Laissez-Faire Versus Pareto

Consider two principles for social evaluation. The first, ‘laissez-faire’, says that mean-preserving redistribution away from laissez-faire incomes should be regarded as a social worsening. This principle captures a key aspect of liberal political philosophy. The second, weak Pareto, states that an increase in each individual’s disposable income should be regarded as a social improvement. We show that the combination of the two principles implies that total disposable income ought be maximized. Strikingly, the relationship between disposable incomes and laissez-faire incomes must therefore be ignored, leaving little room for liberal values

The Novel Control Loops of the Pulsed Power Converters for the CERN SPS Machine

The topic of this paper is the studies that were made in the framework of the renovation project of the CERN SPS accelerator's power converters. This project was initiated because these converters were designed 20 years ago and they will need to work another 20 years, due to the use of the SPS machine as the LHC injector

The effects of Aminoethoxyvinylglycine and Methyl Jasmonate on bioactive compounds and fruit quality of ‘north wonder’ sweet cherry

Background: AVG is an organic ethylene inhibitor. AVG treatments retarded the ripening process, increased fruit sizes and delayed loss of postharvest fruit flesh firmness by inhibiting ethylene. MeJA is a natural plant growth regulator and plays a regulatory role in various metabolic reactions. Apart from its role in fruit ripening, cell activities like anthocyanin and carotenoid synthesis and inhibitive role in aromatic material formation, chlorophyll and lycopene production.Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted to determine the effects of pre-harvest aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments on bioactive compounds, mineral nutrients and other fruit quality characteristics of ‘North Wonder’ sweet cherries variety in 2011. AVG was sprayed on experimental trees at 125 mg L-1 dose in two different periods i.e. 3 weeks and 2 weeks before the anticipated harvest date. MeJA was applied 3 week before the anticipated harvest date at a dose of 2240 mg L-1.Results: MeJA significantly increased fruit weight and geometric mean diameter. AVG significantly decreased fruit weight and flesh/stone ratio, significantly increased L*, chroma and hue angle values. Effects of both AVG and MeJA on flesh firmness were also found to be significant. While soluble solids concentration and pH values significantly decreased with AVG treatment, titrate acidity significantly increased. Both AVG and MeJA treatments significantly decreased total phenolics (TP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total anthocyanin (TA). Effects of AVG on such decreases in TAC and TA were more efficient than MeJA. While the effects of both AVG and MeJA on iron content were significant, effects of only MeJA on nitrogen and phosphor contents were found to be significant.Conclusion: Growth regulators significantly decreased bioactive compounds. AVG was more effective in such decreases than MeJA.Key words: Antioxidant, color, flesh firmness, mineral nutrients, phenolics, Prunus avium L

A novel KIF11 mutation in a Turkish patient with microcephaly, lymphedema, and chorioretinal dysplasia from a consanguineous family.

Microcephaly–lymphedema–chorioretinal dysplasia (MLCRD) syndrome is a rare syndrome that was first described in 1992. Characteristic craniofacial features include severe microcephaly, upslanting palpebral fissures, prominent ears, a broad nose, and a long philtrum with a pointed chin. Recently, mutations in KIF11 have been demonstrated to cause dominantly inherited MLCRD syndrome. Herein, we present a patient with MLCRD syndrome whose parents were first cousins. The parents are unaffected, and thus a recessive mode of inheritance for the disorder was considered likely. However, the propositus carries a novel, de novo nonsense mutationinexon2 of KIF11. The patient also had midline cleft tongue which has not previously been described in this syndrome

Microwave-induced nonequilibrium temperature in a suspended carbon nanotube

Antenna-coupled suspended single carbon nanotubes exposed to 108 GHz microwave radiation are shown to be selectively heated with respect to their metal contacts. This leads to an increase in the conductance as well as to the development of a power-dependent DC voltage. The increased conductance stems from the temperature dependence of tunneling into a one-dimensional electron system. The DC voltage is interpreted as a thermovoltage, due to the increased temperature of the electron liquid compared to the equilibrium temperature in the leads

