System Partitioning Research Articles

Box–Behnken Based Furosemide-Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) Delivery System for Improving Oral Bioavailability

Objective The fabrication of furosemide (FSM) with enhanced oral bioavailability and encapsulation was achieved using a nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) drug delivery system. Significance: The uniform drug distribution is a barrier due to its low dose. The lipid-based delivery system was selected based on its poor solubility and permeability, limiting its poor partitioning and solubility in water-based polymeric delivery systems. The lipophilicity of the FSM makes it favorable to partition with triglyceride based Compritol 888 ATO and oleic acid with minimized drug expulsion, high drug payload, and sustained release over extended time frames. Methods The Organic and aqueous phase of the microemulsion were stabilized using Tween 80, a hydrophilic surfactant. Box-Behnken design-based optimization was done using alteration in various formulation variables to obtain nano-formulation with the lowest particle size and polydispersity whereas, maximal zeta potential and entrapment efficiency. Results Design-Expert yielded several optimized formulations with the desirability function. Maximum desirability was obtained at a particle size of around 178 nm, a surface charge of –19.6 mV, and an EE of above 85%. The in vitro release profile depicted 86.5% of cumulative release after 24 h whereas, in vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed an increase in Cmax from 0.48 µg/mL (FSM-Suspension) to 0.77 µg/mL (FSM NLCs) to increase the bioavailability to approx. 241% in FSM NLCs. The half-life escalation demonstrated that the residence time of the nanoparticles prolonged at the physiologic pH. Conclusions FSM-NLCs exhibited sustained release over a prolonged period, improved residence time in the body and their action was prolonged.

A partition function estimator.

We propose an estimator that allows us to calculate the value of a simple system's partition function using finite sampling. The core idea is to neglect the contribution from high energy microstates, which are difficult to be sampled properly, and then calculate a volume correction term to compensate for this. As a proof of concept, the estimator is applied to calculate the partition function for several model systems, ranging from a simple harmonic oscillator to a Lennard-Jones fluid with hundreds of particles. Our results agree well with the numerically exact solutions or reference data, demonstrating that efficiently estimating partition functions for the studied example cases is possible and computationally affordable.

A mutual information statistic for assessing state space partitions of dynamical systems.

We propose a mutual information statistic to quantify the information encoded by a partition of the state space of a dynamical system. We measure the mutual information between each point's symbolic trajectory history under a coarse partition (one with few unique symbols) and its partition assignment under a fine partition (one with many unique symbols). When applied to a set of test cases, this statistic demonstrates predictable and consistent behavior. Empirical results and the statistic's formulation suggest that partitions based on trajectory history, such as the ordinal partition, perform best. As an application, we introduce the weighted ordinal partition, an extension of the popular ordinal partition with parameters that can be optimized using the mutual information statistic, and demonstrate improvements over the ordinal partition in time series analysis. We also demonstrate the weighted ordinal partition's applicability to real experimental datasets.

PIP5K-Ras bistability initiates plasma membrane symmetry breaking to regulate cell polarity and migration.

Symmetry breaking, polarity establishment, and spontaneous cell protrusion formation are fundamental but poorly explained cell behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that a biochemical network, where the mutually inhibitory localization of PIP5K and Ras activities plays a central role, governs these processes. First, in resting cells devoid of cytoskeletal activity, PIP5K is uniformly elevated on the plasma membrane, while Ras activity remains minimal. Symmetry is broken by spontaneous local displacements of PIP5K, coupled with simultaneous activations of Ras and downstream signaling events, including PI3K activation. Second, knockout of PIP5K dramatically increases both the incidence and size of Ras-PI3K activation patches, accompanied by branched F-actin assembly. This leads to enhanced cortical wave formation, increased protrusive activity, and a shift in migration mode. Third, high inducible overexpression of PIP5K virtually eliminates Ras-PI3K signaling, cytoskeletal activity, and cell migration, while acute recruitment of cytosolic PIP5K to the membrane induces contraction and blebs in cancer cells. These arrested phenotypes are reversed by reducing myosin II activity, indicating myosin's involvement in the PIP5K-Ras-centered regulatory network. Remarkably, low inducible overexpression of PIP5K unexpectedly facilitates polarity establishment, highlighting PIP5K as a highly sensitive master regulator of these processes. Simulations of a computational model combining an excitable system, cytoskeletal loops, and dynamic partitioning of PIP5K recreates the experimental observations. Taken together, our results reveal that a bistable, mutually exclusive localization of PIP5K and active Ras on the plasma membrane triggers the initial symmetry breaking. Coupled actomyosin reduction and increased actin polymerization lead to intermittently extended protrusions and, with feedback from the cytoskeleton, self-organizing, complementary gradients of PIP5K versus Ras steepen, raising the threshold of the networks at the rear and lowering it at the front to generate polarity for cell migration.

