Poly[bis­(μ3-dodecyl sulfato)­calcium]

In the title compound [Ca(C12H25O4S)2]n, the unique CaII ion lies on an inversion center and is coordinated in a slightly distorted octa­hedral environment by six O atoms from dodecyl sulfate anions. The crystal structure is based on hydro­carbon (dodecyl sulfate) layers which sandwich the CaII ions. Within the layers, the hydro­carbon zigzag chains are parallel to one another and inter­act via van der Waals forces

Brief Announcement: Gathering Despite Defected View

In this paper, we provide a new perspective on the observation by robots; a robot cannot necessarily observe all other robots regardless of distances to them. We introduce a new computational model with defected views called a (N,k)-defected model where k robots among N-1 other robots can be observed. We propose two gathering algorithms: one in the adversarial (N,N-2)-defected model for N ? 5 (where N is the number of robots) and the other in the distance-based (4,2)-defected model. Moreover, we present two impossibility results for a (3,1)-defected model and a relaxed (N, N-2)-defected model respectively. This announcement is short; the full paper is available at [Yonghwan Kim and others, 2022]

Gathering of Mobile Robots with Defected Views

An autonomous mobile robot system consisting of many mobile computational entities (called robots) attracts much attention of researchers, and it is an emerging issue for a recent couple of decades to clarify the relation between the capabilities of robots and solvability of the problems. Generally, each robot can observe all other robots as long as there are no restrictions on visibility range or obstructions, regardless of the number of robots. In this paper, we provide a new perspective on the observation by robots; a robot cannot necessarily observe all other robots regardless of distances to them. We call this new computational model the defected view model. Under this model, in this paper, we consider the gathering problem that requires all the robots to gather at the same non-predetermined point and propose two algorithms to solve the gathering problem in the adversarial (N,N-2)-defected model for N ? 5 (where each robot observes at most N-2 robots chosen adversarially) and the distance-based (4,2)-defected model (where each robot observes at most two robots closest to itself), respectively, where N is the number of robots. Moreover, we present an impossibility result showing that there is no (deterministic) gathering algorithm in the adversarial or distance-based (3,1)-defected model, and we also show an impossibility result for the gathering in a relaxed (N, N-2)-defected model

Variable Selection in Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis

Principal components analysis (PCA) is a popular dimension reduction method and is applied to analyze quantitative data. For PCA to qualitative data, nonlinear PCA can be applied, where the data are quantified by using optimal scaling that nonlinearly transforms qualitative data into quantitative data. Then nonlinear PCA reveals nonlinear relationships among variables with different measurement levels. Using this quantification, we can consider variable selection in the context of PCA for qualitative data. In PCA for quantitative data, modified PCA (M.PCA) of Tanaka and Mori derives principal components which are computed as a linear combination of a subset of variables but can reproduce all the variables very well. This means that M.PCA can select a reasonable subset of variables with different measurement levels if it is extended so as to deal with qualitative data by using the idea of nonlinear PCA. A nonlinear M.PCA is therefore proposed for variable selection in nonlinear PCA. The method, in this chapter, is based on the idea in “Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis and its Applications” by Mori et al. (Springer). The performance of the method is evaluated in a numerical example

Demand for weekend outpatient chemotherapy among patients with cancer in Japan

Background Advanced cancer therapeutics have improved patient survival, leading to an increase in the number of patients who require long-term outpatient chemotherapy. However, the available schedule options for chemotherapy are generally limited to traditional business hours. Method In 2017, we surveyed 721 patients with cancer in Okayama, Japan, regarding their preferences for evening and weekend (Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday) chemotherapy appointments. Results A preference for evening and weekend appointment options was indicated by 37% of the respondents. Patients who requested weekend chemotherapy were younger, female, with no spouse or partner, living alone, employed, and currently receiving treatment. Among these factors, age and employment status were significantly associated with a preference for weekend chemotherapy, according to multivariate analysis. Conclusion Our findings reveal a demand for evening and weekend outpatient chemotherapy, especially among young, employed patients

