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In this paper, a novel methodology is presented to evaluate the true nonlinear shear response of continuous fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) unidirectional laminae. It requires simple off-axis tensile experiments to be conducted and a finite element (FE) representation of them with a material constitutive law capable of handling nonlinearity in shear. Upon successful evaluation of the normal stiffness properties, the shear stress-strain response is derived via numerical calibration of the underlying FE models. The presented approach is also demonstrated by processing the raw data of an extensive material characterization test campaign conducted on a thermoplastic matrix CFRP. The outcome is compared to the conventional methods for shear response derivation using relevant standards such as ASTM D3518 and ASTM D5379. It has been successfully demonstrated that the pseudo-hardening phenomenon obtained from standard shear experiments as a result of fibers aligning with load direction can be eliminated with off-axis specimen tension experiments, thus, the true shear stress versus deformation response can be extracted up to failure. The main purpose of current work is to demonstrate the inconsistency in the available standard methods related to mechanical testing-based derivation of nonlinear in-plane shear behavior of UD plies. In addition, a novel technique is presented to achieve a more accurate prediction of nonlinear shear stress and strain along the entire representative loading range that contributes to more accurate simulations of composite parts up to failure and thus, better strength predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the properties of 10 different feature selection algorithms for generalized additive models (GAMs) are compared on one simulated and two real-world datasets under concurvity. Concurvity can be interpreted as a redundancy in the feature set of a GAM. Like multicollinearity in linear models, concurvity causes unstable parameter estimates in GAMs and makes the marginal effect of features harder interpret. Feature selection algorithms for GAMs can be separated into four clusters: stepwise, boosting, regularization and concurvity controlled methods. Our numerical results show that algorithms with no constraints on concurvity tend to select a large feature set, without significant improvements in predictive performance compared to a more parsimonious feature set. A large feature set is accompanied by harmful concurvity in the proposed models. To tackle the concurvity phenomenon, recent feature selection algorithms such as the mRMR and the HSIC-Lasso incorporated some constraints on concurvity in their objective function. However, these algorithms interpret concurvity as pairwise non-linear relationship between features, so they do not account for the case when a feature can be accurately estimated as a multivariate function of several other features. This is confirmed by our numerical results. Our own solution to the problem, a hybrid genetic–harmony search algorithm (HA) introduces constrains on multivariate concurvity directly. Due to this constraint, the HA proposes a small and not redundant feature set with predictive performance similar to that of models with far more features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the field of routine pathology transitions into the digital realm, there is a surging demand for the full automation of microscope scanners, aiming to expedite the process of digitizing tissue samples, and consequently, enhancing the efficiency of case diagnoses. The key to achieving seamless automatic imaging lies in the precise detection and segmentation of tissue sample regions on the glass slides. State-of-the-art approaches for this task lean heavily on deep learning techniques, particularly U-Net convolutional neural networks. However, since samples can be highly diverse and prepared in various ways, it is almost impossible to be fully prepared for and cover every scenario with training data. We propose a data augmentation step that allows artificially modifying the training data by extending some artifact features of the available data to the rest of the dataset. This procedure can be used to generate images that can be considered synthetic. These artifacts could include felt pen markings, speckles of dirt, residual bubbles in covering glue, or stains. The proposed approach achieved a 1–6% improvement for these samples according to the F1 Score metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PHENIX experiment measured two-particle Bose–Einstein quantum-statistical correlations of charged kaons in Au+Au collisions at s NN = 200 GeV. The correlation functions are parametrized assuming that the source emitting the particles has a Lévy shape, characterized by the Lévy exponent α and the Lévy scale R. By introducing the intercept parameter λ , we account for the core–halo fraction. The parameters are investigated as a function of transverse mass. The comparison of the parameters measured for kaon–kaon with those measured from pion–pion correlation may clarify the connection of Lévy parameters to physical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idén nyolcadik alkalommal ült össze a könyvtári szakma, hogy megismerje és megvitassa az aktuális problémákat, képet kapjon a szakkönyvtárak helyzetéről, és felfedezze a legújabb tudományos eredményeket az informatika és rokonterületei univerzumából. A nagyközönség számára a kutatástámogatás eddigi tapasztalatai is megvitatásra érdemesek voltak, segítve ezzel a tudományos tevékenység fejlődését. Külön érdekessége az idei seregszemlének, hogy a szakkönyvtárak bemutatásakor kiemelt szerepet kaptak a gyűjtemények, azon belül az unikálisnak tartott dokumentumok. Fontos még hozzátenni, hogy a könyvtárügy támogatja a hazai innovációkat, a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Könyvtár és Információs Központ és az Országos Széchényi Könyvtár szolgáltatásai mellett egy egészen újszerű nyíregyházi projekt kezdeti lépéseibe is betekintést nyerhettünk. A konferenciára a Központi Statisztikai Hivatal Könyvtár és a Magyar Könyvtárosok Egyesülete Társadalomtudományi Szekciójának közös szervezésében került sor 2023. március 30-án. (1. ábra) A levezető elnöki feladatokat Horváth Balázs (KSH Könyvtár megbízott főosztályvezető) és Villám Judit (a Magyar Könyvtárosok Egyesülete Társadalomtudományi Szekciójának elnöke) látta el. