An intuitive control space for material appearance

Many different techniques for measuring material appearance have been proposed in the last few years. These have produced large public datasets, which have been used for accurate, data-driven appearance modeling. However, although these datasets have allowed us to reach an unprecedented level of realism in visual appearance, editing the captured data remains a challenge. In this paper, we present an intuitive control space for predictable editing of captured BRDF data, which allows for artistic creation of plausible novel material appearances, bypassing the difficulty of acquiring novel samples. We first synthesize novel materials, extending the existing MERL dataset up to 400 mathematically valid BRDFs. We then design a large-scale experiment, gathering 56,000 subjective ratings on the high-level perceptual attributes that best describe our extended dataset of materials. Using these ratings, we build and train networks of radial basis functions to act as functionals mapping the perceptual attributes to an underlying PCA-based representation of BRDFs. We show that our functionals are excellent predictors of the perceived attributes of appearance. Our control space enables many applications, including intuitive material editing of a wide range of visual properties, guidance for gamut mapping, analysis of the correlation between perceptual attributes, or novel appearance similarity metrics. Moreover, our methodology can be used to derive functionals applicable to classic analytic BRDF representations. We release our code and dataset publicly, in order to support and encourage further research in this direction

Fiscal policy and interest rates: the role of financial and economic integration

It is commonly believed that a fiscal expansion raises interest rates. However, these crowding out effects of deficits have been found to be small or non-existent. One explanation is that financial integration offsets interest rate differentials on globalised bond markets. This paper measures the degree of integration of government bond markets, using spatial modelling techniques to take this spillover on financial markets into account. Our main finding is that the crowding out effect on domestic interest rates is significant, but is reduced by spillover across borders. This spillover is important in major crises or in periods of coordinated policy actions. This result is generally robust to various measures of cross-country linkages. We find spillover to be much stronger among EU countries

Continuous measurements of central blood pressure during mental stress monitoring

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Effect of Coir Fiber Content and Compatibilizer on the Properties of Unidirectional Coir Fiber/Polypropylene Composites

The main objective of this research was to study the effect of fiber content variation and stearic acid (SA) treatment on the fundamental properties of unidirectional coir fiber (CF) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites. Several percentages of filler contents were used (10–40 wt %) in order to gain insights into the effect of filler content on the properties of the composites. Coir/PP composites were fabricated by compression molding, and the properties of composites were studied by physico-mechanical and thermal properties. The results from mechanical properties such as tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM) and impact strength (IS) of the CF/PP composites were found to be increased with increasing fiber content, reached an optimum and thereafter decreased with further increase in fiber content. Treatment of the coir with SA as the coupling agent enhanced the mechanical properties, crystallization temperature and crystallinity of virgin PP and water desorption of the resulting composites, resulting from the improved adhesion between the CF and PP matrix. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of the tensile fractured samples showed improved adhesion between fiber and matrix upon treatment with SA. Interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of the composites was measured by single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT)

Neuroinflammation and J2 Prostaglandins: Linking Impairment of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway and Mitochondria to Neurodegeneration

The immune response of the CNS is a defense mechanism activated upon injury to initiate repair mechanisms while chronic over-activation of the CNS immune system (termed neuroinflammation) may exacerbate injury. The latter is implicated in a variety of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, HIV dementia, and prion diseases. Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2), which are key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid into bioactive prostanoids, play a central role in the inflammatory cascade. J2 prostaglandins are endogenous toxic products of cyclooxygenases, and because their levels are significantly increased upon brain injury, they are actively involved in neuronal dysfunction induced by pro-inflammatory stimuli. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms by which J2 prostaglandins (1) exert their actions, (2) potentially contribute to the transition from acute to chronic inflammation and to the spreading of neuropathology, (3) disturb the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and mitochondrial function, and (4) contribute to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and demyelination in Krabbe disease. We conclude by discussing the therapeutic potential of targeting the J2 prostaglandin pathway to prevent/delay neurodegeneration associated with neuroinflammation. In this context, we suggest a shift from the traditional view that cyclooxygenases are the most appropriate targets to treat neuroinflammation, to the notion that J2 prostaglandin pathways and other neurotoxic prostaglandins downstream from cyclooxygenases, would offer significant benefits as more effective therapeutic targets to treat chronic neurodegenerative diseases, while minimizing adverse side effects

