Deterministic Annealing Approach to Fuzzy C-Means Clustering Based on Entropy Maximization

This paper is dealing with the fuzzy clustering method which combines the deterministic annealing (DA) approach with an entropy, especially the Shannon entropy and the Tsallis entropy. By maximizing the Shannon entropy, the fuzzy entropy, or the Tsallis entropy within the framework of the fuzzy c-means (FCM) method, membership functions similar to the statistical mechanical distribution functions are obtained. We examine characteristics of these entropy-based membership functions from the statistical mechanical point of view. After that, both the Shannon- and Tsallis-entropy-based FCMs are formulated as DA clustering using the very fast annealing (VFA) method as a cooling schedule. Experimental results indicate that the Tsallis-entropy-based FCM is stable with very fast deterministic annealing and suitable for this annealing process

Optimization of electrolysis conditions for ti film electrodeposition from lif-licl eutectic molten salt

PRiME 2020, Honolulu, USA, October 4-9, 2020.The optimum conditions for electrodepositing compact, smooth, and adherent Ti films in LiF–LiCl–Li₃TiF₆ at 823 K were investigated. The Li₃TiF₆ was formed in-situ in the melt via comproportionation reaction between Li₂TiF₆ and Ti powder. The solubility of Li₃TiF₆ was confirmed to be higher than 7.1 mol% by cyclic voltammetry and ICP-AES measurement. Galvanostatic electrolysis was conducted on Ni plate substrates at various concentrations of Li₃TiF₆ (0.55, 2.6, 7.1 mol%) and cathodic current density (50–1200 mA cm⁻²). Ti films with smoother surface were obtained at higher Li₃TiF₆ concentration and lower current density. In the present study, Ti films having the smoothest surface were obtained at 7.1 mol% of Li₃TiF₆ and 50 mA cm⁻²

Effects of Temperature, Ti(III) Ion Concentration, and Current Density on Electrodeposition of Ti Films in LiF-LiCl Melt

The effects of temperature, Ti(III) ion concentration, and current density on the electrodeposition of Ti films were investigated in the eutectic LiF–LiCl melt at 823–973 K. The Ti(III) ions were prepared by adding Li₂TiF₆ and Ti metal to the melt. The diffusion coefficients of Ti(III) were 1.4, 1.8, 2.3, and 3.2 × 10⁻⁵ m² s⁻¹, at 823, 873, 923, and 973 K, respectively. Galvanostatic electrolysis was conducted at 823–973 K. The surface roughness (Sa) of the Ti films decreases with decreasing temperature. Thus, the electrodeposition of Ti films was conducted at the lowest temperature of 823 K with various Li3TiF6 concentrations (0.55–7.1 mol%) and cathodic current densities (50–1200 mA cm⁻²). The Sa was lower at higher Ti(III) ion concentrations and lower current densities. The smoothest Ti films with a Sa of 1.23 μm and a thickness of 10 μm were obtained at a cathodic current density of 50 mA cm⁻² and Li₃TiF₆ concentration of 7.1 mol%

The in vitro real-time oscillation monitoring system identifies potential entrainment factors for circadian clocks

BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythms are endogenous, self-sustained oscillations with approximately 24-hr rhythmicity that are manifested in various physiological and metabolic processes. The circadian organization of these processes in mammals is governed by the master oscillator within the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Recent findings revealed that circadian oscillators exist in most organs, tissues, and even in immortalized cells, and that the oscillators in peripheral tissues are likely to be coordinated by SCN, the master oscillator. Some candidates for endogenous entrainment factors have sporadically been reported, however, their details remain mainly obscure. RESULTS: We developed the in vitro real-time oscillation monitoring system (IV-ROMS) by measuring the activity of luciferase coupled to the oscillatory gene promoter using photomultiplier tubes and applied this system to screen and identify factors able to influence circadian rhythmicity. Using this IV-ROMS as the primary screening of entrainment factors for circadian clocks, we identified 12 candidates as the potential entrainment factor in a total of 299 peptides and bioactive lipids. Among them, four candidates (endothelin-1, all-trans retinoic acid, 9-cis retinoic acid, and 13-cis retinoic acid) have already been reported as the entrainment factors in vivo and in vitro. We demonstrated that one of the novel candidates, 15-deoxy-Δ(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2 )(15d-PGJ(2)), a natural ligand of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), triggers the rhythmic expression of endogenous clock genes in NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, we showed that 15d-PGJ(2 )transiently induces Cry1, Cry2, and Rorα mRNA expressions and that 15d-PGJ(2)-induced entrainment signaling pathway is PPAR-γ – and MAPKs (ERK, JNK, p38MAPK)-independent. CONCLUSION: Here, we identified 15d-PGJ(2 )as an entrainment factor in vitro. Using our developed IV-ROMS to screen 299 compounds, we found eight novel and four known molecules to be potential entrainment factors for circadian clocks, indicating that this assay system is a powerful and useful tool in initial screenings