An Efficient Algorithm for Clustering of Large-Scale Mass Spectrometry Data

High-throughput spectrometers are capable of producing data sets containing thousands of spectra for a single biological sample. These data sets contain a substantial amount of redundancy from peptides that may get selected multiple times in a LC-MS/MS experiment. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm, CAMS (Clustering Algorithm for Mass Spectra) for clustering mass spectrometry data which increases both the sensitivity and confidence of spectral assignment. CAMS utilizes a novel metric, called F-set, that allows accurate identification of the spectra that are similar. A graph theoretic framework is defined that allows the use of F-set metric efficiently for accurate cluster identifications. The accuracy of the algorithm is tested on real HCD and CID data sets with varying amounts of peptides. Our experiments show that the proposed algorithm is able to cluster spectra with very high accuracy in a reasonable amount of time for large spectral data sets. Thus, the algorithm is able to decrease the computational time by compressing the data sets while increasing the throughput of the data by interpreting low S/N spectra.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM), 2012 IEEE International Conference o

Implementation of ISO 27001 in Saudi Arabia – obstacles, motivations, outcomes, and lessons learned

Protecting information assets is very vital to the core survival of an organization. With the increase in cyberattacks and viruses worldwide, it has become essential for organizations to adopt innovative and rigorous procedures to keep these vital assets out of the reach of exploiters. Although complying with an international information security standard such as ISO 27001 has been on the rise worldwide, with over 7000 registered certificates, few companies in Saudi Arabia are ISO 27001 certified. In this paper, we explore the motives, obstacles, challenges, and outcomes for a Saudi organization during their implementation of ISO 27001, with the goal of shedding some light on the reason behind the low adoption of the ISO 27001 certification standard in the region of study. While customer satisfaction and good partner relationships are essential for an organization’s survival, strikingly, none of the organizations interviewed indicated that their goals included meeting consumer requirements or a partner’s mandates

Comparative Evaluation of Whole Body and Hepatic Insulin Resistance Using Indices from Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Morbidly Obese Subjects with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is a marker of Insulin Resistance (IR). Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp is the gold standard for measuring whole body IR (hepatic + peripheral IR). However, it is an invasive and expensive procedure. Homeostasis Model Assessment Index for Insulin Sensitivity (HOMA-IS), Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) for hepatic IR and Insulin Sensitivity Index (ISI0,120), and Whole Body Insulin Sensitivity Index (WBISI) for whole body IR are the indices calculated after Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). We used these indices as noninvasive methods of IR (inverse of insulin sensitivity) estimation and compared hepatic/peripheral components of whole body IR in NAFLD. Methods. 113 morbidly obese, nondiabetic subjects who underwent gastric bypass surgery and intraoperative liver biopsy were included in the study. OGTT was performed preoperatively and the indices were calculated. Subjects were divided into closely matched groups as normal, fatty liver (FL) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) based on histology. Results. Whole body IR was significantly higher in both FL and NASH groups (NAFLD) as compared to Normal, while hepatic IR was higher only in NASH from Normal. Conclusions. FL is a manifestation of peripheral IR but not hepatic IR

The Possession level of the Specialized Professional Standards in Saudi Biology Teachers from their Supervisors' Point of views

This paper aimed to identify how biology male and female teachers possess professional biology standards from their supervisors' point of View. The population and sample included all male and female supervisors in all educational districts in Saudi Arabia (N=262). Only 208 of them responded; and 32 of this number were excluded since they did not provide their specialization or they were not specialized in biology. The data was collected through a questionnaire constructing based on the standards and indicators included in the Professional Biology Standards for Biology teachers developed by the National Center for Assessment in Higher Education (Qias, 1434). The result indicated a high possession for the standards for male and female biology teachers; however, as individual standard, the result indicated that three of them had very high possession, four of them had high possession, and four of them had moderated possession. It also indicated higher possession for standards related to biology comparing with standards related to teaching. It was found also that there were significant differences between the responses of males and females supervisors in the total mean and on the means of six out of the eleven standards

Synthesis, Characterization and Antitumor Activity of Some New Oganotellurium Compounds Containing Azomethine Group, Part One

New tellurated schiff bases were synthesized by the reaction of the corresponding mercurated Schiff  bases compounds A1-A3 with tellurium tetrabromide in 1:1 mole ratio and  that  gave organyltellurium tribromides  A4-A6.  On the other hand, when mercurated schiff bases and tellurium tetrabromide brought  together in 2:1 mole ratio gave diorganyltellurium dibromides compounds A10-A12 followed by reduction with hydrazine hydrate gave new diorganyl tellurides A13-A15.  Reduction of compounds A4-A6 by  hydrazine hydrate gave new ditellurides A7-A9.  All compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H , 13C NMR, HSQC-NMR and mass spectra.  Invitro anti-tumor bioactivity of some compounds were tested.Â

Investigating the Effect of Tube Diameter on the Performance of a Hybrid Photovoltaic–Thermal System Based on Phase Change Materials and Nanofluids