Exploring the Distribution of Low Molecular Weight Compounds in Water-Based Two-Phase Systems with Various Salt Additives

The partition coefficients of seven low molecular weight compounds were tested in different aqueous two-phase systems. The ionic composition of each system included specific salt additives, and it was found that there is a linear relationship between the solute partition coefficients and the presence of different salt additives. The study suggests that the solute structure and the type of ions influence the solute response to the ionic environment. Additionally, it was observed that the solutes’ polar surface area and the solvent-accessible surface area are the essential structural features governing partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems.

Special edition on resource partitioning for modern multicore systems

Special edition on resource partitioning for modern multicore systems

Dynamic partitioning of island smart distribution systems in emergencies

AbstractWhen a severe fault occurs in the distribution network, all or parts of it may be disconnected from the upstream network. Partitioning of these islanded areas is a solution to supplying the affected loads. Due to the variable nature of loads and renewable distributed generation (DG), the static model of partitioning with a fixed nature during island operation cannot be suitable. Therefore, in this article, considering the variable nature of loads and renewable distributed generation, a dynamic model is presented for the island partitioning to restore more valuable loads, which is suitable for quick decision‐making in emergencies. Also, a method for deciding on the mode of charging and discharging storage systems in emergencies is proposed. This model considers time limitation, uncontrollable DGs, controllable DGs and their control, controllability, and priority of loads, tie‐switches, storage systems, simultaneous faults, different situations of unintentional islanding of the distribution network, position of switches, and variable nature of loads and distributed generations. So, it is more comprehensive than the previous methods. Applying the proposed model to the modified IEEE 69‐bus system with controllable and uncontrollable generation and storage systems assuming different scenarios shows the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Distribution Control and Environmental Fate of PFAS in the Offshore Region Adjacent to the Yangtze River Estuary─A Study Combining Multiple Phases Analysis.

The Yangtze River Estuary is the terminal sink of terrestrial per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the Yangtze River, while the environmental fate characteristics of legacy and emerging PFAS around this region have rarely been discussed. Here, 24 targeted PFAS in seawater, sediments, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and plankton in the offshore region adjacent to this estuary were investigated. The three dominant PFAS in all phases were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, 23.8-61.9%), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, 23.6-42.8%), and perfluoro(2-methyl-3-oxahexanoic) acid (HFPO-DA, 6.1-12.1%), and perfluoro-1-butane sulfonamide (FBSA, 0.1-7.3%) was first detected. The horizontal distributions of PFAS were dependent on salinity and disturbed by multiple water masses, while the vertical variations could be explained by their different partitioning characteristics in the water-SPM-sediment system (partition coefficients, Log Kd and Log Koc) and plankton (bioaccumulation factors, Log BAF). Although physical mixing was the major driver for PFAS settling (>83.7%), the absolute settling amount caused by the biological pump was still high (150.00-41994.65 ng m-2 day-1). More importantly, we found unexpected high Log Kd values of PFBA (2.24-4.55) and HFPO-DA (2.26-4.67), equal to PFOA (2.28-4.72), which brought concerns about their environmental persistence. Considering the increased detection of short-chain and emerging PFAS, more comprehensive environmental behaviors analysis is required urgently.

Dissolution of Ta–Nb and Nb Minerals in Granitoid Melts

The effective solubilities (maximum contents) of Ta and Nb in model felsic lithium-fluoride melts of variable alkalinity and alumina content were experimentally determined at the dissolution of Ta–Nb and Nb minerals: pyrochlore, microlite, ilmenorutile, and ferrotapiolite at T = 650–850°C and P = 100 and 400 MPa. The Ta and Nb partitioning in the mineral-melt systems was also studied. When pyrochlore is dissolved in granitoid melts at P = 100 MPa and T = 650–850°C, the highest effective solubilities of Nb (0.7–1.8 wt %) are obtained in alkaline melt, and they significantly decrease (to 0.03–0.5 wt %) in subaluminous and peraluminous melts. A temperature increase increases the solubility (content) of Nb in the melt. Similar dependences were obtained for Ta solubility by dissolving microlite. In peraluminous granitoid melt, microlite remains stable, while pyrochlore becomes unstable. A pressure decrease from 400 to 100 MPa in alkaline and subaluminous melts was found out to not significantly affect on the dissolution of microlite and pyrochlore, whereas Ta and Nb contents in the peraluminous melt noticeably decrease. The dependences of Nb solubility and its partitioning between granitoid melts and ilmenorutile on the alkalinity–alumina content of the melt are similar to those for the dissolution of columbite and tantalite. The dependences obtained by dissolving ferrotapiolite, pyrochlore, and microlite differ from them.

