Phase Transition of Polariton and Magnetopolariton in Semiconductor Microcavity

The real interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation is too complicated for a compl ete theoretical investigation. In this paper, we study phase transition of polariton and magnetopolariton in semiconductor microcavity. We have analyzed the polariton and magnetopolariton phase transition via the path integral approach in Dicke model. Numerical results showed that the system exhibits phase transition from normal phase to superradiant phase. The transition is affected by the coupling term, Matsubara frequencies and temperature. We observed that the sudden transition is closed to absolute temperature, which means that these three parameters have considerable effect on the polariton formation and stability. Additionally, the introduction of the magnetic field in the semiconductor microcavity shows that the system still undergoes a phase transition. It is shownthat weak magnetic field does not alter the phase transition significantly, apart from a small shift of the transition point. Compared to other parameters strong magnetic field drastically change sign at the critical temperature

Application of biotechnology for the domestication of Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H. J. Lam in Cameroon: A review

Cultivation of Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H. J. Lam commonly known as safou to improve the livelihood of the local population has been growing rapidly in the range of occurrence of safou and recent emergence of the market chain introduced by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) experts has stimulated this further. Domestication through conventional genetic improvement (breeding) of safou has relied on phenotype selection and quantitative genetics through field trials breeding. Technologies to increase productivity, increase sustainable resource use, respond to climate change and enhance efficiency are required to meet demand. Biotechnology applications give a scope for rapid improvement and also facilitate the breeding program. Advantages of biotechnology application using molecular markers in breeding programs includes: study of genetic diversity, DNA fingerprinting of individuals, easy identification of specific traits or genes of interest, rapid propagation of improved genotypes and integration of gene(s) of interest into the species. It also provides genetic basis for selecting individuals and particular regions of the genome in a breeding program, reduce breeding population, can lead to early selection of traits and the development of a new variety with combination of characteristics. The complementary role of these techniques will be necessary for a successful genetic improvement program in the species. This review examines the achievements obtained using classical techniques, emphasizes missing gaps for the application of molecular techniques and discusses the complementary role of biotechnology techniques for a sustainable genetic improvement program in the species.Keywords: Dacryodes edulis, domestication, population, genetic diversity, multiplication, biotechnology and genetic improvemen

Application of improved particle swarm optimization in economic dispatch of power system

Abstract: This paper introduces an improved particle swarm optimization to solve economic dispatch problems involving numerous constraints. Depending on the type of generating units, there are optimization constraints and practical operating constraints of generators such as prohibited operating zones and ramp rate limits. The algorithm is a hybrid technique made up of particle swarm optimization and bat algorithm. Particle swarm optimization as the main algorithm integrates bat algorithm in order to boost its velocity and adjust the improved solution. The new technique is firstly tested on five different cases of economic dispatch problems comprising 6, 13, 15, 40 and 140 generating units. The simulation results show that it performs better than both particle swarm and bat technique

Données de "vraie vie" des inhibiteurs de protéines kinases dans la leucémie myéloïde chronique : profil d'utilisation à l'échelle française et impacts des interactions médicamenteuses des traitements concomitants

