229 research outputs found
TOP-K QUERY DISPENSATION IN SECURE SPATIAL ENVIRONMENT VIA UNTRUSTED LOCATION-BASED SERVICE PROVIDERS
IN Collaborative location-based information generation and sharing is considered, which become increasingly popular due to the explosive growth of Internet-capable and location-aware mobile devices. The system consists of a data collector, data contributors, location-based service providers (LBSPs), and system users. The data collector gathers reviews about points-of-interest (POIs) from data contributors, while LBSPs purchase POI data sets from the data collector and allow users to perform spatial top-k queries which ask for the POIs in a certain region and with the highest k ratings for an interested POI attribute. In practice, LBSPs are untrusted and may return fake query results for various bad motives, e.g., in favor of POIs willing to pay. Three novel schemes is used for users to detect fake spatial snapshot and moving top-k query results as an effort to foster the practical deployment and use of the proposed system
Exploiting metabolic acidosis in solid cancers using a tumor-agnostic pH-activatable nanoprobe for fluorescence-guided surgery
Cancer cell metabolism leads to a uniquely acidic microenvironment in solid tumors, but exploiting the labile extracellular pH differences between cancer and normal tissues for clinical use has been challenging. Here we describe the clinical translation of ONM-100, a nanoparticle-based fluorescent imaging agent. This is comprised of an ultra-pH sensitive amphiphilic polymer, conjugated with indocyanine green, which rapidly and irreversibly dissociates to fluoresce in the acidic extracellular tumor microenvironment due to the mechanism of nanoscale macromolecular cooperativity. Primary outcomes were safety, pharmacokinetics and imaging feasilibity of ONM-100. Secondary outcomes were to determine a range of safe doses of ONM-100 for intra-operative imaging using commonly used fluorescence camera systems. In this study (Netherlands National Trial Register #7085), we report that ONM-100 was well tolerated, and four solid tumor types could be visualized both in- and ex vivo in thirty subjects. ONM-100 enables detection of tumor-positive resection margins in 9/9 subjects and four additional otherwise missed occult lesions. Consequently, this pH-activatable optical imaging agent may be clinically beneficial in differentiating previously unexploitable narrow physiologic differences
Developments in the Ni–Nb–Zr amorphous alloy membranes
Most of the global H2 production is derived from hydrocarbon-based fuels, and efficient H2/CO2 separation is necessary to deliver a high-purity H2 product. Hydrogen-selective alloy membranes are emerging as a viable alternative to traditional pressure swing adsorption processes as a means for H2/CO2 separation. These membranes can be formed from a wide range of alloys, and those based on Pd are the closest to commercial deployment. The high cost of Pd (USD *31,000 kg-1) is driving the development of less-expensive alternatives, including inexpensive amorphous (Ni60Nb40)100-xZrx alloys. Amorphous alloy membranes can be fabricated directly from the molten state into continuous ribbons via melt spinning and depending on the composition can exhibit relatively high hydrogen permeability between 473 and 673 K. Here we review recent developments in these low-cost membrane materials, especially with respect to permeation behavior, electrical transport properties, and understanding of local atomic order. To further understand the nature of these solids, atom probe tomography has been performed, revealing amorphous Nb-rich and Zr-rich clusters embedded in majority Ni matrix whose compositions deviated from the nominal overall composition of the membrane
Prospects of new chickpea varieties in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is an important chickpea growing state in
southern India, with spectacular increase in chickpea area
from 120,000 ha in 1997/98 to 638,000 ha in 2007/08. The
chickpea revolution in Andhra Pradesh has improved the prospects
of many resource-poor, small land holding and rainfed
farmers of Andhra Pradesh. However, the growing season of
chickpea in Andhra Pradesh is warm and short (90-110 days),
and drought is the foremost factor responsible for significant
yield losses. Rainfall in major chickpea-growing regions is quite
uncertain and erratic, resulting in poor yields. The Regional Agricultural
Research Station of Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural
University, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, India is the lead centre
responsible for location-specific research in chickpea in Andhra
Pradesh. With support from ICRISAT and ICAR, the centre has
initiated crop improvement programmes during 2004 and has
released four promising chickpea varieties for commercial cultivation.
