Using artificial intelligence techniques for COVID-19 genome analysis

Applied Intelligence - The genome of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease was first sequenced in January 2020, approximately a month after its emergence in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province,...     

Editorial for the 30th anniversary special issue

Applied Intelligence -     

Physics‐based model of lithium‐ion batteries running on a circuit simulator

The authors developed a physics‐based equivalent circuit model of a lithium‐ion battery (LIB) whose parameters are continually updated, reflecting the theoretical calculation results of the Butler‐Volmer equation, diffusion equations of the lithium‐ion and lithium, and Nernst equations of the liquid and solid phases. The developed model was applied to the charge/discharge simulations of an LIB, and the experimental and simulated results of constant current discharges and pulsed‐charge/discharge were found to be in excellent agreement. In particular, using the developed model, analyzing transient responses of the LIB derived from the transition of the electric double layer charging to the electrode reaction is possible. These results demonstrate that the electrochemical performance of an LIB can be calculated on a circuit simulator using the developed model.     

Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases

There has been an increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases with the rapid increase in aging societies worldwide. Biomarkers that can be used to detect pathological changes before the development of severe neuronal loss and consequently facilitate early intervention with disease-modifying therapeutic modalities are therefore urgently needed. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool that can be used to infer microstructural characteristics of the brain, such as microstructural integrity and complexity, as well as axonal density, order, and myelination, through the utilization of water molecules that are diffused within the tissue, with displacement at the micron scale. Diffusion tensor imaging is the most commonly used diffusion MRI technique to assess the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, diffusion tensor imaging has several limitations, and new technologies, including neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging, and free-water imaging, have been recently developed as approaches to overcome these constraints. This review provides an overview of these technologies and their potential as biomarkers for the early diagnosis and disease progression of major neurodegenerative diseases.     

Fabrication of a TiC0.5O0.5 anode using the carbothermal method under a non-vacuum atmosphere and its application in metal titanium electrolysis

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - TiC0.5O0.5 was prepared through the carbothermal reduction of TiO2 under a flowing argon atmosphere, and then, it was used as an anode to...     

Monitoring behaviour of catabolic genes and change of microbial community structures in seawater microcosms during aromatic compound degradation

The behaviour of microbial populations responsible for degradation of the aromatic compounds, phenol, benzoate, and salicylate, and changes of microbial community structures in seawater microcosms were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively using MPN–PCR and PCR–DGGE. The purpose of the study was to investigate the ecology of the entire microbial community during bioremediation. Bacterial populations possessing catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O) DNA were evidently the primary degraders of phenol and benzoate, but others possessing catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23O) DNA increased to enhance substrate degradation under high-load conditions when the substrates were present for long periods. However, salicylate degradation was evidently facilitated by specific bacterial populations possessing C23O DNA. PCR–DGGE analyses suggested that bacterial populations already relatively dominant in the original microcosm contributed to phenol degradation. Bacteria composing a minor fraction of the original population apparently increased and contributed to benzoate degradation. Bacterial populations possessing C23O DNA were responsible for salicylate degradation, however, and different degrading bacteria were evidently selected for, depending on the initial salicylate concentration. Microbial community structure tended to be simplified by aromatic compound degradation. Thus, microbial monitoring can elucidate the behaviour of bacterial populations responsible for aromatic compound degradation and be used to assess the effects of bioremediation on intact microbial ecosystems.     

A consistent grayscale‐free topology optimization method using the level‐set method and zero‐level boundary tracking mesh

This paper proposes a level‐set based topology optimization method incorporating a boundary tracking mesh generating method and nonlinear programming. Because the boundary tracking mesh is always conformed to the structural boundary, good approximation to the boundary is maintained during optimization; therefore, structural design problems are solved completely without grayscale material. Previously, we introduced the boundary tracking mesh generating method into level‐set based topology optimization and updated the design variables by solving the level‐set equation. In order to adapt our previous method to general structural optimization frameworks, the incorporation of the method with nonlinear programming is investigated in this paper. To successfully incorporate nonlinear programming, the optimization problem is regularized using a double‐well potential. Furthermore, the sensitivities with respect to the design variables are strictly derived to maintain consistency in mathematical programming. We expect the investigation to open up a new class of grayscale‐free topology optimization. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated using several numerical examples targeting two‐dimensional compliant mechanism and metallic waveguide design problems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.