•We have developed a fuzzy inference system to improve real time flood forecasting.•Introduced a threshold subtractive clustering fuzzy algorithm which improves the forecasting of floods.•Compared ...the performance of proposed model with ANN, SOM and Takage–Sugeno fuzzy models.•Proposed peak percent threshold statistics to evaluate the performance of flood forecasting model.•Proposed model enables and supports the creation and execution of real time flood forecasting system.
In order to improve the real time forecasting of foods, this paper proposes a modified Takagi Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy inference system termed as threshold subtractive clustering based Takagi Sugeno (TSC-T–S) fuzzy inference system by introducing the concept of rare and frequent hydrological situations in fuzzy modeling system. The proposed modified fuzzy inference systems provide an option of analyzing and computing cluster centers and membership functions for two different hydrological situations, i.e. low to medium flows (frequent events) as well as high to very high flows (rare events) generally encountered in real time flood forecasting. The methodology has been applied for flood forecasting using the hourly rainfall and river flow data of upper Narmada basin, Central India. The available rainfall–runoff data has been classified in frequent and rare events and suitable TSC-T–S fuzzy model structures have been suggested for better forecasting of river flows. The performance of the model during calibration and validation is evaluated by performance indices such as root mean square error (RMSE), model efficiency and coefficient of correlation (R). In flood forecasting, it is very important to know the performance of flow forecasting model in predicting higher magnitude flows. The above described performance criteria do not express the prediction ability of the model precisely from higher to low flow region. Therefore, a new model performance criterion termed as peak percent threshold statistics (PPTS) is proposed to evaluate the performance of a flood forecasting model. The developed model has been tested for different lead periods using hourly rainfall and discharge data. Further, the proposed fuzzy model results have been compared with artificial neural networks (ANN), ANN models for different classes identified by Self Organizing Map (SOM) and subtractive clustering based Takagi Sugeno fuzzy model (SC-T–S fuzzy model). It has been concluded from the study that the TSC-T–S fuzzy model provide reasonably accurate forecast with sufficient lead-time.
Hard disk drives (HDDs) are used as secondary storage in digital electronic devices owing to low cost and large data storage capacity. Due to the exponentially increasing amount of data, there is a ...need to increase areal storage densities beyond ~1 Tb/in
. This requires the thickness of carbon overcoats (COCs) to be <2 nm. However, friction, wear, corrosion, and thermal stability are critical concerns below 2 nm, limiting current technology, and restricting COC integration with heat assisted magnetic recording technology (HAMR). Here we show that graphene-based overcoats can overcome all these limitations, and achieve two-fold reduction in friction and provide better corrosion and wear resistance than state-of-the-art COCs, while withstanding HAMR conditions. Thus, we expect that graphene overcoats may enable the development of 4-10 Tb/in
areal density HDDs when employing suitable recording technologies, such as HAMR and HAMR+bit patterned media.
Tight-fitting respirators are a critical component of respiratory protection against airborne diseases for health workers. However, they are not recommended for health workers with facial hair. Some ...health workers are unable to shave for religious or medical reasons. Under-mask beard covers have been proposed as a solution to allow health workers with facial hair to wear tight-fitting respirators. However, studies to date have been limited by their predominant reliance on qualitative rather than quantitative fit testing techniques.
To assess the efficacy of under-mask beard covers in achieving an adequate seal with tight-fitting disposable P2/N95 respirators using quantitative fit testing.
Bearded adult males underwent quantitative fit testing with an under-mask beard cover using either a TSI PortaCount Respirator Fit Tester 8038 or an AccuFit 9000 PRO fit testing device on up to five disposable P2/N95 respirators (3M 1860, 3M 1870+, BYD N95 Healthcare Particulate Respirator, BSN Medical ProShield N-95 Medium and Trident RTCFFP2). The primary outcome was the proportion of subjects that passed or failed quantitative fit testing with an under-mask beard cover.
Thirty subjects were assessed; of these, 24 (80%) passed quantitative fit testing with at least one tight-fitting P2/N95 disposable respirator. Among these subjects, the median best-achieved fit factor was 200 (interquartile range 178–200). None of the subjects had an adverse reaction to the under-mask beard cover.
