Operator inequalities of Jensen type

We present some generalized Jensen type operator inequalities involving sequences of self-adjoint operators. Among other things, we prove that if $f:[0,\infty) \to \mathbb{R}$ is a continuous convex function with $f(0)\leq 0$, then {equation*} \sum_{i=1}^{n} f(C_i) \leq f(\sum_{i=1}^{n}C_i)-\delta_f\sum_{i=1}^{n}\widetilde{C}_i\leq f(\sum_{i=1}^{n}C_i) {equation*} for all operators $C_i$ such that $0 \leq C_i\leq M \leq \sum_{i=1}^{n} C_i$ \ $(i=1,...,n)$ for some scalar $M\geq0$, where $\widetilde{C_i} = 1/2 - |\frac{C_i}{M}- 1/2 |$ and $\delta_f = f(0)+f(M) - 2 f(\frac{M}{2})$.Comment: 17 pages, to appear in Topological Algebra and its Applications (a newly established journal by Versita Ltd.)

Effect of metabolic and antioxidant supplementation on sperm parameters in oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia, with and without varicocele: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

Since sperm require high energy levels to perform their specialised function, it is vital that essential nutrients are available for spermatozoa when they develop, capacitate and acquire motility. However, they are vulnerable to a lack of energy and excess amounts of reactive oxygen species, which can impair sperm function, lead to immotility, acrosomal reaction impairment, DNA fragmentation and cell death. This monocentric, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of 6 months of supplementation with l-carnitine, acetyl-l-carnitine and other micronutrients on sperm quality in 104 subjects with oligo- and/or astheno- and/or teratozoospermia with or without varicocele. In 94 patients who completed the study, sperm concentration was significantly increased in supplemented patients compared to the placebo (p =.0186). Total sperm count also increased significantly (p =.0117) in the supplemented group as compared to the placebo group. Both, progressive and total motility were higher in supplemented patients (p =.0088 and p =.0120, respectively). Although pregnancy rate was not an endpoint of the study, of the 12 pregnancies that occurred during the follow-up, 10 were reported in the supplementation group. In general, all these changes were more evident in varicocele patients. In conclusion, supplementation with metabolic and antioxidant compounds could be efficacious when included in strategies to improve fertility

ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS IN PRODUCTION ON A SHEEP FARM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ROGATICA AND FOCA

Analysis was conducted on the territory of Rogatica and Foca. The analysis included 30 randomly selected farms. Twenty sheep farms raising Pramenka different strains (Vlasic and Herzegovinian strain), while the other ten sheep farms raising sheep Württemberg race and crossed Tsigai, Romanovska and Texel sheep breeds. were analyzed by the following characteristics: number of household members, the total number of sheep, the total area of agricultural land, the selling price of 1 kg of lamb and the average weight of lambs during the sale and conducted a descriptive analysis of the results. Depending on the features found numerous smaller or larger variations. The greatest differences were recorded with the characteristics of the soil, bares the herd and the number of household members. The selling price and weight of lambs in the sale of unique values and indicate the possibility of a unique production technology and the natural and market conditions

CORRELATION BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTION AND SLAUGHTER TRAITS OF COBB 500 AND HUBBARD

The aim of this work is to define the correlation between the proportion of breast, thigh and drumstick relative to the weight before slaughter in relation to the weight of dressed grill ready carcass in two broiler hybrids (Hubbard and Cobb 500) at different ages (40 or 42 days). Positive correlation between the carcass prior to slaughtering and share of breasts, thighs and drumsticks, at the age of 40 (Hubbard) and 42 (Cobb 500) days, was monitored in Cobb 500 (except between the carcass before slaughter males and stakes thighs and drumsticks), and in line Hubbard (except between the carcass prior to slaughtering and share of breast in both sexes collectively). Positive correlation between the carcass processed for barbecue and shares breasts, thighs and drumsticks of the genotypes, in Cobb 500 (except between the carcass prior to slaughter men throat and share thighs and drumsticks), and Hubbard (except between the carcass prior to slaughtering and share of breast in both sexes collectively) at the age of 40 (Hubbard) and 42 (Cobb 500) days, was monitored

Three-dimensional confinement in the conduction band structure of InP

Includes bibliographical references.Strong quantum confinement in InP is observed to significantly reduce the separation between the direct and indirect conduction band states. The effects of three-dimensional confinement are investigated by tailoring the initial separation between conduction band states using quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes and hydrostatic pressure. Analyses of the QD emission spectra show that the X1c states are lowest in energy at pressures of ~6 GPa, much lower than in the bulk. The transition to the X1c states can be explained by either a sequence of Γ-L and L-X crossings, or by the crossover between strongly coupled Γ and X states.The work at CSU was supported by the National Science Foundation, and that at NREL by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division

