Computation of limit and shakedown using the NS-FEM and second-order cone programming

This paper presents a novel numerical procedure for computation of limit and shakedown using node-based smoothed finite element method (NS-FEM) in combination with second-order cone programming (SOCP). The obtained discretization formulation is then cast in a form which involves second-order cone constraints, ensuring that the underlying optimization problem can be solved by highly efficient primal-dual interior point algorithm. Furthermore, in the NS-FEM, the system stiffness matrix is computed using the smoothed strains over the smoothing domains associated with nodes. This ensures that the size of the resulting optimization problem is kept to a minimum. The efficiency of the present approach is illustrated by examining several numerical examples

Two Spot Coupled Ring Resonators

Abstract. We consider a model of two coupled ring waveguides with constant linear gain and nonlinear absorption with space-dependent coupling. This system can be implemented in various physical situations as optical waveguides, atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, polarization condensates, etc. It is described by two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation. For numerical simulations, we take local two-gaussian coupling.It is found in our previous papers that, depending on the values of involved parameters, we can obtain several interesting nonlinear phenomena, which include spontaneous symmetry breaking, modulational instability leading to generation of stable circular flows with various vorticities, stable inhomogeneous states with interesting structure of currents flowing between rings, as well as dynamical regimes having signatures of chaotic behavior. This research will be associated with experimental investigation planned in Freie Universität Berlin, in the group of prof. Michael Giersig

Optimization of culture conditions of Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 to improve the antimicrobial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila

Fish is a healthy, high protein and low fat food that encourages the health and growth of people, especially children. However, in fact fish is very sensitive to many diseases which affects the productivity and quality of fish. Therefore, identifying the cause of the diseases and finding preventive measures become an urgent task today. In the previous study, we isolated Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 that has the ability to antagonize Aeromonas hydrophila - a pathogenic bacterium in fish. Based on the obtained results, we continue to perform this study to determine optimal conditions for the culture of S. antibioticus strain 1083 in order to produce antimicrobial compounds against A. hydrophila. The production of antagonists by the strain 1083 was optimized by controlling the condition of different inoculations such as media, pH, temperature and incubation period. The results indicated that International Streptomyces Project 2 (ISP2) was the best medium for S. antibioticus strain 1083 to produce the highest antimicrobial activity against A. hydrophila with 32 mm in diameter of inhibited zone. The actinomycete strain 1083 could express the maximum antimicrobial activity when they were incubated in shaker incubator (200rpm) at 40oC with pH8 in 8 days. The ability of the actinomycete strain in antagonism against A. hydrophila was evaluated by adding different culture medium volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083. With adding 10% cultured solution volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083 into the culture medium of A. hydrophila, after 1 day of inoculation the number of pathogenic bacteria cells were completely eliminated

Megastigmans and other compounds from Antidesma hainanensis Merr.

Four megastigmans 7-megastigmene-3-ol-9-one 3-O-[α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside]  (1),  alangionoside L (2),  alangioside (3), ampelopsisionoside (4), and other constituents as N–trans-feruloyloctopamide (5), trans-linalool-3,6-oxide-β-D-glucopyranoside (6),  5α,8α-dipioxiergosta-6,22-diene-3β-ol (7), and (Z)-2-hexenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (8) were isolated from the methanol extract of the Antidesma hainanensis leaves. Their chemical structures were successfully determined using NMR and ESI-MS analysis as well as in comparison with the reported data. This is the first report of these compounds from Euphorbiaceae family

Liquid pumping and mixing by PZT synthetic jet

In this paper, a PZT synthetic jet that can function as both an efficient pumping and mixing device is developed. Compare with the conventional design where the practice of controlling the internal flow is undertaken by microvalves structure, this approach promotes the durability and allows the device to work with different liquids at high Reynold number without losing of backflow from the diffuser, therefore provides efficient mixing. The pumping performance is applicable for commercialized counterparts while the homogeneous medium was obtained at downstream in the experiments, which was further confirmed by simulation. Notably, the chaotic mixing feature of the device is also applicable for immiscible liquids with the micro-droplet formation result at the outlet

Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth Using Satellite Data Associated with Ground-based Observations over Urban and Rural Areas

