Can You Dig for the Nub?

Well, can you? Freely translated, this enigmatic title invites you, the reader, to discover what is logologically unusual about it. Obviously, it is composed of three-letter isograms (words with no repeated letters), but the property is more subtle than this. Read on only if you have given up

Analysis of biodegradability for polyethylene glycol via numerical simulation

We examined the biodegradability of polyethylene glycol by analyzing gel permeation chromatography patterns, which were obtained before and after cultivation of a microbial consortium E-1 in culture media containing polyethylene glycol as its sole carbon source. We solved an inverse problem of the initial value problem, which consists of an exogenous depolymerization model and the initial weight distribution, in order to determine an oxidation rate, for which the solution of the initial value problem also satisfies the final condition. Given the oxidation rate, we simulated the transition of the weight distribution solving the initial value problem. We interpret the result that reflects a physical significance of the molecular weight on the oxidation rate, and reach a conclusion concerning the role of the membrane transport in exogenous depolymerization processes

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel Hedgehog-Interacting Protein G516R Mutation in Locally Advanced Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Locally advanced thyroid cancer exhibits aggressive clinical features requiring extensive neck dissection. Therefore, it is important to identify changes in the tumor biology before local progression. Here, whole exome sequencing (WES) using tissues from locally advanced papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) presented a large number of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the metastatic lymph node (MLN), but not in normal tissues and primary tumors. Among those MLN-specific SNVs, a novel HHIP G516R (G1546A) mutation was also observed. Interestingly, in-depth analysis for exome sequencing data from the primary tumor presented altered nucleotide 'A' at a very low frequency indicating intra-tumor heterogeneity between the primary tumor and MLN. Computational prediction models such as PROVEAN and Polyphen suggested that HHIP G516R might affect protein function and stability. In vitro, HHIP G516R increased cell proliferation and promoted cell migration in thyroid cancer cells. HHIP G516R, a missense mutation, could be a representative example for the intra-tumor heterogeneity of locally advanced thyroid cancer, which can be a potential future therapeutic target for this disease.ope

Experimental research on RC beams strengthened with CFRP strips

Program doświadczalnych badań objął 8 belek żelbetowych o przekroju 150 x 300mm i rozpiętości 3000mm. Belki różniły się stopniem zbrojenia zwykłego oraz długością taśmy wzmacniającej CFRP, miejscem jej usytuowania i typem taśmy. W badaniach zastosowano taśmy typu S i M, o modułach sprężystości odpowiednio około 170GPa i 210GPa. W dwóch belkach zastosowano w strefach przypodporowych dodatkowe taśmy przyklejane na bocznych powierzchniach, w celu poprawy warunków zakotwienia taśmy głównej. Belki były obciążane dwiema siłami skupionymi (seria I – 6 elementów) lub jedną siłą skupioną, usytuowaną w środku rozpiętości (seria II – 2 elementy). Wszystkie belki zniszczyły się na skutek odspojenia taśmy CFRP. Podczas badań ujawniły się dwa mechanizmy zniszczenia, różniące się miejscem występowania i obrazem odspojenia taśmy. Pierwszy z nich („P”) miał miejsce w strefie przypodporowej belek, w pobliżu końca taśmy wzmacniającej. Taśma odspajała się wraz z betonem otuliny zbrojenia na krótkim odcinku, obejmującym strefę przypodporową, nie osiągając punktu przyłożenia siły obciążającej. Drugi sposób zniszczenia („Z”) charakteryzował znacznie dłuższy odcinek odspojenia taśmy, obejmujący nie tylko strefę przypodporową, lecz także obszar czystego zginania. Zniszczenie występowało w warstwie kleju, a tylko lokalnie wraz z taśmą odspajały się fragmenty otuliny. Badania wykazały, że nośność taśmy na rozciąganie nie może być wykorzystana, gdyż wcześniej odspaja się ona od powierzchni elementu. Stopień wzmocnienia elementu może być jednak wyraźny, zwłaszcza w elementach o niskim stopniu zwykłego zbrojenia. Efekt wzmocnienia można zwiększyć stosując taśmy o większym współczynniku sprężystości lub wprowadzając wstępne sprężenie taśm przed ich przyklejeniem. Do analizy obliczeniowej zastosowano nieliniowy model betonu z uwzględnieniem zasady „tension stiffening”.The research program included 8 RC beams with the cross-section of 150300mm and span of 3000mm. The beams were differed in steel reinforcement ratio, length, location and type of the CFRP strip. The strips of type S and M with the modulus of elasticity 170GPa and 210 GPa were used in the research. In order to improve anchorage conditions of the main strip additional strips were bonded to the both sides of two beams at the support region. The beams were loaded with two forces (series I – 6 elements) or one force located in the middle of the beam span (series II – 2 elements). The strip debonding caused failure of all beams. Two modes of failure differing in position and image of de-bonded strip appeared in tests. The first one (“P”) was appeared in the support region close to the end of the strip. The strip de-bonded together with concrete cover on short distance included only support region and did not reach the load point. The second mode of failure (“Z”) was distinguished longer debonding distance of the strip in-cluded both support and pure bending region. In this case de-bonding of the strip occurred by delamination in the adhesive layer and only locally in the concrete cover. The result of the research indicated that tension strength of the strip couldn’t be reached because of its earlier de-bonding from the beam surface. Strengthening ratio of the beam can be sufficient especially for elements with low steel reinforcement ratio. Strengthening effect can be increased by application of the strip with high elasticity modulus or strip prestressing before bonding to the element. Non-linear-elastic-plastic model of concrete with tension stiffening principle was assumed in computational analysi

