Pregnancy rates after timed AI of heifers following removal of intravaginal progesterone inserts

Reproductive performance of dairy heifers was compared for each of 2 synchronization protocols: The first group of 54 heifers was synchronized using intravaginal progesterone inserts (CIDR) plus estradiol cypionate (ECP) on d 0, PGF(2alpha) on d 7, and ECP again on d 8 (CIDR-ECP); a second group of 56 heifers was synchronized using CIDR and ECP on d 0, PGF(2alpha) on d 7, and GnRH on d 9 (CIDR-GnRH). All heifers received timed artificial insemination (TAI) at 48, 56, or 72 h after CIDR removal on d 7. Pregnancy diagnosis was conducted by ultrasonography 32 +/- 1 d post AI to confirm pregnancy and at 60 +/- 1 d post AI to determine embryo survival. Ovaries were monitored by ultrasonography daily from d 0 to 7 and twice daily from d 8 to ovulation to examine emergence of a new wave of follicles, size of the ovulatory follicle, and timing of ovulation on 15 heifers per protocol. New follicular development was detected 3.7 +/- 0.2 d after CIDR insertion. Heifers receiving CIDR-ECP had a shorter interval from CIDR removal to ovulation than heifers receiving CIDR-GnRH (63.8 +/- 3.0 vs. 71.6 +/- 2.3 h, respectively); however, ovulation occurred 39.8 +/- 3.0 h after ECP or 23.6 +/- 2.3 h after GnRH. Diameters of ovulatory follicles did not differ between treatments. Overall pregnancy rate for synchronized heifers was 60.1%, and embryo survival was 98%. Pregnancy rate for heifers synchronized with CIDR-ECP was 63.0% and similar to that in heifers synchronized with CIDR-GnRH (57.1%). Pregnancy rate was affected by time of AI for heifers synchronized using CIDR-ECP but not for those synchronized with CIDR-GnRH. Heifers in the CIDR-ECP group that were inseminated 56 h after CIDR removal had a higher pregnancy rate (81.0%) compared with heifers inseminated 48 (66.7%) or 72 h (50.0%) after CIDR removal. Either ECP or GnRH used in a CIDR-based TAI program in dairy heifers can achieve acceptable reproductive performance.     

A Real-Time Artificially Intelligent Monitoring System for Nuclear Power Plants Operators Support

In this paper, we describe the artificially intelligent monitoring system (AIMS), a framework for power plants real-time monitoring systems (RT/MS), developed at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE/UFRJ) and applied to the Brazilians Angra-1 and Angra-2 nuclear power plants. The kernel of AIMS is an object-oriented knowledge-base system, in which acquired and calculated variables, as well as their interdependencies, are mapped into a hierarchical objects network where the rules and real-time constraints are implicit in objects operators and network topology. The state of monitored variables updates a fact-base, which is used by a real-time inference-machine (RT/IM) to activate and synchronize the fire of the knowledge-base (KB) rules. The operators man–machine interface (MMI) are, then, updated. Besides, also following the object-oriented paradigm, AIMS provides many facilities for building and maintaining the KB and the operators MMI. In order to illustrate the use of AIMS, we show part of a real application in Angra-2 NPP.     

语料库中熟语的标记问题

熟语是自然语言中普遍存在的语言现象。本文分析了国内现有语料库对熟语的标注方式,发现这种方式对语料库的进一步加工是有问题的。为了在语料库标注阶段把熟语问题处理好,本文从信息处理的角度将熟语中的成语、惯用语、歇后语、习用语、专门语以及缩略语归为固定语的范畴,进而提出根据固定语的语法功能给定词性标记,再根据它们的词汇特征给定词汇范畴标记的双层标记法,这样在一定程度上解决了熟语的语料库标注问题。     