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networks and network science are not new: since the middle of the 20th century, networked structures are analyzed in geography. In recent years, however, with the emergence of network science, with the availability of big data, with improved computational capabilities and new software, the knowledge and analysis of networks have improved substantially. Present paper uses network science in economical geography: it analyzes the connections between settlements in western Hungary based on the business connections of agribusinesses. For the research, we used a questionnaire asking for purchase and sales connections of the selected agribusinesses and analyzed the results from the perspective of network science. Results show that in an agribusiness network the purchase network is more complex than the selling network and that in spatial networks connected to agribusinesses not large cities, but small towns and villages play a central role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brands can be defined as psychological constructs residing in our minds. By analyzing brand associations, we can study the mental constructs around them. In this paper, we study brands as parts of an associative network based on a word association database. We explore the communities–closely-knit groups in the mind–around brand names in this structure using two community detection algorithms in the Hungarian word association database ConnectYourMind. We identify brand names inside the communities of a word association network and explain why these brand names are part of the community. Several detected communities contain brand names from the same product category, and the words in these categories were connected either to brands in the category or to words describing the product category. Based on our findings, we describe the mental position of brand names. We show that brand knowledge, product knowledge and real word knowledge interact with each other. We also show how the meaning of a product category arises and how this meaning is related to brand meaning. Our results suggest that words sharing the same community with brand names can be used in brand communication and brand positioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 mortality rates (number of deaths / infected) of the Hungarian LAU 1 Districts are statistically modelled in this paper, with feature variables describing the general health conditions and the state of in-and outpatient care of the districts. Our data sources are the databases of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and statements of the National Health Insurance Fund Management (NHIFM). Variables represent the year 2019, as it is the year preceding the global pandemic that started in 2020. Variables from the NHIFM statements describing inpatient care are large in volume, so they are incorporated in our model with the help of clustering. The unfavourable mortality rates of Hungary in international comparison, during the second and third waves of the pandemic highlight the need to investigate the regional differences of the Hungarian COVID-19 mortality indices. Exploring the reasons of regional differences are helping us in understanding the reasons behind the high country-level COVID-19 mortality. Novelty of this paper, compared to previous research, is the creation of a formal statistical model for Hungarian COVID-19 mortality on a district level, using variables describing both the general health conditions and the state of in-and outpatient care of the districts. Our results highlight the connection between the number of nurses at general practitioner services per ten thousand people and the COVID-19 mortality rates at the districts of Hungary. In the districts with a higher than the national average workload at hospitals in active inpatient care and other departments, the number of nurses has a significant negative effect on COVID-19 mortality. This effect cannot be observed in the rest of the districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual clustering is one of the key approaches for automatic concept generation from input contexts. In this paper, we propose an extension of the dominating k-means method. The proposed method introduces a flexible distance metric that enables the approximation of both Euclidean and meet(or join)-based similarity calculations. To increase the approximation accuracy, the method combines the k-means method with a Quality Threshold component. The paper shows that the method can also be used for approximation of formal concept lattices. Based on the performed tests, the method provides an efficient alternative conceptual clustering approach. • Novel extension of the k-means-based conceptual clustering algorithm. • Novel parameterized distance metric to cover different aggregation approaches. • Tool for flexible concept set reduction in formal concept analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A probabilistic approach is presented to fit composite failure model parameters. • It implements the MLE method and controlled numerical sampling