4,811 research outputs found
On characteristic points and approximate decision algorithms for the minimum Hausdorff distance
We investigate {\em approximate decision algorithms} for determining whether the minimum Hausdorff distance between two points sets (or between two sets of nonintersecting line segments) is at most .\def\eg{(\varepsilon/\gamma)} An approximate decision algorithm is a standard decision algorithm that answers {\sc yes} or {\sc no} except when is in an {\em indecision interval} where the algorithm is allowed to answer {\sc don't know}. We present algorithms with indecision interval where is the minimum Hausdorff distance and can be chosen by the user. In other words, we can make our algorithm as accurate as desired by choosing an appropriate . For two sets of points (or two sets of nonintersecting lines) with respective cardinalities and our approximate decision algorithms run in time O(\eg^2(m+n)\log(mn)) for Hausdorff distance under translation, and in time O(\eg^2mn\log(mn)) for Hausdorff distance under Euclidean motion
Changes in nitrate and nitrite levels of blanched amaranthus during refrigeration storage.
Changes in nitrate and nitrite contents (leaves and stem) of Amaranthus gangeticus (AG) and Amaranthus paniculatus
(AP), resulting from blanching, storage time (0-4 days), storage temperature (0 and 4ºC), and reheating were analysed.
Results showed that fresh AG (1859 ± 7.07 mg/kg) had higher nitrite content than AP (1262 ± 2.12 mg/kg). Nitrites
content was 506 ± 2 and 825 ± 3.5 mg/kg for AG and AP, respectively. Reheating and storage times significantly
increased the conversion of nitrate to nitrite in AG and AP. Storage at 0 and 4oC exhibited a significant change (P <
0.05) in nitrate and nitrite contents for both samples. Higher nitrite content was found in AP when stored at 4oC and 0oC. The present study indicated that storage time and temperature affected the nitrite contents in blanched AG and AP when stored in low temperatures. Apart from that reheating was also found to increase the formation of nitrite
Parallel Search with no Coordination
We consider a parallel version of a classical Bayesian search problem.
agents are looking for a treasure that is placed in one of the boxes indexed by
according to a known distribution . The aim is to minimize
the expected time until the first agent finds it. Searchers run in parallel
where at each time step each searcher can "peek" into a box. A basic family of
algorithms which are inherently robust is \emph{non-coordinating} algorithms.
Such algorithms act independently at each searcher, differing only by their
probabilistic choices. We are interested in the price incurred by employing
such algorithms when compared with the case of full coordination. We first show
that there exists a non-coordination algorithm, that knowing only the relative
likelihood of boxes according to , has expected running time of at most
, where is the expected running time of the best
fully coordinated algorithm. This result is obtained by applying a refined
version of the main algorithm suggested by Fraigniaud, Korman and Rodeh in
STOC'16, which was designed for the context of linear parallel search.We then
describe an optimal non-coordinating algorithm for the case where the
distribution is known. The running time of this algorithm is difficult to
analyse in general, but we calculate it for several examples. In the case where
is uniform over a finite set of boxes, then the algorithm just checks boxes
uniformly at random among all non-checked boxes and is essentially times
worse than the coordinating algorithm.We also show simple algorithms for Pareto
distributions over boxes. That is, in the case where for
, we suggest the following algorithm: at step choose uniformly
from the boxes unchecked in ,
where . It turns out this algorithm is asymptotically
optimal, and runs about times worse than the case of full coordination
Specialized beak blunting feeders and their potential as an alternative to current beak treatment methods in leghorn pullets
An Intelligent FPGA Based Anti-Sweating System for Bed Sore Prevention in a Clinical Environment
Bed sores, a common problem among immobile patients occur as a result of continuous sweating due to increase in skin to bed surface temperature in patients lying on same posture for prolonged period. If left untreated, the skin can break open and become infected. Currently adopted methods for bed sores prevention include: use of two hourly flip chat for repositioning patient or use of air fluidized beds. However, the setbacks of these preventive measures include either use of costly equipment or wastage of human resources. This paper introduces an intelligent low cost FPGA based anti-sweating system for bed sores prevention in a clinical environment. The developed system consists of bed surface implanted temperature sensors interfaced with an FPGA chip for sensing the temperature change in patient’s skin to bed surface. Based on the temperature change, the FPGA chip select the - mode (heater/cooler) and speed of the fan module. Furthermore, an alarm module was implemented to alert the nurse to reposition the patient only if patient’s skin to bed surface temperature exceeds a predefined threshold thereby saving human resources. By integrating the whole system into a single FPGA chip, we were able to build a low cost compact system without sacrificing processing power and flexibility
Magneto-optical Trapping of Cadmium
We report the laser-cooling and confinement of Cd atoms in a magneto-optical
trap, and characterize the loading process from the background Cd vapor. The
trapping laser drives the 1S0-1P1 transition at 229 nm in this two-electron
atom and also photoionizes atoms directly from the 1P1 state. This
photoionization overwhelms the other loss mechanisms and allows a direct
measurement of the photoionization cross section, which we measure to be
2(1)x10^(-16)cm^(2) from the 1P1 state. When combined with nearby laser-cooled
and trapped Cd^(+) ions, this apparatus could facilitate studies in ultracold
interactions between atoms and ions.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure
Mechanical signatures of microbial biofilms in micropillar-embedded growth chambers
Biofilms are surface-attached communities of microorganisms embedded in an extracellular matrix and are essential for the cycling of organic matter in natural and engineered environments. They are also the leading cause of many infections, for example, those associated with chronic wounds and implanted medical devices. The extracellular matrix is a key biofilm component that determines its architecture and defines its physical properties. Herein, we used growth chambers embedded with micropillars to study the net mechanical forces (differential pressure) exerted during biofilm formation in situ. Pressure from the biofilm is transferred to the micropillars via the extracellular matrix, and reduction of major matrix components decreases the magnitude of micropillar deflections. The spatial arrangement of micropillar deflections caused by pressure differences in the different biofilm strains may potentially be used as mechanical signatures for biofilm characterization. Hence, we submit that micropillar-embedded growth chambers provide insights into the mechanical properties and dynamics of the biofilm and its matrix.Singapore. National Research Foundation (Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART)
Properties of Regge Trajectories
Early Chew-Frautschi plots show that meson and baryon Regge trajectoies are
approximately linear and non-intersecting. In this paper, we reconstruct all
Regge trajectories from the most recent data. Our plots show that meson
trajectories are non-linear and intersecting. We also show that all current
meson Regge trajectories models are ruled out by data.Comment: 30 pages, latex, 18 figures, to be published in Physical Review
- …