Optimal planning and partitioning of multiple distribution Micro-Grids based on reliability evaluation.

Power system researcher have turned to Micro-Grids (MG) for higher reliability, greater flexibility, lower operating costs and losses, and lower CO2 emissions at the distribution system. This paper presents a single-level stochastic optimization framework for planning and partitioning of a distribution system including Multiple Micro-Grids (MMGs). The main objective is to minimize the total cost of the system including investment, operation, total losses and reliability costs of the distribution network. The proposed model takes into account the viewpoints of MG owners and distribution system operators, simultaneously. The voltage stability index is introduced to identify the optimal site of MG investment. To deal with uncertainties caused by renewable generations, the Firefly Algorithm (FA) and probability-tree method is used to create various operation scenarios of Photo-Voltaic (PVs) and Wind Turbines (WTs). This model is solved through the genetic algorithm in MATLAB, and to evaluate its effectiveness, numerical studies have been carried out on the experimental IEEE distribution network with four specified locations for investing MGs and seven Tie Switches (TS) for network partitioning. Simulation results reveal that optimal locations for MG investment are determined in such a way all MGs connect to the buses near the beginning of the feeder and as a result, load point reliability is improved, total active power losses are reduced, and the energy program becomes more optimized.

Dynamic RIS partitioning in NOMA systems using deep reinforcement learning

The rapid evolution of wireless communication technologies necessitates innovative solutions to meet the increasing performance requirements of future networks, particularly in terms of spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and computational efficiency. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) are emerging as promising technologies to enhance wireless communication systems. This paper explores the dynamic partitioning of RIS elements in NOMA systems using Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to optimize resource allocation and overall system performance. We propose a novel DRL-based framework that dynamically adjusts the partitioning of RIS elements to maximize the achievable sum rate and ensure fair resource distribution among users. Our architecture leverages the flexibility of RIS to create an intelligent radio environment, while NOMA enhances spectral efficiency. The DRL model is trained online, adapting to real-time changes in the communication environment. Empirical results demonstrate that our approach closely approximates the performance of the optimal iterative algorithm (exhaustive search) while reducing computational time by up to 90 percent. Furthermore, our method eliminates the need for an offline training phase, providing a significant advantage in dynamic environments by removing the requirement for retraining with every environmental change. These findings highlight the potential of DRL-based dynamic partitioning as a viable solution for optimizing RIS-aided NOMA systems in future wireless networks.

Structural evolution and electronic properties of anionic plutonium-doped oxygen clusters

Plutonium oxides are important in actinide chemistry and nuclear industry activities, and the demand and interest in enriching knowledge of plutonium chemistry is growing increasingly significant. However, unlike uranium oxide clusters, few studies related to the geometry and bonding properties of anionic plutonium oxide clusters have been reported. Here we explored the geometries, photoelectron spectra, and electronic properties of anionic plutonium oxide clusters by means of unbiased structural searches coupled with density-functional theory (DFT). The results show that the PuO6− cluster with a high D2h symmetry formed by a linear O-Pu-O plutonyl unit with two O2 units exhibits excellent stability. In addition, the HOMO–LUMO gap value of PuO6− cluster are 4.35 eV and 3.41 eV for the α- and β-orbitals, respectively, as well as the vertical detachment energy (VDE) of 4.20 eV. In the analysis of molecular orbitals and adaptive natural density partitioning in oxygen-rich systems, the σ bonds between plutonium atom and oxygen ligands, primarily from the Pu-5f and O-2p orbitals, are responsible for the goodish stability of PuO6− cluster. We hope that the current work can enrich the geometrical configuration of plutonium oxide oxygen clusters and provide reference information for the subsequent research work.

