Implementation experiences of NASTRAN on CDC CYBER 74 SCOPE 3.4 operating system

The implementation of the NASTRAN system on the CDC CYBER 74 SCOPE 3.4 Operating System is described. The flexibility of the NASTRAN system made it possible to accomplish the change with no major problems. Various sizes of benchmark and test problems, ranging from two hours to less than one minute CP time were run on the CDC CYBER SCOPE 3.3, Univac EXEC-8, and CDC CYBER SCOPE 3.4. The NASTRAN installation deck is provided

Structure functions near the chiral limit

We compute hadron masses and the lowest moments of unpolarized and polarized nucleon structure functions down to pion masses of 300 MeV, in an effort to make unambiguous predictions at the physical light quark mass.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, Lattice2002(matrixel

Bell's inequality tests: from photons to B-mesons

We analyse the recent claim that a violation of a Bell's inequality has been observed in the $B$--meson system [A. Go, {\em Journal of Modern Optics} {\bf 51} (2004) 991]. The results of this experiment are a convincing proof of quantum entanglement in $B$--meson pairs similar to that shown by polarization entangled photon pairs. However, we conclude that the tested inequality is not a genuine Bell's inequality and thus cannot discriminate between quantum mechanics and local realistic approaches.Comment: 5 page

Influence of Extraction Solvent on Antioxidant Properties of Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel (Combretaceae) Leaves

Guiera senegalensis is widely used in West Africa for traditional medicine. In Northern Nigeria, it is used for general well-being by women during postpartum recovery period. In this study, we report the effect of extraction solvents viz acetone, chloroform, ethanol, methanol (each at 50% and 75% concentrations) and water on the phenolic antioxidant and antioxidant activity of it’s leaves. Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) assays were used to determine the phenolic antioxidants. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring scavenging effect on 2,2ꞌ- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) using phosphomolybdate assay. Results shows that extraction solvents significantly (P<0.05) affect phenolic antioxidants extraction and antioxidant properties. Highest TPC value (109.20±3.99mg GAE/100g DW) was obtained in 75% ethanol. 75% acetone showed the highest TFC value (414.60±7.60mg QE/100g DW). Highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (95.82±0.63%) was observed in water solvent. 50% chloroform showed the best FRAP value (282.73±29.80mg AAE/100g DW). While 75% methanol showed the highest TAC value (102.44±3.44mg AAE/1g DW). Based on its highest TFC value as well as its insignificant differences with other solvents that showed higher values for TPC, FRAP and TAC, 75% acetone appeared to be the solvent for extracting phenolic antioxidants. Correlations study indicates highly significant positive (p< 0.001) linear correlations between phenolic antioxidants and antioxidant activities. The highest correlation (r2 = 0.845) was observed between TFC and TAC followed by TFC and DPPH (r2 = 0.733). Another significant correlation (r2 = 0.659) was also observed between TFC and FRAP. Further studies aimed at isolating and identifying specific compounds responsible for antioxidant activity in G. senegalensis are recommended.Keywords: Antioxidant activity, extraction solvents, Guiera senegalensis and phenolic antioxidant

Quantum circuit for security proof of quantum key distribution without encryption of error syndrome and noisy processing

One of the simplest security proofs of quantum key distribution is based on the so-called complementarity scenario, which involves the complementarity control of an actual protocol and a virtual protocol [M. Koashi, e-print arXiv:0704.3661 (2007)]. The existing virtual protocol has a limitation in classical postprocessing, i.e., the syndrome for the error-correction step has to be encrypted. In this paper, we remove this limitation by constructing a quantum circuit for the virtual protocol. Moreover, our circuit with a shield system gives an intuitive proof of why adding noise to the sifted key increases the bit error rate threshold in the general case in which one of the parties does not possess a qubit. Thus, our circuit bridges the simple proof and the use of wider classes of classical postprocessing.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. Typo correcte

A non-perturbative determination of Z_V and b_V for O(a) improved quenched and unquenched Wilson fermions

By considering the local vector current between nucleon states and imposing charge conservation we determine, for $O(a)$ improved Wilson fermions, its renormalisation constant and quark mass improvement coefficient. The computation is performed for both quenched and two flavour unquenched fermions.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, Lattice(2002)(improve

Radiolabelling Pt-based quadruplex DNA binders via click chemistry.

