Applied Science Private University

About: Applied Science Private University is a education organization based out in Amman, Jordan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Population. The organization has 4124 authors who have published 5299 publications receiving 116167 citations.

Inexact Piecewise Quadratic Programming for Waste Flow Allocation under Uncertainty and Nonlinearity

Abstract: In practical waste management systems, most relationships among different system components are nonlinear in nature. Effects of economies-of-scale can often bring about such nonlinearity in objective functions within an inexact optimization framework. To handle both nonlinearity and uncertainty, an inex act piecewise quadratic programming (IPQP) model was developed through coupling piecewise linear regression with interval linear programming. In IPQP, uncertainties expressed as intervals for transportation/operation costs, treatment capacities, waste generation rates, waste flows/amounts were reflected; a more accurate approximation for nonlinearities reflecting effects of economies-o f-scale between unit transportation costs and waste flows as well as between unit operation costs and waste treatment amounts were provided. An interactive algorithm was designed for solving IPQP. IPQP was applied to a hypothesis case of waste allocation planning and compared with a conventional inexact quadratic programming model (IQP). The results indicated that, in the investigated waste allocation system, the optimized waste flows from the districts to the waste treatment facilities (WTFs) and the optimized waste treatment amounts in WTFs had no significant differences between both models. However, most of unit transportation costs or unit operation costs in IPQP were less than those in IQP, which finally contributed to a lower net system costs in IPQP than IQP. Th is implied that the often ignored effects of economies-of-scale should be considered accurately in the real-world waste management system to obtain lower costs. Strategies to balance the tradeoff between approximation accuracy and computational complexity for IPQP were also discussed.

Multi-scale Kernel Operators for Reflection and Rotation Symmetry: Further Achievements

Abstract: Symmetry is a crucial dimension which aids the visual system, human as well as artificial, to organize its environment and to recognize forms and objects. In humans, detection of symmetry, especially bilateral and rotational, is considered to be a primary factor for discovering and interacting with the surrounding environment. We report an enhanced version of the Kondra and Petrosino symmetry detection algorithm, already reported at the "Symmetry Detection from Real World Images" competition at IEEE CVPR2011. The paper includes experimental results achieved by the reflection and rotation symmetry detection algorithm on the datasets made available for the 2013 Symmetry Detection from Real World Images competition.

Effects of an in-frame deletion of the 6k gene locus from the genome of Ross River virus

Abstract: The alphaviral 6k gene region encodes the two structural proteins 6K protein and, due to a ribosomal frameshift event, the transframe protein (TF). Here, we characterized the role of the 6k proteins in the arthritogenic alphavirus Ross River virus (RRV) in infected cells and in mice, using a novel 6k in-frame deletion mutant. Comprehensive microscopic analysis revealed that the 6k proteins were predominantly localized at the endoplasmic reticulum of RRV-infected cells. RRV virions that lack the 6k proteins 6K and TF [RRV-(Δ6K)] were more vulnerable to changes in pH, and the corresponding virus had increased sensitivity to a higher temperature. While the 6k deletion did not reduce RRV particle production in BHK-21 cells, it affected virion release from the host cell. Subsequent in vivo studies demonstrated that RRV-(Δ6K) caused a milder disease than wild-type virus, with viral titers being reduced in infected mice. Immunization of mice with RRV-(Δ6K) resulted in a reduced viral load and accelerated viral elimination upon secondary infection with wild-type RRV or another alphavirus, chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Our results show that the 6k proteins may contribute to alphaviral disease manifestations and suggest that manipulation of the 6k gene may be a potential strategy to facilitate viral vaccine development. IMPORTANCE: Arthritogenic alphaviruses, such as chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Ross River virus (RRV), cause epidemics of debilitating rheumatic disease in areas where they are endemic and can emerge in new regions worldwide. RRV is of considerable medical significance in Australia, where it is the leading cause of arboviral disease. The mechanisms by which alphaviruses persist and cause disease in the host are ill defined. This paper describes the phenotypic properties of an RRV 6k deletion mutant. The absence of the 6k gene reduced virion release from infected cells and also reduced the severity of disease and viral titers in infected mice. Immunization with the mutant virus protected mice against viremia not only upon exposure to RRV but also upon challenge with CHIKV. These findings could lead to the development of safer and more immunogenic alphavirus vectors for vaccine delivery.