techniques. • It enables the introduction of safety factors for uncertainty in material properties. • It is completed by an automatic DoE for an informative mechanical test search. • The method is demonstrated via fit on mechanical experiments on UD tapes. In this paper, a probabilistic approach is presented to simultaneously evaluate all strength and additional fitting parameters of a pre-selected composite first-ply failure model using known uniaxial and multiaxial failure stress states. The method processes all available mechanical test results in terms of failure stress states as one batch of data. For parameter fitting it implements the Maximum Likelihood Method and controlled numerical sampling techniques. The present work introduces the theoretical background as well as investigates the effect of the selection of the underlying strength distribution function type. The biggest benefit of this approach is the simultaneous handling of all available test data as well as the generality in terms of assumed strength distribution function and failure model type. In addition, the automatic evaluation of the uncertainty of all strength parameters enables introduction of a safety factor quantification related to uncertainty in material properties as one of the main contributors to scatter sources. A local sensitivity-based stress-state determination process is also introduced to design a set of input failure stresses that guarantee the identifiability of all parameters thus, ensuring robustness of the fitted constants. The entire methodology is demonstrated through the example of the Tsai-Wu model by processing experimental data and by comparing the results against the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dependency parsing is a complex process in natural language text processing, text to semantic transformation. The efficiency improvement of dependency parsing is a current and an active research area in the NLP community. The paper presents four transitionbased dependency parser models with implementation using DL4J classifiers. The efficiency of the proposed models were tested with Hungarian language corpora. The parsing model uses a data representation form based on lightweight embedding and a novel morphological-description-vector format is proposed for the input layer. Based on the test experiments on parsing Hungarian text documents, the proposed list-based transitions parsers outperform the widespread stack-based variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dependency parsing is a complex process in natural language text processing, text to semantic transformation. The efficiency improvement of dependency parsing is a current and an active research area in the NLP community. The paper presents four transitionbased dependency parser models with implementation using DL4J classifiers. The efficiency of the proposed models were tested with Hungarian language corpora. The parsing model uses a data representation form based on lightweight embedding and a novel morphological-description-vector format is proposed for the input layer. Based on the test experiments on parsing Hungarian text documents, the proposed list-based transitions parsers outperform the widespread stack-based variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this research was to find out about the influence of temperature as one of the important environmental factors on the sex development of carp and examine the differences in production between male and female sexes within one particular treatment. We have chosen these temperature treatments because the 21-29°C range is the optimum temperature for carps, and only a very small temperature difference can cause significant shift in the sex ratio (Cheng, Lin, & You, [2]; Lin & You, [8]). Examination of sex ratios of each temperature treatment of the 12-month-old fish was analysed using chi-squared test. Although results of the T29 treatment showed lower body weight than those of the T22 and T25 treatments, females still had higher average body weight of 118.0 ± 30.3 g and males a corresponding 105.8 ± 55.7 g. [Extracted from the article]

The program for the final disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste was established by Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. Preparation of final disposal has been done as part of a national program since 1993. The Central Nuclear Financial Fund and the Public Limited Company for Radioactive Waste Management (PURAM) have been established to coordinate organizations and activities for all tasks in connection, with nuclear waste treatment. The project was started with a geological screening in order to find the most suitable geological formation for a radioactive waste repository. The selected potential host rock is the Mórágy Granite Formation in the south-western part of Hungary, close to the village of Bátaapáti. This paper show and explain the results of an extensive study of the deformation and fracturing of Mórágy granite samples under uniaxial and triaxial loading conditions. In the investigation, the stress fracturing thresholds (crack initiation, crack coalescence and crack damage) were determined using stress-strain and stiffness curves without acoustic emission (AE) detection technique. Crack initiation was found to be best determined by the volumetric strain curve in both uniaxial and triaxial compression tests. As a detailed investigation, a comprehensive petrographical analysis using a petrological microscope was performed to identify the mode of cracking and the characterization of the cracking pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Isoprene producing Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and two control strains were tested. • Violet light and increased temperature of 35–40 °C favored isoprene