The under-mask beard cover technique may be used to achieve a satisfactory seal with tight-fitting P2/N95 respirators in health workers with facial hair who cannot shave.
Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10675 has been isolated from soil sample using enrichment method and has nitrilase catalytic system which is highly specific for the hydrolysis of arylaliphatic nitriles. ...Optimization of culture conditions using response surface methodology and inducer-mediated approach enhanced arylacetonitrilase production significantly (2.4-fold). Isobutyronitrile acted as an effective inducer for the induction of arylacetonitrilase, and it is highly specific for arylacetonitriles (phenyl acetonitrile and mandelonitrile). Arylacetonitrilase has no effect on its relative velocity (V ᵣ) up to 20 mM substrate (mandelonitrile) concentration and at 30 mM mandelonitrile, 23.4 % degree of inhibition (I d) was recorded. Half life of arylacetonitrilase of Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10675 was 27.5 h at 25 °C. Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Pb³⁺, and Co²⁺ were strong inhibitor of arylacetonitrilase activity which resulted into 100 %, 91 %, 84 %, and 83 % inhibition, respectively. Polar protic solvent (dichloromethane, dimethylsulphooxide, and n-butanol) reduce arylacetonitrilase activity up to 80–94 % at 10 % concentration. Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10675 has higher biocatalytic activity, i.e., 3.9 gg⁻¹ dcw, which is highest in comparison to till reported organism. Arylacetonitrilase-mediated hydrolysis of racemic mandelonitrile resulted into R-(-) mandelic acid with 99.0 % enantiomeric excess (e.e.)
Background and aim: In acute liver failure (ALF), the brain is exposed to high levels of ammonia. Human studies defining the clinical significance of ammonia in ALF are lacking. This prospective ...study evaluated the relationship of arterial ammonia levels at admission to complications and survival among patients with ALF. Methods: Eighty consecutive ALF patients admitted from March 2001 to December 2003 were followed up until death or complete recovery. All had arterial ammonia estimation at admission (enzymatic method). Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of mortality. Results: Forty two (52.5%) patients died. Non-survivors had significantly higher median ammonia levels than survivors (174.7 v 105.0 μmol/l; p<0.001). An arterial ammonia level of ⩾ 124 μmol/l was found to predict mortality with 78.6% sensitivity and 76.3% specificity, and had 77.5% diagnostic accuracy. Patients with higher ammonia levels also developed more complications, including deeper encephalopathy (p = 0.055), cerebral oedema (p = 0.020), need for ventilation (p<0.001), and seizures (p = 0.006). Logistic regression analysis showed that pH, presence of cerebral oedema, and arterial ammonia at admission were independent predictors of mortality (odds ratios 6.6, 12.6, and 10.9, respectively). Incorporating these variables, a score predicting mortality risk at admission was derived: 2.53 + 2.91 ammonia + 2.41 oedema + 1.40 pH, where ammonia is scored as 0 (if <124 μmol/l) or 1 (if ⩾124 μmol/l); oedema is scored as 0 (absent) or 1(present); and pH is scored as 1 (if ⩽7.40) or 0 (if >7.40). Levels of partial pressure of ammonia were equally correlated with outcome. Conclusion: Arterial ammonia at presentation is predictive of outcome and can be used for risk stratification. Ammonia lowering therapies in patients with ALF should be evaluated.
Early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) evades detection when the primary tumor is hidden from view on endoscopic examination. Therefore, in a prospective study of subjects being screened for NPC ...using plasma Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA, we conducted a study to investigate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could detect endoscopically occult NPC.
Participants with persistently positive EBV DNA underwent endoscopic examination and biopsy when suspicious for NPC, followed by MRI blinded to the endoscopic findings. Participants with a negative endoscopic examination and positive MRI were recalled for biopsy or surveillance. Diagnostic performance was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, based on the histologic confirmation of NPC in the initial study or in a follow-up period of at least two years.
