A Perturbed Self-organizing Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm to solve Multiobjective TSP

Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a very important NP-Hard problem getting focused more on these days. Having improvement on TSP, right now consider the multi-objective TSP (MOTSP), broadened occurrence of travelling salesman problem. Since TSP is NP-hard issue MOTSP is additionally a NP-hard issue. There are a lot of algorithms and methods to solve the MOTSP among which Multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition is appropriate to solve it nowadays. This work presents a new algorithm which combines the Data Perturbation, Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and MOEA/D to solve the problem of MOTSP, named Perturbed Self-Organizing multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (P-SMEA). In P-SMEA Self-Organizing Map (SOM) is used extract neighborhood relationship information and with MOEA/D subproblems are generated and solved simultaneously to obtain the optimal solution. Data Perturbation is applied to avoid the local optima. So by using the P-SMEA, MOTSP can be handled efficiently. The experimental results show that P-SMEA outperforms MOEA/D and SMEA on a set of test instances

Capacitive Sensor Based 2D Subsurface Imaging Technology for Non Destructive Evaluation of Building Surfaces

Understanding the underlying structure of building surfaces like walls and floors is essential when carrying out building maintenance and modification work. To facilitate such work, this paper introduces a capacitive sensor-based technology which can conduct non-destructive evaluation of building surfaces. The novelty of this sensor is that it can generate a real-time 2D subsurface image which can be used to understand structure beneath the top surface. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations are done to understand the best sensor head configuration that gives optimum results. Hardware and software components are custom-built to facilitate real-time imaging capability. The sensor is validated by laboratory tests, which revealed the ability of the proposed capacitive sensing technology to see through common building materials like wood and concrete. The 2D image generated by the sensor is found to be useful in understanding the subsurface structure beneath the top surface

A prospective study on adverse drug reactions reported in a tertiary referral hospital

Background: To determine the incidence of Adverse drug reactions in our hospital, to study the age wise distribution, the role of concurrent medication and the common drugs that are prone to cause adverse drug reactions and its seriousness.Methods: After getting prior approval from Institutional ethical committee a prospective study was done where in cases attending OPD, ward, ICU were studied over a year. A complete history was taken regarding drug exposure (dosage, date started, duration and interruptions in use), initiation of drug use and onset of reaction, previous adverse drug reactions, improvement after decrease in dosage, disease states predisposing to eruptions, previous family and personal history of skin disease, environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals. Relevant laboratory test such as blood investigations, liver and renal function tests are carried out and results were analysed statistically by SPSS version 21 and interpretations done based on the results.Results: Incidence of ADR among OPD =0.18, IPD=1.98, OPD+IPD=0.39 /1000cases.The highest incidence of Adverse drug reactions were found among the age group of 30-39 years (27.45%), 40-49 years (23.53%), with the highest among antibiotic group of drugs (35.29%) involving a maximum duration of 2-7 days. Drug reactions mostly occurred with the oral route 66.67) and most of it requiring hospitalization (47.06%), 60.78% of reactions were manifested in skin, 58.82% of patients with ADR had concomitant medications and 19.61% had Diabetes mellitus, 90% of reactions abated after drug withdrawal with regard to its outcome 94.12% of reactions recovered.Conclusions: The study suggest the adverse drug reactions commonly occur in middle age, mostly manifesting in skin with oral route of administration ,associated with concomitant medications and it requires hospitalisation with a good recovery rate with diabetes being the common comorbid disorder

Ocean acidification reduces hardness and stiffness of the Portuguese oyster shell with impaired microstructure: a hierarchical analysis

The rapidly intensifying process of ocean acidification (OA) due to anthropogenic CO2 is not only depleting carbonate ions necessary for calcification but also causing acidosis and disrupting internal pH homeostasis in several marine organisms. These negative consequences of OA on marine calcifiers, i.e. oyster species, have been very well documented in recent studies; however, the consequences of reduced or impaired calcification on the end-product, shells or skeletons, still remain one of the major research gaps. Shells produced by marine organisms under OA are expected to show signs of dissolution, disorganized microstructure and reduced mechanical properties. To bridge this knowledge gap and to test the above hypothesis, we investigated the effect of OA on juvenile shells of the commercially important oyster species, Magallana angulata, at ecologically and climatically relevant OA levels (using pH 8.1, 7.8, 7.5, 7.2). In lower pH conditions, a drop of shell hardness and stiffness was revealed by nanoindentation tests, while an evident porous internal microstructure was detected by scanning electron microscopy. Crystallographic orientation, on the other hand, showed no significant difference with decreasing pH using electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). These results indicate the porous internal microstructure may be the cause of the reduction in shell hardness and stiffness. The overall decrease of shell density observed from micro-computed tomography analysis indicates the porous internal microstructure may run through the shell, thus inevitably limiting the effectiveness of the shell's defensive function. This study shows the potential deterioration of oyster shells induced by OA, especially in their early life stage. This knowledge is critical to estimate the survival and production of edible oysters in the future ocean

