On the applicability of diploid genetic algorithms in dynamic environments

Diploid genetic algorithms (DGAs) promise robustness as against simple genetic algorithms which only work towards optimization. Moreover, these algorithms outperform others in dynamic environments. The work examines the theoretical aspect of the concept by examining the existing literature. The present work takes the example of dynamic TSP to compare greedy approach, genetic algorithms and DGAs. The work also implements a greedy genetic approach for the problem. In the experiments carried out, the three variants of dominance were implemented and 115 runs proved the point that none of them outperforms the other.     

A review on solar still: a simple desalination technology to obtain potable water

Present review paper presents an overall summarised presentational view of the research work to be discussed on the solar still. The current review paper also includes the infused crisis and struggle for obtaining fresh water for drinking purpose and consumption for other household activities which are a result of the ecological imbalance that has prevailed and is in continuation for past many centuries. It also shows the various tested and applied techniques for freshwater production and their suitability in the usability context in the present scenario of the scarcity of clean water. The use of solar desalination technology is discussed elaborately for a broader consumption to be employed in the current and future works.     

Room temperature response and enhanced hydrogen sensing in size selected Pd-C core-shell nanoparticles: Role of carbon shell and Pd-C interface

In the present work, the effect of carbon shell around size selected palladium (Pd) nanoparticles on hydrogen (H₂) sensing has been studied by investigating the sensing response of Pd-C core-shell nanoparticles having a fixed core size and different shell thickness. The H₂ sensing response of sensors based on Pd and Pd-C nanoparticles deposited on SiO₂ and graphene substrate has been measured over a temperature range of 25 °C–150 °C. It is observed that Pd-C nanoparticle sensor shows higher sensitivity with increase in shell thickness and faster response/recovery in comparison to that of Pd nanoparticle samples. Pd-C nanoparticles show room temperature H₂ sensitivity in contrast to Pd nanoparticles which respond only at higher temperatures. Role of carbon shell is also understood by investigating H₂ sensing properties of Pd and Pd-C nanoparticles on graphene substrates. These results show that higher catalytic activity and electronic interaction at Pd-C interface, a complete coverage and protection of Pd surface by carbon and presence of structural defects in nanoparticle core are important for room temperature and higher sensing response.     

Nanocharacterization in Dentistry

About 80% of US adults have some form of dental disease. There are a variety of new dental products available, ranging from implants to oral hygiene products that rely on nanoscale properties. Here, the application of AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) and optical interferometry to a range of dentistry issues, including characterization of dental enamel, oral bacteria, biofilms and the role of surface proteins in biochemical and nanomechanical properties of bacterial adhesins, is reviewed. We also include studies of new products blocking dentine tubules to alleviate hypersensitivity; antimicrobial effects of mouthwash and characterizing nanoparticle coated dental implants. An outlook on future “nanodentistry” developments such as saliva exosomes based diagnostics, designing biocompatible, antimicrobial dental implants and personalized dental healthcare is presented.     

Short- and long-term effects of fraternity and sorority membership on heavy drinking: A social norms perspective.

This study sought to determine whether the well-established relation between fraternity/sorority (Greek) membership and heavy alcohol use persists beyond the college years and whether some common third variables might account for the relation between Greek status and heavy drinking. During each of 4 years of college and 1 additional year, young adults (N ?=?319) completed measures of alcohol use, personality, alcohol expectancies, and environmental influences on drinking. Throughout the college years, Greeks consistently drank more heavily than non-Greeks. Statistically controlling for previous alcohol use did not eliminate this effect. However, Greek status did not predict postcollege heavy drinking levels. Also, perceived peer norms for heavy drinking mediated the relation between Greek affiliation and heavy alcohol use. Results are discussed in terms of situational determinants of heavy alcohol involvement in young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Loganin on Bone Formation and Resorption In Vitro and In Vivo