production. • The presence of isoprene allowed for long-term surviving of Synechocystis at 40 °C. • The presence of isoprene increased membrane fluidity in Synechocystis. • Thermotolerance improvement by isoprene can be transferred between organisms. Engineering cyanobacteria for the production of isoprene and other terpenoids has gained increasing attention in the field of biotechnology. Several studies have addressed optimization of isoprene synthesis in cyanobacteria via enzyme and pathway engineering. However, only little attention has been paid to the optimization of cultivation conditions. In this study, an isoprene-producing strain of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and two control strains were grown under a variety of cultivation conditions. Isoprene production, as quantified by modified membrane inlet mass spectrometer (MIMS) and interpreted using Flux Balance Analysis (FBA), increased under violet light and at elevated temperature. Increase of thermotolerance in the isoprene producer was attributed to the physical presence of isoprene, similar to plants. The results demonstrate a beneficial effect of isoprene on cell survival at higher temperatures. This increased thermotolerance opens new possibilities for sustainable bio-production of isoprene and other products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) provides efficient methods for conceptualization of formal contexts. The methods of FCA are applied mainly on the field of knowledge engineering and data mining. The key element in FCA applications is the generation of a concept set. The main goal of this research work is to develop an efficient incremental method for the construction of concept sets. The incremental construction method is used for problems where context may change dynamically. The paper first proposes a novel incremental concept set construction algorithm called ALINC, where the insertion loop runs over the attribute set. The combination of object-level context processing and ALINC is an object level incremental algorithm (OALINC) where the context is built up object by object. Based on the performed tests, OALINC dominates the other popular batch or incremental methods for sparse contexts. For dense contexts, the OINCLOSE method, which uses the InClose algorithm for processing of reduced contexts, provides a superior efficiency. Regarding the OALINC/OINCLOSE algorithms, our test results with uniform distribution and real data sets show that our method provides very good performance in the full investigated parameter range. Especially good results are experienced for symmetric contexts in the case of word clustering using context-based similarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression pattern of genes related to ethylene and polyamine biosynthesis were analyzed in octoploid strawberry fruits in different ripening phases. RNA was isolated from Fragaria x ananassa Duch cv. Asia and used to synthesize cDNA by reverse transcriptase enzyme, which was applied in qPCR with primers designed for S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthases (FaSAMS1-3), S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylases (FaSAMDC1-3), arginine decarboxylase (FaADC), spermidine synthase (FaSPDS), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthases (FaACS1-4) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (FaACO1-4) gene sequences. Based on the comparison made between the expression patterns of ethylene- and polyaminerelated genes and those of the common precursor- and pathway shift-related genes, it appeared that with the exception of FaSAMS2, FaSAMDC1 and FaSAMDC2, the genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis showed decreasing level of expression as ripening proceeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Neonatal blue‐light phototherapy induced a blistering reaction followed by eruption of melanocytic nevi on the exposed skin surface of a child with transient neonatal porphyrinemia. New nevi are still developing 4 years after the triggering event. The role of phototoxicity‐induced epidermal injury, that of porphyrins and the influence of neonatal blue‐light therapy, in this unique phenomenon are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we evaluate, compare and benchmark the four most widely used and most advanced morphological analyzers for the Hungarian language, namely Hunmorph-Ocamorph, Hunmorph-Foma, Humor and Hunspell. The main goal of the current research is to define objective metrics while comparing these tools. The novelty of this paper is the fact that the analyzers are compared based on their annotation token systems instead of their lemmatization features. The proposed metrics for the comparison are the following: how different their annotation token systems are, how many words are recognized by the different analyzers and how many words are there whose morphological structure is equivalent using a well-defined mapping among the annotation token systems. For each of these metrics, we define the concept of similarity and distance. For the evaluation we use a unique Hungarian corpus that we generated in an automated way from Hungarian free texts, as well as a novel automated token mapping generation algorithm. According to our experimental results, Hunmorph-Ocamorph gives the best results. Hunmorph-Foma is very close to it, but sometimes returns an invalid lemma. Humor is the third best analyzer, while Hunspell is far worse than the other three tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The more advanced digital economy and society a country has the more exposed it is to cyber threats. Consequently, countries with advanced digital economy and digital infrastructure naturally need to pay more attention to protecting cyber space. Today it is a