The genus Bacillus is one of the predominant bacterial genera found in soil, and several species of this genus have been reported from diverse ecological niches. Endowed with tremendous genetic and ...metabolic diversity, Bacillus spp. serve multiple ecological functions in soil ecosystem from nutrient cycling to conferring stress tolerance to plants. Members of the genus Bacillus are known to have multiple beneficial traits which help the plants directly or indirectly through acquisition of nutrients, overall improvement in growth by production of phytohormones, protection from pathogens and other abiotic stressors. This functionally versatile genus is one of the most commercially exploited bacteria in the agro‐biotechnology industry. Still its potential has not been realized sufficiently and requires an emphasis towards translating the relevant technologies from laboratory to land for the benefit of mankind.
•A fuzzy logic based ranking function is proposed to enhance Information Retrieval.•It is based on Composite Fuzzy Inference System with 259 fuzzy rules.•The performance is tested in terms of ...precision, recall and F-measure on CACM and CISI.•The better results are obtained as compared to Okapi-BM25 and Rubens’ approach.•A paired t-test is also conducted to perform statistical analysis.
The relevant documents from large data sets are retrieved with the help of ranking function in Information Retrieval system. In this paper, a new fuzzy logic based ranking function is proposed and implemented to enhance the performance of Information Retrieval system. The proposed ranking function is based on the computation of different terms of term-weighting schema such as term frequency, inverse document frequency and normalization. Fuzzy logic is used at two levels to compute relevance score of a document with respect to the query in present work. All the experiments are performed on CACM and CISI benchmark data sets. The experimental results reveal that the performance of our proposed ranking function is much better than the fuzzy based ranking function developed by Rubens along with other widely used ranking function Okapi-BM25 in terms of precision, recall and F-measure.
In the present study, the apoptosis-inducing potential of a chloroform fraction from an alcoholic extract of Vallaris solanacea aerial parts (VS) was examined using human promyelocytic leukemia ...HL-60 cells. We discovered a concentration and time-dependent decrease in cell growth using MTT assay. Scanning electron micrographs and fluorescence microscopy were used to observe several well-documented morphological and nuclear alterations, such as reduction in cell size, chromatin condensation, fragmentation, and the creation of cell surface blebs. A considerable rise in the Sub-G0 population was revealed by cell cycle analysis. Additionally, a dose-dependent rise in cells positive for Annexin V was observed. DCFH-DA test on VS-treated HL-60 cells showed an increase in endogenous ROS generation of up to 4.3 fold. Additionally, suppression in Bcl-2 levels and increased mitochondrial membrane depolarization in treated cells were also associated with a rise in cytosolic cytochrome-c levels that was consequently followed by the activation of the caspase cascade. Further, the DNA fragmentation assay exhibited a typical ladder formation at 25 μg/ml, which became prominent in a concentration-dependent manner. Our study revealed that VS has apoptosis-inducing potential towards HL-60 cells in vitro and is an effective candidate for further anti-cancer studies.
•Chloroform fraction from Vallaris solanacea (VS) demonstrated notable cytotoxicity in HL-60 leukemia cell line.•Exposure of HL-60 cells to VS significantly increased intracellular ROS levels and induced MMP depolarization.•VS caused HL-60 cells death by inciting caspase activation leading to DNA fragmentation via mitochondrial pathway.
Summary Objective Total hip replacement (THR) is one of the most successful and frequently performed operations worldwide. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a key outcome measure of surgery. ...We investigated mid-term HRQOL after THR in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Design A systematic review of clinical studies published after January 2000 was performed using strict eligibility criteria. Quality appraisal and data tabulation were performed using pre-determined forms. Data were synthesised by narrative review and random-effects meta-analysis using standardised response means. Tau2 and I 2 values and Funnel plots were analysed. Results 20 studies were included. Mid-term post-operative HRQOL is superior compared to pre-operative status on qualitative and quantitative analysis. Pooled response means of total Harris Hip Score (HHS) ( P < 0.00001 ) and combined pain ( P = 0.00001 ) and physical function ( P < 0.00001 ) domains of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and HHS improved markedly up to 7 years. Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36 shows physical functioning (PF) ( P < 0.00001 ), bodily pain (BP) ( P < 0.00001 ), role physical ( P = 0.001 ), role emotional ( P = 0.04 ), and social functioning (SF) ( P = 0.03 ) were improved up to 7 years. General health (GH) ( P = 0.29 ), mental health (MH) ( P = 0.43 ), and vitality ( P = 0.17 ) was similar. HRQOL is at least as good as reference populations in the first few years and subsequently plateaus or declines. Patient satisfaction and functional status was favourable. There was significant heterogeneity amongst all studies, but publication bias was low in pooled analysis. Conclusion THR confers significant mid-term HRQOL benefits across a broad range of health domains. Further studies based on consistent guidelines provided in this review are required.
This paper presents a Material Mask Overlay topology optimization approach with the improved material assignment at the element level for achieving the desired discreteness of the optimized designs ...for pressure-loaded problems. Hexagonal elements are employed to parametrize the design domain. Such elements provide nonsingular local connectivity; thus, checkerboard patterns and point connections inherently get subdued. Elliptical negative masks are used to find the optimized material layout. Each mask is represented via seven parameters that describe the location, shape, orientation, material dilation, and erosion variables of the mask. The latter two variables are systematically varied in conjunction with a grayscale measure constraint to achieve the solutions’ sought 0-1 nature. Darcy’s law with a drainage term is used to model the pressure load. The obtained pressure field is converted into the consistent nodal forces using Wachspress shape functions. Sensitivities of the objective and pressure load are evaluated using the adjoint-variable method. The efficacy and robustness of the approach are demonstrated by solving various pressure-loaded structures and pressure-driven compliant mechanisms. Compliance is minimized for loadbearing structures, whereas a multicriteria objective is minimized for mechanism designs. The boundary smoothing scheme is implemented within each optimization iteration to subdue the designs’ undulated boundaries.
