Adaptive inferential sensors based on evolving fuzzy models

A new technique to the design and use of inferential sensors in the process industry is proposed in this paper, which is based on the recently introduced concept of evolving fuzzy models (EFMs). They address the challenge that the modern process industry faces today, namely, to develop such adaptive and self-calibrating online inferential sensors that reduce the maintenance costs while keeping the high precision and interpretability/transparency. The proposed new methodology makes possible inferential sensors to recalibrate automatically, which reduces significantly the life-cycle efforts for their maintenance. This is achieved by the adaptive and flexible open-structure EFM used. The novelty of this paper lies in the following: (1) the overall concept of inferential sensors with evolving and self-developing structure from the data streams; (2) the new methodology for online automatic selection of input variables that are most relevant for the prediction; (3) the technique to detect automatically a shift in the data pattern using the age of the clusters (and fuzzy rules); (4) the online standardization technique used by the learning procedure of the evolving model; and (5) the application of this innovative approach to several real-life industrial processes from the chemical industry (evolving inferential sensors, namely, eSensors, were used for predicting the chemical properties of different products in The Dow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX). It should be noted, however, that the methodology and conclusions of this paper are valid for the broader area of chemical and process industries in general. The results demonstrate that well-interpretable and with-simple-structure inferential sensors can automatically be designed from the data stream in real time, which predict various process variables of interest. The proposed approach can be used as a basis for the development of a new generation of adaptive and evolving inferential sensors that can a- ddress the challenges of the modern advanced process industry

Antigen Presenting Cells-Mediated Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to Live Attenuated Edwardsiella Ictaluri Vaccines in Channel Catfish

Vaccination against intracellular pathogens requires generation of pool of memory T cells, which can respond upon infection and mediate immune responses by either killing of infected host cells or induce killing mechanisms in infected cells. T cell-inducing vaccines aim to deliver the antigen to antigen presenting cells (APCs) by presenting on MHC molecules thus bridging innate and adaptive immunity. The intracellular pathogen Edwardsiella ictaluri causes enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), which is a devastating disease in catfish industry. E. ictaluri can survive in professional phagocytes and use them as an infection source. Two new live attenuated vaccine (LAV) strains, EiDELTAevpB and ESC-NDKL, were developed by our group. However, the role of LAVs in phagocytosis, bacterial killing, and antigen presentation is unexplored. Therefore, further research is necessary to determine immune responses in channel catfish against LAVs. The long-term goal of this project is to identify immunological APC-dependent mechanisms that underscore E. ictaluri pathogenesis to enable development of effective control strategies for ESC. The overall goal of this project is to assess the role of three professional APCs, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages and B cells in the LAV-induced innate and adaptive immune responses in catfish. The central hypothesis is that efficacious LAV strains will enhance phagocytosis and microbial killing, and promote the generation of T cells that regulate and control protective B cell-mediated immunity. The rationale for this research is that more detailed knowledge about phenotype and function of catfish APCs will not only help gain insight into the evolution of vertebrate adaptive immune system but will provide valuable information for development and optimization of immunotherapies and vaccination protocols for aquaculture use. In this study, we first identified DC-like cells in immune-related organs of catfish and assessed their expression patterns in lymphoid organs of catfish in E. ictaluri infection. Although WT strain induces the functional inability of DC-like cells in migration and maturation, LAVs strains promote the migration and maturation of DC-like cells for antigen presentation. Two LAVs enhanced the phagocytosis and killing activity in catfish macrophages and B cells. Also, LAVs induce high expression of T cell-related genes without causing inflammation

Interview with Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, April 18, 2008

On April 18, 2008 I interviewed Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, the son of the late Soviet Premier, Nikita S. Khrushchev. The following is the transcript of that interview. This was the first of two interviews that I conducted with the younger Khrushchev at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The topic of the interview was very broad. Its original purpose was for a research paper for a Russian History class that I took in the spring of 2008 at Chapman University, instructed by Dr. William Cumiford. My goal was to discuss as many topics as possible in order to gain some material for the foundation of the research paper. We discussed Khrushchev\u27s 1959 visit to the United States, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the overthrow of Khrushchev, the rise of Brezhnev, what this usurpation of power did to the Soviet Union domestically, when and why the younger Khrushchev became an American citizen, the major issues that Khrushchev faced when he came to power, and his own suggestions as to where I might begin the research for my senior thesis. This interview was the catalyst for my senior undergraduate thesis that was completed in the spring of 2009

The Effect of Slope and Media Depth on Growth Performance of Sedum Species in a Green Roof System in Mississippi\u27s Sub-Tropical Climate

In recent years, green roofs have become an accepted solution in ecological urban design to mitigate the impacts of impervious surfaces (Berghage, Beattie, Jarrett, Thuring, & Razaei, 2009). An experimental research project was conducted at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) Green Infrastructure Research Area at South Farm of Mississippi State University to determine how medium depth and slope gradient on rooftops affect plant cover and survival. Plant cover was monitored monthly by photographing the experimental green roof platforms. Photoshop and AutoCAD software programs were employed to digitize and to calculate plant cover from the images. All recorded data was analyzed with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests. It was determined that the effects of medium depth and slope are statistically significant on plant cover and survival

Khrushchev Comes to America: The Advent of Mutual Understanding

Soviet-American relations during the Cold War can be characterized by a series of highs and lows that were perpetuated by a handful of specific events. Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to the United States in September 1959 was one of such events. This trip culminated in the development of mutual understanding, an idea that was both a cultural and a political exchange, which set the stage for better relations between the two nations during that period of the Cold War. Even though historians neglect the impact of Khrushchev’s visit, without these initial steps later breakthroughs might not have been possible

Making the road as we go...

From the early beginnings of the psychological assistance team of Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, the authors reflect on the challengesworking during the Argentinian dictatorship and the importance of emerging international networks of exchanged support.

Evaluation of the Age Latency of a Real-Time Communicating System Using the LET Paradigm

Automotive and avionics embedded systems are usually composed of several tasks that are subject to complex timing constraints. In this context, the LET paradigm was introduced to improve the determinism of a system of tasks that communicate data through shared variables. The age latency corresponds to the maximum time for the propagation of data in these systems. Its precise evaluation is an important and challenging question for the design of these systems. We consider in this paper a set of multi-periodic tasks that communicate data following the LET paradigm. Our main contribution is the development of mathematical and algorithmic tools to model precisely the dependency between tasks executions to experiment with an original methodology for computing the age latency of the system. These tools allow to handle the whole graph instead of particular chains and to extract automatically the critical parts of the graph. Experiments on randomly generated graphs indicate that systems with up to 90 periodic tasks and a hyperperiod bounded by 100 can be handled within a reasonable amount of time