Optimizing control of coal flotation by neuro-immune algorithm

Coal flotation is widely used to separate commercially valuable coal from the fine ore slurry, and is an industrial process with nonlinear, multivariable, time-varying and long time-delay characteristics. The online detection of ash content of products as the operation performance evaluation in the flotation system is extraordinarily difficult because of the low solid content and numerous micro-bubbles in the slurry. Moreover, it is time-consuming by manual analysis. Consequently, the optimal separation is not usually maintained. A novel technique, called the neuro-immune algorithm (NIA) inspired by the biological nervous and immune systems, is presented in this paper for predicting the ash content of clean coal and performing the optimizing control to the coal flotation system. The proposed algorithm integrates the deeply-studied artificial neural network (ANN) and the developing artificial immune system (AIS). A two-layer back-propagation network was constructed offline based on the historical process data under the best system situation, using five parameters: the flow and the density of raw slurry, the input flows of water, the kerosene and the GF oil, as the inputs and the ash content of clean coal as the output. The immune cell of AIS is made up of six parameters above as the antigen. The cytokine based clone selection algorithm is used to produce the relative antibody. The detailed computation procedures about the hybrid neuro-immune algorithm are minutely discussed. The ash content of clean coal was predicted by NIA using the practical process data s: (308.6 174.7 146.1 43.6 4.0 9.4), and the absolute difference between the actual and computed ash content values was 0.0967%. The optimizing control on NIA was simulated considering two different situations where the ash content of clean coal was controlled downward from 10.00% or upward from 9.20% predicted by ANN to the target value 9.50%. The results indicate that the target ash content and the value of controlling parameters are obtained after several control cycles.

Effect of Notoginsenoside-Rg_1 on the Expression of Several Proteins in the Striatum of Rat Models with Parkinson′s Disease

After establishing hemi-Parkinsonian rat models, the relationships between neuron death and the expression of several proteins, such as c-Fos, GFAP, GDNF, NF-κB and some cytokines were determined. Therapeutics experiments with notoginsenoside-Rg1 were carried out. The research results show that the expressions of GFAP, NF-Kκ and c-Fos will obviously increase in the lesion side of the striatum and the expression of GDNF will decrease, which implies that the signal transduction pathway may participate in the apoptosis in neurons. The levels of some cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β in the striatum of PD rat models increased compared to those of normal rats. The results of the therapeutics experiments show that notoginsenoside-Rg1 may repress the immune inflammation response and regulate the immune function through the neuro-immune molecular network. Therefore, notoginsenoside-Rg1 can be used as an effective drug for anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation, and can be used in the therapy of Parkinson＇s disease（PD）.

False dogmas in mood disorders research:Towards a nomothetic network approach

The current understanding of major depressive disorder(MDD)and bipolar disorder(BD)is plagued by a cacophony of controversies as evidenced by competing schools to understand MDD/BD.The DSM/ICD taxonomies have cemented their status as the gold standard for diagnosing MDD/BD.The aim of this review is to discuss the false dogmas that reign in current MDD/BD research with respect to the new,data-driven,machine learning method to model psychiatric illness,namely nomothetic network psychiatry(NNP).This review discusses many false dogmas including:MDD/BD are mind-brain disorders that are best conceptualized using a bio-psycho-social model or mind-brain interactions;mood disorders due to medical disease are attributable to psychosocial stress or chemical imbalances;DSM/ICD are the gold standards to make the MDD/BD diagnosis;severity of illness should be measured using rating scales;clinical remission should be defined using threshold values on rating scale scores;existing diagnostic BD boundaries are too restrictive;and mood disorder spectra are the rule.In contrast,our NNP models show that MDD/BD are not mind-brain or psycho-social but systemic medical disorders;the DSM/ICD taxonomies are counterproductive;a shared core,namely the reoccurrence of illness(ROI),underpins the intertwined recurrence of depressive and manic episodes and suicidal behaviors;mood disorders should be ROI-defined;ROI mediates the effects of nitro-oxidative stress pathways and early lifetime trauma on the phenome of mood disorders;severity of illness and treatment response should be delineated using the NNP-derived causome,pathway,ROI and integrated phenome scores;and MDD and BD are the same illness.

The crosstalk between enteric nervous system and immune system in intestinal development,homeostasis and diseases

The gut is the largest digestive and absorptive organ,which is essential for induction of mucosal and systemic immune responses,and maintenance of metabolic-immune homeostasis.The intestinal components contain the epithelium,stromal cells,immune cells,and enteric nervous system(ENS),as well as the outers,such as gut microbiota,metabolites,and nutrients.The dyshomeostasis of intestinal microenvironment induces abnormal intestinal development and functions,even colon diseases including dysplasia,inflammation and tumor.Several recent studies have identified that ENS plays a crucial role in maintaining the immune homeostasis of gastrointestinal(GI)microenvironment.The crosstalk between ENS and immune cells,mainly macrophages,T cells,and innate lymphoid cells(ILCs),has been found to exert important regulatory roles in intestinal tissue programming,homeostasis,function,and inflammation.In this review,we mainly summarize the critical roles of the interactions between ENS and immune cells in intestinal homeostasis during intestinal development and diseases progression,to provide theoretical bases and ideas for the exploration of immunotherapy for gastrointestinal diseases with the ENS as potential novel targets.