We consider the problem of estimating detailed 3D structure from a single still image of an unstructured environment. Our goal is to create 3D models that are both quantitatively accurate as well as ...visually pleasing. For each small homogeneous patch in the image, we use a Markov random field (MRF) to infer a set of "plane parametersrdquo that capture both the 3D location and 3D orientation of the patch. The MRF, trained via supervised learning, models both image depth cues as well as the relationships between different parts of the image. Other than assuming that the environment is made up of a number of small planes, our model makes no explicit assumptions about the structure of the scene; this enables the algorithm to capture much more detailed 3D structure than does prior art and also give a much richer experience in the 3D flythroughs created using image-based rendering, even for scenes with significant nonvertical structure. Using this approach, we have created qualitatively correct 3D models for 64.9 percent of 588 images downloaded from the Internet. We have also extended our model to produce large-scale 3D models from a few images.
HELP: the Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project Shirley, R; Duncan, K; Campos Varillas, M C ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
10/2021, Letnik:
507, Številka:
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ABSTRACT
We present the Herschel Extragalactic Legacy Project (HELP). This project collates, curates, homogenizes, and creates derived data products for most of the premium multiwavelength ...extragalactic data sets. The sky boundaries for the first data release cover 1270 deg2 defined by the Herschel SPIRE extragalactic survey fields; notably the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) and the Herschel Atlas survey (H-ATLAS). Here, we describe the motivation and principal elements in the design of the project. Guiding principles are transparent or ‘open’ methodologies with care for reproducibility and identification of provenance. A key element of the design focuses around the homogenization of calibration, meta data, and the provision of information required to define the selection of the data for statistical analysis. We apply probabilistic methods that extract information directly from the images at long wavelengths, exploiting the prior information available at shorter wavelengths and providing full posterior distributions rather than maximum-likelihood estimates and associated uncertainties as in traditional catalogues. With this project definition paper, we provide full access to the first data release of HELP; Data Release 1 (DR1), including a monolithic map of the largest SPIRE extragalactic field at 385 deg2 and 18 million measurements of PACS and SPIRE fluxes. We also provide tools to access and analyse the full HELP data base. This new data set includes far-infrared photometry, photometric redshifts, and derived physical properties estimated from modelling the spectral energy distributions over the full HELP sky. All the software and data presented is publicly available.
ABSTRACT
Finding reliable indicators of Lyman continuum (Ly C) photon leakage from galaxies is essential in order to infer their escape fraction in the epoch of reionization, where direct ...measurements of Ly C flux are impossible. To this end, here we investigate whether strong C iv λλ1548, 1550 emission in the rest-frame UV spectra of galaxies traces conditions ripe for ample production and escape of Ly C photons. We compile a sample of 19 star-forming galaxies in the redshift range $z$ = 3.1–4.6 from the VANDELS survey that exhibit strong C iv emission, producing a stacked spectrum where all major rest-UV emission lines are clearly detected. Best-fitting spectral energy distribution models containing both stellar and nebular emission suggest the need for low stellar metallicities ($Z=0.1--0.2\, Z_\odot$), young stellar ages ($\log (\rm {age\,yr^{-1}}) = 6.1--6.5$), a high ionization parameter (log U = −2) and little to no dust attenuation (E(B − V) = 0.00–0.01). However, these models are unable to fully reproduce the observed C iv and He ii line strengths. We find that the Ly α line in the stacked spectrum is strong and peaks close to the systemic velocity, features that are indicative of significant Ly C photon leakage along the line of sight. The covering fractions of low-ionization interstellar absorption lines are also low, implying Ly C escape fraction in the range ≈0.05–0.30, with signatures of outflowing gas. Finally, C iv/C iii ratios of >0.75 for a subset of individual galaxies with reliable detections of both lines are also consistent with physical conditions that enable significant Ly C leakage. Overall, we report that multiple spectroscopic indicators of Ly C leakage are present in the stacked spectrum of strong C iv emitting galaxies, potentially making C iv an important tracer of Ly C photon escape at $z$ > 6.
•Creep fatigue crack growth test were conducted on 9Cr–1Mo (P91) steel.•P91 steel behaves in a creep-ductile manner.•Creep–fatigue crack growth data are represented better by the (Ct)avg ...parameter.•The test results are used for assessing ASTM E2760-10 for creep–fatigue testing.
Several components operated at high temperature are also subjected to cyclic loading making crack growth behavior under creep–fatigue conditions a significant concern during design and during service. This is especially the case for components designed for long term service. Creep–fatigue crack growth tests were conducted on a modified 9Cr–1Mo (P91) steel at 625°C under constant load amplitude conditions with various hold times using compact type specimens. The crack growth rates per cycle increased significantly with increase in hold time when crack growth data were plotted with the cyclic stress intensity factor, ΔK. It is shown that the creep–fatigue interactions during crack growth for various hold times are represented better by the (Ct)avg parameter implying that the P91 steel behaves in a creep-ductile manner. The test results are also used for assessing the newly developed American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test standard, E2760-10 for creep–fatigue testing.
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