Effects of rare earth nanoparticles (M = Sm2O3, Ho2O3, Nd2O3) addition on the microstructure and superconducting transition of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ ceramics

The effect of rare earth nanoparticles, M=Sm2O3, Nd2O3 and Ho2O3 added to (Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ)1-x(M)x, where x = 0.00 - 0.05, superconductor were studied by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), resistivity (R), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The volume fraction of high-Tc phase, Bi-2223, decreased from 84% for pure sample to 48, 30 and 23% at x = 0.05 for Sm2O3, Ho2O3 and Nd2O3 additions, respectively. The critical temperature Tc(R=0) that is 102 K for the pure sample decreased to 78, 73 and 69 K at x = 0.05 for samples with Sm2O3, Nd2O3 and Ho2O3 nanoparticles additions, respectively. The additions of rare earth nanoparticles decreased the grain size and increased the random orientation of the grains. The results showed that the phases’ formations, variations of lattice parameters and electrical properties are sensitive to the size of nanoparticles and magnetic properties of its ions

Annihilation of NMSSM neutralinos in the Sun and neutrino telescope limits

We investigate neutralino dark matter in the framework of NMSSM performing a scan over its parameter space and calculating neutralino capture and annihilation rates in the Sun. We discuss the prospects of searches for neutralino dark matter in neutrino experiments depending on neutralino content and its main annihilation channel. We recalculate the upper limits on neutralino-proton elastic cross sections directly from neutrino telescopes upper bounds on annihilation rates in the Sun. This procedure has advantages as compared with corresponding recalcalations from the limits on muon flux, namely, it is independent on details of the experiment and the recalculation coefficients are universal for any kind of WIMP dark matter models. We derive 90% c.l. upper limits on neutralino-proton cross sections from the results of the Baksan Underground Scintillator Telescope.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in JCAP, references adde

Mesenchymal stem cell secretes microparticles enriched in pre-microRNAs

10.1093/nar/gkp857Nucleic Acids Research381215-22

Current Status of the Resonant Spin-Flavor Precession Solution to the Solar Neutrino Problem

We discuss the current status of the resonant spin-flavor precession (RSFP) solution to the solar neutrino problem. We perform a fit to all the latest solar neutrino data for various assumed magnetic field profiles in the sun. We show that the RSFP can account for all the solar neutrino experiments, giving as good fit as other alternative solutions such as MSW or Just so, and therefore can be a viable solution to the solar neutrino problemComment: RevTex file, 9 pages, 12 postscript figures, Some errors are corrected, some changes in results but no change in conclusions, version to appear in Astroparticle Physic

Notes on some plant collections from Bachok and several forest reserves in Kelantan

A botanical survey of Bachok and various forest reserves at Jeram Linang, Jeram Pasu and Bukit Bakar was part of an expedition from 14–20 June 2008 carried out by the IOES (Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences) University of Malaya to survey and prepare an inventory of the biodiversity of the coastal region around Bachok, Kelantan. A total of 54 species from 30 families, consisting of seashore and mangrove plants were identified from the coastal area of Bachok and Semerak; while 89 species of flowering plants representing 44 families, a single gymnosperm, Agathis borneensis (Araucariaceae); and 15 genera and 23 species of mosses (from 10 families) were recorded in the three forest reserves. Several of the species collected were rarely found outside Kelantan. Satu survei tumbuhan di Bachok dan beberapa hutan simpanan termasuk Jeram Linang, Jeram Pasu dan Bukit Bakar, Kelantan adalah sebahagian ekspedisi survei biodiversiti kawasan pantai di sekitar Bachok Kelantan oleh IOES (Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences) Universiti Malaya pada 14–20 Jun 2008. Sejumlah 54 spesies daripada 30 famili tumbuhan pantai dan bakau dikenalpasti dari kawasan pantai Bachok dan Semerak; sedangkan 89 spesies tumbuhan berbunga (mewakili 44 famili), satu gimnosperma, Agathis borneensis (Araucariaceae); serta 15 genera dan 23 spesies daripada 10 famili lumut sejati telah direkodkan di kawasan sekitar Jeram Linang, Jeram Pasu dan Hutan Lipur Bukit Bakar. Beberapa spesies yang dikutip adalah jarang ditemui di luar Kelantan

