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This work presents a new method for the synthesis of antifouling polymer brushes using surface-initiated photoinduced electron transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization with eosin Y and triethanolamine as catalysts. This method proceeds in an aqueous environment under atmospheric conditions without any prior degassing and without the use of heavy metal catalysts. The versatility of the method is shown by using three chemically different monomers: oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide, and carboxybetaine methacrylamide. In addition, the light-triggered nature of the polymerization allows the creation of complex three-dimensional structures. The composition and topological structuring of the brushes are confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The kinetics of the polymerizations are followed by measuring the layer thickness with ellipsometry. The polymer brushes demonstrate excellent antifouling properties when exposed to single-protein solutions and complex biological matrices such as diluted bovine serum. This method thus presents a new simple approach for the manufacturing of antifouling coatings for biomedical and biotechnological applications.

Hierarchical bioactive surfaces are created by visible-light-induced surface-initiated living radical polymerization employing tris[2-phenylpyridinato-C2,N]iridium(III) as a photocatalyst. The hierarchical antifouling diblock copolymer structures consist of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-methacrylamide (first block) and carboxybetaine methacrylate (second block). The living nature of the polymerization is shown by a linear increase in layer thickness (as measured by atomic force microscopy) and reinitiation of the polymerization to create a patterned second block of polymer. The chemical structure of the brushes is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. The block copolymer brushes demonstrate excellent antifouling properties when exposed to single-protein solutions or to bovine serum. The second carboxybetaine block of the hierarchical antifouling structures can effectively be biofunctionalized with an anti-fibrinogen antibody. The coated surfaces show a high affinity and specificity to fibrinogen, while preventing nonspecific adsorption from other proteins in bovine serum.

Matching of building polygons with different levels of detail is crucial in the maintenance and quality assessment of multi-representation databases. Two general problems need to be addressed in the matching process: (1) Which criteria are suitable? (2) How to effectively combine different criteria to make decisions? This paper mainly focuses on the second issue and views data matching as a supervised pattern classification. Several classifiers (i.e. decision trees, Naive Bayes and support vector machines) are evaluated for the matching task. Four criteria (i.e. position, size, shape and orientation) are used to extract information for these classifiers. Evidence shows that these classifiers outperformed the weighted average approach., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Matching of building polygons with different levels of detail is crucial in the maintenance and quality assessment of multi-representation databases. Two general problems need to be addressed in the matching process: (1) Which criteria are suitable? (2) How to effectively combine different criteria to make decisions? This paper mainly focuses on the second issue and views data matching as a supervised pattern classification. Several classifiers (i.e. decision trees, Naive Bayes and support vector machines) are evaluated for the matching task. Four criteria (i.e. position, size, shape and orientation) are used to extract information for these classifiers. Evidence shows that these classifiers outperformed the weighted average approach., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Automated evaluation of generalization output relies to a large extent on that requirements (e.g. specifications, constraints) being formalized in machine-readable formats. Previous studies suggest that the formalization and automated evaluation are relatively easier for legibility constraints (improve the readability of maps) than for preservation constraints (preserving important real-world phenomena). Three major difficulties, i.e., pattern classification and characterization, pattern matching, and constraint formalization, in the automated evaluation of building pattern preservation constraint are analyzed in this paper. A classification of available building patterns is reviewed based on a previous work. In addition, the transition events describing allowed changes for building patterns to preserve during generalization are obtained through the study of existing maps series (from 1:10k to 1:100k). Based on the obtained knowledge on pattern types and acceptable transition events, an approach to automatically match corresponding building patterns at different scales is presented. The methodology proposed is validated by applying it to the interactively generalized data. The result shows promising results and also further improvement in order to apply the method in an overall evaluation to indicate acceptable generalization solutions., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Hospitalized Vietnamese children with acute respiratory infection were investigated for 13 viral pathogens using multiplex-polymerase chain reaction. We enrolled 958 children of whom 659 (69%) had documented viral infection: rhinovirus (28%), respiratory syncytial virus (23%), influenza virus (15%), adenovirus (5%), human metapneumo virus (4.5%), parainfluenza virus (5%), and bocavirus (2%). These Vietnamese children had a range of respiratory viruses which underscores the need for enhanced acute respiratory infection surveillance in tropical developing countries., The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 29(1), pp.75-77; 2010