national security issue and it can no longer be argued that cyber security is its indispensable part. Accordingly, a national cyber security strategy has to be built on national security strategy. That is the main reason for using the word "cornerstone" in the title of this study. The relation between national security and national cyber security means a specific context, which is one of the subjects of our examination in this study. Today, most countries have a cyber security strategy. However, these strategies are mostly static documents that do not or only partially can handle the dynamism that characterizes cyberspace. This paper focuses on the key issues that are needed for developing a usable cyber security strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realistic estimation of the ply stiffness parameters of polymer composite laminates is a big challenge nowadays in industrial practice. In this paper a new, innovative concept is introduced that is based on the backward use of Classical Laminate Theory (CLT). The innovation in this new concept is (amongst others): possibility to infer the stiffness constants from the simple mechanical tests of specimens with multidirectional ply stack-up identical to the part to design. In addition the new method is manifested in a form of a compact equation that surely returns the measured deformation of the tested specimen on laminate level. The mathematical background of this concept is slightly more complex than what the conventional techniques offer, however its explicit form allows to code it in any automatic systems (e.g. user script) that can be run in Finite Element environment or as part of the software of a mechanical testing frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TSP is the problem to find the shortest path in a graph visiting every nodes exactly once and returning to the start node. Due to the high complexity of TSP, there exists no algorithm for global exact optimization with polynomial cost. In order to provide an acceptable solution for real life problems, the TSP are usually solved with some heuristic optimization problem. The paper proposes a multi layered optimization model, where the node set is partitioned into clusters or into hierarchy of clusters. Based on the test experiments the proposed method is superior to the single level optimization method for both the TSP and MTSP problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays it is clear not only for professionals but also for outsiders that our advanced Western societies cannot operate without the infrastructure based on information technologies. The security of these infrastructures, which are present in public utilities, economic life, public administration, defence sector or even in the smallest detail of everyday life, have a vital importance. The reason for this is very simple: if these systems do not work, then society does not work either. The importance of cyberspace can no longer be questioned. Accordingly, the challenges and threats to cyberspace have to be addressed at strategic level. This paper presents the most important cyber security principles and strategies of the European Union and NATO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the combined effect of viscous damping and Coulomb friction on sampled-data mechanical systems. In these systems, instability can occur due the sampling of the applied discrete-time controller which is compensated by the two different physical dissipation effects. In order to investigate the interplay between these, we focus on how the stable domain of operation is extended by the dry friction compared to viscous damping. We also show that dry friction causes concave envelope vibrations in this extended region. The analytical results, presented in the form of stability charts, are verified by a detailed set of simulations at different representative control parameter values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depression is a common cause of chronic disability. Despite decades of efforts, no equivocally accepted animal model is available for studying depression. We tested the validity of a new model based on the three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience. Genetic predisposition (hit 1, mutation of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, PACAP gene), early-life adversity (hit 2, 180-min maternal deprivation, MD180) and chronic variable mild stress (hit 3, CVMS) were combined. Physical, endocrinological, behavioral and functional morphological tools were used to validate the model. Body- and adrenal weight changes as well as corticosterone titers proved that CVMS was effective. Forced swim test indicated increased depression in CVMS PACAP heterozygous (Hz) mice with MD180 history, accompanied by elevated anxiety level in marble burying test. Corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in the oval division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis showed increased FosB expression, which was refractive to CVMS exposure in wild-type and Hz mice. Urocortin1 neurons became over-active in CMVS-exposed PACAP knock out (KO) mice with MD180 history, suggesting the contribution of centrally projecting Edinger–Westphal nucleus to the reduced depression and anxiety level of stressed KO mice. Serotoninergic neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus lost their adaptation ability to CVMS in MD180 mice. In conclusion, the construct and face validity criteria suggest that MD180 PACAP HZ mice on CD1 background upon CVMS may be used as a reliable model for the three-hit theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model-based motion control of underactuated, multiple degree-of-freedom, complex multibody systems is in focus. Underactuated mechanical systems possess less number