Network State Estimation and Prediction for Real-Time Traffic Management

Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) and Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) have the potential to contribute to the solution of the traffic congestion problem. DynaMIT is a real-time system that can be used to generate guidance for travelers. The main principle on which DynaMIT is based is that information should be consistent, and user optimal. Consistency implies that the traffic conditions experienced by the travelers are consistent with the condition assumed in generating the guidance. To generate consistent user optimal information, DynaMIT performs two main functions: state estimation and prediction. A demand simulator and a supply simulator interact to perform these tasks. A case study demonstrates the value of the system.     

Upregulation of Cathepsin X in Glioblastoma: Interplay with γ-Enolase and the Effects of Selective Cathepsin X Inhibitors

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and deadly primary brain tumor in adults. Understanding GBM pathobiology and discovering novel therapeutic targets are critical to finding efficient treatments. Upregulation of the lysosomal cysteine carboxypeptidase cathepsin X has been linked to immune dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases, but its role in cancer and particularly in GBM progression in patients is unknown. In this study, cathepsin X expression and activity were found to be upregulated in human GBM tissues compared to low-grade gliomas and nontumor brain tissues. Cathepsin X was localized in GBM cells as well as in tumor-associated macrophages and microglia. Subsequently, potent irreversible (AMS36) and reversible (Z7) selective cathepsin X inhibitors were tested in vitro. Selective cathepsin X inhibitors decreased the viability of patient-derived GBM cells as well as macrophages and microglia that were cultured in conditioned media of GBM cells. We next examined the expression pattern of neuron-specific enzyme γ-enolase, which is the target of cathepsin X. We found that there was a correlation between high proteolytic activity of cathepsin X and C-terminal cleavage of γ-enolase and that cathepsin X and γ-enolase were colocalized in GBM tissues, preferentially in GBM-associated macrophages and microglia. Taken together, our results on patient-derived material suggest that cathepsin X is involved in GBM progression and is a potential target for therapeutic approaches against GBM.     

Comparison of Canola and Soy Flour with Added Isocyanate as Wood Adhesives

Canola is widely grown in the northern latitudes for its vegetable oil, generating large quantities of residual, low value canola flour used as animal feed. The common wood adhesive poly(diphenylmethylene diisocyanate) (pMDI) should react with the wide variety of functional groups in proteins. Therefore, it would seem that canola flour with added pMDI could be an effective adhesive. Two main questions are addressed in this study: How do the wood adhesive properties of canola flour compare to the better-studied soy flour? How well do proteins, which contain an abundance of functional groups, cure with the very reactive pMDI? These questions were addressed using the small-scale adhesive strength test ASTM D-7998, with various adhesive formulations and bonding conditions for canola flour plus pMDI compared to soy adhesives. The more challenging wet cohesive bond strength was emphasized because the dry strengths were usually very good. Generally, soy adhesives were better than canola ones, as was the polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin cross-linker compared to pMDI, but these generalizations can be altered by the conditions selected. Three-ply plywood tests supported the small-scale test results.     

Lipid oxidative changes in chitosan-oregano coated traditional dry fermented sausage Petrovská klobása

The effect of a chitosan coating with added essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare) on lipid oxidation of dry fermented sausage (Petrovská klobása) was investigated. Fatty acid profile, aldehyde contents and sensory analysis of odor and flavor were determined after drying and during seven months of storage.     

High-resolution photometric optical monitoring for thin-film deposition

Real-time monitoring of thin-film deposition with high resolution is important for precise fabrication of thin-film devices in a technological environment with ever-increasing demands for smaller size and better performance. Using photometry, we were able to achieve a real-time optical monitoring resolution of film thickness that is comparable with a single atomic layer scale (i.e., subnanometer). Filtering noise efficiently and compensating for sources of error by use of an appropriate model produced this high resolution. The procedure proved reliable and can be useful in the thin-film-deposition industry.     

Reliable fabrication technologies for optical resonant filters

A reliable technology for optical resonant filters can be useful for optoelectronics technologies, optical communications systems, and biomedical applications. Positioning the resonance at a specific target wavelength is challenging because of the sensitivity of placing a narrow spectral filtering window tothe error factors that are associated with the fabrication and characterization processes. We describe and prove experimentally two fabrication approaches to overcome this challenge.     

Characteristics of the medical waste generated at the Jordanian hospitals

Recently, Jordan has witnessed increased amounts of medical waste generated at different healthcare facilities. This has resulted in issuance of Medical Waste Regulation that aimed at regulating the management processes of such hazardous waste. To provide information on medical waste generation rates, composition and statistical characteristics, a comprehensive sampling survey was initiated after a regulatory definition of the medical waste was established. Hospitals from Public, private and educational categories were covered by the survey. This paper presents the findings of the survey. The average generation rates ranged from 0.29 to 1.36 kg/bed/day, while in terms of patient numbers it is from 0.36 to 0.87 kg/patient/day. The total daily amount of medical waste generated at the Jordanian hospitals was estimated to be 6 tones/day. The daily amounts of medical waste generated at King Abdullah University Hospital were found to follow a log normal probability distribution. Physical composition analysis of the medical waste, which conducted based on the categories identified by the Jordanian Regulation, indicated that the infectious waste category is the highest, followed by sharps category and finally pathological, cytotoxic and pharmaceutical categories were the lowest. The study concluded that all hospitals covered by the survey are practicing segregation of hazardous medical waste from general medical waste. However, the segregation process in some hospitals is still inefficient and there is a potential for improvements toward minimizing the hazardous medical waste generation.     

Implementation of Artificial Neural Networks in Modeling the Water-Air Temperature Relationship of the River Drava

Water temperature directly affects the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of the river and determines the fitness and life of all aquatic organisms. It has direct and indirect effects on nearly all aspects of stream ecology. Accurately estimating water temperature is a complex problem. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between the air and water temperature of the River Drava by constructing an artificial neural network (ANN) model and choosing appropriate network architectures for the River Drava’s daily river water temperature as well as demonstrating its application in improving the interpretation of the results. A linear regression model, as well as a stochastic model are also constructed and compared to ANN models consisting of a multilayer perceptron neural network and a radial basis function network. The results indicate that the ANN models are much better models and that ANNs are powerful tools that can be used for the estimation of daily mean river temperature.