An approximate dynamic programming approach to food security of communities following hazards

Food security can be threatened by extreme natural hazard events for households of all social classes within a community. To address food security issues following a natural disaster, the recovery of several elements of the built environment within a community, including its building portfolio, must be considered. Building portfolio restoration is one of the most challenging elements of recovery owing to the complexity and dimensionality of the problem. This study introduces a stochastic scheduling algorithm for the identification of optimal building portfolio recovery strategies. The proposed approach provides a computationally tractable formulation to manage multi-state, large-scale infrastructure systems. A testbed community modeled after Gilroy, California, is used to illustrate how the proposed approach can be implemented efficiently and accurately to find the near-optimal decisions related to building recovery following a severe earthquake.Comment: As opposed to the preemptive scheduling problem, which was addressed in multiple works by us, we deal with a non-preemptive stochastic scheduling problem in this work. Submitted to 13th International Conference on Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering, ICASP13 Seoul, South Korea, May 26-30, 201

The influence of rumen volatile fatty acids on protein metabolism in growing lambs

The effect of acetic or propionic acid rumen fermentation patterns on whole-body protein turnover, tissue protein synthetic rates and body composition was investigated in growing lambs. Protein turnover was assessed using a continuous intravenous infusion of [2,3-³H]tyrosine and tissue protein fractional synthetic rates (FSR) from the specific activities of plasma free, intracellular free and tissue bound tyrosine. Only the FSR of muscle tissue approached significance. The high FSR in the propionic group was attributed to the high plasma insulin concentration. Values for whole-body protein synthesis, corrected for tyrosine oxidation, were similar to those obtained by summating protein synthesis in individual tissues, confirming that tyrosine oxidation should be measured accurately if reliable whole-body protein synthesis values are required. Tyrosine oxidation and flux were high in the acetic acid group, suggesting that amino acids are used for gluconeogenesis. The high protein turnover rate probably ensures an adequate supply of gluconeogenic amino acids and that the penalty of mobilizing body proteins for gluconeogenic amino acids is minimal. In the propionic acid group, high plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were associated with a low protein turnover rate, high ratio of deposited: synthesized protein and a high body fat content. It is concluded that changing the proportion of ruminal volatile fatty acids influences protein turnover, protein synthesis and the efficiency of protein retention. Such factors probably contribute, indirectly, to the observed differences in body composition

Brain-Inspired Hyperdimensional Computing: How Thermal-Friendly for Edge Computing?

Brain-inspired hyperdimensional computing (HDC) is an emerging machine learning (ML) methods. It is based on large vectors of binary or bipolar symbols and a few simple mathematical operations. The promise of HDC is a highly efficient implementation for embedded systems like wearables. While fast implementations have been presented, other constraints have not been considered for edge computing. In this work, we aim at answering how thermal-friendly HDC for edge computing is. Devices like smartwatches, smart glasses, or even mobile systems have a restrictive cooling budget due to their limited volume. Although HDC operations are simple, the vectors are large, resulting in a high number of CPU operations and thus a heavy load on the entire system potentially causing temperature violations. In this work, the impact of HDC on the chip's temperature is investigated for the first time. We measure the temperature and power consumption of a commercial embedded system and compare HDC with conventional CNN. We reveal that HDC causes up to 6.8{\deg}C higher temperatures and leads to up to 47% more CPU throttling. Even when both HDC and CNN aim for the same throughput (i.e., perform a similar number of classifications per second), HDC still causes higher on-chip temperatures due to the larger power consumption.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Isolated Cranial Nerve-III Palsy Secondary to Perimesencephalic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

We describe isolated cranial nerve-III palsy as a rare clinical finding in a patient with perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this unusual case, the patient presented with complete cranial nerve-III palsy including ptosis and pupillary involvement. Initial studies revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage in the perimesencephalic, prepontine, and interpeduncular cisterns. Angiographic studies were negative for an intracranial aneurysm. The patient’s neurological deficits improved with no residual deficits on follow-up several months after initial presentation. Our case report supports the notion that patients with perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage have an excellent prognosis. Our report further adds a case of isolated cranial nerve-III palsy as a rare initial presentation of this type of bleeding, adding to the limited body of the literature

It Is Not a Boerhaave! A Case of Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a pneumothorax that is not caused by trauma or an apparent precipitating factor. This report presents a case of a 91-year-old man with no history of lung disease who developed pneumothorax after two days of persistent nausea and vomiting. He was misdiagnosed as a case of Boerhaave\u27s syndrome. A chest computed tomography with iohexol oral contrast showed no evidence of esophageal rupture, and an upper endoscopy revealed a small gastric ulcer and no gastric outlet obstruction. The patient was managed conservatively; his spontaneous pneumothorax, nausea, and vomiting resolved

Signalizacija gena za receptor vitamina D, enzim 1 alfa-hidroksilazu i RANTES u mliječnih krava s hipokalcemijom

