A semismooth newton method for the nearest Euclidean distance matrix problem

The Nearest Euclidean distance matrix problem (NEDM) is a fundamentalcomputational problem in applications such asmultidimensional scaling and molecularconformation from nuclear magnetic resonance data in computational chemistry.Especially in the latter application, the problem is often large scale with the number ofatoms ranging from a few hundreds to a few thousands.In this paper, we introduce asemismooth Newton method that solves the dual problem of (NEDM). We prove that themethod is quadratically convergent.We then present an application of the Newton method to NEDM with $H$-weights.We demonstrate the superior performance of the Newton method over existing methodsincluding the latest quadratic semi-definite programming solver.This research also opens a new avenue towards efficient solution methods for the molecularembedding problem

Study on nursery growth performance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931) under different feeding levels in zero water exchange system

Effect of different feeding levels on water quality, growth performance, survival rate and body composition of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae were studied in zero water exchange system. Shrimp post larvae with mean weight of 74.46± 6.17 mg were fed for 32 days in 300L fiberglass tanks containing 130L water at density of 1 post larvae L^-1. There were five treatments including control and four biofloc treatments with different feeding levels of 15%, 15%, 12%, 9%, 0% of body weight per day, respectively. The results showed that there were no significant differences in water parameters such as dissolved oxygen and pH between different treatments (p>0.05). There were significant differences in water ammonia level between different treatments (p<0.05). The maximum (0.39 mg/L) and minimum (0.12 mg/L) levels of ammonia were observed in control and biofloc treatment with minimum feeding level (9%BW/day), respectively. The highest body weight gain (1.55g), growth rate (48.50 mg per day), specific growth rate (9.64%/day), biomass gain (182.1g) and body length increase (33.62mm) were observed in biofloc treatment with maximum feeding level. The highest feed conversion ratio and the lowest feed efficiency were obtained in control (p<0.05). The proximate body composition analysis revealed an increase in lipid, protein and ash in biofloc treatments. Results showed that using biofloc technology can decrease water exchange amount and improve feed utilization in nursery culture of Pacific white shrimp. Moreover, presence of biofloc improved the water quality which led to the enhancement in growth performance in nursery stage of shrimp

The Effect of Computer- Assisted Concept Mapping Technique on Learners' Vocabulary Retention and Autonomy Education

Abstract: The main goal of this study was to investigate the role of computer-assisted concept mapping technique in improving learners’ autonomy and vocabulary retention. To this aim, different concepts along with related words to each concept were selected. Then, a general English test was administered as the pretest of the study and 28 learners falling within ± 1 SD were selected and were randomly assigned into two groups: control and experimental. Then, vocabulary items were taught to the groups based on two different teaching processes. The teaching process consisted of two phases for the experimental group. In the first phase, learners were to fill in the blanks in the concept mapping diagram with the target words of the study. In the second phase, learners were solicited to expand the diagram until they reach the main concepts or target words. Afterward, the learners were asked to exchange their diagrams with their peers via hyper-terminal program. On the other hand, vocabulary items were taught to the control group conventionally that is, by providing antonyms and synonyms. After the treatment period, immediate and delayed post-tests were administered to both groups. To analyze the collected data and to compare the performance of the two groups on the immediate and delayed post-tests, independent t-tests were run. Subsequently, an interview was done with the subjects in the experimental group to elicit their opinion about the computer–assisted concept mapping technique. The findings of the study showed that employing computer assisted concept mapping technique had affected learners’ autonomy and vocabulary retention positively. Moreover, the results of the interview signaled learners’ satisfaction with the technique

Different mechanics of snap-trapping in the two closely related carnivorous plants Dionaea muscipula and Aldrovanda vesiculosa

The carnivorous aquatic Waterwheel Plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa L.) and the closely related terrestrial Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula SOL. EX J. ELLIS) both feature elaborate snap-traps, which shut after reception of an external mechanical stimulus by prey animals. Traditionally, Aldrovanda is considered as a miniature, aquatic Dionaea, an assumption which was already established by Charles Darwin. However, videos of snapping traps from both species suggest completely different closure mechanisms. Indeed, the well-described snapping mechanism in Dionaea comprises abrupt curvature inversion of the two trap lobes, while the closing movement in Aldrovanda involves deformation of the trap midrib but not of the lobes, which do not change curvature. In this paper, we present the first detailed mechanical models for these plants, which are based on the theory of thin solid membranes and explain this difference by showing that the fast snapping of Aldrovanda is due to kinematic amplification of the bending deformation of the midrib, while that of Dionaea unambiguously relies on the buckling instability that affects the two lobes.Comment: accepted in Physical Review

