Self-duality of bounded monotone boolean functions and related problems

AbstractIn this paper we examine the problem of determining the self-duality of a monotone boolean function in disjunctive normal form (DNF). We show that the self-duality of monotone boolean functions with n disjuncts such that each disjunct has at most k literals can be determined in O(2k2k2n) time. This implies an O(n2logn) algorithm for determining the self-duality of logn-DNF functions. We also consider the version where any two disjuncts have at most c literals in common. For this case we give an O(n4(c+1)) algorithm for determining self-duality

Spatial Relation of Bumblebees (Hymenoptera-Apidae) with Host-Plant and their Conservation Issues: An Outlook from Urban Ecosystem of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Ecology and conservation status of bumblebee species remains poorly understood, especially in rapidly degrading urban ecosystems, which is important considering the role of bumblebees in the pollinations. We collected more than 200 bumblebee (Bombus spp.) specimens under six species in different parts of the Kathmandu valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur cities) in Nepal. The species of bumblebees were analyzed with their host plant types and the land use change using remote sensing and field observation data. We found that the bumblebees exert strong variation and were significantly affected by the families of the host plants and the nature of flowers (open and closed type) rather than colors and categories (invasive and noninvasive). We underline that the rapid habitat loss by changing land use in the study area can be a potential threat to the conservation of these important pollinators, and thus, need focused habitat conservation efforts

Decarbonisation pathways of the cement production process via hydrogen and oxy-combustion

Decarbonising cement production is of profound importance for meeting global greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and mitigating the impact of climate change. This study evaluates various technical options for achieving deep decarbonisation in a clinker production facility by utilising hydrogen (H2) as an alternative fuel to replace fossil fuels and by integrating an oxy-combustion technique with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Using Aspen Plus process simulations, we examined the extent of decarbonisation and assessed the thermal and electrical energy demands. This was achieved by incorporating an amine-absorption-based CO2 capture to a conventional natural gas fuelled reference plant, implementing oxyfuel-combustion of natural gas, and exploring four different scenarios for replacing fossil fuel with H2. In these scenarios, H2 was assumed to be produced through on-site water electrolysis, which also supplied oxygen for oxyfuel combustion, potentially eliminating the need for an air separation unit (ASU). The processes utilizing H2, except for the case of indirectly heated pre-calcination, employed oxyfuel combustion. The results indicate that the natural gas-fuelled oxyfuel-combustion process had the lowest total energy input at 4.92 GJ/t clinker, approximately 35% lower than that of the reference plant. Processes using H2 reduced energy demand by 11% in the H2-d scenario and 33% in the H2-a scenario. However, the process with indirect calcination required 6.24 GJ/t clinker, about 8% more H2 fuel than direct calcination but helped eliminate the need for an ASU. The results also reveal that greater H2 substitutions led to higher total process energy requirements due to the inefficiencies of the electrolysis process. While the H2-using processes could reduce the CO2 generation by up to 559 kgCO2/t clinker, this represents only about 27.6% of the CO2 reductions relative to the reference plant. These findings underscore the limitation of fuel substitution alone in cement production and emphasize the need for innovations in raw materials and the adoption of CCS to achieve deeper decarbonisation in cement industries

CHANGES IN URINARY MONOAMINE METABOLITES WITH ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

Objective: Monoamine neurotransmitters have been considered important mediators of schizophrenia pathology and antipsychotic drug action. Thisstudy examines the level of monoamine metabolites, homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxy indole acetic acid (5-HIAA), and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA),monoamine metabolites of major neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, respectively in urine of patients with schizophrenia ascompared to normal controls and the change in monoamine metabolites with antipsychotic treatment.Methods: Thirty-four drug-free patients with schizophrenia diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition(DSM-IV) criteria and 15 normal controls were taken for the study. Patients were assessed for psychopathology using positive and negative syndromescale (PANSS) scale at baseline and 4 weeks after the treatment. Urinary monoamine metabolites (HVA, 5-HIAA, and VMA) were measured before andafter 4 weeks of treatment using high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: There was a trend toward higher levels of HVA and VMA in the patients as compared to controls. There was a trend toward reduction in 5-HIAAlevels with treatment in patients with schizophrenia. No correlation was found between the levels of monoamine metabolites and psychopathology.Significant positive correlation was found between 5-HIAA with VMA and HVA.Conclusion: The present study indicates that noninvasive measurement of monoamine metabolites in urine may be of value in differentiating patientswith schizophrenia from controls.Keywords: Monoamine, Homovanillic acid, 5-Hydroxy indole acetic acid, Vanillyl mandelic acid, Schizophrenia.Â

