COMPUTATIONAL OPTIMIZATION IN OPERATIONAL AND EXPANSION PLANNING

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOE

[Re] Distilling Knowledge via Knowledge Review

This effort aims to reproduce the results of experiments and analyze the robustness of the review framework for knowledge distillation introduced in the CVPR '21 paper 'Distilling Knowledge via Knowledge Review' by Chen et al. Previous works in knowledge distillation only studied connections paths between the same levels of the student and the teacher, and cross-level connection paths had not been considered. Chen et al. propose a new residual learning framework to train a single student layer using multiple teacher layers. They also design a novel fusion module to condense feature maps across levels and a loss function to compare feature information stored across different levels to improve performance. In this work, we consistently verify the improvements in test accuracy across student models as reported in the original paper and study the effectiveness of the novel modules introduced by conducting ablation studies and new experiments.Comment: This is a reproducibility effort based on the CVPR '21 paper 'Distilling Knowledge via Knowledge Review' by Chen et a

Multisite pain and reduce workability in college students

Background: Multisite pain includes discomfort or strain in the neck, shoulder, low back, or other parts of the body. It is one of the most serious health issues affecting both adults and kids. This study focuses on determining the impact of multisite pain and reducing the workability of collegiate students. Method: A sample of 145 students was taken from Galgotia’s university in India. Using pen-paper mode, Standard Nordic Musculoskeletal Discomfort Form and workability index were the tools to assess the pain and workability among the students.  Result: The final score of the Workability index (WAI) for Group A was 39.27±6.301 and for Group B was37.52±4.688. and P-value is 0.70. As the Group A score was greater than the Group B score, but the P-value was 0.70, we may conclude that there is no significant difference between the two groups, as Multisite pain had no influence on workability. For Multisite pain, we discovered that the pain percentages were as follows: NECK 79.8%, SHOULDERS 38.1 percent, ELBOW 4.8 percent, WRISTS/HANDS 6%, UPPER BACK 17.9 percent, LOWER BACK 40.5 percent, ONE OR BOTH HIPS/THIGHS 10.7 percent, ONE OR BOTH KNEES 15.5 percent, ONE OR BOTH ANKLE/FEET 17.9 percent.&nbsp

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Not AvailableStudying plant response and adaptation under low nitrogen stress condition is pre-requisite to enhance nitrogen use efficiency in crops. The present study investigated the physiological and molecular responses of maize (Zea mays L.) to nitrogen stress during early vegetative stage. Maize seedlings were grown hydroponically under controlled environmental conditions in phytotron. One set of plants were nutritionally stressed by eliminating nitrogen source in hydroponic culture while the other set was provided with nitrogen (2 mM KNO3). Under nitrogen-starvation condition, plant growth and physiological parameters changed dramatically. Significant reduction in chlorophyll content, total soluble proteins and nitrate reductase activity was observed. Further, nitrogen-starvation resulted into differential expression of genes related to nitrogen-assimilation and metabolism. The present study might be useful to improve our understanding towards plants adaptive response under nitrogen-starvation conditions.Not Availabl

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Not Availablepost green revolution agriculture is based on generous application of fertilizers and high-yielding genotypes that are suited for such high input regimes. Cereals, like maize (Zea mays L.) are capable of utilizing less than 20% of the applied inorganic phosphate (Pi) - a non-renewable fertilizer resource. A greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition, transportation and utilization of Pi may lead to engineering genotypes with high phosphorus use efficiency. In this study, we carried out functional domain similarity analysis, promoter analysis and comparative transcriptional expression profiling of 12 selected Pi responsive genes in the Pi stress tolerant maize inbred line HKI-163 under sufficient and deficient Pi conditions. Pi starvation led to significant increase in root length; marked proliferation of root hairs and lesser number of crown roots. Eleven genes were significantly up or down regulated in Pi deficient condition. The putative acid phosphatase, ZmACP5 expression was up regulated by 162.81 and 74.40 fold in root and leaf tissues, respectively. The RNase, ZmRNS1 showed 115 fold up regulation in roots under Pi deprivation. Among the two putative high affinity Pi transporters ZmPht1;4 was found specific to root, whereas ZmPht2 was found to be up regulated in both root and leaf tissues. The genes involved in Pi homeostasis pathway (ZmSIZ1, SPX1 and Pho2) were up regulated in root and leaf. In light of the expression profiling of selected regulatory genes, an updated model of transcriptional regulation under Pi starvation in maize has been presented.Not Availabl

