This paper presents a tool developed to obtain qualitative trend representations from signals, Qualtras. The aim of such a type of description is to offer an understandable representation of process behavior based on the concept of qualitative episode. The tool is intended to be used as a numeric to qualitative interface for supervisory applications. The applicability of this tool is demonstrat...

This paper examines optimum selection of wind turbines between site and wind turbine generators. An analysis methodology is done at the planning and development stages of installation of wind power stations will enable the wind power developer or the power utilities to make a judicious and rapid choice of suitable wind energy conversion system from the available potential sites. The methodology...

Background: Technetium-99m radioisotope is the backbone of any nuclear medicine institute. This radioisotope is acquired by the elution of Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m generator which emits 141 keV gamma ray and having 6.04 hour half-life. Occasionally the contents of Molybdenum-99 may mix up with elute, which may affect image quality and patients may receive higher doses than recommended. This...

We develop an approach to utilize anisotropic metamaterials to solve one of the fundamental problems of modern plasmonics--parasitic scattering of surface waves into free-space modes, opening the road to truly two-dimensional plasmonic optics. We illustrate the developed formalism on the examples of plasmonic refractor and plasmonic crystal, and discuss limitations of the developed technique an...

Nowadays, engineering is working side by side with medical sciences to design and create devices which could help to improve medical processes. Physiotherapy is one of the areas of medicine in which engineering is working. There, several devices aimed to enhance and assist therapies are being studied and developed. Mechanics and electronics engineering together with physiotherapy are developing...

The dayside cusp/cleft region is known as a major source of upflowing ionospheric ions to the magnetosphere. Since the ions are supposed to be energized by an input of energy from the dayside magnetospheric boundary region, we examined the possible influence of the interplanetary conditions on dayside ion beams and conics observed by the polarorbiting Exos-D (Akebono) satellite. We found that b...

* Corresponding author, Phone: (716) 645-1430, Fax: (716) 645-3668. ABSTRACT Exoskeletons are a new class of articulated mechanical systems whose performance is realized while in intimate contact with the human user. The overall performance depends on many factors including selection of architecture, device, parameters and the nature of the coupling to the human, offering numerous challenges to...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether multiple examiners can demonstrate consistent plaque removal advantages for an oscillating-rotating power toothbrush versus a manual toothbrush. METHODS This was a replicate-use, single brushing, examiner-blind, randomized, two-treatment, four-period crossover clinical trial involving four examiners. Subjects were randomized to one of four treatment sequences in...

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin that has been produced on this earth for more than 500 million years. During exposure to sunlight 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin absorbs UV B radiation and is converted to previtamin D3 which in turn isomerizes into vitamin D3. Previtamin D3 and vitamin D3 also absorb UV B radiation and are converted into a variety of photoproducts some of which have unique b...