The aim of the current study focused on screening the signal of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), 1-alpha-hydroxylase (1α-OHase) enzyme, and chemokine regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) genes in dairy cows with hypocalcaemia. A sample of 120 dairy cows (20 dairy cows per herd) in the transition period was studied. Blood samples were drawn from the selected dairy cows for both biochemical and molecular analysis. In cows with subclinical and clinical hypocalcemia, there was a significant (P<0.05) down-regulation of both VDR and RANTES genes, whereas there was a significant (P<0.05) up-regulation of the 1α-OHase enzyme. Moreover, there was a significant (P<0.05) increase in the levels of glucose, parathyroid hormone (PTH), sodium (Na), and chloride (Cl). Furthermore, there was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the levels of phosphorous and potassium (K). On the animal level, there was a significant association between the expression pattern of the VDR gene and the cows’ breed, the cows’ age, parity number, body condition score, and history of previous transition period disorders. The increase in both the expression of 1α-OHase enzyme and the level of each of PTH, glucose, Na, and Cl in the serum were significant risk factors for the decreased expression of the VDR gene. Likewise, the decrease in both the expression of the RANTES gene and the level of calcium (Ca) and phosphorous in the serum were significant risk factors for decreased expression of the VDR gene. This study revealed that the expression of VDR, 1α-OHase enzyme, and RANTES genes in the blood was greatly affected in dairy cows with hypocalcemia, indicating the need for an extra dose of vitamin D to maintain the normal level of Ca in the blood, especially during periods of high need. Hence, this study provides an insight into the role of vitamin D and its related enzymes in promoting the productivity of dairy cows, especially during the critical production periods.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je nadzor genskog signala za receptor vitamina D (VDR), enzim 1-alfa-hidroksilazu (1 α-OHase) i kemokin (Regulated on Activation Normal T-cell Expressed and Secreted – RANTES) u mliječnih krava s hipokalcemijom. Uzorci za biokemijske i molekularne analize prikupljeni su od 120 mliječnih krava (20 krava po stadu), tijekom prijelaznog razdoblja. U krava s subkliničkom i kliničkom hipokalcemijom utvrđena je znakovita (P < 0,05) podregulacija gena VDR i RANTES, te znakovita (P < 0,05) nadregulacija enzima 1-α-Ohaza. Nadalje, u tih životinja došlo je do znakovitog (P < 0,05) povećanja razina glukoze, paratireoidnog hormona (PTH), natrija (Na) i klorida (Cl), te znakovitog (P < 0,05) smanjenja razina fosfora (P) i kalija (K). Uvažavajući različite osobine životinja utvrđena je znakovita povezanost između izražajnosti VDR gena i pasmine krava, dobi krava, redoslijeda teljenja, ocjene tjelesne kondicije te prethodnih poremećaja u prijelaznom razdoblju. Povećanje, s jedne strane ekspresije za enzim 1 α-OHase i s druge strane razine PTH, glukoze, Na i Cl u serumu, dovelo je do znakovitog rizika za smanjenu ekspresiju VDR gena. Isto tako, smanjenje ekspresije gena RANTES i razine kalcija (Ca) i fosfora (P) u serumu bili su značajni čimbenici rizika za smanjenu ekspresiju gena VDR. Ovo je istraživanje pokazalo da je na ekspresiju gena VDR, 1 α-Ohaza i RANTES u krvi mliječnih krava uvelike utjecala hipokalcemija, što upućuje na potrebu dodatne doze vitamina D kako bi se održala normalna razina Ca u krvi, osobito u zahtjevnim razdobljima visoke proizvodnje. Stoga ova studija daje uvid u ulogu vitamina D i s njim povezanih enzima u poboljšanju produktivnosti mliječnih krava, posebno u kritičnim razdobljima proizvodnje

HRM practices for knowledge management and retail firms’ performances: a comparative study among Malay and Chinese firms

The current study examines the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices for knowledge management (KM) on perceived business performances among Malay and Chinese firms in Malaysia. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey with 200 owners of firms, comprising 100 Malay entrepreneurs and 100 Chinese entrepreneurs, operating in the retail sector of Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA). The results of PLSSEM revealed that HRM practices for KM have a direct and positive impact on the perceived financial performance, perceived non-financial performance, and perceived business growth of Malay and Chinese firms. However, non-significant impact of HRM practices for KM on perceived performance relative to competitors was found among Chinese firms. Results of MGA revealed significant differences between Malay and Chinese firms in relation to the impact of HRM practices for KM on perceived financial performance and perceived performance relative to competitors

Using Low-Density Parity-Check Codes to Reduce the Effect of Laser Line width For Optical Communication

The performance of coherent optical communication systems is degraded significantly by the phase noise of the semiconductor lasers. The phase noise is induced by spontaneous emission in the laser cavity and yields broadening in the laser linewidth. This paper addresses the application of the Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes as Forward Error Correcting (FEC) codes to relax the laser linewidth requirement. These codes are applied to three types of heterodyne optical receivers (BPSK, DPSK and QPSK) operating with finite laser linewidth