Least-squares Program Research Articles

Demonstration of shape analysis of neutron resonance transmission spectrum measured with a laser-driven neutron source

Laser-driven neutron sources (LDNSs) can generate strong short-pulse neutron beams, which are valuable for scientific studies and engineering applications. Neutron resonance transmission analysis (NRTA) is a nondestructive technique used for determining the areal density of each nuclide in a material sample using pulsed thermal and epithermal neutrons. Herein, we report the first successful NRTA performed using an LDNS driven by the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiment at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University. The key challenge was achieving a well-resolved resonance transmission spectrum for material analysis using an LDNS with a limited number of laser shots in the presence of strong background noise. We addressed this by employing a time-gated 6Li\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{6}{\ extrm{Li}}$$\\end{document}-glass scintillation neutron detector to measure the transmission spectra, reducing the impact of electromagnetic noise and neutron and gamma-ray flashes. Output waveforms were recorded for each laser shot and analyzed offline using a counting method. This approach yielded a spectrum with distinct resonances, which were attributed to 115In\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{115}\\,{\ extrm{In}}$$\\end{document} and 109Ag\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{109}{\ extrm{Ag}}$$\\end{document}, as confirmed through neutron transmission simulation. The spectrum was analyzed using the least-square nuclear-resonance fitting program, REFIT, demonstrating the possibility of using an LDNS for nondestructive areal-density material characterization.

Performance Evaluation of Khari and Boer Crossbred Goats in Mid Hills Under Optimum Management Regime.

Goats are recognized as a vital and versatile livestock commodity with significant importance in rural farmers’ communities of developing countries, including Nepal. Growth, reproductive and litter performances are considered as the major economic traits of goats. This study was designed to compare the growth, reproduction and litter traits of goat kids and does at mid hill region for different non-genetic factors such as genetic groups (Khari, Boer 75% and 50%), parity (early, mid and late), season of conception and kidding (summer, autumn, winter, spring), sex (male and female) and type of birth (single, twins and triplet) under optimum management regime. Data for the four-year study period (2017 to 2021) on production performance were entered into MS-Excel sheet from the data record book of the National Goat Research Program, Bandipur and analyzed by using Mixed Model Least-square and Maximum Likelihood Computer Program PC-2 statistical package. The means were compared using Duncans' Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Results revealed that the effect of genetic group, parity, type of birth and sex were significant (p<0.05) with respect to growth at different stages along with genetic group and parity that were significant with major non-genetic factors affecting reproduction and litter traits. Better reproduction parameters were recorded for the Khari goat breed than Boer crossbred. Similarly, litter traits at both birth and weaning were found better in later parities with better performance in Khari. Males were born heavier and consistent throughout the study period up to eighteen months. Hence, based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that Khari goat breed has high potential for its reproduction and litter traits with a massive scope of improvement through selection within the population. Likewise, it is also important to consider the growth of inferior Khari goats can also be genetically improved through upgrading up to 75% blood level using an appropriate breed, such as Boer.

Stability constants of vanadium(III) complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline and the amino acids phenylalanine, methionine, serine and threonine

In this work we report a study of ternary complexes of V(III) with 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) and the amino acids phenylalanine (Phe, HL), methionine (Met, HL), serine (Ser, HL) and threonine (Thr, HL) in aqueous solution with an ionic medium of 3.0 mol/L KCl at 25 °C. The systems were studied by electromotive force (emf(H)) measurements. Analysis of the potentiometric data with the least-squares program LETAGROP indicates formation of complexes of the type VHL, V(Phen)(L)(OH)2, [V2O(Phen)(L)]3+ and [V2O(Phen)2(L)2]2+ in all the systems studied. The species distribution diagrams are briefly discussed. Also, the dimer [V2O(Phen)(L)]3+ was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy.

$$\mathcal {N}$$IPM-HLSP: an efficient interior-point method for hierarchical least-squares programs

$$\mathcal {N}$$IPM-HLSP: an efficient interior-point method for hierarchical least-squares programs

