Simulation and Optimization Of Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm For The Stochiastic Uncapacitated Location-Allocation Problem

This study proposes a novel methodology towards using ant colony optimization (ACO) with stochastic demand. In particular, an optimizationsimulation-optimization approach is used to solve the Stochastic uncapacitated location-allocation problem with an unknown number of facilities, and an objective of minimizing the fixed and transportation costs. ACO is modeled using discrete event simulation to capture the randomness of customers’ demand, and its objective is to optimize the costs. On the other hand, the simulated ACO’s parameters are also optimized to guarantee superior solutions. This approach’s performance is evaluated by comparing its solutions to the ones obtained using deterministic data. The results show that simulation was able to identify better facility allocations where the deterministic solutions would have been inadequate due to the real randomness of customers’ demands

Comparative Evaluation of Sentiment Analysis Methods Across Arabic Dialects

Sentiment analysis in Arabic is challenging due to the complex morphology of the language. The task becomes more challenging when considering Twitter data that contain significant amounts of noise such as the use of Arabizi, code-switching and different dialects that varies significantly across the Arab world, the use of non-Textual objects to express sentiments, and the frequent occurrence of misspellings and grammatical mistakes. Modeling sentiment in Twitter should become easier when we understand the characteristics of Twitter data and how its usage varies from one Arab region to another. We describe our effort to create the first Multi-Dialect Arabic Sentiment Twitter Dataset (MD-ArSenTD) that is composed of tweets collected from 12 Arab countries, annotated for sentiment and dialect. We use this dataset to analyze tweets collected from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the aim of discovering distinctive features that may facilitate sentiment analysis. We also perform a comparative evaluation of different sentiment models on Egyptian and UAE tweets. These models are based on feature engineering and deep learning, and have already achieved state-of-The-Art accuracies in English sentiment analysis. Results indicate the superior performance of deep learning models, the importance of morphological features in Arabic NLP, and that handling dialectal Arabic leads to different outcomes depending on the country from which the tweets are collected.This work was made possible by NPRP 6-716-1-138 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu

Identification of a Blood-Based Protein Biomarker Panel for Lung Cancer Detection

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, mainly due to its advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. A non-invasive method for its early detection remains mandatory to improve patients’ survival. Plasma levels of 351 proteins were quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Parallel Reaction Monitoring (LC-PRM)-based mass spectrometry in 128 lung cancer patients and 93 healthy donors. Bootstrap sampling and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalization were used to find the best protein combination for outcome prediction. The PanelomiX platform was used to select the optimal biomarker thresholds. The panel was validated in 48 patients and 49 healthy volunteers. A 6-protein panel clearly distinguished lung cancer from healthy individuals. The panel displayed excellent performance: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.999, positive predictive value (PPV) = 0.992, negative predictive value (NPV) = 0.989, specificity = 0.989 and sensitivity = 0.992. The panel detected lung cancer independently of the disease stage. The 6-protein panel and other sub-combinations displayed excellent results in the validation dataset. In conclusion, we identified a blood-based 6-protein panel as a diagnostic tool in lung cancer. Used as a routine test for high- and average-risk individuals, it may complement currently adopted techniques in lung cancer screening.publishedVersio

IRIM at TRECVID2009: High Level Feature Extraction

International audienceThe IRIM group is a consortium of French teams working on Multimedia Indexing and Retrieval. This paper describes our participation to the TRECVID 2009 High Level Features detection task. We evaluated a large number of different descriptors (on TRECVID 2008 data) and tried different fusion strategies, in particular hierarchical fusion and genetic fusion. The best IRIM run has a Mean Inferred Average Precision of 0.1220, which is significantly above TRECVID 2009 HLF detection task median performance. We found that fusion of the classification scores from different classifier types improves the performance and that even with a quite low individual performance, audio descriptors can help

Large Scale Association Analysis Identifies Three Susceptibility Loci for Coronary Artery Disease