Reference picture selection using checkerboard pattern for resilient video coding

The improved compression efficiency achieved by the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard has the counter-effect of decreasing error resilience in transmission over error-prone channels. To increase the error resilience of HEVC streams, this paper proposes a checkerboard reference picture selection method in order to reduce the prediction mismatch at the decoder in case of frame losses. The proposed approach not only allows to reduce the error propagation at the decoder, but also enhances the quality of reconstructed frames by selectively constraining the choice of reference pictures used for temporal prediction. The underlying approach is to increase the amount of accurate temporal information at the decoder when transmission errors occur, to improve the video quality by using an efficient combination of diverse motion fields. The proposed method compensates for the small loss of coding efficiency at frame loss rates as low as 3%. For a single frame-loss event the proposed method can achieve up to 2 dB of gain in the affected frames and an average quality gain of 0:84 dB for different error prone conditions

Coal use in the People`s Republic of China, Volume 2: The economic effects of constraining coal utilization

The People`s Republic of China (hereafter referred to as China) is the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. The dominance of coal in China`s energy balance has come at a high price to the environment. With the recent attention given to global warming issues, China`s energy consumption and production practices have become the subject of much concern. Of particular concern is China`s ability to reduce CO{sub 2} emissions by constraining coal use and the impact such policies will likely have on the Chinese economy. The study is divided into two reports. Volume 1 focuses on the full coal fuel cycle, emissions, and environmental effects. This report (Volume 2) analyzes various CO{sub 2} mitigation strategies and determines their effect on economic growth. Contrary to what some analysts have claimed, the current work suggests that it would not be costly for the Chinese to reduce CO{sub 2} emissions. In fact, some strategies were accompanied by increases in China`s energy and economic efficiency, which actually stimulated economic growth

Feature Extraction Algorithms of Retinal Microvasculature for Cost-Effective Medical Device

At present, chronic diseases such as stroke and diabetes mellitus continues to increase. In such medical conditions, if inappropriately treated, complications will easily occur such as visual morbidity, including blindness. According to the World Health Organization, as of 2010 worldwide, there are 39 million (13.6%) blind people due to visual morbidity related to chronic diseases. Therefore, this represent the magnitude of urgency needed to come up with technologies capable of preventing the unwanted complication (Mariotti, 2010). Digital image processing is one of the most remarkable advancing disciplines of computer visual image technology which is being widely employed in the modern biomedical imaging systems with increasing accuracy. This includes growing contributions of digital image processing in modern ophthalmic diagnostic systems. The human retina is the only location where blood vessels can be directly visualized non-invasively in vivo

Measurement of K^+ \to \pi^0 \mu^+ \nu \gamma decay using stopped kaons

The K^+ \to \pi^0 \mu^+ \nu \gamma ($K_{\mu 3 \gamma}$) decay has been measured with stopped positive kaons at the KEK 12 GeV proton synchrotron. A $K_{\mu 3 \gamma}$ sample containing 125 events was obtained. The partial branching ratio $Br(K_{\mu 3 \gamma}, E_{\gamma}>30 {\rm MeV}, \theta_{\mu^+ \gamma}>20^{\circ})$ was found to be $[2.4 \pm 0.5(stat) \pm 0.6(syst)]\times 10^{-5}$, which is in good agreement with theoretical predictions.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physics Letters

Measurement of direct photon emission in K+→π+π0γK^+ \to \pi^+ \pi^0 \gamma decay using stopped positive kaons

The radiative decay $K^+ \to \pi^+ \pi^0 \gamma$ ($K_{\pi 2 \gamma}$) has been measured with stopped positive kaons. A $K_{\pi 2 \gamma}$ sample containing 4k events was analyzed, and the $K_{\pi 2 \gamma}$ branching ratio of the direct photon emission process was determined to be $[6.1\pm2.5({\rm stat})\pm1.9({\rm syst})]\times 10^{-6}$. No interference pattern with internal bremsstrahlung was observed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, to be published in Phys. Lett.