TEM in-situ deformation of magnesium-ytrium alloys

Yttrium (Y) addition is known to be effective in enhancing the formability of magnesium (Mg) alloys by reducing the plasticity anisotropy of the hexagonal crystal, viz. improving the ease of dislocation slip in relation to the dislocation slip. In this work, in-situ TEM compression test has been carried out to observe the nucleation and movement of dislocations in two Mg-Y binary alloys with different Y contents (0.4 wt.%Y versus 4 wt.%Y). The results have shown (Figure 1) that in the Mg-0.4Y alloy, the edge segments of dislocations are sessile. The increased Y content in the Mg-4Y alloy has shown (Figure 2) to increase the dislocation mobility and the cross-slip propensity. The results will be discussed with computer simulation results published. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Assessing competitiveness of foreign and local supermarket chains in Vietnamese market by using Fuzzy TOPSIS method

Considering the strategic importance for supermarket chains and to understanding the critical elements affecting their competitiveness and their relative level of competitiveness, this study tries to assess competitiveness of foreign and local supermarket chains in Vietnam using the fuzzy TOPSIS method. The results show that, even smaller size Vietnamese supermarket chains, when compared to foreign chains, are still slightly higher in competitiveness.Competitiveness; Supermarket chains; Fuzzy TOPSIS

Generalizable Resource Allocation in Stream Processing via Deep Reinforcement Learning

This paper considers the problem of resource allocation in stream processing, where continuous data flows must be processed in real time in a large distributed system. To maximize system throughput, the resource allocation strategy that partitions the computation tasks of a stream processing graph onto computing devices must simultaneously balance workload distribution and minimize communication. Since this problem of graph partitioning is known to be NP-complete yet crucial to practical streaming systems, many heuristic-based algorithms have been developed to find reasonably good solutions. In this paper, we present a graph-aware encoder-decoder framework to learn a generalizable resource allocation strategy that can properly distribute computation tasks of stream processing graphs unobserved from training data. We, for the first time, propose to leverage graph embedding to learn the structural information of the stream processing graphs. Jointly trained with the graph-aware decoder using deep reinforcement learning, our approach can effectively find optimized solutions for unseen graphs. Our experiments show that the proposed model outperforms both METIS, a state-of-the-art graph partitioning algorithm, and an LSTM-based encoder-decoder model, in about 70% of the test cases.Comment: Accepted by AAAI 202

Pathologically Activated Neuroprotection via Uncompetitive Blockade of \u3cem\u3eN\u3c/em\u3e-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptors with Fast Off-rate by Novel Multifunctional Dimer Bis(propyl)-cognitin

Uncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists with fast off-rate (UFO) may represent promising drug candidates for various neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we report that bis(propyl)-cognitin, a novel dimeric acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and γ-aminobutyric acid subtype A receptor antagonist, is such an antagonist of NMDA receptors. In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, we demonstrated that bis(propyl)-cognitin voltage-dependently, selectively, and moderately inhibited NMDA-activated currents. The inhibitory effects of bis(propyl)-cognitin increased with the rise in NMDA and glycine concentrations. Kinetics analysis showed that the inhibition was of fast onset and offset with an off-rate time constant of 1.9 s. Molecular docking simulations showed moderate hydrophobic interaction between bis(propyl)-cognitin and the MK-801 binding region in the ion channel pore of the NMDA receptor. Bis(propyl)-cognitin was further found to compete with [3H]MK-801 with a Ki value of 0.27 μm, and the mutation of NR1(N616R) significantly reduced its inhibitory potency. Under glutamate-mediated pathological conditions, bis(propyl)-cognitin, in contrast to bis(heptyl)-cognitin, prevented excitotoxicity with increasing effectiveness against escalating levels of glutamate and much more effectively protected against middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced brain damage than did memantine. More interestingly, under NMDA receptor-mediated physiological conditions, bis(propyl)-cognitin enhanced long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices, whereas MK-801 reduced and memantine did not alter this process. These results suggest that bis(propyl)-cognitin is a UFO antagonist of NMDA receptors with moderate affinity, which may provide a pathologically activated therapy for various neurodegenerative disorders associated with NMDA receptor dysregulation

Consumer perception towards internet health information resources

This research aims to examine consumer perception towards Internet health information resources. Data was collected among 205 respondents by using convenience sampling and was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Descriptively, there was more females' respondent than males' respondent in this survey where all of them are recently undertaking degree courses. The result shows perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness was the main factor that motivates students in using internet health information resources