A class of path following and formation controllers are implemented on marine robots performing autonomous surveys in regions polluted by crude oil during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The controllers enable the robots to follow lines and curves, and maintain formation collectively while measuring reminiscent crude oil along their paths. The controllers are mathematically sound with proven convergence and robustness. However, their performance in the surveying missions is affected by natural disturbances caused by wind and water currents, and constraints such as sensor inaccuracy, localization errors, and network delays. This paper evaluates the performance of our controllers based on data collected during a survey performed at Grand Isle, Louisiana. These results will provide guidance for mission designs and inspire the future developments of our marine robots used to perform autonomous environmental surveys.

The magnetic navigation system allows precision wire-tip control that is guided by computer generated 3D models based on fluoroscopic images. These images can be post-processed and the information used to facilitate steering of wires in difficult anatomy. This report illustrates two of these reconstruction software packages in a challenging saphenous vein graft case. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Irresponsible and excessive consumption of alcohol and the associated problems it carries in its wake have become one of the key concerns for central government both in terms of community safety and public health. In response to the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England (DoH, 2007), the Department of Health ( DoH) have announced a series of measures, one of which is to pilot screening and intervention for alcohol use programmes in a variety of locations, of which one is within a probation setting. This paper reports on the findings of a project that pre-empts the DoH initiatives, thus providing the opening comments in what is sure to be a debate about a new strategic and evidence-based approach to dealing with problematic alcohol use. The paper provides data and discussions on the Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) project that screened 3,900 detainees in the Charles Cross custody suite in Plymouth, England during the period March 2007 to March 2008.

A novel frequency tunable microstrip patch antenna using ferroelectric BST thin film varactor is presented. The resonant frequency of this reconfigurable antenna is controlled by tuning the capacitance of the RF varactor which is used as part of the antenna feedline in this design. Since the varactor uses the coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line, tapered microstrip line between the antenna and the varactor are employed to ensure proper transitions. Experimental results demonstrate that a high tuning range can be achieved for the reconfigured microstrip patch antenna with a lower variation of the DC biasing voltage applied on the ferroelectric varactor.

Magnetic navigation is the use of a magnetic field to actively re-orientate a magnetically-enabled wire or device. The field is directed by external magnets that are repositioned by a computer-controlled system. This young technology could lead to a significant evolution in the practice of coronary interventional procedures as it enhances or introduces 3 specific capabilities of exact tip orientation, computer-enhanced control and orientation of the magnetic field, and computer processing.This chapter will describe the system, review current evidence and progress and potential future advances of this technology.

PLoS Biology was launched in 2003 with the goal of creating an open-access alternative to the very best subscription journals—a home for great science, which would be made available immediately and freely to any interested reader. We've come a long way toward achieving this goal, and the support of the scientific community has been paramount in the impressive standing that PLoS Biology has achieved in its short life. Nowhere can this be more clearly seen than in the hard-working PLoS Biology Editorial Board, whose consistent effort has brought us to where we are today. At its inception, PLoS Biology deliberately created an editorial model that encouraged active participation of the Editorial Board. Although the editorial responsibility for PLoS Biology rests with the professional editors, we frequently consult with Academic Editors, usually drawn from the Editorial Board, to make decisions on manuscripts, and every published manuscript has been seen and commented on by an Academic Editor. In recognition of their contribution, the name of the Academic Editor is indicated on the final published article. It's an editorial model that makes PLoS Biology different from other top-tier journals, and one that many authors have indicated that they strongly support. More than four years on, the journal and the Board have grown, and it has become increasingly challenging to communicate effectively with such a large (greater than 130 members) and diverse (“molecules to ecosystems”) Board and to provide the support that Board members need to become proactive, determined advocates for both PLoS Biology and open access. We have considered how best to respond to this challenge and how to make the most of our unique relationship with the academic community, and we naturally settled on the idea of asking a member of our Editorial Board to take on a leadership role as an Academic Editor-in-Chief. While the responsibility for the content of PLoS Biology and for the editorial decision-making remains with the PLoS Biology professional editors, we envisaged that an Academic Editor-in-Chief would be a community representative for the journal both inside and outside of PLoS, and would work with the staff editors to help shape the future of the journal. In the Academic Editor-in-Chief, we were looking for someone who has unequivocal commitment to open access, boundless energy, and the vision and foresight to help transform scientific discourse from the confines of traditional publishing into a world that takes full advantage of the online medium. In considering potential candidates for the Academic Editor-in-Chief, one person in particular stood out. Jonathan Eisen has become a passionate open access spokesperson and advocate, and he now publishes his work only in open-access journals (see also the accompanying Editorial, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060048, for more about Jonathan's reasons for his commitment to open access). Jonathan is a Professor at the University of California Davis Genome Center where he studies the evolution of novelty in microorganisms (see http://128.120.136.15/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page), and he is an editorial advisor for both PLoS Biology and PLoS Computational Biology. We are thrilled that Jonathan has agreed to collaborate with PLoS as the Academic Editor-in-Chief for PLoS Biology, and we are looking forward to working with him in this new capacity.

