Balanced semi-Latin rectangles : properties, existence and constructions for block size two

There exists a set of designs which form a subclass of semi-Latin rectangles. These designs, besides being semi-Latin rectangles, exhibit an additional property of balance; where no two distinct pairs of symbols (treatments) differ in their concurrences, that is, each pair of distinct treatments concur a constant number of times in the design. Such a design exists for a limited set of parameter combinations. We designate it a balanced semi-Latin rectangle (BSLR) and give some properties, and necessary conditions for its existence. Furthermore, algorithms for constructing the design for experimental situations where there are two treatments in each row-column intersection (block) are also given.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Constructions for regular-graph semi-Latin rectangles with block size two

Semi-Latin rectangles are generalizations of Latin squares and semi-Latin squares. Although they are called rectangles, the number of rows and the number of columns are not necessarily distinct. There are k treatments in each cell (row-column intersection): these constitute a block. Each treatment of the design appears a definite number of times in each row and also a definite number of times in each column (these parameters also being not necessarily distinct). When k = 2, the design is said to have block size two. Regular- graph semi-Latin rectangles have the additional property that the treatment concurrences between any two pairs of distinct treatments differ by at most one. Constructions for semi-Latin rectangles of this class with k = 2 which have v treatments, v/2 rows and v columns, where v is even, are given in Bailey and Monod (2001). These give the smallest designs when v is even. Here we give constructions for smallest designs with k = 2 when v is odd. These are regular-graph semi-Latin rectangles where the numbers of rows, columns and treatments are identical. Then we extend the smallest designs in each case to obtain larger designs.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

Coronaviruses are a group of enveloped viruses with non-segmented, single-stranded, and positive-sense RNA genomes. In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in Wuhan City, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic in March 2020. Fever, dry cough and fatigue are found in the vast majority of all COVID-19 cases. Early diagnosis, treatment and future prevention are keys to COVID-19 management. Currently, the unmet need to develop cost-effective point-of-contact test kits and efficient laboratory techniques for confirmation of COVID-19 infection has powered a new frontier of diagnostic innovation. No proven effective therapies or vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 currently exist. The rapidly increasing research regarding COVID-19 virology provides a significant number of potential drug targets. Remdesivir may be the most promising therapy up till now. On May 1, 2020, Gilead Sciences, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational Remdesivir as a potential antiviral for COVID-19 treatment. On May 7, 2020, Gilead Sciences, announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has granted regulatory approval of Veklury® (Remdesivir) as a treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19 acute respiratory syndrome, under an exceptional approval pathway. Also, Corticosteroids are recommended for severe cases only to suppress the immune response and reduce symptoms, but not for mild and moderate patients where they are associated with a high-risk side effect. Based on the currently published evidence, we tried to highlight different diagnostic approaches, side effects and therapeutic agents that could help physicians in the frontlines

3D Map Reconstruction of an Orchard using an Angle-Aware Covering Control Strategy

In the last years, unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming a reality in the context of precision agriculture, mainly for monitoring, patrolling and remote sensing tasks, but also for 3D map reconstruction. In this paper, we present an innovative approach where a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles is exploited to perform remote sensing tasks over an apple orchard for reconstructing a 3D map of the field, formulating the covering control problem to combine the position of a monitoring target and the viewing angle. Moreover, the objective function of the controller is defined by an importance index, which has been computed from a multi-spectral map of the field, obtained by a preliminary flight, using a semantic interpretation scheme based on a convolutional neural network. This objective function is then updated according to the history of the past coverage states, thus allowing the drones to take situation-adaptive actions. The effectiveness of the proposed covering control strategy has been validated through simulations on a Robot Operating System. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors

Lipopolysaccharide from Gut-Associated Lymphoid-Tissue-Resident Alcaligenes faecalis: Complete Structure Determination and Chemical Synthesis of Its Lipid A

Alcaligenes faecalis is the predominant Gram-negative bacterium inhabiting gut-associated lymphoid tissues, Peyer's patches. We previously reported that an A. faecalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) acted as a weak agonist for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor-2 (MD-2) receptor as well as a potent inducer of IgA without excessive inflammation, thus suggesting that A. faecalis LPS might be used as a safe adjuvant. In this study, we characterized the structure of both the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and LPS from A. faecalis. We synthesized three lipid A molecules with different degrees of acylation by an efficient route involving the simultaneous introduction of 1- and 4′-phosphates. Hexaacylated A. faecalis lipid A showed moderate agonistic activity towards TLR4-mediated signaling and the ability to elicit a discrete interleukin-6 release in human cell lines and mice. It was thus found to be the active principle of the LOS/LPS and a promising vaccine adjuvant candidate

Hippo pathway effectors control cardiac progenitor cell fate by acting as dynamic sensors of substrate mechanics and nanostructure

