An Expert System for Ultrasonic Materials Characterization and NDE

Science, engineering, and manufacturing all depend on accurate measurements. These measurements can be made either by a human or by an automated system. In both NDE and materials characterization, there are numerous evaluations and decisions which must be made based on the experience and judgment of an operator or engineer. Current automated systems are not capable of making these judgments. Instead, typically, the operator or engineer evaluates the results after the measurements have been made. Expert systems provide a method for building the expertise of the human into the measurement apparatus, thereby causing all decisions made during the measurement process to be made with the skill of expert operators

Tuning of a fuzzy classifier derived from data

AbstractIn our previous work we developed a method for extracting fuzzy rules directly from numerical data for pattern classification. The performance of the fuzzy classifier developed using this methodology was comparable to the average performance of neural networks. In this paper, we further develop two methods, a least squares method and an iterative method, for tuning the sensitivity parameters of fuzzy membership functions by which the generalization ability of the classifier is improved. We evaluate our methods using the Fisher iris data and data for numeral recognition of vehicle license plates. The results show that when the tuned sensitivity parameters are applied, the recognition rates are improved to the extent that performance is comparable to or better than the maximum performance obtained by neural networks, but with shorter computational time

An Expert System for Ultrasonic Materials Characterization and NDE

Science, engineering, and manufacturing all depend on accurate measurements. These measurements can be made either by a human or by an automated system. In both NDE and materials characterization, there are numerous evaluations and decisions which must be made based on the experience and judgment of an operator or engineer. Current automated systems are not capable of making these judgments. Instead, typically, the operator or engineer evaluates the results after the measurements have been made. Expert systems provide a method for building the expertise of the human into the measurement apparatus, thereby causing all decisions made during the measurement process to be made with the skill of expert operators.</p

Telithromycin- and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan with High Prevalence of Resistance to Macrolides and β-Lactams: SMART Program 2001 Data

There is a high prevalence of β-lactam- and macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan. To understand the in vitro susceptibilities of recent isolates of S. pneumoniae to fluoroquinolones and telithromycin (which is not available in Taiwan), the MICs of 23 antimicrobial agents for 936 clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae isolated from different parts of Taiwan from 2000 to 2001 were determined by the agar dilution method. Overall, 72% of isolates were not susceptible to penicillin (with 61% being intermediate and 11% being resistant) and 92% were resistant to erythromycin. Telithromycin MICs were ≥1 μg/ml for 16% of the isolates, and for 99% of these isolates the MICs of all macrolides tested were ≥256 μg/ml; all of these isolates had the constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B phenotype. Eighty-eight percent of the isolates were resistant to three or more classes of drugs. The ciprofloxacin MICs were ≥4 μg/ml for six (0.6%) isolates from five patients collected in 2000 and 2001, and the levofloxacin MICs were ≥8 μg/ml for five of these isolates. Seven isolates for which ciprofloxacin MICs were ≥4 μg/ml, including one isolate recovered in 1999, belonged to three serotypes (serotype 19F, five isolates; serotype 23A, one isolate; and serotype 23B, one isolate). The isolates from the six patients for which ciprofloxacin MICs were ≥4 μg/ml had different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles and random amplified polymorphic DNA patterns, indicating that no clonal dissemination occurred over this time period. Despite the increased rate of fluoroquinolone use, the proportion of pneumococcal isolates for which ciprofloxacin MICs were elevated (≥4 μg/ml) remained low. However, the occurrence of telithromycin resistance is impressive and raises concerns for the future

Telithromycin and Quinupristin-Dalfopristin Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes: SMART Program 2001 Data

This study evaluated the current status of antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes in Taiwan as part of the SMART (Surveillance from Multicenter Antimicrobial Resistance in Taiwan) program. In 2001, 419 different isolates of S. pyogenes, including 275 from respiratory secretions, 87 from wound pus, and 31 from blood, were collected from nine hospitals in different parts of Taiwan. MICs of 23 antimicrobial agents were determined at a central location by the agar dilution method. All of the isolates were susceptible to penicillin (MIC at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited [MIC(90)], ≤0.03 μg/ml), cefotaxime (MIC(90), ≤0.03 μg/ml), cefepime (MIC(90), 0.06 μg/ml), meropenem (MIC(90), ≤0.03 μg/ml), moxifloxacin (MIC(90), 0.25 μg/ml), vancomycin (MIC(90), 0.5 μg/ml), and linezolid (MIC(90), 1 μg/ml). Overall, 78% of isolates were not susceptible to erythromycin (54% were intermediate, and 24% were resistant), and 5% were not susceptible to clindamycin. Of the 101 erythromycin-resistant isolates, 80.2% exhibited the M phenotype (mefA gene positive), 18.9% exhibited the cMLS (constitutive resistance to macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B [MLS]) phenotype (ermB gene positive), and 1% exhibited the iMLS (inducible resistance to MLS) phenotype (ermB gene positive). Fluoroquinolones (sitafloxacin > moxifloxacin > ciprofloxacin = levofloxacin = gatifloxacin > gemifloxacin) demonstrated potent activity against nearly all of the isolates of S. pyogenes tested. Thirty-two isolates (8%) were not susceptible to quinupristin-dalfopristin. Seventeen percent of isolates had telithromycin MICs of ≥1 μg/ml, and all of these isolates exhibited erythromycin MICs of ≥32 μg/ml. The high prevalence of resistance to telithromycin (which is not available in Taiwan) limits its potential use in the treatment of S. pyogenes infections, particularly in areas with high rates of macrolide resistance

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field