Guanine-rich sequences of DNA and RNA can fold into intramolecular tetra-helical assemblies known as G-quadruplexes (G4). Their formation in vivo has been associated to a range of biological functions and therefore they have been identified as potential drug targets. Consequently, a broad range of small molecules have been developed to target G4s. Amongst those are metal complexes with Schiff base ligands. Herein, we report the functionalisation of one of these well-established G4 DNA binders (based on a square planar platinum(II)-salphen complex) with two different radiolabelled complexes. An 111In-conjugate was successfully used to assess its in vivo distribution in a mouse tumour model using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. These studies highlighted the accumulation of this Pt-salphen-111In conjugate in the tumour

Noisy Monte Carlo: Convergence of Markov chains with approximate transition kernels

Monte Carlo algorithms often aim to draw from a distribution $\pi$ by simulating a Markov chain with transition kernel $P$ such that $\pi$ is invariant under $P$. However, there are many situations for which it is impractical or impossible to draw from the transition kernel $P$. For instance, this is the case with massive datasets, where is it prohibitively expensive to calculate the likelihood and is also the case for intractable likelihood models arising from, for example, Gibbs random fields, such as those found in spatial statistics and network analysis. A natural approach in these cases is to replace $P$ by an approximation $\hat{P}$. Using theory from the stability of Markov chains we explore a variety of situations where it is possible to quantify how 'close' the chain given by the transition kernel $\hat{P}$ is to the chain given by $P$. We apply these results to several examples from spatial statistics and network analysis.Comment: This version: results extended to non-uniformly ergodic Markov chain

Effects of cultivar and agrobotanical storage treatment on organolepetic quality of yam (Dioscorea rotundata)

There is current interest in the search and use of agrobotanicals in preference to conventional chemicals in agriculture as plant protectants hence the need to investigate the potential effects of some of the agrobotanicals on yam food after storage. This study was, therefore, conducted to assess the effects of yam cultivar and agrobotanical extracts on the organoleptic quality and acceptability of two yam based food forms: boiled yam and pounded yam. Tubers of four yam cultivars (Nwaopoko,Danacha, Ezakwukpolo and Pepa) were treated with aqueous leaf extracts of Neem (Azadiracta indica), Scent leaf (Occimum gratissimum), pod extracts of ‘Uda’ (Xylopia aethiopica), root extracts of Ginger (Zingibger officinale) and a synthetic phytohomorne (Gibberellic acid) and stored for six months. Thereafter, two food forms (boiled yam and pounded yam) were prepared from the stored yam tubers and a nine-member panel of judges enlisted to perform sensory quality assessment on them. The attributes scored with respect to boiled yam were colour, taste, texture, mealiness and general acceptability while pounded yam was assessed for its aroma, texture, colour and general acceptability. No significant differences were found among the sensory attributes due to the agrobotanical treatments rather, differences were due to yam cultivars. The results obtained and confirmed by the scatter plots and multiple linear regression showed that texture and taste contributed much to the general acceptability of boiled yam while aroma and consistency were the major qualities of pounded yam. Consistency of pounded yam was best with Nwaopoko and Danacha cultivars but significantly less so with other cultivars with or without agrobotanical treatment. The agrobotanical treatments did not affect the culinary quality of the stored yam tubers as no evidence of such treatment was noticed in the prepared yam foods. This result suggests that the constituent active ingredients imparted on the tubers during storage by the plant extracts were either water-soluble and heat labile or that their shelf lives were less than six months of the storage period and therefore had no effects on the quality attributes of food yams