213 research outputs found
Optimization Of Wireless Pricing Scheme
The wireless service providers obtain surplus fromconsumers who applied the service. That pricing strategyis developed by considering the linearity factors, elasticityprice, price factors, acceptance factor and unit serviceprice. Previous researches are focussed on the introductionof the models in general. This new approach of the modelis by considering the model as the nonlinear programmingproblem that can be solved optimally using LINGO 13.0.The optimal solution could give information on decisionvariables and objective function to maximize the revenuefor the providers. The several objectives to be achieved byservice providers are by setting the increment ordecrement of price change due to QoS change and amountof QoS value
Microcontroller Implementation Of Single Phase Inverter Switching Strategies.
This paper presents the practical microcontroller implementation of single phase inverter switching strategies
Compacton existence and spin-orbit density dependence in Bose-Einstein condensates
We demonstrate the existence of compactons matter waves in binary mixtures of
Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) trapped in deep optical lattices (OL) subjected
to equal contributions of intra-species Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit
coupling (SOC) under periodic time modulations of the intra-species scattering
length. We show that these modulations lead to the rescaling of the SOC
parameters that involve the density imbalance of the two components. This gives
rise to a density-dependent SOC parameters strongly influence the existence and
stability of compacton matter waves. The stability of SOC-compactons is
investigated both by linear stability analysis and by time integrations of the
coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We find that SOC restricts the parameter
ranges for stable stationary SOC-compacton existence but, on the other side, it
gives a more stringent signature of their occurrence. In particular,
SOC-compactons should appear when the intra-species interactions and the number
of atoms in the two components are perfectly balanced (or close to being
balanced for metastable cases). The possibility to use SOC-compactons as a tool
for indirect measurements of the number of atoms and/or the intra-species
interactions, is also suggested.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
High-throughput screening of perovskite alloys for piezoelectric performance and thermodynamic stability
We screen a large chemical space of perovskite alloys for systems with optimal properties to accommodate a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in their composition-temperature phase diagram, a crucial feature for high piezoelectric performance. We start from alloy end points previously identified in a high-throughput computational search. An interpolation scheme is used to estimate the relative energies between different perovskite distortions for alloy compositions with a minimum of computational effort. Suggested alloys are further screened for thermodynamic stability. The screening identifies alloy systems already known to host an MPB and suggests a few others that may be promising candidates for future experiments. Our method of investigation may be extended to other perovskite systems, e.g., (oxy-)nitrides, and provides a useful methodology for any application of high-throughput screening of isovalent alloy systems
A dynamic, ring-forming MucB / RseB-like protein influences spore shape in Bacillus subtilis.
How organisms develop into specific shapes is a central question in biology. The maintenance of bacterial shape is connected to the assembly and remodelling of the cell envelope. In endospore-forming bacteria, the pre-spore compartment (the forespore) undergoes morphological changes that result in a spore of defined shape, with a complex, multi-layered cell envelope. However, the mechanisms that govern spore shape remain poorly understood. Here, using a combination of fluorescence microscopy, quantitative image analysis, molecular genetics and transmission electron microscopy, we show that SsdC (formerly YdcC), a poorly-characterized new member of the MucB / RseB family of proteins that bind lipopolysaccharide in diderm bacteria, influences spore shape in the monoderm Bacillus subtilis. Sporulating cells lacking SsdC fail to adopt the typical oblong shape of wild-type forespores and are instead rounder. 2D and 3D-fluorescence microscopy suggest that SsdC forms a discontinuous, dynamic ring-like structure in the peripheral membrane of the mother cell, near the mother cell proximal pole of the forespore. A synthetic sporulation screen identified genetic relationships between ssdC and genes involved in the assembly of the spore coat. Phenotypic characterization of these mutants revealed that spore shape, and SsdC localization, depend on the coat basement layer proteins SpoVM and SpoIVA, the encasement protein SpoVID and the inner coat protein SafA. Importantly, we found that the ΔssdC mutant produces spores with an abnormal-looking cortex, and abolishing cortex synthesis in the mutant largely supresses its shape defects. Thus, SsdC appears to play a role in the proper assembly of the spore cortex, through connections to the spore coat. Collectively, our data suggest functional diversification of the MucB / RseB protein domain between diderm and monoderm bacteria and identify SsdC as an important factor in spore shape development
