Efficient forest fire occurrence prediction for developing countries using two weather parameters

Forest fire occurrence prediction plays a major role in resource allocation, mitigation and recovery efforts. This paper compares two artificial intelligence based methods, artificial neural networks (ANN) and support vector machines (SVM), utilizing a reduced set of weather parameters. Using a reduced set of parameters results in an efficient and reduced cost prediction system especially for developing countries. In this paper the aim is to predict forest fire occurrence by reducing the number of monitored features, and eliminating the need for weather prediction mechanisms. The reason is to reduce errors due to inaccuracies in weather prediction. The challenge is to choose a limited number of easily measurable features in the aim of reducing the cost of the system and its maintenance. At the same time, the chosen features must have a high correlation with the risk of fire occurrence. A literature review of forest fire prediction methods divided into systems/indices, and artificial intelligence is provided. The two fire danger prediction algorithms utilize relative humidity and cumulative precipitation to output a risk estimate. The assessment of these algorithms, using data from Lebanon, demonstrated their ability to accurately predict the risk of fire occurrence on a scale of four levels.     

Decision confidence-based multi-level support vector machines

Support vector machines (SVM) have been showing high accuracy of prediction in many applications. However, as any statistical learning algorithm, SVM's accuracy drops if some of the training points are contaminated by an unknown source of noise. The choice of clean training points is critical to avoid the overfitting problem which occurs generally when the model is excessively complex, which is reflected by a high accuracy over the training set and a low accuracy over the testing set (unseen points). In this paper we present a new multi-level SVM architecture that splits the training set into points that are labeled as ‘easily classifiable’ which do not cause an increase in the model complexity and ‘non-easily classifiable’ which are responsible for increasing the complexity. This method is used to create an SVM architecture that yields on average a higher accuracy than a traditional soft margin SVM trained with the same training set. The architecture is tested on the well known US postal handwritten digit recognition problem, the Wisconsin breast cancer dataset and on the agitation detection dataset. The results show an increase in the overall accuracy for the three datasets. Throughout this paper the word confidence is used to denote the confidence over the decision as commonly used in the literature.     

Biological activities of lactobacilli relevant to cardiovascular health in skim milk

In this study, skim milk was fermented using 14 Lactobacillus strains for 16 h at 42 °C or for 48 h at 25 °C. On conclusion of fermentation, the proteolytic, angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitory (ACE-I), and antioxidant activities as well as the inhibition of thrombin and cholesterol micellar solubility were determined. The results revealed that Lb. paracasei B-4564 exhibited the highest ACE-I activity (68.11%) under the 42 °C for 16 h condition, while Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 demonstrated the highest ACE-I activity (92.23%) under the 25 °C for 48 h condition. Lb. paracasei B-4564 exhibited the highest inhibition rate of thrombin (42.43 and 48.10%) and cholesterol (68.60 and 87.01%) under the 42 °C for 16 h and 25 °C for 48 h conditions, receptively. Lb. rhamnosus B-442 exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity of 95.63 and 62.89% under the 42 °C for 16 h and 25 °C for 48 h conditions, receptively. Lb. rhamnosus B-1445 demonstrated the highest Fe²⁺ chelating activity and reducing power under both the tested fermentation conditions.     

Frequent breakpoints in the region surrounding FRA3B in sporadic renal cell carcinomas

The constitutive fragile site at chromosomal band 3p14.2, FRA3B, is the most active common fragile site in the human genome. We have localized aphidicolin-induced breakpoints to two distinct clusters, separated by 200 Kb, in FRA3B (Paradee et al., 1996). Sequence analysis of these regions identified two polymorphic microsatellite markers immediately adjacent to each of these breakpoint clusters. In this report we have used these two new microsatellites and 14 additional 3p microsatellites to analyse chromosome 3p breakage and loss in 94 sporadic RCC samples, including nonpapillary, papillary and oncocytomas. We have found heterozygous loss of 3p14 sequences in >60% of the RCC samples, including both clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinomas. We have found frequent breakage in the region immediately surrounding FRA3B, demonstrating that FRA3B does play a role in chromosome breakage and loss in RCC. In contrast to other reports, >50% of the papillary tumors also showed LOH of 3p markers. We also observed microsatellite instability (MIN) with most of the tested markers in seven of eight oncocytomas and one of 69 clear cell carcinomas. The MIN in some oncocytomas was of the RER+ (replication error) type I phenotype. None of the five 3p14.2 markers detected any homozygous deletions in tumor samples, but 69/94 (73%) of the tumors had LOH for the region, which includes the recently identified FHIT gene.     

