Estimating complicated baselines in analytical signals using the iterative training of Bayesian regularized artificial neural networks

The present work deals with the development of a new baseline correction method based on the comparative learning capabilities of artificial neural networks. The developed method uses the Bayes probability theorem for prevention of the occurrence of the over-fitting and finding a generalized baseline. The developed method has been applied on simulated and real metabolomic gas-chromatography (GC) and Raman data sets. The results revealed that the proposed method can be used to handle different types of baselines with cave, convex, curvelinear, triangular and sinusoidal patterns. For further evaluation of the performances of this method, it has been compared with benchmarking baseline correction methods such as corner-cutting (CC), morphological weighted penalized least squares (MPLS), adaptive iteratively-reweighted penalized least squares (airPLS) and iterative polynomial fitting (iPF). In order to compare the methods, the projected difference resolution (PDR) criterion has been calculated for the data before and after the baseline correction procedure. The calculated values of PDR after the baseline correction using iBRANN, airPLS, MPLS, iPF and CC algorithms for the GC metabolomic data were 4.18, 3.64, 3.88, 1.88 and 3.08, respectively. The obtained results in this work demonstrated that the developed iterative Bayesian regularized neural network (iBRANN) method in this work thoroughly detects the baselines and is superior over the CC, MPLS, airPLS and iPF techniques. A graphical user interface has been developed for the suggested algorithm and can be used for easy implementation of the iBRANN algorithm for the correction of different chromatography, NMR and Raman data sets.     

Influence of Y2Cu2O5 nanoparticles doping on superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O7-δ

ABSTRACT

The blue phase of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7- δ} (YBCO) family, Y₂Cu₂O₅ (Y202) nanoparticles were prepared and doped into (YBCO) superconductor and the effect of doping on critical current density and critical temperature was investigated. Y202 nanoparticles with particle sizes of 47, 107 and 206?nm were prepared by a sol–gel combustion method and added into the YBCO superconductor by 0.5–2?wt.%. XRD and scanning electron microscope measurements were used to characterize the samples. The measurement of critical current density at 77?K revealed that the doped superconductors had larger critical current density compared to the undoped superconductors. For a fixed dopant concentration, by increasing the size of nanoparticles, the J_c was increased. For the samples including 0.5?wt.% of nanoadditives, J_c was higher. The highest critical current density of 137?A/cm² was measured for the superconductors containing 0.5?wt.% of 206?nm Y202 nanoparticles. Also, by increasing the nanoparticles concentration, the T_c was reduced.     

3D analysis of the morphology and spatial distribution of nitrogen in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy tomography

We present here the application of the energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) in the tomographic mode to determine the precise 3D distribution of nitrogen within nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs). Several tilt series of energy-filtered images were acquired on the K ionization edges of carbon and nitrogen on a multiwalled N-CNT containing a high amount of nitrogen. Two tilt series of carbon and nitrogen 2D maps were then calculated from the corresponding energy-filtered images by using a proper extraction procedure of the chemical signals. Applying iterative reconstruction algorithms provided two spatially correlated C and N elemental-selective volumes, which were then simultaneously analyzed with the shape-sensitive reconstruction deduced from Zero-Loss recordings. With respect to the previous findings, crucial information obtained by analyzing the 3D chemical maps was that, among the two different kind of arches formed in these nanotubes (transversal or rounded ones depending on their morphology), the transversal arches contain more nitrogen than do the round ones. In addition, a detailed analysis of the shape-sensitive volume allowed the observation of an unexpected change in morphology along the tube axis: close to the round arches (with less N), the tube is roughly cylindrical, whereas near the transversal ones (with more N), its shape changes to a prism. This relatively new technique is very powerful in the material science because it combines the ability of the classical electron tomography to solve 3D structures and the chemical selectivity of the EFTEM imaging.     

Frequency domain aperture for the gain bandwidth reduction of stimulated Brillouin scattering

In this Letter, we propose a novel method based on the inhomogeneous Brillouin gain saturation to reduce the gain bandwidth significantly below its natural value. Based on our first experiments, we report a decrease of the bandwidth in a standard single mode fiber down to 3 MHz.     

An informatics search for the low-molecular weight chromium-binding peptide

Background  

The amino acid composition of a low molecular weight chromium binding peptide (LMWCr), isolated from bovine liver, is reportedly E:G:C:D::4:2:2:2, though its sequence has not been discovered. There is some controversy surrounding the exact biochemical forms and the action of Cr(III) in biological systems; the topic has been the subject of many experimental reports and continues to be investigated. Clarification of Cr-protein interactions will further understanding Cr(III) biochemistry and provide a basis for novel therapies based on metallocomplexes or small molecules.     

One-pot microwave-assisted solvent-free synthesis,theoretical and experimental studies on barrier rotation of C–N bond of N-alkenyl-1,2,3-triazoles

The reactions on benzotriazoles continue to happen to reach interesting varieties of their derivatives. This study reports a fast one-pot microwave-assisted solvent-free synthesis of N-alkenyl-1,2,3-benzotriazole (3, 5, and 7) and 1-(2-Alkyloxycarbonyl-vinyl)-1H-[1–3] triazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (8 and 9) derivatives by nucleophilic addition reactions of 1,2,3-benzotriazole (C₆H₅N₃) (1) and 1H-[1–3] triazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (C₄H₄N₃O₂) (1′) with R-propiolates (R = Me, Et; 2 & 4) and phenylacetylene 6 in good yields. The values of activation energy for rotation around C–N bond in the synthesized N-alkenyl-1,2,3-triazole compounds were studied by DFT-B3LYP/6-31G* method.     

Optical delay lines using coupled slab waveguides and ring resonator with a negative refractive index core

Total delay time of a structure composed of a slab waveguide coupled with a ring resonator where negative refractive index material is replaced in the core of the structure is investigated in this work. In this paper, a two-port ring resonator (TPRR) which is made of a core with negative refractive index has been used to generate a time delay for a Gaussian-shaped pulse with 1 GHz bandwidth. It is shown that the creation of the ring how causes more n_g of a straight waveguide and results are compared with positive refractive index core TPRR. We have used metamaterial to make an n < 0 media and have used two cascaded metamaterial rings to increase the bandwidth.     

A column generation approach for aircraft sequencing problems: a computational study

This paper investigates the computational tractability of aircraft sequencing problems over multiple runways under mixed mode operations, contrasting an enhanced mixed-integer programme (MIP) and an accelerated column generation approach. First, we examine the benefit of augmenting a base MIP with valid inequalities, preprocessing routines, and symmetry-defeating hierarchical constraints in order to improve the performance of branch-and-bound (B&B)/cut techniques as implemented in commercial solvers. Second, we alternatively reformulate the problem as a set partitioning model that prompts the development of a specialized column generation approach. The latter is accelerated by incorporating an interior point dual stabilization scheme and a complementary column generation routine. Empirical results using a set of new, computationally challenging instances and classical instances in the OR Library reveal the potential and limitations of the two methodologies.