Optičku je dubinu aerosola (AOD) moguće točno izračunati na temelju uzastopnih mjerenja izravnog i difuznog Sunčeva zračenja na tlu. Međutim, prostorna pokrivenost i frekvencija lokacije uzrokuju određena ograničenja. Stoga su satelitske snimke ispravan alat za dobivanje proizvoda optičke dubine aerosola s više prostornih informacija i obrazaca raspodjele aerosola. Daljinskim istraživanjima aerosola možemo bolje razumjeti najbolji pristup računanju optičke dubine aerosola u urbanim i ruralnim područjima i mogu se uočiti razlike zbog svojstava površinske reflektivnosti. Ovaj se članak bavi konceptima smanjenja kontrasta i pristupima tamnih meta koji se ispituju snimkama Landsata i opažanjima Sunčevog fotometra za povezivanje raspodjele optičke dubine aerosola iznad grada Taipeija u Tajvanu. Za područja sa svijetlim površinama kao što su gradovi navedeni se koncepti primjenjuju metodom koeficijenta disperzije zajedno sa Sunčevim fotometrom kako bi se u velikoj mjeri smanjile pogreške. Za razliku od toga, algoritam tamne mete s odnosom površinske refleksije između plavih (0,49 μm), crvenih (0,66 μm) i infracrvenih (2,1 μm) spektralnih pojaseva prikladan je za vlažno tlo i područja s vegetacijom. Računanje prostorne raspodjele optičke dubine aerosola uspoređuje se s proizvodima MODIS AOD-a i AERONET-a kako bi se provjerila točnost rezultata. RMSE je bio u rasponu od 0,2 do 0,4 i oko 50% podataka bilo je unutar granica očekivane pogreške (EE=± (0,05+0,15 AODsunphometer).Aerosol optical depth (AOD) can be retrieved accurately with sequential ground-based measurements of direct and diffuse solar radiance. However, spatial coverage and location frequency cause certain limitations. Hence, satellite image data are a proper tool for obtaining aerosol optical depth products with more spatial information and patterns of aerosol distribution. Currently, aerosol remote sensing may enhance our understanding of the optimal approach to AOD retrieval over urban and rural areas, and how it differs due to the characteristics of surface reflectivity. The article deals with the concepts of contrast reduction, and dark target approaches are examined using Landsat imaging and the observation of a sun photometer for integrating aerosol optical depth distribution over the city of Taipei in Taiwan. For areas with bright surfaces, such as urban areas, the above concepts were applied using the dispersion coefficient method with a sun photometer, in order to reduce errors considerably in the product. In contrast, a dark target algorithm with a relationship of surface reflectance between the blue (0.49 μm), red (0.66 μm), and infrared (2.1 μm) spectral bands is suitable for moist soils and vegetation areas. The retrieval of AOD spatial distribution is compared with MODIS AOD products and AERONET to verify the accuracy of the results. The RMSE ranged from 0.2 to 0.4, and about 50% of the data were within expected error margins (EE=± (0.05+0.15 AODsunphotometer)

Flavonoid glycosides from Antidesma ghaesembilla

Four flavone glycosides were isolated from the leaves of Antidesma ghaesembilla. They were elucidated to be vitexin, orientin, isovitexin, and homoorientin by 1D- and 2D-NMR and in comparison with literature data. These compounds have been reported from the genus Antidesma for the first time

Discrete seasonal hydroclimate reconstructions over northern Vietnam for the past three and a half centuries

We present a 350-year hydroclimatic year (HY) index for northern Vietnam derived from three discrete seasonal reconstructions from tree rings: an index of autumn rainfall from the earlywood widths of Chinese Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sinensis), the first such record from this species, and two nearby published Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstructions from cypress (Fokienia hodginsii) tree rings for spring and summer, respectively. Autumn rainfall over the study region constitutes only around 9% of the annual total, but its variability is strongly linked to the strength of the atmospheric gradient over Asia during the transition from the boreal summer to winter monsoons. Deficit or surplus of autumn rainfall enhances or mitigates, respectively, the impact of the annual winter dry season on trees growing on porous karst hillsides. The most protracted HY drought (dry across all seasons) occurred at the turn of the twentieth century at a time of relative quiet, but a mid-to-late eighteenth century multi-year HY drought coincided with a period of great societal turmoil across mainland Southeast Asia and the Tay Son Rebellion in northern Vietnam. A mid-nineteenth century uprising accompanied by a smallpox epidemic, crop failure and famine, occurred during the worst autumn drought of the past two and a half centuries but only moderate drought in spring and summer. The “Great Vietnamese Famine” of the mid-twentieth century was dry only in autumn, with a wet spring and an average summer

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Podejście do mapowania kamieniołomów w Wietnamie za pomocą tanich bezzałogowych statków powietrznych (dronów)

In Vietnam, there are a huge number of quarries that are exploited and mainly provide materials to the construction sector of the country. However, most of the quarries are operating without topographic plans due to a lack of surveying activities. This paper introduces an approach of using low-cost UAVs to produce digital surface models which in turn are used to draw topographic maps of quarries in Vietnam. For assessments of accuracy, safety, and working efficiency, four quarries different in terrain conditions, namely Luong Son, Long Son, Nui Nho, and Nui Dai were selected as the study areas. Ground control points were established in each area by using GNSS/RTK for camera calibration and accuracy assessment. The accuracy of DSM was assessed using the root-mean-square error (RMSE) in X, Y, Z, XY, and XYZ components. Capturing images from each site were processed by using Agisoft®PhotoScan Professional 1.5.2. The results showed that all the DSM models of the four areas have high accuracy, RMSE on the checked GCPs ranges from 1.0 to 9.0 cm, from 1.2 to 5.0 cm, from 4.4 to 13.4 cm, from 1.6 to 10.3 cm, and from 4.9 to 16.9 cm for X, Y, Z, XY, XYZ components, respectively. We concluded that the low-cost UAV based mapping technology can guarantee the accuracy of DSMs, the safety of UAV flying, and the efficiency of surveying working simultaneously when using in quarries