3,611 research outputs found
Treatment of bimodality in proficiency test of pH in bioethanol matrix
The pH value in bioethanol is a quality control parameter related to its
acidity and to the corrosiveness of vehicle engines when it is used as fuel. In
order to verify the comparability and reliability of the measurement of pH in
bioethanol matrix among some experienced chemical laboratories, reference
material (RM) of bioethanol developed by Inmetro - the Brazilian National
Metrology Institute - was used in a proficiency testing (PT) scheme. There was
a difference of more than one unit in the value of the pH measured due to the
type of internal filling electrolytic solutions (potassium chloride, KCl or
lithium chloride, LiCl) from the commercial pH combination electrodes used by
the participant laboratories. Therefore, bimodal distribution has occurred from
the data of this PT scheme. This work aims to present the possibilities that a
PT scheme provider can use to overcome the bimodality problem. Data from the PT
of pH in bioethanol were treated by two different statistical approaches:
kernel density model and the mixture of distributions. Application of these
statistical treatments improved the initial diagnoses of PT provider, by
solving bimodality problem and contributing for a better performance evaluation
in measuring pH of bioethanol.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in Accreditation and
Quality Assurance (ACQUAL
Neighbour transitivity on codes in Hamming graphs
We consider a \emph{code} to be a subset of the vertex set of a \emph{Hamming
graph}. In this setting a \emph{neighbour} of the code is a vertex which
differs in exactly one entry from some codeword. This paper examines codes with
the property that some group of automorphisms acts transitively on the
\emph{set of neighbours} of the code. We call these codes \emph{neighbour
transitive}. We obtain sufficient conditions for a neighbour transitive group
to fix the code setwise. Moreover, we construct an infinite family of neighbour
transitive codes, with \emph{minimum distance} , where this is not
the case. That is to say, knowledge of even the complete set of code neighbours
does not determine the code
Recent advances in magnetic electrospun nanofibers for cancer theranostics application
Funding Information: This article is a result of the project PTDC/CTM-CTM/30623/2017 supported by the Lisbon Regional Operational Program (Lisboa 2020) and Alentejo Regional Operational Program (Alentejo 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF ). This work is funded by National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Reference UID/CTM/50025/2019 and FCT / MCTES . P.S. also acknowledges the individual contract CEECIND.03189.2020.Cancer theranostics is a recent concept that aims to combine in the same device diagnostic and therapeutic features. Magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) are commonly used as a critical part of these systems due to their ability to respond to an external magnetic field. Consequently, mNPs can generate heat when an alternating magnetic field is applied and enhance image contrast in magnetic resonance. However, direct administration of mNPs intravenously or directly in the tumor can lead to undesired side effects because of mNP elimination by macrophages or leakage to healthy tissues. Therefore, mNPs can be retained in a polymeric nanofibrous mesh, thus preventing misplacing or loss of mNPs. Furthermore, these magnetic nanofibers can be directly implanted in the tumor site, thus ensuring high mNPs loading and higher magnetic response. In addition, polymeric nanofibers produced by electrospinning are frequently used to maintain a sustained drug release in the tumor site. Therefore, a magnetic polymeric nanofiber produced by electrospinning is an ideal nanosystem for cancer theranostics application. This review summarizes the most recent developments of magnetic nanofibers produced by electrospinning for cancer theranostics applications.proofinpres
Diffraction and an infrared finite gluon propagator
We discuss some phenomenological applications of an infrared finite gluon
propagator characterized by a dynamically generated gluon mass. In particular
we compute the effect of the dynamical gluon mass on and
diffractive scattering. We also show how the data on photoproduction
and hadronic reactions can be derived from the and
forward scattering amplitudes by assuming vector meson dominance and
the additive quark model.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, added references and figures, changed structure.