Changing Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2: A Global Challenge

Since November 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been a matter of global concern due to its rapid spread, the millions of deaths it caused, and repeated waves of infections. One after another, many variants of this novel virus have come into existence due to its constant mutability, specifically in the spike glycoprotein region. The tally for variants of concern (VOCs), which already include Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2), has increased to five with the latest appearance of Omicron (B.1.1.529). In our study, we examine the effect of the transmissibility and infectious potential of the virus due to various mutations of SARS-CoV-2, especially in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). We discuss the role of genome sequencing in tracing all the mutations and the importance of the R value (reproductive number) to understand the virus spread. We also review the effectiveness of the available vaccines on the variants of concern, as the rapid spread of the newly emergent Omicron variant has raised doubts about the usefulness of the current vaccines. The use of a mixed vaccination strategy has proved to be effective, yet the newer variants, such as Omicron, demand booster doses for the population. Multivalent immunogens could be considered as the plausible solution for conferring protection against potential new mutants of the virus in the future

Changing Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2: A Global Challenge

Since November 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been a matter of global concern due to its rapid spread, the millions of deaths it caused, and repeated waves of infections. One after another, many variants of this novel virus have come into existence due to its constant mutability, specifically in the spike glycoprotein region. The tally for variants of concern (VOCs), which already include Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2), has increased to five with the latest appearance of Omicron (B.1.1.529). In our study, we examine the effect of the transmissibility and infectious potential of the virus due to various mutations of SARS-CoV-2, especially in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). We discuss the role of genome sequencing in tracing all the mutations and the importance of the R value (reproductive number) to understand the virus spread. We also review the effectiveness of the available vaccines on the variants of concern, as the rapid spread of the newly emergent Omicron variant has raised doubts about the usefulness of the current vaccines. The use of a mixed vaccination strategy has proved to be effective, yet the newer variants, such as Omicron, demand booster doses for the population. Multivalent immunogens could be considered as the plausible solution for conferring protection against potential new mutants of the virus in the future

3G Cutting: An Innovative Tool in Cucurbitaceous Crops to Boost the Production and Doubling the Income of Small Farmers in a Per Unit Area

3G cutting is one of the most popular and successful inter-culture operations in cucurbitaceous crops like; bottle gourd, cucumber, pumpkin, sponge gourd, bitter gourd, etc. as well as in plants like tomato, eggplant, chilli, and lady’s finger for a small patch of land. Low fruit set is an emerging constraint in cucurbits, and when it does, extremely small-sized fruits develop and degrade the mother plant. This is the main problem that farmers are currently facing. This problem arises due to a rapid decrease in beneficial insects and other pollinators as a result of the haphazard use of foliar fertilizers and chemical pesticides. 3G cutting is a scientific process to get higher production from plants by increasing the number of female flowers in the plant by adopting practices like trimming and pruning of 1st and 2nd generation branches.  Generally, 1G and 2G branches have more no. of male flowers than female (approximately in the ratio of 14:1) whereas this ratio is reduced to 1:2 in 3G branches. We are all known that fruits develop from female flowers, while one male flower can pollinate several female flowers. However, this does not imply that there is no need for male flowers. Male flowers are necessary for pollination. Thus, 3G cutting is the finest scientific practice for farmers to maximize the number of female flowers and fruit yield

Human-Computer Interaction and the Future ofWork

Advances in computing technology, changing policies, and slow crises are rapidly changing the way we work. Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a critical aspect of these trends, to understand how workers contend with emerging technologies and how design might support workers and their values and aspirations amidst technological change. This SIG invites HCI researchers across diverse domains to reflect on the range of approaches to future of work research, recognize connections and gaps, and consider how HCI can support workers and their wellbeing in the future.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Human-Centred Artificial Intelligenc