193 research outputs found
Decentralized Approximate Bayesian Inference for Distributed Sensor Network
No full textBayesian models provide a framework for probabilistic modelling of complex datasets. Many such models are computationally demanding, especially in the presence of large datasets. In sensor network applications, statistical (Bayesian) parameter estimation usually relies on decentralized algorithms, in which both data and computation are distributed across the nodes of the network. In this paper we propose a framework for decentralized Bayesian learning using Bregman Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (B-ADMM).We demonstrate the utility of our framework, with Mean Field Variational Bayes (MFVB) as the primitive for distributed affine structure from motion (SfM).Peer reviewe
A Review of Direct Shear Testing Configurations for Bond between Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Sheets on Concrete and Masonry Substrates
No full textThe surface bond characteristics of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sheets have been subject to research for more than two decades. These sheets generally exhibit brittle performance during direct shear and often delaminate prematurely before they attain the full strength of the material. This paper reviews the experimental testing configurations to investigate the direct shear bond surface characteristics of FRP sheets on concrete and masonry substrates. Additionally, it summarizes the data acquisition methods and the observed behavior for surface bond of FRP sheets on concrete and masonry. This review aims to serve as a source for future experimental research studies in the field. Further, an innovative testing configuration is suggested to measure bond strength of FRP sheets on concrete and masonry surfaces in direct shear.</jats:p
Estimating the branching fraction for decay
No full textI present estimates of the branching fractions in the non-leptonic charmonium
two-body decay rates for decay and the same
decays of , and
. These estimates are based on a generalized
factorization approach making use of leading order (LO) and next-to-leading
order (NLO) contributions. I find that when the large enhancements from the
known NLO contributions by using the QCD factorization approach are taken into
account, the branching ratios are the following: , , and , while the experimental results are
, , and respectively. All
estimates are in good agreement with the experimental results.Comment: Repeated topi
Development and applications of programmable DNA-guided Argonaute-based artificial restriction enzymes
No full textRestriction enzymes or formally known as restriction endonucleases are a class of nuclease enzymes which recognize short DNA sequences and cleave DNA molecules at or near their recognition site. Type II restriction enzymes are capable of cleavage of DNA at a fixed location with respect to their recognition sequence and some type II restriction enzymes are able to generate defined cohesive ends (a.k.a sticky ends) on DNA molecules after cleavage. Because of these two remarkable features, upon their discovery, type II restriction enzymes revolutionized molecular biology and helped give rise to the field of modern biotechnology. To date, type II restriction enzymes still play a major role in biological research with more than 600 enzymes with >235 distinct sequence specificities commercially available. While type II restriction enzymes are able to cleave DNA molecules specifically, they only recognize short DNA sequences (4-8 base pairs) which limits some of their applications. To address this challenge, artificial restriction enzymes (AREs) such as ZFNs, TALENs, or CRISPR-Cas nucleases were developed. While these AREs have longer recognition sequences compared to type II restriction enzymes, they are not able to produce defined sticky ends on DNA molecules or target all desired DNA sequences which significantly constrains their applications in vitro. In this dissertation, I describe the development and applications of a new class of artificial restriction enzymes capable of targeting virtually any DNA sequences with high specificities and generating defined sticky ends of varying length.
Argonaute proteins are a family of nucleic acid guide-dependent proteins which can be found in all domains of life. Some prokaryotic Argonaute proteins (pAgos) are able to use short single-stranded DNA molecules as guides to target complementary DNA sequences. I first utilized this capability of pAgos and developed a Pyrococcus furiosus Argonaute (PfAgo) based platform for generation of programmable DNA-guided artificial restriction enzymes. This platform was used to generate 18 AREs for DNA fingerprinting and molecular cloning of PCR-amplified or genomic DNAs. Next, I studied the potential of other pAgos for use as AREs. Through these studies, I was able to create an engineered version of PfAgo enzyme which demonstrates lower non-guided nuclease activity as well as higher specificity for cleavage of high GC-content DNA sequences compared to the wild-type PfAgo enzyme.
