The growing importance of manufacturing SMEs within the European economy, in terms of Gross Domestic Product and number of jobs, emphasizes the need of proper ICT tools to support their competitiveness. Major ICT players already offer one-does-all Product Lifecycle Management suites, supporting several phases of the product-process-plant definition and management. However, these do also show co...

This thesis presents a new technique to identify a 2D mask showing the extent of particulate aerosol distributions in satellite imagery. This technique uses a supervised texture classification approach, and utilises data from two distinct satellite sources. The vertical feature mask (VFM) product from the CALIPSO lidar, provides an accurate description of the aerosol content of the atmosphere b...

BACKGROUND Whether left atrial (LA) functional abnormalities already exist when the LA is of normal size is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore LA energy loss and mechanics changes using vector flow mapping (VFM) and two-dimensional tissue tracking (2DTT) echocardiography in patients with diabetes and normal LA size. MATERIAL/METHODS This study included 47 normotensive patients with...

Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that ethylene, vinyl fluoride monomer (VFM), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and vinyl bromide monomer (VBM) are all acutely hepatotoxic in rats pretreated with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). The time course of hepatic injury development after exposure and several parameters, environmental and chemical, affecting this toxicity were evaluated in the...

Computational simulation models with variable fidelity have been widely used in complex systems design. However, running the most accurate simulation models tends to be very time-consuming and can therefore only be used sporadically, while incorporating less accurate, inexpensive models into the design process may result in inaccurate design alternatives. To make a trade-off between high accura...

We present a computational model for object matching in a pair of stereo images based on internal sensorimotor simulation. In our study, we use pairs of retinal images, i.e. the resolution is higher towards the image center and low in the periphery, which stem from two cameras, each one mounted on a pan–tilt unit (PTU). The internal simulation is driven by two internal models: a saccade control...

In order to perform experimental identification of high strain rate material models, engineers have only a very limited toolbox based on test procedures developed decades ago. The best example is the so-called split Hopkinson pressure bar based on the bar concept introduced 100 years ago by Bertram Hopkinson to measure blast pulses. The recent advent of full-field deformation measurements using...

Previously we have reported that maternal malnutrition during lactation programmes body weight and thyroid function in the adult offspring. In the present study we evaluated the effect of maternal protein restriction during lactation upon body composition and hormones related to glucose homeostasis in adult rats. During lactation, Wistar lactating rats and their pups were divided into two exper...