Co-Opetition Between SAP And Oracle: The Effects Of The Partnership And Competition On The Companies Success

This research paper presents the secondary research findings on the similarities and differences between the strategies of SAP and Oracle, reasons why customers choose one vendor over the other, and how the competition between SAP and Oracle affects their cooperation with each other.  This latter effect we refer to as co-opetition.  A summary and conclusions will follow a detailed discussion of the aforementioned factors of co-opetition between SAP and Oracle

Inadequate supply of vitamins and DHA in the elderly: Implications for brain aging and Alzheimer-type dementia

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent, severe, and disabling cause of dementia worldwide. To date, AD therapy is primarily targeted toward palliative treatment of symptoms rather than prevention of disease progression. So far, no pharmacologic interventions have changed the onset or progression of AD and their use is accompanied by side effects. The major obstacle in managing AD and designing therapeutic strategies is the difficulty in retarding neuronal loss in the diseased brain once the pathologic events leading to neuronal death have started. Therefore, a promising alternative strategy is to maintain a healthy neuronal population in the aging brain for as long as possible. One factor evidently important for neuronal health and function is the optimal supply of nutrients necessary for maintaining normal functioning of the brain. Mechanistic studies, epidemiologic analyses, and randomized controlled intervention trials provide insight to the positive effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and micronutrients such as the vitamin B family, and vitamins E, C, and D, in helping neurons to cope with aging. These nutrients are inexpensive in use, have virtually no side effects when used at recommended doses, are essential for life, have established modes of action, and are broadly accepted by the general public. This review provides some evidence that the use of vitamins and DHA for the aging population in general, and for individuals at risk in particular, is a viable alternative approach to delaying brain aging and for protecting against the onset of AD pathology

Mesenteric lymphatic malformation mimicking an adnexal source in a teenager

Mesenteric lymphatic malformations are rare benign tumors that are usually found in children and very rarely are they found in the abdomen. We present a rare case in which a mesenteric lymphatic malformation mimics an adnexal source. This is an important contribution to obstetrics and gynecology literature to show the importance of keeping this rare diagnosis on the differential, as well as the value of multi-disciplinary care

Autonomous sampling of ocean submesoscale fronts with ocean gliders and numerical model forecasting

Submesoscale fronts arising from mesoscale stirring are ubiquitous in the ocean and have a strong impact on upper-ocean dynamics. This work presents a method for optimizing the sampling of ocean fronts with autonomous vehicles at meso- and submesoscales, based on a combination of numerical forecast and autonomous planning. This method uses a 48-h forecast from a real-time high-resolution data-assimilative primitive equation ocean model, feature detection techniques, and a planner that controls the observing platform. The method is tested in Monterey Bay, off the coast of California, during a 9-day experiment focused on sampling subsurface thermohaline-compensated structures using a Seaglider as the ocean observing platform. Based on model estimations, the sampling “gain,” defined as the magnitude of isopycnal tracer variability sampled, is 50% larger in the feature-chasing case with respect to a non-feature-tracking scenario. The ability of the model to reproduce, in space and time, thermohaline submesoscale features is evaluated by quantitatively comparing the model and glider results. The model reproduces the vertical (~50–200 m thick) and lateral (~5–20 km) scales of subsurface subducting fronts and near-bottom features observed in the glider data. The differences between model and glider data are, in part, attributed to the selected glider optimal interpolation parameters and to uncertainties in the forecasting of the location of the structures. This method can be exported to any place in the ocean where high-resolution data-assimilative model output is available, and it allows for the incorporation of multiple observing platforms

Autonomous sampling of ocean submesoscale fronts with ocean gliders and numerical model forecasting

Submesoscale fronts arising from mesoscale stirring are ubiquitous in the ocean and have a strong impact on upper-ocean dynamics. This work presents a method for optimizing the sampling of ocean fronts with autonomous vehicles at meso- and submesoscales, based on a combination of numerical forecast and autonomous planning. This method uses a 48-h forecast from a real-time high-resolution data-assimilative primitive equation ocean model, feature detection techniques, and a planner that controls the observing platform. The method is tested in Monterey Bay, off the coast of California, during a 9-day experiment focused on sampling subsurface thermohaline-compensated structures using a Seaglider as the ocean observing platform. Based on model estimations, the sampling “gain,” defined as the magnitude of isopycnal tracer variability sampled, is 50% larger in the feature-chasing case with respect to a non-feature-tracking scenario. The ability of the model to reproduce, in space and time, thermohaline submesoscale features is evaluated by quantitatively comparing the model and glider results. The model reproduces the vertical (~50–200 m thick) and lateral (~5–20 km) scales of subsurface subducting fronts and near-bottom features observed in the glider data. The differences between model and glider data are, in part, attributed to the selected glider optimal interpolation parameters and to uncertainties in the forecasting of the location of the structures. This method can be exported to any place in the ocean where high-resolution data-assimilative model output is available, and it allows for the incorporation of multiple observing platforms

