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An asynchronous P system with branch and bound for the minimum Steiner tree
Get PDFMembrane computing, also known as a P system, is a computational model inspired by the activity of living cells. P systems work in a polynomial number of steps, and several have been proposed for solving computationally hard problems. However, most of the proposed algorithms use an exponential number of membranes, and reduction in the number of membranes must be considered in order to make a P system a more realistic model. In the present paper, we propose an asynchronous P system using branch and bound to solve the minimum Steiner tree problem. The proposed P system solves for the minimum Steiner tree with n vertices and m edges in O(n^2) parallel steps or O(2^mn^2) sequential steps. We evaluate the number of membranes used in the proposed P system through experimental simulations. Our experimental results show the validity and efficiency of the proposed P system.journal articl
Realization of logic operations via spin–orbit torque driven perpendicular magnetization switching in a heavy metal/ferrimagnet bilayer
Get PDFProgrammable and non-volatile spin-based logic devices have attracted significant interest for use in logic circuits. Realization of logic operations via spin–orbit torque (SOT) driven magnetization switching could be a crucial step in the direction of building logic-in-memory architectures. In this work, we demonstrate experimentally, the realization of four logic operations in a heavy metal/ferrimagnet bilayer structure via SOT switching. We also propose a general scheme for choosing input parameters to achieve programmable logic operations. The bulk and tunable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and relatively lower saturation magnetization in ferrimagnets are found to make them more energy efficient in performing logic operations, as compared to conventional ferromagnets. Thus, ferrimagnets are promising candidates for use in logic-in-memory architectures, leading to the realization of user-friendly spin logic devices in the future.journal articl
Charge–spin interconversion in nitrogen sputtered Pt via extrinsic spin Hall effect
Get PDFWe experimentally investigate the charge–spin interconversion by introducing a lighter impurity, namely nitrogen (N) into Pt by varying the nitrogen gas flow rate, Q from 0 to 20%, and studying the Onsager reciprocity of spin Hall effect (SHE) via complementary methods of spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance and spin-pumping inverse SHE measurements, respectively. We notice a reduction in the crystalline nature of Pt upon nitrogen incorporation. We observe the influence of extrinsic side-jump scattering induced SHE by measuring the spin Hall efficiency, θSH in a wide temperature range from 10 to 296 K. This work establishes the incorporation of N in Pt by using sputtering, to enhance the SHE via extrinsic scattering as well as to observe the reciprocal effects of charge–spin interconversion.journal articl
Network resilience of plant-bee interactions in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot
Get PDFInteraction network resilience can be defined as the ability of interacting organisms to maintain their functions, processes or populations after experiencing a disturbance. Studies on mutualistic interactions between plants and pollinators along environmental gradients are essential to understand the provision of ecosystem services and the mechanisms challenging their network resilience. However, it remains unknown to what level ecological changes along climatic gradients constrain the network resilience of mutualistic organisms, especially along elevation gradients. We surveyed bee species and recorded their interactions with plants throughout the four major seasons (i.e. long and short rainy, and long and short dry) on 50 study sites positioned along an elevation gradient (525 m to 2,530 m asl) in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspots in Kenya, East Africa. We calculated bee and plant network resilience using the network resilience parameter (βeff) and assessed changes in bee and plant network resilience along the elevation gradient using generalised additive models (gams). We quantified the effects of climate, bee and plant diversity, bee functional traits, network structure, and landscape configuration on bee and plant network resilience using a set of multi-model inference frameworks followed by structural equation models (SEM). We found that bee and plant species exhibited higher levels of network resilience at higher elevations. While bee network resilience increased linearly across the elevation gradient, plant network resilience increased exponentially from ∼1500 m and higher. Bee and plant network resilience increased in areas with reduced mean annual temperature (MAT) and decreased in areas with lower mean annual precipitation (MAP). Our SEM model showed that increasing temperatures indirectly influenced plant network resilience via network modularity and community assemblage of bees. We also found that MAP