Drawing graphs with vertices and edges in convex position

A graph has strong convex dimension $2$, if it admits a straight-line drawing in the plane such that its vertices are in convex position and the midpoints of its edges are also in convex position. Halman, Onn, and Rothblum conjectured that graphs of strong convex dimension $2$ are planar and therefore have at most $3n-6$ edges. We prove that all such graphs have at most $2n-3$ edges while on the other hand we present a class of non-planar graphs of strong convex dimension $2$. We also give lower bounds on the maximum number of edges a graph of strong convex dimension $2$ can have and discuss variants of this graph class. We apply our results to questions about large convexly independent sets in Minkowski sums of planar point sets, that have been of interest in recent years.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, improved expositio

Cryomilling as environmentally friendly synthesis route to prepare nanomaterials

The milling of materials at cryogenic temperature has gained importance both in academic as well as the industrial community in the last two decades, primarily because of significant advantages this technique as compared to milling at room temperature; environmental friendly nature, cost-effectiveness, rapid grain refinement, less contamination, and large scale production capability of various nanomaterials. Scientifically, milling at cryo-temperature exhibits several distinct material related phenomena; suppression of recovery and recrystallization, predominant fractures over cold welding, significantly low oxidation, and contamination, leading to rapid grain refinement. Cryomilling has extensively been used to obtain finer scale powder of spices for the preservation of aroma, medicines for effective dissolution, or amorphization. It has been considered an environmentally friendly process as it utilizes benign liquid nitrogen or argon without discharging any toxic entity to the environment, making the process attractive and sustainable. The present review is intended to provide various scientific as well as technological aspects of cryomilling, environmental impact, and future direction

Angelica archengelica extract induced perturbation of rat skin and tight junctional protein (ZO-1) of HaCaT cells

"n  Background and purpose of the study: Herbal enhancers compared to the synthetic ones have shown less toxis effects. Coumarins have been shown at concentrations inhibiting phospoliphase C-Y (Phc-Y) are able to enhance tight junction (TJ) permeability due to hyperpoalation of Zonolous Occludense-1 (ZO-1) proteins. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of ethanolic extract of Angelica archengelica (AA-E) which contain coumarin on permeation of repaglinide across rat epidermis and on the tight junction plaque protein ZO-1 in HaCaT cells. "n Methods: Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) from the rat skin treated with different concentrations of AA-E was assessed by Tewameter. Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) on were performed on AA-E treated rat skin portions. The possibility of AA-E influence on the architecture of tight junctions by adverse effect on the cytoplasmic ZO-1 in HaCaT cells was investigated. Finally, the systemic delivery of repaglinide from the optimized transdermal formulation was investigated in rats. "n Results: The permeation of repaglinide across excised rat epidermis was 7-fold higher in the presence of AA-E (5% w/v) as compared to propylene glycol:ethanol (7:3) mixture. The extract was found to perturb the lipid microconstituents in both excised and viable rat skin, although, the effect was less intense in the later. The enhanced permeation of repaglinide across rat epidermis excised after treatment with AA-E (5% w/v) for different periods was in concordance with the high TEWL values of similarly treated viable rat skin. Further, the observed increase in intercellular space, disordering of lipid structure and corneocyte detachment indicated considerable effect on the ultrastructure of rat epidermis. Treatment of HaCaT cell line with AA-E (0.16% w/v) for 6 hrs influenced ZO-1 as evidenced by reduced immunofluorescence of anti-TJP1 (ZO-1) antibody in Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy studies (CLSM) studies. The plasma concentration of repaglinide from transdermal formulation was maintained higher and for longer time as compared to oral administration of repaglinide. "n Major conclusion: Results suggest the overwhelming influence of Angelica archengelica in enhancing the percutaneous permeation of repaglinide to be mediated through perturbation of skin lipids and tight junction protein (ZO-1)

Interatomic potentials for mixed oxide (MOX) nuclear fuels

We extend our recently developed interatomic potentials for UO_{2} to the mixed oxide fuel system (U,Pu,Np)O_{2}. We do so by fitting against an extensive database of ab initio results as well as to experimental measurements. The applicability of these interactions to a variety of mixed environments beyond the fitting domain is also assessed. The employed formalism makes these potentials applicable across all interatomic distances without the need for any ambiguous splining to the well-established short-range Ziegler-Biersack-Littmark universal pair potential. We therefore expect these to be reliable potentials for carrying out damage simulations (and Molecular Dynamics simulations in general) in nuclear fuels of varying compositions for all relevant atomic collision energies