Phenomenological Lambda-Nuclear Interactions
Variational Monte Carlo calculations for (ground and
excited states) and are performed to decipher information on
-nuclear interactions. Appropriate operatorial nuclear and
-nuclear correlations have been incorporated to minimize the
expectation values of the energies. We use the Argonne two-body
NN along with the Urbana IX three-body NNN interactions. The study demonstrates
that a large part of the splitting energy in () is
due to the three-body NN forces. hypernucleus is
analyzed using the {\it s}-shell results. binding to nuclear matter
is calculated within the variational framework using the
Fermi-Hypernetted-Chain technique. There is a need to correctly incorporate the
three-body NN correlations for binding to nuclear matter.Comment: 18 pages (TeX), 2 figure
Anthropometric, biochemical and clinical assessment of malnutrition in Malaysian patients with advanced cirrhosis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is limited data on the nutritional status of Asian patients with various aetiologies of cirrhosis. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and to compare nutritional differences between various aetiologies.</p> <p>Methodology</p> <p>A cross-sectional study of adult patients with decompensated cirrhosis was conducted. Nutritional status was assessed using standard anthropometry, serum visceral proteins and subjective global assessment (SGA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty six patients (mean age 59.8 ± 12.8 years; 66.7% males; 41.6% viral hepatitis; Child-Pugh C 55.6%) with decompensated cirrhosis were recruited. Malnutrition was prevalent in 18 (50%) patients and the mean caloric intake was low at 15.2 kcal/kg/day. SGA grade C, as compared to SGA grade B, demonstrated significantly lower anthropometric values in males (BMI 18.1 ± 1.6 vs 26.3 ± 3.5 kg/m2, p < 0.0001; MAMC 19.4 ± 1.5 vs 24.5 ± 3.6 cm, p = 0.002) and females (BMI 19.4 ± 2.7 vs 28.9 ± 4.3, p = 0.001; MAMC 18.0 ± 0.9 vs 28.1 ± 3.6, p < 0.0001), but not with visceral proteins. The SGA demonstrated a trend towards more malnutrition in Child-Pugh C compared to Child-Pugh B liver cirrhosis (40% grade C vs 25% grade C, p = 0.48). Alcoholic cirrhosis had a higher proportion of SGA grade C (41.7%) compared to viral (26.7%) and cryptogenic (28.6%) cirrhosis, but this was not statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Significant malnutrition in Malaysian patients with advanced cirrhosis is common. Alcoholic cirrhosis may have more malnutrition compared to other aetiologies of cirrhosis.</p
A qualitative exploration of Malaysian cancer patients' perspectives on cancer and its treatment
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer patients' knowledge about cancer and experiences with its treatment play an important role in long-term adherence in their disease management. This study aimed to explore cancer patients' knowledge about cancer, their perceptions of conventional therapies and the factors that contribute to medication adherence in the Malaysian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a better understanding of the current perceptions and knowledge held by cancer patients. Twenty patients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A saturation point was reached after the 18<sup>th </sup>interview, and no new information emerged with the subsequent 2 interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by means of a standard content analysis framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of patients related the cause of their cancer to be God's will. Participants perceived conventional therapies as effective due to their scientific methods of preparations. A fear of side effects was main reasons given for delay in seeking treatment; however, perceptions were reported to change after receiving treatment when effective management to reduce the risk of side effects had been experienced.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides basic information about cancer patients' perceptions towards cancer and its treatment. These findings can help in the design of educational programs to enhance awareness and acceptances of cancer screening. Priorities for future research should focus on patients who refused the conventional therapies at any stage.</p
Prevalence of PALB2 Mutations in Breast Cancer Patients in Multi-Ethnic Asian Population in Malaysia and Singapore
10.1371/journal.pone.0073638PLoS ONE88-POLN
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