Discrete semi-stable distributions

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and study the concepts of discrete semi-stability and geometric semi-stability for distributions with support inZ ₊. We offer several properties, including characterizations, of discrete semi-stable distributions. We establish that these distributions posses the property of infinite divisibility and that their probability generating functions admit canonical representations that are analogous to those of their continuous counterparts. Properties of discrete geometric semi-stable distributions are deduced from the results obtained for discrete semi-stability. Several limit theorems are established and some examples are constructed.     

DMT1 Inhibitors Kill Cancer Stem Cells by Blocking Lysosomal Iron Translocation

Cancer stem cells (CSC) constitute a cell subpopulation in solid tumors that is responsible for resistance to conventional chemotherapy, metastasis and cancer relapse. The natural product Salinomycin can selectively target this cell niche by directly interacting with lysosomal iron, taking advantage of upregulated iron homeostasis in CSC. Here, inhibitors of the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) have been identified that selectively target CSC by blocking lysosomal iron translocation. This leads to lysosomal iron accumulation, production of reactive oxygen species and cell death with features of ferroptosis. DMT1 inhibitors selectively target CSC in primary cancer cells and circulating tumor cells, demonstrating the physiological relevance of this strategy. Taken together, this opens up opportunities to tackle unmet needs in anti-cancer therapy.     

Warehouse location with production,inventory, and distribution decisions: a case study in the lube oil industry

In this paper, a supply chain management problem from a real case study is modeled and solved. A company in Pakistan wanted to outsource part of its warehousing activity to a third party logistics (3PL) provider. Consequently, the company had to decide on where to rent space in the 3PL warehouses. Knowing that such a strategic decision is affected by tactical and operational decisions, the problem is presented as a facility location problem integrating production, inventory, and distribution decisions. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model which minimizes the total cost composed of location, distribution, production, and inventory costs. Several constraints specific to the situation and policy of the company were considered. A thorough analysis was done on the results obtained with respect to formulation efficiency, sensitivity analysis, and distribution of costs. In addition to the solution of the company problem, a set of 1215 problem instances was generated by varying five types of relevant costs in a full factorial manner. The solution of the generated problems always suggests to open in the same two locations and the integrality gaps averaged 0.062 % with a maximum of 0.102 %. On average, the major components of the total cost are production cost (96.6 %), transportation costs (2.7 %), and inventory holding costs (0.38 %). The total warehouse opening cost accounted for less than 0.05 % of the total costs.     

Optimal control applied on an HIV‐1 within‐host model

The treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major challenge, even if significant progress has been made in infection treatment by ‘drug cocktails’. Nowadays, research trend is to minimize the number of pills taken when treating infection. In this paper, an HIV‐1 within host model where healthy cells follow a simple logistic growth is considered. Basic reproduction number of the model is calculated using next generation matrix method, steady states are derived; their local, as well as global stability, is discussed using the Routh–Hurwitz criteria, Lyapunov functions and the Lozinskii measure approach. The optimal control policy is formulated and solved as an optimal control problem. Numerical simulations are performed to compare several cases, representing a treatment by Interleukin2 alone, classical treatment by multitherapy drugs alone, then both treatments at the same time. Objective functionals aim to (i) minimize infected cells quantity; (ii) minimize free virus particles number; and (iii) maximize healthy cells density in blood. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on polymer network formation

This work presents a study of the effect of nanoparticles on polymer composites to develop a powerful polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials. Tri propylene glycol diarcrylate/titanium dioxide nanocomposites were produced at various titanium dioxide fractions ranging between 0 and 1?wt%, through ultraviolet curing technique during 30?min. Different technics such as polarized optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to characterize the samples. A dynamic swelling of polymer network was also investigated. The evolution of the acrylic double-bond conversion shows a decrease in the absorption intensity at 1637?cm^?1. It is noted that the conversion rate decreases from 0.1 to 1?wt% of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. An increase in glass transition temperature is observed by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermogravimetric analysis results reveal a highly improved thermal stability upon the addition of the reinforcing phase. The follow of kinetics swelling of polymer network shows a decrease of the swell ratio with the inclusion of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.     

Molecular docking/dynamic simulations,MEP, ADME-TOX-based analysis of xanthone derivatives as CHK1 inhibitors

Structural Chemistry - CHK1 is a promising molecular target that gained immense attention recently for the development of cancer therapeutics. In this study, a simulation-based investigation was...     

Modified auxiliary boundary conditions method for an ill-posed problem for the homogeneous biharmonic equation

In this paper, we are interested in the inverse problem for the biharmonic equation posed on a rectangle, which is of great importance in many areas of industry and engineering. We show that the problem under consideration is ill-posed; therefore, to solve it, we opted for a regularization method via modified auxiliary boundary conditions. The numerical implementation is based on the application of the semidiscrete finite difference method for a sequence of well-posed direct problems depending on a small parameter of regularization. Numerical results are performed for a rectangle domain showing the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Experimental investigations of SDS adsorption on the Algerian rock reservoir: chemical enhanced oil recovery case

Research on Chemical Intermediates - The adsorption of surfactant on reservoir rocks or sands is one of the main factors that can significantly reduce the effectiveness of surfactant flooding for...     

A Notion of α-Monotonicity with Generalized Multiplications

The multiplications of van Harn et al. (1982, Z. Wahrsch. Verw. Gebiete, 61, 97–118) are used to generalize the definition of -monotonicity of Olshen and Savage (1970, J. Appl. Probab., 7, 21–34) and Steutel (1988, Statist. Neerlandica, 42, 137–140) for distributions with support in Z ₊ and R ₊. Several characterizations are offered and a convolution property is established. Some relevant stability equations are solved and a relationship with the important concept of self-decomposability is noted. Poisson mixtures are used to deduce results for the R ₊-case from those for the Z ₊-case.