Three desi varieties viz., Nandyal Sanaga 1(NBeG 3),
Dheera (NBeG 47), and Nandyal Gram 49 (NBeG 49) released
for Andhra Pradesh and one large-seeded kabuli Nandyal Gram
119 (NBeG 119) released for the southern zone comprising
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, are cutting across
chickpea growing regions of Andhra Pradesh. Nandyal Sanaga
1, released in 2012, is a bold-seeded desi variety tolerant to
drought and heat; Dheera released during 2015 is also a desi
variety and the first of its kind in India, suitable for mechanical
harvesting. Nandyal Gram 49 released during 2016 is a highyielding
desi variety with attractive seeds; whereas Nandyal
Gram 119 is early bold-seeded kabuli variety released during
2015. These varieties have clearly demonstrated their advantage
(10%-15 % increase over popular varieties of the tract)
in farmers’ holdings in large-scale demonstrations and are being
preferred by farmers of not only Andhra Pradesh, but also
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Maharastra. Efforts are underway
to promote large-scale adoption of these varieties to
maximize long term productivity of chickpeas in rainfed vertisols
Critical adsorption on curved objects
A systematic fieldtheoretic description of critical adsorption on curved
objects such as spherical or rodlike colloidal particles immersed in a fluid
near criticality is presented. The temperature dependence of the corresponding
order parameter profiles and of the excess adsorption are calculated
explicitly. Critical adsorption on elongated rods is substantially more
pronounced than on spherical particles. It turns out that, within the context
of critical phenomena in confined geometries, critical adsorption on a
microscopically thin `needle' represents a distinct universality class of its
own. Under favorable conditions the results are relevant for the flocculation
of colloidal particles.Comment: 52 pages, 10 figure
Chickpea Baseline and Early Adoption Surveys in South Asia Insights from TL-II (Phase-I) Project: Synthesis Report 2013
Chickpea is one of the most important pulse crops in India. Its area reached a peak at the beginning
of the green revolution in the country, but rapid strides in wheat productivity have encouraged
farmers in north-western India to substitute wheat for chickpea, causing a fall in its area and
production. Nevertheless, the crop soon found a new home in the central and southern states
of the country. It was a big challenge for the chickpea scientists in India’s national program and
at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to breed short
duration but high yielding varieties and develop a package of practices suitable to the warmer
growing conditions. Very soon, the crop recovered area as well as production on the back of rising
productivity. For ICRISAT, the generous support received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
(BMGF) was an excellent opportunity to work with its research and development partners in India to
accelerate the productivity growth by following the strategy of Farmer Preferred Varietal Selection
(FPVS). This approach shortens the time needed to popularize the new varieties by exposing them to
farmers and by backing up the varieties preferred by the farmers through intensive seed production
efforts. This report documents the rapid strides made in taking the new varieties to the farmers
by the FPVS process, and producing and supplying the seeds of varieties preferred by them during
2007-10
Population differentiation of Southern Indian male lineages correlates with agricultural expansions predating the caste system
Christina J. Adler, Alan Cooper, Clio S.I. Der Sarkissian and Wolfgang Haak are contributors to the Genographic ConsortiumPrevious studies that pooled Indian populations from a wide variety of geographical locations, have obtained contradictory conclusions about the processes of the establishment of the Varna caste system and its genetic impact on the origins and demographic histories of Indian populations. To further investigate these questions we took advantage that both Y chromosome and caste designation are paternally inherited, and genotyped 1,680 Y chromosomes representing 12 tribal and 19 non-tribal (caste) endogamous populations from the predominantly Dravidian-speaking Tamil Nadu state in the southernmost part of India. Tribes and castes were both characterized by an overwhelming proportion of putatively Indian autochthonous Y-chromosomal haplogroups (H-M69, F-M89, R1a1-M17, L1-M27, R2-M124, and C5-M356; 81% combined) with a shared genetic heritage dating back to the late Pleistocene (10–30 Kya), suggesting that more recent Holocene migrations from western Eurasia contributed, <20% of the male lineages. We found strong evidence for genetic structure, associated primarily with the current mode of subsistence. Coalescence analysis suggested that the social stratification was established 4–6 Kya and there was little admixture during the last 3 Kya, implying a minimal genetic impact of the Varna(caste) system from the historically-documented Brahmin migrations into the area. In contrast, the overall Y-chromosomal patterns, the time depth of population diversifications and the period of differentiation were best explained by the emergence of agricultural technology in South Asia. These results highlight the utility of detailed local genetic studies within India, without prior assumptions about the importance of Varna rank status for population grouping, to obtain new insights into the relative influences of past demographic events for the population structure of the whole of modern India.GaneshPrasad ArunKumar, David F. Soria-Hernanz, Valampuri John Kavitha, Varatharajan Santhakumari Arun, Adhikarla Syama, Kumaran Samy Ashokan, Kavandanpatti Thangaraj Gandhirajan, Koothapuli Vijayakumar, Muthuswamy Narayanan, Mariakuttikan Jayalakshmi, Janet S. Ziegle, Ajay K. Royyuru, Laxmi Parida, R. Spencer Wells, Colin Renfrew, Theodore G. Schurr, Chris Tyler Smith, Daniel E. Platt, Ramasamy Pitchappan, The Genographic Consortiu
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