Search results for: one side class algorithm
6678 Calculation of A Sustainable Quota Harvesting of Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis Raffles) in Their Natural Habitats
Authors: Yanto Santosa, Dede Aulia Rahman, Cory Wulan, Abdul Haris Mustari
Abstract:
The global demand for long-tailed macaques for medical experimentation has continued to increase. Fulfillment of Indonesian export demands has been mostly from natural habitats, based on a harvesting quota. This quota has been determined according to the total catch for a given year, and not based on consideration of any demographic parameters or physical environmental factors with regard to the animal; hence threatening the sustainability of the various populations. It is therefore necessary to formulate a method for calculating a sustainable harvesting quota, based on population parameters in natural habitats. Considering the possibility of variations in habitat characteristics and population parameters, a time series observation of demographic and physical/biotic parameters, in various habitats, was performed on 13 groups of long-tailed macaques, distributed throughout the West Java, Lampung and Yogyakarta areas of Indonesia. These provinces were selected for comparison of the influence of human/tourism activities. Data on population parameters that was collected included data on life expectancy according to age class, numbers of individuals by sex and age class, and ‘ratio of infants to reproductive females’. The estimation of population growth was based on a population dynamic growth model: the Leslie matrix. The harvesting quota was calculated as being the difference between the actual population size and the MVP (minimum viable population) for each sex and age class. Observation indicated that there were variations within group size (24 – 106 individuals), gender (sex) ratio (1:1 to 1:1.3), life expectancy value (0.30 to 0.93), and ‘ratio of infants to reproductive females’ (0.23 to 1.56). Results of subsequent calculations showed that sustainable harvesting quotas for each studied group of long-tailed macaques, ranged from 29 to 110 individuals. An estimation model of the MVP for each age class was formulated as Log Y = 0.315 + 0.884 Log Ni (number of individual on ith age class). This study also found that life expectancy for the juvenile age class was affected by the humidity under tree stands, and dietary plants’ density at sapling, pole and tree stages (equation: Y= 2.296 – 1.535 RH + 0.002 Kpcg – 0.002 Ktg – 0.001 Kphn, R2 = 89.6% with a significance value of 0.001). By contrast, for the sub-adult-adult age class, life expectancy was significantly affected by slope (equation: Y=0.377 = 0.012 Kml, R2 = 50.4%, with significance level of 0.007). The infant to reproductive female ratio was affected by humidity under tree stands, and dietary plant density at sapling and pole stages (equation: Y = -1.432 + 2.172 RH – 0.004 Kpcg + 0.003 Ktg, R2 = 82.0% with significance level of 0.001). This research confirmed the importance of population parameters in determining the minimum viable population, and that MVP varied according to habitat characteristics (especially food availability). It would be difficult therefore, to formulate a general mathematical equation model for determining a harvesting quota for the species as a whole.Keywords: harvesting, long-tailed macaque, population, quota
Procedia PDF Downloads 4296677 A Quinary Coding and Matrix Structure Based Channel Hopping Algorithm for Blind Rendezvous in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Qinglin Liu, Zhiyong Lin, Zongheng Wei, Jianfeng Wen, Congming Yi, Hai Liu
Abstract:
The multi-channel blind rendezvous problem in distributed cognitive radio networks (DCRNs) refers to how users in the network can hop to the same channel at the same time slot without any prior knowledge (i.e., each user is unaware of other users' information). The channel hopping (CH) technique is a typical solution to this blind rendezvous problem. In this paper, we propose a quinary coding and matrix structure-based CH algorithm called QCMS-CH. The QCMS-CH algorithm can guarantee the rendezvous of users using only one cognitive radio in the scenario of the asynchronous clock (i.e., arbitrary time drift between the users), heterogeneous channels (i.e., the available channel sets of users are distinct), and symmetric role (i.e., all users play a same role). The QCMS-CH algorithm first represents a randomly selected channel (denoted by R) as a fixed-length quaternary number. Then it encodes the quaternary number into a quinary bootstrapping sequence according to a carefully designed quaternary-quinary coding table with the prefix "R00". Finally, it builds a CH matrix column by column according to the bootstrapping sequence and six different types of elaborately generated subsequences. The user can access the CH matrix row by row and accordingly perform its channel, hoping to attempt rendezvous with other users. We prove the correctness of QCMS-CH and derive an upper bound on its Maximum Time-to-Rendezvous (MTTR). Simulation results show that the QCMS-CH algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art in terms of the MTTR and the Expected Time-to-Rendezvous (ETTR).Keywords: channel hopping, blind rendezvous, cognitive radio networks, quaternary-quinary coding
Procedia PDF Downloads 966676 Integrating Student Engagement Activities into the Learning Process
Authors: Yingjin Cui, Xue Bai, Serena Reese
Abstract:
Student engagement and student interest during class instruction are important conditions for active learning. Engagement, which has an important relationship with learning motivation, influences students' levels of persistence in overcoming challenges. Lack of student engagement and absence from face-to-face lectures and tutorials, in turn, can lead to poor academic performance. However, keeping students motivated and engaged in the learning process in different instructional modes poses a significant challenge; students can easily become discouraged from attending lectures and tutorials across both online and face-to-face settings. Many factors impact students’ engagement in the learning process. If you want to keep students focused on learning, you have to invite them into the process of helping themselves by providing an active learning environment. Active learning is an excellent technique for enhancing student engagement and participation in the learning process because it provides means to motivate the student to engage themselves in the learning process through reflection, analyzing, applying, and synthesizing the material they learn during class. In this study, we discussed how to create an active learning class (both face-to-face and synchronous online) through engagement activities, including reflection, collaboration, screen messages, open poll, tournament, and transferring editing roles. These activities will provide an uncommon interactive learning environment that can result in improved learning outcomes. To evaluate the effectiveness of those engagement activities in the learning process, an experimental group and a control group will be explored in the study.Keywords: active learning, academic performance, engagement activities, learning motivation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1546675 Optimizing Boiler Combustion System in a Petrochemical Plant Using Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System and Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Yul Y. Nazaruddin, Anas Y. Widiaribowo, Satriyo Nugroho
Abstract:
Boiler is one of the critical unit in a petrochemical plant. Steam produced by the boiler is used for various processes in the plant such as urea and ammonia plant. An alternative method to optimize the boiler combustion system is presented in this paper. Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) approach is applied to model the boiler using real-time operational data collected from a boiler unit of the petrochemical plant. Nonlinear equation obtained is then used to optimize the air to fuel ratio using Genetic Algorithm, resulting an optimal ratio of 15.85. This optimal ratio is then maintained constant by ratio controller designed using inverse dynamics based on ANFIS. As a result, constant value of oxygen content in the flue gas is obtained which indicates more efficient combustion process.Keywords: ANFIS, boiler, combustion process, genetic algorithm, optimization.
Procedia PDF Downloads 2576674 A Parallel Algorithm for Solving the PFSP on the Grid
Authors: Samia Kouki
Abstract:
Solving NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems by exact search methods, such as Branch-and-Bound, may degenerate to complete enumeration. For that reason, exact approaches limit us to solve only small or moderate size problem instances, due to the exponential increase in CPU time when problem size increases. One of the most promising ways to reduce significantly the computational burden of sequential versions of Branch-and-Bound is to design parallel versions of these algorithms which employ several processors. This paper describes a parallel Branch-and-Bound algorithm called GALB for solving the classical permutation flowshop scheduling problem as well as its implementation on a Grid computing infrastructure. The experimental study of our distributed parallel algorithm gives promising results and shows clearly the benefit of the parallel paradigm to solve large-scale instances in moderate CPU time.Keywords: grid computing, permutation flow shop problem, branch and bound, load balancing
Procedia PDF Downloads 2856673 A Boundary Backstepping Control Design for 2-D, 3-D and N-D Heat Equation
Authors: Aziz Sezgin
Abstract:
We consider the problem of stabilization of an unstable heat equation in a 2-D, 3-D and generally n-D domain by deriving a generalized backstepping boundary control design methodology. To stabilize the systems, we design boundary backstepping controllers inspired by the 1-D unstable heat equation stabilization procedure. We assume that one side of the boundary is hinged and the other side is controlled for each direction of the domain. Thus, controllers act on two boundaries for 2-D domain, three boundaries for 3-D domain and ”n” boundaries for n-D domain. The main idea of the design is to derive ”n” controllers for each of the dimensions by using ”n” kernel functions. Thus, we obtain ”n” controllers for the ”n” dimensional case. We use a transformation to change the system into an exponentially stable ”n” dimensional heat equation. The transformation used in this paper is a generalized Volterra/Fredholm type with ”n” kernel functions for n-D domain instead of the one kernel function of 1-D design.Keywords: backstepping, boundary control, 2-D, 3-D, n-D heat equation, distributed parameter systems
Procedia PDF Downloads 4056672 An Improved OCR Algorithm on Appearance Recognition of Electronic Components Based on Self-adaptation of Multifont Template
Authors: Zhu-Qing Jia, Tao Lin, Tong Zhou
Abstract:
The recognition method of Optical Character Recognition has been expensively utilized, while it is rare to be employed specifically in recognition of electronic components. This paper suggests a high-effective algorithm on appearance identification of integrated circuit components based on the existing methods of character recognition, and analyze the pros and cons.Keywords: optical character recognition, fuzzy page identification, mutual correlation matrix, confidence self-adaptation
Procedia PDF Downloads 5416671 A Proposed Algorithm for Obtaining the Map of Subscribers’ Density Distribution for a Mobile Wireless Communication Network
Authors: C. Temaneh-Nyah, F. A. Phiri, D. Karegeya
Abstract:
This paper presents an algorithm for obtaining the map of subscriber’s density distribution for a mobile wireless communication network based on the actual subscriber's traffic data obtained from the base station. This is useful in statistical characterization of the mobile wireless network.Keywords: electromagnetic compatibility, statistical analysis, simulation of communication network, subscriber density
Procedia PDF Downloads 3146670 An Efficient Algorithm of Time Step Control for Error Correction Method
Authors: Youngji Lee, Yonghyeon Jeon, Sunyoung Bu, Philsu Kim
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to construct an algorithm of time step control for the error correction method most recently developed by one of the authors for solving stiff initial value problems. It is achieved with the generalized Chebyshev polynomial and the corresponding error correction method. The main idea of the proposed scheme is in the usage of the duplicated node points in the generalized Chebyshev polynomials of two different degrees by adding necessary sample points instead of re-sampling all points. At each integration step, the proposed method is comprised of two equations for the solution and the error, respectively. The constructed algorithm controls both the error and the time step size simultaneously and possesses a good performance in the computational cost compared to the original method. Two stiff problems are numerically solved to assess the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.Keywords: stiff initial value problem, error correction method, generalized Chebyshev polynomial, node points
Procedia PDF Downloads 5766669 A Context-Sensitive Algorithm for Media Similarity Search
Authors: Guang-Ho Cha
Abstract:
This paper presents a context-sensitive media similarity search algorithm. One of the central problems regarding media search is the semantic gap between the low-level features computed automatically from media data and the human interpretation of them. This is because the notion of similarity is usually based on high-level abstraction but the low-level features do not sometimes reflect the human perception. Many media search algorithms have used the Minkowski metric to measure similarity between image pairs. However those functions cannot adequately capture the aspects of the characteristics of the human visual system as well as the nonlinear relationships in contextual information given by images in a collection. Our search algorithm tackles this problem by employing a similarity measure and a ranking strategy that reflect the nonlinearity of human perception and contextual information in a dataset. Similarity search in an image database based on this contextual information shows encouraging experimental results.Keywords: context-sensitive search, image search, similarity ranking, similarity search
Procedia PDF Downloads 3686668 Segmentation of Gray Scale Images of Dropwise Condensation on Textured Surfaces
Authors: Helene Martin, Solmaz Boroomandi Barati, Jean-Charles Pinoli, Stephane Valette, Yann Gavet
Abstract:
In the present work we developed an image processing algorithm to measure water droplets characteristics during dropwise condensation on pillared surfaces. The main problem in this process is the similarity between shape and size of water droplets and the pillars. The developed method divides droplets into four main groups based on their size and applies the corresponding algorithm to segment each group. These algorithms generate binary images of droplets based on both their geometrical and intensity properties. The information related to droplets evolution during time including mean radius and drops number per unit area are then extracted from the binary images. The developed image processing algorithm is verified using manual detection and applied to two different sets of images corresponding to two kinds of pillared surfaces.Keywords: dropwise condensation, textured surface, image processing, watershed
Procedia PDF Downloads 2256667 Beneath the Leisurely Surface: An Analysis of the Piano Lesson Frenzy among Chinese Middle-Class Parents
Authors: Yijie Wang, Tianyue Wang
Abstract:
In the past two decades, there has been a great ‘piano lesson frenzy’ among Chinese middle-class families, with a large number of parents adding piano training to children’s extra-curriculum lists. Superficially, the frenzy reflects a rather ‘leisurely’ attitude: parents typically claim that pianos lessons are ‘just for fun’ and will hopefully render children’s life more exciting. However, a closer scrutiny reveals that there is great social-status anxiety hidden beneath this ‘leisurely’ surface. Based on pre-interviews of six Chinese middle-class parents who have enthusiastically signed their children up for piano lessons, several tentative analysis are made: 1. Owing to a series of historical and social factors, the Chinese middle-class have yet to establish their cultural norms in the past few decades, resulting in great confusion concerning how to cultivate cultural tastes in their offspring. And partly due to the fact that the middle-class status of the past Chinese generation is mostly self-acquired rather than inherited, parents are much less confident about their cultural resources—which require long-time accumulation—than material ones. Both factors combine to lead to a sort of blind, overcompensating enthusiasm in culture-related education, and the piano frenzy is but a demonstration. 2. The piano has been chosen to be the object of the frenzy partly because of its inherent characteristics as well as socially-constructed ones. Costly, large in size, imported from another culture and so forth, the piano has acquired the meaning of being exclusive, high-end and exotic, which renders it a token of top-tier status among Chinese people, and piano lessons for offspring have therefore become parents’ paths towards a kind of ‘symbolic elevation’. A child playing piano is an exhibition as well as psychological assurance of the families’ middle-class status. 3. A closer look at children’s piano training process reveals that there is much more anxiety than leisurely elements involved. Despite parents’ claim that ‘piano is mainly for kids to have fun,’ the whole process is evidently of a rather ‘ascetic’ nature, with the demands of diligence and senses of time urgency throughout, and techniques rather than flair or styles are emphasized. This either means that the apparent ‘piano-for-fun’ stance is unauthentic and is only other motives in disguise, or that the Chinese middle-class parents are not yet capable of shaking off the sense of anxiety even if they sincerely intend to. 4. When viewed in relation to Chinese formal school system as well as the job market at large, it can be said that by signing children up for piano lessons, parents are consciously or unconsciously seeking to prepare for, or reduce the risks of, their children’s future social mobility. In face of possible failures in the highly-crucial, highly-competitive formal school system, piano-playing as an extra-curriculum activity may be conveniently transferred into an alternative career path. Besides, in contemporary China, as the occupational structure goes through change, and the school-related certificates decline in value, aspects such as a person’s overall deportment, which can be gained or proved by piano-learning, have been gaining in significance.Keywords: extra-curriculum activities, middle class, piano lesson frenzy, status anxiety
Procedia PDF Downloads 2486666 Analysis of Cooperative Learning Behavior Based on the Data of Students' Movement
Authors: Wang Lin, Li Zhiqiang
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the cooperative learning behavior pattern based on the data of students' movement. The study firstly reviewed the cooperative learning theory and its research status, and briefly introduced the k-means clustering algorithm. Then, it used clustering algorithm and mathematical statistics theory to analyze the activity rhythm of individual student and groups in different functional areas, according to the movement data provided by 10 first-year graduate students. It also focused on the analysis of students' behavior in the learning area and explored the law of cooperative learning behavior. The research result showed that the cooperative learning behavior analysis method based on movement data proposed in this paper is feasible. From the results of data analysis, the characteristics of behavior of students and their cooperative learning behavior patterns could be found.Keywords: behavior pattern, cooperative learning, data analyze, k-means clustering algorithm
Procedia PDF Downloads 1916665 Design and Modeling of Amphibious Houses for Flood Prone Areas: The Case of Nigeria
Authors: Onyebuchi Mogbo, Abdulsalam Mohammed, Salsabila Wali
Abstract:
This research discusses the design and modeling of an amphibious building. The amphibious building is a house with the function of floating during a flood event. Over the years, houses have been built to resist flood events some of which have failed. The floating house is designed to work with nature and not against it. In the event of a flood, the house will rise with the increasing water level and protect the house from sinking. For the design and modeling of this house an estimated cost of N250, 000, approximately $700, will be needed. It is expected that the house will rise when lightweight materials are incorporated in the design, and the concrete dock (in form of a hollow box) carrying the entire house in its hollow space is well designed. When there is flooding the water will fill up the concrete dock, and the house will rise upwards with vertical guides preventing it from moving side to side or out of its boundary. Architectural and Structural designs will be used in this project.Keywords: amphibious building, flood, housing, design and modelling
Procedia PDF Downloads 1856664 An Algorithm for Determining the Arrival Behavior of a Secondary User to a Base Station in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Danilo López, Edwin Rivas, Leyla López
Abstract:
This paper presents the development of an algorithm that predicts the arrival of a secondary user (SU) to a base station (BS) in a cognitive network based on infrastructure, requesting a Best Effort (BE) or Real Time (RT) type of service with a determined bandwidth (BW) implementing neural networks. The algorithm dynamically uses a neural network construction technique using the geometric pyramid topology and trains a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks (MLPNN) based on the historical arrival of an SU to estimate future applications. This will allow efficiently managing the information in the BS, since it precedes the arrival of the SUs in the stage of selection of the best channel in CRN. As a result, the software application determines the probability of arrival at a future time point and calculates the performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of the predictions made.Keywords: cognitive radio, base station, best effort, MLPNN, prediction, real time
Procedia PDF Downloads 3336663 Women's Perceptions of Zika Virus Prevention Recommendations: A Tale of Two Cities within Fortaleza, Brazil
Authors: Jeni Stolow, Lina Moses, Carl Kendall
Abstract:
Zika virus (ZIKV) reemerged as a global threat in 2015 with Brazil at its epicenter. Brazilians have a long history of combatting Aedes aegypti mosquitos as it is a common vector for dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. As a response to the epidemic, public health authorities promoted ZIKV prevention behaviors such as mosquito bite prevention, reproductive counseling for women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, pregnancy avoidance, and condom use. Most prevention efforts from Brazil focused on the mosquito vector- utilizing recycled dengue approaches without acknowledging the context in which women were able to adhere to these prevention messages. This study used qualitative methods to explore how women in Fortaleza, Brazil perceive ZIKV, the Brazilian authorities’ ZIKV prevention recommendations, and the feasibility of adhering to these recommendations. A core study aim was to look at how women perceive their physical, social, and natural environment as it impacts women’s ability to adhere to ZIKV prevention behaviors. A Rapid Anthropological Assessment (RAA) containing observations, informational interviews, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were utilized for data collection. The study utilized Grounded Theory as the systematic inductive method of analyzing the data collected. Interviews were conducted with 35 women of reproductive age (15-39 years old), who primarily utilize the public health system. It was found that women’s self-identified economic class was associated with how strongly women felt they could prevent ZIKV. All women interviewed technically belong to the C-class, the middle economic class. Although all members of the same economic class, there was a divide amongst participants as to who perceived themselves as higher C-class versus lower C-class. How women saw their economic status was dictated by how they perceived their physical, social, and natural environment. Women further associated their environment and their economic class to their likelihood of contracting ZIKV, their options for preventing ZIKV, their ability to prevent ZIKV, and their willingness to attempt to prevent ZIKV. Women’s perceived economic status was found to relate to their structural environment (housing quality, sewage, and locations to supplies), social environment (family and peer norms), and natural environment (wetland areas, natural mosquito breeding sites, and cyclical nature of vectors). Findings from this study suggest that women’s perceived environment and economic status impact their perceived feasibility and desire to attempt behaviors to prevent ZIKV. Although ZIKV has depleted from epidemic to endemic status, it is suggested that the virus will return as cyclical outbreaks like that seen with similar arboviruses such as dengue and chikungunya. As the next ZIKV epidemic approaches it is essential to understand how women perceive themselves, their abilities, and their environments to best aid the prevention of ZIKV.Keywords: Aedes aegypti, environment, prevention, qualitative, zika
Procedia PDF Downloads 1386662 Simulation of Heat Exchanger Behavior during LOCA Accident in THTL Test Loop
Authors: R. Mahmoodi, A. R. Zolfaghari
Abstract:
In nuclear power plants, loss of coolant from the primary system is the type of reduced removed capacity that is given most attention; such an accident is referred as Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). In the current study, investigation of shell and tube THTL heat exchanger behavior during LOCA is implemented by ANSYS CFX simulation software in both steady state and transient mode of turbulent fluid flow according to experimental conditions. Numerical results obtained from ANSYS CFX simulation show good agreement with experimental data of THTL heat exchanger. The results illustrate that in large break LOCA as short term accident, heat exchanger could not fast response to temperature variables but in the long term, the temperature of shell side of heat exchanger will be increase.Keywords: shell-and-tube heat exchanger, shell-side, CFD, flow and heat transfer, LOCA
Procedia PDF Downloads 4446661 Image Reconstruction Method Based on L0 Norm
Authors: Jianhong Xiang, Hao Xiang, Linyu Wang
Abstract:
Compressed sensing (CS) has a wide range of applications in sparse signal reconstruction. Aiming at the problems of low recovery accuracy and long reconstruction time of existing reconstruction algorithms in medical imaging, this paper proposes a corrected smoothing L0 algorithm based on compressed sensing (CSL0). First, an approximate hyperbolic tangent function (AHTF) that is more similar to the L0 norm is proposed to approximate the L0 norm. Secondly, in view of the "sawtooth phenomenon" in the steepest descent method and the problem of sensitivity to the initial value selection in the modified Newton method, the use of the steepest descent method and the modified Newton method are jointly optimized to improve the reconstruction accuracy. Finally, the CSL0 algorithm is simulated on various images. The results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper improves the reconstruction accuracy of the test image by 0-0. 98dB.Keywords: smoothed L0, compressed sensing, image processing, sparse reconstruction
Procedia PDF Downloads 1216660 FE Analysis of Blade-Disc Dovetail Joints Using Mortar Base Frictional Contact Formulation
Authors: Abbas Moradi, Mohsen Safajoy, Reza Yazdanparast
Abstract:
Analysis of blade-disc dovetail joints is one of the biggest challenges facing designers of aero-engines. To avoid comparatively expensive experimental full-scale tests, numerical methods can be used to simulate loaded disc-blades assembly. Mortar method provides a powerful and flexible tool for solving frictional contact problems. In this study, 2D frictional contact in dovetail has been analysed based on the mortar algorithm. In order to model the friction, the classical law of coulomb and moving friction cone algorithm is applied. The solution is then obtained by solving the resulting set of non-linear equations using an efficient numerical algorithm based on Newton–Raphson Method. The numerical results show that this approach has better convergence rate and accuracy than other proposed numerical methods.Keywords: computational contact mechanics, dovetail joints, nonlinear FEM, mortar approach
Procedia PDF Downloads 3586659 Offset Dependent Uniform Delay Mathematical Optimization Model for Signalized Traffic Network Using Differential Evolution Algorithm
Authors: Tahseen Saad, Halim Ceylan, Jonathan Weaver, Osman Nuri Çelik, Onur Gungor Sahin
Abstract:
A new concept of uniform delay offset dependent mathematical optimization problem is derived as the main objective for this study using a differential evolution algorithm. To control the coordination problem, which depends on offset selection and to estimate uniform delay based on the offset choice in a traffic signal network. The assumption is the periodic sinusoidal function for arrival and departure patterns. The cycle time is optimized at the entry links and the optimized value is used in the non-entry links as a common cycle time. The offset optimization algorithm is used to calculate the uniform delay at each link. The results are illustrated by using a case study and are compared with the canonical uniform delay model derived by Webster and the highway capacity manual’s model. The findings show new model minimizes the total uniform delay to almost half compared to conventional models. The mathematical objective function is robust. The algorithm convergence time is fast.Keywords: area traffic control, traffic flow, differential evolution, sinusoidal periodic function, uniform delay, offset variable
Procedia PDF Downloads 2836658 Evaluation of the MCFLIRT Correction Algorithm in Head Motion from Resting State fMRI Data
Authors: V. Sacca, A. Sarica, F. Novellino, S. Barone, T. Tallarico, E. Filippelli, A. Granata, P. Valentino, A. Quattrone
Abstract:
In the last few years, resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) was widely used to investigate the architecture of brain networks by investigating the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent response. This technique represented an interesting, robust and reliable approach to compare pathologic and healthy subjects in order to investigate neurodegenerative diseases evolution. On the other hand, the elaboration of rs-fMRI data resulted to be very prone to noise due to confounding factors especially the head motion. Head motion has long been known to be a source of artefacts in task-based functional MRI studies, but it has become a particularly challenging problem in recent studies using rs-fMRI. The aim of this work was to evaluate in MS patients a well-known motion correction algorithm from the FMRIB's Software Library - MCFLIRT - that could be applied to minimize the head motion distortions, allowing to correctly interpret rs-fMRI results.Keywords: head motion correction, MCFLIRT algorithm, multiple sclerosis, resting state fMRI
Procedia PDF Downloads 2186657 Fixed Point of Lipschitz Quasi Nonexpansive Mappings
Authors: Maryam Moosavi, Hadi Khatibzadeh
Abstract:
The main purpose of this paper is to study the proximal point algorithm for quasi-nonexpansive mappings in Hadamard spaces. △-convergence and strong convergence of cyclic resolvents for a finite family of quasi-nonexpansive mappings one to a fixed point of the mappings are establishedKeywords: Fixed point, Hadamard space, Proximal point algorithm, Quasi-nonexpansive sequence of mappings, Resolvent
Procedia PDF Downloads 966656 Identification of Two Novel Carbapenemase Gene Variants from a Carbapenem-Resistant Aeromonas Veronii Environmental Isolate
Authors: Rafael Estrada, Cristian Ruiz Rueda
Abstract:
Carbapenems are last-resort antibiotics used in clinical settings to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Thus, the emergence and spread of resistance to carbapenems is a major public health concern. Here, we have studied a carbapenem-resistant Aeromonas veronii strain previously isolated from a water sample from Sam Simeon Creek (Hearst San Simeon State Park, CA). Analysis of this isolate using disk-diffusion, CarbaNP, eCIM and mCIM assays revealed that it was resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and all carbapenems tested and that this isolate produced a potentially novel carbapenemase of the Metallo-β-lactamase family. Whole genome sequencing analysis revealed that this A. veronii isolate carries a novel variant of the blacₚₕₐ class β-carbapenemase gene that was closely related to the blacₚₕₐ₇ gene of Aeromonas jandaei. This isolate also carried a novel variant of the blaₒₓₐ class D carbapenemase gene that was most closely related to the blaₒₓₐ-₉₁₂ gene found in other Aeromonas veronii isolates. Finally, we also identified a novel class C β-lactamase gene moderately related to the blaFₒₓ-₁₇ gene of Providencia stuartii and other blaFₒₓ variants identified in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and other Enterobacteriaceae. Overall, our findings reveal that environmental isolates are an important reservoir of multiple carbapenemases and other β-lactamases of clinical significance.Keywords: β-lactamases, carbapenem, antibiotic-resistant, aeromonas veronii
Procedia PDF Downloads 966655 Performance Analysis of Proprietary and Non-Proprietary Tools for Regression Testing Using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: K. Hema Shankari, R. Thirumalaiselvi, N. V. Balasubramanian
Abstract:
The present paper addresses to the research in the area of regression testing with emphasis on automated tools as well as prioritization of test cases. The uniqueness of regression testing and its cyclic nature is pointed out. The difference in approach between industry, with business model as basis, and academia, with focus on data mining, is highlighted. Test Metrics are discussed as a prelude to our formula for prioritization; a case study is further discussed to illustrate this methodology. An industrial case study is also described in the paper, where the number of test cases is so large that they have to be grouped as Test Suites. In such situations, a genetic algorithm proposed by us can be used to reconfigure these Test Suites in each cycle of regression testing. The comparison is made between a proprietary tool and an open source tool using the above-mentioned metrics. Our approach is clarified through several tables.Keywords: APFD metric, genetic algorithm, regression testing, RFT tool, test case prioritization, selenium tool
Procedia PDF Downloads 4456654 Anesthetic Considerations for Carotid Endarterectomy: Prospective Study Based on Clinical Trials
Authors: Ahmed Yousef A. Al Sultan
Abstract:
Introduction: The aim of this review is based on clinical research that studies the changes in middle cerebral artery velocity using Transcranial Doppler (TCD) and cerebral oxygen saturation using cerebral oximetry in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) surgery under local anesthesia (LA). Patients with or without neurological symptoms during the surgery are taking a role in this study using triplet method of cerebral oximetry, transcranial doppler and awake test in detecting any cerebral ischemic symptoms. Methods: about one hundred patients took part during their CEA surgeries under local anesthesia, using triple assessment mentioned method, Patients requiring general anesthesia be excluded from analysis. All data were recorded at eight surgery stages separately to serve this study. Results: In total regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), middle cerebral artery (MCA) velocity, and pulsatility index were significantly decreased during carotid artery clamping step in CEA procedures on the targeted carotid side. With most observed changes in MCA velocity during the study. Discussion: Cerebral oxygen saturation and middle cerebral artery velocity were significantly decreased during clamping step of the procedures on the targeted side. The team with neurological symptoms during the procedures showed higher changes of rSO2 and MCA velocity than the team without neurological symptoms. Cerebral rSO2 and MCA velocity significantly increased directly after de-clamping of the internal carotid artery on the affected side.Keywords: awake testing, carotid endarterectomy, cerebral oximetry, Tanscranial Doppler
Procedia PDF Downloads 1706653 Bound State Problems and Functional Differential Geometry
Authors: S. Srednyak
Abstract:
We study a class of functional partial differential equations(FPDEs). This class is suggested by Quantum Field Theory. We derive general properties of solutions to such equations. In particular, we demonstrate that they lead to systems of coupled integral equations with singular kernels. We show that solutions to such hierarchies can be sought among functions with regular singularities at a countable set of subvarieties of the physical space. We also develop a formal analogy of basic constructions of differential geometry on functional manifolds, as this is necessary for in depth study of FPDEs. We also consider the case of linear overdetermined systems of functional differential equations and show that it can be completely solved in terms of formal solutions of a functional equation that is a functional analogy of a system of determined algebraic equations. This development leads us to formally define the functional analogy of algebraic geometry, which we call functional algebraic geometry. We study basic properties of functional algebraic varieties. In particular, we investigate the case of a formally discrete set of solutions. We also define and study functional analogy of discriminants. In the case of fully determined systems such that the defining functionals have regular singularities, we demonstrate that formal solutions can be sought in the class of functions with regular singularities. This case provides a practical way to apply our results to physics problems.Keywords: functional equations, quantum field theory, holomorphic functions, Yang Mills mass gap problem, quantum chaos
