Development of a new composite pseudo random number generator

We develop a new composite pseudo random number generator called the Composite Sherif-Dear (CSD) generator. The proposed generator satisfies stringent theoretical criteria for the quality of the sequence it produces; and is easy to understand and implement in a portable way.     

Conversion of halophilic algae into extractable oil. 2. Pyrolysis of proteins

The pyrolysis reactions with different solvents and reagents on different proteins, e.g., albumin, soyaprotein, lysozyme and algae-protein, show that there are no significant differences between the behaviour of proteins under those conditions. The reactions yield rather low conversions in the presence of water in spite of the existence of carbonates and catalysts, e.g. nickel sulphate. The presence of benzene improves the yield and the presence of a mixture of K-Mg-Mn salts is beneficial for such a reaction. The nitrogen content of liquid oil decreases in the presence of carbonates and other catalysts. The maximum amount of protein converted into liquid oil was 27% by weight for algae-proteins containing 5.7 wt% nitrogen. The existence of impurities does not affect the yield which is similar to the one obtained from pure proteinic compounds. The behaviour of the proteins under different temperatures and in various reaction mixtures is very similar to that found with algae.     

Digestibility in lactating cows of diets containing whole Pima treated with sodium hydroxide versus Akala or Pima cottonseed

This study examines the effect of NaOH treatment on the nutritive value of Pima cottonseed for lactating cows. Treatment of Pima cottonseed with NaOH increased the extent of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber in vitro digestibility. Three groups of cows were fed 3 similar total mixed rations (TMR) differing only in the type of cottonseed fed, either whole linted Akala, whole unlinted Pima, or whole Pima treated with 4% NaOH (T-Pima). Dry matter and organic matter (OM) intakes of Akala and Pima TMR were similar and tended to be lower compared with cows fed T-Pima. This was reflected in similar intake of crude protein and lipids by cows fed the 3 TMR. Digestibility of DM, OM, and crude protein were similar in cows fed Pima and T-Pima diets, and slightly higher in cows fed the Akala TMR. Lipid digestibility was highest in cows fed Akala TMR, whereas cellulose and NDF digestibility were lowest in Pima TMR. In the 3 TMR, there was a large gap between the high values of "digestibility of intact seeds" and actual in vivo digestion of DM and OM. Similar yields of milk and milk protein were obtained in cows fed the Akala and Pima TMR, whereas higher yields of milk, milk protein, milk fat, and 4% fat-corrected milk were found in the T-Pima cows. Similar efficiency of DM intake for fat-corrected milk production was achieved by cows fed the 3 TMR.     

Sequencing counts: A combined approach for sequencing and selecting costly unreliable off-line inspections

We study the case of “inspect-all” policy, using off-line quality inspections to prevent non-conforming items from reaching the final consumer, in domains where an item is rejected upon first “failure” classification. Given a set of inspections with known inspection costs and error probabilities of two types (classifying conforming items as non-conforming and vice versa), the goal is to find a sequenced subset of inspections that maximizes the expected overall profit, taking into account the revenue from delivering conforming items, the penalty of delivering non-conforming ones, and the overall cost of the inspections used. Our model allows an additional degree of freedom, in comparison to prior work in this domain, enabling the selection of inspections sequence along the selection of which inspections to use. We present an efficient branch and bound algorithm for finding the optimal solution, and two types of heuristics: greedy-based and preliminary sort-based, differing in their accuracy and calculation time. The optimal and heuristic methods are extensively evaluated, using a factorial experimental design that includes 65 610 problem instances. For each instance we compared the methods performance in terms of reaching optimality, deviation from the optimal solution and calculation-time. The results reflect a substantial influence of the sequence over the expected profit. An interesting finding is that the suggested preliminary sort-based heuristics achieve a relatively accurate solution in a reasonable calculation-time and outperform the commonly used greedy-based heuristics. The usefulness of the different methods is illustrated using sample problems from the biometric inspection security domain.     

Improved nuisance attribute projection for face recognition

Th e illumination variation is one of the well-known problems in face recognition under uncontrolled environments. Several techniques have been presented in the literature to cope up with this problem. Lately, a technique known as Nuisance Attribute Projection (NAP), originally developed for the speaker recognition field was introduced to image processing in order to compensate for luminance artifacts. This paper extends and improves the earlier work by exploring efficient methodologies for using NAP for face recognition under varied illumination conditions. In particular, we propose a modified NAP formulation and show that NAP training can be simplified for face recognition. Additionally, we suggested a compact framework merging between NAP compensation and eigenface recognition. A series of experiments using the extended YaleB database, and a cross-validation using the PIE CMU and the Oulo databases are performed to validate our proposals.     

A rational human joint friction test using a human cartilage-on-cartilage arrangement

Efficient lubrication is essential for synovial joint mobility in both health and disease. It is well known that extremely low friction is required for proper functioning of synovial joints. In several medical treatments, bio-lubricants are injected into human joints to maintain their proper functioning. In the course of developing and screening such bio-lubricants, it is important to measure their effect under conditions similar to the ones in vivo. To this end, a first attempt was made to test the friction of two slices of human articular cartilage sliding over each other under various working conditions in the presence of different lubricating fluids. The results can be used for future research in the field of joint lubrication.     

Low-voltage transmission electron microscopy reveals SV40 viral particles within secretory granules in pancreatic cells

Novel approach in low voltage transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has revealed the presence of SV40 viral like particles in the secretory zymogen granules and in spherical membrane-bound dense bodies of SV40 infected pancreatic cells. The presence of SV40 antigen in these cellular compartments was confirmed by immunocytochemistry of the VP1 antigen. Visualization of the viral particles was only possible by examining ultrathin tissue sections with low-voltage TEM that significantly enhances imaging contrast. Results indicate that following infection of the cell entry and trafficking of the viral particles are present in unique cellular compartments such as ER, dense bodies, and secretory granules.     

Relative importance of explanatory variables: Traditional method versus soft regression

This study focuses on the one of the most critical issues of modeling under severe conditions of uncertainty: determining the relative importance (weight) of the explanatory variables. The ability to determine relative importance of explanatory variables and the reliability of such outcome are of utmost importance to the decision makers, who utilize such models as components of decision support or decision making. We compare the reliability of traditional method multiple linear regression versus fuzzy logic‐based soft regression. We provide a case study (cross‐national model of background factors facilitating economic growth) to illustrate the performance of both methods. We conclude that soft regression is definitely more reliable and consistent tool to determine relative importance of explanatory variables.     

Octa-O-bis-(R,R)-Tartarate Ditellurane (SAS) - a novel bioactive organotellurium(IV) compound: synthesis, characterization, and protease inhibitory activity

Octa-O-bis-(R,R)-Tartarate Ditellurane (SAS) is a new Te(IV) compound, comprised of two tellurium atoms, each liganded by four oxygen atoms from two carboxylates and two alkoxides of two tartaric acids. Unlike many other Te(IV) compounds, SAS was highly stable in aqueous solution. It interacted with thiols to form an unstable Te(SR)(4) product. The product of the interaction of SAS with cysteine was isolated and characterized by mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. SAS selectively inactivated cysteine proteases, but it did not inactivate other families of proteolytic enzymes. It displayed selectivity towards the cysteine protease cathepsin B, a human enzyme of pharmaceutical interest, with a second order rate constant k(i)/K(i)=5900 M(-1) s(-1).