Concurrent Multi-Label Prediction in Event Streams

Streams of irregularly occurring events are commonly modeled as a marked temporal point process. Many real-world datasets such as e-commerce transactions and electronic health records often involve events where multiple event types co-occur, e.g. multiple items purchased or multiple diseases diagnosed simultaneously. In this paper, we tackle multi-label prediction in such a problem setting, and propose a novel Transformer-based Conditional Mixture of Bernoulli Network (TCMBN) that leverages neural density estimation to capture complex temporal dependence as well as probabilistic dependence between concurrent event types. We also propose potentially incorporating domain knowledge in the objective by regularizing the predicted probability. To represent probabilistic dependence of concurrent event types graphically, we design a two-step approach that first learns the mixture of Bernoulli network and then solves a least-squares semi-definite constrained program to numerically approximate the sparse precision matrix from a learned covariance matrix. This approach proves to be effective for event prediction while also providing an interpretable and possibly non-stationary structure for insights into event co-occurrence. We demonstrate the superior performance of our approach compared to existing baselines on multiple synthetic and real benchmarks.

Practical whole-body elasto-geometric calibration of a humanoid robot: Application to the TALOS robot

The whole-body elasto-geometrical calibration of humanoid robots is critical particularly for their control and accurate simulation. However, it is often not considered probably since it is a nontrivial task due to the mechanical complexity and inherent constraints of anthropomorphic structures. Also, humanoid robots have to sustain great efforts on their support legs, leading to link and joint being deformed, and are prone to auto-collision. Thus, elastic parameters have to be factored in addition to the geometric ones and to improve the precision of the pose of all robot segments. This is much more cumbersome and time consuming than the classical calibration of serial manipulators that deals solely with the estimation of the pose of the end-effector. Finally, due to the complexity of the task, a manual intervention in several steps of the calibration is no longer possible and a thorough automation of the approach is needed. Therefore, we propose to use a stereophotogrammetric system along with embedded joint torque sensors to calibrate the pose of all robot links with a fully automatic procedure. The generation of the minimal set of optimal calibration postures is based on a new iterative optimization process that leads to a stable maximum of an observability index. Then full set of geometrical parameters but also joint and base elastic parameters were calibrated using a single least-square optimization program. The proposed method was validated on a TALOS humanoid robot allowing to obtain an accurate whole-body calibration in less than 10 min. The proposed approach was cross-validated experimentally and showed an average RMS error of the tracked markers of 2.2 mm.

Evaluation of reproductive performance and litter traits of Khari, Jamunapari and Sirohi crossbred goats in Surkhet district of Karnali province, Nepal

Goat produces 20.36% of meat, ranking in second position after buffalo meat production in Nepal and contributes 4% in agriculture GDP. Making out the influence of non-genetic factors on the phenotypic expression of reproductive and litter traits of goat is important to develop selection/evaluation criteria with healthier precision. Khari, Jamunapari and Sirohi crosses were considered for the comparative study of their reproductive and litter traits. Data obtained from the study of different reproductive and litter traits were firstly entered into the computer via excel package programs. The data were analyzed by Mixed Model Least-square and Maximum Likelihood Computer Program PC-2statistical package developed by Walter R. Harvey and the means were compared by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Results revealed that the pooled means for AFC, AFK, PPE, GL, and KI were 344.31, 493.69, 173.42, 148.93, 319.58 days respectively. Similarly, pooled means for LSB, LWB, LSW, and LWW were 1.43, 5.16 kg, 1.37 and 28 kg respectively. Production system and breed were important nongenetic factor affecting reproductive traits significantly whereas parity is the most important non genetic factor affecting litter traits of goat. Almost all of the reproductive traits (except PPE) were observed better under the grazing system in Khari breed. Winter kidding goat had better PPE. Likewise, all the litter traits were significantly better in later parities with almost similar performance in all the breeds. To summarize, Khari was explored as a high potential goat regarding its reproductive traits with a massive scope of improvement in its litter weight trait through effective selection measures within the population.

Parallel Sphere Decoding Algorithm for Long-Prediction-Horizon FCS-MPC

Researchinterest in finite-control-set model-predictive control (FCS-MPC) for power conversion devices has grown in recent years. Particularly, long-prediction-horizon FCS-MPC provides promising results in recent research works. However, its practical implementation is not generally straightforward due to its inherently large computational burden. To overcome this obstacle, the problem can be formulated as a least-squares integer program. A sphere decoding algorithm (SDA) is a branch-and-bound algorithm proposed in previous works as an efficient approach to solve this problem. In these works, the SDA is formulated as an iterative process, where simultaneous search is not possible. A parallel and fully scalable SDA design is proposed in this article. The design is implemented in the field-programmable gate array of a modern field-programmable system-on-chip platform. Thanks to the proposed parallelization, the required execution time is greatly reduced. Experimental results prove the feasibility and performance improvements of the proposed implementation.