of independent control inputs than degrees-of-freedom. The main difficulty in their control is caused by the dynamics of the uncontrolled part of the system. The complexity of multibody systems makes the dynamical and control formulation difficult. The direct application of traditional control techniques available in the literature can lead to unstable dynamic behavior in many cases. In order to avoid instability, these general methods are usually adapted for specific problems in an intuitive way. Here, we present a direct, more algorithmic approach, and propose the use of periodic servo-constraints to overcome stability problems and enhance the dynamic behavior. An exact, stability analysis-based method is also proposed for tuning the control parameters. A stability analysis procedure is developed which is directly applicable for investigating the dynamics of mechanical systems described by dependent coordinates and mathematically formulated as a set of algebraic differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The determination of the necessary capacity and number of neurology wards of level III progressivity that can be defined in the system of criteria detailed in this article and which possess optimal operating conditions in Hungarian terms. Methods: We used the National Health Insurance Company's database to calculate case numbers and capacity for different levels of neurological and stroke care. We also revised the allocation of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, and proposed changes, based on health insurance data. We also discussed these propositions with clinical experts to test their viability. Results: We determined the adequate number of organisational units capable of providing special neurological healthcare services on the basis of the basic data of the Hungarian healthcare system, specifying this number as 6 instead of the current 11. Conclusions: In our study, we have identified significant bias in the nationwide level of neurological and stroke care organisation, which needs revised allocation of healthcare resources. Naturally, this can only be carried out through the restructuring of the emergency care system and the expansion of pre-hospital care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congruent lithium niobate (LiNbO 3) prepared by sintering was ground under wet conditions in a planetary mill in order to produce nanocrystals. By using gradually lower sizes of the balls in the mill, the final particle size of the crystals could be reduced to about 12–15 nm. The particle size achieved as well as the lithium oxide (Li 2 O) loss of the lithium niobate particles were followed as a function of the grinding time. Lithium oxide was found to be released throughout the entire milling procedure, even in the case when the particle size no longer changed upon the grinding with a particular ball size. About 12% and 20% Li 2 O loss was detected upon grinding with 3 mm and 0.5 mm balls, respectively. X-ray diffractometry revealed the formation of a lithium-deficient phase, LiNb 3 O 8 , the presence of which was confirmed by means of Raman spectroscopy. The LiNb 3 O 8 :LiNbO 3 volume ratio achieved for 70 nm particle size as calculated from both the diffractograms and the lithium oxide loss determined by coulometric titration was assessed to be 0.39 (± 0.03). Correlation was revealed between the composition change of the nanopowder and the total surface area of the particle assembly calculated from dynamic light scattering measurements. [Display omitted] • Lithium niobate nanopowders were produced with the help of a planetary mill. • The loss of lithium oxide and formation of LiNb 3 O 8 were observed upon milling. • The lithium loss during the wet grinding process was quantitatively characterized. • Particle size determined by SEM and DLS were in good agreement. • The surface area increase of the particle assembly correlated with the Li 2 O release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid sampling high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-HR-CS-GFAAS) methods were developed and studied for the fast and sensitive quantitation of Li and Na additives in microsamples of cerium-doped yttrium oxyorthosilicate (Y 2 SiO 5 :Ce) scintillator materials. The methods were optimized for solid samples by studying a set of GFAAS conditions (i.e., the sample mass, sensitivity of the analytical lines, and graphite furnace heating programs). Powdered samples in the mass range of 0.099–0.422 mg were dispensed onto graphite sample insertion boats, weighed and analyzed. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were optimized by the use of single-element standard solutions of Li and Na (acidified with 0.144 mol/L HNO 3 ) at the Li I 610.353 nm and Na I 285.3013 nm analytical lines. For calibration purposes, the method of standard addition with Li and Na solutions was applied. The correlation coefficients (R values) of the calibration graphs were not worse than 0.9678. The limit of detection for oxyorthosilicate samples was 20 μg/g and 80 μg/g for Li and Na, respectively. The alkaline content of the solid samples were found to be in the range of 0.89 and 8.4 mg/g, respectively. The accuracy of the results was verified by means of analyzing certified reference samples, using methods of standard (solution) addition calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the stability of a digitally controlled pendulum with Coulomb friction as primary source of dissipation. We focus on the stabilizing effect of friction against vibrations due to the otherwise unstable parameter settings, and we show how the stable domain of operation is expanded compared to the undamped case. Continuous time and discrete switched models are simulated to get information about the stabilization effect of