Point-Defect Optical Transitions and Thermal Ionization Energies from Quantum Monte Carlo Methods: Application to F-center Defect in MgO

We present an approach to calculation of point defect optical and thermal ionization energies based on the highly accurate quantum Monte Carlo methods. The use of an inherently many-body theory that directly treats electron correlation offers many improvements over the typically-employed density functional theory Kohn-Sham description. In particular, the use of quantum Monte Carlo methods can help overcome the band gap problem and obviate the need for ad-hoc corrections. We demonstrate our approach to the calculation of the optical and thermal ionization energies of the F-center defect in magnesium oxide, and obtain excellent agreement with experimental and/or other high-accuracy computational results

Genetic mapping and legume synteny of aphid resistance in African cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) grown in California.

The cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (CPA) is a destructive insect pest of cowpea, a staple legume crop in Sub-Saharan Africa and other semiarid warm tropics and subtropics. In California, CPA causes damage on all local cultivars from early vegetative to pod development growth stages. Sources of CPA resistance are available in African cowpea germplasm. However, their utilization in breeding is limited by the lack of information on inheritance, genomic location and marker linkage associations of the resistance determinants. In the research reported here, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between a susceptible California blackeye cultivar (CB27) and a resistant African breeding line (IT97K-556-6) was genotyped with 1,536 SNP markers. The RILs and parents were phenotyped for CPA resistance using field-based screenings during two main crop seasons in a 'hotspot' location for this pest within the primary growing region of the Central Valley of California. One minor and one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) were consistently mapped on linkage groups 1 and 7, respectively, both with favorable alleles contributed from IT97K-556-6. The major QTL appeared dominant based on a validation test in a related F2 population. SNP markers flanking each QTL were positioned in physical contigs carrying genes involved in plant defense based on synteny with related legumes. These markers could be used to introgress resistance alleles from IT97K-556-6 into susceptible local blackeye varieties by backcrossing

Accelerating learning for pro-poor health markets

CommentaryBackground: Given the rapid evolution of health markets, learning is key to promoting the identification and uptake of health market policies and practices that better serve the needs of the poor. However there are significant challenges to learning about health markets. We discuss the different forms that learning takes, from the development of codified scientific knowledge, through to experience-based learning, all in relationship to health markets. Discussion: Notable challenges to learning in health markets include the difficulty of acquiring data from private health care providers, designing evaluations that capture the complex dynamics present within health markets and developing communities of practice that encompass the diverse actors present within health markets, and building trust and mutual understanding across these groups. The paper proposes experimentation with country-specific market data platforms that can integrate relevant evidence from different data sources, and simultaneously exploring strategies to secure better information on private providers and health markets. Possible approaches to adapting evaluation designs so that they are better able to take account of different and changing contexts as well as producing real time findings are discussed. Finally capturing informal knowledge about health markets is key. Communities of practice that bridge different health market actors can help to share such experience-based knowledge and in so doing, may help to formalize it. More geographically-focused communities of practice are needed, and such communities may be supported by innovation brokers and/or be built around member-based organizations. Summary: Strategic investments in and support to learning about health markets can address some of the challenges experienced to-date, and accelerate learning that supports health markets that serve the poor.DFI

Analisa Pengendalian Mutu Sample Uji Beton Untuk Lantai Pondasi di Proyek One Tower BSD City Dengan Menggunakan SPC (Statistical Process Control) = Quality Control Analysis Of Concrete Test Samples For Foundation Floors In One Tower BSD City Project Using SPC (Statistical Process Control)

Setiap proyek tentunya diharapkan dapat berjalan dengan baik dan mencapai hasil yang sesuai dengan rencana, oleh karena itu diperlukan pengendalian kualitas proyek. Sistem pengendalian mutu dalam proyek konstruksi penting untuk menghasilkan pekerjaan jadi dengan kualitas yang memenuhi standar yang ditentukan. Analisis ini dilihat dari objek pembangunan One Tower BSD City yang memiliki ketinggian 22 lantai dan 3 basement. Pada penelitian ini tools yang digunakan adalah tools pada metode Statistical Process Control (SPC). Menerapkan metode SPC pada pengendalian mutu pengendalian produksi gedung, khususnya mutu sampel uji beton. Desain penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif, dimana sampel diambil dari data dokumen pemeriksaan proses produksi milik divisi engineering dan mutu kontraktor pelaksana. Berdasarkan hasil analisis variabilitas kuat tekan, proses ini tergolong baik karena menghasilkan kekuatan beton yang relatif seragam. Berdasarkan evaluasi mutu beton menurut SNI 03-2847-2002 tentang Tata Cara Perhitungan Struktur Beton Untuk Bangunan Gedung, bahwa mutu beton pada Proyek One Tower BSD City dapat dikategorikan memenuhi persyaratan atau diterima sebagai fc beton 35 MPa danterdapat pelanggaran aturan pada hasil uji slump sebanyak 5 benda uji, karena 5 benda uji tersebut berada di bawah batas kendali bawah (Batas Kendali Bawah), oleh karena itu perlu dilakukan pengukuran yang lebih teliti terhadap slump beton. Pengukuran slump beton yang dilakukan pada proyek pembangunan One Tower BSD masih menggunakan input data dalam satuan cm. Agar pengukuran lebih akurat, sebaiknya menggunakan satuan mm dalam pelaksanaan input data di lapangan./ Every project is certainly expected to run well and achieve results in accordance with the plan, therefore quality control of the project is required. Quality control systems on construction projects are important to produce one-time work with quality that meets specified standards. This analysis is viewed from the object of the construction of One Tower BSD City which has a height of 22 floors and 3 basements. In this research, the tools used are the tools in the Statistical Process Control (SPC) method. Applying the SPC method for quality control of building production control, especially the quality of concrete test samples. The design of this research is qualitative, where the sample is taken from the document data of the inspection of the production process belonging to the engineering and quality division of the implementing contractor. Based on the results of the analysis of the variability of the compressive strength, the compressive strength is relatively good because it produces a relatively uniform concrete strength. Based on the evaluation of the quality of concrete in accordance with SNI 03-2847-2002 concerning Procedures for Calculation of Concrete Structures for Buildings, that the quality of concrete in the One Tower BSD City Project in BSD City Tangerang can be categorized as meeting the requirements or accepted as fc 35 MPa concrete and there is a violation of the rules on The results of the slump test were 5 specimens, because the 5 specimens were below the lower control limit, therefore it was necessary to measure the slump of the concrete more accurately. The concrete slump measurement carried out in the One Tower BSD construction project still uses input data in cm. In order for the measurement to be more accurate, it is better to carry out data input in the field in the use of mm units