A pseudopotential study of electron-hole excitations in colloidal, free-standing InAs quantum dots

Excitonic spectra are calculated for free-standing, surface passivated InAs quantum dots using atomic pseudopotentials for the single-particle states and screened Coulomb interactions for the two-body terms. We present an analysis of the single particle states involved in each excitation in terms of their angular momenta and Bloch-wave parentage. We find that (i) in agreement with other pseudopotential studies of CdSe and InP quantum dots, but in contrast to k.p calculations, dot states wavefunction exhibit strong odd-even angular momentum envelope function mixing (e.g. $s$ with $p$) and large valence-conduction coupling. (ii) While the pseudopotential approach produced very good agreement with experiment for free-standing, colloidal CdSe and InP dots, and for self-assembled (GaAs-embedded) InAs dots, here the predicted spectrum does {\em not} agree well with the measured (ensemble average over dot sizes) spectra. (1) Our calculated excitonic gap is larger than the PL measure one, and (2) while the spacing between the lowest excitons is reproduced, the spacings between higher excitons is not fit well. Discrepancy (1) could result from surface states emission. As for (2), agreement is improved when account is taken of the finite size distribution in the experimental data. (iii) We find that the single particle gap scales as $R^{-1.01}$ (not $R^{-2}$), that the screened (unscreened) electron-hole Coulomb interaction scales as $R^{-1.79}$ ($R^{-0.7}$), and that the eccitonic gap sclaes as $R^{-0.9}$. These scaling laws are different from those expected from simple models.Comment: 12 postscript figure

Effect of metabolic and antioxidant supplementation on sperm parameters in oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia, with and without varicocele: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

Since sperm require high energy levels to perform their specialised function, it is vital that essential nutrients are available for spermatozoa when they develop, capacitate and acquire motility. However, they are vulnerable to a lack of energy and excess amounts of reactive oxygen species, which can impair sperm function, lead to immotility, acrosomal reaction impairment, DNA fragmentation and cell death. This monocentric, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of 6 months of supplementation with l-carnitine, acetyl-l- carnitine and other micronutrients on sperm quality in 104 subjects with oligo-and/ or astheno-and/ or teratozoospermia with or without varicocele. In 94 patients who completed the study, sperm concentration was significantly increased in supplemented patients compared to the placebo (p = .0186). Total sperm count also increased significantly (p = .0117) in the supplemented group as compared to the placebo group. Both, progressive and total motility were higher in supplemented patients (p = .0088 and p = .0120, respectively). Although pregnancy rate was not an endpoint of the study, of the 12 pregnancies that occurred during the follow-up, 10 were reported in the supplementation group. In general, all these changes were more evident in varicocele patients. In conclusion, supplementation with metabolic and antioxidant compounds could be efficacious when included in strategies to improve fertility

Versatile drug nanocarrier assembly via conjugation of distinct carbon dots

With constant emergencies and severe consequences of various central nervous system (CNS)-related diseases, drug delivery gradually reveals its significance in the modern medicine. The biggest challenge of drug delivery resides in the selection of appropriate drug delivery carrier. 21th century witnessed the prosperous development of diverse nanomaterials. Due to many excellent properties revealed in nanoscale, nanomaterials have been widely investigated as drug nanocarriers. As a new family member of carbon-based nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) have proved to be promising drug nanocarriers. They have been successfully conjugated with various therapeutic agents for targeted drug delivery. However, considering the limitation of single CD preparation in drug delivery, in this study, two distinct CD preparations (G-CDs and Y-CDs) were conjugated to compensate for each other’s deficiencies. Different dialysis bags were employed to purify the CD conjugate (G-Y CDs) and reveal the difference between small and large-conjugated systems. After a series of physicochemical characterizations, G-Y CDs exhibited many nanocarrier-favored properties such as excitation-dependent photoluminescence (PL), diversified surface functionality, controlled morphology and versatile amphiphilicity. To further analyze the formation mechanism of G-Y CDs, self-conjugation was separately surveyed with G-CDs and Y-CDs, which showed that self-conjugation was able to occur between Y-CDs. Eventually, to evaluate the capacity of G-Y CDs as drug nanocarriers for future CNS-related diseases, G-Y CDs were intravascularly injected into the heart of zebrafish. The fluorescence signal in the spinal cord suggested the capability of G-Y CDs to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Therefore, this study reveals a novel strategy to assemble versatile drug nanocarriers through conjugation of distinct CDs.