had a direct positive effect on plant diversity and network resilience, while the fragmentation of habitats reduced richness of plant communities and enhanced network modularity. In conclusion, we revealed that mutualistic networks showed higher network resilience at higher elevations. We also unveiled that climate and habitat fragmentation directly or indirectly influences the network resilience of plants and bees via the modulation of community assemblages and interaction networks. These influences are lower at higher elevations such that these systems seem better able to buffer against extinction cascades. We thus suggest that, management efforts should be geared at consolidating natural habitats. In contrast, restoration efforts should aim at mitigating climate change effects and harnessing the ability of mutualists to reconnect broken links to improve the network resilience and functioning of East-African montane ecosystems.journal articl
Supporting Safe Walk of a Visually Impaired Person at a Station Platform Based on MY VISION
Get PDFWhen individuals with visual impairment go out, public transportation such as trains and buses is commonly used. However, many of them experience accidents, such as falling from train platforms or tripping due to unexpected contact with other passengers. To solve this problem, we propose a method using the MY VISION system which detects obstacles that may pose risks to individuals with visual impairment. The proposed method detects obstacles such as passengers’ pillars and platform edges at train stations. We employ an RGB-D camera for capturing frontal views of a user, use depth images to detect the edge of obstacles and level differences, and give warning to the visually impaired user based on the distance between him/her and the detected obstacle. Experimental results show satisfactory performance of the method.conference pape
Two-layered Microwell-array Device for Preparation of Single-neuron Culture Samples
Get PDFWhen a single neuron is cultured in isolation from other neurons, its axon connects with its own dendrites to form a simple, independent network with no synaptic inputs from other neurons. This culture system enables detailed analysis of synaptic function and morphology change in neurites at the single-neuron level, which is useful for elucidating the pathogenesis of neurological diseases and for evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic drugs for them. However, there was previously no device technology capable of simultaneously forming multiple single-neuron samples while allowing co-culture with astrocytes, which is essential for culture of a single neuron isolated from other neurons. In this study, we propose a novel microwell-array device for preparing single-neuron samples. The device consists of an upper layer for cell seeding and a lower layer for cell culture. Each layer has 16 × 16 microwells, and the bottom of each well is made of a 1 μm thick silicon nitride membrane. The membrane of the upper well has one microhole for seeding a single neuron, and the lower membrane has multiple microholes for interaction between a single neuron and astrocytes which are co-cultured back-to-back on both sides of the membrane. When neurons are seeded into the upper well, only one of them passes through the microhole in the upper membrane and falls onto the lower membrane. We evaluated a seeding efficiency of single neurons by changing seeding hole diameter and seeding density. The results showed that the yield of more than 20% was obtained regardless of the seeding density when the seeding hole diameter was 13 μm. We also confirmed that single neurons seeded in this manner and co-cultured with astrocytes developed neurites and formed synapses. These results demonstrated the usefulness of this device for the preparation of single-neuron culture samples.journal articl
Fairness improvement method using explicit congestion notification for QUIC
Get PDFQUIC is a transport protocol that adds congestion control, retransmission control, and TLS to UDP. QUIC can use the same congestion control algorithms as TCP. In previous work, we have shown that communication performance becomes unfair concerning the buffer size of the shared bottleneck link of two flows, one using CUBIC and the other BBR congestion control algorithms within QUIC. In this study, we improve the communication fairness performance at different bottleneck link buffer sizes by using Round Trip Time (RTT) and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to regulate congestion control aggressiveness when CUBIC and BBR compete within QUIC through actual experiments.journal articl
Liquid-Crystalline Photonic Sandwich: Electroresponsive Colloids of Clay Nanosheets Loading Photofunctional Dyes
