Raspberry Pi 3 as a Smart Stand-alone POS System in a Small Restaurant Business

Most retailers consider Point of Sale (POS) systems as the central component of their business. It is what keeps everything together and allows an efficient flow of service within a business. It is important to know what a POS system really is, it is not one entity. A POS system utilizes software and hardware components, every establishment uses a different combination of hardware and software. This paper aims to show a cost effective POS system that makes use of the raspberry pi 3. The system will be implemented on a small restaurant and will automate order and payment transactions. Notifications to the owner of each transaction will be possible via SMS and access to the inventory via database is also possible via the internet

Topology and ground state degeneracy of tetrahedral smectic vesicles

Chemical design of block copolymers makes it possible to create polymer vesicles with tunable microscopic structure. Here we focus on a model of a vesicle made of smectic liquid-crystalline block copolymers at zero temperature. The vesicle assumes a faceted tetrahedral shape and the smectic layers arrange in a stack of parallel straight lines with topological defects localized at the vertices. We counted the number of allowed states at $T=0$. For any fixed shape, we found a two-dimensional countable degeneracy in the smectic pattern depending on the tilt angle between the smectic layers and the edge of the tetrahedral shell. For most values of the tilt angle, the smectic layers contain spiral topological defects. The system can spontaneously break chiral symmetry when the layers organize into spiral patterns, composed of a bound pair of $+1/2$ disclinations. Finally, we suggest possible applications of tetrahedral smectic vesicles in the context of functionalizing defects and the possible consequences of the spiral structures for the rigidity of the vesicle.Comment: New figure, extended description of the model in section 2, minor correction in the bibliograph

Recent Decisions

Comments on recent decisions by Sidney Baker, Arthur L. Beaudette, Mark Harry Berens, Francis W. Collopy, Patrick F. Coughlin, Benedict R. Danko, Joseph M. Gaydos, William T. Huston, Francis J. Keating, John E. Lindberg, James D. Matthews, Lawrence S. May, Jr., Maurice J. Moriarty, George J. Murphy, Jr., William J. O\u27Connor, Charles James Perrin, Albert R. Ritcher, Henry Martin Shine, Jr., Cyril C. Vidra, and Dale A. Winnie

Digital signatures from probabilistically checkable proofs

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mathematics, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-77).by Raymond M. Sidney.Ph.D

Field-Observed Angles of Repose for Stored Grain in the United States

Citation: Bhadra et al. (2016). Field-Observed Angles of Repose for Stored Grain in the United States. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 33(1), 131-137. Doi:10.13031/aea.11894Bulk grain angle of repose (AoR) is a key parameter for inventorying grain, predicting flow characteristics, and designing bins and grain handling systems. The AoR is defined for two cases, piling (dynamic) or emptying (static), and usually varies with grain type. The objective of this study was to measure piling angles of repose for corn, sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and hard red winter (HRW) wheat in steel and concrete bins in the United States. Angles were measured in 182 bins and 7 outdoor piles. The piling AoR for corn ranged from 15.7° to 30.2° (median of 20.4° and standard deviation of 3.8°). Sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and HRW wheat also exhibited a range of AoR with median values of 24.6°, 21.0°, 23.9°, 25.7°, and 22.2°, respectively. Angles of repose measured for the seven outdoor piles were within the ranges measured for the grain bins. No significant correlation was observed between AoR and moisture content within the narrow range of observed moisture contents, unlike previous literature based on laboratory measurement of grain samples with wider ranges of moisture content. Overall, the average measured piling AoR were lower than typical values cited in MWPS-29, but higher than some laboratory measurements

Predicting population coverage of T-cell epitope-based diagnostics and vaccines

BACKGROUND: T cells recognize a complex between a specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule and a particular pathogen-derived epitope. A given epitope will elicit a response only in individuals that express an MHC molecule capable of binding that particular epitope. MHC molecules are extremely polymorphic and over a thousand different human MHC (HLA) alleles are known. A disproportionate amount of MHC polymorphism occurs in positions constituting the peptide-binding region, and as a result, MHC molecules exhibit a widely varying binding specificity. In the design of peptide-based vaccines and diagnostics, the issue of population coverage in relation to MHC polymorphism is further complicated by the fact that different HLA types are expressed at dramatically different frequencies in different ethnicities. Thus, without careful consideration, a vaccine or diagnostic with ethnically biased population coverage could result. RESULTS: To address this issue, an algorithm was developed to calculate, on the basis of HLA genotypic frequencies, the fraction of individuals expected to respond to a given epitope set, diagnostic or vaccine. The population coverage estimates are based on MHC binding and/or T cell restriction data, although the tool can be utilized in a more general fashion. The algorithm was implemented as a web-application available at . CONCLUSION: We have developed a web-based tool to predict population coverage of T-cell epitope-based diagnostics and vaccines based on MHC binding and/or T cell restriction data. Accordingly, epitope-based vaccines or diagnostics can be designed to maximize population coverage, while minimizing complexity (that is, the number of different epitopes included in the diagnostic or vaccine), and also minimizing the variability of coverage obtained or projected in different ethnic groups

