize the two plants – the use of ricin and tuberous roots, etc. are also discussed in this paper. Our results will be helpful to the government's policy making, and provides useful information for enterprises.

PRELIMINARY STUDY ON SKIN CANCER DETECTION IN SENCAR MICE USING MUELLER OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY.

We report on the use of a fiber-based Mueller-matrix optical coherence tomography (OCT) system with continuous source-polarization modulation for in vivo imaging of early stages of skin cancer in SENCAR mice. A homemade hand-held probe with integrated optical scanning and beam delivering optics was coupled in the sample arm. The OCT images show the morphological changes in skin resulting from pre-cancerous papilloma formations that are consistent with histology, thus demonstrating the system's potential for early skin cancer detection.

Surface adhesion measurements in aquatic biofilms using magnetic particle induction: MagPI

Natural sediment stability is a product of interacting physical and biological factors, and whereas stability can be measured, few techniques allow sensitive assessment of the sediment surface as conditions change. For example, stability gradually increases as a biofilm develops or as salinity rises, or it might be influenced by toxic compounds. This article introduces a new technique (magnetic particle induction: MagPI) based on the magnetic attraction of specially produced fluorescent ferrous particles. The test particles are added to a surface and subjected to an incrementally increasing magnetic field produced by permanent magnets or electromagnets. There is a strong correlation between magnetic flux density (mTesla) and distance from the surface (r2 = 0.99) for permanent magnets and between magnetic flux density and the current supplied to an electromagnet (r2 > 0.95). The magnetic force at which the particles are recaptured is determined as a measure of surface adhesion. MagPI therefore determines the “stickiness” of the surface, whether a biofilm, sediment, or other material. The average magnetic flux density required to remove test particles from diatom biofilms (15.5 mTesla) was significantly greater than from cyanobacterial biofilms (10 mTesla). Controls of fine glass beads showed little adhesion (2.2 mTesla). Surface adhesion is an important bed property reflecting the sediment system's potential to capture and retain new particles and accumulate material. MagPI offers a straightforward and economic way to determine the surface adhesion of a variety of surfaces rapidly and with precision. The technique may have applications in physical, environmental, and biomedical research.

In vivo burn imaging using Mueller optical coherence tomography

We report on the use of a high-speed, fiber-based Mueller-matrix optical coherence tomography system with continuous source-polarization modulation for in vivo burn depth evaluation and healing monitoring. A homemade hand-held probe with integrated optical scanning and beam delivering optics was coupled in the sample arm. In vivo burn imaging was demonstrated on porcine skin at different stages of the wound healing process, where porcine skin was used because of its similarity to the human skin. Thermally damaged region was clearly localized in the depth-resolved phase retardation image extracted from the measured Jones matrix. The burn areas in the OCT images agreed well with the histology. By using a decomposition algorithm developed by our group, we also mapped the local birefringence of the skin. The experimental results demonstrate the system's potential for in vivo burn-depth determination.

The Reemergence of the Arctic as a Strategic Location

Abstract : This monograph analyzes the Arctic region as a system by examining the strengths and weaknesses of its political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, and information subsystems. The analysis reveals key nodes (critical people and things) and key linkages (critical relationships between the nodes). Key nodes include the ice itself, three of the Arctic states (Russian Federation, United States, and Canada), the European Union (EU), multinational oil and gas corporations, supra-national nongovernmental organizations, indigenous groups, the World Trade Organization, the internet, and trade among the Arctic states. Key linkages include the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Nordic Council, the EU's Northern Dimension, the indigenous groups' councils, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty. The analysis also reveals the system's potential. At this time, the Arctic could either become an area of conflict as the quest for resources drives states to clash, or an area of cooperation, with states securing their national interests within UNCLOS. The author uses the knowledge gained from examining the Arctic region as a system to determine what this means for the United States. She discusses the instruments of national power as applied to the Arctic system, with a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis for each instrument. The author concludes that it is critical for the United States to develop its vision, objectives, and policies regarding the Arctic region prior to 2012, when a majority of the Arctic coastal states will submit their UNCLOS claims.

Minimum requirements for laser-induced symmetry breaking in quantum and classical mechanics

Necessary conditions for generating phase-controllable asymmetry in spatially symmetric systems using lasers are identified and are shown to be identical in quantum and classical mechanics. First, by studying the exact dynamics of harmonic systems in the presence of an arbitrary radiation field, it is demonstrated that anharmonicities in the system's potential are a necessary requirement for phase controllability. Then, by analysing the space-time symmetries of the laser-driven Liouville dynamics for classical and quantum systems, a common set of temporal symmetries for the driving field that need to be violated to induce transport is identified. The conditions apply to continuous wave lasers and to symmetry breaking effects that do not rely on the control of the absolute phase of the field. Known examples of laser fields that can induce transport in symmetric systems are seen to be particular cases of these symmetry constraints.