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) and their replications that have associated DNA variants with myocardial infarction (MI) and/or coronary artery disease (CAD) are predominantly based on populations of European or Eastern Asian descent. Replication of the most significantly associated polymorphisms in multiple populations with distinctive genetic backgrounds and lifestyles is crucial to the understanding of the pathophysiology of a multifactorial disease like CAD. We have used our Lebanese cohort to perform a replication study of nine previously identified CAD/MI susceptibility loci (LTA, CDKN2A-CDKN2B, CELSR2-PSRC1-SORT1, CXCL12, MTHFD1L, WDR12, PCSK9, SH2B3, and SLC22A3), and 88 genes in related phenotypes. The study was conducted on 2,002 patients with detailed demographic, clinical characteristics, and cardiac catheterization results. One marker, rs6922269, in MTHFD1L was significantly protective against MI (OR = 0.68, p = 0.0035), while the variant rs4977574 in CDKN2A-CDKN2B was significantly associated with MI (OR = 1.33, p = 0.0086). Associations were detected after adjustment for family history of CAD, gender, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and smoking. The parallel study of 88 previously published genes in related phenotypes encompassed 20,225 markers, three quarters of which with imputed genotypes The study was based on our genome-wide genotype data set, with imputation across the whole genome to HapMap II release 22 using HapMap CEU population as a reference. Analysis was conducted on both the genotyped and imputed variants in the 88 regions covering selected genes. This approach replicated HNRNPA3P1-CXCL12 association with CAD and identified new significant associations of CDKAL1, ST6GAL1, and PTPRD with CAD. Our study provides evidence for the importance of the multifactorial aspect of CAD/MI and describes genes predisposing to their etiology

Combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements and vertical bar f(LV)V(tb)vertical bar determinations at root s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments

This paper presents the combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations, using data from LHC proton-proton collisions at = 7 and 8 TeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 to 5.1 fb(-1) at = 7 TeV and 12.2 to 20.3 fb(-1) at = 8 TeV. These combinations are performed per centre-of-mass energy and for each production mode: t-channel, tW, and s-channel. The combined t-channel cross-sections are 67.5 +/- 5.7 pb and 87.7 +/- 5.8 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. The combined tW cross-sections are 16.3 +/- 4.1 pb and 23.1 +/- 3.6 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. For the s-channel cross-section, the combination yields 4.9 +/- 1.4 pb at = 8 TeV. The square of the magnitude of the CKM matrix element V-tb multiplied by a form factor f(LV) is determined for each production mode and centre-of-mass energy, using the ratio of the measured cross-section to its theoretical prediction. It is assumed that the top-quark-related CKM matrix elements obey the relation |V-td|, |V-ts| << |V-tb|. All the |f(LV)V(tb)|(2) determinations, extracted from individual ratios at = 7 and 8 TeV, are combined, resulting in |f(LV)V(tb)| = 1.02 +/- 0.04 (meas.) +/- 0.02 (theo.). All combined measurements are consistent with their corresponding Standard Model predictions.Peer reviewe

Influences of physical activity and physical performance levels on bone mineral density, hip geometry and trabecular bone score in a group of young overweight and obese men

Le but cette thèse était d’explorer l’influence du niveau d’activité physique et du niveau de performance physique sur la densité minérale osseuse, la géométrie osseuse de la hanche et le score de l’os trabéculaire chez de jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses. Trois principales études ont été menées. Une première étude a montré que la pratique d’activités physiques a un effet positif sur le CMO, la DMO et la section transversale du col fémoral chez les hommes en surcharge pondérale. Une deuxième étude a suggéré que le niveau d’activité physique influence positivement les paramètres osseux chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses et que l’optimisation de la masse maigre, de la VO2 max (L/min) et de la force maximale des membres inférieurs peut aider à prévenir l’ostéoporose chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses. Enfin, une dernière étude, a été la première à démontrer une relation positive entre la VO2 max (ml/mn/kg) et les indices de résistance osseuse du col fémoral (le CSI, le BSI et l’ISI) chez les jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses et a donc suggéré que l’augmentation de la VO2 max chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses pourrait aider à réduire les fractures stéoporotiques. Ces différents résultats suggèrent une adaptation ostéogénique significative des jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses en réponse à l’entrainement physique.The aim of this thesis was to explore the influence of physical activity level and physical performance on bone mineral density, hip geometry and trabecular bone score in young overweight and obese men. Three main studies have been conducted. The first study has shown that physical activity practice has a positive effect on BMC, BMD and femoral neck crosssectional area in overweight men. The second study has shown that physical activity level positively affects bone variables in overweight/obese men and that increasing lean mass, VO2 max (L/min) and muscular strength of the lower limbs can help to prevent osteoporosis in overweight and obese men. Finally, the last study, was the first to show positive associations between maximal oxygen consumption (milliliter per minute per kilogram) and composite indices of FN strength (CSI, BSI and ISI) in young overweight and obese men and therefore suggested that enhancing VO2 max in overweight and obese men may help to reduce osteoporotic fractures. These different results suggest a significant osteogenic adaptation in young overweight and obese men in response to physical training