Automated evaluation of generalization output relies to a large extent on that requirements (e.g. specifications, constraints) being formalized in machine-readable formats. Previous studies suggest that the formalization and automated evaluation are relatively easier for legibility constraints (improve the readability of maps) than for preservation constraints (preserving important real-world phenomena). Three major difficulties, i.e., pattern classification and characterization, pattern matching, and constraint formalization, in the automated evaluation of building pattern preservation constraint are analyzed in this paper. A classification of available building patterns is reviewed based on a previous work. In addition, the transition events describing allowed changes for building patterns to preserve during generalization are obtained through the study of existing maps series (from 1:10k to 1:100k). Based on the obtained knowledge on pattern types and acceptable transition events, an approach to automatically match corresponding building patterns at different scales is presented. The methodology proposed is validated by applying it to the interactively generalized data. The result shows promising results and also further improvement in order to apply the method in an overall evaluation to indicate acceptable generalization solutions., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Our objective was to determine whether the internal controls over the Department of the Navy's military equipment baseline were adequate. Specifically, we assessed the effectiveness of the Department of the Navy's internal controls over the valuation, rights and obligations, and completeness of military equipment programs. See Appendix A for a discussion of the scope and methodology, a review of internal controls, and for prior coverage related to the objectives.

Given a constraint $c$ assumed to hold on a database $B$ and an update $u$ to be performed on $B$, we address the following question: will $c$ still hold after $u$ is performed? When $B$ is a relational database, we define a confluent terminating rewriting system which, starting from $c$ and $u$, automatically derives a simplified weakest precondition $wp(c,u)$ such that, whenever $B$ satisfies $wp(c,u)$, then the updated database $u(B)$ will satisfy $c$, and moreover $wp(c,u)$ is simplified in the sense that its computation depends only upon the instances of $c$ that may be modified by the update. We then extend the definition of a simplified $wp(c,u)$ to the case of deductive databases; we prove it using fixpoint induction.

Published on the foundation established in memory of Philip Hamilton McMillan of the class of 1894, Yale college., Electronic access restricted; authentication may be required, American Council of Learned Societies History E-Book Project, (heb) heb04210.0001.001, http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.04210, Permission must be received for any subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact info@hebook.org for more information.

Published on the foundation established in memory of Philip Hamilton McMillan of the class of 1894, Yale college., Electronic access restricted; authentication may be required, American Council of Learned Societies History E-Book Project, (heb) heb04210.0001.001, http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.04210, Permission must be received for any subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact info@hebook.org for more information.

Building patterns are important features in applications like automated generalization and spatial data mining. Many previous work has however focused on a few specific patterns (i.e. collinear pattern), while many others are less discussed. This paper proposes a comprehensive typology of available building patterns through the study of existing maps, and discusses their characteristics. This typology includes collinear, curvilinear, align-along-road, grid-like and unstructured patterns. Two algorithms are presented to detect align-along-road and unstructured building patterns, which are tested against a topographic dataset of the Netherlands., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment

Building patterns are important features in applications like automated generalization and spatial data mining. Many previous work has however focused on a few specific patterns (i.e. collinear pattern), while many others are less discussed. This paper proposes a comprehensive typology of available building patterns through the study of existing maps, and discusses their characteristics. This typology includes collinear, curvilinear, align-along-road, grid-like and unstructured patterns. Two algorithms are presented to detect align-along-road and unstructured building patterns, which are tested against a topographic dataset of the Netherlands., OTB Research, OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment