Hard and Easy Instances of L-Tromino Tilings

We study tilings of regions in the square lattice with L-shaped trominoes. Deciding the existence of a tiling with L-trominoes for an arbitrary region in general is NP-complete, nonetheless, we identify restrictions to the problem where it either remains NP-complete or has a polynomial time algorithm. First, we characterize the possibility of when an Aztec rectangle and an Aztec diamond has an L-tromino tiling. Then, we study tilings of arbitrary regions where only $180^\circ$ rotations of L-trominoes are available. For this particular case we show that deciding the existence of a tiling remains NP-complete; yet, if a region does not contains certain so-called "forbidden polyominoes" as sub-regions, then there exists a polynomial time algorithm for deciding a tiling.Comment: Full extended version of LNCS 11355:82-95 (WALCOM 2019

Noncoplanar spin canting in lightly-doped ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model on a triangular lattice

Effect of the coupling to mobile carriers on the 120$^\circ$ antiferromagnetic state is investigated in a ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model on a frustrated triangular lattice. Using a variational calculation for various spin orderings up to a four-site unit cell, we identify the ground-state phase diagram with focusing on the lightly-doped region. We find that an electron doping from the band bottom immediately destabilizes a 120$^\circ$ coplanar antiferromagnetic order and induces a noncoplanar three-sublattice ordering accompanied by an intervening phase separation. This noncoplanar phase has an umbrella-type spin configuration with a net magnetic moment and a finite spin scalar chirality. This spin-canting state emerges in competition between the antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction and the ferromagnetic double-exchange interaction under geometrical frustration. In contrast, a hole doping from the band top retains the 120$^\circ$-ordered state up to a finite doping concentration and does not lead to a noncolpanar ordering.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys.: Conf. Se

Diffuse back-illumination extinction imaging of soot formation from a liquid fuel film

The transient combustion of a liquid iso-octane film, isolated from the often co-existing combustion of liquid sprays, was investigated within the nominally quiescent ambient of a constant volume chamber using a custom-made liquid fuel film generation system. Soot formation throughout the combustion process, from ignition to extinction, was visualized using high-speed diffuse back-illumination extinction imaging technique, providing temporally resolved spatial distribution of soot optical thickness () in the chamber. The impact of ambient pressure and ambient oxygen content on soot formation was examined over a range of 2 – 5 bar (absolute) and 16 – 30% (in terms of molar fraction of oxygen), respectively. Regardless of the test conditions, the fuel film combustion entailed three stages, namely flame initiation, steady burning and flame extinction. While the ambient oxygen content was kept constant, the flame gradually became turbulent-like and the flame flickering less distinct as ambient pressure was increased. The total amount of soot generated within the chamber was found to first increase then decrease with the ambient pressure, due to the competing impacts of increasing pressure on promoting soot-formation reaction rate and enhancing mixing of fuel vapour with the entrained air. Increasing ambient oxygen content, on the other hand, consistently enhanced soot formation, which may be associated with its impact on boosting flame temperature and consequently liquid fuel evaporation rate. In addition, flame flickering remained distinct for ambient oxygen content above atmospheric level, while becoming substantially less observable for that below atmospheric level. Flickering frequency, for all test conditions with distinct flame flickering, had a value of approximately 10 Hz and gradually increased with time during the steady burning stage, suggesting the shrinkage of the fuel film diameter. Flickering of the flame resulted in fluctuations in the total amount of soot presented in the combustion chamber. The power of this fluctuation varied with time, and this temporal variation of fluctuation power also depended on experimental conditions, due to its dependency on the combined effects of soot concentration and volume of the flame

Local ras and ros in the hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes

Newsletter of the Boston University School of Medicine, Student American Medical Association (SAMA

Thermo-mechanical behaviour of a compacted swelling clay

Compacted unsaturated swelling clay is often considered as a possible buffer material for deep nuclear waste disposal. An isotropic cell permitting simultaneous control of suction, temperature and pressure was used to study the thermo-mechanical behaviour of this clay. Tests were performed at total suctions ranging from 9 to 110 MPa, temperature from 25 to 80 degrees C, isotropic pressure from 0.1 to 60 MPa. It was observed that heating at constant suction and pressure induces either swelling or contraction. The results from compression tests at constant suction and temperature evidenced that at lower suction, the yield pressure was lower, the elastic compressibility parameter and the plastic compressibility parameter were higher. On the other hand, at a similar suction, the yield pressure was slightly influenced by the temperature; and the compressibility parameters were insensitive to temperature changes. The thermal hardening phenomenon was equally evidenced by following a thermo-mechanical path of loading-heating-cooling-reloading

Compensation algorithms based on the p-q and CPC theories for switching compensators in micro-grids

The main objective of this paper is to com-pare the applicability and p erformance of a switching compensator when it is controlled by algorithms derived from the pq–Theory and from the Current’s Physical Components Power Theory (CPC-Theory) considering a micro-grid application. Compensation characteristics derived from each one of these set of power definitions are highlighted, and simulation results of test cases are shown. Special attention is put on the oscillating instan-taneous real power, as it may produce torque oscillations or frequency variations in weak systems (micro-grids) generators. The oscillating instantaneous real power, as defined in the pq-Theory, gives the amount of energy oscillating between the source and the load, and its com-pensation using a switching compensator must have an energy storage element to exchan ge it with the load. The energy storage element can be ea sily calculated with the pq-Theory

Instantaneous p-q power theory for control of compensators in micro-grids

The main objective of this tutorial is to present the basic concepts on the instantaneous p-q Theory and them show its applicability for controlling switching converters connected in a micro-grid. These converters can be used for connecting renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and others) to the micro-grids or for harmonic, reactive power or unbalance compensation, and even for voltage regulation. The emphasis is given on the compensation characteristics derived from the p-q Theory, and simulation results of test cases are shown. Special attention is put on the oscillating component of the instantaneous real power, as it may produce torque oscillations or frequency variations in weak systems (micro-grids) generators. This oscillating component, as defined in the p-q Theory, gives the amount of oscillating energy between the source and the load, and its compensation through a switching compensator must have an energy storage element to exchange it with the load. With the p-q Theory the energy storage element can be easily calculated as a function of the average component of the instantaneous real power, which depends on the observation period.The authors acknowledge the support from FAPERJ partially for the development of this study and especially for the financial support for the participation in the conference

LCZ696 ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity in rats

Doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy induces cardiotoxicity, which is considered the main bottleneck for its clinical application. In this study, we investigated the potential benefit of LCZ696, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats and H9c2 cells and determined whether the mechanism underlying any such effects involves its antioxidant activity. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated into four groups, each consisting of 15 rats (DOX (1.5 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for 10 days followed by non-treatment for 8 days); DOX + valsartan (31 mg/kg/day by gavage from day 1 to day 18); DOX + LCZ696 (68 mg/kg/day by gavage from day 1 to day 18); and control (saline intraperitoneally for 10 days). DOX-induced elevation of cardiac troponin T levels on day 18 was significantly reduced by LCZ696, but not valsartan. The DOX-induced increase in myocardial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels determined using dihydroethidium was significantly ameliorated by LCZ696, but not valsartan, and was accompanied by the suppression of DOX-induced increase in p47phox. LCZ696 recovered the DOX-induced decrease in phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and increased the ratio of Bax and Bcl-2. In H9c2 cardiomyocytes, LCZ696 reduced DOX-induced mitochondrial ROS generation and improved cell viability more than valsartan. Our findings indicated that LCZ696 ameliorated DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rat hearts in vivo and in vitro, possibly by mediating a decrease in oxidative stress

alpha-lipoic acid suppresses 6-hydroxydoparnine-induced ROS generation and apoptosis through the stimulation of glutathione synthesis but not by the expression of heme oxygenase-1

We previously reported that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the initial event in cell death induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), an experimental model of Parkinsonism. Since recent studies suggested the important role of antioxidant activity of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) in the suppression of apoptosis of various types, we studied the effect on 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells. Biochemical analysis revealed that LA suppressed the 6-OHDA-induced ROS generation, increase of caspase-like activity and chromatin condensation. The suppression of 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis by LA required pre-incubation of PC12 cells with LA for 12-24 h. LA increased the intracellular levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutathione (GSH) and stimulated the expression of GSH synthesis-related genes such as cystine/glutamate antiporter and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS). However, Sn-mesoporphyrin IX, an inhibitor of HO-1, did not attenuate the LA-induced suppression of apoptosis. In contrast, buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of gamma-GCS, attenuated the LA-induced suppression of ROS generation and chromatin condensation. in addition, a transcription factor Nrf2, which regulates the expression of antioxidant enzymes such as gamma-GCS, translocated to the nucleus by LA. These results suggested that LA suppressed the 6-OHDA induced-apoptosis by the increase in cellular glutathione through stimulation of the GSH synthesis system but not by the expression of HO-1.</p

Boreal forest fire emissions in fresh Canadian smoke plumes: C_1-C_(10) volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO_2, CO, NO_2, NO, HCN and CH_3CN

Boreal regions comprise about 17% of the global land area, and they both affect and are influenced by climate change. To better understand boreal forest fire emissions and plume evolution, 947 whole air samples were collected aboard the NASA DC-8 research aircraft in summer 2008 as part of the ARCTAS-B field mission, and analyzed for 79 non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) using gas chromatography. Together with simultaneous measurements of CO_2, CO, CH_4, CH_2O, NO_2, NO, HCN and CH_3CN, these measurements represent the most comprehensive assessment of trace gas emissions from boreal forest fires to date. Based on 105 air samples collected in fresh Canadian smoke plumes, 57 of the 80 measured NMVOCs (including CH_2O) were emitted from the fires, including 45 species that were quantified from boreal forest fires for the first time. After CO_2, CO and CH_4, the largest emission factors (EFs) for individual species were formaldehyde (2.1 ± 0.2 g kg^(−1)), followed by methanol, NO_2, HCN, ethene, α-pinene, β-pinene, ethane, benzene, propene, acetone and CH_3CN. Globally, we estimate that boreal forest fires release 2.4 ± 0.6 Tg C yr^(−1) in the form of NMVOCs, with approximately 41% of the carbon released as C_1-C_2 NMVOCs and 21% as pinenes. These are the first reported field measurements of monoterpene emissions from boreal forest fires, and we speculate that the pinenes, which are relatively heavy molecules, were detected in the fire plumes as the result of distillation of stored terpenes as the vegetation is heated. Their inclusion in smoke chemistry models is expected to improve model predictions of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. The fire-averaged EF of dichloromethane or CH_2Cl_2, (6.9 ± 8.6) × 10^(−4)gkg^(−1), was not significantly different from zero and supports recent findings that its global biomass burning source appears to have been overestimated. Similarly, we found no evidence for emissions of chloroform (CHCl_3) or methyl chloroform (CH_3CCl_3) from boreal forest fires. The speciated hydrocarbon measurements presented here show the importance of carbon released by short-chain NMVOCs, the strong contribution of pinene emissions from boreal forest fires, and the wide range of compound classes in the most abundantly emitted NMVOCs, all of which can be used to improve biomass burning inventories in local/global models and reduce uncertainties in model estimates of trace gas emissions and their impact on the atmosphere