Trainable Articulatory Control Models for Visual Speech Synthesis

This paper deals with the problem of modelling the dynamics of articulation for a parameterised talking head based on phonetic input. Four different models are implemented and trained to reproduce the articulatory patterns of a real speaker, based on a corpus of optical measurements. Two of the models, (Cohen-Massaro and Öhman) are based on coarticulation models from speech production theory and two are based on artificial neural networks, one of which is specially intended for streaming real-time applications. The different models are evaluated through comparison between predicted and measured trajectories, which shows that the Cohen-Massaro model produces trajectories that best matches the measurements. A perceptual intelligibility experiment is also carried out, where the four data-driven models are compared against a rule-based model as well as an audio-alone condition. Results show that all models give significantly increased speech intelligibility over the audio-alone case, with the rule-based model yielding highest intelligibility score.     

The CAM-Brain Machine (CBM): An FPGA Based Tool for Evolving a 75 Million Neuron Artificial Brain to Control a Lifesized Kitten Robot

This article introduces the CAM-Brain Machine (CBM), an FPGA based piece of hardware which implements a genetic algorithm (GA) to evolve a cellular automata (CA) based neural network circuit module, of approximately 1,000 neurons, in about a second, i.e., a complete run of a GA, with 10,000s of circuit growths and performance evaluations. Up to 65,000 of these modules, each of which is evolved with a humanly specified function, can be downloaded into a large RAM space, and interconnected according to humanly specified artificial brain architectures. This RAM, containing an artificial brain with up to 75 million neurons, is then updated by the CBM at a rate of 130 billion CA cells per second. Such speeds should enable real time control of robots and hopefully the birth of a new research field that we call brain building. The first such artificial brain, to be built in 2000 and beyond, will be used to control the behaviors of a life sized robotkitten called Robokitty.     

能玩“石头、剪子、布”游戏的机器人

本文介绍一个能够与人类玩“石头、剪子、布”游戏的游戏机器人。该机器人配备一只五自由度的五指灵巧手,每个手指可以独立运动,因此它可以象真人的手一样地做出“石头、剪子、布”的手形。系统中应用人工智慧的推理法则和概率统计方法实现游戏的智能玩法,从而使得机械手具有拟人的思维特征。灵巧手的手指由步进电机带动。所有的控制和检测均有电脑及其上的输入输出卡完成。     

人工生命仿真在计算机动画中的应用

探讨了人工生命在计算机动画中的应用,分析了一个飞鸟模型的人工生命系统的实现,这个系统中的个体具有基本的行为特征,可以实现较复杂的动画。     

Effects of 1,4-Benzoxazin-3-One Derivatives from Maize on Survival and Fecundity of Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) on Artificial Diet

Effects of 2--D-glucopyranosyloxy-4-hydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA-Glc) and DIMBOA-Glc N-O-methylated (HDMBOA-Glc), two compounds present in high concentration in maize, were tested on the aphid Metopolophium dirhodum reared on artificial diet. HDMBOA-Glc and DIMBOA-Glc decrease survival of adults with an LD₅₀ of 1 mM and 5.6 mM, respectively, after 72 hr of feeding. These compounds also decrease the fecundity of the aphids at concentrations of 2 mM and 1 mM, respectively. At concentrations of 2 mM HDMBOA-Glc and 8 mM DIMBOA-Glc in the diet, the average lifetime fecundity of 10 females is near zero. Offspring mortality on diet with 2 mM DIMBOA-Glc is significantly higher than with the control diet. In contrast, HDMBOA-Glc has no effect on the survival of offspring. The possibility that these compounds protect Poaceae against aphids is discussed.     

基于．NET的智能远程教学系统的设计与实现

21世纪是信息化的世纪和学习化的世纪，它对高校的人才培养提出了各种新的要求和挑战。教学手段也由传统的CAI教学逐渐向智能化远程教学转变。新一代的教学手段——智能化远程教学可以为我国教育普及化提供强有力的支持。本文就是以计算机语言课程远程教学系统的设计为例，探讨如何具有初步智能的计算机网络远程辅助教学系统的设计过程和设计方法。