L'introduction des inhibiteurs des protéines kinases (IPK) dans le traitement de la Leucémie Myéloïde Chronique (LMC) a considérablement changé le paradigme de cette pathologie, devenue aujourd'hui une maladie chronique. Cette chronicité s'accompagne dans le temps d'une augmentation des comorbidités en parallèle avec une polymédication. Cependant, malgré une efficacité certaine, les IPK sont particulièrement à risque d'interaction médicamenteuse. L'objectif de cette étude était d'étudier en vie réelle et à l'échelle nationale les situations d'interactions médicamenteuses potentielles (IMP) dans une cohorte de patients incidents pour la LMC et traités par IPK à partir des données du SNDS (Système National des Données de Santé). Les IMP ont été définies selon les informations du résumé des caractéristiques de produits (RCP) et du Thésaurus des Interactions Médicamenteuses de l'ANSM. Ces informations ont été complétées par une exploration des données de pharmacovigilance à l'échelle internationale (à partir de Vigibase(r), base de pharmacovigilance de l'OMS) et de la Base Française de Pharmacovigilance. Les données du SNDS ont permis d'identifier une cohorte de 3633 patients nouvellement diagnostiqués pour une LMC entre le 1er janvier 2011 et le 31 décembre 2014, soit une incidence estimée de 1,37 [IC 95% 1,36-1,38] pour 100000 personnes-années dans cette période (54 % d'hommes, âge médian 60 ans). L'imatinib était le médicament le plus fréquemment utilisé en 1ère intention (78% des patients) et le demeurait dans la 1ère année de suivi. A l'inclusion, 25% des patients présentaient une comorbidité associée, ils étaient polymédiqués en majorité (2,8 médicaments en moyenne en plus de l'IPK) à l'inclusion dans la cohorte, dont 48% des patients traités par inhibiteurs de la pompe à protons (IPP) ; 37% par antihypertenseurs, 25% par statines, 16% par allopurinol, 11% par antidépresseurs Inhibiteurs de la Recapture de la Sérotonine. La recherche des situations à type d'IMP dans la 1ère année suivant l'initiation d'un traitement par IPK a mis en évidence que 41% (co-prescription) à 62% (co-médication avec délivrance dans le mois suivant la prescription de l'IPK) des patients étaient concernés, les médicaments majoritairement impliqués étant les statines, les benzodiazépines et les IPP. Les facteurs associés à cette situation potentielle d'interaction étaient l'âge, le nombre de comorbidités, le nombre de médicaments et le nombre de prescripteurs. Le nilotinib et le dasatinib étaient plus à risque d'interactions que l'imatinib. La recherche des effets indésirables en relation avec une interaction avec les IPK a montré que au-delà de la liste du Thésaurus de l'ANSM, les principaux médicaments impliqués dans les effets indésirables liés à une interaction médicamenteuse étaient les statines (avec l'ensemble des IPK et pas seulement le ponatinib comme retenu dans le thésaurus de l'ANSM), les anticoagulants, les IPP et les inhibiteurs puissants du CYP 3A4. Les résultats obtenus confirment les hypothèses de recherche sur l'implication des médicaments des comorbidités, et conduisent à proposer des analyses spécifiques complémentaires de l'impact de certaines classes de médicaments (IPP, statines) sur des critères tels que la survie, les hospitalisations, le switch d'IPK ou des complications spécifiques (atteintes musculaires par exemple).The introduction of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs) in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has considerably changed the paradigm of this pathology, which has now become a chronic disease. This chronicity is accompanied over time by an increase in comorbidities in parallel with poly-medication. However, despite their effectiveness, PKIs are particularly at risk of drug interactions. The objective of this study was to study potential PKI-drug interactions (pPKI-DIs) in a real-life cohort of incident CML patients treated with PKIs on a national scale, using data from the French National Health Data System (SNDS). The pPKI-DIs were defined according to the information in the summary of product characteristics (SPC) and the Thesaurus of Drug Interactions of the ANSM. This information was completed by an exploration of international pharmacovigilance data (from Vigibase(r), the WHO pharmacovigilance database) and the French Pharmacovigilance Database. Data from the SNDS identified a cohort of 3633 patients newly diagnosed with CML between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014, with an estimated incidence of 1,37 [IC 95% 1,36-1,38] per 100 000 person-years in this period (54% male, mean age 60 years). Imatinib was the most frequently used drug in the 1st line (78% of patients) and remained so in the 1st year of follow-up. At inclusion, 25% of patients had an associated comorbidity, and the majority of them were polymedicated (2.8 drugs on average in addition to the KPI) at inclusion in the cohort, including 48% of patients treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), 37% with antihypertensives, 25% with statins, 16% with allopurinol, and 11% with serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. The search for pPKI-DI-type situations in the first year following the initiation of a PKI treatment showed that 41% (co-dispensing) to 62% (co-medication with delivery within one month of the PKI prescription) of patients were concerned, the drugs most involved being statins, benzodiazepines and PPIs. Factors associated with this potential interaction situation were age, number of comorbidities, number of drugs and number of prescribers. Nilotinib and dasatinib were more likely to interact than imatinib. The search for adverse events related to interactions with PKIs showed that, beyond the list in the ANSM thesaurus, the main drugs involved in adverse events related to drug interactions were statins (with all KPIs and not just ponatinib as listed in the ANSM thesaurus), anticoagulants, PPIs and potent CYP 3A4 inhibitors. The results obtained confirm the research hypotheses on the involvement of drugs in comorbidities, and lead to the proposal of additional specific analyses of the impact of certain classes of drugs (PPIs, statins) on criteria such as survival, hospitalizations, switching of PKIs or specific complications (e.g. muscle damage)