Endoscopic examination and MRI were performed on 275 participants, 34 had NPC, 2 had other cancers and 239 without cancer were followed-up for a median of 36months (24–60months). Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 76.5%, 97.5% and 94.9%, respectively, for endoscopic examination and 91.2%, 97.5% and 96.7%, respectively, for MRI. NPC was detected only by endoscopic examination in 1/34 (2.9%) participants (a participant with stage I disease), and only by MRI in 6/34 (17.6%) participants (stage I=4, II = 1, III = 1), two of whom had stage I disease and follow-up showing slow growth on MRI but no change on endoscopic examination for 36months.
MRI has a complementary role to play in NPC detection and can enable the earlier detection of endoscopically occult NPC.
Direct measurement of discharge in a stream is not only difficult and time consuming but also expensive. Therefore, the discharge in a stream is related to the stage through a number of carefully ...measured discharge values. A relationship between stages and corresponding measured discharges is usually derived using various graphical and analytical methods. As the relationship between stages and measured discharges is not linear, conventional methods based on least squares regression analysis for fitting a relationship are unable to model the non-linearity in the relationship and spatially in the cases when hysteresis is present in the data. The aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy inference system for modeling stage–discharge relationships and the investigations are illustrated by application of the model to observed gauge and discharges of various gauging stations in Narmada river system, India. A step by step procedure for developing TS fuzzy model is also presented. The results show that the TS fuzzy modeling approach is superior than the conventional and artificial neural network (ANN) based approaches. Comparison of the models on hypothetical data set also reveals that the fuzzy logic based approach is also able to model the hysteresis effect (loop rating curve) more accurately than the ANN approach.
Objectives
To investigate the influence of variations in resting pressure (precompression) on thyroid ultrasound supersonic shear wave elastography (SWE).
Methods
Thirty-five normal thyroid glands ...(Norm), 55 benign hyperplastic nodules (BHN), and 17 papillary thyroid cancers (PTC) in 96 subjects underwent thyroid SWE. Four precompression levels were applied manually by the operator, ranging from A (baseline, 0 % strain) to D (high, 22–30 % strain). SWE results at each precompression level were compared using ANOVA tests with
P
< 0.05 indicating significance.
Results
SWE indices were highest in PTC, followed by BHN and Norm at each precompression level (
P
< 0.05). All tissue types showed successive increases in SWE results as precompression increased, although the rate was higher for PTC than BHN and Norm (Ps < 0.05). SWE values (kPa) of Norm, BHN, and PTC at baseline precompression (A) were 10.3 ± 3.3, 17.7 ± 7.6, and 22.2 ± 11.9 compared with 21.1 ± 4.2, 42.3 ± 16.0, and 97.6 ± 46.8 at high precompression (D). SWE index differences between precompression levels A and D were 10.8 kPa for Norm, 24.6 kPa for BHN, and 75.4 kPa for PTC.
Conclusion
PTCs show greater SWE stiffening than BHN as precompression rises. Precompression effects on thyroid nodules are not negligible and may account for wide discrepancies in published SWE discriminatory performance results for thyroid malignancy.
Key Points
•
Increases in resting pressure (precompression) applied by the operator increases thyroid stiffness
.
•
Papillary cancers show greater increases in stiffness (strain hardening) than benign nodules
.
•
Precompression may affect the diagnostic performance of shearwave elastography for thyroid malignancy
.
Complex tissues contain multiple cell types that are hierarchically organized within morphologically and functionally distinct compartments. Construction of engineered tissues with optimized tissue ...architecture has been limited by tissue fabrication techniques, which do not enable versatile microscale organization of multiple cell types in tissues of size adequate for physiological studies and tissue therapies. Here we present an 'Intaglio-Void/Embed-Relief Topographic molding' method for microscale organization of many cell types, including induced pluripotent stem cell-derived progeny, within a variety of synthetic and natural extracellular matrices and across tissues of sizes appropriate for in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical studies. We demonstrate that compartmental placement of non-parenchymal cells relative to primary or induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes, compartment microstructure, and cellular composition modulate hepatic functions. Configurations found to sustain physiological function in vitro also result in survival and function in mice for at least 4 weeks, demonstrating the importance of architectural optimization before implantation.
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