friction. A special concave vibration envelope is identified, validated by experiments and shown as a characteristic form of vibrations for digitally controlled systems with dry friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spiking albumin in vitro, differentially biased total-25OHD in CLIA and PBA assays. • Sera of hospitalized patients and outpatients with CKD were studied. • In all clinical groups total-25OHD correlated with albumin and DBP in both assays. • Huge biases were in both patient's groups, but not in controls. • The PBA might be superior over CLIA in hemodialysis, the best fit is to LC-MS/MS. Pathological concentrations of plasma proteins may confound the results of binding assays. We compared two routinely used total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [t-25(OH)D] methods: a chemiluminescence-immuno-(CLIA) and an electro-chemiluminescence-protein-binding-(ECLPBA) assay. Two sub-studies were performed: 1) In an "in vitro " study, exogenous albumin was added to pools of patients' sera with low albumin levels; and 2) In " ex vivo" studies of Cohort_1: sera of hospitalized patients with low albumin levels, and of healthy controls ; and of Cohort_2: outpatients with chronic kidney disease in pre-dialysis stage, or on peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis were investigated by the routine and LC_MS/MS methods. When increasing albumin concentrations were "in vitro " added, t-25(OH)D levels were overestimated by ECLPBA, and underestimated by CLIA. In patients' sera, positive correlations were detected between t-25(OH)D-vitamin D binding protein (DBP) values by both routine methods, and between t-25(OH)D-albumin values by all three methods. Much higher t-25(OH)D was measured by LC_MS/MS in all subgroups. When altering albumin levels with constant DBP concentration, the "in vitro" experiment revealed a higher sensitivity of ECLPBA. The " ex vivo " measurements demonstrated clinically relevant differences between the routine methods. Both routine methods are dependent of the matrix effect in hospitalized patients, which is predicted by the DBP/Albumin ratios. In hemodialysis, ECLPBA is recommended because its outcomes differ less from those of LC_MS/MS. The results of LC_MS/MS are reliable, but not routinely available. A guidance would be valuable on how levels measured by the binding methods differ from those by LC-MS/MS in various clinical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the initial design phase of an ic engine it is not important to exactly identify all the thermodynamic, fluid mechanical and chemical reactions within the engine in question. What is of interest is the whole system that needs to be optimized to reach the preset targets with sufficient precision. In this work the validation of an engine model is presented and the results of the simulation and measurements are compared and examined. The outcome of the comparison is the clear identification of the cause of the dip in the torque characteristics of the modelled test engine while also presenting a possible solution for this special problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the thylakoid membranes of the mesophilic cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803, PSI reaction centers (RCs) are organized as monomers and trimers. PsaL, a 16 kDa hydrophobic protein, a subunit of the PSI RC, was previously identified as crucial for the formation of PSI trimers. In this work, the physiological effects accompanied by PSI oligomerization were studied using a PsaL-deficient mutant (ΔpsaL), not able to form PSI trimers, grown at various temperatures. We demonstrate that in wild-type Synechocystis, the monomer to trimer ratio depends on the growth temperature. The inactivation of the psaL gene in Synechocystis grown phototropically at 30C induces profound morphological changes, including the accumulation of glycogen granules localized in the cytoplasm, resulting in the separation of particular thylakoid layers. The carotenoid composition in ΔpsaL shows that PSI monomerization leads to an increased accumulation of myxoxantophyll, zeaxanthin and echinenone irrespective of the temperature conditions. These xanthophylls are formed at the expense of b-carotene. The measured H2O→CO2 oxygen evolution rates in the ΔpsaL mutant are higher than those observed in the wild type, irrespective of the growth temperature. Moreover, circular dichroism spectroscopy in the visible range reveals that a peak attributable to long-wavelength-absorbing carotenoids is apparently enhanced in the trimer-accumulating wild-type cells. These results suggest that specific carotenoids are accompanied by the accumulation of PSI oligomers and play a role in the formation of PSI oligomer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflection is a vital element to express semantic in synthetic languages. Proper induction is crucial for text generation and reporting systems. The induction of inflection rules is an open question in computational linguistics. The existing solutions use dictionary, transformation rules or statistical observations to inflect a stem. These methods have drawbacks either in precision and cost efficiency. This paper present a hybrid method which is based on classification and associative memory. The words which belong to non- frequent categories are stored in the associative memory thus the classification process can be performed faster. The transformations for the regular words are determined by the classifier. Precision, size and time cost of the algorithm are measured with different sized associative memory. The tests were performed on a training set of (stem, inflected form) pairs for the accusative case in Hungarian. The precision of the hybrid algorithm can exceed the 90 per cent based on