Effect of the addition of different waste carbonaceous materials on coal gasification in CO2 atmosphere

YesIn order to evaluate the feasibility of using CO2 as a gasifying agent in the conversion of carbonaceous materials to syngas, gasification characteristics of coal, a suite of waste carbonaceous materials, and their blends were studied by using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The results showed that CO2 gasification of polystyrene completed at 470 °C, which was lower than those of other carbonaceous materials. This behaviour was attributed to the high volatile content coupled with its unique thermal degradation properties. It was found that the initial decomposition temperature of blends decreased with the increasing amount of waste carbonaceous materials in the blends. In this study, results demonstrated that CO2 co-gasification process was enhanced as a direct consequence of interactions between coal and carbonaceous materials in the blends. The intensity and temperature of occurrence of these interactions were influenced by the chemical properties and composition of the carbonaceous materials in the blends. The strongest interactions were observed in coal/polystyrene blend at the devolatilisation stage as indicated by the highest value of Root Mean Square Interaction Index (RMSII), which was due to the highly reactive nature of polystyrene. On the other hand, coal/oat straw blend showed the highest interactions at char gasification stage. The catalytic effect of alkali metals and other minerals in oat straw, such as CaO, K2O, and Fe2O3, contributed to these strong interactions. The overall CO2 gasification of coal was enhanced via the addition of polystyrene and oat straw

Performance of rapid subtyping tools used for the classification of HIV type 1 recombinants isolated from selected countries in west and central Africa

HIV-1 genetic diversity in sub-Saharan Africa is broad and the AIDS epidemic is driven predominantly by recombinants in Central and West Africa. The classification of HIV-1 strains is therefore necessary to understand diagnostic efficiency, individual treatment responses as well as options for designing vaccines and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment guidelines. More so, accurate subtyping of a partial or full genome would represent the population dynamics of HIV and provide evidence for designing surveillance strategies within a geographic region. Evaluating the performance of rapid subtyping tools with options that incorporate phylogeny could be fast, more user-friendly and of high performance. A total of 570 HIV-1 partial sequences from Cameroon, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Senegal were obtained from the Los Alamos National Library (LANL) HIV Sequence Database. Phylogeny was performed using MEGA v6 and the results were used to evaluate the performance of eleven different rapid HIV-1 subtyping tools: REGA v2, REGA v3, NCBI, Stanford HIVDB, SUDI, Geno2Pheno, Euresist, STAR, jpHMM, COMET and SCUEAL. The performance of these subtyping tools differed among HIV-1 clades and across different viral genes. NCBI and SUDI showed the highest performance in subtyping. The discordance observed between the rapid subtyping tools and phylogeny implies that phylogenetic analysis is still the more suitable method for HIV-1 classification. However, the need to update the reference datasets of the subtyping tools, and validate algorithms for rapid subtyping and quality control is imperative as this information is relevant for clinical use and policymaking to the AIDS response.Keywords: HIV, phylogeny, performance, subtyping tools, algorith

Phase Transition of Polariton and Magnetopolariton in Semiconductor Microcavity

The real interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation is too complicated for a compl ete theoretical investigation. In this paper, we study phase transition of polariton and magnetopolariton in semiconductor microcavity. We have analyzed the polariton and magnetopolariton phase transition via the path integral approach in Dicke model. Numerical results showed that the system exhibits phase transition from normal phase to superradiant phase. The transition is affected by the coupling term, Matsubara frequencies and temperature. We observed that the sudden transition is closed to absolute temperature, which means that these three parameters have considerable effect on the polariton formation and stability. Additionally, the introduction of the magnetic field in the semiconductor microcavity shows that the system still undergoes a phase transition. It is shownthat weak magnetic field does not alter the phase transition significantly, apart from a small shift of the transition point. Compared to other parameters strong magnetic field drastically change sign at the critical temperature