Influences des niveaux d’activité physique et de performance physique sur la densité minérale osseuse, la géométrie osseuse de la hanche et le score de l'os trabéculaire chez de jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses

The aim of this thesis was to explore the influence of physical activity level and physical performance on bone mineral density, hip geometry and trabecular bone score in young overweight and obese men. Three main studies have been conducted. The first study has shown that physical activity practice has a positive effect on BMC, BMD and femoral neck crosssectional area in overweight men. The second study has shown that physical activity level positively affects bone variables in overweight/obese men and that increasing lean mass, VO2 max (L/min) and muscular strength of the lower limbs can help to prevent osteoporosis in overweight and obese men. Finally, the last study, was the first to show positive associations between maximal oxygen consumption (milliliter per minute per kilogram) and composite indices of FN strength (CSI, BSI and ISI) in young overweight and obese men and therefore suggested that enhancing VO2 max in overweight and obese men may help to reduce osteoporotic fractures. These different results suggest a significant osteogenic adaptation in young overweight and obese men in response to physical training.Le but cette thèse était d’explorer l’influence du niveau d’activité physique et du niveau de performance physique sur la densité minérale osseuse, la géométrie osseuse de la hanche et le score de l’os trabéculaire chez de jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses. Trois principales études ont été menées. Une première étude a montré que la pratique d’activités physiques a un effet positif sur le CMO, la DMO et la section transversale du col fémoral chez les hommes en surcharge pondérale. Une deuxième étude a suggéré que le niveau d’activité physique influence positivement les paramètres osseux chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses et que l’optimisation de la masse maigre, de la VO2 max (L/min) et de la force maximale des membres inférieurs peut aider à prévenir l’ostéoporose chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses. Enfin, une dernière étude, a été la première à démontrer une relation positive entre la VO2 max (ml/mn/kg) et les indices de résistance osseuse du col fémoral (le CSI, le BSI et l’ISI) chez les jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses et a donc suggéré que l’augmentation de la VO2 max chez les hommes en surpoids et obèses pourrait aider à réduire les fractures stéoporotiques. Ces différents résultats suggèrent une adaptation ostéogénique significative des jeunes hommes en surpoids et obèses en réponse à l’entrainement physique

Control of Adhesion in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Composites

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2023Fiber-reinforced polymeric composites have grown in popularity for use in structural materials due to their low weight, high specific strength, high toughness, customizability, and versatility. A critical element to the performance of composite materials is how well fiber reinforcements adhere to the surrounding polymer matrix. Different applications can benefit from different levels of adhesion, so its control is a crucial element in the design of a composite. One general drawback to the widespread use of composites is that their production with the desired adhesion level is tedious and time-consuming. It was therefore useful to investigate which steps of production might be shortened and what effects this might have on composite properties. It was found that when controlling for the degree of cure, higher temperature and faster curing schedules lead to an increase in fiber-matrix adhesion due to a freezing of internal squeezing stresses. However, the superficial increases of interfacial adhesion would return to baseline levels, but not below, if the polymer matrix was given time at elevated temperatures to anneal, decreasing internal stresses. Additionally, it was found that tertiary cure-acceleratingcompounds increased curing speed while having no deleterious effect on adhesion. Lastly, it was found that fiber handling agents, or sizings, had no noticeable effect on adhesion. Polyolefins have garnered interest for use in fiber-reinforced composites because of their low cost, high toughness, high impact strength, and excellent corrosion resistance. However, they adhere poorly to most substrates, including carbon fibers, leading to poor composite properties. Thus, different techniques to increase polyolefin-carbon fiber adhesion were explored. While most produced only modest improvements, the most promising were the addition of maleic anhydride block co-polymers to the polyolefin (polypropylene) together with the use of 6-azidosulfonylhexyl triethoxysilane to treat carbon fiber surfaces. While increases in interfacial adhesion generally improve composite performance, there are instances where excessive adhesion can result in undesirable properties such as brittleness. Therefore, methods were investigated to tailor interfacial adhesion in carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composites in an inexpensive, scalable manner. Treatment of the carbon fibers by a room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone dispersion in a paraffinic solvent (IsoparTM L) produced reductions in adhesion and corresponding increases in toughness in a controlled manner depending on the amount of silicone added. “Charpy” impact toughness for 12k carbon fiber composite tows was approximately doubled with the addition of silicone to the interface, with only limited losses in modulus

Method of test and measurements of fuel consumption due to air conditioning operation on the new Prius II hybrid vehicle.

paper 2005-01-2049 CD Ro