Speciation of the binary and ternary complexes of Copper(II) with 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)nicotinic acid and some amino acids

ABSTRACT In this work, we present the results from a chemical speciation study of binary and ternary complexes formed by Cu(II) with 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)nicotinic acid (HL) and the amino acids: Aspartic acid (H2Asp, H2B), Glutamic acid (H2Glu, H2B), Histidine (HHis, HB), Serine (HSer, HB), Threonine (Thr, HB), Phenylalanine (HPhe, HB) and Methionine (HMet, HB). The analysis is based on the use of potentiometric data analysed with the least-squares programme LETAGROP in 1 M NaCl aqueous solution at 25°C.

Addendum: Precision in high resolution absorption line modelling, analytic Voigt derivatives, and optimization methods

ABSTRACT The parent paper to this Addendum describes the optimization theory on which vpfit, a non-linear least-squares program for modelling absorption spectra, is based. In that paper, we show that Voigt function derivatives can be calculated analytically using Taylor series expansions and look-up tables, for the specific case of one column density parameter for each absorption component. However, in many situations, modelling requires more complex parameterization, such as summed column densities over a whole absorption complex, or common pattern relative ion abundances. This Addendum provides those analytic derivatives.

Association of dietary meat consumption habits with neurodegenerative cognitive impairment: an updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 24 prospective cohort studies.

The association between dietary meat consumption habits and neurodegenerative cognitive impairment (NCI) has been made but recent studies have reported controversial results. Herein, we have systematically explored associations between meat consumption and NCI risk. PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE databases were explored for data sources of primary studies. Twenty-four prospective cohort studies that met the selection criteria, involving over 500 000 participants from 11 countries, were included. Relative risks (RRs) were pooled using random-effects model meta-analysis, and a dose-response analysis was conducted using a 2-stage generalized least-squares trend program. The results showed that total meat (RRs 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04-1.24), fish (RRs 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78-0.98), and poultry (RRs 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80-0.98) intake was significantly associated with NCI risk but red meat (RRs 1.03; 95% CI: 0.92-1.16) showed a non-significant association. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated a significant association between total meat consumption and the risk of NCI, especially for total processed meat (RRs 1.67; 95% CI, 1.46-1.92) and processed red meat (RRs 1.22; 95% CI, 1.11-1.34). Each additional 50 g day-1 intake of total meat (RRs 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00-1.05) and processed meat (RRs 1.12; 95% CI: 1.08-1.17) increased the risk of NCI. In contrast, a 50 g day-1 increment of fish (RRs 0.97; 95% CI: 0.94-0.99) and poultry (RRs 0.948; 95% CI: 0.90-0.99) intake was associated with lower NCI risk. This study provided evidence for further understanding the relationship between the type and amount of meat intake and the occurrence of NCI.

Precision in high resolution absorption line modelling, analytic Voigt derivatives, and optimization methods

ABSTRACT This paper describes the optimization theory on which vpfit, a non-linear least-squares program for modelling absorption spectra, is based. Particular attention is paid to precision. Voigt function derivatives have previously been calculated using numerical finite difference approximations. We show how these can instead be computed analytically using Taylor series expansions and look-up tables. We introduce a new optimization method for an efficient descent path to the best fit, combining the principles used in both the Gauss–Newton and Levenberg–Marquardt algorithms. A simple practical fix for ill-conditioning is described, a common problem when modelling quasar absorption systems. We also summarize how unbiased modelling depends on using an appropriate information criterion to guard against overfitting or underfitting. The methods and the new implementations introduced in this paper are aimed at optimal usage of future data from facilities such as ESPRESSO/VLT and HIRES/ELT, particularly for the most demanding applications such as searches for space–time variations in fundamental constants and attempts to detect cosmological redshift drift.

