Modelling methodology of MEMS structures based on Cosserat theory

Modelling MEMS involves a variety of software tools that deal with the analysis of complex geometrical structures and the assessment of various interactions among different energy domains and components. Moreover, the MEMS market is growing very fast, but surprisingly, there is a paucity of modelling and simulation methodology for precise performance verification of MEMS products in the nonlinear regime. For that reason, an efficient and rapid modelling approach is proposed that meets the linear and nonlinear dynamic behaviour of MEMS systems.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/16838

Getting more than a fair share: nutrition of worker larvae related to social parasitism in the Cape honey bee Apis mellifera capensis

Besides activation of ovaries and thelytokous reproduction of Cape workers, larval nutrition is an important aspect in parasitism of the African honey bee. When reared by workers of other subspecies, Cape larvae receive more food which is slightly more royal jelly-like. This results in worker-queen intermediates, with reduced pollen combs, enlarged spermathecae and higher numbers of ovarioles. The intermediates weigh more and develop faster than normal workers. The appearance of worker-queen intermediates probably affects parasitism of the African honey bee colonies by Cape workers. Different levels of larval nutrition resulting in less distinct caste differentiation may be important for the reproductive success of Cape workers in their own colonies. Similar processes, albeit less pronounced, may occur in colonies of other subspecies

Repairable Block Failure Resilient Codes

In large scale distributed storage systems (DSS) deployed in cloud computing, correlated failures resulting in simultaneous failure (or, unavailability) of blocks of nodes are common. In such scenarios, the stored data or a content of a failed node can only be reconstructed from the available live nodes belonging to available blocks. To analyze the resilience of the system against such block failures, this work introduces the framework of Block Failure Resilient (BFR) codes, wherein the data (e.g., file in DSS) can be decoded by reading out from a same number of codeword symbols (nodes) from each available blocks of the underlying codeword. Further, repairable BFR codes are introduced, wherein any codeword symbol in a failed block can be repaired by contacting to remaining blocks in the system. Motivated from regenerating codes, file size bounds for repairable BFR codes are derived, trade-off between per node storage and repair bandwidth is analyzed, and BFR-MSR and BFR-MBR points are derived. Explicit codes achieving these two operating points for a wide set of parameters are constructed by utilizing combinatorial designs, wherein the codewords of the underlying outer codes are distributed to BFR codeword symbols according to projective planes

Effectiveness of blood transfusions and risk factors for mortality in children aged from 1 month to 4 years at the Bon Marche Hospital, Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo

Objective  To assess the effectiveness of blood transfusions in a hospital of north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods  Prospective study of children admitted for severe anaemia. During admission, data were collected on clinical condition and haemoglobin levels, before and after blood transfusion. A linear regression model was built to explore factors associated with haemoglobin level after transfusion. Risk factors for mortality were explored through multivariate logistic regression. Results  Haemoglobin level (Hb) was below 4 g/dl in 35% (230/657), between 4 and 6 g/dl in 58% (348/657) and at least 6 g/dl in another 6% (43/657) of the transfused children. A transfusion of 15 ml/kg of whole blood increased the Hb from 4.4 to 7.8 g/dl. Haemoglobin level after transfusion was associated with baseline Hb, quantity of delivered blood and history of previous transfusions. Overall case-fatality rate was 5.6% (37/657). Risk factors for deaths were co-morbidities such as chest infection, meningitis or malnutrition, Hb ≥ 6 g/dl, impaired consciousness or jugular venous distention on admission, and provenance. Conclusion  Transfusion was a frequent practice, the use of which could clearly have been rationalised. While indications should be restricted, quantities of transfused blood should be adapted to needs

Met gezonde bijen naar de heide

Op 22 maart 2010 kwam een bont gezelschap van bijenhouders van ABTB, ANI en NBV bijeen in Hoenderloo. Het onderwerp die avond was de vraag: “Hoe combineer ik varroabestrijding met de heidedracht?” Hieronder het antwoord en wel in de vorm van de basisprincipes van varroa bestrijding plus een concrete methode om deze te combineren met de heidedracht

Identification of New Resistance Sources From Diploid Wild Strawberry Against Powdery Mildew Pathogen

Powdery mildew pathogen causes diseases in berries and resistance breeding is hampered by the lack of sufficient sources. While control of fungal pathogens relies on chemical fungicides. In either case, a reliable source of resistance for breeding purposes is imperative for efficient protection of the crop plants. A powdery mildew isolate designated GOU1 has been identified as Podosphaera aphanis var. aphanis using light microscopy and sequencing the ITS region. Pathogenicity tests on 3 diploid wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) ecotypes with GOU1 revealed 3 distinctive interaction phenotypes; enhanced susceptible (ecotype 1), intermediate susceptible (ecotype 2) and resistant (ecotype 3). In vitro staining methods with diaminobenzidine and trypan blue showed massive mycelial web and conidiophore production on the susceptible ecotype, but there was no mycelia and conidiophore production on the resistant ecotype 3. In the ecotype 3 conidiospore penetration was associated with accumulation of hydrogen peroxide production on the host cells. These findings suggest that these ecotypes could be explored as resistant gene sources to powdery mildew fungus

Evaluation of biological activity of Turkish plants. Rapid screening for the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential by TLC bioautographic methods

Using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography, a total of 58 extracts from various organs (aerial parts, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots) of 16 Turkish plants were tested for their antibacterial, antifungal, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory, antioxidant, and radical scavenging activities. The hexane, CHCl3/CH2Cl2, water, and total MeOH extracts were used. No activity was observed against two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aureginosa) and the yeast Candida albicans. However, 23 plant extracts, mostly the CHCl3/CH2Cl2 and H2O-solubles, inhibited the growth of all five Gram-positive bacteria tested, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Of the active extracts, the CHCl3-soluble of the roots of Putoria calabrica (L. fil) DC (Rubiaceae) displayed the highest antibacterial potential. The majority of the CHCl3/CH2Cl2 crude extracts also appeared to inhibit acetylcholinesterase on TLC plates at 100 µg/spot concentration. Particularly active samples were the middle polarity extracts (CHCl3/CH2Cl2) of the leaves of Rhododendron smirnovii Trautv., R. ponticum L., and R. ungernii Trautv. (Ericaceae). β-Carotene, β-carotene/linoleic acid mixture, and 2,2-diphenyl-l-pieryhydrazyl (DPPH) solutions sprayed onto TLC plates were used for detecting antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of the crude extracts. Antioxidant and radical scavenging activities were found to be predominant in highly polar extracts. The water-solubles of all Rhododendron (Ericaceae) and Phlomis (Lamiaceae) species presented the most significant activity

Ranolazine and Silent Ischemia

This research note examines the relevance of microfinance as a means to cope with natural disasters, using the event of the cyclone Phailin, which struck India in 2013. The results indicate that microfinance helps reduce the negative effects of extreme weather-related shocks. In light of the somewhat disappointing outcomes suggested by several recent rigorous impact studies, this research paints a more positive picture of the importance of microfinance as an insurance mechanism to deal with weather-related risks.</p