A general inexact iterative method for monotone operators, equilibrium problems and fıxed point problems of semigroups in Hilbert spaces

Let H be a real Hilbert space. Consider on H a nonexpansive family T = {T(t) :0 ≤ t < ∞} with a common fixed point, a contraction f with the coefficient

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Diabetic Adults

Introduction: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a well- known complication of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Its spectrum ranges from Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ABU) to acute pyelonephritis. Many studies have delineated an increased prevalence of ABU in DM whereas to the same degree other studies have come to naught showing insignificant association. Hence, this study was drafted to evaluate the presence of ABU among diabetics and assess various risk factors. Methods: Total of 116 diabetic adults without symptoms of UTI attending medical out-patient department, Manipal Teaching Hospital were enrolled by detailed clinical history, examination and laboratorial examination as per standard set of questionnaire from February 2013 to May 2014. Data were analyzed by SPSS (17.0). Results: The rate of ABU in diabetic adults was 10.3% and was significantly associated with duration of DM, fasting blood glucose level and poor glycaemic control. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen which was sensitive to Nitrofurantoin and Imipenem. Conclusion: Being asymptomatic, diabetics fail to recognise ABU, however, ABU is preponderant in DM and is linked mainly with duration of DM and poor glycaemic control. Hence screening for ABU is imperative in diabetic adults if above mentioned risk factors are present

Establishment of dry-chemistry-based reference intervals of routine liver function tests for the adult population of Gandaki Province, Nepal.

Every clinical laboratory should ideally establish its own population-specific reference intervals (RIs) to promote precision and evidence-based medicine. However, clinical laboratories in Nepal find it easier to follow external RIs than establish their own, leading to a lack of RIs specific to the local population. This study thus aimed to establish RIs of routine LFTs for the adult population of Gandaki Province, Nepal, and compare them with the current RIs used by our laboratory. We established the dry-chemistry-based reference intervals of 11 common LFT parameters for the adult population of Gandaki Province, Nepal using the direct priori-based method. The combined and sex-specific 95% double-sided RIs of total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, bilirubin, aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), AST/ALT ratio, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were established using non-parametric percentile method. The new RIs were also compared with the currently used RIs that were adopted from the reagent kit inserts. The newly established RIs for each LFT were: Total proteins: 68.0-69.0g/L, albumin: 39.0-52.0g/L; globulin: 27.0-42.0g/L; A/G ratio: 1.1-1.8; total bilirubin: 5.13-25.65μmol/L (0.30-1.50mg/dl); unconjugated bilirubin: 1.71-17.10μmol/L (0.10-1.00mg/dl); conjugated bilirubin: 0.00-10.26 μmol/L (0.00-0.60mg/dl); AST: 20.0-43.2U/L; ALT: 11.0-53.0 U/L; AST/ALT ratio: 0.7-2.1; ALP: 42.0-135.4U/L. The RIs of albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, AST, ALT, and AST/ALT ratio differed significantly (p < 0.05) between males and females. Moreover, calculated out-of-range values showed that up to 4-40% of apparently healthy adults were classified as having abnormal test results based on current RIs. The newly established RIs fulfil the need for population and platform-specific RIs for the adult population of Gandaki Province of Nepal and bring more conformity and accuracy in interpreting the LFT results, diagnosis of hepatobiliary diseases, clinical decision-making, monitoring the success of therapy and future liver specific biomedical researches within the Gandaki Province of Nepal

Cloud Computing in VANETs: Architecture, Taxonomy, and Challenges

Cloud Computing in VANETs (CC-V) has been investigated into two major themes of research including Vehicular Cloud Computing (VCC) and Vehicle using Cloud (VuC). VCC is the realization of autonomous cloud among vehicles to share their abundant resources. VuC is the efficient usage of conventional cloud by on-road vehicles via a reliable Internet connection. Recently, number of advancements have been made to address the issues and challenges in VCC and VuC. This paper qualitatively reviews CC-V with the emphasis on layered architecture, network component, taxonomy, and future challenges. Specifically, a four-layered architecture for CC-V is proposed including perception, co-ordination, artificial intelligence and smart application layers. Three network component of CC-V namely, vehicle, connection and computation are explored with their cooperative roles. A taxonomy for CC-V is presented considering major themes of research in the area including design of architecture, data dissemination, security, and applications. Related literature on each theme are critically investigated with comparative assessment of recent advances. Finally, some open research challenges are identified as future issues. The challenges are the outcome of the critical and qualitative assessment of literature on CC-V