The effective temperature

This review presents the effective temperature notion as defined from the deviations from the equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation theorem in out of equilibrium systems with slow dynamics. The thermodynamic meaning of this quantity is discussed in detail. Analytic, numeric and experimental measurements are surveyed. Open issues are mentioned.Comment: 58 page

Project Management in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

This study discusses the advantages of AI integration in project management, specifically in areas such as resource allocation, decision-making, risk management, and planning. By interpreting vast amounts of data from various sources, AI provides project managers with valuable insights to make better decisions. Although some tasks can be automated, human intervention is necessary for accuracy and efficacy. Therefore, AI should complement human skills, not replace them. Project managers require analytics skills and stay updated on AI technology to integrate it effectively. Ultimately, this study highlights that AI integration can enhance productivity and efficient project delivery

Factors That Influence the Dissemination of Knowledge in Technology Transfer Among Malaysian Manufacturing Employees

The meaning of technology transfer is so wide but mostly involving some form of technology-related exchange. However, in this particular paper, technology transfer is consider as a concept to examine the process of  disseminating knowledge and skills that a person owned to another person in order to generate higher productivity with new approach of producing a particular product or service. Although, many researchers have explored the evolution of technology transfer, nonetheless some drivers are yet to be explored in a Malaysian manufacturing industry. This study, therefore attempts to determine the relationship between absorptive capacity, transfer capacity, communication motivation and learning intent and technology transfer performance. A survey methodology was used in a Japanese multinational company based in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 117 questionnaires were received. Results show that absorptive capacity is the most significant to influence technology transfer performance

Application of knowledge discovery and data mining methods in livestock genomics for hypothesis generation and identification of biomarker candidates influencing meat quality traits in pigs

Recent advancements in genomics and genome profiling technologies have lead to an increase in the amount of data available in livestock genomics. Yet, most of the studies done in livestock genomics have been following a reductionist approach and very few studies have either followed data mining or knowledge discovery concepts or made use of the wealth of information available in the public domain to gain new knowledge. The goals of this thesis were: (i) the adoption of existing analysis strategies or the development of novel approaches in livestock genomics for integrative data analysis following the principles of data mining and knowledge discovery and (ii) demonstrating the application of such approaches in livestockgenomics for hypothesis generation and biomarker discovery. A pig meat quality trait termed androstenone measurement in backfat was selected as the target phenotype for the experiments. Two experiments were performed as a part of this thesis. The first one followed a knowledge driven approach merging high-throughput expression data with metabolic interaction network. Based on the results from this experiment, several novel biomarker candidates and a hypothesis regarding different mechanisms regulating androstenone synthesis in porcine testis samples with divergent androstenone measurements in back fat were proposed. The model proposed that the elevated levels of androstenone synthesis in sample population could be due to the combined effect of cAMP/PKA signaling, elevated levels of fatty acid metabolism and anti lipid peroxidation activity of members of glutathione metabolic pathway. The second experiment followed a data driven approach and integrated gene expression data from multiple porcine populations to identify similarities in gene expression patterns related to hepatic androstenone metabolism. The results indicated that one of the low androstenone phenotype specific co-expression cluster was functionally enriched in pathways related to androgen and androstenone metabolism and that the members of this cluster exhibited weak co-expression in high androstenone phenotype. Based on the results from this experiment, this co-expression cluster was proposed as a signature cluster for hepatic androstenone metabolism in boars with low androstenone content in back fat. The results from these experiments indicate that integrative analysis approaches following data mining and knowledge discovery concepts can be used for the generation of new knowledge from existing data in livestock genomics. But, limited data availability in livestock genomics is a hindrance to the extensive use such analysis methods in livestock genomics field for gaining new knowledge. In conclusion, this study was aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of data mining and knowledge discovery methods and integrative analysis approaches to generate new knowledge in livestock genomics using existing datasets. The results from the experiments hint the possibilities of further exploring such methods for knowledge generation in this field. Although the application of such methods is limited in livestock genomics due to data availability issues at present, the increase in data availability due to evolving high throughput technologies and decrease in data generation costs would aid in the wide spread use of such methods in livestock genomics in the coming future

MATLAB based real time control implementation of DC servo motor using PCI card

The DC servo motor has applications in automotive market in applications ranging from heating and ventilation to power mirror positioning. It is also in use in Industrial and Consumer Markets for entertainment equipment, HVAC ventilation control and myriad number of other applications. In all these applications, either speed or position control of the DC servo motor is used. In this project, we have achieved MATLAB based real-time speed control implementation of DC servo motor using PCI-1716. For a more efficient speed control, closed loop control system of the servo motor is realized with the help of a tuned PID controller. Further, progress has also been made in remote control of DC servo motor. For this, a communication has been established between the local and the remote PC; and PID controlled closed loop system, with the controller at the remote PC was successfully achieved and checked for optimal performance. However, due to delays introduced in the communication system, the remote control using PID was not found to be as efficient as the local control and the speed output was found to lag behind the reference signal. To compensate for this delay, a Smith Predictor incorporated model has been made

