Data Communication Between an Expert System Shell and a Conventional Algorithmic Program With Application to Cam Motion Specification

Although more and more expert system shells have begun to provide communication interfaces to conventional procedural languages, the interfaces are basically shell- and language-dependent. This paper presents a simple, shell- and language-independent data communication technique between a shell and a procedural language via a concept analogous to the handshake data transmission used in microprocessors. A control file is used for the action of handshake. The communication interface is between two data files in two different language environments. A program written in a LISP-based expert system shell, OPS 5, and one written in a procedural language, FORTRAN, were tested to verify the presented technique. An expert system for cam motion specification, which needs the following three tasks—symbolic representation, numerical computation, and their communication—is described as one of the possible applications of the technique. These three tasks are essential to automated engineering design and analysis

Data Communication Between an Expert System Shell and a Conventional Algorithmic Program With Application to Cam Motion Specification

Although more and more expert system shells have begun to provide communication interfaces to conventional procedural languages, the interfaces are basically shell- and language-dependent. This paper presents a simple, shell- and language-independent data communication technique between a shell and a procedural language via a concept analogous to the handshake data transmission used in microprocessors. A control file is used for the action of handshake. The communication interface is between two data files in two different language environments. A program written in a LISP-based expert system shell, OPS 5, and one written in a procedural language, FORTRAN, were tested to verify the presented technique. An expert system for cam motion specification, which needs the following three tasks—symbolic representation, numerical computation, and their communication—is described as one of the possible applications of the technique. These three tasks are essential to automated engineering design and analysis

Revisiting the problem of audio-based hit song prediction using convolutional neural networks

Being able to predict whether a song can be a hit has impor- tant applications in the music industry. Although it is true that the popularity of a song can be greatly affected by exter- nal factors such as social and commercial influences, to which degree audio features computed from musical signals (whom we regard as internal factors) can predict song popularity is an interesting research question on its own. Motivated by the recent success of deep learning techniques, we attempt to ex- tend previous work on hit song prediction by jointly learning the audio features and prediction models using deep learning. Specifically, we experiment with a convolutional neural net- work model that takes the primitive mel-spectrogram as the input for feature learning, a more advanced JYnet model that uses an external song dataset for supervised pre-training and auto-tagging, and the combination of these two models. We also consider the inception model to characterize audio infor- mation in different scales. Our experiments suggest that deep structures are indeed more accurate than shallow structures in predicting the popularity of either Chinese or Western Pop songs in Taiwan. We also use the tags predicted by JYnet to gain insights into the result of different models.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 2017 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP

Myofibroblastic conversion of mesothelial cells

Myofibroblastic conversion of mesothelial cells.BackgroundThe continuous chemical, physical, and inflammatory insults of prolonged continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) incite mesothelial cell responses, which may result in peritoneal fibrosis. The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), especially the isoform TGF-β1, has long been known to play crucial role in the fibrogenic process. Although several studies have implicated TGF-β in peritoneal fibrosis, the underlying mechanism has not been completely elucidated.MethodsTo test the effects of exogenous TGF-β1 on mesothelial cells, we assessed cytoarchitectural changes of human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) in in vitro culture by light, immunofluorescent, electron and immunoelectron microscopy, and differential gene expression analysis using semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cDNA expression array assays.ResultsThe TGF-β1–induced myofibroblastic conversion was a transdifferentiation process resulting in characteristic myofibroblastic phenotype that included prominent rough endoplasmic reticuli (rER) with dilated cisternas, conspicuous smooth muscle actin (SMA) myofilaments, frequent intercellular intermediate and gap junctions, and active deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and formation of fibronexus. The gene expression array analysis revealed complex modulation of gene expression involving cytoskeletal organization, cell adhesion, ECM production, cell proliferation, innate immunity, cytokine/growth factor signaling, cytoprotection, stress response, and many other essential metabolic processes in mesothelial cells.ConclusionThis report describes myofibroblastic conversion of mesothelial cells, a previously undefined, yet frequently speculated, cell adaptive or pathogenic process. Our study helps to elucidate the complex molecular and cellular events involved in myofibroblastic conversion of mesothelial cells. We propose that differentiated epithelial cells of mesothelium convert or transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts, which implies the recruitment of fibrogenic cells from mesothelium during serosal inflammation and wound healing

An Efficient Technique for Finding the Desired Global Optimum of Robotic Joint Displacement

For an industrial robot on a daily operation basis such as pick and place, it is desired to minimize the robotic joint displacements when moving the robot from one location to another. The objective of the optimization here is to simultaneously minimize a robot end effector\u27s positional error and the robotic joint displacements. By modifying the searching algorithm in the existing complex optimization method, this article presents a technique for finding the desired global optimum solution more efficiently. To compare the optimum searching capability between the proposed and existing searching algorithms, a modified Himmelblau\u27s function is used as an objective function. The presented technique is then applied to a spatial three-link robot manipulator for global minimization of the joint displacements

Asymptotic Boundary-Layer Solutions for Mixed Convection from a Vertical Surface in a Micropolar Fluid

Using the theory of micropolar fluids due to Eringen, asymptotic boundary layer solutions are presented to study the combined convection from a vertical semi-infinite plate to a micropolar fluid. Consideration is given to the region close to the leading edge as well as the region far away from the leading edge. Numerical results are obtained for the velocity, angular velocity and temperature distribution. The missing wall values of the velocity, angular velocity and thermal functions are tabulated. Micropolar fluids display drag reduction and reduced surface heat transfer rate when compared to Newtonian fluids

Asymptotic Boundary-Layer Solutions for Mixed Convection from a Vertical Surface in a Micropolar Fluid

Using the theory of micropolar fluids due to Eringen, asymptotic boundary layer solutions are presented to study the combined convection from a vertical semi-infinite plate to a micropolar fluid. Consideration is given to the region close to the leading edge as well as the region far away from the leading edge. Numerical results are obtained for the velocity, angular velocity and temperature distribution. The missing wall values of the velocity, angular velocity and thermal functions are tabulated. Micropolar fluids display drag reduction and reduced surface heat transfer rate when compared to Newtonian fluids

Ankle-Brachial Index Is a Powerful Predictor of Renal Outcome and Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is an accurate tool to diagnose peripheral arterial disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ABI is also a good predictor of renal outcome and cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We enrolled 436 patients with stage 3–5 CKD who had not been undergoing dialysis. Patients were stratified into two groups according to the ABI value with a cut point of 0.9. The composite renal outcome, including doubling of serum creatinine level and commencement of dialysis, and the incidence of cardiovascular events were compared between the two groups. After a median follow-up period of 13 months, the lower ABI group had a poorer composite renal outcome (OR = 2.719, P = 0.015) and a higher incidence of cardiovascular events (OR = 3.260, P = 0.001). Our findings illustrated that ABI is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events and renal outcome in patients with CKD