The minimum variance distortionless response beamformer for damage identification using modal curvatures

This study presents a damage identification procedure in beams based on the use of beamforming algorithms, which are mostly utilized in inverse problems of source identification and image reconstruction. We choose the modal curvatures as observed quantities and compare the performance of the Bartlett beamformer, minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) processor, and of a conventional objective function based on the modal curvatures. By means of a set of experiments, we show that the MVDR processor can overcome some of the difficulties encountered with other estimators, especially in cases of slight damage, or damage located between two sensors

Fractional maximal operator and its commutators in generalized morrey spaces on Heisenberg group

In this paper we study the boundedness of the fractional maximal operator M ? on Heisenberg group H n in the generalized Morrey spaces M p,? (H n ). We shall give a characterization for the strong and weak type Spanne and Adams type boundedness of M ? on the generalized Morrey spaces, respectively. Also we give a characterization for the Spanne and Adams type boundedness of fractional maximal commutator operator M b,? on the generalized Morrey spaces. © 2018, Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. All rights reserved

No significant association between the promoter region polymorphisms of factor VII gene and risk of venous thrombosis in cancer patients

Factor VII (FVII) plays an important role in blood coagulation. The role of common polymorphisms influencing the FVII plasma levels in thromboembolic disorders has been evaluated but there is no published data related to the effect of FVII gene polymorphisms on the venous thrombosis risk in cancer. Aim: To investigate the association of three common functional polymorphisms in the promoter region of FVII gene: a decanucleotide insertion at position-323 (-323ins10-bp), a G to T substitution at position-401 (-401GT), and a G to A substitution at position-402 (-401GT) with venous thrombosis in cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The study included 60 cancer patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) (group 1) and 130 cancer patients without VTE (group 2). Genotyping of -323ins10-bp, -401GT, and -402GA polymorphisms in the promoter region of FVII gene was performed by the method of single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and sequencing. Factor V Leiden (FVL) was also determined in all cases. Results: The frequency of FVL was significantly greater in cancer patients with VTE compared with group 2 patients (p 0.05). The results did not change significantly after the exclusion of patients carrying the FVL (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The screening for the -323ins10-bp, -401GT, and -402GA olymorphisms of FVII gene did not contribute to a meaningful diagnostic nvestigation in cancer patients with venous thrombosis

Comparison and Avoidance of Toxicity of Penetrating Cryoprotectants

The objective of this study was to elucidate the toxicity of widely used penetrating cryoprotective agents (CPAs) to mammalian oocytes. To this end, mouse metaphase II (M II) oocytes were exposed to 1.5 M solutions of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), ethylene glycol (EG), or propanediol (PROH) prepared in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 10% fetal bovine serum. To address the time- and temperature-dependence of the CPA toxicity, M II oocytes were exposed to the aforementioned CPAs at room temperature (RT, ∼23°C) and 37°C for 15 or 30 minutes. Subsequently, the toxicity of each CPA was evaluated by examining post-exposure survival, fertilization, embryonic development, chromosomal abnormalities, and parthenogenetic activation of treated oocytes. Untreated oocytes served as controls. Exposure of MII oocytes to 1.5 M DMSO or 1.5 M EG at RT for 15 min did not adversely affect any of the evaluated criteria. In contrast, 1.5 M PROH induced a significant increase in oocyte degeneration (54.2%) and parthenogenetic activation (16%) under same conditions. When the CPA exposure was performed at 37°C, the toxic effect of PROH further increased, resulting in lower survival (15%) and no fertilization while the toxicity of DMSO and EG was still insignificant. Nevertheless, it was possible to completely avoid the toxicity of PROH by decreasing its concentration to 0.75 M and combining it with 0.75 M DMSO to bring the total CPA concentration to a cryoprotective level. Moreover, combining lower concentrations (i.e., 0.75 M) of PROH and DMSO significantly improved the cryosurvival of MII oocytes compared to the equivalent concentration of DMSO alone. Taken together, our results suggest that from the perspective of CPA toxicity, DMSO and EG are safer to use in slow cooling protocols while a lower concentration of PROH can be combined with another CPA to avoid its toxicity and to improve the cryosurvival as well

Characterizations for the fractional integral operators in generalized Morrey spaces on Carnot groups

WOS: 000418838500011In this paper, we study the boundedness of the fractional integral operator I (alpha) on Carnot group G in the generalized Morrey spaces M (p, phi) (G). We shall give a characterization for the strong and weak type boundedness of I (alpha) on the generalized Morrey spaces, respectively. As applications of the properties of the fundamental solution of sub-Laplacian L on G, we prove two Sobolev-Stein embedding theorems on generalized Morrey spaces in the Carnot group setting.grant of the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of ScienceAzerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS); Ahi Evran University Scientific Research ProjectAhi Evran University [FEF.A3.16.024]The research of V. S. Guliyev was supported in part by the 2015 grant of the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Science and by the Ahi Evran University Scientific Research Project under grant FEF.A3.16.024)