Enhancing Trajectory-Based Operations for UAVs through Hexagonal Grid Indexing: A Step towards 4D Integration of UTM and ATM

Aviation is expected to face a surge in the number of manned aircraft and drones in the coming years, making it necessary to integrate Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) into Air Traffic Management (ATM) to ensure safe and efficient operations. This research proposes a novel hexagonal grid-based 4D trajectory representation framework for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) traffic management that overcomes the limitations of existing square/cubic trajectory representation methods. The proposed model employs a hierarchical indexing structure using hexagonal cells, enabling efficient ground based strategic conflict detection and conflict free 4D trajectory planning. Additionally, the use of Hexagonal Discrete Global Grid Systems provides a more accurate representation of UAV trajectories, improved sampling efficiency and higher angular resolution. The proposed approach can be used for predeparture conflict free 4D trajectory planning, reducing computational complexity and memory requirements while improving the accuracy of strategic trajectory conflict detection. The proposed framework can also be extended for air traffic flow management trajectory planning, Air Traffic Control (ATC) workload measurement, sector capacity estimation, dynamics airspace sectorization using hexagonal sectors and traffic density calculation, contributing to the development of an efficient UTM system, and facilitating the integration of UAVs into the national airspace system with AT

Isolation and characterization of an insertion element-like repetitive sequence specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

We report the characterization of an insertion-like repetitive sequence containing the clone of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This repetitive sequence contains seven inverted repeats. Restriction fragment length polymorphism studies using this probe have shown that it is not a highly polymorphic probe but rather shows conservative fingerprint pattern. Out of the 150 strains tested, only three showed different fingerprint patterns. It has several direct and inverted repeats. Homology studies of the putative protein coding region show that this repeat element might code for a metalloproteinase of M. tuberculosis. Homology studies also implicate this repeat element to be from a very essential region of the M. tuberculosis genome participating in recombination. This repeat has been found to be an ideal target for polymerase chain reaction to detect M. tuberculosis

Polyhydroxyl fullerene can mitigate toxicity effects of cadmium on yeasts

With inception of nanotechnology, nanomaterials are currently in the prime-line of research. Polyhydroxyl fullerene is one of the widely commercialized nanomaterials and applied in electronics and biomedical fields. Unlike fullerene, polyhydroxyl fullerene is known to be biocompatible, and recent studies reported its antioxidant properties. On the other hand, cadmium toxicity has been often attributed to the ability of this metal to induce oxidative stress. To assess antioxidant properties of polyhydroxyl fullerene, the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was exposed to cadmium (≤ 5 ppm, 3 levels) in the presence or absence of polyhydroxyl fullerene (≤ 500 ppm, 3 levels) at different pH values (5.8, 6.3 and 6.8). The size distribution and dispersion of polyhydroxyl fullerene in the stock suspension were measured with DLS (z-average 143 nm, PdI 0.365). Yeast growth, plasma membrane integrity and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were investigated in the presence or absence of Cd2+ and/or polyhydroxyl fullerene. Yeast growth was inhibited up to 34% by exposure to Cd2+, but was not affected by polyhydroxyl fullerene. At pH 5.8, the exposure to the highest concentration of Cd2+ (5 ppm) and polyhydroxyl fullerene (500 ppm) stimulated yeast growth by 59 and 61% at the exponential and late exponential growth phases, respectively. Growth increased even more when pH increased to 6.8. Severe plasma membrane disruption and ROS accumulation were observed after exposure to the highest concentration of Cd2+ in the absence of polyhydroxyl fullerene. Membrane disruption and ROS accumulation decreased with increasing concentration of polyhydroxyl fullerene and with the increase in pH to 6.8. Overall, results indicated that polyhydroxyl fullerene is not toxic to yeasts and may potentially trigger antioxidant defense mechanisms to mitigate metal-induced toxicity.Funding: FEDER-POFC-COMPETE and FCT supported this study (PEst-C/BIA/UI4050/2011, NANOECOTOX- PTDC/AAC-AMB/121650/2010) and A. Pradhan (SFRH/BD/45614/2008)

Impacts of CuO nanoparticles on aquatic detritus foodwebs

FEDER-POFC-COMPETE and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology supported this study (PEst-C/BIA/UI4050/2011, NANOECOTOX-PTDC/AAC-AMB/121650/2010) and A. Pradhan was supported by FCT (SFRH/BD/45614/2008)