Performance‐enhanced modified self‐organising map for iris data classification

Biometric systems are widely used in applications such as forensics and military. Biometric authentication is a challenging and complex task. These biometric systems must be accurate for practical applications. In this era of artificial intelligence, artificial neural network‐based classifiers are widely used in biometric‐based systems. However, most of the artificial neural network‐based classifiers are less accurate and computationally complex. In this work, two modified self‐organising map (SOM) networks are proposed for iris image classification to improve the performance measures. Particle swarm optimization technique is used in the training process of conventional SOM. The experiments are carried out with conventional and modified classifiers. The proposed modified classifiers provide better performance than the conventional SOM classifier.     

Fumaryl chloride and maleic anhydride–derived crosslinked functional polymers for nonlinear optical waveguide applications

The synthesis, processing, and characterization of new crosslinked functional polymer thin films derived from fumaryl chloride and maleic anhydride is presented. Experimental data demonstrated that this is a versatile, convenient, and cost‐effective method of fabricating ultrastructure crosslinked and functional polymer thin films for potential nonlinear optical (NLO) or other applications where molecular orientation is required. The unsaturated and processable polyester thin films are capable of crosslinking in air to form a hardened lattice under a variety of conditions, including both thermal and photoinitiated crosslinking. The thermal stability of the second harmonic (SHG) signal for a crosslinked NLO thin film was stable at temperatures up to 150°C, which is in contrast to uncrosslinked polymers whose SHG signals typically decreased over 50% below 100°C. Because of the lack of NH/OH groups and their vibrational overtones in the polymer, these crosslinked polyester systems have a great potential for low optical loss applications at 1550 nm communication wavelength. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 317–322, 2004     

Pheromone Communication in the Honeybee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis> L.)

Recent studies have demonstrated a remarkable and unexpected complexity in social insect pheromone communication, particularly for honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). The intricate interactions characteristic of social insects demand a complex language, based on specialized chemical signals that provide a syntax that is deeper in complexity and richer in nuance than previously imagined. Here, we discuss this rapidly evolving field for honeybees, the only social insect for which any primer pheromones have been identified. Novel research has demonstrated the importance of complexity, synergy, context, and dose, mediated through spatial and temporal pheromone distribution, and has revealed an unprecedented wealth of identified semiochemicals and functions. These new results demand fresh terminology, and we propose adding “colony pheromone” and “passenger pheromone” to the current terms sociochemical, releaser, and primer pheromone to better encompass our growing understanding of chemical communication in social insects.     

Arson detection model

The authors discuss the development of a mathematical model to be utilized for fire scene classification and improved detection of arson. The analysis covers all fires from 1975 to 1979 in Dade County, Florida. Note: This research was supported by Grant No. DF-80-AX-0011 awarded by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration to the Office of the Dade-Miami Justice Council. Points of view or opinions stated in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of L. E. A. A.     

Guest Editors' Introduction: The New Frontier of Human-Level Artificial Intelligence

Within the field of human-level intelligence, researchers are combining a variety of approaches toward the goals of human-like breadth, flexibility, and resilience for artificial intelligence systems.     

Creep-fatigue damage assessment of special type of sodium to air heat exchanger having toroidal shape headers

In Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, which is under construction, a dedicated Safety Grade Decay Heat Removal (SGDHR) is employed for removing decay heat during shut down (in case the normal path is not available). Each SGDHR loop consists of a sodium to sodium heat exchanger (DHX) and sodium to air heat exchanger (AHX). Two types of AHX are employed for diversity and this paper discusses creep-fatigue damage evaluation of a special type of sodium to air exchanger. It is a vertical cross flow type heat exchanger with finned tubes connecting two toroidal sodium headers. Five different types of tube configurations, each 50 in numbers (total 250 Nos.) connect both the headers and the entire component is supported through the top header with the bottom outlet header floating. During the normal reactor operating conditions the sodium temperature at the hot end is nearly 823 K. The normal operation, SGDHR operation and shut down condition lead to cyclic thermal stresses. 3-D analyses of the exchanger have been completed for self weight, pressure and thermal loadings. The FEM code CAST-3M, issued by CEA France has been used. The toroidal header has been modeled using shell elements and all the tubes are modeled using pipe elements. The peak stress at the critical junction is 96.4 MPa. The resulting fatigue damage is found to be negligible and the total creep damage is estimated as 0.88 which is conservative, as the stress relaxations are not accounted in the analysis. More details are discussed in the paper.     

Lactoferrin protects against chemical-induced rat liver fibrosis by inhibiting stellate cell activation

Liver diseases, which can be caused by alcohol abuse, chemical intoxication, viral hepatitis infection, and autoimmune disorders, are a significant health issue because they can develop into liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Lactoferrin (LF), a siderophilic protein with 2 iron-binding sites, has been demonstrated to possess a multitude of biological functions, including antiinflammation, anticancer, and antimicrobial effects, as well as immunomodulatory-enhancing functions. In the current study, we induced hepatotoxicity in rats with dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) to establish a situation that would enable us to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of LF against hepatic injury. Our results showed that DMN-induced hepatic pathological damage significantly decreased the body weight and liver index, increased the mRNA and protein levels of collagen α-1(I) (ColIα-1) and α-smooth muscle actin, and increased the hydroxyproline content. However, treatment with LF significantly increased body weight and liver index, decreased the mRNA and protein levels of ColIα-1 and α-smooth muscle actin, and suppressed the hydroxyproline content when compared with the DMN-treated group. Liver histopathology also showed that low-dose LF (100 mg/kg of body weight) or high-dose LF (300 mg/kg of body weight) could significantly reduce the incidences of liver lesions induced by DMN. These results suggest that the LF exhibits potent hepatoprotection against DMN-induced liver damage in rats and that the hepatoprotective effects of LF may be due to the inhibition of collagen production and to stellate cell activation.     

The relationship between user participation and system success: a simultaneous contingency approach

The relationship between user participation and information system (IS) success has drawn attention from researchers for some time. It is assumed that strong participation of future users in the design of IS would lead to successful outcomes in terms of more IS usage, greater user acceptance, and increased user satisfaction. However, in spite of this, much of the empirical research so far has been unable to demonstrate its benefits. This paper examines the participation–success relationship in a broader context, where the effects of user participation and two other factors, user attitudes and user involvement, on system success occur simultaneously. Other contingency variables considered here are: system impact, system complexity, and development methodology. The theoretical framework and the associated hypotheses are empirically tested by a survey of 32 organizations. Empirical results corroborate the positive link between user participation and user satisfaction and provide evidence on the interplay between user attitudes and user involvement.     

Modeling of continuous self‐classifying spiral jet mills part 1: Model structure and validation using mill experiments

The objective of this work is to develop a milling model for a continuous self‐classifying spiral air jet mill. Its foundation is a population balance model with selection and breakage distribution functions that have been related to a minimal number of mill‐dependent and powder‐dependent parameters. Initially, experimentation is required to determine the mill‐dependent parameters for a specific mill, by milling a “base” powder at multiple operating conditions. Powder‐dependent parameters can be determined from either mill experiments or from material characterization measurements that require small amounts of powder (presented in Part 2). Ultimately, the milling model presented successfully predicts the product particle size using as inputs the feed particle‐size distribution and mill operating conditions. Three crystalline powders, sodium bicarbonate, lactose monohydrate, and sucrose, have been used to test the proposed milling model. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J 60: 4086–4095, 2014