Satellites to seafloor : toward fully autonomous ocean sampling

Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 30, no. 2 (2017): 160–168, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2017.238.Future ocean observing systems will rely heavily on autonomous vehicles to achieve the persistent and heterogeneous measurements needed to understand the ocean’s impact on the climate system. The day-to-day maintenance of these arrays will become increasingly challenging if significant human resources, such as manual piloting, are required. For this reason, techniques need to be developed that permit autonomous determination of sampling directives based on science goals and responses to in situ, remote-sensing, and model-derived information. Techniques that can accommodate large arrays of assets and permit sustained observations of rapidly evolving ocean properties are especially needed for capturing interactions between physical circulation and biogeochemical cycling. Here we document the first field program of the Satellites to Seafloor project, designed to enable a closed loop of numerical model prediction, vehicle path-planning, in situ path implementation, data collection, and data assimilation for future model predictions. We present results from the first of two field programs carried out in Monterey Bay, California, over a period of three months in 2016. While relatively modest in scope, this approach provides a step toward an observing array that makes use of multiple information streams to update and improve sampling strategies without human intervention.This work is funded by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (generously supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation) through the project “Science-driven Autonomous and Heterogeneous Robotic Networks: A Vision for Future Ocean Observation

Satellites to Seafloor: Toward Fully Autonomous Ocean Sampling

Future ocean observing systems will rely heavily on autonomous vehicles to achieve the persistent and heterogeneous measurements needed to understand the ocean’s impact on the climate system. The day-to-day maintenance of these arrays will become increasingly challenging if significant human resources, such as manual piloting, are required. For this reason, techniques need to be developed that permit autonomous determination of sampling directives based on science goals and responses to in situ, remote-sensing, and model-derived information. Techniques that can accommodate large arrays of assets and permit sustained observations of rapidly evolving ocean properties are especially needed for capturing interactions between physical circulation and biogeochemical cycling. Here we document the first field program of the Satellites to Seafloor project, designed to enable a closed loop of numerical model prediction, vehicle path-planning, in situ path implementation, data collection, and data assimilation for future model predictions. We present results from the first of two field programs carried out in Monterey Bay, California, over a period of three months in 2016. While relatively modest in scope, this approach provides a step toward an observing array that makes use of multiple information streams to update and improve sampling strategies without human intervention

Structural Basis for Broad Neutralization of Hepatitis C Virus Quasispecies

Monoclonal antibodies directed against hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 protein can neutralize cell-cultured HCV and pseudoparticles expressing envelopes derived from multiple HCV subtypes. For example, based on antibody blocking experiments and alanine scanning mutagenesis, it was proposed that the AR3B monoclonal antibody recognized a discontinuous conformational epitope comprised of amino acid residues 396–424, 436–447, and 523–540 of HCV E2 envelope protein. Intriguingly, one of these segments (436–447) overlapped with hypervariable region 3 (HVR3), a domain that exhibited significant intrahost and interhost genetic diversity. To reconcile these observations, amino-acid sequence variability was examined and homology-based structural modelling of E2 based on tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) E protein was performed based on 413 HCV sequences derived from 18 subjects with chronic hepatitis C. Here we report that despite a high degree of amino-acid sequence variability, the three-dimensional structure of E2 is remarkably conserved, suggesting broad recognition of structural determinants rather than specific residues. Regions 396–424 and 523–540 were largely exposed and in close spatial proximity at the surface of E2. In contrast, region 436–447, which overlaps with HVR3, was >35 Å away, and estimates of buried surface were inconsistent with HVR3 being part of the AR3B binding interface. High-throughput structural analysis of HCV quasispecies could facilitate the development of novel vaccines that target conserved structural features of HCV envelope and elicit neutralizing antibody responses that are less vulnerable to viral escape

Eigenvalue Problem in Two Dimension for An Irregular Boundary

An analytical perturbative method is suggested for solving the Helmholtz equation (\bigtriangledown^{2} + k^{2}){\psi} = 0 in two dimensions where {\psi} vanishes on an irregular closed curve. We can thus find the energy levels of a quantum mechanical particle confined in an infinitely deep potential well in two dimensions having an irregular boundary or the vibration frequencies of a membrane whose edge is an irregular closed curve. The method is tested by calculating the energy levels for an elliptical and a supercircular boundary and comparing with the results obtained numerically. Further, the phenomenon of level crossing due to shape variation is also discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, v2 matches the journal versio