Ordonnancement de tâches sous contraintes sur des métiers à tisser

Dans une usine de production de textile, il y a des métiers à tisser. Ces métiers à tisser peuvent être configurés de différentes façons. Des tâches doivent être exécutées sur ces métiers à tisser et le temps d’exécution d’une tâche est fonction du métier sur lequel elle est effectuée. De plus, chaque tâche est seulement compatible avec les métiers à tisser étant configurés de certaines façons. Un temps de mise en course peut permettre de configurer ou préparer un métier à tisser pour l’exécution d’une tâche. Le temps de mise en course est dépendant de la tâche qui précède et de celle qui suit. Nous souhaitons alors créer un horaire pour minimiser les temps de fabrication et les retards. Toutefois, certaines contraintes doivent être respectées. Lorsque des préparations surviennent sur des métiers différents en même temps, le nombre d’employés doit être suffisant. Un métier ne peut faire qu’une seule action à la fois. L’ordonnancement d’une seule machine est un problème NP-Difficile. Dans ce projet, il faut ordonnancer environ 800 tâches sur 90 machines dans un horizon de deux semaines, tout en respectant les contraintes de personnel. Des évènements stochastiques doivent être pris en compte pour obtenir un meilleur horaire. Le bris d’un fil n’étant pas un évènement rare, l’occurrence des bris est donnée sous la forme d’une loi de Poisson. Nous proposons alors une approche de résolution utilisant une heuristique de branchement basée sur le problème du commis voyageur. Cette approche permet d’obtenir de bonnes solutions pour le problème d’ordonnancement exploré. Les solutions trouvées sont 5 à 30% meilleures en termes de fonction objectif qu’une heuristique semblable à celle utilisée par l’équipe de planification de notre partenaire industriel. Nous présentons aussi un algorithme pour garantir la robustesse d’un horaire. Notre algorithme permet de générer des horaires plus réalistes et qui résistent bien aux évènements imprévus. La combinaison de ces deux pratiques mène à l’intégration et l’utilisation du produit final par notre partenaire industriel.In a textile factory, there are looms. Workers can configure the looms to weave different pieces of textiles. A loom can only weave a piece of textiles if the piece of textiles is compatible with its loom configuration. To change its configuration, a loom requires a setup. The setups are performed manually by workers. There are also sequence-dependent setups to prepare a loom for the upcoming piece of textiles. We wish to minimize the setups duration and the lateness. A solution must satisfy some constraints. The problem is subject to cumulative resources. The quantity of workers simultaneously configuring machines can’t exceed the total number of employees. A loom can only weave a piece of textiles at a time. Scheduling tasks on a single loom is an NP-Hard problem. In this project, we must schedule tasks an average of 800 tasks on 90 looms with a two-week horizon. Stochastic events might occur and must be accounted for. We must design an algorithm to create robust schedules under uncertainty. As a thread breaking during the weaving process isn’t a rare occurrence, a better schedule could greatly impact the performances of a company when applying the schedule to a real situation. We formulate that the number of breaks per task follows a Poisson distribution. First, we propose a branching heuristic based on the traveling salesperson problem in order to leverage computation times. The solutions found are 5 to 30% better according to their objective function than the ones of a greedy heuristic similar to what our industrial partner uses. We also present a filtering algorithm to guarantee robustness of solutions in respect to a confidence level. This algorithm improves robustness and creates more realist schedules. The algorithm is also efficient in computation time by achieving bound consistency in linear time. Combining both these techniques leads to the integration of our research in the decision system of our industrial partner

1998-1999 Louisiana Tech University Catalog

The Louisiana Tech University Catalog includes announcements and course descriptions for courses offered at Louisiana Tech University for the academic year of 1998-1999.https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/university-catalogs/1016/thumbnail.jp

1999-2000 Louisiana Tech University Catalog

The Louisiana Tech University Catalog includes announcements and course descriptions for courses offered at Louisiana Tech University for the academic year of 1999-2000.https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/university-catalogs/1015/thumbnail.jp

Correction to Mechanisms and Transition States of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Phenyl Azide with Enamines: A Computational Analysis

Correction to Mechanisms and Transition States of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Phenyl Azide with Enamines: A Computational Analysi