Contribution to Proceedings of XVIIIth Reuniao de Trabalho sobre Interacoes
Hadronicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22-24 May, 200
Alterations in brain connectivity due to plasticity and synaptic delay
Brain plasticity refers to brain's ability to change neuronal connections, as
a result of environmental stimuli, new experiences, or damage. In this work, we
study the effects of the synaptic delay on both the coupling strengths and
synchronisation in a neuronal network with synaptic plasticity. We build a
network of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons, where the plasticity is given by the Hebbian
rules. We verify that without time delay the excitatory synapses became
stronger from the high frequency to low frequency neurons and the inhibitory
synapses increases in the opposite way, when the delay is increased the network
presents a non-trivial topology. Regarding the synchronisation, only for small
values of the synaptic delay this phenomenon is observed
The Collins-Roscoe mechanism and D-spaces
We prove that if a space X is well ordered , or linearly
semi-stratifiable, or elastic then X is a D-space
Cerenkov angle and charge reconstruction with the RICH detector of the AMS experiment
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) experiment to be installed on the
International Space Station (ISS) will be equipped with a proximity focusing
Ring Imaging Cerenkov (RICH) detector, for measurements of particle electric
charge and velocity. In this note, two possible methods for reconstructing the
Cerenkov angle and the electric charge with the RICH, are discussed. A
Likelihood method for the Cerenkov angle reconstruction was applied leading to
a velocity determination for protons with a resolution of around 0.1%. The
existence of a large fraction of background photons which can vary from event
to event, implied a charge reconstruction method based on an overall efficiency
estimation on an event-by-event basis.Comment: Proceedings submitted to RICH 2002 (Pylos-Greece
Scattering and Bound State Green's Functions on a Plane via so(2,1) Lie Algebra
We calculate the Green's functions for the particle-vortex system, for two
anyons on a plane with and without a harmonic regulator and in a uniform
magnetic field. These Green's functions which describe scattering or bound
states (depending on the specific potential in each case) are obtained exactly
using an algebraic method related to the SO(2,1) Lie group. From these Green's
functions we obtain the corresponding wave functions and for the bound states
we also find the energy spectra.Comment: 21 Latex pages. Typos corrected. Results unchanged. Version to appear
in JM
Plant genetic resources for agriculture, plant breeding, and biotechnology: Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela
"Local farming communities throughout the world face binding productivity constraints, diverse nutritional needs, environmental concerns, and significant economic and financial pressures. Developing countries address these challenges in different ways, including public and private sector investments in plant breeding and other modern tools for genetic crop improvement. In order to measure the impact of any technology and prioritize investments, we must assess the relevant resources, human capacity, clusters, networks and linkages, as well as the institutions performing technological research and development, and the rate of farmer adoption. However, such measures have not been recently assessed, in part due to the lack of complete standardized information on public plant breeding and biotechnology research in developing countries. To tackle this void, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in consultation with the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI) and other organizations, designed a plant breeding and biotechnology capacity survey for implementation by FAO consultants in 100 developing countries. IFPRI, in collaboration with FAO and national experts contracted by FAO to complete in-country surveys, identified and analyzed plant breeding and biotechnology programs in four developing countries: Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela. Here, we use an innovation systems framework to examine the investments in human and financial resources and the distribution of resources among the different programs, as well as the capacity and policy development for agricultural research in the four selected countries. Based on our findings, we present recommendations to help sustain and increase the efficiency of publicly- and privately-funded plant breeding programs, while maximizing the use of genetic resources and developing opportunities for GM crop production. Policy makers, private sector breeders, and other stakeholders can use this information to prioritize investments, consider product advancement, and assess the relative magnitude of the potential risks and benefits of their investments." from Author's Abstractplant breeding, biotechnology, public research, Funding, Innovation systems, Capacity building, Biosafety,
Generalized partition functions and interpolating statistics
We show that the assumption of quasiperiodic boundary conditions (those that
interpolate continuously periodic and antiperiodic conditions) in order to
compute partition functions of relativistic particles in 2+1 space-time can be
related with anyonic physics. In particular, in the low temperature limit, our
result leads to the well known second virial coefficient for anyons. Besides,
we also obtain the high temperature limit as well as the full temperature
dependence of this coefficient.Comment: 12 pages, Latex, updated and enlarged versio
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