Entropic forces drive self-organization and membrane fusion by SNARE proteins

SNARE proteins are the core of the cell’s fusion machinery and mediate virtually all known intracellular membrane fusion reactions on which exocytosis and trafficking depend. Fusion is catalyzed when vesicle-associated v-SNAREs form trans-SNARE complexes (“SNAREpins”) with target membrane-associated t-SNAREs, a zippering-like process releasing ∼65 kT per SNAREpin. Fusion requires several SNAREpins, but how they cooperate is unknown and reports of the number required vary widely. To capture the collective behavior on the long timescales of fusion, we developed a highly coarse-grained model that retains key biophysical SNARE properties such as the zippering energy landscape and the surface charge distribution. In simulations the ∼65-kT zippering energy was almost entirely dissipated, with fully assembled SNARE motifs but uncomplexed linker domains. The SNAREpins self-organized into a circular cluster at the fusion site, driven by entropic forces that originate in steric–electrostatic interactions among SNAREpins and membranes. Cooperative entropic forces expanded the cluster and pulled the membranes together at the center point with high force. We find that there is no critical number of SNAREs required for fusion, but instead the fusion rate increases rapidly with the number of SNAREpins due to increasing entropic forces. We hypothesize that this principle finds physiological use to boost fusion rates to meet the demanding timescales of neurotransmission, exploiting the large number of v-SNAREs available in synaptic vesicles. Once in an unfettered cluster, we estimate ≥15 SNAREpins are required for fusion within the ∼1-ms timescale of neurotransmitter release

Distribution of luminescent Vibrio harveyi and their bacteriophages in a commercial shrimp hatchery in South India

Luminescent Vibrio harveyi is a natural microflora of marine and coastal water bodies and is associated with mortality of larval shrimp in penaeid shrimp hatcheries. It is also known that the bacteriophages occur virtually in all places where their hosts exist. In this study, distribution of luminescent V. harveyi and the bacteriophages affecting these hosts was examined in a commercial Penaeus monodon hatchery during three shrimp larval production cycles, including a cycle affected by luminescent bacterial (LB) disease outbreak

Measurement of the delayed neutron fraction and correction of small angle scattering data from a pulsed spallation source

The fraction of delayed neutrons in a moderated beam from the enriched uranium, pulsed spallation source at the intense pulsed neutron source at Argonne National Laboratory has been measured and found to be 0.0283 for 450-MeV protons. Delayed neutrons produce a sample-dependent background in time-of-flight instruments. Because of the distribution of neutron wavelengths in the prompt pulse, the significance of the delayed neutron contribution to the observed scattering profile is strongly dependent on the wavelength and therefore on the magnitude of the momentum transfer. This effect is demonstrated, and a general correction procedure in current use for small angle neutron scattering data is described.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28627/1/0000441.pd

PathogenMip Assay: A Multiplex Pathogen Detection Assay

The Molecular Inversion Probe (MIP) assay has been previously applied to a large-scale human SNP detection. Here we describe the PathogenMip Assay, a complete protocol for probe production and applied approaches to pathogen detection. We have demonstrated the utility of this assay with an initial set of 24 probes targeting the most clinically relevant HPV genotypes associated with cervical cancer progression. Probe construction was based on a novel, cost-effective, ligase-based protocol. The assay was validated by performing pyrosequencing and Microarray chip detection in parallel experiments. HPV plasmids were used to validate sensitivity and selectivity of the assay. In addition, 20 genomic DNA extracts from primary tumors were genotyped with the PathogenMip Assay results and were in 100% agreement with conventional sequencing using an L1-based HPV genotyping protocol. The PathogenMip Assay is a widely accessible protocol for producing and using highly discriminating probes, with experimentally validated results in pathogen genotyping, which could potentially be applied to the detection and characterization of any microbe

Ocean acidification through the lens of ecological theory

Ocean acidification, chemical changes to the carbonate system of seawater, is emerging as a key environmental challenge accompanying global warming and other human-induced perturbations. Considerable research seeks to define the scope and character of potential outcomes from this phenomenon, but a crucial impediment persists. Ecological theory, despite its power and utility, has been only peripherally applied to the problem. Here we sketch in broad strokes several areas where fundamental principles of ecology have the capacity to generate insight into ocean acidification's consequences. We focus on conceptual models that, when considered in the context of acidification, yield explicit predictions regarding a spectrum of population- and community-level effects, from narrowing of species ranges and shifts in patterns of demographic connectivity, to modified consumer–resource relationships, to ascendance of weedy taxa and loss of species diversity. Although our coverage represents only a small fraction of the breadth of possible insights achievable from the application of theory, our hope is that this initial foray will spur expanded efforts to blend experiments with theoretical approaches. The result promises to be a deeper and more nuanced understanding of ocean acidification and the ecological changes it portends