Reward–Penalty Assignments and Genetic Algorithms for Ordinal Interval Number Group Decision Making

Ordinal interval number group decision making (GDM) is implemented using the closed interval preferences provided by the decision makers (DMs) for the potential courses of action. Two reward–penalty assignments (RPAs) are introduced, which express the compatibility between the ordinal intervals provided by the DMs in a purely binary and a fully graded manner, respectively. Genetic algorithms are employed for establishing a collectively preferred ranking, with chromosome‐validity‐enforcing crossover and gene‐swapping mutation being appropriately combined for efficient convergence. The effect that the consensus function, as derived from two RPAs, has on the fitness landscape and, consequently, on the preferred course(s) of action is illustrated in a number of GDM problems derived from the relevant literature covering (a) complete and incomplete problems, (b) perturbations of the relative importance values assigned to the DMs, (c) full and partial preferences, and (d) increasing numbers of DMs and/or available courses of action (scaling potential).     

Large-scale in vivo synthesis of the carbohydrate moieties of gangliosides GM1 and GM2 by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

Two metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains have been constructed to produce the carbohydrate moieties of gangliosides GM2 (GalNAcbeta-4(NeuAcalpha-3)Galbeta-4Glc; Gal = galactose, Glc = glucose, Ac = acetyl) and GM1 (Galbeta-3GalNAcbeta-4(NeuAcalpha-3)Galbeta-4Glc. The GM2 oligosaccharide-producing strain TA02 was devoid of both beta-galactosidase and sialic acid aldolase activities and overexpressed the genes for CMP-NeuAc synthase (CMP = cytidine monophosphate), alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase, UDP-GlcNAc (UDP = uridine diphosphate) C4 epimerase, and beta-1,4-GalNAc transferase. When this strain was cultivated on glycerol, exogenously added lactose and sialic acid were shown to be actively internalized into the cytoplasm and converted into GM2 oligosaccharide. The in vivo synthesis of GM1 oligosaccharide was achieved by taking a similar approach but using strain TA05, which additionally overexpressed the gene for beta-1,3-galactosyltransferase. In high-cell-density cultures, the production yields for the GM2 and GM1 oligosaccharides were 1.25 g L(-1) and 0.89 g L(-1), respectively.     

Remote-Controlled Ambidextrous Robot Hand Concept

In the development of robotic limbs, the side of members is of importance to define the shape of artificial limbs and the range of movements. It is mainly significant tbr biomedical applications concerning patients suffering arms or legs injuries, fn this paper, the concept of an ambidextrous design lbr robot hands is introduced. The fingers can curl in one xvay or another, to imitate either a right hand or a left hand. The advantages and inconveniences of different models have been investigated to optimise the range and the maximum force applied by fingers. Besides, a remote control interthce is integrated to the system, allowing both to send comrnands through internet and to display a video streaming of the ambidextrous hand as feedback. Therefore, a robotic prosthesis could be used for the first time in telerehabilitation. The main application areas targeted are physiotherapy alter strokes or management of phantom pains/br amputees by/earning to control the ambidextrous hand. A client application is also accessible on Facehook social network, making the robotic limb easily reachable for the patients. Additionally the ambidextrous hand can be used tbr robotics research as well as artistic performances.     

Fullerene: biomedical engineers get to revisit an old friend

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3D numerical simulation of the behaviour of a spherical particle suspended in a Newtonian fluid and submitted to a simple shear

The 3D flow around a rigid spherical particle suspended in a Newtonian fluid and submitted to simple shear is numerically studied using Rem3D^® finite element code. The sphere motion is imposed by a sticking contact between the sphere and the fluid. The effect of the particle size as compared with the finite dimension of the shear cell was investigated. The direct calculations show that 3D modelling is necessary to correctly predict the sphere behaviour. The proximity of the particle and the cell walls strongly affects the flow velocities, the sphere motion (increase of the rotation period of the sphere) and the stress field (change of orientation angle and increase of maximal local stresses).     

Two-dimensional linear model of elastic shell accounting for general anisotropy of material

A two-dimensional linearly elastic model of shells made of an anisotropic material described by 21 elastic moduli is developed. For this aim, the generalized Timoshenko–Reissner hypotheses are used. In contrast to the ordinary shell models, the tangential stress-resultants here depend not only on the tangential strains but also on the transverse shear. An asymptotic analysis of the obtained equations is fulfilled. The typical stress-strain states, namely the membrane state, the edge effect state, and the boundary layer, are constructed. The system of the Donnell type is delivered. As an example of general anisotropy, a composite material consisting of a matrix reinforced by the system of fibers inclined to the mid-surface is studied. Certain simple static problems and free vibration problems are solved for a cylindrical shell made of this material.     

Synthesis of thin p-type rutile films

The structure and electrical and optical properties of heterostructures formed on the surface of single-crystal silicon wafers as a result of the heat treatment and pulsed photon treatment of Ti films in oxygen, air, and nitrogen are investigated. It is shown that a TiO₂/Ti₅Si₃/p-Si heterostructure is formed upon heat treatment in air, whereas a TiO₂/TiSi₂/p-Si heterostructure is formed upon photon treatment. It is established that rutile films with pronounced n-type conductivity are formed as a result of the heat treatment of Ni-doped Ti films in oxygen. Rutile films with p-type conductivity are formed upon the thermal annealing of Ti films in air with subsequent photon treatment in nitrogen.     

Using Twitter® as source of information for dietary market research: a study on veganism and plant-based diets

Social media has experienced rapid growth in recent years and has been subjected of discussions on a wide range of topics including new lifestyles and eating habits, providing a great opportunity to obtain spontaneous consumer information. In this sense, the present work aimed to understand the perception of Twitter^® users about themes of veganism and plant-based diets. The social networking data mining methodology was applied to measure the relationship between both terms. The significant differences found were analysed using the global chi-square (χ²) test, and their sources of variation were investigated by the chi-square per cell. The results indicate that the vegan group's posts are more related to the categories of recipes, trends, criticism and negative comments about veganism, being more often citing sources when compared to the other group. The results of the plant-based diet group are more significantly related to the impacts of nutrition, physical activity and consumer health. In conclusion, Twitter^® has proved to be an interesting tool for obtaining data on (re) produced food publications on social media and their results can guide the market and the academic environment in creating new products, services and marketing strategies to answer the needs of specific consumers.     

Ultrastructure of oocytes of the Urostreptus atrobrunneus (Diplopoda,Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae): A potential urban centers plague

The knowledge of the process of egg formation is indispensable for understanding the mechanisms involved in the reproduction of different species. In this context, the objective of this work was to describe the ultrastructure of the oocytes of Urostreptus atrobrunneus (Spirostreptida), a potential plague of urban centers in different locations of São Paulo State. The lack of knowledge about the morphology, physiology, and the reproductive behavior of the species have hindered an effective control of it. The oocytes of U. atrobrunneus presented three development stages: young oocyte or type I; intermediary oocyte or type II; and mature oocyte or type III. During the oocyte development, the cytoplasm become filled with several globules of protein, drops of lipids, and sphaerocrystals, and it was not observed in many organelles in the oocytes with exception of mitochondria, abundant, principally in young oocytes. The vitelline membrane is also deposited in a discontinuous form and the chorion does not present differentiation of layers. The follicular epithelium alters its shape according to the development phase of the oocyte. Part of the vitellus is from exogenous origin and part is endogenous. Before this, only two studies about the ultrastructural analysis of the female germ cells of diplopods were published. Microsc. Res. Tech. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.