Procedia PDF Downloads 766652 An Interior Design Project Interventions about Changing Student Beliefs about Poverty, Homelessness, and Community Service
Authors: Alireza Derambakhsh
Abstract:
The reason for this study was to inspect undergraduate interior design student state of mind toward destitution, vagrancy, and group administration. An auxiliary intention was to figure out whether introduction to plan ventures for the individuals who have encountered hardship would change student convictions. All first year recruits (n = 18), sophomore (n = 26), junior (n = 17), and senior (n = 25) interior design undergraduate students at a public university completed a questionnaire in light of a few current scales. Amid the semester, the sophomores dealt with assignments that were intended to provide exposure to different socio-economic groups. Students finished three projects. Initially, the outline of a makeshift destitute asylum. Second, a re-model of a childcare focus office and gathering region that gives administrations to low-salary families, and third, the outline of a low-wage, private home. In these ventures, students were obliged to direct broad data assembling so they could better comprehend the issues connected with destitution. Toward the end of the semester, the sophomores finished the survey again and were asked extra inquiries in regards to the class and projects. Students’ sentiments towards the poor were more individualistic when contrasted with the white collar class, yet when the working class correlation was uprooted, some of their mentality gave a more unpredictable comprehension of destitution and vagrancy. The semester-long intercession fundamentally moved students' understanding that underscored auxiliary and multifaceted reason.Keywords: interior design, destitution, vagrancy, group administration
Procedia PDF Downloads 4366651 Efficient Feature Fusion for Noise Iris in Unconstrained Environment
Authors: Yao-Hong Tsai
Abstract:
This paper presents an efficient fusion algorithm for iris images to generate stable feature for recognition in unconstrained environment. Recently, iris recognition systems are focused on real scenarios in our daily life without the subject’s cooperation. Under large variation in the environment, the objective of this paper is to combine information from multiple images of the same iris. The result of image fusion is a new image which is more stable for further iris recognition than each original noise iris image. A wavelet-based approach for multi-resolution image fusion is applied in the fusion process. The detection of the iris image is based on Adaboost algorithm and then local binary pattern (LBP) histogram is then applied to texture classification with the weighting scheme. Experiment showed that the generated features from the proposed fusion algorithm can improve the performance for verification system through iris recognition.Keywords: image fusion, iris recognition, local binary pattern, wavelet
Procedia PDF Downloads 3696650 A Parallel Implementation of k-Means in MATLAB
Authors: Dimitris Varsamis, Christos Talagkozis, Alkiviadis Tsimpiris, Paris Mastorocostas
Abstract:
The aim of this work is the parallel implementation of k-means in MATLAB, in order to reduce the execution time. Specifically, a new function in MATLAB for serial k-means algorithm is developed, which meets all the requirements for the conversion to a function in MATLAB with parallel computations. Additionally, two different variants for the definition of initial values are presented. In the sequel, the parallel approach is presented. Finally, the performance tests for the computation times respect to the numbers of features and classes are illustrated.Keywords: K-means algorithm, clustering, parallel computations, Matlab
Procedia PDF Downloads 3886649 Oil Pollution Analysis of the Ecuadorian Rainforest Using Remote Sensing Methods
Authors: Juan Heredia, Naci Dilekli
Abstract:
The Ecuadorian Rainforest has been polluted for almost 60 years with little to no regard to oversight, law, or regulations. The consequences have been vast environmental damage such as pollution and deforestation, as well as sickness and the death of many people and animals. The aim of this paper is to quantify and localize the polluted zones, which something that has not been conducted and is the first step for remediation. To approach this problem, multi-spectral Remote Sensing imagery was utilized using a novel algorithm developed for this study, based on four normalized indices available in the literature. The algorithm classifies the pixels in polluted or healthy ones. The results of this study include a new algorithm for pixel classification and quantification of the polluted area in the selected image. Those results were finally validated by ground control points found in the literature. The main conclusion of this work is that using hyperspectral images, it is possible to identify polluted vegetation. The future work is environmental remediation, in-situ tests, and more extensive results that would inform new policymaking.Keywords: remote sensing, oil pollution quatification, amazon forest, hyperspectral remote sensing
Procedia PDF Downloads 167