Primitive abundant and weird numbers with many prime factors

We give an algorithm to enumerate all primitive abundant numbers (briefly, PANs) with a fixed $\Omega$ (the number of prime factors counted with their multiplicity), and explicitly find all PANs up to $\Omega=6$, count all PANs and square-free PANs up to $\Omega=7$ and count all odd PANs and odd square-free PANs up to $\Omega=8$. We find primitive weird numbers (briefly, PWNs) with up to 16 prime factors, improving the previous results of [Amato-Hasler-Melfi-Parton] where PWNs with up to 6 prime factors have been given. The largest PWN we find has 14712 digits: as far as we know, this is the largest example existing, the previous one being 5328 digits long [Melfi]. We find hundreds of PWNs with exactly one square odd prime factor: as far as we know, only five were known before. We find all PWNs with at least one odd prime factor with multiplicity greater than one and $\Omega = 7$ and prove that there are none with $\Omega < 7$. Regarding PWNs with a cubic (or higher) odd prime factor, we prove that there are none with $\Omega\le 7$, and we did not find any with larger $\Omega$. Finally, we find several PWNs with 2 square odd prime factors, and one with 3 square odd prime factors. These are the first such examples.Comment: New section on open problems. A mistake in table 2 corrected (# odd PAN with Omega=8). New PWN in table 5, last line, 2 squared prime factors, Omega=15. Updated bibliograph

Supply chain analysis in the Australian lamb processing industry

During the last decade, supply chain management has played an important role in enabling many agribusinesses to succeed in their business goals, gain competitive advantage, and improve their business performance. As the result, there has been extensive research into strategic supply chain management with the aim of improving agribusiness performance at each stage of the supply chain. This is because in the current agribusiness world, supply chain activities are crucial in influencing many companies to continuously adapt proper supply chain management practices. The objective of this research was to analyse supply chain performance indicators among Australian lamb processors by using survey data and empirical models. Based on the results of these analyses, alternative configurations for these supply chains were suggested to help enhance the performance of the businesses concerned. The results indicate that food quality and efficiency are significant indicators of competitive advantage for lamb processors

An endosomal beta COP is involved in the pH-dependent formation of transport vesicles destined for late endosomes

In this paper, we show that beta COP is present on endosomes and is required for the formation of vesicles which mediate transport from early to late endosomes. Both the association of beta COP to endosomal membranes as well as transport vesicle formation depend on the lumenal pH. We find that epsilon COP, but not gamma COP, is also associated to endosomes, and that this association is also lumenal pH dependent. Our data, thus, indicate that a subset of COPs is part of the mechanism regulating endosomal membrane transport, and that membrane association of these COPs is controlled by the acidic properties of early endosomes, presumably via a trans-membrane pH sensor

Supply Chain Performance Indicators for Australian Beef Industry: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract: This research presents and analyses supply chain performance indicators for Australian beef producers, processors and retailers/wholesalers based on an empirical approach. The survey results showed that: 1. for producers, competitive advantage was significantly influenced by the supply chain performance components food quality, flexibility and responsiveness 2. for processors, competitive advantage was significantly influenced by the supply chain performance components food quality and responsiveness 3. at the retail/wholesale level, competitive advantage was significantly influenced by food quality, flexibility, responsiveness and efficiency 4. a significant problem affecting the overall performance of the Australian beef supply chain was unskilled and inexperienced staff. Various statistical tests confirmed the validity and reliability of the results. Keywords: supply chain performance indicators, food quality, flexibility, responsiveness, efficiency

Annexin XIIIb: a novel epithelial specific annexin is implicated in vesicular traffic to the apical plasma membrane

