Solution of Linear Programming Problems using a Neural Network with Non-Linear Feedback

This paper presents a recurrent neural circuit for solving linear programming problems. The objective is to minimize a linear cost function subject to linear constraints. The proposed circuit employs non-linear feedback, in the form of unipolar comparators, to introduce transcendental terms in the energy function ensuring fast convergence to the solution. The proof of validity of the energy function is also provided. The hardware complexity of the proposed circuit compares favorably with other proposed circuits for the same task. PSPICE simulation results are presented for a chosen optimization problem and are found to agree with the algebraic solution. Hardware test results for a 2–variable problem further serve to strengthen the proposed theory

The Rapid and Sensitive Quantitative Determination of Galactose by Combined Enzymatic and Colorimetric Method: Application in Neonatal Screening

The quantitative measurement of galactose in blood is essential for the early diagnosis, treatment, and dietary monitoring of galactosemia patients. In this communication, we aimed to develop a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective combined method for galactose determination in dry blood spots. This procedure was based on the combination of enzymatic reactions of galactose dehydrogenase (GalDH), dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD), and alkaline phosphates with a colorimetric system. The incubation time and the concentration of enzymes used in new method were also optimized. The analytical performance was studied by the precision, recovery, linearity, and sensitivity parameters. Statistical analysis was applied to method comparison experiment. The regression equation and correlation coefficient (R2) were Y = 0.0085x + 0.032 and R2 = 0.998, respectively. This assay exhibited a recovery in the range of 91.7–114.3 % and had the limit detection of 0.5 mg/dl for galactose. The between-run coefficient of variation (CV) was between 2.6 and 11.1 . The within-run CV was between 4.9 and 9.2 . Our results indicated that the new and reference methods were in agreement because no significant biases exist between them. Briefly, a quick and reliable combined enzymatic and colorimetric assay was presented for application in newborn mass screening and monitoring of galactosemia patients. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New Yor

Second Backbend in the Mass A ~ 180 Region

Within the framework of selfconsistent cranked Hartree-Fock- Bogoliubov theory(one-dimensional) we predict second backbend in the yrast line of Os-182 at $I \approx 40$, which is even sharper than the first one observed experimentally at $I \approx 14$. Around such a high spin the structure becomes multi-quasiparticle type, but the main source of this strong discontinuity is a sudden large alignment of i_13/2 proton orbitals along the rotation axis followed soon by the alignment of j_15/2 neutron orbitals. This leads to drastic structural changes at such high spins. When experimentally confirmed, this will be observed for the first time in this mass region, and will be at the highest spin so far.Comment: 13 pages, 4 ps figure

Baryonic acoustic oscillations simulations for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)

The baryonic acoustic oscillations are features in the spatial distribution of the galaxies which, if observed at different epochs, probe the nature of the dark energy. In order to be able to measure the parameters of the dark energy equation of state to high precision, a huge sample of galaxies has to be used. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will survey the optical sky with 6 filters from 300nm and 1100nm, such that a catalog of galaxies with photometric redshifts will be available for dark energy studies. In this article, we will give a rough estimate of the impact of the photometric redshift uncertainties on the computation of the dark energy parameter through the reconstruction of the BAO scale from a simulated photometric catalog.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 10th Rencontres de Blois proceedin

An Experimental Study of the Influence of Social Background and Political Opinion on Literary Preferences

A survey of some relevant researches showed that aesthetic appreciation has generally Been studied either in terms of individual psychology or in relation to a standard determined by so-called 'art experts'&dot; Neither of these approaches gave due consideration to the social aspect of aesthetic experience. It was concluded that in order to explore this aspect, the problem of literary preferences could profitably be studied in a social psychological context. The hypothesis which the present investigation proposed to test was that literary appreciation and preference, though highly individual in their nature, are influenced by two important social factors, namely, social background and political opinion, both being related to social values and attitudes&dot; An experiment was devised for this purpose, consisting of sixteen poems (most of which were selected by four groups of people, two with contrasting social backgrounds and the other two with contrasting political outlooks), a preference scale on which the poems were to be rated, and a questionnaire regarding the raters' social background and political opinion&dot; The raters were also to give their comments on each poem. Ratings and comments were obtained from a total number of 212 subjects, out of whom 164 completed the political opinion tests included in the questionnaire&dot; The subjects were classified into three social groups according to the types of their occupations and each group was again divided into political sub-groups on the basis of the subjects' political affiliations. Analysis of variance was applied to the ratings of the sixteen poems taken together as well as separately in order to see if the three social groups differed significantly in their preferences. To study the relation between political opinion and literary preferences, correlation coefficients between political opinion scores and the ratings of each poem were calculated and their statistical significance determined&dot; The mean ratings of different social groups and political sub-groups for the sixteen poems were compared and contrasted and were represented graphically&dot; To Interpret the differences among social groups as well as political sub-groups within them, a qualitative analysis of the comments was made with special reference to the social attitudes and literary values of the subjects in different groups on the one hand, and the theme and the style of each poem on the other. The results of the experiment suggest that social background and political opinion, which involve certain attitudes and values on the part of the subjects, influence their preferences for certain types of poems, mainly in relation to the ideas, attitudes and sentiments expressed in them.<p