Get PDFColloidal clay nanosheets obtained by the delamination of layered crystals of smectite-type clay minerals in water form liquid crystals because of their shape anisotropy. Loading of organic dyes onto the liquid crystalline clay nanosheets will enable novel photonic materials, where photofunctions of the loaded dye are controlled by the liquid crystallinity of the clay nanosheets. However, adsorption of organic dyes onto the nanosheets renders the nanosheet surfaces hydrophobic, and consequently, colloidal stability of the nanosheets is lost. In this study, this drawback is overcome by sandwiching cationic stilbazolium dyes between a pair of synthetic fluorohectorite nanosheets. This is realized by the preparation of stilbazolium–clay second-stage intercalation compounds characterized by intercalation of dye cations into every other interlayer space of the hectorite clay, where nonintercalated interlayer spaces are occupied by Na+ ions. The second-stage intercalation compounds are obtained by partial ion exchange of mother clay mineral incorporating Na+ ions in all of the interlayer spaces and delaminated from the Na+-containing interlayer spaces to form clay nanosheets sandwiching the dye molecules. Aqueous colloids of the dye-sandwiching clay nanosheets form colloidal liquid crystals, and the dye-sandwiching liquid crystalline clay nanosheets respond to an applied AC electric field to be aligned parallel to the electric field. The assembled structure of the dye-sandwiching clay nanosheets under the electric field is characterized by aligned discrete clay platelets, which is somewhat different from that of a colloidal liquid crystal of clay nanosheets without dye loading characterized by macroscopic liquid crystalline domains up to submillimeters. The electric alignment of the clay nanosheets induces alteration of light absorption of the sandwiched stilbazolium molecules, which verifies a strategy of constructing stimuli-responsive photonic materials of clay–organic hybrids.journal articl
A biocompatible NIR squaraine dye and dye-antibody conjugates for versatile long-term in vivo fluorescence bioimaging
Get PDFThe demand for dependable near-infrared (NIR) probes, capable of sustained fluorescence within living systems and facile conjugation with biomolecules like antibodies and proteins, has been significantly on the rise, attributed to the substantial rise in the use of NIR imaging techniques and devices, with extensive integration into clinical diagnostics. Antibody conjugates are vital for targeted and selective bioimaging, enabling precise visualization of specific biomolecules within complex biological systems. Their multiplexing capability allows simultaneous detection of multiple targets, while their dynamic imaging capability enables real-time monitoring of cellular processes. Clinically, antibody conjugates have significant applications in disease prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring. In this work, we report the synthesis of a new symmetrical NIR squaraine dye (SQ-58) with multiple carboxy anchoring groups for ease of coupling with antibodies. The dye showed decreased absorption and fluorescence intensity in phosphate buffer (PB) due to enhanced dye-aggregate formation. However, in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PB, SQ-58 showed an enhanced fluorescence signal along concentrations of BSA. SQ-58 showed no cytotoxicity when tested in white laboratory mice while providing strong fluorescence when injected in vivo. Conjugation of SQ-58 through the carboxylic groups to the isotypic mouse IgG antibodies (IgG-SQ-58) resulted in uniform distribution of the targeted molecule in the whole cardiovascular system. The NIR signal of IgG-SQ-58 was stable for at least 7 days allowing the possibility of long-term imaging. Conjugation of SQ-58 to antibodies raised against NK-Ly lymphoma tumor cells allowed efficient discrimination of tumor cells grown in the abdomen of laboratory mice. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time a biocompatible NIR dye, SQ-58, that can be easily conjugatable to biomolecules, and its antibody conjugates for a wide range of bioimaging applications.journal articl
Can ChatGPT Pass Classical Control Theory Exam?
Get PDFWith the advancement of AI technology, generative AI has made remarkable progress in its ability to process multiple languages and adapt to creative tasks. It has also demonstrated its strength in academic fields, such as passing the national medical examinations. In this study, we tested the extent to which ChatGPT (GPT-4) can accurately answer classical control theory questions offered in undergraduate courses. The experimental results showed that GPT-4 showed a correct response rate of under 70% for quiz exercises in classical control theory, and that the correct response rate was lower for problems whose solutions were specific or required step-by-step thinking. In addition, since GPT-4 is a Transformer-based model, and the answers are based on mere prediction, it may give incorrect answers for problems that require complex calculations. In this study, we proposed a method to improve the response accuracy by developing a customized GPT specialized for classical control theory and using prompt engineering. The proposed method was applied to a university undergraduate final exam in undergraduate course, and the results showed that the correct response rate was improved and a passing score (60% or higher) was obtained.journal articl