An intuitive control space for material appearance

Many different techniques for measuring material appearance have been proposed in the last few years. These have produced large public datasets, which have been used for accurate, data-driven appearance modeling. However, although these datasets have allowed us to reach an unprecedented level of realism in visual appearance, editing the captured data remains a challenge. In this paper, we present an intuitive control space for predictable editing of captured BRDF data, which allows for artistic creation of plausible novel material appearances, bypassing the difficulty of acquiring novel samples. We first synthesize novel materials, extending the existing MERL dataset up to 400 mathematically valid BRDFs. We then design a large-scale experiment, gathering 56,000 subjective ratings on the high-level perceptual attributes that best describe our extended dataset of materials. Using these ratings, we build and train networks of radial basis functions to act as functionals mapping the perceptual attributes to an underlying PCA-based representation of BRDFs. We show that our functionals are excellent predictors of the perceived attributes of appearance. Our control space enables many applications, including intuitive material editing of a wide range of visual properties, guidance for gamut mapping, analysis of the correlation between perceptual attributes, or novel appearance similarity metrics. Moreover, our methodology can be used to derive functionals applicable to classic analytic BRDF representations. We release our code and dataset publicly, in order to support and encourage further research in this direction

PKMζ Differentially Utilized between Sexes for Remote Long-Term Spatial Memory

It is well established that male rats have an advantage in acquiring place-learning strategies, allowing them to learn spatial tasks more readily than female rats. However many of these differences have been examined solely during acquisition or in 24h memory retention. Here, we investigated whether sex differences exist in remote long-term memory, lasting 30d after training, and whether there are differences in the expression pattern of molecular markers associated with long-term memory maintenance. Specifically, we analyzed the expression of protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ) and the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluA2. To adequately evaluate memory retention, we used a robust training protocol to attenuate sex differences in acquisition and found differential effects in memory retention 1d and 30d after training. Female cohorts tested for memory retention 1d after 60 training trials outperformed males by making significantly fewer reference memory errors at test. In contrast, male cohorts tested 30d after 60 training trials outperformed females of the same condition, making fewer reference memory errors and achieving significantly higher retention test scores. Furthermore, given 60 training trials, females tested 30d later showed significantly worse memory compared to females tested 1d later, while males tested 30d later did not differ from males tested 1d later. Together these data suggest that with robust training males do no retain spatial information as well as females do 24h post-training but maintain this spatial information for longer. Males also showed a significant increase in synaptic PKMζ expression and a positive correlation with retention test scores, while females did not. Interestingly, both sexes showed a positive correlation between retention test scores and synaptic GluA2 expression. Furthermore, the increased expression of synaptic PKMζ, associated with male memory but not with female memory, identifies another potential sex-mediated difference in memory processing

Análisis técnico económico de un parque de energía fotovoltaica de 51.7 Mw, en el Centro Poblado de Arcata - Arequipa

El presente trabajo de investigación, tiene como objetivo analizar y determinar la existencia de condiciones favorables físicas y medioambientales en la zona de Arcata, para la implementación de paneles fotovoltaicos y el diseño eléctrico y electrónico de un sistema de supervisión y monitoreo del parque fotovoltaico por medio de un software sistema SCADA para su máximo aprovechamiento y rendimiento. Nuestro tema de investigación se desarrolla en el centro poblado de Arcata, lugar que posee un alto índice de radiación, por otro lado como objeto de análisis proponemos el estudio técnico y económico para la implementación de paneles solares en un terreno de 3 Ha, con una capacidad de 51.7 MW de los cuales 7.7 MW serán entregados a la población, mientras la producción restante (44 MW) será para la distribución del alumbrado público, municipio de la zona y reabastecimiento de la planta, se considera la posibilidad de ser integrada a la red de energía de la región, en conformidad con el Reglamento de la Generación de Electricidad con Energías Renovables del Perú ( Decreto Supremo Nº 024-2013-EM ). La dimensión del Parque permitirá generar 51700000 W de potencia, y está constituido por : a. 144 módulos o paneles de 400 W de potencia nominal unitaria, formando 3 módulos A.B y C, donde A y B, tienen 2 arreglos en serie de 30 paneles en paralelo cada una, con un total de 60 paneles tanto para el módulo A y el módulo B, mientras que el bloque C con 2 arreglos en serie de 12 paneles en paralelo, obteniendo un total de 22 paneles para el módulo C, la suma total de los paneles de los tres módulos nos ofrece 144 paneles. vi b. Un inversor de 15 kW para el módulo A, 24 kW para el módulo B, un inversor de 5 kW para el módulo C, cada módulo con una función única, como: distribuir energía eléctrica al centro poblado, al alumbrado público, municipio de la zona y el autoabastecimiento de la energía para la propia planta, todo ello proveniente de los módulos solares. La alternativa para brindar suministro de energía eléctrica a dichas poblaciones, sin emitir gases de efecto invernadero, es mediante sistemas fotovoltaicos. En cuanto a los resultados significativos se tiene: el sistema de supervisión y medición de los paneles solares por medio de un software aplicativo en SCADA, para ello se utilizará “Factory Talk View de Rockwell Automation”, “RS logix 5000” y “Studio 5000”, todos estos software dedicados especialmente para el control y obtención de datos e información de el sistema de paneles solares.Tesi