the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infrared spectra of stoichiometric LiNbO 3 crystals containing photorefractive damage resistant ions (e.g. M = Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Hf, Zr or Sn) above their threshold concentration reveal OH − absorption bands absent in undoped crystals. The bands are attributed to stretching vibrations of hydroxyl ions in M Nb n + – OH - ( n = 2, 3 or 4) type defect complexes. The higher the valency of the dopant ion the lower the observed frequency of the hydroxyl vibration in the complex, and the closer the O–H bond direction to the oxygen plane perpendicular to the crystallographic c axis of the crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is of special interest in plant stress physiology. Studies focused on internal, chlorophyll-mediated production are often complemented with the use of artificial 1O2 photosensitizers. Here, we report a comparative study on the effects of Rose Bengal ( RB), Methylene Violet ( MVI), Neutral Red ( NR) and Indigo Carmine ( IC). These were infiltrated into tobacco leaves at concentrations generating the same fluxes of 1O2 in solution. Following green light-induced 1O2 production from these dyes, leaf photosynthesis was characterized by Photosystem ( PS) II and PSI electron transport and oxidative damage was monitored as degradation of D1, a PSII core protein. Cellular localizations were identified on the basis of the dyes' fluorescence using confocal laser scanning microscopy. We found that RB and NR were both localized in chloroplasts but the latter had very little effect, probably due to its pH-dependent photosensitizing. Both RB and intracellular, nonplastid MVI decreased PSII electron transport, but the effect of RB was stronger than that of MVI and only RB was capable of damaging the D1 protein. Intercellularly localized IC had no significant effect. Our results also suggest caution when using RB as photosensitizer because it affects PSII electron transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the power of time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering experiments for the investigation of the structure and structural reorganizations of multilamellar photosynthetic membranes. In addition to briefly summarizing our results on thylakoid membranes isolated from higher plants and in unicellular organisms, we discuss the advantages and technical and methodological limitations of time-resolved SANS. We present a detailed and more systematical investigation of the kinetics of light-induced structural reorganizations in isolated spinach thylakoid membranes, which show how changes in the repeat distance and in the long-range order of the multilamellar membranes can be followed with a time resolution of seconds. We also present data from comparative measurements performed on thylakoid membranes isolated from tobacco. Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grammatical parsing unit is a core module in natural language processing engines. This unit determines the grammatical roles of the incoming words and it converts the sentences into semantic models. A special grammar rule in agglutinative languages is the inflection rule. The traditional, automata-based parsers are usually not very effective in the parsing of inflection transformations. The paper presents implementation alternatives and compares them from the viewpoint of time efficiency and accuracy. The prototype system was tested with examples from Hungarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The involvement of basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors in essential physiological and developmental processes is well established. Although a lot of animal bHLH proteins were characterized functionally, much less bHLHs of plant origin have been studied so far. Using a cDNA-AFLP approach, a ripening-related SPATULA gene was identified from strawberry fruit (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), which encodes a bHLH protein. It is an orthologue of an Arabidopsis SPATULA protein, which has an important role in carpel and fruit development. Our experiments revealed that FaSPT is repressed by auxin in green fruits, and shows different expression patterns in receptacles at various stages of fruit ripening by ethylene treatment. Moreover, we applied a reverse genetic tool to elucidate the in planta function of FaSPT in early fruit development. To our knowledge, this work is the first report for the characterization of a SPATULA gene from a non-climacteric fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The frequent association of Sjögren''s syndrome (SS) with non-Hodgkin''s B cell lymphoma (NHL) provides an example of the interplay of systemic autoimmunity and lymphoproliferative diseases, and an opportunity to study the pathogenetic steps of lymphomagenesis. NHL develops in approximately 5% of SS patients. Parotidomegaly, lymphadenopathy, inflammatory neuropathy and vasculitis have been found to be predictive of the development of lymphoma. A subsequent NHL is also heralded by the appearance of cryoglobulinaemia and serum or urinary monoclonal proteins. The typical histological type of NHL in SS is a low-grade extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma. The authors discuss the proposed key immunopathologic steps of lymphomagenesis in SS in detail. Recent results indicating the pathogenetic role of ectopic germinal centre formation in the involved exocrine glands, the potential importance of an antigen-driven clonal proliferation of autoreactive B-lymphocytes, the proposed role of the B-lymphocyte activating factor (BAFF) and of further cytokines and, finally, the changes of the chemokine milieu at the site of lymphoma development are highlighted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]