Irreversible 2-conversion set in graphs of bounded degree

An irreversible k-threshold process (also a k-neighbor bootstrap percolation) is a dynamic process on a graph where vertices change color from white to black if they have at least k black neighbors. An irreversible k-conversion set of a graph G is a subset S of vertices of G such that the irreversible k-threshold process starting with the vertices of S black eventually changes all vertices of G to black. We show that deciding the existence of an irreversible 2-conversion set of a given size is NP-complete, even for graphs of maximum degree 4, which answers a question of Dreyer and Roberts. Conversely, we show that for graphs of maximum degree 3, the minimum size of an irreversible 2-conversion set can be computed in polynomial time. Moreover, we find an optimal irreversible 3-conversion set for the toroidal grid, simplifying constructions of Pike and Zou.This article is published as Vyskočil, Tomáš, Bernard Lidický, and Jan Kynčl. "Irreversible 2-conversion set in graphs of bounded degree." Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science 19 (2017): 5. doi: 10.23638/DMTCS-19-3-5.</p

Testing ceramics inserts at irregular interrupted cut on material 14MoV6

This article deals with the test of removable ceramic cutting inserts during machining with an irregular interrupted cut. Tests were performed on a lathe, with a preparation which simulated an interrupted cut for us. By changing the number of slats mounted in the preparation, it simulated a regular or irregular interrupted cut for us. When it had four slats, it was a regular interrupted cut, whereas the remaining three variants were already irregular cuts. This paper examined whether it would have an irregular interrupted cutting effect on the insert and possibly how it would change the life of the inserts during an irregular interrupted cut (a variable delay between shocks)

BRIDGING THE GAPS IN TREE-RING RECORDS: CREATING A HIGH-RESOLUTION DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL NETWORK FOR SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

Dendrochronological research in North-Central Europe and the East Mediterranean has produced networks of long regional oak (Quercus sp.) reference chronologies that have been instrumental in dating, provenancing, and paleoclimate research applications. However, until now these two important tree-ring networks have not been successfully linked. Oak forests and historical/archaeological sites in southeastern Europe provide the key for linking the North-Central European and East Mediterranean tree-ring networks, but previous dendrochronological research in this region has been largely absent. This article presents the initial results of a project, in which we have built oak tree-ring chronologies from forest sites and historical/archaeological sites along a north-south transect between Poland and northwestern Turkey, with the aim of linking the North-Central European and East Mediterranean tree-ring networks and creating a new pan-European oak data set for dendrochronological dating and paleoclimatic reconstruction. Correlation among tree-ring chronologies and the spatial distribution of their teleconnections are evaluated. The southeastern European chronologies provide a solid bridge between both major European dendrochronological networks. The results indicate that a dense network of chronologies is the key for bridging spatial and temporal gaps in tree-ring records. Dendrochronological sampling should be intensively continued in southeastern Europe because resources for building long oak chronologies in the region are rapidly disappearing

Recent European drought extremes beyond Common Era background variability

Europe’s recent summer droughts have had devastating ecological and economic consequences, but the severity and cause of these extremes remain unclear. Here we present 27,080 annually resolved and absolutely dated measurements of tree-ring stable carbon and oxygen (δ13C and δ18O) isotopes from 21 living and 126 relict oaks (Quercus spp.) used to reconstruct central European summer hydroclimate from 75 BCE to 2018 CE. We find that the combined inverse δ13C and δ18O values correlate with the June–August Palmer Drought Severity Index from 1901–2018 at 0.73 (P < 0.001). Pluvials around 200, 720 and 1100 CE, and droughts around 40, 590, 950 and 1510 CE and in the twenty-first century, are superimposed on a multi-millennial drying trend. Our reconstruction demonstrates that the sequence of recent European summer droughts since 2015 CE is unprecedented in the past 2,110 years. This hydroclimatic anomaly is probably caused by anthropogenic warming and associated changes in the position of the summer jet stream

Older age is a protective factor for academic achievements irrespective of treatment modalities for posterior fossa brain tumours in children.

The treatment of children with posterior fossa brain tumours (PFBT) impacts their long term functional and imaging outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate academic achievement correlated with long-term sequelae after different PFBT treatment modalities. The study cohort consisted of 110 survivors (median age at diagnosis 10.1 years and median time of follow up 13.2 years) who completed hearing questionnaires, neurological assessment and MRI of the brain ≥5 years after the end of treatment. There were three treatment groups. A cisplatin group which underwent cisplatin chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery (medulloblastoma N = 40), a radiotherapy group which underwent radiotherapy and surgery (astrocytoma/ependymoma N = 30), and a surgery group (astrocytoma N = 40). Academic achievement was correlated to the age at diagnosis, ototoxicity, Karnofsky score (KS), and MRI findings (Fazekas Score (FS)- treatment related parenchymal changes). For a modelled age at diagnosis of five years, the cisplatin group had lower academic achievements compared to the radiotherapy (p = 0.028) and surgery (p = 0.014) groups. Academic achievements evaluated at a modelled age of 10 years at diagnosis did not significantly differ among the treatment groups. The cisplatin group exhibited a higher occurrence of ototoxicity than the radiotherapy (p<0.019) and surgery groups (p<0.001); however, there was no correlation between ototoxicity and academic achievements (p = 0.722) in older age at diagnosis. The radiotherapy group exhibited lower KS than the surgery group (p<0.001). KS significantly influenced academic achievements in all groups (p<0.000). The cisplatin group exhibited higher FS than the surgery group (p<0.001) while FS did not correlate with academic achievement (p = 0.399). Older age is a protective factor for academic achievements irrespective of a treatment modality