Double precision trajectory program /DPTRAJ 2.2C/

Four part program computes trajectory of space probe moving in solar system and subject to variety of forces

Study of aqueous extract of three medicinal plants on cell membrane–permeabilizing and their surface properties

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of three medicinal plants, Artemisia dracunculus L, Cuminum cyminum L and Heracleum persicum Desf, which contain saponins on biological membrane. Also in this study, some of their physicochemical properties were studied. At the first step, the aqueous extract of the plants were prepared, using maceration and then the extracts were lyophilized. 0.2 ml of RBC was added to 0.2 ml of different concentrations of each extract in McIvan’sbuffer, and then incubated in two different times and temperatures. The absorbance of the samples was determined by UV spectrophotometer. Among the three studied extracts, A. dracunculus L showed thehighest hemolytic effect and the Heracleum persicum Desf showed the lowest one. The values of emulsification Index (E24) and foam formation activity (Fh) showed for each extract the properties of surface activity. Regarding the results of this study, when considering the health of consumer, the use of aqueous extract of H. persicum Desf, with low hemolytic effect is preferred in pharmaceutical preparation. But if the hemolytic effect were considered, the use of aqueous extract of A. dracunculus L, with great hemolythc effect in comparison to the two other extract, is preferred

Stochastic resonance in a suspension of magnetic dipoles under shear flow

We show that a magnetic dipole in a shear flow under the action of an oscillating magnetic field displays stochastic resonance in the linear response regime. To this end, we compute the classical quantifiers of stochastic resonance, i.e. the signal to noise ratio, the escape time distribution, and the mean first passage time. We also discuss limitations and role of the linear response theory in its applications to the theory of stochastic resonance.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, approved for publication in PR

Using a Near-Infrared Spectrometer to Estimate the Age of Anopheles Mosquitoes Exposed to Pyrethroids

We report on the accuracy of using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the age of Anopheles mosquitoes reared from wild larvae and a mixed age-wild adult population collected from pit traps after exposure to pyrethroids. The mosquitoes reared from wild larvae were estimated as <7 or ≥7 d old with an overall accuracy of 79%. The age categories of Anopheles mosquitoes that were not exposed to the insecticide papers were predicted with 78% accuracy whereas the age categories of resistant, susceptible and mosquitoes exposed to control papers were predicted with 82%, 78% and 79% accuracy, respectively. The ages of 85% of the wild-collected mixed-age Anopheles were predicted by NIRS as ≤8 d for both susceptible and resistant groups. The age structure of wild-collected mosquitoes was not significantly different for the pyrethroid-susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes (P = 0.210). Based on these findings, NIRS chronological age estimation technique for Anopheles mosquitoes may be independent of insecticide exposure and the environmental conditions to which the mosquitoes are exposed

The Bismut-Elworthy-Li type formulae for stochastic differential equations with jumps

Consider jump-type stochastic differential equations with the drift, diffusion and jump terms. Logarithmic derivatives of densities for the solution process are studied, and the Bismut-Elworthy-Li type formulae can be obtained under the uniformly elliptic condition on the coefficients of the diffusion and jump terms. Our approach is based upon the Kolmogorov backward equation by making full use of the Markovian property of the process.Comment: 29 pages, to appear in Journal of Theoretical Probabilit

A Systematic Review of Lean Implementation Frameworks and Roadmaps: Lessons Learned the Way Forward

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to carry out a comprehensive systematic review of Lean implementation frameworks and roadmaps developed over the past decade and report the key findings along with the limitations and the way forward. Methodology: A systematic review methodology proposed by Tranfield (2003) was followed to identify the relevant works on the research topic. Articles were searched using a set of inclusion criteria in various databases including Google Scholar, Web of Science and Science Direct over a period of thirty years. Findings: The high failure rate of Lean system implementation, reaching a range between 70-90% in almost all industries, is a matter of concern. This failure rate is still high even though numerous frameworks and roadmap models exist to streamline Lean implementation. There is no standard framework or roadmap identified in the literature and many organisations are implementing lean in their unique ways. However it would be desirable to develop a practical and systematic roadmap on Lean looking into the cultural and leadership dimensions rather than focusing on a set of tools. Moreover, most frameworks and roadmaps lack the sustianance aspects of Lean implementation. Limitation: This research only identifies the fundamental gaps with the existing frameworks and roadmaps on lean implementation. The next phase of the research is to develop a roadmap and validate it with a number of organisations in different cultural contexts and leadership styles. Originality: The authors argue that this is one of the most comprehensive systematic review on lean frameworks and roadmaps ever produced in the literature to date

A Molecular Sensor To Characterize Arenavirus Envelope Glycoprotein Cleavage by Subtilisin Kexin Isozyme 1/Site 1 Protease.

UNLABELLED: Arenaviruses are emerging viruses including several causative agents of severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans. The advent of next-generation sequencing technology has greatly accelerated the discovery of novel arenavirus species. However, for many of these viruses, only genetic information is available, and their zoonotic disease potential remains unknown. During the arenavirus life cycle, processing of the viral envelope glycoprotein precursor (GPC) by the cellular subtilisin kexin isozyme 1 (SKI-1)/site 1 protease (S1P) is crucial for productive infection. The ability of newly emerging arenaviruses to hijack human SKI-1/S1P appears, therefore, to be a requirement for efficient zoonotic transmission and human disease potential. Here we implement a newly developed cell-based molecular sensor for SKI-1/S1P to characterize the processing of arenavirus GPC-derived target sequences by human SKI-1/S1P in a quantitative manner. We show that only nine amino acids flanking the putative cleavage site are necessary and sufficient to accurately recapitulate the efficiency and subcellular location of arenavirus GPC processing. In a proof of concept, our sensor correctly predicts efficient processing of the GPC of the newly emergent pathogenic Lujo virus by human SKI-1/S1P and defines the exact cleavage site. Lastly, we employed our sensor to show efficient GPC processing of a panel of pathogenic and nonpathogenic New World arenaviruses, suggesting that GPC cleavage represents no barrier for zoonotic transmission of these pathogens. Our SKI-1/S1P sensor thus represents a rapid and robust test system for assessment of the processing of putative cleavage sites derived from the GPCs of newly discovered arenavirus by the SKI-1/S1P of humans or any other species, based solely on sequence information. IMPORTANCE: Arenaviruses are important emerging human pathogens that can cause severe hemorrhagic fevers with high mortality in humans. A crucial step in productive arenavirus infection of human cells is the processing of the viral envelope glycoprotein by the cellular subtilisin kexin isozyme 1 (SKI-1)/site 1 protease (S1P). In order to break the species barrier during zoonotic transmission and cause severe disease in humans, newly emerging arenaviruses must be able to hijack human SKI-1/S1P efficiently. Here we implement a newly developed cell-based molecular sensor for human SKI-1/S1P to characterize the processing of arenavirus glycoproteins in a quantitative manner. We further use our sensor to correctly predict efficient processing of the glycoprotein of the newly emergent pathogenic Lujo virus by human SKI-1/S1P. Our sensor thus represents a rapid and robust test system with which to assess whether the glycoprotein of any newly emerging arenavirus can be efficiently processed by human SKI-1/S1P, based solely on sequence information