Optimized Grid Partitioning and Scheduling in Multi-Energy Systems Using a Hybrid Decision-Making Approach

This paper presents a thorough review of our state-of-the-art technique for enhancing dynamic grid partitioning and scheduling in multi-energy source systems. We use a hybrid approach to T-spherical fuzzy sets, combining the alternative ranking order method accounting for the two-step normalization (AROMAN) method for alternating ranking order to enable two-step normalisation with the method based on removal effects of criteria (MEREC) for eliminating criteria effects. This enables us to obtain the highest level of accuracy from our findings. To ascertain the relative importance of these criteria, we use MEREC to perform a rigorous examination of the influence that each evaluation criterion has on the outcomes of the decision-making process. In addition, we use AROMAN to provide a strong foundation for assessing potential solutions by accounting for spherical fuzzy sets to account for any ambiguity. We illustrate how our approach successfully considers several factors, such as social acceptability, technical feasibility, environmental sustainability, and economic feasibility, through the analysis of an extensive case study. Our approach provides decision-makers (DMs) with a rigorous and rational framework for assessing and choosing the best grid division and scheduling options. This is done in an effort to support the administration and design of resilient and sustainable multi-energy systems. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge in this area by offering insights that help to direct policy, planning, and investment decisions in the shift towards more sustainable energy infrastructures. Moreover, it adds to the growing body of information on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) in energy system optimization.

What Can Be Learned from the Partitioning Behavior of Proteins in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems?

This review covers the analytical applications of protein partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs). We review the advancements in the analytical application of protein partitioning in ATPSs that have been achieved over the last two decades. Multiple examples of different applications, such as the quality control of recombinant proteins, analysis of protein misfolding, characterization of structural changes as small as a single-point mutation, conformational changes upon binding of different ligands, detection of protein-protein interactions, and analysis of structurally different isoforms of a protein are presented. The new approach to discovering new drugs for a known target (e.g., a receptor) is described when one or more previous drugs are already available with well-characterized biological efficacy profiles.

Nitrogen loss partitioning and emissions in intensive subtropical hybrid dairy systems

Nitrogen loss partitioning and emissions in intensive subtropical hybrid dairy systems

Non-Henrian behavior of hydrogen in plagioclase – basaltic melt partitioning

Plagioclase crystals in lunar anorthosite may have formed directly from the lunar magma ocean (LMO), with their elemental and isotopic compositions providing unique probes of LMO composition, age, and evolution. Low hydrogen concentrations have been reported in lunar plagioclase, but translating this to estimates of LMO hydrogen contents is complicated by incomplete knowledge of hydrogen partitioning between plagioclase and melt at low hydrogen contents. We conducted a series of high-temperature experiments to better quantify the plagioclase-melt partition coefficient of hydrogen in the Moon at low melt H abundances. Hydrogen contents of plagioclase and coexisting melt, reported in terms of water equivalent concentrations, were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Resulting plagioclase-melt partition coefficients of water, Dplag-melt water, at melt water contents below 300 ppm, are 0.10 ± 0.05 to 0.36 ± 0.19. the highest Dplag-melt water reported to date. Our results, in conjunction with literature data, indicate a strong dependence of Dplag-melt water on water concentration in the melt (x in ppm): Dplag-melt water=20±5·x−0.88±0.03. This strong non-Henrian behavior is likely related to changes in the hydrogen activity in basaltic melt due to variations in H2O/OH speciation as a function of melt hydrogen content, implying that hydrogen partitioning in other mineral-melt systems may also be non-Henrian. At the low water contents in the lunar interior, Dplag-melt water is approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than previously assumed. If hydrogen contents measured in lunar plagioclase crystals reflect pristine plagioclase-LMO equilibrium without subsequent modification, we conclude that <14 ppm H2O equivalent would have been present in the Moon when 95% of the initial LMO had crystallized.

Reaction calorimetry and structural crystal properties of non-ideal binary rhabdophane solid solutions (Ce1−xREExPO4·nH2O)

Rhabdophane is a hydrous phosphate that commonly replaces monazite as a weathering product in critical mineral deposits during the alteration of rare earth elements (REE) bearing carbonatites and alkaline igneous complexes. It is an important host to the light (L)REE (i.e., La to Gd) but the stability and structure of binary solid solutions between the Ce and the other LREE endmembers have not yet been determined experimentally. Here we present room temperature calorimetric experiments that were used to measure the enthalpy of precipitation of rhabdophane (Ce1−xREExPO4·nH2O; REE = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd). The solids were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and the role of water in the rhabdophane structure was further determined using thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry. The calorimetric experiments indicate a non-ideal behavior for all of the binary solid solutions investigated with an excess enthalpy of mixing (ΔHex) described by a 2- to 3-term Guggenheim parameters equation. The solid solutions were categorized into three groups: 1) binary Ce-La and Ce-Pr which display positive ΔHex values with a slight asymmetry; 2) binary Ce-Nd and Ce-Sm which display negative ΔHex values with a nearly symmetric shape; 3) Ce-Eu and Ce-Gd which display both negative and positive ΔHex values with nearly symmetric shape. The excess Gibbs energy (ΔGex) of the solid solutions was further investigated using a thermodynamic analysis approach of aqueous-solid solution equilibria and the optimization programs GEMS and GEMSFITS. The resulting ΔGex values combined with the calorimetric ΔHex values indicate that there is likely an excess entropy contribution implying important short-range structural modifications in the solid solutions dependent on the deviation of the REE ionic radii from the size of Ce3+. These observations corroborate with the trends in the Raman v1 stretching bands of the PO4-site. The excess molar volumes determined from X-ray diffraction analysis further indicate an overall asymmetric behavior in all of the studied binary solid solutions, which becomes increasingly important from La to Gd. The pronounced short-range order–disorder occurring in groups 2 and 3 solid solutions mimics some of the behavior observed from previous studies in anhydrous monazite solid solutions. This study highlights the potential to use the chemistry and the structural modifications of rhabdophane as potential indicators of formation conditions in geologic systems and permits improving our modeling capabilities of REE partitioning in critical minerals systems.

