Atomistic subsemirings of the lattice of subspaces of an algebra

Let A be an associative algebra with identity over a field k. An atomistic subsemiring R of the lattice of subspaces of A, endowed with the natural product, is a subsemiring which is a closed atomistic sublattice. When R has no zero divisors, the set of atoms of R is endowed with a multivalued product. We introduce an equivalence relation on the set of atoms such that the quotient set with the induced product is a monoid, called the condensation monoid. Under suitable hypotheses on R, we show that this monoid is a group and the class of k1_A is the set of atoms of a subalgebra of A called the focal subalgebra. This construction can be iterated to obtain higher condensation groups and focal subalgebras. We apply these results to G-algebras for G a group; in particular, we use them to define new invariants for finite-dimensional irreducible projective representations.Comment: 14 page

The impact and therapeutic potential of antimicrobial textiles

In order to support the elevated market demand for the development of textiles with specific benefits for a healthy and safe lifestyle, several bioactive textiles with defined properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-odor, and anti-repellent, anti-ultraviolet (UV) radiation, have been proposed. Antimicrobial textiles, particularly, have received special interest considering the search for smart, protective textiles that also impact health and well-being. Although the incorporation of antimicrobials into textile material has been well succeeded, the addition of such components in textile clothing can influence the balance of the skin microbiota of the wearer. However, little is known about the impact of such antimicrobial textile-products on human skin microbiota. To address this issue, this present study highlights the main effects of antimicrobial textiles, i.e., antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral, on skin microbiota while driving future investigation to elucidate their putative clinical relevance and possible applications according to their impact on skin microbiota. Different antimicrobial textiles can provide protection against textile attack and colonization by microorganisms, biological degradation, discoloration, and unpleased odor both in the textile material and in humans. Such products can also be used to significantly decrease the propagation and consequently the transmission of several infectious diseases. According to their direct effects on the human skin microbiota, antimicrobial textiles can also find many biomedical applications, including 1) the prevention, control, and treatment of numerous cases of microbiota skin dysregulation (e.g. bacterial dysbiosis and superficial fungal infections; 2) antimicrobial wound dressings, where they can act as a barrier to prevent microbial invasion and colonization while at the same time stimulate skin regeneration; and 3) target the skin cancer microenvironment, acting as regulator of the skin microbiota while fight skin cancer cells.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multi-stage linear programming optimization for pump scheduling

Open Access journalCopyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.12th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, CCWI2013This study presents a methodology based on Linear Programming for determining the optimal pump schedule on a 24-hour basis, considering as decision variables the continuous pump flow rates which are subsequently transformed into a discrete schedule. The methodology was applied on a case study derived from the benchmark Anytown network. To evaluate the LP reliability, a comparison was made with solutions generated by a Hybrid Discrete Dynamically Dimensioned Search (HD-DDS) algorithm. The cost associated with the result derived from the LP initial solution was shown to be lower than that obtained with repeated HD-DDS runs with differing random seeds

Privacy in geo-social networks: proximity notification with untrusted service providers and curious buddies

A major feature of the emerging geo-social networks is the ability to notify a user when any of his friends (also called buddies) happens to be geographically in proximity. This proximity service is usually offered by the network itself or by a third party service provider (SP) using location data acquired from the users. This paper provides a rigorous theoretical and experimental analysis of the existing solutions for the location privacy problem in proximity services. This is a serious problem for users who do not trust the SP to handle their location data and would only like to release their location information in a generalized form to participating buddies. The paper presents two new protocols providing complete privacy with respect to the SP and controllable privacy with respect to the buddies. The analytical and experimental analysis of the protocols takes into account privacy, service precision, and computation and communication costs, showing the superiority of the new protocols compared to those appeared in the literature to date. The proposed protocols have also been tested in a full system implementation of the proximity service

Novel strategies for preventing dysbiosis in the oral cavity

Oral diseases affect over three billion people worldwide, making it one of the most common infections. Recent studies show that one approach to reducing the risk of chronic infections, such as caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, and halitosis, is to control the ecology of the oral microbiome instead of completely removing both the harmful and beneficial microorganisms. This is based on the knowledge that oral diseases are not caused by a single pathogen but rather by a shift in the homeostasis of the entire microbiota, a process known as dysbiosis. Consequently, it is of the utmost importance to implement strategies that are able to prevent and control oral dysbiosis to avoid serious complications, including heart, lung, and other systemic diseases. Conventional treatments include the use of antibiotics, which further disrupt the equilibrium in the oral microbiota, together with the mechanical removal of the decayed cavity area following its formation. Therefore, it is imperative to implement alternative strategies with the potential to overcome the disadvantages of the current therapy, namely, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. In this sense, probiotics and postbiotics have received particular attention since they can modulate the oral microbiota and decrease the dysbiosis rate in the oral cavity. However, their mechanisms of action need to be addressed to clarify and drive their possible applications as preventive strategies. In this sense, this review provides an overview of the potential of probiotics and postbiotics, focusing on their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities as well as their ability to modulate the inflammatory response. Finally, it also showcases the main advantages and disadvantages of orodispersible films—a promising delivery mechanism for both probiotics and postbiotics to target oral dysbiosis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development, Validation and Preliminary Experiments of a Measuring Technique for Eggs Aging Estimation Based on Pulse Phase Thermography

Assessment of the freshness of hen eggs destinated to human consumption is an extremely important goal for the modern food industry and sale chains, as eggs show a rapid natural aging which also depends on the storage conditions. Traditional techniques, such as candling and visual observation, have some practical limitations related to the subjective and qualitative nature of the analysis. The main objective of this paper is to propose a robust and automated approach, based on the use of pulsed phase thermography (PPT) and image processing, that can be used as an effective quality control tool to evaluate the freshness of eggs. As many studies show that the air chamber size is proportional to the egg freshness, the technique relies on the monitoring of the air chamber parameters to infer egg aging over time. The raw and phase infrared images are acquired and then post-processed by a dedicated algorithm which has been designed to automatically measure the size of the air chamber, in terms of normalized area and volume. The robustness of the method is firstly assessed through repeatability and reproducibility tests, which demonstrate that the uncertainty in the measure of the air chamber size never exceeds 5%. Then, an experimental campaign on a larger sample of 30 eggs, equally divided into three size categories (M, L, XL), is conducted. For each egg, the main sizes of the air chamber are measured with the proposed method and their evolution over time is investigated. Results have revealed, for all the egg categories, the existence of an analytic relationship and a high degree of correlation (R-2 > 0.95) between the geometric data of the air chamber and the weight loss, which is a well-known marker of egg aging

Penggunaan Informasi Keuangan untuk Memprediksi Keuntungan Investasi Bagi Investor di Pasar Modal (Studi Kasus pada Perusahaan Manufaktur Barang Konsumsi Sub Sektor Makanan dan Minuman di Bei Periode 2011-2012)

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menguji apakah pertumbuhan laba, perputaran kas, perputaran persediaan dan perputaran piutang, merupakan prediktor keuntungan investasi (laba per lembar saham) di masa mendatang. Variabel penelitian terdiri dari Pertumbuhan Laba (X1), Perputaran Kas (X2) dan Perputaran Persediaan (X3), Perputaran Piutang (X4) dan Laba Per Lembar Saham (Y). Populasi penelitian ini adalah data laporan keuangan Perusahaan manufaktur sektor industri barang konsumsi sub sektor makanan dan minuman dan terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia pada periode 2011 – 2014 dengan penentuan sampel menggunakan purposive sampling sedangkan teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi linier berganda. Hasil dari penelitian ini bahwa pertumbuhan laba berpengaruh negatif dan tidak signifikan terhadap laba per lembar saham (EPS), sedangkan perputaran kas, perputaran persediaan dan perputaran piutang berpengaruh negatif dan signifikan terhadap laba per lembar saham. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian di hasilkan bahwa variabel bebas yang dominan berpengaruh terhadap laba per lembar saham adalah perputaran kas

Experimental testing of an adsorption thermal energy storage system

The objective of this work is to test and characterize a lab-scale silica gel/water test bench realized at POLIMI labs and operating as Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system for domestic applications. Several charging and discharging cycles were performed setting 20-35, 30-50, and 80-90 °C as heat transfer fluid temperatures for the evaporation, condensation/adsorption and desorption processes. The system performance is evaluated in terms of energy efficiency, charge and discharge rate, and operating cost