Discrete Cutting Force Model for 5-Axis Milling with Arbitrary Engagement and Feed Direction

5-axis machining operations bring new challenges for predicting cutting forces. Complex tool workpiece engagements and tool orientations make it difficult to adapt 3-axis process models for 5-axis operations. A new model is developed to predict cutting forces with arbitrary tool/workpiece engagement and tool feed direction. A discretization approach is used, in which the tool is composed of multiple cutting elements. Each element is processed to determine its effect on cutting forces, and global forces are determined by combining the elemental effects. Cutting tests are conducted to verify force predictions, where the tool/workpiece engagement is provided through a geometric software application

Assessment of in vitro antitumoral and antimicrobial activities of marine algae harvested from the eastern Mediterranean sea

Antitumoral activities of five algal extracts obtained from the marine algae Scytosiphon lomentaria, Padina pavonica, Cystoseira mediterranea (Phaeophyceae), Hypnea musciformis and Spyridia filamentosa (Rhodophyta) were assessed against the human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF–7 and the human prostate carcinoma epithelium like cell lines DU 145, LNCaP, PC3 using the cytotoxic assay, in vitro. The crude extract of S. filamentosa showed strong cytotoxic activity against the DU-145 cell line, and it showed less than 10% cell viability after treatment. Antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts of algae (with the exception of H. musciformis) were also tested by disc diffusion assay against three Gram positive and five Gram negative bacterial strains and against the yeast pathogen Candida albicans. Among the extraxts, S. lomentaria extract (prepared with methanol) inhibited highly Gram negative bacterium Salmonella typhimurium growth while C. albicans growth was only inhibited by C.mediterrranea extract

The effect of Si(x)N(y) interlayer on the quality of GaN epitaxial layers grown on Si(111) substrates by MOCVD

Cataloged from PDF version of article.In the present paper, the effects of nitridation on the quality of GaN epitaxial films grown on Si(111) substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor phase deposition (MOCVD) are discussed. A series of GaN layers were grown on Si(111) under various conditions and characterized by Nomarski microscopy (NM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), and room temperature (RT) photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Firstly, we optimized LT-AlN/HT-AlN/Si(111) templates and graded AlGaN intermediate layers thicknesses. In order to prevent stress relaxation, step-graded AlGaN layers were introduced along with a crack-free GaN layer of thickness exceeding 2.2 mu m. Secondly, the effect of in situ substrate nitridation and the insertion of an Si(x)N(y) intermediate layer on the GaN crystalline quality was investigated. Our measurements show that the nitridation position greatly influences the surface morphology and PL and XRD spectra of GaN grown atop the Si(x)N(y) layer. The X-ray diffraction and PL measurements results confirmed that the single-crystalline wurtzite GaN was successfully grown in samples A (without Si(x)N(y) layer) and B (with Si(x)N(y) layer on Si(111)). The resulting GaN film surfaces were flat, mirror-like, and crack-free. The full-width-at-half maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray rocking curve for (0002) diffraction from the GaN epilayer of the sample B in omega-scan was 492 arcsec. The PL spectrum at room temperature showed that the GaN epilayer had a light emission at a wavelength of 365 nm with a FWHM of 6.6 nm (33.2 meV). In sample B, the insertion of a Si(x)N(y) intermediate layer significantly improved the optical and structural properties. In sample C (with Si(x)N(y) layer on Al(0.11)Ga(0.89)N interlayer). The in situ depositing of the, however, we did not obtain any improvements in the optical or structural properties. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Expanded Bodipy Dyes: Anion Sensing Using a Bodipy Analog with an Additional Difluoroboron Bridge

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Oxalyl-tethered pyrroles can be doubly bridged with two difluoroboron chelating units to yield bright orange dyes. Interestingly, in polar organic solvents, the addition of fluoride and cyanide result in reversible detachment of the otherwise stable difluoroboron bridges, resulting in sharp changes in color. Thus, this novel compound behaves as a highly selective chromogenic sensor for fluoride and cyanide ions