Almond volatiles attract neonate larvae of Anarsia lineatella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Post-diapause overwintered larvae and neonates of any generation of the peach twig borer, Anarsia lineatella (Zeller), seek suitable sites to bore into and mine tissue of their host plants, including almond and peach. We tested the hypothesis that larvae are attracted to the same almond volatiles that elicit antennal responses from adult moths. Of five candidate almond semiochemicals [β-bourbonene, (E,E)-α-farnesene, (E)-β-ocimene, nonanal, decenal] tested singly or in binary combination (nonanal, decenal) in laboratory Y-tube olfactometers, only β-bourbonene attracted neonate larvae. β-bourbonene in combination with (EE)-α-farnesene was as attractive as the complete almond volatile blend, indicating that they are key semiochemicals for foraging larvae

Practical Value of Echo Doppler Evaluation of Aortic and Mitral Stenosis: A Comparative Study with Cardiac Catheterization

This retrospective analysis compares data derived by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization in the evaluation of aortic and mitral valve stenosis. Sixty-seven patients, aged 69 ± 12 years, underwent 76 catheterization procedures. In all studies the Doppler recording was technically adequate. In 64 studies of patients with aortic stenosis, correlation was good between the gradient obtained at catheterization (peak 51 ± 28 mm Hg, mean 48 ± 24 mm Hg) and the Doppler gradient (peak 73 ± 29 mm Hg, mean 41 ±17 mm Hg) (R = 0.78 peak, 0.77 mean). In 15 studies the aortic valve area, 0.8 ± 0.2 cm2, calculated by the simplified continuity equation, correlated well with the catheterization valve area, 0.7 + 0.3 cm2, calculated by the Gorlin equation (R = 0.80). In 14 studies in mitral stenosis patients, the mean gradient at catheterization was 11 ±5 mmHg compared to the Doppler gradient of 8 ±4 mmHg (R = 0.58). The mitral valve area was 1.1 ± 0.3 cm2 by the Gorlin equation and 1.2 ± 0.3 cm2 by echo Doppler, using pressure half-time. When cardiac rhythm, the presence and severity of regurgitation, and the cardiac index were analyzed, none was shown to have demonstrable influence cm the accuracy of the Doppler study. Doppler echocardiography can be used reliably to assess valvular stenosis in a clinical, noninvasive laboratory where routine tests are performed and interpreted by more than one individual

The impact of SHS exposure on health status and exacerbations among patients with COPD

Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. Because it contains respiratory irritants, it may adversely influence the clinical course of persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We used data from nonsmoking members of the FLOW cohort of COPD (n = 809) to elucidate the impact of SHS exposure on health status and exacerbations (requiring emergency department visits or hospitalization). SHS exposure was measured by a validated survey instrument (hours of exposure during the past week). Physical health status was measured by the SF-12 Physical Component Summary Score and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL) by the Airways Questionnaire 20-R. Health care utilization for COPD was determined from Kaiser Permanente Northern California computerized databases. Compared to no SHS exposure, higher level SHS exposure was associated with poorer physical health status (mean score decrement −1.78 points; 95% confidence interval [CI] −3.48 to −0.074 points) after controlling for potential confounders. Higher level SHS exposure was also related to poorer disease-specific HRQL (mean score increment 0.63; 95% CI 0.016 to 1.25) and less distance walked during the Six-Minute Walk test (mean decrement −50 feet; 95% CI −102 to 1.9). Both lower level and higher level SHS exposure was related to increased risk of emergency department (ED) visits (hazard ratio [HR] 1.40; 95% CI 0.96 to 2.05 and HR 1.41; 95% CI 0.94 to 2.13). Lower level and higher level SHS exposure were associated with a greater risk of hospital-based care for COPD, which was a composite endpoint of either ED visits or hospitalizations for COPD (HR 1.52; 95% CI 1.06 to 2.18 and HR 1.40; 95% CI 0.94 to 2.10, respectively). In conclusion, SHS was associated with poorer health status and a greater risk of COPD exacerbation. COPD patients may comprise a vulnerable population for the health effects of SHS