Stem cell responsiveness to extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and mechanical cues has been the subject of a number of investigations so far, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying stem cell mechano-biology still need full clarification. Here we demonstrate that the paralog proteins YAP and TAZ exert a crucial role in adult cardiac progenitor cell mechano-sensing and fate decision. Cardiac progenitors respond to dynamic modifications in substrate rigidity and nanopattern by promptly changing YAP/TAZ intracellular localization. We identify a novel activity of YAP and TAZ in the regulation of tubulogenesis in 3D environments and highlight a role for YAP/TAZ in cardiac progenitor proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, we show that YAP/TAZ expression is triggered in the heart cells located at the infarct border zone. Our results suggest a fundamental role for the YAP/TAZ axis in the response of resident progenitor cells to the modifications in microenvironment nanostructure and mechanics, thereby contributing to the maintenance of myocardial homeostasis in the adult heart. These proteins are indicated as potential targets to control cardiac progenitor cell fate by materials design

LABORATORIUM VIRTUAL: PERENCANAAN DAN IMPLEMENTASINYA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN FISIKA DI SMA SEKECAMATAN SALAHUTU DAN LEIHITU BARAT

Pembelajaran fisika saat ini sudah mulai menggunakan ICT (Information and Communication Technology) sebagai media dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar, baik di kelas atau laboratorium komputer. Beberapa media pembelajaran yang dapat digunakan guru adalah media pembelajaran berbasis komputer yang dapat memvisualkan gejala-gejala dan interaksi fisis yang terjadi dalam dikehidupan nyata ke dunia virtual yang ditampilkan secara menarik dengan animasi yang menyenangkan. Media-media ini disebut laboratorium virtual. Kegiatan PKM ini dilakukan untuk dengan tujuan untuk melatih guru-guru Fisika di Kecamatan Salahutu dan Leihitu Barat Kabupaten Maluku Tengah untuk merencanakan dan mengimplementasikan pembelajaran fisika menggunakan Laboratorium virtual. Pelaksanaan kegiatan di bagi atas 3 bagian yaitu Tahap persiapan, pelaksanaan dan rencana tindak lanjut. kegiatan pengabdian ini dapat berjalan dengan baik dan memberikan dampak yang positif bagi seluruh peserta. Peserta merasakan manfaat dari kegiatan ini, sehingga setelah kegiatan selesai dilaksanakan peserta dapat melanjutkannya di kelasnya sendiri tanpa pendampingan.   Kata kunci: Laboratorium Virtual, Pembelajaran Fisik

Simulation of Sheet Metal Forming Using Polycrystal Plasticity

Polycrystal plasticity theory provides a foundation for the introduction of anisotropy into finite element codes. The computational burden inherent in carrying a detailed microstructural description in each finite element is significant. However, recent advances in computer hardware -- as well as the development of software for massive parallel architectures -- enable the treatment of practical problems. In this work, experimental results are provided to highlight the effect of anisotropy on different strain paths developed in forming of aluminum sheet. Simulation of the experimental tests is performed for aluminum sheet with varying initial texture. The results of the simulations follow experimental trends

STK295900, a Dual Inhibitor of Topoisomerase 1 and 2, Induces G<inf>2</inf> Arrest in the Absence of DNA Damage

STK295900, a small synthetic molecule belonging to a class of symmetric bibenzimidazoles, exhibits antiproliferative activity against various human cancer cell lines from different origins. Examining the effect of STK295900 in HeLa cells indicates that it induces G2 phase arrest without invoking DNA damage. Further analysis shows that STK295900 inhibits DNA relaxation that is mediated by topoisomerase 1 (Top 1) and topoisomerase 2 (Top 2) in vitro. In addition, STK295900 also exhibits protective effect against DNA damage induced by camptothecin. However, STK295900 does not affect etoposide-induced DNA damage. Moreover, STK295900 preferentially exerts cytotoxic effect on cancer cell lines while camptothecin, etoposide, and Hoechst 33342 affected both cancer and normal cells. Therefore, STK295900 has a potential to be developed as an anticancer chemotherapeutic agent. © 2013 Kim et al

Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. VIII: The Eighth Year (2015-2016)

Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 128 SU UMa-type dwarf novae observed mainly during the 2015-2016 season and characterized these objects. The data have improved the distribution of orbital periods, the relation between the orbital period and the variation of superhumps, the relation between period variations and the rebrightening type in WZ Sge-type objects. Coupled with new measurements of mass ratios using growing stages of superhumps, we now have a clearer and statistically greatly improved evolutionary path near the terminal stage of evolution of cataclysmic variables. Three objects (V452 Cas, KK Tel, ASASSN-15cl) appear to have slowly growing superhumps, which is proposed to reflect the slow growth of the 3:1 resonance near the stability border. ASASSN-15sl, ASASSN-15ux, SDSS J074859.55+312512.6 and CRTS J200331.3-284941 are newly identified eclipsing SU UMa-type (or WZ Sge-type) dwarf novae. ASASSN-15cy has a short (~0.050 d) superhump period and appears to belong to EI Psc-type objects with compact secondaries having an evolved core. ASASSN-15gn, ASASSN-15hn, ASASSN-15kh and ASASSN-16bu are candidate period bouncers with superhump periods longer than 0.06 d. We have newly obtained superhump periods for 79 objects and 13 orbital periods, including periods from early superhumps. In order that the future observations will be more astrophysically beneficial and rewarding to observers, we propose guidelines how to organize observations of various superoutbursts.Comment: 123 pages, 162 figures, 119 tables, accepted for publication in PASJ (including supplementary information