The finite element (FEM) approach is used in this study to model the laminar flow of an eco-friendly nanofluid (NF) within three pipes in a solar system. A solar panel and a supporting phase change material (PCM) that three pipelines flowed through made up the solar system. An organic, eco-friendly PCM was employed. Several fins were used on the pipes, and the NF temperature and panel temperature were measured at different flow rates. To model the NF flow, a two-phase mixture was used. As a direct consequence of the flow rate being raised by a factor of two, the maximum temperature of the panel dropped by 1.85 °C, and the average temperature dropped by 1.82 °C. As the flow rate increased, the temperature of the output flow dropped by up to 2 °C. At flow rates ranging from low to medium to high, the PCM melted completely in a short amount of time; however, at high flow rates, a portion of the PCM remained non-melted surrounding the pipes. An increase in the NF flow rate had a variable effect on the heat transfer (HTR) coefficient.The Deanship of Scientific Research at Najran UniversityPeer Reviewe

Machine Learning-Based Approach for Modeling the Nanofluid Flow in a Solar Thermal Panel in the Presence of Phase Change Materials

Considering the importance of environmental protection and renewable energy resources, particularly solar energy, the present study investigates the temperature control of a solar panel using a nanofluid (NFD) flow with eco-friendly nanoparticles (NPs) and a phase change material (PCM). The PCM was used under the solar panel, and the NFD flowed through pipes within the PCM. A number of straight fins (three fins) were exploited on the pipes, and the output flow temperature, heat transfer (HTR) coefficient, and melted PCM volume fraction were measured for different pipe diameters (D_Pipe) from 4 mm to 8 mm at various time points (from 0 to 100 min). Additionally, with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the best conditions for obtaining the lowest panel temperature and the highest output NFD temperature at the lowest pressure drop have been determined. While the porosity approach was used to model the PCM melt front, a two-phase mixture was used to simulate NFD flow. It was discovered that the solar panel temperature and output temperature both increased considerably between t = 0 and t = 10 min before beginning to rise at varying rates, depending on the D_Pipe. The HTR coefficient increased over time, showing similar behavior to the panel temperature. The entire PCM melted within a short time for D_Pipes of 4 and 6 mm, while a large fraction of the PCM remained un-melted for a long time for a D_Pipe of 8 mm. An increase in D_Pipe, particularly from 4 to 6 mm, reduced the maximum and average panel temperatures, leading to a lower output flow temperature. Furthermore, the increased D_Pipe reduced the HTR coefficient, with the PCM remaining un-melted for a longer time under the panel.Deanship of Scientific Research at Najran UniversityPeer Reviewe

Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Nanoparticles Size and Shape on the Efficiency of a Micro Heatsink

In this paper, two novel micro heat sinks (MHSs) were designed and subjected to thermal analysis using a numerical method. The fluid used was Boehmite alumina–water nanofluid (NFs) with high volume fractions (VOFs). Studies were conducted to determine the influence of a variety of nanoparticle (NP) shapes, such as platelet brick, blade, cylinder, and Os. The heatsink (HS) was made of copper, and the NFs entered it through the middle and exited via four outlets at the side of the HS. The finite element method was used to simulate the NFs flow and heat transfer in the HSs. For this purpose, Multi Physics COMSOL software was used. The maximum and middle values of HS temperature (T-MAX and T-Mid), thermal resistance (TH-R), heat transfer coefficient (h), FOM, etc., were studied for different NP shapes, and with Reynolds numbers (Re) of 300, 1000, and 1700, and VOFs of 0, 3, and 6%. One of the important outcomes of this work was the better thermal efficiency of the HS with rectangular fins. Moreover, it was discovered that a rise in Re increased the heat transfer. In general, adding NPs with high VOFs to MHSs is not appropriate in terms of heat. The Os shape was the best NP shape, and the platelet shape was the worst NP shape for high NPVOF. When NPs were added to an MHS, the temperature of the MHS dropped by an average of 2.8 or 2.19 K, depending on the form of the pin-fins contained inside the MHS (circular or square). The addition of NPs in the MHS with circular and square pin-fins enhanced the pressure drop by 13.5% and 13.3%, respectively, when the Re = 1700.National Research Priorities funding programPeer Reviewe

Outcomes following in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation in people receiving maintenance dialysis

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Previous studies showing poor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) outcomes in the dialysis population have largely been derived from claims data and are somewhat limited by a lack of detailed characterization of CPR events. We aimed to analyze CPR-related outcomes in individuals receiving maintenance dialysis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Using electronic medical records from a single academic health care system, we identified all hospitalized adult patients receiving maintenance dialysis who had undergone in-hospital CPR between 2006 and 2014. EXPOSURE: Initial in-hospital CPR. OUTCOMES: Overall survival, predictors of unsuccessful CPR, predictors of death during the same hospitalization among initial survivors, predictors of discharge-to-home status. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: We provide descriptive statistics for the study variables and used RESULTS: A total of 184 patients received in-hospital CPR: 51 (28%) did not survive the initial CPR event, and 77 CPR survivors died (additional 42%) later during the same hospitalization (overall mortality 70%). Only 18 (10%) were discharged home, with the remaining 32 (17%) discharged to a rehabilitation facility or a nursing home. In the multivariable model, the only predictor of unsuccessful CPR was CPR duration (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.24-1.61; LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study design, single-center study, no information on functional status. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving maintenance dialysis experience high mortality following in-hospital CPR and only 10% are discharged home. These data may help clinicians provide useful prognostic information while engaging in goals of care conversations