Collective dynamics of random Janus oscillator networks

Janus oscillators have been recently introduced as a remarkably simple phase oscillator model that exhibits non-trivial dynamical patterns -- such as chimeras, explosive transitions, and asymmetry-induced synchronization -- that once were only observed in specifically tailored models. Here we study ensembles of Janus oscillators coupled on large homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. By virtue of the Ott-Antonsen reduction scheme, we find that the rich dynamics of Janus oscillators persists in the thermodynamic limit of random regular, Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and scale-free random networks. We uncover for all these networks the coexistence between partially synchronized state and a multitude of states displaying global oscillations. Furthermore, abrupt transitions of the global and local order parameters are observed for all topologies considered. Interestingly, only for scale-free networks, it is found that states displaying global oscillations vanish in the thermodynamic limit

40Ar/39Ar impact ages and time-temperature argon diffusion history of the Bunburra Rockhole anomalous basaltic achondrite

The Bunburra Rockhole meteorite is a brecciated anomalous basaltic achondrite containing coarse-, medium- and fine-grained lithologies. Petrographic observations constrain the limited shock pressure to between ca. 10 GPa and 20 GPa. In this study, we carried out nine 40Ar/39Ar step-heating experiments on distinct single-grain fragments extracted from the coarse and fine lithologies. We obtained six plateau ages and three mini-plateau ages. These ages fall into two internally concordant populations with mean ages of 3640 ± 21 Ma (n=7; P=0.53) and 3544 ± 26 Ma (n=2; P=0.54), respectively. Based on these results, additional 40Ar/39Ar data of fusion crust fragments, argon diffusion modeling, and petrographic observations, we conclude that the principal components of the Bunburra Rockhole basaltic achondrite are from a melt rock formed at ~3.64 Ga by a medium to large impact event. The data imply this impact generated high enough energy to completely melt the basaltic target rock and reset the Ar systematics, but only partially reset the Pb-Pb age. We also conclude that a complete 40Ar* resetting of pyroxene and plagioclase at this time could not have been achieved at solid-state conditions. Comparison with a terrestrial analogue (Lonar crater) shows that the time-temperature conditions required to melt basaltic target rocks upon impact are relatively easy to achieve. Ar data also suggest that a second medium-size impact event occurred on a neighboring part of the same target rock at ~3.54 Ga. Concordant low-temperature step ages of the nine aliquots suggest that, at ~3.42 Ga, a third smaller impact excavated parts of the ~3.64 Ga and ~3.54 Ga melt rocks and brought the fragments together. The lack of significant impact activity after 3.5 Ga, as recorded by the Bunburra Rockhole suggest that (1) either the meteorite was ejected in a small secondary parent body where it resided untouched by large impacts, or (2) it was covered by a porous heat-absorbing regolith blanket which, when combined with the diminishing frequency of large impacts in the solar system, protected Bunburra from subsequent major heating events. Finally we note that the total (K/Ar) resetting impact event history recorded by some of the brecciated eucrites (peak at 3.8-3.5 Ga) is similar to the large impact history recorded by the Bunburra Rockhole parent body (ca. 3.64-3.54 Ga; this study) and could indicate a similar position in the asteroid belt at that time

Application of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel disks for the immobilization of three different microalgal species

BACKGROUND: Algal growth on solid surfaces confers the advantage of combining the algal harvesting and bioprocessing steps at a single stage, in addition to the easier handling of the immobilized cells that occupy a reduced amount of space. The current work employed the application of macroporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel disks as a water-insoluble, non-toxic and recyclable immobilization matrix for different microalgal strains (Nannochloropsis sp., Dunaliella salina, and Botryococcus braunii) that offer value-added products for various commercial applications. RESULTS: The study demonstrated the effect of variations in the surface characteristics of the algal strains and hydrogel surfaces on the immobilization efficiencies. Gelatin was further used to modify PHEMA hydrogels to achieve higher bioaffinity and surface hydrophilicity. The results showed that highly salt-tolerant microalgal cells (Dunaliella salina, Nannochloropsis sp.) had significantly higher tendencies to attach on the gelatin-modified PHEMA hydrogel compared with the freshwater B. braunii colonies; embedded within an extracellular matrix mainly made of hydrophobic components, which displayed better attachment to the unmodified PHEMA hydrogels. CONCLUSION: The proposed PHEMA hydrogels are easily-manufactured and highly durable materials with the hydrogel disks still retaining their integrity after several years when in contact with a liquid. PHEMA disks also have the benefits of having adjustable porosities by changing the composition of the polymerization mixture, and modifiable surface properties by simply binding various synthetic or natural molecules on their surfaces, which can bring several new opportunities for harvesting various microalgal cells with different surface morphologies and chemical compositions

Local differences of the position of the mental foramen

The mental foramen has been reported to vary in position in different ethnic groups. Repeated failures during injections and operative procedures involving the mental foramen suggest the presence of local differences in a given population. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible local differences of the mental foramen in Eastern Anatolian individuals in the Turkish population. The present investigation is based on the examination of 70 adult mandibles. The study consisted of three measurements, to include the relations of the mental foramen to the following: 1) the lower teeth; 2) the body of mandible; 3) the mandibular symphysis and posterior border of the ramus of the mandible. The most common position of the foramen was in line with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar tooth (relation IV), at the midpoint of the mandibular body height and at 1/3.5 of the distance from the mandibular symphysis to the posterior border of the ramus. Local differences of the mental foramen may occur in a population. Prior to surgery knowledge of the most common location of the foramen peculiar to a local population may enable effective mental block anaesthesia to be provided. (Folia Morphol 2008; 67: 32-35)