Osteoporosis is a disease caused by impaired bone remodeling that is especially prevalent in elderly and postmenopausal women. Although numerous chemical agents have been developed to prevent osteoporosis, arguments remain regarding their side effects. Here, we demonstrated the effects of loganin, a single bioactive compound isolated from Cornus officinalis, on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation in vitro and on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in mice in vivo. Loganin treatment increased the differentiation of mouse preosteoblast cells into osteoblasts and suppressed osteoclast differentiation in primary monocytes by regulating the mRNA expression levels of differentiation markers. Similar results were obtained in an osteoblast–osteoclast co-culture system, which showed that loganin enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and reduced TRAP activity. In in vivo experiments, the oral administration of loganin prevented the OVX-induced loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructure in mice and improved bone parameters. In addition, loganin significantly increased the serum OPG/RANKL ratio and promoted osteogenic activity during bone remodeling. Our findings suggest that loganin could be used as an alternative treatment to protect against osteoporosis.     

Approaches for reducing Salmonella in pork production

Salmonellosis is an important disease in humans and is associated with contaminated food, including pork products. Salmonella infection is invasive in humans, but it usually remains latent within the swine population, creating reservoirs for carcass contamination. Although abattoirs implement stringent procedures during carcass processing, some raw pork products still have Salmonella contamination. To reduce the presence of Salmonella, a dynamic picture of the pork production chain is needed that includes management practices aimed at health and welfare of swine and practices within swine operations that affect the environment and community health. Swine practices indirectly influence the spread of zoonotic enteric pathogens. Pathogens in food animals can escape detection, and critical control points often are missed. Preharvest growth of swine by enhancement of normal gut flora and targeting intestinal pathogens through nonantibiotic approaches might improve food safety and reduce antibiotic residues. In light of the threat posed by multidrug-resistant pathogens, old dogma is being revisited with optimism for potential utility in promoting pre- and postharvest pork safety. This review includes possible approaches that can be implemented in swine operations and postslaughter during pork processing with simultaneous omission of subtherapeutic antibiotics to control Salmonella. We emphasize the vital roles of the veterinarians, pig producers, industry, food research scientists, and government guidelines for the strategic implementation of approaches to Salmonella control across the pork production and processing chains.     

Metal ion adsorption behavior of lignocellulosic fiber–ethylene vinyl acetate composites

This study describes the applicability of lignocellulosic fiber dispersed in ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) to adsorb Pb(II), Cr(III), and Cr(VI) ions in aqueous solutions. Water absorption studies revealed that metal‐ion uptake does not only take place on the surface of the adsorbent but ions can also diffuse into the composite. The adsorption of the metal ions under different experimental conditions was studied. Solute concentration, pH, and contact time were used to assess the adsorption capacity and efficiency. The amount of metal adsorbed increased to 7 mg/g with an increase in solute concentration but compromising the efficiency. Adsorption equilibrium was reached after 3 h, when the maximum lead adsorption was above 80%. The optimum pH for the adsorption of Pb(II) and Cr(III) was 6.5, and pH 2.5 was used for the adsorption of Cr(VI). Competitive adsorption revealed the order of adsorption to be: Pb(II) > Cr(VI) > Cr(III). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

VMVC: Verifiable multi-tone visual cryptography

Traditional k out of n threshold visual cryptography scheme is proposed to hide a secret image into n shares, where only k or more shares can visually reveal the secret image. Most of the previous state of art approaches on visual cryptography are almost restricted in processing of binary images as secret, which are inadequate for many applications like securely transmission of medical images(Store and Forward Telemedicine), forensic images etc. In this paper, a new Verifiable Multi-toned Visual Cryptography (VMVC) scheme is proposed to securely transmit the confidential images on web. Proposed approach also provides cheating prevention, since each pixel of shares contains a self embedding verifiable bit for integrity test of that pixel. Many existing approaches are suffering from many unnecessary encryption constraints like random shares, codebook requirement, contrast loss etc, which all are successfully addressed in proposed approach. Some comparisons with previously proposed methods are also made. Experimental results and analysis are used to prove the efficiency of proposed approach.