Fish consumption, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids intake and risk of stroke: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although fish consumption or omega-3 intake is associated with cardio- cerebrovascular disease including stroke, their correlation is still controversial. Therefore, this meta-analysis is to identify the relationship between the risk of stroke and fish consumption or omega-3 intake. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases as of May 2019. Multivariateadjusted risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for stroke in different level intake of fish or Longchain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC ω3-PUFAs) were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. A dose-response analysis was conducted with the 2-stage generalized least-squares trend program. Our meta-analysis identified a total of 17 prospective cohort studies including 14986 strokes events in 672711 individuals. Meta-analysis revealed that the higher fish consumption was significantly associated with lower risk of stroke (RR=0.871, 95% CI: 0.779-0.975, p=0.016), especially with ischemic stroke (RR=0.808, 95% CI: 0.696- 0.937, p=0.005). Meantime, the combined RR of total stroke was 0.859 (95% CI: 0.769-0.959, p=0.007) for the highest versus lowest intake of LC ω3-PUFAs, and stratification analysis showed that higher LC ω3-PUFAs intake was associated with reduced stroke risk in women (RR=0.793, 95% CI: 0.706-0.891, p=0.000) but not in men. In addition, the dose-response analysis showed fish consumption with 1000g per month and LC ω3-PUFAs intake with 0.5g per month was associated with 17.3% (RR=0.927, 95% CI: 0.83-0.98) and 14% (RR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.78-0.95) lower risk of stroke, respectively. Both fish consumption and LC ω3-PUFAs intake were negatively associated with the risk of stroke, especially in women, which suggest that increased intake of fishery products and LC ω3-PUFAs may benefit primary prevention of stroke.

A Nonlinear Optical Switchable Sulfate of Ultrawide Bandgap

Nonlinear optical (NLO) switchable materials have attracted intense attention because of their promising applications in optoelectronic devices. However, previous studies are mainly limited to mole...

Genetic Analysis of First Lactation Monthly Test Day Milk Yields, Peak Yield and 305 Days Milk Yield in Murrah Buffaloes

Background: The estimates of genetic parameters are useful in determining the appropriate method of selection that could further be implemented in the breed improvement programmes. The present study was, therefore, conducted to estimate the genetic parameters (heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations) for monthly test day (TD) milk yields, peak yield (PY) and first lactation 305 days milk yield (FL305DMY) in Murrah buffaloes.Methods: Paternal half-sib correlation method was carried out by least-squares maximum likelihood programme to estimate genetic parameters of first lactation 4,209 and 408 records of monthly test day milk yield and peak yield, respectively, of 408 Murrah buffaloes (sired by 62 bulls) calved in between 1993 and 2017 at ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.Result: Heritability of FL305DMY and peak yield was estimated as 0.35±0.17 and 0.33±0.16, respectively. Heritability estimates for mid-lactation monthly test day milk yields were found to be moderate. Genetic correlation of monthly test day milk yields with FL305DMY was positive and highly significant for TD-4 to TD-9 and TD-11. Peak yield showed high genetic and phenotypic association with FL305DMY. High genetic and phenotypic correlation among monthly test day milk yields, peak yield and FL305DMY suggested that TD-4 to TD-9 and TD-11 test day milk yields and peak yield could be used for the selection of elite animals.

Binary and ternary nickel (II) complexes with picolinic acid and several amino acids

ABSTRACT In this work, we present the results from a chemical speciation study of binary and ternary complexes formed by Ni(II) ion with picolinic acid and the amino acids = Arginine (HArg), Tryptophan (HTrp), Asparagine (HAsn), Glutamine (HGln), Lysine (HLys), Valine (HVal), Leucine (HLeu) and Isoleucine (HIle). The analysis is based on the use of potentiometric data analysed with the least-squares program LETAGROP in 1 M NaCl aqueous solution at 25°C.

Ternary nickel (II) complexes with 8-hydroxyquinoline and some amino acids

ABSTRACT In this work, we report the results of a speciation study on the ternary complexes present in the systems formed by Ni(II) ion, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) and the amino acids = α-alanine (HαAla), β-alanine (HβAla), phenylalanine (HPhe), proline (HPro), glycine (HGly), serine (HSer), threonine (HThr), aspartic acid (H2Asp), glutamic acid (H2Glu), methionine (HMet), histidine (H2His) and cysteine (H2Cys). The analysis involved the use of the potentiometric data with a least-squares program (LETAGROP) in aqueous 1 M NaCl solution at 25°C. The binary complexes formed in the system Ni(II) – 8-HQ in aqueous 1 M NaCl solution at 25°C were also determined and are presented here.

Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Artificially Sweetened Beverages with Mortality: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and a Meta-Analysis

Abstract Objectives We aimed to investigate the associations of dietary intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) with mortality. Methods Adults without cancer aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2014 were followed up to December 31, 2015. Beverage intake was assessed by 24-hour dietary recall interviews (a single recall in 5109 participants and an average of two recalls in 19,914 participants). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the associations of SSB and ASB intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, ClinicalTrials.gov, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched for related cohort studies. Random-effects models were used to pool the estimates, and dose-response analyses were conducted using the 2-stage generalized least-squares trend program. Results After a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 2365 deaths were identified in 25,023 participants. Each additional serving of daily SSB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 1.06 (1.02–1.11), 1.13 (1.03–1.24), and 1.06 (1.00–1.11) for mortality from all-cause, heart diseases, and other causes. Each additional serving of daily ASB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 0.96 (0.92–1.00), 0.90 (0.82–0.98), and 0.97 (0.92–1.02) for mortality from all-cause, heart diseases, and other causes. No significant associations were found with cancer mortality. We identified 23,631 citations and included 12 studies (including 13 cohorts) in meta-analyses. It was shown that each additional serving of daily SSB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 1.08 (1.05–1.11, ten cohorts with 388,548 participants) for all-cause mortality and 1.10 (1.06–1.14, five cohorts with 255,584 participants) for cardiovascular mortality. No significant association was found between ASB intake and mortality in the meta-analysis. Conclusions Higher SSB intake was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, while the association between ASB intake and mortality needed further investigation. Funding Sources National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Nature Science Foundation of China, and Hubei Province Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.

Antibacterial and molecular study of thiourea derivative ligand and its Dimethyltin(IV) complex with the superior of its Copper(II) complex as a hepatocellular antitumor drug

1-benzoyl(1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thiourea [BTThU] ligand and its [dimethyltin(IV), Pd(II) and Cu(II)] complexes are synthesized. The complexes are formed in molar ratio Cu(BTThU)2, DMT(BTThU)2 and Pd(BTThU)2. The characterization has been done by using different physicochemical methods as elemental analyses, IR, 1H NMR DMSO‑d6 and molar conductance measurements. The stability constants of the formed species that produced from the interaction of [BTThU] with dimethyltin(IV) [DMT], dibutyltin(IV) [DBT] and diphenyltin(IV) [DPT] were determined potentiometrically using the non-linear least-square program MINIQUAD-75 in 50% ethanol–water mixture and 0.1 M ionic strength at 25 °C. Concentration distribution diagrams for these system were evaluated. The theoretical conformational structure analyses were performed using density functional theory for thiol and thione tautomeric forms of [BTThU] ligand and its complex at B3LYP functional with 6-311G basis set for ligand and LANL2DZ basis set for complex. The theoretical vibrational frequency values of the optimized structures were calculated. The charge distribution within the ligand and its dimethyltin(IV) complex was calculated using Mulliken population analysis of [MPA] and natural population analysis [NPA]. The biological activity of BTThU ligand and its dimethyltin(IV) complex were tested in vitro against some selected species of fungi and bacteria. The hepatocellular antitumor effect of all compounds was investigated.

Speciation studies of binary and ternary complexes formed with oxidovanadium(IV) ion picolinic acid and some amino acids

ABSTRACT In the present work the chemical speciation of ternary complexes systems formed by VO2+ ion with picolinic acid and the amino acids = α-alanine (HαAla), glycine (HGly), serine (HSer), threonine (HThr), aspartic acid (H2Asp), glutamic acid (H2Glu), histidine (H2His) and cysteine (H2Cys) has been studied. The analysis involved the use of the potentiometric data with the least-squares program LETAGROP in aqueous solution at 25 oC in 1 M NaCl solution. The Hydrolysis products (hydroxylated complexes) of the VO2+ ion and the binary complexes formed in VO2+-amino acids and VO2+-picolinic acid systems in aqueous solution at 25 oC in 1 M NaCl solution were determined and analyzed in this work.