A Hybrid Analytic Network Process and Artificial Neural Network (ANP-ANN) model for urban Earthquake vulnerability assessment

© 2018 by the authors. Vulnerability assessment is one of the prerequisites for risk analysis in disaster management. Vulnerability to earthquakes, especially in urban areas, has increased over the years due to the presence of complex urban structures and rapid development. Urban vulnerability is a result of human behavior which describes the extent of susceptibility or resilience of social, economic, and physical assets to natural disasters. The main aim of this paper is to develop a new hybrid framework using Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models for constructing a composite social, economic, environmental, and physical vulnerability index. This index was then applied to Tabriz City, which is a seismic-prone province in the northwestern part of Iran with recurring devastating earthquakes and consequent heavy casualties and damages. A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis was used to identify and evaluate quantitative vulnerability indicators for generating an earthquake vulnerability map. The classified and standardized indicators were subsequently weighed and ranked using an ANP model to construct the training database. Then, standardized maps coupled with the training site maps were presented as input to aMultilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network for producing an Earthquake VulnerabilityMap (EVM). Finally, an EVMwas produced for Tabriz City and the level of vulnerability in various zones was obtained. South and southeast regions of Tabriz City indicate low to moderate vulnerability, while some zones of the northeastern tract are under critical vulnerability conditions. Furthermore, the impact of the vulnerability of Tabriz City on population during an earthquake was included in this analysis for risk estimation. A comparison of the result produced by EVM and the Population Vulnerability (PV) of Tabriz City corroborated the validity of the results obtained by ANP-ANN. The findings of this paper are useful for decision-makers and government authorities to obtain a better knowledge of a city's vulnerability dimensions, and to adopt preparedness strategies in the future for Tabriz City. The developed hybrid framework of ANP and ANN Models can easily be replicated and applied to other urban regions around the world for sustainability and environmental management

Inhaled Beclomethasone with or whiteout Montelukast in the Management of Pediatric Persistent Asthma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Inhaled corticosteroid is the first line of treatment for asthma which has its own side effects. By contrast, Montelukast has fewer complications and is easier to use because of its tablet-like form. Hence, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of inhaled beclomethasone with and without oral Montelukast in the control of children’s persistent asthma. METHODS: This clinical trial study was performed on 84 children with asthma referring to Amirkola Children's Hospital in two groups. One group of patients received inhaled beclomethasone with Montelukast. The another group was treated with only inhaled beclomethasone alone. Before and 3 months after the treatment, FEV1, IgE, eosinophilia, night sleep quality, and school absenteeism status were measured in both groups. FINDINGS: FEV1 values presented no significant difference between the two groups before the treatment, but it significantly increased in both groups three months after the treatment (p=0.000) (from 71.8±2.1 to 89.4±2.1 in the combinative treatment group and from 72±3 to 88.3±2.4 in the beclomethasone group). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in this regard (p=0.146). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that although the increase in FEV1 was similar in the two groups after treatment, but due to the better therapeutic acceptance in the combination therapy group, combination therapy could be used to control children's asthma

Effect of different feeding levels on water quality, growth performance and survival of western white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei Boone, 1931) post larvae with application of biofloc technology

In this study, effect of different feeding levels on water quality, growth performance and survival of western white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae were studied in biofloc rearing system. Shrimp postlarvae of PL10 with mean weight of 3±0.7 mg and mean length of 4.4± 0.93 mm were fed for three weeks in fiberglass containers with 200 liters volume of water and density of 10 post larvae per liter in four tretments including one control with water exchange and three biofloc treatments at different feeding levels of 25, 20 and 15% of body weight. According to the results, in the values of water quality parameters including salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrite and nitrate, no significant differences were observed among the groups (p>0.05). The highest increase in body weight (58.42 mg), growth rate (2.78 mg per day), specific growth rate (15.09 %/day), biomass (84020 mg) and survival rate (71.9%) were obtained in biofloc treatment at 25% feeding level. The highest feed conversion ratio (2.05) and the lowest feed efficiency (48.62%) were obtained in water exchange treatment without floc, showing significant difference compared to the other treatments (P< 0.05). The results from this study reveals that by using biofloc rearing technology can decrease the amount of water exchange and feed utilization compared to body weight in culture of western white shrimp post larvae. Moreover, the presence of biofloc improves growth performance and production of L. vannamei post larvae in biofloc rearing system