To demonstrate some of the applications of the newly developed AREs, I first created a method for rapid and highly accurate assembly of linear DNA molecules by PfAgo-based AREs. Using this method, plasmid DNA molecules up to 27 kb in size can be assembled from up to 10 DNA fragments with high efficiencies. This method also exhibits extremely low error rates and is able to assemble DNA molecules containing sequence repeats as well as DNA molecules with high GC-content. Next, I evaluated the capability and limitations of PfAgo-based AREs in direct cloning of microbial biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Using PfAgo-based AREs, I was able to clone microbial BGCs ranging from 13-42 kb in size from both Bacillus and Streptomyces species with high efficiencies. However, PfAgo-based AREs did not exhibit 100% success rate for this application. As a result, I developed an alternative method for cloning microbial BGCs named Cas12a assisted precise targeted cloning using in vivo Cre-lox recombination (CAPTURE). This method which consists of Cas12a digestion, a newly developed DNA assembly approach termed T4 polymerase exo + fill-in DNA assembly, and Cre-lox in vivo DNA circularization, is capable of cloning microbial natural product BGCs ranging from 10-113 kb in size regardless of their GC-content or repetitive DNA sequence with ~100% cloning efficiency and success rate.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2022-12-01The student, Behnam Enghiad, accepted the attached license on 2020-11-27 at 15:43.The student, Behnam Enghiad, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2020-11-27 at 16:00.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2020-12-03 at 07:52.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15970 on 2022-01-12 at 13:02:47Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:51:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Assessment of mental fatigue for enhancing occupational safety and health in construction
No full textThe job-related fatality rate in the construction industry is high as a result of multiple factors associated with the safety of workers. However, mental fatigue, a prominent factor affecting one’s hazard perception, from engagement in construction tasks and its effects on fall hazard has not been adequately studied. This thesis proposes a two-trajectory framework to assess mental fatigue using Electroencephalography (EEG). Primarily, Wavelet Packet Decomposition (WPD) was used to obtain energy in each brain wave, and seven mental fatigue indices including θ, α, β, α/β, θ/α, θ/β, and (θ + α)/β were calculated. Secondarily, sample entropy (SampleEn) values were calculated for groups under comparison to examine the results from the WPD. Results from the adopted method suggest that typical construction activities and height exposure can cause mental fatigue and reduce vigilance level in workers. It is essential to have a quantitative approach for continuous cognitive monitoring to enhance construction safety
Corrigendum:Social smart city research: interconnections between participatory governance, data privacy, artificial intelligence and ethical sustainable development
No full textIn the published article, the second author's name was incorrectly written as “Behnaz Bababei Morad.” The correct spelling is “Behnaz Babaeimorad.” In the published article, there was an error in affiliation 3. This was incorrectly written as “Department of Urban Planning, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.” It should be “Department of Urban Planning, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.” In the published article, there was an error regarding the affiliations for the third author, Behnam Ghasemzadeh. As well as having affiliations 2, 4, and 5, they should also have “1Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.” The authors apologize for these errors and state that they do not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.</p
Antiphospholipid Antibodies and COVID‐19: A Systematic Review of Clinical Implications
No full textABSTRACT Introduction As the COVID‐19 pandemic transitions, understanding the intricate dynamics of the disease becomes paramount. This systematic review explores the role of antiphospholipid antibodies in COVID‐19, focusing on their potential clinical implications. Methods This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, assesses studies exploring the link between antiphospholipid antibodies and COVID‐19. PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies published up to December 22, 2024. Inclusion criteria comprised studies involving patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 and reporting on the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. The risk of bias in individual studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool. Results Our Study includes 59 records involving a total of 28,489 COVID‐19 patients. Antiphospholipid antibodies were tested in 14,498 COVID‐19 patients. It was observed that 50.84% of patients tested positive for antiphospholipid antibodies. Various types of antiphospholipid antibodies, including Anticardiolipin, Anti beta2 glycoproteins, and Lupus anticoagulant antibody, displayed prevalence rates in the patients with thrombosis. The overall frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies in thrombosis patients was 38.55%. Conclusion The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in a significant proportion of COVID‐19 patients underscores the need for a detailed investigation into their role in thrombotic events. Our study highlights potential avenues for targeted interventions. However, the evolving nature of COVID‐19 necessitates continued research efforts to clarify clinical implications and optimize management strategies in this complex landscape of thrombosis and immunology. The review reveals some limitations, such as variability in study designs and demographics and inherent differences in methodologies among included studies. Future studies should address these limitations with standardized methodologies for more conclusive findings
Combined Effects of Saltwater and Water Flow on Deterioration of Concrete under Freeze–Thaw Cycles
No full textReview of Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical Systems (HiLCPS): The Current Status from Human Perspective
No full textReview of Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical Systems (HiLCPS): The Current Status from Human Perspective
No full textCyber-physical systems (CPS) are co-engineered interacting networks of physical and computational components. Most future technologies are believed to have much more human-aware. Accordingly, integrating human context in CPS instead of placing it outside the system boundary is becoming increasingly important. It is essential to have a systematic understanding of the principles that how to integrate human into CPS as human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems (HiLCPS). However, in the literature, the roles that human should take in HiLCPS are not clearly identified. The HiLCPS are heterogeneous systems with high uncertainty and complexity associated with humans, thus specifying human roles in HiLCPS enables the optimum system performance by fully considering human perspectives. This study focuses on synthesizing the existing HiLCPS literature to gain the insight of human roles. Three HiLCPS configurations are identified. For each configuration, human roles with related studies are reviewed. Furthermore, the associated challenges and opportunities are identified and summarized
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