Layer-specific mechanisms of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) transport and partition in estuarine environments: Unveiling the depth-dependent differences

Understanding of characteristics and transport of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in heterogeneous estuarine environments is limited. Furthermore, the role of suspended particles (SPS) in different layers remains unclear. This study explores the multiphase distribution process and mechanism of PFAAs controlled by SPS across surface and bottom layers in five small estuaries. Peaks in PFAA concentrations are consistently observed at strongly stratified sites. Concentrations of the PFAAs in both surface and bottom SPS decreased as the degree of mixing increased from strongly stratified levels to well-mixed levels. The water-SPS partitioning of some short-chain PFAAs (PFBS, PFHxA, and PFHpA) is influenced by environmental factors (pH, depth, temperature, and salinity) due to electrostatic interactions, while the sorption of some long-chain PFAAs (PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA) is controlled by SPS and dissolved organic carbon (OC), driven by hydrophobic interactions. Additionally, SPS dominates OC transport in estuarine systems, except in sandy sediment environments. SPS plays a dominant role in PFAA partitioning in both surface and bottom water-SPS systems (p < 0.05), and salinity only significantly affects PFBS in bottom layer (p < 0.01). These findings are critical for understanding the drivers of PFAA partitioning and the roles of SPS in different layers, underscoring the necessity of considering particle-associated PFAA fractions in future coastal environmental management.

REDB: Real-time enhancement of Docker containers via memory bank partitioning in multicore systems

Docker is a lightweight virtualization technology adopted by numerous companies to develop, deploy, and manage applications. However, All Docker containers running on the same system share system resources, leading to performance interference among them. This interference adversely affects the predictability of program response times within the containers. Thus, shared resource isolation between containers has become an important issue. Efforts have been made to improve isolation across various dimensions, such as file systems, I/O, etc. However, consideration of the effect of memory bank interference remains open. We propose a novel approach, REDB, as an effective solution to achieve memory isolation among containers, thereby enhancing the real-time performance of Docker containers. The fundamental strategy is partitioning DRAM banks and allocating specific banks to particular containers. The results reveal that the slowdown ratios of SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks show an average improvement of 7.7% (up to 18.4%) for Docker with REDB. We utilize the Cyclictest tool to characterize the Docker container latency, and our evaluations indicate that the maximum latency, a critical indicator of real-time performance, decreases significantly from 564 us for Docker without bank partitioning to just 26 us for Docker with REDB, resulting in an impressive reduction of 95.3%.

Spectrally-tuned compact finite-difference schemes with domain decomposition and applications to numerical relativity

Compact finite-difference (FD) schemes specify derivative approximations implicitly, thus to achieve parallelism with domain-decomposition suitable partitioning of linear systems is required. Consistent order of accuracy, dispersion, and dissipation is crucial to maintain in wave propagation problems such that deformation of the associated spectra of the discretized problems is not too severe. In this work we consider numerically tuning spectral error, at fixed formal order of accuracy to automatically devise new compact FD schemes. Grid convergence tests indicate error reduction of at least an order of magnitude over standard FD. A proposed hybrid matching-communication strategy maintains the aforementioned properties under domain-decomposition. Under evolution of linear wave-propagation problems utilizing exponential integration or explicit Runge-Kutta methods improvement is found to remain robust. A first demonstration that compact FD methods may be applied to the Z4c formulation of numerical relativity is provided where we couple our header-only, templated C++ implementation to the highly performant GR-Athena++ code. Evolving Z4c on test-bed problems shows at least an order in magnitude reduction in phase error compared to FD for propagated metric components. Stable binary-black-hole evolution utilizing compact FD together with improved convergence is also demonstrated.