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) coatings for controlled drug release. I. Preparation and characterization of pharmaceutically acceptable materials

The basic technology for forming crosslinked elastomers by the end linking of low molecular weight hydroxyl‐terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was modified to make it suitable for preparing coatings for controlled drug release. The requirements for this application included establishing conditions for the end linking that did not require the usual toxic tin or platinum catalysts; preparation of emulsions of small PDMS network particles that had extensive shelf‐lives and that could be coalesced into cohesive thin films or coatings; and the determination of the conditions to make such coatings pinhole free, mechanically robust, and of sufficient thermal stability for coating procedures at elevated temperatures. The approach taken consisted of preparing water‐based emulsions of the PDMS with sodium lauryl sulfate and restriction of the pH of the system to the acidic range with HCl. Evaporation of water from the emulsions resulted in elastomeric free‐standing films of the PDMS that were characterized using stress–strain isotherms in elongation and equilibrium swelling in toluene, both at room temperature. The mechanical properties of the films were found to improve with an increasing molar ratio of HCl/TEOS and an increase in the amount of TEOS (giving increased degrees of crosslinking). Conditions for the optimization of the thermal stabilities as gauged by thermogravimetic analysis were established, including beneficial effects from the introduction of the crosslinks. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the predominant morphology was void‐free films with very small, homogeneously dispersed silica particles from the hydrolysis of some of the TEOS. Additional work should be facilitated by the mechanisms for the crosslinking suggested by the experimental results. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 658–666, 2003     

A similar pattern of chromosomal alterations in prostate cancers from African-Americans and Caucasian Americans

A combination of genetic and epigenetic factors may explain the disproportionate incidence and mortality of prostate cancer among African-American males (AAMs) as compared with Caucasian American males (CAMs). We wished to determine whether primary prostate cancers from AAMs and CAMs harbor different patterns or frequencies of chromosomal alterations. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was performed on clinically localized, untreated primary prostate cancers from 16 AAMs and 16 CAMs. Detailed statistical analysis was used to delineate gains and deletions with high sensitivity and specificity and to compare the frequency and pattern of alterations between the two groups of tumors. The two groups of patients had indistinguishable preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen levels, and the two groups of tumors had similar pathological stages and grades. Chromosomal gains and deletions occurred in regions known to be frequently altered in prostate cancer. Specifically, the most frequent alterations were deletions of regions on chromosomes 13q, 5q, 16q, and 8p and gains of regions on 8q and 5q. When tumors from AAMs and CAMs were compared, the frequencies of alteration (deletion, gain, or no alteration) were similar across 98.9% of the length of the genome. The patterns of alterations of the most frequently altered chromosomes were also similar between tumors from AAMs and CAMs. We concluded that primary prostate cancers from AAMs and CAMs harbor a similar pattern and frequency of chromosomal alterations. These data support the notion that sporadic prostate cancers from AAMs and CAMs develop by similar chromosomal mechanisms. Biological differences, if present, do not occur on the chromosomal level.     

Ribosylhopane,a Novel Bacterial Hopanoid,as Precursor of C35 Bacteriohopanepolyols in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

Wild‐type Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) produces aminobacteriohopanetriol as the only elongated C₃₅ hopanoid. The hopanoid phenotype of two mutants bearing a deletion of genes from a previously identified hopanoid biosynthesis gene cluster provides clues to the formation of C₃₅ bacteriohopanepolyols. orf14 encodes a putative nucleosidase; its deletion induces the accumulation of adenosylhopane as it cannot be converted into ribosylhopane. orf18 encodes a putative transaminase; its deletion results in the accumulation of adenosylhopane, ribosylhopane, and bacteriohopanetetrol. Ribosylhopane was postulated twenty years ago as a precursor for bacterial hopanoids but was never identified in a bacterium. Absence of the transaminase encoded by orf18 prevents the reductive amination of ribosylhopane into aminobacteriohopanetriol and induces its accumulation. Its reduction by an aldose‐reductase‐like enzyme produces bacteriohopanetetrol, which is normally not present in S. coelicolor.     

Effect of high temperature or fire on heavy weight concrete properties

Temperature plays an important role in the use of concrete for shielding nuclear reactors. In the present work, the effect of different durations (1, 2 and 3 h) of high temperatures (250, 500, 750 and 950 °C) on the physical, mechanical and radiation properties of heavy concrete was studied. The effect of fire fitting systems on concrete properties was investigated. Results showed that ilmenite concrete had the highest density, modulus of elasticity and lowest absorption percent, and it had also higher values of compressive, tensile, bending and bonding strengths than gravel or baryte concrete. Ilmenite concrete showed the highest attenuation of transmitted gamma rays. Firing (heating) exposure time was inversely proportional to mechanical properties of all types of concrete. Ilmenite concrete was more resistant to elevated temperature. Foam or air proved to be better than water as a cooling system in concrete structure exposed to high temperature because water leads to a big damage in concrete properties.     

Lymph node size does not correlate with the presence of prostate cancer metastasis

Prostate carcinoma (PC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the western world. Although the role of oncogenes and growth factors in prostate carcinoma is still unclear, overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (erbB-1) and the proto-oncogene erbB-2 have been reported in prostate tumors, and erbB-2 related to poor prognosis and distant metastasis. Recent allelotyping studies in prostate cancer have shown chromosomal gains in 7p and 17q, regions where erbB-1 and erbB-2 are localized respectively, although no direct evidence of an increased gene copy number of either erbB-1 or erbB-2 has been reported. To address this question, we analyzed 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) samples and 36 samples of metastatic and non-metastatic PC by means of semiquantitative PCR. Thus, 64% (11/17) and 52% (10/19) of metastatic and non-metastatic tumors respectively showed gains of the relative genomic content of erbB-1 and an association of erbB-1 with prostate cancer but not with metastasis. Additionally, 41% (7/17) of metastatic samples showed gains of erbB-2 genomic content, suggesting an association of erbB-2 with metastasis and poor prognosis (p<0.005). No gains of erbB-1 or erbB-2 genomic content were detected in the BPH samples.