Analytical calculation of pressure for confined atomic and molecular systems using the eXtreme-Pressure Polarizable Continuum Model

We show that the pressure acting on atoms and molecular systems within the compression cavity of the eXtreme-Pressure Polarizable Continuum method can be expressed in terms of the electron density of the systems and of the Pauli-repulsion confining potential. The analytical expression holds for spherical cavities as well as for cavities constructed from van der Waals spheres of the constituting atoms of the molecular systems

Band-steaming reduces laborious hand-weeding in vegetables

Band-steaming is a new method that may reduce the need for hand-weeding in demanding row crops like carrot and drilled onion. Band-steaming only affects a soil volume equal to the intra-row area of the subsequent crop, and effectively kills the weed seeds in this soil volume. Side-effects on beneficial soil organisms are minimized as compared to current steaming technology, but still need to be assessed

In vivo effect of dried chicory root (Cichorium intybus L.) on xenobiotica metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes in porcine liver

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are widely studied for their involvement in metabolism of drugs and endogenous compounds. In porcine liver, CYP1A2,2Aand 2E1 are important for the metabolism of skatole.Feeding chicory roots to pigs is known to decrease the skatole concentration in plasma and fat. In the present study we investigated the effect of chicory on CYP mRNA and protein expression, as well as their activity. Male pigs were feed dried chicory root for 16 days before liver samples were collected. By the use of RT-PCR and Western blotting we showed that the mRNA and protein expression of CYP1A2 and 2A were increased in chicory fed pigs. The mRNA expression of CYP2E1 was increased, while there was no effect on protein expression. Activity of CYP1A2 and 2A were increased in chicory feed pigs; this was not the case for CYP2E1 activity. In conclusion; oral administration of chicory root for 16 days to pigs increased the mRNA expression of CYP1A2, 2A and 2E1; and the protein expression of CYP1A2 and 2A. The activities of CYP1A2 and 2A were increased

Discrimination in Mortgage Lending: Evidence from a Correspondence Experiment

We design and implement an experimental test for differential response by mortgage loan originators (MLOs) to requests for information about loans. Our e-mail correspondence experiment is designed to analyze differential treatment by client race and credit score. Our results show net discrimination by 1.8% of MLOs through non-response. We also find that MLOs offer more details about loans and are more likely to send follow up correspondence to whites. The effect of being African American on MLO response is equivalent to the effect of having a credit score that is 71 points lower

Caddo Ceramics on the Red River in North Central Texas

Caddo ceramics manufactured after A.D. 900 were widely traded in Texas, being found in some quantity on North Central, East Central, Central, and inland Southeast Texas archeological sites. They were also traded with prehistoric peoples in the Midwest (as far north as Iowa and Illinois) and the Southeastern U.S. While archeologists have known this for some time, much of the ceramic evidence for prehistoric Caddoan trade and exchange with other Native Americans has not been systematically compiled and studied, as became apparent during a recent review of the prehistoric and historic aboriginal pottery in Texas. Consequently, Caddoan archeologists are not yet in the position to confidently discuss the scope, timing, or direction of trade/exchange between Caddoan groups and surrounding non-Caddoan communities, or explore changes in the nature of social and economic relationships between particular Caddo groups and other prehistoric peoples. This paper represents part of our initial efforts to begin systematically compiling archeological information on the distribution and character of Caddo ceramic sherds and vessels outside what is considered the southern Caddoan archaeological area. In it, we report on Early and Late Caddo ceramics found by Dr. Ernest R. Martin at two sites along the Red River in North Central Texas, some 130 km or more west of the westernmost Caddo settlements on the Red River in Northeast Texas

Airline Crew Scheduling with Potts Neurons

A Potts feedback neural network approach for finding good solutions to resource allocation problems with a non-fixed topology is presented. As a target application the airline crew scheduling problem is chosen. The topological complication is handled by means of a propagator defined in terms of Potts neurons. The approach is tested on artificial random problems tuned to resemble real-world conditions. Very good results are obtained for a variety of problem sizes. The computer time demand for the approach only grows like \mbox{(number of flights)}^3. A realistic problem typically is solved within minutes, partly due to a prior reduction of the problem size, based on an analysis of the local arrival/departure structure at the single airportsComment: 9 pages LaTeX, 3 postscript figures, uufiles forma

Recent results in the development of band steaming for intra-row weed control

The recent achievements with developing band-steaming techniques for intra-row weed control in vegetables are presente

Flow-based analysis of storage usage in a low-carbon European electricity scenario

The application of the flow tracing method to power flows in and out of storage units allows to analyse the usage of this technology option in large-scale interconnected electricity systems. We apply this method to a data-driven model of the European electricity network, which uses a techno-economic optimisation to determine generation and storage capacities and dispatch, assuming a 95% reduction of CO2 emission compared to 1990 levels. A flow-based analysis of the power inflow into the different storage technologies confirms the intuition that longer-term hydrogen storage is mainly utilised for wind, whereas short-term battery storage mostly receives inflow from solar power generation. The usage of storage technologies in general shows a local-but-global behaviour: Whereas on average the power outflow from these capacities is predominantly consumed locally inside the same node, when exported it is also transmitted over long distances as a global flexibility option for the entire system.Comment: 15th International Conference on the European Energy Market - EEM 201