Inferring phase transitions and critical exponents from limited observations with Thermodynamic Maps

Phase transitions are ubiquitous across life, yet hard to quantify and describe accurately. In this work, we develop an approach for characterizing generic attributes of phase transitions from very limited observations made deep within different phases' domains of stability. Our approach is called Thermodynamic Maps, which combines statistical mechanics and molecular simulations with score-based generative models. Thermodynamic Maps enable learning the temperature dependence of arbitrary thermodynamic observables across a wide range of temperatures. We show its usefulness by calculating phase transition attributes such as melting temperature, temperature-dependent heat capacities, and critical exponents. For instance, we demonstrate the ability of thermodynamic maps to infer the ferromagnetic phase transition of the Ising model, including temperature-dependent heat capacity and critical exponents, despite never having seen samples from the transition region. In addition, we efficiently characterize the temperature-dependent conformational ensemble and compute melting curves of the two RNA systems GCAA tetraloop and HIV-TAR, which are notoriously hard to sample due to glassy-like landscapes

Bioadhezivne vaginalete s klotrimazolom: priprava i evaluacija

In this study, a bioadhesive dosage form of clotrimazole was designed using a combination of bioadhesive polymers Carbopol 934P, sodium carboxymethylcellulose and sodium alginate in different ratios. The bioadhesive strength was evaluated by measuring the force required to detach the tablets from porcine vaginal mucosal membrane. The strong interaction between polymer and mucus lining of the tissue helps in increasing the contact time and permits localization of activity. Carbopol 934P showed maximum bioadhesion and required maximum force for detachment; the force required for detachment was directly proportional to its content. The formulations were tested for their swelling behavior using agar gel plate method. The swelling index was a function of the concentration of the hydrophilic polymer and the formulations containing Carbopol 934 P and sodium carboxy methylcellulose were found to swell to a greater extent than those containing carbopol and sodium alginate. In vitro release studies showed that the batch consisting 2: 1 ratio of Carbopol 934P: sodium alginate (batch C3) released clotrimazole over 24 h. The similarity factor showed that the dissolution profiles of fresh and aged tablets was similar, suggesting good stability of vaginal tablets prepared using a combination of Carbopol 934P and sodium alginate.U radu je opisana priprava bioadhezivnih vaginaleta s klotrimazolom, kombinacijom nekoliko bioadhezivnih polimera u različitim omjerima (Carbopol 934P, natrijeva sol karboksimetilceluloze i natrijev alginat). Bioadhesivnost je određena mjerenjem sile koja je potrebna za odvajanje tablete s vaginalne mukozne membrane svinje. Zbog jake interakcije između polimera i mukoze produljilo se vrijeme kontakta pripravka s kožom i lokaliziralo djelovanje lijeka. Maksimum bioadhezije postignut je uz Carbopol 934P, a sila potrebna za odvajanje pripravka bila je proporcionalna njegovom udjelu. Pripravcima je ispitana sposobnost bubrenja koristeći metodu s agarnim pločama. Indeks bubrenja ovisio je o koncentraciji hidrofilnog polimera. Pripravci s karbopolom i karboksimetilcelulozom jače su bubrili od pripravaka s karbopolom i natrijevim alginatom. In vitro ispitivanja pokazala su da se iz pripravaka s omjerom karbopola i natrijevog alginata u omjeru 2 : 1 (pripravak C3) oslobađao klotrimazol tijekom 24 h. Profil oslobađanja bio je sličan iz svježe pripravljenih i starih vaginaleta, što ukazuje na njihovu stabilnost

Efficient use of Magnetite in Coal Beneficiation Plants for Heavy Media Separation - A case study

Coal is a major commercial source of energy as a solid fuel for steel plants. The beneficiation of run of mine coal is mostly done by gravity separation using heavy media. Magnetite is the most widely used material for heavy media because of its higher stability in suspension, higher specific gravity, lower viscosity and easy avai-lability.Worldwide, almost 60% of total coal beneficiation is carried out by heavy media process. In India in 80% cases the heavy media used is magnetite. The paper esse-ntially deals with the magnetite stability factors, its preparation and recovery processes, its operational utilization and the existing systems in some Indian coal washing plants. A case study to operating system has been made with a view to identifying the major demerits and difficulties existing therein. Some remedial measures as applicable under Indian conditions have also beensuggested