Objective : A randomized comparison of the magnetic navigation system (MNS) to conventional guidewire techniques in percutaneous coronary interventions. Background : The MNS precisely directs a magnetized guidewire in vivo through two permanent external magnets. Methods : A total of 111 consecutive patients were enrolled. Crossing success, crossing‐/fluoroscopy times, and contrast usage were directly compared. Lesions were classified according to the AHA/ACC criteria. Three tertiles of vessel/lesion complexity [low (<5), medium (6–10) and high (>10)] were defined using 3D reconstructions and angiographic information. Results : The crossing success for magnetic and the conventional wires were 93.3and 95.6%, respectively. Crossing and fluoroscopy times were longer with the magnetic wires (72.9 ± 50.3 sec vs. 58.1 ± 47.2 sec, P < 0.001 and 66.2 ± 44.1 sec vs. 55.2 ± 44.4 sec, P = 0.03, respectively). In vessels with low and medium complexity the magnetic wires had significantly longer times ( P < 0.001) but for those with high scores (>10) a trend towards shorter times was observed. The MNS resulted in a small but significant reduction in contrast usage (2.3 ± 3.5 ml vs. 4.5 ± 4.4 ml, P < 0.001). Moreover by superimposing a virtual roadmap of the vessel on the live fluoroscopy image 48% of the lesions were crossed without requiring contrast agents with the MNS. Conclusion : The MNS has comparable crossing success to conventional PCI. It is relatively slower but there is a trend to support a potential advantage in more complex vessels. By simultaneously employing a virtual roadmap there is a small but significant reduction in contrast usage. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Stent dislodgment remains a vexing problem in percutaneous coronary intervention. The technological improvements in machine‐crimped premounted stents have led to a reduced incidence of dislodgment but may have exacerbated the problem of stent dislodgment (SD). Previous reports describing the management of SD have concentrated predominantly on manually mounted stents. We present a case where the position of a dislodged premounted stent in the distal left main stem was unfavorable for previously described solutions. The problem was elegantly resolved by taking advantage of the improved performance of the current generation of wires and balloons to achieve a rapid first‐rate clinical outcome. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

2005 will see the launch of three new open access journals from the Public Library of Science - PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS Genetics, and PLoS Pathogens.

With this first issue of PLoS Biology, the editors present the aims and scope of the journal

The Public Library of Science is a non-profit organization of scientists whose aim is to make the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource. PLoS started life as an advocacy group, based in the US. Last December, the organization reinvented itself as an open access publishing company. PLoS plans to launch open access journals, collaborate with other organizations to convert or launch open access journals, and to continue to lobby for change in the way that scientific publishing is financed, so that all research literature will be available in a free and unrestricted manner.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTInterdisciplinary Undergraduate Education: Environmental StudiesMarina C. Koether , Donald McGarey , Mark Patterson , and Daniel J. Williams View Author Information Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144Cite this: J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 8, 934Publication Date (Web):August 1, 2002Publication History Received3 August 2009Published online1 August 2002Published inissue 1 August 2002https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed079p934https://doi.org/10.1021/ed079p934research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views326Altmetric-Citations12LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose SUBJECTS:Environmental chemistry,Environmental science,Undergraduate education Get e-Alerts

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