The sorting of apical and basolateral proteins into vesicular carriers takes place in the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in MDCK cells. We have previously analyzed the protein composition of immunoisolated apical and basolateral transport vesicles and have now identified a component that is highly enriched in apical vesicles. Isolation of the encoding cDNA revealed that this protein, annexin XIIIb, is a new isoform of the epithelial specific annexin XIII sub-family which includes the previously described intestine-specific annexin (annexin XIIIa; Wice, B. M., and J. I, Gordon. 1992. J. Cell Biol. 116:405-422). Annexin XIIIb differs from annexin XIIIa in that it contains a unique insert of 41 amino acids in the NH2 terminus and is exclusively expressed in dog intestine and kidney, Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that annexin XIIIb was localized to the apical plasma membrane and underlying punctate structures. Since annexins have been suggested to play a role in membrane-membrane interactions in exocytosis and endocytosis, we investigated whether annexin XIIIb, is involved in delivery to the apical cell surface. To this aim we used permeabilized MDCK cells and a cytosol-dependent in vitro transport assay. Antibodies specific for annexin XIIIb significantly inhibited the transport of influenza virus hemagglutinin from the TGN to the apical plasma membrane while the transport of vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein to the basolateral cell surface was unaffected. We propose that annexin XIIIb, plays a role in vesicular transport to the apical plasma membrane in MDCK cells

Developing a Suitable Methodology for Integrated Supply Chain Analysis in the Australian Beef Industries: a Research Proposal

The Australian Beef Supply Chain is the chain or sequence of all activities from the breeding property to the domestic or overseas consumers. The objective of this research is to describe beef supply chains in Australia and to explore and measure the performance of such chains (i.e. efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity). In addition to this it is to suggest alternative configurations for these supply chains that enhance performance of the businesses concerned and to develop a new design methodology for integrated supply chains based on process modeling, performance analysis and optimization of production and inventory distribution networks

Direct visualization of Ras proteins in spatially distinct cell surface microdomains

Localization of signaling complexes to specific microdomains coordinates signal transduction at the plasma membrane. Using immunogold electron microscopy of plasma membrane sheets coupled with spatial point pattern analysis, we have visualized morphologically featureless microdomains, including lipid rafts, in situ and at high resolution. We find that an inner-plasma membrane lipid raft marker displays cholesterol-dependent clustering in microdomains with a mean diameter of 44 nm that occupy 35% of the cell surface. Cross-linking an outer-leaflet raft protein results in the redistribution of inner leaflet rafts, but they retain their modular structure. Analysis of Ras microlocalization shows that inactive H-ras is distributed between lipid rafts and a cholesterol-independent microdomain. Conversely, activated H-ras and K-ras reside predominantly in nonoverlapping, cholesterol-independent microdomains. Galectin-1 stabilizes the association of activated H-ras with these nonraft microdomains, whereas K-ras clustering is supported by farnesylation, but not geranylgeranylation. These results illustrate that the inner plasma membrane comprises a complex mosaic of discrete microdomains. Differential spatial localization within this framework can likely account for the distinct signal outputs from the highly homologous Ras proteins

SAI: A sensible artificial intelligence that plays with handicap and targets high scores in 9x9 Go

We develop a new framework for the game of Go to target a high score, and thus a perfect play. We integrate this framework into the Monte Carlo tree search - policy iteration learning pipeline introduced by Google DeepMind with AlphaGo. Training on 9×9 Go produces a superhuman Go player, thus proving that this framework is stable and robust. We show that this player can be used to effectively play with both positional and score handicap. We develop a family of agents that can target high scores against any opponent, recover from very severe disadvantage against weak opponents, and avoid suboptimal moves

Internalization and recycling of activated thrombin receptors

Shortly after activation by either thrombin or the tethered ligand domain peptide SFLLRN, thrombin receptors undergo homologous desensitization, temporarily losing their ability to respond to both agonists. We have examined the role of receptor internalization and recycling in this process using receptor-directed antibodies as probes. The results show within 1 min of activation >85% of the approximately 200,000 thrombin receptors on megakaryoblastic human erythroleukemia (HEL) and CHRF-288 cells are sequestered into endosomes via coated pits, after which the majority are transferred to lysosomes. This process does not require proteolysis of the receptor and occurs with sufficient speed to play a major role in the regulation of thrombin receptor function. Although most of the internalized receptors are ultimately degraded, approximately 25% return to the cell surface. These recycled receptors are in a state in which they can respond to SFLLRN but not thrombin; nor do they self-activate despite the apparent continued presence of the tethered ligand. In contrast to other G protein-coupled receptors, which are internalized and then recycled in an activatable state, recovery of the thrombin response occurs only after the expression on the cell surface of adequate numbers of newly synthesized receptors