The development of “Ultimate Rudder” for EEDI

EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) came into effect mandatory in Jan. 2013, and the ship owners definitely required a higher efficiency propulsion system than ever before. Hence, the shipyards have been conducting an optimization of ESD (Energy Saving Device) system in self-propulsion test for each project. As the results, the shipyards have installed a rudder bulb as an effective ESD. The rudder bulb is a popular ESD system from a long time ago. Mewis1) described that the rudder bulb was developed by Costa in 1952 and the efficiency improve by the rudder bulb for a container vessel was 1% on average. Fujii et al.2) developed “MIPB (Mitsui Integrated Propeller Boss)” as an advanced rudder bulb. The feature of MIPB was a streamlined profile from propeller cap to rudder. According to their paper, the efficiency improve by installing MIPB was 2-4%. Recently, NAKASHIMA PROPELLER Co., Ltd. developed ECO-Cap (economical propeller cap)3) as a new ESD with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics). The strength of FRP is higher than that of NAB (Nickel Aluminium Bronze), therefore ECO-Cap was able to adopt thin fins on propeller caps for low resistance. Although the material used for the energy- saving propeller cap was generally NAB, the research results on FRP showed that FRP could be used as ESD due to their properties such as lightweight and flexibility. As explained above, the authors thought that there was a possibility to evolve the rudder bulb profile using the easily moldable FRP compared with NAB. This paper described about the development of “Ultimate Rudder” of new design concept by FRP. The authors optimized the profile of “Ultimate Rudder” by CFD and confirmed the efficiency increase from 4.9 to 5.4% in self-propulsion test

Comparative anatomy of embryogenesis in three species of Podostemaceae and evolution of the loss of embryonic shoot and root meristems

During embryogenesis in angiosperms, the embryonic shoot and root meristems are created at opposite poles of the embryo, establishing a vertical body plan. However, the aquatic eudicot family Podostemaceae exhibits an unusual horizontal body plan, which is attributed to the loss of embryonic shoot and root meristems. To infer the embryogenetic changes responsible for the loss of these meristems, we examined the embryogenesis of three podostemads with different meristem characters, that is, Terniopsis brevis with distinct shoot and root meristems, Zeylanidium lichenoides with reduced shoot and no root meristems, and Hydrobryum japonicum with no shoot and no root meristems. In T. brevis, as in other eudicots, the putative organizing center (OC) and L1 layer (= the epidermal cell layer) arose to generate a distinct shoot meristem initial, and the hypophysis formed the putative quiescent center (QC) of a root meristem. Z. lichenoides had a morphologically unrecognizable shoot meristem, because a distinct L1 layer did not develop, whereas the putative OC precursor arose normally. In H. japonicum, the vertical divisions of the apical cells of eight-cell embryo prevented putative OC initiation. In Z. lichenoides and H. japonicum, the putative QC failed to initiate because the hypophysis repeated longitudinal divisions during early embryogenesis. Based on their phylogenetic relationships, we infer that the conventional embryonic shoot meristem was lost in Podostemaceae via two steps, that is, the loss of a distinct L1 layer and the loss of the OC, whereas the loss of the embryonic root meristem occurred once by misspecification of the hypophysis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

In Silico Study of Rett Syndrome Treatment-Related Genes, MECP2, CDKL5, and FOXG1, by Evolutionary Classification and Disordered Region Assessment

Rett syndrome (RTT), a neurodevelopmental disorder, is mainly caused by mutations in methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2), which has multiple functions such as binding to methylated DNA or interacting with a transcriptional co-repressor complex. It has been established that alterations in cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) or forkhead box protein G1 (FOXG1) correspond to distinct neurodevelopmental disorders, given that a series of studies have indicated that RTT is also caused by alterations in either one of these genes. We investigated the evolution and molecular features of MeCP2, CDKL5, and FOXG1 and their binding partners using phylogenetic profiling to gain a better understanding of their similarities. We also predicted the structural order–disorder propensity and assessed the evolutionary rates per site of MeCP2, CDKL5, and FOXG1 to investigate the relationships between disordered structure and other related properties with RTT. Here, we provide insight to the structural characteristics, evolution and interaction landscapes of those three proteins. We also uncovered the disordered structure properties and evolution of those proteins which may provide valuable information for the development of therapeutic strategies of RTT