Statistical data mining algorithms for optimising analysis of spectroscopic data from on-line NIR mill systems

Justin Sexton investigated techniques to identify atypical sugarcane from spectral data. He found that identifying atypical samples could help remove bias in estimates of CCS. His results can be used to track occurrences of atypical cane or improve quality estimates providing benefits at various stages along the industry value chain

Accurate prediction of sugarcane yield using a random forest algorithm

International audienceAbstractForeknowledge about sugarcane crop size can help industry members make more informed decisions. There exists many different combinations of climate variables, seasonal climate prediction indices, and crop model outputs that could prove useful in explaining sugarcane crop size. A data mining method like random forests can cope with generating a prediction model when the search space of predictor variables is large. Research that has investigated the accuracy of random forests to explain annual variation in sugarcane productivity and the suitability of predictor variables generated from crop models coupled with observed climate and seasonal climate prediction indices is limited. Simulated biomass from the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator) sugarcane crop model, seasonal climate prediction indices and observed rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature, and radiation were supplied as inputs to a random forest classifier and a random forest regression model to explain annual variation in regional sugarcane yields at Tully, in northeastern Australia. Prediction models were generated on 1 September in the year before harvest, and then on 1 January and 1 March in the year of harvest, which typically runs from June to November. Our results indicated that in 86.36 % of years, it was possible to determine as early as September in the year before harvest if production would be above the median. This accuracy improved to 95.45 % by January in the year of harvest. The R-squared of the random forest regression model gradually improved from 66.76 to 79.21 % from September in the year before harvest through to March in the same year of harvest. All three sets of variables—(i) simulated biomass indices, (ii) observed climate, and (iii) seasonal climate prediction indices—were typically featured in the models at various stages. Better crop predictions allows farmers to improve their nitrogen management to meet the demands of the new crop, mill managers could better plan the mill’s labor requirements and maintenance scheduling activities, and marketers can more confidently manage the forward sale and storage of the crop. Hence, accurate yield forecasts can improve industry sustainability by delivering better environmental and economic outcomes

Aflatoxins in Corn (2010)

Aflatoxin is a term generally used to refer to a group of extremely toxic chemicals produced by two molds, Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. This publication provides information about aflatoxins in corn

A covalently crosslinked bioink for multi-materials drop-on-demand 3D bioprinting of three-dimensional cell cultures

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) cell models have been accepted to better recapitulate aspects of in vivo organ environment than 2D cell culture. Currently, the production of these complex in vitro 3D cell models with multiple cell types and microenvironments remains challenging and prone to human error. Here we report a versatile bioink comprised of a 4-arm PEG based polymer with distal maleimide derivatives as the main ink component and a bis-thiol species as the activator that crosslinks the polymer to form the hydrogel in less than a second. The rapid gelation makes the polymer system compatible with 3D bioprinting. The ink is combined with a drop-on-demand 3D bioprinting platform consisting of eight independently addressable nozzles and high-throughput printing logic for creating complex 3D cell culture models. The combination of multiple nozzles and fast printing logic enables the rapid preparation of many complex 3D structures comprising multiple hydrogel environments in the one structure in a standard 96-well plate format. The platform compatibility for biological applications was validated using pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC) cells with their phenotypic responses controlled by tuning the hydrogel microenvironment

Small business in Ukraine as the engine of national economic development

У статті розглянуто стан малого підприємництва в Україні, охарактеризовано слабкі сторони його діяльності та чинники, що впливають на даний сектор економіки. Для переконливішого пояснення зроблених висновків, наведено статистичну інформацію щодо частки малих підприємств України в загальній кількості підприємств і їх розподіл за регіонами.This article examines the state of small business in Ukraine, gives a description of the weaknesses of its activities; describes factors that affect this sector of the economy. For a more convincing explanation of the findings, statistics on the share of small business in Ukraine, the total number of companies and their distribution by region are presented

Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled more than 20 additional risk loci to be identified and have shown that multiple variants exerting modest individual effects have a key role in disease susceptibility. Most of the genetic architecture underlying susceptibility to the disease remains to be defined and is anticipated to require the analysis of sample sizes that are beyond the numbers currently available to individual research groups. In a collaborative GWAS involving 9,772 cases of European descent collected by 23 research groups working in 15 different countries, we have replicated almost all of the previously suggested associations and identified at least a further 29 novel susceptibility loci. Within the MHC we have refined the identity of the HLA-DRB1 risk alleles and confirmed that variation in the HLA-A gene underlies the independent protective effect attributable to the class I region. Immunologically relevant genes are significantly overrepresented among those mapping close to the identified loci and particularly implicate T-helper-cell differentiation in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Student Compostiton Recital

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Student Composition Recital.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1390/thumbnail.jp